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52 Games. 1 Year. 2019.
- Thread starter Wozzer
- Start date
The game picks up with the air dash, I wish the game would incorporate that some more and much sooner. Air dash makes the movement so much better.
Master Post
23. Quantum Break - Was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The episodes in between acts were good enough and helped build on the story/lore. Would've liked a few more powers and more combat encounters as they felt lacking in both regards.
24. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - It's been awhile since I've played this and the last 1/3 of the game felt like it dragged on a bit. Overall though I really enjoyed it and am curious to see if/when they remake it how they're going to handle Nemesis and the character switch.
25. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Started Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Thursday and it gave me the itch to replay this game. Still love every second of it and really hoping if the series continues we'll get another Chloe and Nadine adventure.
26. Halo: Combat Evolved - I was never the biggest fan of this game and always thought it was the worst from the Bungie games. This replay just further cemented that for me. Doing a replay of the series as I've never played Reach and Halo 5 and the game felt rough and was a slog to play. Loved the OST though.
23. Quantum Break - Was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The episodes in between acts were good enough and helped build on the story/lore. Would've liked a few more powers and more combat encounters as they felt lacking in both regards.
24. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - It's been awhile since I've played this and the last 1/3 of the game felt like it dragged on a bit. Overall though I really enjoyed it and am curious to see if/when they remake it how they're going to handle Nemesis and the character switch.
25. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Started Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Thursday and it gave me the itch to replay this game. Still love every second of it and really hoping if the series continues we'll get another Chloe and Nadine adventure.
26. Halo: Combat Evolved - I was never the biggest fan of this game and always thought it was the worst from the Bungie games. This replay just further cemented that for me. Doing a replay of the series as I've never played Reach and Halo 5 and the game felt rough and was a slog to play. Loved the OST though.
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Maybe, but my problems with it went much deeper than movement. I didn't like the shooting, the characters, the enemies, the visuals, the music, the tone. It's just so not my cup of tea. I love the Ratchet games to death and even liked Fuse so Insomniac had me at hello but then they lost me.
23. Mega Man 4 (2 hours)
Is it weird that I liked this one better than Mega Man 3? Cause I liked this one better than Mega Man 3.
Full list to date
Is it weird that I liked this one better than Mega Man 3? Cause I liked this one better than Mega Man 3.
Full list to date
24. Mega Man 5 (2 hours)
Easily the weakest of the main series that I've played so far. Not that it's bad, but aside from Gravity Man's level, it's not particularly inspired in any way.
Full list to date
Easily the weakest of the main series that I've played so far. Not that it's bad, but aside from Gravity Man's level, it's not particularly inspired in any way.
Full list to date
Completed games: 70
Infinite games: 2
Unfinished games: 14
Number of 2019 releases: 27
Last update: Week 51 (December)
Challenge complete!
Infinite games: 2
Unfinished games: 14
Number of 2019 releases: 27
Last update: Week 51 (December)
Challenge complete!
"Regular" games
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PC) | Week 1 - 60 min
- The Swapper (PC) | Week 1 - 230 min
- Return of the Obra Dinn (PC) | Week 3 - 450 min
- TIS-100 (PC) | Week 2 - 480 min
- Kairo (PC) | Week 2 - 110 min
- Metal Gear Rising Revengeance (PC) | Week 2 - 360 min
- Pony Island (PC) | Week 3 - 111 min
- Mind: Path to Thalamus (PC) | Week 3 - 120 min
- Hocus (Android) | Week 3 - 30 min
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC) | Week 3 - 150 min
- What Remains of Edith Finch (PC) | Week 4 - 120 min
- VOI (Android) | Week 6 - 60 min
- Black (Android) | Week 6 - 30 min
- Knightmare Tower (Android) | Week 6 - 160 min
- Cuphead (PC) | Week 6 - 480 min
- Just Shapes and Beats (PC) | Week 6 - 145 min
- Duck Jam (PC) | Week 6 - 20 min
- Subnautica (PC) | Week 9 - 1620 min
- Tacoma (PC) | Week 12 - 120 min
- Thimbleweed Park (PC) | Week 13 - 360 min
- Dead Rising (PC) | Week 13 - 750 min
- Life is Strange: Before the Storm (PC) | Week 14 - 480 min
- Mega Man (NES) | Week 14 - 180 min
- Mega Man 2 (NES) | Week 15 - 120 min
- Super Mario Bros (NES) | Week 15 - 20 min
- Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC) | Week 16 - 500 min
- The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (PC) | Week 17 - 70 min
- Forza Horizon 4 (XBO) | Week 18 - 270 min
- Mortal Kombat XL (XBO) | Week 18 - 300 min
- SUPERHOT (XBO) | Week 18 - 130 min
- Ashen (XBO) | Week 18 - 1080 min
- The Gardens Between (XBO) | Week 19 - 160 min
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (XBO) | Week 19 - 340 min
- DOOM (XBO) | Week 19 - 720 min
- Layers of Fear (XBO) | Week 21 - 180 min
- DmC: Devil May Cry (XBO) | Week 21 - 375 min
- D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (XBO) | Week 22 - 220 min
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (XBO) | Week 22 - 345 min
- Void Bastards (XBO) | Week 22 - 480 min
- Outer Wilds (XBO) | Week 24 - 1200 min
- Hollow Knight (XBO) | Week 25 - 1215 min
- WarGroove (XBO) | Week 26 - 600 min
- Slay the Spire (PC) | Week 27 - 540 min
- Riverbond (PC) | Week 27 - 120 min
- Old Man's Journey (PC) | Week 27 - 80 min
- Baba is You (PC) | Week 32 - 660 min
- Blazing Chrome (XBO) | Week 32 - 120 min
- Castlevania: SOTN (XBO) | Week 32 - 480 min
- Crackdown 3 (XBO) | Week 32 - 360 min
- Manual Samuel (XBO) | Week 32 - 120 min
- The Stillness of the Wind (PC) | Week 33 - 180 min
- Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (PC) | Week 34 - 2580 min
- Yoku's Island Express (PC) | Week 37 - 240 min
- Dead Cells (PC) | Week 37 - 480 min
- Gears 5 (PC) | Week 38 - 570 min
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PC) | Week 38 - 720 min
- I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin' Good Dating Simulator (PC) | Week 39 - 112 min
- Creature in the Well (PC) | Week 40 - 240 min
- The Outer Worlds (PC) | Week 43 - 1740 min
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC) | Week 44-45 - 1670 min
- Control (PC) | Week 46 - 720 min
- Untitled Goose Game (PC) | Week 46 - 60 min
- Thumper (PC) | Week 47 - 270 min
- Lonely Mountains: Downhill (PC) | Week 47 - 220 min
- Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC) | Week 48 - 511 min
- GRIS (PC) | Week 49 - 150 min
- LIMBO (PC) | Week 49 - 120 min
- APE OUT (PC) | Week 50 - 52 min
- Jedi: Fallen Order (PC) | Week 51 - 900 min
- A Plague Tale: Innocence (PC) | Week 51 - 600 min
- DOTA 2 (PC) | Week 12 - 10000+ min
- Mosaic: BlipBlop (Android) | Week 24 - 9.5 trillion blops
- The flame and the flood - Not a game for me
- Advent Rising - Simply really mediocre. Tried for an hour because I remembered the trailer from release. See now why it sold poorly.
- Snakebird - Didn't click with me
- Papers, please - Played on a PC with mousepad, which unhyped me from playing later stages. Would like to return
- Downwell - Tried for an hour
- Getting over it with Bennett Foddy - Got to orange hell but never past it. With 4 hours total, I'm done with it. EDIT: I want to go back!
- Into the breach - Figured out that this type of game is not for me
- Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind - Played an hour and realized I wouidn't have the time to play this game again
- BELOW - Encountered a bug that prohibited progression without complete restart
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Played a few custom games and started the campaign. Not for me in the long run
- Undertale - Did not feel the groovethat night. Plan to revisit
- Skyrim - Felt like playing again and had that for two weeks
- Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition - Played some skirmishes
- Demon's Tilt - Got bored after 30 minutes of gameplay
- Disco Elysium
- Devil May Cry 5
- Life is Strange 2
- Metro Exodus
- Sayonara Wild Heart
- Katana Zero
- Kind Words
- Children of Morta
- Blasphemous
- Afterparty
- They Are Billions
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29. Metal Gear (MSX version through MGS3 on Vita) | 26nd Mar - 4 hrs | 4/5
Very basic story. It's really weird just how bat shit crazy the series becomes. But also impressive how the story is used throughout the series.
Main post.
6. NBA 2K19 (PC) | 2nd Feb - 133hrs | 4/5
Lost a bit of momentum playing this and I don't think I'll bother going back to it now. Still an great series if you're a MyGM fan like me.
7. Red Dead Redemption II (Xbox One) | 27th Mar - 81hrs | 5/5
I'm not sure I can say much here, other than it's possibly my game of the generation. It's definitely one of my favourite games of all time, but I need to think about where it sits for me. Incredible.
Currently playing:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Switch)
Immediate backlog:
Battlefield V (PC)
God of War (PS4)
Fallout 76 (PC)
6. NBA 2K19 (PC) | 2nd Feb - 133hrs | 4/5
Lost a bit of momentum playing this and I don't think I'll bother going back to it now. Still an great series if you're a MyGM fan like me.
7. Red Dead Redemption II (Xbox One) | 27th Mar - 81hrs | 5/5
I'm not sure I can say much here, other than it's possibly my game of the generation. It's definitely one of my favourite games of all time, but I need to think about where it sits for me. Incredible.
Currently playing:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Switch)
Immediate backlog:
Battlefield V (PC)
God of War (PS4)
Fallout 76 (PC)
30. Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3) | 27th Mar - 8hrs | 3/5
I'm a pretty big Suda51 fan. But I'd definitely say this is the worst game I've played he's associated with. I'd still recommend, would just choose some others before this. Combat could have been tighter. That would be my biggest complaint.
Big ol Q1 update! March, 28th
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Game 15: Dig Dug (Xbox One X, 100%)
Metro 1982
I originally wasnt going to put this game on the list because it doesnt really have an "end" as its an old arcade game but I decided to do it after I got all the Xbox Achievements for the game.
Its small, its Dig Dug and hey its pretty fun. The achievements are also pretty easy, only one that can take a handful of tries is to go over every block on a map which includes the empty spaces the game starts with.
not much to say its a neat game that I enjoyed on my Gameboy SP and that I enjoyed getting achievements on Xbox One.
Game 16: Fuzion Frenzy (Xbox One X)
Fuzion Party
This was essentially the Xbox version of Mario Party and Crash Bash back on Xbox. Its not as great as either of those but like most party games if you get some friends together this can be an absolute blast.
as its a pretty old game I recommend that how you play it, other than that its just ok. I dont find too much fun out of it and prefer Mario Party when it comes to playing it Singleplayer.
Decent game and pretty great with friends.
Game 17: The Witness (Xbox One X)
0----------0
The Witness is a game that I always looked forward to playing by the visual style alone.
Was happy to see that when I opened it up that it delivered on that front but it also had some neat puzzles and delivered a great time for me just to unwind and play a podcast or some music while I solved some puzzles.
The enviroments were distinct and all had a certain flavour that I appreciated. The only things that take away from this game is the lack of Xbox One X support ( I got to also play it on PC and would have loved something similar on console)
and maybe some more direction on where to go. I found myself sometimes just walking around a pretty limited enviroment trying to find a puzzle I have done so it could lead me to a new area. Not asking for hand holding but just a more clear direction/path to new areas.
Game 18: Trackmania TM Turbo (Xbox One X)
The Need for Speed
Its like playing with Hot Wheels and trying to go as fast as possible on some crazy courses. Its pretty fun and would reccomend for fans of the genre, specifically if it goes on sale which im sure it does every so often.
Its a pretty simple game and is just fine so not much to add.
Game 19: Overcooked (Xbox One X)
A slice of friendship
So this game is pretty crazy. Its clearly intended to be played with other so I have experienced both 4 player coop and 2 player coop.
You try and prepare certain dishes as fast as possible (as well as being accurate). This of course leads to absolute mayhem in the kitchen (which can vary in environment to add to the mayhem and challenge)
Its a pretty great game but be ready to be yelling at your friend or SO as you try and deliver on the order!
Game 20: Mortal Kombat X (Xbox One X)
X Gonna Give It To Ya
With Mortal Kombat 11 right around the corner I decided to jump into MKX and complete its story mode (plus play some of the other modes).
NetherRealms delivered on another great game although it doesn't reach the height of Injustice 2 its definitely a worthy pick up at the right price and a great fighting game to have on Gamepass which is where I got it.
MKX is great and the work they later did on Injustice 2 which I loved makes me very excited to see what they can pull of on Mortal Kombat 11. Let the tournament begin.
Game 21: What Remains of Edith Finch (Xbox One X, 100%)
Let me tell you a story...
So this a game I heard a lot about back when it first released but I just wasnt interested in picking it up. Later I noticed its on Xbox Gamepass so I decided to download as there was no harm trying it
especially with such a small play time (roughly 2hrs but can be faster) as well as a pretty easy achievement list.
This is a game best not spoiled imo so all I will say is that its worth it if you have Gamepass, find it on sale or if you have the Epic Store downloaded as its been given for free on that before.
I only hoped
Game 22: Rocket League (Xbox One X, 100% on PS4)
Its like Soccer(and Basketball and Hockey)...but with cars.
I completed the Trophy list on the game back when it released but more recently downloaded the game to see what new stuff they had added to the game since the last time I really played it.
Its great fun especially with friends but I do find it to be something I get bored of later on and then I take a break whether thats a week or a month depends but after that im right back to scoring some goals.
Game 23 Kingdom Hearts 3 (Xbox One X)
I was 7 when KH2 came out...
Its been so damn long since we had gotten a numbered release of Kingdom Hearts but it was worth the wait. Its one I really enjoyed and I plan on going back and getting that 100% completion once the game schedule relaxes (although it seems like even Summer will be busy :P)
The story at least in my opinion is more coherent then usual and the worlds it goes too are pretty decent. They do feel repetitive tho when you reach the half way point you already know the pattern each world will have which is unfortunate because all of them are really well done.
Also, thank you for adding Toy Story, its the one world I have wanted since I could remember and with the soon to be released Toy Story 4 its perfect.
The gameplay is solid, the music is great, visuals are top notch and hey you can even follow the story for the most part. (especially if you take 15-20mins to watch a video on Youtube)
Only downside is that the game is really easy. I would recommend either you turn it up higher than you usually would or just go in understanding that you are going in for a fun easy ride and not necessarily going to be challenged.
Also the addition of Hidden Mickeys in the game was great, I really enjoyed hunting them down and im currently sitting a 100% on that (NOTE: You need to collect a certain amount depending on difficulty chosen to unlock the secret ending)
Its great and im glad we have another addition to one of the most fun franchises around.
(...Donald pls heal me)
Game 24: Fifa 19 (Switch)
GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!
A sports game in my completed list :O
I don't usually pick these games up anymore, last time i paid for ones were back in NBA2K11,12 and 13.
I was able to get this from EA tho so hey a sports game on the go? ill take it.
The game has like usual a pretty great base and although its not as great as its big boy counterpart (the PS4 and Xbox One versions) I think its pretty great to pick up and play in bed or on the go.
I wouldnt reccomend getting it tho if you have FIFA 18 or if the price is still at $60USD since FIFA 20 is right around the corner anyways and that money could just get you the newest version which will play similar to this game anyways
Main Post
Game 15: Dig Dug (Xbox One X, 100%)
Metro 1982
I originally wasnt going to put this game on the list because it doesnt really have an "end" as its an old arcade game but I decided to do it after I got all the Xbox Achievements for the game.
Its small, its Dig Dug and hey its pretty fun. The achievements are also pretty easy, only one that can take a handful of tries is to go over every block on a map which includes the empty spaces the game starts with.
not much to say its a neat game that I enjoyed on my Gameboy SP and that I enjoyed getting achievements on Xbox One.
Game 16: Fuzion Frenzy (Xbox One X)
Fuzion Party
This was essentially the Xbox version of Mario Party and Crash Bash back on Xbox. Its not as great as either of those but like most party games if you get some friends together this can be an absolute blast.
as its a pretty old game I recommend that how you play it, other than that its just ok. I dont find too much fun out of it and prefer Mario Party when it comes to playing it Singleplayer.
Decent game and pretty great with friends.
Game 17: The Witness (Xbox One X)
0----------0
The Witness is a game that I always looked forward to playing by the visual style alone.
Was happy to see that when I opened it up that it delivered on that front but it also had some neat puzzles and delivered a great time for me just to unwind and play a podcast or some music while I solved some puzzles.
The enviroments were distinct and all had a certain flavour that I appreciated. The only things that take away from this game is the lack of Xbox One X support ( I got to also play it on PC and would have loved something similar on console)
and maybe some more direction on where to go. I found myself sometimes just walking around a pretty limited enviroment trying to find a puzzle I have done so it could lead me to a new area. Not asking for hand holding but just a more clear direction/path to new areas.
Game 18: Trackmania TM Turbo (Xbox One X)
The Need for Speed
Its like playing with Hot Wheels and trying to go as fast as possible on some crazy courses. Its pretty fun and would reccomend for fans of the genre, specifically if it goes on sale which im sure it does every so often.
Its a pretty simple game and is just fine so not much to add.
Game 19: Overcooked (Xbox One X)
A slice of friendship
So this game is pretty crazy. Its clearly intended to be played with other so I have experienced both 4 player coop and 2 player coop.
You try and prepare certain dishes as fast as possible (as well as being accurate). This of course leads to absolute mayhem in the kitchen (which can vary in environment to add to the mayhem and challenge)
Its a pretty great game but be ready to be yelling at your friend or SO as you try and deliver on the order!
Game 20: Mortal Kombat X (Xbox One X)
X Gonna Give It To Ya
With Mortal Kombat 11 right around the corner I decided to jump into MKX and complete its story mode (plus play some of the other modes).
NetherRealms delivered on another great game although it doesn't reach the height of Injustice 2 its definitely a worthy pick up at the right price and a great fighting game to have on Gamepass which is where I got it.
MKX is great and the work they later did on Injustice 2 which I loved makes me very excited to see what they can pull of on Mortal Kombat 11. Let the tournament begin.
Game 21: What Remains of Edith Finch (Xbox One X, 100%)
Let me tell you a story...
So this a game I heard a lot about back when it first released but I just wasnt interested in picking it up. Later I noticed its on Xbox Gamepass so I decided to download as there was no harm trying it
especially with such a small play time (roughly 2hrs but can be faster) as well as a pretty easy achievement list.
This is a game best not spoiled imo so all I will say is that its worth it if you have Gamepass, find it on sale or if you have the Epic Store downloaded as its been given for free on that before.
I only hoped
Game 22: Rocket League (Xbox One X, 100% on PS4)
Its like Soccer(and Basketball and Hockey)...but with cars.
I completed the Trophy list on the game back when it released but more recently downloaded the game to see what new stuff they had added to the game since the last time I really played it.
Its great fun especially with friends but I do find it to be something I get bored of later on and then I take a break whether thats a week or a month depends but after that im right back to scoring some goals.
Game 23 Kingdom Hearts 3 (Xbox One X)
I was 7 when KH2 came out...
Its been so damn long since we had gotten a numbered release of Kingdom Hearts but it was worth the wait. Its one I really enjoyed and I plan on going back and getting that 100% completion once the game schedule relaxes (although it seems like even Summer will be busy :P)
The story at least in my opinion is more coherent then usual and the worlds it goes too are pretty decent. They do feel repetitive tho when you reach the half way point you already know the pattern each world will have which is unfortunate because all of them are really well done.
Also, thank you for adding Toy Story, its the one world I have wanted since I could remember and with the soon to be released Toy Story 4 its perfect.
The gameplay is solid, the music is great, visuals are top notch and hey you can even follow the story for the most part. (especially if you take 15-20mins to watch a video on Youtube)
Only downside is that the game is really easy. I would recommend either you turn it up higher than you usually would or just go in understanding that you are going in for a fun easy ride and not necessarily going to be challenged.
Also the addition of Hidden Mickeys in the game was great, I really enjoyed hunting them down and im currently sitting a 100% on that (NOTE: You need to collect a certain amount depending on difficulty chosen to unlock the secret ending)
Its great and im glad we have another addition to one of the most fun franchises around.
(...Donald pls heal me)
Game 24: Fifa 19 (Switch)
GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!
A sports game in my completed list :O
I don't usually pick these games up anymore, last time i paid for ones were back in NBA2K11,12 and 13.
I was able to get this from EA tho so hey a sports game on the go? ill take it.
The game has like usual a pretty great base and although its not as great as its big boy counterpart (the PS4 and Xbox One versions) I think its pretty great to pick up and play in bed or on the go.
I wouldnt reccomend getting it tho if you have FIFA 18 or if the price is still at $60USD since FIFA 20 is right around the corner anyways and that money could just get you the newest version which will play similar to this game anyways
Game #40 - Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
Time: 50 hours
Another awesome From Software "Souls" game, although this one is by far the biggest departure from the formula yet, but at the same time, it maintains enough of it's qualities that I'll still lump it with the others. Part Tenchu, part Souls, you follow the Wolf on his journey to rescue his young master, and on the way you will encounter the usual assortment of interconnected zones and extremely hard bosses. Game play is a lot faster than the souls games, and the grappling hook adds a layer of verticality I will miss when I go back to the old games. It's extremely punishing of course, but that is par for the course. My only problem with the game is that I feel the last third or so isn't very good, as it
becomes WAY too punishing (the last boss was so hard that I didnt even feel any sense of acomplishment when I finally killed it, I just wanted the game to be over) and the zone changes in a way that you cant freely explore and use stealth anymore, thus negating what you were doing for most of the game
Game #41 - What Remains of Edith Finch
Time: 2 hours
I'm usually very hot and cold with walking sims, as I tend to either love them or hate them. Well Edith finch clearly falls on the love camp, in fact it's probably the best one of the genre I've played yet. Gorgeous setting (and super detailed, damn there is a lot of stuff in these rooms) as you walk from room to room reading about the finch family, each little story using it's own neat gameplay twist to the storytelling, in this very touching, and very depressing story, Edith finch is never boring, and during it's short length manages to be quite varied in both the stories it tells and the things you do. Just a fantastic game overall and one that everyone should play. The only downside is the performance on XB1 is shockingly bad, but hey, it was "free" on gamepass so can't really complaint.
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Game #42 - Minit
Time: 1.5 hours
Really neat Zelda-style game where you only have 1 minute (Minit, get it?) to play before you die and have to restart, with the catch being you keep whatever item or puzzle solution you acomplished in the next run. So in the end it ends up being more of a puzzle game as you try to figure out how to do a specific task inside 1 minute so you can proceed elsewere in the next minute. Certainly original, it's very short (speed runs take like 20mins I believe) as it took me about an hour and half to finish it, but I only got like half the items, so for completionists you can probably get more out of it, especially since there is also NG+. All around, a great idea, great execution, even if the art style didnt do much for me.
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5) Celeste(XB1)
I was a year late to the party but took advantage of this game being the Microsoft free game of the month via XBL and I can say I totally see the hype as to why this is heralded as a GOTY. So much this game does right, a cute but somewhat significant story revolving around mental health, fair if not backbreaking challenge for anyone to enjoy with an easy mode available if ever needed and a decent sized campaign mode with ALOT of side content that I hadn't even finished myself.
Through countless deaths, most of them my own doing, some just exploring and seeing if there is a side crack or secret location, you will die and the better you get used to it, the funner of a ride you will have. There is some thinking involved in the platform mechanics, with only 1-2 giving me an admitted awkward time. One of the things I didn't like was how sensitive the dashing is on the sticks. For example, the game will demand you to to a diagonal right dash in the air to make a platform but the input you enter is no diagonal, but a simple right dash which would lead to your demise. I don't know if its the sensitivity of the left analog stick of the XB1 controller but there were quite a bit of deaths where I wanted one thing and got something completely else.
The music is simply ok on the normal portions but the much more difficult B and C Sides on the other hand give you a remix and sped up version of the music which was much better and goes on for a while without looping so you aren't stuck listening to the same couple of notes as you trek through, all the while dying.
I didn't touch the B sides as they were short but TOUGH and were extremely trial and error. I did wipe out the C Side, collected all of the optional strawberries and get all of the crystal hearts in every level so I can at least bang on that notion. I found the later portions of the game, particularly the 2nd to last chapter(Official last chapter without counting secret hidden area) quite cruel with what was expected with a narrow frame jump up that was rather complicated on a controller where I found myself on the area almost as long as everywhere else in the chapter because of how tight they expected you to hit a spot and then react as such.
Very few gripes altogether, this was a fantastic experience and a game that doesn't babywalk you into anything. They tell you a new control and that is all. Very simple but meaningful story, cool little cast of character with a real retro throwback to it. Absolutely see why this got such accolades and I am there for more content in the near future with this game. Well done game altogether, great building block for these guys moving forward.
6) Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley(XB1)
Game reminded me of Comix Zone as far as the original comic gimmick and it being a beat em up though this one expands with some much needed variety and of course having much needed checkpoints to even out the admitted tough difficulty. The game plays off tons of humor pertaining to the nerd culture so it becomes hit or miss in that aspect but for me it got some laughs out of me. The game is quirky and gives a decent amount of hours for a beat em up, but the game does admittedly crank up the difficulty especially for the airplane levels that become borderline hairpulling frustration with trying to survive the onslaught of obstacles. For it being free on XBOX Game Pass, I would most definitely give it a shot, game doesn't overstay it's welcome too long at all and there's a decent amount of variety with what the game is presenting. Game has Space Invader segments, Contra segments, Streets of Rage segments all wrapped in one for a nice blend.
29. Velocity 2X
Finally got to replay this, and I like it still.
PC version has odd freezes from time to time but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the game. The music did get boring with how repetitive it was though @_@.
I ended up replaying a few stages to get all crystals and capsules though, as later stages require you to have obtained a specific amount of XP in order to unlock.
Finally got to replay this, and I like it still.
PC version has odd freezes from time to time but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the game. The music did get boring with how repetitive it was though @_@.
I ended up replaying a few stages to get all crystals and capsules though, as later stages require you to have obtained a specific amount of XP in order to unlock.
25. Mega Man 6 (2 hours)
A notable improvement over Mega Man 5, thanks to its Rush Adapters and multiple routes within levels, and a fun game to boot.
Full list to date
A notable improvement over Mega Man 5, thanks to its Rush Adapters and multiple routes within levels, and a fun game to boot.
Full list to date
9) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (41 hours) 5/5
Amazing character action game. The difficulty has been exaggerated to meme-levels recently, but this game is tough as hell. Still, it provides the sweet endorphin rush From Software games are known for upon the defeat of a boss. Not for the faint-of-heart, but oh-so satisfying to learn and master.
Amazing character action game. The difficulty has been exaggerated to meme-levels recently, but this game is tough as hell. Still, it provides the sweet endorphin rush From Software games are known for upon the defeat of a boss. Not for the faint-of-heart, but oh-so satisfying to learn and master.
Main Post
Update 1: January
Update 2: February-March
Update 3: April-July
Update 4: August-December
Bonus December Game(s)
Overdue on some updates.
Completed
February
5: The Last Guardian - 12 hours
The final game from Team ICO is one that I was sure would never come out. Released over 7 years after it was originally announced, the finished product shows some signs of development hell and feels a bit rough overall. The game felt like it ran a little too long with lots of setbacks in your journey out of the castle and lots of very similar puzzle and traversal mechanics. I also experienced lots of problems with the camera and with getting Trico to do what I thought I needed to do to progress. In a lot of ways this reminded me of trying to get a real pet/companion to do anything or follow your directions :). I don't think it's a particularly good game, but it did engender a real sense of compassion and camaraderie between myself as a player and a fictional bird dog monster. I really wanted Trico to be safe and happy and felt like Trico had same concern for me which was a really cool and impressive thing for a videogame to elicit.
7/10
6: Super Lucky's Tail - 6 hours
Super Lucky's Tail is a throw-back 3D platformer in the style of the N64/PS1 days. It has a lot of the same problems as those older games, primarily with camera issues and the platforming itself feeling a little floaty and hard to land correctly. The level design feels like it took a page from Mario Galaxy in that most of them are a bit shorter and focused around a single theme or sometimes a new mechanic which keeps things feeling fresh and briskly paced. It doesn't achieve anywhere near the heights of Galaxy, and feels a little rough and low budget overall but it's a fun entry in an under-served genre.
7/10
March
7: The Messenger - 14 hours
Mild spoilers for the game ahead: The Messenger is a clever mash-up of an 8 bit side-scrolling action game and a 16 bit metroidvania. Halfway through the game you unlock the 16 bit mode the world & objectives open up quite a bit into that of a Metroidvania. Like some other recent throw-backs, the game allows you to switch between 8 bit and 16 bit modes pretty freely once you unlock them both, with art styles & sound effects changing on the fly as well. In this game however, the 8bit mode is considered the "past" and the 16bit mode "the future" so the game also makes use of a lot of time travel mechanics too whenever you switch. It's a clever game with a great sense of style and a good sense of humor.
9/10
8: Evolution: The Videogame - 6 hours single player & ~30 hours multiplayer
This is a great fully-featured adaptation of an excellent board game where you try to adapt your creatures and be the most successful by surviving. The digital version simplifies a lot of the processes and questions people might have about how traits interact so the multiplayer matches fly by and the whole thing feels very brisk and well-made. The multiplayer also is cross-platform between iOS, Android, and Steam which means it avoids the problem most digital board games have where their populations disappear immediately and you can never find a match. The campaign serves as an extended tutorial, teaching you the basics of the game and what all the traits do and then showing you different strategies opponents might use (super defensive or aggressive traits, minimal food for creatures to eat, etc.) and giving you a chance to react. That's one of the great strengths of the design of the game overall: you always have several ways to use your cards and adapt your creatures so it always feels like you have some way you can respond to the strategies your opponents are using. I think the best thing about the game might be the presentation though: menus, icons, and the watering hole you play around all look great and the game continues to feature beautiful artwork that the physical version is known for. Sound effects and music are also great and bring a lot of life to all the creatures and to combat. It's the gold-standard for digital board game adaptations as far as I'm concerned.
9/10
9: Tetris Effect - 6 hours
This is probably my favorite version of Tetris and the audio/visual design adds so much to the game. Whether that's the intensity of a level or how calming it is to play, everything always feels like it is working together. For me however the sense of synesthesia isn't quite as effective as Rez or Lumines because of the way rotating a tetromino repeatedly also repeats sound effects. It always took me out of the music a little bit and sounded weird, but was required for harder levels. I also think the content on offering is a little light and I would have liked more stages and songs given that this was a $60 game on release. Still, it's a really unique and exciting way to play Tetris.
8/10
10: Dishonored 2 - 16 hours
I played Dishonored 1 towards the end of last year and was worried this would feel a little too similar, too soon, but it's a really impressive sequel. Since you get a choice between two characters, you can either play as Cordo with the old power set or as Emily with a completely different and new power set. The idea of letting you play as an older adult version of the young Empress that you protected in the first game is a really cool idea as it strongly connects back to the story of the first game where the character you are playing as was shaped by those events and now has agency of their own. Visually the game looks amazing, definitely a generation ahead of the first game and still incredibly impressive and smooth on PC compared to modern games. Most impressive of all was the level design in Dishonored 2. Insanely creative stuff with Stilton's Mansion & the Clocktower Mansion being some of the best levels I've ever seen in a game. My only complaint about the game is that the enemies do grow stale by the end of the game despite efforts to diversify the encounters and the story doesn't quite land the ending. It seems like Immersive Sims may be on their way out as a genre but Dishonored 2 is a hell of a high note and may be my favorite output by Arkane.
9/10
Update 1: January
Update 2: February-March
Update 3: April-July
Update 4: August-December
Bonus December Game(s)
Overdue on some updates.
Completed
February
5: The Last Guardian - 12 hours
The final game from Team ICO is one that I was sure would never come out. Released over 7 years after it was originally announced, the finished product shows some signs of development hell and feels a bit rough overall. The game felt like it ran a little too long with lots of setbacks in your journey out of the castle and lots of very similar puzzle and traversal mechanics. I also experienced lots of problems with the camera and with getting Trico to do what I thought I needed to do to progress. In a lot of ways this reminded me of trying to get a real pet/companion to do anything or follow your directions :). I don't think it's a particularly good game, but it did engender a real sense of compassion and camaraderie between myself as a player and a fictional bird dog monster. I really wanted Trico to be safe and happy and felt like Trico had same concern for me which was a really cool and impressive thing for a videogame to elicit.
7/10
6: Super Lucky's Tail - 6 hours
Super Lucky's Tail is a throw-back 3D platformer in the style of the N64/PS1 days. It has a lot of the same problems as those older games, primarily with camera issues and the platforming itself feeling a little floaty and hard to land correctly. The level design feels like it took a page from Mario Galaxy in that most of them are a bit shorter and focused around a single theme or sometimes a new mechanic which keeps things feeling fresh and briskly paced. It doesn't achieve anywhere near the heights of Galaxy, and feels a little rough and low budget overall but it's a fun entry in an under-served genre.
7/10
March
7: The Messenger - 14 hours
Mild spoilers for the game ahead: The Messenger is a clever mash-up of an 8 bit side-scrolling action game and a 16 bit metroidvania. Halfway through the game you unlock the 16 bit mode the world & objectives open up quite a bit into that of a Metroidvania. Like some other recent throw-backs, the game allows you to switch between 8 bit and 16 bit modes pretty freely once you unlock them both, with art styles & sound effects changing on the fly as well. In this game however, the 8bit mode is considered the "past" and the 16bit mode "the future" so the game also makes use of a lot of time travel mechanics too whenever you switch. It's a clever game with a great sense of style and a good sense of humor.
9/10
8: Evolution: The Videogame - 6 hours single player & ~30 hours multiplayer
This is a great fully-featured adaptation of an excellent board game where you try to adapt your creatures and be the most successful by surviving. The digital version simplifies a lot of the processes and questions people might have about how traits interact so the multiplayer matches fly by and the whole thing feels very brisk and well-made. The multiplayer also is cross-platform between iOS, Android, and Steam which means it avoids the problem most digital board games have where their populations disappear immediately and you can never find a match. The campaign serves as an extended tutorial, teaching you the basics of the game and what all the traits do and then showing you different strategies opponents might use (super defensive or aggressive traits, minimal food for creatures to eat, etc.) and giving you a chance to react. That's one of the great strengths of the design of the game overall: you always have several ways to use your cards and adapt your creatures so it always feels like you have some way you can respond to the strategies your opponents are using. I think the best thing about the game might be the presentation though: menus, icons, and the watering hole you play around all look great and the game continues to feature beautiful artwork that the physical version is known for. Sound effects and music are also great and bring a lot of life to all the creatures and to combat. It's the gold-standard for digital board game adaptations as far as I'm concerned.
9/10
9: Tetris Effect - 6 hours
This is probably my favorite version of Tetris and the audio/visual design adds so much to the game. Whether that's the intensity of a level or how calming it is to play, everything always feels like it is working together. For me however the sense of synesthesia isn't quite as effective as Rez or Lumines because of the way rotating a tetromino repeatedly also repeats sound effects. It always took me out of the music a little bit and sounded weird, but was required for harder levels. I also think the content on offering is a little light and I would have liked more stages and songs given that this was a $60 game on release. Still, it's a really unique and exciting way to play Tetris.
8/10
10: Dishonored 2 - 16 hours
I played Dishonored 1 towards the end of last year and was worried this would feel a little too similar, too soon, but it's a really impressive sequel. Since you get a choice between two characters, you can either play as Cordo with the old power set or as Emily with a completely different and new power set. The idea of letting you play as an older adult version of the young Empress that you protected in the first game is a really cool idea as it strongly connects back to the story of the first game where the character you are playing as was shaped by those events and now has agency of their own. Visually the game looks amazing, definitely a generation ahead of the first game and still incredibly impressive and smooth on PC compared to modern games. Most impressive of all was the level design in Dishonored 2. Insanely creative stuff with Stilton's Mansion & the Clocktower Mansion being some of the best levels I've ever seen in a game. My only complaint about the game is that the enemies do grow stale by the end of the game despite efforts to diversify the encounters and the story doesn't quite land the ending. It seems like Immersive Sims may be on their way out as a genre but Dishonored 2 is a hell of a high note and may be my favorite output by Arkane.
9/10
Last edited:
26. Mega Man 11 (3 hours)
Five, six, skip a few, eleven. All jokes aside, this is an excellent modernization of classic Mega Man. The gameplay remains rock-solid, but there are a bunch of QoL changes in here that help make the game more approachable for new players.
Full list to date
Five, six, skip a few, eleven. All jokes aside, this is an excellent modernization of classic Mega Man. The gameplay remains rock-solid, but there are a bunch of QoL changes in here that help make the game more approachable for new players.
Full list to date
S.T.A.R.S Beret - 20/52 Games (12 first playthroughs, 8 replays)
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Game 19 – Tomb Raider: Legend (PC) – 6 hours, 9 minutes – 2/5
Say what you will about the original Tomb Raider games but at least the controls were consistent, even if they didn't mesh with you. All the jumps would execute the same way each time and it has a great sense of control. The sticky grab platforming of this game (and I assume the other ones in this trilogy but we'll see when I get to replaying them soonish) is nice in theory but it isn't anywhere near as precise as I'd like it to be. Especially when sometimes Lara would randomly not grab a ledge, bar, or rope while midair leaving me with nothing to do as she fell to her death. It isn't too consequential in terms of regular gameplay due to how checkpoint heavy this is but it made the time trials an absolute chore.
Also don't get me started on the motorcycle sections. They added nothing of value and overstayed their welcome after the first one but there was two.
Game 20 – Crackdown 3 (XB1) – 4 hours, 14 minutes – 2.5/5
Didn't have a huge level of investment in this but it was on game pass and I liked the original Crackdown back on the 360, so why not. I had a decent amount of fun with this but it was already overstaying its welcome and that's with a short 4 hours of length. Some of the gameplay (mainly the movement) felt clunky and I was hoping for a more polished experience since this had been so long coming.
Worth a look if you subscribe to game pass or can get a free trial but I wouldn't bother otherwise.
Weekly update 13!
Long games last week, short games this week I've gotten hooked by both ASTRONEER and Generation Zero so I don't spend much time on anything else. Happy I managed to squeeze these two gems in there tho!
27. Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn (PC) | 28th Mar - 4hrs | 4/5
28. DISTRAINT 2 (PC) | 29th Mar - 3hrs | 5/5
_____________
Master Post!
Long games last week, short games this week I've gotten hooked by both ASTRONEER and Generation Zero so I don't spend much time on anything else. Happy I managed to squeeze these two gems in there tho!
27. Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn (PC) | 28th Mar - 4hrs | 4/5
Nordic folklore by Swedish devs! I thought it would be a bit like a darker and scarier sibling to Through the Woods (a Norwegian Norse mythology horror game) and it is exactly what it felt like. As said, this is more folklore while Through the Woods mix both folklore and mythology, and I think I like this one a little more due to that. I definitely prefer our folklore to our mythology. The game is freaky. Not due to the couple of jump-scares that happened but the overall atmosphere, the story and the tone of it. I enjoyed the Swedish voice acting, it sounded like stuff real people would say. There was a single part of the game that got a bit frustrating so that's why I can't give it a five, but it was a great experience and I especially enjoyed the poems that act as collectibles. Absolutely recommended if you like horror games.
28. DISTRAINT 2 (PC) | 29th Mar - 3hrs | 5/5
I don't know why I waited so long to play this! I adored the first game and I have to say that this one is even better. It's really something special and will be with me for a long time. It's horror themed but I wouldn't call it a scary game. I feel that the creepy stuff is there as a representation of a broken mind and nightmares. It's hard to say anything about it without spoiling it. It's short and cheap (a steal actually) and if you have any interest in psychological stuff then this is a must play. Preferably after playing the first one since this is a direct sequel to the story of that one.
_____________
Master Post!
Last edited:
Main post here
12- Last Window - 12hours - 4/5
Direct sequel from the excellent Hotel Dusk, closes the Kyle saga with this game. Same game type as the other one, thriller noir style VN, very good characters with an interesting story to tell.
Plot wise, on par with the old one at the very least, personally I've found this one more interesting.
It's a shame the Cing studio went bankrupt, their VN´s are really a treasure.
13- Devil May Cry 5 -12h- 5/5
After a decade waiting for it, Itsuno did it again, and the game surpassed even the wildest expectations, GOTY.
One of the most FUN have I´ve ever played, lighting fast over the top combat with combos where the only limit you have its your skill and imagination, especially when you get access to almost all the tools your character have, it's actually hard to believe how good the gameplay came in this game.
The game offers A LOT of replay content and its encouraged, because like the other DMC games, the game really starts at higher difficulties that unlock after you end the game in the first ones.
Amazing OST, as you can expect from a DMC. Most of the tracks sync really well with the crazy combat and makes your adrenaline rush.
All in all, amazing OST, amazing art direction, crazy fun game, with a lot of deep mechanics and hours to tinker around smashing enemy's with SSS style. My GOTY, no doubt.
14- Yume Nikki -3h- 3/5
Crazy, psychotropic adventure/exploration game, you play as a shut-in girl that doesn't want to leave her room. You run around through different colorful stages when she sleeps picking items and solving simple puzzles.
The old style Japanese art in beautiful pixel art is quite nice.
15- Ace Combat 7 -12h - 5/5
First contact with the Ace combat games since the PS1 days and boy, what a blast.
Fast paced & fun combat gameplay wise, it's quite shocking the fun you have simple running around the beautiful maps shooting everything with your missiles. Also, the game has a huge variety of combat airplanes, each one with a very unique arsenal at their disposal, from simple air to air guided missiles to rail guns.
On the other hand, this game has one of the best OST of the year. And not only 1 track or 2, the whole soundtrack is something else, it really sync well with the moments the story mode has to offer and makes the campaign EPIC. Amazing work from the hand of Keiki Kobayashi.
One of the must play in 2019, and I'm sure this game will be in a lot of top5 games of the year.
Now playing:
-YS SEVEN
-SMT IV
-Sekiro
12- Last Window - 12hours - 4/5
Direct sequel from the excellent Hotel Dusk, closes the Kyle saga with this game. Same game type as the other one, thriller noir style VN, very good characters with an interesting story to tell.
Plot wise, on par with the old one at the very least, personally I've found this one more interesting.
It's a shame the Cing studio went bankrupt, their VN´s are really a treasure.
13- Devil May Cry 5 -12h- 5/5
After a decade waiting for it, Itsuno did it again, and the game surpassed even the wildest expectations, GOTY.
One of the most FUN have I´ve ever played, lighting fast over the top combat with combos where the only limit you have its your skill and imagination, especially when you get access to almost all the tools your character have, it's actually hard to believe how good the gameplay came in this game.
The game offers A LOT of replay content and its encouraged, because like the other DMC games, the game really starts at higher difficulties that unlock after you end the game in the first ones.
Amazing OST, as you can expect from a DMC. Most of the tracks sync really well with the crazy combat and makes your adrenaline rush.
All in all, amazing OST, amazing art direction, crazy fun game, with a lot of deep mechanics and hours to tinker around smashing enemy's with SSS style. My GOTY, no doubt.
14- Yume Nikki -3h- 3/5
Crazy, psychotropic adventure/exploration game, you play as a shut-in girl that doesn't want to leave her room. You run around through different colorful stages when she sleeps picking items and solving simple puzzles.
The old style Japanese art in beautiful pixel art is quite nice.
15- Ace Combat 7 -12h - 5/5
First contact with the Ace combat games since the PS1 days and boy, what a blast.
Fast paced & fun combat gameplay wise, it's quite shocking the fun you have simple running around the beautiful maps shooting everything with your missiles. Also, the game has a huge variety of combat airplanes, each one with a very unique arsenal at their disposal, from simple air to air guided missiles to rail guns.
On the other hand, this game has one of the best OST of the year. And not only 1 track or 2, the whole soundtrack is something else, it really sync well with the moments the story mode has to offer and makes the campaign EPIC. Amazing work from the hand of Keiki Kobayashi.
One of the must play in 2019, and I'm sure this game will be in a lot of top5 games of the year.
Now playing:
-YS SEVEN
-SMT IV
-Sekiro
Main Post
#16: The Walking Dead: The Final Season (PC) | 9.4h | 01 Apr | ★★★★
What a ride. Definitely a step up from A New Frontier and probably my favorite season after season 1. I'm just glad Skybound Games stepped in after Telltale closed down and we got a proper ending to the story (for now?). Even though the ending was kinda mediocre.
#16: The Walking Dead: The Final Season (PC) | 9.4h | 01 Apr | ★★★★
What a ride. Definitely a step up from A New Frontier and probably my favorite season after season 1. I'm just glad Skybound Games stepped in after Telltale closed down and we got a proper ending to the story (for now?). Even though the ending was kinda mediocre.
Main Post
Big boy March update!
Game 21: Aer: Memories of Old (PS4) | ~3 Hours | 03/02/2019 | 8/10
Aer: Memories of Old is a pretty great game. The low poly visuals are vibrant and beautiful to look at, especially when you go into the different areas and the weather changes. Just the act of flying around is satisfying with stuff like flying through clouds at high speeds. Throw in some decent puzzles to carry the decent plot around and it's a great 3 hour distraction. Also it's an easy platinum and every trophy is a silver minimum.
Game 22: [DLC] Fire Pro Wrestling World: Fire Promoter (PC) | 10+ Hours | 03/05/2019 | 8/10
After watching some tubers play this I decided to purchase it on a whim and got really addicted to it. Planning your shows, your talent acquisitions, your merch et al is all really engaging. The only real downside is while you're given freedom, you're not given total freedom and at some point when you've reached the top there's not much else to do, but it takes a while to get there and you can spice it up with the multiple difficulty options and downloading create-a-wrestlers for more interesting developments.
Game 23: Old Man's Journey (PC) | 84 Minutes | 03/08/2019 | 7/10
March 8th was the day I got bored and decided to play games with old, bearded seafaring men in them. Old Man's Journey is a nice little puzzler where you embark out on a journey. Gameplay is primarily making paths for yourself by adjusting the hills the old man stands on, these can be either in the foreground or background and you must make a path for yourself to continue on with your journey. The game has no dialogue but tells its story periodically through flashbacks of old man's life. Besides that the visuals are pretty and it's a rather nice way to spend an hour or so.
Game 24: Burly Men at Sea (Vita) | 129 Minutes | 03/08/2019 | 7/10
This game is a quaint choose your own adventure gimmick where you are given choices that lead to different scenes that fill out your adventure. Choices are usually between understanding what the game wants you to do and actively not doing what the game wants you to do, as both will progress your little journey and unlock new scenes. Every time you complete an adventure, you're returned to the beginning to do it all over again, with the opportunity to make new choices. It only takes 2 hours or so to see all the permutations of the adventure and it's worth it in the end.
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Game 25: APE OUT (PC) | 2 Hours | 03/09/2019 | 8/10
This game was something I was looking forward to for a long while, and I'm glad I can say I am pleased with the final product. The game oozes style out of every orifice and slamming dudes into walls while jazz drums play makes the gameplay that much more visceral and satisfying. The big gripe I have with the game is that level layouts (outside of specific spots) and enemy placements are randomized which means there's no real planning to be done after death and progress feels more like getting lucky than anything.
Game 26: Pokemon Prism (GBC) | 14+ Hours | 03/18/2019 | 9/10
The pokemon romhack that Nintendo didn't want you to play. After it got C&D'd a build of the game leaked onto the internet and has been worked on since by some boys. While the game is still being updated with post game stuff, the main game is complete and it's really great. GSC art will always have a soft spot in my heart and seeing the gen 3 and gen 4 pokemon they've added into this game with GSC moving sprites look really great. There are a couple of cute innovations, there are some small puzzle areas designed to be 2D with ladder climbing, and areas where you control your pokemon to find stuff. The plot has some fun twists and turns and there's some interesting design decisions throughtout the game. Very pleased with this game.
Game 27: Hypnospace Outlaw (PC) | 7 Hours | 03/23/2019 | 9/10
A fun point and click puzzler about surfing the internet. The game takes place in a virtual OS and you're tasked with moderating specific pages, looking for things like copyright infringement, harassment and malicious software. The game incredibly recreates old 1990s angelfire/geocities webpages and marketing from the period. The puzzles are fun as you get to browse the internet and fall into mini rabbit holes. The game has chapters that timeskip and you can watch peoples lives unfurl like with the feud between the two kids on Teentopia and the rise and fall of Coolpunk, communities splintering off due to changes in the OS etc. You really just get absorbed into the game due to the presentation and then you'll stay engaged due to the creativity of the puzzles and the stories the game tells in its own little virtual reality.
Game 28: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) | 5 Hours | 03/25/2019 | 9/10
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a really damn great platformer. The controls are solid and haven't aged a bit. The mechanics with regards to grabbing and inflating enemies and using them as projectiles or extra jumps is interesting and well utilized in the game when going for the optional civillains to rescue. The boss fights are cool and also use the mechanics well. The story is just ok but has a weird, unhappy ending for something that's trying to be cute most of the time. The final optional level for 100% the game is pretty damn fun to run through too. Really loved this one, makes me interested in going back to the other games in the franchise.
Game 29: ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove (PC) | 3 Hours | 03/30/2019 | 9/10
This is one of the first video games I backed on Kickstarter and I couldn't be happier with it. While the game is mostly just the first game again, it's pretty much what it needs to be. I dig the entire game's aesthetic, the graphics and enemy designs are great but the music stylings of Cody Wright on bass is some top fucking notch funk ass funk. The gameplay has some changes as well, the addition of new enemies are topical and funny, the second game's Hyperfunk Zone is an interesting way to get some experience, as well as the addition of the rhythm timing minigame. It's a short game (my first run of under two hours ended on the second last level [ToeJam is better than Earl due to the amazing ability of being able to walk away from certain death easier]) but with online co-op, randomizer mode and multiple character specific difficulties you can definitely squeeze some good hours out of the game if you're so inclined.
Big boy March update!
Game 21: Aer: Memories of Old (PS4) | ~3 Hours | 03/02/2019 | 8/10
Aer: Memories of Old is a pretty great game. The low poly visuals are vibrant and beautiful to look at, especially when you go into the different areas and the weather changes. Just the act of flying around is satisfying with stuff like flying through clouds at high speeds. Throw in some decent puzzles to carry the decent plot around and it's a great 3 hour distraction. Also it's an easy platinum and every trophy is a silver minimum.
Game 22: [DLC] Fire Pro Wrestling World: Fire Promoter (PC) | 10+ Hours | 03/05/2019 | 8/10
After watching some tubers play this I decided to purchase it on a whim and got really addicted to it. Planning your shows, your talent acquisitions, your merch et al is all really engaging. The only real downside is while you're given freedom, you're not given total freedom and at some point when you've reached the top there's not much else to do, but it takes a while to get there and you can spice it up with the multiple difficulty options and downloading create-a-wrestlers for more interesting developments.
Game 23: Old Man's Journey (PC) | 84 Minutes | 03/08/2019 | 7/10
March 8th was the day I got bored and decided to play games with old, bearded seafaring men in them. Old Man's Journey is a nice little puzzler where you embark out on a journey. Gameplay is primarily making paths for yourself by adjusting the hills the old man stands on, these can be either in the foreground or background and you must make a path for yourself to continue on with your journey. The game has no dialogue but tells its story periodically through flashbacks of old man's life. Besides that the visuals are pretty and it's a rather nice way to spend an hour or so.
Game 24: Burly Men at Sea (Vita) | 129 Minutes | 03/08/2019 | 7/10
This game is a quaint choose your own adventure gimmick where you are given choices that lead to different scenes that fill out your adventure. Choices are usually between understanding what the game wants you to do and actively not doing what the game wants you to do, as both will progress your little journey and unlock new scenes. Every time you complete an adventure, you're returned to the beginning to do it all over again, with the opportunity to make new choices. It only takes 2 hours or so to see all the permutations of the adventure and it's worth it in the end.
Game 25: APE OUT (PC) | 2 Hours | 03/09/2019 | 8/10
This game was something I was looking forward to for a long while, and I'm glad I can say I am pleased with the final product. The game oozes style out of every orifice and slamming dudes into walls while jazz drums play makes the gameplay that much more visceral and satisfying. The big gripe I have with the game is that level layouts (outside of specific spots) and enemy placements are randomized which means there's no real planning to be done after death and progress feels more like getting lucky than anything.
Game 26: Pokemon Prism (GBC) | 14+ Hours | 03/18/2019 | 9/10
The pokemon romhack that Nintendo didn't want you to play. After it got C&D'd a build of the game leaked onto the internet and has been worked on since by some boys. While the game is still being updated with post game stuff, the main game is complete and it's really great. GSC art will always have a soft spot in my heart and seeing the gen 3 and gen 4 pokemon they've added into this game with GSC moving sprites look really great. There are a couple of cute innovations, there are some small puzzle areas designed to be 2D with ladder climbing, and areas where you control your pokemon to find stuff. The plot has some fun twists and turns and there's some interesting design decisions throughtout the game. Very pleased with this game.
Game 27: Hypnospace Outlaw (PC) | 7 Hours | 03/23/2019 | 9/10
A fun point and click puzzler about surfing the internet. The game takes place in a virtual OS and you're tasked with moderating specific pages, looking for things like copyright infringement, harassment and malicious software. The game incredibly recreates old 1990s angelfire/geocities webpages and marketing from the period. The puzzles are fun as you get to browse the internet and fall into mini rabbit holes. The game has chapters that timeskip and you can watch peoples lives unfurl like with the feud between the two kids on Teentopia and the rise and fall of Coolpunk, communities splintering off due to changes in the OS etc. You really just get absorbed into the game due to the presentation and then you'll stay engaged due to the creativity of the puzzles and the stories the game tells in its own little virtual reality.
Game 28: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) | 5 Hours | 03/25/2019 | 9/10
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a really damn great platformer. The controls are solid and haven't aged a bit. The mechanics with regards to grabbing and inflating enemies and using them as projectiles or extra jumps is interesting and well utilized in the game when going for the optional civillains to rescue. The boss fights are cool and also use the mechanics well. The story is just ok but has a weird, unhappy ending for something that's trying to be cute most of the time. The final optional level for 100% the game is pretty damn fun to run through too. Really loved this one, makes me interested in going back to the other games in the franchise.
Game 29: ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove (PC) | 3 Hours | 03/30/2019 | 9/10
This is one of the first video games I backed on Kickstarter and I couldn't be happier with it. While the game is mostly just the first game again, it's pretty much what it needs to be. I dig the entire game's aesthetic, the graphics and enemy designs are great but the music stylings of Cody Wright on bass is some top fucking notch funk ass funk. The gameplay has some changes as well, the addition of new enemies are topical and funny, the second game's Hyperfunk Zone is an interesting way to get some experience, as well as the addition of the rhythm timing minigame. It's a short game (my first run of under two hours ended on the second last level [ToeJam is better than Earl due to the amazing ability of being able to walk away from certain death easier]) but with online co-op, randomizer mode and multiple character specific difficulties you can definitely squeeze some good hours out of the game if you're so inclined.
31. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Vita) | 1st Apr - 16hrs | 5/5
Where to start? Amazing game that doesn't go bat shit crazy at the end like MGS2. Awesome boss battles. Some great voice work. I was going for a non lethal play through. At the end said I had 1 kill. Whoops. No clue where that happened.
Edit: I restarted a save at the beginning of the bike section and finished again from there. Got my non lethal trophy which got me my platinum. There was 1 frog I shot at a bunch and thought there was a good chance I also hit a guy on a bike
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Main Post part 1
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10. Dracula Origin - 4.5 hours
It's a decent adventure game, but some design decisions and puzzles in it are rather frustrating. Developers tried to add a nice variety of puzzles types but overdid a little, there is plenty of sudden difficulty spikes, like with that door lock at Cairo that only solvable by trial and error, the easiest solution for it require at least 30 very specific steps, and you can't undo wrong moves, only to reset the whole puzzle.
There is a lot of pixel-hunting, which is not that bad because you can highlight all active points on the screen by pressing spacebar, but in some cases game requires to do some weird combination of actions, so sometimes you waste your time trying to understand designers logic and figure out HOW to progress further, even when you know exactly WHAT to do. Like, there was a moment near the ending where for some reasons shield against the vampires didn't work, I looked through walkthroughs, even watched the video of that moment, yet it worked for everyone else but not me. Apparently, it didn't work because I should have watched (not even use) at some hotspot near the Dracula portrait, and only after that shield worked and I was able to progress the story.
Moments like this really disappointed me, because it looks like developers simply forgot to explain some stuff to the player - it's not just puzzles, the story has the same problem, despite "Origin" in the title, it's a direct sequel to the original book and if you forgot or simply never read it, then at first game will be very confusing with all those names and events that mentioned like you know heard about them yesterday. Game doesn't even bother to mention that you are playing as professor Van Helsing, I realized this only after I went to Cairo and one of the characters said his name.
Same as the first hours, Dracula Origin ends kinda abruptly and leaves with a pretty barebones cliffhanger that of course was never resolved. So yeah, I guess this one will be interesting only for hardcore fans of the genre - it's not bad and works fine on modern systems (except those annoying black borders because all backgrounds are rendered in 4:3), but it won't suddenly make you fall in love to adventure games.
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10. Dracula Origin - 4.5 hours
It's a decent adventure game, but some design decisions and puzzles in it are rather frustrating. Developers tried to add a nice variety of puzzles types but overdid a little, there is plenty of sudden difficulty spikes, like with that door lock at Cairo that only solvable by trial and error, the easiest solution for it require at least 30 very specific steps, and you can't undo wrong moves, only to reset the whole puzzle.
There is a lot of pixel-hunting, which is not that bad because you can highlight all active points on the screen by pressing spacebar, but in some cases game requires to do some weird combination of actions, so sometimes you waste your time trying to understand designers logic and figure out HOW to progress further, even when you know exactly WHAT to do. Like, there was a moment near the ending where for some reasons shield against the vampires didn't work, I looked through walkthroughs, even watched the video of that moment, yet it worked for everyone else but not me. Apparently, it didn't work because I should have watched (not even use) at some hotspot near the Dracula portrait, and only after that shield worked and I was able to progress the story.
Moments like this really disappointed me, because it looks like developers simply forgot to explain some stuff to the player - it's not just puzzles, the story has the same problem, despite "Origin" in the title, it's a direct sequel to the original book and if you forgot or simply never read it, then at first game will be very confusing with all those names and events that mentioned like you know heard about them yesterday. Game doesn't even bother to mention that you are playing as professor Van Helsing, I realized this only after I went to Cairo and one of the characters said his name.
Same as the first hours, Dracula Origin ends kinda abruptly and leaves with a pretty barebones cliffhanger that of course was never resolved. So yeah, I guess this one will be interesting only for hardcore fans of the genre - it's not bad and works fine on modern systems (except those annoying black borders because all backgrounds are rendered in 4:3), but it won't suddenly make you fall in love to adventure games.
Damn, I thought I played more and it's already an April. Welp.
4. Call of Cthulhu | March 2nd
Honestly I didn't know lot about this game. I was expecting more action-adventure type of game instead of detective-adventure. It's a bit messy in some parts but I kinda enjoyed the experience. Yeah, it's just hilarious at the end, but enjoyable overall. Probably would've regretted buying it, but since I got it from the office it's all good. I guess if you're looking for some Cthulhu stuff in gaming, give it a try.
5. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | March 22nd
Ni No Kuni II. Honestly, I'm a bit salty about this game. It's ridiculous how much time you gotta dump in stupid side quests to progress through story. At one point I found myself just skipping all the dialogues in side quests just so I can finish the game. I'm pretty sure it said "you need lvl 4 castle" to get into the last battle so I grinded those quest. Then I was tired and went to speak with NPC and they said "hey let's go, it's time". Not sure if I missed something or the game didn't tell me exactly what I need. Not the point. Side stuff was pretty boring. Main stuff as well? I mean, I knew from the beginning how exactly it will end and I can't really say there was a lot of stuff in between. Still a good game, but a huge step down from the first one. I got Platinum Trophy in NNK1 and was thinking about doing the same in NNK2 but god, there's just a lot of stuff and I don't really want to waste more time in it.
6. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage | March 29th
A bit easier than the first one but more enjoyable. Really happy here that we have Spyro Trilogy reignited with a new life. One of my favorite games of childhood. Still an amazing game now. Platinum Trophy as well, now on to the last game.
Now playing: Apex Legends, Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
4. Call of Cthulhu | March 2nd
Honestly I didn't know lot about this game. I was expecting more action-adventure type of game instead of detective-adventure. It's a bit messy in some parts but I kinda enjoyed the experience. Yeah, it's just hilarious at the end, but enjoyable overall. Probably would've regretted buying it, but since I got it from the office it's all good. I guess if you're looking for some Cthulhu stuff in gaming, give it a try.
5. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | March 22nd
Ni No Kuni II. Honestly, I'm a bit salty about this game. It's ridiculous how much time you gotta dump in stupid side quests to progress through story. At one point I found myself just skipping all the dialogues in side quests just so I can finish the game. I'm pretty sure it said "you need lvl 4 castle" to get into the last battle so I grinded those quest. Then I was tired and went to speak with NPC and they said "hey let's go, it's time". Not sure if I missed something or the game didn't tell me exactly what I need. Not the point. Side stuff was pretty boring. Main stuff as well? I mean, I knew from the beginning how exactly it will end and I can't really say there was a lot of stuff in between. Still a good game, but a huge step down from the first one. I got Platinum Trophy in NNK1 and was thinking about doing the same in NNK2 but god, there's just a lot of stuff and I don't really want to waste more time in it.
6. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage | March 29th
A bit easier than the first one but more enjoyable. Really happy here that we have Spyro Trilogy reignited with a new life. One of my favorite games of childhood. Still an amazing game now. Platinum Trophy as well, now on to the last game.
Now playing: Apex Legends, Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
I don't get this post at all. You think it's wrong to count a 14h+ long game just because it was built on top of something else?
I have not observed this "trend" that you are talking about either. People count the stuff they have played when they feel done with it and that is how it has always been and will always be. This is no competition so what others do is completely up to them. I have had a few moments over the years when I think "that is not something I would have listed" but I keep such stuff to myself. In this case, if you are referring to the post you seem to be referring to (you avoided tagging/quoting the person you are talking about...), I can't even see what would be the issue. It's a full game.
32. Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers (PS4) | 2nd Apr - 1.5hrs | 4/5
Nostalgia games can be fun or realize they weren't that good. Played a few of the games from The Disney Afternoon Collection and had a good time. This particular game still holds up. Much easier now thanks to the rewind function.
33. Darkwing Duck (PS4) | 2nd Apr - 1.5hrs | 4/5
Truth be told, I never played this one back in the day. It was much harder than the other Disney Afternoon Collection games that I tried. But same as previous, with the rewind function, makes the game doable.
34. Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers 2 (PS4) | 2nd Apr - 1.5hrs | 4/5
Pretty much exact same thing as I wrote for 32
Updating for March, I've make some good progress this past month and am now sitting at 21 games for the year so far:
15. Undertale (Switch) - 2 March 2019
Pacifist playthrough completed, with 'true' ending. I've allowed myself to be fairly well spoiled on the game in the past, unfortunately, but never actually played it; the Switch release, combined with a decent sale, finally convinced me to change that - and I'm very pleased to have done so. Undertale is a very different experience from anything that I've played previously, and very successful in achieving that, despite its outwardly simplistic presentation. The plot is, ultimately, very touching (though I'm sure that this depends on the choices that you make), with effective 'fourth wall-breaking', and the "bullet hell" RPG battle system - arguably the other main 'gameplay' aspect of the game, alongside the character interactions - is such that, just for once, "unique" seems to be a truly fitting description being. Undertale's excellent music also deserves particular mention, with some very memorable tracks featured throughout the game.
16. Anodyne (Switch) - 11 March 2019
Completed with 100% of items collected - all 48 cards and all 13 secrets. I've put off playing this for far too long, but finally getting around to it I'm pleased to find it to be a great 2D Zelda-like, allowing for a satisfying sense of discovery through quite a freeform world that invites and rewards exploration. Combat is simple but solid, and works well when mixed in to the puzzle-solving which can be more involved. I'd have liked to see a bit more in the way of equipment variety, and the performance of this Switch release isn't great, with notable slowdown quite frequently and especially during screen transitions (Flash doesn't play nicely with the Switch, apparently), but these don't detract excessively from an enjoyable all round-experience. Oh, but how people originally found some of the collectibles and secrets without a guide is beyond me!
17. Assassin's Creed Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade (PS4) - 16 March 2019
Episodes 1-3 completed, each with 100% of trophies earned. Assassin's Creed Odyssey was among my favourite games of 2018, so I was always going to be well-inclined towards this first DLC pack - and indeed, I very much enjoyed my return to Kassandra's Ancient Greece. Following their strong support for Assassin's Creed Origins, Ubisoft are taking that one step further with Odyssey - the amount and quality of expansion content is very impressive, with sizeable new quests being introduced for free, even before considering this first expansion.
With each of the three episodes taking place within wholly within one region of the game world, Legacy of the First Blade develops the story from the base game in an interesting direction, which ultimately links up with the wider Assassin's Creed franchise in a very satisfying way. The new expansion quests are largely similar in style to the base game, but that similarity isn't really a bad thing as the quality was already high, and there are some interesting new combat possibilities introduced via new skills and weapons.
18. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Special Episode (Switch) - 17 March 2019
100% complete (all gems and bonus achievements), aside from Chaos in the Grand Labyrinth. Much more substantial than I was expecting, the Special Episode DLC was a great reason to return once again to the charming Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - this is about the same length as one of the episodes from the base game. Although the majority of the 18 new challenges take place in existing maps, the varied objectives make the experience feel fresh, while the five new wholly new maps are impressively detailed and imaginative.
19. Gunman Clive HD (Switch) - 18 March 2019
Completed on hard mode with no damage. Having never previously come across the Gunman Clive games, I bought the HD Collection on Switch after reading a recommendation here on ResetEra, given its low price - and playing through this first game has been a pleasant surprise. Gunman Clive is a fairly simple, but polished, run-and-gun platformer/shooter, similar to the Mega Man games in gameplay but with a Wild West theme. Controls are responsive and the level design always feels fair, with near-instant retries available upon death minimising any potential frustrations. With 20 levels, each lasting about 1-2 minutes, Gunman Clive is quite short, but there's significant scope for replays if you're so inclined - four different characters each require a different approach (e.g., short-range melee-only attacks), while speedrunning and 'no damage' completion of levels add further challenges for those interested.
20. Ittle Dew 2+ (Switch) - 31 March 2019
Completed with 100% of items collected - all upgrades and all (from the bonus dungeon) 41 cards - except for beating the extra boss (Simulacrum).
Expanding greatly on the experience from the original Ittle Dew, this sequel is another excellent 2D Zelda-like . Although it still has a generous amount of combat encounters, the focus here is more strongly on puzzle-solving than typically seen in similar games, generally focused around 'block' manipulation and including the use of four different items to bring greater variety - by the end of the game, these get impressively challenging and creative - and as a result, satisfying to solve - *especially* so in the Switch-exclusive 'dreamworld' dungeon.
Away from puzzl-solving, Ittle Dew 2+ presents players with a sizeable world to explore, packed full of secrets to discover, and a slick, responsive, combat mechanic, albeit fairly simple. The cartoonish graphics create a welcoming impression and the game has a great sense of humour expressed through its writing and environment design.
In common with many similar game, I'd have liked to see a greater range of equipment to collect and use to explore, but that's only a faurly minor criticism to level at what's overall an excellent game which I very much enjoyed playing through - I just wish that I#d beeen able to beat that one last boss!
21. Donut Country (Switch) - 31 March 2019
Complete playthrough. As a creative take on Katamari's central mechanic, Donut County sees players taking control of a hole in a number of environments, tasked with swallowing up everything encountered along the way, growing the size of the hole with everything collected and allowing ever-larger items to be swallowed up. This very simple concept is impressively compelling, with lightweight puzzles introduced as the game progresses keeping the experience interesting throughout its fairly short overall length (we're talking maybe 2-3 hours from start to finish).
15. Undertale (Switch) - 2 March 2019
Pacifist playthrough completed, with 'true' ending. I've allowed myself to be fairly well spoiled on the game in the past, unfortunately, but never actually played it; the Switch release, combined with a decent sale, finally convinced me to change that - and I'm very pleased to have done so. Undertale is a very different experience from anything that I've played previously, and very successful in achieving that, despite its outwardly simplistic presentation. The plot is, ultimately, very touching (though I'm sure that this depends on the choices that you make), with effective 'fourth wall-breaking', and the "bullet hell" RPG battle system - arguably the other main 'gameplay' aspect of the game, alongside the character interactions - is such that, just for once, "unique" seems to be a truly fitting description being. Undertale's excellent music also deserves particular mention, with some very memorable tracks featured throughout the game.
16. Anodyne (Switch) - 11 March 2019
Completed with 100% of items collected - all 48 cards and all 13 secrets. I've put off playing this for far too long, but finally getting around to it I'm pleased to find it to be a great 2D Zelda-like, allowing for a satisfying sense of discovery through quite a freeform world that invites and rewards exploration. Combat is simple but solid, and works well when mixed in to the puzzle-solving which can be more involved. I'd have liked to see a bit more in the way of equipment variety, and the performance of this Switch release isn't great, with notable slowdown quite frequently and especially during screen transitions (Flash doesn't play nicely with the Switch, apparently), but these don't detract excessively from an enjoyable all round-experience. Oh, but how people originally found some of the collectibles and secrets without a guide is beyond me!
17. Assassin's Creed Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade (PS4) - 16 March 2019
Episodes 1-3 completed, each with 100% of trophies earned. Assassin's Creed Odyssey was among my favourite games of 2018, so I was always going to be well-inclined towards this first DLC pack - and indeed, I very much enjoyed my return to Kassandra's Ancient Greece. Following their strong support for Assassin's Creed Origins, Ubisoft are taking that one step further with Odyssey - the amount and quality of expansion content is very impressive, with sizeable new quests being introduced for free, even before considering this first expansion.
With each of the three episodes taking place within wholly within one region of the game world, Legacy of the First Blade develops the story from the base game in an interesting direction, which ultimately links up with the wider Assassin's Creed franchise in a very satisfying way. The new expansion quests are largely similar in style to the base game, but that similarity isn't really a bad thing as the quality was already high, and there are some interesting new combat possibilities introduced via new skills and weapons.
18. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Special Episode (Switch) - 17 March 2019
100% complete (all gems and bonus achievements), aside from Chaos in the Grand Labyrinth. Much more substantial than I was expecting, the Special Episode DLC was a great reason to return once again to the charming Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - this is about the same length as one of the episodes from the base game. Although the majority of the 18 new challenges take place in existing maps, the varied objectives make the experience feel fresh, while the five new wholly new maps are impressively detailed and imaginative.
19. Gunman Clive HD (Switch) - 18 March 2019
Completed on hard mode with no damage. Having never previously come across the Gunman Clive games, I bought the HD Collection on Switch after reading a recommendation here on ResetEra, given its low price - and playing through this first game has been a pleasant surprise. Gunman Clive is a fairly simple, but polished, run-and-gun platformer/shooter, similar to the Mega Man games in gameplay but with a Wild West theme. Controls are responsive and the level design always feels fair, with near-instant retries available upon death minimising any potential frustrations. With 20 levels, each lasting about 1-2 minutes, Gunman Clive is quite short, but there's significant scope for replays if you're so inclined - four different characters each require a different approach (e.g., short-range melee-only attacks), while speedrunning and 'no damage' completion of levels add further challenges for those interested.
20. Ittle Dew 2+ (Switch) - 31 March 2019
Completed with 100% of items collected - all upgrades and all (from the bonus dungeon) 41 cards - except for beating the extra boss (Simulacrum).
Expanding greatly on the experience from the original Ittle Dew, this sequel is another excellent 2D Zelda-like . Although it still has a generous amount of combat encounters, the focus here is more strongly on puzzle-solving than typically seen in similar games, generally focused around 'block' manipulation and including the use of four different items to bring greater variety - by the end of the game, these get impressively challenging and creative - and as a result, satisfying to solve - *especially* so in the Switch-exclusive 'dreamworld' dungeon.
Away from puzzl-solving, Ittle Dew 2+ presents players with a sizeable world to explore, packed full of secrets to discover, and a slick, responsive, combat mechanic, albeit fairly simple. The cartoonish graphics create a welcoming impression and the game has a great sense of humour expressed through its writing and environment design.
In common with many similar game, I'd have liked to see a greater range of equipment to collect and use to explore, but that's only a faurly minor criticism to level at what's overall an excellent game which I very much enjoyed playing through - I just wish that I#d beeen able to beat that one last boss!
21. Donut Country (Switch) - 31 March 2019
Complete playthrough. As a creative take on Katamari's central mechanic, Donut County sees players taking control of a hole in a number of environments, tasked with swallowing up everything encountered along the way, growing the size of the hole with everything collected and allowing ever-larger items to be swallowed up. This very simple concept is impressively compelling, with lightweight puzzles introduced as the game progresses keeping the experience interesting throughout its fairly short overall length (we're talking maybe 2-3 hours from start to finish).
Original Post: https://www.resetera.com/threads/52-games-1-year-2019.90649/page-9#post-17179765
17. Marvel vs. Capcom Infinte (PS4)
Recommend? No
Don't know how to begin with this. It's a major downgrade from 3. The story mode is a convoluted mess. The graphics are uglier (IMO) and the arcade mode is ridic to complete. I powered through it, but kinda wish I had my time back.
18. Super Luigi U (Switch)
Recommend? Yes
I never played the DLC on the WiiU so this was fresh for me. I really enjoyed the take on the SMBWU levels using Luigi. Short, sweet, more challenging.
19. Star Fox (SNES Mini)
Recommend? Yes
Still a fun game a quarter of a century later. IMO it's amazing how Nintendo just nailed the fun factor with games in the SNES era that many developers still can't do the same today.
20. Devil May Cry (Xbox One)
Recommend? Only if you want to play the best game in the "Character Action" genre
This was my first game in the genre (in fact is it considered the original label?) and IMO still the best of the ones I played. Just another testament that shows you that good games do in fact "age well"
Currently Playing:
RDR2 - Chapter 4
Xenoblade Chronicles - about 20 hours in
Octopath Traveler - In the middle of Chapter 2 stories
Spyro the Dragon
MLB '18
17. Marvel vs. Capcom Infinte (PS4)
Recommend? No
Don't know how to begin with this. It's a major downgrade from 3. The story mode is a convoluted mess. The graphics are uglier (IMO) and the arcade mode is ridic to complete. I powered through it, but kinda wish I had my time back.
18. Super Luigi U (Switch)
Recommend? Yes
I never played the DLC on the WiiU so this was fresh for me. I really enjoyed the take on the SMBWU levels using Luigi. Short, sweet, more challenging.
19. Star Fox (SNES Mini)
Recommend? Yes
Still a fun game a quarter of a century later. IMO it's amazing how Nintendo just nailed the fun factor with games in the SNES era that many developers still can't do the same today.
20. Devil May Cry (Xbox One)
Recommend? Only if you want to play the best game in the "Character Action" genre
This was my first game in the genre (in fact is it considered the original label?) and IMO still the best of the ones I played. Just another testament that shows you that good games do in fact "age well"
Currently Playing:
RDR2 - Chapter 4
Xenoblade Chronicles - about 20 hours in
Octopath Traveler - In the middle of Chapter 2 stories
Spyro the Dragon
MLB '18
Master Post
Games beat in March:
1. The End is Nigh (Switch) | 25th March - 40 hrs | 3/5
2. Gris (Switch) | 31st March - 3 hrs | 4/5
Progress so far:
January - 5 games
February - 1 game
March - 2 games
Thoughts on March
Like February, life kind of got in the way for me this month so I haven't had as much time for the console games I'd already started. I did start to get a backlog on the Switch though, and since its portable I've been sort of able to chip away at that, but then... uh... The End is Nigh happened.
1. The End is Nigh - I don't think I've had such complicated feelings on whether I liked a game or not since I played Jak II a few years ago. This game had SO much going for it. I thought the first 2/3 or so (before you get to the game's "twist") were fantastic. I was hoping for a good Celeste-type game (the single-screen challenge platformer, for lack of a better genre) and it seemed like that's what I was getting. There was some extremely solid level design there, and from what I was playing, I felt the "stretch a mechanic until it's not interesting anymore, then move on to something else" design philosophy was there. It was pretty damn great. And then, when you get to "The Future"... oof. I initially liked the idea that the collectables from the early game become your lives in the late game, and finding the collectables was fun so I got most of them on my way through, but this type of game is NOT built to have a lives system. The entire reason I enjoyed Celeste, and the first half of this game, was because the challenge was to try and get to the other end of the screen, and if you failed you started right back where you were. Getting to the other side and experimenting with finding the optimal way across was the challenge. When you add lives to the mix, it turns it from being "experiment and figure it out" to "fear you'll be booted back to the beginning of the world if you mess up too many times". It went from being a manageable challenge to feeling like a chore. After an extra week or so, I finally got through to the ending and the credits, and I'll give it this, I liked the way the Ruin and Acceptance levels linked together, and I actually enjoyed Acceptance quite a bit, but yeah, I was just exhausted of this game. I tried to do the post-game world (Nevermore) but after spending way too much time trying to stockpile extra lives from the bonus levels and getting way too frustrated by the limited amount of tries you get, I decided not to bother with it. I may come back to it down the line when, but for now, I think I'm done with this game. Frustrations aside, I liked a lot of things about it (the music, the art style, those early levels), I just wish it didn't feel so cheap in the latter half of the game. I'll give it a 3/5, kind of.
2. Gris - After nearly breaking my Switch in half from the last game, I wanted something relaxing, simple, and most importantly, short. Gris fit the bill perfectly. I really enjoyed it, and as a side note, it sort of reminded me of a more refined and prettier Fe, just in 2D and without the overly cryptic lore. Branching paths, shining orbs as collectables, a main character that's linked to the ability to sing. I did like Fe so that's not a bad thing at all. Gris caught my attention because of the art, and honestly I'd say it was its main selling point. Everything you do in the game makes something pretty happen on screen, or affects the music in a nice little way. I cannot reiterate enough, this game is beautiful and my drive to keep playing came from wanting to see what else the artists cooked up. Gris's gameplay was a bit on the simple side, but it wasn't to the game's detriment either. It felt a bit too basic at first, but as you gain abilities the levels get more interesting, and by the second half of the game, the levels had you linking together your handful of abilities in really satisfying ways. Once you have most of your moves, the character is really fun to control and the wait between new abilities is never too long. Complaint-wise, I think the ending was slightly anti-climactic, considering some of the set pieces you go through in the middle of the game, but I have to wonder if it's because I played it over the course of a few days instead of all in one day (which apparently is the recommended way to play it). I also do feel like it could have been a little longer (although I'd much rather be left wanting more than left waiting for it to be over with). Overall though it was what exactly the kind of game I was hoping and expecting it to be, and it was also a great game, 4/5.
I really want to start chipping away at some of my other consoles this month (I have a lot of PS3 and Gamecube games I want to dip back into), so hopefully I have some more time during April. The more into the year I get, the less likely actually finishing the 52 games is seeming (if I keep going at this pace), but this is also giving me incentive to play more games that I own but haven't touched yet so I'm keeping at it. So far I'm at 8 games, not too bad of a number (I think it's almost half of what I played last year, and we've only had 3 months go by so far). I like seeing how far along everyone else is too, keep it up everyone!
Games beat in March:
1. The End is Nigh (Switch) | 25th March - 40 hrs | 3/5
2. Gris (Switch) | 31st March - 3 hrs | 4/5
Progress so far:
January - 5 games
February - 1 game
March - 2 games
Thoughts on March
Like February, life kind of got in the way for me this month so I haven't had as much time for the console games I'd already started. I did start to get a backlog on the Switch though, and since its portable I've been sort of able to chip away at that, but then... uh... The End is Nigh happened.
1. The End is Nigh - I don't think I've had such complicated feelings on whether I liked a game or not since I played Jak II a few years ago. This game had SO much going for it. I thought the first 2/3 or so (before you get to the game's "twist") were fantastic. I was hoping for a good Celeste-type game (the single-screen challenge platformer, for lack of a better genre) and it seemed like that's what I was getting. There was some extremely solid level design there, and from what I was playing, I felt the "stretch a mechanic until it's not interesting anymore, then move on to something else" design philosophy was there. It was pretty damn great. And then, when you get to "The Future"... oof. I initially liked the idea that the collectables from the early game become your lives in the late game, and finding the collectables was fun so I got most of them on my way through, but this type of game is NOT built to have a lives system. The entire reason I enjoyed Celeste, and the first half of this game, was because the challenge was to try and get to the other end of the screen, and if you failed you started right back where you were. Getting to the other side and experimenting with finding the optimal way across was the challenge. When you add lives to the mix, it turns it from being "experiment and figure it out" to "fear you'll be booted back to the beginning of the world if you mess up too many times". It went from being a manageable challenge to feeling like a chore. After an extra week or so, I finally got through to the ending and the credits, and I'll give it this, I liked the way the Ruin and Acceptance levels linked together, and I actually enjoyed Acceptance quite a bit, but yeah, I was just exhausted of this game. I tried to do the post-game world (Nevermore) but after spending way too much time trying to stockpile extra lives from the bonus levels and getting way too frustrated by the limited amount of tries you get, I decided not to bother with it. I may come back to it down the line when, but for now, I think I'm done with this game. Frustrations aside, I liked a lot of things about it (the music, the art style, those early levels), I just wish it didn't feel so cheap in the latter half of the game. I'll give it a 3/5, kind of.
2. Gris - After nearly breaking my Switch in half from the last game, I wanted something relaxing, simple, and most importantly, short. Gris fit the bill perfectly. I really enjoyed it, and as a side note, it sort of reminded me of a more refined and prettier Fe, just in 2D and without the overly cryptic lore. Branching paths, shining orbs as collectables, a main character that's linked to the ability to sing. I did like Fe so that's not a bad thing at all. Gris caught my attention because of the art, and honestly I'd say it was its main selling point. Everything you do in the game makes something pretty happen on screen, or affects the music in a nice little way. I cannot reiterate enough, this game is beautiful and my drive to keep playing came from wanting to see what else the artists cooked up. Gris's gameplay was a bit on the simple side, but it wasn't to the game's detriment either. It felt a bit too basic at first, but as you gain abilities the levels get more interesting, and by the second half of the game, the levels had you linking together your handful of abilities in really satisfying ways. Once you have most of your moves, the character is really fun to control and the wait between new abilities is never too long. Complaint-wise, I think the ending was slightly anti-climactic, considering some of the set pieces you go through in the middle of the game, but I have to wonder if it's because I played it over the course of a few days instead of all in one day (which apparently is the recommended way to play it). I also do feel like it could have been a little longer (although I'd much rather be left wanting more than left waiting for it to be over with). Overall though it was what exactly the kind of game I was hoping and expecting it to be, and it was also a great game, 4/5.
I really want to start chipping away at some of my other consoles this month (I have a lot of PS3 and Gamecube games I want to dip back into), so hopefully I have some more time during April. The more into the year I get, the less likely actually finishing the 52 games is seeming (if I keep going at this pace), but this is also giving me incentive to play more games that I own but haven't touched yet so I'm keeping at it. So far I'm at 8 games, not too bad of a number (I think it's almost half of what I played last year, and we've only had 3 months go by so far). I like seeing how far along everyone else is too, keep it up everyone!
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13. Bulletstorm - PS4
Completed 3/16/19
Score - 7/10
I had a lot of fun playing this game. Enjoyed the mechanics and the shooting a lot. I didn't find it very difficult and died maybe a handful of times max. Dealt with a few glitches like on the plant boss, which was frustrating, but overall I had a pretty good time with it. I did try the Duke voiceover and it was awful. I had to turn that off almost immediately. I would love to see the gameplay from this one continue on. It doesn't need to be a sequel, just continue the base gameplay to a new story. The title for this game is awful and I don't understand it even after finishing it.
14. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal - 3DS
Completed 3/22/19
Score - 6/10
Better than Rise of Lyric but still pretty awful. You move so incredibly slow in this game and you have to explore every nook and cranny to be able to complete the game. I enjoyed some of those elements but it definitely gets old after awhile. The game is also absurdly easy, I didn't die once. I have heard Fire and Ice is better but I need a break before I finish that one.
15. Devil May Cry - PS4
Completed 3/30/19
Score - 9/10
Beat this back on PS2 years ago and remember it being hard as hell. I could only beat it on easy mode. I made myself commit to playing this the correct way and see if I enjoyed it more. I ended up loving it! It was still difficult but I was able to make it through and found an appreciation for the game that I didn't have previously. Great game and I can't wait to continue further on with the series. I only finished this and 4 previously.
16. Jurassic Park - NES
Completed 3/31/19
Score - 7/10
Randomly got the itch to play this game from childhood and beat it. I never made it past the first T-Rex fight as a kid. This game is hard as hell, especially in the final level. I had to go online to figure out how I missed some of the necessary eggs to advance. I do appreciate how they pushed the NES system with this game back in the day. It is enjoyable for a bit and then it just becomes too difficult. My nostalgia is probably increasing the score more than it should. The ending sucked too...but that is most NES games.
17. Kirby: Planet Robobot-3DS
Completed 4/4/19
Score - 8/10
This game was a blast. It felt longer than other Kirby games I have played and I really appreciated the variety in the levels and gameplay. I know all Kirby games are easy, and this one was pretty easy, but I did feel the end posed some of a challenge which I appreciated. Don't pass this one up!
13. Bulletstorm - PS4
Completed 3/16/19
Score - 7/10
I had a lot of fun playing this game. Enjoyed the mechanics and the shooting a lot. I didn't find it very difficult and died maybe a handful of times max. Dealt with a few glitches like on the plant boss, which was frustrating, but overall I had a pretty good time with it. I did try the Duke voiceover and it was awful. I had to turn that off almost immediately. I would love to see the gameplay from this one continue on. It doesn't need to be a sequel, just continue the base gameplay to a new story. The title for this game is awful and I don't understand it even after finishing it.
14. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal - 3DS
Completed 3/22/19
Score - 6/10
Better than Rise of Lyric but still pretty awful. You move so incredibly slow in this game and you have to explore every nook and cranny to be able to complete the game. I enjoyed some of those elements but it definitely gets old after awhile. The game is also absurdly easy, I didn't die once. I have heard Fire and Ice is better but I need a break before I finish that one.
15. Devil May Cry - PS4
Completed 3/30/19
Score - 9/10
Beat this back on PS2 years ago and remember it being hard as hell. I could only beat it on easy mode. I made myself commit to playing this the correct way and see if I enjoyed it more. I ended up loving it! It was still difficult but I was able to make it through and found an appreciation for the game that I didn't have previously. Great game and I can't wait to continue further on with the series. I only finished this and 4 previously.
16. Jurassic Park - NES
Completed 3/31/19
Score - 7/10
Randomly got the itch to play this game from childhood and beat it. I never made it past the first T-Rex fight as a kid. This game is hard as hell, especially in the final level. I had to go online to figure out how I missed some of the necessary eggs to advance. I do appreciate how they pushed the NES system with this game back in the day. It is enjoyable for a bit and then it just becomes too difficult. My nostalgia is probably increasing the score more than it should. The ending sucked too...but that is most NES games.
17. Kirby: Planet Robobot-3DS
Completed 4/4/19
Score - 8/10
This game was a blast. It felt longer than other Kirby games I have played and I really appreciated the variety in the levels and gameplay. I know all Kirby games are easy, and this one was pretty easy, but I did feel the end posed some of a challenge which I appreciated. Don't pass this one up!
15. Assault Android Cactus - 06/04/2019
NieR Automata made me really fall for twin stick shooters, and AAC is the cream of the crop. It's absolute bullet hell from start to finish with no letting up, with a slew of playable characters each with their own weapons. Top it off with a cute artstyle and some witty dialogue and you've got a winner.
NieR Automata made me really fall for twin stick shooters, and AAC is the cream of the crop. It's absolute bullet hell from start to finish with no letting up, with a slew of playable characters each with their own weapons. Top it off with a cute artstyle and some witty dialogue and you've got a winner.
27. Crash Bandicoot - N. Sane Trilogy (4 hours)
Like its first two sequels, it's fine, not great. One thing I like in particular about the original game is that whereas its sequels are basically random assortments of levels, there's a clear progression in this first game. On the other hand, this is home to some pretty bad level design (looking at you, High Road).
Full list to date
Like its first two sequels, it's fine, not great. One thing I like in particular about the original game is that whereas its sequels are basically random assortments of levels, there's a clear progression in this first game. On the other hand, this is home to some pretty bad level design (looking at you, High Road).
Full list to date
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#12. Demon's Souls
I originally tried this game back in 2010, thanks to a Kotaku article iirc. Kicked my ass back then, barely managed to make it past Phalanx. It still kicks my ass in 2019, but much less so. I may have exploited the item duplication glitch to help things go more smoothly, but I can now say that I've beaten at least one Soulsborne game. Incredible atmosphere and gameplay.
5/5 - "Great"
#12. Demon's Souls
I originally tried this game back in 2010, thanks to a Kotaku article iirc. Kicked my ass back then, barely managed to make it past Phalanx. It still kicks my ass in 2019, but much less so. I may have exploited the item duplication glitch to help things go more smoothly, but I can now say that I've beaten at least one Soulsborne game. Incredible atmosphere and gameplay.
5/5 - "Great"
#21 Rayman Legends - 8.5 PC - April 5th - 9 hours
Replay. Levels flow so well in this game, there's a rhythm (sometimes literally) to the game and it just feels good to play. So much creativity and love went into this game.
#22 Lost Planet - 5.5 PC - April 7th - 5:30 hours
Wasted potentinal is how I'd describe LP. I like the arcadey style and the game has a unique vibe but it's really shallow. A lot of the gameplay systems are not well thought out. What sort of game gives you a grappling hook but then no reason to use it and puts invisible walls at the top of buildings.. Levels are big but pretty empty, making it a trek to slowly traverse, with enemies that die in a few shots at most. The game is piss easy on normal (although boss battles are challenging and the highlight of the game) so the energy system feels pointless as I was never in danger of running out.
Replay. Levels flow so well in this game, there's a rhythm (sometimes literally) to the game and it just feels good to play. So much creativity and love went into this game.
#22 Lost Planet - 5.5 PC - April 7th - 5:30 hours
Wasted potentinal is how I'd describe LP. I like the arcadey style and the game has a unique vibe but it's really shallow. A lot of the gameplay systems are not well thought out. What sort of game gives you a grappling hook but then no reason to use it and puts invisible walls at the top of buildings.. Levels are big but pretty empty, making it a trek to slowly traverse, with enemies that die in a few shots at most. The game is piss easy on normal (although boss battles are challenging and the highlight of the game) so the energy system feels pointless as I was never in danger of running out.
Weekly update 14!
29. The Stanley Parable (PC) | 3rd Apr - 5hrs | 4/5
30. Partyrs (iOS) | 7th Apr - 4hrs | 3/5
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Master Post!
29. The Stanley Parable (PC) | 3rd Apr - 5hrs | 4/5
When the announcement of the The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe happened last year I was reminded that there were things I still had not done in the original version. I looked at the achievements I had left and realized that if I just waited until March or so I would get the achievement for not playing the game for 5 years without cheating in any way! So I waited and got it. I also played through it a couple of times to get the speedrun achievements, which took a little longer than I thought it would. Then I also played a bunch more times for some of my favorite endings. It was a pleasant revisit and I look forward to Ultra Deluxe.
30. Partyrs (iOS) | 7th Apr - 4hrs | 3/5
This is one of those many iOS games I bought years ago, tried and promptly forgot about because I just didn't play enough on my phone. It was brought up in a Twitter thread about crunch-free games a while back and I re-downloaded it thanks to that. It's a very cute little puzzle game where the point is to swap around the party goers so that all of them get their wishes fulfilled. Someone wants to be close to the food, someone hates the music and doesn't wanna stand near the speakers and another one might want to be next to their friend. Everyone wants something and sorting it out so that all of them are happy can be a little tricky. The game then rewards stars based on the number of swaps. I found it to be a nice "time-waster" but at the same time that sounds a little bit too negative. It's a nice game! I found it a tiny bit too simple but it was a good game to pick up and play at times. I tried not to "cheat" the stars which could definitely be done by just replaying the same level and remembering where they all ended up being happy. Instead I started from the beginning, just playing through each of the levels I had not maxed the stars on until I got to the end and then I did the same thing again, so it lasted a bit longer than it would have done if I had just cheesed it.
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Master Post!
My first update in a while
January
1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) Jan 3 90 hours 4.5/5
2. Sunset Overdrive (XB1) Jan 26 48 hours 4.5/5
3. Sunset Overdrive Dawn of the Rise of The Fallen Machines (DLC) (XB1) Jan 28 4 hours 2/5
4. Sunset Overdrive The Mystery of The Mooil Rig (DLC) (XB1) Jan 30 4 hours 3/5
still need to write reviews from here on
5. Dead Cells (Switch) Jan 30 42 hours 4.5/5
February
6. Life Is Strange 2 Episode 1 Roads (XB1) Feb 2 3 hours 4/5
7. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS4) Feb 18 15 hours 2.5/5
8. Uncharted Lost Legacy (PS4) Feb 24 14 hours 4/5
March
9. Detroit Become Human (PS4) March 3 22 hours 2.5/5
10. The Garden Between (XB1 March 16 3 hours 3/5
11. NBA2K19 (XB1) March 24 104 hours 3.5/5
12. Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice (XB1)March 24 7 hours 4/5
13. A Way Out (XB1) March 31 7 hours 2/5
April
14. Tales From the Borderlands Episode 1: Zer0 Sum (XB1) April 6 2.5 hours 3.5/5
January
1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) Jan 3 90 hours 4.5/5
2. Sunset Overdrive (XB1) Jan 26 48 hours 4.5/5
3. Sunset Overdrive Dawn of the Rise of The Fallen Machines (DLC) (XB1) Jan 28 4 hours 2/5
4. Sunset Overdrive The Mystery of The Mooil Rig (DLC) (XB1) Jan 30 4 hours 3/5
still need to write reviews from here on
5. Dead Cells (Switch) Jan 30 42 hours 4.5/5
February
6. Life Is Strange 2 Episode 1 Roads (XB1) Feb 2 3 hours 4/5
7. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS4) Feb 18 15 hours 2.5/5
8. Uncharted Lost Legacy (PS4) Feb 24 14 hours 4/5
March
9. Detroit Become Human (PS4) March 3 22 hours 2.5/5
10. The Garden Between (XB1 March 16 3 hours 3/5
11. NBA2K19 (XB1) March 24 104 hours 3.5/5
12. Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice (XB1)March 24 7 hours 4/5
13. A Way Out (XB1) March 31 7 hours 2/5
April
14. Tales From the Borderlands Episode 1: Zer0 Sum (XB1) April 6 2.5 hours 3.5/5
35. The Silver Case★ (PS4) | 7th Apr - 12hrs | 3/5
Didn't go as weird as I was expecting being Suda in all. Enjoyed the story during the main game but was bored to tears with the Placebo arc after the main part. I have the sequel but I think I'll do something else before getting to it.
7) Crackdown 3(XB1)
So yeah this is a game that is totally going to get overlooked due to the suspect scores it secured consistently but as someone who played this game via the XBOX Gamepass, I can easily say this was a pleasant surprise and I felt up until the final two bosses this was just constant fun and over the top crazy that had the right amount of difficulty attached to it. Collecting orbs was simply addicting, wanting to destroy all the bases or free prisoners or do the side content was something that didn't necessarily feel overwhelming(IMO) and I liked ripping through all of the antagonists one by one. Yeah the characters didn't really offer up too much of a difference and yeah the game can get repetitive in due time but that's why I played it sparingly for two or so hours every other day, for the purpose of NOT being burnt out.
Then the final two bosses came and the difficulty spike shot all the way up. Keep in mind, I played this game throughout on the 2nd hardest difficulty so I expected challenging. I welcomed challenge. But this? Nah. The crazy part is some bosses died within minutes of my explosives while these two were absolute nightmares. How you say? Let me explain what is expected of you.
The second to last boss is an absolute bulletfest with 20 or so enemies on the screen at once firing at you. No real rhyme or reason to it, you just have to keep on moving and hope for the best. I died a good 20 or so times on this boss alone after dying about as much in the campaign prior. I still have no idea how I played it wrong the other times given I did the same exact thing I did on my final run of the boss, it was just a wacky, random battle that you hope for the best in. I was a pro explosives guy throughout the single player so I stuck with my true bread and butter but even then the amount of shit flying at you throughout you'd have no way of knowing what the heck is happening on the screen.
And the final boss.....wow. Had I not known to stay in one specific spot, you would get murdered in MINUTES with all of the shit going on the screen and the toxic on the ground. I got absolutely lucky to find a spot up above, shoot rockets at the boss and rely on 1-2 enemy respawns to happen right next to me to take their ammo and keep it going. Another one that took me about an hour to beat, this was a boss that punished you for being aggressive and wanting to play the game it was meant to be played throughout and you had to cheap it out by staying in one elevated spot and pick and choose when to shoot and when to stock up.
Besides this the game was very good and I think may very well have a spot in my top ten games of 2019 when the year's done. The multiplayer just isn't for me, gave it two tries and it felt very off for me but I can say the single player experience was very good. I still didn't collect EVERYTHING such as the blue orbs, do the trials or find all of the video footage but I did clear everything else so I felt satisfied with that.
The game is just pure fun and it is a nice welcome if you just want to blow stuff up and have fun doing so.
So yeah this is a game that is totally going to get overlooked due to the suspect scores it secured consistently but as someone who played this game via the XBOX Gamepass, I can easily say this was a pleasant surprise and I felt up until the final two bosses this was just constant fun and over the top crazy that had the right amount of difficulty attached to it. Collecting orbs was simply addicting, wanting to destroy all the bases or free prisoners or do the side content was something that didn't necessarily feel overwhelming(IMO) and I liked ripping through all of the antagonists one by one. Yeah the characters didn't really offer up too much of a difference and yeah the game can get repetitive in due time but that's why I played it sparingly for two or so hours every other day, for the purpose of NOT being burnt out.
Then the final two bosses came and the difficulty spike shot all the way up. Keep in mind, I played this game throughout on the 2nd hardest difficulty so I expected challenging. I welcomed challenge. But this? Nah. The crazy part is some bosses died within minutes of my explosives while these two were absolute nightmares. How you say? Let me explain what is expected of you.
The second to last boss is an absolute bulletfest with 20 or so enemies on the screen at once firing at you. No real rhyme or reason to it, you just have to keep on moving and hope for the best. I died a good 20 or so times on this boss alone after dying about as much in the campaign prior. I still have no idea how I played it wrong the other times given I did the same exact thing I did on my final run of the boss, it was just a wacky, random battle that you hope for the best in. I was a pro explosives guy throughout the single player so I stuck with my true bread and butter but even then the amount of shit flying at you throughout you'd have no way of knowing what the heck is happening on the screen.
And the final boss.....wow. Had I not known to stay in one specific spot, you would get murdered in MINUTES with all of the shit going on the screen and the toxic on the ground. I got absolutely lucky to find a spot up above, shoot rockets at the boss and rely on 1-2 enemy respawns to happen right next to me to take their ammo and keep it going. Another one that took me about an hour to beat, this was a boss that punished you for being aggressive and wanting to play the game it was meant to be played throughout and you had to cheap it out by staying in one elevated spot and pick and choose when to shoot and when to stock up.
Besides this the game was very good and I think may very well have a spot in my top ten games of 2019 when the year's done. The multiplayer just isn't for me, gave it two tries and it felt very off for me but I can say the single player experience was very good. I still didn't collect EVERYTHING such as the blue orbs, do the trials or find all of the video footage but I did clear everything else so I felt satisfied with that.
The game is just pure fun and it is a nice welcome if you just want to blow stuff up and have fun doing so.
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14. Fortnite Battle Royale - Season 8 | PC | <15 hours | March ?? | 3/5★
This was the season I finally dropped the game, just uninstalled from my PC entirely. I've been playing the game just to unlock stuff really and not enjoying the actual gameplay for a while. The skill gap has gotten ridiculous with how people build skyscrapers whenever they get shot at. The game wasn't like this in the first few seasons but when it started popping up, I tolerated it since there were things like C4s and such to counter building. But Epic has consistently been listening to streamers complaining about stuff like this and just removing any counters to building from the game. It's just not fun anymore.
15. Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood | PC | ??? hours | March 29th | 4/5★
The final story patch for Final Fantasy XIV's current expansion released and I spent most of March playing it. It was pretty weak overall compared to Heavensward but it was still a great time and I'm really looking forward to the next expansion releasing later this year.
16. Risk of Rain 2 | PC | 66 hours | April 28th | 5/5★
The devs making this game a buy one get one free deal was an amazing idea. I heard about the first game a lot but never really got interested in it. One friend played it extensively so he instantly bought the sequel and gave me a copy. It has become my new addiction, I've been playing it nonstop for a week to the point where I'm almost burned out on it. I've done this before with other Early Access games like Rust and then felt too burned out to play it again when they added more content. So I'll wait a bit on this one and come back for updates.
14. Fortnite Battle Royale - Season 8 | PC | <15 hours | March ?? | 3/5★
This was the season I finally dropped the game, just uninstalled from my PC entirely. I've been playing the game just to unlock stuff really and not enjoying the actual gameplay for a while. The skill gap has gotten ridiculous with how people build skyscrapers whenever they get shot at. The game wasn't like this in the first few seasons but when it started popping up, I tolerated it since there were things like C4s and such to counter building. But Epic has consistently been listening to streamers complaining about stuff like this and just removing any counters to building from the game. It's just not fun anymore.
15. Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood | PC | ??? hours | March 29th | 4/5★
The final story patch for Final Fantasy XIV's current expansion released and I spent most of March playing it. It was pretty weak overall compared to Heavensward but it was still a great time and I'm really looking forward to the next expansion releasing later this year.
16. Risk of Rain 2 | PC | 66 hours | April 28th | 5/5★
The devs making this game a buy one get one free deal was an amazing idea. I heard about the first game a lot but never really got interested in it. One friend played it extensively so he instantly bought the sequel and gave me a copy. It has become my new addiction, I've been playing it nonstop for a week to the point where I'm almost burned out on it. I've done this before with other Early Access games like Rust and then felt too burned out to play it again when they added more content. So I'll wait a bit on this one and come back for updates.
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11. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales - 22 hours
This game made me realize one thing - I never liked Gwent that much. As minigame for TW3 it was fine, but as a standalone project it never really managed to catch my interest, not as a free version, nor this "side-project to side-project". I finished Thronebreaker only because of the story and atmosphere in it are really damn good, and despite all the stuff I didn't like in this game, in the end, I left it with positive impressions.
Thronebreaker consists of two parts - exploration, where you running around diverse locations in isometric view, and combat, which is a slightly modified Gwent and card puzzles. Can't say anything bad about exploration part, while locations are mostly linear, the world itself is extremely detailed and well drawn. Seriously, artists did a really great job in Thronebreaker, drawings and animations production quality are very high. Quests are great as well, most of them require making a choice, and some of them have some pretty major and unexpected consequences. The main storyline starts slowly, but eventually everything going to shit, characters doing stupid things and showing their personality, and you keep playing despite all the flaws just because you want to know what will happen next. This atmosphere of despair, where characters keep fighting even though the chances to succeed are extremely low, shown really well through quests and dialogues.
Though that's one of the game problems, it relies too much on text and barely reflects what's going on in the gameplay itself. In Thronebreaker while traveling around the map you also manage your army camp, and that's where things didn't work out as intended. To create and upgrade buildings and troops in the camp you need to spend 3 resources - gold, wood and recruits, and at first you need to carefully plan how to spend them. You can gain or lose the resources while exploring the map or after making choices in quests. But the real need in that quickly disappears after arriving at the second big location, because after creating the army cards they won't disappear after the fights, and once you found the right deck, you can easily just use it all the time until the end of the game and win most of the battles. This hurts immersion, you always need to make difficult choices in quests, but in reality, you can wander with tons of money and all those choices become a non-choice since you can not bother about wasting some resources if you want to choose the right but expensive way to react in difficult situations.
As I said above, there are 2 types of combat in Thronebreaker - regular Gwent duels (can be 3 or 1 rounds long) and cards puzzles with unique conditions. Duels really not doing much trouble even on high difficulties, there is just too many of them and they become tedious way too fast. I'm usually trying to do everything that game can offer and clearing all corners of the maps, but even I couldn't handle it and on the last big location I just gave up and started to skip most of the battles just to finally see the ending. Same with puzzles, there's a lot of them, they all have their own rules, but if you don't like card or puzzles games, I probably wouldn't want to waste your time on them. Thankfully, Thronebreaker is not requiring to complete them all, you can easily skip even story missions and just play further if you care only about the story.
So, this is one of those situations, when "a lot" is not something undoubtfully positive. Even though I was skipping a lot of unnecessary battles and puzzles, Thronebreaker still took me 22 hours to complete, and I was doing long 2-3 weeks pauses because I needed a break from this gameplay. I wish devs would have stick to the original plan and made a tight 10-15 hours experience because it really feels that the game was artificially expanded to reach 30 hours target. Maybe Gwent fans won't notice this and will complete the game on 100%, but I haven't dropped playing it after first 5-6 hours only because I liked the story that much. Yes, I still recommend this game, but if the gameplay is more important for you and you don't really like card games, then don't waste your time. If you are mostly interested in the story and the atmosphere with a decent level of freedom, than Thronebreaker can become a pleasant surprise for you.
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11. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales - 22 hours
This game made me realize one thing - I never liked Gwent that much. As minigame for TW3 it was fine, but as a standalone project it never really managed to catch my interest, not as a free version, nor this "side-project to side-project". I finished Thronebreaker only because of the story and atmosphere in it are really damn good, and despite all the stuff I didn't like in this game, in the end, I left it with positive impressions.
Thronebreaker consists of two parts - exploration, where you running around diverse locations in isometric view, and combat, which is a slightly modified Gwent and card puzzles. Can't say anything bad about exploration part, while locations are mostly linear, the world itself is extremely detailed and well drawn. Seriously, artists did a really great job in Thronebreaker, drawings and animations production quality are very high. Quests are great as well, most of them require making a choice, and some of them have some pretty major and unexpected consequences. The main storyline starts slowly, but eventually everything going to shit, characters doing stupid things and showing their personality, and you keep playing despite all the flaws just because you want to know what will happen next. This atmosphere of despair, where characters keep fighting even though the chances to succeed are extremely low, shown really well through quests and dialogues.
Though that's one of the game problems, it relies too much on text and barely reflects what's going on in the gameplay itself. In Thronebreaker while traveling around the map you also manage your army camp, and that's where things didn't work out as intended. To create and upgrade buildings and troops in the camp you need to spend 3 resources - gold, wood and recruits, and at first you need to carefully plan how to spend them. You can gain or lose the resources while exploring the map or after making choices in quests. But the real need in that quickly disappears after arriving at the second big location, because after creating the army cards they won't disappear after the fights, and once you found the right deck, you can easily just use it all the time until the end of the game and win most of the battles. This hurts immersion, you always need to make difficult choices in quests, but in reality, you can wander with tons of money and all those choices become a non-choice since you can not bother about wasting some resources if you want to choose the right but expensive way to react in difficult situations.
As I said above, there are 2 types of combat in Thronebreaker - regular Gwent duels (can be 3 or 1 rounds long) and cards puzzles with unique conditions. Duels really not doing much trouble even on high difficulties, there is just too many of them and they become tedious way too fast. I'm usually trying to do everything that game can offer and clearing all corners of the maps, but even I couldn't handle it and on the last big location I just gave up and started to skip most of the battles just to finally see the ending. Same with puzzles, there's a lot of them, they all have their own rules, but if you don't like card or puzzles games, I probably wouldn't want to waste your time on them. Thankfully, Thronebreaker is not requiring to complete them all, you can easily skip even story missions and just play further if you care only about the story.
So, this is one of those situations, when "a lot" is not something undoubtfully positive. Even though I was skipping a lot of unnecessary battles and puzzles, Thronebreaker still took me 22 hours to complete, and I was doing long 2-3 weeks pauses because I needed a break from this gameplay. I wish devs would have stick to the original plan and made a tight 10-15 hours experience because it really feels that the game was artificially expanded to reach 30 hours target. Maybe Gwent fans won't notice this and will complete the game on 100%, but I haven't dropped playing it after first 5-6 hours only because I liked the story that much. Yes, I still recommend this game, but if the gameplay is more important for you and you don't really like card games, then don't waste your time. If you are mostly interested in the story and the atmosphere with a decent level of freedom, than Thronebreaker can become a pleasant surprise for you.
MAIN THREAD
#18 What Remains of Edith Finch (4/8/2019) | 9/10 | Xbox One | ~ 2 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias.
Gameplay - 8.75 | A slow game but one that is creative and slightly different between sections in presentation
Sound - 9 | Soundtrack lends to the emotional story
Story/Online - 10 | I had not played a game like this before, the story is worth the price of admission alone
Asking Price- 8 | Not something I could see myself replaying but one that had a big lasting appeal. Right amount of content for gameplay
Interesting game that gave you brief glimpses into a line of family members and there unfortunate ending. The game was a good length and each character was creativly thought out. Had some system issues on X1, not sure if thats a fault of the game or system but it did add to the slowness. Overall though a nice emotional game
#19: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (4/8/2019) | 10/10 | PS4 | ~ 78.5 Hours | Recommend: Y | Platinum'ed!
# Overall -10 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias.
Gameplay - 9.6 | The gameplay is fast and fluid but focuses on player position and deflecting over all out attacks
Sound - 9 | The soundtrack can be soothing as well as beat to the pace of your heart on every opponents strikes
Story/Online - 9 | Stories told through the world and character design are masterfully told by FROM
Asking Price- 10 | A giant world that can be explored and mastered multiple times
I don't beat games this quickly normally but I couldn't stop playing the game even after the initial 52 hour playthrough. Even after getting a platinum for the game I still want to go back and keep playing. The world is excellently created making players think of vertical aspect in a bigger way than previous FROM games. I really enjoyed how the game emphasized speed but unlike Bloodborne which speed was associated with attacking speed was focused on deflecting and defending. There is tons of bosses and normal enemies that are all well crafted and have some great animations.
#18 What Remains of Edith Finch (4/8/2019) | 9/10 | Xbox One | ~ 2 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias.
Gameplay - 8.75 | A slow game but one that is creative and slightly different between sections in presentation
Sound - 9 | Soundtrack lends to the emotional story
Story/Online - 10 | I had not played a game like this before, the story is worth the price of admission alone
Asking Price- 8 | Not something I could see myself replaying but one that had a big lasting appeal. Right amount of content for gameplay
Interesting game that gave you brief glimpses into a line of family members and there unfortunate ending. The game was a good length and each character was creativly thought out. Had some system issues on X1, not sure if thats a fault of the game or system but it did add to the slowness. Overall though a nice emotional game
#19: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (4/8/2019) | 10/10 | PS4 | ~ 78.5 Hours | Recommend: Y | Platinum'ed!
# Overall -10 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias.
Gameplay - 9.6 | The gameplay is fast and fluid but focuses on player position and deflecting over all out attacks
Sound - 9 | The soundtrack can be soothing as well as beat to the pace of your heart on every opponents strikes
Story/Online - 9 | Stories told through the world and character design are masterfully told by FROM
Asking Price- 10 | A giant world that can be explored and mastered multiple times
I don't beat games this quickly normally but I couldn't stop playing the game even after the initial 52 hour playthrough. Even after getting a platinum for the game I still want to go back and keep playing. The world is excellently created making players think of vertical aspect in a bigger way than previous FROM games. I really enjoyed how the game emphasized speed but unlike Bloodborne which speed was associated with attacking speed was focused on deflecting and defending. There is tons of bosses and normal enemies that are all well crafted and have some great animations.