I've recently spun up a 52 Games Discord, in-case folks wanted to chat between completions or seek suggestions for that next playthrough. Click below to hop on in, if that's something that sounds of interest!
Game 81 – Alone With You (PS4) - ~20 hours – 3.5/5
Great for a first playthrough. The story is compelling enough with a great setting, atmosphere, and cast of characters. There's something really satisfying about exploring the desolate locations and piecing together what happened and the culmination of your work in the end of the game.
The problems start to show up in replays. Even though there's effectively five paths/endings to take the game stays mostly the same in terms of format. There's three weeks in the game with each day seeing you go to a certain area or do a specific task. Said tasks remain constant from run to run with the only potential difference being how in depth you choose to be when exploring. This doesn't add up to anything truly substantial content wise.
I recommend picking a favorite character to focus on and stick with them for your first run and go from there. If you want to come back for the rest they'll still be there in the future if you take some time away. Otherwise this can get pretty samey.
Game 82 – The Cat Lady (PC) – 7 hours, 48 minutes – 4/5
One of my favorite games of all time aesthetically. Some really nightmarish stuff was accomplished here with very little.
As far as gameplay this falls in line with some of my other favorites. Cozy feeling (not the content of the game itself of course) adventure gaming. Some of the typical trappings of messy adventure game puzzle design show up here but there's nothing too outlandish.
Not the most replayable game due to the subject matter being pretty heavy and at times hitting close to home but I'm glad I gave this another go and look forward to doing it again in a couple of years.
Game 83 – The Blackwell Legacy (PC) – 2 hours – 4/5
A cozy point and click adventure game classic. Love the setting and soundtrack. I've replayed this game three times now but I haven't revisited the sequels yet. Let this be the time I get to those.
Game 84 – The Silver Case (PS4) - ~15 hours – 3.5/5
One of those games where the hype you had for the game kinda overcomes what the game itself is. I'd known of this game for a pretty long time and was enamored with the art style/aesthetics and general story telling but there wasn't any official access for it in NA until fairly recently.
Having finally gotten around to it, it's a solid enough adventure title but isn't lacking in flaws. I think the biggest stopping point for some will be the controls. The examination, interaction, and just general movement in the game is a bit clunky and confusing. If you can stick with it and get past that there's a pretty compelling narrative to be found. I can't help but feel if this was more widely available at the time of original release that this would be as notorious as MGS2 in terms of plot.
Glad I finally gave this a go even if it didn't blow me away completely.
Game 85 – Dead Space 3 (360) - ~13 hours – 2/5
One of the most misguided games I've ever played. I'm not gonna complain about the shift to an action heavy focus because I think it had potential (even if it wasn't what the series was known for) but wow, was the execution botched.
With an increase in combat focus one would think the combat would be enhanced in a significant way. We end up with some baffling cuts/simplifications instead. For some reason ammo was turned into a generic consumable for each weapon in the game. The plasma cutter you start out with consumes the same exact clips as a rocket launcher you'd build later on. There's this new weapon crafting system that had potential but I'm not sure what incentive there is to experiment with things beyond building the strongest weapon you can and slapping on upgrades since it isn't like you'll have to worry about rare ammo drops.
Isaac (and Carver) have a smoother feeling set of movements but it's hard to take advantage of them due to the encounter design. The pacing of the game in terms of gameplay flow is wack. There's no sense of build-up when you move through environments because every time you encounter enemies it's a massive spawn of them. I'm not sure if it was in an attempt to balance for co-op or not but said enemies are also really tanky in regards to health values, even on the normal or easy difficulties. After awhile I felt like I was playing Doom 3 in regards to the constantly spawning enemies that come from nonsensical places. Unfortunately this game didn't have the atmosphere to make it more tolerable.
My review probably sounds a bit damning but I want to be clear that the very base of the game itself is solid enough. It plays like a slightly more refined version of the prior games, it's just that the surroundings are all rotten. It's probably a bit better with a friend.
Game 86 – Old Man's Journey (XB1) – 1 hour, 23 minutes – 2.5/5
A solid enough little adventure game. Something you can probably play through in a sitting if you commit to it.
I liked the environmental manipulation as a spin on things for point and click gameplay instead of inventory/item based puzzle solving. Said environmental manipulation unfortunately didn't play as well during the more gamey/interactive elements of the game such as making a path for a train to travel.
I'll be keeping an eye out for whatever comes next from the devs.
Game 87 – Minit (XB1) – 26 minutes – 3/5
The repeating 60 second format is a great concept. It's also one that could've easily overstayed its welcome so I'm glad this game was brisk and didn't go on forever.
There's a surprising amount of replay value to be found between the two extra modes (New Game+ and the Mary mode) in addition to just the speedrunning factor.
Will definitely be coming back to this one here and there in the future.
23. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia (3DS) | 12th September - 60hrs | 5/5
Echoes is only the second Fire Emblem game I've played after FE7 on the GBA and I saw much of what I enjoyed return in this title. Presentation-wise, this game is flawless. It has a gorgeous art-style, a lovely soundtrack and fully voice-acted dialogue dialogue between a likeable set of characters (except for maybe Faye). Honestly, I enjoyed a whole bunch of characters in this game. The main narrative is pretty strong too. I promoted my Kliff into a Dread Fighter and he became a dextrous juggernaut that could steamroll maps solo - good stuff. The gameplay was more chunky srpg goodness that I think people expect from the series. One change I appreciate is that promotion stat boosts now work in a way that doesn't favour delaying your promotions for optimal stat growth. I also really liked the shift away from always being shuttled into the next mission to having an overworld map and being able to explore areas on foot. I've seen some criticism of the map design. That might be fair, although on the flipside I think it emphasises flanking and positioning.
Highlight:
The triumphant final mission with the combined squads from both paths
I remember this being something of a tech demo in the early days of the Gamecube, although I hadn't played it until now. It still looks great in 4K even today thanks to impressive dynamic lighting, particle effects, transparency and reflections. We took turns playing this and it's quite a fun game to backseat drive in thanks to the focus on explorative play that so many Nintendo games have. The Poltergust controls are finnicky at times which can make some encounters frustrating. Overall, an amusing little game with light spooky dressing.
I played a bit of Castlevania II and decided to skip straight to this one. This is much more like it. More white-knuckle action-platforming with a banging chiptune soundtrack. I cheated a little with save-states, making my own checkpoints at bosses. I made sure to see the stages in all three routes, although I didn't finish all three runs (some stages are punishingly hard). I think part of the secret sauce of these games is how the enemy response that triggers due to player proximity is unpredictable. This means you can't know in advance what exact sequence of inputs you'll need when an enemy appears on the screen. It instead forces you to play defensively and be reactive. However, this can result in some obtuse and overly-specific enemy strategies, in my opinion.
Highlight: Discovering a precious wall-turkey on low health
Lowlight: Doppleganger
Seeing as everyone was getting into the Switch remake I figured I'd revisit this classic myself. A replay, although the first time I've played the glorious technocolour DX version on the GBC. The mix of overworld adenturing and underworld dungeons is a sturdy combination. I believe this is the first Zelda title to introduce a surreal comedic tone due to the influence of David Lynch's contemporaneous tv show, Twin Peaks, on the director Takashi Tezuka . This remains a strange and beautiful little game although I think some of the nostalgic glamour has worn off by returning to this game. I'd forgotten how obscure some of the ways in which you progress the main narrative are. You have to push the flying rooster statue from the front side you imbecile, you fucking moron.
Highlight: Crushing sub-bosses with bomb-arrows
Lowlight: Wow! This looks pretty heavy! You won't be able to lift it with just your bare hands...
27. Forza Horizon 4 (PC) | 26th September - 4hrs | 2/5
I'm not sure I get Forza Horizon. I'm willing to admit that it might be an issue with me not engaging with the customisation and online elements enough but I came away feeling that the progression system is just sorely lacking. I finished the prologue and appeared to be locked out of most events until I'd grinded enough in-game currency to buy whatever vehicle is required to participate. I tried out some cooperative online events that we failed and some competitive events that left me waiting for other players until I lost interest. It's very pretty and it's fun to drive. Not interesting enough for me to stick around though.
Highlight: Stunt series
Lowlight: Online matchmaking
28. Gears 5 (PC) | 28th September - 11hrs | 4/5
We played the campaign in splitscreen mode. I haven't played a Gears game since the second one and, gunplay-wise, it feels like a "if it ain't broke" situation. The switch to semi-open level design is nice though and we enjoyed hunting down components. The writing is typical MCU runoff. The 180 they pulled on Fahz's characterisation was just ridiculous - going from gloating about war crimes to chumming it up with the Cog pals in between acts. Anyway, it's not like we've ever played Gears of War for it's introspective deconstruction of jingoism in the military. We play it because it has chainsaw bayonets. BRREEEEEEOOOOOWWWW.
I'd been looking forward to checking out Hellblade for a while and was not dissappointed. It's an evocative and original tale with unique subject matter and presentation. But it also has a solid game underneath it. Each area varies it up with its own gimmick and the combat is simple but effective. What's particularly impressive, however, is how the narrative ties excellently into the experience, providing strong pacing and underpinning significant moments. The constant intrusive thoughts give Hellblade the oddly pleasant feel of an amature dramatic production. One place in which it really fell down for me was at the end when
they end on a rather pretentious monologue and then lead into a credit sequence with an unbearably overwrought song with conspicuously out-of-place instrumentation given the setting
But I try not to judge the whole experience by this mistep.
Highlight: Running through the shadows in Helheim
Lowlight: Again, that credits song. WHAT were they thinking?
Bloodlines is pretty cool. It feels a bit more like a beat-em-up than a Classicvania though. I picked the spear user, Eric Lecarde, which may have trivialised parts of the game with his reach, mobility and invulnerability frames. This is the last major Classicvania game I had left to play and my verdict is Rondo of Blood is the best, followed by Dracula's Curse, Castlevania I, Bloodlines, IV and II - in that order.
Highlight: Gatling Knight
Lowlight: Elizabeth Bartley - too long and easy
31. Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive) | 7th October - 1.5hrs | 2/5
Looks and sounds great. The vertically scrolling parallex is really neat. I found the challenge over-reliant on hazards appearing suddenly from off-screen and instantly killing me though. I beat it with infinite lives turned on. Perhaps I robbed myself of the experience of overcoming the challenge but I wasn't really feeling like dedicating the time to this one.
32. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC) | 3rd November - 85hrs | 5/5
A replay now that I have the dlc - but first playthrough on PC (at 120hz ultrawide no less). This is a game that really shines with high specs - I felt like I could pause almost anywhere for a gorgeous vista. And some moments were really undermined by the framerate when playing on a base PS4. This is also the first time playing a Witcher game since reading all the books.
I'm glad to find this game as good as I remember. I made better use of bombs and potions this time around and, you know, the combat, while nothing special, is basically fine. The real draw for me is how the open-world plays into the sense of being "on the path". When you're strolling from town to town, collecting contracts and getting into all manner of scrapes, this game is immersive like a warm bath. The main and optional narratives are all of such high quality that the whole thing blends into an epic and engrossing chronicle. And it has range - the emotional moments are hit home by understated writing yet it is also regularly laugh-out-loud funny. Geralt's gravelly tones and cynical sanctimony are an enticing vehicle through which to explore this world. And only by bringing this personality and sense of history to the player does it enrich the relationships between some characters and contextualise the tensions with others. I think my favourite section of this game is the time spent in the city of Novigrad. When you consider the diversity of characters that we come into contact with within just a few dozen hours of exploring this city you just have to respect how richly well-realised this in-game world is.
It has its flaws though. The menus are messy, even after improvements. The equipment system is made redundant by Witcher gear. The combat is trivialised by character progression. The over-reliance on witcher senses can make the quests feel same-y. None of this is deal-breaking. Team Yennifer 4 lyfe.
Highlight: Summon the bitches!
Lowlight: Falling to your death from a 4 metre height.
33. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone (PC) | 5th November - 10hrs | 5/5
First time playing the DLC so I didn't really know what to expect. Turns out it's roughly 10 hours of fast-paced, premium-quality main quest. It's difficult to choose a favourite part to be honest. O'Dimm and Olgierd have so much screen presence that when they're both on-screen I start feeling sorry for Geralt.
Highlight: Dead Man's Party
Lowlight: Giving the Runewright all that money only to discover enchanting sucks
34. The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine (PC) | 17th November - 20hrs | 5/5
A whole new region and a vampire themed main narrative, I feel spoiled. I was keen to visit this "fairytale duchy" after it's description in the books. CD Project Red really stepped the environmental design up in Toussaint, particularly with Beauclair's strata of hodgepodge cobbled slums, Mediterranean piazzas, mercantile streets, opulant townhouses and imperious regal architecture. The focus on the companionship between Geralt and an old friend really gave this expansion a different flavour. I liked the base-building element that Corvo Bianco introduced. I just considered it an excuse to dump some coin until the story wrapped up and was surprised to see it take on some emotional significance. Definitely one of those times when you feel sad to be leaving a fictional universe behind for a time.
Highlight: The Warble of a Smitten Knight
Lowlight: IF MY LIPS DON'T STINK OF WINE, MY WIFE WON'T KNOW THEY'RE MINE
1. Dark Souls (PC) | 6th Jan - 18hrs | 5/5
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna the Golden Country (Switch) | 14th Jan - 17hrs | 3/5
3. Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch) | 27th Jan - 45 | 4/5
4. REmake 2 (PC) | 7th Feb - 17hrs | 4/5
5. Zone of Enders (PS3) | 11th Feb - 4.5hrs | 2/5
6. Zone of Enders 2 (PS3) | 24th Feb - 9.5hrs | 4/5
7. Cuphead (PC) | 24th Feb - 13hrs | 5/5
8. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (Switch) | 28th Feb - 40hrs | 5/5
9. Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS) | 7th Apr - 14.5hrs | 4/5
10. Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) | 22th Apr - 13hrs | 3/5
11. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC) | 14th May - 70hrs | 5/5
12. Final Fantasy V (GBA) | 4th June - 42hrs | 4/5
13. Castlevania (NES) | 8th June - 3.5hrs | 4/5
14. Steamworld Dig (Switch) | 17th June - 6hrs | 4/5
15. Steamworld Dig 2 (Switch) | 25th June - 9hrs | 5/5
16. Portal 2 (PC) | 29th June - 9hrs | 4/5
17. Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak (GBA) | 20th July - 10hrs | 3/5
18. Overcooked 2 (PC) | 3rd August - 30hrs | 5/5
19. The Witness (PC) | 11th August - 18hrs | 4/5
20. The Return of Obra Dinn (PC) | 21st August - 8hrs | 5/5
21. Devil May Cry 5 (PC) | 21st August - 153hrs | 5/5
22. Doom (PC) | 29th August - 13hrs | 4/5
23. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia (3DS) | 12th September - 60hrs | 5/5
24. Luigi's Mansion (Dolphin) | 18th September - 6hrs | 4/5
25. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) | 19th September - 10hrs | 4/5
26. Zelda: Links Awakening DX (GBC) | 21st September - 12hrs | 4/5
27. Forza Horizon 4 (PC) | 26th September - 4hrs | 2/5
28. Gears 5 (PC) | 28th September - 11hrs | 4/5
29. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PC) | 29th September - 9hrs | 5/5
30. Castlevania: Bloodlines (Mega Drive) | 6th October - 3.5hrs | 3/5
31. Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive) | 7th October - 1.5hrs | 2/5
32. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC) | 3rd November - 85hrs | 5/5
33. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone (PC) | 5th November - 10hrs | 5/5
34. The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine (PC) | 17th November - 20hrs | 5/5
63: Pokémon Sword (Start: 11/15/2019. End: 11/23/2019)
I have some mixed feelings about this game. There's a lot I liked. And there are things I didn't. I honestly think this game could have used more time in development, but Pokémon being what it is made that impossible.
Despite liking the visuals a lot and finding some of the puzzles outstanding, i ended up being a bit cold on the game overall. It kinda adds up to nothing in the end. Or maybe i was just not in the right frame of mind at the time. I lost patience with some of the obtuseness here and there and felt i was trying too much to enjoy it, if that makes sense. All this was kind of a bummer because i wanted to play it for the longest time.
88. Virginia - 1h40 - 07.11
On the other hand, i adored Virginia. It's an experience like no other, and the sweeping soundtrack is as much of a character as the two main ladies. A beautiful game that had me very emotional throughout its bizarre twists and turns. This game goes weird places. Excellent pacing as well.
32. Assassin's Creed Odyssey - 175 hours
I want to clarify that before I started playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey, I stopped playing games from this series after Black Flag. When in 2014 Ubisoft almost simultaneously released two full-fledged Assassin's Creed games, I realized that I was sick of playing the same game year after year, and decided to take a break from this series. The release of Assassin's Creed Origins looked like the right moment to return to this series - but having Assassin's Creed II as an example, I've decided to wait until Ubisoft will polish the new mechanics in the next game before jumping back in.
When Odyssey came out one year ago, it looked exactly like the game that I've been waiting all this time. The setting of Ancient Greece, ability to choose the protagonist, even bigger turn towards the RPG genre - all this sounded very intriguing. And when I started playing, I saw that my first impressions were right - Odyssey feels like a completely different game, that has almost no connections to older Assassin's Creed titles. But I can't say for certain is it a good or a bad thing. It's just... Different.
The main difference between Odyssey and previous games in the series is the fact that it's an absolutely MASSIVE game. Old Assassin's Creed games had an open-world too, but the map size in Odyssey is just insane, it took me 175 hours to visit every region and complete all available quests without installed DLCs. For a singleplayer game with a linear structure and without levels generation, this is a really impressive figure. The only singleplayer game that I've played for more was Fallout 3, and that was only thanks to amazing mods support by the community.
The different question is, was it really justified to make such a gigantic world? Well, If you love the Ancient Greek setting and enjoy the "virtual tourism" aspect, then Odyssey will give you more than enough to satisfy your passion for history and travel. There are dozens of regions with their own unique landmarks - you will not confuse Crete with Samos, and I was exploring every new area not even for quests, but simply to discover a new cool looking places and try to take beautiful screenshots. In some regions, you can also find a unique questlines that are not connected to the main story. Personally, I think that Lokris was the best in this regard - whoever made quests for this region should get a raise because they were one of my favorite moments of this game.
However, if you are not interested in the historical and "tourism" aspects of Odyssey, then not everything in this game is as good as I hoped it would be. As I said, Odyssey moved very far into the RPG genre territory - the choice of the main character, leveling up, skills, weapons and armor rarity, even the choice with consequences in dialogs, they've added everything that you could've imagined. But that's not all, Ubisoft seriously decided to surpass BioWare and added nineteen characters that available as a romantic interest for the player. And those romances not locked to your protagonist choice, so you can love all of them as much as you want without any restrictions.
But this attempt to make a full-fledged RPG game is significantly lacking in depth. The main problems are auto-leveling and lack of variety in enemy types. There is not much point in leveling up when the game's world constantly scales with you, and without interesting threats, 95% of the battles in Odyssey going by the same scenario over and over again. The combat itself is not so bad, the abilities are very useful and allow you to choose your own playstyle - but after a while, it starts to feel repetitive and fights just can't surprise you anymore. Levels and numbers are increasing, but there is no real difference in strength because everything always remains on the same level. Increasing the difficulty only artificially increase the length of the fights, so here is my advice to you - do not hesitate to adjust the difficulty and auto-leveling settings to make the game more fun to play, since there are no achievements related to difficulty levels in this game.
Odyssey also has additional features like mercenaries and war between Athens and Sparta. But those gameplay mechanics were not thought out well and instead of adding to fun they only waste your time. The mercenary system is kinda similar to the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor - there are mercenaries of different ranks and levels that are roaming around the game's world just like you. And if you start to commit crimes and attack outposts, then those mercenaries will try to kill you in order to get a bounty for your head. But developers slightly overdid with the frequency of those bounty hunters attacks and made them extremely annoying. And this forces you to play not the way you want, but to go for a full stealth walkthrough, because if you act without anyone noticing you, then a reward for your head will not be assigned and bounty hunters won't bother you.
Regions capture system sounds intriguing at first, but in fact, it doesn't make much sense in participating in these activities either, because the rewards for capturing the region are too meaningless. And it's impossible to take all the regions under the control of one faction because territories are constantly switching ownership between Athens and Sparta even without player intervention. As a result, all those gameplay mechanics are much easier to ignore, because they don't lead anywhere. And it's a shame, because if you had to actually compete with other mercenaries for contracts, or if you could have lead one of the sides in this war to complete victory, then it could have added greatly to the gameplay loop.
Not everything is good with the main storyline as well. Personally, I've chosen Kassandra, and in my opinion, she's a great protagonist, probably one of the best in the series. There are a couple of interesting secondary characters, for example, I enjoyed a lot the conversations with Sokrates and Barnabas. There are also some good moments in the main storyline, and sometimes dialog choices really have serious consequences. But Ubisoft didn't manage to properly finish the main storyline - for some reason, the main quest was divided into three branches, about finding your family, destroying the Cult of Kosmos (who are the main villains of this game) and sealing the Atlantis. In theory, family and Cult branches are connected, but in the end, after we finally deal with family matters and find out who really was the leader of the Cult... Everyone suddenly stops caring about it, and you unlock the achievement for completing the game, along with the option to start a "New Game+". And this is weird because the personality of the Cult leader should be a shocking revelation - moreover, when the protagonist enters the Cult's lair, he seems to be unaware of the leader's true identity and looks shocked, although without this knowledge it's impossible to start the last quest of this branch. And to make everything even weirder, in the end, you have a choice of how to deal with the Cult leader - you can kill him, let him go, or... Flirt with him. Although that kiss doesn't make any sense at all. Yeah, Ubisoft really tried to catch up and overtake BioWare in everything...
The last, third main quest branch about Atlantis ended up being straight-up insulting. In fact, this is the real ending of the game, because it has those rare moments when developers suddenly remember about the "modern times" storyline. Problem is that it literally just abruptly ends in the middle of the story, and to find out how it all ended, Ubisoft offers you to buy an expensive DLC. As if all these microtransactions with boosters and skins were not enough.
Speaking about microtransactions. Since I systematically cleared all regions of the map, I obviously didn't experience any problems in going through the main storyline. There were always more than enough resources for upgrades, with the only exception of the last levels of ship upgrades. But still, selling resources and XP boosters in a singleplayer game is just ridiculous. Ubisoft also sells all sorts of cosmetic things like horse skins and armor sets, and in theory, they can be obtained for free in the Oikos of the Olympians in-game store. But in reality, collecting a full set of armor through this store is almost impossible, because the list of available items is very limited and it randomly changes every week, not to mention how difficult it is to get a special currency that used to buy things in this store. And of course, you can also try your luck with lootboxes, but the chances of getting something good from them is an absolute joke. I get it, you want players to buy these skins with real money, but then do not create the illusion that they can be obtained for free in order to brush off criticism about microtransactions in a full-priced game by telling "but you can acquire them for free if you want!". I'm so sick of this shit…
As you may see, there's a lot of things that you can criticize in this game. But at the same time, I can't say that Odyssey is a bad game. The gameplay is so well balanced that even despite all of the undeniable shortcomings, this game still makes you want to come back and play it more. Ubisoft really managed to create a true fast-food of the gaming - you realize that you are doing the same thing for hours and can spend this time on better games, but this whole system just works for an entire walkthrough. Maybe it's all because I liked traveling around the game's world, and I was clearing all these goddamn question marks with outposts and chests somewhat in the background of my journey.
Developers made a lot of mistakes, but they also did a few things right. For example, I really liked the fact that the appearance of the armor can be changed at any time - not very realistic, but it solved the ancient problem of the RPG genre when instead of cool looking armor you had to wear some rags because they had better stats. I also liked that designers thought about situations when if you looted quest location before actually accepting the quest, in most cases you don't need to return to this location and can complete the quest right away. Odyssey has enormous potential, and if Ubisoft continues to refine this new gameplay concept, then the next game in the series will be something truly magnificent.
Well, as for Odyssey itself, it's a well-made journey, but not a perfect game. The unsatisfying ending, badly thought out mechanics and overall repetitiveness of the gameplay spoiled my final impression about this game. But if you like the Ancient Greek setting and traveling around a huge world in which you can disappear for hundreds of hours, then Odyssey will be an excellent choice on the next sale (and be sure to get it bundled with Season Pass so you'll get the full version of the game). I can't say anything about the quality of DLCs, because, after 175 hours in the base version of the game, I'm honestly a little burned out with Odyssey and just want to finally switch to something else, and preferably not so huge. Last advice, if you value your time, then do not try to reach 100% completion in Odyssey - remember, everything in moderation.
After making it past 52 the last six years in a row, I'm definitely not going finish 52 to this year, as I chose to spend my time elsewhere a lot this year. I will not being trying this anymore in the future either, I've lost interest in the idea. There are quite a few games I played and gave up on, when usually I would force myself through them, I'm trying to stop that and spend my time on only things I enjoy from now on, hence the lower amount of completes. I might still keep a list though. Here's this years update:
17. Glass Masquerade 2 (PC) | 20th Apr - 16 hrs
18. Operencia: The Stolen Sun (XB1) | 27th Apr - 30 hrs
19. Metro Exodus (PS4) | 8th May - 24 hrs
20. Prey (XB1) | 17th May - 35 hrs
21. Rage 2 (PS4) | 22nd May - 23 hrs
22. Void Bastards (XB1) | 31st May - 12 hrs
23. Old Man's Journey (XB1) | 10th June - 1 hr
24. Apocalipsis (PC) | 27th July - 3 hrs
25. Days Gone (PS4) | 1st Sept - 60 hrs
26. Bloodstained (PS4) | 20th Sept - 20 hrs
27. The Turing Test (XB1) | 21st Sept - 6 hrs
28. Smoke and Sacrifice (XB1) | 24th Sept - 16 hrs
29. Subnautica (PS4) | 12th Oct - 46 hrs
30. Disco Elysium (PC) | 18th Oct - 30 hrs
31. Dragon Quest Builders 2 (PS4) | 60 hrs
32. The Outer Worlds (XB1) | 24 hrs
99. Fantasy (<1 hour)
A very, very short game that still gives you multiple different styles of gameplay during that brief time. None of them are particularly deep, but it's a charming enough experience for its length, random racist tribal enemies aside.
I felt this game had far better artstyle and animations that its predecessors. It was a little confusing getting around the areas and there was one object I got stuck with as I didn't know I could use an item with it ^^;
I'd say I rank this among my fav. of Humongous Ent.'s output.
114. Blowout
A Metroidvania inspired game consisting of 10 levels where you blast aliens through them while finding health pick ups, weapons and upgrades. The game loop is the same across the 10 stages: Roam around to find keys and unlock doors at panels while blasting through aliens that have invaded and infested the space station, until you reach the boss room, defeat them then move onto the next stage.
The game is budgeted going by the game being entirely set in the industrial innards of the space station. I couldn't hear the game's music with all the shooting I've been doing which wasn't a big deal.
It's a decent little game but not something worth tracking down as there are far better alternatives out there.
115. Spy Fox 2
Another relaxing and comfy PnC adventure game. Not much else to say tbh.
100. Kirby: Planet Robobot (5 hours)
More or less what you can expect to Kirby, but with a new mech mechanic that does a very, very good job at breaking up the series' traditional gameplay.
100. Kirby: Planet Robobot (5 hours)
More or less what you can expect to Kirby, but with a new mech mechanic that does a very, very good job at breaking up the series' traditional gameplay.
95. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) | 3rd Nov - 73hrs | 4/5
I hated this game on the Wii U. It made me feel so bad at everything. I didn't click with it at all, never had a chance to get even close to the people I played against and I never had any fun. when we got it for Switch I sat down to actually learn to play it. Now I had controllers I love (joy-cons!) and a different mindset. And I did it! After many many hours I have now completed 200cc and I almost always win over my brother and SO. I can't give it a 5 because I find a couple of items too disruptive, but otherwise it's a super good game and I love most tracks.
96. Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PC) | 5th Nov - 8hrs | 4/5
No I didn't put in the wrong name, this time I played the trilogy in the opposite order! Last year when I played Reignited on PS4 I realised I think Spyro 1 is the best game in the trilogy, so I simply wanted to save the best for last this time. I'll just say the same as I did last year which is that would prefer Spyro 3 over 2 if it wasn't for the animal buddies. It's a superb game overall but I would love it more if it didn't have the backtracking and the other characters. Also wow this whole trilogy is even more of a looker with some reshade and 100 FOV.
This one falls short of the top spot simply due to the backtracking. It's just so unnecessary! I love that there are no load screens for the minigames and I do like how the minigames in both this and the third game add variety in the gameplay compared to the first game... but the backtracking! Stop locking me out of minuscule amounts of content so I have to go all the way back later.
98. Spyro the Dragon (PC) | 7th Nov - 5hrs | 5/5
Pure joy! And with the reshade and FOV tweak it was just perfect all the way through. I have no negative things to say about this one. The remade dragons still made me giddy every time I rescued another one even tho I had seen them all just one year ago. I am so happy I double-dipped on this.
I was probably not the only one playing this on the 11th of November this year seeing as it had just been in a Humble Monthly. I loved the story, the way they told it and the unique art style. But this game was buggy as heck! A bunch of times I even lost the painted filter, which was kinda interesting but obviously ruined the whole thing. Anyway, definitely recommended and I appreciate the experience. It's just a better story than it is a game.
100. Slime Rancher (PC) | 11th Nov - 66hrs | 5/5
When I played this two years ago I basically didn't even look at another game until I had 100%ed it. I fell in love with it and never wanted it to end. I have been planning on coming back every time they updated the game with new content but didn't get around to it until now. I figured it was a perfect Game 100! I had a blast coming back to it, starting a new farm and making it better than my last one thanks to everything I learned back then. I loved the new stuff, the Nimble Valley and especially The Slimeulation. I also loved the new characters. Well, I simply just love everything about this game!
Not much to say, colourful, comfy and relaxing adventure games.
119. Grim Dawn
Huh...the final stretch was shorter than I expected it to be.
Outside of the game's multiplayer mode suffering from one major flaw, it's a great Action RPG with a focus on the RPG side letting you spec your character skills to your preference. It can feel intimidating at first, but once you get into the flow of the gameplay it becomes much easier to navigate for the most part.
This year I wasn't going to buy any new hardware, or too many games either, for that matter. These plans were thwarted early in the year however when I ran across a cheap Neo Geo Pocket Color. Really fun little system that wipes the floor with its contemporaries. Finding games for it has proven tough, but that's probably a good thing for my backlog anyway. :) Here's what I did find for it, though.
40. Samurai Shodown! 2 (1999, NGPC) ★★★★★
Playing King of Fighters R-2 was a good entry for me into fighting games, so when I saw a new Samurai Shodown is being developed I picked up this old down-scaled variant on SamSho 64. It's a bit less accessible than KoF R-2, because SamSho is less forgiving of button mashing. Instead, in this game positioning on the battlefield is king. Since you can theoretically end a fight in less than 10 hits, it's important to strike with precision, fake out your opponent, block often, not get caught in a corner, and be mindful of long windows of vulnerability after unleashing an attack.
This all meant the difficulty curve was a bit steeper than I liked at first, and there's no training mode to get your bearing either. However, some 25 matches in I started to really enjoy this game. There's a lot of characters, each with 2 different movesets and collectable upgrade cards, all the levels have a day and a night version, and the opponents talk cheesy trash with cute typos to boot. Add all these positives to the decent atmosphere it manages to instill through the music and visual designs, one can only conclude this was another winner from SNK.
41. Fatal Fury: First Contact (1999, NGPC) ★★★★☆
Technically a down-port of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2. This one's a lot faster paced than Samurai Shodown, with rounds rarely exceeding 30 seconds and still containing dozens of hits in that timeframe. Fatal Fury as a series apparantly relied on several gimmicks throughout the years, chiefly using multiple planes, and occassionally ring-outs too. This version has neither of those, it's a straight-forward punch-fest with the goal of depleting the other's lifebar first.
My one complaint is that Billy Kane is hideously overpowered in this game, there's just one character he doesn't do well against - that being himself in mirror matches. He has crazy range, speed, easy to pull off specials, many of his moves instantly combo even if you're just mashing buttons, and he does heavy damage too.
That said, it's a fun game, with amusing American-from-Japanese-perspective stylings and about 12 characters who aren't super difficult to learn. Bit bare-bones in terms of features, so out of the NGPC fighters I've tried (Fatal Fury, SamSho, KoF) it's the least replayable one, but still a worthwhile game on its own.
42. Neo Turf Masters Pocket a.k.a. Big Tournament Golf (1999, NGPC) ★★★★☆
Really fun handheld golf game. Earlier this year I played Nice On, and while that was also decent, this one feels a decade ahead despite being released in the same year. Neo Turf Masters features multiple characters, is fully in colour, there's three 18-hole courses, a championship mode with qualifying and everything... Feels like a very complete package, and the good music coupled with the cartoony graphics really sells the experience. There's even weird quirks like bouncing a golf ball on water like a stepping stone if you angle it exactly right, which gives the impression of a polished game. Another fun detail: in the American cup, opponents have names like Snake, Raiden, and Bogard.
43. SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash - Capcom Edition (1999, NGPC) ★★★☆☆
This is commonly regarded as the highlight of the NGPC library, and as someone with a soft spot for Pokémon TCG on Game Boy Color this looked right up my alley. Unfortunately I left slightly dissapointed, possibly due to having too high expectations? Card Fighters Clash is pretty simple to learn - think Yu-Gi-Oh! and you're halfway there already. The cards are famous SNK and Capcom characters, and the opponents are often based on famous developers (there's a certain Mikami in the Resident Evil level, etc.). Add to this environments which are either based on games, or ripped wholesale from movies (a dinosaur land called The Lost World, really?), and you can't help but feel an odour of fan-service in the air.
The whole low-budget fan bootleg vibe isn't helped by the dreadful translation; many cards are translated so dubiously you won't really know what they do before you try them. Others do the exact opposite of what their text says. The clunky menu system means you're constantly re-reading these error-prone cards every time you make some deck adjustments, too. The in-game characters have no cohesion either, some of them break the fourth wall, some of them flat-out explain game mechanics (poorly), one straight up tells you to force a friend to buy the other game version to trade with, etc.
The core gameplay is at least okay, but there's a battle-of-attrition element to card battles that gets tiring quickly, and once you realise the final bosses suddenly require you to grind a lot for A-rank cards when you've spent the past 8 hours breezing by with C-rank ones... It leaves the game ending on a sour note, too.
A pretty good mobile picross game though. From the same studio that made Luna I and II, which i had played last year. Snappy, very user friendly, nice visuals. Already going through another one of their titles at the moment.
42. Little Misfortune (PC) 3 hours - I thought it was enjoyable for the first hour, then pretty grating.
43. The Outer Worlds (PS4) 28 hours - I def liked this more than Fallout 76, and more than Fallout 4. It was way shorter than I thought it'd be
November
44. The Get Out Kids (iOS) 1 hour - Game on Apple Arcade. Easy "puzzles", ending was...unexpected
45. Pilgrims (iOS) 1 hour - Another Apple Arcade game. I didn't go for all combinations, but a good amount. I thought it'd be more of a head-scratcher
46. Fibrillation HD (PC) 1 hour - backlogged game. Did not enjoy it at all
47. Pokemon Sword (Switch) 25 hours - I understand the backlash, but I enjoyed the game for what it was. I thought many of the new Pokemon looked pretty good
48. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4) 21 hours - I really enjoyed it. The combat felt good, and the story was good (not KOTOR good, but above movie tier)
49. Old Man's Journey (PC) 1 hour - Really easy "puzzles", nothing to write home about
50. AER Memories of Old (PC) 2 hours - Kinda boring, glad I got it on sale
51. Draugen (PC) 3 hours - Pretty interesting walking simulator, just wish it went a bit deeper, maybe more into horror
46- Trails of Cold Steel III -98H- 5/5 47- Death Stranding -32h- 4/5 48- Pokemon Sword -21h- 2/5
46- Trails of Cold Steel III -98H- 5/5
Been waiting this one for years, one of the best JRPG of the generation without a doubt and one of the best in the series.
Fantastic pacing from start to finish( something kiseki games usually tend to fail short here), TOP OST of this year, 10/10 story as usual and the new characters introduced makes a mix for a near perfect JRPG.
On top of that, the game have some important QoL ALL long duration JRPG should learn from: Turbo botton with ON/OFF on demand in combat and outside combat and autocombat. This really helps when you are not in the mod for these time consuming battles in dungeons or world map to speed things up.
Now, to wait in despair for CSIV to come, because falcom loves to throw at you cruel cliffhangers. But this time they really put a show with the ending, IV can't come soon enough.
AO>CS3>CS2>SKY2>CS1>Zero>SKY>>>SKY3
This series takes you to the despair world feeling emptiness everytime you finish one, I Love this series.
Seriouly, you can pick ANY song and it's an amazing song in this game.
47- Death Stranding -32h- 4/5
Unique game, you may like it or not, but it's a unique and emotional experience. The decima engine makes the game beautiful while you travel doing things.
Misterious story that makes you wonder what the hell is going on most of the time, but it gets you interested from start to finish.
I have to say, I rushed the game and only did main quest because the story was very interesting, but the gameplay feels meh after a few hours.
The pacing feels bad. You have a long 2h cutscene galore at the start and then...almost nothing until the very end of the game where the game throw you all the escenes and info.
On the other hand, it's a very good ending, one of the most emotive ending I've seen and will always have a place at my gaming heart.
Amazing job at making the Cliff Hunger character, great character and interpretation by Mads.
48- Pokemon Sword -21h- 2/5
I don't even know where to start here.
They have the power to have the most ambitious pokemon game ever, with the power that a non-portable console can offer, but instead they rushed the game to hell because they needed a pokemon released at 2019.
The result? You can feel the rush from half of the game onwards as if you were at the offices. They must have crunched really hard to release this game on time, at the cost of making the game feels like a joke in what routes, dungeons, story and post-game this series usually offers.
Almost no routes and 0 backtrack, no optional routes, no dungeons, no "bad guys hideout" with puzzles, no post-game and what feels almost like a joke Victory Road.
The core itself it's good, you have good new pokemons design, great OST and despite some attacks, great animations.
It's a damn shame they rush the game like that, because it has so much potential. We can only pray the next one it's not rushed like that.
Five more games for me for, as November brings the penultimate update for the year. Also a quick replay of minit on Xbox One, but I'm not counting that here.
62. FAR: Lone Sails (PS4) - 2 November 2019
100% of trophies earned. FAR: Lone Sails tells a short, but beautiful, atmospheric story of a journey across a desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape; it's a little hard to categorise by genre, with a mix of survival, vehicle simulation, light plaforming and puzzle gameplay. Players take control of a lone traveller, encountering an abandoned landship and using that to travel to an as-yet unknown destination, keeping the ship maintained and fuelled, and occasionally breaking out into puzzle/platforming sections to overcome obstacles.
During the course of the journey, the landscape gives some hints as to the scenario that's overtaken the world, but never does particularly explicitly - this may be either good or bad depending on your perspective, but the contemplative state of mind that the game elicits is undeniable. As a 'gameplay' experience, puzzles are generally fairly straightforward but still bring a sense of satisfaction, and for those looking for a challenge, a speedrun achievement calls for completion in just 99 minutes. That a time this quick is possible is of course indicative of the game's short length, which may make it a bit pricey for some, but as a sale purchase, this was well worth my time.
63. macdows 95 (PC - Steam) - 21 November 2019
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked. macdows 95 is a quirky puzzle game, with a variety of challenges set within an imaginary computer operating system. There are some really interesting, unique ideas amongst the puzzles here, with the challenge generally being more around working out the 'trick' of each puzzle rather than actually carrying out the solution - lateral thinking is definitely required quite frequently! There's a well-implemented hint system available where needed, though, ensuring that the experience remains entertaining rather than frustrating - I had a good time with this.
64. Life is Strange 2 - Episode 4: Faith (Xbox One - GamePass) - 23 November 2019
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked (190/190 GS). After a bit of a wait for it to hit GamePass, this relatively short episode was sadly a bit disappointing. While we do get to see Sean developing a relationship with another character from his past. overall the events felt somewhat contrived and the apparent choices not particularly meaningful.
65. Old Man's Journey (Xbox One - GamePass) - 24 November 2019
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked (1,000/1,000 GS). In terms of gameplay, Old Man's Journey is a fairly short point-and-click adventure, with puzzles generally based around navigating each environment using an ability to raise and lower different planes/layers of the landscape (this is easier to demonstrate than to explain in words!). Really this is more about the artistic experience rather than the 'game' - and on that front it's very well done, with some beautiful and emotional imagery as the protagonist, the titular old man, recalls experiences from his life.
66. Mad Age & This Guy (Switch) - 30 November 2019
All levels and all bonus objectives complete. Styled quite closely to the classic Bomberman games - though with bombs that explode in a circular radius rather than lines - Mad Age & This Guy is an enjoyable and surprisingly challenging puzzle game. While it feel at times a little unpolished, the core gameplay holds up throughout its 54 levels, though by the end it's probably about exhausted its potential as the game mechanics remain pretty much unchanged throughout, other than adding a couple of new types of enemy. Bought on sale it represents excellent value and certainly has the ability to elicit the desire to play "just one more" level.
Tried out the 14 day trial for PS Now on PC and when I was gonna unsub the page became unresponsive. I figured I'd just do it another day but completely forgot and got charged for a month. Dumb, but shit happens and the service is very good anyway! To make sure I got something for my money I decided to do a little God of War marathon (the last game will have to wait until next year). I had only beaten the first game and Chains of Olympus before so most of these were new to me.
I don't really see a need to write about the games separately. They are all fun to play, Kratos is mad, there are boobs everywhere (yikes) and the story is actually more interesting than I had thought. I had a really good time.
101. God of War (PS3) | 14th Nov - 12hrs | 4/5
102. God of War II (PS3) | 19th Nov - 11hrs | 4/5
103. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PS3) | 21st Nov - 10hrs | 4/5
104. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PS3) | 23rd Nov - 11hrs | 4/5
105. God of War: Ascension (PS3) | 25th Nov - 13hrs | 4/5
106. God of War III (PS4) | 28th Nov - 22hrs | 4/5
63: Pokémon Sword (Start: 11/15/2019. End: 11/23/2019)
I have some mixed feelings about this game. There's a lot I liked. And there are things I didn't. I honestly think this game could have used more time in development, but Pokémon being what it is made that impossible.
How so? Of all the franchises, I would have thought Pokemon could afford to take as much time and budget as it needs. Pokemon certainly doesn't need to chase AAA graphics and scope, but there's an ambition that I feel is somewhat lacking in Sw/Sh.
How so? Of all the franchises, I would have thought Pokemon could afford to take as much time and budget as it needs. Pokemon certainly doesn't need to chase AAA graphics and scope, but there's an ambition that I feel is somewhat lacking in Sw/Sh.
These games are on a schedule. The anime is still going to continue. Other products are going to be released. It feels like they can't delay the games because of all the other aspects of the franchise. And I think that hampered Sw/Sh.
Game 88 – Quantum Break (XB1) – 13 hours, 30 minutes – 2/5
There's a pretty solid game hiding somewhere when the game isn't making you watch the story unfold (in game or in the TV episodes), sit through load screens, and repeat stretches of content due to poor checkpoint placements. It's too bad since the base gameplay itself feels pretty solid.
Things came to a head for me in the last boss fight which was not only one of the most poorly designed bosses I've encountered in any game but it also placed its checkpoint before a cutscene. I have no patience for this kind of thing in a game that released this recently. Keep it.
Game 89 – Blackwell Unbound (PC) – 1 hour, 54 minutes – 3/5
More solid point and clicking with the Blackwell series. Feels a bit shorter than the other games in the series but it isn't a big deal.
Lauren is a pretty different character compared to Rosa so that can be a positive or negative depending on you. I personally enjoyed the change. Even if it was just for this game.
Game 90 – Fallout 3 (360) – 35 hours~ - 3/5
This is a bit better than I had given credit for in the past. I'm not sure how since the combat, fetch quest mission design, aesthetics, and map design all leave a lot to be desired (that's pretty much a solid 80% of the game). Regardless there's a solid gameplay loop to be found in exploring the wasteland, doing quests, and becoming progressively more overpowered due to the perks, skills, and equipment you come across or receive. Miracles do happen, I guess.
I played this on game pass so I could snatch achievements for Microsoft Rewards so i didn't have access to any of the DLC. I'm looking forward to eventually giving this a third playthrough on PC with mods and all the DLC for the first time.[/spoiler]
I finally made my way through the Tekken 7 story mode. Sometimes I am not the fastest gamer, lol. The fighting still holds up. The story mode is pretty silly (but do we expect any different from a Tekken story mode?). And the final boss was a real pain.
I've done a terrible job this year keeping this thread updated. My last update was in March with 10 games down and as of the end of May I had only completed another 4 and did not look like I would be on track to finish the challenge this year, largely thanks to getting sucked back into WoW.
I redoubled my efforts over the summer and enlisted friends to play a bunch of co-op stuff with me and am happy to say that I should be able to finish this year!
Completed
April
11: Florence - 1 hours
Florence is a short storybook game that tells a relatable story about the beginning & end of a relationship. The story is told in a cool way and the game uses lots of subtle interaction and visuals to convey emotion of the characters in each scene. It's a very short experience and doesn't quite deliver the level of consistent interaction that I'd expect & want from a game. 7/10
12: One Deck Dungeon - 39 hours
One Deck Dungeon is a digital adaptation of the board game with the same name. I'll be blunt here: it's not a good looking game and the production values on the game are low enough that I'd believe someone if they told me it was a fan-made adaptation. That said, it's a very successful adaptation because it automates a lot of the upkeep and tiny rules that are cumbersome to follow and too easy to forget with the physical version. With 0 tear-down/set-up times you can also play a full Dungeon run in a pretty short amount of time. The game also does a great job with content variety: each character plays a bit different, each boss/level feels unique, and you can even (optionally) build your characters out to specialize in different areas over multiple runs. It's a great digital board game adaptation but I do wish the polish & quality was higher. 8/10
May
13: Mortal Kombat 11 - 7 hours
Mortal Kombat 11 is the first MK game where I actually finished the campaign. It's got great production values and the story & single player content feels far from being an after-thought like you see with some other fighting games. I enjoyed the campaign but did walk away from it feeling like the story itself, both the writing and the silly things that happen throughout it, did not match the high quality of the game around it. I was very happy that the story wasn't overly gory: the gratuitous violence that the series is known for passed a point in fidelity between MKX and MK11 that made me uncomfortable to play. With MK11 I played only one multiplayer match, which was vs. a player with an overtly racist screen name, which I happily won. I figured my multiplayer career wasn't going to top that and I'm happy that I retired with a 100% win ratio against trolls. 8/10
14: Steamworld Quest - 17 hours
Steamworld Dig 2 and Steamworld Heist are two of my favorite games that I played last year and Steamworld Quest is yet another great game in the series! This time the genre shifts to an RPG with card combat and the game nails it. I loved the variety of characters and how many different ways there were to build not just your team but every individual character too with all the available cards and upgrades for each. You aren't forced into the Holy Trinity of RPG combat and it's very possible to have a successful team without a dedicated healer, a team focused on debuffs, a team focused on big crits, etc. The setting of the game, the charming art style, and the humor that the Steamworld series is known for are all here in full force. It's another great game in a great and very diverse series and at this point I'd consider Image & Form Games as one of the top indie developers in the world. 9/10
June
15: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - 58 hours
I was a bit apprehensive before starting AC: Odyssey as AC: Origins, finished in 2018, was still pretty fresh in my mind and Odyssey looked like it was going to be more of the same. It definitely *is* more of the same, but I loved the setting & characters in Odyssey much more than I expected to. Kasandra is awesome, easily the AC protagonist I've enjoyed playing as most and her narrative feels a lot more fleshed out and complete than characters from prior games. I wasn't excited about the setting at all before I started but exploring a version of the Greek Isles that felt genuine in scope was thrilling. The map feels massive and intimidating when you zoom out, but the game does a great job as pacing your journey through each area and rarely ever feels like it is throwing an overwhelming amount of stuff at you to do. It builds on the great choices Origins made in how you discover and opt-in to content, and both games feel light-years away from the UbiTower design of earlier games in the series where the game just dumps a ton of boring tasks on your checklist every time you reveal a new area. On the story side the modular way the game handles the 3 Main Quests is really impressive, but it does feel like an overall unsuccessful choice as the narratives feel detached from each other and all 3 resolve in underwhelming ways. I really did enjoy the game but I wish they had opted for a more linear story with a bit more oomph in the big moments and the game still feels like it runs a bit too long with too many main quests & side quests that aren't exciting to complete after the first ~30 hours. 8/10
16: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - Legacy of the First Blade (1/2/3) - 11 hours
I'm considering all 3 Episodes of this as a single Expansion/game. Compared to the main campaign of AC: Odyssey I liked that Legacy of the First Blade (LOTFB) told a more linear and coherent story but I did not like what the actual content of that story was. The main game felt like it allowed you to play your version of Kasandra and make your own choices, but LOTFB doesn't achieve the same feeling and you are definitely forced into playing one version of Kasandra who makes very specific and pre-defined choices. I know when the DLC came out there was a bit of community push-back about how the DLC forced your character into a heterosexual relationship when the main game left the choice of which relationships to pursue (or none at all) up to you. For my part I was more annoyed with the forced relationship, and the focus of the story on that relationship, than with the forced sexuality. It's just not a narrative that I found interesting to explore and the version of Kasandra that resulted from it felt at-odds with the version I played for ~60 hours in the main campaign. Outside of the story, LOTFB makes good use of un-used regions from the main campaign, and is well-made overall. 7/10
17: A Story About My Uncle - 3 hours
A Story About My Uncle is a short game with a cute story and a pretty bold & interesting gameplay focus. "3D platforming" is a dirty phrase in most spheres and this game dives head-first into the genre. The act of soaring through the sky with a grappling hook and swinging between platforms is thrilling at first, but barely changes throughout the game and feels a bit clunky in practice. I often found myself having to repeat sections until the game recognized that I hooked onto the correct object, or falling just short of platforms that I should have had enough momentum to reach. I did not enjoy either the art style or the story and every interaction I had with a friendly NPC was terrifying due to how bizarrely modeled they all are. 6/10
July
18: Full Metal Furies - 17 hours
The follow-up to Rogue Legacy by Cellar Door Games is a brilliant but conceptually flawed. They tried to do something new in making a modern co-op beat-em-up game with RPG upgrade systems and a heavy emphasis on puzzle solving in the style of Fez. The meta-game puzzles that make the game so unique, and lock away a substantial amount of the content, are well-done but feel ill-suited to a co-op game where people might play with different friends to finish the game over the course of several weeks or months as schedules permit. Between sessions we would always forget all of our theories for the puzzles and it constantly felt like we were re-learning the same things. To top it off, the slow-paced puzzle stuff felt really at-odds with the fast paced beat-em-up combat, and finding people to play with that wanted to experience both the slow-burn puzzles and twitch-fast combat felt like a very narrow venn diagram. I'm glad they made this very unique, fun, and co-op focused game with great writing, a great sense of humor, and where all the characters feel unique and fun to play, but I left the game wondering who they made it for. 9/10
19: Journey - 2 hours
I'm a bit overdue on finally playing Journey but I think it lived up to the hype. The game is gorgeous to look at with beautiful environments and a fantastic art style. Sliding down shimmering hills of sand as wind rushes around you is jaw-dropping to look at. Before playing the game I knew two things which were "it's really pretty" and "it handles multiplayer in a really unique and poignant way". I kept waiting for a multiplayer moment to happen, and at the end of the game realized I had missed it entirely as the other people I played with zipped past me before I noticed them and were never seen again. I enjoyed the story and setting and as an artistic piece Journey is amazing. As a game it's a bit shallow and cumbersome to play. 8/10
20: Gears of War 4 - 9 hours
I've played Gears 1-3 when they were new and would consider myself a light fan of the series. The older games got ridiculed for the buff dude & brown environments art style and cover shooter gameplay that largely defined the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] console generation of games, but Gears games were still fun and well-made with lengthy co-op campaigns and accessible PvP modes. Gears 4 is a very competently made game but one that feels totally unnecessary. The new tech weapons and robotic enemies that the game adds set it apart from earlier Gears games, but the guns aren't fun to use and the robots aren't fun to fight against so they feel like wholly negative additions. The story feels like a re-tread of earlier games and the gameplay, outside of a few "build and defend" style missions that are also a mixed bag, hasn't evolved in any way from earlier Gears games. Despite the problems & as with earlier Gears games I still had fun playing through it with a friend. 7/10
21: Spyro The Dragon (HD Reignited) - 5 hours
I never played the original Spyro games when I was a kid since we were a Nintendo household during the PS1 gen, so I played Spyro 1 in the Reignited HD Collection with fresh eyes and 0 nostalgia. I expected a collectathon 3D platformer in the spirit of Rare classics, but Spyro is a different beast and is much more focused on combat. The combat is however very shallow with all enemies either being vulnerable to your Charge attack or Fire and dying in one hit. The controls are also occasionally frustrating, as you might expect from one of the first 3D platformers, with the flying controls in particular feeling rough to use. On the plus side, the visuals in the Reignited collection are insanely good. Everything is bright and colorful and full of detail. It's definitely the furthest I've seen an "HD Remake" go and Spyro 1 is able to stand toe-to-toe visually with any other modern game. 6/10
22: Abzu - 2 hours
I heard Journey and Abzu compared a lot prior to playing them, and not just because they feature the same art director. Abzu is no doubt another beautiful game with stunning set pieces and bold art direction but it falls a bit short as a game. It's very, very guided, to the extent that it feels more like an on-rails theme-park ride than a game. I loved looking at the game but not-so-much playing it. 6/10
23: Future Grind - 6 hours
Future Grind is very easy to understand when you first see it: match the colors of your wheels to the platform they touch or explode. It gets very difficult very fast but because the levels are short and the game has instant retries it never got too aggravating. I wouldn't be surprised if I look back on 2019 and this is the most challenging game I played through. Despite the different bikes, levels, and environmental mechanics the gameplay does get a bit stale towards the end and not all of the bikes, like the lop-sided one, feel fun to use. 8/10
24: Gauntlet (2014) - 5 hours
This is a replay for me as I played through the Gauntlet reboot back in 2014. It held up really well and still feels like an inspired combination of Magika + the old design of Gauntlet. The character variety, character progression, and online co-op make it feel appropriately modern and I enjoyed playing the Necromancer, a mid-range character that can summon AI minions, which felt sufficiently different than the close-range Valkyrie I used in my last playthrough. If I have one complaint about the game it's that the new version of Gauntlet doesn't quite capture the feeling of Hordes of enemies swarming you that the old arcade game had, but it's a minor complaint for an otherwise great game. 9/10
25: INSIDE - 5 hours
I played Limbo several years ago and sort of knew what to expect here but was surprised at how well Inside got under my skin and how damn creepy the game felt to play. I played the game over 4 sessions despite the short length because the game was so unnerving for me. I really dug the presentation and atmosphere of the game and well everything controlled given the way the gameplay changes throughout. 9/10
I'll provide updates for August-November in my next post.
I made 2019 a target to beat more highly regarded games and I kinda failed at it. I don't think I am going to beat more games as I am burnt out, sorta sorted from best to worst with a short summary:
1. Super Mario RPG - 10/10, a JRPG that should be up there when talked about regarding classics on the SNES, though to be fair I haven't played others! I now want Geno for Smash even though I don't care for Smash.
2. Castlevania Symphony of the Night - 9/10, as good as everyone says it is but first part is too easy
3. Resident Evil 4 - 9/10, couldn't get into it when I was younger and a friend lent it to me, now I love it and see the appeal
4. Bloodborne - 9/10, still the GOAT
5. Pokemon White (replay) - 9/10, best Pokemon gen but daily events suck
6. Luigi's Mansion 3 - 8/10, my game of the year, incredibly creative and looks fantastic with great animation
7. Sekiro - 8/10, it's pretty great having so much trouble beating the final boss after 3 hours to then beating it first try in NG+
8. Bully - 8/10, I wish Rockstar still made games like this
9. Witcher 3 (replay, no expansions) - 8/10, CD Projekt knocked it out of the park with their first open world venture and still beautiful to play on PC with mods
10. Final Fantasy IX - 8/10, I don't like the ATB system but the characters in this game are now some of my favourites in JRPGs
11. Final Fantasy VII - 8/10, loved the story but that PC port is abysmal "have a grenade!" and still hate the ATB system
12. Dark Souls 3 (cinders mod) - 8/10, what Dark Souls 3 should have been with a poise system that makes sense
13. Pokemon Black 2 (replay) - 8/10, I think the main story goes on too long, at least for me. I prefer the story of 1 but need to do more post-game stuff.
14. Links Awakening Switch - 8/10, now this is a Zelda game I fell in love with easily
15. Monster Hunter Iceborne - 8/10, liked it a lot but not investing more time until PC version releases, gives me massive hope for the roster of future games
16. Grim Dawn (replay + new expansion) - 8/10, the only ARPG that has clicked for me, just reached 110 hours. WOW! I need a hobby
17. Resident Evil 2 Remake - 8/10, I've never been a big RE fan but this is a great game that I would recommend for newcomers to the series
18. Breath of the wild (replay + expansions) - 8/10, it's not often I replay open world games but BOTW is such a comfy world thanks to it's physics playground
19. Yakuza Kiwami 2 - 8/10, it's weird, I rated it highly yet cant remember a thing... I remember the fight transitions being so much better + the interactivity in shops
20. Pokemon Heart Gold (replay) - 7/10, I used to rate this game as one of the best 10 years or so ago, and now, the later locations of new Gen 2 Pokemon really pisses me off
21. DMC5 - 7/10, a good return to Devil May Cry though the story didn't go in the direction I wanted and felt like a repeat of 3 + Nero is best character combat wise in any game
22. Fire Emblem 3 houses - 7/10, yo this soundtrack is killer. I lost all motivation to continue a second playthrough after going through the same combat maps yet again, even with new cast, I did not want to sit through that. But I still got plenty of hours worth
23. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 - 7/10, I don't like Marvel but I miss this PS2 quality kind of game design. Focus on a roster rather than animation quality and level design
24. Katana Zero - 7/10, yo this soundtrack is killer + interesting story
25. Red Dead Redemption 1 - 7/10, this game reminded me why I don't like open worlds. Surrounded by nothing but foliage or deserts. I really liked the characters though and the final few hours are excellent.
26. Xenoblade 2 (replay) - 7/10, this game could easily be higher if the dub was Xenoblade 1 quality and blade management was better. Field skills suck Takahashi, don't bring em back. Killer soundtrack
27. Xenogears - 7/10, I bought a PS Classic for this, and I am so happy to say I finally beat it. Plenty of crashes in the open world and a certain boss. I also never want to play PS1 games again.
28. Yakuza Kiwami 1 - 7/10, a game made so much better due to playing Zero first. I love watching shirtless men beat the hell out of eachother
29. Super Mario Maker 2 - 7/10, I always love seeing game makers with a simple to use toolset, good work Mario Maker devs!
30. Gears 5 - 6/10, if the game kept the spooky atmosphere the earlier parts provided, this would have been higher up, I loved the lab section in particular, but everything after didn't do it for me
31. Astral Chain - 6/10, a game I most desperately wanted to love but the dull detective sections killed it for me as did the receptive level design. Really cool unique combat system though
32 Pokemon Sigma Emerald - 6/10, a good Pokemon rom hack that doesn't change too much but I still think Gen 3 sucks
33. Crackdown 3 - 6/10, a good background game of blowing stuff up with added Terry Crews
34. Rage - 6/10, much like Gears 5 it had these really cool spooky environment set in a bloodied hospital but the other parts and awful ending soured it
35. Zelda A Link to the Past - 6/10, maybe if I was a kid with the help of a guide + more patience I would like it more. I think the game has an awful art style and some frustrating dungeon designs compared to Links Awakening but the sense of exploration + the dark world differences were really cool
36. Fable 1 - 6/10, a charming British comical game that deserve a good re-imagining on modern consoles. Excited to see what Playground does with it, assuming it is them
37. Dragon Quest Builders 2 - 6/10, so much text good lord! Still got hopelessly addicted though for a month
38. The Outer Worlds - 6/10, a game that started off pretty swell but overtime, you realise how static the world and characters are + the empty wilderness. With a bigger budget, Obsidian can do something wonderful and I am excited to see MS help them accomplish this
39. Xenoblade Torna - 6/10, a standalone expansion with a cool battle theme and that's about as much as I remember
40. Pokemon Shield- 5/10, imagine making a game based on the UK, having the London equivalent of a town and then putting The London Eye and Big Ben out of bounds. I mean for fucks sake, the Ferris Wheel in Pokemon Black/White was significantly fleshed out. Pokemon deserves a longer dev time but the Pokemon designs were rad and my handsome boy Kingler got some love
41. Luigi's Mansion 1 - 5/10, played on Halloween Day funnily enough. I don't think it holds up... sorry
42. Dark Souls 3 (Platinum playthrough) - 5/10, grinding was a fucking nightmare for covenant items and Dark Souls 3 took no risks, felt very stale, at least Souls 2 attempted new things
43. Portal 2 (co-op playthrough) - 5/10, fun puzzles but when there's such little places to put your portals it makes the solution very obvious and the villains humour dialogue is awful. I've never been that big of a Portal fan anyway
44. Puzzle Quest - 5/10, I love Puzzle Quest but the art style and performance on handheld Switch was awful when constant explosions happened on screen, got a good 50 hours out of it though!
45. Sayonara Wild Hearts - 5/10, again played on handheld Switch and could barely tell what was coming up but a few of those levels were amazingly creative + good title screen music
46. Spyro Reignited Trilogy (just the first) - 5/10. Spyro kinda sucks but at this point I think I was fed up playing PS1 era games
47. Sunset Overdrive (replay) - 5/10. I don't like the humour and majority of the weapons are just wacky sounding traditional guns but it's got a sick style and great movement system
48. Undertale - 5/10, great music and final 30 minutes are great. Hated the characters, writing and humour
49. Pokemon Sword - 4/10, much like Shield except lacking in Melony and Mr.Rime + Fat Apple pokemon
50. Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu (previously played Eevee) - 4/10, I need to stop playing Pokemon. What I admired here was the freedom of choice in getting your badges. It wasn't completely open but was still nice. Hate the art style. The definition of a filler title.
51. Final Fantasy XV - 4/10 (replay on PC), An even worse reminder of why open world games suck, imagine being surrounded BY NOTHING. Where are the enemies? Why does the car suck? Why are the 4 main characters so one note? Good soundtrack though
52. Fallout 4 - 3/10, Did I say I hate open worlds? Awful dialogue system to boot
53. The Order 1886 - 2/10, imagine doing nothing remotely cool in a cool setting, I am so mad at the wasted potential
I can't tell when I look at my scores if I am a negative nancy or games are rated too highly these days. Really happy to have finally beat games I put off for many years such as Xenogears and ALTTP. I need to stop playing Pokemon games. Wish I had any sort of motivation to go through games like Chrono Trigger, Remake1 or Shenmue. Gotta stick with JoJo and watch anime or something for a bit.
A good ass rhythm experience. A cool aesthetic, frantic gameplay and unique level design throughout makes this an engaging few hours. My only real problem is that I didn't dig the soundtrack all that much. I wouldn't say it's bad by any means, just not my tempo I guess.
I backed this game years ago and it's finally here. While its not without numerous flaws, I greatly enjoyed my time with the game. Probably the worst part of the game is the fact that it was marketed as an RPG first when really it's a metroidvania-style platformer with some very lite RPG elements and an almost fighting game esque battle system. Stuff like level ups exist in the game but the main time you'll see numbers go up is in tandem with reaching certain story beats. There's no item management of any sort and no equipment either. However, the main platforming stuff is really good. Solid level design and the fun movement abilities you get as the game progresses is good stuff. The combat is fun, if a little shallow as you'll quickly find a full party combo you can easily use on practically every enemy with only small exceptions, but the combat still manages to be fun do to the varied cast of characters and a general solid feel. They've been patching the game wrt to its difficulty and general bugginess since I played it so I'm looking forward to returning to this when the dust settles and some of the other planned characters get put in.
I tried playing the original many years back and I finished the scarecrow level before dropping it due to it feeling super dated, Honestly, this remake doesn't go out of its way to solve that. It feels like a PS1 ass 3D game, jankiness and all. However, with the QoL improvements made in a vast number of areas, I stuck with the game and really learned to love the game that I really wanted to love. The presentation and goofy halloween aesthetic, the soundtrack and the humour is all stuff that I love about this game. The gameplay itself is actually pretty fun, the hack'n'slash isn't super refined but the general variety in level and boss design makes everything unique and interesting. While I do think that in the event of this franchise seeing some continuation that drastic changes would have to be made, I do like that this game exists as it is a lot and think it's worth a try.
I picked up this game because I thought it was interesting for a random smaller sony first party title seemingly being sent out to die and after playing it it's pretty cool. The stealth and platforming are average but it's fun to make friends and use friends to solve the puzzles. The funny parts about the game are that the main genie character is clearly supposed to be your friend but these genies have these less than friendly faces and it was a bit tonally odd for me. The other was all I heard about the game was how non-violent it was and it has no combat and then the end happened. It wasn't even bad just... funny.
Game 71: Flipping Death (PS4) | ~10 Hours | 11/04/2019 | 7/10
I really liked this studio's previous game, Stick it to the Man!, so I was excited for this game. I bought it at launch on PC but it got pushed away and buried by other shit. Because I found the PS4 version physically at a good price, I decided to try again and I beat it this time. Overall, I didn't like it as much as Stick it! but it's still a good time. The humour is the same as the last game and the puzzles are still fun.
Game 72: Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (PS4) | ~18 Hours | 11/24/2019 | 8/10
Star Wars is some good ol' AAA fun. It's clearly inspired by the like of the Souls and Uncharted series and it mashes ideas from those games and sprinkles some Star Wars seasoning and ultimately becomes a fun romp on its own. For me, this is kind of what I wanted Sekiro to be; a Dark Souls game in terms of level design and combat without the stuff I didn't necessarily care for. While I found Sekiro to be too brutal to hold my attention, this game on the Jedi Master difficulty is difficult enough to not be a pushover but while not feeling insurmountable. Despite the numerous odd glitch bug things that permeate throughout, it's a big ol' fun time.
Game 73: Control (PS4) | 21 Hours | 11/29/2019 | 9/10
I remember seeing Control at the one Sony presser and thinking that it was cool, and then the game came out and it's pretty fuckin cool. The presentation is top notch stuff and the goofy lore around an ever-shifting building and possessed everyday household objects is a lot of fun. Combat is a lot of fun, centering around your signature firearm that can be modified to shoot in other ways and enhanced supernatural powers that, funnily enough, are basically the force. The sidequests are fun and help flesh out the building, the level design and overall the design of the building is neat, the characters are good especially with the live action stuff that fleshes out the backstory of the place. It's just overall a really fun time and I had a lot of fun platinuming the game.
Challenge Complete! finished my last two games over the last week and a half and with them, the challenge. Exciting times. Probably won't be close to beating this challenge in the future, as i've recently gotten back into other hobbies, and there is only so much cash and time i can throw into them. And games is an easy one to scale back the budget given how much i've played this year. But hey, its been a good year so far, and I'm glad i played as much as i did this year, i beat a bunch of games i wanted to play and then some.
51. Tangle Tower, 23rd Nov, 2hrs. 3.5/5
A really charming, well animated, well acted little mystery! It was just a really pleasant time. I don't know if the mystery really holds up to a lot of scrutiny, but i was having a good time, so i just rolled with it!
52. Pokemon Shield, 26th Nov, 24hrs. 3/5
I..... had a good enough time with this one? The core forumla remains as good as its ever been, and the game has a bunch of cool moments and ways to play, but for every cool moment, there was one where i felt could have been better or could have used more work. Im not naive enough to think I will ever get a pokemon that really strive for an A+, the franchise makes way too much money for it. But a solid B- on this attempt, as it really felt like they didn't have enough time on this one. Its pokemon, if you like it you like it. And for the most part, i liked it.
Wozzer just to tell you that your threads have changed how I play games to the point I'm actually playing a few "long" games I know I wont finish before January just because "ive already done the challenge and then some so theres no point", I'm not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing lol. I kinda understand achievement people now at least >_>
Wozzer just to tell you that your threads have changed how I play games to the point I'm actually playing a few "long" games I know I wont finish before January just because "ive already done the challenge and then some so theres no point", I'm not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing lol. I kinda understand achievement people now at least >_>
Same :D, but I at least feel like it has been a good incentive to beating games that I start and to play new (and more) games in general. I very rarely start a game now that I don't see through to the end, for better or worse.
I've started compiling what I've played to completion or MOSTLY to completion - some I ended up let's-playing the ending as I didn't have access to videogames for a while. I'll try to finish up as soon as I get home!
Shenmue 1
Shenmue 2
Shenmue 3
The Last of Us
The Last of Us Left Behind
Yakuza 0
Yakuza 5
Judgment
Final Fantasy VIII
Death Stranding
Luigi's Mansion 3
Layton Detective Agency
Pokemon Sword
Steins;Gate
Yokai Watch 3
New Style Boutique 3
Nier Automata
Fire Emblem Three Houses (all playthroughs)
Zelda: Link's Awakening
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Kingdom Hearts 0.2
Kingdom Hearts 3D
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic 4 Episode 2
Fire Emblem Heroes (I know, it should not count because it's not over and it's gacha, but I played it quite a bit this summer so I should make it count! :) )
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Citizens of Earth
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
King of Fighters 97
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Nintendo Labo: VR
Nintendo Labo: Vehicles - this I want to make it count because I spent tons of time in that open world section!
Corpse Party: Blood Covered
Corpse Party: Book of Shadows
Life is Strange 2
Yoshi's Crafted World
Yoshi's Wooly World
Paper Mario: Color Splash
LEGO The Incredibles 2
Disney Infinity
Jak and Daxter
Jak 2
Jak 3
Jak X
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory
Super Mario Maker 2
Travis Strikes Back - No More Heroes
Dragon Quest Builders 1
Astral Chain
Daemon X Machina
Thomas was alone
The Unfinished Swan
Mortal Kombat X
Ring Fit Adventure
Cadence of Hyrule
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Strider (PS4)
Bubsy: Woolies Strike Back
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
Snipperclips
Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Persona 5: Dancing Star Night
Pokémon Black
Pokémon White 2
One Piece: Gigant Battle
Trauma Team (replayed)
Trauma Center: New Blood (replayed)
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (replayed)
Super Mario Maker for Wii U
One Piece: World Seeker
One Piece: World Seeker - The Void Mirror (Zoro DLC)
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap
Untitled Goose Game
Pikuniku
Dragon Ball FighterZ (story mode)
Yearning: A gay story
Pokémon Insurgence
Pokémon Glazed
deBlob
Kingdom Hearts 3
Disney Adventures
Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Championship
Banjo-Kazooie
Gris
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
I'm not doing that whole reviewing gig as I've started too late! maybe in 2020 I'll be more diligent
101. Halo: Reach (6 hours)
A lot of the enemy types seemed like bullshit, and some of the weapons felt of dubious practicality to me, but I found this to be quite enjoyable. Hopefully the numbered entries are even better.
76. Arise: A Simple Story - Back to back beautiful games and just like Concrete Genie it was missing that little something to push it into Masterpiece territory. Some of the themes hit really close to home and also had a great OST to accompany it. The platforming can be hit or miss, but if you're a fan of the likes of Journey or Gris this is a game you should check out.
77. Life is Strange 2 Episode 5 - I loved my ending. Some would say it's not the best ending, but it fits for what I went for. Really loved Karen and the nice nod to Life is Strange. Going to miss playing as the Wolf Brothers.
78. Blair Witch - Really good psychological horror games that delves into the horrors of PTSD. Not a fan of the endings, but do appreciate the story they told and the methods they used. Bullet is the best animal companion of the year.
Cat Quest II is great, specially in coop. I loved that it's not deep into the RPG stuff so my girlfriend enjoyed it as well. While she was running around trying to be a mage, I was a brave warrior always there to save her from the trouble lol. While I stuck to the same gear I prefer, she tied all the gear in the game and stuck with one... that looked good on her character lol. My only issue with the game was that enemies hit with % so there really was no point with actually picking and upgrading gear. Also, it sucks that there are amazing-pick-me-up-shiny chests that are locked. To get the key you need to be on the endgame levels... which is kinda pointless since at the point we were high enough to actually get the golden key, we were done with the game.
28. DodoPeak | November 17th
First I loved that it's Frogger + Snake. Then the late levels came and I hated it lol. It's cool but I butthurt too quick for these types of games lol.
29. Agent Intercept | November 20th
It's a really weird concept for a game, but as a mobile, and specially "free" Apple Arcade title it works great. The game itself is a nice bite-sized Mario Cart style of race but there's a trick. You can play a single level on a day. Leaderboards and stuff so if you want to compete - go ahead. Next day - next level. Weird concept, but I like it.
30. SkateCity | November 22nd
Well, what can I say. Honestly I just wanna say bring in Skate 4. It's been a while since there were any good skating games. This one is all arcade and casual but still if you're into Skate, go and try this one out. It has 3 cities with lots of challenges and freeride in those cities with additional challenges. Ah, EA. Maybe nextgen?
31. Pinball Wizard | November 27th
I'm not a huge Pinball fan, but hell I love a good rogue-like (if I can call it that) game. Last one I remember I enjoyed a lot was a Rogue Warrior, this one is pretty much the same thing mechanics-wise but tied to pinball. Also it makes it a great "coop" game - simply play till you die and give controller to the other player. Loved it!
32. Death Stranding | December 1st
I can't say a lot about Death Stranding really. I guess I'm still digesting the thing. Loved gameplay, loved characters. Story... well, I'm not sure. Waiting for Death Stranding was a lot more exciting than actually playing and learning the story of the game. It least that's what I think right now.
Also, happy that I skipped launch trailer. Seeing it after finishing the game was like "holy shit I dodged a bullet with this trailer". Too much moments were shown.
33. Burly Men at Sea | December 4th
Even though I'm writing it down right now as I finished it a few times, I'm still gonna go for the platinum since it's an easy one and I really wanna see if there's something at the "end". Nice little adventure with a lovely style. I like how simple and beautiful it is at the same time.
So this was game underwhleming I am sad to say, yet at the same time you can see elements that would've made it a better game. I don't mind the overhead view the game is going for as the game is designed for co-op play for 2 players, but the combat does get dull after a while. About half way through the game you will get to deal with some environmental hazards and deal with some light puzzle elements which utilize the Crystal Menhir's abilities. If they'd made it so that each city or world was divided into 1 combat gauntlet and 1 puzzle-centric dungeon I think I would've appreciated the game more.
Non the less, it'll appeal to fans of the series, although the translation has a few iffy sections. Go in with low expectations and you may find a decent little game that could've been better.
This is really an Easy Mode Campaign, and can be beaten in an hour if not less. I wanted to play something little light and this really hit the spot. Playing through this reminds me of its wonderful music and visuals. The easy mode pits you against 9 other CPU drivers which is a relief compared to the default 19 in the main campaign mode XP
If you got the game off Humble Choice recently, def. grab this DLC at least and you it to learn the game's basics at least.
122. Spy Fox 3
This being the last Spy Fox game made makes me sad. I liked the humor and the cartoony artstyle of the games.
Won this game from an anonymous user with Giftbot. I decided to dive in and give it a shot. It's over in the blink of an eye but it's really fun and I love the artstyle. Some of the platforming reminded me of old Mega Man. I enjoyed it enough to pickup Part 2 on a recent sale. Guessing it won't be long either and I might play it before the end of the year.
61. Dead Space 3 - Xbox 360
Completed 11/23/19
Score - 6/10
What a disappointment. I loved DS 1 and 2 but always held off on this game due to the response. Maybe I should have kept holding off. This felt like a chore to play and I barely enjoyed any of my time with it. The crafting mechanics are poorly explained and I never really bothered much with it. I thought the story stunk and it reminded me a bit of the Tomb Raider reboot but in space. I want this series to come back but if it's anything close to this game...just leave it dead.
62. Half-Life - PC
Completed 12/6/19
Score - 10/10
1998 was one of my favorite gaming years of all time. I got to play two of my all time favorites Ocarina of Time and Half-Life. Half-Life has taken the cake for favorite game series. It's the perfect package of games for me and replaying this really shocked me at how well it holds up. I decided to play the Source version and while it had hiccups it was still the game I loved and adored all those years ago. Playing it now older, there are points in Black Mesa where it was very much like Resident Evil. Opening doors to and finding ways around just like in the mansion. The game is perfect up until Xen. I appreciate Xen and I think it still works and that it isn't as cohesive as Black Mesa. Xen is not as fun to play as the rest of the game but I think the design choice makes sense. It does feel rushed though and it's over before it starts. I can't wait to keep playing through all the games to be ready for Alyx. I gave up on my Half Life years ago but Lord Gaben decided to finally reward us.
This was a much different game than I expected. I assumed this was like Mario 64 and running around flying and solving puzzles. Instead it was a fairly basic platformer where enemies go down in 1 hit. I felt the jumping and flying was awful and was never comfortable with a jump. Barely missing a ledge to fall in water or the sky and see REIGNITING... was annoying. It's not a bad game but I do wonder if I will enjoy the other games. The boss fights were complete jokes. I actually didn't realize half of them were bosses. Pretty disappointed...but it sure is a pretty looking game on PS4
Here's a big one. Two massive games I've been chipping away at for literal years, one of them comfortably claiming the top spot as my new favourite game ever.
44. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017, Wii U) ★★★★★
Not sure what I can still add to the conversation about this game that hasn't already been widely agreed upon, but yeah, Breath of the Wild is phenomenal. The game feels so effortlessly elegant, generates so many interesting stories and anecdotes thanks to its interconnected systems, has so few obvious bugs, and simultaneously feels like it can still improve so much... This is the undeniable new gold standard against which future games in adjacent genres will be measured.
For a series which has spent the past two decades iterating on a similar formula, it's really quite astounding how thoroughly they've knocked this one out of the park on their first attempt at deviating. Yes, I initially shared many of the common concerns (I don't want to cook/craft, why do weapons break, etc.), but BOTW sweeps these away when you discover the fun in cycling through weapons fast and which quick meal staples you can rely on. My only remaining complaint is that I just want more. I want caves, I want to dive underwater, more complex shrines, more story after the final boss fight, etc.
Five stars feels almost insultingly low. What a towering achievement.
45. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Expansion Pass (2017, Wii U) ★★★★★
Two-parter expansion. I'm not a huge fan of this business practice, because it results in locking things like the Hard Mode and Hero's Path functionality behind a paywall. Especially the latter's case is frankly quite annoying, since the game clearly records your footsteps even without the DLC. Also think the price feels steep compared to the base game, but I begrudgingly understand the economics behind it. 45-A. The Master Trials
Initally this didn't interest me in the slightest. A roguelite gauntlet centered around BOTW's least interesting components (combat and enemy variety)? That's almost as unappealing as an open world survival game with crafting and weapon degradation...! But instead these Trial rooms just exist to generate encounters that wouldn't happen on the regular world map (particularly liked the harbour storming one). Extra great is how they force you to defend yourself by showing how well you understand the game's systems. Why fight when you can drop metal near enemies in a thunderstorm? Rusty items useless? Not when you feed them to Octoroks! Etc. 45-B. The Champion's Ballad
Breath of the Wild's story was never going to be magically improved by adding a few more cutscenes, but I will say I found these very compelling. I love these characters, so seeing Urbosa and Revali getting a bit more screentime was really appreciated. The added Shrines are a blast, wish there were even more complex ones like these. The final dungeon was a great time as well, and even though they recycle some bossfights here, there's at least one more added which I found worthwhile.
The Champion's Ballad is functionally a best-moments highlights reel, but since the highs are sourced from a game so generous with them... The result is a little microcosm of partially self-created nostalgia for the gameplay style you adopted the past 200 hours.
46. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014, Wii U) ★★★★☆
Smash Bros. somewhat suffers from the 3D Mario problem, in that it's one of very few remaining high-budget series within their respective genre (party fighting & 3D platformer, respectively). As a result, reviewing Smash/3D Mario entries occurs either mostly within a vacuum, or at best in comparison to previous Smash/3D Mario entries.
On its own, Smash 4 is another triumph from Sora Ltd./Bandai-Namco. They developed two distinct games near-simultaneously, both brimming with playable characters, having style for days, so much music, decent online play, and - most crucially - robustly intertwined systems which reliably produce hilarious results. When compared to the rest of the series, the usual hyper polish from a Sakurai-led development remains a constant, as does the absurd amount of content, optional goals, scalable difficulty options, and the hallmark "easy to learn, hard to master" approach which Smash Bros. has long perfected.
Yet despite all these positives, I also feel like Smash 4 is one of the least interesting entries in the series. Yes, it looks gorgeous, but the new stages have a few clunkers amongst them: several are way too large (Great Cave Offensive, Gaur Plains) to remain useful, even in 8-player mode. Additionally, too many of the new stages are of the moving variety, making them less distinct (Skyloft, Mario Kart 8, Lylat Cruise, Pilotwings, Wuhu Island), and the returning selection omits curious classics (Hyrule Castle, Corneria) but provides inferior subsitutes for them instead.
I feel similarly about the character roster, which takes two steps forwards, but also one back. Yes, icons like Mega Man and Pac-Man making the cut feels like the logical way forward for Smash to expand into, and with Wii Fit Trainer and the Duck Hunt Duo they've got some more comedic ones in too. At the same time however, Ice Climbers, Solid Snake and Star Wolf were removed, and previous fighters are suddenly locked behind a DLC paywall (Roy, Mewtwo, Lucas).
Really, Smash 4's main new contribution to the series is the increased emphasis on risk-reward mechanics. By tying difficulty to a wager, and centering several modes around similar mechanics, new modes like the Master Hand/Crazy Hand Tickets can really shine. Unfortunately, many other modes are gone or reduced. The Adventure Mode/Subspace Emissary is the main victim here, but the Classic mode is stripped down too, Break The Targets is now essentially an Angry Birds knock-off, and the Event Matches continue their downwards trajectory in quality they've been on since Melee. Meanwhile, replacements like the board game mode, and trophy rush, are neat curiosities, with the former especially appealing to Kirby Air Ride afficionados; but they don't quite fill the now-vacant spots.
In summation: Smash 4 is a really good, polished game, with wide appeal. It just has the misfortune of existing in an exceedingly successful franchise spanning two decades, and appears curiously anemic in a few key areas compared to previous entries. In isolation, these are insignificant complaints, they only stick out in comparison with Smash's closest rivals: other versions of Smash itself.
A back to basics approach with the Mega Man franchise was a pretty great idea at the time. Other than that, it's a well-made Mega Man game. Fun platforming title.
Main Post Games 30-35:
31. Katana Zero | Nov 21 | 4:10hrs | rating:3/5
You're an invincible assassin with a rewind feature, but something is wrong and you can no longer trust what's real and what isn't.
- GAMEPLAY: I really like the mechanics, so it's a shame you mostly end up dodge-rolling Smash Bros style through the game, instead of encouraging more jumping and platforming. It still feels good, but the level design could have been more interesting. - AUDIOVISUALLY: The sprite artwork is terrific, I used the capture button all the time. The music isn't memorable, but suits the mood. - STORY/PRESENTATION: It's one of those "things aren't what they seem" plots, and although I can appreciate the effort, it interrupted me way more than I would have liked, and I would have preferred a more traditional structure, rather than this "what's even going on, why didn't I get to fight the boss until I beat him?" kind of experience. - MULTIPLAYER: None.
The attitude and visuals are amazing, but the focus on plot rather than level design and gameplay development/variation makes it a missed opportunity for me.
32. New Super Lucky's Tale | Nov 29 | 8:40hrs | rating:3/5
You're a generic cartoon fox running around in this very 90's styled 3D platformer adventure.
- GAMEPLAY: There's nothing original or creative going on, but the controls are good enough to make it fun simply running around to do the tasks asked of you. Despite being an easy game, it's very satisfying to 100% the levels. There's no Nintendo level of polish though, as you occasionally bug out of position, encounter invisible walls and floors without collision detection, and face sterile loading screens a little too often. - AUDIOVISUALLY: The music is cozy and it's a pretty game, with pleasant colors and smooth character models and environments. I enjoy being immersed in its world. - STORY/PRESENTATION: The game opens with some mediocre 2D art telling an uninteresting story, but mostly you get to explore its worlds with little interruption. - MULTIPLAYER: None.
I greatly enjoyed the game at first, but the sudden ending really soured my overall impression. The post-game appeared deceivingly meaty but ended up being just an hour's worth of linear extra challenges, with the same visuals and repetitive song played in all of them.
Despite this, I recommend it if you're into classic 3D platformers and don't mind when things are on the easy side.
33. Toki Tori 2+ | Dec 5 | 5:05hrs | rating:1.5/5
Solve puzzles to guide a chicken through side scrolling levels.
- GAMEPLAY: You only have two actions; whistling and stomping. It's quite clever how many different puzzles they've invented with such simple controls, but actually playing is painfully slow and often frustrating, as you use trial and error to guide or lure other creatures to just the right spots in order to advance. - AUDIOVISUALLY: Extremely plain, looks like a pop-up ad, and I don't remember a single tune. - STORY/PRESENTATION: I don't think there is a story, but there is an interconnected world map which is quite ambitious for this type of game. - MULTIPLAYER: None.
I hated playing this from the very first moment, so I just went with the main path to get it over with. Turns out you then get a fast-travel ability, and have to backtrack to every corner of the map ("metroidvania style") with even more tedious puzzles in order to finish the game. I suppose it would be a pleasant surprise if you liked the gameplay, but for me it settled it as my worst game experience of the year.
Make your ball bigger and bigger by rolling over objects smaller than yourself!
- GAMEPLAY: Although the controls are a little clumsy, the overall design is incredibly good. Certainly one of the most clever and satisfying game concepts ever! - AUDIOVISUALLY: Simple but effective visuals and memorable music. Most of the songs are still stuck in my head days after playing. - STORY/PRESENTATION: The presentation is very Japanese-quirky, in the best way possible. The "main plot" is a bit too detached from the actual gameplay, but it doesn't detract from the experience. - MULTIPLAYER: New in this remaster is a VS mode, but it's too simple to stay fun after a few rounds.
It's my first time with this series, and I'm amazed. It must have been a real feature to make this work on a PS2, with so many interactive objects on screen, and the sense of scale it manages. Too bad it ends so quickly, because I wanted more missions, more levels, more rolling, more everything!
Jump, glide and breathe fire on your enemies to save the other dragons.
- GAMEPLAY: I'm not a fan of the jumping and wonky interaction with edges, but I got used to it and found the controls decent in the end. The levels are initially wide and flat and the enemies pointlessly easy, but there is a nice increase in difficulty, though the core gameplay is always exploration to collect all the trinkets. - AUDIOVISUALLY: Except for some weird dithering in handheld mode, it looks good! The environments are a little too samey though, as I can't recall any world themes except for the ice one. The music is surprisingly groovy, but not memorable at all. - STORY/PRESENTATION: I chose to play in Swedish just because the option was there. The translation is pretty crappy, but it's cool that they bothered to dub all dialog in all these languages. The plot is extremely simple though, and the ending is abrupt and crappy. Worst final boss ever! It's also annoying that it needs significant loading just to restart the levels. - MULTIPLAYER: None.
The biggest design flaw is how so much of the environment seems reachable and IS reachable thanks to the gliding mechanic, but has you fall through the ground to your death. Playing them back to back, I initially much preferred New Super Lucky's Tale thanks to the better controls and greater variation, but Spyro is a meatier game and gets more challenging towards the end. I enjoyed both equally in the end. I just frikkin' love 3D platformers (especially with fully controllable cameras), even if they are flawed.
Next up:
Spyro 2 and 3
The Stretchers
Untitled Goose Game
The Touryst
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