Elemental Master
MD
Hard Mode
No Death
I think I might be able to do Mania without dying, but it'll take a bit of work.
Loads of fun though.
Games Completed 2021
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OneCreditBen
- Member
- Posts: 234
- Joined: August 15th, 2017, 10:03 am
Re: Games Completed 2021
Elemental Master
MD
Hard Mode
No Death
I think I might be able to do Mania without dying, but it'll take a bit of work.
Loads of fun though.
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seansthomas
- Member
- Posts: 870
- Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am
Re: Games Completed 2021
January 15th - Spiderman (PS4)
January 17th - Labo VR goggles and camera (Switch)
March 19th - Labo VR blaster (Switch)
March 19th - Bowser's Fury (Switch)
April 12th - Bloodborne + Old Hunters DLC (PS4)
April 18th - Star Wars: Battlefront 2 campaign (PS4)
April 19th - Journey (PS4)
May 24th - Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20th anniversary edition
June 23rd - Vanquish (PS4)
July 15th - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4)
July 24th - Alba: a wildlife adventure (Switch)
October 9th - Hitman 2 (PS4)
October 31st - Metroid Dread (Switch)
November 16th - Outer Wilds (PS4)
November 19th - Unpacking (Xbox Series S)
November 29th - Exo One (Xbox Series S)
Interesting run of games I've had where I've inadvertently been on a sci-fi binge for several months.
Exo One is on Gamepass and plays like Journey mixed with the film Interstellar, using controls that remind me at times of the morph ball from Metroid Prime.
It's an interesting experience. Looks truly stunning at times. It's also exhilarating watching your ship work with the planets gravity and morph between being dense to get momentum up and then soaring through the clouds the next.
Loved the sound design too and the way the (ambiguous and abstract) story is relayed to you through crackly radio transmissions.
It only takes 2-3 hours to beat it, as long as you don't get too stuck on its couple of more fiddly moments. And that's probably for the best, as mechanically and narratively the game runs a bit short of ideas towards the end. When you're chaining the movement and landscape nuances together and hurtling across huge plains at Mach speed it's truly great. Reminded me of Thumper at its most visceral. But when you're struggling up a little incline trying to work out how to clear a tiny ridge, it's a bit irritating (though it does largely suit and add to the story).
One of those 7/10 games I'm very glad I've played and would thoroughly recommend, which I could equally see certain people adoring and others bouncing off of. Quite literally.
January 17th - Labo VR goggles and camera (Switch)
March 19th - Labo VR blaster (Switch)
March 19th - Bowser's Fury (Switch)
April 12th - Bloodborne + Old Hunters DLC (PS4)
April 18th - Star Wars: Battlefront 2 campaign (PS4)
April 19th - Journey (PS4)
May 24th - Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20th anniversary edition
June 23rd - Vanquish (PS4)
July 15th - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4)
July 24th - Alba: a wildlife adventure (Switch)
October 9th - Hitman 2 (PS4)
October 31st - Metroid Dread (Switch)
November 16th - Outer Wilds (PS4)
November 19th - Unpacking (Xbox Series S)
November 29th - Exo One (Xbox Series S)
Interesting run of games I've had where I've inadvertently been on a sci-fi binge for several months.
Exo One is on Gamepass and plays like Journey mixed with the film Interstellar, using controls that remind me at times of the morph ball from Metroid Prime.
It's an interesting experience. Looks truly stunning at times. It's also exhilarating watching your ship work with the planets gravity and morph between being dense to get momentum up and then soaring through the clouds the next.
Loved the sound design too and the way the (ambiguous and abstract) story is relayed to you through crackly radio transmissions.
It only takes 2-3 hours to beat it, as long as you don't get too stuck on its couple of more fiddly moments. And that's probably for the best, as mechanically and narratively the game runs a bit short of ideas towards the end. When you're chaining the movement and landscape nuances together and hurtling across huge plains at Mach speed it's truly great. Reminded me of Thumper at its most visceral. But when you're struggling up a little incline trying to work out how to clear a tiny ridge, it's a bit irritating (though it does largely suit and add to the story).
One of those 7/10 games I'm very glad I've played and would thoroughly recommend, which I could equally see certain people adoring and others bouncing off of. Quite literally.
Re: Games Completed 2021
- Spoiler: show
A nice little adventure game, but nothing particularly spectacular. A pleasant experience that has a good aesthetic and a soothing feel, but it doesn't do much to stand out from the crowd of these "Journey-likes". It has some nice traversal mechanics, but they don't feel like they have been realised to their full potential. It does do some cool stuff with them occasionally, like asking you to string together floating over gaps with teleportation warps, but it never gets especially complicated. There's a surfing-esque move where you ride on your staff, but you lose momentum pretty quickly when not going downhill with it. There's some very light puzzle solving too, but also it doesn't really evolve much beyond the most simple thing imaginable. The visual style is appealing, with the clean low poly look, soft colours and lighting, and lots of emphasis on light shafts and clouds. But again it's not the most unique take, and it's one that has been done better many times. The latter parts of the game re-use the same colour palette and a lot of the same props from earlier in the game too. So while earlier on it seems like it's going to be sending you through a bunch of different places, it ends up being a bit anticlimactic when you realise that it runs out of steam on that long before the end. The levels also have a bunch of weird fantasy animals to interact with, and while they don't do much, it's cute to see them react to your presence and they help make these spaces feel like an actual world.
It's fine though. Fun enough, and pretty enough. I think this game was mostly made by a single person too, so on that level it's a pretty admirable achievement. But there's a lot of very tough competition in this subgenre, and this one doesn't have enough going for it to stand out in the pack.
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Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1042
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2021
(Jan) Call of the Sea - Series X.
(Jan) Remember Me - PS3.
(Jan) Ghostbusters Remastered - Series X
(Feb) Disney Infinity 2.0 - PS4 Pro.
(Feb) Batman: Arkham Knight - PS4 Pro.
(Feb) Sacred 3 - PS3.
(Feb) The Darkness II - PS3.
(Feb) The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - PS3.
(Mar) Gears 5: Hivebusters - Series X.
(Mar) Silent Hill: Downpour - PS3.
(Mar) The Medium - Series X.
(Mar) Donut County - Series X.
(Mar) Astro's Playroom - PS5.
(Apr) Outriders - Series X.
(May) Lego City Undercover - Wii U.
(May) Ghost of Tsushima - PS5.
(May) Resident Evil Village - PS5.
(May) Dantes Inferno - Series X(BC).
(May) Streets of Rage 4 - Series X.
(May) Dead Space - Series X(BC).
(June) Matterfall - PS5.
(June) Battlefield 4 - Series X.
(Aug) Metro Exodus + DLCs - Series X.
(Aug) Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition - Series X.
(Aug) Maneater(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Dead Rising 4 - Series X.
(Sept) Limbo - Series X.
(Sept) Raji: An Ancient Epic - Series X.
(Sept) The Ascent - Series X.
(Sept) The Artful Escape - Series X.
(Oct) Mighty Goose - Series X.
(Oct) Alan Wake Remastered - Series X.
(Nov) The Evil Within 2 - Series X.
(Nov) Minecraft Dungeons - Series X.
(Nov) Forza Horizon 5 - Series X.
(Nov) Unpacking - Series X.
(Nov) Totally Reliable Delivery Service - Series X.
(Nov) Titanfall 2 - Series X.
(Jan) Remember Me - PS3.
(Jan) Ghostbusters Remastered - Series X
(Feb) Disney Infinity 2.0 - PS4 Pro.
(Feb) Batman: Arkham Knight - PS4 Pro.
(Feb) Sacred 3 - PS3.
(Feb) The Darkness II - PS3.
(Feb) The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - PS3.
(Mar) Gears 5: Hivebusters - Series X.
(Mar) Silent Hill: Downpour - PS3.
(Mar) The Medium - Series X.
(Mar) Donut County - Series X.
(Mar) Astro's Playroom - PS5.
(Apr) Outriders - Series X.
(May) Lego City Undercover - Wii U.
(May) Ghost of Tsushima - PS5.
(May) Resident Evil Village - PS5.
(May) Dantes Inferno - Series X(BC).
(May) Streets of Rage 4 - Series X.
(May) Dead Space - Series X(BC).
(June) Matterfall - PS5.
(June) Battlefield 4 - Series X.
(Aug) Metro Exodus + DLCs - Series X.
(Aug) Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition - Series X.
(Aug) Maneater(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Dead Rising 4 - Series X.
(Sept) Limbo - Series X.
(Sept) Raji: An Ancient Epic - Series X.
(Sept) The Ascent - Series X.
(Sept) The Artful Escape - Series X.
(Oct) Mighty Goose - Series X.
(Oct) Alan Wake Remastered - Series X.
(Nov) The Evil Within 2 - Series X.
(Nov) Minecraft Dungeons - Series X.
(Nov) Forza Horizon 5 - Series X.
(Nov) Unpacking - Series X.
(Nov) Totally Reliable Delivery Service - Series X.
(Nov) Titanfall 2 - Series X.
Re: Games Completed 2021
NOV - Assassin's Creed Liberation: Remastered (Switch)Alex79uk wrote: ↑January 1st, 2021, 1:25 pmJAN - 80 Days (Android)
JAN - What Remains Of Edith Finch (PS4)
JAN - Judgment (PS4)
JAN - Donut County (Android)
FEB - Gorogoa (Android)
FEB - Horace (Switch)
FEB - Castlevania (NES on Switch)
FEB - Akumajō Dracula (Famicom on Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: Back To The Future (Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: E.T. (Switch)
APR - Fantasy Zone (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
APR - Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4)
APR - There Is No Game: Game Jam Edition (Android)
MAY - Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (Switch)
JUN - Super Mario 64 (Switch)
JUL - Silent Bomber JP (PS1 on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 (PSP on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 SP (PSP on Vita)
AUG - Ashen (Switch)
AUG - Papers, Please (Vita)
AUG - Scramble (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
AUG - Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
AUG - Pinball FX3: Family Guy (Switch)
AUG - Shovel Knight: Shovel Of Hope (Switch)
SEP - FAR: Lone Sails (Android)
SEP - The Artful Escape (Xbox)
SEP - Pinball FX3: Portal (Switch)
SEP - Pinball FX3: Aliens vs Predator (Switch)
SEP - EA UFC 4 (Xbox)
OCT - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Xbox)
OCT - Pinball FX3: Aliens (Switch)
OCT - Pinball FX3: Alien Isolation (Switch)
OCT - Pinball FX3: Attack From Mars (Switch)
OCT - Superliminal (Xbox)
OCT - Haunted Castle (Arcade on Switch)
OCT - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES on Switch)
OCT - Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox)
OCT - Castle Of Illusion (SMS on Vita)
OCT - Land Of Illusion (SMS on Vita)
OCT - Akumajō Densetsu (Famicom on Switch)
OCT - Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy on Switch)
OCT - Super Castlevania IV (SNES on Switch)
OCT - The Red Strings Club (Switch)
OCT - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Xbox)
NOV - Guacamelee: STC Edition (Switch)
NOV - Bastion (Switch)
NOV - The Walking Dead: Season One (Xbox)
NOV - Red Dead Redemption (Xbox)
Originally a PS Vita exclusive, this Assassin's Creed III spin-off was later released as a HD version for PS3 and 360, and more recently included as an extra in the remaster of ACIII.
So, it's ultimately an even more boring spin-off of the most boring Assassin's Creed game. I mean, it really is tedious. And such a waste. The American revolution, the New Orleans inspired setting, the political topic of slavery - so much potential for an interesting story to be told, but much like it's big brother full game, this is just dull. The story is nonsense, the only stand out character is the main player, which I believe was a series first in having a female lead. There are some game mechanics exclusive to this game such as swinging on a whip, and changing persona from assassin to slave to high society lady, but none of that saves this absolute snooze-fest. It's not even like the gameplay or combat is good, either. Only good thing about the game is it does look quite nice on the handheld screen and it runs better than the Vita original, performance wise.
I'd say unless you're playing through the entire series (like me, it's taken about three years so far!) it's not really worth a look. But if you bought the ACIII remaster, then you essentially get it for free at least.
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stvnorman
- Member
- Posts: 911
- Joined: March 19th, 2013, 8:09 pm
- Location: Keysoe, Bedfordshire, UK
- Contact:
Re: Games Completed 2021
1 November: Splatterhouse 2 (Mega Drive)
5 November: Splatterhouse (PC-Engine)
7 November: Super Mario World (Game Boy)
14 November: Hypnospace Outlaw (Xbox Series X)
20 November: Haunted Castle (Arcade on Switch)
24 November: Noddy - A Day in Toyland (Game Boy Advance)
26 November: Exo One (Xbox Series X)
27 November: Journey (PS4)
30 November: Clockwork Aquario (Arcade on Switch)
Started the month where I finished the last, most of the way through both old favourite Splatterhouse and its sequel, which was first time playing! Had an urge for my very first Game Boy game again, which is always fun, as was Hypnospace Outlaw, a slow-burn sleuth puzzler set in a deep and thoughtful simulation of the early internet. Arcade Castlevania Haunted Castle ain’t so bad once you get past the outrageously hard first level, but my old pal Noddy on GBA is the complete opposite! Tiny Wings then met Journey in Exo One on Game Pass, but while often stunning it didn’t quite live up to either over its short duration. It did lead me back to Journey though - still one of the most beautiful games ever created! Finished off with a lost arcade legend, Clockwork Aquario - historic and a lot of fun for its short duration.
5 November: Splatterhouse (PC-Engine)
7 November: Super Mario World (Game Boy)
14 November: Hypnospace Outlaw (Xbox Series X)
20 November: Haunted Castle (Arcade on Switch)
24 November: Noddy - A Day in Toyland (Game Boy Advance)
26 November: Exo One (Xbox Series X)
27 November: Journey (PS4)
30 November: Clockwork Aquario (Arcade on Switch)
Started the month where I finished the last, most of the way through both old favourite Splatterhouse and its sequel, which was first time playing! Had an urge for my very first Game Boy game again, which is always fun, as was Hypnospace Outlaw, a slow-burn sleuth puzzler set in a deep and thoughtful simulation of the early internet. Arcade Castlevania Haunted Castle ain’t so bad once you get past the outrageously hard first level, but my old pal Noddy on GBA is the complete opposite! Tiny Wings then met Journey in Exo One on Game Pass, but while often stunning it didn’t quite live up to either over its short duration. It did lead me back to Journey though - still one of the most beautiful games ever created! Finished off with a lost arcade legend, Clockwork Aquario - historic and a lot of fun for its short duration.
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ThirdDrawing
- Member
- Posts: 571
- Joined: October 13th, 2016, 2:33 pm
- Location: Poverty Stricken StudentLand
Re: Games Completed 2021
#31 - Shin Megami Tensei V
Quite a ride in this game. Some of the criticisms are valid - sidequests are kind of shallow for example - but I think it's a good Megaten game overall. Nocturne is still my favourite though.
But either one would be good for next year's podcast.....HINTHINT.
Quite a ride in this game. Some of the criticisms are valid - sidequests are kind of shallow for example - but I think it's a good Megaten game overall. Nocturne is still my favourite though.
But either one would be good for next year's podcast.....HINTHINT.
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OneCreditBen
- Member
- Posts: 234
- Joined: August 15th, 2017, 10:03 am
Re: Games Completed 2021
On the stream last night I got a perfect clear of Combat School.
Clear starts at 37 minutes.
Also a few other nice clears as well (Golden Axe/Haunted Castle/Shanghai)
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Combine Hunter
- Moderator
- Posts: 892
- Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Re: Games Completed 2021
DEC - Halo: Combat Evolved (Anniversary) (Xbox)Alex79uk wrote: ↑January 1st, 2021, 1:25 pmJAN - 80 Days (Android)
JAN - What Remains Of Edith Finch (PS4)
JAN - Judgment (PS4)
JAN - Donut County (Android)
FEB - Gorogoa (Android)
FEB - Horace (Switch)
FEB - Castlevania (NES on Switch)
FEB - Akumajō Dracula (Famicom on Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: Back To The Future (Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: E.T. (Switch)
APR - Fantasy Zone (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
APR - Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4)
APR - There Is No Game: Game Jam Edition (Android)
MAY - Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (Switch)
JUN - Super Mario 64 (Switch)
JUL - Silent Bomber JP (PS1 on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 (PSP on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 SP (PSP on Vita)
AUG - Ashen (Switch)
AUG - Papers, Please (Vita)
AUG - Scramble (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
AUG - Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
AUG - Pinball FX3: Family Guy (Switch)
AUG - Shovel Knight: Shovel Of Hope (Switch)
SEP - FAR: Lone Sails (Android)
SEP - The Artful Escape (Xbox)
SEP - Pinball FX3: Portal (Switch)
SEP - Pinball FX3: Aliens vs Predator (Switch)
SEP - EA UFC 4 (Xbox)
OCT - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Xbox)
OCT - Pinball FX3: Aliens (Switch)
OCT - Pinball FX3: Alien Isolation (Switch)
OCT - Pinball FX3: Attack From Mars (Switch)
OCT - Superliminal (Xbox)
OCT - Haunted Castle (Arcade on Switch)
OCT - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES on Switch)
OCT - Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox)
OCT - Castle Of Illusion (SMS on Vita)
OCT - Land Of Illusion (SMS on Vita)
OCT - Akumajō Densetsu (Famicom on Switch)
OCT - Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy on Switch)
OCT - Super Castlevania IV (SNES on Switch)
OCT - The Red Strings Club (Switch)
OCT - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Xbox)
NOV - Guacamelee: STC Edition (Switch)
NOV - Bastion (Switch)
NOV - The Walking Dead: Season One (Xbox)
NOV - Red Dead Redemption (Xbox)
NOV - Assassin's Creed Liberation: Remastered (Switch)
Still a fantastic game, except for The Library which is an absolute snooze-fest, but I had a lot of fun playing this. A few niggles from the now probably considered outdated gameplay mechanics such as a checkpoint being dropped just as you're on one bar of health and about to face half an entire army of baddies, but overall this had stood the test of time really well. The Warthog remains fun to drive round, and I liked being able to flick back and forth between modern and old graphics and sound (I never remember the game looking quite so bare back in the day!)
One real gripe with the MC collection though - no end credits when you finish the campaign! Really took away that kind of epic moment you get at the end of games when the title flashes up, the music kicks in, and the credits start rolling. Sure I remember a post credits scene in the original too with finding out Guilty Spark AI had survived - totally missing here!
Anyway, glad I played it, and looking forward to slowly moving through the series over the next year or so. I've never been in to Halo - enjoyed the first game back in the day, but didn't like the second, and through the third one was alright, but that's all I've ever played really. Interested to see what I think now.
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Combine Hunter
- Moderator
- Posts: 892
- Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Re: Games Completed 2021
- Spoiler: show
Really surprise. It's just really well executed popcorn fun that put a huge smile and my face.
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duskvstweak
- Member
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
- Location: North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Completed 2021
- Spoiler: show
I also finished Max Payne 3. I don't think I'd be interested in Rockstar doing a Max Paybe 4, but it did make me think I should replay the first two games, which I love. I found 3 to be repetitive, but the worst offender was Max's inner monologue was boring and annoying. I loved the stories and idiosyncracies of those first games and to see it done with so little love and skill really let me down. By the end, I didn't care who I was fighting or why, I just wanted the game to be done.
Re: Games Completed 2021
Oh I LOVE Max Payne 3. I bounced off it to begin with but when I came back a year later I ended up loving it. The mechanics, set pieces, the soundtrack. I would love to see a new game but I don't hold much hope.duskvstweak wrote: ↑December 6th, 2021, 1:46 pm I also finished Max Payne 3. I don't think I'd be interested in Rockstar doing a Max Paybe 4, but it did make me think I should replay the first two games, which I love. I found 3 to be repetitive, but the worst offender was Max's inner monologue was boring and annoying. I loved the stories and idiosyncracies of those first games and to see it done with so little love and skill really let me down. By the end, I didn't care who I was fighting or why, I just wanted the game to be done.
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DeadpoolNegative
- Member
- Posts: 186
- Joined: April 16th, 2015, 5:00 am
Re: Games Completed 2021
Yeah, I know the conventional wisdom is that Max Payne 3 is the weaker sequel due to the lack of Remedy's involvement (although strangely, Sam Lake is credited with co-writing the comic book prequel with Dan Houser), and some of the qurikier, weirder elements of the games are much missed in 3's Very Serious storyline, but I love it and it's one of my favorite games of all time. The score by health is amazing, the visuals pop, but what really carries it towards the finish line is James McCaffrey's mocap performance as Max. Finally putting the face with the voice, it's one of the best game performances I've ever seen.
--Dan
--Dan
Re: Games Completed 2021
Yeah, MP3 really was one of the best examples of 'just get through the first couple of hours and it goes amazing' I think. Looking forward to replaying it some time now it's been made BC on Xbox.
Re: Games Completed 2021
Apologies in advance for length!*
*(obligatory title of my s*x tape joke etc)
After two plus months of struggling, grinding, and studying countless articles, podcasts and videos, I finally did something I never thought I'd ever do: I completed a FromSoftware game! I finally conquered (?) Bloodborne and its DLC.
I've banged on about this and bored everyone to tears before, but I only got my first ever PlayStation in summer 2020 and spent the last year and a half gorging myself on games I had missed over the years. I promptly decided that my favourite genre was third person action/adventure and looked up games in that genre with the best reviews. "Bloodborne? A Van Helsing-style demon hunting game? Great!" I thought, as I clicked "purchase" on the PS Store.
Of course, even someone as green to gaming as I was (I was previously a casual Nintendo user) knew of "Dark Souls", thanks to FromSoft cultists in my friend group and people such as Charlie Brooker (I mainly remember him describing it as a hard game where you need to attack the buttocks of enemies). "I'm bad at gaming, those games definitely aren't for me," I decided. So when I told my friend about my latest purchase, "Bloodborne", she told me, "...oh I don't think you'll enjoy that. Didn't you realise it's by the 'Dark Souls' people?" ...oh. No I did not. I see. I promptly decided to cut my losses and not play. Months passed.
But it niggled at me - I HAD spent money on it. And in the time since I bought it, I had completed some games on their highest difficulty (TLOU2 and UC4), something I never thought I could do. So I started to think that maybe, maybe I could handle a FromSoft game. So in the spring I sat down to play. I beat the Cleric Beast and Gascoigne. Confidence inflated, I trotted along merrily to Blood Starved Beast. And died. And died. And died again. And put the controller down. And abandoned the game.
SO finally in October, when I wanted a gothic spooky game, I picked up "Bloodborne" again and started a new game. And when I beat the Blood Starved Beast I finally broke through whatever wall was blocking me and decided that if I wasn't going to win based on my ability (...which is, admittedly, severely limited), then by God was I going to win through dogged determination.
And I adored it. The lore, the Bram Stoker meets Lovecraft imagery, the voices and music, the hyper aggressive gameplay, the beautiful outfits. What an intricate, infuriating, lovingly-crafted beauty of a game. It is intensely difficult, yes, and I find that FromSoft fans who complain that "everyone just whinges about the difficulty!!" are being sliiiighlty disingenuous because... it *is* hard. And its difficulty is all part of the experience and the emotional punishment reward cycle that makes the game so addictive. I had to treat the game like homework sometimes - forcing myself to practise and "studying" boss guides. But the game is not difficult just for the sake of driving people insane. Seeing how the difficulty was folded into the design of the game in order to teach players a new way of approaching and adapting to the game was fascinating. Not to mention how it fosters a sense of community - I had almost as much fun getting advice from my SoulsBorne friends and watching boss guide videos and reading about the game as I had playing it. An experience I wouldn't have had if there were difficulty options.
The difficulty also leads to some incredible emotional highs. I remember being driven almost to tears fighting Martyr Logarius over and over again. When I finally beat him, all alone, with no summons, my hands were shaking. The only other time I've felt like that playing a game was finally beating Avery's Mansion in "Uncharted 4" on Crushing (it's not even UC4's most challenging level but I started it with crap ammo and about 100,000 people shooting at me, so it was hell). Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome, I don't know, but if that's the equivalent of a FromSoftware runner's high, I can see why their fans are so devoted. It felt great.
It was also the first time I ever played a game using some of the multiplayer functions! My internet is pretty shaky but we recently bought a booster. I only used multiplayer for the DLC (I was determined to beat the main game alone or with NPC summons sometimes). To be honest, it still feels like cheating - with Orphan of Kos and with Laurence I basically hung back, occasionally prodding the boss with my saw/sword, while kind players from around the world beat the everloving sh*t out of them for me. But even if it felt like cheating, I was surprised by how kind and supportive people were. I always heard multiplayer was so mean! And admittedly I hated getting invaded. But the co-op stuff was lovely. People responded to my request for help with Orphan of Kos and patiently explained how to summon someone with passwords. The randomly generated multiplayer helper who slayed Laurence for me responded to my bow with a jaunty wave and a sweep of their cape. It was very charming! And I tried to repay the favour by helping some players with fights I found easy, like Maria or the Witch of Hemwick.
Speaking of, I'm obsessed with the Lady Maria fight in a way I haven't been obsessed with a single level/encounter since the Ship Graveyard in UC4 or the Santa Barbara compound invasion in TLOU2. What a wonderful fight.
And I don't talk about it a lot and I get embarrassed and maybe I'll delete this paragraph later but my mental health isn't the best, and lately I've been having a bit of trouble (which sounds melodramatic, it's really not that serious, and it's mostly well-deserved results of my own actions), so while it's not a healthy coping mechanism, I'm so grateful for this utterly absorbing game. It's nice to have my hands shake with nerves fighting a boss rather than shaking due to general anxiety (!)
So... yes. Sorry for going on and on. I think it just about edged out "Disco Elysium" for my GOTY, and is possibly one of the best games I've ever played and definitely one of the best experiences I've ever had with a game. Even now I'm listening to every "Bonfireside Chat" podcast and watching lore videos. Easily a top 5 game for me. Such a great experience.
*(obligatory title of my s*x tape joke etc)
After two plus months of struggling, grinding, and studying countless articles, podcasts and videos, I finally did something I never thought I'd ever do: I completed a FromSoftware game! I finally conquered (?) Bloodborne and its DLC.
I've banged on about this and bored everyone to tears before, but I only got my first ever PlayStation in summer 2020 and spent the last year and a half gorging myself on games I had missed over the years. I promptly decided that my favourite genre was third person action/adventure and looked up games in that genre with the best reviews. "Bloodborne? A Van Helsing-style demon hunting game? Great!" I thought, as I clicked "purchase" on the PS Store.
Of course, even someone as green to gaming as I was (I was previously a casual Nintendo user) knew of "Dark Souls", thanks to FromSoft cultists in my friend group and people such as Charlie Brooker (I mainly remember him describing it as a hard game where you need to attack the buttocks of enemies). "I'm bad at gaming, those games definitely aren't for me," I decided. So when I told my friend about my latest purchase, "Bloodborne", she told me, "...oh I don't think you'll enjoy that. Didn't you realise it's by the 'Dark Souls' people?" ...oh. No I did not. I see. I promptly decided to cut my losses and not play. Months passed.
But it niggled at me - I HAD spent money on it. And in the time since I bought it, I had completed some games on their highest difficulty (TLOU2 and UC4), something I never thought I could do. So I started to think that maybe, maybe I could handle a FromSoft game. So in the spring I sat down to play. I beat the Cleric Beast and Gascoigne. Confidence inflated, I trotted along merrily to Blood Starved Beast. And died. And died. And died again. And put the controller down. And abandoned the game.
SO finally in October, when I wanted a gothic spooky game, I picked up "Bloodborne" again and started a new game. And when I beat the Blood Starved Beast I finally broke through whatever wall was blocking me and decided that if I wasn't going to win based on my ability (...which is, admittedly, severely limited), then by God was I going to win through dogged determination.
And I adored it. The lore, the Bram Stoker meets Lovecraft imagery, the voices and music, the hyper aggressive gameplay, the beautiful outfits. What an intricate, infuriating, lovingly-crafted beauty of a game. It is intensely difficult, yes, and I find that FromSoft fans who complain that "everyone just whinges about the difficulty!!" are being sliiiighlty disingenuous because... it *is* hard. And its difficulty is all part of the experience and the emotional punishment reward cycle that makes the game so addictive. I had to treat the game like homework sometimes - forcing myself to practise and "studying" boss guides. But the game is not difficult just for the sake of driving people insane. Seeing how the difficulty was folded into the design of the game in order to teach players a new way of approaching and adapting to the game was fascinating. Not to mention how it fosters a sense of community - I had almost as much fun getting advice from my SoulsBorne friends and watching boss guide videos and reading about the game as I had playing it. An experience I wouldn't have had if there were difficulty options.
The difficulty also leads to some incredible emotional highs. I remember being driven almost to tears fighting Martyr Logarius over and over again. When I finally beat him, all alone, with no summons, my hands were shaking. The only other time I've felt like that playing a game was finally beating Avery's Mansion in "Uncharted 4" on Crushing (it's not even UC4's most challenging level but I started it with crap ammo and about 100,000 people shooting at me, so it was hell). Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome, I don't know, but if that's the equivalent of a FromSoftware runner's high, I can see why their fans are so devoted. It felt great.
It was also the first time I ever played a game using some of the multiplayer functions! My internet is pretty shaky but we recently bought a booster. I only used multiplayer for the DLC (I was determined to beat the main game alone or with NPC summons sometimes). To be honest, it still feels like cheating - with Orphan of Kos and with Laurence I basically hung back, occasionally prodding the boss with my saw/sword, while kind players from around the world beat the everloving sh*t out of them for me. But even if it felt like cheating, I was surprised by how kind and supportive people were. I always heard multiplayer was so mean! And admittedly I hated getting invaded. But the co-op stuff was lovely. People responded to my request for help with Orphan of Kos and patiently explained how to summon someone with passwords. The randomly generated multiplayer helper who slayed Laurence for me responded to my bow with a jaunty wave and a sweep of their cape. It was very charming! And I tried to repay the favour by helping some players with fights I found easy, like Maria or the Witch of Hemwick.
Speaking of, I'm obsessed with the Lady Maria fight in a way I haven't been obsessed with a single level/encounter since the Ship Graveyard in UC4 or the Santa Barbara compound invasion in TLOU2. What a wonderful fight.
And I don't talk about it a lot and I get embarrassed and maybe I'll delete this paragraph later but my mental health isn't the best, and lately I've been having a bit of trouble (which sounds melodramatic, it's really not that serious, and it's mostly well-deserved results of my own actions), so while it's not a healthy coping mechanism, I'm so grateful for this utterly absorbing game. It's nice to have my hands shake with nerves fighting a boss rather than shaking due to general anxiety (!)
So... yes. Sorry for going on and on. I think it just about edged out "Disco Elysium" for my GOTY, and is possibly one of the best games I've ever played and definitely one of the best experiences I've ever had with a game. Even now I'm listening to every "Bonfireside Chat" podcast and watching lore videos. Easily a top 5 game for me. Such a great experience.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Games Completed 2021
Fantastic post, great job with Bloodborne too.
Re: Games Completed 2021
Excellent work, Miri! Great job beating the game, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with falling totally in to a game as a coping mechanism. I've done it before, and sure I will again at some point. There's a lot to be said for having that to look forward to at the end of a day, and forgetting about everything other than the game world for a few hours. Nice one 
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ColinAlonso
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Re: Games Completed 2021
- Spoiler: show
This is the fourth Tales game I've played and I've come away with the same feeling as the others, I didn't mind the act of playing it, its a well made anime action JRPG, and I don't dislike it but I'm not particularly enthused by it either. I do think it's my favourite in the series, for what that is worth. I wonder if, yet again, I'll come back to the series in 3/4 years to see if it clicks.
Dec 1 - Professor Layton and the Specter's Call (DS cart on 3DS)
My 'one a year' approach to the Prof. Layton series reached the 4th game, the first in the prequel trilogy. I started it much earlier in the year but wasn't hooked. I picked it up again and blazed through it.
The plot scales back from the size of third game which makes the game less memorable but is probably a good move for the series, stopping the need to continually one-up itself. Puzzles are what you'd expect from a Layton.
Dec 6 - Outer Wilds (PS5)
Another voice to add to the chorus praising this game I suppose.
Loved exploring the solar system, the planets are wonderfully diverse, each with their own gimmicks to getting around. I enjoyed the plot and the writing.
I eventually slowed to a crawl and searched the internet for a few small pushes (for example, I didn't spot a way I could go in a cave and once I found that out I stopped reading the guide) but I was close to having everything before then so I didn't feel too bad about it.
Am I the only one freaked out by objects that shouldn't move, randomly moving nearby while just offscreen? Damn near creepier than Dark Bramble.
Re: Games Completed 2021
Thank you for your kind words Yes, I found if you have problems with ruminating or anxiety that gaming can function a lot like reading. It requires absolute concentration and distraction. Even if you're grinding you can put on a podcast or audio book or tv show in the background.
Yes, I found if you have problems with ruminating or anxiety that gaming can function a lot like reading. It requires absolute concentration and distraction. Even if you're grinding you can put on a podcast or audio book or tv show in the background.