Games Completed 2018

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duskvstweak
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by duskvstweak »

Alex79uk wrote: December 18th, 2018, 10:44 am
duskvstweak wrote: December 17th, 2018, 3:42 pm I just completed my run of Fez. Doubt I'll go back for the New Game +. I really enjoyed the game but I found the end anti-climatic and I'm not great at keeping up with games that are about collecting just to collect.
I've never made it that far myself, although it's on my list to actually try to play through properly at some point, but everything I've ever read about the game suggests the NG+ really is the second half of the game. All the puzzles and fourth wall breaking stuff seem to make it a completely new experience.
Really? Arg.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by duskvstweak »

Transistor is another short game finished! I really liked Bastion, but I loved Transistor. That is, right until the end. Nothing against the narrative decision itself, but I kept expecting a choice on my behalf, something akin to Bastion. I think Bastion nailed it's two major late-game choices, but Transistor does away with any of that.
Ah well, still a great game with fantastic music, art and a really fun combat/powers system.
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Combine Hunter
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Combine Hunter »

Spoiler: show
10/02 - Final Fantasy II (PS Vita)
04/30 - Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)
10/03 - Celeste (Switch)
10/03 - Monster Hunter World (PS4)
13/03 - Bioshock: Infinite - Burial at Sea Episode 2
17/03 - Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS Vita)
13/04 - Final Fantasy III (PS Vita)
23/04 - God of War (PS4)
02/05 - StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (PC)
13/05 - Into the Breach (PC)
17/05 - Yakuza 0 (PS4)
28/05 - Hollow Knight (PC)
01/06 - Axiom Verge (Switch)
03/06 - Zone of the Enders (PS3)
15/07 - Frostpunk (PC)
22/7 - Secret of Mana (Emulator)
13/08 - Final Fantasy V (Emulator)
09/09 - Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4)
06/10 - Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (PC)
11/10 - Mega Man X (Switch)
20/10 - Final Fantasy VI (Emulator)
24/11 - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Wii U)
27/11 - Zone of the Enders 2: Second Runner (PS3)
01/12 - Florence (Android)
02/12 - Return of the Obra Dinn (PC)
08/12 - Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
20/12 - Tetris Effect (PS4)

Probably my favourite version of Tetris.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by ratsoalbion »

Mine too.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by duskvstweak »

With holiday travels, I've probably beaten my last game of the year! Thus, this full list of 2018 games completed, in order.
Spoiler: show
Dead Space
Fable: The Lost Chapters
RAGE
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Mark of the Ninja
Alwa's Awakening
Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich
Ori and the Blind Forest
Tomb Raider (2013)
World of Final Fantasy
Spec Ops: The Line
Max Payne
Rayman Origins
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Tales of Symphonia
Jurassic Park: The Game
Metro 2033
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Mass Effect 2
Thomas Was Alone
VVVVVV
Necrosphere
The Wolf Among Us
Bioshock Infinite
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Nioh
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Deus Ex
Resident Evil Remaster
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X
Rise of the Tomb Raider
XCOM 2
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Fez
Transistor
Favorites being Rage, Mark of the Ninja, Ori and the Blind Forest, Max Payne 1&2, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Thomas Was Alone, VVVVVV, Nioh, Resident Evil Remaster, Resident Evil 2, XCOM 2 and Transistor.

P.S. I streamed all of them over on my Twitch channel, if you're ever bored!
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fieldy
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by fieldy »

in amongst starting a bunch of other games I have completed the following this year:

- Wolfenstein: The new order
- Dear Esther
- Sonic Mania
- Bloodborne
- Soma
- Final Fantasy XV
- Wolfenstein 2: The new colossus
- Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
- Night in the woods
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James
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by James »

Spoiler: show
3rd Jan - Hidden Folks (Android)
13th Jan - Bleed 2 (PC)
13th Jan - Bleed (Xbox One)
14th Jan - The Sexy Brutale (Xbox One)
16th Jan - Scanner Sombre (PC)
17th Jan - Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition (PS4)
21st Jan - Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (Xbox One)
24th Feb - Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (RetroPie - PSX)
13th Mar - BioShock Infinite (Remastered) (Xbox One) [1999 Mode]
13th Mar - BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea - Part 1 (Remastered) (Xbox One)
15th Mar - Actual Sunlight (Android)
18th Mar - BioShock (Remastered) (Xbox One)
19th Mar - BioShock (Remastered) (Xbox One) [Survivor Mode]
21st Mar - BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea - Part 2 (Remastered) (Xbox One)
23rd Mar - BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea - Part 2 (Remastered) (Xbox One) [1998 Mode]
26th Mar - BioShock 2 (Remastered) (Xbox One)
10th Apr - Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign (Xbox One)
11th Apr - Blackwood Crossing (Xbox One)
24th Apr - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands (Xbox One)
27th Apr - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Xbox One)
3rd Jun - Dark Souls: Remastered (Xbox One)
9th Jun - Cuphead (Xbox One)
13th Jun - ABZU (Xbox One)
18th Jul - Hollow Knight (Switch)
6th Aug - Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin (Xbox One)
31st Aug - Hitman (Xbox One)
5th Sep - Hitman: Sniper Assassin (Xbox One)
11th Sep - Marvel's Spider-Man
9th Oct - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)
28th Oct - Marvel's Spider-Man: The Heist DLC (PS4)
4th Nov - Bloodborne: The Old Hunter's DLC (PS4)
4th Nov - Bloodborne (PS4)
11th Nov - LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Xbox One)
18th Nov - LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Xbox One)
2nd Dec - Spider-Man: Homecoming VR (PSVR)
2nd Dec - Kitchen (PSVR)
17th Dec - Hitman 2 (Xbox One)

I know, I know... SMHVR and Kitchen are short enough to barely count, but I reached credits on both and so they make the list. Both are fine, in a damning with faint 'meh' kinda way. And neither lives up to anything else I've played on my new PSVR (Beat Saber, for example :D ).

Now onto the real reason for this post: Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is the only game ever to be called Hitman 2, and is the sequel to 2016's Hitman, itself the only game ever to be called Hitman. Sorry, I'm a pedant and I'm right.

I adore the Hitman series, and these past few years have been an absolute high point in that adoration. IO have refined the game they released 2 years ago, and added to it some new mechanics and 6 of my absolute favourite Hitman levels. For a series that I think in many ways represents a gold standard in (sandbox) level design, that's no small amount of praise. IO have squeezed more dark humour and more secrets into each level than ever before.

A couple of levels in Hitman 2 simultaneously manage to be partial or complete homages to previous levels in the series and also show up the previous games by expanding upon their scope and the possibilities of play that they offer. Beyond that, three of the levels left my jaw on the floor for the audacious ways they play with the series' formula.

Price reductions seem to indicate that Hitman 2 may well have sold pretty poorly. I can't stress enough how sad that makes me. Whilst I do understand that the word on this game was that it's more of the same, and maybe even a glorified level pack, that's not how I feel about it at all. I don't know if this was too soon for a sequel, or if RDR2 ate its lunch, but I can only hope that it finds some success in holiday sales.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by KSubzero1000 »

James wrote: December 21st, 2018, 8:57 pm Price reductions seem to indicate that Hitman 2 may well have sold pretty poorly. I can't stress enough how sad that makes me. Whilst I do understand that the word on this game was that it's more of the same, and maybe even a glorified level pack, that's not how I feel about it at all. I don't know if this was too soon for a sequel, or if RDR2 ate its lunch, but I can only hope that it finds some success in holiday sales.
Personally, the main reason I didn't buy it at launch are the always-online DRM / requirements. The first one is one of my biggest positive surprises of this generation, and I would have gladly paid 60€ for the sequel if it had been released in a format that I could actually own.
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by James »

Yep, I can't defend that at all. Thankfully the worst I had during my time with it were a few moments where it paused to sync with the server. It never stopped me playing, but that shouldn't even be a risk.
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by seansthomas »

February 4th - DOOM (Switch)
February 7th - Oxenfree (Switch)
February 17th - Steamworld Dig 2 (Switch)
February 25th - The Fall Part 2: Unbound (Switch)
February 28th - Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (Switch)
March 4th - Subsurface Circular (Switch)
March 28th - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)
April 4th - Floor kids (Switch)
April 9th - Rime (Switch)
May 6th - Celeste (Switch)
May 7th - Nintendo Labo (RC Car / Motorbike)
May 30th - Axiom Verge (Switch)
July 17th - Wolfenstein II: The new Colossus (Switch)
July 20th - Golf Story (Switch)
July 23rd - Inside (Switch)
September 17th - Human fall flat (Switch)
September 26th - Yoku's Island Express (Switch)
October 17th - Super Mario Bros 3 (Switch)
December 15th - Gris (Switch)

December 22nd - Firewatch (Switch)

Really good to have the chance to play this finally. Always loved the visual style of it so it's been great to spend a few nights exploring these hills and sights. Took one hell of a lot of screenshots too.

Won't say too much about it to avoid spoilers but I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Nice pace, length, story and resolution. Felt a very different idea, way of storytelling and setting to just about any other game I've played too.

Not sure if I'll need to replay it anytime soon but intrigued to see it comes with an audio commentary playthrough feature. Maybe a reason to do so again one day...
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Chopper »

A good year of Switch-exclusive gaming there; glad to hear the Firewatch port turned out well.
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Re: Games Completed 2018

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Alex79uk wrote: October 6th, 2018, 10:34 am JAN - Lumino City (Android)
MAR - Dark Souls 3 (PS4)
MAR - What Remains Of Edith Finch (PS4)
MAR - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS4) MAR - Infamous: Second Son (PS4)
APR - Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception
MAY - Shadow Of The Colossus (PS4)
MAY - Uncharted: Lost Legacy (PS4)
JUN - God Of War (PS4)
JUL - Dying Light (PS4)
JUL - Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (PS4)
AUG - Yakuza Kiwami (PS4)
AUG - Gorogoa (Android)
AUG - The Last Of Us Remastered (PS4)
SEP - Metro 2033 Redux (PS4)
OCT - Little Inferno (Android)
OCT - Assassin's Creed 2 (PS4)
OCT - The Last Of Us: Left Behind (PS4)
NOV - Shenmue (PS4)
NOV - Hollow Knight (PS4)
NOV - Salt & Sanctuary (PS Vita)
DEC - Outrun 2SP (Sony PSP)


DEC - Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (PS Vita)

Finished this again last week, and ended up enjoying it more than the first time I played it. 2.5D Metroidvania, which sees you trying to take out Black Mask, Joker and the Penguin after a mass breakout at Blackgate jail. Its not going to blow anyone away, but it's worth playing if you're a fan of Batman and the genre. Has all the bigger game stuff like the combat system, detective mode and all the gadgets. What I didn't realise until this second playthrough is that the final section of the game is actually completely different depending on which order you take out the three main antagonists. I liked it.
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seansthomas
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by seansthomas »

Chopper wrote: December 23rd, 2018, 8:21 am A good year of Switch-exclusive gaming there; glad to hear the Firewatch port turned out well.
Indeed! Now I've loaned my Wii U out and my 360 is dead, I'll probably drop the console I played it on.

Such a great machine. Can't see me ever going back to a permanent home console.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
04/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Normal)
05/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Jetstream Sam DLC (Normal)
06/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Blade Wolf DLC (Normal)
10/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hard)
14/01 - Killer Is Dead (Hard)
18/01 - Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut
20/02 - Okamiden
23/02 - Bayonetta 2 (Normal)
27/02 - Shadow of the Colossus
02/03 - Monster Hunter World
06/03 - Snake Pass
08/03 - Deus Ex: The Fall
10/03 - Bayonetta 2 (Hard)
22/03 - Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
28/04 - Warden: Melody of the Undergrowth
03/05 - Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
05/05 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Nero/Dante - Devil Hunter)
08/05 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Vergil - Devil Hunter)
12/05 - Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
13/05 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Lady/Trish - Devil Hunter)
21/05 - Omensight
26/05 - Mafia II
27/05 - God of War
31/05 - God of War: Ascension
12/06 - Unravel Two
15/06 - Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
23/06 - Vampyr
05/07 - Cat Quest
14/07 - The Legend of Korra (Extreme)
20/07 - The Vagrant
28/07 - A Hat in Time
31/07 - Way of the Samurai 4
25/08 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Knight)
25/08 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution
10/09 - Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner : MVRS
18/09 - Yakuza Kiwami 2
19/09 - Figment
20/09 - Darksiders: Warmastered Edition
20/09 - AER: Memories of Old
22/09 - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
11/10 - Forza Horizon 4
06/11 - CrossCode
14/11 - Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition (Deathinitive)
23/11 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Nero/Dante - Son of Sparda)
04/12 - Dust: An Elysian Tail
10/12 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Vergil - Son of Sparda)
15/12 - Forza Horizon 4: Fortune Island
25/12 - Killer7

Got kind of mixed feelings on this one, and not sure what to make of it in the end. I can see why this game is something of a cult classic, and I'm glad I played it, but I had too many problems with it for me to say I think of it in the same way.

But I did like quite a lot about it. Obviously, it's extremely stylish. I really liked the look and tone it goes for, with a slightly unnerving vibe but with the vibrant colours against the stark shadows. The distinctive gradient across the middle of the picture no matter where the camera is pointing was pretty cool too. Makes every moment look as if it was intentionally tweaked to look like some stylised concept art, despite being a dynamic part of the image. Audio design is pretty great as well, with the creepy laugh of the Smiles, and the varied, distinct, and punchy gun sounds too. I also appreciated the mechanics for their novelty. No other game plays like this, and it definitely makes this game stand out as a unique experience to play, which I think has value in itself, despite my other feelings on the mechanics.

On the other side of thing, there was quite a lot I didn't like. As mentioned, the mechanics certainly irritated me quite a bit at times. Despite the unconventional nature of it being intriguing, the actual way aiming works in this game was on occasion pretty awful. Moving your crosshair around just feels terrible. Luckily you don't need to do that much, which means there isn't actually much "aiming" going on in this game. Most of the time it feels pretty automatic, which would be pretty dull if the novelty and aesthetic design didn't save it from that. But on the rare few occasions you do have to use manual aiming, it is just horrible. It doesn't feel like you have a decent control over it at all, and trying to be precise in any way is next to impossible. Not being able to move while aiming compounds this a lot too. While it makes some sort of sense with how this game is set up that you can't move, it often feels very unfair when it's asking you to to some hard aiming while you can't do anything to avoid attacks coming your way at the same time. A couple of the Smiles are pretty awful to go up against too, and sometimes their placement feels really unfair.

I didn't really follow the story that well either. I can't bring myself to say I didn't like it overall, since I did like the general tone it went for, and some of the things it touches on. But I found it hard to parse, and much of it seemed superfluous too. I'm not sure I would call that seemingly unnecessary stuff bad though, since it seems like a lot of the story is going for a vignette compilation vibe, and it makes some level of sense with the surreal nature of the game in general.

Being a fan of No More Heroes, that seemed like a natural comparison point for this game. They are pretty similar in a lot of ways, but I think NMH does a better job. It may be more conventional, but I think it's more enjoyable for that. And it does structure its story in a similar "vignette of cool stuff" way too. But I think NMH has a more coherent message to portray, and does a better job at it.
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Pitwar
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Pitwar »

7th Jan - Halo 4 (Xbox One)
13th Jan - Halo 5 (Xbox One)
4th Mar - Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
24th Apr - The Inpatient (PS4)
17th Jun - Gears of War 4 (Xbox One)
16th Aug - Life is Strange (Xbox One)
23rd Sep- Spider-Man (PS4)
2nd Nov - Spider-Man: The Heist DLC (PS4)
16th Nov - Tetris Effect (PS4)
21st Nov - Spider-Man: Turf Wars DLC (PS4)
23rd Dec - Spider-Man: Silver Lining DLC (PS4)

The final piece of Spidey DLC was more of the same, but that's by no means a bad thing and was a fun few hours for sure.

While Spider-Man does absolutely nothing new, it does what it does brilliantly and I'd be lying if I said I'd enjoyed any other game as much this year.

I'm not sure if any further DLC is planned, but if not a sequel will be very welcome.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
04/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Normal)
05/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Jetstream Sam DLC (Normal)
06/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Blade Wolf DLC (Normal)
10/01 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hard)
14/01 - Killer Is Dead (Hard)
18/01 - Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut
20/02 - Okamiden
23/02 - Bayonetta 2 (Normal)
27/02 - Shadow of the Colossus
02/03 - Monster Hunter World
06/03 - Snake Pass
08/03 - Deus Ex: The Fall
10/03 - Bayonetta 2 (Hard)
22/03 - Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
28/04 - Warden: Melody of the Undergrowth
03/05 - Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
05/05 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Nero/Dante - Devil Hunter)
08/05 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Vergil - Devil Hunter)
12/05 - Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
13/05 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Lady/Trish - Devil Hunter)
21/05 - Omensight
26/05 - Mafia II
27/05 - God of War
31/05 - God of War: Ascension
12/06 - Unravel Two
15/06 - Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
23/06 - Vampyr
05/07 - Cat Quest
14/07 - The Legend of Korra (Extreme)
20/07 - The Vagrant
28/07 - A Hat in Time
31/07 - Way of the Samurai 4
25/08 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Knight)
25/08 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution
10/09 - Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner : MVRS
18/09 - Yakuza Kiwami 2
19/09 - Figment
20/09 - Darksiders: Warmastered Edition
20/09 - AER: Memories of Old
22/09 - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
11/10 - Forza Horizon 4
06/11 - CrossCode
14/11 - Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition (Deathinitive)
23/11 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Nero/Dante - Son of Sparda)
04/12 - Dust: An Elysian Tail
10/12 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Vergil - Son of Sparda)
15/12 - Forza Horizon 4: Fortune Island
25/12 - Killer7
27/12 - Darksiders III

This ended up being another one that I have mixed feelings on, but in the end I came out positive on it. I also enjoyed the game more as it went on. But there's a lot to dig in to here about exactly what this game is, and what it "should" be.

The big issue here is how it takes a huge departure from the rest of the series. It eschews the 3D Zelda-like style for something more inspired by Dark Souls, or Metroidvanias in general. So somewhat in keeping with series tradition, it's a melting pot of ideas from other places. It's just it has mostly new ingredients. The DNA of the previous games feels like just another one thrown in, rather than the core focus of this one. But in general instead of exploring an open overworld and delving in to dungeons to solve puzzles and fight bosses therein, here you're exploring a narrow, twisty, and interconnected world that doesn't really provide anything in the way of puzzles. Instead you're focused mainly on fighting enemies and navigation.

Fighting itself has been changed to be slower, and more deliberate and punishing, but it still gives you a moderate level of different attacks and combos to choose from, which expands over the game as you collect more weapons. So it ends up feeling like something of a halfway house between Dark Souls and the old Darksiders games. It doesn't fully realise the potential of either, but it does have flashes of brilliance, and it doesn't feel like it's trying to be either of those two things. It's trying to find its own path. Sometimes it succeeds very well. Other times it feels like it's aiming for something that isn't there. The mechanics themselves feel good, albeit not exceptional, and most of the boss fights are very enjoyable. They're definitely the highlight of the combat, with them being well designed and impressive encounters that push your skills without feeling cheap. Fights against normal enemies are generally good too, but there are a few occasions where it feels like they can ambush you unfairly, and towards the start of the game when you don't have many weapons, it can make combat feel a bit shallow and repetitive.

In the latter parts of my time playing the game they released a patch that added in a new optional "Classic" combat mode that was supposed to make the game feel more like the older games. It makes it so you can cancel out of attacks with a dodge, and use healing items instantly with no animation. It doesn't completely change the combat, and definitely won't make the game suddenly play exactly like 1 or 2, but I think it was a good change that I would advise people use. It allows you to be more aggressive and speeds up the pace of combat a lot. It feels like it unlocks some hidden potential to the combat, by simply letting you do more. It being so lax with items might be a step too far, but in terms of the moment-to-moment combat, it is a definite improvement, and helps to fix the problem of getting overwhelmed in an ambush too.

World design is pretty impressive though. Exploring around those tight, convoluted paths was pretty enjoyable, and every area was memorable and unique. It frequently did that thing where you go through an area and loop around to open up a shortcut, giving you that satisfactory surprise of seeing a place you recognise but didn't expect to see. Coming back to older areas with new abilities that let you explore more is pretty satisfying too, although it doesn't quite hit the heights of something like Metroid Prime in that regard. Aesthetically, it's not the most amazing looking world, but it does have some high points. Certain places are very impressive to look at, but I don't think this setting stands up as being among the best in the genre. In terms of how this series has portrayed a post-apocalyptic Earth though, it's probably the best. It does it in the most diverse and intricate way.

The story isn't much to write home about, but it does put some effort in to characterisation. The general plot is pretty thin, with it basically being not much more than defeating all the bad guys because you're told to. There is a sub-plot with a different character who gives you your powers, and some other character they want you to hunt down, and that is somewhat interesting, but doesn't have much to it either. But Fury is pretty well realised as a protagonist for this series. She's forceful and short tempered, with a sardonic sense of humour and a bit of a softer side that provides some inner conflict as she weighs up what she really wants. She talks quite a lot with her Watcher that brings up quite a few of these traits, as well as her interactions with the bosses themselves. Being based on the Seven Deadly Sins, they each embody the expected character trait, and ham it up in cutscenes before fights in amusing ways. They're easily the most fleshed out boss characters in the series. Lust in particular was really good, as they don't take the obvious path of making her some sexualised character, but instead delve in to how lust can mean different things to different people, and the implications of that. I was quite impressed with that. Not that it's amazing in comparison to the best writing of the medium, but it's far more than I expected from this low budget game based on the edgy 90s comic aesthetic.

So while overall I liked it a fair amount, I didn't love it. As much as I did enjoy it, it's very hard to get away from the nagging feeling that this isn't the Darksiders 3 I wanted. But at the same time, that is something I knew going in. This was always going to be a B-game, with a low budget, smaller dev team, and smaller scope than the previous games. Or 2 at least. I knew it wasn't going to be Zelda. I knew to temper my expectations and try to come at this game on its own level. But at the same time, I do miss a lot of what the old games were. I miss puzzles and dungeons. I miss that kind of 3D Zelda design in general. It seems like the whole medium has decided to just ditch that idea, despite it never really being a huge thing to begin with. We were never oversaturated with these games. I was already really aching for that itch to be scratched, and now one of the few series that was even attempting to had moved away from it. And I think you could argue that the Dark Souls formula is kind of inherently limited in comparison too. Zelda already did similar things, albeit in a different way, except with the addition of puzzles and different mechanics to interact with the world too. And the Dark Souls combat style is pretty limited as well when you get down to it. The previous Darksiders games with their DMC-like combat with a dash of God of War let you do much more, and do it at a way faster pace too. The quality of Dark Souls' combat comes from execution, not really the conceptual design. And even then, I find that Dark Souls 3 is by far superior to the first (which is what everyone seems to focus on for inspiration) for how it expands your abilities and lets you be more aggressive. And we're hardly starved for games inspired by Dark Souls right now either.

But, at the same time, I've always been a big believer in that devs should be allowed to make whatever game they want. Go wherever inspiration takes them, and not be held to any expectation of what players demand of them. Within reason, of course. But no one is entitled to demand anything of a creator's work, or any right to feel like they've been wronged because they didn't get the thing they thought they wanted. While things are somewhat different when it comes to sequels, generally the rules are the same. This is Darksiders 3 because the people who made it say it is. When an artist makes a work, that work is essentially a message to the audience. It's the expression of an idea; an experience they want to convey. So for players to say that a game should be something instead of what it is, that's like saying you don't want to listen to what the dev has spent so much time and effort trying to craft to give to you. You just want your own ideas echoed back at you, and to not go out of your comfort zone to expand your own experience. While this doesn't mean everything a designer might put in a game is perfect and beyond criticism, hating on a game because it's not trying to pander exactly to an idea you have in your head of what you think you want is a very bad mindset to slip in to.

But, I also can't help but wonder exactly what was the inspiration going in to this game. Was trying to go for this Dark Souls approach really a good idea? Was it something they did because they truly wanted to make a game like that, or simply because that is the trend everyone is chasing now. How it's become the recent "default" design for 3rd person melee action games. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it wasn't, but that still doesn't change the fact that I personally prefer the older style, and don't think there was really any need to move away from it. And was this halfway house even really something worth chasing in the first place? Is there something to that idea, or is it just something destined to never reach the heights of either side? I can't tell. I did enjoy it. Sometimes it was great. Most of the time it was fine-to-good. Was it "fine" because it was not as refined as it could have been, or because it never had the potential to be more? Were those high points because it momentarily swayed more towards one end of the spectrum than the other, or because it was genuinely on to something itself? Was them adding the patch to the combat something they genuinely wanted to do, or because they were kowtowing to pressure from angry fans who weren't willing to meet them halfway? How much does it matter that it seemed to improve the experience regardless? I still can't tell.

Regardless of all my convoluted meanderings, I did end up liking it in the end. It was a bit of a shock going in, even though I knew what I was getting myself in to. But later on once I got in to the rhythm of this game I ended up having a good time with it. I don't know how much I would recommend it to others though. While I think some of the critical reception went a bit overboard, I can't really blame anyone for not being completely enthralled with this game either. It may have gotten a roasting that was somewhat undeserved, but I don't think this is some hidden gem that actually has a lot going for it that people just weren't open to experiencing, as I do think with some of my other unusual tastes in games. But I'm still glad it exists. That's a miracle just on its own. And on top of that it wasn't a total disaster either. It was rather fun. Although I suppose judging by what we've heard about sales, it looks like Darksiders 2 all over again. Except this time I put the chance of a fourth game even closer to zero.

---

And with that, I expect that is the last of the games I’m completing this year. The only other big thing from this year I’ve got on the go is Smash, which I only just started, and suspect I might never finish. This year was pretty mediocre for games generally. 2017 was a hard act to follow, so it makes sense that this year was something of a lull. But that said, there were a few stand-outs.

Monster Hunter World was my favourite of the year, with it being pretty much exactly what I wanted out of that series. It refreshed the game with a new attractive coat of paint, added in a bunch of much appreciated quality-of-life features, but didn’t take away from the depth and density of the game at all. It really sucked me in nearer the start of the year. It’s just a shame that I ended up burning out on it in some of the late-game stuff.

God of War was another highlight too of course. A game that I initially had no interest in, but then eventually came around on and was surprised how good it ended up being. In terms of narrative direction, it was exactly what it needed to be, and succeeded much better than I ever thought it would at that. Mechanically it was fun, but it felt like it was enjoyable in spite of itself, with its awkward control scheme. But how well they managed to make that work was pretty impressive in itself.

Yakuza 6 was excellent as well, but also felt like it took some questionable design decisions. The new combat system was a mixed bag of pros and cons, but was still very fun overall and should hopefully be improved a lot going forward. The plot was also really good, and one of the best and most memorable in the series so far. I also really liked how they turned around Takeshi Kitano’s character from being a bit bland for most of the game, to becoming something really compelling in the closing chapters. That was a nice surprise. In contrast I wasn’t so hot on Kiwami 2. Much like with Kiwami 1, it felt like kind of a mechanical rehash, with the new and old not fitting together that gracefully, and with a plot that has been surpassed by newer entries. But also like K1, being a bad Yakuza game still makes it a really good game in general. It also provided a few small improvements to 6’s combat as well.

CrossCode was another of my favourites. A game that I had very long been anticipating due to having backed the crowdfunding campaign many years ago. Unlike with Ghost of a Tale, this one turned out to be a big vindication. Turned out really well. It was a great game with lots of character, great combat, some interesting subversion of tropes, and a very impressive level of content for a game from such a small team. It’s a shame this game hasn’t caught more attention. It just hasn’t had the PR push it deserves, I suppose. Hopefully it will be able to do what Hollow Knight did and stir up some attention when it drops on PS4 at some point. In the meantime, go check it out! Don’t sleep on this one.

And lastly there’s Vampyr. Much like Darksiders this is another B-game that was relatively small in scope and polish, and didn’t really light up reviews. This one I do think has something special going for it. The mechanics of being a vampire and weighing up your moral choices of how you treat NPCs is fantastic. It does a great job of making you think of them as the character would, while also fleshing them all out and giving them depth. The atmosphere of the game is great too, and the soundtrack in particular was brilliant.

There are even more but I’ll try to keep this as brief honourable mentions and wrap this up now. I fell in love with A Hat in Time, so charming and cute, and with great mechanics. Snake Pass was incredibly interesting and very unique with its approach to platforming. Omensight was a pretty good follow-up to Stories: Path of Destinies that does interesting stuff with narrative. The Vagrant was a surprisingly good homage to Vanillaware’s work, and great value for money. Zone of the Enders 2 was great to revisit on the PS4 with a solid frame rate and helpful mechanical tweaks. Figment was a touching and gorgeous little game that used dynamic music in very clever ways. AER was a nice relaxing experience that worked well as a palette cleanser. Forza Horizon 4 was another good entry in the series that moved things forward more than they have done in a while. Killer7 was a wild ride that I’m glad I finally got to experience. Deus Ex: The Fall is nowhere near as bad as it’s made out to be. Way of the Samurai 4 is weird and bonkers and shoddy and intriguing. Platinum’s games are still fantastic. DMC4 is still fantastic. Darksiders 1 and 2 are still fantastic. Splatoon 2 is still fantastic.

(Holy shit that's more than 2800 words!!!)
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Scrustle wrote: December 27th, 2018, 5:26 pm (Holy shit that's more than 2800 words!!!)
Hey man, just wanted to let you know that I'm always enjoying your thorough and insightful contributions to this thread. Great read. Your efforts are not in vain. :)

I completely share the conflicting feelings you've expressed on the developer / player balance of expectations. Devs should definitely have the freedom of making whatever product they want without being faced with hostility and entitlement at every turn. Audience members should be willing to meet creators halfway, ideally. But at the same time, there is always the question of how many contemporary design trends are truly the results of pure creative choices from unshackled developers, and I'm often guilty of judging some games (especially sequels) based on my internal expectations.

I'm not sure there's any satisfying answer to this, honestly...
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Simonsloth
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Simonsloth »

Spoiler: show
January 2018:
Bleed
Crackdown
Rez Infinite
Resident evil directors cut
Bioshock
Resident evil 2
Bioshock 2
Resident evil 3:Nemesis

Feb 2018:
Bioshock infinite
Def Jam: fight for Ny
Zone of The Enders
Resident Evil:code Veronica
Resident evil zero
Hyper light drifter
Braid
Yoshi’s Woolly World
Resident evil 4

March:
resident evil 5
resident evil 6
Lostwinds
lost winds 2
Ico 3D
Dead space
Dead space 2
Heavenly Sword

May:
Horizon Zero Dawn plus Frozen Wilds
Enslaved
Dmc
Steinsgate 0
Hellblade
Shadow of the Colossus Remake
Resident Evil 7

June:
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Bastion
Detroit
Vanquish
Battlefield 3 Singleplayer
Alice: Madness Returns

July:
Prince of Persia
The Last Guardian
Syndicate
Binary Domain
Call of Duty Classic HD

August:
Cave story 3ds
Eternal Darkness
Luigis Mansion
Mickey’s castle of illusion
Super Mario Bros
Silent Hill 2 HD Collection
999: 9 persons, 9 doors...
Shenmue

September:
Shenmue 2
Half-life
super Mario Bros 2
Deadly Premonition

October:
Half Life 2
Half life 2:episode 1/2
Portal
System Shock
Alan Wake
Nier
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Star Fox
El Shaddai

November:
Zelda II
LA Noire
Streets of Rage Trilogy
Metro 2033
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner

December:
Silent Hill 3
Starfox 64 3DS
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
Starcraft 2
27/12
Starfox Adventures

What a strange game. For the most part i enjoyed it and appreciate that it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing through development which is pretty plain to see.

My main warning to anyone who hasnt played it prepare yourself for three of the most infuriating mini games in a game. I haven’t felt such a switch in my emotions when playing a game for a while. I only own one GameCube pad so it’s quite precious but I was close to snapping it with rage during one sequence. It’s strange as the rest of the game is fairly pedestrian and easy so these sequence are at odds with the tone and difficulty.

Anyway all done and next up is assault.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2018

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Simonsloth wrote: December 28th, 2018, 12:26 am I only own one GameCube pad so it’s quite precious
You probably already know this, but just in case: The GameCube controllers that Nintendo have recently been re-releasing for Smash are actually 1:1 recreations of the 2001 models that are 100% compatible with both the GameCube and the early Wii models. So it might not be a bad idea to grab a new one for a very reasonable price while supplies last if you're worried about your current pad eventually breaking down. They'll probably be harder to find 5+ years from now.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2018

Post by Alex79 »

I noticed these in store the other day but didn't look closely enough to see what connector they had on the end. I'm assuming, then, a standard GC pad end with a mini USB adapter? Does this mean you could actually use an old GC pad on Switch? I have a lovely ice white one and it'd be good to know it'll come in handy when I eventually get a Switch!

EDIT: A quick Google suggests that yes, you use a controller adapter. I couldn't find any info on whether this adapter comes in the box, but you'd hope so given they're selling it as a Switch controller. That's pretty cool, though. Just looking up this info reminded me how nice the Gamecube controller is, half the reason I loved that console so much was that big chunky, almost Lego type quality controller. The click of the triggers, the button placement, it definitely ranks in my top three controllers of all time (whereas it's older brother, the N64 pad would be one of the worst!)
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