Games Completed 2019

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mikeleddy83
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by mikeleddy83 »

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Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Resident Evil 2
God of War
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Prey
Persona 5
Tetris Effect
Journey
Red Dead Redemption 2
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Mega Man 11
Metal Gear: Survive
Undertale
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Dante's Inferno
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Metal Slug X
Inside
Phantasy Star
Doki Doki Literature Club
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ColinAlonso
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by ColinAlonso »

Spoiler: show
Jan 16 - Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4)
Jan 20 - FTL: Faster Than Light (PC) (Easy)
Jan 25 - Final Fantasy VIII (PSVita - PS1 Classic)
Jan 27 - Puzzle Bobble (Switch) (Difficulty Level 4 - One credit)
Feb 3 - Metal Slug 3 (PS4 - PS2 anthology version on Easy)
Feb 8 - Puzzle Bobble 2 (Switch)(Vs Computer mode - Normal)
Feb 12 - Puzzle Bobble 2 (Switch)(Puzzle mode - One credit)
Feb 20 - Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (3DS - DS cart)
Feb 21 - Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch) (World of Light)
Mar 3 - Ristar (JP version) (PC)
Mar 22 - Wargroove (Switch)
Mar 31 - River City Ransom (Switch - NES rom)
Apr 2 - Donkey Kong '94 (3DS - VC)
Apr 20 - Super Dodge Ball (Switch - NES rom)
Apr 28 - Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
May 2 - Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (Switch)
May 2 - Aladdin SNES (PC emulation)
May 6 - Aladdin Mega Drive (PC Emulator)
Jun 16 - Yakuza Kiwami 2 - Majima Saga (PS4)
Jun 17 - Tetris Effect (PS4) (Normal) (Jul 6 - Expert)
Jun 23 - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Switch)
Jun 24 - A Bird Story (PC)
Jun 29 - Crypt of the Necrodancer (Switch)(Cadence) (Jun 30 - Melody)
Jun 30 - Motorsport Manager 3 (Android)
Jul 3 - Finding Paradise (PC)
Jul 13 - Sorcery! (Android)
Jul 16 - DJ Hero (PS3)
Fun times! What's interesting about DJ Hero is that there is no fail state, it's pure score chasing so I just took unlocking all the set lists and finishing them as completing the game. Got at least three stars on normal on each of them. That's not to say it doesn't get harder nearer the end, Groundhog by Noisia in particular.

I quite like a lot of the tracks in the game too. It doesn't take itself seriously either (Ice Ice Baby/Can't touch this anyone?).

Jul 18 - Mega Man 3 (3DS)
I went back to the Mega Man Collection on 3DS after finishing MM2 2 years ago. Stuck to my usual rule of only using save states between levels. I only liked a couple of the weapons and it felt like I never had a suitable weapon for some bosses. Some classic platformer annoyances such as being knocked by an enemy into a bottomless pit are still present in a few levels. There are two levels with timed spikes where timing/movement windows were too precise and specific so I was just trying to manage how much health I lost. Still a solid NES action game with quite a good length to it but things don't seem as well designed as in the previous game.
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MajorGamer
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by MajorGamer »

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Jan 2 - War for the Overworld (PC)
Jan 13 - Pyre (PC)
Jan 16 - Heroes of Hammerwatch (PC)
Jan 17 - Mega Man 11 (Switch)
Jan 20 - ReThink | Evolved (PC)
Jan 20 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
Jan 22 - Ruzar - The Life Stone (PC)
Jan 27 - After Death (PC)
Feb 6 - Vikings - Wolves of Midgard (PC)
Feb 21 - Loyalty and Blood: Viktor Origins (PC)

Feb 27 - Book of Demons (PC)
Mar 4 - Vaporum (PC)
Mar 5 - Frost (Switch)
Mar 9 - DarkMaus (PC)
Mar 10 - Octopath Traveler (Switch)
Mar 31 - Final Fantasy X (PC)
Apr 5 - Treasure Adventure World (PC)
Apr 15 - Greedy Guns (PC)
Apr 23 - ChromaGun (PC)
Apr 27 - The Quest (PC)

May 1 - Skautfold: Usurper (PC)
May 7 - Alwa's Awakening (PC)
May 9 - OneShot (PC)
May 13 - Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition (Switch)
May 27 - Warhammer: Vermintide 2 (PC)
May 29 - Styx: Shards of Darkness (PC)
Jun 5 - The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians (PC)
Jun 5 - Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom (Switch)
Jun 11 - Yoku's Island Express (Switch)
Jun 17 - LISA (PC)

Jun 18 - Heroes of the Monkey Tavern (PC)
Jun 24 - Halcyon 6 (PC)
Jun 29 - Fox n Forests (PC)
Jul 4 - Battle Princess Madelyn (Switch)
Jul 14 - Dustforce (PC)

Now this is some real good platforming. It's difficulty goes along with Super Meat Boy and higher. Instead of just trying to get to the end of each level, the goal is to clean up the mess as you go along. You get the standard double jump and wall jumping but you also get wall (and ceiling) running, a dash, and a light and heavy attack. All of this makes it more technically demanding, especially when there are some maneuvers that use the dash that are needed to clear and even get to some of the later levels. I still don't know how to consistently perform them, instead relying on constant retries to get it right and hope to get the checkpoint beyond.

The game has a hub split into four areas. Each area has four unlocked levels, four bronze key levels, four silver key levels, and four gold key levels. You normally need to perform some platforming just to get to the levels to prove you can clear the level in addition to getting the key. S ranking a level gets you a key to the next level above it where S ranking all the gold levels unlocks some incredibly difficult levels that are best left to speed runners. Still worth playing through the rest if you are into this sort of stuff.

Jul 26 - Ambition of the Slimes (Switch)

A tactics RPG where you play as slimes. There are many types of slimes you get during the game that have a variety of special abilities. Most can only be used 1-2 times per map, such as a speed slime that can increase the move of another slime by 1. Outside of their ability, slimes are worthless to the point a level 30 slime will die to a level 5 enemy. If levels are similar, your slime is dying in 1-2 attacks. The entire game revolves around using your slimes to take over the enemies and then use them to kill whatever you can't control. The problems from there are many. The AI is pretty poor. Most maps will have enemy groups placed around and they won't move at all until you get in range at which point that specific group will activate to kill you. Deal with them, move on to the next. Repeat until the end of the game. New slimes you get along the way makes this process easier but it still takes up a lot of time. It just really isn't worth it.
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

The Painscreek Killings (PC)

It should have been called Open Every Fucking Drawer in Painscreek, but this well-regarded murder mystery was pretty enjoyable. I had to consult a walkthrough for the first time about two thirds of the way in (it's always that one drawer you didn't open, isn't it?) but then made liberal use of it as things seemed to devolve into "unlock the key that unlocks the key that unlocks the key" and the multiplying locations made it a bit overwhelming.

All in all a sad story; they also bungled the ending - not in a logical, who is the killer, sense, which worked out well, but mechanically and spiritually.

Good if you like taking notes, and unlocking the thing that unlocks the thing.
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Sinclair Gregstrum
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Sinclair Gregstrum »

Jan - Streets Of Rage 2 - (Switch)
Jan - Detroit: Become Human (PS4 Pro)
Feb - Quarantine Circular (Switch)
Feb - Yoku’s Island Express (Switch)
Feb - Shenmue (PS4 Pro)
Mar - Rise of the Tomb Raider (XOX)
Apr - Gunstar Heroes (Switch)
May - Street Fighter 5 (PS4 Pro)
Jun - The Division 2 (XOX)

Jul - Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)

I hadn't played a turn-based strategy in a good while (Fire Emblem: Awakening on 3DS might have been the last), and this game served as a great reminder of how much I love this genre, making up for what it lacks in complexity with top drawer execution.

The game is a little basic early on as it teaches you to suck eggs a little, but I can forgive that as I imagine there are quite a few folks brought in by the Mario and Rabbids brands that are unfamiliar with the style. Things ramped up nicely as the game progressed though, and while nothing ever reached particularly tricky heights, there was enough of a challenge to keep it engaging and every victory satisfying.

The thing that really elevates the game beyond a fun if unremarkable TBS though is the creative execution. Firstly the game is gorgeous, with its colourful, crisp environments and characters all animated beautifully. Then there's the sound. Of course all the usual Mario audio cues are here, but Grant Kirkhope's score is a joy that really adds to the atmosphere of the worlds during both exploration and battle. Finally, the writing is fantastic, and this is were you really feel the Ubisoft influence. It's much cheekier, more irreverent, and just straight up funny than your average Nintendo script, with the sarcy, quick-witted robot Beep-O being a particularly humorous highlight.

If you're not into TBS games then this isn't going to convert you, but if you've got even a mild penchant for the genre, and you're a fan of either Mario or the Rabbids, then this should absolutely be on your list to pick up in the next eShop sale.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79uk wrote: January 20th, 2019, 5:10 pmJAN - Super Mario Land (Nintendo Gameboy)
JAN - Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (Megadrive on PS4)
FEB - Professor Layton & The Curious Village (Android)
FEB - Donkey Kong '94 (Nintendo Gameboy)
FEB - Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
FEB - Chuchel (Android)
FEB - Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
MAR - Spider-Man (PS4)
MAR - Florence (Android)
MAR - Where On Google Earth Is Carmen Sandiego (Browser)
MAR - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
MAR - Final Fantasy X (PS Vita)
MAY - Söldner-X 2 (PS Vita)
MAY - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)
MAY - The Punisher (Arcade on PS Vita)
JUN - Super Mario Bros. (NES on Switch)
JUN - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS4)
JUL - Windjammers (Arcade Mode) (PS Vita)


JUL - Detroit: Become Human (PS4)

I'm going to preface this by admitting I'm a huge David Cage apologist. I loved Fahrenheit, thought Heavy Rain was brilliant, and really enjoyed Beyond Two Souls.

This is his best work yet. I loved it. Great story, looks amazing and the sheer scope and range the story choices can deliver hasn't ever been matched in a video game I've played before. I really liked the characters, enjoyed all three story arcs and reached a satisfying - although somewhat upsetting - conclusion.

The gameplay was interesting, the dynamics between the characters and voice acting was excellent throughout. There was real tension in some of the scenes as well, either racing against time or trying to keep your character alive. I really cared about these people by the end.

Also, I know for some people having real life actors likenesses takes them out of the game, but I really quite like it in some circumstances, if made it feel more cinematic to me.

All in all, I really think this game was brilliant and I'm so glad I played it.
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Simonsloth
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Simonsloth »

Spoiler: show
January:
Tale of Tales Collection
Virginia
Gravity Rush 2
Nier Automata

Feb:
Wolfenstein 2
Prey (2006)
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Super Ghouls and Ghosts
Aladdin SNES
Aladdin Mega Drive
Donkey Kong

March:
Donkey King Country
Pilotwings
Dino crisis
Pony Island
Ape Escape
Donkey Kong country 2
Donkey Kong Country 3
Monkey Island 2

April:
DK 94
Inside (PS4)
Pony island
Shovel Knight plague of shadows
Dk64
Banjo Kazooie

May:
Banjo Tooie
Furi
Observer
Shovel Knight Specter of Torment

June:
Super Meat Boy
Evil Within

July:
Prey 2017
Evil within 2
28th July:

Pilotwings 64

Skimming in just before the show recording. I got the bronze medal in all the categories and look forward to trying to improve my scores. I’m never going to get 100/100 for all modes perhaps in my heyday I would have given it a go.

Anyone with an N64 and a CRT tv should give it a whirl. I picked up my copy for £5 unboxed and it is lovely.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by ratsoalbion »

Getting 100/100 on everything is brutal. I believe a friend of mine managed it though.
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stvnorman
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by stvnorman »

Spoiler: show
1 Jan: Lego Marvel Super Heroes (PS4)
12 Jan: LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4)
27 Jan: Raging Justice (Switch)
7 Feb: Mega Man 4 - Mega Man Legacy Collection (Switch)
7 Mar: Trials Fusion (PS4)
15 Mar: Cursed Castilla EX (Switch)
22 Mar: The Witness (PS4)
27 Mar: Call of Duty - Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
19 Apr: Resident Evil Remastered (PS4)
20 Apr: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES on Switch)
25 Apr: Moonlighter (Switch)
26 Apr: Sega Ages Out Run (Switch)
6 May: Mega Man 5 - Mega Man Legacy Collection (Switch)
7 May: What Remains of Edith Finch (PS4)
10 May: Mortal Kombat X (PS4)
23 May: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS4)
24 May: Kid Dracula - Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Switch)
8 June: Cuphead (Switch)
10 June: Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
14 June: Pilotwings (SNES on 3DS)
16 June: Final Fantasy 7 (Switch)
17 June: Castlevania - Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Switch)
26 June: Kid Icarus (NES on Switch)
26 June: Mega Man 6 - Mega Man Legacy Collection (Switch)
27 June: Balloon Kid (Game Boy on 3DS)
29 June: Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4)
My July update:
4 July: Shovel Knight (Switch)
6 July: The Castlevania Adventure - Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Switch)
8 July: Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge - Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Switch)
9 July: Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition (Switch)
11 July: Operation C - Contra Anniversary Collection (Switch)
23 July: Mighty Bomb Jack (NES on Switch)
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Flabyo
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Flabyo »

Flabyo wrote: July 23rd, 2019, 8:21 pm 5th Jan - Rise of the Tomb Raider (XBO)
1st Feb - Doom (2016) (XBO)
20th Feb - Crackdown 3: Campaign (XBO)
25th Mar - Bound (PS4)
30th Mar - Shadow of the Tomb Raider (XBO)
29th April - Mortal Kombat 11 Story Mode (PS4)
17th May - Middle Earth: Shadow of War (XBO)
25th May - Wolfenstein 2 (XBO)
28th May - Tacoma (XBO)
12th July - Metro 2033 Redux (XBO)
23rd July - Timespinner (XBO)
30th July - Shadow Warrior 2 (XBO)

I’ll admit I like the dumb crude humour in these recent reboots of the franchise, but that won’t be to everyone’s taste.

This second game is going for more of a borderlands setup in terms of structure compared to the first games more straightforward linear levels shooter, and it doesn’t quite pull it off. I did warm to it more as I went on though, I think the game is initially too tough until you get more of the interesting skills and weapons.

I just about prefer the first one though, it’s simplicity works better.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Scrustle »

Flabyo wrote: July 30th, 2019, 9:11 pm
30th July - Shadow Warrior 2 (XBO)
I've heard about how this one has co-op and randomised levels, but not anything about a "Borderlands" structure. What does that mean? Is it somehow open world or something?
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Flabyo
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Flabyo »

It’s based around a series of large areas. They’re not linked together like they are in Borderlands, but it has that feel of each of them being a single playground that they base missions in, rather than being bespoke levels for each mission.

It also has a lot of loot drops to manage. Not quite as many weapons as Borderlands, the loot here is mostly upgrade gems that you can merge and craft. And you get a lot of them. There are a lot more guns than the first game though, more than you’ll ever use.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79uk wrote: January 20th, 2019, 5:10 pmJAN - Super Mario Land (Nintendo Gameboy)
JAN - Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (Megadrive on PS4)
FEB - Professor Layton & The Curious Village (Android)
FEB - Donkey Kong '94 (Nintendo Gameboy)
FEB - Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
FEB - Chuchel (Android)
FEB - Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
MAR - Spider-Man (PS4)
MAR - Florence (Android)
MAR - Where On Google Earth Is Carmen Sandiego (Browser)
MAR - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
MAR - Final Fantasy X (PS Vita)
MAY - Söldner-X 2 (PS Vita)
MAY - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)
MAY - The Punisher (Arcade on PS Vita)
JUN - Super Mario Bros. (NES on Switch)
JUN - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS4)
JUL - Windjammers (Arcade Mode) (PS Vita)
JUL - Detroit: Become Human (PS4)
JUL - Super Mario Odyssey: Credits Roll (Switch)

A new 3D Mario game is a special thing. We've never been let down, and this is one of the funnest times I've ever had in gaming. Just under 30 hours and about 280 moons means I'm far from finished with this game, I imagine I'll be playing it for some time to come. But everything about it just oozes Nintendo charm, god they want you to have a good time. One of the all time classics. I could go on for ages about why I loved it, but if you've played it then you know.
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Combine Hunter
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Combine Hunter »

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15/02 - Resident Evil 2 (PS4)
17/02 - Final Fantasy VIII (PS Vita)
18/02 - FAR: Lone Sails (PC)
14/04 - Final Fantasy IX (PS Vita)
28/04 - Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (PC)
09/05 - Devil May Cry 5 (PC)
11/05 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC)
26/05 - Observation (PC)
04/06 - Katana Zero (Switch)
29/06 - Dino Crisis (PS3)
13/07 - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
31/07 - Outer Wilds (PC)

Pretty incredible. A must play.
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MajorGamer
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by MajorGamer »

Spoiler: show
Jan 2 - War for the Overworld (PC)
Jan 13 - Pyre (PC)
Jan 16 - Heroes of Hammerwatch (PC)
Jan 17 - Mega Man 11 (Switch)
Jan 20 - ReThink | Evolved (PC)
Jan 20 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
Jan 22 - Ruzar - The Life Stone (PC)
Jan 27 - After Death (PC)
Feb 6 - Vikings - Wolves of Midgard (PC)
Feb 21 - Loyalty and Blood: Viktor Origins (PC)

Feb 27 - Book of Demons (PC)
Mar 4 - Vaporum (PC)
Mar 5 - Frost (Switch)
Mar 9 - DarkMaus (PC)
Mar 10 - Octopath Traveler (Switch)
Mar 31 - Final Fantasy X (PC)
Apr 5 - Treasure Adventure World (PC)
Apr 15 - Greedy Guns (PC)
Apr 23 - ChromaGun (PC)
Apr 27 - The Quest (PC)

May 1 - Skautfold: Usurper (PC)
May 7 - Alwa's Awakening (PC)
May 9 - OneShot (PC)
May 13 - Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition (Switch)
May 27 - Warhammer: Vermintide 2 (PC)
May 29 - Styx: Shards of Darkness (PC)
Jun 5 - The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians (PC)
Jun 5 - Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom (Switch)
Jun 11 - Yoku's Island Express (Switch)
Jun 17 - LISA (PC)

Jun 18 - Heroes of the Monkey Tavern (PC)
Jun 24 - Halcyon 6 (PC)
Jun 29 - Fox n Forests (PC)
Jul 4 - Battle Princess Madelyn (Switch)
Jul 14 - Dustforce (PC)
Jul 26 - Ambition of the Slimes (Switch)
July 29 - Final Fantasy X-2 (PC)

After FFX, I wondered what narrative reason could there be to justify a direct sequel. After beating the game, that question remained unanswered. It probably doesn't help that the game is almost entirely side quests so the main quest only has a couple story beats and that's it.

The combat is back to ATB and it goes nice and fast which is a bonus from the previous few FF games. The Sphere Grid is gone for a regular leveling system and added are jobs (called Dresspheres) that are swappable in combat. It makes for a bit of flexibility even if you never really need to switch jobs in combat (plus the first time it is done comes with an overly long transformation cutscene). As a side effect of this game being almost entirely side quests, going for 100% story makes you ridiculously overleveled for the main stuff. For the final boss, everyone had 5k HP and it was doing under 100 a hit most of the time. I took out every form without healing once; it was pretty pathetic.

To get that aforementioned 100%, a guide is mandatory. I haven't seen a game this bad since 90's point and clicks. There are just so many arbitrary events that count towards it (and thus the good ending) that you are bound to miss many. Not to mention some are locked behind multiple choice answers and if you pick wrong, tough. There is even one where you need to deliberately fail a part of a mini-game three times to trigger something hours away. While not for the story, there is a job that requires you to respond to 14 people when you have a choice of three options. Choose wrong? You can't get it anymore and there is a sizeable gap from when you speak to those people and when you get it. Not helped in all this is that the world is almost identical to that in FFX (at least you start with the airship) and you need to go through it all four times to do everything.

Side Final Fantasy rant: Why do almost all of their super bosses suck? The one in FF3 DS only has a single attack that does a ton of damage and it does it four times per round. Grind enough to live the attack and you've won. FF4 DS ones were actually decent. Never touched the ones in FF7 or FF8. FF9 you can go in perfectly prepared and it still has a chance to one-shot your entire party. FFX has them all do 9999 damage or more so every guide's first line of preparation for them is to max the sphere grid (let's not). Then we have FFX-2 which is why I'm typing this. They were okay until I hit one that has a full party kill where only a single ability in the entire game can null it. This ability doesn't have a 100% uptime so nothing is stopping it from being able to get in that ability between your own casts, killing you anyway. I haven't gotten to it yet but I know FF12's one is literally hours long so that is a hard pass.
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James
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by James »

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1st Jan - Virginia (Xbox One)
13th Jan - Gravity Rush 2 (PS4)
27th Jan - Mortal Kombat (Vita)
3rd Feb - Mortal Kombat X (Xbox One)
18th Feb - Crackdown 3 (Xbox One)
12th Mar - Dark Souls 3: Ashes Of Ariandel (Xbox One)
17th Mar - Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City (Xbox One)
6th May - Guildmaster Story (iOS)
15th May - Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4)
22nd May - Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4) (Platinum Trophy)
27th May - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Xbox One)
2nd Jun - Sekiro: SDT (Xbox One) (1000G)
6th Jun - Astro Bot: Rescue Mission (PSVR)
13th Jun - Furi (PS4)
18th Jun - Blood & Truth (PSVR)
21st Jun - Watch Dogs 2 (PS4)
25th Jun - Burly Men At Sea (PS4)
25th Jun - Hatoful Boyfriend (PS4)
26th Jun - Batman: The Telltale Series (PS4)
8th Jul - Sunset (PC)
18th Jul - NieR: Automata (PS4) (Ending A)
21st Jul - Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)
24th Jul - Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Switch)
4th Aug - Tetris Effect (PS4/PSVR)

I should've know how much I'd enjoy this. 'Tetris made by Rez devs' is pretty reductive, but also sounds like exactly my sort of thing. And it really was!

I played through the Journey mode on 'Normal' difficulty, and was resolutely reminded that I have little-to-no ability when it comes to Tetris. I had to retry stages on all but the first Area, and completely came unstuck when the speed got up. Sadly, I had no idea the Zone system existed until the final Area, after dezm0nd pointed out that I might've (and had) missed that. My own fault for skipping the tutorial!

Last night, at silly o'clock, the final, single-stage Area was absolutely smoking me. For the most part, I could consistently reach 60 lines of the 90 lines needed to clear, but after dozens of attempts I had only once managed to reach 80 lines, and that felt like complete luck. I made the inexcusable, Mat-Murray-esque decision to drop the difficulty so that I could see the end. And I kinda regret having done so, to be honest.

I'm going to be playing plenty more Tetris Effect; I think with practice I might be able to clear that final stage on Normal, but even if I don't this is hands down on of my favourite games of last year. :D
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

I got stuck on that very last stage on Normal too, very annoying! :lol:

@Scrustle - any plans to tackle Prey again, now that you've been through the Bioshocks once more?

I have finished Eastshade (PC), a rather pleasant adventure game where you play a painter shipwrecked on an island where the people are deer, monkeys, bears etc. The game consists of gentle puzzles which you mostly solve by painting the correct landscape. Decent.
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Flabyo »

Flabyo wrote: July 30th, 2019, 9:11 pm 5th Jan - Rise of the Tomb Raider (XBO)
1st Feb - Doom (2016) (XBO)
20th Feb - Crackdown 3: Campaign (XBO)
25th Mar - Bound (PS4)
30th Mar - Shadow of the Tomb Raider (XBO)
29th April - Mortal Kombat 11 Story Mode (PS4)
17th May - Middle Earth: Shadow of War (XBO)
25th May - Wolfenstein 2 (XBO)
28th May - Tacoma (XBO)
12th July - Metro 2033 Redux (XBO)
23rd July - Timespinner (XBO)
30th July - Shadow Warrior 2 (XBO)
2nd August - INSIDE (XBO)

That’s quite a thing isn’t it? I’m not sure I found it quite as revelatory or life changing as others have, but it’s definitely a good game.

It’s on gamepass. Go play it.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
25/01 - Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
31/01 - Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
01/02 - SOMA (Safe Mode)
09/02 - Shadow Warrior
18/02 - Mulaka
26/02 - NieR: Automata - 3C3C1D119440927 DLC
02/03 - Race Driver: GRID
04/03 - Bladed Fury
10/03 - Devil May Cry 5 (Devil Hunter)
13/03 - AER: Memories of Old
17/03 - Devil May Cry 5 (Son of Sparda)
20/03 - Devil May Cry 5 (Human)
05/04 - God of War III Remastered
12/04 - Devil May Cry 5 (Dante Must Die)
14/04 - Journey
15/04 - ABZU
22/04 - Journey
28/04 - Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - Colonies Edition
30/04 - Dangerous Driving
02/05 - Final Fantasy XV - Episode Gladiolus/Episode Prompto/Episode Ignis
12/05 - The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition
21/05 - RiME
22/05 - Remember Me
20/06 - Bioshock
08/07 - Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2
11/07 - Bioshock 2
25/07 - Inside
05/08 - Bioshock Infinite

So, Bioshock Infinite. Quite the pickle of a game. Always was, still is. I think my opinion of it has gone down through this run, but I still don't dislike it. I'm not sure I can so easily say I like it either. It's far too much of a complicated mess to say anything so conclusive. There are still parts of it that are brilliant and breathtaking. But also other parts that are a confused mess, and the general structure of the game being something much less interesting and ambitious than what came before. Yet even trying to ignore the series' legacy and judging it on its own terms, it's got a load of problems.

Opening hours are still amazing, perhaps even the best in the series. The way they introduce you to the world and the way they pace things and the scenes they create are beautiful, with potent imagery, both brilliant and grotesque. It creates this really immersive depiction of a world that is both, well, heavenly, but also disturbing and repulsive. While it's easy to get pulled in by the gorgeous sights to begin with, it quickly becomes unnerving as you realise how horrible this society really is, while still managing to be quite stunning. As I'm sure was the intent. But unfortunately these early impressions create a setup for something that is completely fails at following through with, but I'll get to that later.

Aesthetically it is still really impressive too. The detail in all the environments is amazing. The architecture and set design is top notch, and the way it all blends together with the lighting, atmospheric effects, and sound design makes for a really tangible feeling world where it feels like around every corner is a scene right out of the concept art, and they knew exactly how to evoke a certain feeling out of an area just from being in it. The best stuff is again near the first third or so of the game, but it still keeps up a really high standard throughout. And the soundtrack is really good too. The covers of modern songs done in the contemporary style is a stroke of genius that adds a really unique flavour to the world.

But then there are so many things that miss the mark by varying degrees that damage the experience a lot in the end. As I talked about before, when it comes to game design and structure, this game feels like it's stuck between two design philosophies, both of which feel half-baked, and both of which clash against each other. The change to a more linear style of game, and all the other mechanics it picked from other games, feels like it was done without knowing why those things were popular in the first place, and just feel like unnecessary limitations here. Then carrying over the things from the old Bioshock games which are damaged by these new elements, and feel vestigial and disappointing. The linear levels and slow run speed make the exploration of levels feel sluggish and tedious, especially in sections where you have to backtrack. That slowness and the very artificial feeling arenas built for combat make fighting feel like a clunky chore too. The relative lack of combat serves to highlight the poor exploration even more. The Vigors feel less creative and expansive than in previous games, with a lot of application redundancies. Using them as traps is completely pointless. Limiting to you only carrying two guns, and then making it so there are two versions of every gun, makes upgrading them feel like a pointless waste of resources. And the limit in the first place feels unnecessary, as you can already swap between two Vigors while also having access to all of them at the same time. Why not weapons? Enemy variety is poor, with the Motorised Patriot and Handymen being poor replacements to the Big Daddies, although I do think the former is pretty cool on a conceptual level. Songbird feels very underutilised, and is disappointing in that respect, but partially because it's actually fantastically designed, feeling really threatening and impressive, and even somewhat sympathetic, in the very short and scripted segments it does appear. Gunplay itself I suppose was competent, but everything else around it was either poor or disappointing in its failure to reach potential.

And the story, oh boy. I mean, I didn't totally hate it. Some stuff I still liked. But there's definitely a lot wrong with it. Yet at the same time, some of the more scathing criticisms I've heard, either I don't agree with at all, or in other cases perhaps I can see where they're coming from, but can't really understand how viciously they were applied. As I said, the opening hours are really good. The introduction to the world, to Elizabeth, and to a lot of the sci-fi and mystery elements are really well done. The setup for where it looks like it's going with the story in terms of its depiction of racism is pretty compelling and powerful. I don't agree that them merely showing a horribly racist society is bad in itself. But that doesn't excuse it at all from not following up on that properly. It drops the ball so hard, but I am inclined to believe that was done mistakenly. A very dumb, ill-considered, clumsy, and uninformed mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. It definitely doesn't feel like it's trying to portray this society as anything other than terrible. But what definitely does deserve a lot of criticism is how they portray Fitzroy and the Vox Populi. They fall back on the terrible and ignorant trope of showing the oppressed being just as bad as the oppressor once they manage to fight back. And it has zero examination of anarchism as an ideology that could be pointed to as at least an attempt to justify that sudden heel-turn. It's merely just going with the empty cliche that anarchism is a synonym for chaos and aimless violence. Both Booker and Elizabeth are even talking about how she's just as bad as Comstock before she's done anything of the sort. It ends up somewhat confirming Comstock's own propaganda towards Fitzroy and the Vox. But even with all that said, I don't find it to be enragingly offensive. It feels like it's done through thoughtlessness, not malice. It's trying to say "violence breed violence", or that it doesn't matter whoever is in charge, giving someone power will lead to them violently oppressing others. The problem is that it doesn't realise what's wrong with saying all violence is equal, and is making really bad assumptions about why people feel the need to resort to violence. Obviously these things are still pretty bad, but it doesn't feel like to me that it invokes the same kind of reaction as a straightforwardly racist piece of media would.

Although with all that said, I am aware I'm coming at this from a certain perspective. I try to be aware of these sorts of issues, and be sympathetic and understanding to them. But my perspective is still one that comes from a place of privilege and relative ignorance on these matters. I suppose I can see why someone with more of a first-hand experience with this stuff might have a justifiably stronger reaction. And it could also be argued that even if the game isn't outwardly trying to send a racist message, it is a case of unconscious systemic racism that is emergent through its uncritical use of certain tropes.

But there's still a lot more to get through! Once you do get to the area where the Vox Populi are introduced, that is when the pacing of the story starts to falter too, and the focus starts feeling like it's meandering and not really sure where it's trying to go. This is also when the gameplay problems start becoming noticeable too, making it even worse. After you deal with that section, the Vox stick around as normal enemies too, feeling like it's dropping another ball as their role in the story is more or less done, yet they still want to murder you on sight for the rest of the game. And up until near the end of the game, it's not really clear why you're going where you're going, and it seems to have totally dropped any attempt at ideological critique. The part where you go to the future where Elizabeth gets broken and turned in to what Comstock wanted her to be actually had some impact to it though, and is genuinely horrifying, but it's over far too quickly to really feel like it could fulfil its potential, and I've never really been that convinced that a fleet of 1910s airships firing primitive mortar volleys would stand a chance against a 1980s New York that would have been defended by the most technologically advanced military in the world at the height of the Cold War arms race. But I do still think the central mystery and the way they did alternate universes was pretty good. While the twist isn't as good as the one in the first game by a long shot, it still had a good lead-up that dropped hints satisfyingly, and made good on them in the end. And the final sequence where they pull back the curtain is still very impressive, and feels more similar to the opening in terms of how great the presentation is. This reveal is another thing that I've heard get torn to shreds, but I can't agree at all. It follows its own rules well enough, and it feels like an impressive expansion of scope that blows the whole setting wide open. It doesn't pretend that killing Booker at the baptism is the only thing that needs to be done. Even as they're doing it, they mention how there are infinite other Comstocks to "snuff out in the crib", and the one we're seeing is just the first. Just the one closing off this one plot thread we've spent the game building towards. And I feel like some of the criticism about this moment aren't really being very charitable. Putting it on the same level as "it was all a dream", which it doesn't feel like at all. And it's also kind of a self-defeating criticism too. Because, sure, while technically having infinite universes means that no single one is important and nothing you do actually "matters", it is also true that the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant from Adventure Time could have barged its way in to every universe in existence and murdered every single character in the game before they were even born too. Taking it to the logical extreme feels like it's not giving it the benefit of the doubt or coming at it on its own level. It's like the same sort of thing as asking why they didn't just ride the giant eagles to Mt. Doom.

And well, that's that. A messy convoluted dump of thoughts for a messy convoluted game. A disappointing end to the series that didn't stand up well to a more experienced eye, but which still had the ability to deeply stir my emotions in some ways like it always did. I plan to play the Burial at Sea DLC as well next. I was never particularly fond of this the first time round, so I doubt I'll be that excited by it this time either. But it's the last thing left, so I'll do it.

EDIT: Thoughts on Burial at Sea here.
Chopper wrote: August 5th, 2019, 1:47 pm @Scrustle - any plans to tackle Prey again, now that you've been through the Bioshocks once more?
I don't plan to, unfortunately. I already gave it multiple shots, and tried hard to get in to it, but it just didn't happen. Drove me up the wall, and any magic it did have wore off on me a long time ago. I've always been very disappointed about that, because I always really wanted to like it. Maybe one day. Although I have been somewhat considering giving the original Prey another look, as to catch up with the podcast.

Maybe I'll look in to the Dishonored games though. I did try the first a long time ago and didn't care for it, but I barely played any of it. Might react differently now.

Also I happen to be playing Eastshade myself! Just started it today, and very much enjoying it.
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

Scrustle wrote: August 5th, 2019, 9:18 pm
Chopper wrote: August 5th, 2019, 1:47 pm @Scrustle - any plans to tackle Prey again, now that you've been through the Bioshocks once more?
I don't plan to, unfortunately. I already gave it multiple shots, and tried hard to get in to it, but it just didn't happen. Drove me up the wall, and any magic it did have wore off on me a long time ago. I've always been very disappointed about that, because I always really wanted to like it. Maybe one day.
Ah well; que sera, sera.
Maybe I'll look in to the Dishonored games though. I did try the first a long time ago and didn't care for it, but I barely played any of it. Might react differently now.
It might be worth going straight to the second one. I also am not a fan, but the second one is pretty spectacular in terms of environments and design compared to the first. However, the enemies seem to be more aggressive, so I found it hard to hit the precise level of stealthiness that the designers seemed to be aiming for. It's possible to be amazed by #2 even if it still doesn't click, which was my experience.
Also I happen to be playing Eastshade myself! Just started it today, and very much enjoying it.
It's just lovely :) Was thinking about it overnight and regret not finishing all the quests (I left three or four minor sidequests unfinished). I enjoyed your breakdown of Bioshock Infinite above, so looking forward to your thoughts on Eastshade. I was pretty perfunctory myself because I thought, no one here's going to play/be interested in this.
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