Games Completed 2021

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ThirdDrawing
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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Finished Sam and Max Vol. 1 for the Wii while at home for the holidays. Great fun and far more risque than I expected as I had only seen the cartoon before I played the game.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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ThirdDrawing wrote: January 19th, 2021, 1:58 am Finished Sam and Max Vol. 1 for the Wii while at home for the holidays. Great fun and far more risque than I expected as I had only seen the cartoon before I played the game.
Did you never play the old Lucasarts one? That was great too, played it a bit last year and it's held up just as well as the likes of Monkey Island and Day Of The Tentacle etc. Worth a look if you enjoyed the Telltale series.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Simonsloth »

ThirdDrawing wrote: January 19th, 2021, 1:58 am Finished Sam and Max Vol. 1 for the Wii while at home for the holidays. Great fun and far more risque than I expected as I had only seen the cartoon before I played the game.
The telltale sam and Max games are pretty brilliant I think and channel the Lucasarts classic really well.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
05/01 - Brutal Legend
07/01 - Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
13/01 - Sludge Life
17/01 - AER: Memories of Old
19/01 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Human - Nero/Dante)

It's been a while since I touched this one, first time since DMC5 came out. I felt like after playing 5 and 3 on Switch I had reached a point with those games where I was much better at them than this one, even though this was my first of the series, and my favourite until 5 came out. Also my trophy list was a little slim, so I thought maybe it would be simple to just go through the easy mode and try to S rank all the missions at least at this level. Instead I came away with my feelings on the game being pretty shaken up, thanks to the new context I have of those more recent experiences.

I think this may have now dropped down my ranking of the series quite a lot. It wasn't hard to accept 5 was my new favourite when that came out, but now with the features they added to 3 with the Switch version allowing me to finally crack that one, it's kind of hard to justify putting this above that either. The additions they made to this game with Nero were done better in 5, and the improvements for Dante in style switching are no longer something missing from 3. Both games also have a better arsenal for Dante, and better bosses. The only thing I can think of that would maybe still a point in its favour is the aesthetic, but that kind of thing isn't as clear cut as gameplay elements.

Another of the main things I was trying to do with this run is to properly get the hang of Dante's abilities outside of the narrow range of stuff I tend to lean on in this game. It's something I've tried breaking out of before, but I failed yet again here. Sticking just to mostly Rebellion with Swordmaster and a side of Trickster is a hard habit to break out of, but I managed it in other games. And I think that does show a lot of the flaws here too. You don't really get much freedom to explore Dante's abilities, and a lot of them are just nowhere near as good as those easy crutches. Gilgamesh doesn't have any mobility, and no interesting qualities to make it stand out against Beowulf or Balrog. Lucifer also lacks mobility and doesn't really seem useful in any situation. I've heard you can do some cool stuff with this when you work out how to use it, but the game certainly doesn't give you the opportunity to work that out yourself. Royal Guard is pretty much useless in this game. Basically none of the bosses or enemies feel like they are suited to it. A lot of Dante's missions also put you under pressure in a way that isn't fun. Having to deal with stage hazards that force you to keep moving, especially in his earlier missions. It makes you rush instead of letting you experiment with what you have.

Although perhaps some of this is down to playing on Human though. When enemies don't have much health, you don't get much chance to play around with them and pull off combos. So maybe going back to higher difficulties wouldn't be so bad. Not intending to do that though. The closest thing I can think of that I would maybe do is give DmC another run. That's also one I haven't touched in ages and have been considering going back to.
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ThirdDrawing
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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Simonsloth wrote: January 19th, 2021, 6:55 pm The telltale sam and Max games are pretty brilliant I think and channel the Lucasarts classic really well.
Yeah, I would agree, and they're perfect on the Wii.
Alex79uk wrote: January 19th, 2021, 2:20 pm Did you never play the old Lucasarts one? That was great too, played it a bit last year and it's held up just as well as the likes of Monkey Island and Day Of The Tentacle etc. Worth a look if you enjoyed the Telltale series.
No, I never got a chance to play them. My laptop is geared for school so I don't know if it will run it.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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ThirdDrawing wrote: No, I never got a chance to play them. My laptop is geared for school so I don't know if it will run it.
Oh if you can install stuff (as in I mean if it's not a school laptop and you have access to install things) it'll definitely run it. The old Lucas stuff are usually DOS or Win95 games, so getting it from GoG or somewhere it'll run on pretty much anything.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Truk_Kurt »

Spoiler: show
1. GRIS
2. My Friend Pedro
3. Doom Eternal
Well that was quite the ride. Doom 2016 was my second favourite game of last gen so I was eagerly anticipating Eternal, when it came out though the critics seemed to be all over the place with some loving it and others hating it, so I held off until it was cheaper. Then it hit Game Pass so decided to start it. From the beginning I was really enjoying myself in the combat encounters and would always have a huge rush upon completing them, especially when you're down to your last bit of health and perform a glory kill on an enemy.

Throughout my time playing it I couldn't understand why people wouldn't like it if they liked Doom 2016 so decided to read some critical articles on it and talk to people who didn't enjoy it. To be honest I can't disagree with any of the points they bring up about the combat regarding it requiring a lot of resource management and due to enemy weak points, it's perhaps not as creative or open as to how you can tackle each fight, but I guess that is why I loved it so much but for others not it seems.

However, I thought the first half was stronger than the second as the second seemed to drag on too long and I never had much fun with any of the platforming. I also had to drop the difficulty towards the end of the game, so overall I would say Doom 2016 is still king, but I still had a great time with Eternal.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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2. Resident Evil 3 (2020) PS5

Good but not great, far too short
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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ironedflemming wrote: January 20th, 2021, 5:38 pm 2. Resident Evil 3 (2020) PS5

Good but not great, far too short
Having just completed RE2 myself, was looking to move straight onto 3. But think I'll give it a bit of a rest before I pick it up (cheap).

Also - I finished Untitled Goose Game the other day. Speaking of short games, this is deffo one of those. I think it's a positive in this case. Doesn't outstay its welcome. Very fun, simple little game that I really enjoyed.

HONK!
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by duskvstweak »

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Fallout: New Vegas
Halo 3: ODST
Halo 4
Finished Halo 3: ODST and Halo 4 this week.

ODST is fine, just a quick FPS romp in the Halo-verse but it didn't really blow me away. It's solid and does what it was supposed to do, but I got more from it's soundtrack than it's story.

Halo 4 was pretty fun! Good on 343 for making the gameplay transition feel so smooth. Also, I don't think of the X360 as a bad looking machine, but Halo 4 was shockingly gorgeous. I didn't mind the new weapons at all and thought their aesthetic was kind of cool (and orange). Storywise, it is weird to see Halo add in these new elements of magic. I guess the series is going less Starship Troopers and more Starcraft? Anyway, I enjoyed my time with it and the series as a whole. Having only played the first Halo until last year, the Master Chief Collection via Gamepass PC has been great. And, it's been a series that has been incredibly easy to binge. I played six of these games, four straight through, and I experienced almost zero Halo fatigue. Sad that, unless I get an Xbox (doubtful), I won't be playing Halo 5 anytime soon.
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ironedflemming
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ironedflemming »

RinseWashRepeat wrote: January 20th, 2021, 6:07 pm
ironedflemming wrote: January 20th, 2021, 5:38 pm 2. Resident Evil 3 (2020) PS5

Good but not great, far too short
Having just completed RE2 myself, was looking to move straight onto 3. But think I'll give it a bit of a rest before I pick it up (cheap).

Also - I finished Untitled Goose Game the other day. Speaking of short games, this is deffo one of those. I think it's a positive in this case. Doesn't outstay its welcome. Very fun, simple little game that I really enjoyed.

HONK!
I still need to play RE2 Remake, decided to start with 3 as i heard it was the lesser. Definitely pick up cheap as theres no replay value and definitely feels underbaked and a bit of a missed opportunity.

I think it's time for an RE/Goose crossover, roaming around Raccon City stalked by an unruly mischievous goose could be just what the series needs :)
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by seansthomas »

January 15th - Spiderman (PS4)

January 17th - Labo VR goggles and camera (Switch)

Had a ton of fun with this. The VR effect is blurry as hell due to the relatively low res Switch screen and long periods of play would make you feel sick, but I'm guessing that's precisely why the games that come with this Labo kit are over in minutes and the goggles require being held up to rather than secured around your head.

The underwater camera game is great. You dive and surface by just looking where you want to go, and you're looking for 100 or so photo opportunities. Some logical and easy, some very tricky.

Its crude, but the VR effect is great. You get good depth perception and butterflies in your stomach as you dive down, and the game comes with glasses that the AR sensor on the Joycon detects, which puts a human face on a fish for comedy purposes.

All in all, not a game you'll get weeks of play from but it's a really satisfying and solid hour or two build, a great mini game and it gave us a day of laughter.

Hope it works with Pokémon Snap!
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Jon Cheetham »

Spoiler: show
8th Jan - Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4)
10th Jan - Donut County (Android)
20th Jan - Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)
Picked this up on the Switch in November just wanting to have one of the entries in this series on portable. It's such a brilliant way to play this game, either chipping away at a level or doing a run for some item or other I missed, or getting sucked in for a couple of hours.

So it was a long and leisurely playthrough, as well as my first time playing as a Sorcerer. The class shines in boss fights and is a lot of fun. I ended up doing all the bosses, including my first time fighting Kalameet.

Already looking forward to starting a new character on this format. I started a Cleric Knight build on PS4 that I might just restart here.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Magical_Isopod »

#2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)

I'm stuck in a hotel room this week while on work assignment in Windsor, ON, and I brought my Switch with me - which is good, because I didn't have any jobs on my board this morning. So I had time to quickly whip off one of the podcast games I was wanting to chime in about.

I'll have more to say there, but basically, yeah, Sonic is still pretty good. It has its issues of course - some wonky physics, no spin dash... But it's infinitely more competent than most of its contemporaries, and I think there's good reason it's still remembered. I played it on the Sega Genesis collection pack for Switch... The collection itself is actually pretty great, it has some really nice filters and screen effects that make it a worthy purchase. The game selection is alright, but mostly redundant if you already have Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

I'll be beating the Game Gear version sometime as well.

Had to pick up a $30 third-party controller (I forgot to pack my 8BitDo SN30+ Pro, which is honestly my favourite controller of all time, full-stop) which stinks because I just sold one a couple months back... But since I'll be doing these work assignments fairly often (milk runs, they call them), might as well just keep it in my travel bag. And as an FYI, the PDP "Rock Candy" wired Switch controller is actually pretty good - much better than the Faceoff controller I previously had.

&iso2021
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Combine Hunter »

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06/01 - Monster Hunter: Iceborne (PS4/PS5)
22/01 - Black Mesa (PC)

It's very good and at it's best during the lab section of the game.

Xen is pretty rough, despite the changes they made.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

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22/01 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Completed the story for this about a week ago, spent the remaining week picking up the trophies for the platinum. I enjoyed it more than I expected. It's a nice mix of metroidvania level design, lightsaber/force based combat, and some uncharted style set pieces. Enjoyed the story and characters, which pick up around the middle to second half. Combat and exploration is fun. Only thing I didn't really like is the set pieces, particularly the sliding sections, which never seemed to work for me. The combat also had some jankiness where it wouldn't always register my button presses. It's a fun game overall.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Jon Cheetham »

Spoiler: show
8th Jan - Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4)
10th Jan - Donut County (Android)
20th Jan - Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)
23 Jan - Bastion (Switch)

Played and beat this over the past couple of days, its a fun and breezy experience.

It’s another artsy, pretty isometric action game with RPG style upgrading and weapon choices, and you can do a fair bit to build the character up how you want. It’s often challenging but not really that hard and certainly not frustrating, I thought it was tuned pretty well for me personally.

This is where the studio that created Hades got started… the work of Jen Zee, Darren Korb, Logan Cunningham and the rest is instantly recognisable and really excellent but it is interesting see how they’ve honed their crafts in the years since.

And for the $3 I got it on the eshop for, can’t complain at all. So I’ve now beaten Bastion, Transistor and Hades with 70+ hours in the latter, and started Pyre. Fair to say this is one of my “day one" game studios from now on.
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by duskvstweak »

Jon Cheetham wrote: January 23rd, 2021, 11:53 am
Spoiler: show
8th Jan - Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4)
10th Jan - Donut County (Android)
20th Jan - Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)
23 Jan - Bastion (Switch)

Played and beat this over the past couple of days, its a fun and breezy experience.

It’s another artsy, pretty isometric action game with RPG style upgrading and weapon choices, and you can do a fair bit to build the character up how you want. It’s often challenging but not really that hard and certainly not frustrating, I thought it was tuned pretty well for me personally.

This is where the studio that created Hades got started… the work of Jen Zee, Darren Korb, Logan Cunningham and the rest is instantly recognisable and really excellent but it is interesting see how they’ve honed their crafts in the years since.

And for the $3 I got it on the eshop for, can’t complain at all. So I’ve now beaten Bastion, Transistor and Hades with 70+ hours in the latter, and started Pyre. Fair to say this is one of my “day one" game studios from now on.
And that soundtrack... :ugeek:
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ThirdDrawing »

Alex79uk wrote: January 20th, 2021, 9:10 am Oh if you can install stuff (as in I mean if it's not a school laptop and you have access to install things) it'll definitely run it. The old Lucas stuff are usually DOS or Win95 games, so getting it from GoG or somewhere it'll run on pretty much anything.
Yeah, you're probably right. I just tend not to game on my laptop because I enough distractions from school....

Speaking of which, I just finished a playthrough of Grandia 1 on the Switch. Love the sense of adventure in this game and the end is weirdly like Babylon 5, though not intentionally.

Definitely worth a playthrough if you like JRPGs and RPGs that aren't too "grimdark".
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Miririn
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Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Miririn »

1. The Last of Us Part II(PS4)
My fourth playthrough, this time on a harder difficulty. I love it. There's not much more left to say that I haven't already bored everyone with before. It's comfort food gaming for me at this point. An empathetic, complex story backed up with the best visuals and sound design and gameplay that an AAA game can provide.

2. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PS4)
One of my favourite things about games is sound design, which is why I picked this up. The use of binaural audio is really great. I couldn't always play this for long chunks of time, because playing in the dark with headphones clamped to my ears tired me out. And although the actual mechanics of the combat were a little basic/underwhelming, it looked incredible. The whole game did, really. Senua's face model with those amazing slow loris eyes, the demons of hell, the Giant's Causeway-esque cliffs.

As a visual and audio experience it's pretty much perfect, aside from some occasionally clunky line deliveries from the voices in "my" head, and the occasionally almost comically generic and overwrought narrative warble ("something something darkness something something overcome something something darkness something something Senua something something RADA accent something something darkness") - I would have preferred a bit less narration. The voices in Senua's head, Druth's Norse mythology tales, and the frightening creaky noises and groans, would have been enough. Rather than rune or illusion gate or combat challenges, I preferred trials where I had to use my hearing or sense vibrations in the controller to rind my way out of the darkness, or trials where I had to find the light and run from fire.

It's definitely a game where sometimes I appreciated the careful thought put into it more than the experience of actually playing it. I found some of the "spot the runes" puzzles needlessly frustrating (my fault for being rubbish at puzzles, I guess, but also after almost crying with frustration/rage trying to hit those bloody bell runes in "God of War" last year, I apparently have little luck with runes in games). However when I read that these puzzles were designed to convey a symptom of psychosis where patients find patterns and symbols in the world around them, I really liked that even the puzzle design was thoughful and linked to the themes of the game. I might delete this part later, as it is quite embarrassing and something I don't like to talk about at all, especially online, and especially after listening to the very moving contributions some forum members contributed to the podcast episode (my experiences are very small and silly comparatively), but I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder when I was young and seeing patterns and signs and omens in harmless everyday things is a part of that. So it was interesting to see that translated into game design.

What I really liked about the game was its atmosphere and setting. A game about a Pict woman? Set in Orkney? Fantastic. I'm in. And then there's the Norse mythology. There is something wonderful about ancient mythology, and Norse mythology especially, in its uncanny strangeness and how frightening it is in its remove from real world norms. I think a lot of modern Norse mythology takes are great fun (Thor in the MCU, for example), but very few capture that sense of chaotic fear. "God of War" gets close occasionally (with its characterisation of Baldur, particularly), but often degenerates into "generic fantasy beasties and backgrounds with a Norse flavour" and gets bogged down in a series of fights with generic trolls. "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice", with its silent, pointing effigies; its oppressive dark corridors echoing with screams and groans; its mysterious, gruesome sacrifices; the way it plays with time and memory... it captures the freaky beauty of so much of ancient mythology. When I was a kid, I loved the story in my Greek mythology book of Artemis transforming the hunter into a deer to be eaten by his dogs (complete with horrifying illustration!), because it terrified me with the goddesses' cold indifference to human suffering (no comeuppance here) and strange punishments. This game places you in this frightening, illogical world and your only choice is to journey further and further in. Senua being the only fully modelled human character really adds to this feeling of isolation. If you were a kid who loved disturbing mythological stories, you'll get a lot of mileage from this game.

It would be a very interesting game for non-gamers interested in mental health to play. My uncle was a schizophrenic who lived his entire adult life in an assisted living facility. As a child, I didn't really understand schizophrenia or mental health, or what it was like for my mum having someone she loved so much suffer from schizophrenia. I was a little frightened of my uncle when I was young and it makes me very sad to think of that now. "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" is laudable for its efforts to help people try to understand what psychosis or severe mental illness might feel like, and I think if my mum played games she would be interested in how this game uses audio/visual/narrative tricks to help players with no experience of psychosis or schizophrenia understand and empathise with those who struggle with these conditions.

A bit sad that the sequel will be an Xbox
/PC exclusive (I don't have an Xbox or a gaming pc) because the trailer looks fantastic.
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