Games Completed 2021

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
User avatar
ThirdDrawing
Member
Posts: 571
Joined: October 13th, 2016, 2:33 pm
Location: Poverty Stricken StudentLand

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ThirdDrawing »

Finishes numbers...

13 - The Witcher 3 GOTY edition, finishing up an old game I had started last year and put aside after getting busy with school. Still a satisfying game.

14 - Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - The start of this game really sucked, it has way more stealth elements than I wanted and then takes a complete left turn at the end of the game. Not that great.
User avatar
Truk_Kurt
Member
Posts: 691
Joined: July 9th, 2015, 10:00 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Truk_Kurt »

11. Halo Combat Evolved
First time playing a Halo game and I enjoyed this more than I thought, the gun play is really excellent even now and has some great missions. The anniversary edition looks great too. Only disappointment was the final parts with the library and finale as I hate the warthog handling. 8/10
User avatar
Jon Cheetham
Member
Posts: 524
Joined: October 29th, 2019, 12:49 pm
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Jon Cheetham »

That stealth section at the start of The Old Blood is horrendous. I just binned it off altogether.
User avatar
Truk_Kurt
Member
Posts: 691
Joined: July 9th, 2015, 10:00 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Truk_Kurt »

I really liked Old Blood, but yeah, that opening isn't great.
User avatar
Combine Hunter
Moderator
Posts: 892
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:40 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Combine Hunter »

Spoiler: show
06/01 - Monster Hunter: Iceborne (PS4/PS5)
22/01 - Black Mesa (PC)
24/01 - HITMAN 3 (PC)
15/02 - The Pathless (PC)
06/03 - Homeworld: Remastered (PC)
07/03 - Demon's Souls [Remake] (PS5)
07/03 - Little Nightmares (PC)
05/04 - It Takes Two (PC)
11/05 - Resident Evil Village (PS5)

I think it is firmly in the upper tier of Resident Evil games, but doesn't rub shoulders with the likes of 4 or the Gamecube remake.
User avatar
Jon Cheetham
Member
Posts: 524
Joined: October 29th, 2019, 12:49 pm
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Jon Cheetham »

Spoiler: show
8 Jan - Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4)
10 Jan - Donut County (Android)
20 Jan - Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)
23 Jan - Bastion (Switch)
30 Jan - Hitman 3 (PS4)
15 Feb - Loco Motive (Itch)
21 Feb - The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt (Switch)
26 Feb - The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone (Switch)
4 Mar - Quarantine Circular (Switch)
6 Mar - Bury Me, My Love (Android)
14 Mar - Dishonored Death of the Outsider (Steam)
15 Mar - The Witcher III: Blood and Wine (Switch)
18 Mar - Dishonored 2 (Steam)
26 Mar - Paradise Killer (Switch)
30 April - Monster Hunter Rise (Switch)
6 May - Monster Hunter World (PS4)
12 May - Resident Evil 3 (2020) (PS4)

Amazing game. One of my favourite Resi titles now, easy. The action movie pacing is perfect, the characters and banter is the best it's been since 4 imo, and the boss fights with Nemesis are killer. Solid 8.5/10, 9 if I had to round.
User avatar
OneCreditBen
Member
Posts: 234
Joined: August 15th, 2017, 10:03 am

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by OneCreditBen »



It's not a Rocky video without a montage!
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ratsoalbion »

Trying hard now
It's so hard now
Trying hard now
Oh, he's ready
Gonna make a move, yeah
Oh, he's ready
And makin' moves, yeah
Yeah, yeah
User avatar
Kal_Luke
Member
Posts: 34
Joined: February 19th, 2021, 11:44 am

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Kal_Luke »

That 8-bit ‘Heart’s On Fire’ is great
User avatar
ironedflemming
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: November 15th, 2019, 4:02 pm
Location: UK

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ironedflemming »

14 - Gears Of War 5 (PC)

Equivalent of the best McDonalds using the finest ingredients cooked by Heston Blumenthal. It's junk and probably bad for me but goes down smooooooth
User avatar
DomsBeard
Member
Posts: 3689
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 5:03 pm
Location: Doms Chin

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by DomsBeard »

Resident Evil Village

Overall a jolly good romp and Resident Evil is firmly back at the top tier after 6. I'm looking forward to getting some DLC for this.
User avatar
Kal_Luke
Member
Posts: 34
Joined: February 19th, 2021, 11:44 am

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Kal_Luke »

I completed Bayonetta on Normal at the weekend. I had a go on Hard and it was... hard
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8422
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Alex79 »

I notice a lot of people have finished RE8 - has anyone played it on PS4? Just wondered if it's still worth it on that?
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ratsoalbion »

Of course, it's just got last gen resolutions, frame rates and loading times. If that's what you're used to and expecting then it's exactly as you'd expect:




The RE Engline scales really well, to the point that you can even run Village on a PC with no dedicated GPU...
User avatar
Jon Cheetham
Member
Posts: 524
Joined: October 29th, 2019, 12:49 pm
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Jon Cheetham »

I'm playing on base PS4, it looks and runs great. Having a whale of a time. Had maybe one little stutter, but just during a random moment when there weren't any enemies.
User avatar
Indiana747
Member
Posts: 1009
Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Indiana747 »

(Jan) Call of the Sea - Series X.
(Jan) Remember Me - PS3.
(Jan) Ghostbusters Remastered - Series X
(Feb) Disney Infinity 2.0 - PS4 Pro.
(Feb) Batman: Arkham Knight - PS4 Pro.
(Feb) Sacred 3 - PS3.
(Feb) The Darkness II - PS3.
(Feb) The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - PS3.
(Mar) Gears 5: Hivebusters - Series X.
(Mar) Silent Hill: Downpour - PS3.
(Mar) The Medium - Series X.
(Mar) Donut County - Series X.
(Mar) Astro's Playroom - PS5.
(Apr) Outriders - Series X.
(May) Lego City Undercover - Wii U.
(May) Ghost of Tsushima - PS5.
(May) Resident Evil Village - PS5.
User avatar
ThirdDrawing
Member
Posts: 571
Joined: October 13th, 2016, 2:33 pm
Location: Poverty Stricken StudentLand

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ThirdDrawing »

#15 - Nier Automata ....sort of.

I loved the first Nier and was one of those keenly anticipating this.

However, the story just isn't very interesting and the game sacrifices the story for an emphasis on combat.

I put it aside after getting about halfway through and forgot about it. Recently picked it back up to see how much further I could get, and I got a fair ways - up to the tower with 9S. However I died after being swarmed by a bunch of 2B models I died. And not only had the game not let me save in the past 2 hours of my playing (I had tried at several points), it didn't auto save either. So I lost all my progress and had to restart the last 2 hours of progress again.

Inexcusable. So I finally just watched the ending on Youtube - which I *never* do, deleted my game and my save and am marking it as completed. The game just isn't fun to play and not letting you save and making you lose hours of progress is inexcusable.

Massive, massive disappointment and it's making me seriously rethink buying the Nier remake. I'm starting to think it was lightning in a bottle.
User avatar
Truk_Kurt
Member
Posts: 691
Joined: July 9th, 2015, 10:00 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Truk_Kurt »

12. It Takes Two
Best co-op game I’ve ever played alongside Portal 2. Gameplay wise I can’t fault it, endlessly inventive. No idea is repeated despite its lengthy campaign. Only negative is the sub par characters and writing. 9/10
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2425
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

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)
05/03 - CrossCode: A New Home
14/03 - Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
17/03 - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (100cc)
02/04 - Drakengard (Endings A-D)
14/04 - Drakengard 2 (Ending A)
28/04 - Drakengard 3 (Endings A-D)
02/05 - Rain
10/05 - God of War: Chains of Olympus HD
15/05 - God of War: Ghost of Sparta HD

This one was actually a little bit disappointing to come back to, despite it being technically a step up from Chains of Olympus in some ways. These two games tend to blend together in my memory, but with them being fresher now I think I can distinguish them better. So I think the general positivity I've had towards both these games in the past has kind of waned for this one in particular.

On the one hand, it's extremely impressive from a technical standpoint. The level of detail and ambition on display here for a PSP game is incredible. It looks like a very late generation PS2 game that is able to push the hardware way further than anyone would expect. And while it may qualify as being in that same time era for the PSP, the idea that this was made for the less powerful portable hardware, and by a studio that at the time didn't have the same level of prestige as the other first-party Sony studios is kind of staggering. Although maybe there was some drawback in the original version that this remaster doesn't have to deal with, I don't know. In terms of emulation, again this worked very well with only a few minor hiccups. The particles and shadow thing remained from CoO, but I think the former is just how it's meant to look. While I didn't get anything like the lighting breaking this time, I did however get audio issues. It would cut out and crackle in particularly intense battles, especially using a specific spell. I think that's just my CPU not being up to the task though.

In terms of being a memorable journey, I'm kind of in two minds about it. It does have a lot of rocky, mountainous areas, but they are able to stand out well enough. There's one area that is a snowy mountain, and another that is a volcano. On the surface those ideas are still very common video game tropes, but at least they have a colour palette that isn't just grey/brown. The volcano area also has infrastructure built in to it, which include Archimedes Screws transporting lava, which I thought was a nice touch. Later you go to Atlantis, and while that isn't especially unique looking, it does have some nice caustic effects of the water refracting light around the rooms. But I think I realised one thing that makes the journey through these games interesting is when you can loop back around to areas you've been to before, giving you a sense that you're in a consistent, logically constructed place, rather than just a string of rooms. God of War 1 did that, and the better parts of CoO did as well. Here there were some looping points, but it was still a mostly linear trek across the whole game.

I wasn't really too keen on the gameplay though. While it's certainly not bad, it felt like a dip from CoO in several ways. Firstly, the audio design is weaker here. It's something that the series seemed to struggle a lot with, especially in this period, and I don't really understand why. For some reason after the first game they decided that the impact of your weapons should be way quieter and less meaty, and they just stuck with that with only blips of improvement. This game also took out some of the special moves that I was fond of. I guess I can see why they did, since those moves were arguably redundant, but I don't really care for the strange charging grab move it was replaced with. But speaking of grabs, by far the biggest issue this game's combat has is that for some reason it is obsessed with enemies grabbing you all the bloody time. So many of them love to get you with these moves that are impossible to block, and are near impossible to see coming to dodge. They force you in to lengthy, pace-breaking grab sequences that can often catch you up again the instant you break free. The same thing can happen with getting stun-locked by attacks that knock you to the ground. It's infuriating spending so much time in combat not being able to respond to this onslaught of cheap, drawn-out nonsense. While the baseline quality of the combat isn't bad, it's still God of War, this tedious enemy design is a huge black mark on the experience. Oh, and the final boss of this game is yet again rubbish. While the final sequence does make good on plot points it sets up, with you fighting Kratos' brother and then Thanatos, whose realm you've been trying to reach the whole game, the actual experience of the latter is awful. Loads of huge attacks that are unblockable and undodgeable. I think the only reason I was able to beat it was because I exploited the fact that you're invincible when you're setting off a magic spell. It is pretty cool that you team up with Kratos' brother for the final fight though.

The story is sort of odd too. It's quite a lot more mean-spirited than CoO. Again, it's no surprise to anyone that a game in this series is cruel and violent, but I somehow forget exactly how much so it is here. You can definitely tell this is a game that came out after GoW3. One of the first major plot points is Kratos killing his own mother. Of course she conveniently turns in to a monster mid-conversation to justify the fight, but still. It feels strangely mean, and Kratos doesn't seem bothered by the experience at all. There are also flashbacks to Kratos as a child, and he's just as much of a mean prick back then. If they were trying to establish a brotherly bond between Kratos and Deimos with these scenes, they failed. There's also a scene where Kratos has to fight a ghostly vision of his past self. It may not be actually real, but just the image of Kratos aggressively beating up a child sure is... a thing. Yet at the same time, it's actually kind of refreshing to have that scene walking through Sparta. The only time in the series where you see the place, and it's a peaceful moment, seeing people go about their life as normal. And after you fight Deimos, Kratos then has to go save his life from Thanatos before teaming up for the final bout. An extremely rare instance of him helping someone else, and being co-operative. Deimos gets killed in the fight against Thanatos, and Kratos actually shows a little bit of regret and self-reflection. So yeah, not sure what to make of it. In some places, it's excessively and absurdly cruel. But in others, there's at least some tiny attempt at selflessness and pathos.

I think I'm definitely going to give these games some space before revisiting GoW2 though. After the frustrating time I had with the combat of this game, I can see myself getting burned out. Maybe time to get back to messing about with Dolphin instead.
User avatar
OneCreditBen
Member
Posts: 234
Joined: August 15th, 2017, 10:03 am

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by OneCreditBen »



R-Type
Arcade
No Death
Livestream
1:25:56

I've been trying to get a good clear on R-Type live for a week or so and Saturday May 15th was the day.

Honestly, I can't describe how that felt. That pure sense of clarity I had for a few seconds when that boss died, is something I'll never ever forget.

I've had so many conversations about trying to capture what it's like, when you get a big progressional clear, and now I've got a decent camera set up, this was one of the first clears I tried to do live where I knew I'd need a lot of time to get it right.

I'm going to Arcade Club on Saturday as well, so I'll have a go at trying to get it done on Original hardware.
Post Reply