Games Completed 2021

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79uk wrote: January 1st, 2021, 1:25 pmJAN - 80 Days (Android)
JAN - What Remains Of Edith Finch (PS4)
JAN - Judgment (PS4)
JAN - Donut County (Android)
FEB - Gorogoa (Android)
FEB - Horace (Switch)
FEB - Castlevania (NES on Switch)
FEB - Akumajō Dracula (Famicom on Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: Back To The Future (Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: E.T. (Switch)
APR - Fantasy Zone (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
APR - Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4)
APR - There Is No Game: Game Jam Edition (Android)
MAY - Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (Switch)
JUN - Super Mario 64 (Switch)
JUL - Silent Bomber JP (PS1 on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 (PSP on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 SP (PSP on Vita)
AUG - Ashen (Switch)
AUG - Papers, Please (Vita)
AUG - Scramble (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
AUG - Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
AUG - Pinball FX3: Family Guy (Switch)
AUG - Shovel Knight: Shovel Of Hope (Switch)
SEP - FAR: Lone Sails (Android)

SLIGHT POSSIBLE SPOILERS

I've been keen to play this for a while, and ended up getting it for my phone, which is probably not the optimal way to play it, but it controlled fine and looked great.

For a fairly large part of my playthrough I wondered what I was missing. I found fun in collecting things to burn for fuel, and the arbitrary puzzles here and there to clear the way were OK, but I wasn't falling in love like so many have described. But little by little the game really revealed it's true nature to me. It's not really a puzzle game, it's not really an adventure, it's a really personal story about persevering and forming bizarre attachments, I think.

I found a little toy boat a while back down the road. During a rocky moment it must have fallen out the back, and so I left my ship and went looking for it. There it was, sure enough, a little way back there, but I was so happy I found it again, and this time made sure I secured it to a hook for safe keeping.

The game is just a journey, but a journey which you aren't taking alone. The ship you travel in throughout takes on an almost sentient quality, and I felt bad for the creature every time I was too late with the brakes and slammed it's head in to a wall, usually resulting in an engine fire. And what happens later in the game to that thing genuinely left me feeling sad for it.

And the whole thing wraps up to an almost beautifully anti-climatic ending. The camera pans out, fade to black, I really liked this.
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.
(May) Dantes Inferno - Series X(BC).
(May) Streets of Rage 4 - Series X.
(May) Dead Space - Series X(BC).
(June) Matterfall - PS5.
(June) Battlefield 4 - Series X.
(Aug) Metro Exodus + DLCs - Series X.
(Aug) Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition - Series X.
(Aug) Maneater(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Dead Rising 4 - Series X.
(Sept) Limbo - Series X.
User avatar
ColinAlonso
Member
Posts: 585
Joined: September 6th, 2016, 9:13 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ColinAlonso »

Spoiler: show
Jan 1 - Slay the Spire (Switch)
Jan 10 - Streets of Rage 4 (PS4) (Cherry - Normal)
Jan 24 - Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Switch) (True Ending)
Feb 28 - Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (Switch)
Mar 28 - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (Vita)
Jun 13 - Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS4)
Jul 11 - What The Golf? (Switch)
Jul 17 - Everything (PS4)
Jul 24 - Astro's Playroom (PS5)
Aug 2 - The Darkside Detective (Switch)
Aug 5 - Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)
Sep 4 - Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS5)
Sep 10 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Switch)
Wow. I forgot quite how much I enjoyed the first game until I started this up. Its a slight evolution over the original, but I'm more than happy with that. Ori was such a joy to control through all the platforming challenges the game threw at me over 15 or so hours. It's also beautiful and the soundtrack is wonderful, even if it treads the same ground as the first game..
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)
23/05 - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS3)
17/06 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5)
13/07 - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
21/08 - Hypnospace Outlaw (PC)
27/08 - Death's Door (PC)
07/09 - Psychonauts 2 (PC)
11/09 - Metro: Exodus (PC)

Thoughts on the pod!
User avatar
Simonsloth
Member
Posts: 1639
Joined: November 22nd, 2017, 7:17 am
Location: London
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Simonsloth »

Spoiler: show
Jan 2021:
Get Even via PS Now
Last Story Wii
Warioware GBA
Resident Evil 3 Remake
Celeste
Doom Eternal
Demon's Souls

Feb:
Super Mario 64 (switch)
Duke 3D
Sea of Thieves (Tall Tales)
Super Mario World 2

March:
Hitman
Hitman 2
Black: The Fall
Bradwell Conspiracy
Fifa 18: The Journey
Donut County

April:
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Life is Strange 2
Trinity (Pc)
Gorogoa
Super Mario Sunshine

May-June:
Drakengard 2
Koudelka
Max Payne 3
Castlevania

July:
Alpha protocol
Persona 5
They breathe
Super mario galaxy
Battlefield 1
Yakuza dead souls
August:

Call of duty 4: Modern Warfare
Phoenix Wright trials and tribulations
Battlefield 1
Battlefield 5
428 Shibuya Scramble
Amnesia machine for pigs
Another world
Condemned
Conker’s Bad Fur Day
User avatar
Jobobonobo
Member
Posts: 574
Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Jobobonobo »

Spoiler: show
January 30: Celeste
February 12: Katamari Damacy Rerolled
February 28: Panzer Dragoon Remake
March 26: Donut County
April 4: Yakuza Kiwami 2
May 11: Gris
May 23: Untitled Goose Game
July 24: Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Sep 1: Bird Game +
Finished this ages ago but had zero time to really write my thoughts on this. Very short game, only three levels but took me several weeks due to very limited leisure time lately. Anyways, for only being developed by one person this is a pretty admirable little on rails experience. You can fly using the sixaxis (or whatever it is called for PS4) but regular controls are far more ideal. Very cheap, under 2 euros so definitely worse out there if you want something nice and quick to fill an afternoon.
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.
(May) Dantes Inferno - Series X(BC).
(May) Streets of Rage 4 - Series X.
(May) Dead Space - Series X(BC).
(June) Matterfall - PS5.
(June) Battlefield 4 - Series X.
(Aug) Metro Exodus + DLCs - Series X.
(Aug) Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition - Series X.
(Aug) Maneater(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Dead Rising 4 - Series X.
(Sept) Limbo - Series X.
(Sept) Raji: An Ancient Epic - Series X.
User avatar
Magical_Isopod
Member
Posts: 993
Joined: May 29th, 2018, 11:57 pm
Location: London, ON, Canada

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Magical_Isopod »

#12 - Mega Man X3 (PS1 version via PS2 collection)

Finally! This is actually the first X game I've finished, aside from the original. I've tried multiple times and usually bounce during the end stages (which is a pattern for me and Mega Man games...), but this time, I finally got 'er done.

So X3. It's not a bad game. At all. I frequently hear that it is... It's absolutely not. In fact, it's very, very good. But it does have some quirks. It was so, so nice going back and playing an SD version on a CRT, cuz MAN did the input lag on the PS4 compilation ever make these games a miserable experience when the difficulty ramped up. This PS1/Saturn/PC version with the anime cutscenes, improved music, and new sound effects is unquestionably the best version, too. I frequently see people stanning for the SNES version, and outside of pure nostalgia, I can't understand why. Some of the music tracks on that version are just awful (looking at you, Neon Tiger), and the animated scenes are a nice treat to contextualize that world a bit more.

Something I don't get about this game, though, is the Ride Armors. Like. What are they even there for? You literally never need them. You can use them to unlock equipment upgrades, but these upgrades are better skipped - if you choose any one (of four) upgrades, it locks the other 3 out. Permanently. But if you hold off and wait til the end stages, you can unlock all four of them through a not-too-hidden portal that I actually found without even looking for. So why create an entire game mechanic you'll never use? It's weird.

Also rather frustrating are the "random encounters," I guess I'll say, with a few boss characters. Without a guide, you won't know how these encounters work, or the tricks to them. Bit and Byte will show up during the boss loop and interrupt your stage... Which is really annoying, because Byte in particular may be the hardest boss in the game, no hyperbole. And if you don't have his weakness by the time he appears, you will get your ass handed to you. I actually had to restart the game completely and change the boss order just to accommodate this jerk. And what weapon you defeat them with matters - if you finish them with a specific weapon, which the game never tells you, you can avoid a very difficult boss fight in the final stages. I get that rentals were a problem for devs "back in the day," but that's a level of arcane I don't especially appreciate.

Some nitpicks aside though, really, I had a great time with this one. The great soundtrack and high-quality presentation really enhanced the overall package for me, and if you haven't played this particular version, I absolutely recommend giving it a go over the SNES one.

And now I'm on vacation for a week! So hopefully I can whip off a few more games. I have 1-2 hours of Onimusha left (casual speed, first play), and I started up Obra Dinn last night. And after that... I dunno. Work is finally slowing down after a busy summer, so I'll have lots of time to pick something and give 'er a go.

&iso2021
User avatar
DomsBeard
Member
Posts: 3689
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 5:03 pm
Location: Doms Chin

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by DomsBeard »

Life Is Strange True Colors PS5

Return to form after Tell Me Why and Twin Mirror, though I wouldn't say I'd place it higher than LIS 1 or 2 (2 still my favourite).

I would have preferred them to spread the episodes out maybe a month apart.
User avatar
Magical_Isopod
Member
Posts: 993
Joined: May 29th, 2018, 11:57 pm
Location: London, ON, Canada

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Magical_Isopod »

DomsBeard wrote: September 13th, 2021, 7:29 amTell Me Why
Ain't nothin but a heartache.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
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
24/05 - NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139... (Endings A-E)
08/06 - Final Fantasy XV (NG+)
02/07 - God of War II HD
15/07 - Scarlet Nexus (Yuito)
20/07 - TRON: Evolution
21/07 - Sky: Children of the Light
01/08 - Scarlet Nexus (Kasane, NG+)
12/08 - Forza Horizon
18/08 - A Plague Tale: Innocence
21/08 - Contrast
31/08 - Forza Motorsport 7
04/09 - No More Heroes III
13/09 - Metal Gear Solid

It’s kind of weird playing this for the first time with how much it casts a shadow over the medium. Although to be honest that’s not entirely accurate, I have once played it before a few years back, but I never made it past the opening moments. So this is effectively my first time properly playing it. Yet despite it being new to me, I effectively knew most of the story already, and was familiar with a lot of it through reputation. It’s always different having first-hand experience though.

In some ways it’s actually still impressive, particularly in terms of presentation. The cutscenes have a good sense of cinematic flair, and the voice acting is really well done too, if a bit hokey. Although in a way that appreciate for its melodrama. The story itself is a really involving thriller with a lot of twists and turns that covers a lot of intriguing topics. The aesthetic is really good too. Despite the very limited graphics it still manages to evoke a mood and style to everything. Character models in particular were able to convey a decent sense of believability to them despite the harsh restrictions they had to deal with. In these aspects it feels really ahead of its time.

The gameplay on the other hand I didn’t enjoy as much. It’s a genre I don’t much care for in general, and it feels like a very clunky and old version of that. It’s kind of the inverse of the ambitious presentation in that it feels behind its own time. It runs on the logic of earlier 2D games, with the claustrophobic top-down camera, rigid directional controls, and basic mechanics. With such a character-driven game, I also found most of the bosses an exercise in frustration too, apart from Vulcan Raven strangely enough. A character that doesn’t really get much attention or appreciation, but his boss fight was probably the best out of all of them.

There’s a few other nitpicks I could talk about, which don’t really ruin the game in any major way, but I don’t think can be ignored either. Despite the otherwise impressive graphics, the inherent issues of the PS1 do show up here. Polygons twitching and warping about, and glitching as they overlap. I was playing on an emulator that is supposed to fix those things, but it didn’t seem to work. The game also frequently uses an effect in cutscenes that adds a sort of vibrating blur over the image too. I guess I can see the point of it if it’s trying to create a feeling of disorientation or heat haze, but it shows up way more often than would make sense for that, and it’s kind of ugly. The game also has some issues with its representation of women, which I’m sure surprises nobody. Although here it comes off more comedic than anything else, as they try to frame female characters as alluring objects, when said character is only a handful of polygons and chunky pixels.

But the majority of my feelings is based around the genuine impressiveness of story and presentation, against the frustration of the clunky and aged gameplay. Not sure what I would say my overall general conclusion on it is. Trying to focus on either of those things feels like it’s neglecting something important, but trying to land somewhere in the middle feels like ignoring both.

Part of the reason I finally got around to playing this is that for a long time I’ve felt like this is a series that has been a big hole in my experience with games. And it’s weird being a fan of Zone of the Enders, and Metal Gear Rising, but not having played these games. And with so many people who sing their praises that have a lot of interesting things to say about games (Super Bunnyhop, etc.) I long felt like I was missing out on some kind of “required reading”. I might go on to some of the other games later too. I’ve already owned MGS2 and 3 HD for years now too, so they are just sitting there waiting for me.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79uk wrote: January 1st, 2021, 1:25 pmJAN - 80 Days (Android)
JAN - What Remains Of Edith Finch (PS4)
JAN - Judgment (PS4)
JAN - Donut County (Android)
FEB - Gorogoa (Android)
FEB - Horace (Switch)
FEB - Castlevania (NES on Switch)
FEB - Akumajō Dracula (Famicom on Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: Back To The Future (Switch)
MAR - Pinball FX3: E.T. (Switch)
APR - Fantasy Zone (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
APR - Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4)
APR - There Is No Game: Game Jam Edition (Android)
MAY - Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (Switch)
JUN - Super Mario 64 (Switch)
JUL - Silent Bomber JP (PS1 on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 (PSP on Vita)
AUG - OutRun 2 SP (PSP on Vita)
AUG - Ashen (Switch)
AUG - Papers, Please (Vita)
AUG - Scramble (1cc) (Arcade on Switch)
AUG - Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
AUG - Pinball FX3: Family Guy (Switch)
AUG - Shovel Knight: Shovel Of Hope (Switch)
SEP - FAR: Lone Sails (Android)


SEP - The Artful Escape (Xbox)

Sometimes a game comes along that just connects with you on every possible level. This game is beautiful, breath taking, awe-inspiring, a magical trip through time and space, to the soundtrack of a psychedelic rock opera. The visuals blew me away as much as the music. The things you see are out of this world, the pure imagination of the artists, it's just incredible. The writing and voice acting was flawless. The journey the character goes on is both personal and galaxy spanning, and every single aspect of this game couldn't have been more perfect. I loved this, it's one of the best games I've ever played, and easily my game of the year.

It's on Gamepass, it's about 5 hours long, why haven't you played it already?
User avatar
Tolkientaters
Member
Posts: 137
Joined: April 22nd, 2021, 10:39 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Tolkientaters »

Just finished Thr Forgotten city and got all the endings, it's my favorite game so far this year. It's a really interesting premise with a great execution, it's not a particularly challenging adventure game, but it is very satisfying.
User avatar
Miririn
Member
Posts: 207
Joined: December 28th, 2020, 10:06 pm

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Miririn »

Recently I finished BioShock Infinite, which was my first BioShock game and my first First Person Shooter. I played on the Switch because previous attempts to get into the game on PS4 fizzled out and when that happens with a game I like to switch to portable to prompt me to stick with it. I played on Normal difficulty.

I also listened to the Cane and Rinse episode on the game and went down a rabbit hole of reading about the drama surrounding the game (...and wow there was a lot).

It took a little while to get my FPS sea legs (I had trouble aiming, I felt too close to the ground) but that only lasted the first couple of hours.

Sorry in advance for the tl;dr

*** What I liked:

- The art design (the world, propaganda posters, paintings etc).

- The ambition of the premise and the world-building, even though I had some issues with the story.

- The addictive dopamine-hit frantic gameplay and how it was reinforced by great sound design.

- The music.

- The simple mechanics and the way tutorials were laced through the game without anything being overwhelming.

- The audiologs and voice acting spread throughout the world.

- Sky rails!! Such a fun mechanic that really opened up maps and made the game feel sugar rush fun and exciting.

- ROBOT MURDER BIRD.

*** What made me go "hmmm":

- I would prefer being able to quick switch between more vigors than just two because I think it would have encouraged me to experiment more instead of sticking with my favourite two or three vigors.

- It is really easy to breeze through the game on normal difficulty right until the final battle with Song Bird helping you, when things get tricky and you need to strategise. I wish the difficulty had been increased more gradually, and more interesting challenges like that had been sprinkled throughout the game.

- I really appreciate the ambition of the story but there were some plot developments that seemed handled clunkily. I actually think you can write a great story about groups who are fighting for justice but become corrupt or turn to violence or terrorism (....like.... dun dun dun The Fireflies in TLOU!! haha). So I'm not against the idea of Daisy Fitzroy breaking bad in general. But the game handled her story in such a superficial way drawing lazy parallels between her and Comstock that didn't feel earned. You can make an argument that oppressed people who manage to obtain positions of power can turn to extemism. But the game just threw this idea in out of nowhere and didn't elaborate on it in an interesting way, with no character exploration for Daisy. The game also failed to explore how even if Daisy stoops to extremism, she was also fighting from a position of an oppressed class (unlike Comstock) which DOES make her morally unequivalent to Comstock even if she does immoral things. I sound really pretentious I think but basically I think the game fumbled what could have been a more interesting and complex plotline.

- Racism as set dressing. A game about a white supremacist society based on fascism and racism as they emerged in the early twentieth century is an amazing idea for a game. But the intense focus on Booker and Elizabeth and Comstock meant we didn't really get to explore the racism from the perspective of the characters who are affected by the racism, which felt like a missed opportunity, and while that's just not the focus the game devs apparently wanted, I kind of... wanted that POV.

- Elizabeth... at first. A little grating. As I whinged about re Dishonored 2: I get a bit tired of npcs in games lecturing the player character for killing npcs who are TRYING TO KILL THE PLAYER ON SIGHT, ELIZABETH. It's self defence, Shirley? Even RDR2 doesn't punish you if you're acting in self defence, iirc.


Overall I had a lot of fun. I liked/agreed with quite a bit of the Zero Punctuation review (except I haven't played 1 yet so I can't compare): https://youtu.be/rciyCHa6J4o
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by duskvstweak »

I finished Hard Reset Redux last night. It's a fun enough game with an interesting weapon system. I never got involved with the story or the world, but it had some fun arenas to blast things away. I do think, for any arena shooter, there's a long shadow from DOOM 2016 but Hard Reset was quick enough and pretentionless. Hit the spot right away and didn't overstay it's welcome.
User avatar
Seph
Member
Posts: 158
Joined: February 12th, 2021, 2:25 pm
Location: Hiroshima

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Seph »

Miririn wrote: September 17th, 2021, 11:41 am Recently I finished BioShock Infinite, which was my first BioShock game and my first First Person Shooter. I played on the Switch because previous attempts to get into the game on PS4 fizzled out and when that happens with a game I like to switch to portable to prompt me to stick with it. I played on Normal difficulty.

I also listened to the Cane and Rinse episode on the game and went down a rabbit hole of reading about the drama surrounding the game (...and wow there was a lot).

It took a little while to get my FPS sea legs (I had trouble aiming, I felt too close to the ground) but that only lasted the first couple of hours.
For me, Infinite is an example I use for "great experience, shame about the game"; in that I enjoyed playing it because of the world and story, but the gameplay is really rough at the best of times (also see Spec Ops The Line). I agree that the battle towards the end with Song Bird was the only one where it feels like you have to think about what to do instead of just camping and shooting.

I know it's re-evaluated by the YouTubers etc as actually a "bad game", but I still have good memories of it. There's so many great moments, especially when you get a what-if of the future if you don't complete your mission. And you know the ending is good because of how many games since have used that plot device. It's a shame this series ended when it did, as the alternative reality stuff had more potential to be explored.

The DLC is great, but you really need to have played the first game to appreciate it. There's a lot of references in this game that link back to the first one, such as Song Bird's fate and the influence of Song Bird itself.
User avatar
ironedflemming
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: November 15th, 2019, 4:02 pm
Location: UK

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by ironedflemming »

23 - Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag - PS4 on PS5

still great, shame Ubi never capitalised with a pirate spinoff series

24 - James Bond 007: Bloodstone - PC

I left moderately shaken and slightly stirred, driving sections were the highlight
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Alex79 »

ironedflemming wrote: September 18th, 2021, 6:07 pm 23 - Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag - PS4 on PS5

still great, shame Ubi never capitalised with a pirate spinoff series
They did Assassin's Creed Rogue, which was similar to 4, as well as Freedom Cry, and there's the (probable vapourware at this point) Skull & Bones, but a really good pirate immersive sim is probably top of my dream game wishlist, yeah.
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.
(May) Dantes Inferno - Series X(BC).
(May) Streets of Rage 4 - Series X.
(May) Dead Space - Series X(BC).
(June) Matterfall - PS5.
(June) Battlefield 4 - Series X.
(Aug) Metro Exodus + DLCs - Series X.
(Aug) Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition - Series X.
(Aug) Maneater(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Dead Rising 4 - Series X.
(Sept) Limbo - Series X.
(Sept) Raji: An Ancient Epic - Series X.
(Sept) The Ascent - Series X.
User avatar
Magical_Isopod
Member
Posts: 993
Joined: May 29th, 2018, 11:57 pm
Location: London, ON, Canada

Re: Games Completed 2021

Post by Magical_Isopod »

#13 - Return of the Obra Dinn (Switch)

I really want to love this game.

Conceptually, it's quite amazing. You're an insurance claims adjustor investigating a shipwreck. How do you do this? By using a magic pocket watch to find corpses and view their dying moments, of course. None of that's spoilers - that's the premise of the game.

In execution though, I feel it falters. It's a game mostly developed by one person, and I think that's to a fault. Quite frankly, I could only solve about 1/3 of the game's puzzles without a guide. And after that point, I got bored, gave up, and just said "fuck it". I had bits and pieces of many puzzles correct - you have to identify who the corpse belongs to, how they died, and in some cases, who killed them. But I was completely stumped and unable to pull a thread that would allow me to progress. :D In some games - The Room comes to mind - I would keep flinging ideas to the wall until they stick, and I'd eventually figure it out. In this game, I felt like it was more a case of "guess what the developer's thinking."

And I do understand that choice - it's an unabashed callback to early PC adventure games in a lot of ways, most obviously in the visual style. And that doesn't bother me too much. What DOES bother me is how clunky the interface is. Navigating between flashbacks, the log book, your current spacetime, and dozens of pages detailing different information is a cumbersome affair, and one that makes it extremely difficult to find the connective tissue between clues - and there's far too many floating variables in play to keep track of. I resorted to using pen and paper at one point, and even that felt too obtuse.

But is this a good game? Absolutely, yes. But it's Lucas Pope's game. And if you go in knowing that - I didn't - I think you'll have a better time.

The minimalist (but not too minimalist) art style really works well for me. I thought I'd hate it, but I really came to love it. The music and voicework here is absolutely top-notch (even if some of the accents are, at times, poorly imitated). The story on display here, and how it's presented, is really quite ambitious and interesting. The clues are oftentimes very clever - background dialogue in one scene might reveal solutions to another. Background graphical elements might tell you a crew member's name without explicitly saying it. But as mentioned, this is somewhat undercut by a clunky interface. Does this work better on PC? Probably! But I still found myself unable to find the clues needed to proceed without assistance.

I think a few more cooks in the kitchen could have made this game far more accessible - what's obvious to some is arcane to others, and this it very much a case of, "You get it, or you don't."

This is ultimately a tough game to evaluate. I recommend it to everyone because of the sheer quality of presentation and scope of ideas, but I also give a strong "approach with caution" because it's aggressively individualist. I think both are true. You should try this game. But you should also know, you might be crap at it.

&iso2021
Post Reply