Games Completed 2019

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seansthomas
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by seansthomas »

1st February - Dark Souls

So after my 360 died on me many moons ago several battles into this classic, 100 hours of play later on Switch sees me manage my first completion, and I can see why so many people love it. When it's at its best, it's really quite something.

So many highlights... the way the items and placement of them tell the story, the haunting Firelink Shrine music, several incredible bosses such as that emotional Sif fight and beating the Bell Gargoyles solo, summoning a fellow human to battle alongside, ringing that first bell, discovering a bonfire after 40 minutes of tense play, revisiting areas and realising how far you've progressed... All moments I'll long remember.

There are some moments of utter bulls*#* too. Up to Anor Londo, it was genuinely competing for 'best game I've ever played' but the 4 Lord Souls areas felt half finished, repetitive and cheap at times. The final act, optional Painted World and incredible DLC saved it though and I fell back in love just in time.

One of those games where we'll all have our nemesis bosses (I found Manus, Capra Demon and Artorias fair and fine but took weeks on Ornstein and Smough and Bell Gargoyles), favourite areas (Undead Burg, Painted World, Oolacile, Sen's fortress) and long lasting experiences.

Can't wait to listen to the show about it now and delve into the lore.

And am equally glad to put it down for a bit as this is not a stress free, unwinding game to fit in around my life. It's a proper ordeal and all encompassing. But I'm proud to say I beat it and understand now why it's so revered.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Flabyo wrote: February 1st, 2019, 11:20 pm
Flabyo wrote: January 5th, 2019, 1:04 am 5th Jan - Rise of the Tomb Raider (XBO)
1st Feb - Doom (2016) (XBO)

That was fun, but also oddly forgettable at the same time? I prefer my shooters a bit slower paced than this, so I doubt I’m really getting into the ‘flow’ that those who really like this one do.
There's no doubt that it's very DOOM in a lot of ways, but as I mentioned in my podcast feedback, DOOM 2016 has a ton of Unreal Tournament in its DNA. The action portions are undoubtedly Unreal, with a wee bit of Mirror's Edge in there. Doom and Titanfall 2 were absolutely a joy for me to play in the same year - they both have similar inspirations but go in different directions.
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

Near Death (PC)

:lol:

I started this again and zipped through it, having got within sight of the end previously before falling short. It still remains a cruel and difficult survival game that is far too dependent on trial and error/knowing what to do, but I enjoyed my time with it a lot - kudos to the small team that created it (shortest credits I have seen in a while, maybe ever).

For example, this is a typical save screen for my game - note the time between saves :)

Image
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by KSubzero1000 »

:lol:

That save anxiety!
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

:D The worst!
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by KSubzero1000 »

And if our polar opposite natures weren't already obvious enough, I'm about to go study WR videos in order to plan out my impending Hardcore No Save S+ speedrun attempt in RE2make! :lol:
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

Where is the little 'vomiting man' emoji? ;)
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Suits
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Suits »

🤮
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

:lol: Nice one, Suits

In fairness, the save anxiety was a testament to the game putting you 'believably' in Antarctica, where every step in extreme temperatures was a slog and you could die in a matter of seconds. But I was taking no chances, that's for sure.

Really liked at the end of the game when the storm lifted and you could enjoy a few moments of serenity after all the terror.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by duskvstweak »

Chopper wrote: February 2nd, 2019, 4:03 pm Near Death (PC)

:lol:

I started this again and zipped through it, having got within sight of the end previously before falling short. It still remains a cruel and difficult survival game that is far too dependent on trial and error/knowing what to do, but I enjoyed my time with it a lot - kudos to the small team that created it (shortest credits I have seen in a while, maybe ever).

For example, this is a typical save screen for my game - note the time between saves :)

Image
This is one of the first games to give me motion sickness, I couldn't believe it! I had to adjust the field of view, but by then, the damage was done, I was sick to my stomach.
Fun, though. Recommended for a short, atmospheric survival game.
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

duskvstweak wrote: February 2nd, 2019, 9:56 pm This is one of the first games to give me motion sickness, I couldn't believe it! I had to adjust the field of view, but by then, the damage was done, I was sick to my stomach.
Fun, though. Recommended for a short, atmospheric survival game.
So weird, given that visibility is limited by darkness and snow.

I think if it was a full-fledged survival game, it would fall down in several areas, but as a short experience it's pretty good, once you find out what it expects from you.
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by dezm0nd »

Magical Isopod gets bonus points for using the term "very DOOM"
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2019

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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)


Well this was rather enjoyable. I've played the first hour or so of several Layton games, but never stuck one out till the end. It looked great in HD, and the story is genuinely interesting. The puzzles were never devilishly hard, but one or two took me longer than a couple of minutes. I'll definitely be interested to play another if any more of the main series make their way to mobile.
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Beck
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Beck »

Spoiler: show
January
God of War (2018)
Yoku's Island Express - Switch
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
February

A Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Really glad I went back to finish this game. It's an absolute delight to play, looks great and the sound track is great. It was also nice to play my 3ds again. :D
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delb2k
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by delb2k »

Jan:

Moss - PSVR
Bound - PS4
The Force Unleashed - Xbox 360 (Back Compat)
Yakuza Kiwami - PS4

Feb:

Resident Evil 2 - Leon A - PS1
Resident Evil 2 Remake - Leon A
Resident Evil 2 Remake - Claire B

I am grouping these together as they were done as a singular run, and to look at how the older game has been transferred to newer technologies. As you may expect the atmosphere in the sequel feels a lot more imposing to me, the use of surround sound, graphical fidelity and occasional jump scare have a lot more impact to me just due to increased fidelity. The first one relied on the manipulation of the fixed cameras to give you the shocks, the running round a corner and bam there is a zombie being a trick that was impossible due to the camera change.

However it is remarkable how much they both settle down into the same rhythm. Once the initial low ammo / fear of the unexpected passes over it is the same route calculation and zombie manipulation that existed previously. The layout may have been tweaked for modern sensibilities and adding a few more up to date traits for puzzling (like locks, safes, lockers etc). The first game is eaiser for this, the zombies are much harder to run past in the ReMake in my view just because they seem to have a better reach with a far narrower set of hallways. In the original titles wall hugging appeared to work for the most part in getting passed the basic shufflers.

Resi 1 and 2 were always puzzle boxes to me, I was never overly scared by them so it became about identifying the best routes and conserving ammo and health as best I could. The remake holds true to that while also feeling completely up to date and modern. It is not afraid to takes risks while managing to hit all the right nostalgic notes. It never tries to replace what went before, and instead looks to both pay tribute to it and polish it at the same time.
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Pitwar
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Pitwar »

27th Jan - Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Switch)
1st Feb - New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (Switch)

I had played a bit of NSMBU back on the WiiU but didn't get too far into it, so was pleased to have a second chance on the Switch.

It's by no means a bad game, it's full of the usual Nintendo charm and polish, but it's far from being one of the better Mario games. But an average Mario game is still a damn good game, so worth a play if you've not previously played the WiiU Version.
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Chopper
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by Chopper »

seansthomas wrote: February 1st, 2019, 11:53 pm 1st February - Dark Souls

.....

There are some moments of utter bulls*#* too. Up to Anor Londo, it was genuinely competing for 'best game I've ever played' but the 4 Lord Souls areas felt half finished, repetitive and cheap at times. The final act, optional Painted World and incredible DLC saved it though and I fell back in love just in time.

One of those games where we'll all have our nemesis bosses (I found Manus, Capra Demon and Artorias fair and fine but took weeks on Ornstein and Smough and Bell Gargoyles), favourite areas (Undead Burg, Painted World, Oolacile, Sen's fortress) and long lasting experiences.
Very well said, seans. Will you play the sequels if they come to Switch, do you think?
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seansthomas
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by seansthomas »

Chopper wrote: February 4th, 2019, 3:44 pm
seansthomas wrote: February 1st, 2019, 11:53 pm 1st February - Dark Souls

.....

There are some moments of utter bulls*#* too. Up to Anor Londo, it was genuinely competing for 'best game I've ever played' but the 4 Lord Souls areas felt half finished, repetitive and cheap at times. The final act, optional Painted World and incredible DLC saved it though and I fell back in love just in time.

One of those games where we'll all have our nemesis bosses (I found Manus, Capra Demon and Artorias fair and fine but took weeks on Ornstein and Smough and Bell Gargoyles), favourite areas (Undead Burg, Painted World, Oolacile, Sen's fortress) and long lasting experiences.
Very well said, seans. Will you play the sequels if they come to Switch, do you think?
Absolutely! I need a break (though I replayed it for a bit and rang that first bell, just to experience NG+ and for closure) but I'd love to tackle 2 and 3. Know it's unlikely Demon souls or Bloodborne would ever be ported though.
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by duskvstweak »

Just finished Chrono Trigger for the first time. Started it as a teen, lost my save file. Started it again in college, lost my save file. Finally, played the game through completion. I figured with Steam's cloud save, I was at a point where I could do so without fear of history repeating itself (ha!).
Loved the game. It's plenty fun, in both gameplay and story. But, the soundtrack is my favorite part of the whole thing. So many fantastic tracks.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Games Completed 2019

Post by ratsoalbion »

24 Jan: Florence (iOS)
03 Feb: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch)
03 Feb: NieR:Automata (PS4)
Endings A-E, and a few others
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