Games Completed 2020

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Combine Hunter
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Combine Hunter »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Disco Elysium (PC)
03/02 - DUSK (PC)
12/02 - Baba is You (PC)

Great puzzle game, but longer than expected and really tough.
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DomsBeard
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by DomsBeard »

DomsBeard wrote: February 12th, 2020, 3:08 pm Gylt

An enjoyable horror romp with nods to Alien Isolation and Silent Hill. Genuinely unsettling. I only died on the final boss and I only had the option of 2 of the 3 endings as I didn't pick up enough of the collectables even though I thought I'd been pretty thorough.

Worth checking out when it comes to Xbox/PlayStation but maybe not if it launches at £29.99 as it did on Stadia.
The Council Episode 1

Having fun with this, I'm not trying to win I'm just rolling with it. I ended the episode getting drunk and passing out.
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Combine Hunter
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Combine Hunter »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Disco Elysium (PC)
03/02 - DUSK (PC)
12/02 - Baba is You (PC)
13/02 - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PSP - via Castlevania: Dracula X)

First classic style Castlevania. Loved it, even though it is TOUGH
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dezm0nd
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by dezm0nd »

I recently finished Sonic 4 Episode 1.

Ya know, it wasnt bad at all. Aesthetically it's a mess and the physics are off but its basically trying to do what Mania absolutely nailed by using level designs from previous games and twisting it.

The 2nd episode of Sonic 4 seems much better and I'm eager to press on with it, even if my enthusiasm for streaming the blue hog has wained.

I can only say so much about it for so long but I have ideas up my sleeve to keep you all in the loop (de loop) about my progress with the series.
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ColinAlonso
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by ColinAlonso »

I couldn't enjoy Sonic 4 because those physics felt so off, I didn't even play the 2nd part.

Anyway
Spoiler: show
Jan 1 - Wonder Boy in Monster World (Sega Mega Drive Mini)
Jan 5 – FTL: Faster Than Light (PC) (Easy)
Jan 21 – God of War (PS4)
Feb 6 – Into The Breach (Switch) (Normal)
Feb 10 – Wargroove: Double Trouble (Switch)
Feb 15 - Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PS4)

I've reached the end of Kiryu's saga nearly 10 years after starting.

Coming to this game after Kiwami 2 is an odd experience because this was the first Yakuza on the newer engine and K2 built on that. While it brings many benefits (less loading areas, more fluid entering and exiting fights, looking great etc.) there has been a lot scaled back from prior games. Kiryu is down to one fighting style, can't equip his own weapons, has less heat moves etc. I felt there were fewer substories and the trouble missions are pretty generic. The larger minigames, Clan Creator and baseball, didn't grab me. The end result is that I mainlined the story far more than I usually would in a Yakuza game and instead of the 75 hours I've sank into 5 and 0, I've reached the end of 6 in 32.

That said, it is still a good game and a proper Yakuza. The main story and missions are really good and Kiryu gets a fitting send off to his story. It may be because I had completed all 7 games but I got a bit emotional at the end.

The slightly truncated Kamurocho in the game is a good metaphor for Yakuza 6. Most of the important bits are there but its not quite as full as before.

Love the series and despite having played them all before, I've bought a copy of the Remastered Collection.

Feb 16 - Ristar (Switch)

25th anniversary playthrough!

This is my first play on the Switch Mega Drive collection. I'll stick to the PC version in future though. Its not the emulation, but the d-pad on the Pro Controller isn't as comfortable for diagonal presses as the Dual Shock 4. And diagonals are important for Ristar's grabbing mechanic.
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Mr Ixolite
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Mr Ixolite »

Inspired by Alex79UK (and me being gifted the Lgacy collection) I just blasted through Mega Man X again.
As someone who is still hoovering up seemingly endless Power Moons in Super Mario Oddyssey, MMX was a great counterpoint: sometimes you just need to blast through some robots, and blast through some stages. Granted, not all stages are equally great, and I got tripped up big time at the finish line by the lack of saving inbetween Sigma Stages, but I persevered, and had a mostly great time. I did have to switch on Rookie Hunter mode for the very last few minutes of the game because Wolf Sigma is a right bastard, and I eventually couldn't bear spending anymore time farming small worms for Energy capsules to refill my E-tanks.
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ironedflemming
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by ironedflemming »

Spoiler: show
1 - Batman; Arkham Origins
2 - Return To Arkham: Batman Arkham Asylum - PS4 Pro
3 - Sayonara Wild Hearts - PS4 Pro
4- Death Stranding - PS4 Pro

What a ridiculous, pompous, stunning and entertaining videogame!

Simultaneously loved every second whilst hardly understanding what was actually going on, the core gameplay may just be a series of fetch quests but the presentation and long journeys across beautiful landscapes really pulled me in and tapped into a sense of unknown epic adventure i haven't felt in a game for a long time.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79uk wrote: JAN - Titanfall 2 (PS4)
JAN - Pinball FX3: Fish Tales (Switch)
FEB - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
FEB - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Whizzed through this in 3 evenings, although it's the second time I've played it so wasn't trying to 100% it.

I'll put main thoughts in the podcast thread, but I still think this is the best (although 4 is my favourite) Uncharted, and I love the series. The writing is just fantastic, the character animations, and nobody, but nobody does a jungle quite like Naughty Dog. They're just another level. As far as 3rd person action adventure / 3rd person shooters go, this is bordering on perfection. I'd still give it a 10 out of 10.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
08/01 - Need for Speed: Carbon
12/01 - Devil May Cry (Normal)
15/01 - Devil May Cry 2 (Normal/Dante)
26/01 - Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
08/02 - Dishonored
18/02 - Deus Ex: The Fall

After going through Dishonored and being reminded so much of Human Revolution, and Mankind Divided to a degree, I felt like having another run through of this little bit-sized Deus Ex nugget. I still rather like it. It's pretty underrated. Even though it's short, the character models and animation are a bit crap, and it's really buggy and rough, it still feels faithful to the other modern games. It manages recreate the atmosphere and aesthetic really well considering, and graphics in general are pretty impressive for a mobile game of its era. Most of the same mechanics from HR are here too, and the level design feels like a miniaturised version of that game as well, retaining a lot of the same complexity, just truncated a bit. And interestingly, this game has an instant dash ability like in Dishonored, which HR didn't have. Admittedly it's kind of clunky and doesn't work very well here, but it's kind of cool to see that this game was actually including new mechanics that the main games wouldn't get until later. The AI is admittedly kind of crap though. There seems to be little consistency in how easily they spot you, with it frequently seeming near instant. Their pathing sometimes seems to break as well. But despite the issues, it's still a nice little chunk of what I like about these games that works well enough to scratch the itch for 5 or 6 hours. It's almost a shame that this game never got finished too, being only the first episode in a planned series that never got off the ground. I would have totally played all of it. And it's a bit sad seeing the tab in the main menu still promising future content after all these years.
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Jon Cheetham »

13th Jan - Dishonored 2
19th Jan - Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
23rd Jan - Sayonara Wild Hearts
4th Feb - Wolfenstein: The New Order

18th Feb - Titanfall 2

Banger first person shooter. Great-feeling guns, superb visuals, fun mech combat and breezy length are all big points in the game's favour, but what sets it apart is the movement. The double jumping and wall-running action makes the actual movement within the game as rewarding as the combat, particularly when the two are combined, and the often excellent level design supports it really well.

Into the Abyss is a standout as you run along pipes and jump between segments of prefabricated houses while they are carried along by robotic arms. Effect and Cause (the famous one) adds time travel with a fast-paced take on Dishonored 2's A Crack in the Slab, so that you are zapping between time periods on the fly to make use of walls and platforms that used to be there, in order to reach your destination in the present. My favourite use of the time travel was actually as an overpowered alternative to your usual cloaking device, moving between time periods to advantageously position myself in firefights.

I played the final mission while listening to the soundtrack from The Messenger (as heard on Sound of Play) rather than with the superhero bombast provided, and I have to say it heightened the experience of an already fast-paced denouement.
Spoiler: show
I also liked how the game ended with a platforming section as its climax rather than another big boss mech - the last thing you do in this game is leap between collapsing structures and flying pieces of terrain as a planet buckles underneath you, and it is extremely cool.
The story completely washed over me, but considering this could have just been a tutorial for multiplayer, it is an amazingly well put together campaign with real thought and a lot of clever ideas having gone into the levels.

Speaking of multiplayer, have been doing a little bit of this with my brother and it's also very good. I am far from capable with twitch action, but even without any weapon upgrades or etc I felt like there was a pretty low barrier to entry for the multiplayer and I managed a few kills per match, which for me constitutes a major victory. There are some interesting multiplayer modes like a mech-only brawl, and one where you are capturing points on the map so your focus is on using the augmented movement abilities to get around the map quickly rather than racking up kills. There's also a wave-based co-op mode against bots which was fun. Some beautiful maps, and unlike in the single player you get a grappling hook which combines with the wall-running to really shrink the maps down as you zip from place to place.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Vanquish (PS4)

I struggle to articulate how much I love this game without resorting to my admittedly overused habitual talking points.

The story is Saturday Morning Cartoon nonsense, the environments are bland and repetitive, the forced walking sections (read: masked loading times) are infuriating, the controls and upgrade system aren't very newcomer-friendly. But that gameplay... there's nothing like it. The mechanical depth puts every other TPS to shame. The attention to detail is incredible. The enemy variety is second-to-none. The animations and sound design are impeccable, especially when slow-motion is activated. The advanced techniques are an absolute joy to discover and master. Layers upon layers of sheer interactive quality. The kind of finely-tuned mechanical structure that makes fighting the basic enemies with the default weapon loadout fundamentally fun.

It may not look like it, but this game is much closer to Bayonetta than to Gears of War at its core. It doesn't try to look nice for the viewing pleasure of passive bystanders. It doesn't try to tell any heart-wrenching tale with a thin layer of rudimentary interactivity painted onto it at the last minute. This is a game that demands to be played. Simple as that.

It reminds me a lot of DOOM (2016) in the sense that it is an unapologetically gameplay-centric example of its genre which directly stands apart from the vast majority of its competitors. This little 2010 mid-budget game fills a niche nobody else has even attempted to in the last ten years.

A hypothetical Vanquish 2 in the mold of DMC3 would have the potential to become one of the greatest games ever made in my humble estimate. Honestly, I can't think of any other game which would be more deserving of a bigger, better sequel with higher production values than this one. Apart from God Hand, of course. Mikami darling, please come back! :(

PS: This version is rock solid, all the previously DLC-exclusive weapons are in and the 60fps framerate works to the game's benefit without any unintended hiccups unlike the RE4 debacle.


Soooooo good. Can't wait to dive into the legendary challenges tomorrow.
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seansthomas
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by seansthomas »

13th Jan - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
24th Jan - The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone
28th Jan - Far Lone Sails
10th Feb - Super Mario World

21st Feb - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

So I'm not sure if I can say I've completed this or not? I beat the main game and rolled credits, then a bonus DLC court case appeared. However I hear it was added in the rereleased versions but not in the original, so I count myself done as it felt like a natural end.

(But please holler if you think I'm missing out on an epic conclusion. A friend I asked couldn't recall a thing about it, so I presumed it wasn't amazing).

Thoughts on the game... Started out thinking it was a 10/10 all timer. Felt fresh (especially given its age), funny, silly, smart and charming. All the characters were interesting, the puzzles were good and I loved it when the various theme tunes kicked in.

As it went on, the novelty definitely wore off a bit. Had a couple of trials where I had a Guilty Game Over screen purely because I couldn't figure out which obtuse conversational phrase I needed to present the evidence on I had gathered. Wasn't a huge issue, but felt a slog to redo 3/4s of a trial due to one obscure clue. Also, witty silly humour is less so when you have to scroll through it for the 2nd and 3rd time.

Also, there were a few instances where the characters and dialogue felt a bit ageist, sexist and chauvinistic? Not massive chunks, just a few instances. Could be its age. Could be the cultural differences of Japan and the West. But I did notice it. Especially sat on a train!

All in all, I really liked the game though. It felt different to almost every other series I've played, I liked the zany puzzles and I grew to love the main cast. Wright would be a brilliant Smash character.

Will definitely play the sequels (and last case) once I leave a gap to fall in love with it again.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by KSubzero1000 »

seansthomas wrote: February 21st, 2020, 5:03 pm (But please holler if you think I'm missing out on an epic conclusion. A friend I asked couldn't recall a thing about it, so I presumed it wasn't amazing)
The bonus case is definitely worth playing, although it is really more of a standalone story rather than the conclusion of the main game and the Phoenix Wright - Miles Edgeworth dynamic. I would recommend giving it a go at some point if you liked the rest, just don't expect it to retroactively enrich the other cases or anything like that. If you liked the way the story ended and want to leave it at that then there's nothing wrong with that either.

Maybe keep it as a little bonus treat if you ever fancy some more Ace Attorney goodness but don't necessarily have the time to commit to the entire second game just yet. :)
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seansthomas
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by seansthomas »

KSubzero1000 wrote: February 21st, 2020, 5:17 pm
seansthomas wrote: February 21st, 2020, 5:03 pm (But please holler if you think I'm missing out on an epic conclusion. A friend I asked couldn't recall a thing about it, so I presumed it wasn't amazing)
The bonus case is definitely worth playing, although it is really more of a standalone story rather than the conclusion of the main game and the Phoenix Wright - Miles Edgeworth dynamic. I would recommend giving it a go at some point if you liked the rest, just don't expect it to retroactively enrich the other cases or anything like that. If you liked the way the story ended and want to leave it at that then there's nothing wrong with that either.

Maybe keep it as a little bonus treat if you ever fancy some more Ace Attorney goodness but don't necessarily have the time to commit to the entire second game just yet. :)
Awesome feedback, thanks!

Kind of what I sensed from the first 10 minutes of playing it last night. Will go back to it for sure when the time is right.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by KSubzero1000 »

seansthomas wrote: February 21st, 2020, 6:06 pm Awesome feedback, thanks!

Kind of what I sensed from the first 10 minutes of playing it last night. Will go back to it for sure when the time is right.
Of course! You're very welcome. :)

Ace Attorney is an amazing series, but (speaking from experience) it's also a very easy one to burn out on. Taking it slow and savoring one game at a time is definitely the best way to enjoy it, I think.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
08/01 - Need for Speed: Carbon
12/01 - Devil May Cry (Normal)
15/01 - Devil May Cry 2 (Normal/Dante)
26/01 - Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
08/02 - Dishonored
18/02 - Deus Ex: The Fall
23/02 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Normal/Dante/Free Style)

Finally got this off my backlog after all these years, and thus every game in the series beat. It still holds up pretty well and is definitely where the series starts to come in to its own, but it's not without a few rough edges. While most enemy types and bosses are very good, there are a few that are big misfires. Thankfully though the good stuff outnumbers them. The Vergil fights and Agni & Rudra in particular are still excellent. But then there are a few niggling issues that reoccur enough to become a real nuisance, like the slightly finicky control inputs, some of the fixed camera angles, and a couple of levels that are just tedious. But the moment to moment combat is still brilliant, and the weapons are very good too. Pretty much every melee weapon is fun to use and had a role in the larger combat systems that gave it an opportunity to shine. It's got a good sense of atmosphere and the story is fairly good too.

Although I have to say I don't think the game quite lives up to the lofty reputation it has gained over the years for being the peak of the series. While it's very good and a massive improvement over 1 and 2, the later games have it beat in several areas. I'd still rank this below 4 and 5 for several reasons. Although I will say this has a better weapon selection and boss variety than 4. And overall it's still in the pile of the better games in the series, and I do find the idea of returning to it appealing. Might even start up a Vergil run soon.

And as I mentioned before, this Swtich version with the Free Style mode is really good. Having all your styles and weapons on hand at once is such an improvement that helps the game a lot. It makes it feel like it's finally realising the potential it never quite reached before, and is incredibly useful when going up against enemies and bosses that give you little margin for error if you're coming at them with the wrong idea. By the end of the game it does get a little fiddly having to sift through five weapons at once, but I never found it too unmanageable. The versatility it brings far outweighs that little bit of awkwardness.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Scrustle wrote: February 23rd, 2020, 3:20 pm While most enemy types and bosses are very good, there are a few that are big misfires.
Quick question if you don't mind. As far as enemy design goes, what do you think about the various Damned Chess Pieces? I know they're very divisive, a lot of folks dislike them and find them hard to read, etc... I personally adore them and think they offer a very cool and unique combat dynamic not found in any other game of the series / genre.
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Scrustle »

KSubzero1000 wrote: February 23rd, 2020, 3:29 pm
Scrustle wrote: February 23rd, 2020, 3:20 pm While most enemy types and bosses are very good, there are a few that are big misfires.
Quick question if you don't mind. As far as enemy design goes, what do you think about the various Damned Chess Pieces? I know they're very divisive, a lot of folks dislike them and find them hard to read, etc... I personally adore them and think they offer a very cool and unique combat dynamic not found in any other game of the series / genre.
Hmm I'm kind of mixed on them. The Pawns and Knights are fine, but they're not the most interesting enemies. They don't do much. They seemed like a good opportunity to pull out Royal Guard, but I was never able to get the timing down on them. I don't like the Bishops though. They are definitely harder to read. Their AoE attack always seems to come out before you expect. The fight near the end where you have them all at once on the chess board is pretty interesting in concept, although this time through I made a point to focus just on the King so that I could get past it quickly. Trickster is a lifesaver against that one.
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Magical_Isopod »

#4 - Yakuza 0

I FINALLY beat Yakuza 0 after starting it in December 2017 and picking it up and dropping it many times.

This one's hard to talk about because like... It's great, but also kinda bad. The main story is *phenomenal*, and very well produced. But a lot of the side content just feels cheap and poorly-made. I went into more detail on my podcast commentary.

All in all, I felt like it was a waste of my 80 hours of time investment, but I did love it nevertheless. It's a weird one. I've heard the other entries in the series aren't quite so bloated, so I'm looking forward to those. But this one's hard to recommend, unless you can commit to focusing on the main story and not getting side-tracked.

&Iso2020
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by mikeleddy83 »

Spoiler: show
Jan - Blasphemous
Jan - A Short Hike
Jan - Dear Esther
Jan - Luigi's Mansion 3
Jan - Sayonara Wild Hearts
Jan - Gorogoa
Feb - Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition
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