Games Completed 2020

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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Scrustle »

Alex79uk wrote: March 2nd, 2020, 8:16 pm Looking forward to playing 3, 4 and 5 soon as they hit sale prices - do these new versions offer much over the PS3 originals? I know there is content restored that was in the original Japanese release cut from the worldwide one, but did you happen to notice how much? Is it limited to side stories? It's just 4 and 5 are available on PS Now for PS3, and I wondered if the new versions are worth paying for (which I absolutely will if necessary, love the series).
From what I remember, 3 is the only one with significant changes to content. There's a bunch of stuff regarding hostess clubs that was restored. Both the ability to visit as a customer, and a minigame where you manage one. The minigame seemed pretty crap and nothing like the one from 0, but I spent hardly any time with any of that stuff. It's not important and easily ignorable. Also if I remember rightly, the worldwide version of 4 had those features anyway. There's also an updated translation that's a bit better and substories are marked on the map so they are much easier to find.

I don't think the 4 and 5 remasters have any content changes at all. There is the tech stuff, but I think that's still a pretty significant thing. A while back I decided to load up 4 just to give it a look again after not having played it in ages, and I was shocked at how blurry it looked. I suppose it was something I just got used to playing those old PS3 versions, but they are incredibly fuzzy, despite still having problems with aliasing. These remasters completely clear that all up, as well as the doubled frame rate too. 5 struggled to maintain just 30fps already in some spots. Things like textures and models have all remained the same in the remasters though. Oh, and I do remember one small change to 4. They changed the face of one of the protagonists, because he was modelled on an actor who got in to some legal trouble at some point. He only appears in that game though.
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Sinclair Gregstrum
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Sinclair Gregstrum »

Jan - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (XOX)
Feb - The Last of Us: Left Behind (PS4 Pro)

Feb - God of War (PS4 Pro)

I don’t have time to really write a great deal on God of War right now, which is a shame as I have so much to say! It is, of course, a fantastic game, although for me personally it’s perhaps a tier down from the level of all-time greatness where some feel it sits.

God of War is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and creatively accomplished games ever made. Stunning visuals and intricate sound design are brought to life through a narrative that carries genuine weight, while the characters are brilliantly voiced by a cast clearly putting their all into their performances (Jeremy Davies’ menacing, manic Baldur is a particular highlight!). Throw in the cleverly constructed pseudo single-shot edit and some of the most well implemented HDR I’ve seen in a game so far, and God of War is truly a benchmark for AAA quality production values.

The few issues I have with the game come down to the depth of the core gameplay mechanics. For me, there is very much the illusion of depth here rather than a huge amount of actual substance. Don’t get me wrong - God of War feels fantastic to play. The central combat loop is solid, and throwing your axe into the skull of an advancing enemy before calling it back into your palm with a weighty thud never gets old. But for a game that has more skill trees than your average RPG, and levelling up and gear upgrades bursting from every menu, it never felt like any of it made a great deal of difference.

On normal difficulty you can generally just charge into battle using a core set of mostly standard attacks, and simply hack ’n’ slash your way to victory without the need for the advanced techniques and skills that unlock throughout the game. It’s a lot more fun if you do make use of the wider arsenal for sure, but it did generally feel non-essential. Some might shout up and say ‘yeah but on the harder difficulty…..’, and they might be right, but that to me says the standard difficulty (which most people will play on) lacks balance. In the recent SWJ: Fallen Order for example (which God of War does trump in a number of areas!), new mechanics and skills were learned at a not dissimilar rate, but the utilisation and juggling of those became essential to making progress. It was a much more nuanced combat system that required greater skill levels from the player, which perhaps is put into stark relief for me given I’ve only just completed a play-through of the recent Star Wars game.

Still, I can’t end on a low note with this game. As a total package God of War is an incredible achievement. Santa Monica Studio has taken a first party franchise falling into irrelevance and transformed it into a crown jewel of a property that will rightly shift many PS5s when the inevitable sequel arrives. Microsoft and it’s ever-expanding first party stable take note!

[EDIT: Just looked back and realised I actually wrote quite a bit so the beginning is now incorrect and irrelevant! :lol: ]
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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)
26/02 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Normal/Vergil)
28/02 - Horizon Chase Turbo
28/02 - EQQO
02/03 - Yakuza 3 Remastered
03/03 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Hard/Dante/Free Style)

As is usually the case with these games, giving this another run through was a lot of fun, letting the combat breath much more than on an initial run, while upping the pace more too. Having everything unlocked and just being able to make better use of things lifts up the experience significantly. Finally getting to level 3 on Swordmaster and Trickster made things click in a way that didn't before too. Tried to make a bit more use of Royal Guard as well, but still didn't use it much. Although I did find it helped a whole lot against those spider enemies. Still pretty much completely neglected Gunslinger though. I did try to make an effort to use it, but everything else it just so much more useful that I almost never did Having to level up styles through XP isn't the best design I think. It forces you to have to stick with a bad low level style for so long, and it disincentivises you from using a level 3 style once you finally reach it, as you'd be throwing away XP you need for other ones. But in practice it just made me not level up stuff. I'd rather have those extra moves. It's much better that they just let you buy style level-ups in later games.

A couple other notes. I saw someone mention this online beforehand, but I only noticed myself on this run. The sound effect for Royal Guard Release is missing in this version. A little bit disappointing, given how it's supposed to be an ultra satisfying high risk attack, even if it's one that you use the least often. I was wrong about Dante not having a rising attack with Beowulf, I just hadn't unlocked it before and didn't know it was there. Also I realised that I never got the final ending cutscene on my Vergil run. Is that something that you only get to see under certain conditions or something? And speaking of Vergil, so far on Normal and Hard, he hasn't used summoned swords at all, which seems a bit odd.

Not sure how longer I'll keep going. I don't feel like this is the end, but I'm not feeling the urge to jump right back in like before. It's kind of weird how this game has two hard modes on top of Dante Must Die. Seems somewhat redundant. I'll probably give Very Hard a go though, but don't expect I'll do more than that. But I'd like to see Vergil use summoned swords at least a little bit. I've seen what he's like on DMD though, and that's simply not happening. Too much.
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Sinclair Gregstrum
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Sinclair Gregstrum »

Scrustle wrote: March 3rd, 2020, 4:27 pm03/03 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Hard/Dante/Free Style)
I've never played a single Devil May Cry game. Complete gaming blindspot for me, and it's strange as I've not got an aversion to anything about it particularly. In fact it's always seemed pretty up my street!

I really like the look of DMC5 - can I jump in there and still have a good time do you think or is it a series that really you need to know the lore to get the most from it?
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2020

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Sinclair Gregstrum wrote: March 3rd, 2020, 5:14 pm
Scrustle wrote: March 3rd, 2020, 4:27 pm03/03 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Hard/Dante/Free Style)
I've never played a single Devil May Cry game. Complete gaming blindspot for me, and it's strange as I've not got an aversion to anything about it particularly. In fact it's always seemed pretty up my street!

I really like the look of DMC5 - can I jump in there and still have a good time do you think or is it a series that really you need to know the lore to get the most from it?
Yeah you can pretty much just jump in wherever you like. There is a story running through most of the whole series, but it's not that important for being able to enjoy the games. 5 also has a handy introduction video (which you can also find on Youtube) that catches you up with the story so far too, so that's one of the best places to start. If you just give that a watch to know who is who, you should be fine.
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Indiana747
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Indiana747 »

(Jan) Far Cry New Dawn - XB1X.
(Jan) Darksiders 3 - XB1X.
(Feb) Borderlands 3 - XB1X.
(Mar) Remnant: From the Ashes - XB1X.
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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
Feb - Samurai Showdown (2019)
Feb - SAR: Search and Rescue
Mar - Dragon Age: Origins*
Mar - Double Dragon IV
Mar - FRAMED

*replayed
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Re: Games Completed 2020

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Sinclair Gregstrum wrote: March 2nd, 2020, 12:15 pm
stvnorman wrote: February 29th, 2020, 6:55 pmTwo more kidney surgeries meant my handhelds got plenty of love
Hope whatever's going on with your kidneys isn't serious mate and that you're doing well! My son only has one kidney and have spent a lot of time in renal appointments. I understand all too well that kidneys can be finicky bastards, and if you even look at them funny they seem to take it personally and stop working so well...
Thanks mate. I’m doing okay now. It got very serious a couple of weeks before Christmas when they went on strike, and I’ve never felt pain like that (including appendicitis), but luckily was eventually treatable and morphine works wonders! One more session next month and I should be in the clear, but in the meantime I’m pretty much back to normal. Best wishes to your son. I’d never even thought about what my kidneys were doing before but I’ve got a new found empathy for anyone with problems down there.
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by stvnorman »

ratsoalbion wrote: March 2nd, 2020, 12:27 pm All the very best for a swift and full recovery, Steve!
Thanks Leon. Appreciate it, and the podcast has genuinely helped me through it, especially the first few sleepless nights after I came out of hospital. I probably hold the record for getting through all those end of year epics!
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Re: Games Completed 2020

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Alex79uk wrote: JAN - Titanfall 2 (PS4)
JAN - Pinball FX3: Fish Tales (Switch)
FEB - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
FEB - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4)
FEB - Mafia 3 (PS4)
MAR - Mega Max X (Switch)

Yes! Finally did it. Man that's a tough game! When I first started the MMX Legacy Collection I was kind of annoyed it didn't feature rewind and save stages like the 'regular' Mega Man collection does, but I'm so pleased it doesn't now. I'd have ripped through this game in a day with save states, as it is its taken me 15 hours and a much bigger sense of achievement. Really enjoyed this game, despite it making me want to destroy my Switch at times. Three more games on the compilation to go!
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by rob25X »

I got the platinum trophy on Mortal Kombat (2011) a week or so ago. That sure felt good.

Hitman (2016) I've done 4 times (best game of recent years) and a number of short games.

Monster Energy Supercross (a PS+ game last month) was a lot of fun.
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by duskvstweak »

Spoiler: show
The Witcher
Mirror's Edge
Axiom Verge
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Kingdom Hearts II completed. Well, the end credits, anyway. When I played the first Kingdom Hearts, I did EVERYTHING to see that super, secret ending. These days, I just call those Youtube Endings.

I really don't know how I feel about KH2. I can see it's strengths, and when the game is ON, I'm all in. But, I had almost no patience for the Disney World's stories. I remember enjoying all of them with the first game (again, I was 16, so maybe it was my age). This time, I just found them dull and, with a few of them being repeats from the first, very "been there, done that". Story-wise, the cool, JRPG saga was very back heavy, with that cool battle in the middle. I could be wrong, but I remember the first game balancing the Wonderful World of Disney with the JRPG Heartless storytelling better.

Anyway, the game is fine and maybe I'm the one that changed.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2020

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Alex79uk wrote: JAN - Titanfall 2 (PS4)
JAN - Pinball FX3: Fish Tales (Switch)
FEB - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
FEB - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4)
FEB - Mafia 3 (PS4)
MAR - Mega Max X (Switch)
MAR - Assassin's Creed III Remastered (Switch)

Another one ticked off the big Assassin's Creed playthrough. I started this with the best of intentions, did all the side quests and explored then world. Last couple of weeks though I've just been eager to get the story finished so rushed the last few stages. I like it, it's still a buggy mess (glitching, subtitles being attributed to the wrong person, control issues, scenes not loading in properly etc) but for all its faults it's still a good conclusion to Desmond's story.

On to Unity next, which I'm looking forward to as it's the first one in the series I've never played at all.
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Re: Games Completed 2020

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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
Feb - Samurai Showdown (2019)
Feb - SAR: Search and Rescue
Mar - Dragon Age: Origins*
Mar - Double Dragon IV
Mar - FRAMED

*replayed
Mar - Binary Domain*
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Mr Ixolite
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Mr Ixolite »

Onimusha Warlords (Switch)
Onimusha is the videogaming equivalent of a schlocky but well executed B-movie, and I had a lot of fun with it. The only two issues were the unskippable pre-boss cutscenes and the oftentimes disorienting camera-angle shifts (I spent a lot of time getting turned around and running back where I came from), but I still loved exploring every nook and cranny of the game. I've never played a Resident Evil game, but it reminded me of the pre-rendered backgrounds os the PSX Final Fantasies, of which I am a huge fan.

Also, much like Mega Man X, it was the perfect complimentary game to the Super Mario Oddysey postgame; After scouring out another 20 or so of the innumerable moons, there was something refreshing about the incredibly compact nature of Onimusha. Sometimes, you just wanna kill some demons and save the world.
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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

7th Mar - The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

First up, I'm very glad I delayed playing this as the visual performance post patch is tremendous. I didn't have an issue with it beforehand but it looks glorious now. Staggering to think a game of this scale is running on a handheld.

Anyhow, the expansion itself was very good.

The new location, the arena fight, cursed birdwoman side quest, getting to own a vineyard (and bring it back into use), several new types of beast, the expanded score... all great. The highlight was probably the surreal chapter that I'm sure those of you who have played it will remember.

Never a huge fan of vampire stuff so found the final duel a slog. Slightly weird too that you're given loads of amazing weapons at the games end and can adapt mutagens to get even more powerful post credits when everything I have left to do in the game suggests it'll be a walkover (ended up at level 51 without any grinding, highest mission I have left is recommended level 41).

Personally I far preferred Heart of Stone and it's mystery though; this tale seemed a lot more predictable than the game had been to date and relationships were all fairly cliched, whereas the rest of the game took twists and turns I didn't see coming. Guessing certain characters central go the tale relate to one of the first two Witcher games so resonate more if you had history...?

All in all, think I'm done now at 100 hours and it's time to move on. May dip in from time to time and polish off the last dozen or so Witcher contracts and Treasure hunts I have to do, but I check out regarding the entire package as probably the best story driven open world RPG I've ever played alongside Xenoblade Chronicles.
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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
Feb - Samurai Showdown (2019)
Feb - SAR: Search and Rescue
Mar - Dragon Age: Origins*
Mar - Double Dragon IV
Mar - FRAMED
Mar - Binary Domain*

*replayed
Mar - 198X
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Simonsloth »

Spoiler: show

January:
God of War
Resident Evil 2 remake: Leon A and Claire B

February:
Triforce Heroes
Donkey Konga Trilogy
Halo 4
Yakuza Zero

March:
Bury me my love
DK: Jungle Beat
Florence
Axiom Verge
Halo 5
March:

Days Gone

Finished it via remote play to my laptop as I’m isolated away from my family. Managed to get the bonus ending too. Many peaks and a few troughs in a game I don’t think the critics had time to play properly. I cannot for the life of me understand the 5/10 scores it got from some places e.g. Gamespot.

Gradius (NES online via Switch)

Used rewind a few times on the final level but I actually found I was surprisingly good at it! Digging out my PSP to play the collection which has 2-4 on it.
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Alex79 »

mikeleddy83 wrote: March 9th, 2020, 11:13 pm
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
Feb - Samurai Showdown (2019)
Feb - SAR: Search and Rescue
Mar - Dragon Age: Origins*
Mar - Double Dragon IV
Mar - FRAMED
Mar - Binary Domain*

*replayed
Mar - 198X
Any good?
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by dezm0nd »

Finished Halo 5 last night in co op on normal. Starts off strong but declines with yet another limp ending.

343 did a good job on the multiplayer but the campaign, whilst better than 4, doesnt really maintain its impressive start. Also I'm still sour on no split screen.
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