Games Completed 2020

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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.
(Mar) Farming Simulator 17 - XB1X.
(Mar) Tracks-The Train Set Game - XB1X.
(Apr) Vanquish Remastered - XB1X.
(Apr) Deliver Us The Moon - XB1X.
(May) DOOM Eternal - XB1X.
(July) The Last of Us Part 2 - PS4 Pro.
(July) Assassin's Creed Odyssey - PS4 Pro.
(July) Resident Evil 3 Remake - PS4 Pro.
(Sept) Nioh - PS4 Pro.
(Sept) Carrion - XB1X.
(Sept) Man Of Medan -XB1X.
(Sept) Journey to the Savage Planet - XB1X.
(Sept) CoD MW2 Remastered - PS4 Pro.
(Sept) Lara Croft Go - PS Vita.
(Sept) Batman: The Enemy Within - XB1X.
(Sept) Tell Me Why - XB1X.
(Oct) Mafia: Definitive Edition - XB1X.
(Oct) My Friend Pedro - XB1X.
(Nov) Maid of Sker - XB1X.
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Simonsloth
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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
Days Gone
Gradius
Bloodstained: Curse of the moon

April
Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Curse of Monkey Island
I Have no Mouth, and I must scream
The Gardens Between
Devil May Cry 5

May

Blood and truth Psvr
Last guardian VR psvr
Bloodstained : ritual of the night Xbox One gamepass
A way out ps4
Doctor who edge of time PsVR
Robinson the journey psvr

June:
yakuza Kiwami ps4
Mark of krI ps2
Jet force Gemini
Borderlands 3

July:

Last of us and left behind
Last of us 2
Minecraft dungeons

August/September:
Red dead redemption 2
Return of the Obra dinn
Parappa 2 - best in series
Shovel knight: king of cards
Assassins Creed: origins
Super Mario RPG
Mark of the ninja
Silent hill 4: The Room
Littlebigplanet 3
R-Type Dimensions 1+2
My October conquests:

Mega man - copious amount of rewind use to finish this. I genuinely don’t know how anyone could complete the last level without dying repeatedly. The yellow devil is tough even when you have memorised the sequence. I didn’t collect the ?magnet? gun so had no idea how to reach the top of the platforms in the final areas until I read a walkthrough. Overall I didn’t really enjoy it and I’m going to have a break before giving mega man 2 a go. I have fond memories of the second game from childhood but I reckon I didn’t even complete a level back then.

Dragons dogma - really enjoyed this mainly thanks to the pawns. I really grew attached to them and enjoyed the mini sequence where one of them grabs and enemy or rushed in to the rescue. Special thanks to Jay and Jon for lending me their pawns. I haven’t given the post game material a go yet but will try it soon.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein - a mixed bag with this one. I’ve listened to the pod since and agree with Tony that it’s overly long and some editing would have worked in its favour. It also took me some time to realise it’s a PC shooter designed for the quicksave so repeated deaths were replaced by repeated saves. As a result I inched through the game but any tension was sapped. I feel a checkpoint system would have been better. I’ve got the PS3 wolfenstein next up but again my FPS itch has been scratched for the timebeing.

Golden axe- finished it for what I thought was the first time then I realised I have seen the ending sequence before so I’m pretty sure I’ve completed it in the past. Listening to the podcast there were moves and techniques discussed I didn’t know existed so this might explain my inability to clear the game without multiple deaths/credits. I’m tempted to go back in!

Silent Hill Homecoming:
Now surprisingly I enjoyed this quite a bit. I’ve played all of the team silent games before and origins on the PSP but the reception for the next 3 games was so poor that I completely sidestepped them.

So coming back to all the games again has given me a fresh perspective. Yes the first 3 and to an extent 4 have superior narratives and the psychological horror aspect is more effective in my opinion the actual “playing” of the games is mediocre at best. I appreciate that perhaps the cumbersome combat and movement adds to the tension like resident evil and part of the charm but I really appreciated the basic combat in Homecoming. I found I died repeatedly if I wasn’t careful, health and ammunition was a precious commodity and it gave me an almost dark souls level of tension with the dodge mechanics. The game has only a few select weapons and rather than sticking with the heaviest and most powerful like previous games I was selecting my weapon and approach based on the enemies and environment. A room with two basic enemies could be enough to to deplete my health bar to zero and required patience and timing to clear. I enjoyed the narrative and although I saw some of the main plot points coming a mile off it was still satisfying. My personal feeling is that the poor reception was because this does not feel like a traditional silent hill game and with a different title perhaps it would have fared better unlike...

Silent Hill Downpour:
This is in my opinion one of the most disappointing and outright bad games I have played in recent memory. I disliked the story, the characters, the combat (which seemed like a step back from even the first game in the series) and the absolutely pointless side quests. The enemies felt uninspired and to think that this is ranked above Homecoming in many ranking lists of Silent Hill games is flabbergasting. I don’t think the game has any redeeming features except that it’s quite short. My comments are pretty scathing so apologies if you like it😟
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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
18th Apr - Batman - The Telltale Series
9th May - Animal Crossing
9th May - Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle - Donkey Kong Adventure DLC
29th May - Luigi's Mansion 3
9th June - Journey To The Savage Planet
24th June - Golf Peaks
30th August - Hollow Knight
31st August - A short hike
12th September - SuperHot
21st October - The Last Guardian
25th October - Paper Mario: The Origami King
2nd November - The Last Of Us: Remastered

6th November - The Last Of Us: Left Behind

Enjoyed this quite a lot. Told a nice story, liked the way it flicked between two tales juxtaposing their overlap and it cleverly showed how far Ellie had come as a character.

Some enjoyable gameplay and platform puzzles too. I cranked up the difficulty a bit and really liked feeling up against it with nothing in my armoury.

Short and sweet.
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Jon Cheetham »

Spoiler: show
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
28th Feb - What Remains of Edith Finch
2nd Mar - Gone Home
2nd Mar - Florence
21st Mar - Hitman (2016)
21st Mar - Thief 2
22nd Mar - BioShock Remastered
25th Mar - Dishonored
3rd Apr - Resident Evil 2 (2019)
4th Apr - Hitman 2
18th Apr - Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen
25th Apr - Monument Valley
1st May - Uncharted 4
6th May - The Last of Us
8th May - The Last of Us: Left Behind
9th May - Far Cry Primal
21st May - Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall & The Brigmore Witches
24th May - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
31st May - The Banner Saga 1
8th June - The Banner Saga 2
17th June - God of War (2018)
27th June - The Last of Us Part II
12th July - Control
13th July - DUSK
22nd July - Resident Evil 4
7th August - Deus Ex
7th August - A Short Hike
8th August - Resident Evil (2002)
9th August - The Banner Saga 3
23rd August - SteamWorld Quest
28th August - Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York
7th September - Transistor
18th September - Hoplite
19th September - Subsurface Circular
25th September - Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
1st November - Hades

Saw the credits. What a game. It has probably beaten TLOU2 for GOTY at this point.

7th November - Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale

Putting this here as I've now won with every character, including the dlc character that just came out. Cracking tile based deck builder.
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Angry_Kurt
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Angry_Kurt »

I really want to play Hades given everything I've heard about it, but the only thing preventing me is that I'm yet to play a roguelike I have enjoyed. So I'm hoping it'll come to Xbox and Game Pass next year, but if not I will pick it up on Switch when it's on sale.
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seansthomas
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by seansthomas »

Angry_Kurt wrote: November 7th, 2020, 10:30 am I really want to play Hades given everything I've heard about it, but the only thing preventing me is that I'm yet to play a roguelike I have enjoyed. So I'm hoping it'll come to Xbox and Game Pass next year, but if not I will pick it up on Switch when it's on sale.
I'm no fan of roguelikes either, though I did put a fair bit of time into Dead Cells.

Really like Hades though. There's a consistency to the structure of the game where you just feel like you're making progress in the game as you would do a 2D Mario platformer, but the variety of drops you get makes each playthrough very different.

Also when you die, something evolves in the way an RPG would. The story, a relationship with a character, your defense level, your weapon options.

It's masterful game design . Still haven't beaten it once yet after 20 hours mind!!!
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Jon Cheetham »

I haven't played Dead Cells or Spelunky or any of those games... The roguelikes I play are generally deck builders or Into the Breach. Hades really does seem to be the entry point for a lot of people. No two runs feel the same and there's always a reason to look forward to going back to the hub when you die, which takes the sting out of defeat.
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ColinAlonso
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by ColinAlonso »

Simonsloth wrote: November 4th, 2020, 6:11 pm Mega man - copious amount of rewind use to finish this. I genuinely don’t know how anyone could complete the last level without dying repeatedly. The yellow devil is tough even when you have memorised the sequence. I didn’t collect the ?magnet? gun so had no idea how to reach the top of the platforms in the final areas until I read a walkthrough. Overall I didn’t really enjoy it and I’m going to have a break before giving mega man 2 a go. I have fond memories of the second game from childhood but I reckon I didn’t even complete a level back then.
I played MM1 and MM2 for the first time back when the show covered them. I tried to only use save states between levels but eventually gave up and used another save state before the Yellow Devil's room. That boss fight is old school nonsense at its 'finest' and I was sick of the rest of the level before it.

Compared to MM1, MM2 is a much kinder game. Hopefully it won't ruin your memories.
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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)
21/03 - Dying Light (PC)
24/03 - Ori and The Will of the Wisps (PC)
04/04 - DOOM: Eternal (PC)
05/04 - Resident Evil 3 (PC)
10/04 - Tangle Tower (Switch)
13/05 - Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PS Vita)
23/05 - Mega Man X2 (Switch)
14/06 - Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Switch)
03/07 - The Last of Us Part 2 (PS4)
11/07 - Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PC)
22/07 - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
28/07 - Demon's Souls (PS3)
21/08 - Manifold Garden (PC)
05/09 - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PC)
30/09 - Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (PS4 and PC)
08/10 - Hades (PC)
08/11 - Gears Tactics (PC)

I think this is a very good game that unfortunately runs out of steam before it hits credits, but it lays down a great foundation that I hope a sequel will run with and flesh out further. Really hope this did well enough to justify that.
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Simonsloth
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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
Days Gone
Gradius
Bloodstained: Curse of the moon

April
Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Curse of Monkey Island
I Have no Mouth, and I must scream
The Gardens Between
Devil May Cry 5

May

Blood and truth Psvr
Last guardian VR psvr
Bloodstained : ritual of the night Xbox One gamepass
A way out ps4
Doctor who edge of time PsVR
Robinson the journey psvr

June:
yakuza Kiwami ps4
Mark of krI ps2
Jet force Gemini
Borderlands 3

July:

Last of us and left behind
Last of us 2
Minecraft dungeons

August/September:
Red dead redemption 2
Return of the Obra dinn
Parappa 2 - best in series
Shovel knight: king of cards
Assassins Creed: origins
Super Mario RPG
Mark of the ninja
Silent hill 4: The Room
Littlebigplanet 3
R-Type Dimensions 1+2

October:
Mega Man
Dragon’s Dogma
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Golden Axe
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill: Downpour
Drakengard (PS2)

I’ve been meaning to play this for many years after playing Nier and considering it one of my favourite games I’ve ever played.

This is probably the weirdest game I have ever played and it’s difficult to describe without spoiling it. I think it’s public knowledge that Nier Automata and it’s predecessor have multiple endings some of which require replaying sections of the game. Drakengard is no different in that respective and the more endings you see the more bizarre it gets.

It starts out as a subpar dynasty warriors style game via panzer dragoon without nailing either of these styles and initially I found it difficult to warm to. However the narrative and the fact that the different play styles alternate so frequently made it compelling enough to continue and I’m glad I did.

I knew very little about the narrative and the places it takes you and I found quite frequently I was surprised and shocked. I’m so glad I persisted through the mediocre beginning as it was an extremely different and refreshing experience. I watched the final ending on YouTube as to unlock it you have to acquire all the weapons in the game which is a feat in both skill and endurance which was beyond me. Perhaps pre-YouTube I would have persisted.

It’s tricky to say whether I would recommend this to everyone but any fans of Nier or it’s sequel should give this a go. Even then I would encourage those who aren’t willing to give the game a go to watch a let’s play or a story summary on YouTube as some of the scenes are unlike anything I’ve seen before.

This game would make a great episode of the show as I think there is genuinely so much to talk about (good and bad) plus copies of the game are becoming increasingly expensive!!
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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 (PS4)
FEB - Mafia 3 (PS4)
MAR - Mega Man X (Switch)
MAR - Assassin's Creed III Remastered (Switch)
MAR - Control (PS4)
MAR - Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (PS4)
APR - Yoku's Island Express (100%) (Switch)
APR - WWF Wrestlefest (Arcade on PS Vita)
APR - Holedown (Android)
MAY - South Park: The Stick Of Truth (Switch)
JUN - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
JUN - Golf Story (Switch)
JUL - Days Gone (PS4)
JUL - Bayonetta (Switch)
JUL - Watch Dogs 2 (PS4)
JUL - The Gardens Between (Android)
AUG - Hyper Light Drifter (Switch)
AUG - Celeste Classic (PICO-8 on Switch)
AUG - Thimbleweed Park (Android)
AUG - Celeste (Switch)
AUG - Bury Me, My Love (Android)
AUG - NBA 2K20: Career Mode story (Switch)
SEP - Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)
OCT - Final Fight (Switch)
OCT - The King Of Dragons (Switch)
OCT - Death Stranding (PS4)
OCT - Sunset Riders (Switch)
NOV - Super Mario Maker 2: Story Mode (Switch)
NOV - Final Fantasy VII (Switch)

Highly enjoyable trip down memory lane, and the first time I've finished the game since first completing it back when it was first released. I'd forgotten huge parts of the game, so it was all quite fresh to play. Looking back, I must have done an awful lot of grinding back in the day, as I'm sure my party was all on 9999 HP first time round, on this playthrough I ended up with most characters topping out around 5500. I resorted to a guide for the chocobo breeding as I wanted to get the KOTR summon and Quadra materia, but other than that, played it all without cheating. Final game time was around 38 hours which is way lower than before, but I played a lot of battles and the over world map on 3x speed, which obviously cut down a lot of time too.

All in all, this game was just as good as I remember it, which was quite a nice surprise, and my nostalgia chip was in overdrive most of the way through. For a long time I'd say this was my favorite game of all time. Its no longer in the #1 spot, but it would definitely still make the top 10, and it'll always have a special place in my library.
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OneCreditBen
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by OneCreditBen »



Finally got a decent Gunstar Heroes No Death Clear.
Well happy with this one.
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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)
10/03 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Very Hard/Dante/Free Style)
13/03 - Mirror's Edge Catalyst
19/03 - A Short Hike
01/04 - Doom Eternal
02/04 - Lucah: Born of a Dream (NG+, Bad Ending)
14/04 - Yakuza 4 Remastered
17/04 - Fable Anniversary
21/04 - Transistor
01/05 - The Last Guardian
11/05 - Mafia III
15/05 - Mini Ninjas
17/05 - Burnout Paradise Remastered (Elite License)
20/05 - The Gardens Between
25/05 - The Wonderful 101 Remastered (Normal)
27/05 - El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
06/06 - Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death
14/06 - OneShot
16/06 - OneShot (NG+/Solstice)
22/06 - The World Begins With You
27/06 - Titanfall 2
10/07 - Vane
16/07 - What Remains of Edith Finch
27/07 - Braid
28/07 - Shadow Warrior 2
07/08 - Night in the Woods
15/08 - Night in the Woods
23/08 - Yakuza 5 Remastered
26/08 - Devil May Cry 5 (Son of Sparda)
04/09 - Hyper Light Drifter
05/09 - Prey (2017)
08/09 - Night in the Woods
15/09 - Hyper Light Drifter (Alt Drifter)
29/09 - Need for Speed: Underground
30/09 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Lord of Shadow)
01/10 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2: Revelations (Lord of Shadow)
07/10 - Back to Bed
10/10 - Gujian 3
23/10 - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
29/10 - No Straight Roads
01/11 - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
12/11 - Legacy of Kain: Defiance

And thus ends my journey through the Legacy of Kain games. Although in the end it was more of a Soul Reaver trip, seeing as how I skipped the first Bloom Omen and dropped off the second one. Don't feel bad about that though, since this side of the story seems far more interesting, with much better games and writing.

As for this game, I liked it a lot. Like the others, it had its problems, but also had a lot going for it that I haven't quite seen anywhere else. This was quite a big shift from the actual Soul Reaver entries though, and that comes with some pros and cons.

As I mentioned earlier, the combat here is vastly superior to what came before. Way faster and more stylish, and much more satisfying. And amazingly, it actually has some depth that allows you to juggle enemies and do interesting things with them. Something I was not expecting going in. It's far from a perfect system, but still pretty impressive considering where the series was with its older entries, and what other games were doing at the time. I'm not aware of any western-developed game that was even trying to do combat like this at the time, and this pre-dates the original God of War by two years. It does have some issues though, as enemies basically have no telegraphing on attacks, and camera angles can be a pain, with lots of attacks coming from off-screen or being hidden behind objects. When you get in to the late-game it also has some of the same issues SR2 did, by introducing enemies that are way more aggressive, have really strong hyper-armour, and can knock you down easily. You also can't recover health from them, or launch them for combos either. But aside from that, it's a pretty fun system for most of the experience. It also has some excellent blood splat sound effects as well.

The aforementioned camera is another big shift. Away from a free camera that follows the player character, replaced instead with fixed cameras that show stylised angles. While it does help give the game a certain flair that makes environments feel more impressive to look at, it can be a problem for actual gameplay. There's the issues with combat, and it can also make it hard to judge distance in platforming, and also makes it a bit harder to get your bearings in general, that can make exploration a bit confusing at times. It's not so bad to ruin the experience, and I'd say it's probably on par with other similar games that used fixed angles at the time, but it does make things a bit more fiddly than they should be.

Having both Kain and Raziel playable is also a big change, and one that I really appreciate. For how important Kain is supposed to be to this story, it's cool to be able to actually see what he's up to this time, and to actually control him in a good game. I like the difference in play style too, although it does have some weird quirks. Kain's chapters are more focused on action, and have very little in the way of puzzle solving at all, which makes sense given the role he is supposed to play in this franchise. His combat abilities are generally stronger than Raziel, so feels more satisfying to play in a fight, but he has less variety in secondary abilities. While Raziel's control scheme is similar, he has more of a balance between puzzle solving and combat. With lots of different elemental weapons, he also has more secondary effects in combat too. The puzzles themselves are pretty simple, as is usually the case with the SR games, but this time use more varied mechanics, although it does take a while for all of them to show up, as you unlock more Reavers. They seem to have factored in the different play styles with collectibles too, but it ends up feeling kind of strange. Raziel's collectibles are harder to find in general, and takes a lot longer to start getting a decent number of health upgrades, meaning he's weaker than Kain for a lot of the game. It's a bit odd, since I felt like I was missing something big and falling behind with Raziel until near the end of the game.

The story is yet again a highlight, although this time it's presented somewhat differently than before. While the dialogue is still good, it does have a slight reduction in verbosity that was such a joy to listen to in the SR games, and a lot of it is back-loaded. Although there's probably more dialogue here than previously, a lot of it is used in a way that isn't as interesting before, for most of the game anyway. The SR games were somewhat similar, in that the vast majority of dialogue was put at the start and end of the games, with little in between. What was there was excellent, but infrequent. Like it was trying to pack in as much quality to the writing as possible in the short space it had. In Defiance however, both the protagonists narrate the game as they progress through it, usually to themselves, and in a much more straightforward way. A lot of the big reveals of the plot happen through them commenting on murals they come across, sometimes with things they already knew before seeing them. So it makes plot reveals feel a little less well earned than before, and the story in general is less driven by characters interacting and that then having an impact one where things go next. The beginning of the game doesn't dwell on story much either, wanting to get in to the action as soon as possible. But by the closing hours, things start picking up and dialogue starts becoming better and more frequent. As Kain and Raziel start interacting with other characters, the more interesting conversations come back, and the plot feels more naturally driven as well. The last few chapters in particular are very good. I have heard people lament how this is the last in the series, leaving open a cliff-hanger ending, and that is true, as there's still clearly a huge chunk of this story left, but I think it also concludes this particular chapter pretty well too, so I don't feel like this doesn't end on a good note.

The aesthetic and visual design is pretty impressive for the time, and for how big Crystal Dynamics likely was at the time. As mentioned before, there's the camera angles that frame the world in a cool way that shows good attention to composition. But just the environments and characters themselves are really well designed and nicely detailed. It has a cool atmosphere to it, adding a slightly otherworldly and eerie feeling to this Gothic fantasy. The designs of the vampire citadel ruins in particular were nice, as they are full of a lot of intricate Gothic touches, but done in a way that feels slightly alien, adding to the feel that these are places made for beings that aren't quite human. Although sadly, those ruins do show up quite a lot through the game, to the point where they start feeling a bit old. The sound design is good too, again with the slightly alien and eerie feel. Interestingly, this game takes most of its soundtrack from the previous SR games, without much original stuff. It takes some of the best tracks though, so I can't complain. And it's a cool throwback to put music from SR1 in to this very different context.

And there's one little detail that I've always been impressed with in these games that I always forget to mention too. The transition in to the spirit realm is really cool, and a smart way to make it feel different to the physical world, without having to create an entire new environment. Simply twisting the existing level geometry and turning everything blue is such a simple idea, but it creates this feeling of looking in to this warped reality where the light and atmosphere are completely different. And seeing the whole level dynamically change around you when you move in and out is fun to look at as well, being able to see the world contort in to something else in real time. I'm kind of surprised this idea hasn't been used more in fact. Perhaps it's something that isn't possible these days with how geometrically complex games are now. Either way, it's a nice little characteristic of these games that I appreciate.

I was a little surprised to find out how long this game was. I was expecting it to be in the same region as the others, around 10 hours or so. but in the end this took me over 17. I was taking my time through it though, trying to scour every inch of the game for collectibles (got everything for Kain, missed only a couple for Raziel), and having to stop and look around in first-person in case the fixed cameras may be obscuring stuff probably took up a lot more time than I would have liked, but this is still easily a 15 hour game. It did start to drag a bit around 2/3 of the way through, especially when I was starting to get a bit tired of the vampire ruins, so I guess there was some fat that could have been cut.

So despite its flaws I like this game a lot. It's quite different to what came before. Faster paced, more streamlined, and more cinematic. It does lose something in that change, but I think it gained some good traits as well. It's been an interesting evolution through this series, and a fun adventure of exploring something new to me. I'd probably rate this alongside SR2 in terms of what my favourite of the games is, although I can see either of them inching it out depending on my mood. It's a real shame it has to end here, but I'm happy to have experienced what exists. If I played these games when they originally released, I can see them having been some of my favourite games of the PS2 generation. Although perhaps some of the writing may have gone over my head at the time. Either way, I'm glad to have filled a hole in my backlog that I didn't realise I had back then.
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Hunter30
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Hunter30 »

April - Fallout 1 (PC)
April - Telltale's Game of Thrones (PC)
May - The Darkness II (PS3)
June - Orcs Must Die! 2 (PC)
July - Dead Space 3 (PS3)
September - LA Noire: Complete Edition (PS3)

November - Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator (PC)

Okay, so this isn't a game you can 'complete' as such, what with the absence of anything resembling a campaign, but I'm adding it to my list as I think I've got all I can from it. I've only played it for about eight hours, but value-wise I'm not complaining too much as I picked it up for just over a pound in a Steam sale.

Even with the addition to the default roster of dozens of extra unit types available as mods, I found this to be an entertaining but ultimately limited experience. Entertaining to watch an army of predators face off against an army of werewolves in the final of my self-styled 'arena of death' knockout tournament, but limited in the sense that if A beats B, and B beats C, you can pretty much guarantee that A will beat C. Quantity of troops aside, the variables that determine the outcome of combat seem to be confined to damage and health stats, and there isn't really that rock, paper, scissors element that would add more unpredictability.

I got out of it what I was expecting though - a handful of diverting, lightweight hours that I could easily fit around parenting an (even more of a handful) eleven-month old.
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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)
21/03 - Dying Light (PC)
24/03 - Ori and The Will of the Wisps (PC)
04/04 - DOOM: Eternal (PC)
05/04 - Resident Evil 3 (PC)
10/04 - Tangle Tower (Switch)
13/05 - Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PS Vita)
23/05 - Mega Man X2 (Switch)
14/06 - Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Switch)
03/07 - The Last of Us Part 2 (PS4)
11/07 - Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PC)
22/07 - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
28/07 - Demon's Souls (PS3)
21/08 - Manifold Garden (PC)
05/09 - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PC)
30/09 - Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (PS4 and PC)
08/10 - Hades (PC)
08/11 - Gears Tactics (PC)
15/11 - Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood (PS4/PC)

Good overall, with a dull mid-section. Not as great as Heavensward but way better than a Realm Reborn.

Looking forward to Shadowbringers now.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Jobobonobo »

Spoiler: show
Jan 31-Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
April 13: Yakuza Kiwami
April 30: Locoroco 2
June 21: Batman: Arkham Knight
September 12: A Boy and His Blob
November 14: Wandersong

I will save my main thoughts for the show but this was a real delight. Knew next to nothing about it going in and was surprised by the characters and the story being more compelling than I was expecting. Kind of surprised there has been no feedback for this one yet. It is definitely one of my big surprises of the year.
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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.
(Mar) Farming Simulator 17 - XB1X.
(Mar) Tracks-The Train Set Game - XB1X.
(Apr) Vanquish Remastered - XB1X.
(Apr) Deliver Us The Moon - XB1X.
(May) DOOM Eternal - XB1X.
(July) The Last of Us Part 2 - PS4 Pro.
(July) Assassin's Creed Odyssey - PS4 Pro.
(July) Resident Evil 3 Remake - PS4 Pro.
(Sept) Nioh - PS4 Pro.
(Sept) Carrion - XB1X.
(Sept) Man Of Medan -XB1X.
(Sept) Journey to the Savage Planet - XB1X.
(Sept) CoD MW2 Remastered - PS4 Pro.
(Sept) Lara Croft Go - PS Vita.
(Sept) Batman: The Enemy Within - XB1X.
(Sept) Tell Me Why - XB1X.
(Oct) Mafia: Definitive Edition - XB1X.
(Oct) My Friend Pedro - XB1X.
(Nov) Maid of Sker - XB1X.
(Nov) Forza Motorsport 7 - XB1X.
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OneCreditBen
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by OneCreditBen »



Yie Ar Kung Fu. A nice One Credit Clear that I can see me continuing onward with to try and get the no death.

Also from the livestreams I randomly One Credit Cleared a few shoot 'em ups.
They weren't planned, but maybe that's the fun of it all.



GG ALESTE



GOKUJO PARODIUS
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Flabyo
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by Flabyo »

I was obsessed with Yie AR Kung Fu as a kid. Used to mess about in the back garden with a bamboo cane pretending to be Pole.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Games Completed 2020

Post by ratsoalbion »

Ha!
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