Games Completed 2022

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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79 wrote: February 16th, 2022, 7:37 pmJAN - Universal Paperclips (Android)
JAN - Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox)
JAN - Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Switch)
JAN - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (Xbox)
JAN - Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox)
JAN - Halo Infinite (Xbox)
JAN - Hitman (Xbox)
FEB - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)
FEB - Max Payne 2 (Xbox)
FEB - The Walking Dead: 400 Days (Xbox)
FEB - Hyper Sentinel (Switch)
FEB - It Takes Two (Xbox)
FEB - Overboard! (Android)
APR - Hollow Knight (Switch)
APR - Sagebrush (Switch)
APR - Saints Row IV (Switch)
APR - Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis on Switch)
APR - Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox)
APR - WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)
MAY - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Arcade on Xbox)
MAY - Super Mario 3D World (Switch)
MAY - You Must Build A Boat (Android)
MAY - Untitled Goose Game (Switch)
JUN - The Secret Of Monkey Island (PC-CD on Android)
JUN - Street Fighter (Switch)

Despite not being a huge fighting game fan, I picked up the 30th Anniversary Street Fighter collection on Switch recently for £9.99 and have been really enjoying it. I decided to get the most out of it I would play through each game at least once before concentrating on the 'better' games in the collection. So I started with this. It is, in all honesty, a terrible game. Yet I really enjoyed it and there was something that kept me playing. The movement is stiff, the special moves almost impossible to pull off, and fights are often over in three or four decent hits. Sagat, the final boss, is flat out unfair, and beating him was as much luck as it was skill. Glad I managed to finish it though. Beaten with Ryu (as he's the only playable character in single player!)


JUN - Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Switch)

It's odd coming back to this game after decades of improvements and iterations. So much slower and the characters have fewer special moves, but there's something nice about the simplicity of the game, and the cast of characters are so iconic. Beaten with Ryu and Ken.


JUN - Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Switch)

As far as I can make out this is the same as the previous game but with the ability to play as the four boss characters. Beaten with Ryu, Ken and E.Honda.


JUN - Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (Switch)

I dunno - it's faster? Beaten as Ryu.


JUN - Super Street Fighter II (Switch)

Introduces new fighters and quite a few new moves I think. Beaten as Ryu, Ken, Guile and Blanka.


JUN - Street Fighter Alpha (Switch)

The Alpha series are my favourite SF games, so this was heaps of fun. I love the style, the movement is much more fluid, and I'd say the games are slightly easier than the SF2 series of games, too. Beaten as Ryu and Ken.


If anyone cares and is paying attention, you'll notice I skipped Super Street Fighter II: Turbo from the collection. It's because I couldn't even get past the second fight with most characters. Not sure if it's broken, or the game was just much harder, but I really couldn't get anywhere with it! As for the rest of the games in the collection, they're up next...
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Indiana747
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Indiana747 »

(Jan) Terminator Resistance(platinum) - PS5.
(Jan) Call of Duty: Cold War - Series X.
(Jan) Dishonored 2 - PS5.
(Jan) Aliens: Fireteam Elite - Series X.
(May) State of Decay 2 - Series X.
(June) Chorus - Series X.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Magical_Isopod »

#7 - Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (2019, PS5 version)

I'm not a Star Wars fan by any stretch, but this game is just great.

In a lot of ways, Fallen Order succeeds on what it *isn't*. It *isn't* open world, or persistently online, or a game with overly convoluted mechanics, or a live service, or excessively long... It's just a tightly paced adventure with a story that, while not overly exceptional, is enough to drive the pacing and help get you into that world. And if you want to get more life out of the game, the Platinum trophy is very achievable, and adds some extra depth to the experience without becoming a brainless grind like the likes of Horizon 2.

It's really interesting to me that this game was posed as a Soulslike when it came out... Because it's really not. It's much more like the 3D Zelda games or the modern Tomb Raider titles. It's an adventure game with puzzles, hidden guff, and combat that is "Soulslike" on a very surface level.

But yeah. Had a blast with this one. Got the Platinum, never really felt like I was wasting my life in doing so.

&iso2022
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Magical_Isopod »

#8 - TMNT - Shredder's Revenge (2022, XB1)

Great game. Easily the best Beat em up since Scott Pilgrim. I'm a huge huge fan of Turtles in Time, and while this new one doesn't quite reach those heights, it's absolutely a worthy follow-up and modernization.

So what works here? Kind of everything. Every criticism I could have basically boils down to "Turtles in Time did it better." The combat and movement tech are great. There's a lot more to it than its predecessor, adding dodge rolls, progression mechanics, charge attacks, a whole bunch of stuff. And everything there is absolutely welcome.

The sound design is mostly good, with only a few missed steps. They got much of the main voice cast to reprise their roles, and while they definitely sound aged, the recording quality is great, and it works well. Some of the bit characters seem to be sampled directly from the show though, as they are notably lower quality. Shredder's VA sounds... Wrong. The original actor passed away in 2013, but the new one they got sounds nothing like him. It's an odd choice. The music ranges from good to great, although one track - a rap song in stage 3 - feels completely out of place, as it's a much more modern style than other rap tracks later in the game. On the whole, very few tracks have the exciting energy of those in Turtles in Time, but that's not entirely a bad thing. This game has its own identity, and it owns it.

I've seen people complaining the game is too long, but I didn't really feel that way. Even playing the story mode, it was a good length, and never really overstayed its welcome. Four Bebop and Rocksteady fights was a bit excessive though - felt like we saw too much of them. I'm sure I'll be replaying this one and trying for the plat whenever the physical copy drops on PS5. I played on Game Pass for now, but I shall definitely pay full price.

&iso2022
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Alex79 wrote: June 18th, 2022, 10:21 am
If anyone cares and is paying attention, you'll notice I skipped Super Street Fighter II: Turbo from the collection. It's because I couldn't even get past the second fight with most characters. Not sure if it's broken, or the game was just much harder, but I really couldn't get anywhere with it! As for the rest of the games in the collection, they're up next...
I had the same experience with another SF2 arcade release on PS3... Even with the difficulty cranked down, it's balls hard. If I recall correctly, some of these revisions were much harder, and marketed to arcades and vendors as "for experts" who have mastered earlier revisions. So I think this might be the case here. The home console versions were much easier, and the fault of the high difficulty lines in the design of the original arcade ROM.
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Seph
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Seph »

I finished Song of the Deep yesterday as I wanted a light exploration game to see me through the next few. I don't remember buying it, so it must have been a bundle thingy, but I would recommend it for a few quid for sure. Before playing I thought this was made by some low budget indie studio, but seeing the Insomniac logo was a big surprise, though it reassured me that there would be some quality control involved.

The gameplay is a pretty simple underwater Metroidvania with all the usual things to discover and signposting letting you know that you'll be unlocking more skills later. As with pretty much any underwater game ever it does suffer from floaty controls and a lack of enemy variety. The end sequence and boss fight is also a bit of a let down and felt rushed.

The things I will praise are the story, visuals and music. The art is great and charming to the point that I'm going to see if there's an art book or something available as I want to own it. There's no voice acting from the characters, but the lead, Merryn, is so expressive that it made me care about her story.

I also like the story behind the development and that the head of Insomniac wanted to make a game for his daughter and have a character that she can relate to. I love stuff like that and I wish there were more games like this; games that are colourful and tell a simple but fantastical story that I can finish in a few sittings.

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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79 wrote: February 16th, 2022, 7:37 pmJAN - Universal Paperclips (Android)
JAN - Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox)
JAN - Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Switch)
JAN - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (Xbox)
JAN - Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox)
JAN - Halo Infinite (Xbox)
JAN - Hitman (Xbox)
FEB - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)
FEB - Max Payne 2 (Xbox)
FEB - The Walking Dead: 400 Days (Xbox)
FEB - Hyper Sentinel (Switch)
FEB - It Takes Two (Xbox)
FEB - Overboard! (Android)
APR - Hollow Knight (Switch)
APR - Sagebrush (Switch)
APR - Saints Row IV (Switch)
APR - Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis on Switch)
APR - Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox)
APR - WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)
MAY - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Arcade on Xbox)
MAY - Super Mario 3D World (Switch)
MAY - You Must Build A Boat (Android)
MAY - Untitled Goose Game (Switch)
JUN - The Secret Of Monkey Island (PC-CD on Android)
JUN - Street Fighter (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (Switch)
JUN - Super Street Fighter II (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter Alpha (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Switch)

It's just an absolutely brilliant fighting game, improves on the first Alpha game with a bigger selection of fighters and some more moves and handles perfectly. Amazing. Beaten as Ryu, Ken, Charlie, Akuma, Sagat, Adon, Birdie, Sakura, Zangief and M.Bison.

I can't remember if Sakura is in any other game previous to this, but she's fantastic to play as. Same move set as Ryu/Ken etc. but quicker and with some killer super specials.
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by ratsoalbion »

SFZ2 was Sakura's debut, iirc.
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Angry_Kurt
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Angry_Kurt »

Spoiler: show
1. Deaths Door
2. Pokemon Legends Arceus
3. Guardians of the galaxy
4. A Link Between Worlds
Excellent dungeons and great new mechanic with the whole wall merging deal made this a great Zelda game. Really didn’t like the renting mechanic though and until the final boss a bit too easy, bosses were so so. 8/10

5. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Really fun game with all Kirbys different abilities making it feel really unique within Nintendos stable of games when I was just expecting another platformer type deal. My current favourite game I’ve played this year. 8/10
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ColinAlonso
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by ColinAlonso »

Spoiler: show
Jan 10 - Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS5)
Jan 16 - Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PS5)
Feb 3 - SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters Clash - SNK version (Switch)
Feb 13 - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS5)
Feb 19 - Bravely Default II (Switch)
Mar 20 - Universal Paperclips (Android)
Apr 12 - CrossCode (PC)
Apr 17 - Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Switch)
May 31 - Inertial Drift (PS5)
Jun 6 - CrossCode: A New Home (PC)
Jun 17 - Psychonauts 2 (PS5)

When I race through a game like this, it is a very good sign (16 hours in a working week). :)

It was enjoyable throughout. The platforming was good, the levels were interesting and entertaining, it looks pretty. The characters and story are fun. It rarely, if ever hit a poor note.

Nitpicking, I'd say the levels didn't quite reach the inventiveness of some of the original's (Milkman Conspiracy, Lungfishopolis, the Napoleon level) but by the same token it also didn't have a Meat Circus (I'm angry 10 years after playing it). The original drew bigger laughs from me but the game was still amusing. Its just a good fun time.

I look forward to the podcast.
Spoiler: show
"Gru-lo-via, Gru-lo-via" AARRGH!!!!
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Halo 3: ODST (Master Chief Collection)
06/01 - Halo 3 (Master Chief Collection)
09/01 - Hotshot Racing
25/01 - Halo 4 (Master Chief Collection)
29/01 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
03/02 - Heavenly Sword
05/02 - Need for Speed: Carbon (Battle Royale)
09/02 - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
20/02 - ICO
24/02 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD
25/02 - Halo 5: Guardians
05/03 - Asura's Wrath
09/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Normal mode)
30/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Hard mode)
30/03 - Forza Motorsport 3 (100%)
01/04 - Muramasa: The Demon Blade
11/04 - Forza Horizon 2 (100%)
17/04 - The Darkness
20/04 - The Darkness II
25/04 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Normal)
29/04 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
29/04 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (X360)
06/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hard)
07/05 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
10/05 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2)
18/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Very Hard)
21/05 - Umurangi Generation Special Edition
27/05 - GRID Autosport
29/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Revengeance)
02/06 - Lost in Random
03/06 - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
12/06 - Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix
13/06 - God Hand
25/06 - Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

I started off enjoying this one, but honestly I am kind of lukewarm on it overall. My feelings towards it soured somewhat as it went on, and by the end I was just waiting for it to be over. Fun enough, but I can’t say it’s anything special, and it really drags in the latter chapters.

Combat is okay, and satisfying on a base level, but there isn’t a whole lot to it. Sound design is good, and some of the special abilities are pretty cool, but it’s fairly shallow and flawed in several ways. You have a handful of moves apart from your basic single button attack string, but they are very inconsistent in their efficacy. They’re sort of DMC-esque, involving pressing a button while pointing the stick forward or back, which gives you like a launcher or stab attack. Not all of them are actually useful, and they are often really fiddly to input. Even the more useful ones don’t do much. You might be able to knock an enemy down with one, but that then just makes them harder to hit. There isn’t much room to do anything especially interesting. It’s often more effective to just keep mashing the basic attack. The dodge is pretty useless too. Doing a perfect block lets you do a string of dash attacks through all nearby enemies, and that’s really fun to do. You’re supposed to be able to do it if you attack at the last second when a hit is coming your way too, but I could never get it down. Only ever did it by accident. Bosses also aren’t great. None are particularly memorable, and they are frequently weirdly harsh for a game that seems to be going for a more relaxed pace generally. The final boss is also extremely tedious, involving standing around for most of the fight waiting to be allowed to do damage. There’s also a Devil Trigger-like ability, but it takes an eternity to charge up, pops automatically when you run out of health, and can’t be turned off manually. It’s very easy to waste, and is usually not there when it would be most needed.

You can also upgrade your character’s abilities pretty extensively, but it always felt a bit pointless. While this is how you unlock some of the more interesting directional attacks, a lot of what you can put points in to is really unclear with what effect it will have. It’s hard to know if you’re just dumping points in to something useless until you’ve done it a bunch already. I suspect maybe the reason I couldn’t seem to get that last second attack thing down is because I didn’t upgrade it enough, as that was the case with the block version at first. But I did put a significant number of points in there, with there being no discernible benefit. Ultimately the system feels somewhat redundant.

The story is nothing to write home about either. Very standard tale of adventure and defeating evil. Doesn’t have anything unique or compelling about it. Not even any interesting or entertaining characters that might make up for the cookie cutter plot with fun dialogue or anything. By the end of the campaign it was starting to drag a lot, felt like it was wearing out its welcome. This game is definitely longer than it needs to be. That probably has just as much to do with the gameplay not evolving over time as well as the story failing to capture the imagination.

It’s quite aesthetically pleasing though. The setting is well realised and character models are good. The level of graphical detail is also impressive. It cleans up pretty well in higher resolutions on the emulator. So much that it’s kind of staggering how much gets lost in that originally pixelated presentation. There were some minor visual bugs though when it came to certain effects, which was a shame. Through most of the game it’s not a big deal, but in the last few hours the visuals heavily utilise these effects which are broken when not using software rendering.

While I didn’t hate this game overall, there’s too much about it that stops it from rising above mediocrity. In an earlier draft of this post I put a more positive spin on it, but having the full game done, I have to admit I’m left somewhat disappointed. The gameplay being decent on a basic level and the art design make it an experience I can get at least something out of, but that only goes so far. In the end it’s pretty average. I was hoping this could be a fun discovery for me, uncovering a new favourite that passed me by at the time, like Zone of the Enders or Drakengard were, or more recently Metal Gear Solid. But turns out it’s simply alright.

I think it’s an interesting game to think about though. What conversation (or lack thereof) this game generated, and the context surrounding it. As I was first looking in to this series, the idea of this one being an entry more focused on more complex action gameplay than the previous ones made it seem like the most appealing one for me to check out. Reviews at the time were supposedly pretty positive too. But no-one talks about it now. On the rare occasion this series comes up, it always seems to be about either the first or third games. It’s also interesting how this game came out almost the exact same time as DMC3. Maybe that is why it didn’t have much impact. Perhaps people who were into the kind of thing it was going for all gravitated towards that instead. And given the links both these series share, and the clear similarities in mechanics, honestly the comparison doesn’t reflect well on this game. Reviews don’t necessarily reflect the player reception of a game at the time either. I wonder what they saying about it back then.
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Indiana747
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Indiana747 »

(Jan) Terminator Resistance(platinum) - PS5.
(Jan) Call of Duty: Cold War - Series X.
(Jan) Dishonored 2 - PS5.
(Jan) Aliens: Fireteam Elite - Series X.
(May) State of Decay 2 - Series X.
(June) Chorus - Series X.
(June) Shadow Warrior 3 - PS5.
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Halo 3: ODST (Master Chief Collection)
06/01 - Halo 3 (Master Chief Collection)
09/01 - Hotshot Racing
25/01 - Halo 4 (Master Chief Collection)
29/01 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
03/02 - Heavenly Sword
05/02 - Need for Speed: Carbon (Battle Royale)
09/02 - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
20/02 - ICO
24/02 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD
25/02 - Halo 5: Guardians
05/03 - Asura's Wrath
09/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Normal mode)
30/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Hard mode)
30/03 - Forza Motorsport 3 (100%)
01/04 - Muramasa: The Demon Blade
11/04 - Forza Horizon 2 (100%)
17/04 - The Darkness
20/04 - The Darkness II
25/04 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Normal)
29/04 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
29/04 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (X360)
06/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hard)
07/05 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
10/05 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2)
18/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Very Hard)
21/05 - Umurangi Generation Special Edition
27/05 - GRID Autosport
29/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Revengeance)
02/06 - Lost in Random
03/06 - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
12/06 - Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix
13/06 - God Hand
25/06 - Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
28/06 - Gungrave

I've been vaguely aware of this game for a long time, not really thinking much of it apart from thinking the visuals looked cool, but I heard it was panned for being very short and shallow. Seeing the series making an unexpected comeback recently made me curious to try it out for myself though.

I had a quite a bit of fun with this actually. A fun, quick, blast of stylish action. It is true that it is very short and simple mechanically though. Only 6 levels, which range from 10 to 20 minutes each. They all consist of nothing but blasting your way through a bunch of goons, with a boss at the end of half of them. There isn't a whole lot to the combat, but there's enough there to make it engaging for the runtime though. It has a very generous auto-aim, but the emphasis is on dodging enemy fire while taking them out at close range in a stylish way, with rolls and dives and such. It has a very arcade-like sensibility about it. Easy to pick up and have fun with right away, and with a big emphasis on scores and ranking to encourage you to play through multiple times. I'm not sure how much it would hold up going through it over and over, but I had fun with it for one run at least.

Aesthetically it is really cool. It has a strong sense of style with very exaggerated characters and dark, sharp shadows. It has some very strong imagery in the cutscenes too. But it's strung together in the tiniest slivers of a plot though. Like the developers had a bunch of really good ideas for character designs and shots for an anime, but didn't really care about making an actually fleshed out story to put them in. Which honestly I can respect. Like they just wanted to make something cool for the sake of it, not sweating the details and trying to justify this game as anything more than it is. I have heard that the sequel to this game, and the actual anime adaptation, are supposedly better and more fleshed out though. So maybe I should check those out and see what this series is like given a bit more substance.

I don't think this game deserves the hate it got though. I mean, I can see why, but taken on its own merits it's still a fun little romp with striking visuals. It's not trying to pretend to be anything more than that. What is there isn't broken or especially flawed. That said, I guess it depends on how this game was priced back in the day. If this was full price, I suppose that would be asking too much for this. But as a hypothetical budget title, this game makes a lot of sense.
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Indiana747
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Indiana747 »

(Jan) Terminator Resistance(platinum) - PS5.
(Jan) Call of Duty: Cold War - Series X.
(Jan) Dishonored 2 - PS5.
(Jan) Aliens: Fireteam Elite - Series X.
(May) State of Decay 2 - Series X.
(June) Chorus - Series X.
(June) Shadow Warrior 3 - PS5.
(June) TMNT: Shredders Revenge - Series X.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79 wrote: February 16th, 2022, 7:37 pmJAN - Universal Paperclips (Android)
JAN - Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox)
JAN - Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Switch)
JAN - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (Xbox)
JAN - Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox)
JAN - Halo Infinite (Xbox)
JAN - Hitman (Xbox)
FEB - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)
FEB - Max Payne 2 (Xbox)
FEB - The Walking Dead: 400 Days (Xbox)
FEB - Hyper Sentinel (Switch)
FEB - It Takes Two (Xbox)
FEB - Overboard! (Android)
APR - Hollow Knight (Switch)
APR - Sagebrush (Switch)
APR - Saints Row IV (Switch)
APR - Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis on Switch)
APR - Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox)
APR - WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)
MAY - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Arcade on Xbox)
MAY - Super Mario 3D World (Switch)
MAY - You Must Build A Boat (Android)
MAY - Untitled Goose Game (Switch)
JUN - The Secret Of Monkey Island (PC-CD on Android)
JUN - Street Fighter (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (Switch)
JUN - Super Street Fighter II (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter Alpha (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Switch)
JUN - Disco Elysium (Switch)

It is so often the case that when I come late to a game that has been so critically acclaimed that it ends up being somewhat underwhelming. This was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

The writing and the voice acting is among the best I've ever played, the look of the game, the soundtrack, the story, I loved everything about it.

And the final act, the very final act, the conversation with the person you eventually meet, it just amazed me. The quality of what I was playing, I wanted that conversation to go on forever. And then the totally unexpected thing that happened that could very easily not have happened at all (and I think if you know, you know) was almost spine-tingling.

And then last of all, the conversation that happens right before the credits roll, where everything comes together, and the game knows everything you've done. It was perfect. What a game.

Oh, and Kim might be my favourite sidekick ever. That man had my back.

The only question I have is wondering how much replay value there is. I know I could play a totally different type of character, and I wonder how much that changes things, or perhaps whether it may open up different side quests..?
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Scrustle
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Halo 3: ODST (Master Chief Collection)
06/01 - Halo 3 (Master Chief Collection)
09/01 - Hotshot Racing
25/01 - Halo 4 (Master Chief Collection)
29/01 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
03/02 - Heavenly Sword
05/02 - Need for Speed: Carbon (Battle Royale)
09/02 - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
20/02 - ICO
24/02 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD
25/02 - Halo 5: Guardians
05/03 - Asura's Wrath
09/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Normal mode)
30/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Hard mode)
30/03 - Forza Motorsport 3 (100%)
01/04 - Muramasa: The Demon Blade
11/04 - Forza Horizon 2 (100%)
17/04 - The Darkness
20/04 - The Darkness II
25/04 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Normal)
29/04 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
29/04 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (X360)
06/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hard)
07/05 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
10/05 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2)
18/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Very Hard)
21/05 - Umurangi Generation Special Edition
27/05 - GRID Autosport
29/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Revengeance)
02/06 - Lost in Random
03/06 - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
12/06 - Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix
13/06 - God Hand
25/06 - Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
28/06 - Gungrave
30/06 - Zone of the Enders HD

This is another one I've been considering giving another run through recently. Even though this is the same version I originally played this game with, I was kind of unsure about picking this one to go back to. I've heard it's supposedly a pretty bad port, with broken graphics and poor performance, so I thought maybe going for the PS2 version would be better. I messed around with emulating that for a bit, but I discovered that had a problem playing in widescreen with broken fullscreen blur effects. Something which I later noticed is also an issue with this port. So in terms of visuals there isn't really anything in it. I suppose it was kind of a trade-off between the higher resolution HUD or settling for a 4:3 aspect ratio to fix the blur effect. I decided the widescreen was a pretty big sticking point for me, so HD it was. As for the frame drops, I was playing it on the Xbox One this time, and that seems to have improved the issues a bit, but they are still there. Not enough to ruin the experience though. I didn't get far enough in to testing the emulated version to see if that was an issue there.

As for the game itself, I was actually somewhat surprised how much I liked it again. This isn't the first time I've tried replaying this game. I did once before, but dropped it pretty quickly. The problem is that the sequel is so much better that it makes this first game hard to go back to, even if it was fun the first time. But this time I did manage to stick with it. Despite the second game improving the responsiveness of the controls and fleshing out your abilities much more, this one still feels really fast and tight to play. The level structure of this one is interesting too, having a slightly more open design where you get to fly around a space station and manually pick which level to go to. It does make for some pretty stop-and-start pacing however, especially near the start. When you only have a few really short fights broken up by loads of bad dialogue scenes. Aesthetically it's cool too, with of course the great mech design, and the dark mood that is almost aided by the low draw distance that obscures everything far away in to blackness. I also forgot how good the music in this game is too. The sequel once again overshadows this game in that department, so it was a nice surprise to be reminded this one has some bangers too.
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Pconpi
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Location: Seattle, WA USA

Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Pconpi »

Spoiler: show
Jan - Universal Paperclips (Mobile)
Jan - Yakuza 0 (PS4)
Jan - Contra III: The Alien Wars (Nintendo Switch)
Jan - Castlevania: The Adventure (PS4)
Jan - Luigi’s Mansion (Nintendo Gamecube)
Jan - Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
Jan - Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (PS4)
Jan - Haunted Castle (Nintendo Switch)
Feb - Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo Switch)
Feb - Metroid Prime (Replay on Nintendo Gamecube)
Mar - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
Mar - God of War (PS3)
Apr - Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PS Vita)
Apr - God of War II (PS3)
Apr - God of War: Chains of Olympus (PS3)
Apr - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo 3DS)
May - Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale (Nintendo 3DS)
May - New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS)
May - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 3D (Nintendo 3DS)
May - Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5)
May - A Plague Tale: innocence (PS5)
June - The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (Nintendo 3DS)
June – Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Emulated on PS Vita)
June – What Remains of Edith Finch (Nintendo Switch)
June - Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

I finally played it with the PS5 upgrades and I invested 50 hours into it. The two things I think are impressive that I hadn't heard above the negativity are the Side Job stories and the actual design of Night City. The Side Job stories are absolutely up there with some of the best story telling in any game I have played. The characters of Panam, River, Judy, Kerry, and Rogue are so well written and voice acted and the Cyberpunk scifi ideas explored were interesting to someone not really into that genre. I know I am into the story when I want to explore the optional conversation trees to learn more about the characters or world and I found myself exhausting the dialogue because it was so well done.

I heard negative criticism of Night City not feeling like a living, breathing place due to the fact that there is nothing to do and the people inhabiting it are too few and have poor AI. I think those criticisms hold true but I haven't heard people acknowledge the architecture and world building the design of Night City brings. I was constantly amazed with the details and design of the buildings and layout of Night City. There are portions of the game where you ride in cars during missions and can skip through the ride but instead I would just look out the car window and take in the city because it was so interesting to see this take on a futuristic city. I played the game for 50 hours but I feel I have yet to see much of the city because it is so dense with details.

My low expectations helped my experience as the game really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it.
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Alex79
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Alex79 »

Alex79 wrote: February 16th, 2022, 7:37 pmJAN - Universal Paperclips (Android)
JAN - Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox)
JAN - Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Switch)
JAN - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (Xbox)
JAN - Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox)
JAN - Halo Infinite (Xbox)
JAN - Hitman (Xbox)
FEB - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)
FEB - Max Payne 2 (Xbox)
FEB - The Walking Dead: 400 Days (Xbox)
FEB - Hyper Sentinel (Switch)
FEB - It Takes Two (Xbox)
FEB - Overboard! (Android)
APR - Hollow Knight (Switch)
APR - Sagebrush (Switch)
APR - Saints Row IV (Switch)
APR - Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis on Switch)
APR - Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox)
APR - WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)
MAY - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Arcade on Xbox)
MAY - Super Mario 3D World (Switch)
MAY - You Must Build A Boat (Android)
MAY - Untitled Goose Game (Switch)
JUN - The Secret Of Monkey Island (PC-CD on Android)
JUN - Street Fighter (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (Switch)
JUN - Super Street Fighter II (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter Alpha (Switch)
JUN - Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Switch)
JUN - Disco Elysium (Switch)
JUL - Portal (Switch)

This was great, really enjoyed it. Not much more to say, probably everyone else has already played it, but it was really inventive and fun.
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Scrustle
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Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by Scrustle »

Spoiler: show
03/01 - Halo 3: ODST (Master Chief Collection)
06/01 - Halo 3 (Master Chief Collection)
09/01 - Hotshot Racing
25/01 - Halo 4 (Master Chief Collection)
29/01 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
03/02 - Heavenly Sword
05/02 - Need for Speed: Carbon (Battle Royale)
09/02 - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
20/02 - ICO
24/02 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD
25/02 - Halo 5: Guardians
05/03 - Asura's Wrath
09/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Normal mode)
30/03 - Shadow of the Colossus HD (Hard mode)
30/03 - Forza Motorsport 3 (100%)
01/04 - Muramasa: The Demon Blade
11/04 - Forza Horizon 2 (100%)
17/04 - The Darkness
20/04 - The Darkness II
25/04 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Normal)
29/04 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
29/04 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (X360)
06/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hard)
07/05 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
10/05 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2)
18/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Very Hard)
21/05 - Umurangi Generation Special Edition
27/05 - GRID Autosport
29/05 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Revengeance)
02/06 - Lost in Random
03/06 - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
12/06 - Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix
13/06 - God Hand
25/06 - Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
28/06 - Gungrave
30/06 - Zone of the Enders HD
01/07 - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

I tend to not get on with the top-down Zelda games as well as the 3D ones, but this one I like more than most. In fact I think it's the first one I've actually ever finished. That is apart from Phantom Hourglass, but that one technically being 3D does make a difference. One of the big things that I tend to not like with them is how you can usually only face in four directions, and how that restricts the arc of your sword swing. That's not a problem in PH since you have full 360 degree movement. Despite Minish Cap also restricting your orientation, it's less of an issue here because the reach of your sword is pretty wide no matter which way you're facing. You'll usually be able to catch stuff that's vaguely in front of you just fine, instead of having to line things up perfectly when you don't have the time or space to do so. Although this game does still suffer from kind of a general unintuitiveness I find with 2D Zeldas. I don't know what it is, maybe it's just not being as familiar with the way these games work. This game is a bit better at directing you than some of the others though.

I like the shrinking gimmick this game has. It's always fun to see a game world on the micro scale like that, and seeing how there's a secret other world hidden underneath everything else. It works really well with the pixel art too. It's a nice looking game generally, but there's something really appealing about the big chunky sprites of oversized objects you get when you're in the tiny form. The mechanic also makes for one of the more interesting boss fights too, where you have to shrink down and go inside a boss to hit it. Also having regular enemies become bosses because of how big they are compared to you in that form is a cute idea. It's also interesting how the visual style of this game seems like a mix between Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker. Taking characters from both, but rendering them in the style of the latter, but still of course with its own pixel art spin. It's kind of strange though, taking such a lot of inspiration from 3D games rather than the 2D ones. I suppose there's a bit of Four Swords in there as well though, to be fair. This being a prequel to that game.
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stvnorman
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Re: Games Completed 2022

Post by stvnorman »

1 June: Monster World IV (Mega Drive on Switch)
4 June: The Legend of Kage (ZX Spectrum)
10 June: Citizen Sleeper (Xbox Series X)
11 June: Combat School (Arcade)
17 June: Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Xbox Series X)
18 June: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Xbox Series X)

I thought I didn’t like any Wonder Boys after the first, but how wrong I was with the newly repackaged Monster World IV - instant all-time favourite, and another great example of that discovery thing I go on about all the time as my main retro gaming thrill! Legend of Kage is always a pleasure, though no chance I’m beating the original any time soon! I did beat Combat School though, but while old habits do die hard, an arcade stick kind of feels like cheating! Game Pass also came up trumps several times this month - narrative RPG of sorts Citizen Sleeper from out of nowhere to stake a claim for game of the year, and Turnip Boy was marvellous over the course of a scant few hours too. Shredder’s Revenge though…
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