I plan to pick it up as I really enjoyed the first game, however I didn't click with Control. Mainly due to how obtuse the story was. Would you say AW2 is just as obtuse or more straightforward story telling like the first Alan Wake?Tolkientaters wrote: ↑November 1st, 2023, 12:21 pm I finished Alan Wake 2 and it's my game of the year. To start off it looks incredible, the lighting and general area design is just on another level, I'm playing it on PS5, and it's crazy that it can look even better on a high end PC.
It's got really satisfying combat that doesn't get old. Going a more survival horror direction with less frequent but more dangerous enemies was a great decision. Feeling like the REmake games with less spongey enemies is great.
The biggest suprise for me was how engaging the story was, I was just a lot more interested in Saga Anderson than Wake and Jesse. She's got a more satisfying personal story hook that really connected with me. There are definitely some cheesy moments, but they worked for me.
The story sections with Alan were pretty interesting and definitely where it got the weirdest in a food way with a pretty clever puzzle setup.
Also it's got a lot there if you played Remedy's previous games, particularly Control and Max Payne.
What I loved most about the game was how bold and confident it is with almost every decision and direction.
It's a great game anyone who likes Remedy's ganes should check out.
Games Completed 2023
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Tolkientaters
- Member
- Posts: 141
- Joined: April 22nd, 2021, 10:39 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
Re: Games Completed 2023
I plan to pick it up as I really enjoyed the first game, however I didn't click with Control. Mainly due to how obtuse the story was. Would you say AW2 is just as obtuse or more straightforward story telling like the first Alan Wake?
[/quote]
It can definitely be obtuse and features more meta stuff as well as more links to their previous games, but I think the central elements are established well enough to be clear and interesting throughout. I enjoyed the story and characters in Akan Wake 2 more than Control though I did miss Darling.
- Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
(Jan) Death's Door - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Xbox 360
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Sept) Vampire Survivors(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Control: Foundation/AWE dlc - Series X.
(Sept) Control(1000GS) - Series X.
(Oct) RE4: Seperate Ways dlc - Series X.
(Oct) DOOM(1993) - Series X.
(Oct) Need for Speed Heat - Series X.
(Oct) Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X.
(Oct) Fort Solis - PS5.
(Oct) Quake II(1000GS) - Series X.
(Nov) Halo 3 ODST(HMCC) - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Xbox 360
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Sept) Vampire Survivors(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Control: Foundation/AWE dlc - Series X.
(Sept) Control(1000GS) - Series X.
(Oct) RE4: Seperate Ways dlc - Series X.
(Oct) DOOM(1993) - Series X.
(Oct) Need for Speed Heat - Series X.
(Oct) Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X.
(Oct) Fort Solis - PS5.
(Oct) Quake II(1000GS) - Series X.
(Nov) Halo 3 ODST(HMCC) - Series X.
- Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 584
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
This is a port of the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2, a game which I liked a lot when I was young but never could finish it as we did not have a memory pak for the N64. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot and was surprised at how well it held up. Rayman controls really nicely and his jump is at just the right arc that you can perform some really nice maneuvers with him. The platforming here is just really smooth and I consider this a mighty nice transition to 3D for the limbless weirdo. I also quite liked the swimming controls as you hold down X or A to surface or dive respectively, and when you have found your right depth you can just move freely. Much nicer than having to hold down a button just to move. I also appreciated that while you are platforming throughout the entire game there is enough variety to how you get around such as water-skiing, sliding and riding a rocket that it maintains a lot of variety without lumping in another gameplay style entirely and watering down the core mechanics. When I mentioned it aging well I was not just referring to the gameplay but the graphics. This game from 2000 still looks lovely due to the freakish and distinctive art style this game has. The bizarre proportions of the characters actually go well with polygons of that era and create a truly timeless aesthetic. It has a much darker tone than the first game but ironically is far easier (and IMO far more pleasant) to play. No lives system at all and checkpoints are very generous so this is a much more forgiving experience.
Also deserving of high praise is the sound which creates a really whimsical yet foreboding mood. This game really knows how to create atmosphere. One level in particular, the Tomb of the Ancients has some truly disturbing music backing its morbid aura and going through the level put me on edge in a way I usually never experience while playing games. There was one area where I was just exploring with this ominous music in the background and suddenly heard the sounds of teeth gnashing. I actually jumped when I heard that! The sound came from the jumping piranhas in a room further ahead so I calmed down a bit when I knew what the source was. Still, the sound design really made that level a huge stand out and showed that cutesy 3D platformers could do horror well before A Hat in Time entered the scene. I also was happy to discover that this port retains the goofy gibberish speak of the original instead of voice acting. It is probably some of my favourite type of blabbering with its slight french twist adding a lot to its charm.
However it is also the sound where my biggest complaint comes in. At times, the audio mixing was really bad where the music would be so loud you could hear it crackling. It did not happen all the time but when it did, the sense of immersion I had in this dream-like world would really take a hit. Speaking of immersion, the 3D was really pointless. Tried it for a bit and turned it off when it was not necessary for the gameplay at all. But it definitely is not a game breaker and can be played 100% fine without any 3D malarkey. Also the camera can be a bit awkward to deal with at times. Sometimes I had to do first person view just to re-orientate myself. Thankfully, this was never in any particularly stressful parts so again inconvenient but not enough to make you switch the game off. Overall, while there are certainly better ports of Rayman 2 out there, if you just want to experience a really solid platformer then this version mostly does the job especially if you want to play on the go.
Re: Games Completed 2023
October 15th: Raging Blitz (PC)
October 27th: Street Fighter III: The New Generation (DC)
I got a clear on Easy to test the difficulty of this really fun doujin shoot 'em up, mainly for testing and helping the dev, but I enjoyed it a lot as well.
Then last Friday I defeated Gill in the original version of SFIII while testing my mint new copy of Street Fighter III: Double Impact on the Dreamcast, having found a nice cheese tactic to take him down. If he survives past round 2, you're as good as done for, as he will use RESURRECTION!
October 27th: Street Fighter III: The New Generation (DC)
I got a clear on Easy to test the difficulty of this really fun doujin shoot 'em up, mainly for testing and helping the dev, but I enjoyed it a lot as well.
Then last Friday I defeated Gill in the original version of SFIII while testing my mint new copy of Street Fighter III: Double Impact on the Dreamcast, having found a nice cheese tactic to take him down. If he survives past round 2, you're as good as done for, as he will use RESURRECTION!
Re: Games Completed 2023
NOV - EA UFC 5 (Xbox)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
AUG - Return To Monkey Island (Android)
AUG - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA on Switch)
SEP - The Room Two (Android)
SEP - 64th Street: A Detective Story (Arcade on Evercade)
SEP - WarioWare Inc. (GBA on Switch)
SEP - The Room Three (Android)
OCT - Castlevania Bloodlines (Megadrive on Switch)
OCT - Alien Storm (Megadrive on Switch)
OCT - Kirby Dream Land (Gameboy on Switch)
OCT - Professor Layton and the Lost Future (DS)
OCT - Donut County (Android)
OCT - TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (Android)
OCT - 80 Days (Android)
OCT - Red Dead Redemption 2 - 100% (Xbox)
OCT - Flashback (Megadrive on Evercade)
I used the fairly generous ten hour trial to create a fighter in career mode and take them to world champion. The game is more or less identical to UFC 4 from what I remember of playing that, and whilst I do enjoy these games I much prefer the Fight Night series, with no rolling around on the floor for minutes at a time which can be frustrating and tedious. I feel like this series has never managed to get the floor game aspect of MMA to be interesting to play, and I'll always avoid it wherever I can. This doesn't work when you're fighting someone who tries to take you down every chance they get, but it's a fun enough game which allowed me all I needed to play within its trial.
Re: Games Completed 2023
NOV - Cyberpunk 2077 (Xbox)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
AUG - Return To Monkey Island (Android)
AUG - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA on Switch)
SEP - The Room Two (Android)
SEP - 64th Street: A Detective Story (Arcade on Evercade)
SEP - WarioWare Inc. (GBA on Switch)
SEP - The Room Three (Android)
OCT - Castlevania Bloodlines (Megadrive on Switch)
OCT - Alien Storm (Megadrive on Switch)
OCT - Kirby Dream Land (Gameboy on Switch)
OCT - Professor Layton and the Lost Future (DS)
OCT - Donut County (Android)
OCT - TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (Android)
OCT - 80 Days (Android)
OCT - Red Dead Redemption 2 - 100% (Xbox)
OCT - Flashback (Megadrive on Evercade)
NOV - EA UFC 5 (Xbox)
I enjoyed this. Played 90% of the game pre-2.0 patch and still had a blast with it. I must admit I struggled to follow some of the plot beyond having Silverhand in my head and wanting to get him out, but a lot of the side stories were interesting. I got the ending I wanted, with who I wanted. I left enough still to do to warrant a decent second playthrough in a couple of years too - maybe when the inevitable next-next gen patch is released! I liked the end credits too - I'm bad for normally skipping credits but stayed all the way through these. Feel quite melancholic watching the ending, not sure why, can't put my finger on it, but it's a good game.
Re: Games Completed 2023
Spider-Man 2
Of the few PS5 exclusives we’ve had this would have to be my favourite so far but that’s not to say i thought it was brilliant as to me it just felt like more of the same, but when that same was so good to begin with that’s no bad thing. The combat I find to be fantastic fun and I never got bored of it, as is traversing New York. The story kept me thoroughly engaged with some great emotional beats towards the end.
What makes me say it’s not amazing though? Well I thought the side missions were still repetitive like the first game and the bosses were overall quite poor, they looked fantastic in terms of spectacle but they all boiled down to each one having similar moves and those moves wouldn’t change between phases, it would just be that their health would replenish and you go again. Some of them had far too many phases too. Overall though had a good time. 8/10
Of the few PS5 exclusives we’ve had this would have to be my favourite so far but that’s not to say i thought it was brilliant as to me it just felt like more of the same, but when that same was so good to begin with that’s no bad thing. The combat I find to be fantastic fun and I never got bored of it, as is traversing New York. The story kept me thoroughly engaged with some great emotional beats towards the end.
What makes me say it’s not amazing though? Well I thought the side missions were still repetitive like the first game and the bosses were overall quite poor, they looked fantastic in terms of spectacle but they all boiled down to each one having similar moves and those moves wouldn’t change between phases, it would just be that their health would replenish and you go again. Some of them had far too many phases too. Overall though had a good time. 8/10
- Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 584
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
Will save my proper thoughts for the podcast but overall, really liked it. Some of the best storytelling and characterisation in the entire series with some lovely QOL improvements and high quality minigames. Easily within the top 3 of the series for me. Great way to end the "traditional" era of Yakuza gameplay.
- Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
(Jan) Death's Door - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Xbox 360
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Sept) Vampire Survivors(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Control: Foundation/AWE dlc - Series X.
(Sept) Control(1000GS) - Series X.
(Oct) RE4: Seperate Ways dlc - Series X.
(Oct) DOOM(1993) - Series X.
(Oct) Need for Speed Heat - Series X.
(Oct) Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X.
(Oct) Fort Solis - PS5.
(Oct) Quake II(1000GS) - Series X.
(Nov) Halo 3 ODST(HMCC) - Series X.
(Nov) Alan Wake II(1000GS) - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Xbox 360
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Sept) Vampire Survivors(1000GS) - Series X.
(Sept) Control: Foundation/AWE dlc - Series X.
(Sept) Control(1000GS) - Series X.
(Oct) RE4: Seperate Ways dlc - Series X.
(Oct) DOOM(1993) - Series X.
(Oct) Need for Speed Heat - Series X.
(Oct) Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X.
(Oct) Fort Solis - PS5.
(Oct) Quake II(1000GS) - Series X.
(Nov) Halo 3 ODST(HMCC) - Series X.
(Nov) Alan Wake II(1000GS) - Series X.
Re: Games Completed 2023
How was Alan Wake 2?
- Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
Loved it Kurt, im a big admirer of Remedy anyway(Alan Wake is one of my all time favourite games) but they've really knocked it out of the park with Alan Wake 2. Its oozes quality, the soundtrack, acting, story. It looks, plays & sounds amazing. Just love the Twin Peaks/Stranger Things vibe they've got going on in the Alan Wake universe. Highly recommend it to anyone with a similar tastes as this. From the games ive completed its definitely Game of the Year for me.
Re: Games Completed 2023
Cool, I thin I will get it, maybe this weekend. The only slight thing putting me off has been hearing it's much scarier than the first game.Indiana747 wrote: ↑November 8th, 2023, 11:28 am Loved it Kurt, im a big admirer of Remedy anyway(Alan Wake is one of my all time favourite games) but they've really knocked it out of the park with Alan Wake 2. Its oozes quality, the soundtrack, acting, story. It looks, plays & sounds amazing. Just love the Twin Peaks/Stranger Things vibe they've got going on in the Alan Wake universe. Highly recommend it to anyone with a similar tastes as this. From the games ive completed its definitely Game of the Year for me.
- Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
I didnt find it scary, its grusome in parts, sound design sets up a lot of the tension & the main bad guy is quite malevolent. Id say its more sinister than scary.
- duskvstweak
- Member
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
- Location: North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Completed 2023
Hades
Inscryption
Diablo
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Dark Alliance was sort of brutal on single player, mainly during the boss fights. But it was a ton of fun having a PS2 game I hadn't played, sent me back a bit. I'll probably skip out on the sequel and wouldn't really recommend the first, but it won vibe points.
Inscryption
Diablo
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Dark Alliance was sort of brutal on single player, mainly during the boss fights. But it was a ton of fun having a PS2 game I hadn't played, sent me back a bit. I'll probably skip out on the sequel and wouldn't really recommend the first, but it won vibe points.
- Tolkientaters
- Member
- Posts: 141
- Joined: April 22nd, 2021, 10:39 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
Re: Games Completed 2023
Unfortunately I do think it goes a bit overboard with the jumpscares.Indiana747 wrote: ↑November 9th, 2023, 1:23 am I didnt find it scary, its grusome in parts, sound design sets up a lot of the tension & the main bad guy is quite malevolent. Id say its more sinister than scary.
- Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
They didnt annoy me, i dont think i was surprised once, although tbf i dont think any piece of media( movies, games, tv etc) has scared me since i was 14 & watched The Exorcist & thats 36 years ago. I actually get a bit jealous of people who can get so engrossed in something that they could be scared at any moment cause they're so tense & on edge.
Re: Games Completed 2023
Put about 4 hours into it and I've been ok with everything scare wise, some very creepy stuff but the jump scares surprisingly haven't got me.
Re: Games Completed 2023
NOV - Metal Gear Solid (Switch)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
AUG - Return To Monkey Island (Android)
AUG - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA on Switch)
SEP - The Room Two (Android)
SEP - 64th Street: A Detective Story (Arcade on Evercade)
SEP - WarioWare Inc. (GBA on Switch)
SEP - The Room Three (Android)
OCT - Castlevania Bloodlines (Megadrive on Switch)
OCT - Alien Storm (Megadrive on Switch)
OCT - Kirby Dream Land (Gameboy on Switch)
OCT - Professor Layton and the Lost Future (DS)
OCT - Donut County (Android)
OCT - TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (Android)
OCT - 80 Days (Android)
OCT - Red Dead Redemption 2 - 100% (Xbox)
OCT - Flashback (Megadrive on Evercade)
NOV - EA UFC 5 (Xbox)
NOV - Cyberpunk 2077 (Xbox)
There's not much to say about this game that hasn't been said before. I completed it countless times back on PS1 and again a few years back when I went through the whole series. So performance-wise then, this is fine. It's a straight up port of the PS1 original, for better or for worse. The only changes are a few instances where dialogue has been changed to reflect the Switch controller and these, as you might expect, have not been voiced. It is odd then the voices suddenly stop halfway through a conversation and then start back up again, but it doesn't do anything to detract from the game. Despite having finished this many times before I did need to look up a guide for the final boss, Metal Gear Rex. Totally forgot you could use chaff grenades to mess with his homing missiles.
Metal Gear Solid remains an all time classic. It runs fine on Switch and I'm looking forward to playing two and three in all their 30fps glory. I only ever played them before as part of the Vita collection where they also ran at 30fps, so ignoring all the internet folk crying over it not being 60fps. Metal Gear Solid is certainly more 'gamey' that its successors, there's almost an arcade feel to it in places where there is no option for stealth (particularly ascending the tower to get to the walkway) and the way rooms repopulate with enemies as soon as you leave and re-enter them. But all this aside, it's still an incredibly atmospheric and immersive game, and has held up better than a lot of its contemporaries.
Just listening to the Cane and Rinse show now back from 2012. Nice to hear James and Tony on the show - more of this, please! I've moved on to Baldurs Gate now on the Switch but intend to give the original Metal Gear's 1 and 2 a good go afterwards as I've never played 2 and didn't get far in to 1 when I played them back on Vita (as they were included as part of MGS3).
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
This game’s been sitting unfinished for me since…. 2010 possibly. The praise around AW2 has motivated me to give this and Control a go before I try it, since they’re both on PS Plus. I love the setting and tone of this game, a good balance of mystery, spookiness and just the right amount of cheesiness and humour. The atmosphere is great, and the fog covered trees and flares look fantastic.
Gameplay is ok, but I quickly got bored of it. It’s very samey and not particularly satisfying. The story does help carry it as there are some memorable moments and the allure of solving the mystery. Overall I enjoyed it, but I think it could be improved in the execution. I can understand why it’s taken me this long to finish it. I’m hoping for a little more in Control and AW2.