Not sure if this counts as a "completed game", because I don't have a gaming PC and after playing for thirty minutes or so on the lowest graphical setting possible, the performance on my elderly laptop was sadly too laggy and buggy, and I had to switch to watching a playthrough rather than playing it myself, but... I purchased "Devotion" because I love horror fiction and I wanted to support the developers.

So obviously watching a horror game is a very different experience to playing it, so you can probably disregard this entire review, but with that in mind: it's a cool interesting game with "PT" or "Visage" vibes. It sometimes relies on cheap, boring jump scares designed for game streamers wanting to record themselves obnoxiously overreacting (a curse afflicting so many horror games), and sometimes it tries too hard (nb: scary dolls aren't scary when you purposefully make them so creepy looking that they cross the line from "that terrifying possessed 'X-Files' doll" to "hilarious Chucky doll). BUT the eighties Taiwanese setting is really fascinating, and the incorporation of Taiwanese folklore and culture is really cool. The game also doesn't overstay its welcome, being a tight two hours or so and lacking bloat. At its best, it mirrors something like "PT" - the use of juddery old sound recordings and the claustrophobia of being confined in a tiny, incomprehensible space, reminded me a lot of that game.

What made me sad was that it was clear the devs put a lot of thought and love into the story, but now the game is mainly remembered for the controversy surrounding its release. It's a polished, interesting point and click horror story that incorporates some effective spooks with some heartstring-tugging tragedy. I recommend turning all your lights off, putting your headphones on, and spending a creepy evening in "Devotion"'s company.

My wife and I just played through this and had a great time. When was the last time we got a game set in a 1980's Taiwanese family home? A real treat. Made me think how much I'd enjoy a full "game" of just exploring homes rendered in immaculate detail from around the world throughout different time periods.

So, since I last posted I finished Persona 5 Strikers, really fun game and a decent follow up. I also completed Root Double: Before Crime * After Days Xtend Edition, which is a pretty fun mind bendy sort of visual novel. Would definitely recommend both.

January 15th - Spiderman (PS4)
January 17th - Labo VR goggles and camera (Switch)


Couple of updates...


March 19th - Labo VR blaster (Switch)


Really cool build. Very satisfying to lock and load, like a pump shotgun. Or at least what I presume a pump shotgun locks and loads like.

Can see it lasting a lot less time than the other builds given the wear and tear of it firing so much. Already a bit rough round the edges.

And that's a bit of a shame as the main game that comes with it and side experiments are probably the best Labo experiences I've come across.

The shooting game is an on rails trek through a city being invaded by aliens and has remarkable depth. You can play the same level many times and still miss things, with some enemies only gettable for a split second. And the end of level boss is up there with the scale of a Bayonetta battle.

It's made me massively want a Time Crisis VR game.


March 19th - Bowser's Fury (Switch)


I think I'm Mario-d out after playing 3D All-stars, 3D World and now this with the kids back to back.

I didn't hate it or anything, but I just couldn't really feel any enthusiasm for it. I don't get the hugely positive reviews myself, as the mechanic of Bowser attacking doesn't add much in my eyes. The platforming didn't have the joy of Odyssey.

The cat theme is charming and having a big world to explore is interesting, but yeah... got the credits rolling and have 62 Cat shines out of 100. Will pick the others up down the line maybe, but honestly not feeling the love everyone else seems to be...

Spoiler: show

Fallout: New Vegas
Halo 3: ODST
Halo 4
Cyber Shadow
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
What Remains of Edith Finch

Slow year so far for me, with Civ VI, Animal Crossing and Tetris 99 taking up my normal game time. But I played through What Remains of Edith Finch the other night. It's very good with a lot of weird stories, but some of them made me a bit uncomfortable to play

Spoiler: show

bathtub

. And one Gamepass, it's an easy recommendation. I'm still using the $1 subscription for three months I signed up for!

Yeah the Bathtub section was the one that affected me the most. I really enjoyed the swing section though, from a controls point of view. The comic book section was a delight as well.

The Simpsons Arcade - No Death

After my appearance on the recent podcast, it felt only right to try and put a bit of time into the clear.

Loads of fun and made me think about doing it live and maybe with some other characters.

Outer Wilds

Wow. Time to post in the podcast thread for this issue!

Spoiler: show

Fallout: New Vegas
Halo 3: ODST
Halo 4
Cyber Shadow
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
What Remains of Edith Finch
Call of the Sea

Finished Call of the Sea last night, on Gamepass for PC. I don't play tons of puzzle games like this. I was feeling pretty good at the beginning, but then I hit a puzzle I just could not solve. I went to bed angry. Twenty minutes later, trying to fall asleep, my brain yells, "I GOT IT!" Next day, turned out my brain was right, just needed to let it work subconsciously. Same night, hit another puzzle that had me ready to quit, but I had a crazy eureka moment and then I was just a chapter from finishing the game...

It's a good game! Cool story with a Lovecraftian vibe in an original setting, pretty graphics and the puzzles are more Portal than Myst. I'd play another game by the creators. On Gamepass, it's an easy recommendation.

Actually, besides me finishing up my New Vegas playthrough at the beginning of the year, 2021 has been exclusively me using the Gamepass sub. My $1 trial ends in two weeks, but I think that's enough time to play the often-backlogged Titanfall 2 that just got added...

Finish #9 - Final Fantasy 9

Love this game, and the themes still resonate.
It's my favourite FF game, and Vivi's story is still my favourite, though I had forgotten how much Zidane's resonates with Vivi's in the story.
Bittersweet that it's over, because I was really enjoying replaying it.

Cannot recommend it enough as a first FF game for someone who isn't familiar with the series and/or JRPGs.

duskvstweak wrote: ↑March 23rd, 2021, 6:58 pm I think that's enough time to play the often-backlogged Titanfall 2 that just got added...

YES Titanfall 2 is amazing! It's a breezy campaign so you should have more than enough time, and the multiplayer might be getting some action as well (and, speaking as someone who never plays multiplayer modes, it is very fun)

9. Mafia Definitive Edition
I decided to take a break from Yakuza LAD as it was frustrating me (as outlined a couple of weeks ago in 'What You've Been Playing') and wanted something that would be pretty simple to play through in a short space of time and Mafia really hit the spot. Despite technically being an open world game, the open world is just a set dressing for the campaign as there isn't anything really to do in Empire City other than collect collectibles. But my, what an open world it is. There is so much detail everywhere which provides a perfect sense of place of 1930s America. There is lots of references to actual real world events back then which was cool. It's also absolutely stunning to look at, this might be controversial but I think it is the best looking game of last gen, made even better on Series X. It's at least on par with Red Dead 2 and TLOU2 in my opinion.

The story is pretty good mobster stuff too with good writing and characters. My only complaints with the game were some checkpointing issues which left me frustrated in the more difficult missions and the shooting felt imprecise, there were a few occasions where my reticule would be aimed on an enemy body part behind cover but it wouldn't register a hit when I shot them, it seems as though the fact they were behind cover basically made them unshootable which I thought was pretty bad. Otherwise, highly recommended.

Truk_Kurt wrote: ↑March 24th, 2021, 9:50 am ...there were a few occasions where my reticule would be aimed on an enemy body part behind cover but it wouldn't register a hit when I shot them, it seems as though the fact they were behind cover basically made them unshootable which I thought was pretty bad. Otherwise, highly recommended.

Do you mean you aimed at a body part that wasn't behind cover? Because otherwise, that's how all cover shooters work, isn't it? You can't shoot something that's behind cover.

Yeah I'm definitely going to play this at some point though, I really enjoyed the original on PC back in the day (even playing it before the patch where they made the race car mission more manageable!)

OneCreditBen wrote: ↑March 22nd, 2021, 9:14 am

The Simpsons Arcade - No Death

After my appearance on the recent podcast, it felt only right to try and put a bit of time into the clear.

Loads of fun and made me think about doing it live and maybe with some other characters.

You just made my wallet ache over how many quarters I must have put into that game in the past.

Shame to hear about Yakuza LAD. It sounds like a story and cast of characters I'd love to experience but I'm not down for the grind. I've never played a Final Fantasy game even so this would be a bit new to me to begin with.

Or maybe it will be another one of those open world games where I resolve to just smash through the main quest, end up falling in love with it and just rinse everything. Although nowadays unless I'm playing on the Switch games like that will probably take me a year to get through!

Jon Cheetham wrote: ↑March 25th, 2021, 3:10 am Shame to hear about Yakuza LAD. It sounds like a story and cast of characters I'd love to experience but I'm not down for the grind. I've never played a Final Fantasy game even so this would be a bit new to me to begin with.

Or maybe it will be another one of those open world games where I resolve to just smash through the main quest, end up falling in love with it and just rinse everything. Although nowadays unless I'm playing on the Switch games like that will probably take me a year to get through!

Yeah the story and characters are great but I'm not used to the grind. I would still recommend the other Yakuza games to you though.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑March 24th, 2021, 7:46 pm

Truk_Kurt wrote: ↑March 24th, 2021, 9:50 am ...there were a few occasions where my reticule would be aimed on an enemy body part behind cover but it wouldn't register a hit when I shot them, it seems as though the fact they were behind cover basically made them unshootable which I thought was pretty bad. Otherwise, highly recommended.

Do you mean you aimed at a body part that wasn't behind cover? Because otherwise, that's how all cover shooters work, isn't it? You can't shoot something that's behind cover.

Yeah I'm definitely going to play this at some point though, I really enjoyed the original on PC back in the day (even playing it before the patch where they made the race car mission more manageable!)

No, so a little bit of their body part would be jutting out, like their arm or something, so I would shoot it but it wouldn't register.

Truk_Kurt wrote: ↑March 25th, 2021, 9:47 am Yeah the story and characters are great but I'm not used to the grind. I would still recommend the other Yakuza games to you though.

It's a shame as this seemed like a good "fresh start" or foot in the door as I understand the others very much form a long soap opera. Perhaps I'll go for 0 instead.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑January 1st, 2021, 1:25 pmJAN - 80 Days (Android)
JAN - What Remains Of Edith Finch (PS4)
JAN - Judgment (PS4)
JAN - Donut County (Android)
FEB - Gorogoa (Android)
FEB - Horace (Switch)
FEB - Castlevania (NES on Switch)
FEB - Akumajō Dracula (Famicom on Switch)

MAR - Pinball FX3: Back To The Future (Switch)

I recently purchased the Universal Classics table pack (also includes Jaws and ET) for about £4, and have truly Cane and Rinsed this table over the last few days. Just cleared the final challenge (1 ball) meaning the table is now complete! As far as FX3 tables go, this is absolutely brilliant. Really quite a deep and complex table. You've got lots of different movie settings, time travel, all with different objectives. There's a lot to learn on the table, but it's totally worth it. Some really nice ramp placements, three different multi-ball opportunities, all of which can be active at once, meaning it's possible to have up to 8 balls on the table in play! Absolute chaos! This might actually be my favourite table so far, and although I've cleared the challenges, I'll be playing it for a while. It's a really fun table.

Oh, by the way stvnorman - you might wanna check those high scores and get to work reclaiming them

Incidentally, Pinball FX have just announced their next upgrade. From later in the year, the game will now be dropping the numbered upgrades and simply be known as Pinball FX. They're introducing battle royale mode and a host of new features, plus it's shinier. Unfortunately, as with all of the upgrade versions, we are losing a bunch of tables. They've already said The Walking Dead (one of my favourites) and Portal will not be available in the new game, which is a shame. Still, FX3 will still be playable - I even still boot up FX2 from time to time to play the old South Park and Street Fighter 2 tables.

Jon Cheetham wrote: ↑March 24th, 2021, 2:20 am

duskvstweak wrote: ↑March 23rd, 2021, 6:58 pm I think that's enough time to play the often-backlogged Titanfall 2 that just got added...

YES Titanfall 2 is amazing! It's a breezy campaign so you should have more than enough time, and the multiplayer might be getting some action as well (and, speaking as someone who never plays multiplayer modes, it is very fun)

Titanfall 2 is legit great, and I'm not even really a fan of those types of games.

It's really, really fun.