What games did you complete? 2021 Edition

[Gambit]

04/11/21 - Mafia: Definitive Edition

 

If you're judging an open world on the amount of content then I can see why the world of Mafia (and its sequel to be fair) would disapoint. But if you want a world filled with atmosphere, style and a brilliant story to sink your teeth into, then nobody does it quite like Mafia. While the likes of GTA are like the rowdy assholes at a party shouting how cool it is to play as a complete scumbag, Mafia understands its Scorcese trappings and knows that more often than not, the life of crime always comes back and bites you.

 

Gameplay wise it's a little shonky. Had to restart a few times because the game bugged out, which is why despite my priase the score I'm giving it may seem on the low side. But I think the fact that I still went back when other games I may have just thrown in the bin says something. Wonderfully acted, looks great and I really hope Hangar 13 get to continue this series. Though just yesterday news came out that the company behind the series is in quite a bit of trouble financially, so I'm not holding out hope.

 

6/10

 

Spoiler

January

10/01 - Spiderman: Miles Morales

23/01 - Yakuza Like A Dragon

 

February

14/02 - Concrete Genie

18/02 - Mega Man 11

21/02 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered

 

March

21/03 - Persona 5: Strikers

31/03 - Mega Man X

 

April

17/04 - Mega Man X4

24/04 - Mega Man Zero

 

May

04/05 - New Super Lucky's Tale

20/05 - Cosmic Top Secret

23/05 - Mass Effect

 

June

07/06 - Mass Effect 2

19/06 - Final Fantasy VII: Remake

 

July

02/07 - Mass Effect 3

04/07 - Astro's Playroom

14/07 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

18/07 - Catherine: Full Body

 

September

11/09 - Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury

 

October

09/10 - Lost Judgment

17/10 - Metroid Dread

27/10 - Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Prehistoric Isle 2 - 1cc

 

Spoiler

Solid State Survivor - 1cc, TLB (10)

Dangun Feveron - Fever arrange 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - 1cc Normal (10)

Aleste - 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - 1cc (10)

GG Aleste - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste 2 - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste - Special mode 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - Hard 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - Special mode 1cc (10)

Natsuki Chronicles - 1cc Arcade, Normal (10)

G-Darius HD - 1cc, Lambda route (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange 1cc (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange hard 1cc (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Original single (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Void arrange (10)

Assault Shell - 2-all (10)

Barrage Fantasia - 1cc Normal (7)

Barrage Fantasia - Advanced 1cc (10)

Patriot Dark - Normal 1cc (10)

Zenodyne R - 1cc Normal (10)

Zenohell - 1cc Normal (10)

Sengoku Youkai Daikassen - 1cc (10)

Maho Shoe - 1cc (10)

Hishou Ayu - 1cc, Normal (10)

Alien Death Mob - All stars (10)

Wolflame - Normal 1cc (10)

东方栖霞园 ~ Blue devil in the Belvedere - Normal 1cc (Sakuya) (10)

Gun-Nac - 1cc, normal (10)

Bike Banditz - 1cc, Normal (10)

Redneg 3Stars - Normal 1cc (10)

Winged Gear - 1cc, Normal (8)

Redneg Allstars - 1cc, normal (10)

Galactic Refugees - Hard 1cc (6)

XCUTE(me) - 1cc (2-5), Normal (10)

Satazius - Normal 1cc (10)

Espgaluda - 1cc

Touhou Kikamu ~ Elegant Impermanence of Sakura - Normal 1cc

Super Glitter Rush - All stars

Rangok Skies - 1cc (all characters)

Schildmaid MX Beta - Krieger 1cc

Donpachi - 1cc

Battle Garegga - Premium mode 1cc

Ketsui Deathtiny - Deathtiny mode 1cc

Star Hunter DX - Bounty Hunter 1cc, Luna

Evorales - Arcade, Normal 1cc

Zakesta - 1cc

Blaynix - Normal 1cc

Techbeat Heart - S+ Rank

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, normal

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, hard

Precious Star - 1cc, Normal

Eclosion. - 1cc, Normal

Blue Wish Desire - Normal 1cc, autoguard on

Klorets - 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Hell, 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Accel, 1cc

Genetos - 1cc, standard

Gleylancer - 1cc, Normal

赤鯱 -Origin's Saga- - Normal, 1cc

Twin Cobra 2 - 1cc

Exzisus - 1cc (2-3)

 

[instasis]

On 21/10/2021 at 17:34, Pelekophoros said:

3/01: Night Slashers (Arcade)

13/02: Ghosts Of Tsushima (PS5)

20/02: Kitty Letter (Android)

21/02: Concrete Genie (PS5)

04/03: Maquette (PS5)

03/04: 198X (PS5)

07/04: Moonwalker (Arcade)

27/04: Apex Legends Season 8 (PS5)

29/04: Call Of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War (PS5)

08/05: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5)

26/06: Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS5)

02/07: Necromunda Hired Hun (PS5)

06/07: Ratchet & Clank 2016 (PS5)

12/07: Warhammer Vermintide II (Xbone)

27/07: The Last Of Us Part 2 (PS5)

13/08: The Last Stop (Xbone)

27/08: Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Switch)

10/09: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1&2 (PS5)

12/09: Donut County (Xbone)

12/09: 12 Minutes (Xbone)

14/09: The Artful Escape (Xbone)

17/09: The Gardens Between (Xbone)

18/09: Superliminal (Xbone)

20/09: Golf With Friends (Xbone)

22/09: Omno (Xbone)

23/09: 64th Street: A Detective Story (Arcade)

24/09: Mutation Nation (Arcade)

25/09: Battle Circuit (Arcade)

26/09: Sack Boy: A Big Adventure (PS5)

06/10: The Touryst (PS5)

17/10: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (Arcade)

21/10: Disco Elysium (PS5)

 

4/11: Unpacking (Xbone)

 

 

Probably the best OCD simulator crossed with creepy house stalking explorer sim I've ever played.

 

[Unofficial Who]

Nov

 

15/11 Fist II:the Tournament (C64) The bonus game on side B of Fist II this is a reskinned version of The Way of The Exploding Fist with energy instead of points. It does mean you can be a little cheap by staying away from your opponent until the clock runs down after getting a few kicks in but it's easier to get behind your opponent and use the reverse kick to quickly dispatch them. There's no real end to this sort of game but I'm counting getting to 10th Dan here as a sort of completion.

 

 

14/11 Day of the Tentacle:Remastered (PC) I kept bouncing off this, first in the late 90's. I was heartbroken it wasn't coming to the Amiga and then just couldn't get it running well from the DOS CD's I bought later. Then with the re-release I just couldn't get on with the section set in the 1700's. I tried again a few years back but got distracted with the version of Maniac Mansion hidden in it and completed that instead. Tried again this year and having listened to Hamilton dozens of times the section in the 1700's suddenly made sense . It's a neat game involving time travel set in a smaller version of the mansion from the last game over three time periods, many of the puzzles involving moving objects back and forth. It suffers from the somewhat stilted speech that all early LucasArts games suffer from throwing the timing of some of the jokes off and some of the puzzles are a little too abstract. Good stuff. I love that there were in jokes about how awful the Maniac Mansion tv show was too. It still holds up, play this instead of 12 Minutes.

 

 

13/11 The Sacred Armour of Antiriad (C64) The prettiest C64 game and probably the shortest Metroidvania game in existence where Tal, a human from centuries after a nuclear war has to steal pre fall technology to defeat alien overlords. I'm getting old so it took me over ten minutes to complete. If you're looking for a pretty game to speed run or a small Metroid style game I can recommend this highly.

 

 

9/11 River City Girls (PC) I bounced off this retro style brawler last year due to the weird 8 bit map but gave it another shot and discovered an in game map that stopped me getting lost. After that I really got into this massive and lovely looking pixel brawler. Just like brawlers of old you hit the streets punching everyone in order to find your missing boyfriends. It's tropey and repetitive but how can you hate a game that allows you to fight swinging a fish or even better using your opponents as a weapon?

 

And the art by Wayforward is as always fantastic.

 

 

6/11 Unpacking (PC) Possibly too expensive for what it offers but as GamePass fare this was incredibly satisfying for someone who has moved house a lot. It's got a very clever way of telling a story without any dialogue, just unpacking boxes and putting things in their right place. The pixel graphics are lovely, the objects snap into place in a very satisfying fashion and it was great to see a game about moving where the objects seemed familiar. (Loved the Gamecube that seemed to stick around for the longest time.) There's a great replay feature there you can see your efforts as a time lapse animation.

 

 

It's very much a marmite game, there's a thread here. Half the people who've played it have loved it, the other half think it's complete rubbish. It's perfect Gamepass fodder, it's like Donut Country all over again!

 

Previously played

 

Spoiler

75. 31/10 Lost Words : Beyond the page (PC)

74. 28/10 Murder by Numbers (PC)

73. 26/10 World Games (C64)

72. 23/10 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC) 

71. 21/10 Eastshade (PC)

70. 18/10 Super Cycle (C64)

69. 16/10 Concrete Genie (PS4)

68. 10/10 Life is Strange 2 (PC)

67. 09/10 Psychonauts 2 (PC)

66. 09/10 Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft (PC)

65. 06/10 Fantasy (PC/Arcade)

64. 02/10 Get in the Car, Loser! (PC) (plus Battle on the Big Broadwalk DLC) 

63. 19/09 Superliminal (PC)

62. 18/09 The Artful Escape (PC) 

61. 13/09 Mass Effect 3:Legendary Edition (PS4)

60. 11/09 Boyfriend Dungeon (PC)

59. 29/08 Alpaca Stacka (PC)

58. 24/08 Mass Effect 2:Legendary Edition (PS4)

57. 22/08 Last Stop (PC)

56. 14/08 Omno (PC)

55. 03/08 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5)

54. 25/07 Mass Effect:Legendary Edition (PS4)

53. 20/07 Law of the West (C64)

52. 18/07 The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (PC)

51. 17/07 Ikenfell (PC)

50. 08/07 Final Fantasy 7 Remake INTERmission (PS5)

49. 03/07 Deus Ex Machina Game of the Year 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition (PC)

48. 27/06 Answer Knot (PC) 

47. 26/06 1944 : the Loop Master (PC/Arcade)

46. 22/06 Commando (C64)

45. 21/06 GigaWing (PC/Arcade)

44. 19/06 19XX: The War Against Destiny (PC/Arcade)

43. 19/06 Warriors of Fate (PC/Arcade)

42. 18/06 Varth: Operation Thunderstorm (PC/Arcade)

41. 15/06 Carrier Air Wing (PC/Arcade)

40. 14/06 Senjō no Ōkami II (PC/Arcade) 

39. 14/06 1941:Counter Attack (PC/Arcade)

38. 14/06 Forgotten Worlds (PC/Arcade) 

37. 12/06 West of Dead (PC) 

36. 11/06 Raid Over Moscow (C64)

35. 09/06 Section Z (PC/Arcade)

34. 06/05 God of War (PS4)

33. 05/05 Ghostbusters (C64)

32.01/06 Beach Head (C64)

31. 30/05 Depanneur Nocturne (PC)

30. 30/05 Commando (PC/Arcade)

29. 30/05 1942 (PC/Arcade)

28. 30/05 Bionic Commando (PC/Arcade)

27. 29/05 If Found...(PC) 

26. 24/05 Final Fight (PC/Arcade)

25. 22/05 Sunset Overdrive (PC) 

24. 11/05 Batalyx (C64)

23. 09/05 Call of the Sea (PC)

22. 25/04 Carto (PC)

21. 24/04 The Little Acre (PC)

20. 24/04 Yorkshire Gubbins (PC) 

19. 22/04 Control:Ultimate Edition (PC) 

18. 20/04 Rain on Your Parade (PC) 

17. 02/04 Summer Games 2 (C64)

16. 16/03 Beach Head 2:The Dictator Strikes Back (C64)

15. 13/03 Assassin's Creed Chronicles:India (PS4)

14. 07/03 Alvastia Chronicles (PC)

13. 27/02 Oxenfree (PC)

12. 26/02 Assassin's Creed Chronicles:China (PS4)

11. 11/02 Beyond a Steel Sky (PC) 

10. 02/02 Stories Untold (PC)

9. 31/01 Katamari Damacy Reroll (PC)

8. 28/01 2020 Game (Browser)

7. 26/01 Observation (PC)

6. 25/01 Hades (PC)

5. 23/01 Donut County (PC)

4. 17/01 The Touryst (PC) 

3. 13/01 My Friend Pedro (PC)

2. 03/01 Tell Me Why (PC)

1. 01/01 Tales from Off Peak City : Vol 1 (PC)

 

Abandoned

Katana Zero (PC)

Assassin's Creed Chronicles:Russia (PS4)

The Medium (PC) 

The Ascent (PC)

12 Minutes (PC)

 

[peeveen]

Trials Of The Blood Dragon

With this completion, I have 100% gamerscore in all xbox Trials games! Yay.

I saw some very scathing reviews of this when it came out, so I was initially going to give it a miss, but I'm glad I didn't.

It mucks around with the usual Trials formula a fair bit. Purists need not apply, as some of the 27 levels involve a minecart (no suspension, wobbly wheels, prone to random flipping), some have a big 8-wheeler armoured car, and some don't even have a vehicle at all, asking you to manoeuvre a ilttle dude around some platforming levels. Add machine guns and grappling hooks (controlled with the right stick) into the mix, and it's a bit of a madhouse ... but I really enjoyed it! 8/10

 

Spoiler

01/01/2021 - Syberia

07/01/2021 - Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

11/01/2021 - Fe

13/01/2021 - The Touryst

19/01/2021 - The Gardens Between

22/01/2021 - Donut County

22/01/2021 - Virginia

23/01/2021 - The Witness

08/02/2021 - Trials Fusion

14/03/2021 - Death Squared

08/04/2021 - The Medium

19/04/2021 - Control: Ultimate Edition

30/04/2021 - New Super Lucky's Tale

01/05/2021 - Kameo: Elements Of Power

08/05/2021 - Gravel

15/06/2021 - Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2

26/06/2021 - Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

06/07/2021 - Lara Croft & The Temple Of Osiris

16/07/2021 - R-Type Final 2

03/08/2021 - A Plague Tale: Innocence

07/08/2021 - Resident Evil 2

14/08/2021 - Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled

30/08/2021 - Omno

15/10/2021 - Twelve Minutes

16/10/2021 - Limbo

17/10/2021 - The Procession To Calvary

18/10/2021 - Streets Of Rage 4

22/10/2021 - Psychonauts 2

26/10/2021 - Manifold Garden

06/11/2021 - Trials Of The Blood Dragon

17/11/2021 - Forza Horizon 4

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Schildmaid MX - Krieger, 1cc

 

Spoiler

Solid State Survivor - 1cc, TLB (10)

Dangun Feveron - Fever arrange 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - 1cc Normal (10)

Aleste - 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - 1cc (10)

GG Aleste - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste 2 - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste - Special mode 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - Hard 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - Special mode 1cc (10)

Natsuki Chronicles - 1cc Arcade, Normal (10)

G-Darius HD - 1cc, Lambda route (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange 1cc (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange hard 1cc (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Original single (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Void arrange (10)

Assault Shell - 2-all (10)

Barrage Fantasia - 1cc Normal (7)

Barrage Fantasia - Advanced 1cc (10)

Patriot Dark - Normal 1cc (10)

Zenodyne R - 1cc Normal (10)

Zenohell - 1cc Normal (10)

Sengoku Youkai Daikassen - 1cc (10)

Maho Shoe - 1cc (10)

Hishou Ayu - 1cc, Normal (10)

Alien Death Mob - All stars (10)

Wolflame - Normal 1cc (10)

东方栖霞园 ~ Blue devil in the Belvedere - Normal 1cc (Sakuya) (10)

Gun-Nac - 1cc, normal (10)

Bike Banditz - 1cc, Normal (10)

Redneg 3Stars - Normal 1cc (10)

Winged Gear - 1cc, Normal (8)

Redneg Allstars - 1cc, normal (10)

Galactic Refugees - Hard 1cc (6)

XCUTE(me) - 1cc (2-5), Normal (10)

Satazius - Normal 1cc (10)

Espgaluda - 1cc

Touhou Kikamu ~ Elegant Impermanence of Sakura - Normal 1cc

Super Glitter Rush - All stars

Rangok Skies - 1cc (all characters)

Schildmaid MX Beta - Krieger 1cc

Donpachi - 1cc

Battle Garegga - Premium mode 1cc

Ketsui Deathtiny - Deathtiny mode 1cc

Star Hunter DX - Bounty Hunter 1cc, Luna

Evorales - Arcade, Normal 1cc

Zakesta - 1cc

Blaynix - Normal 1cc

Techbeat Heart - S+ Rank

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, normal

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, hard

Precious Star - 1cc, Normal

Eclosion. - 1cc, Normal

Blue Wish Desire - Normal 1cc, autoguard on

Klorets - 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Hell, 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Accel, 1cc

Genetos - 1cc, standard

Gleylancer - 1cc, Normal

赤鯱 -Origin's Saga- - Normal, 1cc

Twin Cobra 2 - 1cc

Exzisus - 1cc (2-3)

Prehistoric Isle 2 - 1cc

 

[Jamie John]

29. Unpacking (2021) - Xbox Series X via Game Pass

 

 

I haven't really got much to add to what others have said already, except to reiterate that this was a thoroughly lovely and genuinely touching experience. The pixel art is wonderful and the sound design is excellent throughout, but its biggest success is the way it tells a complete story with no characters on screen, no action, no dialogue and barely any text whatsoever, all of which I found very, very clever.

 

A complete surprise and a heartwarming four and a half hours. Great stuff.

[Jamie John]

28. Deathloop (2021) - PS5

 

I thought I posted about this, but apparently not. I played this for about sixteen hours and enjoyed myself sporadically throughout, but I also spent a lot of that time feeling confused and underwhelmed. I didn't feel challenged so much as I felt uncertain, and I experienced one bug too many. Ultimately, I thought it was very disappointing and sold it on immediately after finishing it. Overall, I can honestly say I enjoyed Unpacking more.

 

I still don't really get the fervent adulation for Arkane from some quarters. Granted, Dishonored 1 is a great game and was a big surprise when it came out. 2, however, became tedious about half-way through if you played it in a stealthy way (which you were encouraged to do). Prey was good, but also very drawn out. I didn't like it enough to go back for the DLC.

[cassidy]

Game 28 of the year - Lost Judgment (Series X)

 

Well a total playtime of 68hrs and 90.2% complete. 

 

Enjoyed my time with Yagami and friends, and thought the school stories were a great addition with some great to average mini games included in those. 

 

Overall though I think I prefer the story of Judgment over this as it had a lot more to it. 

 

Irrespective of that though I will gladly play another game in the series. 

 

4/5 overall. 

 

 

[Popo]

Metroid Dread (2021)

I love a good Metroidvania and, I’m pleased to say, Dread certainly fits that description. Traversal and combat are very satisfying, upgrades and progress come at a quick pace and the bosses are at once challenging and achievable (once you’ve observed their patterns and figured out how to approach them), which is a fine balance to strike. 
 

Unlike the best in the genre, the game world in Dread gives the impression of player agency, but the truth is the game is almost entirely linear (until the end), which is a disappointment. The EMMI encounters are fine, and a nice break from the usual gameplay loop, but nothing more than a side order to the main game. 
 

Very highly recommended to anyone who likes this style of game. 

 

Spoiler

09/01/2021 - Bloodborne

10/01/2021 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

10/01/2021 - Halo 2: Anniversary

13/01/2021 - Little Nightmares

26/01/2021 - Donut County

27/01/2021 - Astro’s Playroom

06/02/2021 - The Medium

13/02/2021 - Paper Mario: The Origami King

21/02/2021 - Spider-Man: Miles Morales

28/02/2021 - Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury

03/04/2021 - Dark Souls Remastered
03/04/2021 - Halo 3

15/04/2021 - Yakuza 0

08/05/2021 - Final Fantasy VII Remake

15/05/2021 - Resident Evil Zero

22/05/2021 - Blasphemous

29/05/2021 - Limbo

03/06/2021 - Inside

09/06/2021 - Resident Evil VII

19/06/2021 - Super Mario 3D World

28/06/2021 - Resident Evil: Village

03/07/2021 - Sonic CD

11/07/2021 - Sonic the Hedgehog

11/07/2021 - Sonic 2

11/07/2021 - Sonic 3

24/07/2021 - Sonic & Knuckles

25/07/2021 - Firewatch

11/08/2021 - Halo 3: ODST

16/08/2021 - Halo 5: Guardians

12/09/2021 - Halo 4

19/09/2021 - Axiom Verge

06/10/2021 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

07/11/2021 - Metroid Dread

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Forza Horizon 4 - Lego Speed Champions & Fortune Island DLC packs (XB1) - 8.5/10

2. The Gardens Between (XB1 Game Pass) - 8/10

3. Sea of Thieves (XB1) - 10/10

4. The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild (Switch) - 10/10

5. Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch) - 8.5/10

6. Titanfall 2 (XB1) - 9/10

7. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) - 9.5/10

8. Sniper Elite 4 - (XB1 Game Pass) - 8.5/10

9. Journey to the Savage Planet (XB1 Game Pass) - 7.5/10

10. Wolfenstein: The New Order (XB1 Game Pass) - 8/10

11. Hades (Switch) - 9.5/10

12. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) - 9/10

13. Halo 5: Guardians (XB1) - 8.5/10

14. Halo: Reach (XB1 Game Pass) - 8.5/10

15. Bloodroots (XB1 Game Pass) - 6.5/10

16. Psychonauts 2 (XSX Game Pass) - 9/10

17. The Artful Escape (XSX Game Pass) - 9/10

18. The Ascent (XB1/XSX Game Pass) - 6.5/10

19. Marvel's Avengers (XSX Game Pass) - 7/10

20. Assassins Creed Odyssey (XB1/XSX) - 9.5/10

 

21. Unpacking (XSX Game Pass)

 

If you would have told me that I'd spend a very happy 3-4 hours playing a game which essentially mirrors the extreme tedium and stress I suffered on a daily basis earlier this year (I moved house - never doing that again) I'd have told you to 'pack it in' (quite pleased with that pun before 9am on a Monday morning).  Yet we gamers suffer for our hobby.... Until that suffering actually becomes therapeutic.  I have no idea how they have managed to do this, but in Unpacking, what sounds like a dull, pointless exercise becomes quite sweet and definitely scratches many an OCD itch.

 

Click on a cardboard box, check item that appears, place item in correct position somewhere in the house, repeat this over a number of levels that signify different years of life.  Sounds simple because it is - but the way the almost hidden narrative hints at things that happen to the invisible protagonist throughout is very heartwarming.  Sometimes I swear I made an audible "awww" noise when an item from a previous level appeared in a new house, signifying the passing of time and life progressing.

 

The visuals really suit the game - as it's essentially a nostalgia simulator, Unpacking envokes a polished 16 bit feel with some subtle nods to pop culture of times past (for example, my stepdaughter looked very confused when a Game Cube appeared out of one box - something she tried to place under a bed as she thought it was a suitcase.  Oh my sweet summer child). 

 

Just play this - it won't take you long, but despite being so incredibly simple, it somehow manages to tug on the heartstrings and was a lovely way to pass a few hours.

 

Game Pass wins again - not a chance I'd ever have given this a second look if it wasn't on there.

 

8/10

[Gabe]

01/11/2021 - Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Edition (PC)

 

I got this a long, long time ago but because of both its simplicity but also how much of a grind it all is, I could only ever play it in small doses - to the point that when I got to the endgame, I could only stomach 2 or 3 of the slogathon battles in any one go. Having just looked on Steam, I completed this just 1 week shy of 7 years (I got my first achievement on the 8 November 2014 ).

As stated, it is a very simple RPG and does nothing too clever with the formula; you quest & hit things, you earn XP, you level up your very small selection of skills, repeat. The various classes all tend to work in isolation - there's no real ability to use clever set-ups to maximise damage or status effects, which means each combat situation plays out exactly the same. I spent nearly 40 hours on it over all those years and the game never changed from hour 1, which made a long game feel even longer. It doesn't help that every enemy is a damage sponge and even though you'll get in plenty of fights where there's no danger of losing, chipping down all that health on enemies just takes an age.

 

I do have the sequel (also bought a long time ago) and I gather it is largely the same in terms of those core mechanics, though there is a bit better integration between the classes (I think) so you can set things up more for big damage and it adds a crafting system too, but the thought of dumping many more hours into what essentially will be the same loop doesn't quite appeal just yet.

 

03/11/2021 - Crysis 3 (PC)

 

I never played the original Crysis, obviously mainly known for a) how good it looked (and how it couldn't be run on full settings), b) how there was a bait-and-switch in the second half of the story that, if I remember reading about at the time, many people really didn't like. I did play the sequel back on the 360 but I don't remember much about it, other than it had moved from the jungle of the first game to a city and the aliens were a core theme from the start. It was decent, from memory.

 

Crysis 3 decided to do a bit of both - you have human enemies making up the start of the game but, once again, it switches to aliens partway through. In terms of the setting, it again smashes together its predecessors, with the jungle of the first game mixing with a city to give us an overgrown, reclaimed by nature New York. Continuing that trend, it is also decent.

 

As an FPS, gunplay is fairly tight, with a range of weapons to cause death and destruction with but also your trusty bow if you want to try and play it all steathy, like. I didn't, but the maps of each level were certainly open enough to allow you that option and, combined with your suit abilities I imagine you could probably go through each map undetected if you had the patience to do so. Missions themselves were the standard; get from A to B and maybe press some buttons, or defend somebody and the obligatory vehicle and turret sequences. There were sometimes secondary objectives that would give some benefits (for example I completed one and the team I rescued then took out some stronger enemies for me, rather than me having to fight them myself) but it was a linear experience.

 

It was also quite challenging; I suck so play my games on easy, but there were a few fights that took a number of attempts, partly because ammo is not plentiful. With so many different weapons to pick up from the dead, often I had to scramble around with limited ammo and/or relying on melee to get through scrapes. Sometimes I just needed to rethink my strategy and actually plan how to tackle something, which was refreshing and I appreciated that extra layer to proceedings. It looked good, too, despite the rather dark and oppressive look. There are some very nice vistas of a ruined and green New York and when you are at a high vantage point it was nice to take the view in.

 

All-in-all this was a fun game that didn't outstay its welcome.

 

07/11/2021 - Captain Commando (Arcade)

 

This game is significant because, if I've counted things correctly, it is my 52nd completed game of the year. I've never gone for the 52 games in a year challenge that was posted on the forum once, but if I had, oh boy, I've only gone and done it! This is, by some distance, the most games I've ever completed in a year in my life and I put it down to being more structured with what I play and maintaining discipline in sticking with stuff rather than flitting between lots of games at once (which I do still do, but I make more effort to focus better now).

 

I think I completed around 40 last year but, when looking back at that list, I had a number of very, very short 'prologue' experiences that I counted (I mean, I did finish them). What has impressed me this year is that a) there are none of those; b) sometimes I did play something very short last year almost to feel I'd completed something if I had 'big' games on the go; and c) there are a lot of games that have taken quite a chunk of time to play - plus I have put hours into other stuff I'm playing that hasn't yet made the list. I'm genuinely chuffed for making such good progress on games I own and I wonder how many I can get to by the year's end? I don't for a second think I'll hit the same heights next year, so I might as well go for it!

 

This wasn't meant to be the one that hit the milestone - I thought it would be Unpacking - but I saw my brother yesterday and he showed me some mini-arcade unit he got for £20 that he'd loaded loads of roms onto so I thought I'd have a quick play. Both the unit and this game were rubbish.

I can't believe this is the type of stuff I would sometimes play in arcades; not this particular game, but the various beat-em-ups that were all the same, all incredibly boring and coin-robbing. This is the same as any other post Final Fight 2d side-scroller and so any pleasures/pains you have with those types are present here. You can't mitigate damage, bosses are designed to keep you pumping the pounds in and there's no craft or invention in the level or character design. Just press right and bash some buttons. It's proper rubbish, with the saving grace (as with all of these) that it is pretty short.

 

Anyway - trash game, but great personal milestone

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

28/10/2021 - The Artful Escape (PC)

25/10/2021 - The Ascent (PC)

18/10/2021 - Conglomerate 451 (PC)

15/10/2021 - From Russia With Love (PS2)

09/10/2021 - Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (PC)

02/10/2021 - Gene Rain: Wind Tower (PC)

26/09/2021 - Evil Dead - Fistful of Boomstick (PS2)

13/09/2021 - Transformers Devastation (PC)

31/08/2021 - Shining Force II (Mega Drive)

24/08/2021 - Close to the Sun (PC)

07/08/2021 - The Last Stop (PC)

06/08/2021 - Shining Force (Mega Drive)

02/08/2021 - Vendetta (Arcade)

31/07/2021 - Outriders (PC)

25/07/2021 - Dynamite Dux (Arcade)

24/07/2021 - Stardrop (PC)

20/07/2021 - Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance (PC)

10/07/2021 - Marvel Ultimate Alliance (PC)

02/07/2021 - Weaves of Fate (PC)

27/06/2021 - Through the Woods (PC)

22/06/2021 - Answer Knot (PC)

10/06/2021 - Halo: Spartan Assault (PC)

07/06/2021 - The Hex (PC)

23/05/2021 - Renegade (Spectrum)

15/05/2021 - Lords of Xumila (PC)

09/05/2021 - Devolverland Expo (PC)

09/05/2021 - The Medium (PC)

02/05/2021 - Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (PC)

01/05/2021 - Shadows: Awakening (PC)

21/04/2021 - Rain on Your Parade (PC)

20/04/2021 - Wasteland 2 (PC)

04/04/2021 - Secret World Legends (PC)

02/04/2021 - She Sees Red (PC)

27/03/2021 - Greedfall (PC)

26/03/2021 - Freedom Fighters (PC)

10/03/2021 - Breath of Death VII (PC)

05/03/2021 - Dungeons & Lesbians (PC)

04/03/2021 - Quantum Break (PC)

26/02/2021 - Marvel Avengers (PC)

20/02/2021 - Life is Strange (PC)

02/02/2021 - P.O.W. (Arcade)

28/01/2021 - Devil's Hunt (PC)

24/01/2021 - A Mortician's Tale (PC)

19/01/2021 - The Touryst (PC)

19/01/2021 - Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forrest (PC)

15/01/2021 - A New Life (PC)

05/01/2021 - Vostok Inc. (PC)

02/01/2021 - Call to the Sea (PC)

01/01/2021 - Suikoden (PS1)

 

[Darren]

24. Katamari Damacy

 

It's at least the third time I've played this. It probably won't be the last. It's such a brilliant example of what games can do when they don't try to be realistic or even make much sense, but just concentrate on pure fun.

 

25. Sniper Elite 4

 

Add this to the "only tried it because other people raved about it, and it was on Game Pass, and I ended up loving it" pile. I don't much like fast paced action games, but I do like games where you can take your time, plan your tactics and gradually work through your objectives. And if you can do that while hiding in a distant bush so the unsuspecting enemy has no idea you're about to shoot his eye/heart/scrotum then even better. It's all so polished, and with auto HDR some of the levels looked practically photorealistic.

 

(Yes I did go back to the first level after I'd finished and shot the target with my upgraded rifle from the other side of the map!)

 

26. Sable

 

This is quite janky but I loved it despite that. I loved the world, the minimalist stylised graphics, the story, the music, the total absence of hostile enemies and pretty much everything about it. It's basically Space Breath of the Wild Chillout Edition and is quite an amazing feat for all its jankiness considering it was developed by just four people including the writer and composer. I can see why a lot of people would find it too rough around the edges, or too boring, but to me it was wonderful.

 

Spoiler

1. Dragon Quest XI

2. Donut County

3. Tell Me Why

4. Slay the Spire
5. The Medium

6. Final Fantasy XII

7. Night in the Woods

8. Wreckfest

9. Doom

10. Nier: Automata

11. Carto

12. Sea of Solitude

13. The Gardens Between

14. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

15. Rain on Your Parade

16. Doom II

17. Yakuza Zero

18. Pikuniku

19. Aragami

20. Last Stop

21. Omno

22. What Remains of Edith Finch

23. The Artful Escape

24. Katamari Damacy

25. Sniper Elite 4

26. Sable

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Nuclear Assault - Challenge mode, 1cc

 

Spoiler

Solid State Survivor - 1cc, TLB (10)

Dangun Feveron - Fever arrange 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - 1cc Normal (10)

Aleste - 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - 1cc (10)

GG Aleste - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste 2 - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste - Special mode 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - Hard 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - Special mode 1cc (10)

Natsuki Chronicles - 1cc Arcade, Normal (10)

G-Darius HD - 1cc, Lambda route (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange 1cc (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange hard 1cc (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Original single (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Void arrange (10)

Assault Shell - 2-all (10)

Barrage Fantasia - 1cc Normal (7)

Barrage Fantasia - Advanced 1cc (10)

Patriot Dark - Normal 1cc (10)

Zenodyne R - 1cc Normal (10)

Zenohell - 1cc Normal (10)

Sengoku Youkai Daikassen - 1cc (10)

Maho Shoe - 1cc (10)

Hishou Ayu - 1cc, Normal (10)

Alien Death Mob - All stars (10)

Wolflame - Normal 1cc (10)

东方栖霞园 ~ Blue devil in the Belvedere - Normal 1cc (Sakuya) (10)

Gun-Nac - 1cc, normal (10)

Bike Banditz - 1cc, Normal (10)

Redneg 3Stars - Normal 1cc (10)

Winged Gear - 1cc, Normal (8)

Redneg Allstars - 1cc, normal (10)

Galactic Refugees - Hard 1cc (6)

XCUTE(me) - 1cc (2-5), Normal (10)

Satazius - Normal 1cc (10)

Espgaluda - 1cc

Touhou Kikamu ~ Elegant Impermanence of Sakura - Normal 1cc

Super Glitter Rush - All stars

Rangok Skies - 1cc (all characters)

Schildmaid MX Beta - Krieger 1cc

Donpachi - 1cc

Battle Garegga - Premium mode 1cc

Ketsui Deathtiny - Deathtiny mode 1cc

Star Hunter DX - Bounty Hunter 1cc, Luna

Evorales - Arcade, Normal 1cc

Zakesta - 1cc

Blaynix - Normal 1cc

Techbeat Heart - S+ Rank

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, normal

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, hard

Precious Star - 1cc, Normal

Eclosion. - 1cc, Normal

Blue Wish Desire - Normal 1cc, autoguard on

Klorets - 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Hell, 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Accel, 1cc

Genetos - 1cc, standard

Gleylancer - 1cc, Normal

赤鯱 -Origin's Saga- - Normal, 1cc

Twin Cobra 2 - 1cc

Exzisus - 1cc (2-3)

Prehistoric Isle 2 - 1cc

Schildmaid MX - Krieger, 1cc

[instasis]

On 05/11/2021 at 21:51, Pelekophoros said:

3/01: Night Slashers (Arcade)

13/02: Ghosts Of Tsushima (PS5)

20/02: Kitty Letter (Android)

21/02: Concrete Genie (PS5)

04/03: Maquette (PS5)

03/04: 198X (PS5)

07/04: Moonwalker (Arcade)

27/04: Apex Legends Season 8 (PS5)

29/04: Call Of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War (PS5)

08/05: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5)

26/06: Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS5)

02/07: Necromunda Hired Hun (PS5)

06/07: Ratchet & Clank 2016 (PS5)

12/07: Warhammer Vermintide II (Xbone)

27/07: The Last Of Us Part 2 (PS5)

13/08: The Last Stop (Xbone)

27/08: Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Switch)

10/09: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1&2 (PS5)

12/09: Donut County (Xbone)

12/09: 12 Minutes (Xbone)

14/09: The Artful Escape (Xbone)

17/09: The Gardens Between (Xbone)

18/09: Superliminal (Xbone)

20/09: Golf With Friends (Xbone)

22/09: Omno (Xbone)

23/09: 64th Street: A Detective Story (Arcade)

24/09: Mutation Nation (Arcade)

25/09: Battle Circuit (Arcade)

26/09: Sack Boy: A Big Adventure (PS5)

06/10: The Touryst (PS5)

17/10: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (Arcade)

21/10: Disco Elysium (PS5)

4/11: Unpacking (Xbone)

 

11/11: Life Is Strange 2 (PS5)

 

I bounced off this a few times before it finally stuck - but I had the exact same with the first LiS as well so that's not new. Just need to attack it in the right mood. I did, finally, and....it was ok I guess. The first 2 chapters were super, super boring. Chapter 3 was decent. 4 and 5 were good. Overall, I enjoyed it but LiS > Before the Storm > LiS2 for me.

 

Spoiler

I got the "brothers end up in Mexico" ending, which seemed apt. The game was desperately and overtly pushing me to make a different choice, to take accountability for my actions, but that was never what Sean and Daniel's journey was about for me. In the same way that I sacrificed Arcadia Bay for friendship, I sacrificed Sean for brotherhood. At least, on the way, I tried to steer Daniel away from going full Brightburn. 

 

[Gambit]

11/11/21 - Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

 

After enjoying House of Ashes I decided to go back as it was on sale and pick up the one Supermassive horror game I have yet to play, Little Hope. It's definitely the weaker entry I'd say. The foggy ghost town with monsters has been done quite well in video games before, and the story tries to do some clever twists and turns but in the end falls a little flat. Acting is pretty good though, this time led by Will Poulter.

 

6/10

 

Spoiler

January

10/01 - Spiderman: Miles Morales

23/01 - Yakuza Like A Dragon

 

February

14/02 - Concrete Genie

18/02 - Mega Man 11

21/02 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered

 

March

21/03 - Persona 5: Strikers

31/03 - Mega Man X

 

April

17/04 - Mega Man X4

24/04 - Mega Man Zero

 

May

04/05 - New Super Lucky's Tale

20/05 - Cosmic Top Secret

23/05 - Mass Effect

 

June

07/06 - Mass Effect 2

19/06 - Final Fantasy VII: Remake

 

July

02/07 - Mass Effect 3

04/07 - Astro's Playroom

14/07 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

18/07 - Catherine: Full Body

 

September

11/09 - Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury

 

October

09/10 - Lost Judgment

17/10 - Metroid Dread

27/10 - Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

 

November

4/11 - Mafia Definitive Edition

 

[strawdonkey]

On 02/11/2021 at 22:12, strawdonkey said:

00. Katamari Damacy
0X. Kind Words

01. Hello Charlotte Episode 1

02. Hello Charlotte Episode 2: Requiem Aeternam Deo

03. Hello Charlotte Episode 3: Childhood's End

04. There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension

05. Mandagon
06. Heaven Will Be Mine

07. Tales of the Black Forest

08. Super Mario 3D World

09. Lair of the Clockwork God

10. Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk ...

11. Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury

12. Tetris Effect

13. Luck be a Landlord

14. Rain on your Parade

15. The Red Strings Club

16. The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

17. Shape of the World

18. Far: Lone Sails

19. Return of the Obra Dinn

20. Donut County

21. Warhammer: Vermintide 2

22. Cat Quest

23. Touhou: Luna Nights

24. World End Economica: Episode 1

25. Murder By Numbers

26. Hypnospace Outlaw

27. Behold The Kickmen

28. Lonely Mountains: Downhill

29. The Next Penelope

30. Doom (2016)

31. Monster Train

32. Loop Hero

33. World End Economica: Episode 2

34. What Remains of Edith Finch

35. Cube Escape: Seasons

35a. The rest of the Cube Escape Collection games

36. Forza Horizon 4

37. Sayonara Wild Hearts

38. Princess Remedy In A World Of Hurt

39. Glittermitten Grove

40. The Adventures of Elena Temple

41. Sorry, James

42. Deltarune Chapter 2

43. Golf With Your Friends

06a: Heaven Will Be Mine (all the other endings)

44. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club

45. Breath of Death VII

46. Get In The Car, Loser!

47. Kero Blaster

48. Lucius Demake

49. Inscryption

50. Glass Masquerade 2

51. Unpacking

 

There's something really theraputic about tidying up, though settling down to play this after an evening of having to clear up after everyone in the household does feel a bit like that sketch from the Simpsons where Bart rushes to mow the real lawn before being immaculate and precise when it comes to mowing the videogame lawn.

 

Despite being a game where all you do is take things out of boxes and then put them in an appropriate location in a room/flat/house, there's a ton of great environmental storytelling (such as how the pig gets damaged and patched up over the years, the gradual acquisition of chicks, down to how you have to organise things in each house to fit in around the people you're living with) and a great side effect in that there's been a spate of younger people being really confused about what a Gamecube is and where it should go.

 

It's defnitely not without some small frustrations - in the first room, I placed all the items one by one out of the box into their "proper" location, and at the end of that the only item that was out of place was the diary, since it's a book and i'd placed it on the bookshelf. There was no indication what the red flashing outline meant so spent a good five minutes trying to figure out if I was meant to be opening it, before finally stashing it under the pillow to complete the level; it's also impossible to make good use of space in a lot of enclosed areas due to the isometric viewpoint, but everything is designed around this so it never really gets in the way beyond being a bit frustrating at the time.

 

It even has that feeling you get when there's loads of shit to clear up and you get halfway through and you need to stop and do something else, especially when all the crap you're unpacking is stuff that's followed your character around for half their life, which is often reminiscent of the fact that we all have stuff like that and could probably do with a healthier relationship towards possessions in general. A very weird and yet completely lovely game.

[acidbearboy]

November
13. Streets of Rage 4 (Easy mode as Axel) PS4

 

Bought this in the sale a couple of months ago and played it from start to finish for the first time today. Very impressed with it - great art and music and a solid set of gameplay mechanics. It was probably a couple of stages longer than it needed to be, but I will definitely be returning to it to use other characters and have a crack at the harder difficulty levels.

 

Previously:
 

Spoiler

January
1. Sonic the Hedgehog 1 (SEGA AGES) Switch
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA AGES) Switch

February
3. Panzer Dragoon (Remake) Switch

July
4. Bare Knuckle 3 (SEGA Vintage Collection) Xbox 360

August
5. Vendetta (Arcade Archives) PS4
6. Metal Slug (ACA Neo Geo) PS4
7. Final Fight (Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle) PS4
8. King of the Dragons (Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle) PS4
9. Captain Commando (Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle) PS4

September
10. Rez Infinity (Area X) PS4

October
11. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (Castlevania Anniversary Collection) Switch
12. Tetris Effect (Journey mode on Normal difficulty) PS4

 

[Sprite Machine]

   Previously...

Spoiler

1.) New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - Switch - 2019 (2012)
2.) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Switch - 2018 (2014)
3.) God of War - PS4 - 2018
4.) Shenmue III - PC - 2019
5.) Sonic Mania - PC - 2017
6.) Abzû - PS4 - 2016
7.) Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition - Vita - 2018 (1992/3)
8.) Secret of Mana - SNES - 1993
9.) Rez Infinite - PS4 - 2016 (2001/2)
10.) Moss - PS4 - 2018
11.) Halo: Reach - PC - 2019 (2010)
12.) Papers, Please - Vita - 2017 (2013)
13.) Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - PC - 2020 (2011/2001)
14.) Undertale - Vita - 2017 (2015)
15.) Halo 2: Anniversary - PC - 2020 (2014/2004)
16.) Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse - Vita - 2013/14
17.) Final Fantasy VII Remake - PS4 - 2020
18.) The Wolf Among Us - Vita - 2014
19.) Halo 3 - PC - 2020 (2007)
20.) Halo 3: ODST - PC - 2020 (2009)
21.) Halo 4 - PC - 2020 (2012)
22.) Black Mesa - PC - 2020 (1998)
23.) Axiom Verge - Vita - 2016 (2015)
24.) MINERVA: Metastasis - PC - 2013 (2005/07)
25.) The Last Express Gold Edition - PC - 2013 (1997)
26.) Subsurface Circular - Switch - 2018 (2017)
27.) Beyond Eyes - PC - 2015
28.) Job Simulator - PS4 - 2016
29.) Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Switch - 2020
30.) Statik - PS4 - 2017
31.) Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - PS4 - 2017
32) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch - 2017
33.) Sonic Mania Plus - Switch - 2018 (2017)
34.) Doom - Switch - 2019 (1993)

 

35.) Doom II - Switch - 2019 (1994)

It's more Doom, but now you've got a double-barrelled Super Shotgun, which is still one of the genre's most satisfying weapons (particularly the clunk-click of the reload). I last played Doom II on the Gameboy Advance, and I'm pretty sure it ran like shit but I didn't care at the time. The Switch port is silky smooth, but my god the continual Bethesda login prompts are annoying as hell. Almost ruins the package.

 

Switch Doom II also has the Master Levels, which are 20 more standalone levels, presented seemingly at random. These are generally quite good (some clever workarounds for the old engine), but the difficulty ramps up to a ludicrous degree and I couldn't be bothered to finish the last two levels. A glitch in Black Tower got me stuck, somehow stopped some walls from coming down on the third floor so I couldn't get to the end of the level. And so by the the final level, Express Elevator To Hell, I was just too irritated to carry on. Swarms of gun-toting dudes and those resurrection fire demon things are awful, just piling on difficulty for the sake of it, so I called it quits. I don't like leaving two levels 'uncompleted' but they were winding me up, and I'd rather not end on a sour note for the sake of it. Other than those, all levels finished on the 'Hurt Me Plenty' difficulty.

 

I'm pretty much done with Doom now. This took far longer to play through than I anticipated. I was going to go straight onto Doom 64 (which I've never played before) but I think I'm all Doomed out. At least I need a breather.

[ImmaculateClump]

DoDonPachi DaiOuJou DX - Normal, 1cc

 

Spoiler

Solid State Survivor - 1cc, TLB (10)

Dangun Feveron - Fever arrange 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - 1cc Normal (10)

Aleste - 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - 1cc (10)

GG Aleste - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste 2 - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste - Special mode 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - Hard 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - Special mode 1cc (10)

Natsuki Chronicles - 1cc Arcade, Normal (10)

G-Darius HD - 1cc, Lambda route (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange 1cc (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange hard 1cc (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Original single (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Void arrange (10)

Assault Shell - 2-all (10)

Barrage Fantasia - 1cc Normal (7)

Barrage Fantasia - Advanced 1cc (10)

Patriot Dark - Normal 1cc (10)

Zenodyne R - 1cc Normal (10)

Zenohell - 1cc Normal (10)

Sengoku Youkai Daikassen - 1cc (10)

Maho Shoe - 1cc (10)

Hishou Ayu - 1cc, Normal (10)

Alien Death Mob - All stars (10)

Wolflame - Normal 1cc (10)

东方栖霞园 ~ Blue devil in the Belvedere - Normal 1cc (Sakuya) (10)

Gun-Nac - 1cc, normal (10)

Bike Banditz - 1cc, Normal (10)

Redneg 3Stars - Normal 1cc (10)

Winged Gear - 1cc, Normal (8)

Redneg Allstars - 1cc, normal (10)

Galactic Refugees - Hard 1cc (6)

XCUTE(me) - 1cc (2-5), Normal (10)

Satazius - Normal 1cc (10)

Espgaluda - 1cc

Touhou Kikamu ~ Elegant Impermanence of Sakura - Normal 1cc

Super Glitter Rush - All stars

Rangok Skies - 1cc (all characters)

Schildmaid MX Beta - Krieger 1cc

Donpachi - 1cc

Battle Garegga - Premium mode 1cc

Ketsui Deathtiny - Deathtiny mode 1cc

Star Hunter DX - Bounty Hunter 1cc, Luna

Evorales - Arcade, Normal 1cc

Zakesta - 1cc

Blaynix - Normal 1cc

Techbeat Heart - S+ Rank

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, normal

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, hard

Precious Star - 1cc, Normal

Eclosion. - 1cc, Normal

Blue Wish Desire - Normal 1cc, autoguard on

Klorets - 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Hell, 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Accel, 1cc

Genetos - 1cc, standard

Gleylancer - 1cc, Normal

赤鯱 -Origin's Saga- - Normal, 1cc

Twin Cobra 2 - 1cc

Exzisus - 1cc (2-3)

Prehistoric Isle 2 - 1cc

Schildmaid MX - Krieger, 1cc

Nuclear Assault - Challenge mode, 1cc

 

[gospvg]

Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS5)

 

 

I've played 0 to Kiwami 2 back to back so going to take a break now and play a few other games before returning to Yakuza 3 in the new year.

[BabelRich]

05/11/21 – Guardians of the Galaxy

Fucking Hell; I don’t think even Nostradamus saw this one coming. We all rolled our eyes at the E3 reveal. We all thought ‘Christ, first Avengers, now this’. We all deleted the emails from Square-Enix. Except a couple of you buggers didn’t, actually. You bought it, and then came on here spouting about how it’s actually really bloody good. Well, I’m sorry Mr and Mrs. Hivemind I’m not falling for it… What’s that, It’s a bit Mass Effecty? Hello Simply Games, one copy of Guardians please.

And you know what it is bloody good. Continuing 2021s rich vein of funny games this had me chortling on the regular, mainly at Drax, but all the team have their moment in the comedy spotlight. It’s not just funny though, there are, unbelievably, some rather touching moments juxtaposed with the lols and bombast and it manages to turn Star-Lord from douche-king to someone you root for, it’s very well done.

Gameplay wise the exploring and environmental puzzles are straightforward but made more fun by the gorgeous vistas on display while the combat is chaotic but fun and, I think, matches the style of the Guardians very well.

So, if there was a Shock of the Year category in the Rllmuk GOTY this would win hands down. As it is it may very well trouble the top spot for Writing of the Year and in a year where Psychonauts 2 was release that is high praise indeed.

 

07/11/21 – Unpacking

Others have written far more eloquently than I can about this title. I’ll just say it was a lovely, relaxing little experience with a nice well told environmental story. Well worth 2-3 hours of your time.

 

 

Spoiler

01/01 - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

15/01 - Immortals: Fenyx Rising

22/01 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

27/01 - Yooka-Laylee: The Impossible Lair

19/02 - Cyberpunk 2077

06/03 - Final Fantasy 14 ARR Quests

21/03 - Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age

31/03 - Batman: Arkham Knight

06/04 - Sam & Max Save the World

13/04 - Avengers: A-Day

04/05 - Picross S 5

05/07 - FF14: Heavensward Quests

05/07 - Pikmin 3 

05/07 - Super Mario 3D World

05/07 - Lair of the Clockwork God

05/07 - The Touryst 

05/07 - Star Renegades

05/07 - The Wild at Heart

05/07 - Outriders 

05/07 - Ratchet & Clack: Rift Apart

05/07 - FF14: Stormblood Quests

27/07 - Skyward Sword

03/08 - Broken Age

10/08 - Bowser's Fury

15/08 - Rain on your Parade

03/09/21 - Psychonauts 2

30/09/21 - Final Fantasy 14 - Shadowbringers Quests

08/10/21 - Kena - Bridge of Spirits

12/10/21 - The Artful Escape

24/10/21 - Echo Generation

28/10/21 - Curse of Monkey Island

 

[Mawdlin]

Burnout Paradise: Remastered (Switch)

 

I didn't play a minute of this online so probably missed out on its main appeal, but it was great fun anyway. I enjoyed smashing through the billboards as much as the racing but it did start to get a bit samey towards the 'end' - or when I'd unlocked most of the main features. Great for a quick blast on the Switch.

 

7/10

 

Super Arcade Football (Switch)

 

Easy to gobble up 10 three minute games before bed, this makes up for its lack of depth with instant goal gratification. The narrative is quite a laugh too.

 

7/10

 

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Quest 2)

 

This was more tense and thoughtful than I was expecting and is better for it. I loved scrounging around cupboards for materials and weapon upgrades and the crafting is done very well, because it makes a massive difference to your survival chances. The satisfaction of glassing or shiving a zombie in the head never gets old. (Although top tip - keep a skull handy because they make for a brutal bludgeoning weapon and never break.) Probably my favourite VR narrative experience to date, and it takes a lot to impress me these days. Pity the humans make for poor enemies which sometimes lets the experience down.

 

8/10

[ImmaculateClump]

Space Moth Lunar - Space Moth, 1cc

Space Moth Lunar - Hawk Dx-1, 1cc

 

Spoiler

Solid State Survivor - 1cc, TLB (10)

Dangun Feveron - Fever arrange 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - 1cc Normal (10)

Aleste - 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - 1cc (10)

GG Aleste - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste 2 - 1cc (8)

GG Aleste - Special mode 1cc (8)

Power Strike II - Hard 1cc (10)

GG Aleste 3 - Special mode 1cc (10)

Natsuki Chronicles - 1cc Arcade, Normal (10)

G-Darius HD - 1cc, Lambda route (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange 1cc (10)

Cotton Reboot - Arrange hard 1cc (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Original single (10)

Assault Shell - 1cc, Void arrange (10)

Assault Shell - 2-all (10)

Barrage Fantasia - 1cc Normal (7)

Barrage Fantasia - Advanced 1cc (10)

Patriot Dark - Normal 1cc (10)

Zenodyne R - 1cc Normal (10)

Zenohell - 1cc Normal (10)

Sengoku Youkai Daikassen - 1cc (10)

Maho Shoe - 1cc (10)

Hishou Ayu - 1cc, Normal (10)

Alien Death Mob - All stars (10)

Wolflame - Normal 1cc (10)

东方栖霞园 ~ Blue devil in the Belvedere - Normal 1cc (Sakuya) (10)

Gun-Nac - 1cc, normal (10)

Bike Banditz - 1cc, Normal (10)

Redneg 3Stars - Normal 1cc (10)

Winged Gear - 1cc, Normal (8)

Redneg Allstars - 1cc, normal (10)

Galactic Refugees - Hard 1cc (6)

XCUTE(me) - 1cc (2-5), Normal (10)

Satazius - Normal 1cc (10)

Espgaluda - 1cc

Touhou Kikamu ~ Elegant Impermanence of Sakura - Normal 1cc

Super Glitter Rush - All stars

Rangok Skies - 1cc (all characters)

Schildmaid MX Beta - Krieger 1cc

Donpachi - 1cc

Battle Garegga - Premium mode 1cc

Ketsui Deathtiny - Deathtiny mode 1cc

Star Hunter DX - Bounty Hunter 1cc, Luna

Evorales - Arcade, Normal 1cc

Zakesta - 1cc

Blaynix - Normal 1cc

Techbeat Heart - S+ Rank

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, normal

Hell Blasters - 1cc, arcade, hard

Precious Star - 1cc, Normal

Eclosion. - 1cc, Normal

Blue Wish Desire - Normal 1cc, autoguard on

Klorets - 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Hell, 1cc

Blue Wish Desire - Accel, 1cc

Genetos - 1cc, standard

Gleylancer - 1cc, Normal

赤鯱 -Origin's Saga- - Normal, 1cc

Twin Cobra 2 - 1cc

Exzisus - 1cc (2-3)

Prehistoric Isle 2 - 1cc

Schildmaid MX - Krieger, 1cc

Nuclear Assault - Challenge mode, 1cc

DoDonPachi DaiOuJou DX - Normal, 1cc

 

[Sprite Machine]

Previously...

Spoiler

1.) New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - Switch - 2019 (2012)
2.) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Switch - 2018 (2014)
3.) God of War - PS4 - 2018
4.) Shenmue III - PC - 2019
5.) Sonic Mania - PC - 2017
6.) Abzû - PS4 - 2016
7.) Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition - Vita - 2018 (1992/3)
8.) Secret of Mana - SNES - 1993
9.) Rez Infinite - PS4 - 2016 (2001/2)
10.) Moss - PS4 - 2018
11.) Halo: Reach - PC - 2019 (2010)
12.) Papers, Please - Vita - 2017 (2013)
13.) Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - PC - 2020 (2011/2001)
14.) Undertale - Vita - 2017 (2015)
15.) Halo 2: Anniversary - PC - 2020 (2014/2004)
16.) Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse - Vita - 2013/14
17.) Final Fantasy VII Remake - PS4 - 2020
18.) The Wolf Among Us - Vita - 2014
19.) Halo 3 - PC - 2020 (2007)
20.) Halo 3: ODST - PC - 2020 (2009)
21.) Halo 4 - PC - 2020 (2012)
22.) Black Mesa - PC - 2020 (1998)
23.) Axiom Verge - Vita - 2016 (2015)
24.) MINERVA: Metastasis - PC - 2013 (2005/07)
25.) The Last Express Gold Edition - PC - 2013 (1997)
26.) Subsurface Circular - Switch - 2018 (2017)
27.) Beyond Eyes - PC - 2015
28.) Job Simulator - PS4 - 2016
29.) Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Switch - 2020
30.) Statik - PS4 - 2017
31.) Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - PS4 - 2017
32) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch - 2017
33.) Sonic Mania Plus - Switch - 2018 (2017)
34.) Doom - Switch - 2019 (1993)
35.) Doom II - Switch - 2019 (1994)

 

36.) Doom 64 - Switch - 2020 (1997)
So much for taking a break from Doom.  Completed the main game and The Lost Levels on the default difficulty (Bring It On).

 

Before this remastered version came out, I actually had no idea Doom 64 was a brand new game - I figured it was just a port or a compilation of Doom. But nope, all new. New creature designs, new art style (pre-rendered CG sprites, very popular in that era), almost total absense of music in favour of atmospheric soundscapes, colourful new lighting effects and impressive audio with dynamic reverb. The guns in particular sound monstrously powerful; the chain gun feels like it's ripping the universe a new hole, and the only major complaint I have is that the reload animations are either a bit feeble or absent. With the garish colours and retro-bleeps of Doom 1 and 2 left behind, Doom 64 is more of a sci-fi horror game that feels like it connects a little bit better to Doom 3. It's still basically Doom, you still run around rooms looking for keys to open doors while shooting hell-demons of various types, across maps that are still basically 2.5D, and despite the game's age, there are some performance issues on Switch, but it feels nice to play. On the default difficulty, I didn't struggle too often. It rarely throws as many enemies at you as the older games did (except for the last level - strewth!) but most of my deaths or restarts came from falling into traps or down pits, or from those sodding flaming skull things.

All said and done, this is simple, solid, violent fun, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.

[Gabe]

20/11/2021 - Unpacking (PC)

 

There's not really much to say about this that hasn't already been said and the fact I played most of it in one go but left it for over a week to finish is probably a better indication of what I thought.

It has some charm, though I'm not particularly materialistic to seeing certain items carried through the years - in various states of repair - didn't really resonate with me and the narrative (such that it is) was functional.

 

One to put back in the box, I think.

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

07/11/2021 - Captain Commando (Arcade)

03/11/2021 - Crysis 3 (PC)

01/11/2021 - Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Edition (PC)

28/10/2021 - The Artful Escape (PC)

25/10/2021 - The Ascent (PC)

18/10/2021 - Conglomerate 451 (PC)

15/10/2021 - From Russia With Love (PS2)

09/10/2021 - Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (PC)

02/10/2021 - Gene Rain: Wind Tower (PC)

26/09/2021 - Evil Dead - Fistful of Boomstick (PS2)

13/09/2021 - Transformers Devastation (PC)

31/08/2021 - Shining Force II (Mega Drive)

24/08/2021 - Close to the Sun (PC)

07/08/2021 - The Last Stop (PC)

06/08/2021 - Shining Force (Mega Drive)

02/08/2021 - Vendetta (Arcade)

31/07/2021 - Outriders (PC)

25/07/2021 - Dynamite Dux (Arcade)

24/07/2021 - Stardrop (PC)

20/07/2021 - Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance (PC)

10/07/2021 - Marvel Ultimate Alliance (PC)

02/07/2021 - Weaves of Fate (PC)

27/06/2021 - Through the Woods (PC)

22/06/2021 - Answer Knot (PC)

10/06/2021 - Halo: Spartan Assault (PC)

07/06/2021 - The Hex (PC)

23/05/2021 - Renegade (Spectrum)

15/05/2021 - Lords of Xumila (PC)

09/05/2021 - Devolverland Expo (PC)

09/05/2021 - The Medium (PC)

02/05/2021 - Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (PC)

01/05/2021 - Shadows: Awakening (PC)

21/04/2021 - Rain on Your Parade (PC)

20/04/2021 - Wasteland 2 (PC)

04/04/2021 - Secret World Legends (PC)

02/04/2021 - She Sees Red (PC)

27/03/2021 - Greedfall (PC)

26/03/2021 - Freedom Fighters (PC)

10/03/2021 - Breath of Death VII (PC)

05/03/2021 - Dungeons & Lesbians (PC)

04/03/2021 - Quantum Break (PC)

26/02/2021 - Marvel Avengers (PC)

20/02/2021 - Life is Strange (PC)

02/02/2021 - P.O.W. (Arcade)

28/01/2021 - Devil's Hunt (PC)

24/01/2021 - A Mortician's Tale (PC)

19/01/2021 - The Touryst (PC)

19/01/2021 - Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forrest (PC)

15/01/2021 - A New Life (PC)

05/01/2021 - Vostok Inc. (PC)

02/01/2021 - Call to the Sea (PC)

01/01/2021 - Suikoden (PS1)

 

[strawdonkey]

On 12/11/2021 at 06:54, strawdonkey said:

00. Katamari Damacy
0X. Kind Words

01. Hello Charlotte Episode 1

02. Hello Charlotte Episode 2: Requiem Aeternam Deo

03. Hello Charlotte Episode 3: Childhood's End

04. There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension

05. Mandagon
06. Heaven Will Be Mine

07. Tales of the Black Forest

08. Super Mario 3D World

09. Lair of the Clockwork God

10. Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk ...

11. Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury

12. Tetris Effect

13. Luck be a Landlord

14. Rain on your Parade

15. The Red Strings Club

16. The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

17. Shape of the World

18. Far: Lone Sails

19. Return of the Obra Dinn

20. Donut County

21. Warhammer: Vermintide 2

22. Cat Quest

23. Touhou: Luna Nights

24. World End Economica: Episode 1

25. Murder By Numbers

26. Hypnospace Outlaw

27. Behold The Kickmen

28. Lonely Mountains: Downhill

29. The Next Penelope

30. Doom (2016)

31. Monster Train

32. Loop Hero

33. World End Economica: Episode 2

34. What Remains of Edith Finch

35. Cube Escape: Seasons

35a. The rest of the Cube Escape Collection games

36. Forza Horizon 4

37. Sayonara Wild Hearts

38. Princess Remedy In A World Of Hurt

39. Glittermitten Grove

40. The Adventures of Elena Temple

41. Sorry, James

42. Deltarune Chapter 2

43. Golf With Your Friends

06a: Heaven Will Be Mine (all the other endings)

44. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club

45. Breath of Death VII

46. Get In The Car, Loser!

47. Kero Blaster

48. Lucius Demake

49. Inscryption

50. Glass Masquerade 2

51. Unpacking

52. Blue Revolver (1CC, Normal)

53. Empire of Steel (1CC, Easy)

 

Been a while since I've devoted any time to a shmup, but I own a ton of them on Steam so downloaded one at random and got stuck in. It's a low-res vertical scrolling shooter and Normal mode is definitely no slouch towards the end - watching my replay I'm avoiding gaps that you could drive a truck through, but in the later levels the bullet patterns go from being pretty calm to nightmarish at the drop of a hat. My game plan was largely to build up enough lives and bombs that I could panic-bomb as many times as possible on the last level.

 

The scoring system is a bit like a mini-Dodonpachi; you build up a combo meter to a maximum of x8 by killing enemies with your regular shot, and then you can use your special weapon (which comes with limited ammo) to kill enemies for a small period of time for an x64 bonus instead. The special is also generally really powerful so you can use it on bosses/etc just to get them off the screen too, though I did pick the big laser rather than any of the more interestng weapons so there's almost certainly some further nuance there.

 

I've had a couple of goes on Hyper difficulty (basically the normal mode) as I'd like to get the 1CC with the other playable character too, but a big update is apparently on the way so will probably wait for that to release before going back.
 

 

--

 

Empire of Steel was one of the first shmups that I really devoted a lot of time to - unclear whether it's this or Hellfire that I played first but they were both responsible for me finding an interest in the genre. Ran through it on Easy (as I would have played it ~25 years ago) and it was a huge burst of nostalgia, though compared to modern shmups, the first time you get hit by a bullet that's barely visible it makes you want to turn it off and never go back! There was one moment on one of the bosses in Blue Revolver where you can't see the bullets coming because they're light-coloured and so is the boss, but it's nothing compared to this.

 

Empire of Steel always felt a bit unique back then since you could pick multiple ships (now a staple of the genre), can level up throughout the game, and you can fire in front of your ship or behind it at will, at full power, which means that enemy spawns have a lot of variety and you don't get put in that awkward situation of all the enemies being behind you and your gameplan being to have to avoid them until they are in front of you.

 

Complaints aside, it's still a lot of fun, even if I don't see myself going back to try it on Normal any time soon.

[Popo]

Halo Reach (2010)

And my replay of all the Halos is now complete, just over a year since I started, when the Series X arrived. This one is probably better than ODST, but still pretty meh-core Halo, with uninteresting hoo-rah soldier characters and unengaging music. It’s full on Halo enjoying the smell of its own farts, but it’s still Halo, so, you know?

 

Spoiler

09/01/2021 - Bloodborne

10/01/2021 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

10/01/2021 - Halo 2: Anniversary

13/01/2021 - Little Nightmares

26/01/2021 - Donut County

27/01/2021 - Astro’s Playroom

06/02/2021 - The Medium

13/02/2021 - Paper Mario: The Origami King

21/02/2021 - Spider-Man: Miles Morales

28/02/2021 - Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury

03/04/2021 - Dark Souls Remastered
03/04/2021 - Halo 3

15/04/2021 - Yakuza 0

08/05/2021 - Final Fantasy VII Remake

15/05/2021 - Resident Evil Zero

22/05/2021 - Blasphemous

29/05/2021 - Limbo

03/06/2021 - Inside

09/06/2021 - Resident Evil VII

19/06/2021 - Super Mario 3D World

28/06/2021 - Resident Evil: Village

03/07/2021 - Sonic CD

11/07/2021 - Sonic the Hedgehog

11/07/2021 - Sonic 2

11/07/2021 - Sonic 3

24/07/2021 - Sonic & Knuckles

25/07/2021 - Firewatch

11/08/2021 - Halo 3: ODST

16/08/2021 - Halo 5: Guardians

12/09/2021 - Halo 4

19/09/2021 - Axiom Verge

06/10/2021 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

07/11/2021 - Metroid Dread

21/11/2021 - Halo: Reach

 

[Popo]

Alan Wake Remastered (2021)

Another 360-era throwback - I liked Alan Wake at the time, and this is a great way to play one of the 360’s best titles, now on PlayStation too. There are a few questionable issues here (inverted look doesn’t invert while in vehicles; the truly appalling HDR implementation), but the improved resolution, frame rate and textures makes up for it. Most importantly, it plays as well as it ever did, and the two DLC chapters are included. Looking forward to more of the Remedy Videogame Universe soon. 
 

Spoiler

09/01/2021 - Bloodborne

10/01/2021 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

10/01/2021 - Halo 2: Anniversary

13/01/2021 - Little Nightmares

26/01/2021 - Donut County

27/01/2021 - Astro’s Playroom

06/02/2021 - The Medium

13/02/2021 - Paper Mario: The Origami King

21/02/2021 - Spider-Man: Miles Morales

28/02/2021 - Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury

03/04/2021 - Dark Souls Remastered
03/04/2021 - Halo 3

15/04/2021 - Yakuza 0

08/05/2021 - Final Fantasy VII Remake

15/05/2021 - Resident Evil Zero

22/05/2021 - Blasphemous

29/05/2021 - Limbo

03/06/2021 - Inside

09/06/2021 - Resident Evil VII

19/06/2021 - Super Mario 3D World

28/06/2021 - Resident Evil: Village

03/07/2021 - Sonic CD

11/07/2021 - Sonic the Hedgehog

11/07/2021 - Sonic 2

11/07/2021 - Sonic 3

24/07/2021 - Sonic & Knuckles

25/07/2021 - Firewatch

11/08/2021 - Halo 3: ODST

16/08/2021 - Halo 5: Guardians

12/09/2021 - Halo 4

19/09/2021 - Axiom Verge

06/10/2021 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

07/11/2021 - Metroid Dread

21/11/2021 - Halo: Reach

21/11/2021 - Alan Wake Remastered

 

[Mogster]

22/11/2021 - Metroid Dread

 

Exactly one month after finishing Super Metroid, I've now finished the latest in the series.

 

It was good too. Samus was so much slicker to control in this than she was on the SNES, although I still found myself getting a bit muddled with all the shoulder button combinations on occasion. After getting the hang of things I was able to flow through the areas like water, sliding through gaps and jumping off walls to maintain the sense of momentum. The bosses were brilliant here too, forcing you to make use of new abilities, learn attack patterns and learn from just the right amount of trial and error.

 

It wasn't perfect though. Super Metroid had a wonderful sense of exploration, filled with memorable spaces you could learn to navigate. Dread felt more artificial, and I never felt like I could find my way around without a lot of map reading. What's more, progression itself felt artificial too, with my route through the game feeling a little too proscribed. I lost the thread a couple of times, leading to some frustratingly aimless wandering. I certainly got stuck in Super Metroid at times, but it never felt like this.

 

I wasn't a fan of the EMIs either. They were usually easy enough to avoid, but sometimes I found myself getting caught when it felt there was nothing I could do about it. Killing them was always satisfying though.

 

Everything else was great though. If the devs could build on the strengths of Dread, but marry them with the sense of place and exploration of Super, they'd have a truly wonderful game on their hands.

 

Spoiler

January

25/01/2021 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

February

21/02/2021 - The Room

March

06/03/2021 - Gorogoa
07/03/2021 - The Room 2

April

Nothing!

May

03/05/2021 - Resident Evil 3 (Remake)
15/05/2021 - Resident Evil Village
28/05/2021 - Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition

June

13/06/2021 - Super Mario Maker 2

July

02/07/2021 - Sonic CD
11/07/2021 - Doki Doki Literature Club +

August

07/08/2021 - Yakuza: Like A Dragon
16/08/2021 - Death's Door

September

15/09/2021 - The Artful Escape
29/09/2021 - Life Is Strange: True Colours

October

22/10/2021 - Super Metroid

November

22/11/2021 - Metroid Dread