What games did you complete? 2022 Edition

[Riven]

So far in 2022 I've finished Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth on PlayStation 4 it was so good I went and played through their previous game Touhou Luna Nights, on Xbox One which I also enjoyed hugely. Both decent Metroid style games, mind you.

 

Retro wise the big title I replayed and finished was The Story of Thor 2, must have been over 15 years since I last finished this action RPG on SEGA Saturn. Great stuff, I streamed a playthrough of it on Twitch. Have written a magazine review for it as well, which should be publishing soon. Stream is here if anyone wants a watch https://www.twitch.tv/collections/yGqcvH7w4xahrw it's one of those games you have to question why SEGA haven't done a re-release of it, still looks wonderful with all the 2D pixel art.

[BabelRich]

Another catch up session

 

06/05 - Lost in Random

I remember seeing this at one of the showcases last E3 I believe and I loved the look of it, it seemed like a bit of a call back to the N64 style of adventure platformer from that brief look. Then it seemed to disappear from the limelight completely until it popped up on GamePass (of course), so I decided to give it a go.

 

Well first of all it is not a throwback adventure platformer, in fact, you can’t even jump! What it is is a card-based combat game with some extremely light adventure elements between bouts. What sets this apart from the rest of the pack (pun intended) is the cards you use are all based on dice rolls. You collect gems from hitting bad guys to draw up to five random cards from your deck and when you roll the die you use the score to spend on cards and actions. This sounds interesting in theory and though there are plenty of different cards available I found myself settling on about six to get me through every encounter in the game.

 

Between scraps you are performing fetch quests for the various interesting characters you meet, and that is pretty much it. It’s all wrapped up in a initially charming Tim Burton meets Double Fine presentation but the promise of Six varied worlds and districts soon gives way to very samey corridors.

 

The story also does not stick the landing. Another game dangling a sequel before it has any right to, but it was quite good up to that point.

 

6/10

 

10/05 Citizen Sleeper

 

The writing in this game is everything. I’ve not seen such well prepared lore in a long time. Gameplay wise there’s not a great deal here; roll some dice, select a node, use your dice on a task, get the consequences. But the writing? Damn, it really makes you want to make sure you use the best dice you can.

 

I’m not going to spoil any more as it’s a game you really should discover for your self as it’s way more effective that way. Just don’t get put off by what is a very text-heavy and stressful beginning.

 

9/10

 

12/05 Lost Words – Beyond the Page

 

This was nice. A very basic platformer that tells a touching story. Narrated by a young girl, it jumps between two mechanics of jumping around the narrator’s, moving words to perform actions and a more standard side scrolling fantasy world (allegorical to the narrator’s feelings) where you use spells to solve rudimentary puzzles, which don’t really get beyond super obvious until the last level and even then they aren’t taxing many players.

 

Writing is by Rhianna Pratchett and is up and down, but in fairness it’s not helped by up and down voice acting.

 

6/10

 

16/05 Red Dead Redemption

 

After playing those few shorter games I wanted something to get my teeth into, enter RDR which I’ve had sitting on my Xbox hard drive for quite some time. Having not played it since launch I thought it was due a reply. First off, I’m amazed at what they did with this in terms of souping it up for a newer machine, it looks lovely and sharp which I was not expecting at all after playing the Bully re-issue a while ago.

 

It was nice being in that world again, but it obviously paled in comparison to the prequel, where that had features and points of interest almost everywhere, this is desolate. That’s understandable of course but it’s worth mentioning.

 

It, of course, still had the same great characters and story with the odd bit of clumsy writing here and there, the same too long lingering in Mexico and the same all-time best ending; or one of at least.

 

9/10

 

 

Spoiler

08/04 – Kirby and the Forgotten Kingdom 9/10

01/04 – Danganronpa 2 – Goodbye Despair 08/10

25/03 – Tunic 6/10

16/03 – Danganronpa – Trigger Happy Havok 8/10

13/03 - Horizon - Forbidden West 10/10

15/02 - Agent A 7/10

14/02 - Saint's Row - Gat Out of Hell 6/10

11/02 - Nobody Saves the World 8/10

04/02 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake Episode INTERMission 6/10

01/02 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake 8/10

26/01 - Gorogoa 9/10

25/01 - The Gunk 7/10

23/01 - Control 7/10

11/01 - Rise of the Tomb Raider 7/10

07/01 - Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space 9/10

 

[instasis]

16/05: Trek To Yomi (Xbone Sex)

 

I thought this was bobbins. Punishingly difficult, loose/woolly combat, annoying enemies, boring level design, the black and white aesthetic didn't really work, the art direction meant I couldn't read the subs lots, and couldn't make out what was going out on screen.

 

A shit samurai Limbo is about the best I could muster as a description. Thankfully brief, however. I spent most of the 5 hours or so I played it wishing I was playing Ghosts Of Tsushima instead.

 

Spoiler

23/1: Ninja Baseball Bat Man (MAME)

17/02: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5)

19/02: The Pedestrian (Xbone)

19/02: Gorogoa (Xbone)

20/02: The Gunk (Xbone)
18/03: Horizon Zero Dawn (PS5)
20/03: Oculus First Contact (OQ2)

22/03: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wastes DLC (PS5)

26/03: Little Hope (PS5)

04/04: The Outer Worlds (PS5)

09/04: House Of Ashes (PS5)

13/05: Exo One (Xbone Sex)

13/05: A Memoir Blue (Xbone Sex)

14/05: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

 

[Mogster]

So, last year I think there was only one month in which I didn't complete a single game. This year, I've just completed my first game since January. I blame Elden Ring! Anyway...

 

17/05/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

 

This was great. It was delightful from the start, showcasing some great imagination and excellent music. It was easy, sure, but the hidden Waddle-Dees and bonus challenges made up for that.

 

I think I'd have been happy if the difficulty remained where it was to start with, but I was surprised to find it ramped up quite steadily throughout the game, culminating in a brilliant final boss that took me a few tries to finally beat.

 

Speaking of which, I was intrigued to hear Mathew Castle on The Back Page talking about Kirby games usually ending with you "fighting God in space", and he wasn't far off. For a game that started off as something quite whimsical, it certainly takes a surprising turn.

 

Anyway, this was the first Kirby game I've properly played since the DS touchscreen one, and now I'm really looking forward to the teased follow up.

 

Spoiler

January

04/01/2022 - Kena: Bridge of Spirits
24/01/2022 - Hitman (2016)
26/01/2022 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

May

17/05/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

 

[Gabe]

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

 

Ahh, what a load of crap this is!

 

I'm not going to bother to write too much, because it really isn't worth it, but the one-button combat is boring, the hub world lacks any reason to exist other than to waste your time, and the twin leads are utterly hateful characters. How I wished they died at the end (they don't.)

 

As an ARPG it lacks both the A and the RPG. The world has no visual flair in each of the 4 dungeons and there is plenty of padding if you didn't know where to go (you can - and I did - skip at least half of the 'rooms' you have to clear.) There's also a lot of swearing that just feels out of place and juvenile; there is a profanity filter, so you can avoid it, but there's a few uses of 'bitch' I didn't like and then just a lot of 'not clever or hard' swearing.

 

The only thing it does do right is the accessibility options - of which there are quite a few to let you tailor the experience. It's totally not worth it though.

Even as part of my Game Pass sub I feel cheated. I might just buy it on Steam just so I can immediately refund it. That'll learn 'em! 

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

 

[cassidy]

Spoiler

06/01/22

 

1. Yakuza 3 remastered -(series X)

 

 

 

26/01/22

 

2. Yakuza 4 remastered - (series X) 

 

 

 

27/01/22

 

3. Nobody saves the world - (Series X)

 

 

 

16/02/22

 

4. Infernax - (series X)

 

 

 

17/02/22

 

5. Dreamscaper - (series X) 

 

 

 

17/03/2022

 

6. Young Souls - (Series X) 

 

 

 

06/04/2022

 

7. A Memoir Blue - (Series X)

 

 

 

22/04/2022

 

8. Elden Ring - (Series X) 

 

 

 

27/04/2022

 

9. Turnip Boy commits tax evasion. 

 

10. Gigawing - Capcom arcade stadium version

 

 

 

30/04/2022

 

11. Battle Circuit - Capcom arcade stadium version

 

 

01/05/2022

 

12. Life is Strange - True Colours 

No 13 of the year. 

 

Eiyuden Chronicles : Rising (SeriesX) 

 

really enjoyed this action RPG. Nice story good combat. Well worth the 12hrs it took me to see the credits roll. 

[Popo]

Resident Evil 4 HD (2019)

Whew! I forgot what a wild ride this game is. Mechanically, it’s no less nuanced or advanced than any third person action game that’s been released since it originally came out, which is just an astonishing achievement in retrospect. The gunplay is still solid, weighty and powerful - in short, incredibly fun.

 

The mad genius of this crazy game has never been seen since and quite possibly never will.  

 

Spoiler

06/01/2022 - Halo Infinite

09/01/2022 - Hyper Light Drifter

05/02/2022 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps

13/02/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy

20/02/2022 - It Takes Two

20/03/2022 - Super Mario 3D Land

20/03/2022 - Panzer Dragoon: Remake

21/03/2022 - Psychonauts 2

18/04/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

08/05/2022 - New Super Mario Bros 2

19/05/2022 - Resident Evil 4 HD

 

[Varsity]

Been a few months since I last posted because I've been back playing a lot of WoW again and also still going through some BIG games that take a loooong time to complete. Hopefully will get some finished out in the next few weeks and can update with what I've been working on. For now though, this recent completion. 

 

7. Apex Legends

 

I only started playing this late last year as I finally caved and needed something new to play. When it launched originally, there were so many BR games on the go and it just wasn't for me. This has been a blast almost constantly though and for a free game it's just great in general. The guns feel fun, the characters feel meaningful and it just rocks in general really. 

 

None of my time spent playing was really focused on achievement hunting, other than today when I was down to my last one, so can't really put a completion time. Instead, just a played time will do here. Whatever platform you're on, if you haven't got stuck into this yet for whatever reason, you need to. 

 

Played Time at 1000/1000: 100hrs 35 mins

 

Previous Completions: 

 

Spoiler

1. Train Station Renovation - 1000/1000

2. Resi Village - 1000/1000

3. Death's Door - 1000/1000

4. Double Kick Heroes - 1000/1000

5. Forza Horizon 5 - 1000/1000

6. Rainbow Six: Extraction - 1000/1000

 

[Unofficial Who]

May

 

28/05 SUPERHOT (PC) I've played through this before but having received the Steam version via a bundle I decided to quickly run through it for some achievements and to unlock trading cards. Which didn't take long. This really is slight compared to the much more fully formed followup Mind Control Delete. I remember finding it a challenge the last time I played but after playing Mind Control Delete I found this a doddle. A nice short reminder of the fuller experience.

 

 

28/05 Tetris Effect:Connected (PC) I've been stuck on the campaign on the easiest setting for years, being unable to get past this one stage, the one that turned out to be the final stage! Credits have rolled and now I can try again on normal. This is my favourite version of Tetris, combining it with Rez and making it feel like something that would have been played in a 90's movie like Wim Wenders Until the End of the World. It's just so earnest and new age but it doesn't get too cringe. Loved it. They somehow made the simplest game ever made feel like a religious experience.

 

 

22/05 Sea of Solitude (PC) This feels like a cross between Team Ico's output, RiME and the sailing from Submerged. While I think earlier demos of this do it a bit of a disservice it does suffer a little bit from some platform jank (there's a tight dark tower which is a little difficult to navigate from the inside and it's made me appreciate why Nier Automata opted for 2D controls for some tight interiors.) The story about loneliness and navigating complex relationships possibly tried to cover too many relationships? Then again I'm not the target audience for this. I did love running around exploring in the boat, shooing seagulls and it was always a pleasure once I'd cleared an area and it changed from a rainy squall to calm seas and blue Sega style skies. It's short at just over three hours too.

 

 

21/05 Scott Morrison Simulator (Browser) A multiple choice game where you play as the Australian Prime Minister on the final day of the election. Of no interest of anyone here apart from those who live here and will be of no interest to anyone post today but it's well written and very snarky if you're the target audience. A light bit of relief before the result.

 

 

Earlier this month

16/05 Full Throttle:Remastered (PC)

15/05 Unbeatable [White Label] (PC)

14/05 Trek To Yomi (PC) 

13/05 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC)

09/05 California Games (C64)

01/05 The Stanley Parable:Ultra Deluxe (PC)

 

Earlier this year

 

Spoiler

27. 27/04 The Darkside Detective:A Fumble in the Dark (PC)

26. 23/04 Streets of Rage 4 (PC)

25. 17/04 Exo One (PC)

24. 16/04 A Memoir Blue (PC)

23. 08/04 Slay the Spire (PC)

22. 03/04 Tunic (PC) 

21. 02/04 Kingdom:Two Crowns (PC)

20. 26/03 Say No! More (PC)

19. 21/03 Wizball (C64)

18. 17/03 Battle Circuit (PC/Arcade)

17. 17/03 We Happy Few (PC)

16. 07/03 Powered Gear (PC/Arcade) 

15. 06/03 FAR:Changing Tides (PC)

14. 05/03 In Other Waters (PC)

13. 02/03 Aperture Desk Job (Steam Deck/PC) 

12. 27/02 Final Fantasy 14:A Realm Reborn:Seventh Astral Era (PC) 

11. 25/02 Vampire Survivors (PC) 

10. 18/02 Hypnospace Outlaw

9. 05/02 Final Fight (PC/Arcade)

8. 31/01 Dynasty Wars (Arcade/PC)

7. 31/01 Mega Twins (Arcade/PC) 

6, 29/01 Superhot:Mind Control Delete (PC) 

5. 16/01 The Forgotten City (PC)

4. 09/01 Mr Driller Drill Land (PC)

3. 07/01 Olija (PC)

2. 07/01 It's a Knockout! (C64) 

1. 02/01 Katamari Damacy REROLL (PC)

 

Abandoned games

13/05 The Wild at Heart (PC)

19/03 Narita Boy (PC)

04/01 YIIK: A Postmodern RPG (PC)

 

[Jamie John]

21. Superliminal (2019) - XSX, via Game Pass

 

 

I thought this was great.

 

For those who don't know, it's a walking simulator with some light puzzling, all based around perspective and optical illusions. To begin with, however, I was rolling my eyes, thinking it was just going to be another Portal clone. The game starts with you controlling an un-named, unseen, unvoiced protagonist proceeding through a series of sterile, minimally decorated test chambers, a robotic. There's a passive-aggressive female voice in the background telling you what to do, and, here and there, opportunities to sneak a peek behind the curtain and disobey your instructions - all stuff we saw back in 2007 and which has been imitated several times over in other games since then.

 

Pretty quickly, however, Superliminal breaks away from the Portal mould and becomes very much its own thing. To reveal much more would ruin it, but I will say that it goes to some very weird places I was totally not expecting. I spent most of the two and a half hours it took me to get to the credits with a big smile across my face, impressed "Huh" noises escaping every few minutes. The obstacles are never especially testing - in most circumstances you just need to find the way forwards - and compared with something like The Witness or Fez (or, for that matter, Portal), there's little that makes you feel like a genius. But, really, it's not that type of game; if anything, it reminded me more of something like The Unfinished Swan, especially towards the end. You're there for the ride more than the challenge.

 

Yes, very good. Surprisingly profound. Recommended if you're in the mood for something cerebral and (apart from a couple of fiddly bits) friction-free.

 

8/10

 

Played in 2022:

 

Spoiler

1. Halo Infinite (2021) - XSX - 7/10

2. Bowser's Fury (2021) - Switch - 8/10

3. The Forgotten City (2021) - XSX - 8/10

4. Grindstone (2020) - Switch - 8/10

5. Inscryption (2021) - PC - 9/10

6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (replay) (2001) - Switch - 8/10

7. The Wolf Among Us (2013) - PC - 7/10

8. What Remains of Edith Finch (replay) (2017) - XSX - 8/10

9. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (2021) - PS5 - 8/10

10. Kill It With Fire (2020) - XSX - 3/10

11. Islanders (2019) - PC - 5/10

12. Creaks (2020) - Switch - 8/10

13. Shovel Knight: King of Cards (2019) - Switch - 9/10

14. The Last Guardian (replay) (2016) - PS5

15. Exo One (2021) - XSX - 8/10

16. Red Matter (2018) - Quest 2 - 7/10

17. Elden Ring (2022) - XSX - 10/10

18. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022) - Switch - 8/10

19. Slay the Spire (2019) - Switch - 7/10

20. Blasphemous (2019) - Switch - 7/10

21: Superliminal (2019) - XSX - 8/10

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

 

[instasis]

22/05: Tetris Effect (Xbone Sex)

 

Completed Journey mode - every level bar the last one on Normal, with Metamorphosis done on easy. Speed 13 is such a nightmare inducing stress level I don't think I could ever do it, though I did get to 86 lines - but that level of difficulty for 20 lines is just survival, and frustrations with the controller just meant I'd end up hating it.

 

I'll be playing this forever, I think, but in terms of game completion that's getting chalked up now. I saw the credits. Job done.

 

It is exceptionally wonderful, however.

 

22/05: Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Xbone Sex)

 

That was a charming little afternoon of distraction. Lovely. 

 

Spoiler

23/1: Ninja Baseball Bat Man (MAME)

17/02: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5)

19/02: The Pedestrian (Xbone)

19/02: Gorogoa (Xbone)

20/02: The Gunk (Xbone)
18/03: Horizon Zero Dawn (PS5)
20/03: Oculus First Contact (OQ2)

22/03: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wastes DLC (PS5)

26/03: Little Hope (PS5)

04/04: The Outer Worlds (PS5)

09/04: House Of Ashes (PS5)

13/05: Exo One (Xbone Sex)

13/05: A Memoir Blue (Xbone Sex)

14/05: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

16/05: Trek To Yomi (Xbone Sex)

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Galacticon - 1cc, Level 36 (loop 4)
Drainus - Normal 2-all
Drainus - Arcade 2-all

 

Spoiler

Nekotosakana - 1cc

Moon Dancer - Normal 1cc (no miss), Hard 1cc (no miss), Expert 1cc

Grand Cross: Renovation - 1cc

Operation STEEL - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Vampire Survivors - Inlaid Library hyper, Mad Forest hyper, Green Acres hyper

Sophstar - 1cc and TLB, Arcade, Intermediate, original scoring, Reyka

Sol Cresta - 2-all, Normal (3-5)

Stainless Night - 1cc

Andro Dunos II - 1cc

Z-Warp - Hardcore 1cc

 

[Sprite Machine]

I've been a bit busy - this is the first game I've completed in two months!

Previously...

Spoiler

1.) Lego City Undercover - PC - 2017 (2013)
2.) What Remains of Edith Finch - PS4 - 2017
3.) Superliminal - PS4 - 2020 (2019)
4.) Untitled Goose Game - Switch - 2019
5.) One Finger Death Punch 2 - PC - 2019
6.) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - PC - 2011 (2010)
7.) Vanquish - PC - 2017 (2010)

8.) Mass Effect (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2007)
9.) Telling Lies - PC - 2019
10.) Halo 5: Guardians - Xbox One - 2015
11.) Halo Infinite - Xbox Series - 2021
12.) Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - PC - 2016 (2015)
13.) Alice: Madness Returns - PC - 2011
14.) The Forgotten City - Xbox Series - 2021
15.) Titanfall 2 - PC - 2016

 

16.) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Switch - 2019 (2006)
Completed the game, while hunting all marks and collecting all espers (approx. 106 hours).

 

I abandoned the original PS2 version back in 2007 and went off the series for the next decade, but The Zodiac Age is an excellent remaster and a much nicer way to play the game due to a slew of improvements and quality of life features. Programming your characters' Gambits, setting the game to 4x speed and watching them plough through waves of enemies with minimal interruption, is very satisfying - if a little bit detached. The on-screen map is helpful, as is the auto-save feature. Plus, it's on a handheld console, which is kind of awesome.

 

I've spoken at length about this game in my Final Fantasy marathon thread in the Retro folder, so read through that for a more exhaustive write-up of my opinions.

[ImmaculateClump]

Red-Hawk - 1cc

 

Spoiler

Nekotosakana - 1cc

Moon Dancer - Normal 1cc (no miss), Hard 1cc (no miss), Expert 1cc

Grand Cross: Renovation - 1cc

Operation STEEL - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Vampire Survivors - Inlaid Library hyper, Mad Forest hyper, Green Acres hyper

Sophstar - 1cc and TLB, Arcade, Intermediate, original scoring, Reyka

Sol Cresta - 2-all, Normal (3-5)

Stainless Night - 1cc

Andro Dunos II - 1cc

Z-Warp - Hardcore 1cc

Galacticon - 1cc, Level 36 (loop 4)
Drainus - Normal 2-all
Drainus - Arcade 2-all

[Popo]

Tunic (2022)

Mechanically, Tunic doesn’t stand out - movement is somewhat sluggish and the Soulsy combat can be frustratingly difficult. Everything in-game is written in an unknown language making it all but impossible to understand what to do and where to go. But hidden in its isometric environments are shining pieces of paper - pages of the game’s own manual - each page of which is sprinkled with just enough English as to hint at how to play the game. Not just where to go and what to do, but whole mechanics are hidden in plain sight - ways of interacting with the world that were always possible, you just didn’t know until you found the page describing it. You work it out and now you feel smart. Now, the game starts hooking you in. 
 

As you collect more pages and delve deeper into this strange land the puzzles become more and more elaborate - the feelings of satisfaction, surprise and delight multiplying in kind. By the end game, the challenge is great indeed - a pen and paper essential for solving some of the biggest puzzles.
 

And this is where Tunic shines brightest - suddenly, you’re 10 years old again, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, a short wire’s length away, with a boxy controller in hand. Suddenly you’re writing down sequences and codes, drawing out patterns and flipping through the manual, referencing the overworld map. Everything is new and exciting again. 
 

Tunic is a love letter to 8-bit adventure games, wrapped up in some of the most brilliantly clever meta-textual puzzles which, for better or worse, can’t be described here without spoiling them and the game as a whole. It may at first look like Tunic is a game you’ve played before, but scratch the surface and, just like the games you played when you were a child, you soon realise that it’s like nothing you’ve played before.
 

A strong contended for game of the year. 
 

Spoiler

06/01/2022 - Halo Infinite

09/01/2022 - Hyper Light Drifter

05/02/2022 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps

13/02/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy

20/02/2022 - It Takes Two

20/03/2022 - Super Mario 3D Land

20/03/2022 - Panzer Dragoon: Remake

21/03/2022 - Psychonauts 2

18/04/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

08/05/2022 - New Super Mario Bros 2

19/05/2022 - Resident Evil 4 HD

25/05/2022 - Tunic

 

[CurryKitten]

Life is Strange: True Colours (XBSX GP) - 11/5/2022

I'd never played a Life is Strange game before.  I watched Felicia Day play through the original on YouTube - which was my one and only time of watching someone else play a game - and thought it looked quite interesting.  I thought our main protagonists "Super powers" weren't as much fun as in the original game, but that said I thought the story was reasonably compelling and it was a nice bit of interactive fiction with some very light puzzles

 

Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4) - 21/5/2022 (Leon) 25/5/2022 (Claire)

I turns out that I'm not very good with games that feel too tense.  I wasn't very good at ever playing RE games because the lack of save points (the good old typewriter ribbons) would stress me out.  I'd managed to actually finish RE2 once on the PSX using Claire, but dived in and game things another crack this time.  Certain things didn't quite fit like the fact I'd try and kill everything in every room (you will run out of ammo very quickly) and then panicked at the arrival of Mr X but eventually I started to understand who to shoot, who to leave behind and got through both scenarios having a great old time.  Trying out the 4th survivor mini game, or the Ghost Scenarios though didn't work for me, so I've moved on to the RE3 remake instead.

[BabelRich]

23/05 - Tales of Monkey Island

The recent announcement of a new MI coupled with the remasters of Sam & Max made me want to have another crack at Tales having not played it since launch.

I didn't realise people though so lowly of this before I read through the thread for the new game. I think it's pretty good. Does it ever reach the heights of MI 1 or 2? Of course it fucking doesn't! But it's an enjoyable 'One of Those' from Telltale. The most annoying thing about it is it relies a little too much on the 'Pick the right line of dialogue to advance' trope, but there's some good puzzles in there too. 

 

Writing is good if not great and has several laugh out loud lines. Episode 3 is a particular high point (in script and gameplay) and I don't think it's a coincidence it's the one with Murray in.

 

Consider my appetite nicely whetted for Return to Monkey Island (or Devil's Playhouse remaster if that comes first).

 

8/10

 

Spoiler

06/05 - Lost in Random 6/10

10/05 - Citizen Sleeper 9/10

12/05 - Lost Words – Beyond the Page 6/10

16/05 - Red Dead Redemption 9/10

08/04 – Kirby and the Forgotten Kingdom 9/10

01/04 – Danganronpa 2 – Goodbye Despair 08/10

25/03 – Tunic 6/10

16/03 – Danganronpa – Trigger Happy Havok 8/10

13/03 - Horizon - Forbidden West 10/10

15/02 - Agent A 7/10

14/02 - Saint's Row - Gat Out of Hell 6/10

11/02 - Nobody Saves the World 8/10

04/02 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake Episode INTERMission 6/10

01/02 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake 8/10

26/01 - Gorogoa 9/10

25/01 - The Gunk 7/10

23/01 - Control 7/10

11/01 - Rise of the Tomb Raider 7/10

07/01 - Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space 9/10

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Tukiyono - 1cc (ending 1), 1cc (ending 2)

 

Spoiler

Nekotosakana - 1cc

Moon Dancer - Normal 1cc (no miss), Hard 1cc (no miss), Expert 1cc

Grand Cross: Renovation - 1cc

Operation STEEL - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Vampire Survivors - Inlaid Library hyper, Mad Forest hyper, Green Acres hyper

Sophstar - 1cc and TLB, Arcade, Intermediate, original scoring, Reyka

Sol Cresta - 2-all, Normal (3-5)

Stainless Night - 1cc

Andro Dunos II - 1cc

Z-Warp - Hardcore 1cc

Galacticon - 1cc, Level 36 (loop 4)
Drainus - Normal 2-all, Arcade 2-all
Red-Hawk - 1cc

[Gambit]

26/05 - Star Wars Squadrons

 

Story mode finished. A bit bleh. Dogfights can be fun, and thankfully they're quite leniant with Escort missions (I only failed one with the standard difficulty), but it's surprisingly buggy and a lot of the stuff was done far better in previous games in the genre. Spoiler for the final mission:

 

Spoiler

The last bit is basically just a shit version of the exploding tunnel bit from the last stage in Starfox 64.

 

In the end it just made me want a remake of Rogue Squadron.

 

5/10

 

Previously completed:

 

Spoiler

January

05/01 - Starfox 64

14/01 - Resident Evil 3

15/01 - Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

30/01 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

 

February

06/02 - Hades

 

April

03/04 - Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files

10/04 - Knights of the Old Republic

25/04 - Horizon: Forbidden West

 

May

15/05 - The Nonary Games

 

 

[instasis]

28/05: Far: Changing Tides (Xbone Sex)

 

I enjoyed the aesthetic and it was charming and relaxing. Not really much else to say about it, because it barely does anything itself. Chilled gaming, well done. 

 

Spoiler

23/1: Ninja Baseball Bat Man (MAME)

17/02: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5)

19/02: The Pedestrian (Xbone)

19/02: Gorogoa (Xbone)

20/02: The Gunk (Xbone)
18/03: Horizon Zero Dawn (PS5)
20/03: Oculus First Contact (OQ2)

22/03: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wastes DLC (PS5)

26/03: Little Hope (PS5)

04/04: The Outer Worlds (PS5)

09/04: House Of Ashes (PS5)

13/05: Exo One (Xbone Sex)

13/05: A Memoir Blue (Xbone Sex)

14/05: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

16/05: Trek To Yomi (Xbone Sex)

22/05: Tetris Effect (Xbone Sex)

22/05: Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Xbone Sex)

 

[Gabe]

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

 

This game somehow became a brief poster boy for Ray Tracing, which is probably why anybody might have heard of it (but you probably still haven't). It began life as Bright Memory, a fusion of FPS/RPG and first-person sword fighting. Apparently the scope expanded beyond the initial scope, so the developer released Bright Memory as a standalone concept, with the proviso that any existing owners how had bought it during early access would get BMI when it released.

 

Bright Memory was okay; the plot was complete junk that made no sense, wasn't even slightly coherent and it did that sadly typical objectification of its female character. The actual combat was pretty snappy, if perhaps a bit too fast (one of the reasons I gave up on Shadow Warrior 2 was the fact it was all far too frenetic for my old reflexes), but it was a decent mix of run-and-gun, slice-and-dice and some powers. Like I say though, it was almost a proof of concept and was about 45 minutes or so to get through - but for the £1.79 I paid (it was on sale) plus the promise of a future game included, it was a good deal.

 

BMI, then, retains that core ethos but expands and refines on it. The story is still completely nonsensical - it feels like you're dropped in part-way through and finish about 20 minutes before the end. It's not linked to the original BM's story at all, but does use the same universe (and the same player character appears in both, but again, they aren't linked at all). Combat has been slowed down a bit too, so it was easier (for me) to get through and, without checking the original, I think the powers were changed around a bit as well. It is quite satisfying though; the guns (of which there are only 5) are fairly punchy, your blade is fine and the powers do give you a little bit of scope to mix things up. When you through them all together though, dashing around a combat area, shot-gunning a soldier to the face, then popping-up another with your blade and unleashing a power smash when you land is all very kinetic and, if you were good enough, quite balletic too.

 

It's still short, though - about 2 hours if you do a little bit of exploring for stuff - so if I had stumped-up the full asking price for it (~£15) I'd be pretty aggrieved. As a freebie though, that's fine. There's no real replayability, either, unless you like doing the exact same stuff, but a bit harder (if I recall, I think the first game scored you for your skill, which I'm sure would give some people reason to go through it again - but I'm a 'complete story and done' kinda guy).

 

I did enjoy it though. It's a shame the story was trash, because I do like to have a narrative to follow, but I suppose the brevity of it made this less of an issue than otherwise it may have been. And - in a nod back to that opening comment - it does look pretty sharp with everything turned-up to max. It's set in the rain, so there's lot of excuses to have proper puddles reflecting things, the guns are obviously shiny and the environments - whilst fairly basic - do have lots of lush vegetation, rain running down roofs and a bit of colour in the otherwise grey world. And this was all made by a single chap! It's quite a decent achievement. It's a shame that there are a few shots that linger on the player character's bum, and DLC which is skimpy, pervy costumes (which you would only ever see in cutscenes), but I suppose a certain demographic laps that stuff up, so it's a good little earner.

 

Anyway, if you find this really cheap then it's probably worth the price of a cup of coffee.

 

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

 

There are many ways to complete this I suppose; get all the achievements, last the full 30 minutes on each map, hit some arbitrary score etc - but I've decided I've enjoyed my few hours on it and I'm done. I never even lasted beyond 18 minutes on the first map, but given that it never wowed me in the first place, I feel confident I'm not missing anything by ending it now.

 

It was okay - I don't really like roguelikes/lite (whichever this is, I don't know), that constant incremental improvement whilst doing the same thing in the same environments gets boring fast - so the fact I put any time into it at all is something. The simplicity helps - made me think a lot of Geometry Wars 2 whilst I was playing - and there is a little thrill to unlocking stuff. But the gameplay loop of having to go through the first 5/7 minutes, which are pretty dull, wore thin.

 

I think I spent about 3/4 hours on it in total and whilst I can appreciate the depth there for those whom are into this genre, it's not really my bag. I guess the difference here between 'completing' and 'abandoning' is fairly slight - but for me it's the difference between coming to a natural end point vs giving up and feeling left unfulfilled.

Regardless of whether that makes sense or not, it's my list and it's going on it!

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

 

[Fargo]

Horizon 2 Forbidden West - it was decent. Probably 7/10 but after loving the original I expected more. It just didn’t come together like the first game did, and the combat was really poor this time around. Tone felt different too, like a Saturday morning cartoon. 

[SeanR]

Watch Dogs (ps4)
 

8 years lateur… I got used to the controls. And I’ve bought both sequels before the end of act III. Despite not delving deeper that the main story.
 

They’re the ubisoft games you can play between AC games. I spent a bit of time tracing the PGR2 Chicago tracks too.

 

 

[Jamie John]

22. Tunic (2022) - XSX via Game Pass

 

 

Tunic is brilliant. It looks like Zelda but it's actually Fez in disguise. If you've enjoyed games like The Witness, Death's Door, Hyper Light Drifter or A Short Hike then you should definitely check it out. I've played it for 24 hours, completed it twice and got the 1000 GS because, once I got going, I couldn't stop playing. If Elden Ring hadn't come out this year then it would be my GOTY.

 

Superb. Go and play it. Stay away from any guides, and don't be afraid to turn on invincibility mode.

 

9.5/10

 

Played in 2022:

 

Spoiler

1. Halo Infinite (2021) - XSX - 7/10

2. Bowser's Fury (2021) - Switch - 8/10

3. The Forgotten City (2021) - XSX - 8/10

4. Grindstone (2020) - Switch - 8/10

5. Inscryption (2021) - PC - 9/10

6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (replay) (2001) - Switch - 8/10

7. The Wolf Among Us (2013) - PC - 7/10

8. What Remains of Edith Finch (replay) (2017) - XSX - 8/10

9. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (2021) - PS5 - 8/10

10. Kill It With Fire (2020) - XSX - 3/10

11. Islanders (2019) - PC - 5/10

12. Creaks (2020) - Switch - 8/10

13. Shovel Knight: King of Cards (2019) - Switch - 9/10

14. The Last Guardian (replay) (2016) - PS5

15. Exo One (2021) - XSX - 8/10

16. Red Matter (2018) - Quest 2 - 7/10

17. Elden Ring (2022) - XSX - 10/10

18. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022) - Switch - 8/10

19. Slay the Spire (2019) - Switch - 7/10

20. Blasphemous (2019) - Switch - 7/10

21. Superliminal (2019) - XSX - 8/10

22. Tunic (2022) - XSX - 9.5/10

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

 

[CurryKitten]

Resident Evil 3 Remake (PS4) - 30/5/2022

I noticed a lot of people were quite down on this game because of the things that were cut from the original.  I think others didn't like the linearnarity of it compared with other RE games.  Despite having RE3 on the PSX for years and years, I maybe played it for around 10 minutes - so I didn't have any issues in comparison.  I for one had a blast with this - I was in a constant state of fear about being wiped out by Nemesis and I was almost hopeless at avoiding other zombies with the dodge move - but I got there.  Lots of fun.  Perhaps the fact it's under 10 hours (although I don't think that includes all my deaths) puts people off, but it's a £15 game now, so seems like a good deal to me.

[ImmaculateClump]

Love - Arcade

 

 

That was great fun! Wondering if I should torture myself and try and do the yolo mode where you can only die once!

 

edit: Better score, sorry, I won't keep spamming I reckon this is doable in one life.

 

 

Spoiler

Nekotosakana - 1cc

Moon Dancer - Normal 1cc (no miss), Hard 1cc (no miss), Expert 1cc

Grand Cross: Renovation - 1cc

Operation STEEL - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Vampire Survivors - Inlaid Library hyper, Mad Forest hyper, Green Acres hyper

Sophstar - 1cc and TLB, Arcade, Intermediate, original scoring, Reyka

Sol Cresta - 2-all, Normal (3-5)

Stainless Night - 1cc

Andro Dunos II - 1cc

Z-Warp - Hardcore 1cc

Galacticon - 1cc, Level 36 (loop 4)
Drainus - Normal 2-all, Arcade 2-all
Red-Hawk - 1cc

Tukiyono - 1cc (ending 1), 1cc (ending 2)

 

[instasis]

02/06: Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (Xbone Sex)

 

This was a nice little Metroidvania with a lovely difficulty curve and a decent map. Recommended for fans of the genre. 

 

Spoiler

23/1: Ninja Baseball Bat Man (MAME)

17/02: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5)

19/02: The Pedestrian (Xbone)

19/02: Gorogoa (Xbone)

20/02: The Gunk (Xbone)
18/03: Horizon Zero Dawn (PS5)
20/03: Oculus First Contact (OQ2)

22/03: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wastes DLC (PS5)

26/03: Little Hope (PS5)

04/04: The Outer Worlds (PS5)

09/04: House Of Ashes (PS5)

13/05: Exo One (Xbone Sex)

13/05: A Memoir Blue (Xbone Sex)

14/05: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

16/05: Trek To Yomi (Xbone Sex)

22/05: Tetris Effect (Xbone Sex)

22/05: Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Xbone Sex)

28/05: Far: Changing Tides (Xbone Sex)

 

[Gabe]

16. 03/02/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

 

Well this was a really pleasant surprise and I hit it hard over the past week or so because I found it pretty engrossing.

 

There were two main things I knew about this from the forum: The graphics had seen quite a downgrade since the original E3 reveal and that Aiden Pearce was a dick.

 

On the first, well I thought it looked great, barring a bit of pop-up, especially in the rain (everything looks better in the rain). As for the second, why did everybody hate Pearce? I kept waiting for some moment to happen where he turned, but I thought he was alright. I mean, damn, I finished Young Souls a couple of weeks ago and that had hateful characters. I mean, he had a shocking body-count, but that's par for the course - and at least he recognised what he'd become in the narrative.

 

It's the standard Ubisoft map full of icons, but, in another pleasant surprise, you don't need to do anything outside of the main missions - unlike AC: Origins (my last Ubisoft title, where progressing was level-gated) and that's exactly how I approached it. There's still a lot there - 39 main missions - but many are quite snappy, and can be done even quicker if you go straight for the shoot first, question never approach which is also how I decided to go for it.

 

There are some annoyances - I've never liked car chases/escapes in any of these types of games (I don't like racing games, period), so they were a chore. The spin on the escort missions - especially one near the end - is also a pain. Oh, and 'intruding' is a crap mini-game and I've yet to play any game, ever, that makes hacking in any way fun.

 

These things were palatable in the scheme of things though because I enjoyed the story, the general gameplay loop and the little bit of virtual tourism these games give you. Again, at night in the rain when you could just walk around and appreciate your surroundings was quite a calm and chilled experience.

 

All-in-all this was a bit of a triumph then. How much changes in the sequel, gameplay wise (I know it's a different setting and player character)?

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

 

[instasis]

9 hours ago, Gabe said:

16. 03/02/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

 

Well this was a really pleasant surprise and I hit it hard over the past week or so because I found it pretty engrossing.

 

There were two main things I knew about this from the forum: The graphics had seen quite a downgrade since the original E3 reveal and that Aiden Pearce was a dick.

 

On the first, well I thought it looked great, barring a bit of pop-up, especially in the rain (everything looks better in the rain). As for the second, why did everybody hate Pearce? I kept waiting for some moment to happen where he turned, but I thought he was alright. I mean, damn, I finished Young Souls a couple of weeks ago and that had hateful characters. I mean, he had a shocking body-count, but that's par for the course - and at least he recognised what he'd become in the narrative.

 

It's the standard Ubisoft map full of icons, but, in another pleasant surprise, you don't need to do anything outside of the main missions - unlike AC: Origins (my last Ubisoft title, where progressing was level-gated) and that's exactly how I approached it. There's still a lot there - 39 main missions - but many are quite snappy, and can be done even quicker if you go straight for the shoot first, question never approach which is also how I decided to go for it.

 

There are some annoyances - I've never liked car chases/escapes in any of these types of games (I don't like racing games, period), so they were a chore. The spin on the escort missions - especially one near the end - is also a pain. Oh, and 'intruding' is a crap mini-game and I've yet to play any game, ever, that makes hacking in any way fun.

 

These things were palatable in the scheme of things though because I enjoyed the story, the general gameplay loop and the little bit of virtual tourism these games give you. Again, at night in the rain when you could just walk around and appreciate your surroundings was quite a calm and chilled experience.

 

All-in-all this was a bit of a triumph then. How much changes in the sequel, gameplay wise (I know it's a different setting and player character)?

 

Previously completed:

  Reveal hidden contents

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

 

 

The sequel is better in every way. It has fun characters, moves away from gritty nonsense, the city is more interesting, it builds heavily on the environmental puzzle side of things, and it features some fantastic gun battles when things go wrong. I loved them both. 

 

I'd avoid Legion, though, because it's a bit poop.

[gossi the dog]

 

07/04 - Fatal Twelve (PS4) - visual novel following a high school student who dies, but gets a chance to survive by playing the game of Divine Selection with another eleven characters (the "Fatal Twelve"). This was very good, mainly due to good writing and strong interesting characters. 

 

12/04 - Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix (Switch) - This is effectively a port of Future Tone on PS4 with less songs but an added waggle mode. To get the game running on Switch the graphics have had an overhaul and we have a new cell shaded look that perfectly suits the game and looks stunning on the Switch OLED screen. It's more of the same really, but a great game nonetheless. 

 

20/04 - Root Letter: Last Answer (PS4) - I'm not quite sure why a remake of Root Letter was required but here we are. The remake simply adds a live action mode (i.e. photo'd characters and locations) in addition to the same animated scenes found in the original. I'm not a huge fan of detective style visual novels, and often it seems difficult to strike a balance between not being too obtuse and providing too much hand holding. This opts for the latter which saves the frustration of not knowing what to do next, but at times it does feel you're just going through the motions. The story follows a young man who seeks to find the pen pal he exchanged letters with whilst at school. I got the standard bad ending and currently have no motivation to go back and obtain all the others. 

 

29/04 - Marco & The Galaxy Dragon (Switch) - highly enjoyable visual novel as you follow Marco on her quest across the galaxy to find her mother.

 

30/04 - To the Moon (Switch) - thoroughly enjoyable story of two doctors who seek to fulfil a dying man's last wish via the use of artificial memories. 

 

03/05 - Legend of Talia: Arcadia (Switch) - budget visual novel that'll keep you occupied for the hour or so it takes to play through.

 

02/06 - AI: The Somnium Files (PS4) - very linear detective style visual novel. I have to be honest I didn't like this. The story is fine if a little odd for my tastes but feels overly dragged out, and I disliked the psync puzzles when your in the mind of another character - by the end I was dreading having to solve anymore. 

 

 

Previously:

Spoiler

01. 02/01 - Death Come True (PS4)

02. 04/01 - Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (PS4)

03. 11/01 - Song of Memories (PS4)

04. 20/01 - Vostok Inc (PS4)

05. 25/01 - Steins Gate 0 (PS4)

06. 31/01 - Punch Line (PS4) 

07. 04/02 - Uncharted 4 (PS5)

08. 11/02 - Raging Loop (PS4) 

09. 17/02 - World End Syndrome (PS4)

10. 20/02 - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS5)

11. 10/03 - Hashihime of the Old Book Town (Switch)