What games did you complete? 2022 Edition

[CurryKitten]

14/09/2022 - Grim Fandango (XSX GP)

I've got a very long history with this game, I started it on PC, then when I got a Mac tried for ages to get it running under ScummVM and then a Windows VM, a Wine thingy before getting the GoG remake and getting half way through the game before I had to upgrade my OS (in order to publish to the app store) and then it turns out it didn't work on Big Sur.  So two nights ago I decide to download it on the Xbox from Gamepass and proceed to use a walkthrough to get up to my current spot.

 

Unfortunately, I found out quickly why I'd never finished it in the first place.  I don't like it... I like the story concept and the character design etc, but I just don't like the way it plays.  I remember I actually needed help way back in the initial part of the game and then was stuck in the forest for an age unable to knock down the antennas.  The puzzles in this game really don't gel with me at all.  I'm left with thinking "how am I supposed to have worked that out" instead of kicking myself and thinking it was obvious all along.  I really dislike that.  So just to finish off I used quite heavy use of a guide just to see the ending, which to be honest was pretty underwhelming

[Sprite Machine]

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)

17.) Sonic Origins: Economical Edition - PC - 1991/2020
18.) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch - 2017 (2014)
19.) Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Switch - 2018 (2014)
20.) Terranigma - SNES - 1996

21.) Batman: Arkham Origins - PC - 2013

22.) Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition - PC - 2014 (2013)

 

23.) The Talos Principle - Switch - 2019 (2014)
Completed the main game, getting endings 1 and 2 by myself and needing a guide to find the last 10 stars and reach ending 3 (underwhelming, but hey). Also completed the main puzzles in the 'Road to Gehenna' expansion/epilogue/mini-sequel. I've spent over 50 hours total on this; it's a much more substantial game than I originally expected.

 

It's also brilliant! It's a first-person puzzler with weighted cubes, pressure pads, laser beams and all things that will be familiar to Portal players, but although the ideas are not original, the execution is exemplary. It's also got harder puzzles secretly built into its main puzzles, and often rewards you for breaking its rules. I very much enjoyed unravelling its mysteries, experiencing the surrounding narrative that gradually unfolds through fragments of text and interactive philosophical discussions, and found the general vibe of the game to be quite compelling indeed. However, I would say the Nintendo Switch is not the ideal platform for this, as it's compromised visually and the performance is poor. Then again, if you're playing it for fifty hours, you probably want it to be portable!

[DeDeDe]

On 12/09/2022 at 02:47, Gambit said:

… and the Game Boy's Turtles: Radical Rescue, which did seem like a neat little MetroidVania, the only problem being there's no map you can view, so no, I don't think I will complete you.

 

?? So you mean they changed the controls? Despite the unimaginative last section, Radical Rescue is probably my favorite TMNT game, so it’d be really disappointing if they changed it for the worse.

[df0]

Deliver Us the Moon (everything but Switch I think)

 

What a neat little narrative driven mystery in space. Short (4 - 5 hours I reckon), focused, nothing outstays its welcome. Very much looking forward to Deliver us Mars now.

 

edit: credits mention it was a Kickstarter project.

[Gambit]

16/09 - Stranglehold

 

So after listening to the latest Back Page Podcast, I decided to trade in some old blu-rays and purchase an Xbpx 360 once again. If only to experience the many 6 and 7/10 games, the ones that they really don't make much of anymore. The Gears clones and the like. Probably at the top of that list is Stranglehold. Gameplay can be samey, and it's quite easy to get lost in the maze like levels at times. However. You get to play as Chow Yun Fat in this sequel (kinda) to Hard Boiled, shooting people while doves fly about, and then when you've unlocked enough points head to the Store and unlock stuff from a virtual John Woo shopkeeper. So yeah, it's pretty good.

 

7/10

 

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

26/05 - Star Wars Squadrons

 

June

05/06 - Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

15/06 - Kirby 64

17/06 - The Quarry

 

July

17/07 - Zero Time Dilemma

23/07 - Hotel Dusk: Room 215

30/07 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge

 

August

10/08 - The Legend of Zelda

 

September

11/09 - Turtles Cowabunga Collection

 

[Gambit]

21 hours ago, DeDeDe said:

 

?? So you mean they changed the controls? Despite the unimaginative last section, Radical Rescue is probably my favorite TMNT game, so it’d be really disappointing if they changed it for the worse.

 

Maybe it was just mapped to a button I didn't press then.

[Jamie John]

29. Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (replay) (2021) - Xbox Series X/Steam Deck via Xbox Cloud Gaming

 

 

Yeesh, this was a bit of a slog. I first played it on the Wii U, of all consoles, and after re-completing ME1 and 2 last year, I felt like I needed to tick this off my list. It started off well, but it definitely goes on for far too long, and I was very much ready for it to be finished before it did. The sunk cost fallacy is strong with this one, however, and once I'd played for ten hours, I couldn't not play for another 30 or so, right? That would be madness. With 130+ hours on the clock for all three games combined, though, I'm feeling very Mass Effect'd out right now.

 

Anyway, I don't have a coherent review in me, so here's a jumble of goods and bads:

 

The good
 

• It looks nice for a remaster of a ten year-old game. Well, the character models do, anyway. They're not too far away from modern blockbuster games, and facial expressions convey emotion successfully.
   
• The same can be said of the voice acting. Up until the last five hours or so, when I just wanted to get the game done, I played without subtitles on and listened to every line of spoken dialogue. I know many people praise Jennifer Hale's performance as FemShep, but I thought Mark Meer as ManShep was consistently good throughout, as well as pretty much every other main cast member. Garrus and Mordin are terrific.
   
• The cover shooting is at worst merely competent but at best is meaty and satisfying. Combat is more refined and enjoyable than ME2, and far better than the woefully crap fighting in ME1. Playing on the default normal difficulty, it felt sufficiently challenging without being frustrating.
   
• Carrying over your save and character, with all of the decisions you've made, is effective, and something I missed out on the first time around as I played 1 and 2 on a different console from 3. Yes, the arbitrariness of it all is obvious at times, but characters referring to your past deeds from previous games, or changing their attitude towards you accordingly, never failed to impress.
   
• The story stakes in the main missions always feel high, and although the idea of unifying disparate races against a common enemy is a bit tropey in 2022, most of the big beats still land, with all of the climactic moments successfully giving me tingles.
   
• This one is personal to me, but being able to play this on my Series X in the evenings and then switching to the cloud version on my Deck when I wanted a quick blast in the daytime, and having it all work pretty seamlessly, was great. I can see myself playing a lot more Game Pass games like this.
   

 

The not so good
 

• Put simply, the characters in 3 aren't as good as they are in 2. You lose Mordin, Miranda and Grunt and instead gain Kaidan and James, both of whom are human and therefore immediately boring. Javik is good fun, but I felt like I got him too late and never got to know him properly, especially as there aren't any of the loyalty quests here that you got in 2. And EDI as a shiny sex robot is just stupid, even if the game tries (and fails) to suggest that she's presented this way ironically.
   
• The non-linear mission structure doesn't sit well with the narrative. One minute, the game is saying to you, 'Quick! The Reapers are attacking! Billions of lives are on the line! You need to act now!', but in the next moment you're being encouraged to buy some furniture for your fancy new flat, or recover an ancient dinosaur fossil for some random Salarian in the Citadel, or pass information back and forth between two characters. It's inconsistent and jarring, and it dilutes the forward propulsion of the plot.
   
• There aren't enough set pieces, enemy types or fighting mechanics to keep the combat interesting up until the end. You'll be fighting in the same way from hour one to hour forty.
   
• Any pretence that this series had of being an actual RPG is completely abandoned by this third entry. For literally every 'decision' you're faced with, it's push up for good or push down for bad, with no shades of grey in between. You can either be the messiah or a massive dickhead - that's about it.
   
• The quest system is fucked. Main quests, side quests, fetch quests, errands and requests are all thrown in together on the same menu, with very little to differentiate them. You'll suddenly come across someone somewhere with a name above their head that you don't recognise and they'll start talking to you about some side quest you happened to pick up a dozen hours ago. You'll likely have no idea who they are or what they're talking about. There needs to be reminders in the menu for how far you've got with a quest, what you still need to do, who you're doing it for and why. Instead, you get a text box with twenty words in for each quest, which stays the same from the beginning until the end.
   
• In the same vein, some sort of recap or flashback or written record on who the characters are or the decisions you've made would be useful. I played ME2 less than 12 months ago but there was lots that I'd completely forgotten. Consequently, many of the big character and plot reveals in this went soaring far over my head as I couldn't remember who people were. Giving that, originally, there were over 2 years between ME2 and ME3, I'd have thought the devs would have included something like this, but no. There are codex entries for most of the main characters, but they're very short and don't give you any information on the interactions you've had with that character up until now.
   

 

Anyway. I could go on, but I doubt that many people have bothered to read this far as it is.

 

Should you play Mass Effect 3 in 2022? If you've played it already, probably not - there are better cover shooters out there and more interesting stories. If you've never played it then obviously not - you need to play the first game, dummy. See if you can stomach that, and then the second game, first. If, however, like me, you played the original trilogy back in the day and you've then replayed one and two as part of the Legendary Edition, well, what other choice do you have?

 

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

23. Fez (replay) (2012) - Switch

24. Citizen Sleeper (2022) - PC - 9/10

25. Sifu (2022) - PS5 - 9/10

26. Primordia (2012) - Steam Deck - 4/10

27. Disco Elysium (replay) (2019) - Steam Deck/PC

28. Streets of Rage 4 (2020) - Switch - 7/10

29. Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (replay) (2021) - Xbox Series X/Steam Deck via Xbox Cloud Gaming

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

Horizon: Forbidden West (2022) - PS5

 

[strawdonkey]

On 07/09/2022 at 09:03, strawdonkey said:

2021/65a. Star Hunter DX (Space Cadet, 1CC, 19.3mil)

01. The Artful Escape

02. Rhythm Doctor

03. Monolith

04. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch.2 Watanagashi

05. Outer Wilds

06. OMORI

02a. Rhythm Doctor (all the bonus stuff and B+'d every stage)

07. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (all solo content clear)

08. Windjammers 2 (1CC)

09. Vampire Survivors

10. Ghost Blade HD (1CC Easy)

10a. Ghost Blade HD

07a. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

11. Exceed 2nd - Vampire Rex (uh, 3CC I guess)

12. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 3 Tatarigoroshi

13. Magic The Gathering: Arena (Mythic Rank, constructed)

14. Solitarica

15. Schildmaid MX (Jaeger Mode 1CC, 12.9mil)

16. ZeroRanger - White Vanilla Mode (719k, Type-C, C++)

17. Zenohell (Honestly it took like 20 credits)

18. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 4 Himatsubushi

16a. ZeroRanger - Green Orange Mode 1-ALL (354k, Type-C)

19. Backspace Bouken (and the Numb Lock DLC)

20. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Easy, 5,388,190)

20a. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Normal, 3mil and some change)

21. Rez Infinite (Area X)

22. Point Blank (1CC, Expert Mode)
23. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, New Moon, Reimu/Yukari)

23a. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, Waxing Crescent, Reimu/Yukari)

24. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion

25. Graze Counter (many 1CCs)

26. Touhou 7 - Perfect Cherry Blossom (1CC, Easy, Reimu)

27. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 5 Meakashi

X1. Carrion

28. Deathsmiles (1CC, Normal, Rosa, 57mil)

29. One Step From Eden (Reva clear, all bosses spared)

30. Panzer Dragoon Remake

31. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 6 Tsumihoroboshi

32. Jamestown+ (Story completion and finished Gauntlet Mode)

X2. Death's Door

33. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 7 Minagoroshi

25a. Graze Counter - Expert mode (Type-7, 474mil)
34. Splatoon

35. Drainus (Normal 2-all 1CC)

36. Neko Navy ("Easy" 1CC, 918mil, Mugi)

37. Mario Golf: Super Rush

38. Wario Ware Gold

39. Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk ...

22a. Point Blank (1CC, Very Hard Mode)

40. Kirby's Adventure

41. Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition

22b. Point Blank (no-miss, Beginner mode)
42. Bloons TD6
43. FTL (Easy Kestrel clear)

44. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 8 Matsuribayashi

45. Dicey Dungeons

46. Hexcells (100%)

 

Imagine Picross mixed with Minesweeper and then make it hexagons rather than squares. That's it. Delightful no-guess puzzle game for about 80p.

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/265890/Hexcells/

[Unofficial Who]

Sep

 

18/09 Tinykin (PC) I hadn't planned on completing this charming platformer this weekend. I've always liked the idea of games like Pikmin and Little King's Story where you lead around minions but I've often found the games frustrating and stressful with clumsy controls and design so tight it feels like you're being played by the game rather than the other way around. But this seemed to be getting a warm reception here so I gave it a quick go fully expecting it to be another "not for me" game.

 

I was utterly charmed. The story is bobbins but the implementation of the game drew me in. For a game the combined 2D sprites with a 3D world the control feels tight and the level design makes backtracking an absolute breeze. Sure, it takes place in a limited number of rooms in a house but each of those rooms felt packed with detail. The perfect GamePass game to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with.

 

 

Earlier this month.

 

13/09 Flynn:Son of Crimson (PC)

11/09 Winter Olympiad 88 (C64)

08/09 Arcade Paradise (PC)

 

Earlier this year

 

Spoiler

67. 21/08 I Am Dead (PS5) 

66. 20/08 Skate or Die! (C64)

65. 16/08 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

64. 14/08 Eco Fighters (Arcade/PC)

63. 14/08 Grindstone (PC) 

62. 14/08 Borderlands 3 (and DLC) (PC)

61. 10/08 Knights of the Round (Arcade/PC)

60. 10/08 Block Block (Arcade/PC)

59. 06/08 Monument Valley 2 : Panoramic Edition (PC)

58. 06/08 Monument Valley: Panoramic Edition (PC)

57. 31/07 The King of Dragons (Arcade/PC)

56. 30/07 Son Son (Arcade/PS5)

55. 30/07 Don't Pull (Arcade/PC)

54. 30/07 Chariot: Adventure Through The Sky (Arcade/PC)

53. 30/07 Midnight Wanderers: Quest for the Chariot (Arcade/PC)

52. 29/07 Magic Sword (Arcade/PC) 

51. 29/07 LED Storm (Arcade/PC)

50. 29/07 Last Duel (Arcade/PC) 

49. 26/07 Raji:An Ancient Epic (PC)

48. 24/07 Tiger Road (PC/Arcade)

47. 24/07 Side Arms Hyper Dyne (PC/Arcade) 

46. 23/07 Gun.Smoke (PC/Arcade)

45. 23/07 Exed Exes (PC/Arcade) 

44. 10/07 Bangkok Knights (C64)

43. 02/07 Zero Wing (Megadrive/Switch)

42. 26/06 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (PC) 

41. 17/06 Psycho Soldier (Arcade/PC)

40. 16/06 Prehistoric Isle in 1930 (Arcade/PC)

39. 16/06 Street Smart (Arcade/PC)

38. 12/06 Midnight Scenes:The Nanny (PC)

37. 28/05 SUPERHOT (PC) 

36. 28/05 Tetris Effect:Connected (PC)

35. 22/05 Sea of Solitude (PC) 

34. 21/05 Scott Morrison Simulator (Browser) 

33. 16/05 Full Throttle:Remastered (PC)

32. 15/05 Unbeatable [White Label] (PC)

31. 14/05 Trek To Yomi (PC) 

30. 13/05 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC)

29. 09/05 California Games (C64)

28.01/05 The Stanley Parable:Ultra Deluxe (PC)

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

03/07 Cris Tales (PC)

03/07 Atomicrops (PC)

13/05 The Wild at Heart (PC)

19/03 Narita Boy (PC)

04/01 YIIK: A Postmodern RPG (PC)

 

[cassidy]

@Unofficial Who How the hell do you complete Arcade paradise. I have all cabs now and just got the £250k achievement but no clue how to see those credits roll. 

 

 

[Unofficial Who]

11 minutes ago, cassidy said:

@Unofficial Who How the hell do you complete Arcade paradise. I have all cabs now and just got the £250k achievement but no clue how to see those credits roll. 

 

 

 

Have you...

 

Spoiler

...replaced the sign above the arcade? I missed the prompt for that for ages. It's in shop fittings where your previous expansions were listed.

 

[cassidy]

Yup done that as well. 

[Unofficial Who]

6 minutes ago, cassidy said:

Yup done that as well. 

 

That should trigger a voicemail from your dad. Hmmm, bug maybe? Have you got all the arcade machines?

[cassidy]

Just now, Unofficial Who said:

 

That should trigger a voicemail from your dad. Hmmm, bug maybe? Have you got all the arcade machines?

Aye all of them.  I'll have a look at voicemails next time I play it. 

[Unofficial Who]

3 minutes ago, cassidy said:

Aye all of them.  I'll have a look at voicemails next time I play it. 

 

To be fair credits or no (and it continues after the credits) I reckon you can count it as completed.

[Gambit]

18/09 - 007: Blood Stone

 

Continuing through my Xbox 360 catalogue with probably what I'd consider one of the more underrated games. Bizarre Creations final game before Activision took them out back and put a bullet through their head, it's probably the most Bond-y game starring James Bond I've played. There's action, some light espionage and fancy cars. The script and story is a little.....shall we say poor? In one instance the female lead (played by Joss Stone who also sings the theme tune) happily lets our hero drive because, and I quote, "she feels safer with a man behind the wheel". Despite being set in the Craig era (complete with voice and likeness) it's very much written like it's more of a Brosnan adventure. Still, I enjoyed it right through to its end, which came all too abrupty, proper sequel baiting the audience.

 

7/10

 

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

26/05 - Star Wars Squadrons

 

June

05/06 - Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

15/06 - Kirby 64

17/06 - The Quarry

 

July

17/07 - Zero Time Dilemma

23/07 - Hotel Dusk: Room 215

30/07 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge

 

August

10/08 - The Legend of Zelda

 

September

11/09 - Turtles Cowabunga Collection

16/09 - Stranglehold

 

[JamesC]

I really like Bloodstone. It can comfortably be played through over a rainy weekend and is also a great 'palette cleanser' game for if you're a bit fatiqued by complicated months-long epics. 

[Gabe]

2022 has been an horrendous year for me, but I've been trying to use gaming as a distraction over the past couple of months (to varying degrees of success), which means I have managed to complete some stuff.

 

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

 

I have previously completed this in co-op a number of years ago, but decided to replay it single-player. I don't know why; I don't find it to be much fun, the UI is pretty painful, skills can be pretty much useless and trying to understand what your actual damage output is once gear and passives come into play seems unbelievably hard to decipher. The endgame holds no real appeal either. Disappointed.

 

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

 

I posted in the Game Pass thread, and I didn't really like it all that much. What it does do well is give players proper choices that affect things. Some of these seem to be resolved quite satisfactorily, but others just seem abrupt (and pretty nonsensical). The main plotline seems full of plot armour and was unsatisfying and I really disliked the artstyle. It's set up for a sequel, though the plot strand it (seemingly) picked for it wasn't very interesting. It's therefore a real shame that the ability to go back into a previous decision and play differently from point holds no appeal due to a patchy script and lack of engaging characters.

 

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

 

The last Far Cry I played was 3, having bought it for peanuts years ago. I hated the player character, location & the story, but didn't mind the mechanics - it was fairly fun FPS-ing around an environment. This seems to have played around with the formula (I don't know whether this builds on FC4) and made the location a bit more stable, in that once you take over an outpost, it stays taken over. It also meant you could see tangible progression during your time in Hope County.

 

The gunplay was fun enough and traversal options meant getting around was pretty zippy and it was easy to dip in and out of over the course of a couple on months and make some progression. The story was okay (though a bit like @SeanRI didn't use my headphones at any point, relying instead on subtitles and paying attention (which was not always the case) and I didn't realise it led into the next game. All-in-all, this was a competent open-world shooter that kept me engaged for however long I was on it (the Ubi launcher is bugged is stuck at just under 6 hours - obviously it was a fair bit on top of that!) The idea of building resistance points to 'unlock' the boss was fine, given that you had a lot of different ways to achieve that, like blowing up enemy fuel tankers on the road if you happened to see them, or rescuing random strangers you would come across as you travelled the land.

 

It's not all rosy though. There were set points throughout where each of the three bosses took you away to a different location (no matter where you were) and you had to go through the worst missions in the game (especially the first set, which were all the same thing just repeated). Outside of that, there was way too much content - something like 130+ missions (even though many of those were side missions and needed little time investment), enemies were quite bullet-spongey, vehicle controls weren't great and I was surprised there was no weather system at all.

 

I did enjoy it though. Admittedly, it seems when I bought it it included some DLC weapons, so once I discovered these after a couple of hours I happily never used conventional weapons again (there was a laser pistol that was ridiculously overpowered and could disintegrate enemies in a single shot and destroy vehicles quite easily.) It would've been much tougher - and frustrating, no doubt - without that, but help in the form of the resistance fighters was a good touch and allowed you to add some helping hands to things. It's enough Far Cry for me for a while, but perhaps I'll have a look at 7 whenever that comes out and is reduced in a sale to about £5 

 

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

 

A couple of weekends ago I finally sat down and had a look at getting an Amiga emulator running properly, after never quite spending sufficient time on it in the past. Once done, I've been enjoying dipping in and out of bits of my childhood, as well as games I never got to play originally. Shadow Warriors fits into the former category.

 

I remember getting this delivered on a Saturday morning (bought from Marshall Ward catalogue, I think?) and playing it before I had to go to my aunts with my parents. I loved it. Playing it now, in 2022 rather than 1989 and it was still a nice punch down memory lane, but boy does it run badly. Slowdown frequent, distracting and really, really slow. If you can ignore that though, it's a fairly decent brawler. Much like Double Dragon's elbow, there's a move which basically destroys all - here is it the throw, which means I didn't take a hit from a single boss in the whole game and just spammed it throughout. It is a little more challenging against normal enemies, in part because the game is happy to throw so many at you at once, but it still works.

 

There are environmental elements to it - you can throw enemies into crates or signs and have them smash and reveal points, health or ninja blades, but you don't need them. Just throw, throw, throw. It's generally not unfair either, except a couple of bits that require dexterity I no longer have, so it isn't hard to complete. As such, there's no reason to ever go back to it, but I did quite enjoy the 30-40 minutes it took to finish.

 

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

 

I remember reading the reviews and seeing this back in the day and I always wanted it, but never got it. I did, by chance, find the sequel some years later - Deuteros - as part of a compilation boxset in Romford market of all and I loved that - but I never got around to playing the first game.

 

It's a weird management-adventure-action affair, where you need to essentially discover and build the technology to re-colonise the Earth, following nuclear war making it uninhabitable. You spend most of your time painfully fighting the horrible UI to find planets and moons to colonise, resources to exploit, research to conduct and fighting off some angry Martians. When they attack, if you don't have an automated laser system you have a horrible 3d minigame, where you are piloting a fighter and need to shoot down the enemy. The controls are awful, like how games present darts (so you have natural erratic movement to fight against whilst trying to line up your shot.) These attacks persist for most of the game and are never anything other than rubbish, though fortunately are only about once every 6 game months, so I was able to grit my teeth and accept them.

 

Without a walkthrough this would be a horror to play though. There are 30+ planets with different resources - all susceptible to attack and every aspect needs manual intervention - even docking supply shuttles. You need to watch over transporting resources (only the moon is capable of building stuff), defence systems, colonisation materials, probes etc. It's basically the whole game - clicking the time advance button until you get a message saying you need to do something. There's also little direction to things; if you didn't know where to go, you'd end up spending a huge amount of time colonising the solar system and waiting for a trigger to be hit to move the plot on. In truth, it's pretty hard going. As I say, with a walkthrough this probably only took about 4-5 hours (maybe not even that), but none of it was engaging, fun or even remotely interesting. It was more out of curiosity that I kept going.

 

Of course, I have now launched into the sequel, which corrected a lot of the issues. There's no 3d minigame (though I remember the battles with aliens to involve a little bit of interactivity), there's automated resource transporting, there's more to explore and it's altogether a bit more engaging. It's still a lot of watching the in-game calendar ticking along, but it's a slicker package. As for the original though - avoid.

 

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)

16. 03/02/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

 

[Jamie John]

30. Immortality (2022) - Xbox Series X via Game Pass & Steam Deck via Xbox Cloud Streaming

 

 

I've posted about this at length in the spoiler thread, so I won't go on, but I thought this was a real one-of-a-kind experience and an excellent game. I enjoyed it enough that I've spent almost 20 hours playing it this weekend, popping the final achievement on it earlier this afternoon. It won't be for everyone, and there are a couple of quirks with the UX that let it down slightly, but if you're at all curious to see what the fuss is about, and you have Game Pass, you absolutely need to check it out.

 

9/10

 

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

23. Fez (replay) (2012) - Switch

24. Citizen Sleeper (2022) - PC - 9/10

25. Sifu (2022) - PS5 - 9/10

26. Primordia (2012) - Steam Deck - 4/10

27. Disco Elysium (replay) (2019) - Steam Deck/PC

28. Streets of Rage 4 (2020) - Switch - 7/10

29. Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (replay) (2021) - Xbox Series X/Steam Deck via Xbox Cloud Gaming

30. Immortality (2022) - Xbox Series X via Game Pass & Steam Deck via Xbox Cloud Streaming - 9/10

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

Horizon: Forbidden West (2022) - PS5

 

[Sprite Machine]

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)

17.) Sonic Origins: Economical Edition - PC - 1991/2020
18.) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch - 2017 (2014)
19.) Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Switch - 2018 (2014)
20.) Terranigma - SNES - 1996

21.) Batman: Arkham Origins - PC - 2013

22.) Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition - PC - 2014 (2013)
23.) The Talos Principle - Switch - 2019 (2014)

 

24.) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - PS4 - 2019

Completed the story on normal difficulty (Jedi Knight).

 

This wasn't on my radar until a friend recommended it. I've generally assumed Star Wars games are a bit pap (Lego aside) and ignored them, particulary when they have bland-looking lead characters. But this one is actually rather good! Firstly, it feels authentically Star Warsy and is part of the official canon, puts you in the shoes of a trainee Jedi as you visit typically Star-Warsy locations and even meet characters from Rogue One and other spin-offs. Granted, the protagonist is a bit dull, but the secondary cast are pretty good and the game's got production quality that you don't usually see outside of first-party games, and at times feels like an Uncharted game with lightsabers. But if anything, the game it reminded me the most of is Ratchet and Clank - freely choosing which planets to visit, circular level design with unlockable shortcuts, respawning enemies and Metroidvania-like gated off routes to be returned to later, with lots of platforming and exploration built into its levels, and a friendly little robot sidekick to accompany you.

 

As ever with Star Wars games, the main problem comes from how to make lightsaber combat fun but not overpowered. There's no easy solution and this game does what many have before it and just puts you up against enemies with weapons that can conveniently deflect lighsabers. The combat is okay but it's very defense-focused. Moves tend to be elaborately animated and not interruptable, and the crux of the combat is in watching and memorising what enemies look like when they're about to attack so you can time when to block, which isn't always easy if it's a new enemy type or if they're being visually obscured by something. The best parts of combat are when you have more force powers and can start doing cool stuff like pushing stormtroopers off of cliffs. The platforming and exploration are the more compelling aspects to this package, as is its outstanding presentation. Fitting the storyline into the existing continuity was clearly not easy bit it seems they're releasing another one next year... and, you know what? I'm up for more of this.

[df0]

Just finished The Sinking City again, this time on PS5. It is a good as I remember from the PS4, in other words a big chunky 7 out of 10. Clunky controls, awkward combat, repeating dialogue from NPCs, lacking sound scape, carbon copy house interiors, repeating gameplay. All that is forgiven due to the excellent presentation and writing, some superb voice acting, neat twists and turns and overall focus. Frogwares knew what they wanted to make and it shows. If you like reading, sitting in a boat and spending a lot time on the map marking interesting location based on street names gathered from one of the four archives this is the game for you.

 

7/10. Love it.

Don't pay full price for it though, it's a proper mid budget title. I'd day take the plunge (hah) for around 15 quid.

[Gabe]

2 hours ago, df0 said:

Just finished The Sinking City again, this time on PS5. It is a good as I remember from the PS4, in other words a big chunky 7 out of 10. Clunky controls, awkward combat, repeating dialogue from NPCs, lacking sound scape, carbon copy house interiors, repeating gameplay. All that is forgiven due to the excellent presentation and writing, some superb voice acting, neat twists and turns and overall focus. Frogwares knew what they wanted to make and it shows. If you like reading, sitting in a boat and spending a lot time on the map marking interesting location based on street names gathered from one of the four archives this is the game for you.

 

7/10. Love it.

Don't pay full price for it though, it's a proper mid budget title. I'd day take the plunge (hah) for around 15 quid.

I think any version not bought direct from Frogwares is essentially the stolen version, isn't it, or did they resolve that?

[instasis]

19/09: Bad Dudes Vs Dragon Ninja (MAME)

 

This was objectively terrible in every way. So much so that it was only at the end I realised I'd played it relatively recently, and I must have forgotten it. It follows the very tired Data East template. Poor enemy variety, impossible bosses, final level where you fight all the bosses again. Hey ho.

 

 

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)

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

20/06: Forza Horizon 5 (Xbone Sex)

26/06: Lake (Xbone Sex)

27/06: Last Day Of June (PS5)

29/06: Little Nightmares (PS5)

01/07: Deliver Us The Moon (PS5)

09/07: House Flipper (Xbone Sex)
12/07: Mafia Definitive Edition (PS5)

20/07: Mafia 2: Definitive Edition (PS5)

24/07: Stray (PS5)

09/08: Road 96 (Xbone Sex)

22/08: Signs of the Sojourne (Xbone Sex)

23/08: Two Crude/Crude Buster (MAME)

07/09: Arcade Paradise (PS5)

 

[df0]

9 hours ago, Gabe said:

I think any version not bought direct from Frogwares is essentially the stolen version, isn't it, or did they resolve that?

I’m very certainly (trying to look for evidence) everything available now is Frogwares’ and not Big Ben’s. The whole legal thing is why the game was unavailable for a long while.

 

edit: tis complicated. As far as I can tell, the original releases were published by Big Ben/Nacon and they did some shady stuff. Legal battle ensued, game was unavailable (on PSN anyway) for a while, now it's back and I think/hope it's 100% in the hands of Frogwares now.

 

 

[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

 

19/05/2022

13. Eiyuden Chronicles : Rising (SeriesX) 

 

20/06/2022

14.TMNT : Shredders revenge

 

23/06/2022

15.Disc room 

 

14/07/2022

16. House Flipper

 

29/07/2022

17. Powerwash Sim
 

05/08/2022

18. As dusk falls

 

11/09/2022

19. Tinykin

 

And two more for me 

 

20. Food truck tycoon (series X) only bought it to spend £3 so I could finish the rewards quest after purchasing arcade paradise and cult of the lamb in July/August.  Meh it's a cooking sim

 

21. Arcade paradise (series X) what a game this is and whilst I still have some achievements left and quite a few goals to achieve in the game. But I've now seen all the game offers.  

 

Now they have patched cult of the lamb it's time to wrap that one up next. 

 

 

 

[rockhops]

Spoiler

Previously:

1. OlliOlli World

2. Metrod Dread

3. Inside

4. Murder by Numbers

 

Managed to complete a few games over the last few months, but haven't managed to post anything due to reasons (laziness).

 

5. Sonic Mania

Loved the Sonic games as a kid, so was looking forward to this one. It was good, but it didn't click with me the way it has for some people. It's a great Sonic game, I think my own tastes have just changed is all.

 

6. Streets of Rage 4

After being let down by Sonic nostalgia I wasn't expecting much from another Mega-Drive era series, and sure enough bounced off this when I first played. However I gave it another shot and ended up loving it! It's a great update that still feels like Streets of Rage, while making some fun additions to the gameplay. Donovan is still a knob.

 

7. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge

Pretty good, I preferred Streets of Rage but still glad I played this. It probably shines in local multiplayer, but I'm a lonely boy so haven't been able give that a go. 

 

8. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

This was great, loads of fun ideas and utterly joyful. My wife did ask why Kirby would sometimes eat a dog, only to then use the corpse as ammo, but we'll gloss over that. Joyful. 

[CurryKitten]

23/9/2022 - Stray (PS5)

I just finished this earlier tonight after the physical copy dropped through the door on Tuesday.  It's short - my play through was 5h 44m and that did involve me running around a bit disorientated for a while in one of the sections, but it is very very sweet.

 

I do like the general idea of a game - you are a cat.  Ok, sign me up.  But it does manage to put some variety in there - so some sections based around platforming, or puzzles, stealth - even shooting.   This game offers a little bit of a different take on the dystopian future with underground settlements and towns inhabited by self-aware robots - who all dream of one day seeing the outside.  Oh, and did I mention if you press O then you meow

 

Hugely enjoyable, I can see myself having another few playthroughs in the future.  i missed a few of these memories to collect, but it's not a huge part of the game

[Gambit]

One from Friday night while getting slowly drunk on vodka.

 

23/09 - Spec Ops: The Line

 

What is a pretty standard third person military shooter hides one of the best stories in video game history. While the COD's and the like from the same time were shouting "GUNS! WAR! FUCK YEAH! USA! USA!" this took a real sombre look at the horrors of war. Some shocking scenes and honestly, I liked the shooting gameplay.

 

8/10

 

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

26/05 - Star Wars Squadrons

 

June

05/06 - Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

15/06 - Kirby 64

17/06 - The Quarry

 

July

17/07 - Zero Time Dilemma

23/07 - Hotel Dusk: Room 215

30/07 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge

 

August

10/08 - The Legend of Zelda

 

September

11/09 - Turtles Cowabunga Collection

16/09 - Stranglehold

18/09 - 007: Blood Stone

 

[CurryKitten]

25/09/2022 - Double Kick Heroes (XSX GP)

I started playing this as a "quick thing" as I was waiting for Stray to arrive and didn't want to get into anything long and saw this was a rhythm action game... which I like.  I didn't particularly like this though - normally I'd be jumping back in and playing on the higher difficulties and testing my skill, but I didn't like the mechanics of how and when notes were hit, and it didn't feel particularly on the beat as such.  I didn't go for the music particularly either, but if you like that sort of metal then I'm sure you'd find it great.

 

That said, it was a pretty short game, so I thought I'd run through the story just the once.

 

[instasis]

26/09: As Dusk Falls (Xbone Sex)

 

The first time I tried this the art style pushed me right back out again but, after a second concerted effort, I got past that and got to the meat and potatoes of the game.

 

Overall, had a lot of fun with this. I like that it shows you all the key decision points and outcomes in maps, as well as those which are actually impactful on the outcomes at the end of the game. I tried to play it with each character consistently rather than cheese the ending, and ended up with:

 

Spoiler

Dale and the Mum dead. Tyler and Sharon in jail. Jay in a log cabin having killed the park ranger (and confessed to his actions with the FBI agent) and lived on the run for 14 years. The girl forgave Jay. The Dad survived and started a flight school. The Sheriff got away with whatever he was doing.

 

I enjoyed all of the chapters except the last one, which felt a bit dull and boring and very much like a wrap up of everything rather than anything particularly interesting. 

 

I'd be tempted to do another play through to see how differently it can come out, but not that bothered. Wasn't a fan of the very last scene really, as it left the story without what felt like full closure.

 

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)

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

20/06: Forza Horizon 5 (Xbone Sex)

26/06: Lake (Xbone Sex)

27/06: Last Day Of June (PS5)

29/06: Little Nightmares (PS5)

01/07: Deliver Us The Moon (PS5)

09/07: House Flipper (Xbone Sex)
12/07: Mafia Definitive Edition (PS5)

20/07: Mafia 2: Definitive Edition (PS5)

24/07: Stray (PS5)

09/08: Road 96 (Xbone Sex)

22/08: Signs of the Sojourne (Xbone Sex)

23/08: Two Crude/Crude Buster (MAME)

07/09: Arcade Paradise (PS5)

19/09: Bad Dudes Vs Dragon Ninja (MAME)