What games did you complete? 2022 Edition

[strawdonkey]

15 hours ago, 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%)

47. Hexcells Plus

X3. Crosscells

28a. Deathsmiles Mega Black Label (1CC, Follett, 309mil)

 

It's Halloween! Or close enough. 
 

MBL is the same core game as Deathsmiles but with a few tweaks to scoring mechanics, and it also prevents you from selecting the easiest difficulty for every level which is the only thing that got me through the regular mode. I've still not really engaged with any of the scoring potential of the game as I've just been trying to scrape the 1CC and am looking forward to spending some time exploring the scoring mechanics, extra levels, and so on now I've finally got the 1CC out the way.

 

Only really scraped the surface but I love it so much.

[Jamie John]

34. Rez Infinite (2016) - PS5 via PS Plus

 

 

 

This is my first time finishing Rez. I played it on the 360 over a decade ago and didn't really get it, then I tried it again more recently on the Quest 2, but, as immersive as the VR was, I found that having to crane your neck around to play it was too much like hard work, and I kept getting disorientated.

 

This time around, playing it on the big telly with my headphones turned up and my RGB lights set to something appropriately neon-flavoured, I clicked with it a lot more. Or, rather, I clicked with Area X. Making luminescent space whales and gigantic jellyfish explode in fountains of colour and light, tapping my feet to a thumping bassline all the while, felt great, so much so that I played through Area X three times and found it progressively more engrossing. Really, I could have done with an entire game like this, instead of a 15-20 minute level that felt a bit like a tease of something more substantial.

 

As for the original Rez experience (albeit scaled up to 4K with probably a lot of other modern improvements), I thought it worked better as a music game than it did a shooter. Being unclear on what was going to hurt me and what wasn't, or what was close to me and what was far away, became frustrating at times, especially towards the end, and I found that I was either continuously holding and releasing or frantically tapping the X button so much that my wrist started to ache quite quickly. Some stages were definitely better than others, and this often came down to how good I thought the music was. The first stage, with its gradually increasing bass rhythm, I enjoyed a lot, but some of the stages with more percussive soundtracks I felt lacked oomph. I'm not really into chasing high scores, so after playing through each of the five levels, plus some of the bonus stuff you unlock, I'd had my fill.

 

All told, however, I'm glad I gave this another go. After it featured so highly in the forum's recent GOAT listings, I thought I'd better, and while I think that to truly appreciate how seminal it is you would have had to have played it around the time it first came out (I was only 12 in 2002 and probably hadn't even heard of the game before), it's definitely an example of a retro game that remains very playable, 20 years on from its original release, which isn't something that you can about many PS1 titles.

 

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

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

31. Darkwood (2017) - Steam Deck - 7/10

32. Tinykin (2022) - XSX via Game Pass - 7/10

33. Stray (2022) - PS5 via PS Plus - 7/10

34. Rez Infinite (2016) - PS5 via PS Plus - 8/10

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

Horizon: Forbidden West (2022) - PS5

Dragon Quest XI (2017) - Switch

Mortal Shell (2020) - XSX

The Cat Lady (2012) - Steam Deck

Tekken 7 (2015) - XSX

Scorn (2022) - XSX

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Switch

 

[Unofficial Who]

Oct

 

29/10 Astro's Playroom (PS5) Sure, I played around with this a bit when my partner got a PS5 but for some reason I kind of bounced off this game / controller tutorial. Until last month where I decided to muck around with it some more and chase some trophies. And this time it was a joy. It's such a lovely freebie, the only downside is that playing it has left me a little melancholy given the love for PlayStation 1-4 that the team behind this has, a love it appears isn't shared by Sony as a company. This should have been the start of a push to bring old titles to the PS5, but...well we've seen the lacklustre offerings and we know how some at Sony feel about "old games." Meh, I need to stop moaning. This is a great game in and of itself with the sort of creativity that you rarely see outside of Nintendo games. Defeating the final boss was a lovely way to cap off a lazy Saturday afternoon. I might return to this to see if I can get some of the more obscure trophies.

 

 

29/10 Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County (PC) The long awaited conclusion to the Frog Detective trilogy has arrived and does not disappoint. A new mystery, new soundtrack and most importantly a totally sick scooter which you can use to skate around the tiny environment. Again it's a bit longer than the previous two games but it wraps things up nicely. All three of these games make for a nice relaxed Sunday afternoon of gaming and it's family friendly without being dull. The whole trilogy is out on GamePass right now.

 

 

29/10 Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard (PC) A slightly longer mystery has Frog Detective travelling to a mysterious village to uncover who the new resident, an invisible wizard is and also who trashed the parade decorations put up to celebrate their arrival? Still charming. Still has that dry wit.

 

 

28/10 Frog Detective 1:the Haunted Island (PC) Frog Detective 3 has just come out and I was about to buy it on Steam when I discovered all three games were now on GamePass. Unlocking the achievements was just the flimsy excuse I needed to revisit this really short (less than an hour) mystery game. You are the world's second best detective and have been sent to an island to solve the mystery of the ghost haunting it. Don't let it's brevity fool you, this is incredibly charming with some really dry humour. To say anything more would spoil some of the gags, if you have GamePass give this a shot.

 

 

27/10 Toem (and Basto DLC) (PS5) While my partner takes a rare break from Final Fantasy 14 to do some study I took the opportunity to play through this relaxing gentle game about taking photographs. I do love a simple arcade adventure done right and this is just the right size as you solve problems, mainly by taking photos. For those that already completed it months ago it's worth coming back to visit the tropical island of Basto which has been added by the developers for free as a thankyou gift for their game being such a success. It's currently free on Playstation if you're a sub (although who can tell how long for?) Lovely stuff and one of the rare non-Final Fantasy games that my partner has picked up and completed.

 

 

25/10 Universal Paperclips (PC) In a bit of a maudlin mood, perfect for playing the world's most quiet apocalypse game. Still amazing how it tells a story with so little.

 

 

23/10 Vampire Survivors (PC) (Again. Sort of.)

 

'When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.'

 

"But hang on?" you might ask. "Didn't you finish this at the start of the year?"

 

The answer is yes...and no. Because against my expectations the creator Luca Galante kept updating the game once a month, sometimes once a fortnight. And so a ritual began, with each patch came new levels, new achievements and I would play until I had completed all of them. And now they've released patch 1.0, the game has been released in it's final form and I've now completed every single achievement with a playtime of 76 hours.

 

It's such a simple game on the surface, a single stick shooter where you just move and chose your weapons whenever you gain enough xp. But it's so compulsive to the point where I've been glad of the 30 minute time limit on each session. I said back in February

 

Quote

It's the best and worst $3 I've ever spent and reminds me of the old C64 days where you'd find a budget gem that just took all of your time.

 

I stand by that. Possibly my game of the year. Really.

 

But it's over. Or is it? With the release of patch 1.0 achievements are now available on the Gamepass version. Should I start again there from scratch?

 

Why not?

 

Why. Not.

 

 

Earlier this month

16/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Turtles in Time (PC/Arcade)

16/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PC/Arcade)

16/10 The Terrible Old Man (PC)

16/10 Submerged:Hidden Depths (PC)

08/10 Franken (PC)

07/10 Echo Generation (PC)

02/10 Ghosts'n'Goblins (Arcade/PC)

02/10 Life is Strange:True Colours (PC)

 

Earlier this year.

 

Spoiler

72. 28/09 Return to Monkey Island (PC) 

71. 18/09 Tinykin (PC)

70. 13/09 Flynn:Son of Crimson (PC)

69. 11/09 Winter Olympiad 88 (C64)

68. 08/09 Arcade Paradise (PC)

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

15/10 Scorn (PC)

03/10 Sable (PC)

06/09 I Am Fish (PC)

28/08 Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)

28/08 Spiritfarer (PC)

28/08 Signs of the Sojourner (PC)

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)

 

[instasis]

22/10: Life Is Strange: True Colors (Xbone Sex)

 

Oh man, this is a tricky one. SPOILERS

 

Spoiler

This game feels small. The playable area is, what, Haven high street and a single foray up to the old mine? And it's not in any way small and dense, it's just small.

 

It gives it two things; it gives it a real sense of place and substance, but it also means I didn't get to experience all that Haven had to offer or the reasons why Alex would ever choose to stay there. It in no way felt like a place that could sustain a long and wholesome life.

 

The background context for everything also felt hugely unexplored. There's a lot of hints that Typhon are shit beyond the main storyline, but nothing concrete. 

 

Alex is just a wonderful, wonderful character, loved her to bits. Steph starts out feeling like a surrogate Chloe and pretty much ends up that way, but slightly less cool. Ryan just...he's there, I guess? I liked Gabe.

 

 

The story though - it's so hard to read. For almost 3 chapters you're waiting for the central pillar - prove Typhon did it - to kick in and then everything happens all at once and the game ends. It throws you a broadly unearned twist, it gives you - at the start of Chapter 5 - a series of scenes which really should have been earlier in the game. It's just very weirdly structured, so doesn't quite pull it off.

 

 

It fails to do that thing which the first LiS did so well; build up this sense of creeping dread as to what is coming, framing every decision against that. Similarly, BtS is framed against you knowing what's coming. Here, should I take away Charlotte's pain? I dunno; I'm just going to make a character based decision without any context as to how that may impact things. Which I guess is the point?

 

Tonally it didn't seem to be able to quite nail Alex's powers either. I was sure it was going to go down some kind of Stephen King emotional Horror angle after rescuing Ethan and then...it doesn't. Alex's power is simply to interact with things to unlock new dialogue options. And then at the end she gets to just shout "stop" and do new things?

 

But, overall, I enjoyed this slice of Americana. I liked wandering around Haven, chilling out by the lake, chatting with Ethan. It didn't have the story chops of LiS/BtS, and it didn't have the strong emotional core of the relationship of LiS2, but I found the characters more immediately accessible, the setting more endearing and just wish it had been a little stronger.

 

Will play the next LiS game in a heartbeat.

 

 

 

Completions to date:

 

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)
26/09: As Dusk Falls (Xbone Sex)

12/10: Superhot (PS5)

 

[CurryKitten]

23/11/22 - Ori and the Blind Forest (XSX GP)

I didn't really intend to play this as such, I'd just finished Hollow Knight after a lot of effort but Plague Tale wasn't out for a few days so I gave this a go.  It's really really lovely to look at.  Absolutely gorgeous visuals.  My main complain in Hollow Knight was the lack of direction - I didn't know what I was doing or why, and I needed to use a guide to give myself any hope of getting through it.  I didn't have any complaints about this in Ori, the story was nicely explained along with what the game wanted you to do/go.

 

At first I thought the platforming wasn't as tight as Hollow Knight - mainly due to everything not quite feeling as instant because it wanted to put some more animation frames in there.  the combat sections were pretty easy and so this was really more down to the platforming.  It starts easy, and there are lots of abilities to unlock that help you... and then we get to the "escape" sections.

 

Wowsers, these are really hard-as-nails platforming sections where essentially you have to escape some newly restored area very quickly using perfect platforming all the way and if you screw it up it's back to the beginning to start again.  I must have spent 20-30 minutes on single sections on some of these - especially the first one, with barely any abilities and being new to the game.

 

As I played moreI got a lot more confident about my platforming abilities and went off looking for the many bonus items scattered around.  There are some tricky platforming sections once again, but nothing too over the top and things feel very good to work out how to do them.  I actually finished the game by accident.  I was still missing 3 of the abilities when I finished, so played a little more tonight exploring whole areas of the map I missed.

 

A fun little game, I only spent about 12 hours on it - but that was with a lot of exploring to pick up extras.  I may try the follow up after I finish Plague Tale.

[Jamie John]

35. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number  (2015) - Steam Deck

 

 

I'm going to be chipping through my backlog for the next couple of weeks until God of War comes out. I've had this sat on my (virtual) pile for ages now, so it felt good to get it done.

 

The original game I played back on the Vita and adored, so much so that I A+ ranked all the levels and got the Platinum trophy. Sadly, this isn't as good for a few reasons.

 

First, the story is very hard to keep track of. The game seems to think that you'll remember everything from the first game, which I didn't, and even if I did, the non-chronological order in which the story in this is told, combined with multiple player characters, some of whose perspectives are hallucinatory, or drug-addled, and can't be trusted, meant that I didn't really have the first idea what was going on. To an extent, this was the same in the first game, but whereas there I felt the ambiguity added to the overall queasiness of the game's atmosphere, here it's just annoying and feels like it gets in the way of the action.

 

Second, the stages are too big, with too many opportunities for enemies to snipe you from the other side of the map, resetting your run. A lot of the joy of Hotline Miami 1 came from improvising when things went south, relying on your wits, reflexes and resourcefulness to survive. Here, however, especially as the game wears on, some stages are designed in such a way that you have to do things in a very specific order - stun this guard, grab his gun, count to five, shoot this guy, move across the room, knock this guy out, etc. - and it ends up feeling very prescriptive, more like a puzzle game than a shooter, one with a pre-defined solution, and if you fuck it up then it's back to the start. Some stages took me upwards of 40 minutes to get through, with hundreds of deaths. Perhaps I'm just not very good at the game, but I certainly didn't feel encouraged to replay stages for higher scores once I'd finished them; it was a relief to just get to the 'Stage Cleared' pop-up. It often felt attritional rather than fun.

 

Last, the controls are fiddly. This might be because I was playing on the Deck, but having lock-on mapped to RT when shoot/melee is RB felt horrible. I tried swapping lock-on to R3, Souls-style, but, even then, holding LT and using the right stick to look ahead and see if there were any enemies lying in wait, about to shoot you off-screen, felt very clumsy, and when you have to move so quickly, it's easy to fumble and get killed.

 

But still, all that being said, the core gameplay loop that was such a highlight of the first game is still very much in play here - bursting into a building and systematically murdering every living thing is undeniably satisfying, especially when such carnage is set against the thumping synthwave soundtrack. Moreover, the tension that comes when you've very nearly almost cleared a floor but still have a handful of enemies left, who could send you all the way back to beginning again in an instant, is exhilarating, and watching a 2D sprite disintegrate after you've shot them point blank with a shotgun feels damn good. This game has lashings of the old ultraviolence, and then some, so if you're looking for a marked change of tone from the latest farming sim or other 'cosy' game you might be playing, you may well find this refreshing.

 

Ultimately, if you played and enjoyed the first game and want more of the same, then this fits the bill, but don't expect anything that you didn't see the first time around.

 

7/10

 

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

31. Darkwood (2017) - Steam Deck - 7/10

32. Tinykin (2022) - XSX via Game Pass - 7/10

33. Stray (2022) - PS5 via PS Plus - 7/10

34. Rez Infinite (2016) - PS5 via PS Plus - 8/10

35. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number  (2015) - Steam Deck - 7/10

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

Horizon: Forbidden West (2022) - PS5

Dragon Quest XI (2017) - Switch

Mortal Shell (2020) - XSX

The Cat Lady (2012) - Steam Deck

Tekken 7 (2015) - XSX

Scorn (2022) - XSX

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Switch

 

[Gabe]

23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

 

I never played the arcade game but was familiar with the name and a shield on a chain.

 

As happened a lot in the early PS2 days, this was another property from days of yore updated for the 3D generation. An action-adventure, with the emphasis more on adventure, there was some occasional combat, light puzzles and some light Metroid-esque unlocking of previous areas once you obtained some new skills.

The plot was something to do with Cronos, Hades and something else. It was pretty short and was something and not particularly engaging, but the game itself was fine for its time. It suffered from fixed camera angles, which led to some annoying platforming elements, but overall it was, well, just fine. Nothing more to say on it really and nothing to really to remember it for. Done and dusted.

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)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

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

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

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

 

[BongoInferno]

23/10/22 Watchdogs: Legion & Bloodlines DLC

 

This is the marmite open world game where you can play as anyone and build a DedSec team that will eventually overthrow the fascistic private military company that has taken over London. It’s basically a series of open-ended infiltration play-boxes where you choose your approach (stealth, hacking or combat) and toolset based on the characters you have recruited to your team. 

 

Potential recruits are randomised into a range of profiles with specific skills, so a magician can use hypnotism to get past guards, a hitman can use John Wick style gunkata to fight their way in, a spy uses stealth and invisibility, and a workman can fly in on a drone and use a spiderbot. The drones are excellent, especially the ones you can ride on. There are a reasonable number of profiles, but some of them are useless, like the slow walking pensioner with an old mini and a .357 magnum. If you have the season pass, you can also play as an assassin from Assassins Creed (Watchdogs and AC now occupy the same universe), or Aiden Pearce and Wrench from previous entries in the series. These additional characters are overpowered and really elevate the game. I used them a lot.

 

It looks pretty good on PS5, but they dropped the ball on the terrible accents and dialogue.. I skipped most of the cutscenes.

 

Bloodlines is a separate 6 hour campaign prequel that does away with the ‘play as anyone’ approach and puts you in the boots of Aiden and Wrench. It’s an interesting take on what Watchdogs Legion could have been had it followed a more traditional design. It benefits from a tighter focus on the narrative through identifiable characters, but I missed the emergent silliness of the main game. 

 

There is a lot of fun to be had in Watchdogs: Legion, but while the freedom to play how you choose is great, the types of missions on offer do get repetitive. The ‘play as anyone’ feature feels a bit undercooked, and by the midpoint of the game I was playing with the same few characters which covered off the skills I liked using the most. I think there is a kernel here of something that could be fantastic, and it’ll be interesting to see how much of this game makes its way into the AC series or future Watchdogs titles. 

 

Previously:

 

Spoiler

23/2/22 Assassins Creed Valhalla (PS5)

25/3/22 Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)

24/4/22 The Evil Within 2 (PS5)

13/6/22 Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

29/6/22 Shadow Warrior 3 (PS5)

25/7/22 Outer Wilds (PS5)

2/8/22 Stray (PS5)

8/8/22 Last Stop (PS5)

5/9/22 Monument Valley 2 (iOS)

9/9/22 Saints Row IV: Re-elected (PS5)

19/9/22 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (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
25.) Rock Band 4 - PS4 - 2015
26.) Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2010)
27.) Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit) - SMS/GG - 1991
28.) Superhot - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
29.) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) - GG - 1992
30.) Superhot VR - PS4 - 2017 (2016)

 

31.) Sonic Chaos - SMS/GG - 1993
Continuing my 8-bit Sonic revival, this is the third game in the series and the last one to be (officially) released for the Master System. On the Game Gear, it was known as Sonic & Tails in Japan, which I like more than the western name. You can play as Sonic or Tails, but not both. Tails is the game's easy mode, giving you more lives and continues, flight ability and no Chaos Emeralds to collect. As Sonic, the game is slightly harder as you have to very carefully collect enough rings to get to the special stages, and there are no shield items in this game. This means you have to play very slowly and carefully (particularly on the Game Gear!), which is the antithesis of Sonic games, isn't it? Accessing the special stages also skips the rest of the level, so if you want to see the whole game, you have to either ignore the Emeralds or play it twice! That said, aside from a few sticking points, it's a significantly easier game than the previous two, and the technology to recreate Sonic in 8-bits has progressed here, giving you slopes, almost proper loop-de-loops, and a spin-dash.

 

32.) Binary Domain - PC - 2012

It's a Sega double-bill! This was another Japanese developer dipping into typically 'western' style genres, namely the third-person cover shooter. Compared to Vanquish, which I played earlier this year, Binary Domain is not as over-the-top and ridiculous, and I think it's supposed to be taken seriously, unlike Vanquish, which comes across like a piss-take. The game still has a distinct Japanese vibe to it, is set in a futuristic version of Tokyo and has themes that are highly reminiscent of Snatcher, Final Fantasy VII and many more. But the characters are all generic archetypes and the writing is never more than passable.

 

Anyway, you exclusively fight combat robots in this game, so there's lots of satisfying smashy-smashy, limbs falling off, and explosions. There are some light RPG elements, where you can upgrade your weapon stats and earn loyalty with your teammates through dialogue choices. You can also earn their trust by doing really well in battle, or lose their trust by shooting them, which happens more often than you might think given they have a tendency to walk right in front of your line of sight. There are apparently slightly different endings as well, depending on character loyalty. I wanted one of the characters, Cain, to come back for the end, but he never did for me.

 

Surprisingly good, then. The PC version runs fantastically well on my ancient machine, although I had trouble getting my controller working without resorting to Steam's input emulation, which always felt a bit twitchy. Also, I couldn't get any of the voice command stuff to work but that's probably just me.

[Popo]

Far: Changing Tides (2022)

The sequel to Lone Sails is bigger and better than before! The okomotive of the first game has been replaced with a boat, but this machine has more than a few tricks up it’s sleeve, and sailing along the ocean isn’t the only mode of traversal available to the new red-headed player character.
 

Although the same basic game as the original, the second one really impresses with the depth of its imagination and new sense of scale - the opening moments of the game sees your boat smashed by an enormous tidal wave, and the game has many more dramatic set pieces like that throughout. 
 

As before, getting to understand what your vessel is capable of - what the buttons do, what the markings mean - is where the real fun is, and this bigger, expanded interpretation of the developer’s core ideas feels like a promise fulfilled. And that ending is just perfect. 

 

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

16/06/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

16:06/2022 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

09/07/2022 - Luigi’s Mansion 2

16/07/2022 - Journey

19/07/2022 - Tomb Raider

03/08/2022 - The Last of Us Part 2

05/08/2022 - Metroid: Samus Returns

08/08/2022 - The Gunk

12/08/2022 - Tomb Raider Underworld

15/08/2022 - Super Metroid

04/09/2022 - Final fantasy VII Remake: INTERmission

13/09/2022 - Sable

11/10/2022 - Far: Lone Sails

16/10/2022 - Immortality

21/10/2022 - A Plague Tale: Innocence

28/10/2023 - Far: Changing Tides

 

[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
25.) Rock Band 4 - PS4 - 2015
26.) Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2010)
27.) Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit) - SMS/GG - 1991
28.) Superhot - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
29.) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) - GG - 1992
30.) Superhot VR - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
31.) Sonic Chaos - SMS/GG - 1993
32.) Binary Domain - PC - 2012

 

33.) Lego Jurassic World - PC - 2015

Completed all story levels once, approximately 10 hours. Might go back and unlock more stuff, but I dunno. Lots more Lego games to play.

 

I think Lego games that feature mostly ordinary people are significantly less fun than ones that feature super-powered people. Basically, Lego games peaked with Star Wars. Droids and ships made of Lego = cool. Smashing bricks with lightsabers = cool. Using the force to build things = cool. Every other Lego game has kept the template but changed the context, and it doesn't work. (Except maybe DC/Marvel Superheroes, and possibly Harry Potter.)

 

What's interesting about playing as a bunch of people whose abilities are "hitting things with their hands" and who are differentiated by what type of machines they can operate? InGen top brass can access certain computers, intellectuals can solves puzzle boards, archeologists can put bones together or dive into piles of shit... but you wouldn't know from looking at them because they all look like ordinary Lego people. This is the first game in the franchise I've noticed where the characters' abilities are written underneath their names!

 

Putting voices from the movies into these games is a practice that started with Lego Lord of the Rings... with mixed results. Sound quality tends to come across muffled when they do that, especially compared to the new voices for other characters. In Lego Jurassic World, it definitely sounds like they got some of the recent cast back to do new lines, but this is mostly limited to the final quarter of the game, where suddenly the characters are incredibly verbose and obsessed with telling you exactly what they're doing, while scenes from the earlier films are largely mute outside of cutscenes.

 

Still, the developers treat all these franchises with respect and good natured humour, and I do enjoy the family-friendly visual comedy they add to the scenes. Particularly amusing is how nobody dies in this game. Dinosaurs never successfully eat anybody, or their victims miraculously escape unharmed. Even that poor tortured woman from Jurassic World survives inside the mouth of the mosasaurus!

[Popo]

Halloween Special!!!

 

The Mummy Demastered (2017)

5th game finished this month, and 3rd Metroidvania of the year!

 

The Mummy Demastered is a short, sharp and by the numbers Metroidvania - but that is by no means a bad thing. It mixes a lot of the best elements of Super Metroid - tricky platforming, solid shooting and challenging bosses - with its own take on Hollow Knight’s death/rebirth mechanic. Here, when you die, your nameless sci-fi marine character really does die - and turns into a zombie, another wretch under the spell of the game’s big bad Princess Ahmanet. The twist is he has all your gear, and to get it back you have to kill him and reclaim it. 
 

This is a cute idea, but it has one flaw - when you respawn, you do so at the same power level as you began the game, which also means going back to a single health tank. While finding and killing your predecessor is not hugely challenging, you also have to kill any other enemies between here and there - woe betide you if you failed to find and use the nearest save point to where you died. It’s theoretically possible to get stuck in a downward spiral of deaths, especially in the latter stages of the game with lots of hard-hitting, endlessly respawning enemies. Fortunately this reviewer suffered few such misfortunes, and bears no ill will as a result, but your mileage may vary. 
 

The execution is solid, feeling great to play. It has few surprises, and while it is pretty stingy with its upgrades (There’s no upward power curve here to speak of, the focus remaining on player challenge), they are for the most part unique, interesting ideas, more befitting of your characters’ ordinary, expendable place in the world. 
 

A solid recommend for fans of the genre. 

 

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

16/06/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

16:06/2022 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

09/07/2022 - Luigi’s Mansion 2

16/07/2022 - Journey

19/07/2022 - Tomb Raider

03/08/2022 - The Last of Us Part 2

05/08/2022 - Metroid: Samus Returns

08/08/2022 - The Gunk

12/08/2022 - Tomb Raider Underworld

15/08/2022 - Super Metroid

04/09/2022 - Final fantasy VII Remake: INTERmission

13/09/2022 - Sable

11/10/2022 - Far: Lone Sails

16/10/2022 - Immortality

21/10/2022 - A Plague Tale: Innocence

28/10/2022 - Far: Changing Tides

29/10/2022 - The Mummy Demastered

 

[skondo]

Backbone.

 

Enjoyed it to start with, but soon tired of the story. Obviously this is a problem with a narrative driven adventure. Ultimately I found the conversations too dull and only completed it as it leaves Gamepass shortly.

 

Not recommended.

[Unofficial Who]

5 minutes ago, skondo said:

Backbone.

 

Enjoyed it to start with, but soon tired of the story. Obviously this is a problem with a narrative driven adventure. Ultimately I found the conversations too dull and only completed it as it leaves Gamepass shortly.

 

Not recommended.

 

I started it for this very reason and decided to drop it because life is too short. (If you're on GamePass PC play Frog Detective instead!)

[Quest]

Backbone has one of the strangest, most abrupt 'let's just get this shit over with' endings I've ever seen in a game. I was actually enjoying it until that point.

 

 

[pinholestar]

Yeah Backbone takes a truly bizarre turn and suddenly goes from a very intriguing detective noir in a highly original setting to something incredibly mediocre that seemingly wants to end itself as quickly as possible. It’s really odd how sharply it drops off a cliff.

[Gabe]

30. Despot's Game (PC)

 

This is a fun little auto-battler on Game Pass. That's it. Shortest review of mine ever!

 

Oh, okay.

 

There's a little bit of a story, around 7 or 8 different classes, various bonuses, skills and power-ups and you get to trawl through 12 levels of a metallic dungeon. You get to outfit lots of disposable humans, the idea obviously trying to keep them alive so they level-up and help you take-down the various enemies littering the place. The only thing that is kept post-run is some new potential mutations that are unlocked (which you can only obtain inside the dungeon, and they are taken from a random pool - so it's effectively not very useful.)

 

The trick is that each different character class has a number of unique items of equipment - and you get bonuses for having 3/4/5 members of that class each with unique items (you can have as many people with the same item as you want, you'll just wont get any bonuses). This could lead to you have a hodge-podge of people (I'm not actually sure how many characters you can have in total, perhaps about 40?) and would be a bad idea. Besides, you will soon learn that there are only three classes you really need (especially if you happen to read anything about it.)

It's still quite fun though, there's something rather compelling about watching your swarm take down a horde of zombies or dalek-a-likes and, once you settle on a crack team it becomes fairly relaxing. I probably got through it within about 4 or 5 runs, once I'd got my team composition sorted (and took mutations that complemented them) - though admittedly, I only play on easy because I suck and don't like frustration when I'm relaxing.

 

There is a PvP endgame for those interested, though some of the classes really do need some buffing to make that viable. Not that it affects me though, as I'm not into multiplayer and this has already been uninstalled. Good fun whilst it lasted though.

 

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)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

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

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

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

 

[Junker]

Knack. It’s fine. Starts off quite annoying but once you get used to the rhythm of your attacks and enemies it’s quite fun.

 It’s a very un-ambitious game - any ideas it has to vary the gameplay it never really commits to or explores further possibilities.

 Later levels are more varied and fun and better looking. The lava in one of the later levels looked quite striking.

 Story and plot is hokey nonsense but is delivered by decent voice actors who deserve better lines but still give it 100%.

 It’s not a 3D platformer, it’s a simple brawler and as such I quite enjoyed my time with it.  

[shirubagan]

 

Spoiler

01. How We Know We're Alive (Mac)
02. Gorogoa (Game Pass)
03. The Procession to Calvary (Game Pass)
04.Shadow Warrior [2013] (Xbox)
05. Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch)
06. Crossfire X – Chapter 1: Catalyst (XSX)
07. Battlefield 4 – Campaign, Normal (XSX)
08. Astro's Playroom (PS5)
09. Il Filo Conduttore (Mac)
10. Ratchet & Clank – Rift Apart (PS5)
11. Borderlands 3 – Guns, Love & Tentacles DLC (XSX)
12 & 13. Back to the Future – The Telltale Game, Episodes 1 & 2 (Xbox GWG)
14. Pokémon Sword (Switch)
15 & 16. Back to the Future – The Telltale Game, Episodes 3 & 4 (Xbox GWG)
17. Panzer Dragoon Remake, Normal Run (Switch)

18. Rez Infinite, Area 1-5 run (PS5)
19. Bowser's Fury, All Cat Shines (Switch)
20. Back to the Future – The Telltale Game, Episode 5 (Xbox GWG)
21. Nobody Saves the World (Xbox)
22. Trek to Yomi (Xbox)
22.5. Rez Area X (PS5)
23. Tomb Raider 2013 (XSX)

24. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (XSX Game Pass)
25. Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5 – PS+ Extra)
26. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PS5 – PS+ Extra) [ABANDONED]
27. Stray (PS5 – PS+ Extra)
28. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge – Michelangelo ending (Game Pass)

29. Eyeland (PlayDate)
30. Life's Too Short (PlayDate)
31. Pick Pack Pup – Story Mode (PlayDate)
32. Aperture Desk Job (Steam Deck)
33. Chorus (Game Pass)
34. Cyberpunk 2077 (XSX)
35. Elechead (Steam)

 

 

 

36. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed - Story fully unlocked (Xbox)

I love Ghostbusters. I loved the last game. Not that hot on PvE games, but thought I'd take a punt on this as I heard about the Story Mode featuring VO work from Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd, and was intrigued. I really enjoyed it. It was a bit short, just opening up a cutscene as you rank up playing the main game, but very silly and fun.

The game itself looks and sounds great and plays a decent game of PvP (or AI) cat & mouse with your team of four Ghostbusters unsurprisingly chasing down a ghost, or vice versa. The weapons and gadgets are fun with upgrades for you to customise your play style a bit here and there. Five upgradeable ghosts offer variety from that side also. Maps and environments are all lovely and intricate requiring you to be on the ball as the Haunt level increases, scaring off civilians in the area and making things get weird.

I am enjoying this much more than I thought I would and there seem to be enough players online to get a game wherever I've connected. Hoping for some content updates to add to the five maps and perhaps some more game modes.

[Ste Pickford]

Completed Xenoblade Chronicles 3 yesterday.  What a joyless slog it became towards the end.  Well, most of the way before that, to be honest.  I only kept on because I enjoyed the previous entries in the series, and I'd paid for it so wanted my money's worth. I kept waiting for it to get good, but it didn't.

The final area was so boring and repetitive, then the boss battle so stressful yet boring at the same time. Great visuals, but super annoying to play. Took about 1hr 45 mins from the start of the boss battle to the end credits, with seemingly endless, "ah, you've beaten me, but now you must fight my true form!".  Seriously, does anyone enjoy that kind of boss fight?  And even when it was (seemingly) over, about a dozen, cloying, over-written, 'characters-say-goodbye' scenes, all before you get to save your progress after the boss fight.

 

A game that really disrespects the player's time, presuming you have hours of undivided attention to devote to every play-session, with awful, drawn-out, slow paced sentimental cut scenes.

 

I don't think I'll bother if they do another one in the series.

[ImmaculateClump]

Dead End City - Hard 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, Arcade 2-all
Red-Hawk - 1cc

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

Love - Arcade

Spacewing War - Story mode 1cc

AISZplus - 1cc

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Arcade, normal 1cc (April)

Deathsmiles IIX - 1cc TLB

Like Dreamer - [Trial, Maniac 1cc] [Trial+, Expert 1cc] [Trial, Nightmare 1cc] [Speedrun, Expert 1cc] [All Trial, Nightmare 1cc] etc. Lost track now

Shooting Game KARI - Normal 1cc

Tanitani Wizard - Normal 1cc

Mushihimesama Futari Black Label - Maniac 1cc

Valhellio - Normal 1cc

Bullet Hell Monday - Normal 1cc

NeverAwake - All worlds, route A and B

Hazelnut Hex - Normal 1cc, Moderate 1cc

雷鸟Thunderbird - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Dead End City - Normal 1cc

 

[Jamie John]

36: Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade - Episode INTERmission (2021) - PS5 via PS Plus

 

 

Jesus, that's a bad title for a computer game.

 

Anyway, I didn't like this that much. It's all a bit overwhelming. They try to pack far much into its four-hour runtime - too many weapons, skills, abilities and materia - and it ends up feeling very messy. This is epitomised particularly in the combat, which is a sub-par attempt to mash Platinum-style brawling into FF-style turn-based battling. It doesn't really work very well as you have to pause every few seconds to bring up the menu and select which attack you want to try next, once your ATB gauge has filled, breaking the flow of most encounters. This isn't too much of an issue most of the time, as you can normally just button-mash your way through battles and come out clean on the other side. Occasionally, however, you'll come across a difficulty spike (like the complete malignacunt of a final boss) and find you actually have to try to read the screen and figure out what's going on, which is made exponentially harder by the number of explosions and effects that are whizzing off all over the place at once, plus the fact that moving the R stick in an attempt to rotate the camera also switches the enemy you're locked onto, meaning you either don't lock-on at all or give yourself over to the mercy of the auto-camera.

 

Yuffie is annoying more than endearing. The environments are dull, and copy-and-pasted from the base game. I couldn't be arsed with the Fort Condor redux. And God alone knows what was going on with the story.

 

I should probably stop now, before I sound even more like an old man. I will say however, that after enjoying FF7R, even if it was a bit bewildering in places, playing this has tampered my expectations slightly for FF7R Episode 2 (or whatever it's called) that's coming out next year.

 

If you really adored the original game (well, not the actual original game - the remake) then you've probably played this already. Otherwise, I'd likely give it a miss.

 

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

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

31. Darkwood (2017) - Steam Deck - 7/10

32. Tinykin (2022) - XSX via Game Pass - 7/10

33. Stray (2022) - PS5 via PS Plus - 7/10

34. Rez Infinite (2016) - PS5 via PS Plus - 8/10

35. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number  (2015) - Steam Deck - 7/10

36: Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade - Episode INTERmission (2021) - PS5 via PS Plus - 5/10

 

Abandoned:

 

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) - PC

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (2020) - Switch

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2017) - 3DS

Horizon: Forbidden West (2022) - PS5

Dragon Quest XI (2017) - Switch

Mortal Shell (2020) - XSX

The Cat Lady (2012) - Steam Deck

Tekken 7 (2015) - XSX

Scorn (2022) - XSX

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Switch

 

[CurryKitten]

31/10/2022:  A Plague Tale Requiem (XSX GP)

I played the original game when I first got GP and was unexpectedly drawn right into it.  The sequel could be seen as a bit of a mixed bag, some sections were a little clunky and some animations were a bit weird (despite all the mo cap) but it really hit on the lighting in this game which was amazing, and the gazillions of rats on screen were still the stars.  Single player story driven stuff is my goto for enjoyment, so I really enjoyed playing this - it's not too long either.  It's not that I want it to be over, but once you've sort of explored all the different ways to puzzle solving, getting through rats and taking out guards by the 100's any attempt to make it longer would be trying to stretch it out for the sake of it.

[Popo]

Hardspace Shipbreaker (2022)

 

Despite being one of those job simulator games at heart, I really loved this. Your job as a Shipbreaker sees you pulling derelict spaceships apart and sorting their parts into different repositories. The game slowly introduces new types of ships (passenger, tanker), hazards (electric, fire, radiation) and ship systems that need to be pulled apart in the right order to avoid catastrophic damage to the ship - and you - which builds the challenge and complexity nicely over the course of your career. Doing this well is a powerfully meditative and absorbing activity, even when the ships all start to look the same.
 

You can die, but thanks to your corporate overlords, who back up your genetic data every night for a fee, you always come right back and try again. A fee? Yep - in the gig economy, you have to pay for all the equipment and services you rent or use from your employer, including the air you breathe. These costs are nothing compared to the debt you’re saddled with when you begin your employment, though, and being able to save anything for yourself seems hopeless - something you, your coworkers and your managers will discuss across the story of the campaign; a story which is earnest and, ultimately, optimistic even if the real world  and be less so. 
 

Really, hugely enjoyable. I hope there’s DLC in the future. 
 

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

16/06/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

16:06/2022 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

09/07/2022 - Luigi’s Mansion 2

16/07/2022 - Journey

19/07/2022 - Tomb Raider

03/08/2022 - The Last of Us Part 2

05/08/2022 - Metroid: Samus Returns

08/08/2022 - The Gunk

12/08/2022 - Tomb Raider Underworld

15/08/2022 - Super Metroid

04/09/2022 - Final fantasy VII Remake: INTERmission

13/09/2022 - Sable

11/10/2022 - Far: Lone Sails

16/10/2022 - Immortality

21/10/2022 - A Plague Tale: Innocence

28/10/2022 - Far: Changing Tides

29/10/2022 - The Mummy Demastered

01/11/2022 - Hardspace Shipbreaker

 

[Jamie John]

Did you play it on PC or on console, @Popo? Does it control well with a pad? And how long would you say it was?

[Popo]

7 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

Did you play it on PC or on console, @Popo? Does it control well with a pad? And how long would you say it was?

On Xbox courtesy of Gamepass, plays absolutely fine on the pad - it’s sort of awkward, but in a deliberate, ‘free floating in space isn’t supposed to be easy’ sort of a way. 
 

My game progress page says I played it for 1 day 21 hours, so something has gone badly wrong there; I’ll have to defer to HLTB’s 25 hours, which feels about right - maybe more like 22. 

[strawdonkey]

On 21/10/2022 at 22:28, 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%)

47. Hexcells Plus

X3. Crosscells

28a. Deathsmiles Mega Black Label (1CC, Follett, 309mil)

48. Hexcells Infinite

 

It's more Hexcells. This one is too hard for me - every puzzle can be done with no guessing, but these are so surgical and precise that I often found myself unable to figure out where I should be starting let alone where I should progress. The moments where I was able to figure something out made me feel galaxy-brained but there were as many moments where I had to take a punt as there were moments where I figured it out.

 

To be clear, this is 100% a skill issue.

[Mogster]

31/10/2022 - Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode Intermission

 

This was a fun little romp, introducing Yuffie into the story a little earlier than she was in the original. Well, the International version of the original.

 

I hadn't played FFVIIR since it came out on the PS4, and I'd largely forgotten the intricacies of its various systems. I was a bit concerned when the game warned me that there would be no handholding in Intermission, and I was floundering a little to start with, but I was able to get back into the swing of things before too long. The combat was really enjoyable after that, with a few new systems added into the mix for Yuffie and new character Sonon. It got quite tough in places too, especially the last boss which took a few attempts for me.

 

I was surprised to find a reimagined version of the Fort Condor minigame from the original, implemented here as this Midgar's equivalent of a CCG or something. It's a sort of competitive tower defence game, in which you spawn a selection of hand-picked units to attack enemy bases and defend your own. It's not great, but it was diverting enough for me to finish the questline.

 

I was a bit disappointed with the story. I wasn't expecting much, but was quite enjoying the lighter tone to start with. The problem's begin when it tries to very quickly build a character arc and backstory for Sonon, leading to an attempt at a resolution that I don't think it earned at all. I think I'd have preferred it if it kept things light and simple,

 

Anyway, it was definitely worth playing as a bitesize slice of FFVIIR. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.

 

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

June

09/06/2022 - Elden Ring

July

09/07/2022 - Cyberpunk 2077
10/07/2022 - Citizen Sleeper

August

01/08/2022 - Stray
14/08/2022 - No Man's Sky Expedition Eight: Polestar
30/08/2022 - Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection (GDI Campaign)

September

Nothing!

October

10/10/2022 - The Nonary Games: 999
31/10/2022 - Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode Intermission

 

[Jamie John]

On 31/10/2022 at 21:52, Jamie John said:

I will say however, that after enjoying FF7R, even if it was a bit bewildering in places, playing this has tampered my expectations slightly for FF7R Episode 2 (or whatever it's called) that's coming out next year.

 

If you really adored the original game (well, not the actual original game - the remake) then you've probably played this already. Otherwise, I'd likely give it a miss.

 

1 hour ago, Mogster said:

Anyway, it was definitely worth playing as a bitesize slice of FFVIIR. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.

 

Opinions, eh? 

 

I agree with you about Sonon. I was convinced he was actually 

Spoiler

Zack

 

for about half the game, as they look the same, and I was thinking that the devs were going to try to wrangle in that storyline somehow, but he was just no-one, really.

 

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Mogster]

Just now, Jamie John said:

Opinions, eh? 

I did notice your conflicting review.

 

I think I had quite low expectations, to be fair. I went in just looking for more of the same, and had no real expectations for the story. It sounds like I enjoyed the combat more than you, which probably makes a big difference when the expansion is almost entirely combat based.