What games did you complete? 2023 Edition

[Boothjan]

7 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

The whole thing is just so intense

Can't agree more with this!!

 

I loved it but it isn't a game you play before bed because it gets you absolutely WIRED!

[Jamie John]

9 minutes ago, Boothjan said:

Can't agree more with this!!

 

I loved it but it isn't a game you play before bed because it gets you absolutely WIRED!

 

Yeah - I made that mistake myself a few times.

[thesnwmn]

Spoiler

1. 04/01 - Stacklands (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

2. 05/01 - Patrick's Parabox (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

3. 09/01 - FixFox (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

4. 10/01 - Lego Builder's Journey (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

5. 13/01 - Pentiment (XBox/Steam Deck via XCloud) [post]

 

6. 15/01 - Baba Is You (Steam Deck/PC)

 

I started but never completed this on Switch when it was released and wanted something I could play in relatively small chunks whilst diving into some narrative games (completed Pentiment, starting Citizen Sleeper and eyeing Roadwarden and Disco Elysium). So, "because Steam Deck" I picked this up on the deck (instead of dusting off the Switch) and dived in.

 

It didn't work out this way.

 

First of all Pentiment was captivating to mean I didn't play much beyond a few early levels I mostly remembered the solution to.

 

Then Baba Is You consumed me.

 

I decided to focus on seeing the (an) end rather than completing all worlds. I reason that I'm happier to dip back in for some levels occasionally after completion than just feeling too dumb to clear a complete world after the first three or so.

 

For anyone who hasn't seen it, Baba Is You sees you (mostly) play as Baba, a white rabbit, hoping around 2D levels to WIN by meeting whatever the level's requirements are. Or more often, whatever you make them. It's a word arranging puzzle game where you push blocks around to break existing rules and build new ones. Stop downing in water by simply destroy the rule on the screen that says WATER is SINK. Move through walls by busting the WALL is STOP statement.

 

It all starts simple enough but quickly ramps up to be devilishly difficult. More nouns, more adjectives, and many more rules in play at the same time. It takes a simple basic concept and twists it beyond all belief. At some point I'd say the rules become a little complicated but for the most part they're will thought out.

 

I'd say I'm pretty good at a puzzle games in general but this one definitely beat me in a few places. Fortunately there's an excellent site, Baba Is Hint, that offers nudges for each level. With a little help from this guiding hand I was able to work my way through to the END of the game.

 

Maybe I'm just not capable of having a second game on the go.

[shirubagan]

So far:

 

Spoiler

1. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5)

2. Somerville (Game Pass)

3. The Eternal Castle (Steam)
4. Resident Evil VILLAGE (PS5)

 

 

 

Mrrrgle krrooombaaaadge!

 

5. Mortal Kombat 11 – Story Mode (Steam Deck)

This was ludicrous in both a good and bad way. Clocking in at around 6 hours, 90% of it was cutscene and overly grim story, peppered with two to four fights in each of the 12 chapters. It was OK for what it was and YMMV depending on fighting game preference, but I find the serious tone to be laughably bad and off-putting as per Nether Realm's Injustice games. I also find the fighting system to be very stilted and personally feel the sheer number of teleporting moves and inescapable combos make any kind of flow impossible.

 

Fine for a very cheap Humble Bundle inclusion, but I have no interest in trying out the other modes if I'm honest and would rather have 100gb (!) freed up on my Steam Deck.

 

[cassidy]

First game of the year

 

Rainbow billy - series X

 

Decent enough tale about mental health and friendship in a cuphead visual style but with gameplay that is colour and shape matching RPG light for the young un's 

 

 

 

 

[ImmaculateClump]

U.N. Squadron - 1cc

 

Spoiler

Cotton Rock n Roll -Superlative Night Dreams- - normal 1cc, cotton, appli, tacoot, luffee, fine

Fantasy Zone - 1cc (2-4)

 

[spanx]

2. Persona 5 Royal (PC, finished 15/01)

 

Second attempt for this, think I got to the fourth dungeon on Persona 5 on PS4 a few years back but sort of lost steam. Started again when I moved and this hit Game Pass and stuck with it, and it deserves its status as a classic. Not sure I can add much, the battle and confidant systems were both brilliant, really deep but easy to grasp, and linked beautifully to your developing relationships to your team and associates. It’s too long, and a couple of the dungeons do beer dangerously close to outstaying their welcome, but it has charm in spades and some lovely characters. Don’t think I can stomach another epic JRPG for a while but glad I stuck it out to see the end. Will probably be in for P6 in 2027 or whenever it lands

 

9/10

 

Spoiler

Completed

1.Pentiment

2.Persona 5 Royal

 

Playing

1.Vampire Survivors

2.Flight Simulator

3.Portal

 

Abandoned

-

 

[strawdonkey]

On 15/01/2023 at 19:40, strawdonkey said:

01 - Tiny Rogues

02 - Needy Streamer Overload

03 - Yamafuda - 2nd Station

04 - Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered

05 - Fault: Milestone One

 

This game has at least one option that references how the game behaves before or after you make a choice in the game.

 

This game appears to have one single choice and I don't think it changed much about the story (though I was at least satisfied with how it played out).

 

Visual novels are weird.

 

ANYWAY 

 

During the prologue, you're introduced to two people who are discussing the stars. And then it drops this in there:

 

 

Fault: Milestone One is a really interesting first step in a kind of fantasy/sci-fi/steampunkish hybrid, that frames itself originally as a princess and their retainer fleeing a violent invasion and uprising, and suddenly touches on culture shock, consciousness, and what it means to be alive, out of nowhere.

 

Really enjoyable if a bit short, though the characters were all really likeable which is a huge win. Have the sequel ready to go, very interested to see what happens next.

[thesnwmn]

Spoiler

1. 04/01 - Stacklands (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

2. 05/01 - Patrick's Parabox (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

3. 09/01 - FixFox (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

4. 10/01 - Lego Builder's Journey (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

5. 13/01 - Pentiment (XBox/Steam Deck via XCloud) [post]

6. 15/01 - Baba Is You (Steam Deck/PC) [post]

 

This thread has done weird things to me. I'm never been one for completing games but that obviously sounds insane now as I complete my 7th game of the year!

 

7 - 17/01 Citizen Sleeper (PC/Steam Deck via XCloud)

 

I bounced off this hard last year on release. And I mean like a brick wall. I booted it, started the game, and after reading a bunch of the intro story and never even completing the first cycle I gave up. I just wasn't in the right mood.

 

Returning now though I am in love. A glorious adventure with a delightful cast of characters and interwoven stories. Juggling all the story threads kept me utterly engaged for the 11 or so hours it took me to get through it. Great writing all around. Really engaged with the set of characters and finding out about them. Enjoyed how different characters end up interacting as their stories overlap. Even with just some map markers and lots of text the game creates a real sense of a complex and realistic place.

 

I was a glad I took a look at how the endings worked in advance. Whilst I've loved it I'd have hated to have to replay it all just to see a few paragraphs of text from an alternative ending choice (and the writing is good enough I wanted to know what they were). So on my main playthrough I was able to see all but two of the endings.

 

If I had to make one criticism it's that once you understand the game it's a little easy. It doesn't really matter of course because the game isn't about that. But without the challenge some of the tension in the story evaporates. It does a fabulous job initially of making the player feel like they're under constant pressure. But once you understand that it's a bit of a façade and it's actually you, and not the game, applying the pressure by following too many threads too quickly it.

 

I've already dived back in this morning after finishing last night and am basically speed running to the two endings I missed. Once you know the game, it's systems and the story up until the split points it's trivial to get through to an ending in an hour or two.

[Sprite Machine]

Previously...

Spoiler

1.) Lego Marvel's Avengers - PC - 2016
2.) Abzû - PC - 2016
3.) Portal with RTX - PC - 2022 (2007)

4.) Aperture Desk Job - PC - 2022

 

5.) Bowser's Fury - Switch - 2021

Completed with all 100 Cat Shines.

 

I completed the Switch version of Super Mario 3D World last year, but this is an entirely separate game so it gets its own entry.

 

A more traditional 3D Mario game, albeit shorter. The big change is that it's set in a single large map and that a massive monstrous Bowser looms ominously in the distance while you're happily running around collecting cute cats or whatever. Then it becomes a battle of titans as you transform into giant Lion-Mario and batter Fury-Bowser back into the water for a bit, while a heavy metal soundtrack wails on.

 

It's like Mario meets Power Rangers, and I loved it! Considering I only got the game because I never played 3D World on the Wii U, Bowser's Fury is an excellent bonus and could easily be released on its own (if Nintendo did tiered pricing anymore).

[ImmaculateClump]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan

 

Spoiler

Cotton Rock n Roll -Superlative Night Dreams- - normal 1cc, cotton, appli, tacoot, luffee, fine

Fantasy Zone - 1cc (2-4)

U.N. Squadron - 1cc

[glb]

January

 

#1 - Golf Story (Switch)

#2 - Actraiser: Renaissance (Switch)

 

As my avatar might hint, I have fond memories of the original Actraiser, which was the first game I played on my first console, a lovely shiny SNES. Actraiser's combination of platforming and god-simming was a unique mix of gameplay genres, backed up by a stellar soundtrack, and remains a gem of the 16-bit era.

 

Was intrigued to see a reboot had been released, and was keen to see what the game would entail beyond shinier visuals. While I enjoyed the nostalgia the game affords, and a chance to relive Yuzo Koshiro's fantastic tunes, a bit too much has been messed with. The platforming sections are enjoyable, although did underline for me why I tend to steer away from games with numerous boss fights. I just don't find enjoyment in learning the patterns they require. Still, I appreciated that the levels aren't carbon copies of the original and that time was taken to add some extra sections.

 

The formerly chill sim sections, where you rebuild various towns, are present but have been given, for some unfathomable reason, tower defence sections. Most of them can be bumbled through but if they're not your bag, and they're not mine, they quickly become a chore that upset the balance of what is otherwise a quite cutesy, relaxing part of the game. There's a bonus level where these sieges are ramped up and I finally lost my patience with them. There are too many games, and not enough hours available to persist with something once it becomes frustrating instead of enjoyable.

 

A good amount of work clearly went into remaking a thirty year-old game, but feel a little bit too much messing with the original's formula impeded what improvements there are. Not a bad game, just one that ended up being a little overbaked.

[gossi the dog]

On 17/01/2023 at 00:19, strawdonkey said:

05 - Fault: Milestone One

 

This game has at least one option that references how the game behaves before or after you make a choice in the game.

 

This game appears to have one single choice and I don't think it changed much about the story (though I was at least satisfied with how it played out).

 

Visual novels are weird.

 

ANYWAY 

 

During the prologue, you're introduced to two people who are discussing the stars. And then it drops this in there:

 

 

Fault: Milestone One is a really interesting first step in a kind of fantasy/sci-fi/steampunkish hybrid, that frames itself originally as a princess and their retainer fleeing a violent invasion and uprising, and suddenly touches on culture shock, consciousness, and what it means to be alive, out of nowhere.

 

Really enjoyable if a bit short, though the characters were all really likeable which is a huge win. Have the sequel ready to go, very interested to see what happens next.

Isn’t it part of a trilogy?

[strawdonkey]

1 hour ago, gossi the dog said:

Isn’t it part of a trilogy?

There is a third game coming out "soon" - seven years after the last one - but there also seem to be a bunch of other related games.

 

Also haven't looked into it too much as the descriptions for the upcoming game seem to contain a lot of spoilers, which makes looking into it pretty difficult!

 

In short: I dunno

 

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order - XSX - 11/01/23 - 7.5/10

2. Assassins Creed Valhalla - XSX - 8.5/10

 

3. Guardians of the Galaxy - XSX Game Pass

 

 

Sat in my backlog since it first arrived on Game Pass last year, I finally went back and completed this yesterday - it's insanely fun and I bloody loved every moment of it.

 

I can't think of many other games which tell quite as good a story as this.  I genuinely think the plot would have made a really good MCU film, there's so many wonderful character, varied worlds to visit, good adversaries and of course continual daft humour throughout.  I do think there are too many single player games which can feel rather lonely at times, but GotG has you alongside your squad throughout the 15-20 hours it takes to finish it.  That means there's no let up to the bickering and general conversation between the 5 main crewmates, and any other NPC who may be accompanying you.  And I LOVED the voiceovers.  Really funny when it wants to be, setting the scene, telling a back story in others.  It's really well written, and it's all good.  Star Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax and Groot are all amazing characters and I actually found Drax (who has always been my favourite Guardian) funnier in this than he is in the films.  

 

Gameplay wise, you only ever fully control Starlord, but during the battle sections (of which there is a LOT), you can control the other members of the crew and use their bespoke special moves by using RB and selecting one of 4 special moves per crewmate.  It can be argued that these bits are rather button-bashy, but there's definitely a knack to it, even if the best results tend to be 'unleash each crew members' strongest attack all at the same time'.  So whilst the button bashing criticism might be slightly harsh, I can see why some people said that.  This chaos is probably the biggest drawback here, things can get so intense with loads of enemies around that it's difficult to see where the bad guys are.

 

The main game is very linear, but with different ways to traverse each world, there's some variety, albeit nothing particularly original or groundbreaking.

 

It also has one of if not the best photo mode I've ever seen in a game, with some amazing frames adding to the GotG feel of it all.

 

GotG doesn't break the mould with any element of it's gameplay or design, but it does do everything well and the characters and story means it holds up better than many other action games like it.  It's without doubt one of the funniest and well written games I've played for a very long time and this is the reason why I rate it so highly.  Fans of the franchise absolutely must play it - but TBH you could enjoy this with no prior knowledge of GotG as the story, sub plots and characters are so well realised.  This is brilliant fun from the get go.  I'd love them to make a sequel.

 

9/10

[strawdonkey]

On 16/01/2023 at 23:19, strawdonkey said:

01 - Tiny Rogues

02 - Needy Streamer Overload

03 - Yamafuda - 2nd Station

04 - Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered

05 - Fault: Milestone One

06 - Fault: Milestone Two - Side: Above

 

Daft name: check

 

More good Visual Novel things. Great cast of characters, wonderful soundtrack, but I'm getting deja-shenmue as it feels like this is chapter 2 of an 11-chapter epic that is nowhere near completing and the next game has been "coming soon" for nearly a year. This game does a thing and has a story but the amount that things have progressed feels very, very small and I fear we'll never see the end. That's not to say I've not enjoyed the games themselves; it's just that I find stories that die halfway through extremely unsatisfying  

 

The third chapter seems to have had an engine overhaul and looks excellent, but it's not here yet and I fear this will never be finished, which is a shame as the setting and characters are great. It also introduces a whole new set of characters with their own, potentially significant storyline, which feels like it won't be satisfactorily rolled up in one more game of this length (about 4hr).

[BabelRich]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're off...

 

13/01 - Marvel's Midnight Suns

 

As always someone (Gambit) has recently written in this thread better than I can about why I love this game. And I do. I love it.

In fact, for all my espousing of the smaller game in this years GOTY vote, if I'd have played this earlier it would have been my GOTY hands down. 

 

The gameplay loop of fight, chat, explore, sleep, chat, upgrade, explore, fight was just perfect to keep my old child brain glued to screen unaware of time melting away. Finding the right synergies with your characters to wipe the floor in the battles was great fun, though I could never get on with Ghost Rider, and at times you could feel insanely powerful.

 

I enjoyed all the characters, even Stark's Robert Downey Jr. Jr. schtick, and Magik was *chef's kiss*. The overall story was weaker but it was the incidental stories that made this part shine none of which I will spoil here, and it is crammed full of more easter eggs than Asda on Boxing Day.

 

I'm gutted to hear it may not have done too well as I think there's a real promising series here (imagine a sequel set in Xavier's school) and considering they knocked it out the park with their first attempt further refinement could be utterly incredible.

 

10/10

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order - XSX - 11/01/23 - 7.5/10

2. Assassins Creed Valhalla - XSX - 8.5/10

3. Guardians of the Galaxy - XSX Game Pass - 9/10

 

4. Bugsnax - XSX Game Pass

 

 

I'm not even sure why I started this.  It might have been the 500 points MS Rewards on offer on the console app but I'd read that it didn't take long to finish so I carried on.

 

Not really sure what to say about it really - it's okay but it's a very weird game, a bit like Pokemon but with a flimsy storyline and a whole host of admittedly funny and well voiced NPCs.  There's a mystery to uncover after you - a journalist - find yourself on a mysterious island where the food/fauna are Bugsnax.  And they do odd things, behave in different ways etc etc.

 

The best thing about Bugsnax is the methods you have to use to catch them, using a combination of different equipment you're given by the people you meet on the island, who inhabit Snaxburg, the main hub village in the middle of the map.  Some of these are proper puzzles in their own right and are cleverly done.  I really enjoyed working these out, and with different biomes needing different resources, it was pretty fun to explore and work out what I had to do to catch them.

 

But it's not exactly a vast map, and catching Bugsnax can only entertain so long, so I didn't really deviate too much from the main story.  Which is okay - essentially finding where the villagers have gone, and persuading them to come back to Snaxburg.  By - yep - catching Bugsnax for them.  It gets a bit weird and the last act is at least a bit different but I was never exactly hooked with the storyline.

 

It took me around 7 hours to finish this - I could go back and mop up some achievements and discover/catch more Bugsnax, but I'm not going to, my time with this was fine but it didn't ever really engage me so I'm moving on to other games now.  Could be a good game to play with kids - my 12 year old got a lot more out of this than I did, and wants her own save file so she can find every Bugsnak on the island. 

 

But it's not really my kind of game.

 

6/10 

[shirubagan]

So far:

 

Spoiler

1. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5)

2. Somerville (Game Pass)

3. The Eternal Castle (Steam)
4. Resident Evil VILLAGE (PS5)
5. Mortal Kombat 11 – Story Mode (Steam Deck)

 

 

 

But… what is it?

 

6. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (Steam Deck)

Yet another game that was both a Resi game and absolutely ridiculous. I really enjoyed the first one way back when I played it on 3DS so this was the first game I installed from the Resi Humble bundle. It's a lot more traditional than 7 & 8, with lots of environmental puzzles  in labyrinthine areas and plenty of backtracking for keys, switches keys and so on. Story is bad even by Resi standards, but it does feature a lot of Barry.

 

The game has four episodic chapters of between 2-3 hours in length, so perfect for handheld and generous with checkpoints. My total play time was around the 9 hour mark, maybe less as I just rinsed through it on casual. Even then I managed to die repeatedly and ammo was pretty scarce, mostly a result of an enemy type where you have to blow off parts of their body to reveal a glowing sac which, when destroyed, finally kills them. There's also a dickhead invisible insta-death insect which can catch you out if you're trying to run through narrow corridors or hordes of enemies, as I often was. It does have a telltale shimmer and screen effect, but it's still a dick and game designers need to stop using invisible and teleporting baddies. No one likes it. It's lazy.

 

The game is a co-op game which can be played 1P, switching between characters, but I didn't think it added anything to the mix playing alone.

 

Worth a punt for cheap, not bad at all, just a bit on the OK side of things having come after finishing Resi 7 & 8.

[ImmaculateClump]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA)

 

Spoiler

Cotton Rock n Roll -Superlative Night Dreams- (PC) - normal 1cc, cotton, appli, tacoot, luffee, fine

Fantasy Zone (arcade) - 1cc (2-4)

U.N. Squadron (arcade) - 1cc

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (GB)

 

[Arctic Feather]

2. 22/01/2023 Mega Man Zero 2 (Mega Man Zero Collection) - DS

 

 

The second game in the series is now complete.

Having the boss icons for choosing missions made this one feel a little bit more Megaman-ish, but it's much the same as the original. Including a lot of reused assets.

 

The new forms add a little bit of variety, but I found myself sticking with the same one for most of the game. You can also unlock special EX-Skills if you maintain a high ranking, but I didn't try to go after those. Perhaps I'll come back for a second playthrough in the future and get them.

I will be trying the third game pretty soon I think.

 

 

Spoiler

1. 07/01/2023 Mega Man Zero (Mega Man Zero Collection) - DS

2. 22/01/2023 Mega Man Zero 2 (Mega Man Zero Collection) - DS

 

[DarkCrisis]

3. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus - PS3 - 7hrs

 

Solid platforming game that is starting to show its age. It was fairly easy, with only the boss levels giving me any challenge.

 

Played it over 3 weekends for a total of 7hrs and my first Platinum of 2023. 

 

7/10

 

Spoiler

1. Cult of the Lamb - PS5 - 20hrs

2. Kena: Bridge Of Spirits - PS5 - 12hrs

 

[Treble]

2023-01-09 : Deathsmiles II - [PC]

2023-01-16 : The Callisto Protocol - [PS5]

2023-01-21 : Final Vendetta - [PC]

2023-01-21 : Street Fighter III: Third Strike - [PC]

 

First time posting in the thread, so I'll leave the spoiler tags off just this once. 

 

Deathsmiles II is fun. Being a hori fan I much prefer the ones with environmental objects and navigation. Bullet hells rotated 90 degrees aren't all that, in my thinking, but the silliness, mechanical excellence and humorous style of this one carries it through. 

 

I've spoken about The Callisto Protocol loads so nothing else to say other than it's solid jank through and through, but I still enjoyed it. I'm very odd. 

 

Third Strike remains the greatest fighting game ever made - fight me - and Final Vendetta is the best classic beat 'em up/belt scroller since SOR4. Yep, even better than Shredder's Revenge! 

 

 

 

 

[bradigor]

On 01/01/2023 at 17:17, bradigor said:

Right time to get this ready. 

 

Current Playing 

Crisis Core Reunion 

 

Side Games 

Against the Storm 

RXC 

Hades 

Dead Cells

 

Completed

Lil Gator Game (08/01)

ElecHead (22/01)

 

Parked 

 

 

Abandoned 

 

ElecHead 

 

Brilliant little puzzle platformer that only lasts a couple of hours but it's both challenging and rewarding. Got all the secrets bar a hidden one that was bugged but happy enough to see it completed. The pacing really is well done in this. Six overall stages with each containing a number of rooms and secret areas and each introducing a slightly new mechanic.

[strawdonkey]

On 20/01/2023 at 01:29, strawdonkey said:

01 - Tiny Rogues

02 - Needy Streamer Overload

03 - Yamafuda - 2nd Station

04 - Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered

05 - Fault: Milestone One

06 - Fault: Milestone Two - Side: Above

X1 - Starfighter R&D

07 - Faith

 

Starfighter R&D is a game that was put together for an edition of Ludum Dare that I downloaded in the endless quest for More Shmups. It's a mixture of base-building, research and shooting game - points and money are earned from going deep in a shmup run which can then be spent on expanding your base, which then allows you to research better weapons and ship parts, with the end goal of finishing a shmup run.

 

The gameplay loop is really fun but it's not without problems - you'll wind up with thousands of units of money which are fundamentally worthless, as you can build everything you need for a few hundred and then spend literally four each time on some bonus stats; but the points required for researching new stuff are an enormous grind. The best weapon in the game can't be unlocked until you beat the final boss, but all the other weapons aren't really good enough for the later stages in the game; each run starts way too slowly considering I still hadn't found the final boss after sixty waves, and there's frequent bonus stages which are like vertically-scrolling Asteroids, where you destroy rocks which splinter into smaller rocks, the smallest of which are almost impossible to see. A couple of stray asteroids hit your ship and half your firepower is gone and your run is effectively done.

 

I've given up on the game becuase it feels like I'm missing something obvious about how to play, but given that your entire run is over when one single enemy reaches the bottom of the screen or you take too many hits, it was just getting too frustrating getting wrecked by a stray asteroid or narrowly being overtaken by a really fast ship in round 65.

 

--

 

Faith is a psuedo 8-bit horror game that sees you take the role of a priest who returns to the site of a failed exorcism from a year past, to finish the job. It looks how you remember the old 8-bit stuff looking, the music is absolutely amazing and really atmospheric, and the game has voice acting - in as much as everything is read out via text-to-speech which is delightfully offputting in the best way. There's nothing quite like a mysterious monster hurtling towards you while Slightly Fucked Up Microsoft Sam yells I HAVE THE BODY OF A PIG

 

The actual boss fight in the game is underwhelming but that's not really the point; everything else about it is brilliant and creepy and unsettling and I can't wait to see what the other two games are like.

 

 

[BabelRich]

22/01 - Marvel’s Spider-Man

 

Playing Midnight Suns made me pine for more Marvel action so I booted up this fella on PS+. 
 

Damn, I’d forgotten how good this game is. The feel of ‘being’ Spidey almost beats Arkham Asylum for authenticity and it’s one of, if not the best performed scripts in gaming. 
 

An utter joy which delayed my FE: Engage commencement as I just had to complete this first. 
 

10/10

 

Spoiler

13/01 - Marvel’s Midnight Suns

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Zed Blade (arcade) - Easy, 1cc

 

Spoiler

Cotton Rock n Roll -Superlative Night Dreams- (PC) - normal 1cc, cotton, appli, tacoot, luffee, fine

Fantasy Zone (arcade) - 1cc (2-4)

U.N. Squadron (arcade) - 1cc

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (GB)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA)

[Sprite Machine]

Previously...

Spoiler

1.) Lego Marvel's Avengers - PC - 2016
2.) Abzû - PC - 2016
3.) Portal with RTX - PC - 2022 (2007)

4.) Aperture Desk Job - PC - 2022
5.) Bowser's Fury - Switch - 2021

6.) Tomb Raider - PC - 2013
(The reboot, not the original with the exact same name.) Completed the story mode (and all but one 'side-tomb', due to a bug). 11.5 hours, roughly.
 

I decided to play this again for two reasons. 1) To finish my Tomb Raider complete series playthrough that I started back in 2018. And 2.) because the last time I played this, the TressFX hair physics were just a little to much for my graphics card to handle smoothly at the time. Now I can just whack everything to maximum and enjoy.

 

It's not a bad game, but it's very similar to a bunch of others, particularly the Uncharted series. Any interesting survival mechanics are quickly brushed away in favour of over-the-top action, ridiculous amounts of falling from things and injuries that ought to be fatal. Lara becomes a psychopathic killer very quickly and the whole thing feels poorly judged. All of its mechanics work; the action's good, the semi-open hub areas are nicely designed, the sort of Metroidvania style gating is fine, the graphics and physics are top-notch for their time. But for a game called "TOMB RAIDER", you would expect a stronger focus on tombs, perhaps, rather than having them relegated to optional extras.

 

That aside, I do still look foward to playing the next one, which will be all new to me.

 

[Quest]

More games done.

 

17/01 - UnderDungeon (Switch)

 

 

A cat gets a job at a courier company and is tasked with hand delivering items to adventurers. When it turns out that they can't be arsed with the dungeon after all, you inevitably end up doing it yourself. 

 This pilfers ideas from all over the place -  old super low-bit visuals, Zelda traps and puzzles, Undertale humour, bit of Binding of Isaac. It never quite coheres into something with its own identity, but it was an enjoyable few hours playing with the kids and doing voices for the characters. Will keep an eye out for the dev's future games.

 

18/01 - Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (Series X)

 

 

It's a Shantae game, so it's got your solid, straightforward platforming, light puzzling and big chunky boss sprites. This one is mostly free of the annoying shit WayForward like to put in their games sometimes, so I'd probably put it near the top of the series (still haven't played the most recent one).

 

Jake Kaufman's OST the real MVP:

 

 

19/01 - Goof Troop (SNES)

 

 

Fun little co-op action puzzler. I remember nothing of the cartoon other than the theme song, but it hardly matters because this game is mostly about throwing plant pots at pirates and pushing blocks around rather than a deep exploration of Goof lore. 

Don't bother with single-player as you'll just find yourself frustrated by puzzles and bosses meant for two.

 

20/01 - Cryohazard (Game Boy)

 

 

Basic Choose-Your-Own-Adventure where you wake from cryo-sleep in a lab full of melting mutants and have to escape. Mostly a case of testing all the routes through trial and error, but it's very short and all paths lead to a unique ending of some kind, even if most involve being shredded by one of the beasties.

 It's a Game Boy title so all the graphics are crushed into a few shades of lurid green that make everything look suitably grotty and revolting, and the music is all snarled horror arpeggios slathered in noisy GB fuzz. Pretty enjoyable little distraction.

 

Currently Playing:

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Series X)

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations (Switch)

 

2023 List: 

Spoiler

27/01 - Wheels of Aurelia (Mac)

26/01 - Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (Switch)

25/01 - Martial Law (Mac)

25/01 - Final Vendetta (Mac)

25/01 - HUNTDOWN (Switch)

23/01 - Haven Park (Mac)

20/01 - Cryohazard (Game Boy)

19/01 - Goof Troop (SNES)

18/01 - Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (Series X)

17/01 - UnderDungeon (Switch)

12/01 - Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX (PS5)

12/01 - Star Parodier (PC Engine CD-ROM²)

11/01 - Franken (Mac)

10/01 - Novena (Bitsy)

09/01 - The Council (PS4)

06/01 - FAR: Lone Sails (Switch)     

05/01 - Z-Warp (Switch)

04/01 - Chicory: A Colourful Tale (PS5)

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order - XSX - 11/01/23 - 7.5/10

2. Assassins Creed Valhalla - XSX - 8.5/10

3. Guardians of the Galaxy - XSX Game Pass - 9/10

4. Bugsnax - XSX Game Pass - 6/10

 

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - XSX Game Pass

 

 

Absolutely rinsed this over the weekend, on my own, then with my daughter, then with my friend then with both of them.  Insanely good fun, and a title that took me back to the 90's, stood by the arcade machines in awe.  I wonder what 12 year old me would have thought if I had a deluxe version of that game playing on a TV screen 3 times the size of those old machines in my own home?  

 

As a massive Streets of Rage fan, I've often thought that this genre of game hit its heights with SOR4 when that arrived a couple of years ago, but Shredder's Revenge runs it very close indeed.  

 

The pixelated visuals, banging 90's tunes of various genres and faithful nods to the franchise all hit the right notes, and when there are 3 of you playing together, it's wonderfully chaotic.  I never got to experience 4 player, but I can well imagine it's one notch higher, slightly more frantic but never losing the outrageous sense of fun.

 

The gameplay is wonderful.  You can get back with button bashing your way through enemies, but with the higher difficulty levels - and particularly against bosses - there's a lot of crucial timing and choices to be made in order to progress.  The level of depth with the combat is very subtle and there's something for all skill levels.  

 

Having played a lot of massive open world RPGs of late, it's refreshing when I play a title like this once in a while - non stop fun balanced perfectly with a large dose of nostalgia, this is a perfect example of why I love losing myself in video games.

 

9/10