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Spent most of September traveling around Europe while writing, so haven't had too much time to spend on consoles. I did however visit Planet Arcade in Seville, one of the best arcades in Europe that's got a tonne of cabinets unavailable outside Japan all on freeplay. Had a very happy day in there and finally got to play one of the few remaining Castlevania: The Arcade cabinets in existence. The only downside was that they were supposed to have Silent Hill: The Arcade, but apparently it was in the shop for repairs. I think there's one of them in another part of Spain, but I didn't have time to go. Full writeups behind the links: Castlevania: The Arcade (Arcade, 2009) - Bizarre 'light-whip' arcade game that plays like House of the Dead. A big flop in arcades, likely because whipping at a screen for about an hour just straight up wrecked my arm muscles (I was in pain for a couple of days afterward). There's a lot of love for Castlevania here and the soundtrack is incredible, am surprised it never popped up as a Wii game. Destined to die in darkness as it can't be emulated properly and nobody really cares about it.  Jurassic Park (Arcade, 1994) - Crazy fun superscaler shooter from the tail-end of Sega's 2D arcade boards. About as different in tone from the movies as you can get, but the hydraulic sit-down cabinet is a tonne of fun.  Sailor Zombie: AKB48 Arcade (Arcade, 2014) - Ill-conceived fixed-gun shooter in which you shoot zombified members of girl group AKB48 with 'Love Potion' slime to turn them human again. Fans of the band weren't into shooting their idols, it came out just as one of the members was attacked at a signing, and was a big flop. Just a terrible idea for a game really.  Outrunners (Arcade, 1993) - It's criminal that this has never gotten the remaster treatment from M2, just an exceptionally designed driving game from top to bottom and bursting with personality. Does amazing things with scaled sprites. Loved it.  Resident Evil 4 VR (Meta Quest, 2022) - I'm as big an RE4 fan as anyone but wasn't expecting to love this quite so much. The VR conversion ruins the games' balance but it's one of the greatest power fantasies I've ever had in a video game. Made me feel like John Wick carving my way through the Ganados. Perhaps the best version of RE4 available....?  No More Heroes (Wii, 2007 / Switch, 2020) Always wanted to play this but never had the time, so when I got offered a review copy of NMH2 I figured it was best to play the first game. Incredibly rough around the edges, but man those boss battles are to die for.  No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii, 2010 / Switch, 2020) - Much more polished sequel, but I kinda prefer the punkier original. The 8-bit arcade bonus games are really great though. Will get around to NMH3 soon.  Got convinced to get Splatoon 3 but not really enjoying it, so have been sinking hours into The Last of Us Part 1 and Vampire Survivors. Also been playing a bit of FFVII First Soldier as it's being shut down and man it sucks. I've got a copy of FF Strangers of Paradise too, but putting that off until a calm day. Necrothatcher fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Oct 18, 2022 |
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Oct 18, 2022 15:21
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Necrothatcher posted:I did however visit Planet Arcade in Seville, one of the best arcades in Europe that's got a tonne of cabinets unavailable outside Japan all on freeplay. Had a very happy day in there and finally got to play one of the few remaining Castlevania: The Arcade cabinets in existence. The only downside was that they were supposed to have Silent Hill: The Arcade, but apparently it was in the shop for repairs. I think there's one of them in another part of Spain, but I didn't have time to go. I think I've mentioned this before - I've always liked your writeups, but your arcade journeys are definitely my favorites! I remember playing Jurassic Park many times at a local arcade when I was a kid, but never being willing to shell out the quarters necessary to make it through.
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Oct 18, 2022 16:10
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Good-Natured Filth posted:I think I've mentioned this before - I've always liked your writeups, but your arcade journeys are definitely my favorites! I remember playing Jurassic Park many times at a local arcade when I was a kid, but never being willing to shell out the quarters necessary to make it through. My next trip is to try and track down the final full car Ridge Racer setup. I think there's one left in Blackpool, UK but it sounds like it's on the way out...  Sadly there are no Silent Hill arcade machines in the UK anymore as far as I can tell. Metal Gear Arcade is also basically impossible to find. I might have to write to a private collector and ask if I can have a go on his.
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Oct 18, 2022 19:51
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My October had quite a bit of Steam Next Fest demo playing but still plenty of actual game playing as well: #154: Spirit & the Mouse (5hr) [2022] - A delightful little 3D #155: No Place Like Home (27hr) [2022] - Very conflicted on this one. I enjoyed hoovering up lots of trash and crafting things, but the runtime on this one's just too long for what the game offers. Did not run super well on the Deck either. #156: Princess Farmer (3.5hr) [2022] - A decent but unambitious queer match-3 puzzler with a lot of blushing and not a lot of conflict. #157: The Looker (2hr) [2022] - Tepid parody of The Witness that reviewers claim has inspired puzzles... it doesn't. There are a couple of clever jokes in a couple of puzzles, but that's about it. Not really worth the playtime honestly. Misses the appeal of the puzzle design of The Witness and honestly, I'd rather play something like Taiji that manages to do what The Witness does just as well, but without Jonathan Blow's pretentious bullshit. #158: Soul Hackers 2 (32hr) [2022] - Decent SMT spinoff game with a likeable cast, fast battles, and a quality Etrian-style gameplay loop of dungeon progression and town shopping/questing. Betrayed by its low budget, however, as the dungeon design is very boring and lifeless. #159: The Case of the Golden Idol [2022] (6.5hr) - Probably the first game since Return of the Obra Dinn to truly scratch the same itch (sorry, Rivals and Family). An excellent deductive game with a strange and fun ugly art style and a highly-layered game-spanning mystery. #160: Sunday Gold [2022] (11hr) - Cool mix of adventure game, JRPG, and resource/action-point management. Doesn't excel at any one thing but does each well enough and pairs with a fun Disco Elysium-ish art style. The boss fights took way too long, although apparently there have been some balance changes in patches after I finished the game. #161: Potion Permit [2022] (20hr) - A decent but not spectacular life sim about brewing up potions to help the townspeople and restore the plant life that had long since withered away. Another one that would benefit from a shorter runtime, and it already is on the short side as far as life sims go. My issue primarily was in the game's requirement that you pretty much get everyone in the town to level 3 friendship in order to actually get the final cutscene. Oof. The resource grind wasn't too big of a deal for me, the friendship grind was!! That's a weird sentence so I apologize. #162: Vampire Survivors [2022] (10hr) - I finally played the game everyone's been raving about, and it... did not live up to the hype for me. Honestly I thought it was boring and sleepy. You just dodge the whole time as you autobattle. Okay? That's like, half a game I guess. Now make another half that's more active and engaging. Maybe there'll be a clone that brings it all together for me, but I'm just going to assume this new style of game is not for me. #163: Love, Sam (2hr) - Relatively effective low-budget horror game that does a decent job of twisting its story. Has some cheap jump scares that are silly, we've got to stop that, everyone. #164: Red Bow (1hr) - Much lower-budget 2D horror game that ran very short and honestly felt more like a prototype than a full game. Just kind of nothing for me. #165: Amnesia Rebirth (8.5hr) - Not as good as the original Amnesia, but way better than A Machine for Pigs. I feel like the "darkness is bad" mechanics don't quite work in tombs and caves as well as they should, because light sources are just too far apart. It works a lot better in the mansion of the original. But I appreciated a lot of the tie-ins to the first game and actually getting to explore the Other World for the first time. #166: Platonic [2022] (8hr) - A first-person puzzler that I'd compare to something like Sensorium. Has some legitimately unique puzzles in it that I really liked, though it wasn't the best I've played this year. Taiji still holds the crown. Also this one was a bit buggy and I'd fall through the earth a couple of times. I also felt like I had to brute force a solution in one case where I just couldn't find the theoretical note that would've given me the information I needed. #167: Lootbox Lyfe (4hr) - Despite the title this is actually a 2D Metroidvania with a ball protagonist similar to something like Within a Deep Forest, although this doesn't really have the charm of a Nifflas game. I respect its willingness to let you go anywhere in the world you can reach, but non-linear MVs lose something when they have no combat or interesting storytelling (either environmentally or through actual text). You're just doing difficult platforming for several minutes only to find out you don't have an ability you need to go further, so you wasted your time. #168: Signalis [2022] - Pretty drat good horror game, probably the best indie horror game I've played in a few years. It's not necessarily an all-time classic as I felt that the storytelling, while superbly directed, had too much of a neutral perspective for the emotional beats of the story to really resonate with me (and the protagonist's inner thoughts don't really start showing until the last couple of hours). But it solidly weaves a myriad of influences together, from Hideki Anno to Silent Hill to Resident Evil to System Shock, while still being its own unique entry in the genre. Planned for November: Trails from Zero, SMTV (which I've started), CULTIC, Itorah, Last Command, Roadwarden, Stray, Norco, Ghost Song The 7th Guest fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Nov 29, 2022 |
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Nov 1, 2022 08:30
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I don't really post in this thread, but I just wanted to say that I beat Cave Story(+) for the first time today. I only got the normal ending so I know there's more to it, but it feels really good to put a game to bed like this after getting stuck on the final boss half a lifetime ago in 2004-5 when the original freeware Aeon Genesis translation came out. My big gaming goal for 2022 wasn't to beat games necessarily, but to bring my Steam average achievement/completion rate from 24% to 30%. We ended up having our second baby in September so gaming goals naturally fell to the wayside, but I did enjoy having that kind of focus to help me decide what I should play next. Here's a list of games I made significant progress on this year:
There's a bunch more games that I booted up but didn't make enough progress to mention here, but that's enough words for now. I didn't think I had played so many different games this year but the Steam Deck in particular has really given me these opportunities to squeeze in some PC game time that I didn't have before.
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Nov 9, 2022 17:20
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Beat - Deltarune Chapter 2: If you liked Undertale, you'll like this. Pretty much the same game but more straight-forward. It hasn't grabbed me as much as Undertale did, so if/when it ever comes out, I will not buy the full game. Completed - The Looker: A parody of The Witness that's fine. There are some funny gags but mostly just okay. Beat - Unwanted Experiment (Android): A mobile escape game. Most of the puzzles were straight-forward, but like all of these types of mobile games, there were some real head scratchers that required using the ad-enabled hint system. It was good for being free. Beat - Ghost Case (Android): Another mobile escape game by the same developer as above. It ties a lot of the previous games in the series together which was cool seeing the sparse plot lines converge. From my daughter's corner. Completed - My Friend Peppa Pig: She's a big fan of the show. This game was inane. It's like a 2D walking simulator - you can walk left/right and push a button to interact with items in the world. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Nov 15, 2022 |
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Nov 13, 2022 14:19
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Had another relatively chilled out month, but took on a lot of games to review for other sites so got a bit of variety. Been trying to get as much paid writing work as possible elsewhere so not having as much time as I'd like to write up the games I'm actually playing, but on the plus side I'm going to be completely debt free by December and plan to celebrate by getting myself a Steam Deck. It was either that or a PSVR2 but they cost about the same and I know which one I'm going to use the most. Anyway, here's October's games. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS, 2013) - The only mainline Zelda game I hadn't played before, so nice to finally get the entire franchise under my belt. Trying to work out if I'm going to bother trying to play Triforce Heroes or squeeze in another playthrough of Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom lands.  Metal Gear Solid 2: Snake Tales (PlayStation 2, 2002) - Think these mini-adventures from MGS2 Substance are very underrated and I love the increased difficulty and no radar. Plus the stories are bonkers in a distinctly different way to Kojima's writing.  The Last of Us Part I (PlayStation 5, 2022) - I mean it's an amazing game from top to toe but I don't think it needs to exist at all and would rather they spent the budget on an original title. Oh well, was nice to replay it for the first time in 7 years.  Soulcalibur IV (Xbox 360, 2008) - Had this on my shelf for ages, but got tapped by Super Chart Island to write it up and jumped at the chance  Outshine (PC, 2022) - Typing battler that's a bit like a cross between Rez and Typing of the Dead. Unfortunately kind of repetitive and spreads too little content over too many levels.  Roadwarden (PC, 2022) - Excellent grounded fantasy text-based RPG with above average writing and an interesting world to explore. Takes an hour or two to get into, but got me properly addicted for a few days.  In a bit of a personal ambition win I'm not a proper Metacritic games reviewer for a site and getting paid to play pre-release games. Finished the new Dark Pictures and have codes for Midnight Suns and Crisis Core: FFVII on the way. Playing to a tight deadline can be a bit stressful, but am very close to quitting my day job to focus on writing full time as I'm making way more from this than I am from that. Can't believe I'm getting paid to play and write about games. Probably running the risk of turning my hobby into work and ruining my enjoyment but w/e.
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Nov 19, 2022 00:14
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Necrothatcher posted:Trying to work out if I'm going to bother trying to play Triforce Heroes or squeeze in another playthrough of Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom lands. I have a very low bar for Zelda games (I liked Spirit Tracks) and always buy them at launch, but Triforce Heroes is the one I haven't beaten because I disliked it so much. When I played, I didn't have any friends with the game, so I was at the mercy of the online matching system. It was rare that I'd match with anyone competent, and the inability to communicate in detail makes reading people's minds hard. I don't know what online play looks like nowadays or if the servers are even on, but playing solo is a tedious chore - I preferred incompetent strangers to solo play. I'd suggest passing on it unless you have two friends that can play with you in the same room via Local Play like you would play Four Swords Adventures - it's a very similar setup to this with the individual levels per world. Necrothatcher posted:In a bit of a personal ambition win I'm not a proper Metacritic games reviewer for a site and getting paid to play pre-release games. Finished the new Dark Pictures and have codes for Midnight Suns and Crisis Core: FFVII on the way. Playing to a tight deadline can be a bit stressful, but am very close to quitting my day job to focus on writing full time as I'm making way more from this than I am from that. Can't believe I'm getting paid to play and write about games. Probably running the risk of turning my hobby into work and ruining my enjoyment but w/e. Congrats!
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Nov 19, 2022 16:51
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Good-Natured Filth posted:I have a very low bar for Zelda games (I liked Spirit Tracks) and always buy them at launch, but Triforce Heroes is the one I haven't beaten because I disliked it so much. When I played, I didn't have any friends with the game, so I was at the mercy of the online matching system. It was rare that I'd match with anyone competent, and the inability to communicate in detail makes reading people's minds hard. I don't know what online play looks like nowadays or if the servers are even on, but playing solo is a tedious chore - I preferred incompetent strangers to solo play. The annoying thing is my girlfriend has a 3DS and would be totally willing to co-op, but the game doesn't have a two-player mode, just three-player. And thanks for the congrats!
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Nov 19, 2022 16:57
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Completed - Ori and the Blind Forest: I wanted a good game to play on my Steam Deck and recalled this getting rave reviews when it came out, so I gave it a whirl. It's very on brand for me to play an amazing game more than half a decade after it came out and thinking, "more people should play this right?" It was a stunning and captivating Metroidvania with just the right amount of challenge. I played the Definitive Edition which added niceties that weren't in the original (mainly fast travel), and I'm happy for it. If you haven't played it and like the genre, don't wait any longer.
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Nov 29, 2022 02:21
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In progress Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. I'm on case 2-3 and am dreading the end, as it means another hella long wait until the next Ace Attorney game! They need to re-release games 4, 5, and 6, like they did for the first trilogy. The Pathless. I love "satisfying movement around the world" in games (think Nier: Automata), and boy, does this game have it. I'm on the final area and can't wait to clear the "corruption" poo poo so I can zip around the world unhindered. Judgment. I'm in chapter 10 of 12 and kinda feel "stuck" because there's a (non-plot spoiler) Point of No Return and I have an irrational hatred of those, even if this game's one is temporary. Just started Persona 5: Royal. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know! I'm behind! Completed: Shin Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation. I have no real familiarity with Shin Chan (other than knowing that the American version is a lot more vulgar/mean-spirited than the Japanese one?), but I'm such a sucker for "life simulator" games like this. Want to start, but... Witcher 3. This seems like it's gonna be the "biggest" game I've started in a long time, and that feels intimidating to me! However, I'm finding myself with a lot of Japanese games on my current plate, and want to try to mix up the "vibes" a bit, if that makes sense. There's also Assassin's Creed Origins....
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Dec 2, 2022 05:10
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Not as many games in November but there was, er, kind of a big, 90 hour reason for that: #169: Ghost Song [2022] (7.5hr) - Overall mixed feelings on this one. I think it was good on the whole but it had some frustrating moments and it could've done more with the setting. #170: Trails from Zero [2022] (31hr) - My favorite Trails game since Sky FC, Crossbell is a chill little country I won't mind spending more time in this March when Azure releases. #171: New Pokemon Snap (11hr) - I've actually had this rented out from Gamefly since last year so I finally went and finished it so I could get the rental train rolling again. #172: CULTIC [2022] (4.5hr) - Fun throwback shooter with a slick aesthetic, plenty of crowd control options and solid level design (if slightly dull on the theming variety in the early going). #173: Alekon (4.5hr) - Another Pokemon Snap style game that I've had sitting around for a while, decided I may as well go ahead and finish this one too. #174: ITORAH [2022] (6.5hr) - Metroidvania that was pretty decent although I'd say it BARELY qualifies as a MV by the loosest standards, as exploration is extremely limited and progression is very linear. Gorgeous art. #175: Return to Monkey Island [2022] (7hr) - While the ending was a real disappointment, this is still a triumphant return for the franchise and hopefully will signal to indie publishers outside of Wadjet Eye and Daedalic that point and click adventures are not dead. #176: Elden Ring [2022] (88hr) - I will have a lot more to say about this game at GOTY time. It's not my personal GOTY, but it's very good. I think it's better than Breath of the Wild, even. But the game is TOO big and thus the reuse that has permeated From's Souls franchise has become too repetitive to ignore at this point, extending beyond just bosses (which is bad enough) to dungeon design and aesthetics. Still, the different continents have amazing vistas, the non-reused bosses are a delight to fight (for the most part!!), there's tons of rewarding exploration, and the world design feels legitimately crafted rather than your typical AAA "random terrain generator" world that then has a bunch of question mark tasks shotgun blasted from the rear end all over the map. (I mean, who knows, From may have generated the terrain at random as well and then molded it like any other dev, but it doesn't FEEL like it, which speaks to their talent). #177: Shin Megami Tensei V (50hr) - What a great game, holy crap! Easily my favorite in the SMT mainline series. I love the "entire world is a dungeon" concept, which I don't see often in games (Skyward Sword is another notable example). Another game with rewarding exploration, but I find the story and setting of SMTV far more interesting than Elden Ring's. And while you can't respec your stats in SMTV, this game otherwise has the friendliest build flexibility of any game I've ever seen, thanks to the Essence system. I kinda hope there's an SMT4A sorta semi-sequel to this so I can get more of this exact kinda game. #178: Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course [2022] (3.5hr) - Everyone forgot about this release but I didn't, and it's gonna be in my top 10, because it's more of the Cuphead that I love and none of the filler. This DLC is Oops All Boss Fights and I'm fine with that. It's pretty darn short even to 100% and fight the secret boss, but it was also only 8 bucks so I can't really complain too much, I just wish that they made more, and sold for higher price, with the amount of time it took for it to get made. With the success of the Netflix show though, I wouldn't be surprised if MDHR got a nice cash infusion and assistance from Netflix to produce more Cuphead games in the future, and without them taking 5+ years to make.
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Dec 2, 2022 18:54
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Beat - Inside: An atmospheric, puzzle-platformer from 2018. Another indie darling that I took a long time to play, and shouldn't have waited so long. Very fun. Beat - Haunted Laia (Android): Another mobile escape game by Dark Dome. It's sort of a prequel to the rest of their games. I like the lore they're building here, and always enjoy a decent escape game on my phone. Edit: since I'm still the last post. Completed - TOEM: What a delightful game! You are undertaking a journey to see the titular TOEM and taking pictures along the way to help out the people you encounter on the way. A pleasant and innocent premise and experience. The graphics are a cute Paper Mario style, and the music is good. It's short, but well worth it! Beat - Down in Bermuda: A short puzzle game. I played on my Steam Deck which wasn't the best interface. It was fine, but nothing special. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Dec 25, 2022 |
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Dec 20, 2022 03:33
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As it turns out, being paid to review games to a tight deadline has its downsides. Being given a game as lengthy as Midnight Suns and a week to finish it means you can't do much else, and I was also commissioned to do Witcher 3 Next Gen and Plague Tale Requiem reviews this month that didn't leave much time for going out or playing other games. Oh well, I'm not going to look a bunch of free games in the mouth, even if having to see the credits before release date means you're incentivised to rush through them as quickly as possible. Also, my girlfriend is not happy about the amount of time I'm 'working' (playing Midnight Suns). Anyhow, here are the games I beat in November: God of War Ragnarök (PlayStation 5, 2022) - I liked but didn't love it. Story felt a bit unfocused compared to the previous game, though anything to do with Kratos, Atreus and Odin is pretty rad. Didn't have time for any of the side content, which I understand is pretty great. Will go back to it at some point.  Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (Game Boy Color, 2000) - Fascinating Metal Gear title that's a mashup between the 80s MSX games and Metal Gear Solid. Very much feels like a MGS, though with a stronger focus on puzzling over combat.  Vampire Survivors (PC, 2021) - Got its hooks into me real bad for about two weeks. I'm so glad this doesn't have microtransactions or I'd have wasted a bunch of money on it. Will get round to the new DLC at some point.  Let’s Go Jungle!: Lost on the Island of Spice (Arcade, 2006) - Seen this machine everywhere but finally decided to play through the entire thing. Maybe would have been better with a partner, because as far as Sega's mounted light gun cabinets go it's solidly midrange. I liked that the final boss was a butterfly.  Alien 3: The Gun (Arcade, 1993) - One of the final super scaler shooters and honestly seriously underrated as an arcade game. I'm in love with the Pulse Rifle cabinet and honestly, it's way more fun and interesting than the movie it's based on.  Bayonetta 3 (Nintendo Switch, 2022) - Had been waiting for this for years, but was very much let down by the frankly hideous Switch performance and visuals. Decided to dip a toe into Switch emulation and play it in 4K60 on PC, where the game really shines. The story is absolute guff, but I can't get enough of the combat.  The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me - My first professional gaming review. I've played all the Dark Pictures games and this addressed most of my problems with the others. Plus there's a true crime element in this one that sets it slightly apart from the others. Very fun.  Other than gaming I've been tinkering with my Steam Deck this month and I love this thing to bits. Managed to get every console up the Wii U working beautifully on it and have amassed a huge collection of my all-time favourite games that I will now never play. It's nice to know I could play them if I really wanted to though.
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Dec 29, 2022 16:06
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My December. You can see most writeups for these games in my GOTY thread posts: #179: Final Vendetta [2022] (.5hr) - ranked 51st #180: Harvestella [2022] (45hr) - ranked 34th #181: Lost Nova [2022] (3hr) - ranked 38th #182: Demon Turf: Neon Splash [2022] (1.5hr) - ranked 25th #183: This Way Madness Lies [2022] (8.5hr) - ranked 41st #184: Jack Move [2022] (6hr) - ranked 32nd #185: Mad Experiments: Escape Room (2hr) - Bog standard escape room game. #186: Maiden & Spell (.5hr) - Short but fun bullet hell game. #187: Popo's Tower (1hr) - Sokpop 3D platformer with kinda wonky Dreams-esque platforming physics but I of course love the Sokpop visual style and the level design was interesting in its surreality. #188: Stray [2022] (5hr) - ranked 28th #189: Here Comes Niko (3.5hr) - cozy 3D platformer about a NB kid that ran away from home; not super challenging, should be ok for most age groups #190: DQ Treasures [2022] (21hr) - ranked 49th #191: Demolish & Build 2018 (19.5hr) - another dumb simulator game that I felt compelled to finish. i have a problem. but so do simulator games, they seriously could be so much better #192: Norco [2022] (5hr) - ranked 4th #193: System Purge [2022] (2hr) - ranked 42nd #194: Melatonin [2022] (2hr) - ranked 24th #195: House (2.5hr) - Time loop horror game, kind of mid. Too focused on doing a specific chain of commands. #196: Pocket Watch (1.5hr) - Much better time loop game, from Sokpop. More akin to Majora's Mask with lots of item trading. #197: Souldiers [2022] (19hr) - ranked 8th #198: Blood Nova [2022] (2.5hr) - ranked 38th #199: Perfect Tides [2022] (7hr) - ranked 12th #200: Shredder's Revenge [2022] (2.5hr) - ranked 31st i've started 2023 with two long-rear end games (Atelier Sophie 2, Lingo) and a quick batch of super short games (Gizmo, Beach Island Deluxe, Super Kiwi 64). I'll be focusing on some of the big Metroidvanias I've missed until now (Astalon, Ato, and Ender Lilies), and then with whatever time I have left for the month I'll check out some mid-length games (Overboard, Nobodies, Super Sami Roll). that's the tentative january plan. i guess you can see if i got close when I post again here in 26 days The 7th Guest fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Jan 6, 2023 |
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Jan 6, 2023 05:42
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My last update was January 2020. Well, since then I've beaten quite a few games (at least, for me). One completed (Walking Dead), according to Backloggery, but that's OK. These are in order, mostly: Black Mesa - good Mafia 3 - I really liked this one. Cool setting, good story. Sniper: Ghost Warriorf - it was ok Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 - it was ok Trine 2 - good Transistor - good Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 - it was ok Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - it's an Assassin's Creed game The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - not sure how well it still holds up, but I played through it all in 2020 Wolfenstein: The New Order - shooting Nazis never gets old The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - good story The Saboteur - GTA in Europe during WW2, awesome Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light - good Bioshock Infinite - good, not great Torchlight 2 - fine Assassin's Creed: Revelations - it's an Assassin's Creed game Far Cry 4 - good Metro 2033 Redux - good Westerado: Double Barrelled - fine to good LEGO DC Super Villains Deluxe Edition - played it with the kiddo, it was fun The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game - played it with the kiddo, it was fun Shadowrun Returns - I liked this one a lot and am looking forward to playing the other Shadowrun games Assassin's Creed: Black Flag - Assassin's Creed, but a pirate! Super fun. Ion Fury - a good, fun throwback FPS Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - played this one co-op with my son, and my brother remotely. It worked great for that, and we all had a blast. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - eh, it was ok, quick to play through Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - 80 hours and it did not hold up as well as my memory thought, not sure I'd go through the base campaign if I were playing it fresh in 2023 Nulled a few games too, which doesn't happen a ton but I started doing as I realized (finally) my gaming time is much shorter than it used to be and I'm not going to suffer through games I don't enjoy. Jurassic Park: The Game - hit an issue with the T Rex, couldn't get it to recognize my key strokes or something, I don't quite recall, but decided to move on Murdered: Soul Suspect - boring gameplay, meh story, just don't care Dustforce - pretty sure this was in the first Humble Bundle, don't care much for platformers, moving on Resident Evil 4 - this will probably raise the most eyebrows; I hit a wall when I was in a church, spike shield guys came out, heads were erupting into tentacle monsters, after fighting the camera and controls and having sparse save points (which I realize is what the game is, and had no issues with RE2 back in the day) and replaying the same 30 minutes in between save points around this same spot....I didn't want to spend time on this any more, not making progress so nulled it is Dead Rising - I can see why people would like this game (lots of collectibles! The world seems to react to what you do! Tons of characters to unlock and you can impact the story!) but....it just didn't grab me Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - hit a difficulty wall and decided to move on with my gaming time My wife and I bought our family a Nintendo Switch for Christmas, so I expect that I'll at some point start and finish Zelda on that. Might take me all year! In 2023, my goal is to continue to play games I enjoy, null ones that I just don't care about, and enjoy playing video games with my kids. Right now we're on a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater kick (on PC, with controllers), which is fun. I played a ton of that as a kid, and my oldest (6 years old) enjoys it as well. We're also playing through Pokemon Snap on the Switch, taking turns at the different sites, trying to get cool pictures, and since you can't lose that game, my 3 year old enjoys it as well. Fun for the whole family! americanzero4128 fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Jan 7, 2023 |
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Jan 6, 2023 23:37
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If you liked Shadowrun Returns you're in for a treat with Dragonfall and Hong Kong.
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Jan 7, 2023 00:04
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Completed - Outer Wilds: This was a blast pun intended. The time loop allows you to navigate and explore the world at your own pace, and uncover what's going on bit by bit. The world was fully realized and every new thing you learned pointed to additional areas to explore. I wasn't very good at the whole three-dimensional spaceflight, but I still managed to do the more hardcore achievements for fun. Beat - Hollow Knight: An exquisite 2D action platformer that is well deserving of all the love it receives. I'm still pecking away at some of the late game content, but I might stop soon. I love a challenging platformer, but I'm no good at the combat.
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Jan 26, 2023 00:49
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Getting crazy busy with writing about new games, which is monopolizing most of my time as there's hard deadlines to hit. Having a Steam Deck makes a lot of this so much easier as I can play most things I need to on the go. Anyhows, here's all the games I've got written up until today. I also played No More Heroes 3, Sonic Mania, and Resident Evil: Revelations, though I haven't had time to write about those yet. Anyhows, here's everything I've beaten recently (reviews behind the links): Forspoken (PlayStation 5, 2022) - Kinda mad that this got such a bad rap from people who didn't actually play the game and just watched out of context YouTube clips. It's got flaws but I'm in love with the traversal and combat mechanics and Frey is a way better written protagonist than the internet hive mind would have you believe.  Hi-Fi Rush (PC, 2023) - Probably one of my favorite games of the last 12 months. Adored just about every second of it, and I'm still kinda blown away that there's an extended Xenogears disc 2 riff in it.  Marvel's Midnight Suns (PC, 2022) - Not a huge fan of card-based combat, but didn't take me long to enjoy this. Has some of the best versions of Marvel's heroes around and found myself really getting into the tactics.  Marvel's Midnight Suns Deadpool DLC (PC, 2023) - Short and sweet Deadpool DLC. Was fun enough, though if I hadn't have gotten it for free I'd have felt shortchanged after spending $16 on it.  Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PlayStation 5, 2022) - Not quite as barmy as I was hoping but still an exceptionally weird game. Feels like it's actively making fun of Final Fantasy throughout.  The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow (PC, 2022) - Very chilled out point and click horror game I played on the Deck over Christmas. Smart puzzle design, great pixel art, and nice voice-acting. Will pick up whatever the studio does next.  A Plague Tale: Requiem (Nintendo Switch, 2022) - Also loved this. Asobo really know how to dazzle with a vista and the story goes to some weird and dark places. Bit meh on the ending, but the game itself is grrreat.  Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PlayStation 2, 2003) - Looks nice, but probably the most boring Castlevania I've played yet. Has a crippling lack of ambition. Nice music though.  Currently playing the Resident Evil 3 remake and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (the DS emulates surprisingly well on the Deck, touch screen and all). Would like to get Resident Evil Revelations 2 out of the way before the RE4 remake lands, but that might be too much RE... Also would really like to replay Metal Gear Acid 2... will try to find the time.
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Jan 30, 2023 20:19
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Necrothatcher posted:Forspoken (PlayStation 5, 2022) - Kinda mad that this got such a bad rap from people who didn't actually play the game and just watched out of context YouTube clips. It's got flaws but I'm in love with the traversal and combat mechanics and Frey is a way better written protagonist than the internet hive mind would have you believe. What games would you compare the traversal to? I'm a big sucker for the "running around" in both The Pathless and Nier: Automata....does this game "feel" similar to that?
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Jan 30, 2023 20:56
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Read After Burning posted:What games would you compare the traversal to? I'm a big sucker for the "running around" in both The Pathless and Nier: Automata....does this game "feel" similar to that? Closest comparison is probably Prototype or perhaps Spider-Man (without the webslinging). It's just fun to zip around the world at high speeds and parkour off buildings, plus the game slowly adds a bunch more fun movement mechanics as it goes on.
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Jan 30, 2023 21:55
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New year, so we start the count over! I dont know why I always think January is going to be a slow cooldown month for me. It never is. #1: Lingo (20hr) - A Witness-like where all the puzzles involve inputting the correct word. A lot of syntax and wordplay puzzling with the programmiest programmer art I've ever seen, but quite fun. #2: Nuclear Blaze (1.5hr) - Cute little firefighting action game set in the SCP universe by the creator of Dead Cells. #3: Beach Island Deluxe (.5hr) - Short 3D platformer made as a college project and released for free. #4: Gizmo (.5hr) - Similar situation I think, but from several years ago. #5: Astalon: Tears of the Earth (13hr) - Not an A-tier Metroidvania like how people have been describing it, but definitely a good game with a lot of exploration. #6: Ato (3.5hr) - Short, fun Metroidvania with up-tempo combat and a lot of technical movement. #7: Nobodies (4hr) - A strange point and click adventure that feels like a hidden object game except you're the one hiding the object, and by object I mean person. #8: Atelier Sophie 2 (45hr) - Some conflicting thoughts on this one. The budget's a step up from the rest of the Mysterious Trilogy (though not as high-budget as Ryza), but the game is a lot less chill than its counterparts, with some very tedious combat. #9: Super Kiwi 64 (1hr) - 3D platformer by the Toree 3D developer. Not really as good, just an ok experience. #10: Paradox Soul (1hr) - Very short Metroidvania that's mediocre but not that bad. The combat is what lets it down I think. #11: Maptroid Worlds (1hr) - Expansion of a Newgrounds game that creates a Metroidvania out of the map itself. The expanded version also includes some not-very-puzzling puzzles and honestly the side stuff feels like fluff. #12: Transiruby (5.5hr) - Fun Metroidvania (I was on a kick) by the dev of Kamiko/Fairune with cute art and a lot of (mandatory) exploration. #13: Gun Devil (1hr) - Run and gun game that ends just when it starts to get going (but it's free). Very odd dialog. #14: Delores: A Thimbleweed Park Mini-Adventure (1.5hr) - Ron Gilbert and his team made this as a way of prototyping the engine that would be used for Return to Monkey Island. It's not a bad way to spend an hour, you don't get a ton of new lore here compared to the original game but it's a tiny bit mindfucky. #15: Haiku the Robot (7hr) - Another MV that I wish was better, it's mostly fine but it pales in comparison to Kunai, which is what I kept being reminded of. #16: Star Apprentice (1hr) - An RPG Maker ace attorney type game, very short and the characters feel a little Tumblr OC-y to me. #17: Viviette (4hr) - Another solid game from the most underrated indie dev on the planet, DYA Games (Bot Vice, Strikey Sisters). Basically a Resident Evil game without combat, purely puzzles and keys in a big mansion as your possessed sister chases you around. #18: Eternal Hope (2.5hr) - Kind of meh Limbo-like. #19: Dude, Stop (2hr) - "Comedy" anti-game where you deliberately solve puzzles incorrectly to annoy the narrator, but the narrator is just not funny at all. #20: Missed Messages (.5hr) - Very short visual novel about one day in your apartment where something tragic might happen if you don't recognize the signs. #21: Escapeworld Dilemma (8hr) - A kind of Mysty open world game that I quite liked, despite everything being Unreal Marketplace/Freesound assets. Wouldn't mind seeing another game from this dev if they can assemble a team to make bespoke assets next time. #22: Atelier Lydie & Suelle (30hr) - Swung back around to finish off the original Mysterious Trilogy. L&S is a lot more chill than Sophie 2... EXCEPT FOR THE FINAL BOSS WHAT THE gently caress. I was just cruising demolishing everything (which is good because combat's not really supposed to be the challenging part of these games) and then suddenly a final boss that OHKOs most party members with every attack and it gets multiple attacks per turn. gently caress ooooffffffff. Still I enjoyed the game on the whole. By far the gayest in Gust's catalog. They need to tell whichever writer likes to make sister complexy jokes to stop it though. Also watched this month: Skinamarink (2022), Incantation (2022), HOST (2020), Slash/Back (2022), Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes (2022), A Wounded Fawn (2022). Ascendance of a Bookworm S3 (2021), The Owl House S2 and Specials (2021-2022), My Next Life as a Villainess X (2021). February plans: Atomic Heart, Hi-Fi Rush, Dread Templar, Evil West, FAR: Lone Sails, Super Sami Roll, Powerslave Exhumed, and I will get started on Octopath Traveler 2 but dunno if I'll finish it before March.
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Feb 2, 2023 21:05
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Beat - We Were Here Forever: The fourth entry in this asymmetric co-op puzzle game. If you're familiar with the game, it's more of the same. If you're not, it's fun to play with a friend (that doesn't get impatient quickly). The puzzles in this one were pretty good. Though, there was one that my brother and I had to look up the solution to because it was very obtuse to us. It's clear that the dev team loves whatever lore they've built in the series and are really trying to sell us on it, but it's batshit. Nulled - Planet Coaster: A fun sim-amusement park game. I've mostly been playing with my son where he tells me what to build in sandbox mode. He really gets a kick out of making all rides underground. I'm not going to go through the career mode or try to beat any challenges. If I were a big sim fan, the level of granularity you can adjust in your park would be satisfying, but I'm not. Beat - Gear Enigmas (Android): A mediocre puzzle game with a very aggravating hint system. Beat - Egg, Inc. (Android): An idle game that I've been "playing" for a long time. I finally received the final in-game trophy for hatching eggs. A pointless endeavor that I am ashamed to say made me happy. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Feb 6, 2023 |
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Feb 6, 2023 04:49
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americanzero4128 posted:My last update was January 2020. Well, since then I've beaten quite a few games (at least, for me). One completed (Walking Dead), according to Backloggery, but that's OK. These are in order, mostly: Basically if you're into tabletop RPGs at all, basically D&D, then NWN is the only computer game that ever captured the magic of tabletop gaming - because it allows players to create their own entirely custom online worlds, often modifying the game to an absurd extent in the process so they can homebrew their own rules and mechanics, introduce their own custom-made creatures & scenery & items and everything... and then (unlike any other video game I know of) it has Dungeon Masters as well; individuals who can access the same gameworld as regular players, but the Dungeon Masters can manipulate the gameworld on-the-fly (e.g. possess any NPC, create any number of NPCs or mobs, create buildings and scenery, do whatever they want to players' characters) to tell dynamic and collaborative stories just like a tabletop DM does. ...anyways, all that's to say - Neverwinter Nights is not really about singleplayer. In fact the original campaign is notoriously bad. If you want to see what it's capable of, and nerd out playing some online D&D, check out the online player-made servers (accessible through the in-game server browser in the 'multiplayer' menu) edit: goddamnit it's 2023 and I'm still posting on the internet about neverwinter nights what the gently caress is wrong with me
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Feb 7, 2023 17:52
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Completed - Carto: A fun puzzle game where you can manipulate the pieces of your map to make different areas connect or appear. Each area has a different concept introduced, so the gameplay doesn't get stale. The graphics are cute, and the storyline is fine. Overall, a pretty good puzzle game.
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Feb 13, 2023 17:46
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Got through a bunch of games the last couple of months. Finished: Adventures of Megara: Demeter's Cat-astrophe A spin-off of the 12 Labours of Hercules series. A polished time management game without any new mechanics, but an OK time waster. Unfortunately the bonus puzzles are now locked behind getting 3 stars on all levels, which seems a bit strange considering all the other games in the franchise do not have that limitation. Finished: Alice in Wonderland - Hidden Objects An old-school HOG, where there are no mini-puzzles, only HOG scenes. Finished: Around the World in 80 Days Same as the above, from the same publisher. Nulled: Bacon Rebellion An OK frantic top-down twin stick arena shooter. I don't have the skills to progress to the end. Finished: Beauty and the Beast Another HOG without mini-games. Finished: Cats in Time A couple of new levels were added to this cute little puzzle game, I had already finished back in April last year. Nulled: CounterAttack A side-scrolling shmup that supports co-op. Not my genre, but the developer has kept updating this one since 2016, and fans of the genre seems to really like it. Nulled: Destroy All Humans! I might have been playing this game the wrong way, but I just got tired of getting a new mechanic introduced at every level. It's not a bad game at all, you can switch between missions and going back to a more "open world" area where small side missions/tasks are available. Finished: Dying Light 2 This one was finished a while ago, but I kept it available for events and DLCs to show up where I would jump in a play a few hours. Except I never really did, and when I finally did a couple of weeks ago, I had lost all muscle memory of the controls, bungling around and died a lot. So while the main game was fun to play, I think I'll call it a day and skip any story DLCs. Finished: Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle The developer made the main game and a couple of DLCs free for a week, as they were losing the Friday the 13th license, and the game was going to be unlisted. It's a fun little puzzle game with some amusing mechanics. Not super hard, but will still challenge you. If you are stuck, you can ask your mom for the solution. No, not your own mom - Jason's mom. Finished: Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard Very short and very cute detective game. Finished: Gotham Knights I really had no idea what I went in to with this game. I didn't care for the original Batman game and skipped the sequels because I thought they would also be combo brawlers. This one is more like an Assassin's Creed game: Plenty of fun melee combat + ranged batarang attacks, using grappling hook to get around the city, collectathon (which I love), a few boss fights and a story you don't really have to focus on. I didn't try the coop, but it's there. Nulled: Hard West A episodic, turn-based wild west strategy games, which is unfortunately also quite buggy, and the devs clearly didn't care to fix it, as they decided to release Hard West 2 back in August last year. I played a couple of hours, ran into some weird bugs and quit. Finished: Hidden Paws Mystery A 3D Hidden Object game. Very chill and relaxing. "Finished": House Flipper I loved the beginning of the game, where you get certain tasks like removing garbage, paint walls etc. Basically a prolonged tutorial. But when I got to the actual flipping of the houses, ie. buying a house, doing all the handyman work, and then having to add new furnitures, I completely lost interest. I kept going for around 10-15 houses and decided that was enough. So the set tasks were fun, but when having to be create and do "dress up doll", I moved on. Finished: Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective A really fun and chill puzzle game in the vein of Where's Waldo and Hidden Folks, but with the twist that you are guided through a maze with plenty of deviations to go look for the collectibles. The graphics are amazing hand drawn backgrounds and characters, and a lot fun little animations. It's also chock full of pop-culture references, and some are quite well hidden, so it's always fun to discover a new one on subsequent playthroughs (you do want all the collectibles, right?!) The music is whimsical and delightful and fits perfectly in to the strange universe. If you enjoy casual puzzles, hidden object games and having a good time, check this game out. Finished: Luxor HD The old classic match 3 action game, but now working on modern systems. Didn't know I had it, so I have been playing it on and off for a while. Finished: The Outer Worlds + DLCs A fun RPG that doesn't always take it self too seriously. The voiced characters are really great, with each having their own personalities, where some a serious and some are goofy. While it is Open World, it's divided up in areas/planets, so not one big area but many large ones a nd a few smaller ones. Play style can be done like newer Fallout games, with ranged or melee weapons, smart or dumb player character. No annoying hacking/lockpicking games, and plenty of of ways to modify weapons and armour. Plenty of stat changing food as well. All in all a really good game, with an awesome visual style, almost like Al Williamson's Flash Gordon or early Star Wars comics. Finished: Pictopix A pretty good Picross game, I now realize I spent around 100 hours on! "Finished": Super Jigsaw Puzzle: Generations I played an enormous amount of Pixel Puzzles Ultimate Jigsaw (668 hours according to Steam - WTF?!), as it was my go-to podcast game for several years. I guess I got burnt out on it, because I tried this one, which has a other/better mechanics, like being able to connect pieces outside of the board, but I never got around to play anything else than the free puzzles available at the time. These free ones keep coming, 1 game with every DLC, but I just can't do them anymore. Finished: Wolfenstein: Youngblood I love the previous nu-Wolfenstein games, but this one had a bad start: Technical issues as well as a weird boss fight at the end of the tutorial, where the boss was extremely overpowered, and even though we played on co-op, we kept being overwhelmed/killed. Finally getting through to the hub world, it had a weird layout/mission structure, where it wasn't really obvious that you shouldn't explore but just do your task and get the hell out of Dodge. I picked it up again a few weeks ago, to give it another chance in solo, and when I finally got better weapons and more abilities, it became a great mindless shooter. It has gotten a lot of bad reviews, and sure there are still technical issues and a weak story, but I have a feeling most of the reviews stem from the protagonists being two teenage girls killing nazis, and a certain amount of reviewers have a hard time with that.
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Feb 19, 2023 15:45
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Fart of Presto posted:Finished: Cats in Time Thank you for this! I played it on my phone last year and had given up hope that the "coming soon" levels would ever actually come. Edit: though, I just reinstalled and see that they don't save progress in the cloud. Not sure I want to replay the entire game to unlock the new levels at the end... Fart of Presto posted:Finished: Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective This game is actually adapted from a Where's Waldo-esque book series called Pierre the Maze Detective, and my daughter loves both the books and the game. Very fun and really well-drawn mazes. Edit: Since I'm still the most recent post. Beat - Escape Academy: A decent co-op escape game, but I think Escape Simulator or the We Were Here series are better at the genre. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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Feb 20, 2023 17:29
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Decent February for me! #23: Summer Paws (2hr) - Kinda mediocre but chill hidden object game, did not run very well on Switch despite looking like a PS1 game. #24: Primal Light (4hr) - Cool hidden gem of a linear platformer with SNES visuals and open level design. #25: Devolverland Expo (.5hr) - This was from a couple of years ago when E3 wasn't dead, and Devolver had Flying Wild Hog make a tiny little FPS set in the convention center (with a t-shirt gun, and you're fighting robots) where you travel through various Devolver booths to learn about their (at the time) upcoming games. It was a neat concept, maybe not so good as a game experience but interesting to play through. #26: Super Sami Roll (5hr) - I have a love/hate relationship with this 3D platformer. It starts off really fun and flinging yourself around with the tongue is fun, but it just gets way too brutal in the second half. I wasn't expecting a Meat Boy kind of experience from this but that's what I ended up getting. #27: Grow: Song of the Evertree (18.5hr) - Chill life-sim-adjacent game where you plant seeds that great little terrains full of harvestable resources, which you use to create more world seeds, and to craft buildings to grow the towns in various districts on the floating island. #28: Powerslave Exhumed * (6.5hr) - After some mis-steps with remasters like Blade Runner, Nightdive is back in their groove. Excellent port of the Saturn/PS1 Powerslave games with the best of both worlds, and as it turns out, Powerslave Console is an excellent game in its own right. The world is really well designed and the Metroidvania abilities utilized perfectly. Very good game. #29: Shadow Burglar * (.5hr) - I think this was a student project? It was fine, but very short as student projects tend to be. #30: Ctrl-Alt-Ego * (14hr) - Not sure why some people in the Steam thread are downplaying this game, it rules. It's a true immsim and no, you don't need to go combat at all... in fact I didn't add combat skills from disks until the last few hours of the game when I was in The Cloud station. I do agree that you can get in a bad loop of losing energy on dying and having to scavenge in perilous locations to get more energy which might get you killed and thus you lose the energy again (to say nothing of the juice you use from your abilities and having to find more). I think that they should probably find a fix for this or have your spawn-in juice be more than 1.0. But there are many viable ways of progressing through the game and many paths to take. #31: Evil West * (Gamefly) (10hr) - The definition of a 7/10 game. Carries some of Flying Wild Hog's best qualities and some of their worst, but still entertaining to play through. #32: Arcade Paradise * (23hr) - Extremely addictive gameplay loop where you simultaneously manage your father's laundromat and a growing arcade you're building in the back of the building. All of the games are playable, and though they're not incredible GOTY games or anything, they're fun enough to provide an additional element of entertainment to the loop, especially achieving all the goals. #33: Weird & Unfortunate Things are Happening (18.5hr) - Neat indie JRPG making its debut on Steam in February. Should probably cost money rather than be free as it is a large 18-20 hour experience with all original art (although the character portraits are a little webcomicy). It's a horror/surreal game where a city has been taken over by eldritch beings that are corrupting it and trying to merge the city with their world. It's very linear and battle-heavy, you won't be going back to old locations. Combat is heavily predicated on weaknesses/resists as well as buffs/debuffs. I thought it was pretty solid. #34: Atomic Heart [2023] (18hr) - Mixed feelings on this one. Has the peaks of a truly great game, and the valleys of a miserable experience. Beautiful art direction and architecture that informs the themes of the game, themes are a bit messily executed because of one too many layers in an attempt to mimic Bioshock. The powers could've been better, could've been more enemy variety, and the "open world" areas are stupid and pointless. Really fun combat, really tedious cutscene/dialog exposition. A real game of contrasts. On the TV/movie front: HM#7: The Seed (2022) - Very campy film about two influencers and their friend encountering an alien creature that crash lands in their getaway house and tries to shunt with them. Fun but stupid. HM#8: Resurrection (2022) - Incredibly tense psychological thriller about a businesswoman whose former stalker has returned and is completely shattering her life. Really liked this one. HM#9: M3GAN (2023) - Watched the uncut edition on Paramount last week and it was highly entertaining, the uncut version doesn't add a TON but it does add a bit of extra gore to the few scenes of actual violence in the movie. TV#4: Physical 100 (2023, 9 episodes) - A bunch of strong people compete to see who is The Most Strong, whether it's pushing a giant boat, holding a giant rock for 3 hours, or being in a marathon sprint to try and tag the person in front of you. Entertaining with a lot of likeable contestants, though the editing is bafflingly bad.
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Mar 1, 2023 18:44
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Beat - Hob: A 3D action adventure akin to Zelda. It was fine. The gameplay was fun, and I liked the visuals. But there were several points where I had to look at a walkthrough because the path forward was hidden in the environment (not in a good way) or obscured by the camera. I also had lots of framerate issues and several crashes, but that may be because I was playing on my Steam Deck. Nulled - Dead Cells: I had fun while I played it, but outside of Binding of Isaac, roguelikes just don't suck me in. I've also been wanting to play some retro games that I never got around to when I was a kid, and after getting things setup on my Steam Deck, it's been more convenient to do. Beat - Super Mario Land (Gameboy): This game is rough, but it's short (especially with save states), so not much to complain about. Beat - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Gameboy): This is like the transition from SMB1 to SMB3. Leaps and bounds in difference from its predecessor. It's pretty awesome what they were able to put out with the limitations of the GB hardware. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 12:46 on Mar 3, 2023 |
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Mar 3, 2023 02:15
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Had another couple weeks of being too bummed/tired to play games, but we're back on it! Completed 100%, Platinum, whatever you wanna call it): Great Ace Attorney 1+2(PS4): what can I say? It's more Ace Attorney, and this one was new to me. The series is one of my favorites from when I was a kid, and I go back and replay some of the games every few years or so. AA 7 next? Hell, I'll take ports of 4, 5, and 6... Tangle Tower (PS4): short but very enjoyable point-and-click murder mystery. The character portraits are animated very well, and I actually enjoyed the voice acting. I got it on sale for $5, but even $10 would have been worth it for me. Since I finished both a visual novel and a point-and-click, next up is: House in Fata Morgana (PS4) Day of the Tentacle(PS4): never played this before, but my partner loves it. I doubt I'll enjoy it more than Grim Fandango, but let's go! Still playing: Persona 5 Royal (PS4): Fixin' to beat the first dungeon...the beginnings of Persona games when you only have three or four party members kinda sucks in comparison to later when you get more options. Still, I'm enjoying it so far. My one gripe is that (at least so far), I don't like the OST nearly as much as 4 or especially 3. GTA V (PS4): Just playing a mission or so a day; mostly just love cruising around or walking in first person mode. Yes, I played way too much of this back on the PS3, but hey, that was ten...oh GOD, that was ten years ago. 
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Mar 3, 2023 05:39
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Completed - Antichamber: A first-person puzzle game that uses space-bending mechanics and block manipulation that is really quite fun. It's not a long game, and nothing is too perplexing once you understand the mechanics. It's one of those games where once something clicks or you unlock a new mechanic, you're like "oh poo poo! I can go back and solve puzzles X, Y, and Z that I skipped earlier!" Very enjoyable. Beat - Another Shadow (Android): Another escape game by Dark Dome. This team knows their niche, and they do a good job. The art and story are nothing to get excited about, but it's a free phone game that is easy to play when I'm waiting at my kids' sports practices. Edit since I'm still the last post: Beat? - Scale: This was a tech demo of a dead Kickstarter I backed ages ago. The concept is really cool and the puzzles are fun. It's disappointing that development stopped. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Mar 27, 2023 |
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Mar 19, 2023 03:21
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My March: #35: Octopath Traveler 2 [2023] (58hr) - A marked improvement over the original that I had already quite liked. #36: Kill It With Fire (3hr) - Fun little first-person spider obliteration game. #37: Painter Simulator [2023] (6hr) (Early Access content) - Basically Powerwash Simulator meets Paint by Numbers #38: Metamorphosis (2.5hr) - A walking simulator with quite a lot of platforming based off two of Kafka's works. Honestly I really admire the effort that went into this one, it's quite a nice production and reminds me of why I like this genre in the first place. #39: 3000th Duel (11hr) - Decent C-tier Metroidvania with Souls influence. Doesn't reinvent anything but it was fine. #40: Sunblaze (4.5hr) - Single-screen precision platformer that just barely manages to avoid being too frustrating. #41: Bloody Hell [2023] (2.5hr) - Just ok twin-stick shooter with Zelda influence. It's a freeware game so it's worth trying. #42: Dungeon Munchies (10hr) - I was let down by this one after seeing all the positive reviews on Steam. It feels, pardon the term, half-baked, with very rudimentary map design, janky jumping and weightless combat. #43: The Corruption Within (1.5hr) - First-person point and click gothic horror pixel adventure by the dev of Blood Nova. Not as good as that game but a pleasant use of 90 minutes. #44: Lingo Level 2 [2023] (30hr) - I didn't even know more content was going to be added to Lingo! Why do I count this as a separate game? Just look at the playtime. It is functionally a sequel with new color blocks and rules. #45: Stereo Boy * (4.5hr) - Cool perspective puzzler akin to Toad's Treasure Tracker but with a splat-screen dimension hopping mechanic. #46: Terra Nil (6hr) [2023] - Not quite as good as I was hoping but still a relaxing, cozy nature builder. Free Lives may want to consider workshop support or DLC. i'm still debating whether to count 1.0 content separately from Early Access content for games... I have counted DLC as separate (like Cuphead's Delicious Last Course), and typically the amount of content added in 1.0 updates is usually a DLC's worth when compared to the game's v0.9 status... so I'm thinking I will count 1.0 updates separately-- which will selfishly allow me to nominate games in multiple years at GOTY time weheheheh The 7th Guest fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Apr 1, 2023 |
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Apr 1, 2023 16:52
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I have been ludicrously busy writing about video games. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (PlayStation 5, 2023) - It's everything a sequel to Fallen Order should be, though has some of the worst performance and a bunch of glitches throughout. Wait for patches.  Metal Gear Acid 2 (PlayStation Portable, 2005) - Refines everything that was already good about MGA1. Make MGA3 you cowards!  Aperture Desk Job (Steam Deck, 2022) - As fine an introduction to the Steam Deck as you could want.  Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Nintendo DS, 2005) - Probably the only 2D Castlevania I've played that can really match up to SOTN.  Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode INTERmission DLC (PlayStation 5, 2021) - God drat Yuffie is annoying. Liked the Dirge of Cerberus callbacks though.  Sonic Mania (PC, 2017) - Love the 90s Sonic games but for some reason this just didn't click with me.  Resident Evil 3 (PC, 2020) - God bless shorter games. Production values this high squeezed into a 5 hour game is my jam. Maybe would be less happy if I'd paid full price.  Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier (Android, 2021) - Well it's easy to see why this cratered.  Resident Evil: Revelations (PC, 2013) - Wasn't expecting much from a 3DS port but actually a nicely rounded RE game. Looking forward to Rev 2.  No More Heroes III (PlayStation 5, 2022) - Feel like this has gone too under the radar. It's jank as hell but a blast.  Loretta (PC, 2023) - Wants to be a Hitchcock game and gets maybe halfway there.  Sakeworld (PlayStation 5, 2023) - Genuinely one of the most aesthetically nauseating and confusing games I've ever played. Baffling.  Fashion Police Squad (PC, 2022) - Awesome retro Doom clone with kickass movement and a fun sense of humor.  Hogwarts Legacy (PlayStation 5, 2023) - Didn't want to play this as gently caress Rowling, but got sent a free copy, guides needed to be written about various aspects and I was available and need the money. It's fine. Don't buy it.  The Last of Us Part 1 (PC, 2023) - Falls arse over tit in every way. I hear it's better now though.  Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (Switch, 2023) - Awesome game that's closer to a trad Bayonetta than you might assume. Needs more love.  Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC (PC, 2023) - Just loving hook it to my veins. Hadn't played Dead Cells before this and I now love it.  Marvel's Midnight Suns Venom DLC (PC, 2023) - Decent enough DLC, not much to say.  Marvel's Midnight Suns Morbius DLC (PC, 2023) - Bit of a step down from Venom. Difficult to care about Morbius.  Gotham Knights (PlayStation 5, 2022) - Surprised myself by enjoying it a bunch despite some obvious flaws. Feel like it has an undeserved bad rep.  In retrospect maybe I should play fewer games. Necrothatcher fucked around with this message at 11:44 on Apr 27, 2023 |
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Apr 27, 2023 11:42
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Beat - Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair: This game had the same problems that I found with Yooka-Laylee. It was trying to emulate an original game from decades ago (Donkey Kong Country) but bogged it down with too much stuff. There were too many side characters, most of whom did nothing. The overworld map was an interesting idea but ended up being more of a chore than actual fun. I didn't mind each level having an alternate version, but some of them were pretty uninspired and didn't feel uniquely different from the original playthrough. Overall, it was an okay platformer that was brought down by too much cruft. Beat - Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Gameboy): I haven't played any of the Wario Land games and am looking forward to the rest of them after this. A delightful, early Nintendo platformer. Wario isn't as fast or floaty as Mario, but he's much more powerful. Using his strength to get through levels is fun, and nothing ever felt too challenging. There's some replayability in trying to find all the treasures and secret exits, which extended my fun with it. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Apr 29, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 16:44
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my April. end of the night so I'll just give some basic letter grades #47: Marsupilami: Hoobaventure (2.5hr): B+ #48: The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf (6.5hr): B #49: Butcher (2hr): A- #50: Picross S Sega Genesis & Master System (33.5hr) : B #51: Cadence of Hyrule (4.5hr): B- #52: C.A.R.L. * (4hr): C+ #53: Tinytopia (11hr): B- #54: The Long Reach (3hr): C+ #55: Ittle Dew 2+ (6hr): B- #56: Find All (.5hr): C+ #57: Find All 2 (3hr): C+ #58: Find All 3 (2.5hr): C+ #59: Hokko Life (endless): C #60: Honkai Star Rail: Act One [2023] (20-ish hours) B- i consider act 1 to be a full game and I also don't know when I will return to play more of it. i will neither defend or recuse my opinion lol
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May 1, 2023 06:30
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steamcompletionist.net has been down for month and half. It does occasionally go down for multiple weeks at a time, but this one has been the longest outage so far. I'm worried it might be lost for good. What other sites can I use that let me automatically import, track and sort my unplayed, beaten and 100% cheevo percentage Steam games? E: ah, I just head back from the creator of steam completionist. They're working on restoring it! Sininu fucked around with this message at 21:22 on May 8, 2023 |
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May 8, 2023 18:13
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Sininu posted:steamcompletionist.net has been down for month and half. It does occasionally go down for multiple weeks at a time, but this one has been the longest outage so far. I'm worried it might be lost for good.
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May 9, 2023 13:10
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Beat - Superliminal: A first-person puzzler that focuses on perspective, and how it can be represented in very different ways within the context of a video game. It's a very good game. In other news, Tears of the Kingdom is out, so I'm never posting in here again probably...
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May 18, 2023 14:22
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Good-Natured Filth posted:Beat - Superliminal: A first-person puzzler that focuses on perspective, and how it can be represented in very different ways within the context of a video game. It's a very good game. I beat this game yesterday. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ending felt thoughtful and with purpose. I like games like this. I used to play a perspective game called Echochrome on Playstation 3. Obviously this game also is reminiscent of Stanley Parable or Portal. Anyone have recommendations for more games like this? I've got Etherborn, Manifold Garden, and uh, Mind Scanners, but would love other recommendations.
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May 25, 2023 20:46
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PosSibley posted:I beat this game yesterday. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ending felt thoughtful and with purpose. Antechamber is a similar idea. It's light on story, but it definitely has mind-bending puzzles. Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist is from the creator of Stanley Parable. Light on puzzles but a great story (it's also free and short).
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May 25, 2023 21:56
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