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[Wozzer]

I run the thread at that other place but wanted to also engage in the one here ; having an initially slow year so far but still hopeful I can hit 52 by the years end.

51. The Outer Worlds (PC) - 28th Dec - 50hrs | 4
52. Assassin's Creed III (PC) - 28th Dec - 23hrs | 4 (can't exceed 50 images per post...)​

Spoiler: Full list of completions

1. GRIS (PC) - Jan 1st - 2.8hrs | 4
2. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (PC) - Jan 4th - 2.1hrs | 2
3. Guacamelee! (XOne) - Jan 6th - 6.2hrs | 4
4. Guacamelee! 2 (PC) - 6th Jan - 6.8hrs | 4
5. Moonlighter (PC) - 14th Jan - 17.3hrs | 3
6. Assassin's Creed (PC) - 2nd Feb - 9.4hrs | 3
7. Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forli (PC) - 9th Feb - 2hrs | 2
8. Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities (PC) - 10th Feb - 2hrs | 2
9. Assassin's Creed II (PC) - 11th Feb - 20hrs | 5
10. Mega Coin Squad (XOne) - 16th Feb - 12hrs | 3
11. Crackdown 3 (PC) - 23rd Feb - 20hrs | 3
12. Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forli (XOne) - 6th Mar - 2hrs | 2
13. Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities (XOne) - 6th Mar - 2hrs | 2
14. Human Fall Flat (XOne) - 9th Mar - 10hrs | 4
15. Assassin's Creed II (XOne) - 9th Mar - 19hrs | 5
16. Late Shift (XOne) - 19th Mar - 8hrs | 3
17. Thomas Was Alone (XOne) - 20th Mar - 4hrs | 4
18. Celeste (XOne) - 23rd Mar - 8hrs | 4
19. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (XOne) - 13th Apr - 15hrs | 3
20. Unmechanical: Extended (XOne) - 21st Apr - 4hrs | 2
21. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - The Da Vinci Disappearance (XOne) - 3rd May - 3hrs | 2
22. Snake Pass (PC) - 6th May - 8hrs | 3
23. Epic Seven (PC) - 22nd Jun - 50hrs | 4
24. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC) - 22nd Jun - 41hrs | 4
25. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) - 10th Jul - 30hrs | 5
26. Braid (XOne) - 30th Sep - 5hrs | 5
27. Refunct (XOne) - 30th Sep - 1hrs | 3
28. Membrane (Switch) - 2nd Oct - 5hrs | 3
29. Snakebird (PC) - 4th Oct - 9hrs | 3
30. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep (PC) - 4th Oct - 10hrs | 3
31. Untitled Goose Game (Switch) - 8th Oct - 5hrs | 3
32. Monument Valley 2 (Mobile) - 9th Oct - 2hrs | 2
33. Blek (Mobile) - 22nd Oct - 3hrs | 3
34. Bridge Constructor Portal (PC) - 25th Oct - 25hrs | 2
35. Spaceplan (PC) - 27th Oct - 10hrs | 3
36. Linelight (PC) - 27th Oct - 8hrs | 4
37. Mario Odyssey (Switch) - 30th Oct - 15hrs | 5
38. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (PC) - 30th Oct - 2hrs | 3
39. The Gardens Between (PC) - 2nd Nov - 2hrs | 4
40. Full Throttle Remastered (PC) - 3th Nov - 5hrs | 2
41. Gorogoa (PC) - 4th Nov - 2hrs | 3
42. The Division 2 (PC) - 6th Nov - 23hrs | 3
43. The Witness (XOne) - 6th Nov - 22hrs | 5
44. Clustertruck (XOne) - 7th Nov - 6hrs | 3
45. Tacoma (PC) - 11th Nov - 3hrs | 3
46. Minit (PC) - 15th Nov - 2hrs | 2
47. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep (PC) - 2nd Dec - 6hrs | 3
48. Death Stranding (PS4) - 13th Dec - 50hrs | 5
49. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (X360) - 26th Dec - 18hrs | 2
50. Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Lost Archive (X360) - 27th Dec - 3hrs | 1
51. The Outer Worlds (PC) - 28th Dec - 50hrs | 4
52. Assassin's Creed III (PC) - 28th Dec - 23hrs | 4

Full list of completions can be found here.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

This thread is an inspiration. You are the videogame bodybuilders of the GAF community.

 

[Dthomp]

I think I came in over 52 last year, I've been playing too many GaaS and longer games this year so I know I'm lacking

 

[andreymagnus]

Should've started that challenge when I was at school. Not much free time now.

But I can just buy 50 anime-puzzle games on Steam and finish them in a day

 

[Tenaciousmo]

I Have been defeated by a warframe addiction . will try to repent myself next year.

From March to august

19. [✓] The Surge [PC] 19 Hours.

I've started that game 3 times before finishing it , making it to 3rd area everytime and either had to reboot my PC or it was on PS4. Glad i got around back to it. really good 3D castlevania (because thats what those "souls games" are.) Would Advise to start with dark souls 1 or 3 before going to this one, some of those later enemies are kind of unfair almost. If youre ready for a challenge, great game.​

​

I will try to play more real games, into The surge, Judgment, and Doom now.​

20. [✓] GreedFall [PC] 37 Hours.

Colonisation politics, the game. It could've been great, sadly falls short to me. there are really good story plots, good pay offs, good companions variety. sadly vasco's barks were too good so he was with me the whole game.​

But. ITS ALWAYS THE SAME. same 4 trees, same 6 monsters, same 10 people, same buildings inside its always the same everywhere. combats might've been more engaging if the gun button was not incredibly busted.​

I would've been kinder to it if it had been 10 hours shorter, by the end i was fast traveling and skipping some dialogs.​

​

21. [✓] Later Alligator [pc] 2h30

Charming adventure / Mini-game centric game set in Alligator New York City, a world where theres anthropomorphic alligators and 1 bird. Youre helping "Pat" the anxious alligator trying to get more information on an event going down that night at 8 oclock, fearing hes gonna get wackd by his family. Giggled the whole way through. I love this game.​

 

[wyvern_bloodfist]

Game 55.: The SURGE 2
64 hrs. 13 mins. 20 out of 25 Points.

Game 56.: CODE VEIN
49 hrs. 1 mins. 18 out of 25 Points.

 

[jshackles]

Part 1 Here

Game 33 - Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - Nintendo Switch - Completed Oct. 6th, 2019
I put way more time into this game than I maybe originally intended to, but the updated graphics and the fact that it's been six years since the last time I played this game got me really sucked into this one. I decided to do a low-level run because I've never played the game that way before. It was tons of fun, I ended the game at level 21 (with two sub-characters at level 11) so not as low as is possible but still had a great time with it. Instead of leveling up, I just collected GFs and AP along with tons of high-level magic to junction to my stats. By the end of the game, at such a low level, I had 9,999 HP and a few hundred points in strength also. I used the remastered version's 3X speed and No Encounters mode quite a bit to help facilitate doing this more quickly and to make drawing from enemies far less tedious. I also got a complete set of cards which is always a pleasure because Triple Triad is awesome. Overall, an amazing game experience that I'm so happy exists.

Game 34 - Devil May Cry 5 - Xbox One - Completed Oct. 14th, 2019
I decided to install this when it came to Game Pass and it looked interesting. I had played the first two games and the first hour (maybe) of Devil May Cry 4, so I kinda knew what was happening in the story, but not really. The story was kinda secondary to the action though, and this game had a lot of it. I also really liked Nico and the game had a huge amount of humor and style. Since the original game was going to be a Resident Evil game, it made sense that this game was made using RE2's engine. Overall, I liked this game a lot.

Game 35 - Oninaki - Nintendo Switch - Completed Oct. 26th, 2019
This game is such a mixed bag, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, I liked the game quite a bit and the biggest standout of this title is the weapon / daemon system which is easily the best part about this game. Different daemons let you equip different weapon types, and each daemon has it's own skill tree that unlocks new abilities and passives (some that are even active if you don't have that daemon equipped) and I thought that system was absolutely marvelous. The story is... not that great. The game falls into a typical movie three-act structure, and each "act" took me about 10 hours to complete - for a total playtime of around 30 hours. The first act was pretty okay although the plot kept throwing strange twists out there. By the time it was getting pretty good and I was getting the hang of things, the gameplay goes for a bit of a loop and switches (permanently) to a bit of a different play style. By the final act, I was kinda just ready to be done with it, which is usually not a good place to be in for an RPG. The game has post-credits content - a new dungeon, I think - but I doubt I'll bother. I love Tokyo RPG Factory, and this was better than Lost Sphear in my opinion, but still a real B grade RPG.

Game 36 - The Outer Worlds - PC Game Pass - Completed Nov. 2nd, 2019
Well, at this point I'm just reserving myself to know that I won't be finishing the challenge this year unless I play nothing but super-short games. The Outer Worlds was... interesting. The beginning of the game, maybe the first 8 hours or so, was absolutely ace and I loved everything about it. The last half-ish of the game (it took me 21 hours to complete) really fell apart. There's a certain "I want to believe" aspect of the beginning of the game, where I was having so much fun that I didn't really notice the downsides like all the loot being basically worthless, and the difficulty being way too easy. Dialog choices matter, but ultimately... not really. There were some interesting characters, but it's obvious that whoever wrote the script really had a chip on their shoulders about men. All in all, I'd say this game was "OK".

Game 37 - Dead Cells - PC Game Pass - Completed Nov 19th 2019
Even though my final "run" only took about 35 minutes, I probably spent the better part of 20 hours playing Dead Cells. Obtaining upgrades (I didn't even come close to getting everything), unlocking new weapons and abilities, absorbing new powerups, this game definitely had it's hooks in me. I tried playing the game earlier this year on the Switch and it didn't quite grab me the same was as the PC version did with it's ultra-tight controls and rock-solid 60fps gameplay. The game is definitely a lot more frantic and action-packed than I usually enjoy but this had my heart racing and palms sweaty like there was vomit on my sweater already through most of the intense moments. The only drawback I encountered with this game (and what originally turned me off the Switch version) is that in the beginning of the game the "rogue like" mechanics can be pretty unforgiving and you can easily lose TONS of time dying before being able to bank your cells. Once you get a few equipment unlocks though, and progressively get better at actually playing the game, it gets quite a bit easier to complete levels and get into the groove of things. If you're looking for 2D Dark Souls meets Metroidvania, this is the game for you. Absolutely fantastic.

Game 38 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - PC - Completed Dec 6th, 2019
I loved this game quite a bit, even though mechanically I had some problems with it. I played on the normal difficulty even though I liked the idea of a higher difficulty game being more "Dark Souls" like. I just didn't have the extra time it would take to fight the enemies with the higher health or to learn all of the maneuvers required to take down every enemy. Normal difficulty was alright though, even though I died (and learned) quite a number of times. The story was the stand out point, which is a surprise to me as a Star Wars fan after the last decade or so of terrible Star Wars games. Overall, I'd rate this pretty high and definitely the best EA game I've played in a long, long time.

Game 39 - Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout - Nintendo Switch - Completed Dec 14th, 2019
Another huge JRPG done, even though I most likely won't finish the 52 game challenge this year I'm happy at the number of massive JRPGs I've been able to tackle so far this year. Atelier Ryza was an absolutely wonderful game and the first entry in the series I've beaten. I loved the laid back casual atmosphere of the game - where helping your friends and fellow townsfolk became a higher priority than battling or level grinding. The alchemy system in this game was massively fun, though ultimately quite broken, but had great mechanics and was really addictive. I had just over 36 hours on the clock when I finished the game so it was quite lengthy. I understand that this game wasn't as difficult as the other games in the series, but for me it was just right. If you're a fan of JRPGs and have been on the fence (like I was) about the Atelier series, be sure to give this game a try.

Game 40 - Hero of the Kingdom III - PC Steam - Completed Dec 14th, 2019
I really enjoyed the first two games in this series and they're typically pretty short - I got this as part of a Fanatical bundle for $4 so I thought I'd give it a go. I really enjoyed this game too but it was significantly different than the first two. While the game still had a point and click adventure vibe to it, this felt more like a tabletop RPG. It's a trading game - so you start out with nothing and trade your HP for various items that you can trade to other NPCs for different items or money, use the money to buy better items, rinse and repeat until the game is completed. It took me a total of 7 hours to get 99% of the achievements (I didn't get one of the digging achievements) so I'd say that was a pretty good deal. I recommend this if you're a fan of point-and-click adventures, old school "drug wars" type games, or hidden picture games.

Game 41 - Overcooked 2 - Nintendo Switch - Completed Dec 18th, 2019
My wife and I played this a lot last year when it released but we decided to double-dip for the Switch version (actually, triple dip since my son also got a copy) last month when it was on sale on the eShop. We've been playing it all three together which has been a lot of fun since everyone has their own screen / switch. Most levels we got three stars on, including a few of the hidden "Kevin" levels. We aren't exactly great at this game, but we usually get a pretty good strategy going and turn out a good hustle on most levels. The whole game falls apart during the DLC levels though as the difficulty spike is through the roof. Which is a shame, because we love the theme of these levels but can't progress because they're too difficult and after beating the main campaign we all just collectively gave up on trying to even get 2 stars on the DLC levels.

Game 42 - Pokemon Sword - Nintendo Switch - Completed Dec 19th, 2019
I've been playing quite a bit of Pokemon Sword and bouncing back and forth between doing the main quest and doing raid battles with my family to earn extra candy and EXP stuffs. In the end, I finished the game with 26 hours on the clock. Only 143 different types of Pokemon caught though, so there is still a bit to do here if I decided to keep raid battling. A lot of people complained that the game was too short or that there wasn't enough to do in the game, and I think that's kinda bullshit. I enjoyed the art style / direction immensely and felt like there were more than a few really "epic" moments in the game. The music was infinitely better than any other game in the series I've played. Overall, I'd say this is yet another "must have" Switch game.

Game 43 - Jeopardy! - Nintendo Switch - Completed Dec 24th, 2019
My wife (the self proclaimed non-gamer) randomly proclaims during Christmas Eve dinner: "We should all play Jeopardy after this." So I looked up online and saw that the Switch version supported local multiplayer using Joy-Cons and was on sale for $8. Worth a shot. Ubisoft's latest vessel of America's favorite game show inexplicably shuns tradition by not including Alex Trebek or any of the traditional Jeopardy sound effects. Thankfully, the opening theme was intact and... that's about it. The basic gameplay is intact but it stalls out some because the (female) announcer doesn't actually speak the questions and instead you have to read the question (or answer, I suppose) yourself. It gives all the players about 10 seconds to read the answer before given a button to "buzz in" - do it too early and you'll get locked out for a few seconds - so it somewhat simulates the feel of the show itself. The categories were pretty alright, for the most part, and I unlocked a few others during game play. We played a total of five whole games - it was a fun time and a good family bonding experience for $8 but it could have been a whole lot better if they included traditional Jeopardy staples.

 

[Scopa]

DQ XI is seriously hurting my challenge.

 

[IKSTUGA]

49. The legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, 9.5/10
Beat ALttP for the first time, what a fun game. At times the game was a bit too cryptic for my taste, but I guess that's a pretty common thing in early 90's action-adventure games . I'm pretty sure this would be a 10/10 if I had nostalgia for it, seems pretty dang groundbreaking for its time.

50. Dragon Quest, 8/10
So much grinding... Still I enjoyed it, always wanted to give this series a try. DQ11 will probably feel spectacular after this one

51. Final Fantasy Adventure, 8.5/10
Never tried the Mana games before, really digged this one (I played the Collection of Mana version). Last boss was a major pain in the ass until I realized I could just spam max attack, lol.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

22h-ish. 79% of the game completed.

Of all the games I've played this year, this is the one that has left me the weirdest aftertaste. Why? Because I loved the game itself, but I couldn't stomach the plot. Heavy spoilers incoming.

I'm not a very exigent person when it comes down to plot. I liked Wolfenstein II, which was greatly criticized for its weak story, I eat up those cookie-cutter JRPGs with gusto. But SToR has pushed me down the edge.

The worst thing about SotR is that it completely destroys Lara's character development. In Tomb Raider, she was a scared amateur archaeologist who became a jaded treasure hunter, and this continued all the way through Rise of the Tomb Raider, where she understood that her actions have consequences and sometimes it's better to let forgotten treasures lest you destroy whole civilizations. Which was kind of the entire point of wanting to fight the Trinity. But come SotR, Lara's character is all over the place. She jumps from dainty British princess to hard-boiled SAS commando to fuck-you-got-mine bounty hunter to Mighty Whitey, and then back to square one. She's not likable anymore, she's just... female Nathan Drake, except Nate had a consistent personality.

It doesn't help that the Trinity has also changed: instead of a world-wide Illuminati-like conspiracy bound on... some obscure world-spanning goal, now they're the private army of a single guy who simply wants to keep his hometown (a Mayan hometown. In Peru) hidden away from the evils of the world. And Lara wants to prevent this so she can solve an incoming apocalypse that she herself started, Uncharted style. And during the game, the bad guy calls Lara a walking disaster zone, a killer, and scolds her telling her that both she and her father always wanted to get their way no matter who and what they had to destroy.

And he's right. I actually empathized with Dominguez most of the time, and that is not good. The game makes more sense with the Trinity as the group of heroes that try to stop the terrifying bounty hunter Lara Croft from doing any more damage. Again, I know this is basically Nathan Drake's shtick, but it's always been like that with him. He's careless and unlucky, but this is not the Lara Croft that was introduced to us in the first two games.

I'm so angry at this, because the game itself, apart from the story, is awesome. Perfect length, amazing setpieces, great balance between exploration - shooting - platforming - puzzles (I would have liked more shooting myself, though), satisfying stealth mechanics, interesting metroidvania-like progression, spotless technically (apart from some suspect slowdowns in cities). I loved every second of it - every second where somebody wasn't talking, I mean.

I liked the game too much for a Three-star rating. I hated the story too much for a 4-star. So I'm breaking my own scale to better convey my feelings. SotR is a GOTY trapped in a B-movie plot.

My Score: 7.5 out of 10

Original Post

 

[IKSTUGA]

50. Dragon Quest, 8/10
So much grinding... Still I enjoyed it, always wanted to give this series a try. DQ11 will probably feel spectacular after this one

51. Final Fantasy Adventure, 8.5/10
Never tried the Mana games before, really digged this one (I played the Collection of Mana version). Last boss was a major pain in the ass until I realized I could just spam max attack, lol.

52. Halo 3, 8.5/10
Classic game. Beat it with a buddy. Looks and plays great in the MCC.

53. Nier: Automata, 10/10
Wow, I absolutely LOVE this game. Stunning visuals, amazing music, fun and responsive combat accompanied by great world building, this game has it all. I haven't even finished all the routes yet, but I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite games of all time.

 

[jshackles]

Game 34 - Devil May Cry 5 - Xbox One - Completed Oct. 14th, 2019
I decided to install this when it came to Game Pass and it looked interesting. I had played the first two games and the first hour (maybe) of Devil May Cry 4, so I kinda knew what was happening in the story, but not really. The story was kinda secondary to the action though, and this game had a lot of it. I also really liked Nico and the game had a huge amount of humor and style. Since the original game was going to be a Resident Evil game, it made sense that this game was made using RE2's engine. Overall, I liked this game a lot.

 

[Jack Videogames]

The Battle for Polytopia

Many... many hours. Purchased and got over 80% with all civilizations. Hard difficulty at most.

As usual, I consider "endless" games complete once I retire them. I've played Polytopia for an extreme amount of hours, probably hundreds, and it's finally lost its shine.

This game is basically Diet Civilization. Apart from the "special" civs (truly the best thing about this game), all civs are exactly the same except for the aesthetics and the techs they start with. You create units and either try to get the best possible score in Perfection mode, or try to defeat everyone else in Domination. Deceptively simple, extremely addicting, the "basic" civilizations are free (no adds, no extra IAPs) but the entire set might cost you around 9€, and even though they are for the most part identical you will feel compelled to purchase them.

Great game. Could use some more complexity and some more personality for the civs, but even its free version it's totally worth a try.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

 

[ROMhack]

I forgot about this so here's quick one. Finished it about a month ago.

#11 Final Fantasy VIII (Original)

I loved it to begin with but it goes downhill after Disc 3. Characters get pushed aside and because I wasn't taken by the love story between Squall and Rinoa, I think I missed out. The final boss really infuriated me for various reasons (mostly me sucking but also the RNG when losing junctions). All in all, a mixed bag but I'm happy to finally finish it after 20 years.

3/5

 

[ROMhack]

#12 Donut County

In gaming circles there often emerges a furious debate about what style games should lead with. A certain party tends to say gameplay. The other, equally vocal, party offers a counterpoint: story. The debate regularly reaches boiling point, to the extent where it seems like one group is about to enact a bloody revolution on the other. Humour tends to be cast aside, which is probably why neither group says comedy...

Truth be told, comedy games are a rarity anyway. Good humour is, after all, subjective. Off the time of my head I can only name a few - Jazzpunk and Project Rub being the first that spring to mind. Step aside though because there's a new entrant into the ring... Donut County, a whimsical comedy-cum-novelty game that's almost worth the £11 entrance fee I paid to play it (thanks Switch tax!).

Donut County is a puzzle game from one-man-team, LA based gamemaker Ben Esposito. It's officially described as a physics-based-puzzler but that doesn't exactly do it justice. The gameplay merely consists of moving a cursor about the screen to drop objects into a 'donut-shaped' hole. As you drop smaller objects, the hole enlarges so you're able to drop bigger objects (think brick to car). It's easy peasy but the real quality of the game is the humour — its eccentric, joke-laden, easy-going style, featuring a cast of silly anthropomorphic animals, including a super salty raccoon called 'Trash King'.

Of course like all comedy, how much you enjoy the game totally relies on how funny you find it. I personally love absurdist humour so got a lot of mileage from it — including its brilliant riff on Wikipedia called Trashpedia which offers a silly description of each object you drop throughout. I don't mind admitting I chortled heartily a few times such as like when it described snakes as 'moving spaghetti'. I do kinda wish the gameplay was more challenging, but the simple style largely works in favour of the game's overall comedic intentions.

P.s. Buy, but only on sale.

4/5

 

[Jack Videogames]

Spyro the Dragon

9:15h. 120%. Reignited version.

The first Spyro is a good game, but even with the shiny new graphics it still feels tremendously dated. The camera is horrible, the difficulty curve is all over the place (most levels are basically child's play - and then you got Tree Tops or Haunted Towers) and the old "collect-a-thon" style of gameplay doesn't really bode well in this age where we got new takes on the genre like Super Mario Odyssey or A Hat in Time.

The game does improve tremendously from Beast Makers onward, though, and some of the levels in Gnasty's World are genuinely fun even by today's standards. I've heard Spyro's games improve exponentially with each sequel, so I'm keen to try Ripto's Rage soon.

My Score: ★★★☆☆





I.B. ~The Future, Destined by Unsociable Me~ (yes, that's the real title)

3h-ish. 100%.

Another free visual novel by Entabridge, which takes lots of cues from the previous one, "Mysterious Forum...". Instead of being horror, though, this time it's a light science-fiction story with time-traveling elements, much on the vein of Steins; Gate, which is referenced directly at least once. But like Mysterious Forum, the story is completely linear and divided in 7 chapters; bad choices lead to direct Bad Ends, while right choices continue the plot. And just like MF, the story consists of three characters who face self-contained "cases", one per in-game week.

The plot is fresher and less repetitive than MF. For example, I liked that the Bad Ends were varied: instead of being all creepy and bloody like in MF, here you have sad bad ends, premature ends to the story where noone dies, or even absurd developments (I'm a fan of the bad end where you try to help with a couple's first date and one thing leads to another and she becomes a rock climbing champion. Somehow). One thing I found very novel is that some of the bad ends are ads for other games for the company. While this might sound annoying, they are actually pretty well integrated with the plot and the game even pokes fun at them.

However, the translation is even spottier than MF's. Sometimes it's almost unreadable - it translates untranslatable words but then other terms that have a perfectly good translation are left "as is" with a translator's note. The grammar and turns of phrase are sometimes intensely Japanese, and while at first it adds to the games amateurish charm, it becomes obnoxious the more you play. But at the same time, you can feel the game is a labor of love - the characters are well built and you actually end up liking them, the art is amateurish but cute, and the game it's free with ads that only play when you get a bad end. It even has a (totally unnecessary) flowchart and an omake, like MF. Just because of this, I will continue supporting Entrabridge by purchasing the extra chapters for their VNs (they're usually 3€ and maybe 10 minutes long, but it's more of a donation if you've enjoyed the game)

My Score: ★★★☆☆

Original Post

 

[Jack Videogames]

Normal me and Abnormal Friends

3h-ish. 100%.

As you can infer from the wonderfully Egrishy title, this is yet another free visual novel by Entabridge. After trying their hand at horror and sci-fi, now they've made a slice-of-life VN with supernatural elements. Also, they have been a bit more daring with this one - instead of three main characters, there are FOUR, and instead of seven chapters, there are EIGHT. Hold still, my beating heart!

All joking aside, I think this is easily their best work yet. The story is probably pretty trite ("Shuffle" comes to mind, but with no porn) but the lovable characters make it work. The translation, while still spotty, is not nearly as bad as I.B's (probably because there are less technical terms) and, gameplay-wise, there's more interactivity than usual, with some branches that don't really have a "wrong" turn and entire (small) portions of the game that are optional depending on your choices. Finally some use for that flowchart!

Even the alternate ending, a staple of Entabridge VNs, is no longer an embellished bad end, but a more meaty, surprisingly bittersweet conclusion which made me think I got the real ending until I saw the "Completed?" message.

Really worth your time if you're into VNs - and it's free. Ideal for some commuter reading.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

 

[ROMhack]

Normal me and Abnormal Friends

3h-ish. 100%.

As you can infer from the wonderfully Egrishy title, this is yet another free visual novel by Entabridge. After trying their hand at horror and sci-fi, now they've made a slice-of-life VN with supernatural elements. Also, they have been a bit more daring with this one - instead of three main characters, there are FOUR, and instead of seven chapters, there are EIGHT. Hold still, my beating heart!

All joking aside, I think this is easily their best work yet. The story is probably pretty trite ("Shuffle" comes to mind, but with no porn) but the lovable characters make it work. The translation, while still spotty, is not nearly as bad as I.B's (probably because there are less technical terms) and, gameplay-wise, there's more interactivity than usual, with some branches that don't really have a "wrong" turn and entire (small) portions of the game that are optional depending on your choices. Finally some use for that flowchart!

Even the alternate ending, a staple of Entabridge VNs, is no longer an embellished bad end, but a more meaty, surprisingly bittersweet conclusion which made me think I got the real ending until I saw the "Completed?" message.

Really worth your time if you're into VNs - and it's free. Ideal for some commuter reading.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

ooo that looks interesting

 

[Jack Videogames]

ooo that looks interesting

If you're into VN's it's totally worth a shot. I mean, it's free!

 

[Jack Videogames]

Call of Duty: WWII

7h-ish. Hardened difficulty.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the campaign was, even though it was nothing close to the original Call of Duty or CoD 2, it had still plenty of powerful moments, entertaining gunplay, awesome graphics and nice setpieces, though maybe none of them had the "oomph" of classic CoD scenes like Stalingrad or the Battle for Berlin.

Pity they don't do many single-player WWII shooters anymore. Oh well!

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

 

[Tenaciousmo]

21. [✓] Later Alligator [PC] 2h30

Charming adventure / Mini-game centric game set in Alligator New York City, a world where theres anthropomorphic alligators and 1 bird. Youre helping "Pat" the anxious alligator trying to get more information on an event going down that night at 8 oclock, fearing hes gonna get wackd by his family. Giggled the whole way through. I love this game.​

22. [✓] Valfaris [PC] 7 Hours

Sci-fi metal 2D action platformer, I had to take a break between sessions because work but mostly because it was treating me like a bitch. got gud, beat it.​

​

​

EDIT:​

23. [✓] Creature in the well [PC] 4 Hours

top-down, pinball, hack-and-slash? It takes a few minutes to get the hang of it but once you do, the gameplay feels amazing really liked the different weapon combos and effect, it kept it fresh through the game. Some seem to find it repetitive but finishing the game right under 5 hours I didn't have the same feeling. Would Recommend even at full price (17.50$ Canadian)​

​

 

[jshackles]

Game 35 - Oninaki - Nintendo Switch - Completed Oct. 26th, 2019
This game is such a mixed bag, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, I liked the game quite a bit and the biggest standout of this title is the weapon / daemon system which is easily the best part about this game. Different daemons let you equip different weapon types, and each daemon has it's own skill tree that unlocks new abilities and passives (some that are even active if you don't have that daemon equipped) and I thought that system was absolutely marvelous. The story is... not that great. The game falls into a typical movie three-act structure, and each "act" took me about 10 hours to complete - for a total playtime of around 30 hours. The first act was pretty okay although the plot kept throwing strange twists out there. By the time it was getting pretty good and I was getting the hang of things, the gameplay goes for a bit of a loop and switches (permanently) to a bit of a different play style. By the final act, I was kinda just ready to be done with it, which is usually not a good place to be in for an RPG. The game has post-credits content - a new dungeon, I think - but I doubt I'll bother. I love Tokyo RPG Factory, and this was better than Lost Sphear in my opinion, but still a real B grade RPG.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Tokyo Dark

4:15h. Alone Together ending.

I don't generally play horror games because I'm not good with scares, but Tokyo Dark isn't much of a horror game. It isn't much of anything, to be honest. It's mostly a noir thriller with a nice helping of supernatural elements. There's a lot of good ideas poured in Tokyo Dark - what could have gone wrong?

Unfortunately, the answer is "quite a bit". To begin with, the genre- while marketed as a point-and-click adventure with unique meters for different parts of your psyche, it's actually more of a disguised visual novel, where you can follow lots of different paths to get the same conclusion. The meters don't really influence your endings a lot, except for Sanity (which, if high enough, gives you an immediate bad ending). There's a distinct lack of purpose to Ayami's actions, everything feels erratic and to be honest a bit boring.

The lack of a flowchart and being unable to save and load manually give the game a real sense of danger, but at the same time it discourages me from replaying the game. Add this to the amateurish art and here's a game which I found absolutely forgettable. Oh well, not all of them can be winners I guess.

My Score: ★★☆☆☆

Original Post

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

Main Post

54. Max and the Curse of Brotherhood (Switch) - 6/10

Meh. It's basically puzzle room after puzzle room. and a lot of the puzzles are repetitious. It has it's moments but overall I was ready for it to end. I think it was around 6 hours and still felt long.

55. Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4) - 9/10

I found this to be way more tense than the original. The game design was phenomenal. I actually worried it would be super short since the original wasn't that long. I felt it was actually longer and way easier to run around the locations. Backtracking was at a minimum and didn't feel bad. Some of the design reminded me of a more confined Dark Souls. Great game!

 

[Tenaciousmo]

23. [✓] Creature in the well [PC] 4 Hours

top-down, pinball, hack-and-slash? It takes a few minutes to get the hang of it but once you do, the gameplay feels amazing really liked the different weapon combos and effect, it kept it fresh through the game. Some seem to find it repetitive but finishing the game right under 5 hours I didn't have the same feeling. Would Recommend even at full price (17.50$ Canadian)​

​

24. [✓] Mothergunship [PC] 17 hours

Kind of a loot / Bullet hell shooter where you build your own arsenal with connectors and mods and different barrels. I incredibly enjoyed the loop of going on a mission, trying out new barrels, picking up new ones during the mission... gameplay loop is great. That pizza was delivered blazing hot.​

​

​

25. [✓] Doom (2016) [PC] 16 Hours

Finally gotten around to actually finish the game, I was sitting at the actual last mission since this summer, or even before. great game, its not like I'd be the first to tell you that...​

​

 

[IKSTUGA]

52. Halo 3, 8.5/10
Classic game. Beat it with a buddy. Looks and plays great in the MCC.

53. Nier: Automata, 10/10
Wow, I absolutely LOVE this game. Stunning visuals, amazing music, fun and responsive combat accompanied by great world building, this game has it all. I haven't even finished all the routes yet, but I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite games of all time.

54. Spyro the Dragon, 8+/10
Never played these games before, liked it quite a bit. Collecting gems and dashing feels really satisfying!

55. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, 8.5/10
Liked it a bit better than the first game. It was a lot easier too. All my friends say that Spyro 3 is the best, will give it a go at some point when I feel like it.

Now it's finally time to delve into Outer Worlds Based on a couple of hours, it's just fantastic!

 

[marcincz]

Almost finished 52.

Game 43 - Soul Calibur VI (PS4) - 16h 16m
Beat 08/09/2019 - my score: ★★★☆☆

Game 44 - Gears 5 (XBO) - 15h 33m
Beat 19/09/2019 - my score: ★★★☆☆

Game 45 - Mother Russia Bleeds (PS4) - 04h 55m
Beat 22/09/2019 - my score: ★★★☆☆

Game 46 - Shenmue (PS4) - 19h 18m
Beat 04/10/2019 - my score: ★★★★★

Game 47 - Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PSV) - 20h 23m
Beat 13/10/2019 - my score: ★★★★☆

Game 48 - Shenmue II (PS4) - 21h 16m
Beat 26/10/2019 - my score: ★★★★☆

 

[jshackles]

Game 36 - The Outer Worlds - PC - Completed Nov. 2nd, 2019
Well, at this point I'm just reserving myself to know that I won't be finishing the challenge this year unless I play nothing but super-short games. The Outer Worlds was... interesting. The beginning of the game, maybe the first 8 hours or so, was absolutely ace and I loved everything about it. The last half-ish of the game (it took me 21 hours to complete) really fell apart. There's a certain "I want to believe" aspect of the beginning of the game, where I was having so much fun that I didn't really notice the downsides like all the loot being basically worthless, and the difficulty being way too easy. Dialog choices matter, but ultimately... not really. There were some interesting characters, but it's obvious that whoever wrote the script really had a chip on their shoulders about men. All in all, I'd say this game was "OK".

 

[Scopa]

There were some interesting characters, but it's obvious that whoever wrote the script really had a chip on their shoulders about men.

Thanks for the info. I was on the fence after seeing the female character designs (or lack of) and this just clarifies things. No buy.

 

[jshackles]

Thanks for the info. I was on the fence after seeing the female character designs (or lack of) and this just clarifies things. No buy.

To quote EviLore from the OT

Sophomoric intersectional Marxism seeps through at every turn with little nuance. Nearly every woman is a highly competent engineer-warrior or doctor-warrior or leader-warrior, and nearly every man is a complete buffoon.

The beginning of the game kinda brushed over this a lot but after the game's first act it starts becoming really obvious and blatant.

 

[Scopa]

To quote EviLore from the OT



The beginning of the game kinda brushed over this a lot but after the game's first act it starts becoming really obvious and blatant.

Jesus Christ. Glad I didn’t bite.

All the marketing showed those original Fallout blokes, Tim Cain etc and I had no idea they let frumpy feminists take the writing and design reins until I saw a photo someone posted of the design team. Coloured hair and muffin tops as far as the I could see.

What a disappointment.

 

[Kadayi]

22. Inside (100%)

This was a bit of replay truth be told as I'd always wanted to revisit it and unlock the secret ending. Mission accomplished (full playthrough mind. I'm not one for half measures). I think it's a pretty neat puzzle game, though I honestly found I had to wack the brightness up considerably to make things out. I really really dig the art style and the lighting model that Play dead use throughout, and there's something just profound about the sense of monumental scale to the environments, even though you're just exploring them in a linear fashion. I think albeit it very distinct titles there's something to the aesthetic that reminds me of Kentucky Route Zero, which I think I'm going to have to get back into relatively soon.

Next on the playlist, not too sure. I was wanting to get back into KCD now all the DLC is out, but it's gotten quite hot again here and the PC definitely wasn't in the mood for that level of GPU heat (and nor was I). Probably try and shore up a few smaller titles and look at KCD in September once things are a few degrees cooler.

Christ, it's been a while. Despite optimistic intentions earlier in the year, I think it's fair to say I probably won't be hitting the magical 52 this time around, down to a combination of an insane amount of work coming my way the last few months (the joy of freelancing) coupled with having fallen deep into endless pits of both Cultist Simulator and CK2 (again). Still one game did manage to pull me away and that was

23. Disco Elysium (Not quite 100%, but pretty damn close.)

A lot of comparisons have been thrown at DE in terms of being a spiritual successor to Planescape Torment when it comes to its narrative and albeit the last time I touched PST was many years ago, I can certainly attest to DE possessing the same robust depth, but if anything I think DE moves the needle even further by leaning far more into the esoteric and poetic nature of the likes of titles like Kentucky Route Zero, What remains of Edith Finch and Dear Esther wherein as an amnesiac of cop of questionable repute and competence you're afforded the opportunity to not only solve a complex murder case but also, reinvent yourself wholesale in the process through your choices and interactions over the course of a week.

Its a truly unique RPG experience and definitely one of the main highlights of this year, if not this generation. My main regret having just finished it is that it's going to be a very long time before anyone else out there comes up with something comparable. 10/10 Highly Recommended. Must Play.

 

[IKSTUGA]

54. Spyro the Dragon, 8+/10
Never played these games before, liked it quite a bit. Collecting gems and dashing feels really satisfying!

55. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, 8.5/10
Liked it a bit better than the first game. It was a lot easier too. All my friends say that Spyro 3 is the best, will give it a go at some point when I feel like it.

Now it's finally time to delve into Outer Worlds Based on a couple of hours, it's just fantastic!

56. Outer Worlds, 8+/10
Mindless, but fun shooter. Writing was okay at times

57. Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, 9-/10
Yeah the third installment ended up being my favorite after all, really enjoyed some of the additional characters. Some minigames were a miss, but overall the level design was just stellar.

58. Super Mario World, 10/10
What a fucking classic, the ending really hit me with nostalgia. I've beaten this game like bazillion times at this point and it's definitely my favorite 2D Mario after SMB3.

 

[Tenaciousmo]

25. [✓] Doom (2016) [PC] 16 Hours

Finally gotten around to actually finish the game, I was sitting at the actual last mission since this summer, or even before. great game, its not like I'd be the first to tell you that...​

​

26. [✓] Knack 2 (2017) [PS4] 15ish Hours, did not keep count, was playing it couch coop with a friend.

gameplay of the game itself is fun, but as soon as the story lines comes into play it is laughably bad. I hated ever damn characters except maybe

Spoiler: major spoiler for midgame

OG bad guy from Knack 1

I hate the main guy with you with such a passion. game is fun and great for couch coop tho.​

​

 

[Nullien]

I love this! Will definitely do this for 2020! Will there be a thread for that?

 

[Scopa]

I love this! Will definitely do this for 2020! Will there be a thread for that?

Definitely.

 

[jshackles]

I love this! Will definitely do this for 2020! Will there be a thread for that?

Absolutely, but there's no time like the present to get started! Think of the next two months as a warm-up!

 

[IKSTUGA]

56. Outer Worlds, 8+/10
Mindless, but fun shooter. Writing was okay at times

57. Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, 9-/10
Yeah the third installment ended up being my favorite after all, really enjoyed some of the additional characters. Some minigames were a miss, but overall the level design was just stellar.

58. Super Mario World, 10/10
What a fucking classic, the ending really hit me with nostalgia. I've beaten this game like bazillion times at this point and it's definitely my favorite 2D Mario after SMB3.

59. Forza Horizon 4, 9.5/10
Holy moly, I'm just ecstatic about the game. I've never been interested in cars or racing games, but this game, I love on so many levels. Driving around at max speed in my Lamborghini has been the greatest experience I've ever had with a racing game. Also, the graphics are just insane on Xbox one X. I'll probably keep playing this till the next Forza hits game pass.

 

[wyvern_bloodfist]

Game 57.: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
107hrs. 1 mins. 20 out of 25 Points.

Game 58.: Dark Souls III Complete Edition
96 hrs. 4 mins. 18 out of 25 Points.

Game 59.: Animus
10 hrs. 6 mins. 16 out of 25 Points.

Game 60.: Bloodborne Complete Edition
40 hrs. 40 mins. 17 out of 25 Points.

 

[ROMhack]

#13 Analogue: A Hate Story

Analogue: A Hate Story is a visual novel from game designer, Christine Love. It's a spin-off from her earlier game, Digital: A Love Story, and is set in deep space in the far future. You play as a detective(?) looking for clues as to why everybody on a spaceship mysteriously died one day. The story is science-fiction based yet heavily inspired by Korean history, predominantly the role of men and women in the Joseon period.

Being a visual novel, there's not a lot of gameplay. You basicallytalk to the two anime-looking AI systems left on the ship — artificial intelligence uploaded from the memories of people who once served aboard. They tell you things, then give you access to text files which recount the history of two rival aristocratic families. Events centre around the 'The Pale Bride' — an abased and rebellious young woman forced into marriage..

I'm a bit mixed about the game but it definitely has its upsides. The writing is strong and I really like how the historical aspect presents an impression of the Joseon period of Korea. It allows an otherwise ordinary visual novel to have a clear sense of personality. Thankfully the feminist angle isn't overbearing and it's easy to feel for The Pale Bride despite her actions. What I liked least about it is probably the most gamey aspect — being forced to side with one of the AI waifus. I never really cared for this, hence why I got the neutral ending.

Overall, decent. Very niche. I doubt anybody here would like it, but it gets a thumbs up from me.

3/5

 

[Jack Videogames]

The Outer Worlds

16:04h. Good ending. Did all sidequests I found, all companion quests. Got all best results except for Edgewater, where I took the "Abigail rules alone" route.

I'm not going to add much to what I already said. I'm giving the game a passing grade because I generally liked the plot and it has a brilliant 2h at the beggining and a very engaging 2h at the end, but the other 12h are a boring, frustrating slog.

If you are a Fallout fan and wanted TOW to be a spiritual sequel to New Vegas, you will want to remove a star. If you are going in blind and don't mind that TOW is the woke bastard child of Borderlands and Mass Effect, you can add another star I guess.

My Score: ★★★☆☆

Original Post

 

[Jack Videogames]

Professor Layton and Pandora's Box

10:14h. 131 out of 138 puzzles completed. Camera, diary and hamster completed, forgot some tea drinkers.

A nice compendium of puzzles framed in a fairytale-like story, the game is somewhat darker than the first and has a bittersweet twist at the end. I enjoyed the puzzles less than in the first game, though, as quite a bit of them of them were either variants of "do my algebra homework" or "push things until they move to the right places" (fucking peg solitaire). As always though, top-notch presentation, art, music and the likes.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

 

[Scopa]

I went from playing Link’s Awakening to Dragon Quest XI to now playing Baldur’s Gate and planning to play Baldur’s Gate II straight after...

52 game challenge? Forget about it. I’m off the rails and I was doing so well, too. Unless I do a marathon of 1 hour NES games, it ain’t happening

I blame all the RPGs coming out on Switch *shakes fist*

 

[jshackles]

I went from playing Link’s Awakening to Dragon Quest XI to now playing Baldur’s Gate and planning to play Baldur’s Gate II straight after...

52 game challenge? Forget about it. I’m off the rails and I was doing so well, too. Unless I do a marathon of 1 hour NES games, it ain’t happening

I blame all the RPGs coming out on Switch *shakes fist*

I'm in the same boat. I'm playing Atelier Ryza now on Switch and The Division 2 on PC. Want to start playing The Witcher 3 (I've never played it) after that. I was off to such a good start too!

 

[Pantz]

My gaming really stalls while I'm working. I'm off from work now through the end of the year so I got time now but sitting at 32 games it's might be tough. 20 games in 53 days...

 

[Jack Videogames]

Silver Screen Story

4h-ish. Needed 30 years and two playthroughs to reach rank 5*.

I appreciate Kairosoft trying to do something different, but the difficulty curve of this game is all over the place. At first, you are not going to know what the hell is going on. The interface is horrible and there's lot of unnecessary info being dumped on you. Later on, with a guide and some patience, the game becomes more enjoyable, but Game Dev Story it ain't.

Why do I keep buying games from this company? (The answer: they have the ocassional hit [Real answer: and I topup my cellphone every month to get free data and I usually use the balance to buy games])

My Score: ★★☆☆☆

Original Post

 

[BurstZyn]

32. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4):
Story: The year is 1960 and the Nazis have won World War II. War Hero B.J. Blazkowicz must launch an impossible counter-offensive against the monstrous Nazi regime that has conquered the globe.
Gameplay: The first person shooter Nazi killing series which you can choose to go in guns blazing or take the more stealth approach. The stealth approach is usually more preferred and honestly pretty fun, it's nice to have multiple ways to play the game. And it's awesome that the game awards your playstyle, for when you complete challenges you get passive perks that attune to your way of play!
Art Style/ Music: The music had times where it can be badass as shit, other times it was fine.
Gripes: Fun game but didn't really grab me enough to possibly continue the series.
Additional Info: I would say the game is at least worth a rent or to download off Game Pass and such if possible.
Score: 3/5

So I've just been too busy to be able update this lil list of reviews of mine, and I'm still pretty busy, so unfortunately the reviews have to stop here but here is where I am with my progress at the moment:
33. Battleblock Theater (Xbox 360): Score - 4/5
34. Batman The TellTale Series (PS4): Score - 2/5
35. Darksiders II: Argul's Tomb (PS4): Score - 3/5
36. Darksiders II: The Abyssal Forge (PS4): Score - 2/5
37. Darksiders II: Demon Lord Balial (PS4): Score - 3/5
38. Darksiders II: The Deathintive Edition (PS4): Score - 4/5
39. Ghost Recon Future Soldier (Xbox 360): Score - 5/5
40. Darksiders III (PS4): Score - 4/5
41. Little Nightmares (PS4): Score - 5/5
42. Parasite Eve II (PS): Score - 3/5
43. Resident Evil 7: Banned Footage - Bedroom (PS4): Score - 3/5
44. Final Fantasy II (PS): Score -3/5
45. Little Nightmares: The Depths (PS4): Score - 4/5
46. Little Nightmares: The Hideaway (PS4): Score - 4/5

 

[IKSTUGA]

59. Forza Horizon 4, 9.5/10
Holy moly, I'm just ecstatic about the game. I've never been interested in cars or racing games, but this game, I love on so many levels. Driving around at max speed in my Lamborghini has been the greatest experience I've ever had with a racing game. Also, the graphics are just insane on Xbox one X. I'll probably keep playing this till the next Forza hits game pass.

60. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, 9/10
I liked the campaign, visuals were really nice and the story was ok. I was expecting a bit more edge based on the previews, but oh well... MP on the other hand is just amazing... Most fun I've had with a COD game since MW2.

61. Garou: Mark of the Wolves, 9-/10
Classic fighting game from SNK, great roster and mechanics.

62. Luigi's Mansion 3, 9/10
What a sweet game. Creative level design and bosses, length was pretty optimal as well. Fuck that cat, though.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Tennis Club Story

10h-ish. Managed to get to S-rank before the end of the game but couldn't bet the S Tournament.

Now this is more like it! Tennis Club Story is a great old-style Kairosoft game. Advancing in the game feels difficult but there's a real feeling of progress; if you keep training and improving your players and your infrastructures, you'll keep pushing forward.

In a sense, it's a bit like an idle game but without being an idle game. The matches are played automatically according to the players' stats and the tactics you select. Your task is to help your players grow, and it's surprisingly engaging and fun.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

 

[Dr. Claus]

Tennis Club Story

10h-ish. Managed to get to S-rank before the end of the game but couldn't bet the S Tournament.

Now this is more like it! Tennis Club Story is a great old-style Kairosoft game. Advancing in the game feels difficult but there's a real feeling of progress; if you keep training and improving your players and your infrastructures, you'll keep pushing forward.

In a sense, it's a bit like an idle game but without being an idle game. The matches are played automatically according to the players' stats and the tactics you select. Your task is to help your players grow, and it's surprisingly engaging and fun.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original Post

Is Tennis Club Story related at all to Golf Story on Switch?