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[DunDunDunpachi]

The original concept for this challenge back in 2019 was more literal: NO NEW GAMES, meaning, if you hadn''t played it before.then you couldn't play it that year. Replaying old favs or finishing unfinished games was gonna be it. Participants could start a new save if necessary or re-obtain the game on a more feasible platform.

That general idea persists. We're avoiding new stuff as much as we can and turning our focus back on old favs or unfinished games that were neglected, then talking about those games.

Figured I would mention it since we have a lotta new participants this year.

EDIT:

Is it worth playing Heavy Rain if I got the plot twist spoiled? Always wanted to give it a shot but was discouraged because I know who the antagonist is.

If you like decent choose your own adventure, yeah it's solid. The plot twist you're referring to doesn't make or break the game. You'll definitely have a different perspective on certain scenes than a newbie would, of course.

 

[Soodanim]

Mods (i.e. replaying a game you already own) seem very much in line with the spirit of the thread.

You don't understand boss, if I start playing the new Dark Souls mod that's it for 2 or 3 months, I'll be out of action. Dark Souls is crack and I can't pick that pipe up again. Not now. I'm going to have to class it as a new game considering all the changes and content replacements. It might be an additional self-imposed restriction, but the backlog is only the symptom. I have to treat the cause of the problem!

Spoiler

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

You don't understand boss, if I start playing the new Dark Souls mod that's it for 2 or 3 months, I'll be out of action. Dark Souls is crack and I can't pick that pipe up again. Not now. I'm going to have to class it as a new game considering all the changes and content replacements. It might be an additional self-imposed restriction, but the backlog is only the symptom. I have to treat the cause of the problem!

Spoiler

You're talkin to the wrong guy. I've sunk 100s into a few of the Soulsbornekiro games myself, vanilla with no mods. They're great. Why not sink time into one or two more runs?

Replaying games is an indulgence that shall never be shamed in this thread.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

You're talkin to the wrong guy. I've sunk 100s into a few of the Soulsbornekiro games myself, vanilla with no mods. They're great. Why not sink time into one or two more runs?

Replaying games is an indulgence that shall never be shamed in this thread.

For sure. Replaying games is what a backlog is all about. Doesn't matter how much you play it, as long as you're having fun with it. For example, I'll likely go back to Sleeping Dogs eventually even after finishing it just to clean-up some extra stuff. Maybe even get the platinum trophy. I feel that game deserves it.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Took a break from games in January. I'm back at it now. Finished the Panzer Dragoon Remake yesterday. Stays true to the original, but I miss the Saturn graphics. IMO some of the charm is lost. Still, a superb remake of one of my favorite games of all time. Also, continuing where I left off with Mother 3. Hoping to have it finished by the weekend.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Yeah I may want to stop reading if there are gonna be spoilers for Heavy Rain

Took a break from games in January. I'm back at it now. Finished the Panzer Dragoon Remake yesterday. Stays true to the original, but I miss the Saturn graphics. IMO some of the charm is lost. Still, a superb remake of one of my favorite games of all time. Also, continuing where I left off with Mother 3. Hoping to have it finished by the weekend.

Awesome! To your point of "miss the Saturn graphics" -- so, I looked up footage of Panzer Dragoon Saga, and the graphics are what I would consider "rough." It's got a certain charm to it, but the graphics combined with the framerate.... No.

The reason I looked it up is because I was curious of this game that goes for $400+ CIB on eBay. But again that was for PDS. I should look up what the first Panzer Dragoon looks like on the Saturn.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

Yeah I may want to stop reading if there are gonna be spoilers for Heavy Rain

I'm not going to spoil anything, don't worry. Always try to keep my posts spoiler free, even for old games.

Definitely a game that is much better to go in blind.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I'm not going to spoil anything, don't worry. Always try to keep my posts spoiler free, even for old games.

Definitely a game that is much better to go in blind.

Ha ha, cool. I mean it's not a big deal if you do; I was planning to get to it some day, but it's fairly low on the list of things I want to get to. (I don't even own it yet).

And since I don't have a PS4, I'd be playing the PS3 version, and you said that version blows.

EDIT: Never mind, I'm a doofus, I see there's a PC version. So I can get that, whenever I get around to it.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

Ha ha, cool. I mean it's not a big deal if you do; I was planning to get to it some day, but it's fairly low on the list of things I want to get to. (I don't even own it yet).

And since I don't have a PS4, I'd be playing the PS3 version, and you said that version blows.

EDIT: Never mind, I'm a doofus, I see there's a PC version. So I can get that, whenever I get around to it.

I think you misunderstood me. The PS3 version is fine, it's just old. I played it on PS3 and really enjoyed it, the storyline hooked me. I considered it impressive at the time when it first came out, it was very unique. It's just that compared to Quantic Dream's later games it looks rather dated.

Detroit is the best game they have made. Technically, graphically and the storyline is leagues ahead of Heavy Rain. At least for me, anyways.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I still need to get around to playing Detroit: Become Human.

Maybe a 2022 game for me.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Awesome! To your point of "miss the Saturn graphics" -- so, I looked up footage of Panzer Dragoon Saga, and the graphics are what I would consider "rough." It's got a certain charm to it, but the graphics combined with the framerate.... No.

The reason I looked it up is because I was curious of this game that goes for $400+ CIB on eBay. But again that was for PDS. I should look up what the first Panzer Dragoon looks like on the Saturn.

It's the same reason I prefer NES version of SMB3 over the Mario All Stars version. It's what I grew up with and in my mind that's how the game is supposed to look.

I'm actually planning on jumping into PDS soon. We'll see if it lives up to the hype, but I'm gonna keep my expectations in check.

 

[Soodanim]

For sure. Replaying games is what a backlog is all about. Doesn't matter how much you play it, as long as you're having fun with it. For example, I'll likely go back to Sleeping Dogs eventually even after finishing it just to clean-up some extra stuff. Maybe even get th
I’m trying to clear my backlog for me, I paid money for all these experiences and I’me platinum trophy. I feel that game deserves it.

I’m trying to clear my backlog for me, I paid money for all these experiences and I’m shutting them out by sticking to old games. It’d be fine if I hadn’t already bought the games, but I bought them for a reason so I want to get some use out of them. But I’m being realistic, and if they’re not enjoyable they they’re done. Next time I’m at my PC I’ll have to compile some stats.

Sleeping Dogs is a high quality game. I nearly finished it on PS+, so now I have the excuse to do it again and finish the job in PC. I’ve had a bit of a rough time technically though, because over the years I managed to get both the original and the remaster (I think for about £5 total) and despite thinking the remaster would be superior, it consistently crashed on me after a short time running (5-20 minutes, CTD). So original it is. I’ve forgotten more than I remember, which is a blessing.

 

[mekes]

Finished up 13 Sentinels this evening. Good game, a nice change of pace and a fun story. If anybody saw reviews for this, you may remember that there was an embargo on discussing most of the game to avoid spoilers. I agree with that in this instance. I would enjoy having my say on the game but its no fun ruining what is essentially, completely a story driven game.

It’s good tho, happy I resumed and finished it

 

[Sidney Prescott]

I’m trying to clear my backlog for me, I paid money for all these experiences and I’m shutting them out by sticking to old games. It’d be fine if I hadn’t already bought the games, but I bought them for a reason so I want to get some use out of them. But I’m being realistic, and if they’re not enjoyable they they’re done. Next time I’m at my PC I’ll have to compile some stats.

Sleeping Dogs is a high quality game. I nearly finished it on PS+, so now I have the excuse to do it again and finish the job in PC. I’ve had a bit of a rough time technically though, because over the years I managed to get both the original and the remaster (I think for about £5 total) and despite thinking the remaster would be superior, it consistently crashed on me after a short time running (5-20 minutes, CTD). So original it is. I’ve forgotten more than I remember, which is a blessing.

You shouldn't feel like you have to.

It's perfectly fine to drop a game if you're not enjoying it, I commend that. Working through a backlog is cool, but got to make sure you're having fun and appreciating the games too. I'm doing it to save money mostly, but finding myself having so much more fun lately just doing my own thing.

I fully expect I'll not finish every game I want to, some might not be as good as I remembered. As long as I'm not buying any games for the time being.

 

[Phase]

@Sidney Prescott Fully agree. I've been dropping some games in my backlog that I was going to replay (e.g. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Bloodrayne, Mafia) as present-day me just wasn't enjoying them after starting. It really helps put focus on appreciating the game you're playing when you change your mindset away from "beating the backlog."

That's the reason I mentally dropped myself from the 52 games thread this year. It was pretty exhausting last year and it's not the usual way I play games. Sometimes I don't play any game for months, then I'll get fully invested into one title for the same amount of time.

 

[DelireMan7]

I’m trying to clear my backlog for me, I paid money for all these experiences and I’m shutting them out by sticking to old games. It’d be fine if I hadn’t already bought the games, but I bought them for a reason so I want to get some use out of them. But I’m being realistic, and if they’re not enjoyable they they’re done. Next time I’m at my PC I’ll have to compile some stats.

I'll echo @Sidney Prescott and Phase , you should play what you feel like playing and not playing games just because they are in your list. Replaying games you like should not be refrained (especially if the game is Dark Souls !).
I myself made a list of my backlog but I know that my mood will change and I will probably not play everything.

Once a friend of mine told me :” You have to accept that you will not have time to do everything you want in your life, you will miss some stuff but do some other. So focus on the thing you do and take the most of them.” Actually the discussion started about all videogames I want to play (and others things I want to do on the side) and the time that I don’t have to.
I often remind myself this philosophy since (the lack of) Time can sometimes become a obsession for me.

So just play what you feel like to play !


I progress slowly but surely in Baten Kaitos (I didn’t game a lot the past days). 15 hours in and still in love with it

 

[EDMIX]

Did you like the Order 1886? I love that game, mostly due to the presentation

Oh yea, I thought it was ok game. I like it more based on what it could be as a series that explores that concept more. Its a fun once over and it sad to see the IP go to waste. I really hope Sony Santa Monica takes it over and makes some crazy 1800's open world game with vampires fighting werewolves in some day and night cycle lol

We've seen worse games get rebooted successfully. 1886 has a great foundation for what could be a masterful series. Let us never forget the first Red Dead wasn't Redemption.

 

[ROMhack]

I finished Little Nightmares last night, which is neat but kinda left me wanting more...

The atmosphere is wonderful. It's like this disgusting childhood dream where everything is big and gruesome and you're just a little babby who needs to run or you'll get stewed in a pot of child broth. Which btw you will as trial and error is rife. It's a bit like INSIDE/Limbo.

The gameplay can be finicky. Having LT as slide AND duck meant I very often slid in enemy sight when I was simply trying to get out of the way(!). The fact they didn't utilise the shoulder buttons for at least one of those things is a bit dumb. (Edit - this is more annoying than it is gamebreaking)

The story is, uh, not really anything. It has ideas but loses steam by the end and finishes ambiguously so doesn't explain much at all. I don't think it intended to.

Overall, a solid 7/10. Fun in short bursts. The middle kitchen part is the best bit.

Edit - Clarity.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Completed Dark Could together with the Platinum last weekend. Now it's down to 2 games: Alien Isolation and Dark Souls 3.

Booted AI the day after beating Dark Could. Think I should be done with my backlog end of March latest. Can't believe it.

 

[ROMhack]

Completed Dark Could together with the Platinum last weekend. Now it's down to 2 games: Alien Isolation and Dark Souls 3.

Booted AI the day after beating Dark Could. Think I should be done with my backlog end of March latest. Can't believe it.

Dark Could

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I finished Little Nightmares last night (game #4), which is a neat little game but I kind of expected more...

The atmosphere is wonderful. It's like this disgusting childhood dream where everything is big and gruesome and you're just a little babby who needs to run lest you get stewed in a pot of child broth. Which you will btw as trial and error is rife.

The gameplay parts are finicky. Having LT as slide AND duck meant I very often slid in enemy eyesight when I was simply trying to get out of the way(!). The fact they didn't utilise the shoulder buttons for at least one of those things is dumb.

The story is, uh, not really anything. It doesn't seem to have many ideas and it loses steam by the end. It finishes on a type of ambiguous ending that is not entirely unlike the weird horror films I used to make as a teenager.

Overall, it's a solid, and I mean solid, 7/10.

This is a pretty good writeup. I remember seeing stuff about this game and being curious about it.

But having control issues -- such as a single button mapped to multiple, often contradictory or confusing actions -- is generally a deal-killer for me.

I was playing Resident Evil Revelations 2 and one of the things annoying me at the time was that L3 was mapped to crouching, so I accidentally crouched when I wasn't intending to. (Maybe the way I handle use a controller is weird? Ha!)

Anyway, a 7/10 sounds decent, no?

I think you misunderstood me. The PS3 version is fine, it's just old. I played it on PS3 and really enjoyed it, the storyline hooked me. I considered it impressive at the time when it first came out, it was very unique. It's just that compared to Quantic Dream's later games it looks rather dated.

Detroit is the best game they have made. Technically, graphically and the storyline is leagues ahead of Heavy Rain. At least for me, anyways.

Yeah, I should probably put Detroit ahead of Heavy Rain whenever I get to those games. (And yea, reading your original message I see how I misunderstood what you said. My bad! ). Cheers!

 

[Rillania]

Still alive and chugging away slowly on my backlog. Dec-Feb is usually pretty busy given my line of work, so I haven't made much headway, but I've been playing Cyberpunk on and off and am on Act 2. The initial hype rose-tinted glasses have worn off and I'm starting to notice some nitpick things here and there, but overall I'm still having fun with it. Haven't played since the last big patch they did a couple weeks though, so not sure if that fixes up some of things I noticed.

After I finish Cyberpunk, I think I'll move onto FFXV's DLC. Was a short bit into Prompto's before I switched over to Cyberpunk when I came out. In the final stages of deadline work crunch, but hoping to be able to dedicate more time to my backlog after next week. Glad to see so many have put some decent dents into theirs already just a month into the year!

 

[Sidney Prescott]

Sleeping Dogs is finished!

Great game. So glad I took the time to play it again. Wei Shen might be one of my all-time favourite characters to play. I would rate the game a solid 7/10. Very good. The only flaw I have towards the game is some of the controls are a bit wonky, especially when driving. Not a deal breaker, though.

Would highly recommend the game. Storyline has many twists and turns and keeps you wanting more.

 

[ROMhack]

This is a pretty good writeup. I remember seeing stuff about this game and being curious about it.

But having control issues -- such as a single button mapped to multiple, often contradictory or confusing actions -- is generally a deal-killer for me.

I was playing Resident Evil Revelations 2 and one of the things annoying me at the time was that L3 was mapped to crouching, so I accidentally crouched when I wasn't intending to. (Maybe the way I handle use a controller is weird? Ha!)

Anyway, a 7/10 sounds decent, no?

Oh yeah don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game. I enjoyed it in short bursts and some moments are really tense (the middle kitchen parts for sure).

I haven't played RE Rev 2 but mapping L3 to crouching sounds super annoying

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Revisiting childhood favorites through new challenges (in the form of Retro Achievements) has heightened my enjoyment of these games and taught me a lot of new things that I didn't even know about games I was playing for years and years.

Currently finishing up some challenges in Super Mario World (SNES), Resident Evil 2 (PS1), and Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (PS1) -- 3 absolute lifelong favorite video games of mine -- and will do writeups on those when I'm done. Those are likely the last 3 retro games I'll focus on before I go back to the Crash N'Sane Trilogy and "newer" games in my backlog, while de-prioritizing retro games. (Although I'll keep playing them concurrently with the newer games, just not focusing on them).

I need to get this off my chest now: I love Super Mario World. It's an all-time gem and a wonderful video game. But, briefly taking a sip of my Haterade: : In some other it's a regression from Super Mario Bros. 3.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

Revisiting childhood favorites through new challenges (in the form of Retro Achievements) has heightened my enjoyment of these games and taught me a lot of new things that I didn't even know about games I was playing for years and years.

Currently finishing up some challenges in Super Mario World (SNES), Resident Evil 2 (PS1), and Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (PS1) -- 3 absolute lifelong favorite video games of mine -- and will do writeups on those when I'm done. Those are likely the last 3 retro games I'll focus on before I go back to the Crash N'Sane Trilogy and "newer" games in my backlog, while de-prioritizing retro games. (Although I'll keep playing them concurrently with the newer games, just not focusing on them).

I need to get this off my chest now: I love Super Mario World. It's an all-time gem and a wonderful video game. But, briefly taking a sip of my Haterade: : In some other it's a regression from Super Mario Bros. 3.

I have N. Sane Trilogy in my library. Great games, but not sure when I'll go back to that. I sort of raged quit pretty hard. I honestly forgot how difficult Crash is when I played it. It is one of the most rage inducing but fun games. Has to played in small doses.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I have N. Sane Trilogy in my library. Great games, but not sure when I'll go back to that. I sort of raged quit pretty hard. I honestly forgot how difficult Crash is when I played it. It is one of the most rage inducing but fun games. Has to played in small doses.

I only finished the first "World" and a half of Crash 1 and can already see the potential for trolling, LOL. (Although in general I'm not really prone to rage or rage quitting...)

Thankfully, I love platformers and have pretty good patience with them. So my approach to Crash will be to have a different "main" game and just just play a few levels of Crash little by little. (So precisely like you said, play in measured doses...)

 

[Ascend]

finishing Mass Effect Andromeda two days ago

Care to post your thoughts about it? I'm curious.

 

[mekes]

I played through another few hours of 13 Sentinels to get the Platinum. And then had a little look at what I could play next. It looked like a toss up between Judgment and Dragons Dogma. I couldn’t make up my mind and now, I’m a few hours into Rime.

And I feel like that was a good choice for me. I really like the vibe in this game, I had a very chilled few hours getting into the game this evening. Sort of mini original Tomb Raider minus the guns and a Fisher Price version of The Witness. I mean both In the best of ways. I’m enjoying my time spent gaming right now, I can see me completing this game too.

InfiniteCombo is making me want to get out the SFEX+A. Love that game. I won a tournament held at my school for this. The local shops had the arcade cabs. Headteacher used to walk up the road at about 10.30 to drag me out of the shop. My credit would last, and last

 

[InfiniteCombo]

InfiniteCombo is making me want to get out the SFEX+A. Love that game. I won a tournament held at my school for this. The local shops had the arcade cabs. Headteacher used to walk up the road at about 10.30 to drag me out of the shop. My credit would last, and last

Would you look at younger mekes , bodying all of those poor, unsuspecting souls in the latest Street Fighter hotness (in 3D!). That's an amazing story, bro, good times.

As for you playing it. Nah man, I don't need to convince you; you know you want to, LOL.

1. check out this character select screen:

2. Listen to this track:



3. Finally, watch this combo video:




If you don't want to play Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha after all of that, you have no soul.

 

[mekes]

Would you look at younger mekes , bodying all of those poor, unsuspecting souls in the latest Street Fighter hotness (in 3D!). That's an amazing story, bro, good times.

As for you playing it. Nah man, I don't need to convince you; you know you want to, LOL.

1. check out this character select screen:

2. Listen to this track:



3. Finally, watch this combo video:




If you don't want to play Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha after all of that, you have no soul.

I love that! I really did have an amazing time playing this game with friends back in the day.

It’s such a shame Capcom fell out with Arika, hopefully the inclusion of a Garuda costume coming soon in SF5 is the start of forming a new working relationship between the 2! A remaster would be awesome, or just a port. Unfortunately I don’t have any way to currently play the game other than Nvidia Shield which I’ve found very hit and miss for fighters..

Your post makes me want to buy an OG PS3 and play all of my favourite old fighters. These games need more damn love! With easier access to playable ports!

 

[Ascend]

Pokémon Sword progress;

Yesterday I got my final Gym badge. The last two badges were really close to each other. I was surprised how quickly I got them to be honest. Not that it's a bad thing. Now I will focus on catching more Pokémon in the wild area, then I'll try to take on the championship.

I must say that for some reason, I like this Pokémon game. It is the same formula as before, but, they make certain things very convenient, which I like. For example, some Pokémon evolve only until they become very friendly towards you. In prior games, that means those Pokémon would never learn their level up moves again. So if it learns a move at level 15, but evolves at level 16, the level 15 move would be pretty much impossible, or very hard to learn again. Most of the time, to get the same pokemon with that move, you'd have to breed one, hatch the egg, and make sure it grows friendly towards you at the latest the level that it needs to learn it.
In this game, I caught a level 40 Pokémon, stuck it in my party with a soothe bell, and at level 50 it evolved. Then I went to the Pokemon Center, and I could let it relearn all the moves it missed out on.
And I like the characters. They're not deep or anything, but for some reason I really like Marnie. The rest are ok and have their place.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

Started Heavy Rain. Norman Jayden is definitely still my favourite character in the game. Incredibly complex, and has a lot of layers to him.

The game starts off heavy (no pun intended) and I truly forgot that. It actually hasn't aged as badly as I expected, maybe the PS4 bump-up in graphics has helped a little, even if it's only minor touches. I like that you switch between several characters, it's the best thing about these experiences. You don't feel like you're slogging through it, and it moves at a good pace. You can definitely tell where they have improved with Detroit in terms of dialogue and animations, but it isn't a deal breaker.

I would still recommend this game. It will make you feel a range of emotions, and it will impact you in a way movies just can't do. Making the choices, branching your own path.

 

[Phase]

This thread has helped me with the slow epiphany I've been having. I looked through my most played games (on PC) throughout the years and they are:

Battlefield 3
Battlefield 4
Tribes
CS
Warframe
Quake
Path of Exile
Grim Dawn
Titan Quest
Destiny
The Division

What did this tell me? I love shooting games, I love loot and min/maxing (despite my rationale telling me I shouldn't), and I love RPG's. So with a little self reflection, and the 52 games thread out of my mind, I am going to lean into these types of games! First up after I'm done with Sleeping Dogs is Destiny 2. Hopefully I'll be able to build a new PC soonish because there are quite a few loot-driven FPS games coming out in the next couple of years that I know I'll have fun with. Thanks to anyone who read this , I just like writing down my thoughts here and reading the interesting discussions.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

What did this tell me? I love shooting games, I love loot and min/maxing (despite my rationale telling me I shouldn't), and I love RPG's. So with a little self reflection, and the 52 games thread out of my mind, I am going to lean into these types of games!

Less time spent on games you don't end up enjoying. More time spent on games you really love! seems like a good epiphany.

 

[Soodanim]

Just Cause 3
Finished the Land, Sea, and Air DLC, and with that the game is done again. I didn’t finish all of the settlements, as with the main story, and I found myself mindlessly doing settlements but without having fun. I immediately quit and browsed my collection. On reflection I don’t even know how much I enjoyed any of the game, it’s a weird one. As much as the upgrades are fun, the game is less fun when enemies can kill you in seconds. And that did happen a few times, I’d die and respawn in the same aggro’d area and instantly be shot full of holes.

Chrono Trigger
Man, I forgot how much I missed playing a good JRPG. I’d been saving it for the right time, and this was definitely it. It’s not a new game to me - I have the DS version, but it’s been years since I’ve touched it and between forgetting my place in the story and that time jumping I’d spend until July trying to figure out what to do next. What a shame, I got to play this game for the first time again.

It’s great playing this on PC so that my speakers can give the music to me properly. You hit the dead future and the bleak soundtrack sells the entire atmosphere.

My last point before stopping for the night was dying at the point where Robo’s brothers attack him, but that’s fine because I had some unexplored areas of that place and I can’t just not explore every single inch of a JRPG.

 

[Phase]

12. Sleeping Dogs (PC) - 20hrs

Environmental kill! Environmental kill! No but seriously I did that way too much. I'll keep it short this time. The story was good with memorable characters and the writing provided some nice comedy relief between the serious segments. The fighting mechanics were enjoyable as well. This is a great game and sort of the Yakuza I never knew I wanted.

 

[Rentahamster]

I've been playing Cyberpunk on and off and am on Act 2. The initial hype rose-tinted glasses have worn off and I'm starting to notice some nitpick things here and there, but overall I'm still having fun with it. Haven't played since the last big patch they did a couple weeks though, so not sure if that fixes up some of things I noticed.

Even though I played a lot in the beginning (PC), my desire to play has waned considerably, especially as I did more testing and figured out builds that were either too OP or builds that were useless because there are still plenty of perks, mods, gear, and skills that are non functional and broken. I still love the game though.

Any particular nitpick that bothers you the most? What platform are you playing on?

 

[JimmyRustler]

Just completed Alien Isolation. I'd rate it 7/10.

For quite some time I wanted to actually rate it higher because it looks amazing, has great atmosphere and sound and start out really interesting. But in the 2nd half of the game it does take quite a nosedive. The map is worthless (I could not find the door so often), the whole hide and seek stuff is overused and becomes very frustrating with the androids and in general towards the end and yeah, the game overstays it's welcome big time. I wouldn't even say the length is a problem per se, but this game must have the most "near endings" I have ever seen. Meaning, you almost escape then for some reason have to return to the station, drop down some shaft in the last second or other stuff like this. It's insane and I hate it when devs do it. It's totally anticlimactic. If you want to make a longer game, fine, but do not make those "it's the end".... oh, but wait, it isn't after all.... crap. So cheap. Does anyone actually like this?

Anyway, down to Dark Souls 3 in my backlog. Although... not really. Bought Last of Us II last week because I got it super cheap. Still gonna tackle Dark Souls first I think. Perhaps gonna put in TLOU2 somewhere in between if Dark Souls gets too frustrating. Lets see.

 

[stn]

Finally beat Yakuza: Like A Dragon, would rate it a 9/10. I would have preferred it if it the combat was real-time, but ultimately I enjoyed the new turn-based system. Story was good albeit it did drag on at points. Its probably my third or fourth favorite game in the series.

 

[Kazza]

I've been putting my new arcade stick to good use in the beginning of 2021:

I've been making some good progress with Virtua Fighter 2, starting to become competent using Sarah (love her backflip kick). I currently can't get past Jeffry though (round 6, I think). The Xbox Live version is a port of the arcade, and I'm sure it's more difficult than the Saturn version. Easy and Normal don't seem to be much different at all. It's great playing with the arcade stick.

I rented Guardian Heroes from Blockbuster so much when I was a kid. I was glad to discover that it still holds up so well today. I forgot just how many different paths through the game there are, as well as how diverse the character selection is. No wonder I rented it so much (probably would have been cheaper to just buy it). In some ways, a controller would be best, due to the shoulder buttons being well suited to jumping between planes (SNK fighter style), but the arcade stick feels great too, once you get used to it.

First time playing Radiant Silvergun. Although difficult (I'm bad at shooters), I like how it lets you keep your weapon upgrades for the next game even after you die (I guess it was like this too on the Saturn using "Saturn Mode" rather than "Arcade Mode"). It's more complex than Ikaruga (4 different weapon buttons, plus combos, iirc), but I'm having fun. A real generational leap over the 16-bit Megadrive shooters.

Fist time playing Fighting Vipers (wanted it on Saturn, but was probably just too poor). I haven't practiced as much as VF2, so I stil don't have a grasp on any character yet, but I can still appreciate the fast action (especially knocking armour off your opponent or knocking them through the fence).

I've also been playing Timesplitters on OG Xbox (level 5, around halfway through, I think), and also Ace Attorney (playing in a foreign language, so it's almost like studying). I started learning to draw pixel art in January, and decided to start with drawing Gameboy sprites (i.e. just 4 colours). For inspiration, I decided to start playing a bit of Gameboy, and have gotten really into Link's Awakening. It's a surprisingly meaty game for a handheld, and it has become my "just woken up" morning coffee game to get my brain working. I've done 4 dungeons now and am really enjoying it. The pixel art in the game is nice too.

In February I'm going to finish the games I started (except the fighting games, which don't really have an end), and will hopefully start Ace Combat 3 (well, I couldn't resist and already played the first 3 missions around Xmas, but I'm keen to continue). Seeing all the controversy about the censored arses in Mass Effect Remake has piqued my interest, so I think I'll start PS3 Mass Effect 2 soon

 

[VidKid369]

Hey, fellas! I managed to complete Final Fantasy VI. (PS) Got all lores, got all rages & taught all characters every spell. Sure felt good...

Next on my hitlist is probably the original Final Fantasy Tactics. I've been aching to perfect that game finally for some time now.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

12. Sleeping Dogs (PC) - 20hrs

Environmental kill! Environmental kill! No but seriously I did that way too much. I'll keep it short this time. The story was good with memorable characters and the writing provided some nice comedy relief between the serious segments. The fighting mechanics were enjoyable as well. This is a great game and sort of the Yakuza I never knew I wanted.

Another Sleeping Dogs friend.

Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. It has made me want to play Yakuza immensely. When I finish up my backlog, I think the Yakuza series is going to be one of the first things I get into. It has been long enough.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Any Snake Pass pros here? That was my weekend grind, and I did terribly. I can control the snake to climb up walls and stairs, but whenever I try to extend my body out onto a pole my "butt" half will begin sliding, will fall, and then the rest of my body follows. I feel like I'm missing something fundamental.

Really gorgeous game, and the difficulty is more... intriguing than frustrating. I wanna keep figuring out what makes this game tick.

 

[stn]

Playing Mafia: Definitive Edition (XBO). Eight more missions to go, may try to get all the achievements down the road, as it doesn't look too bad. The gameplay is solid enough and the story is good, but overall its a bit too straight-forward. I have a feeling they removed all of the grinding elements after all the Mafia III backlash.

 

[HE1NZ]

For the first time ever, I finished Hitman: Codename 47 without cheats. I can finally marathon the series.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

DunDunDunpachi Quick question: Do you class PS Plus games as 'new' games.

I will keep picking up new games because of the service, but haven't actually touched any of them yet this year. Just wondering what you think. I feel like it's maybe going against the purpose of the thread, but at the same time I didn't "pay" for them technically.

Still focusing on my proper backlog at the moment, though.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

DunDunDunpachi Quick question: Do you class PS Plus games as 'new' games.

I will keep picking up new games because of the service, but haven't actually touched any of them yet this year. Just wondering what you think. I feel like it's maybe going against the purpose of the thread, but at the same time I didn't "pay" for them technically.

Still focusing on my proper backlog at the moment, though.

If you're gonna keep paying for PS+ (Or game pass or whatever) you should definitely keep adding them to your library / picking them up.

Heck, buying new games ain't against the rules either (a caveat I included so that ppl can snag limited-release or other such things).

 

[Sidney Prescott]

If you're gonna keep paying for PS+ (Or game pass or whatever) you should definitely keep adding them to your library / picking them up.

Heck, buying new games ain't against the rules either (a caveat I included so that ppl can snag limited-release or other such things).

That's cool. I still dabble in the odd Multiplayer game every now and then so playing through my backlog doesn't get stale. Usually GTA Online as I can fit in a few races, and then get back at it. Just nice to mix things up.

I always add the games, even if I likely aren't super interested in them. There is really no reason not to do it. Aside from filling your backlog even more.

 

[mekes]

Finished Rime this evening. I loved it. Art style, direction and score are all spot on here. Length is perfect. I feel that I subscribe to the less is more portion of players out there. I mean that in terms of liking to use my imagination to fill in blanks, whether I am right or wrong, I find it very interesting. And it is that school of thought that has a game like Bloodborne near the top of my list for story telling. Rime gets major credit for not pulling hardly any punches that it didn’t have to in order to serve its purpose. Rime is very concealed as far as it’s story telling, but I filled in the blanks and

Spoiler: Game breaking spoilers

I spent 95% of this game assuming that the main character had been sent to this island to fix or recover his lost kingdom. Something along those sorts of lines. To find out that the game is about a boy who died in a tragic accident and is trying to, I guess, pass over to the other side? That was a real surprise. And the secondary figure in the game who you never get close to. That it be the boys father who witnessed the accident. That hit me in the feels as it struck a personal nerve. The ending portion of the game damn near made me cry.

I lost my youngest sibling, my sister. I have seen the grief of my own parents losing a child up close and personal. I lost my best friend in my family, and as big bro you always feel very protective of your younger sisters, and brothers of course. A twist like this in the game was always going to strike a chord with me. It gets me wondering about the person who conceptualised this game and brought the idea forward hoping to make it a reality. I thought the reveal was masterfully done and it makes you think back over the game as a whole to try and make renewed sense of the chapters leading to its ending and reveal.

I would say the creator served the point he was hoping to as far as my experience. Really enjoyed it and recommend it. I was going to start another new game tonight but after this, I think I’ll just chill!!