gaggle64 Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Today I won my first campaign of Civ V. And then I kept playing...
dazzybee Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Continuing my mission to finish games, yesterday I completed Bit Trip Runner 2 on the WIi U; absolutely fantastic game. I love rhythm platformers anyway and this is one of the best; loads of levels, amazing retro levels, shit loads of secrets, online leaderboards! Awesome! I also completed Turbo Acorn 3D I downloaded it when it was stupidly cheap and really liked it at first, but the game is the same level after level after level... it's not inventively designed, it doesn't throw new stuff at you. Became really dull really quickly!!!
Jonnas Posted March 16, 2014 Posted March 16, 2014 So, recently I played a couple of old-school RPGs: Dragon Quest I (GBC version) This was the first DQ game I've played, actually. It was fascinating doing so, as the game has its own mind of what an RPG/Adventure game should be and just runs with it, no preconceptions whatsoever. Just, "you must save the princess from the Dragonlord!" and on you go, exploring on your own like the first Zelda (it's pretty much a jRPG version of that game, really). It manages to make every level, monster and piece of equipment count, and that really makes each cave you visit a peril in itself. I also like that, despite the rudimentary design of everything, it still manages to include neat stuff like letting you carry the rescued princess in your arms, sleeping with the local village girl, and even a few alternate endings (you can defeat the Dragonlord without saving the princess, for example). Final Fantasy VI (SNES version) This was one that I had played a while back, but dropped once I noticed I let one of my party members die permanently. I restarted it fairly recently, and managed to take it to the end this time. It's still incredible, with the way it first splits its plot across several main characters, each with their own story arcs, with its mid-game twist that dramatically changes the tone and the pace of the plot, with its amazing music, with its quirky sense of humour... I could go on. Really, if it wasn't for its clunky menu interface, it would be the perfect RPG.
Jimbob Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 (edited) Recently finished Tomb Raider Exactly the same game as in 2013, just with more polished graphics and some minor additions to the game play Touch-pad on the PS4 and voice controls allowing a more interactive combat style to the game (flipping up on the touch-pad allows quick lighting of a torch once you’ve got the lighter for example.) So yeah, can’t really say much on that. If you’ve not played it in 2013, or fancy another go on next-gen then I recommend getting this. Contrast Not a bad game (for free). Use the light to create shadows to allow movement around the levels. Had a Bioshock graphical style to it, but in 3rd person. Few bugs and glitches, but overall i was impressed. Short and sweet, like many other things. Super Mario Bros U As much as I like Mario games, the “New” series is getting a tad boring now. As much as I liked this game, some levels were certainly “cursing”. The final battle with Bowser, Peaches Castle and that Snow world to name a few “curse” moments. Edited March 17, 2014 by Jimbob
Jonnas Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Rock of Ages This game is just... hard to describe. You control a spherical boulder, you need to traverse a course and obstacles in order to ram a gate at the end of the path. You have an opponent who's doing the same thing in a symmetrical course, so at times, you need to set obstacles in this course to slow/stop/damage the opponent (you don't need to do this at the same time, you take turns attacking and defending). Meanwhile, there's a silly plot with a very Python-esque presentation: Sisyphus gets fed up of rolling a boulder uphill and decides to take revenge on everyone throughout history (Leonidas, Vlad Tepes, Napoleon, etc.) and we get treated with a Terry Gilliam-style cutscene before each level. So yeah, original, fun, quirky, pushes boundaries of genre, and is probably easy to find cheap on every store it's available in. Highly recommended.
Ike Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Metroid Zero Mission Probably the greatest remake of a game ever. In fact, I can't think of any flaws. Perfection on a cart. Why are Space Pirates so obsessed with self destruct devices?
RedShell Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Rock of Ages This game is just... hard to describe. You control a spherical boulder, you need to traverse a course and obstacles in order to ram a gate at the end of the path. You have an opponent who's doing the same thing in a symmetrical course, so at times, you need to set obstacles in this course to slow/stop/damage the opponent (you don't need to do this at the same time, you take turns attacking and defending). Meanwhile, there's a silly plot with a very Python-esque presentation: Sisyphus gets fed up of rolling a boulder uphill and decides to take revenge on everyone throughout history (Leonidas, Vlad Tepes, Napoleon, etc.) and we get treated with a Terry Gilliam-style cutscene before each level. So yeah, original, fun, quirky, pushes boundaries of genre, and is probably easy to find cheap on every store it's available in. Highly recommended. That looks/sounds awesome! Will definitely be checking it out at some point.
Londragon Posted March 19, 2014 Posted March 19, 2014 40 hours, saved the entire universe, but ended in my own death. An awesome ride, only marred by a collectathon of relics at the last 5 hours of gameplay (traversing the Universe for all the bits and pieces). The Gamepad integration was OK, but there were so many times when I thought, why don't they implement this mechanic on the Gamepad. The use of the Gamepad in Deus Ex, NintendoLand, Batman:AC and ZombiU are far better handled, but the ability to see a full map of the battlefield at all times was pivotal in its use.
Ike Posted March 22, 2014 Posted March 22, 2014 Metroid Zero Mission Wait didn't I do this one already? Hard mode, 100% completion rate (first time). Took me an hour longer than a normal run. I think the final boss heard me say it was a bit easy on normal mode, because it was a pain in hard mode.
Jimbob Posted March 24, 2014 Posted March 24, 2014 Took me long enough, but i can now add Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D to my list of completed titles as of today. Now, some parts of that game made me swear a little (especially some of the boss's). But overall, a fine game indeed. And one that i may replay at a later date. Now then, onto the next one. Not sure what to play next, either a Virtual Console title in the form of Super Mario Bros 3/Oracle of Ages or finish off A Link Between Worlds.
Ganepark32 Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 So, polished off Gears of War 3 earlier today. Not much more to add to what I'd said in the other thread but yeah, I did really enjoy it. While it's certainly no narrative masterpiece and I didn't really feel much affinity towards the characters, Dom's parting was well done I thought, and it was good having a Carmine survive the fight Did feel the ending was a little hollow and not quite as big as I thought it was going to be. But yeah, rather enjoyed it. Probably my favourite of the 3 games, with 1 being my least favourite (was it Ramm or whoever you had to fight on the train at the end of that? Whatever it was, I couldn't be bothered to finished that one). Shame I can't touch the multiplayer because of Microsoft screwing up my Live account as I'd have loved to have gotten in some Horde mode. Now on to play Far Cry 3. Was considering picking up Judgment and continuing the Gears but I'll leave that for another time when I've done a bit more of a read up on reviews/impressions of the campaign there as the Declassified stuff sounds interesting and appears to add a bit more challenge but seems a bit vanilla if you don't do those. I'll see.
Jonnas Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) System Shock 2 So, I played this on Steam recently and holy cow. I knew this was the highly-recommended predecessor of Bioshock, but it's uncanny how well it passed the test of time. It uses so many tropes we now take for granted, and it's incredible to see them in an old-school shooter. And the amazing this is, even though this game broke new ground on so much new stuff, everything in the game still feels well thought-out and designed (other than a few underpowered weapons). This game should be in every "must-play" list. It is a reference in the genre. (And I also played Fez. It was okay, I guess, but I can't agree with all the praise it got.) Edited April 17, 2014 by Jonnas
Londragon Posted April 18, 2014 Posted April 18, 2014 Have been slowly working through this game over the last 4 months, 2 players with my son. I found some sections of puzzling a little too tricky for one player, and the 2nd player made all the difference. The 2nd player also made the whole game very much more enjoyable. Even when shouting at each others incompetencies, the game has a one more try, hard to put down feel. Anyway it's over, and as I got it when it was on sale this was well worth it's asking price. Is there anything else that can be said about this sublime game??? Overall though, and after playing A Link Between Worlds, this didn't feel as awe inspiring as I remember it. Don't get wrong it's brilliant, it's just the sequel takes everything that made the original brilliant and polishes it to near perfection. I played this, again, straight after the sequel and the controls of ALBW are perfect, this then took a little time to get used to as the controls are a little clunky in comparison.
Ike Posted April 28, 2014 Posted April 28, 2014 Reposting my thoughts from the eShop thread. Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you Steal our Garbage? - 3DS I wanted to play a short filler game, but I expected it to last more than 4 hours. Could have beaten it in one sitting if I wanted to. Gameplay is very simple Zelda II clone without the challenge and a lot more fetch quests. The game generally feels lazy all round. Some of the sprite animations are nice but most things are just static images when it feels like it shouldn't. It fails to capture the shows humour and reuses a lot of jokes that fall flat. There's some voice work but it sounds like they recorded it off the television. The music is forgettable apart from the title screen music.
Jimbob Posted May 5, 2014 Posted May 5, 2014 Finished up playing Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag over the weekend (story-mode and 3/4 of the extra stuff) I enjoyed taking the backseat to the Assassin storyline, with the game focusing primarily on the Pirate lifestyle with the pillaging, ship boarding etc. But adding the elements that make the series good. I think it was only around Sequence 9 or 10 that the focus returned to that of classic Creed games. Edward Kenway, as a character is quite likable. He has the charisma, the style to be something else other than a Pirate. But he can't see that until it's too late. I enjoyed the story as a whole, seeing faces from Pirate past (Blackbeard springs to mind) as well as many others. And being able to visit many locations, and sail the vast Ocean. Once you've got the Jackdaw upgraded, that's when i think it becomes a little too easy to board/sink ships other than Man o War's Diving is fun (Sharks, grrr), hunting/harpooning things is fun. The final memory sequence seemed meaningless in my eyes, they could have wrapped up the entire story on the last memory (after the killing of the Templar leader in the Observatory). I get why it was there, but a trophy to sit and mainly listen to dialogue was meh. Overall it was a pleasant change to the series, the refresh i believe it needed. Taking all the good from III and improving it once more. I also played and finished the add-on DLC, Freedom Cry It's a 3-4 hour expansion to Black Flag, taking place 15 years after Edwards story. You play as his old Quartermaster-turned Assassin whom loses the Jackdaw in a storm and ends up washed ashore on an Island with Slavery being the primary focus. 9 single missions, most of which are focused on the Island with liberating slaves, tracking targets and killing them. There are extras included, you can libarate slaves and unlock content for your new ship and/or yourself. And there is one diving opportunity, which means visiting the Jackdaw and recovering it's figurehead to put onto your ship. It was an OK DLC, nothing special. I think it was there to appeal to the fans whom liked the Assassin order parts more.
Londragon Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 The vast majority of this game was much easier than I remember, and I blasted through it no problem. The last 2 bosses, the Grim Reaper and Drac himself were a massive hike in difficulty and took me by surprise. I thought I completed this game back in the day, but just couldn't remember the last encounter going down like that. Cool memories of playing this with my 2 brothers ensued.
Jonnas Posted May 7, 2014 Posted May 7, 2014 I've played a duo of "artistic" games recently: I like how Braid connects the plot's themes into gameplay mechanics, even if tangentially. The puzzles are genuinely engaging and well designed, and the plot sets out to subvert the whole concept of "Distressed Damsel"* while using Super Mario Bros. as a base (because seriously, it does). *I wonder if that Feminist Frequency from a while back played this game. Meanwhile, Limbo appeals to your senses and emotions. It's creepy, gruesome, and reels you in to a raw experience. The clunky controls help this. In fact, the game is a lot like Shadow of the Colossus in that respect. Interesting that the first game is better when you think about it, while the second one is better when you don't.
gaggle64 Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 Finished The Walking Dead season 1, then made myself a sweater. *immediately buys DLC + season 2*
Ike Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Played through it twice (Sonic & Tails then Knuckles). Forgot how good the music is. Even started to appreciate some tracks I didn't particular notice before. Child of Light - Finally finished it off today, I seem to be in the minority of people who disliked it. It has some good stuff, some odd oversights (can't manage team outside of battle?) but as a game I didn't find it particularly fun.
ChloboShoka Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Last few games I played were pokemon link and pokemon x, but my game playthrough at the moment is Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright.
Jimbob Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Finished Pikmin 3 earlier. A fine reason, in my opinion, to own a WiiU. Not solely for the game, but it's a reason to own it. A good game i thought, didn't really enjoy the final stage (trolling through the caves with that giant blob coming for Olimar). The battle at the end however was good, making you use all available Pikmin to take it down. That took me an entire day phase to get rid of it. There isn't really a story as such to the game, more like rescue bits and bobs to improve the ship and find a key to leave the planet. And with no time limit to do it (well, there is the day phases but they don't count) you can build a huge army of Pikmin With that game done, time to find the next one on a different console.
Ike Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Finished Pikmin 3 earlier. A fine reason, in my opinion, to own a WiiU. Not solely for the game, but it's a reason to own it. A good game i thought, didn't really enjoy the final stage (trolling through the caves with that giant blob coming for Olimar). The battle at the end however was good, making you use all available Pikmin to take it down. That took me an entire day phase to get rid of it. There isn't really a story as such to the game, more like rescue bits and bobs to improve the ship and find a key to leave the planet. And with no time limit to do it (well, there is the day phases but they don't count) you can build a huge army of Pikmin With that game done, time to find the next one on a different console. The main story was collect fruits but there was the Olimar/Louie sub plots. There was a limit if you ran out of juice. You have to be pretty bad to run out though. Check out challenge mode if you haven't already - it's a lot of fun.
Dcubed Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 The main story was collect fruits but there was the Olimar/Louie sub plots. There was a limit if you ran out of juice. You have to be pretty bad to run out though. Check out challenge mode if you haven't already - it's a lot of fun. Yeah definitely. Challenge mode is the real game as far as I'm concerned
Jimbob Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 The main story was collect fruits but there was the Olimar/Louie sub plots. There was a limit if you ran out of juice. You have to be pretty bad to run out though. Check out challenge mode if you haven't already - it's a lot of fun. I didn't run out of fruit, had something like 28 bottles left once the game ended. I did have a moment of silence for the fallen Pikmin, lost something close to 900 in total (but had 540 left) I started plodding through some of challenge mode last night, did a few missions on the "collect" side of things. Got 2 silver awards for my troubles, quite a lot of fun. I think now that the story mode is done, i can take my time in playing challenge mode when i need a break from the serious games and just want some fun.
Dcubed Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 9 Persons, 9 Hours, 9 Doors is bloody and bloody brilliant! Can't really say much without spoiling stuff, but it's a brilliant experience and a great story that is only really marred by the tedious process of backtracking through dialogue you've already read to get to the other endings... It's totally worth it though... ... If only for the most epic game of sudoku you will EVER play! Oh and the true ending is pretty damn satisfying too... Time travel truly does improve EVERYTHING! It's really telling that the story is good when it makes you actually want to jump back into it straight away after seeing the "ending" and that it actively rewards experimentation at every step (in both small and significant ways) Can't wait to play Virtue's Last Reward soon!
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