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Your 2016 Gaming Diary

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With the relative success of Your 2015 Gaming Diary, today marks the start of another 12 months of gaming highs and lows with plenty of exciting titles and announcements ahead for us all to sink our teeth into, laughing, crying and joking together :grin:

 

It was fun to read through the experiences people were having with certain games throughout 2015, whether current or retro, and I'm looking forward to more of the same in 2016! Some of you may have already cleared your first game of the year so instead of rambling on I'll throw it open to you guys to start sharing your conquests, triumphs and despairs with the message from me of a happy new year in gaming : peace:

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I just finished my first game of 2016, which was Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.

 

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I'm still not sure if I really liked the game. Some of the writing was funny but there was so much stuff I didn't really care for.

 

It's been mentioned in the Paper Jam thread that some of bosses have stupidly high HP levels. Certain boss fights just keep going and going, to the point where it drains all of the fun from the actual battle. Some of their attacks do insane damage as well. This is a bit of a problem because to avoid them you need to jump or use your hammer to counter attack. It's a bit hard to do this the first time as you don't know what move they are gonna do.

 

The world itself is a bit cheap and lifeless, especially when you consider the crazy characters the series has had in the past. Just about all the NPCs are Toads, which again screams of cheap and rushed as all they need to do is change the colour of their spots on their heads. Very disappointing.

 

Speaking of Toads, the way the game throws you into the Toad mini games feels like they are trying to lengthen the game. They were fun at the start but really began to grind on me throughout the game. There's simply far too many of them.

 

In terms of music, the game is also really lacking in this department. I honestly can't think of a single memorable tune in the game.

 

Both Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games are very hit or miss in terms of their quality. The Paper Mario series has yet to return to the highs of the original game and Thousand Year Door. The Mario & Luigi games have had two fantastic entries ( the original and Bowsers Inside Story ) but have also suffered from having Partners in Time and Dream Team ( have yet to play this one but it wasn't received very well ) in its line up.

 

I don't think this mash up really worked in either of the series favour and I think it's time for a break for both of them. I think returning to a more colourful cast of characters and having a more interesting story is what the series needs to return to its former glory.

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Well I guess that answers my question then!

 

Right! I'm gonna be cheeky and link to my final list of 2015 in last year's thread just to give you guys a chance to marvel at my thoughts on various games throughout 2015 one last time; just before the thread gets lost within the annals of history :)

 

Still playing through Dream Team myself actually (coming up to the end now). It has its flaws, but the battles have never really been better.

 

I hope that Paper Jam ups the ante when it comes to out of battle gameplay though, because Dream Team's feels very pedestrian and lacking in terms of action gameplay, side quests and all that good stuff...

Edited by Dcubed

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I thought I already had an unexpected first clearance of the year this evening, and I did see the credits, but I'm so close to having everything completed fully that I've decided to wait until tomorrow to gather the remaining collectables in the levels I missed before I reveal my mystery game :heh:

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I was clearing all my StreetPass queues shorty after new year and unexpectedly got my first accomplishment of 2016.

 

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My gaming year 2016 begins with Bastion.

 

Finished it during Christmas, but wanted to nab the Platinum. And I just did : peace:

 

Beautiful little game with one of the best soundtracks to a video game I've ever heard.

 

Bastion (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

 

 

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My gaming year 2016 begins with Bastion.

 

Finished it during Christmas, but wanted to nab the Platinum. And I just did : peace:

 

Beautiful little game with one of the best soundtracks to a video game I've ever heard.

 

Bastion (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

 

 

It's a fantastic game. I played it a few years back on the 360 and loved it to bits.

 

I also snapped it up on the Vita. For just under £3 it would have been rude not to. :D

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I also snapped it up on the Vita. For just under £3 it would have been rude not to. :D

 

Yeah, did the same when I saw it at that price :) Absolutely worth it.

 

Remembering a Vita game I picked up on a sale quite some time ago: I have finally started Tearaway. Bought this for 6€ if I remember correctly, but never played it.

 

Reached chapter 5 just now. Enjoying it immensly. What a wonderfully creative game. Very impressed :)

 

Depending on how long it takes to finish the story I'll most likely finish this today.

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My first completed game of 2016 is Spyro the Dragon on PS1 :smile:

 

52800-Spyro_the_Dragon_(E)-3.jpg

 

I was fairly close to the end of it when I resumed my save file last night but I think I was a little burnt out on the game when I decided to take a considerable break from it, probably due to endeavouring to fully beat each stage before moving on.

 

As it turns out, I thought I had completed Spyro last night when it came to my attention that I hadn't reached the required 100% to unlock the final level. I had managed to miss 3 or 4 stages from earlier worlds so went back to those, collected everything and finished the game with 120% :hehe:

 

I actually quite like the game, though the controls aren't particularly precise as there was always a fear of walking off the edge of a platform when there shouldn't really be much danger of doing so :blank:

 

There's quite a number of games from my collection I want to play through this year but, much like with Spyro the Dragon, I may go back and put a few finishing touches to a couple of games that I'm a considerable way through before I tackle anything more significant : peace:

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I loved playing through that last year @nekunando. Do you have the sequels? I plan on playing through 2 & 3 sometime this year.

 

I don't :heh:

 

They have been on offer as a bundle on the PS Store at different times but I never really touch my downloaded games on PS3, for whatever reason, so would prefer to buy them physically on PS1 if I were to get them.

 

Having said that, I want to work through games I already own and don't plan on buying much throughout 2016 so the sequels will have to wait indefinitely :smile:

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I was inspired by @drahkon, fired up my copy of Bastion (Vita) and ended up finishing it in one sitting. :D

 

image_zpshectk0ab.jpg

 

Brilliant game that really shone on the Vita. The game already looks stunning but having it on the OLED screen just made it even sweeter.

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After posting my gaming log for the Nintendo consoles in a thread here and realising that I seem to complete very few games I thought it best to post in here so that I can try to focus on completing games rather than constantly adding to my backlog.

 

I started this game in 2015 but it's my current game that I'm playing:

 

Fallout 4 (Current Progress)

 

From what I've played so far it seems to lack focus but that could be said about most (all?) open world games. I'm still enjoying it though. Let's see if manages to keep my attention until I complete it.

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I just read through entire last year's thread without posting anything, but I will try to post my completed games this year.

 

Lego The Hobbit - PS4

Actually started this one last year in July, but only the first of 16 levels. I love Lego, the Lego games, but when you don't care much for the universe it's based on it's not that fun anymore. Only decided to complete it over Christmas because I was bored out of my mind, and I know when the the story is finished and OCD kicks in it's quite fun afterall. Just napped most trophies on the way for 100% completion and will grab the last miscelleneous trophies tomorrow for the platinum.

 

Star Wars Battlefront - PS4

Similar to the last one, I bought this out of boredom after Christmas. Only level 9 so far after a few hours play but it's pretty good. Haven't tried all the modes yet, mostly I have just played Supremacy, which is a lot of fun.

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I was inspired by @drahkon, fired up my copy of Bastion (Vita) and ended up finishing it in one sitting. :D

 

: peace: Nice one. Will you go for the Platinum, too? :)

 

 

I finished Tearaway today. Almost in one sitting.

It's one of the most creative (mayben even the most creative) 3D-platformers I've ever played. Such a good us of the Vita's functions.

 

Need three more trophies for the Platinum. Maybe I'll get on that after the Dart's semifinals are over. :D

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: peace: Nice one. Will you go for the Platinum, too? :)

 

Not sure. I went through the game again on Score Attack and I'm at the end again. I've just gotta grind my levels ( only level 6 ) so I can attempt the Dreams. I will probably need to grind cash to afford the rest of the weapons as well. Basically I have to grind....a lot.

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Not sure. I went through the game again on Score Attack and I'm at the end again. I've just gotta grind my levels ( only level 6 ) so I can attempt the Dreams. I will probably need to grind cash to afford the rest of the weapons as well. Basically I have to grind....a lot.

 

I've managed to do the dreams at level 7 and a maxed out Galleon Mortar and Brusher's Pike.

 

After that the grind for cash didn't take that long. :D

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I've managed to do the dreams at level 7 and a maxed out Galleon Mortar and Brusher's Pike.

 

After that the grind for cash didn't take that long. :D

 

I managed to do the first dream with that setup but my Mortar is missing an upgrade. Must be on one of the weapon challenges Ive yet to do. I should really get that before tackling anymore of the dreams. That immunity to your own mortar fire will come in handy when surrounded by mobs.

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That immunity to your own mortar fire will come in handy when surrounded by mobs.

 

Basically the best upgrade in the game. You need that :D

 

 

Got the Platinum for Tearaway just now. : peace: That's my second one in 2016. Probably won't be able to keep that pace :laughing:

 

What to play next...Think I'll go for Transistor or Volume. In the mood for an RPG and with Bastion being amazing and Transistor having a similar narration-style and RPG elements I might start with that. :)

 

Bastion (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Tearaway (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

 

 

Edited by drahkon

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My first platinum of the year goes to Bastion (Vita).

 

The Strangers Dream took me a few attempts. I eventually switched to the mortar and bellows. I found the spear wasn't that useful and the bellows was great for regaining my health. My heart was racing as I reached the final wave of enemies. :D

 

After that I just needed to do a few of the weapon challenges and finish the last level again.

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Techinally completed the original main "story" for Destiny earlier this week. Ever since @Goafer got the game I've gotten back into it in a big way. We just started on the Taken King stuff last night. Its gonna be interesting to see how we do when we finally try to tackle a raid.

 

Destiny

 

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Techinally completed the original main "story" for Destiny earlier this week. Ever since @Goafer got the game I've gotten back into it in a big way. We just started on the Taken King stuff last night. Its gonna be interesting to see how we do when we finally try to tackle a raid.

 

Destiny

 

I saw you guys on for whatever yesterday's daily heroic story was! If only I'd known I probably wouldn't have spent the last week or so grinding up my second character :p Hadn't realised a lot of gear isn't transferrable between classes, but there's definitely been some advantages to it, and thanks to stocked marks and gear etc I was able to get its light up pretty quickly. I'm still fairly basic on raids however whilst everyone's moved onto hardmode, so if you ever get to that point I'd gladly join in if needed :)

 

EDIT: Oops, for some reason thought I was actually in the Destiny thread :x

Edited by Rummy

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Well it'll be great regardless to have someone else who wants to do raids. The less people we dont know we have to try and coordinate with the better.

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Think I did alright managing to finish up about 30 or so games last year. The likelihood is that I won't surpass that with everything that I've got planned this year but I'll certainly give it a go.

 

And already off to a good start. Finished up Axiom Verge a little earlier today on the PS4. It's definitely a game which wears its influences on its sleeve and for the most part, that's not an issue. The game manages to not only ape those games it is mimicking but also manages to bring some interesting ideas to the table that help it to stand on its own against its forebearers.

 

It plays well, though you'll want to opt to play with the d-pad throughout as the sticks just don't cut it. The controls can be fiddly sometimes, particularly trying to use the grappling hook and dash jump diagonally, and these do kind of stay the course of the game sadly, at least that was in my experience. You learn to persevere even if it does mean starting a platforming section over once or twice.

 

Gameplay wise, it plays much like the likes of Metroid in terms of the platforming and shooting but doesn't hold your hands at all. You're more or less left to figure out the right path to take. In some cases, that's fine as there is only one way to go but I did find myself at times wandering about trying to find where I next needed to go and will admit to having had to look up a guide due to the lack of guidance.

 

It's a shame because some of the parts are good but a little more direction would have been better for the game and to stop the time spent looking for what's next, especially considering there is a narrative that's supposed to tie things together (something which could have been done better as well given the relatively interesting premise which is there).

 

Still, that being said, the arsenal of both weapons and powerups you find are pretty good. Some or standard fare, like a multiple shot and the grappling hook, but others, like the disruptor which lets you glitch enemies and some scenery or the hypo gun which sends a single shot which periodically splits into 2 extra shots either side of the main bullet repeatedly over a distance, give it some flare. The disruptor in particular was a nice touch to set it apart, especially glitching enemies into useless or less threatening forms, and the different lab coats that you get that allow you to glitch through walls is also pretty cool.

 

For a game that was made by 1 person, it's extremely impressive. It looks and sounds the part and plays well, very well even compared to some games I've played as of late that were put together by teams of developers. There are some faults that mean that it's not quite up to snuff as the games it's harking back to but that said, I really enjoyed it and would love to see what happens next in either a sequel or another titles that expanded on the glitching idea.

 

Axiom Verge

 

 

Next up, I'm hoping to finish up Volume. About half way through the levels that are there and from the looks of the trophies, it's something that looks pretty straight forward to get the Platinum on so may go for that. We'll see if I have the time.

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Finished Transistor.

 

That ending...

 

Did not expect Red to kill herself with the Transistor. I was hoping for, holding out for a happy end.

 

A couple of seconds later I realized: "Maybe this is a happy end. Maybe they are together now."

 

But when that trophy popped up right before the credits, right at the moment you see Red with her loved one...Bye()...It was then that I knew this wasn't a happy ending after all. :(

 

The Recursion is as close as it gets to a reunion...even though I know how it will end...

What a game. The narrative, the music, the gameplay...just like Bastion everything synchronises perfectly.

 

Experimenting with the different functions (skills) is fun :D I have found an overpowered cobination, though. I haven't been the first to find it, but everyone agrees that it's incredibly strong :laughing:

 

 

Enjoyed playing Transistor a lot and there is no way I'm not going for the Platinum.

 

Can't wait to see what Supergiant Games have in store next.

 

Bastion (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Tearaway (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Transistor (PS4)

 

 

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