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Your 2016 Gaming Diary

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Transformers: Devastation was added to Plus last month (I think) and I was feeling in a somewhat nostalgic mood, so I gave it a go.

 

First of all, the graphics are excellent. The game does a great job of making you feel like you're in that Transformers universe. The sound is also pretty good, especially the battle music. It's cheesy in places, but I think that just adds to the whole vibe.

 

I really like the gameplay. Some may find it repetitive, but it's very satisfying. The upgrading and weapon synthesising aspect is also pretty well done and you can definitely feel your characters getting stronger throughout the game.

 

No real issues with it, as far as I'm concerned. There's a decent amount of collectibles and challenges if you want more from it, but I was just content to play it through to the credits screen. I loved it and it definitely left me satisfied. :D

 

Games of 2016

 

Flower - Finished

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - Finished

The Unfinished Swan - Finished

Grim Fandango Remastered - Finished

Race The Sun - Finished

The Wolf Among Us - Finished

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Story Finished

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone

Ico - Finished

Tokyo Jungle - Finished

Grand Theft Auto 5 - Finished!

Batman: Arkham Asylum - Finished

Batman: Arkham City - Finished

Life Is Strange

Uncharted 4

Heavy Rain (PS4 Version)

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

Unravel

The Last of Us

The Last of Us/Left Behind

Virginia

Transformers: Devastation

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I got Nano Assault Ex for the 3DS in the Humble Bundle earlier this year so thought I should play through it. It takes a while to get the hang of the weird perspective and the first boss stage is pretty tough so it took me a few tries to beat it and I wasn't love the experience - none of the cutscenes can be skipped so having to sit through them every time I restarted a level go pretty irritating. The game gets easier as you progress though, gathering enough collectables increases your maximum number of lives so you can afford to fail more later in the game. I'm not sure how much I enjoyed it but I definitely had some fun with it after initial frustrations.

 

Trying to get into the Halloween mood I also played through Silent Hill 2 this weekend and although it suffers from many of the same problems that plagued the original, it refines a lot of what it did right. The controls are still awkward despite the game being designed with the Dualshock in mind movement is still quite rigidly two dimensional and combat is about as much of a chore as in the first game. The visuals are vastly improved over the original though with the atmosphere and tone now clearly being set through strong art direction rather than technical limitations. As an overall experience, 'Silent Hill 2' feels like it makes more sense than the first entry and the characters are deeper than before, having more understandable motivations.

 

I had expected a creepy and more refined experience but I was surprised by the beauty of some of the dialogue and cutscenes, the ending in particular was really quite moving before it was awkwardly broken up by the metal soundtracking the credits.

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Started and finished up Ghostbusters: The Video Game on PS3 the other week. I'm a massive fan of the original films, the first is one of my all time favourites and I love sequel as well so getting a chance to play a game comprised with the majority of the original cast was something I was going to jump at. Missed out on picking it up on the 360 back in the day because of how Sony handled the release of the game (making it time exclusive to the UK market and not letting up on that for a good couple of months) but do remember playing through the Wii version for a review and loving it so more classic Ghostbusters is always a good thing.

 

And by and large, I absolutely loved it. Loved the sense of humour in the script, loved seeing some of the old favourite ghosts and it was just generally cool walking around the firehouse and seeing all the little easter eggs and throwbacks to the old films (though I never did manage to find where the dancing toaster was despite seeing footage of it in a review). The voice work was great from Ramis, Akyroyd and Hudson, and it was nice to have Atherton and Potts back as well reprising their roles. The only gripe I was with the voice work is how phoned it Bill Murray sounds with his lines. There's a complete lack of enthusiasm in the delivery and it's a real shame because you get a feel that the others really got into it but he didn't. Why he didn't just stay away if he didn't want to go back to the character like Sigourney Weaver I don't know.

 

Still, that being said, it was still a very funny and well scripted game. Some of the answer phone messages in particular were brilliant (there's one about a ghost harassing a female neighbour by constantly taking pictures and sending them to the guy calling, risqué stuff but the delivery is perfect).

 

The gameplay was a bit hit and miss I felt. The general grab'em and snag'em was great fun and handled about as well as you'd expect from a translation from big screen movie to game. The additional beam types were a bit of a stretch and felt a little out of place beside the standard proton beam and slime gun. I think this is where the game fell down a bit, trying to pad things out with these different beam types and find different ways of shaking it up. In the end, it didn't really come off well and coupled with some poor level design, the later game didn't quite hit the same enjoyment factor as the early portions.

 

Ultimately though, it being Ghostbusters and some good work from Akyroyd and Ramis to make it happen meant that it won me over and I enjoyed it even with some of the stutters (literally as performance on the PS3 version is shocking at times and slowed right down to a crawl). I think it's a game that could definitely stand to have a remaster of and some ironing out for a new generation. Would certainly have brought Activision some more money than that dreadful PS4 top-down title they released a little while back. Who knows, maybe it'll happen somewhere down the line. I'd be up for it :grin:

 

Completed

January

Axiom Verge (Started Dec. 2015)

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition

Resogun* (Rookie complete, 3 difficulty settings to go)

Super Exploding Zoo

Among The Sleep

Amplitude

Just Cause 3 (Started Dec. 2015)

Fallout 4 (Started Nov. 2015)

Flower

 

February

The Witness (Platinum get)

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

Submerged

Rainbow Six Siege (Situations Completed)

Firewatch

Unravel

 

March

Hotline Miami

SOMA

The Fall

Murdered: Soul Suspect (Platinumed)

Uncharted 2 Remastered

 

April

Uncharted 3 Remastered

Republique (PS4)

Shutshimi

Teslagrad

Volume (Platinumed)

Mirror's Edge (PS3)

Blues and Bullets - Episode 1 & 2 (of 5)

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

 

May

Shadow Complex Remastered

Koi (PS4)

The Park (PS4)

Table Top Racing: World Tour

Uncharted 4

 

June

Ratchet and Clank (2016)

Invisible Inc. (Beginner difficulty)

Child of Eden (PS3)

Oxenfree

VEV: Viva Ex Vivo

Gone Home (PS4)

Mirror's Edge Catalyst (Platinum, October)

 

July

Far Cry Primal

Infamous First Light

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell

Type:Rider (PS4)

Adr1ft

Shadow of the Beast (PS4; Normal Difficulty)

Trials of the Blood Dragon

Song of the Deep

Unmechanical Extended

 

August

Hyper Light Drifter

The Walking Dead Season 1

Abzu

This War of Mine: The Little Ones - 2nd Run: Day 28 (Long term)

No Man's Sky (Platinum)

Bound

 

September

Oceanhorn

Batman: A Telltale Series - Episode 1

Datura (PS3)

Tales from the Borderlands (Platinum, October)

Remember Me (PS3)

 

October

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Virginia

Until Dawn

Ghostbusters The Video Game (PS3)

 

 

I'm also about a third of the way through Rise of the Tomb Raider and I've been loving every second of it. The wait was definitely worth it as it plays great, looks great and it's just a brilliant game building on what was originally there. My only issue is that post-Uncharted 4, the animation does seem a little stiff/janky by comparison to the fluidity of that game. Still, quickly becoming one of my favourite games of the year.

 

Also still plugging away at Xcom 2. Ended up taking a hit and dropping the difficulty as I'd hit a wall as wasn't making progress. But even then, it's been slow going and I don't see myself beating the single player with how slowly things are moving. Me thinks I might be best to restart and take what I've learned into a new game.

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2 more entries for me, OlliOlli and Paper Mario: Color Splash. :smile:

Thoughts on Color Splash are in the main thread, as for OlliOlli, this is a game that I'd been picking at for a while now (since grabbing it from an eShop sale for the insane price of 80p! :o)

 

 

The game is a masterpiece. :cool: It's so simple, yet incredibly deep once you really get into it. The gameplay is just absolutely perfect, and it's so much fun trying out different trick sets and going for perfect runs on all of the different levels.

 

I actually played this series in reverse, as I started out with OlliOlli 2 on PS+ last year. :hehe: So going to the first game after that was a bit weird initially because certain gameplay mechanics are missing (like the ability to do manuals for combo extension etc.) and I was also playing it mostly on the 3DS, where the reduced screen size does detract from the experience slightly.

 

But even so, the game is just as fun as its sequel. :)

Not sure if Roll7 are planning OlliOlli 3 or not, but if so, I am there! :bouncy:

 

Beat:

in January:____________

Yakuza 5 (PS3) started in 2015

Little Battlers eXperience (3DS) started in 2015

Hardware: Rivals (PS4+) 100% IDbttgi.gif

in February:____________

Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) 100% IDbttgi.gif

Rocket League (PS4+) beat in 2015 IDbttgi.gif

Radio Hammer (3DS)

Horizon Chase (iOS)

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (PS3+)

in March:____________

Transformers: Devastation (PS4)

Super Stardust HD (PS3+)

Binary Domain (PS3)

Super Mario Maker (Wii U) replay

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Remastered (PS4) replay IDbttgi.gif

Miitomo (iOS)

in April:____________

Shutshimi: Seriously Swole (PS4+) 100%

Broforce (PS4+)

Grow Home (PS4+) 100%

Bloodborne (PS4)

PKTBALL (iOS)

in May:____________

Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge (3DS/Wii U)

Trackmania Turbo (PS4)

Pocket Card Jockey (3DS)

Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (iOS)

Uncharted 4 (PS4)

in June:____________

Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)

in July:____________

Street Fighter V (PS4)

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (PS4+)

Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)

Metroid Prime Blast Ball (3DS)

in August:____________

ABZÛ (PS4) 100%

Gravity Rush Remastered (PS4)

Ninja Battle Heroes (3DS)

in September:____________

The Tomorrow Children (PS4) 100%

in October:____________

Ultratron (PS4+)

Severed (iOS) 100%

MHbUwnT.gifOlliOlli (3DS/Wii U)

MHbUwnT.gifPaper Mario: Color Splash (Wii U)

 

Total: 37

 

Yet to start or unfinished:

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD (Wii U) replay

My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS)

 

 

Dropped or on hold:

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) started in 2015

Affordable Space Adventures (Wii U)

Zombi (PS4+) replay

Table Top Racing: World Tour (PS4+)

Tricky Towers (PS4+)

 

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I've been making my way through Hybrid Heaven and Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water recently but they're both taking considerably longer than I anticipated, but it may feel that way due to both games being a little bland :blank:

 

I have, however, cleared Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts today on New 3DS :hehe:

 

Super%20Ghouls

 

It's clearly a difficult game but I spammed the restore points to the point where I was draining most of the fun and challenge from the experience. I may try to go through the game unaided now, though, given that I'm more familiar with the layout and mechanics!

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I played and completed Journey last night on the PS4. Took me about 90 minutes from start to finish.

 

It was pretty good. Kind of a one off though. I don't think I'd want to pay more than about £10 for it (although in this case, it was free).

 

Some of the scenery was really beautiful.

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WVW69jv_ZHk2UM3iwM

I don't think I like your tone, missy.

 

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past came out on the 3DS just under 2 months ago. It is a remake of the 2000 Playstation title Dragon Warrior VII, which never came out in Europe.

Like all Dragon Quest games, it is a traditional turn-based RPG.

 

The story follows some bloke who's a fisherman's son. He's friends with the Prince of the nearby town of Estard. This Prince is keen on sailing away from the island he lives on, because for some reason, it's the only island in the world. And it's not exactly big.

So he and main character has been working on a ship, and it's almost done, until local nag and secret best character in the game, Maribel busts them and demands to go with them.

 

The game's story is set up very strangely. There basically isn't a story for about three quarters of the game. Instead there's a whole bunch of smaller stories that sooner or later culminates in a finale.

I likened it to a Saturday morning cartoon at one point.

 

One particular feature I liked is "Party Chat", where you can ask your fellow party members for their opinion on what's happening. It's mostly used to remind you what you need to do. But I used it to get Maribel's opinion. Because she is a constant source of brilliant whining and pointing out how useless you are.

 

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Gameplay wise, the Dragon Quest series really does stick to it's roots, and this game is no different. It's as old-school RPG as you can get, and I'm totally OK with that. It's nice to play something like this now and again in a world of action RPG's like Xenoblade and the upcoming Final Fantasy XV.

 

The game revolves around a class system. Basically speaking, you can change your class to whatever you want really. Magic caster, healer, brute force attacker, stuff like that. It provides quite a bit of customisation, which is welcome. As you progress and master multiple classes, you unlock more advanced classes with better stats and skills, etc.

 

One new feature for the 3DS version are Monster Vocations. Which are a whole bunch of new classes that turn your character into one of the many monsters you encounter in the game. You get these by finding various Monster Hearts. Naturally, this provides even more freedom in customisation and it is entertaining to run around the overworld as a hulking great Golem!

 

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There isn't much that I honestly disliked about this game. It's a very solid RPG. But if I had to point out something, it's that there is some noticable lag when navigating the menus. There were a few moments when I pressed the D-pad and nothing happened. A bit irritating, but nothing truly ruinous.

 

The graphics are quite different to the original Playstation version. Now pay attention. It might be hard to see the differences unless you look really hard.

 

36823-Dragon_Warrior_VII_[Disc1of2]_[u]-4.jpg

 

It's a very nice looking 3DS game. Nothing amazing, but it gets the job done. The 3D is very nice too. Stuff really pops out!

 

The soundtrack is certainly good to listen to as well. Although for some reason, they re-recorded the whole thing for us Westerners. Can't understand why they bothered though. Very bizarre.

 

All in all, Dragon Quest VII is a very enjoyable RPG. I'm pretty new to the series, what with the DS game, Dragon Quest IX being my first foray into it.

And while I prefer IX, VII was very enjoyable. And I'm very much looking forward to VIII, which just got a release date announced. Creepy timing that. Well, it would be creepy if I didn't already know that I'm being spied on by at least 3 game companies.

It's alright, I've accepted it at this point.

 

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And with that...

 

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - SNES

Shovel Knight - 3DS (Custom Knight amiibo playthrough)

Game & Watch Gallery 2 - GB

Radiohammer - 3DS

Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path - DS

Shovel Knight - WiiU (Co-op run with Dcubed)

Puzzle and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition - 3DS (Crazy Diamond Wall 2nd Playthrough Difficulty)

Metroid Prime - Wii

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Wii

Game & Watch Gallery Advance - GBA

Zelda - Game & Watch

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Wii

Metroid Fusion - GBA

Super Mario World - SNES

Star Fox Zero - WiiU

Bravely Second: End Layer - 3DS

Hyrule Warriors Legends - 3DS

Super Metroid - SNES

Freedom Planet - WiiU

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. - 3DS

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - 3DS

Paper Mario - N64

Zero Time Dilemma - 3DS

My Nintendo Picross - 3DS

Pocket Card Jockey - 3DS

Monster Hunter Generations - 3DS

WarioWare Touched - DS

Donkey Kong Country 2 - SNES

Kirby: Planet Robobot - 3DS

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - WiiU

Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

Elite Beat Agents - DS

AM2R - PC

Xenoblade Chronicles X - WiiU

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice - 3DS

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past - 3DS

 

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I cleared Soul Bubbles (DS) last night :smile:

 

250px-Soul_Bubbles.jpg

 

That 93% from the Official Nintendo Magazine seems highly generous :heh: It's a decent enough game but I'm not sure I'll be back to rescue the remaining spirits and grab the rest of the collectables.

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Busy couple of days finishing up a few games to add to the list. First up, I started up and finished one of the current PS+ titles being offered this month, The Deadly Tower of Monsters. It’s an action adventure title that apes various 80’s movie ideas and tries to frame them within the loose framework of a DVD movie commentary. And on the surface, it’s not a half bad title but it falls short of being something of substance to sink your teeth in and more often than not, feels very by-the-books and uninspiring.

 

Its influences in sci-fi B movie stock are immediately apparent in the characters you’ll play as, fight against and the general narrative, and yet while these components that are trying to be schlocky they do end up falling on the wrong side of that fine line between parody and irritable. It ends up resulting in a game where you’re fast forwarding through cutscenes (literally as you can’t skip straight passed them) just to get back to the gameplay.

 

As said, the gameplay is action adventure, somewhat harkening back to the old dungeon crawler hack n’ slash titles. With 3 characters to play as, each with a handful of different abilities that you’ll only occasionally need to employ (the major abilities cross over the cast), the general gameplay handles the same regardless of who you play as and it’s very much run of the mill here. You’ll do some light shooting, choosing from a small arsenal of guns you’ll pick up on your way up the tower, as well as some hacking and slashing, again with a slightly smaller pool of handheld objects to dispatch of enemies with, but it never really amounts to anything truly captivating.

 

Some nice ideas, like having a weapon that’s purpose built to shoot over ledges at enemies flying up the tower to attack you or having a pair of scissors to cut down flying enemies who are being held up by string (this really goes towards the whole parody of old sci-fi movies), are undone by their employment throughout and end up feeling as middling as the rest of the gameplay on offer.

 

I managed to nab the platinum easy enough and through that relatively short run time, think I was maybe 5 hours or so maybe shorter, my enjoyment never really piqued much beyond general intrigue at the next papier-mâché enemy you’d come across (with obligatory poor animation to really drive that home). It was an ok game but not something I’d really recommend outside of this month’s PS+.

 

I also managed to finished up some trophy collecting and nab the platinum on Goat Simulator as well. There’s not much to be said about the game other than its mindless sandbox fun with enough simple mechanics to keep you trying things out, as well as enough glitches to give you a good laugh. Getting the final trophy, one for playing a Flappy Bird parody, was a right pain and downright annoying, so hopefully I never have to suffer through another game of that ilk again. It’s a game I’ve come back to time and again for something to do when I’ve got 5 minutes to spare and while it won’t ever win any awards for being a fantastic game, it’s enjoyable in its own way and can provide a good laugh.

 

Finally, I finished up Rise of the Tomb Raider on PS4 at the weekend there. It’s a game I’d been waiting to play since its original release last year and I was excited to jump in and see what was what. And largely speaking, I feel that the end result is one that betters and even surpasses the previous game in most areas and it’s certainly one of my favourite games of the year as a result.

 

Picking up some time after the 2013 title, you once again reprise your role as Lara Croft, tomb raider incumbent. This time around, you’re on the trail of another myth alluding to something known as the Divine Source, an object or power possessed by someone referred to as the Prophet and capable of preventing death and disease. Following the remnants of her father’s research, you’ll make a whistle stop trip to Syria before being whisked off to the icy tundra of Siberia in the hunt for what the myth truly is, all the while being pursued by an elusive organisation known only as Trinity. It’s your task to get hold of the Divine Source before they do.

 

The narrative this time around doesn’t feel as well rounded as it did first time around and in many ways, it left a similar taste that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided left, that feeling of suffering slightly from middle-of-a-trilogy syndrome. The ending just seemed to come along a lot quicker than I thought it would and the ending itself, and what lead up to it, was a bit lacking in terms of the same kind of impact that the first title brought. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just that it didn’t feel as fully realised as it perhaps could have and suggests that the final entry may try to pack just a bit too much into what will come in the final instalment.

 

The gameplay has remained largely unchanged from the first one, offering you plenty of opportunity to run and gun your way through shoals of enemies while interspersing some platforming and light puzzle elements to the proceedings. Yet, while the gunplay feels much the same, the platforming has been refined and feels great. Being able to climb trees, swing from branches and some additional upgrades later on give an ability to traverse the environments in much more free flowing action than previously. There’s still the slightly stiff animation, especially in the face of this year’s Uncharted 4, and some leaps will still leave you feeling that they’re not logically possible but in terms of the gameplay, it all feels really well handled and incredibly smooth.

 

They’ve developed the upgrade system and this is one area that I was happy to see fleshed out. Proper resource gathering for upgrading weapons and crafting ammo and other equipment is a nice addition and will have you scouring for wood, ore, cloth and leather just to be able to do these and gain that slight advantage over the enemies you’ll encounter. Tombs are still entirely optional but the rewards for completing these add some additional breadth to your abilities and feel more purposeful than the trinkets offered at the end of the ones in the previous game. Some nice touches like language skills and levelling these up to read monoliths and such also made for a fuller experience this time around.

 

The game also looks great, even with some stiff animation, with some beautiful vistas to take in and a level of detail that really allows the locations to stand out. It’s not quite up there with Uncharted in visual fidelity, or soundtrack for that matter, but it’s still certainly a looker.

 

Despite not feeling as fulfilled with the ending as I’d have wanted and wishing they’d explored Syria a bit more, I enjoyed my time with the game immensely and it’s got me excited to see what they do with the third and final instalment of this trilogy. It builds upon what the previous game brought and that’s all I’d hoped for. Definitely up there as one of my favourite games this year.

 

Completed

January

Axiom Verge (Started Dec. 2015)

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition

Resogun* (Rookie complete, 3 difficulty settings to go)

Super Exploding Zoo

Among The Sleep

Amplitude

Just Cause 3 (Started Dec. 2015)

Fallout 4 (Started Nov. 2015)

Flower

 

February

The Witness (Platinum get)

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

Submerged

Rainbow Six Siege (Situations Completed)

Firewatch

Unravel

 

March

Hotline Miami

SOMA

The Fall

Murdered: Soul Suspect (Platinumed)

Uncharted 2 Remastered

 

April

Uncharted 3 Remastered

Republique (PS4)

Shutshimi

Teslagrad

Volume (Platinumed)

Mirror's Edge (PS3)

Blues and Bullets - Episode 1 & 2 (of 5)

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

 

May

Shadow Complex Remastered

Koi (PS4)

The Park (PS4)

Table Top Racing: World Tour

Uncharted 4

 

June

Ratchet and Clank (2016)

Invisible Inc. (Beginner difficulty)

Child of Eden (PS3)

Oxenfree

VEV: Viva Ex Vivo

Gone Home (PS4)

Mirror's Edge Catalyst (Platinum, October)

 

July

Far Cry Primal

Infamous First Light

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell

Type:Rider (PS4)

Adr1ft

Shadow of the Beast (PS4; Normal Difficulty)

Trials of the Blood Dragon

Song of the Deep

Unmechanical Extended

 

August

Hyper Light Drifter

The Walking Dead Season 1 (Platinum)

Abzu

This War of Mine: The Little Ones - 2nd Run: Day 28 (Long term)

No Man's Sky (Platinum)

Bound

 

September

Oceanhorn

Batman: A Telltale Series - Episode 1

Datura (PS3)

Tales from the Borderlands (Platinum, October)

Remember Me (PS3)

 

October

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Virginia

Until Dawn

Ghostbusters The Video Game (PS3)

 

November

The Deadly Tower of Monsters (Platinum)

Goat Simulator (Platinum)

Rise of the Tomb Raider

 

 

With those out of the way, I'm playing through a load of Titanfall 2 and loving it, especially the multiplayer. Also slowly working through Grim Fandango Remastered but haven't really taking to it so been trying out Small Radios Big Televisions instead.

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After my interlude of playing No Man's Sky, I've gone back to playing Assassins Creed Syndicate. Hopefully I'll be able to finish off the story soon, and then I might try and get a few of the trophies and extras before I move on.

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Haven't posted in here for quite a while. Easy explanation: Haven't had the time to finish a gam...played some multiplayer games, though.

 

Anyway, today I finished the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare campaign (PS4). What can I say: It was a blast. Say what you want about the CoD series but you can't deny it's always a spectacle. And I was in the mood for that. The game delivered, money well spent :)

 

Also managed to reach Prestige 1 in the multiplayer :D Love it.

 

What's next? The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered campaign. But not before I have played/finished Virginia. It was on sale in the PSN store recently and I couldn't help it.

 

Edit: Started Virginia two hours ago with the intention of only taking a quick look...I was completely absorbed from the beginning and couldn't put it down. Emotional, unsettling, surreal. I'm still in awe.

 

Where the main character, Anna, is in the prison cell and she leaves the cell to provide the Internal Affairs file to her boss. The scenes afterwards which show her basically ratting out on her colleagues, especially after she invited some over to her place to be sociable, were just incredibly well put together and the musical accompaniment was masterful. 10/10 sequence right there.

 

The final 20-30 minutes were masterful. One of the greatest endings to any form of audiovisual media I've ever experienced.

 

Currently Playing

____________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Multiplayer (PS4)

 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Campaign (PS4)

 

Completed

____________________________________

 

January

________________________________________________

Bastion (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Tearaway (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Transistor (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Life is Strange (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Ether One (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Tales from the Borderlands (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Defense Grid 2 (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Grimd Fandango Remastered (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Rogue Legacy (PSVita) "last-trophy-run" IDbttgi.gif

Dust: An Elysian Tale (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

February

________________________________________________

The Wolf Among Us (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Prestige 2

Super Mario 3D World (WiiU)

Peggle 2 (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PS4/PSVita) Cadence+Melody Zones 1-4; Cadence All-Zones-Mode

 

March

________________________________________________

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PS4/PSVita) Melody+Bard All-Zones-Mode

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Prestige 4 and 5

The Unfinished Swan (PS4)

Limbo (PS4)

Assault Android Cactus (PS4)

Salt and Sanctuary (PS4)

 

April

________________________________________________

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Master Prestige

 

May

________________________________________________

Alienation (PS4)

Nioh - Alpha Demo (PS4)

Dark Souls III (PS4)

Hitman GO (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Severed (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) acquired the Dark Matter Camouflage

Table Top Racing: World Tour (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

The Walking Dead - Season 1 (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

June

________________________________________________

The Talos Principle (PS4) main game

Plague Inc. Evolved (PS4)

 

July

________________________________________________

Plague Inc. Evolved most of the diseases completed on Mega Brutal Difficutly (PS4)

Dangerous Golf (PS4)IDbttgi.gif

Furi (PS4)

Enter the Gungeon (PS4)

 

August

________________________________________________

Plague Inc. Evolved (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Arcade Game Series: Pac-Man (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Super Exploding Zoo (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

The Talos Principle (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Nioh - Beta Demo (PS4)

Downwell (PS4/PSVita)

 

September

________________________________________________

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Ratchet & Clank (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

October

________________________________________________

Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4)

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Campaign co-op (PS4)

 

November

________________________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Campaign (PS4)

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Multiplayer - reached Prestige 1 (PS4)

Virginia (PS4)

 

 

Put on hold

____________________________________

GTA: Vice City (PS4)

This War of Mine: The Little Ones (PS4)

Flame Over (PSVita) long-term playthrough

Dark Cloud (PS4)

Stories: The Path of Destinies (PS4)

Persona 4 Golden (PSVita)

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PS4/PSVita) long-term playthrough

Enter the Gungeon (PS4) long-term playthrough

Rogue Galaxy (PS4)

Alienation (PS4) long-term playthrough

Invisible, Inc. (PS4)

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (PS4)

Tricky Towers (PS4)

Minecraft (PSVita) long-term playthrough

Tearaway Unfolded (PS4)

 

Edited by drahkon

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I beat Final Fantasy X Remaster (PS4) last night. At first I was not enjoying the game. I'm now so used to open world gams that I initially found the game restrictive, the graphics poor and the voice acting horrific. However, I eventually became used to all of these things.

 

I loved it. The story is top notch and I enjoyed going back to turn based battles. I think this game has one of the best levelling up and battling system I have experienced. I enjoyed really getting to grips with and using strategy to beat the bosses especially towards the end.

 

I'll start FFX-2 in the new year.

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I think this game has one of the best levelling up and battling system I have experienced.

 

Agreed. I have yet to find a JRPG with turn-based combat that rivals FFX.

 

Great to hear that you enjoyed the game in the end :)

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New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the sequel to the DS title New Super Mario Bros. Although it is the third New Super Mario Bros. game, which is weird... The game focused on coins and featured ways to get loads of coins.

 

But come on, you knew that already...

 

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

Like the Miiverse post says, I wanted to shake this up with a Poverty Run, essentially going through the game while collecting as few coins as possible.

 

In any other 2D Mario, this wouldn't be that much of an issue, but in this game, coins are everywhere, making things very interesting. You have to do some pretty elaborate maneuvers just to not pick up a coin.

 

I did set some rules for myself though:

 

- No secret exits - You can skip quite a few levels by taking secret exits. I just decided to go for a straight run to Bowser.

- No flying with the Super Leaf - It would just trivialise a lot of the point of this challenge, floating down by holding jump is OK though.

- Every Death has a penalty of 100 coins - Adds an actual punishment for losing a life.

 

So how did I do?

 

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

545 coins is quite a surprising amount. I have to say.

I certainly do enjoy New Super Mario Bros. 2. And who doesn't like a self-imposed challenge?

 

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - SNES

Shovel Knight - 3DS (Custom Knight amiibo playthrough)

Game & Watch Gallery 2 - GB

Radiohammer - 3DS

Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path - DS

Shovel Knight - WiiU (Co-op run with Dcubed)

Puzzle and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition - 3DS (Crazy Diamond Wall 2nd Playthrough Difficulty)

Metroid Prime - Wii

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Wii

Game & Watch Gallery Advance - GBA

Zelda - Game & Watch

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Wii

Metroid Fusion - GBA

Super Mario World - SNES

Star Fox Zero - WiiU

Bravely Second: End Layer - 3DS

Hyrule Warriors Legends - 3DS

Super Metroid - SNES

Freedom Planet - WiiU

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. - 3DS

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - 3DS

Paper Mario - N64

Zero Time Dilemma - 3DS

My Nintendo Picross - 3DS

Pocket Card Jockey - 3DS

Monster Hunter Generations - 3DS

WarioWare Touched - DS

Donkey Kong Country 2 - SNES

Kirby: Planet Robobot - 3DS

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - WiiU

Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

Elite Beat Agents - DS

AM2R - PC

Xenoblade Chronicles X - WiiU

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice - 3DS

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past - 3DS

New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 3DS (Poverty Run)

 

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You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

Like the Miiverse post says, I wanted to shake this up with a Poverty Run, essentially going through the game while collecting as few coins as possible.

 

Did you check out the DLC, I think there were some tougher stages available.

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Did you check out the DLC, I think there were some tougher stages available.

 

Yep, the Impossible Pack really does live up to it's name. I still haven't done it.

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Yep, the Impossible Pack really does live up to it's name. I still haven't done it.

 

Same. It's the one and only Mario "level" I have never managed to beat... It's just... ugh! Impossible!

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I've been chipping away at it for a few weeks but last night finally saw the conclusion of Hybrid Heaven (N64) :hehe:

 

cover_large.jpg

 

The combat system is unlike anything I've played before and that aspect of the game was quite appealing but, while I certainly didn't hate the experience, Hybrid Heaven was ultimately rather dull overall with very little to get excited about!

 

The 'diffuser' you carry around on your adventure through the predominantly bland corridors is just about the weakest weapon I can ever recall seeing in a video game, not that it needs to be more powerful :blank:

 

I only found one battle to be a little challenging in the latter half of the game but everything else was straightforward, achieving 'SS' rankings in almost ever battle (which wasn't that difficult :heh:)

 

I'm glad I played through it (it's another game off the backlog : peace:) but Hybrid Heaven is a game I can't imagine experiencing again in the future.

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Just finished the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Campaign (PS4).

I can see why this is regarded as one of the finest shooters ever made. :) Enjoyed it very much. : peace:

 

Next up: Dishonored - Definitive Edition (PS4)

 

Currently Playing

____________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Multiplayer (PS4)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Multiplayer (PS4)

 

Dishonored - Definitive Edition (PS4)

 

Completed

____________________________________

 

January

________________________________________________

Bastion (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Tearaway (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Transistor (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Life is Strange (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Ether One (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Tales from the Borderlands (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Defense Grid 2 (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Grimd Fandango Remastered (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Rogue Legacy (PSVita) "last-trophy-run" IDbttgi.gif

Dust: An Elysian Tale (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

February

________________________________________________

The Wolf Among Us (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Prestige 2

Super Mario 3D World (WiiU)

Peggle 2 (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PS4/PSVita) Cadence+Melody Zones 1-4; Cadence All-Zones-Mode

 

March

________________________________________________

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PS4/PSVita) Melody+Bard All-Zones-Mode

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Prestige 4 and 5

The Unfinished Swan (PS4)

Limbo (PS4)

Assault Android Cactus (PS4)

Salt and Sanctuary (PS4)

 

April

________________________________________________

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Master Prestige

 

May

________________________________________________

Alienation (PS4)

Nioh - Alpha Demo (PS4)

Dark Souls III (PS4)

Hitman GO (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Severed (PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) acquired the Dark Matter Camouflage

Table Top Racing: World Tour (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

The Walking Dead - Season 1 (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

June

________________________________________________

The Talos Principle (PS4) main game

Plague Inc. Evolved (PS4)

 

July

________________________________________________

Plague Inc. Evolved most of the diseases completed on Mega Brutal Difficutly (PS4)

Dangerous Golf (PS4)IDbttgi.gif

Furi (PS4)

Enter the Gungeon (PS4)

 

August

________________________________________________

Plague Inc. Evolved (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Arcade Game Series: Pac-Man (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Super Exploding Zoo (PS4/PSVita) IDbttgi.gif

The Talos Principle (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Nioh - Beta Demo (PS4)

Downwell (PS4/PSVita)

 

September

________________________________________________

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

Ratchet & Clank (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

October

________________________________________________

Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4)

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Campaign co-op (PS4)

 

November

________________________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Campaign (PS4)

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Multiplayer - reached Prestige 1 (PS4)

Virginia (PS4)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Campaign (PS4)

 

 

Put on hold

____________________________________

GTA: Vice City (PS4)

This War of Mine: The Little Ones (PS4)

Flame Over (PSVita) long-term playthrough

Dark Cloud (PS4)

Stories: The Path of Destinies (PS4)

Persona 4 Golden (PSVita)

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PS4/PSVita) long-term playthrough

Enter the Gungeon (PS4) long-term playthrough

Rogue Galaxy (PS4)

Alienation (PS4) long-term playthrough

Invisible, Inc. (PS4)

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (PS4)

Tricky Towers (PS4)

Minecraft (PSVita) long-term playthrough

Tearaway Unfolded (PS4)

 

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Risk of Rain

 

Broadcast Yourself
Audio

 

Risk-of-Rain_20160215140127-1024x576.jpg

 

Those colourful chips by the Golem's feet? Slain enemies

 

Due to my computer dying just as I was moving house, I spent a month and a half without really playing anything from my backlog. Now that both computer and house are stable, I decided to visit this pixelated indie Roguelike from my backlog, could be a good re-entry into gaming.

 

So, the gist goes that you control an astronaut that crash-landed on a planet, and now you need to visit multiple stages, find several items and fight numerous enemies & bosses before reaching your goal: the crashed-yet-still-functional mothership.

 

It sounds like a regular formula for a Roguelike, but this one has a twist: the game gets harder the longer your run lasts, as in, actual minutes. Enemies will get tougher and more numerous the longer you take, to the point of seeing two or three bosses spawn at once. This presents the player with the option of either completing stages ASAP, or exploring the entire thing before moving on. The game even allows you to revisit past stages before entering the final level, knowing that the choice has pros and cons.

 

The astronaut you control is one of several different characters (eight, I believe). The initial one is Commando, who rapid-fires like a machinegun, but soon you'll unlock guys such as Sniper (slow-but-deadly shots), Loader (close-range glass cannon), Huntress (fast run&gunner) and my favourite, Engineer (long-range expert). They all play very differently, and not even their normal attacks feel alike (Commando fires twice, Loader punches, Engineer throws a couple grenades, etc).

 

There's also a lot of shit to unlock: items, artifacts, characters, monster logs, secret areas, achievements (each achievement you complete unlocks something)...

 

So, with a large variety of playstyles, item combinations and stuff to unlock, there's plenty to keep a gamer busy and entertained. It sounds like I ought to love this game, but... a lot of it didn't click with me.

 

I like roguelikes where skill can help you even if the RNG screws you, but this wasn't the case in Risk of Rain. I often felt that, regardless of difficulty, I needed a lot of items to survive the waves of late-game enemies, and specific items at that. It puts a damper into all of that choice. As a result, I just kept defaulting into the Engineer, who plays the best defensive game by virtue of keeping mobs of enemies at a distance.

 

Furthermore, the levels are designed to waste your time, a feature that feels more like a frustrating annoyance than an actual obstacle. At one point, surviving and exploring feels more like a chore, especially when the game requires you to kill all enemies to advance, and you need to find the ones on a random platform somewhere.

 

I can definitely see this game's appeal (I give it 4 stars), but its flaws prevent me from wanting to unlock all of that content. At 50,8% (with the final boss beat), I'm done with it.

 

I'll keep listening to this excellent soundtrack, though:

 

Broadcast Yourself
Audio

 

Played/Beat/Completed:

-Freedom Planet (2014) Beaten (Last played: 15th March)

-Rayman Forever (1995) Completed (3rd May)

-Deponia: The Complete Journey (2012-2013) Completed (14th May)

-Blocks that Matter (2011) Completed (25th May)

-Sonic Spinball (1993) Beaten (19th June)

-Card City Nights (2014) Completed (1st July)

-Tetrobot & Co. (2013) Completed (1st August)

-Mark of the Ninja DLC (2012) Completed (21st August)

-Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) Beaten (3rd September)

-Little Big Adventure (1994) Completed (9th September)

-Another Metroid 2 Remake (2016) Beaten (14th September)

-Little Big Adventure 2 (1997) Completed (1st October)

-Risk of Rain (2013) Beaten (13th November)

 

Currently Playing:

-Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

 

Edited by Jonnas

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Finished Bayonetta 2 today. Holy hell what a game. Starts strong, gets stronger. May be the best 2nd-half to any game I've ever played. Kept surprising me right until the end. Just astounding.

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I'm having a bit of a break from games this month but after the Mario Kart tournament I decided to play through The Stanley Parable which was recently on sale on Steam. It was a fun and pretty humorous little story but was definitely quite short, I played through all the different scenarios in a little over an hour. I enjoyed it but it didn't appeal to me as much as 'The Beginners Guide' did.

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Managed to finish up another slew of games over the last week or so. First up, I finished the campaign for Titanfall 2 and I have to say that while I don’t quite hold it in as high a regard as some of the reviewers, it’s still a well design and solid campaign with some refreshing design choices that not only make it stand up alongside other current FPS titles, but give it an edge in some areas. It doesn’t touch the likes of Modern Warfare 1 or Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in terms of quality but it’s certainly not that far behind.

 

The campaign acts as a buddy movie of sorts, teaming you as rifleman Jack Cooper with the now pilotless Titan known as BT. The story slowly pulls you together as friends, loosening the straps of formality (seen through the language and jokes had between the two main characters), yet could be stronger in how it builds up that relationship. Though it should be said, the rapport you build and the likening you’ll take towards BT goes a long way to creating a good experience, even if the overall story isn’t quite up to scratch.

 

The story revolves around an all-out assault on a planet known as Typhon where you and the SRS army are trying to quash a rebel uprising. It doesn’t go to plan as your ship is shot down and your troops scattered. Some mercenary group is thrown your way to halt your progress in quashing things, only for you to find out about a planet destroying weapon known as the Arc, which you have to stop from firing at the SRS home world of Harmony. Its bog standard stuff and nothing of any great intrigue, with even the mercenaries who’re thrown at your reduced to fodder with little exposition.

 

Luckily, it is with the gameplay that the game excels. It really does play like a dream. The wallrunning, sliding and gunplay are so tight and carry the right amount of weight to how the work; there’s nothing floaty about any of the gameplay here, it’s tightly put together and stands as one of the game’s strong points across both the campaign and multiplayer. I never really took to this style of gameplay in the CoD games (I just don’t think it works all that well) but here, it gelled instantly and I was linking up consecutive wallruns and gunning down enemies, sliding under cover or using it to propel me towards enemies out of cover for flanking moves and it just works so incredibly well.

 

The multiplayer really lets you see how the moveset and gameplay works as well as it does, especially if you choose a load out with the grappling hook as then you really are flying all over the place and managing to get kills left right and centre. I don’t think I’ve played an FPS that has controlled as well as this or felt so visceral in such a long time, it really is that good.

 

The campaign does show some really good ideas which, although only last a level, never outwear their charm. The best example is the level “Effects and Cause” which I won’t spoil but coupled with the platforming and a cool mechanic that is slowly revealed, it becomes one of the best levels in an FPS campaign ever. The penultimate and final levels also ratchet things up a notch with some fighting on the hull of speeding ships and a mass Titanfall battle. The end result is something that feels more like an FPS from years ago rather than today, with elements of Half Life and Portal as well as other more quirky titles such as Singularity. It’s a solid campaign even if the story doesn’t carry much of the weight.

 

I’ve put god knows how many hours into the multiplayer and it really is incredible. There’s no XP needed to level, just playing a good match, getting kills, following the objective and such will grant merits which go towards levelling up and unlocking items, with credits slowly awarded to unlock weapons and such ahead of the curve should you wish, although you’ll be progressing and unlocking things quickly based on my experience.

 

The maps are largely fantastic, with Eden and Forwardbase Kodai being two of my favourites, and Attrition and Bounty Hunt add some nice flare to the proceedings.

 

All in all, it’s one of the best FPS titles I’ve played this year and with subsequent multiplayer content coming free in updates, I can see myself playing for a long time to come. A real surprise to me that it ended up being this good but now, I can’t put it down.

 

Next up, picked up and finished Small Radios Big Televisions. Just released last week, it’s a rather short puzzle game with a unique premise. Something’s happened to the world and while attempts are made to save it, scientists have created virtual worlds within the confines of cassette tapes that allow people to escape what’s happening and potentially, stay there forever. This creates an air of intrigue about the cassettes you’ll find throughout the game’s factories, which act as levels. But the vignettes that you’ll experience only offer the slightest glimpse at what the narrative purports to.

 

That would be fine if there was anything of substance to the gameplay but bar a small handful of puzzles, and I mean you can literally count them on one hand, there isn’t much to the game. The puzzles are simple fare, asking you to complete some cog works to open a hatch or turn some pipes to remove water but their hampered by a lack of finesse in the controls. A nice touch is found in being able to put the cassettes in a magnetised field and alter the vignettes but it really doesn’t add much more to how things play out.

 

It sounds like I had a miserable time with the game but I actually enjoyed it. For something made by one person, it’s an interest game but I’d have liked a bit more to sink my teeth into for the current price.

 

Finally, I finished up Grow Up, the follow up to Grow Home. This was a right slog. It takes what was done in the original and amplifies it, giving you more starplants to grow and a larger play area to play within. This time, though, your goal is to fix up your ship after it crashed on the moon, scattering the parts across the planet below. The pursuit of these really does feel laborious and the addition of new ability, like being able to roll into a ball, glider and slow fall parachute, do nothing to alleviate this. Throw in some challenges and more collecting of crystals and it starts to drag quickly. The only addition that I felt added to the game was that of DNA copying planets and being able to grow them to help you move around. Other than that, it’s more of the same, just more prolonged this time. If you didn’t take to the first then you won’t click with this.

 

Completed

January

Axiom Verge (Started Dec. 2015)

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition

Resogun* (Rookie complete, 3 difficulty settings to go)

Super Exploding Zoo

Among The Sleep

Amplitude

Just Cause 3 (Started Dec. 2015)

Fallout 4 (Started Nov. 2015)

Flower

 

February

The Witness (Platinum get)

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

Submerged

Rainbow Six Siege (Situations Completed)

Firewatch

Unravel

 

March

Hotline Miami

SOMA

The Fall

Murdered: Soul Suspect (Platinumed)

Uncharted 2 Remastered

 

April

Uncharted 3 Remastered

Republique (PS4)

Shutshimi

Teslagrad

Volume (Platinumed)

Mirror's Edge (PS3)

Blues and Bullets - Episode 1 & 2 (of 5)

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

 

May

Shadow Complex Remastered

Koi (PS4)

The Park (PS4)

Table Top Racing: World Tour

Uncharted 4

 

June

Ratchet and Clank (2016)

Invisible Inc. (Beginner difficulty)

Child of Eden (PS3)

Oxenfree

VEV: Viva Ex Vivo

Gone Home (PS4)

Mirror's Edge Catalyst (Platinum, October)

 

July

Far Cry Primal

Infamous First Light

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell

Type:Rider (PS4)

Adr1ft

Shadow of the Beast (PS4; Normal Difficulty)

Trials of the Blood Dragon

Song of the Deep

Unmechanical Extended

 

August

Hyper Light Drifter

The Walking Dead Season 1 (Platinum)

Abzu

This War of Mine: The Little Ones - 2nd Run: Day 28 (Long term)

No Man's Sky (Platinum)

Bound

 

September

Oceanhorn

Batman: A Telltale Series - Episode 1

Datura (PS3)

Tales from the Borderlands (Platinum, October)

Remember Me (PS3)

 

October

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Virginia

Until Dawn

Ghostbusters The Video Game (PS3)

 

November

The Deadly Tower of Monsters (Platinum)

Goat Simulator (Platinum)

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Titanfall 2

Small Radios Big Televisions

Grow Up

 

 

More Titanfall 2 multiplayer is happening and I'm going to make a go of the campaign on the top difficulty for the platinum (luckily there's no multiplayer specific gameplay trophies, just a couple of housekeeping ones that you can knock out within a minute or two). Slowly plugging away at Grim Fandango Remastered but it's really losing me and playing through both Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition and just started Heavy Rain (PS4), so those are seeing most of my time at the moment.

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Started playing Golden Sun this year. Heard good things about the game from others so wanted to give it a shot.

 

Clocked in quite a bit of time with the game now and I've just revived the people of Kolima from all being turned into trees. Has some interesting touches, like the fact that there's a canonical explanation about critical hits (which sadly I failed to capture on screenshot in Miiverse) but I did screencap a following part of the game:

 

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

That said, I did tackle Tret Tree initially with Ivan dead and no idea how to revive party members, only once my entire party was wiped did I find out exactly where you had to go.

 

Later on, I managed to get stuck at this point:

 

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

How was I supposed to know that assigning Psynergy to the Shoulder buttons sometimes makes it do different things from it's usual function?

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Later on, I managed to get stuck at this point:

 

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

How was I supposed to know that assigning Psynergy to the Shoulder buttons sometimes makes it do different things from it's usual function?

 

I'm pretty sure just using Ply while facing the statue does the job.

 

It's still a really strange occurrence. I can understand people getting stuck there.

 

Thankfully, after Mercury Lighthouse, you never have to use healing Psynergy for anything other than healing again.

 

Anyway!

 

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

 

Paper Mario: Colour Splash I don't care, that's the correct spelling as far as I'm concerned! came out on the WiiU just over a month ago. According to Wikipedia, it's an action-adventure game. That's a murky description, as there are turn based RPG elements to it as well.

It's also the first game to be made solely for me.

Hmm? How do I know that? Well, no-one else wanted the damn thing!

 

Yes, this game is the sequel to ridiculously hated 3DS title, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. People were tripping over themselves to hate this game when it was revealed. The poor thing definitely had an uphill battle on it's hands.

But the question is, does the entire targeted audience like this game? Let's ask him!

 

The story begins with a surprisingly dark opening. At the dead of night, Princess Peach visits Mario with a strange envelope. Which turns out to be a Toad that has lost all of it's colour, leaving just a Toad-shaped blank piece of paper. Creepy.

So Peach and Mario follow the postmark to a place called Prism Island, which is completely deserted. And with random bits of scenery completely devoid of colour.

 

It doesn't take long until the two find out what happened. It seems that Shy Guys are sucking the colour out of the scenery and Toads themselves with deadly, deadly straws!

 

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Uhhh, Mario. You gonna help? No? Just gonna stand there?

OK, that's cool. You jerk.

 

Thankfully, Mario and Peach come across a strange 3D paint bucket named Huey, who just happens to be able to imbue Mario's hammer with paint, allowing him to repaint the scenery and the Toads to their former colourful glory.

As well as the colour suckage issue, the 6 Paint Stars have also gone missing, so it's up to Mario to find the Paint Stars, restore colour to Prism Island and find out who's behind all this. My money's on Bowser. Because it's just gotta be, right?

 

OK, so the story is pretty damn simple, but there's a few surprises along the way. But the actual reason to pay attention is the dialogue.

This game has some of the best writing I've seen in a game in a very long time. It's just bursting with funny.

 

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Whether it be lampshade hanging...

 

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Groan inducing puns...

 

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Ridiculous scenarios...

 

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Good old Pop-culture references...

 

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Or just some demolishing of the fourth wall...

 

This game just has a smorgasbord of ways to make you smirk, or even laugh. It's a real high for the series, and makes the concept of talking to everyone very appealing.

That said, this game has a few more jump scares than I expected, but they are the silly kind, so it's all good.

 

The gameplay is very similar to Sticker Star. The game is split up into a variety of levels and the goal is to find the Mini Paint Star in order to unlock a path to the next level.

Getting into contact with an enemy drops you into a battle.

In order to attack, you must use cards that you find throughout the world, whether it be jumping, using your hammer, or other more special moves, the goal is to utterly destroy the enemy before they can get a hit in, because you're rewarded with coins for not taking any damage.

It demands a lot of forward thinking, because taking damage is never a good thing, but use too many cards at once and you risk wasting them by overkilling the enemy.

 

A lot of people will be turned off by it adopting the same structure as Sticker Star, the common complaint of "there's no EXP, so what's the point?" The point was so you can get more coins to get more powerful attacks, but whatever has been alleviated somewhat by the amount of paint you can hold going up when you win battles.

 

Personally, I love the Sticker Star style of battle, so more of the similar is fine by me. Unfortunately, the bosses are way easier this time, due to the majority of them flat out telling you what Thing they're weak to.

I can't help but feel this was due to the massive amount of whining about how boss battles were too "Cryptic" in Sticker Star.

(Because figuring out that a Baseball Bat might be a good thing to use in a place that looks suspiciously like a Baseball Stadium was just too confusing to puzzle out)

 

Despite that, I do prefer this over Sticker Star. In fact, I have a hard time figuring out whether I like Thousand-Year Door more. They're both definitely up there in my opinion.

 

The graphics are, well, just look at the damn screenshots! This game is gorgeous! It really does feel like everything is made of paper! It's one of the best looking games I've seen on the WiiU, and the console is certainly not short of good looking games!

 

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And the soundtrack is nothing short of sublime, there's a veritable ton of catchy music in this game. Jazz works so well in a game like this, and there are a whole bunch of tracks that are just great to listen to.

That said, it's not all jazz...

 

 

So all in all, I love this game. It's one hell of a swan song to the WiiU, (let's face it, Zelda doesn't count) it's got everything I could hope for in a sequel to Sticker Star. I mean, it's so good, it managed to win over a few people here. And that's gotta count for something, right?

 

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - SNES

Shovel Knight - 3DS (Custom Knight amiibo playthrough)

Game & Watch Gallery 2 - GB

Radiohammer - 3DS

Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path - DS

Shovel Knight - WiiU (Co-op run with Dcubed)

Puzzle and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition - 3DS (Crazy Diamond Wall 2nd Playthrough Difficulty)

Metroid Prime - Wii

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Wii

Game & Watch Gallery Advance - GBA

Zelda - Game & Watch

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Wii

Metroid Fusion - GBA

Super Mario World - SNES

Star Fox Zero - WiiU

Bravely Second: End Layer - 3DS

Hyrule Warriors Legends - 3DS

Super Metroid - SNES

Freedom Planet - WiiU

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. - 3DS

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - 3DS

Paper Mario - N64

Zero Time Dilemma - 3DS

My Nintendo Picross - 3DS

Pocket Card Jockey - 3DS

Monster Hunter Generations - 3DS

WarioWare Touched - DS

Donkey Kong Country 2 - SNES

Kirby: Planet Robobot - 3DS

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - WiiU

Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

Elite Beat Agents - DS

AM2R - PC

Xenoblade Chronicles X - WiiU

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice - 3DS

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past - 3DS

New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 3DS (Poverty Run)

Paper Mario: Colour Splash - WiiU

 

Edited by Glen-i
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