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Your 2016 Gaming Diary

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I bought Bioshock Collection (PS4) last month after some people on here recommended it to me. I've been playing through the first game a bit and just found the research camera.

 

Despite the praise of this game I don't know whether I like it. Its very weird. I am liking the gameplay mechanics but the atmosphere and the setting is just strange. I'm also having difficulty following the story.

 

I an unsure whether the game is for me and tempted to just pack it in. I feel like I would be wasting my money though.

 

I tried getting into Bioshock a few times myself - just for some reason can't manage to stick it out and see it through. I think it's the general feel of the game just doesn't blow me away and it did feel a bit abstract/lost at times. I'm aware of the some of the story/plot twists now so I don't think I'll ever get back to it.

Weirdly I didn't particularly mind the gameplay, I just think maybe it was the pacing of it that didn't sit good with me?

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I bought Bioshock Collection (PS4) last month after some people on here recommended it to me. I've been playing through the first game a bit and just found the research camera.

 

Despite the praise of this game I don't know whether I like it. Its very weird. I am liking the gameplay mechanics but the atmosphere and the setting is just strange. I'm also having difficulty following the story.

 

I an unsure whether the game is for me and tempted to just pack it in. I feel like I would be wasting my money though.

I don't know about the first two, but I got Infinite as a gift, so I felt I had to play it, but it was hard going. I'm not sure why I didn't like it, possibly it just got too creepy (I eventually gave up when I ended up in this insane asylum place with weird George Washington patients attacking me), but it felt like a chore every time I turned it on.

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Finished The Deadly Tower of Monsters (PS4) and got the Platinum, as well.

Good game. Nothing incredible but fun. And hilarious :laughing: PS+ did it again : peace:

 

Won't have enough time to complete anything this month and I don't really want to start anything before Final Fantasy XV (which I won't be able to play for at least 1 1/2 weeks :(). Soooo, I guess it's time to choose my GOTM for November...

 

Virginia-Free-Download-PC-Game.jpg

 

A powerful game with an incredible soundtrack. It's a brilliant example of how video games can be a form of art. Loved every second of it.

 

Honorable mention:

 

Call_of_Duty_-_Infinite_Warfare_(promo_image).jpg

 

I did not except such an awesome campaign. Surprisingly emotional, too.

Currently Playing

____________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Multiplayer (PS4)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Multiplayer (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) IDbttgi.gif

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

Dishonored - Definitive Edition (PS4)

My Name is Mayo (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

The Deadly Tower of Monsters (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

 

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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Played and finished Soma 2 weeks ago. Incredible story, and especially fun after binge watching almost all of Black Mirror, there are certainly some familiar themes. Gameplay-wise is not that incredible, basically a much easier Alien. But it's ok. Play it for the story.

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Bioshock

 

I've bought the collection on PS4 and felt that it was the right time to give it a run through. I definitely picked up vibes very similar to the Batman Arkham games, for some reason. Overall, I'd say that I really enjoyed it. It can be tough going at times and I did die a lot. Tempted to drop the difficulty to easy when I play the second.

 

I love the world that's created in the game. It's mysterious, creepy and feels like there's a lot of history there. Very dystopian. I enjoyed picking up any bits of info about the backstory and felt that the whole thing was a good experience. I blitzed through so much of it during the last two days as there is something addictive about it.

 

 

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

Bioshock

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So I picked up Battlefield 1 early last week and finished up the campaign at the weekend there. I haven't played a Battlefield game properly since I played Bad Company 2, which I loved for both its single and multiplayer (would seriously love them to go back to that franchise and bring us the next part of the story there), but with the change of pace from other shooters at the moment, I was hopeful that there would be a good experience to be had here. And in the end, it's a mixed bag from my perspective.

 

The single player is set up as a series of war stories, told from the perspective of 5 different characters during the First World War (with some embellishments here and there). The disjointed campaign means there's not really anything substantial to sink your teeth into; no gripping narrative that spans the couple of hours it'll take to run through the missions which is a misstep for me, especially coming off of the back of the campaign in EA's other big shooter this Autumn, Titanfall 2.

 

That's not to say there isn't anything tangible about the war stories you'll play. The variety of what you'll engage in allows for a wider scope of the events that happened in the war and really hits home for how hellish it must have been. Each of the war stories varies in length; some will take an hour or more while others can be done in about half an hour. The stories, designed to have some form of emotional impact, really didn't level that to me with the exception of the last one I played through, the Lawrence of Arabia one. It's a shame because in other mediums, movies, TV, literature, the impact is immediately apparent when it comes to the setting but it just doesn't land as well here but some poor writing doesn't really help that.

 

From flying biplanes over London as you take down zeppelins to sneaking through No Man's Land in the dead of night to taking down an armoured train in the heart of the Arabian desert to halt the Ottoman Empire's push, there's certainly enough variety in what you get to engage in. It just needed as much of a push throughout the entirety as I feel it had in Lawrence of Arabia's mission. But perhaps that was the idea, to leave the lines blurred to show there really was no right or wrong.

 

The multiplayer is the real push here, as evidenced by how quickly you can jump into it from the main menu as opposed to how you get into the campaign. The standard Battlefield modes are present and accounted for, along with a couple new ones, such as one where you have to keep control of a pigeon to send a message to your back line, but they don't really deviate much from the standard modes.

 

The biggest inclusion is Operations, sprawling matches set across multiple maps and playing out like a combination of both Rush and Conquest. One team attacks points while the other defends. Do well enough in attack and you'll push the battlefield forward, resulting in a retreat for the defenders. Hold them at bay by controlling points and you'll run through the attackers battalions and end the fight, though this becomes increasingly difficult with the entrance of zeppelins and armoured trains. Where the campaign occasionally fails to show you how hectic and gruesome the war was, the Operations really nail this, with tank and gunfire going off and explosions all over the place. It's fast and frantic and genuinely engaging, even when the matches can go on for an hour or more, when not having to deal with camping snipers in the Sinai desert map.

 

I came away having enjoyed the multiplayer slightly more than I did the single player but in the end, I still felt a little hollow after playing it. The slower paced gameplay didn't initially sit with me but even when I overcame this, I still felt as though the game didn't stand up to the likes of Bad Company 2 on both single or multiplayer fronts. And by comparison, while I'll undoubtedly still dip my toes in for a game of Operations here or there, it's with Titanfall 2 that I feel a draw to play more of the multiplayer.

 

It's certainly better than what I played of Hardline (which admittedly wasn't much) but of the two EA shooters this year, I have to say that for me, Titanfall 2 is the better one.

 

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

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

Battlefield 1

 

 

With Battlefield 1 finished, I've been dipping my toes into some PS3 games at the weekend there. Went back to Beyond Good & Evil HD and as a massive fan of this, it's good to be back in that world even if the game is really showing its age now. I'm just glad that the sequel is underway and, hopefully coming to multiple platforms (in spite of the ongoing rumours). Also picked up Sonic Generations as I had a hankering for a Sonic game. Sadly, not really taking to this. Classic Sonic seems a bit too floaty in jumping and the modern Sonic sections just feel awkward to play. Also not liking having to complete challenges to gain access to a boss to then progress, it just reeks of laziness on the developers behalf that they didn't bother making more levels. Still, I'll get a chance to play through City Escape.

 

Also picked up Watch Dogs 2 but haven't played much of it yet. Seems as though they've massively complicated things for hacking, wasn't too keen on how it all worked from doing the opening mission but hopefully with more time it'll click. And of course, there's still plenty of Titanfall 2 multiplayer happening, especially now there's twice as many people playing online thanks to Black Friday deals (tho the clear influx of CoD players and those with dodgy internet connections is starting to irritate a bit).

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I finally completed Assassins Creed Syndicate the other day. Really enjoyed it. A few glitches here and there, but otherwise a solid bit of Victorian tomfoolery involving murdering people.

 

I spent a while doing as many trophies as I could as well, ending up getting everything but the 100% memories one, which I can't be arsed to go back and replay.

 

Next I'm playing the Just Cause 3 DLC, which I bought and never played. It's really good so far! The rocket jet pack just adds to the OP aspect of Rico, but zooming around firing missiles from your wingsuit is awesome fun!

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I finished two games this morning :smile:

 

Firstly, I brought to an end my first mobile game in the form of Monument Valley!

 

1_monument_valley.jpg

 

There were certainly some Journey vibes from this game and I mostly feel similar with my experience. It was OK and it was fun playing around with the geometry but it was never particularly challenging. Like Journey, it seemed like it was more style than substance!

 

Next, I cleared Blast Corps on N64 after all these years.

cover_medium.jpg

 

I've had the game for quite a while but never really got into it as it didn't really feel like a Rare game and the bland visuals didn't help with the appeal.

 

It wasn't a bad game but it wasn't particularly great either. There were times, particularly when trying to drift with the dump truck, that I just couldn't seem to get to grips with how it handled and I ended up just bumping repeatedly into the buildings to eventually take them down rather than how it was intended. It worked, though :heh:

 

Oyster Harbour was perhaps the best and worst mission I played! It was incredibly frustrating but it was also the level which provided a good diversity in what was required to get the missile carrier safely to its destination. I'm glad I don't have to do it again, though :indeed:

Edited by nekunando

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I platinumed Sonic Generations the other week. I finished the game earlier in the year but left the trophy hunting for another time. So of the trophies are pretty tedious and I had to slowly pick away at most of them. All done now, though.

 

I managed to sneak in two games yesterday, just before November finished.

 

Final Fantasy XV (PS4)

 

After over 40 hours of playing the game credits have rolled.

 

I have very mixed feelings about the game. There are some amazing highs but there are some very low lows.

 

Combat

 

This where is were the game really shines. Everything is so fast and fluid. Stringing together various combos, changing weapons and warping from enemy to enemy works amazingly well and is stupidly fun to play around with.

 

The magic system in the game is pretty flawed and not once did I use it outside of the tutorials or missions that required it. Having to make it, equip it and then running out and doing the process all over again wasn't something I wanted to be faffing on with and seeing as I made it through the game without it, you clearly don't need it.

 

Story

 

This is a really mixed bag. There are some amazing moments throughout the game but there's also a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense or even get explained fully. Even though I watched the anime shorts and Kingsglaive I was still left wondering why certain things were even happening or where certain characters were.

 

I feel S-E have lost the ability to tell a straight forward story in their games. Even though I love the series, you just have to look at Kingdom Hearts to see what a mess a story can become if it tries too hard and is up it's own backside. This could just have something to do with Nomura having his influences in the game.

 

There are some good parts, though. The sections of the story I did follow were great and really hit me hard at times, with S-E once again drawing the tears from me. I think that's 4 or 5 times their games have made me get emotional. :D

 

I also enjoyed the banter between you and your brothers in arms. While the story was a mess at times, S-E did do a good job of making you feel that you and your guys had a fantastic bond.

 

Gameplay

 

I'll get this out of the way now. The game is very much a game of two halves. The first half is a massive open world and then the game completely switches to a very linear experience at around chapter 8-9 and continues this way all the way to the end. You can still access the open area by going to a rest spot and picking an option. So I guess it's not all that bad.

 

First Half

 

I think a lot of people will enjoy this. Having the massive open world to explore is something gamers want these days and this delivers. I often found myself just finding something interesting in the background and then setting off on my chocobo or car and heading over there to see what was around.

 

You are hampered a bit at the start of the game. You can't auto drive at night and the chocobo needs to be unlocked before you use it. Also, remember the flying car that you see in all the trailers? Don't get excited about using that. The thing doesn't unlock until AFTER you have finished the game.

 

If you're running around the open world then things should run smoothly. However, if you want to use the fast travel system, whether it be going to a town or to your car, then get used to sitting looking at a loading screen. The loading times in this game are simply awful.

 

Second Half

 

The game moves at a much faster pace in the second half, probably because the game forces you down a linear path and you are taken away from the open world areas.

 

I'm left wondering if the linear fashion of the second half of the game is because of they were running out of time ( they had 10 freaking years ) or that these are things that are left over from when it was Versus XIIII? Final Fantasy XIII was very linear in places and it makes sense that this game would have shared certain designs when it was being made.

 

I will say that I don't mind the linear structure of the second half. I very much enjoyed FFXIII, so this doesn't really bother me. I guess it's just a little jarring when you're so used to running around a huge open world and then get reigned back in for a more structured approach.

 

Music

 

This is another fantastic high point of the game. There is some amazing music in this game by Yoko Shimomura and you can really hear the Kingdom Heart stuff coming through in certain tunes. The song playing while fighting soldiers that drop out of the sky is very much a favourite of mine. Every time I seen a dropship I kept running over to it just to hear the music kick in.

 

Closing

 

I enjoyed the game and was satisfied with it but after waiting 10 years I would have liked a better story, which is why I enjoy the series so much. Had it been easier to follow and made more sense then I would have enjoyed the game a lot more as I didn't have many issues with the actual gameplay itself.

 

I can see the game splitting the opinion of many, but then, this is a Final Fantasy game, so this isn't anything new. Some people will adore it, while others will hate it, just like every other game in the series. :heh:

 

I still have a few trophies to get ( very easy but grinding ) but i'll be hanging back on earning the platinum until I nab 2 more as I want to make this one my 150th. : peace:

 

Gears of War 4 (Xbox One)

 

I fired the campaign up for this today and have just finished it now. Brilliant stuff.

 

I was quite worried with how things would play out in terms of the story and wondered if the gameplay would feel stale. These fears were completely washed away not long after starting.

 

The new characters are great. I thought I would miss the banter between Marcus, Baird and Cole but JD and company are just as good. I found the chatter between these guys having a lighter tone than all the back and forth in the original games.

 

The start of the game is a brilliant nod to those who have read the books and played the other games. I was absolutely loving finally getting to play in the Pendulum Wars.

 

The final couple of acts of the final chapter had me grinning like a Cheshire Cat. :D I won't spoil it for the couple on here who may play it but....man, it was awesome.

 

As a Gears fan I'm more than happy with this outing of the franchise and I can't wait to see how the next part of this new storyline plays out.

 

My GOTM goes to World of Final Fantasy (PS4) and unless The Last Guardian is something spectacular ( not gonna happen ) then it will probably also be my GOTY.

 

I've finished 107 games so far this year. I'm not far off beating my tally from last year....

Edited by Hero-of-Time

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Managed to sneak in a few more games yesterday to finish off November. First up, I finished up Beyond Good & Evil HD. I’m a massive fan of this game, loved it years ago when it was released and it still saddens me that it never took off as it should have. I’m definitely part of the cult following of this game and I’ve been waiting for what seems like an eternity for the sequel, though I’m happy to see that it is now actively being worked on. Where it ends up platform wise is another question but hopefully it’ll be as wide spread as possible.

 

Anyway, back to this. It felt great to be back in Hillys and experiencing that world again. Obviously, it’s not as fleshed out and fully realised as anyone would want, least of all the developers, but there’s something captivating about it. Maybe it’s the look of the game, maybe the soundtrack which is just beautiful (it’s the first soundtrack I went out and got hold of as some of the piano pieces are some of the best pieces I’ve heard in a game to date), I don’t know but there’s something about it that makes me just want to stay and soak it all in.

 

The narrative is something I enjoyed first time around and while it definitely speeds along and jumps here and there, it’s still enjoyable now. Shady government overseeing the running of planet, undercover journalist/photographer seeking truth and the inevitable uprising of the people against their leaders, with a tinge of otherworldly-ness about it. All the makings are there for something great and it doesn’t disappoint. But what makes it more engaging are the characters, more so those of the cast around you rather than the adversary, who are written expertly and some of my favourites ever. The little bits of banter from Pey’J and Double H are brilliant and endear you to them and Jade furthers this and instantly acts as a window to the emotions of what’s happening with ease. I was amazed at how well it still stands up now. I’d maybe like for more of an explanation of the overarching themes and plot lines but hopefully that’s something that’ll be taken care of in the coming sequel/reboot.

 

Though it’s been upscaled to HD, the game is definitely showing its age and a plethora of warts in this day and age. The camera was a real bug bear for me throughout my playthrough, the menu system is a bit too unintuitive, graphical glitches (you can actually see the main menu floating out to see when on the hovercraft) as well as some sound glitches (more often than not the music would suddenly stop and you’d be playing in silence for the majority of it. Don’t remember that in the original so maybe something in the port hasn’t gone quite right). The controls are also a bit fiddly.

 

That’s quite a list of issues with the game and yet, I still came away from it having enjoyed it immensely. Such is the legacy of the game that good characters and writing, a beautiful art style and a soundtrack that is every bit as beautiful now as it was then. It’s got me itching to get back into that world even though I’ve just finished. Brilliant game and definitely worth every second spent in that world, warts and all.

 

With Sonic Generations not really sitting too well with me (one half is too floaty, the other just doesn’t really control well 3D or 2d wise), I decided to pick up Sonic the Hedgehog 2 through the PS3 store as it made me really want to play through this again. I haven’t played this in over a decade but have fond memories of playing this constantly growing up as a kid so I jumped at the chance to play it. And it certainly didn’t disappoint.

 

While I love Sonic CD and Sonic 3 and Knuckles, playing this has reminded me just how good the game is and the level design; I actually think this is perhaps my favourite Sonic game. The levels are brilliant, every one of them is a standout. Metropolis, Hilltop, Oil Ocean, Wing Fortress, you name it they’re all superbly designed. My only issue is with the mantis bots in the Metropolis Zone at the top of ledges knocking you down but even that couldn’t take the smile off of my face. Part of it comes down to the look of the game but also that soundtrack.

 

Death Egg still gave me some trouble and I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it last night but thanks to save states, I managed to put it to bed. It’s just a shame that the frame rate drops so often, seems to be an issue with the way Sega/BackBone have put together the Vintage Collection on the downloadable stores (apparently the Ultimate Megadrive Collection disc versions are fine).

 

Still, even putting aside pure nostalgia, it was great to play through the game again and makes me wish for more like this rather than the modern 3D Sonics we seem to be getting. Hopefully Sonic Mania can be more like this.

 

Finally, I managed to finish up Broforce as well late last night. I’d played a load of this at the start of the year, thanks to the game being a PS+ title, but I put it down and didn’t come back to it due to so many other games coming along. So decided it was time to see it through to the finish and after what seemed like forever, I managed to finish liberating the last country in the campaign last night but it really was starting to grate.

 

The run and gun action was brilliant, simplistically done but with the huge cast of characters and the randomised order you play as them, there’s a lot of variety in how you go about slaughtering your way through armies both living and dead. Throw in destructible environments, environmental hazards and a whole host of enemies who can kill you at the drop of a hat, and you have what starts out easy going turning into an onslaught of madness.

 

Enemies get thrown at your left, right and centre and it’s your job to work your way through them to the end stage, killing everything in sight. Guns, grenades, swords, lasers, dynamite and even martini glasses are just some of the weapons you’ll have access to as you fight your way through to the end, all of them character specific. As you play, you’ll rescue captured allies who in turn grant you access to more characters. From the likes of Rambro and Brominator, you’ll quickly unlock the likes of Brode (Kill Bill’s Bride), James Brond, and Brodator as well as pretty much every action hero from a movie past and present. A particular highlight that I enjoyed was unlocking the Brofessional, a nod to the movie Leon.

 

The game plays really well and puts up a stern challenge, one that you’ll have to adapt to otherwise you’ll quickly find yourself playing the same sections over and over again. It does begin to sag towards the end as levels become a bit too frantic for their own good and stretch out further than they needed to. The last level in particular seemed to go on forever and by the end of it, I was just happy to have finished the game as it really had become a slog, especially with the amount of slowdown that was happening from all the chaos.

A fun game, and an example of something I wouldn’t normally have picked up but thanks to PS+, I got a chance to play it.

 

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

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

Battlefield 1

Beyond Good & Evil HD (PS3)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PS3)

Broforce

 

 

So with that, I've completed 76 games so far this year. Think I'll take it a bit slower for the remainder of the year so only aiming to hit 80 as my total for the year, so 4 more games which is easy enough. Likelihood is that the only big game I'll be picking up is Steep but may get The Last Guardian if I have the money available.

 

As to what I'm playing next, I've still got Watch Dogs 2 to go back to and recently picked up Inside thanks to the digital flash sale on the PSN store so looking forward to playing that. Probably throw in finishing up Grim Fandango Remastered if I can be bothered suffering through the rest of it and finishing Walking Dead - Season 2 with plenty of Titanfall 2 and a bit of Battlefield 1 multiplayer.

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After taking a bit of a break from gaming over the last month, I decided it was time to play through some of the NES Classics that I've never beaten on the NES Mini. The hardware itself is great but as everyone else has mentioned that cord is way too short, thankfully though extension cables are quite cheap on ebay so I've been able to enjoy the games from a comfortable distance away from my TV.

 

First up I played Kid Icarus. I've tried to play through it before but I've never given it a concerted effort, dying constantly on the first level when I bought it on the Wii virtual console years ago so I knew I was in for a frustrating time. I persevered through a few deaths on the first level before getting the hang of things and I definitely started to have fun with it as I made my way through the game. Without save states though I don't think I would have been able to finish it and I was still frustrated by its imprecise movement and rudimentary mechanics.

 

I had a much better time with Castlevania, a series I have always intended to try but my only experience with it is the first GBA game which I enjoyed playing a lot when I was younger but never completed due to its antiquated password system. Castlevania certainly suffers from some of the problems that are present in Kid Icarus, but you feel much more in control of your characters fate. There were some truly unfair aspects to the game, like not being able to differentiate between background and foreground in some parts and being knocked to my death from one hit despite standing right in the middle of the platform, but they were issues that I could avoid through trial and error. I expected the game to be a bit of a challenge but didn't expect some of the boss fights to be quite so difficult. I can't decide which of the Grim Reaper or Dracula was the toughest, but I felt pretty pleased after beating both of them.

 

I'm not sure whether to press right on with 'Castlevania II' now or to cool it on the NES titles and play through something else on my backlog.

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Ended up on a bit of a free-to-play binge on the PS4 recently (which is now set to continue with LET IT DIE), starting off with controversial perv simulator, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. :heh:

When I discovered that a free version of the game was available in English on the Hong Kong PS Store (not to mention a bunch of demos for various Yakuza and Miku games :awesome:) I decided to create a HK account and check it out.

 

Anyway, the F2P version is the full game (if you can call it that) other than only being able to select Kasumi, and you don't have access to the casino.

 

Apart from the volleyball and a few mini-games, it is basically nothing more than watching the girls from DoA in various bikinis (some of which can randomly explode :laughing:) doing ridiculously stupid and often hilarious things, so it doesn't take very long to finish a vacation and see the credits.

The attention to detail in the character models and their *cough* movement, is impressive though, and the fact there's an entire system for creating accurate tan-lines is mental.

The guys at Team Ninja must have had a right laugh making this.

 


90%[/hr]

Next up is Hustle Kings.

Not much to say about this one really, it's just pool. :hehe:

Looks nice though and plays well (with the exception of shaking the controller to chalk your cue, which almost never wants to work for some reason :hmm:) and it's free, so can't complain.

 

A nice game to have installed on the PS4 for those not sure what to play moments, or when waiting for a download to finish. :)

 


90%[/hr]

Next is Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 Trial Edition.

Had previously played the demo for PES2017 and was planning to pick up the full game at some point, but now that a F2P version has appeared (and I've also discovered that I suck at the game by getting destroyed in online play) I'll probably just stick with this. :hehe:

 

You can play several matches online each day with what appears to be any team, and an unlimited amount of offline matches with a restricted team selection, plus there's an in-depth training mode.

 

It's amazing just how far 3D football games have come since the good old days of ISS on the N64/GCN, it all feels so much more dynamic and natural now thanks to the improvements in physics. It also means it's much more difficult to be good though, which is a big problem for me. :grin:

 


90%[/hr]

And finally we have Overwatch.

Which unlike all the games I mentioned above obviously isn't F2P, but I was introduced to it thanks to a free weekend on PSN. ;)

 

Wow. What a great game!

Such a diverse set of characters and playstyles really make this a lot of fun to play, even for those of us that aren't very good at first-person shooters. :D

I love how much opportunity there is for last minute comebacks, and just how unpredictable matches can be in general.

 

The presentation is also superb, character animation in particular is just sensational! Some Pixar level quality going on here, and that's really nice to see in a video game.

 

Slightly annoying how you unlock the customisation elements randomly, and also quite slowly though. Also, the complete lack of single player or any form of offline mode isn't great. I mean come on, you have to be online to practice against AI?! What the hell is that all about? :blank:

 

But anyway, with the potential for many hours of online multiplayer fun, Overwatch has been a great buy at 25 quid.

 


90%[/hr]

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%

OlliOlli (3DS/Wii U)

Paper Mario: Color Splash (Wii U)

in November:____________

The Deadly Tower of Monsters (PS4+)

MHbUwnT.gifDead or Alive Xtreme 3 F2P ver. (PS4)

MHbUwnT.gifHustle Kings (PS4)

MHbUwnT.gifPro Evolution Soccer 2017 Trial Edition (PS4)

MHbUwnT.gifOverwatch (PS4)

in December:____________

-

 

Total: 42

 

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)

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 (PS4)

Crypt of the NecroDancer (PS4)

LET IT DIE (PS4)

 

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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With recent news of Final Fantasy XV receiving some major updates in the future I've decided to stop playing and wait for them.

 

What to play now? I've recently started Minecraft: Story Mode and made my way through chapter 1 and 2. Will definitely finish this soon, hopefully during the weekend.

 

After that I'll most likely get the Platinum for Dishonored - Definitive Edition : peace:

 

Currently Playing

____________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Multiplayer (PS4)

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

 

Minecraft: Story Mode (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) IDbttgi.gif

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

Dishonored - Definitive Edition (PS4)

My Name is Mayo (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

The Deadly Tower of Monsters (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

 

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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Finished up Watch Dogs 2 last night

 

It's a little difficult to explain, playing as Marcus for most of the game was decent. Would i say he's better in terms of character than Aiden, it's tricky. Both have faults, and both have positives. The game itself, it's virtually the same task over and over again. Which got repetitive. Missions are roughly "Go to x location, hack a box. Solve a puzzle to unlock the box/computer, take the data and escape.". That's about it, with a few minor changes to make it seem fresh. You could use the drone and remote car to access areas, but ultimately the missions were too samey for my liking.

 

However, there are multiple ways to clear missions, but most ended up getting the same result.

 

San Francisco as a location, great for the game. The characters are certainly more joyful and pleasant this time around. And i liked the ability to print your own weapons, that was interesting.

 

The final few missions can be a little tough to complete without a largely upgraded stun facility, but most of the time i ended up calling in rival gangs to do the dirty work. One mission, you end up in a rocket silo and have to upload a chipped motherboard so you can control satellites. Can be a tough mission, but easier using a giant cargo container and remote control car.

 

There was a character death, but afterwards there's hardly a mention, which is strange.

 

There are many updates in the game to improve the hacking. You can hack multiple people to cause a mass distraction, call in fake police calls to arrest people, call in gangs to initiate a rival gang shoot-out. Some of these were fun at times, other times a little iffy.

 

 

Overall, a decent follow-up to the 1st. Better location, and a more lively city than Chicago. But a few flaws lets it down for me, and it felt like a chore at times to play.

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I just finished two very frustrating games, Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES and Dementium Remastered on the 3DS. First up was Super Mario Bros 2, a game that I had played when I was a kid but never got much further than the second or third level. Even considering it as just a reskin of Doki Doki Panic and not a Mario game it's still flat out a bad game that is designed to frustrate rather to be enjoyed. I lost count of the times I got stuck on the scenery, the repetition of the same boss fights at the end of every level is tedious and the game is horrible to look at - the horrific frame rate when multiple enemies are onscreen and the waterfall backgrounds being the most glaring examples. It was a real chore to finish, but I felt like I owed it to myself to complete it to have a better understanding of the Mario franchise, I can't imagine i'll ever want to play the game again though.

 

I have similar feelings about Dementium Remastered, it was similarly buggy and awkward to play through because of the antiquated control system which rendered boss fights either frustrating or tedious. The sound design walks a fine line between creepy and irritating, the banshees are definitely frightening the first time you encounter them but their screams quickly become grating. The music is also interesting at first but soon becomes annoyingly repetitive. As the game starts out it feels like a hollow homage to Silent Hill, and Renegade Kid definitely wear their influences on their sleeves but seem to have taken the worst aspects from Silent Hill (the combat and poor control) to make a frustrating and empty amalgamation. I remember being intrigued by Renegade Kid's Moon for the DS but never got around to playing it, but after playing through Dementium any interest I had in playing it has disappeared.

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Picked up a few games in the recent PSN digital sale on the PS4 and finished them up over the last week and a bit. Wasn’t left with much to choose from having picked up the main digital titles on offer when they were released but still managed to get 1 or 2 games that were enjoyable.

 

First up, I finished up Asemblance, including getting all the different endings (admittedly using a guide for these but giving the specific nature of some of the criteria needed for one or two, I feel you’d be hard pressed to come across these without any assistance). It’s a game that I thought sounded interesting from the little bits I’d heard about it but the end result is an experience that left me feeling hard done by even at the sale price it was bought at.

It’s aimed at being a narrative experience first and foremost, positioning it alongside games like Virginia, Dear Esther and other games of that ilk.

 

Unfortunately, it comes nowhere close to matching either of those games, falling well and truly short of providing the types of strong narratives these games can bring to the table. Very little is explained from the get go and the drips and drabs you’ll grab hold of are few and far flung meaning that even when you start to grasp some of what’s happening, you’ll still be left with a million and one questions.

 

Essentially, you work as a scientist who has found a way to record memories and relive them through entering into a simulation room. Along the way, you’ll figure out that your son has died and in the grief, you’ve thrown yourself into work leaving your wife to cope with things on her own. The overarching significance of the memories you’ll encounter is never presented and the information gleamed through hearing the AI speak to you about them does nothing to fill the gaps. What could be a heavy hitting and emotional experience feels like Swiss cheese as there are so many holes in it.

 

As an experience, it falls well short and as a game, it’s done all it has to show in about an hour (with a guide for the 3 “secret” endings) and leaves very little lasting impression. There’s a fine line between allowing a narrative experience to unfold in the players mind and one which just doesn’t coalesce due to hubris on the developers part and this, despite what could have been an interesting premise, falls into the latter.

 

Next up, needing something to cleanse my palate, I decided to pick up Catlateral Damage as a way to unwind (especially after recent personal events) and also because it’s a nice simple platinum. There’s not much to the game, you play a cat that swats things off of tables, bookshelves and other places onto the floor before jumping into your box to sleep and end a level. It’s as simple as that really and while I wouldn’t play it for any length of time now that I have the platinum, it was still an enjoyable if silly game. There’s something cathartic about trashing an entire room and getting every single item out of the cupboards and such onto the floor. Likewise, seeing the amount of cash damage go up as you trash a museum similarly scratches that same itch.

 

An objective mode challenges you to hit a target for objects on the floor before the time runs out, giving bonuses for knocking over specific items, with scratch posts and toys giving upgrades to speed, jump and swatting abilities, while a litterbox mode (effectively a sandbox mode) lets you wreak havoc to your heart’s content. Hidden photos and random events (such as a mouse being released, free upgrades and a disco event) spice things up and give some reason to keep coming back, as do the randomly generated levels.

 

All in all, a simple yet enjoyable game and it definitely cleansed away the after taste left from Asemblance.

 

The sale also gave me a chance to finally pick up a game I’ve been wanting to try for a couple of months now but with having picked up other things around it, I never got to it. That game is Inside, the follow up to Limbo by Playdead and having finished the experience, I have to say I absolutely loved it, probably more so than their previous game.

 

Much has been made of the game being Limbo 2.0 and on the surface, many of the same designs and mechanics are still in play. It’s a game where not a single word is spoken, no sign of any extant narrative, yet it draws heavily on several key themes throughout to create a moving and deeply engrossing game just as that title did.

 

This time around, there’s a bit more of a grey area with regards to the events happening but themes of conformity and control are explicitly present throughout the game and Playdead masterfully play on these with their gameplay mechanics and early moments come back to the forefront the further you get in the game and are presented in a completely different light. One early moment that seems completely innocuous has you solving a puzzle by manipulating tiny creatures in a barn. In the early stages of the game, the significance of this isn’t really clear but as you play, it poses reflective questions over whether you’re simply doing that others are doing around you and ultimately whether you’re any better for doing it.

 

Where Limbo had the Spider as an antagonist for much of the game, this doesn’t present that one clear conflict throughout the game, besides the more metaphysical question of the conflict of a game character with AI doing what you as the player are telling it to do. From the off, you’ll be chased by all manner of guard dogs and guards with guns, both of which will happily kill you. As you progress, some of these are removed and not really replaced (though a mid-game change to a light sensitive foe does well to ramp up the adrenaline) but the perils of progressing through a subterranean facility are still very much at the forefront of the game. Drowning, long drops, robots who’ll Taser you, and heavy objects are just some of the things you’ll have to deal with on your way to the end and while it may not present the level or depth of perilous hazards that Limbo does, there’s definitely still plenty here to halt your progress.

 

Fewer hazards is apparent throughout, though, making the game somewhat simpler than that game. The same kind of physics based puzzles are at play here but there seems to be fewer timing based ones and more which don’t penalise you for not getting it right first time. The game does make heavy use of water in places, with a submarine available to pilot through some of these sections and some interesting puzzles that turn gravity on its head. This might not be to everyone’s taste but it ultimately allows for a better experience I feel and the key themes are made more prominent throughout as a result.

 

Restraint seems to be something apparent through much of the game’s design, with the visuals also hitting on this. Environments are now 3D, some giving a depth of field effect from which enemies will come, but while they are well detailed, the characters are deliberately restrained in their detail, a juxtaposition against the locations you’ll wander and a personification of conformity and de-individuality. Music is hushed in tone and much like the visuals, perfectly suits what’s happening and the overarching themes creating a weirdly beautiful game.

 

The game’s ending may also wrinkle a few people, as it’s not overly strong (at least the standard ending, collecting all of the hidden collectibles supposedly yields a stronger ending to cap things off) but I felt it wrapped things up nicely. It may not stay with me as much as the themes of the game and that’s maybe what was intended. It’s definitely stuck in my mind and from my experience, I found it to be a deeply captivating game. It takes the template of the previous title, strips it back somewhat and in doing so, creates a fantastic game that poses some bigger than life questions. Easily one of my favourite games this year.

 

Finally, I played through Trine: Enchanted Edition. I picked this up ages ago and stopped playing as I wasn’t enjoying it. It didn’t click with me and even having finished it now, there’s still things about it that don’t sit well with me, such as the platforming and move(ment)s of some of the characters. There’s some loose narrative here but for the life of me, I don’t know what it was as I wasn’t really paying attention and it didn’t seem to impinge on my play through of it.

 

It’s an action platformer with some light puzzles and a handful of frustration from some iffy mechanics, such as levelling and upgrading moves which doesn’t seem to impact the gameplay much and equipping items which have some small effects to health and mana use. Having 3 characters at your disposal (a thief with bow, a wizard and a knight), you work your way through the levels mixing up the moves of each of these to reach the end, with little to no deviation from this. While the characters all had their uses for certain areas, I found myself simply opting for the thief as that was the most movable and agile character to progress through the stages. A bit more exploration of the different characters with some character specific puzzles might have helped enlighten me to the wizard or the knight more but when it seemed that it would happen, it just didn’t come along.

 

It was an ok game but nothing great. Luckily, I have the second which I heard is the better one so hopefully some of the issues I had with this are ironed out in that.

 

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

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

Battlefield 1

Beyond Good & Evil HD (PS3)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PS3)

Broforce

 

December[/b]

Asemblance

Catlateral Damage (Platinum)

Inside

Trine: Enchanted Edition

 

 

With 80 hit, I'm now looking at taking it easy and finishing up a few games released this year that might factor into any top 10 lists for the year. So I've been putting some time into Watch Dogs 2 which is still proving finicky but not too bad so far. Thinking about the games this year, there's a hell of a lot of indie/smaller dev titles that have really been up there with the big guns so choosing a top 10 for 2016 is going to be tricky.

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Finished Minecraft: Story Mode (at least Episodes 1-5) and got its Platinum. Episode 5 was by far the best. But that's not to say the first 4 were bad.

 

Looking forward to Episodes 6, 7 and 8. Hope they are more like the self-contained story in Episode 5.

 

Just seen that @Hero\-of\-Time got the Platinum for Odin Sphere which reminded me that I need to get back to that. Think this will be the next game I'll finish while also playing Minecraft: Story Mode : peace:

 

Currently Playing

____________________________________

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Multiplayer (PS4)

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

 

Minecraft: Story Mode (PS4) Episodes 6-8

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir (PSVita)

 

 

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) IDbttgi.gif

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

Dishonored - Definitive Edition (PS4)

My Name is Mayo (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

The Deadly Tower of Monsters (PS4) IDbttgi.gif

 

December

________________________________________________

Minecraft: Story Mode (PS4) Episodes 1-5 IDbttgi.gif

 

 

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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As @drahkon mentioned, I finished and got the platinum for Odin Sphere (PS4). I started playing this in July but only played a couple of levels and then got side tracked by The a Division and Monster Hunter around that time. I was looking at my trophy list to see what games I needed to go back to and this seemed like a good choice.

 

I really enjoyed playing through this. I thought it would become a bit of a slog as you have to finish the game 5 times to get all the trophies, but luckily each of the characters play differently and have different move sets. It took a while to get used to using the fairy character ( she shoots stuff instead of using hand to hand ) but she eventually became my favorite.

 

The game looks absolutely gorgeous but I guess that's to be expected when it comes from Vanillaware. The animations are also great to look at and everything is beautifully drawn.

 

Next up I decided to finally finish off the Jak and Daxter trilogy. I've played the first game many times, I finished Jak II for the first time last year and now it was time to play Jak III (PS3).

 

I've never played a game made by Naughty Dog that I've hated but this game bucked that trend. The game felt shallow, cheap and rushed. Many of the locations from the second game had been reused, missions weren't really thought out and felt disjointed and the car sections were stuff of nightmares.

 

The game has you doing loads of driving missions in the wasteland area. These are a nightmare for a multitude of reasons.

 

The way the cars handle is absolutely shocking. Hit a rock and your car will fly all over the place. An enemy car will hit you and you will fly all over the place. Run over a grain of sand and your car will fly all over the place. It was infuriating. I would be driving straight, on a flat bit of land, and the car would start turning and then flip. I'm usually pretty calm when playing games but this really pushed me to the edge.

 

A lot of these missions are time based. This made them even more frustrating than they already were. Not only did you have to try and handle the awful car physics, you had to do it within a set time. Failed the mission? You have to start right at the beginning again. Some of these missions are around 5 mins long and to be screwed out of victory time and time again due to awful handling was so annoying.

 

The enemy AI cars in these missions are fit with guns. They don't really need them because all they seem to be programmed to do is ram you. There you are, racing towards the next marker as the time ticks by, when all of a sudden numerous enemies just plough into you.

 

It's sad to see how the series declined into this. The first game was a masterpiece of platforming but ND, along with many other developers at the time, seen the effect GTA3 had on the industry and ditched the platforming for a more GTA style for Jak II. With this game, ND went even further and had you mostly just driving around the place, with very little platforming needed. I guess this is where Jak X eventually came from.

 

I pushed through the frustrations and finished the game and got the platinum this morning. It was one of those games that I was glad to be finished with.

 

With both these games done, this left my platinum tally at 149. It was time to go back to Final Fantasy XV, do a couple hours of fishing to max that skill up, and after that I unlocked my final trophy. This made FFXV my 150th platinum, just as I had planned. :D

 

I plan on starting the Telltale Batman (PS4)game next. I picked it up yesterday as the final episode is out on Tuesday. By the time that rolls around I should have played through the first four.

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First up was Super Mario Bros 2, a game that I had played when I was a kid but never got much further than the second or third level. Even considering it as just a reskin of Doki Doki Panic and not a Mario game it's still flat out a bad game that is designed to frustrate rather to be enjoyed. I lost count of the times I got stuck on the scenery, the repetition of the same boss fights at the end of every level is tedious and the game is horrible to look at - the horrific frame rate when multiple enemies are onscreen and the waterfall backgrounds being the most glaring examples. It was a real chore to finish, but I felt like I owed it to myself to complete it to have a better understanding of the Mario franchise, I can't imagine i'll ever want to play the game again though.

 

I played through this a couple of weeks ago and in moments had similar thoughts, but overall far more positive than you, adds a lot to the series and has some great ideas. But yeah, the design definitely irritated me, really cheap death and enemy spawn points to make it "hard" but is just cheap and frustrated. I'm playing through all the marios and the 1st and 3rd don't need to resort to such cheapness.

 

Mario 1 is still the best too :)

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I finished and nabbed the platinum for Batman: A Telltale Series (PS4) this morning. The final episode went up at midnight and I just happened to wake up at 4am, so downloaded it and done it before work this morning.

 

Brilliant stuff. While i'm not a DC fan ( Marvel FTW ), I do enjoy certain characters from that Universe, Batman being one of them. I really enjoyed the setting and characters used in this series. Luckily they stuck with people i'm familiar with within the Batman world.

 

All the way through the game I tried my best to stop Harvey from turning into Two Face. There is a moment where you had to make a choice of saving him or saving Selina. I figured Catwoman can handle herself and decided to save Harvey. A lad at work made the other choice and said Harvey was left with a burn on half of his face, whereas my Harvey just had a black eye.

 

I thought I had done enough to stop him from turning but the more I played the more I realised that he was always going to end up as Two Face, even if I had saved his looks. Once he had caught me sleeping with Selina I knew he was gonna snap.

 

I was quite surprised how dark the story was at times, especially when everything came out about Bruce's father. The guy was a nasty piece of work. The scene where he drugged Oz's mother was quite disturbing. Most of my choices were me trying to make amends for fathers actions and telling people I wasn't like him.

 

It was great to see the Joker in the game, even if it was just a small role. The way they have left it though suggests he will have a bigger part to play, of course that's only if they do a second season.

 

The Viki Vale revelation was a bit of a shocker. What really turned my head was the abuse she suffered at the hands of her foster parents. That was so messed up and dark. You can kinda understand the actions she decided to take during the course of the game.

 

 

The final episode could do with a patch. The first chapter ran awfully, with the framerate jumping all over the place. There was also a part where I was fighting a guy and I could only see his eyes and teeth. Shocking, but hilarious, glitch. :D

 

It's been great talking about my decisions with the lad at work who has also been playing it. Another mate of mine is also playing it and will be wrapping things up today. I look forward to his texts to see what choices he made.

 

Overall I really enjoyed the game. I have certainly become a big fan of Telltales stuff over the course of this year and can't wait for all the Guardians of the Galaxy and Walking Dead Season 3 episodes to be released.

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Spent much of the past month playing Pokemon Moon. Marathoned the story from start to finish in a week and then spent another week or so doing post game activities before resorting to completing the Pokedex. Despite taking a week to complete I very much enjoyed the game and it might just be my new favourite game in the series.

 

After that, went back to Legend of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons. I started this game quite a while ago but never got to the 6th dungeon, with the reasons being I was literally clueless as to where to find the gems that allow you to unlock the gate. However, with the help of a guide I found these gems and then proceeded to play all the way until the end of the game, including the Twinrova and Ganon fights as I had completed Oracle of Ages before this game. The final phase against Onox was way better than the Veran fight, and very challenging too with some of his attacks being very difficult to avoid in the 2D plane. It's probably the most unique final fight in the Zelda series.

 

My next task will be to go back to Final Fantasy X and continue that game.

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The final episode could do with a patch. The first chapter ran awfully, with the framerate jumping all over the place. There was also a part where I was fighting a guy and I could only see his eyes and teeth. Shocking, but hilarious, glitch. :D

 

 

Pretty sure that's supposed to happen. It's part of the backstory as to where Two Face got his other face from.

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Finished Episode 6 of Minecraft: Story Mode. It was a weird one. Good at times but it didn't tap its full potential.

Also: Those guest YouTubers suck at voice acting. Would've been much better with real actors.

 

I really enjoyed playing through this. I thought it would become a bit of a slog as you have to finish the game 5 times to get all the trophies, but luckily each of the characters play differently and have different move sets.

 

Made my way through what was left for me to play of Gwendolyn and I'm almost done with the second character.

It already became a bit of a slog to me...it's just way too easy and there is no real variety with enemies. Playing on hard isn't challenging at all. ::shrug:

 

It is incredibly beautiful, though and the fighting is fun at times. I just wish there was more variety.

 

I'll keep playing but I doubt I'll finish this anytime soon.

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Finished and platinumed Color Guardians (PS4) this afternoon. This is another PS+ gem. It's an auto runner where you have to collect coloured orbs. You can only pick up the orb if you are the same colour as it. You have to keep moving lanes and switching colours to get a high score and reach the end of each level.

 

Some of the stages and boss fights really pushed me to the limits. I had to keep switching colours and moving lanes stupidly fast, all the while I had to keep an eye on what was coming my way. Still, I managed to get to grips with these stages and keep up with them. Nice to see my reflexes are still going strong in my old age. :)

 

The trophy for defeating the final boss without taking a hit was a massive pain. It's hard to predict what he's gonna do as the coloured attacks he pulls off are random. I was on an hour, constantly retrying, but couldn't do it. I decided to go for a run to clear my head and had another crack at it once I got back. Done it first time after that. :D

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Finished and platinumed Color Guardians (PS4) this afternoon. This is another PS+ gem.

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed it : peace: My girlfriend played the first few levels a couple of days ago but it's way too stressful for her :laughing:

 

How long did it take you to get the Platinum? Doable on Christmas Eve? :D

 

 

Just finished Episode 7 of Minecraft: Story Mode. After the a little bit lackluster previous Episode this one was awesome. Not the most original idea for the plot but it worked and was fun. :)

I'll tackle the final Episode over the weekend.

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