Posted October 3, 2016 September was a bit of a slow month for me but managed to sneak in one final game for the month last Wed/Thurs in the form of Remember Me on the PS3. I'd played it before on the 360 and enjoyed what was a flawed but very interesting game. Obviously, in moving to having a PS4, I no longer have that console or the game but as the missus has a PS3, I got hold of a copy on the cheap a couple of months back and finally put the time in to finish it last week. And despite showing a bit of age in light of more recent games, it's still very much a title I enjoyed from start to finish. Created by Dontnod, the team behind Life Is Strange, the game sees you playing as a memory hunter named Nilin in a near future where technology has allowed for the possibility of memories to be bought and sold on a whim; now a precious commodity, the people now pursue memories and thoughts that they haven't experienced before thanks to Sensen technology. You'll pick up as Nilin being detained in La Bastille, the old French fortress refitted for a modern purpose: to erase the memories of those committing crimes and hold them in a personality-less state until they are fit to return to the world. Upon escaping, with some help from an unknown partner, you'll go about re-righting all the wrongs that this new technology has brought upon Neo-Paris. With a few twists and turns thrown in story wise, it's enough to maintain attention here but those twists are things you can see coming and some further exploration of the detrimental effects that are happening as a result of the technology could have been better explored to give a stronger motive for what you're doing. The game takes its cues from the likes of Assassin's Creed, Uncharted and, to a lesser extent, Batman in how it plays. You'll indulge in some basic parkour, shimmying along ledges and up and down drain pipes, encounter a handful of cinematic moments and engage in quite a bit of combat with humans, robots and leapers. The game doesn't exactly handle this breadth of gameplay as well as it could and now, in 2016, as opposed to in 2013, it feels a bit disjointed and a bit clunky, especially in how your character moves. The combat adds some intrigue in allowing you to customise the combos you use, giving you the option to focus on more attacking power, healing abilities or helping to speed up the cooldown on your special attacks by changing the square and triangle button types in the combos. It's a nice idea but again, it doesn't quite come off as it should do and the limit of only 4 combos (and about 16 or so buttons to place) holds it back a bit and doesn't really allow for much experimenting. It's something that, with a bit more finesse, could be refined and turned into something really good. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game comes in the form of the memory remixes which you'll engage in a handful of times through the game. These see you entering a person's memory through their Sensen and watching a particular memory play out before rewinding it and altering it to come to a different end. It's handled better than the other elements of the gameplay and seeing the little changes you make build up and amount to something much bigger is both harrowing but thrilling at the same time. It's a shame then that the occurrence of this part of the game is so minimal, despite several moments where you'll overload someone's memory throughout play. Being too heavy handed with it would kill the enjoyment of this aspect, I understand, so maintaining that enjoyment factor has been done brilliantly. I'd just have liked a bit more of it though. And that could be seen as the lasting memory of the game: wanting a bit more from it. The sum of its parts don't quite create the cohesive end result that Dontnod probably wanted where some additional tweaking and refinement could have greatly help to allow the idea to better coalesce. It carries a good message about the growth of technology and the notion of keeping ambition in check and if it could have nailed the gameplay a bit more, as it does so brilliantly with the art design (Neo-Paris looks great as do some of the glitch-y effects) and the soundtrack (again, a beautiful mix of orchestral and glitch-y sounds), it would be a true gem for last gen. As it is, with this PS3 port which stutters here and there, it's a gem in the rough but still worth a go at 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 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 - All episodes Remember Me (PS3) So with that, I hit the 60 mark for titles completed this year. I've smashed my 30 of last year. As for what's next, The Last of Us Remastered has resumed now that I'm back home from house sitting for a relative, as has Deus Ex Mankind Divided. And I'm toying with getting Dear Esther and Virginia on the PS4 but we'll see how that goes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 3, 2016 Well I've finally got round to setting my consoles up again... 3 months after having packed them away! Even though I'll not be gaming anywhere near as much as I used to, it's a nice little setup with all 3 home consoles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 3, 2016 I also started playing Harmoknight (3DS). I snapped it up thanks to a discount from My Nintendo and i've been wanting to play this for a while now. Sadly, the wait has not been worth it. Personally, the real staying power of Harmoknight comes from trying to get high scores. There's a couple of hidden techniques to maximise your score, such as hitting the percussion targets in the background and charging up your weapon before swinging. It can get really tough there. But apart from that, there's much else to it. Maybe you should just ask me if I enjoyed a game from now on? Save you the trouble if I did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 4, 2016 Replayed Tomb Raider on the PS4 in prep for RotTR next week. As good as ever, loved the combat and the upgrading of skills. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 4, 2016 I finally beat that ridiculous pachinko machine in Super Mario Sunshine Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 4, 2016 I finally beat that ridiculous pachinko machine in Super Mario Sunshine I don't see why you're angry, it's a testament to high-quality game physics. There is nothing wrong with how the Pachinko Machine in Sunshine works... Nothing at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 4, 2016 I've played a few games over the last couple of weeks after beating 'Red Dead Redemption', first on my list was The Rivers Of Alice on Wii U. Before playing the game I wasn't aware that it started life as a mobile game, I first learned about it just browsing the eShop one night and loved the art style so thought it would be my kind of thing. It's definitely charming with beautiful art and some nice music and puzzles but it's frustratingly slow and obtuse at times. The controls are clunky and it's clear from playing through the game that it wasn't built for buttons from the start, there were also some issues with the engine as I encountered a glitch with the sound where notes from the musical flowers would loop incessantly until I moved to another screen as if they were being processed through a delay pedal. It's a fun little game though and I finished it in a single sitting of less than two hours, a solid 5/10 and a classic case of charming but awkward indie game. I bought Retro City Rampage for 3DS as part of the Nintendo Humble Bundle earlier in the year so thought it was time I played through it. I hadn't read much about the game so I just expected a more in depth version of the original GTA with the odd nod to retro gaming, so I wasn't fully expecting it to be so full on in regards to its references and gameplay. If you buy into the games sarcastic and referential tone then I'm sure it can be a really enjoyable experience but for me it always seemed like it was trying too hard to be zany and offbeat and the gameplay for me wasn't ever really any fun, especially in the absurdly difficult closing section of the games main story when it's conceit that 'retro games were hard' is taken to ridiculous extremes. I was also frustrated by the inconsistency of check points during missions, some would have dozens whereas others wouldn't have any which made it a chore to try and complete some of the tougher missions. I know some people love the game but I don't think its for me. The last game I completed was Metroid Prime 2: Echoes which I really enjoyed. The environment and level design is really great, offering a lot of variety between different parts of Aether. It definitely felt like a tighter game than the first entry and a lot of the problems with it were solved in this, especially the inaccurate Grapple Beam which was a chore to use in the first game but much easier this time around. Combat against general enemies and some of the early bosses is more tedious than challenging though and the creature design for the most part is a bit bland, there a too many insects and not enough mammals, I liked the design of the Luminoth and Ing though. Because of the mechanic of the healing light rods you oddly feel more safe in the Dark World when taking on bosses as you don't have to worry about losing too much health, which takes some of the challenge out of the game. The last few boss battles were really great though and I felt a huge sense of relief when I finished off the Emperor Ing. The subsequent fight with Dark Samus was really good too, but I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to control Samus as she left Dark Aether but instead had to watch it in a cutscene. I'm looking forward to finishing up the Prime series but I think it's time to tackle 'Demon's Souls' next. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 4, 2016 A quiet September for me. Only managed to finish Sleeping Dogs - Definitive Edition and Ratchet and Clank (and get their Platinum trophies, too). Tough decision for my GOTM - September... Ratchet and Clank - A wonderfully charming game and easily the best 3D-platformer I've played in years. Have been playing FIFA 17 a lot since Friday Took a break from it just now to beat the final few story missions of Dragon Quest Heroes. Now I'll start on getting the Platinum. Won't rush it, though. Currently Playing ____________________________________ Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) Fifa 17 (PS4) Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) Completed ____________________________________ January ________________________________________________ Bastion (PS4/PSVita) Tearaway (PSVita) Transistor (PS4) Life is Strange (PS4) Ether One (PS4) Tales from the Borderlands (PS4) Defense Grid 2 (PS4) Grimd Fandango Remastered (PS4) Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4) Rogue Legacy (PSVita) "last-trophy-run" Dust: An Elysian Tale (PS4) February ________________________________________________ The Wolf Among Us (PS4) Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Prestige 2 Super Mario 3D World (WiiU) Peggle 2 (PS4) 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) Severed (PSVita) Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) acquired the Dark Matter Camouflage Table Top Racing: World Tour (PS4) The Walking Dead - Season 1 (PS4) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) 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) Furi (PS4) Enter the Gungeon (PS4) August ________________________________________________ Plague Inc. Evolved (PS4) Arcade Game Series: Pac-Man (PS4) Super Exploding Zoo (PS4/PSVita) The Talos Principle (PS4) Nioh - Beta Demo (PS4) Downwell (PS4/PSVita) September ________________________________________________ Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PS4) Ratchet & Clank (PS4) October ________________________________________________ Dragon Quest Heroes (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) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 5, 2016 My previous post may have acknowledged some recent frustration with Super Mario Sunshine but I'm curious to see if anyone else has played it in recent years..? For me, it's the only 3D Mario platformer that I haven't beat 100%, finishing the game on 96 shines back when it was originally released. It's a good game, no doubt, but my current playthrough highlights why I've never been back to find the remaining Shine Sprites as so many of them have been irritating to retrieve thus far. I've collected 42, including a couple I'm not sure I got over a decade ago, but I'm hoping I'll persevere this time and get all 120! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 5, 2016 My previous post may have acknowledged some recent frustration with Super Mario Sunshine but I'm curious to see if anyone else has played it in recent years..? For me, it's the only 3D Mario platformer that I haven't beat 100%, finishing the game on 96 shines back when it was originally released. It's a good game, no doubt, but my current playthrough highlights why I've never been back to find the remaining Shine Sprites as so many of them have been irritating to retrieve thus far. I've collected 42, including a couple I'm not sure I got over a decade ago, but I'm hoping I'll persevere this time and get all 120! Good luck on the Blue Coins. My save file got stuck on 117 Shines for the longest time because of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 Good luck on the Blue Coins. My save file got stuck on 117 Shines for the longest time because of them. Blue coins were one of the main reasons I never went for 100% in Super Mario Sunshine! I hadn't been feeling too bad about them this time and I was feeling more prepared to hunt them down than ever before but I discovered one yesterday from killing a random pokey and it has terrified me to think others might be so obtuse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 My previous post may have acknowledged some recent frustration with Super Mario Sunshine but I'm curious to see if anyone else has played it in recent years..? I tried playing it a couple of years back but didn't get that far at all. I think I only nabbed a couple of Shines. The camera is a nightmare to use these days and the fact that you can't change the way it moves killed any hope of me playing it. I got 100% back in the day but it's the only 3D Mario game that I have never revisited. It was a bit of a mess back then and playing it now these faults seem even worse. It's because of this that I would love a remake or remaster of the game. It needs some serious level of polish and tweeking to truly shine...no pun intended. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 Finally completed Halo 4 last night. I thought the story got better as it went on, I was a little bored at the beginning but thankfully it picked up. Unfortunately I did find that the last mission or two got very tedious. I'll probably wait a bit before I move onto Halo 5, might start that Mass Effect replay I've been planning instead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 I tried playing it a couple of years back but didn't get that far at all. I think I only nabbed a couple of Shines. The camera is a nightmare to use these days and the fact that you can't change the way it moves killed any hope of me playing it. I got 100% back in the day but it's the only 3D Mario game that I have never revisited. It was a bit of a mess back then and playing it now these faults seem even worse. It's because of this that I would love a remake or remaster of the game. It needs some serious level of polish and tweeking to truly shine...no pun intended. It definitely doesn't feel as polished as other Mario titles and I've already had quite a few moments where I've been pulling my hair out I also don't like how the hover nozzle of FLUDD gets replaced when you pick up another nozzle. Carrying all power-ups together could have opened up some really fun scenarios! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 The Blue Coins felt like a real cop-out disappointment to me. Never bothered with them at all and didn't feel too fussed - as you mentioned Nando too many of them just felt a bit obscure really. Was just too many of them I'd say maybe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 The Blue Coins felt like a real cop-out disappointment to me. Never bothered with them at all and didn't feel too fussed - as you mentioned Nando too many of them just felt a bit obscure really. Was just too many of them I'd say maybe. Noki Bay in particular is absolute hell to find the Blue Coins on. Hope you like squirting random walls in the vain hope of finding one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 Noki Bay in particular is absolute hell to find the Blue Coins on.Hope you like squirting random walls in the vain hope of finding one. I'm definitely not above looking up a guide online to track down any shines I miss Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 6, 2016 Blue coins were one of the main reasons I never went for 100% in Super Mario Sunshine! I hadn't been feeling too bad about them this time and I was feeling more prepared to hunt them down than ever before but I discovered one yesterday from killing a random pokey and it has terrified me to think others might be so obtuse I once decided to try out spraying while Spin Jumping in Ricco Harbor. A random window gave me a Blue Coin because some water got on it. Yeah, it's the worst. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 7, 2016 I forgot to mention it in here as I was too busy with the review but I cleared Mario Party: Star Rush recently My thoughts can be found below.. N-Europe Review Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 8, 2016 Just finished another play through of Kingdom Hearts HD (PS3) but this time just on the regular difficulty setting. That's the main game finished off again but now I need to do all the gummi missions for my final trophy and platinum. Methinks I'll just keep picking away at these tasks rather than trying to blitz them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 8, 2016 Just finished another play through of Kingdom Hearts HD (PS3) but this time just on the regular difficulty setting. That's the main game finished off again but now I need to do all the gummi missions for my final trophy and platinum. Methinks I'll just keep picking away at these tasks rather than trying to blitz them. I really wish those had come out on PS4 as well. It's too much hassle for me to dig my PS3 out and connect it up to play them. I never played the first Kingdom Hearts but really liked 2. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 8, 2016 Just finished the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Campaign (PS4) (co-op with a mate) and it was... ... ...really fucking good. Did not expect such an awesome ride. More importantly: Did NOT expect such a mind-fuck plot. Need to read up on some stuff because I have theories about so many things. Absolutely loved it. With the amount of fun I had in multiplayer and the amazing campaign, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a serious contender for my game of the year. Currently Playing ____________________________________ Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) Fifa 17 (PS4) Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) Completed ____________________________________ January ________________________________________________ Bastion (PS4/PSVita) Tearaway (PSVita) Transistor (PS4) Life is Strange (PS4) Ether One (PS4) Tales from the Borderlands (PS4) Defense Grid 2 (PS4) Grimd Fandango Remastered (PS4) Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4) Rogue Legacy (PSVita) "last-trophy-run" Dust: An Elysian Tale (PS4) February ________________________________________________ The Wolf Among Us (PS4) Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) reached Prestige 2 Super Mario 3D World (WiiU) Peggle 2 (PS4) 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) Severed (PSVita) Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Multiplayer (PS4) acquired the Dark Matter Camouflage Table Top Racing: World Tour (PS4) The Walking Dead - Season 1 (PS4) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) 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) Furi (PS4) Enter the Gungeon (PS4) August ________________________________________________ Plague Inc. Evolved (PS4) Arcade Game Series: Pac-Man (PS4) Super Exploding Zoo (PS4/PSVita) The Talos Principle (PS4) Nioh - Beta Demo (PS4) Downwell (PS4/PSVita) September ________________________________________________ Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PS4) Ratchet & Clank (PS4) October ________________________________________________ Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) Call of Duty: Black Ops III -Campaign co-op (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) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 9, 2016 Kingdom Hearts Platinum GET! I decided to just crack on with it and push through all the gummi missions. I managed to finish them all pretty easily and found them quite fun. Turns out that one of the things I needed for my final gummi ship blueprint was to kill 5,000 Heartless. I tallied up my totals and I needed another 2,000! Took me ages to grind those out but at least it's done now. I'm wanting to crack on with either Paper Mario Color Splash or Rise of the Tomb Raider but I'm feeling completely burnt out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 10, 2016 Started and finished Actual Sunlight today. Weird, yet a very dark game. Darkest i've played in a long time, and quite difficult to explain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 10, 2016 I finished Konami Krazy Racers today It was fun, if a little short, but with many hailing it as superior to Super Circuit, I'm not sure I can agree overall The music is good and I enjoyed hearing familiar tracks from Mystical Ninja and Metal Gear Solid My main complaint is that there isn't a large enough variety of course designs but its hard to complain given how it's an old GBA game! I also played through the first world of HarmoKnight on 3DS. I like it a lot so far, as I anticipated, but the jump and attack buttons are the wrong way around and I can't seem to get used to it. It's causing so many errors Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
