Your 2016 Gaming Diary

bob · March 5, 2016

What is a rogue-like anyway? I've literally never heard of them.

Magnus · March 5, 2016

Really? Have you had Drahkon on ignore or something? Because they're all he ever talks about.

They're permanent-death games.

bob · March 5, 2016

Well he's always going on about them, but never explaining what they are.

So you can only play the game once?

Jonnas · March 5, 2016

Dr. bob said:
What is a rogue-like anyway? I've literally never heard of them.

Games that you can potentially complete in one sitting, but in practice you're going to die a lot. Essentially, the level layout is randomised each time, which means that you might get a fairly easy time on one run, but a very hard time on another run. It also means you're guaranteed to see new levels every time.

Rogue-likes are best when you have tons of content. For example, Binding of Isaac can give you items that increase your speed, or add range, or add properties (such as poison), or simply give you more items than usual, and your run can be defined by which combination of power-ups you get. And there's tons of rewards depending on how many times you reach the end.

Binding of Isaac (Rebirth) in particular introduced me to the genre, and showed me how good it can be. Rogue Legacy is an interesting take on the genre, combining it with Metroidvania. There's also Spelunky, which didn't grab me as much, but tons of people like it.

Magnus · March 5, 2016

Dr. bob said:
So you can only play the game once?

You have to start over from the beginning when you die (although some games let you retain certain things), and as Jonnas said, the levels are randomized.

bob · March 5, 2016

Ah, so essentially you could sum that up as: not my type of game at all.

drahkon · March 6, 2016

Dr. bob said:
Well he's always going on about them, but never explaining what they are.

You never asked until now :p

somme · March 6, 2016

Rogue Legacy is great. Haven't gotten in Binding of Isaac as much and didn't like Spelunky.

RedShell · March 7, 2016

A couple more games to add to my diary, first up is Transformers: Devastation.

So happy I finally got around to picking this up, absolutely loved it! Man, the flashbacks to my childhood while playing this game... They seriously nailed the look and feel of old-school Transformers.

The game is actually a super linear and pretty short experience (took me about 6 hours to finish) but Platinum's flair for OTT action and impeccable combat gameplay, combined with the awesome presentation and 80's vibes make this a masterpiece for me.

Complete nostalgia overload, I just couldn't stop smiling.

Also, dat credits sequence:

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Ganepark32 · March 7, 2016

Starting March off with a bang and adding two more games added to my completion list. First up, Hotline Miami. Picked this up a couple of weeks back as it was £2 odd on the PS Store and I think I missed it being available as a PS+ title previously. Thought I'd give it a go at the price and glad I did as I really enjoyed it.

Very simple yet with enough complexity to allow you to try out alternate strategies when things don't go as planned (which in my instance was quite a lot ), really enjoyed the gameplay. Felt very visceral, and I enjoyed using the hand weapons more than the guns as I thought the latter didn't really behave as well as the former. Particularly liked the butcher's cleaver that you got in the epilogue chapters, very satisfying going around with that and slicing the enemies up.

There's a good sense of satisfaction when you manage to clear a floor or chapter you've been stuck on for ages. It was definitely moreish in making me want to have just one more go to see if I could finish up the chapter I was on, spent several hours over the last few weeks doing as such (that thirteenth chapter in the police station in particular took a lot of my time. A rather loud cheer was emitted when I finally managed to clear that one )

But yeah, really enjoyed it and itching to give the second a try now as I wasn't initially sure it would gel with me but it did and then some.

Also started up SOMA on Saturday there and neatly finished it up yesterday evening. Managed to grab it before Christmas when it was on sale as the £23.99 price tag had put me off. Hadn't played any of Frictional Games' other titles so wasn't sure what to expect other than a load of jump scares so I took the pansy approach and played it through the day

Not that it mattered anyway as the game wasn't really a horror one. It's more tense than anything else, it really nails that atmosphere of isolation and abandonment where the slightest noise startles you and makes you be that extra bit cautious.

Essentially, without giving too much away story wise, you wake up in an underwater research facility/colony and are trying find out what has happened to everyone and help launch a probe in space. It's kind of hard to be general about it as little things allude to the overarching theme but it's one that I enjoyed a lot and certainly makes you think about some of the themes at play. It's never heavy handed in layering the story on. There are additional notes and audio logs that you can pick up or listen to if you want but you don't lose out on anything if you don't as everything slowly reveals itself so they've handled the narrative extremely well from my point of view.

Gameplay wise, there's a lot of wandering around empty corridors and on the ocean floor at times which doesn't seem all that great but for me, the story and the desire to find everything out as well as complete the main objective was enough of a drive to make up for it. The game does present you with a couple of foes that you have to deal with, though this falls to sneaking around and trying not to get caught and killed. With the atmosphere, when these enemies appear, it is properly tense as you try to unlock a room or activate an elevator without alerting the enemy. And when you do, it's a rush to try and hide or get to the next area before they grab hold of you.

The enemies themselves are diverse in how you have to approach them. One of them is only able to find you if you look at them, another is more or less blind and can only see you in lit environments or if you make noise and another will slowly build up a response to your presence and if you don't get away within a couple of seconds, they'll pursue you. There aren't many of them but they are done very well and keep you on your toes.

Sadly, the PS4 version is bereft with a slew of technical issues. The game came to several stops at times to the point that pressing anything on the controller did nothing and the loading and saving similarly impacts the game resulting in the same issues. The frame rate also drops noticeable at times as well. It's just badly optimised for the hardware and really needs patched (there hasn't been one since it was released from what I can garner) but it's something that you can get by with and the issues never really happened at inappropriate times.

In the end though, I enjoyed the game and that ending really toys with your emotions. Definitely worth a go even with the technical issues.

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drahkon · March 7, 2016

Well...the time has come for me to give Persona 4 Golden another go. Thankfully, I don't remember much from the last time I've played it so it's basically a new experience for me. Can't even remember when I stopped playing.

Have spent 3 hours with this yesterday and today. It's great so far. Quite difficult, but that's probably because I'm playing on hard.

Since I intend to finish the game this time it means that I probably won't play anything else for the time being (except my long-term playthroughs). Limbo, however, I will finish in the next few days

I may get Android Assault Cactus tomorrow, but not sure. Been looking forward to it for quite some time...

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bob · March 8, 2016

Been exclusively playing Just Cause 3 when I can. I've still got the final mission to go, but I've been doing some general liberating and challenges before I tackle it.

I can't see me 100%ing the game as there's just too much to do, but I'll keep going while I'm still enjoying it.

I did want to move on and play some Battlefront, but the JC3 DLC is about to hit and it looks awesome, so I'm not sure which to do first...

drahkon · March 9, 2016

drahkon said:
I may get Android Assault Cactus tomorrow, but not sure. Been looking forward to it for quite some time...

Well, of course I had to get it And it's freaking amazing. Haven't played Broforce, but Android Assault Cactus should've been chosen by all.

It's a twin stick shooter with inspirations from bullet-hell games. There are several characters to choose from. Each has a different loadout which changes the way you have to play immensely. Haven't unlocked all of them, yet, but from what I've seen it may take some time to master them.

Is it difficult? I think it can be if you go for the highest rank in each level (yes, I will try to do that). So far, I've finished 2 out of the 4 worlds and had a fairly good "Infinity Drive" (endless mode) run. Looking forward to play this some more

Shame the Vita version isn't out, yet. It's also going to be released on the Wii U.

Did two more chapters on Limbo and played some Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer, as well. : peace:

Edit: Finished Limbo. Great little game. Enjoyed it quite a lot. Very cool puzzles.

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Edited March 10, 2016 by drahkon

**lostmario** · March 10, 2016

Finished Super Mario Bros. 3 on the SNES last night.

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Hero-of-Time · March 10, 2016

Play World next @lostmario.

Wasn't Yoshi just added for the SNES version of the game?

**lostmario** · March 10, 2016

Hero-of-Time said:
Play World next @lostmario.

Wasn't Yoshi just added for the SNES version of the game?

After checking youtube, you are correct.

World is on the VC so I'll have to turn the Wii U on.

Tempted to pick it up on the SNES so i can feel 10 years old again!

Hero-of-Time · March 10, 2016

lostmario said:
After checking youtube, you are correct.

World is on the VC so I'll have to turn the Wii U on.

Tempted to pick it up on the SNES so i can feel 10 years old again!

Just turn your Wii U on, man!

In about to start Super Mario Bros. 3 myself. The GBA version just got released and has the eReader levels intact. Methinks I play through the main game first, before delving into those new stages.

Blade · March 10, 2016

lostmario said:
Finished Super Mario Bros. 3 on the SNES last night.

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@Hero\-of\-Time is SMA4 worth picking up then to get the e reader levels?

Hero-of-Time · March 10, 2016

Blade said:
Your making me want to play it! I did love the game as a kid and downloaded it for the Wii U but haven't got round to playing it.

@Hero\-of\-Time is SMA4 worth picking up then to get the e reader levels?

It depends if you want to play the new levels or not. There's close to 40 new stages, so there's plenty of new content.

Hero-of-Time · March 11, 2016

Just a quick update from me as most of the discussion about these games has happened in their relevant threads.

Finished Twilight princess HD (Wii U) the other day.

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Hero-of-Time said:
And it's done.

A bland and boring end screen is quite fitting seeing as that could pretty much describe this game. While I didn't dislike the game, I didn't really enjoy it either. It was all pretty meh.

I feel the game leans far too heavily on OOT at times and the whole thing just lacks the charm of something like Wind Waker. I think it just feels very dated in some ways.

The game does have moments of greatness. Certain dungeons are very unique and fun to play through and some of the weapons you get are great. Sadly, as many already know, things like the spinner and ball and chain are very under used and you just get a small hint of what they could of been used for.

Next up was Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 ( Wii U VC ). What a mouthful that is.

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Blade · March 11, 2016

I finished off Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask (3D) yesterday. I absolutely loved it.

I started this off in the summer of last year but stopped playing due to personal problems. I then later started The Witcher 3 so that was that. I switched on Twilight Princess HD and thought "why the fuck am I playing this when Majoras Mask needs finishing". Anyway, I got the couples mask, finished the last dungeon, did the Moon and then finished it off.

What a game!! I don't think I fully appreciated it back on the N64. Maybe I was too young, I dunno. Anyway, I can't really add to the comments that have already been made about this game. The graphics (for 3DS) are outstanding but the gameplay is even better. I love he side quests and I love how it all connects together but everyone's journey to their inevitable doom is personal.

I really enjoyed the dungeons too and although there were only 4 I didn't feel cheated out. There is plenty to do.

Don't get me wrong there are some portions of the game that were frustrating and made me want to smash my 3DS. The beaver mini game and two of the side missions on the moon come to mind.

It is OoT that introduced me to the Zelda series and it was this game that I played next. The N64/3DS remake engine, the graphics and assets will always be what I think of when I think of the Zelda series. I wish Nintendo would re-use them for a new game on the 3DS.

So yeah @Hero\-of\-Time I really enjoyed it!

A Nintendo classic.

Hero-of-Time · March 11, 2016

Blade said:

Don't get me wrong there are some portions of the game that were frustrating and made me want to smash my 3DS. The beaver mini game and two of the side missions on the moon come to mind.

I was going through your Miiverse posts and seen that you were losing the plot when it came to the rolling and swimming sections on the moon. Even on the N64 version I hated those 2 sections, so you're in good company.

Blade · March 11, 2016

Hero-of-Time said:
I was going through your Miiverse posts and seen that you were losing the plot when it came to the rolling and swimming sections on the moon. Even on the N64 version I hated those 2 sections, so you're in good company.

Honestly pal I was so close to smashing my 3DS during those sections on the moon.

Even thinking about it now angers me haha!

**lostmario** · March 13, 2016

Finished Super Mario World via the Wii U VC (SNES Version) yesterday, I'd of liked to have played it on the SNES but I had it on the Wii so upgraded it for £1.50.

Anyway, playing this straight after Super Mario Bros.3, just wow. Nintendo were on fire here, they improved on nearly everything (I'll come back to that) that made 3 great.

Super Mario World is the greatest Mario 2D platformer. Hell, its probably Nintendo's greatest 2D Platformer.

The music and the level design are fantastic, a great mix of challenging yet fun levels. The special world levels, Jesus, they tested me.

One thing 3 has over World is the suits. Where is the Tanooki, Frog & Hammer Suits? I don't care for the bloody cape.

Next up, Super Mario Bros.2

Hero-of-Time · March 13, 2016

I've finished the other two Mario Advance games ( as seen in the VC thread ) but will slam all the miiverse posts in here to keep everything in one place.

On Friday I got through Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2 (Wii U VC).

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Hero-of-Time said:

Great game! I've always liked this game and feel it gets an unfair amount of criticism from many gamers. It may be very different for the other Mario games but I feel that's what makes it so special. It's very much same situation as The Adventures of Link. Honestly, I wish Nintendo would step out of certain comfort zones and do more crazy stuff like this with their 2D Mario games.

On Saturday it was time for Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (Wii U VC).

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Hero-of-Time said:

Well happy with this version of the game. Its a great conversion and reinforces my opinion that Super Mario World is still the King when it comes to 2D Mario games.

I do have one issue with this version of the game. When playing this on the SNES or Virtual Console I ALWAYS spit out a key just as the keyhole is closing, when I have Yoshi in tow. This version doesn't allow it for some reason. It's such a small thing but it really bummed me out!

Looks like we agree on how good SMW is, @lostmario. : peace:

Yesterday I also started Ratchet:Gladiator (PS3) and i've just finished it this morning. I'm just on mopping trophies up now.

I was inspired to play through this after all the banter in the Ratchet thread in the Other Console board. Ive had it sitting on my HDD for a while now and it's the last Ratchet game I needed to platinum.

Gladiator/Deadlock is one of the weakest entries in the series. It's essentially just a collection of challenges that are set on various planets. The story is pretty flat as well, which is a shame as these games usually deliver a great amount of laughs.

Still, it's still got that great Ratchet feel, even if Clank is left on the sidelines this time, and it's been great to revisit it all these years later.

All in all its been a great weekend in gaming and I still have a whole day left.

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