Your 2016 Gaming Diary

nekunando · January 4, 2016

As with Spyro, I was burnt out on the 3DS Ambassador version of Mario vs DK when I took a couple of years away from it after reaching stage 6-5. Resuming the game last night felt like the right time to return as I enjoyed the last few levels and beat DK today

The credits rolled so, in a way, it could be considered clear but unlocking the 'plus' worlds means I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with saying it is finished. I'll try out a few stages to see if I want to carry on but I originally only returned to Mario vs DK as I thought the end was in sight :heh:

nekunando · January 4, 2016

I've played through a few stages of the unlockable content in Mario vs DK and I'm actually really enjoying it so I may as well carry on until everything is done :grin:

drahkon · January 5, 2016

Platinum get for Transistor.

The second playthrough was as fun as the first. Experimenting with all the functions helped keeping the combat fresh. : peace:

Currently downloading Grim Fandango and Hardware: Rivals...but this apparently will take somewhere between 5-10 hours :shakehead

Might continue Life is Strange, after a very long break. Thank God there's a summarizing journal ingame.

Bastion (PS4/PSVita)

Tearaway (PSVita)

Transistor (PS4)

Hero-of-Time · January 5, 2016

Platinum get for Transistor.

The second playthrough was as fun as the first. Experimenting with all the functions helped keeping the combat fresh. : peace:

Currently downloading Grim Fandango and Hardware: Rivals...but this apparently will take somewhere between 5-10 hours

Might continue Life is Strange, after a very long break. Thank God there's a summarizing journal ingame.

Bastion (PS4/PSVita)

Tearaway (PSVita)

Transistor (PS4)

Your trophy hunting is off to a great start for the New Year!

drahkon · January 5, 2016

Your trophy hunting is off to a great start for the New Year!

It won't last, though. I have a couple more days off, but come Monday it's time to work and study again.

I have some "New Year's Gaming Resolutions":

1) Don't start/play more than 2 games at once (exceptions are Rocket League, CoD, Battlefront, and the likes...multiplayer games can be played anytime )

2) Finish games before starting a new one!

3) Finish games before buying a new one!

4) Play the game you bought and finish it!

:laughing: My goal is to have a much higher completion rate this year. Last year was disastrous.

Clearing my backlog a bit would be great, too!

Hero-of-Time · January 5, 2016

It won't last, though. I have a couple more days off, but come Monday it's time to work and study again.

I have some "New Year's Gaming Resolutions":

1) Don't start/play more than 2 games at once (exceptions are Rocket League, CoD, Battlefront, and the likes...multiplayer games can be played anytime )

2) Finish games before starting a new one!

3) Finish games before buying a new one!

4) Play the game you bought and finish it!

My goal is to have a much higher completion rate this year. Last year was disastrous.

Clearing my backlog a bit would be great, too!

Haha. That's pretty similar to what mine were last year. It worked out pretty well for me and i'm hoping to continue with it this year.

In the past I would have bought the likes of Batman, Witcher, Bloodborne on release day and have them sit on the shelf until I got around to them. Now I ask myself if I really need a game that is coming out or could I just play a game that's in my backlog. Like I how I decided instead of buying Witcher I could just play DA:I, another open world fantasy game that was already waiting to be played. I saved a hell of a lot of money in the long run.

drahkon · January 5, 2016

n the past I would have bought the likes of Batman, Witcher, Bloodborne on release day and have them sit on the shelf until I got around to them. Now I ask myself if I really need a game that is coming out or could I just play a game that's in my backlog.

Exactly the question I will be asking myself from now on.

Of course, there will be certain games that I will buy on day one no matter what (eg Uncharted 4, Persona 5).

But with so many games I have in my backlog and PS+ providing me with new games (almost) every month...I could save a lot of money and get more value out of the games I already own.

When it comes to getting Platinum trophies, I'll keep my method: If I can imagine enjoying getting a Platinum, I will do so

Ganepark32 · January 6, 2016

Had hoped to have Volume wrapped up by now but sadly, the game decided to crash and my save file is corrupted :mad: it still lets me play from where I am but the game keeps bringing up the Playstation Load and Save screens, followed by data is corrupted, while playing and considering the type of game it is, that's not really helpful. So think that's something for later down the line as can't be bothered working through the game like that or starting again (especially as the usual work around of updating the system and game don't work as I'm fully up to date).

So, in the mean time I've made a start on a bunch of other games. And add Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition to my completed list. Though that does really say much as it's not really a game, more an extended conversation while you hold down the trigger to keep your car moving. Two conversations if you go with the epilogue (and then another 2 times through on this to get the last of the trophies mopped up).

Not really sure what to think of it to bed honest. Knew it wasn't a game in the traditional sense but having to hold the trigger down to keep the car moving in the first part was irritating to say the least, especially as it goes on for 20-30minutes.

Other than that, there's not much to it. Some lee-way in your responses in the conversations means you can have different outcomes in the epilogue but it all converges on the same ending for the main story.

So yeah, interesting to say the least but hardly something I'd recommend even on the basis of the narrative.

Also had my first foray into the world of Resogun. It's one of those games I kept looking at on the PSN store but never bought it. Finally decided to do that yesterday and finished up the levels on Arcade mode, on Rookie level. Really enjoyed it and found myself really getting into it and getting annoyed when I lost a human (though I do think they should make some of the keepers a little easier to spot as I was having trouble at times).

But yeah, really enjoying it and intending to plug away at Arcade mode on the higher difficulty settings. So consider this finished but with an asterisk as I go after those higher difficulty settings and challenges :grin:

Axiom Verge

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition

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

Also put a hefty amount of time into Super Exploding Zoo, nearing the end of the puzzles on that, Super Time Force Ultra and Among The Sleep. Only just started the latter but very interested to see where it goes. Also have Amplitude to make a start with.

nekunando · January 6, 2016

I think I'm going to continue with my theme of going back to finish off games where I'm relatively close to the end throughout January as I've earmarked 4-5 games, from a variety of consoles, that I reckon I should be able to chalk off the list by the end of the month :hehe:

BowserBasher · January 6, 2016

Thought I join in.

I love the LEGO games and Jurassic World has been no different. I 100% the game yesterday. Loved it from start to end. Great cutscenes, great levels and I love the fact that the 'hubs' for each film are teh islands and you can pretty much walk around Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar as if you were on the tour.

drahkon · January 6, 2016

With Life is Strange crashing on me and redownloading the game taking aaaaageees I decided to give Ether One a go.

It was alright at first. The gameplay is similar to the Myst games. You explore, search for clues, solve puzzles.

The first few riddles aren't that difficult and the atmosphere is really great. Sucks you right in.

But one hour later the puzzles became very random. Maybe I wasn't thorough enough with looking for clues but man...I got impatient and had to look up some stuff (e.g. pull a lever three times...no idea how you're supposed to figure that one out).

I ended up following a guide for the rest of the game, or rather until the point I've reached.

Without the walkthrough I'd have given up on it much earlier. Now I'm maybe one hour away from the end (and Platinum) and I will push through this tomorrow.

Hopefully my Life is Strange save file backup will work so I can get back to this.

Hero-of-Time · January 7, 2016

I played through Wave Race (Wii U VC) yesterday evening. I've always liked the games but never been any good of them. The wave mechanics always messed me up and I could never get the hang of it. Luckily the Wii U version allows for save states. This allowed me finally finish in 1st place on the normal and hard difficulty settings.

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I doubt i'll bother with expert mode. I had enough trouble on the hard difficulty.

Dcubed · January 7, 2016

Yeah, Wave Race is not an easy game! The CPU players are plain BS (and in the highest difficulty, they don't actually earn enough points to qualify themselves! - but they still get to carry on playing anyway :p )

Hero-of-Time · January 7, 2016

Yeah, Wave Race is not an easy game! The CPU players are plain BS (and in the highest difficulty, they don't actually earn enough points to qualify themselves! - but they still get to carry on playing anyway :p )

I actually found the AI to be quit fair. I was honestly just thinking about how fair it seemed when I was playing it yesterday. I was sitting there wondering why can't Mario Kart be like this.

There were a few times when they would crash and end up coming last. There was another time where one of them got stuck on the land. It was hilarious. I actually lapped him and that was when I was playing on Hard difficulty. :laughing:

Glen-i · January 7, 2016

Well, time for me to get started on 2016.

Uhhh... What did I stumble upon?

I finished off Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the "I can't remember what number" time.

Mario RPG is the first Mario RPG, as you'd expect from the name. It came out in America for the SNES in 1996, but us Europeans didn't get it until it came out on the Wii VC in 2008.

The story starts just like you'd expect it to really...

So what else is new?

But just when Mario goes all Bruce Lee on Bowser's scaly behind...

Oh wait, maybe it's not quite the same then...

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A giant sword decides to do it's best impression of the Wind Waker ending and stabs Bowser's castle from above.

Mario, Bowser and Peach (Who is still called Toadstool, because this was before Mario 64 came out) are sent flying off who knows where by this, and so starts Mario's quest to find Peach, ignore Bowser, because who cares about him? And find out just what is going on!

The gameplay plays out like a typical RPG, you go around exploring locations and fighting enemies you accidentally bump into.

This game is probably the most famous example of the "Timed Hit"

I mean, it's the trope namer for this mechanic on TV Tropes.

(No! Don't go to that site! You'll be there all day!)

Basically, when you perform a move in battle, pressing a button at the right time will result in more damage.

See? You just press "A" on the first swing

The same goes for when you're being attacked, pressing A at the right time can reduce the amount of damage you take. (Doesn't work for magical attacks though)

It's a simple mechanic, but it makes battles more engaging.

The difficulty is just right, for a beginner.

You're not gonna find much of a challenge from this game, but it makes the perfect "My first RPG"

Seriously, I'm not sure you can do much better than this game for that role.

The story, while infinitely more fleshed out than most Mario platformers, is very silly.

This was the game that cemented Bowser's "Dumb brute" personality that would be used in every other Mario RPG to come. (Sticker Star isn't an RPG, so technically, I'm right.

The localisation is top notch, there are a lot of funny moments that are just ripe for Miiverse.

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A lot of the comedy also comes from the way Mario just moves around.

His animations tend to be really fast, and they just end up looking really silly, but in a good way. He's a hyper little guy!

Before I move on, I should point out that the localisation is not perfect, there are more than a few moments when you'd get some equipment, and the game straight up lies about what it does.

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Oh, and a neat little tidbit for us Europeans, they changed a line of dialogue for the European release of this.

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For context's sake, the word is bugger.

Well, I'm rambling a bit now.

So I'll just end with one more point.

While this game is easy to complete, it has some of the most obtuse secrets you'll see in gaming!

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That chest up there is invisible until you hit it, but Mario can't jump up there by himself.

No, to get that chest you have to jump on a Toad, then jump above the doorway.

The problem with that is this Toad only appears on your first visit to Mushroom Castle

After that, he's gone forever!

Oh, COME ON!

And don't even get me started on how to get the "Lazy Shell", Mario's best weapon.

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I wouldn't blame you if you resorted to a guide for some of the secrets, because they're really out there.

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BTW, bit off topic. But have you ever tried to make a joke on Miiverse and have someone reply with a completely serious comment because it completely flew over their head?

It's happened a few times to me, but that last Miiverse post resulted in a reply that may have just taken the "SERIOUSLY!?" crown...

Should I be insulted that he thinks I don't know where the Final Fantasy crystals come from? Because I kinda am.

Anyway...

You just read about it! That's my first, you nonce!

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - SNES

No really, haikus in a Mario game...

RedShell · January 7, 2016

Credits rolled on my first "completed" game of 2016, it was of course Yakuza 5! :awesome:

Think I've probably said more than enough about the game and why I like it so much already, but what I will say is that I hope more people give it (or the series in general) a try.

Toshihiro Nagoshi (developer of awesome games such as Daytona USA, Super Monkey Ball and F-Zero GX!) is an absolute genius. And he and his team are doing fantastic work with the Yakuza series, which deserves way more recognition than it currently receives.

It's a shame the HD collection of Yakuza 1+2 doesn't appear to be making its way over. Would've been great, especially for the Wii U which has obviously been in dire need of games. It didn't do so well in Japan, even after getting hyped by Iwata and Nagoshi in a SEGA exclusive Direct:

but it would've filled a much needed gap in the US/European Wii U lineup (still could :indeed: ) so I reckon it'd actually do better in the West.

Oh well. ::shrug:

Beat:

in January:____________

Yakuza 5 (PS3) started in 2015

Total: 1 :heh:

Unfinished:

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) started in 2015

Little Battlers eXperience (3DS) started in 2015

Anyway, just two retail games on the go for me at the moment, both of which are RPGs (really need to stop buying those :shakehead ) but I've been tempted to get rid of Xenoblade on a few occasions already. :hmm: Will give it another go though, see if I can get into it.

Hero-of-Time · January 7, 2016

Unfinished:

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) started in 2015

Little Battlers eXperience (3DS) started in 2015

Anyway, just two retail games on the go for me at the moment, both of which are RPGs (really need to stop buying those ) but I've been tempted to get rid of Xenoblade on a few occasions already. Will give it another go though, see if I can get into it.

I didn't realise you were playing LBX as well. How are you finding it?

As for the first 2 Yakuza games, hopefully they will show up on the PS4 via PS2 classics.

RedShell · January 7, 2016

I didn't realise you were playing LBX as well. How are you finding it?

Yeah, got it just after Christmas in the sales (12 quid).

It's a bit of a weird one really, essentially Pokémon but with little robots. :heh: Presentation wise it has a slight Ni no Kuni vibe going on (although nowhere near that level of quality) and the story is absolutely atrocious (I'm actually ignoring that aspect completely now)! :hehe:

Battles are real-time affairs, but the gameplay has been very simple so far (about 10 hours in) and not very challenging at all.

I was sucked in by the customization thing really, which had the potential to be very cool indeed but has so far been a bit underwhelming. :hmm:

Still kind of early days, but I wouldn't recommend it based on what I've currently played.

Hero-of-Time · January 7, 2016

Yeah, got it just after Christmas in the sales (12 quid).
It's a bit of a weird one really, essentially Pokémon but with little robots. Presentation wise it has a slight Ni no Kuni vibe going on (although nowhere near that level of quality) and the story is absolutely atrocious (I'm actually ignoring that aspect completely now)!

Battles are real-time affairs, but the gameplay has been very simple so far (about 10 hours in) and not very challenging at all.

I was sucked in by the customization thing really, which had the potential to be very cool indeed but has so far been a bit underwhelming.

Still kind of early days, but I wouldn't recommend it based on what I've currently played.

Yeah, I kinda feel its Pokemon crossed with Gotcha Force. I'm only a few hours in but i'm enjoying what i've played. I will say that I do like the effort and presentation that has went into the game.

The story doesn't bother me as I realise that i'm not the target audience for the game. I just see it as a Saturday morning cartoon. I do enjoy the animated cutscenes though.

The challenging stuff is supposed to come post-game but whether the game will keep my attention for that long remains to be seen.

drahkon · January 7, 2016

Finished Life is Strange today.

It was a great experience. The story was good and executed very well.

Sometimes the writing was...a bit much, I guess? Nothing too serious, but some lines were cringe-worthy :laughing:

And the plot twist didn't surprise me as it became very clear at one point how the twist would play out.

The final episode provided a good conclusion.

I have found a new appreciation for interactive story telling. Thank God, several video game developers went that route and I'm looking forward to giving Tales of The Borderlands a go later today : peace:

And...I also got the Platinum for Life is Strange

Bastion (PS4/PSVita)

Tearaway (PSVita)

Transistor (PS4)

Life is Strange (PS4)

Edited January 7, 2016 by drahkon

Hero-of-Time · January 7, 2016

Finished Life is Strange today.

It was a great experience. The story was good and executed very well.

Sometimes the writing was...a bit much, I guess? Nothing too serious, but some lines were cringe-worthy

And the plot twist didn't surprise me as it became very clear at one point how the twist would play out.

The final episode provided a good conclusion.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I hate it when people do this. I will now be looking for the plot twist when I get around to playing it. For me, saying this is just as bad as saying the twist itself.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Hero-of-Time

drahkon · January 7, 2016

I'm sorry. Didn't mean to spoil that for you.

But in my defense: About 30 minutes into the first Episode it's clear that

will be a plot twist. And you will think about what the twist will be every second from then on.

And I also don't think that "twist" is the right word...

But again, sorry about that You can trust me, though, that it won't make your experience with the game worse.

Edit: You might want to edit your post/my quote.

Edit²:

Finished Ether One and got the Platinum. I already gave my thoughts on it in an earlier post. I just pushed through the last part of the game.

Bastion (PS4/PSVita)

Tearaway (PSVita)

Transistor (PS4)

Life is Strange (PS4)

Ether One (PS4)

Edited January 7, 2016 by drahkon

Hero-of-Time · January 7, 2016

@drahkon don't worry about.

How many platinums have you nabbed now this year? I see you're now playing TFTB. That's another one that will added to your tally in a day or two.

Finished Superfrog (Vita) and nabbed all the trophies tonight. I got the game over Christmas when Team17 were giving the game away for free.

I loved this as a kid. I had it on the Amiga and have fond memories of it, but sadly the game didn't live up to those memories.

The game looks like some cheap iPhone game. It seems to have lost any of the charm that the original had. The lucozade product placement has been changed to some random orange potion, as well. Still, it was free and the trophies weren't that bad to nab.

drahkon · January 7, 2016

How many platinums have you nabbed now this year? I see you're now playing TFTB. That's another one that will added to your tally in a day or two.

5 so far. And with the two I got in the last week of December that's 7 Platinums in 2 1/2 weeks

Yeah, I've looked at the trophy list for Tales of the Borderlands. Seems like you just need to finish the game.

By the way...the game's awesome. Really funny :laughing: Done with Episode 1, will start Ep 2 in a few minutes.

gmac · January 7, 2016

Completed my first game of 2016

The Talos Principle on PS4

I'm a sucker for puzzle games and this one is really good, some of the puzzles were pretty straightforward, but the further you get in the game they get a lot more convoluted. Managed to solve the majority on my own, only looking up a guide for a couple and some of the collectables.

1st Platinum of the year

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