Your 2016 Gaming Diary

[nekunando]

I'm burning my way through the 3D Sega titles I picked up this week with Space Harrier 3D and Streets of Rage 2 3D both taken care of today

 

Any time I ever attempted Space Harrier in the past, I could never quite get on with it. I'm still not there yet but I started to enjoy it more as the game progressed and I can see myself dipping in again to see how far I can get before dying!

 

I have nothing really to say on Streets of Rage 2, though, other than it looks great on the 3DS and the portability is delicious

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished The Walking Dead: 400 Days (PS4) last night. I quite enjoyed this little sidestory to the main game. Playing through bite sized stories worked surprisingly well. I also liked that, if played in the right order, the game who have call backs to certain events that occurred with the other characters.

 

I'm assuming these characters are going to show up in the second season at some point. I'm looking forward to tackling that over the weekend.

 

I also started Dragon Quest VII (3DS) yesterday but my thoughts and progress will probably just remain in the relevant thread for now.

[Jonnas]

Have you been spying on my Monster Hunter Sessions?

 

I don't play Monster Hunter, so I honestly don't know what you're on about Did I accidentally invoke an in-joke?

[nekunando]

I forgot how good Gunstar Heroes is..

 

My Wii Virtual Console version doesn't work through component on my TV so I haven't played the game for years but I've just beat Gunstar Heroes 3D on 3DS and, as you can imagine, had a blast

 

I downloaded 5 Sega 3D Classics earlier this week thinking I might get around to playing them eventually but I've cleared them all already

[Glen-i]

I don't play Monster Hunter, so I honestly don't know what you're on about Did I accidentally invoke an in-joke?

 

That's precisely what you did. It's dangerously close to my title. (A title you makefor yourself out of set phrases) It's at the top left of this screenshot.

 

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Princess Creepy will not give up his throne for anyone, no matter how pedantic they may be!

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished The Walking Dead Season 2 ( PS4 ) this morning. I thought that the first season was good but this one...WOW!

 

Seeing as this was set 2 years after the original game, I decided to play Clem as a more hardened person. I had her kill Lee at the end of the first game so I continued to toughen her up and do the hard decisions in this playthrough. She had already been through hell in the first game and even at the start of this one she had it rough. I figured all of the things that had happened to her at this point would have created a more cold person.

 

I was shocked when the dog attacked you. I really jumped out of my skin. I thought we were going to have a nice thing me and the dog, with us bonding as the journey went on and then having to eventually put it down. Nah, the thing bit me and I instantly killed it. Didn't even hesitated to slit it's throat.

 

Sarah seemed like a bit of a psycho when I first met her. She had clearly been over protected by her dad and even through she was older than Clem she had a lot to learn and no doubt was going to be a liability throughout the game.

 

During the 2nd chapter I was chuffed to bits to find Kenny was still alive. He was a bit of a douche back in the original game but it was nice to see a friendly face.

 

It was also nice to see Bonnie from 400 Days pop up. She didn't stay too long through and took a bunch of food.

 

It didn't take me long to piece together who Walter's partner was. I knew things would go south once it came up. I was already annoyed with Nick for shooting Matthew but now it was going to put the rest of us in danger.

 

Carver then showed up and had Bonnie with him! The stupid cow had took our food and betrayed us. Things went south after that, with Walter being shot, Carlos being tortured in front of his daughter and then all of the group being carted away.

 

In chapter 3 Sarah was really starting to annoy me. I kept having Clem trying to help her and cover for her but the stupid girl just couldn't get to grips with what was going on around her.

 

It was nice to see the various 400 Days characters show up in the base/prison. I was hoping that they would be in the main game a little more but it seems only Bonnie made the cut for this season.

 

Carver really pushed me to the edge in this chapter. Killing the one armed guy, having Carlos beat his own daughter, beating on Alvin and the final straw was when he pounded on Kenny. I wanted to see that SOB suffer and I had Clem stand and watch as Kenny caved his skull in with a crowbar. It was interesting to see the split with the decision at the end of this chapter. 48% clearly felt the same as me and wanted revenge for what had happened.

 

Chapter 4 started very hectic. I had already cut Kenny's girlfriends hand off in the last chapter. I was trying to save her but it did nothing as she got eaten straight after that.

 

When looking for Luke and Sarah I was very glad I got to slap some sense in her. The girl was doing my head in and needed to wake up and get with the program.

 

Catch Jane and Luke at it was hilarious. Dude had it offered to him on a plate and was quite happy to get some, even in the zombie apocalypse.

 

It was an easy choice as to whether to help Jane or help Sarah. Sarah wasn't pulling her weight, constantly getting into trouble and was generally doing my head in. Yeah, she was a goner, especially when you compare her to Jane who was hard as nails and a pretty cool chick all round. The stats were interesting for this as well. Only 40% ended up helping Sarah. Clearly the majority had enough of her, as well.

 

The final chapter had a great scene around the campfire. Having every having a laugh and joke on about Jane and Luke having sex was great. When they were talking bout lasting for 10 minutes I was laughing away, which was strange considering everything that had happened up until that point.

 

I'm gutted Luke died. I didn't want to go on the ice as I didn't think it would hold. I stood back and covered him in the hope that he would be able to get out himself. This may have worked had Bonnie not went over and they fell through. Idiot.

 

I couldn't believe Mike, Bonnie and the Russian kid tried to steal our stuff and sod off! Getting shot was even more of a shock! The scene after this with Lee was fantastic and very touching.

 

The end...man. All through the game I had tried my best to get everyone to like Kenny and to give him a break but I just couldn't let him kill Jane. I knew exactly what Jane was doing. I knew she had stashed the kid and Kenny reacted exactly as she thought he would. It was kinda nice to put the poor guy out of his misery, through. He had lost it all in the first game and then lost it all again in the second.

 

I chose to let the family in at the end, in the hope that we could build a new home. I wonder if i'll come to regret that decision in the next game, which I didn't even know about until I Googled it after finishing this one. Very happy with that!

 

 

 

Absolutely brilliant game that I adored to bits.

 

The way Telltale make you care about the characters in their games is fantastic. Borderlands was my favourite having played this....it's a toughie. Both offer very unique stories and evoke very different emotions. Both games are amazing, though.

 

It's funny, very few TV shows interest me ( no desire to watch stuff like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead or Game of Thrones ) but i'll quite happily play these story driven games. I guess its a combo of being in the story myself and they being able to tell a good story that doesn't require a large amount of time.

 

I look forward to playing Season 3 and Telltales Batman once all episodes are out for each of them.

Edited September 18, 2016 by Hero-of-Time

[Fierce_LiNk]

I finished The Walking Dead Season 2 ( PS4 ) this morning. I thought that the first season was good but this one...WOW!

 

Seeing as this was set 2 years after the original game, I decided to play Clem as a more hardened person. I had her kill Lee at the end of the first game so I continued to toughen her up and do the hard decisions in this playthrough. She had already been through hell in the first game and even at the start of this one she had it rough. I figured all of the things that had happened to her at this point would have created a more cold person.

 

I was shocked when the dog attacked you. I really jumped out of my skin. I thought we were going to have a nice thing me and the dog, with us bonding as the journey went on and then having to eventually put it down. Nah, the thing bit me and I instantly killed it. Didn't even hesitated to slit it's throat.

 

Sarah seemed like a bit of a psycho when I first met her. She had clearly been over protected by her dad and even through she was older than Clem she had a lot to learn and no doubt was going to be a liability throughout the game.

 

During the 2nd chapter I was chuffed to bits to find Kenny was still alive. He was a bit of a douche back in the original game but it was nice to see a friendly face.

 

It was also nice to see Bonnie from 400 Days pop up. She didn't stay too long through and took a bunch of food.

 

It didn't take me long to piece together who Walter's partner was. I knew things would go south once it came up. I was already annoyed with Nick for shooting Matthew but now it was going to put the rest of us in danger.

 

Carver then showed up and had Bonnie with him! The stupid cow had took our food and betrayed us. Things went south after that, with Walter being shot, Carlos being tortured in front of his daughter and then all of the group being carted away.

 

In chapter 3 Sarah was really starting to annoy me. I kept having Clem trying to help her and cover for her but the stupid girl just couldn't get to grips with what was going on around her.

 

It was nice to see the various 400 Days characters show up in the base/prison. I was hoping that they would be in the main game a little more but it seems only Bonnie made the cut for this season.

 

Carver really pushed me to the edge in this chapter. Killing the one armed guy, having Carlos beat his own daughter, beating on Alvin and the final straw was when he pounded on Kenny. I wanted to see that SOB suffer and I had Clem stand and watch as Kenny caved his skull in with a crowbar. It was interesting to see the split with the decision at the end of this chapter. 48% clearly felt the same as me and wanted revenge for what had happened.

 

Chapter 4 started very hectic. I had already cut Kenny's girlfriends hand off in the last chapter. I was trying to save her but it did nothing as she got eaten straight after that.

 

When looking for Luke and Sarah I was very glad I got to slap some sense in her. The girl was doing my head in and needed to wake up and get with the program.

 

Catch Jane and Luke at it was hilarious. Dude had it offered to him on a plate and was quite happy to get some, even in the zombie apocalypse.

 

It was an easy choice as to whether to help Jane or help Sarah. Sarah wasn't pulling her weight, constantly getting into trouble and was generally doing my head in. Yeah, she was a goner, especially when you compare her to Jane who was hard as nails and a pretty cool chick all round. The stats were interesting for this as well. Only 40% ended up helping Sarah. Clearly the majority had enough of her, as well.

 

The final chapter had a great scene around the campfire. Having every having a laugh and joke on about Jane and Luke having sex was great. When they were talking bout lasting for 10 minutes I was laughing away, which was strange considering everything that had happened up until that point.

 

I'm gutted Luke died. I didn't want to go on the ice as I didn't think it would hold. I stood back and covered him in the hope that he would be able to get out himself. This may have worked had Bonnie not went over and they fell through. Idiot.

 

I couldn't believe Mike, Bonnie and the Russian kid tried to steal our stuff and sod off! Getting shot was even more of a shock! The scene after this with Lee was fantastic and very touching.

 

The end...man. All through the game I had tried my best to get everyone to like Kenny and to give him a break but I just couldn't let him kill Jane. I knew exactly what Jane was doing. I knew she had stashed the kid and Kenny reacted exactly as she thought he would. It was kinda nice to put the poor guy out of his misery, through. He had lost it all in the first game and then lost it all again in the second.

 

I chose to let the family in at the end, in the hope that we could build a new home. I wonder if i'll come to regret that decision in the next game, which I didn't even know about until I Googled it after finishing this one. Very happy with that!

 

 

 

Absolutely brilliant game that I adored to bits.

 

The way Telltale make you care about the characters in their games is fantastic. Borderlands was my favourite having played this....it's a toughie. Both offer very unique stories and evoke very different emotions. Both games are amazing, though.

 

It's funny, very few TV shows interest me ( no desire to watch stuff like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead or Game of Thrones ) but i'll quite happily play these story driven games. I guess its a combo of being in the story myself and they being able to tell a good story that doesn't require a large amount of time.

 

I look forward to slaying Season 3 and Telltales Batman once all episodes are out for each of them.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, Hero. I loved both seasons and can't wait for the third! Still haven't got around to playing the Michonne game either.

 

The flashback with Lee ruined us when we played it. Was not expecting to see him again and it was just such a beautiful bitter-sweet moment. I loved their interactions in the first season.

 

Luke was my favourite character in season two. Gutted when he snuffed it.

 

[killthenet]

I've just finished playing through the main story of Red Dead Redemption on PS3, I've still got a fair few of the side quests to complete so will probably be playing it for a while yet. I've enjoyed it overall, the world is fantastic - just riding around the countryside on horseback is a great experience, the instrumental music really helps to create a tense and foreboding atmosphere. For the most part the plot is great too, but some missions repeat a bit too frequently and become tedious. I really like how dirty the world is, everything feels lived in and used and the characters are frequently scarred and have yellowed and

crooked teeth. The character Seth exemplifies this aspect of the game, digging up dead bodies to try and find a treasure map.

 

To begin with I really didn't like John Marston, he was irritating and sounded like he belonged in 'My Name Is Earl' but he definitely grew on me as the game went on. The section of the game in Mexico was outstanding set against the backdrop of a revolution but I felt the characters could have been fleshed out a little more than they were. My main problem with a lot of the story missions is that they feel like they end too soon without exploring each character to their full extent, especially later on in the game with characters like Nastas. One thing I didn't enjoy was using the gattling gun, it would have been okay if it had only featured in a mission or two but there is regular instances where you're forced to man it and it's really not fun to use.

 

I had one or two other issues with the game too, it was really inconsistent with the stability of carts and wagons, on missions where you are driving a wagon while under fire you can drive quite recklessly but on occasions where you are returning a stolen cart to an owner one pebble causes you to flip and ends the mission. The AI is also really dumb sometimes, with townsfolk thinking I was threatening them with a gun on more than one occasion when I was actually trying to protect their town from bandits. I also found that the game would often reassign my default weapons to ones that I didn't want to use, causing me to pull out less effective rifles than I wanted to. I also encountered numerous bugs that i'm sure have been well documented elsewhere but I was surprised that the game was still so buggy, it's something I would have thought would be patched by now.

 

I really loved the first moments in Mexico after the river battle but the moment was ruined by the choice of music, I was hoping to hear an instrumental with Mexican styled trumpets but instead got dull as dishwater Jose fucking Gonzalez. It completely took me out of the moment. There is another point towards the end of the game that is similarly messed up by use of completely inappropriate music which is a real shame as the music in general is one of the best parts of the game.

[Ganepark32]

So, having finished the first episode of Tales of the Borderlands last week, I ended up going out to buy the rest of it on disc last Thursday and finished it on Friday evening. And much like after that first episode, I absolutely loved every second of it. It's very much become one of the best games I've played this year. Absolutely phenomenal from start to finish.

 

Though not the biggest fan of the narrative behind the Borderlands games, the way they've utilised the story and the characters here and managed to create not just an incredible cohesive but brilliantly funny, engaging and solid story really amazing. The characters throughout are great with personal favourites being Gortys and Loaderbot (I mean, who couldn't like these two, especially if you choose a certain first decision for the latter character which leads to some humorous interactions later on).

 

I chose to have him explode and when he came back and took umbrage with the choice and acted out on it, I thought it was hilarious. Being told that my interaction request was ignored and that he would purposefully hurt you while saving you was so well handled. Superb writing for what was essentially a second line character but really well done.

 

 

And the former character there constantly putting her foot in her mouth and outing things when you were trying to hide things was hilarious. Kudos to Telltale for the writing of these two especially not just for these points but also for managing to make them engaging and endearing characters. I genuinely felt for Loaderbot every time it tried to help. And even smaller part characters, like Scooter, were really well written.

 

I really enjoyed how fast paced the game felt and the action in it; even with it being all QTE, it still worked really well and gave those sequences some pace that other games like this don't quite manage to nail.

 

And obviously, being given freedom over conversation choices led to some funny choices. Making fun of the way certain bounty hunters looked was fun just for the way they would get riled up and react and just some of the ways the characters would react to one another was brilliant. Probably the best example of this has to be the opening credits to the fourth episode (if I remember correctly, the one with the Twin Shadow's song "To The Top") and watching the sequence of events just from that bit. Even the bits prior to the rest of the group finding out Rhys' big secret were brilliant because they couldn't see what was causing them (other than me telling it to constantly go away).

 

The finale was excellent as well and I got some major Power Rangers feels for one bit in particular. The only real thing that could have either been handled better or not done at all was the possible romance/relationship.

 

That one felt forced. Rhys and Sasha just didn't really seem to click at any point and the bits where you could pursue that felt a bit hackneyed. As I've seen others say elsewhere, it would have been better if it had been Fiona but even then I think the game could have done without it.

 

 

That's really the only complaint I can put against the game. Everything else was incredible and it was a joy to play it through, from Helios to wastelands, from racing to shooting a diamond horse (that bit and the fallout was hilarious), everything was so well done. I'd definitely say this tops The Walking Dead season 1 for me as my favourite Telltale game. Objectively, it would go ahead of Life is Strange but subjectively it can't as I just love that as well.

 

Would love to see more of this and hopefully we will, though I'm guessing it hasn't done as well as other Telltales games. This is a must play for anyone who hasn't played it though.

 

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

 

 

Have to go back and replay the first episode of it to grab the platinum (the digital download and physical release don't use the same trophy list but do use the same save file, slightly annoying but gives me another chance to run about through the wastelands). Anyone know whether The Wolf Among Us is worth a go? Itching for more Telltales action before I jump on The Walking Dead Season 2 and I have the second episode of Batman to play.

[Hero-of-Time]

So, having finished the first episode of Tales of the Borderlands last week, I ended up going out to buy the rest of it on disc last Thursday and finished it on Friday evening. And much like after that first episode, I absolutely loved every second of it. It's very much become one of the best games I've played this year. Absolutely phenomenal from start to finish.

 

Chuffed to bits that you enjoyed it. It really is an amazing game. The song at start of the 4th episode is fantastic.

 

 

What a game.

 

Anyone know whether The Wolf Among Us is worth a go? Itching for more Telltales action before I jump on The Walking Dead Season 2 and I have the second episode of Batman to play.

 

Having just played TWD season 2 ( loved the hell out of it ), I look forward to reading your thoughts and what decisions you make.

[Ganepark32]

It really was an absolutely brilliant game and that episode intro has to be one of the funniest bits, not just for the Fiona "Moment killer" early on but the Scooter bit that follows and then the bit in the ship where the two bounty hunters hold hands

 

Read somewhere that people thought the 4th episode was one of the weakest parts of the game but the intro and the finger gun shoot-out on Helios (which was hilarious), as well as the Diamond Horse bit if you choose that option, more than made it a stand out episode.

 

I really do hope there's a second season down the line as the quality of the writing more than justifies it.

[Blade]

I finished off Link Between Worlds this morning. I've already given my thoughts earlier in this thread. Its a fun and enjoyable adventure. I really did enjoy everything about it. Some minor criticisms are the short length of the dungeons and the low difficulty level of the game. The dungeons and their bosses are far too easy! Also, I found that the overworld did not have as many secrets and things to do.

 

Overall though, a very good game.

[Hero-of-Time]

@Blade I noticed you playing Final Fantasy X last night. Were you just having a quick go on it or do you plan on playing through it all?

 

I finished and platinumed Disney Infinity 2.0 (PS4) over the weekend. I wanted to get this out of the way now due to the servers closing down soon.

 

I had a much more enjoyable experience with this version than I did playing the horrible Vita one that I played earlier on the year. That thing was an abomination.

 

I created an exp farm in the Toy Box mode and just left my characters leveling up while I was out and about doing other stuff. This allowed me to really smash through the campaign, as my Thor and Iron Man were really OP.

 

It's a shame that Disney have closed the book on these games. Much like the Lego games, I do enjoy the colourful worlds and easy pick up and play gameplay from Disney Infinity.

 

I finished and nabbed all the trophies for Doodle God (PS3) yesterday. I got this, along with it's two sequels, for free due to a glitch on the PSN store a few months back.

 

Awful game. You essentially just have to match two elements together to create a new one. You rinse and repeat this until you fill a book. These games are ports from the mobile space and it certainly shows. Still, it's stupidly short and I nabbed some easy trophies.

[Glen-i]

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A while back, I saw the credits on Xenoblade Chronicles X on WiiU. This is the sequel to highly praised bastion of Glorious British Voices, Xenoblade Chronicles. It's an RPG that came out December 2015, I got it recently, thanks to MyNintendo, which is a sentence so rarely said, that I am now part of a very exclusive club and therefore, automatically better than you.

...Maybe.

 

Let's face it, following on from that Wii juggernaut is certainly no easy task, but does X pull it off?

 

The story follows a group of people who had to abandon Earth because aliens blew it up. Damn aliens! So their job is to find a new planet to live on, however those damn aliens attack their ship and they're forced to crash on a planet called Mira.

The game mostly follows a chick called Elma, who's job is to help humanity colonise Mira and make a new home there. Pity that it's full of things that would like nothing better than to chew their face off, but hey, gotta make do.

 

There's also the tiny issue of the million or so people who had to be cryogenically frozen that are somewhere on the planet because the spaceship was broken into quite a few pieces. So priority one is finding that.

While looking for those people, Elma stumbles across a bloke (Or chick, depending on the gender you choose for the character you play as) who is suffering from a tad of memory loss, and that's where the game starts.

 

For the record, the character I created looks as close to Shulk, the protagonist of the first game, as possible. I did this because one of the voice options you can have for dudes is Shulk's actual voice actor. And yes, he is really feeling it. Which makes him the correct choice. Seriously, if you chose any other voice, you chose poorly.

 

To be frank, the story suffers from the way the game is laid out, there's a few twists along the way and the ending is... unsatisfying. Considering how much I enjoyed the story in the Wii game, it's a bit of a shame that this doesn't even come close.

It also doesn't help that most of the characters are just boring, well, except for one character who is endlessly entertaining. (And of course, my not-Shulk exclaiming moves in his Glorious British accent and shouting about how he's really feeling it and saying "Cheers mate!" and constantly going on about how you never stood a chance!)

 

If you've played Xenoblade Chronicles, you should have an idea of what to expect from the gameplay. It's an RPG where battles take place in real time, with you positioning your character and selecting what attacks to pull off in an attempt to not die.

 

That's one hell of a lot of info to take in.

 

And just like Xenoblade, this game has a big focus on exploration. In fact, it's even bigger than the original game. It's amazing how much there is to find.

 

Which brings me on to another problem. And while it's one that never bothered me one bit, I can understand why people would be annoyed with it.

The game demands that you explore. You can't continue the story without doing certain sidequests, exploring a certain percentage of an area, or finding a certain place. It throws a lot of barriers to progress that it might just make people stop playing. (Hint, hint, wink, wink, @RedShell)

It would be no exaggeration to say that this is the game for those people who played Xenoblade Chronicles and spent hours just going anywhere they could before actually carrying on with the game.

If that kind of thought frightens you to death, then you might just want to stay clear.

 

The visuals are definitely impressive. Mira is one beautiful planet and there's plenty of places to just take in a good view.

 

 

The art style is nothing to write home about though and some of the character faces can be a bit... off. (Seriously Lin, what's wrong with your face?)

 

Although that said, the text size is atrocious. Unless you've got a million inch screen, you might not be able to read stuff. And considering I played most of this on a Gamepad, that's pretty horrendous. My eyesight is brilliant and even I struggled to read some things on that. I hate it when games do this, not everyone plays on a massive screen, you know?

 

Hang on, what does that say on the bottom?

 

And that about wraps it up. Not much else to say about this game. Nope, nothing at all. Not a damn thing. There's absolutely nothing more I need to talk about in regards to this game...

 

 

NO! STOP! I'LL TALK!

 

OK. That audio atrocity is just a small example of how to get an RPG soundtrack horrendously wrong. I can overlook boring music, I can even be entertained by slightly dodgy music (Mostly because it's funny), but the music in Xenoblade Chronicles X is so off base, I'm amazed they let it in.

 

Dodgy grunts, out-of-place raps (Yes, raps) and way too many vocals, this game has a whole truckload of ways to offend your ears.

Look, I've got nothing against rap, but it just doesn't fit in this game and it's not even good rap to begin with. The 20% of the soundtrack that doesn't have a person serenading you with cringe is OK, but it's lost in the sheer awfulness of it all.

Just get ACE+ to do the soundtrack next time, 'kay, Monolith Soft?

 

So that's Xenoblade Chronicles X. I wouldn't say it was a bad game. It's more accurate to say it's a misguided game. I certainly enjoyed it, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original game. And it's most definitely gonna turn off a lot of people who try it.

Just be sure you're one of the few people who really likes mass exploration before you even consider giving it a go.

 

And with that...

 

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - SNES

Shovel Knight - 3DS (Custom Knight amiibo playthrough)

Game & Watch Gallery 2 - GB

Radiohammer - 3DS

Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path - DS

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

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

Metroid Prime - Wii

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Wii

Game & Watch Gallery Advance - GBA

Zelda - Game & Watch

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Wii

Metroid Fusion - GBA

Super Mario World - SNES

Star Fox Zero - WiiU

Bravely Second: End Layer - 3DS

Hyrule Warriors Legends - 3DS

Super Metroid - SNES

Freedom Planet - WiiU

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. - 3DS

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - 3DS

Paper Mario - N64

Zero Time Dilemma - 3DS

My Nintendo Picross - 3DS

Pocket Card Jockey - 3DS

Monster Hunter Generations - 3DS

WarioWare Touched - DS

Donkey Kong Country 2 - SNES

Kirby: Planet Robobot - 3DS

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - WiiU

Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! - DS

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

Elite Beat Agents - DS

AM2R - PC

Xenoblade Chronicles X - WiiU

 

[Blade]

@Hero\-of\-Time yep, started it last night and played a bit tonight. Its a bit meh at the minute. I don't think it has aged very well (even though its a HD remaster). The most annoying thing (in fact, its doing my head in) is how wooden and disjointed the voice acting and general story telling is. Its really putting me off. Having being spoilt by recent games such as Witcher 3 I think i'm probably being unfair as FFX is a game that is nearly 15 years old (?). I imagine back in the day it was held in high regard.

 

I'm going to stick with it as I know I will enjoy it a lot more once i'm used to the game. Its Final Fantasy, afterall. I'm hoping I will get really into it

[Hero-of-Time]

@Hero\-of\-Time yep, started it last night and played a bit tonight. Its a bit meh at the minute. I don't think it has aged very well (even though its a HD remaster). The most annoying thing (in fact, its doing my head in) is how wooden and disjointed the voice acting and general story telling is. Its really putting me off. Having being spoilt by recent games such as Witcher 3 I think i'm probably being unfair as FFX is a game that is nearly 15 years old (?). I imagine back in the day it was held in high regard.

 

I'm going to stick with it as I know I will enjoy it a lot more once i'm used to the game. Its Final Fantasy, afterall. I'm hoping I will get really into it

 

Haha! I see you're point. Like you said, it's an old game now and it was the first FF game to be fully voiced. Back in the day it was amazing.

 

Stick with it. I think it has one of the best leveling systems ( Sphere Grid is awesome ), an amazing story, outstanding soundtrack and probably the best ending to a FF game.

 

Whereabouts are you in the game?

 

After shelving Dragon Quest VII due to it being a massive disappointment, I was still in the mood to play a JRPG. Still not having the platinum trophy for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix (PS3), I decided to do another playthrough of that.

 

I've started it on the hardest difficulty as that was one of the trophies i'm missing. I spent a good hour just leveling up to level 10 on Destiny Islands. This left me in a good place for the next part of the game.

 

I finished Wonderland last night and then headed back to Traverse Town to do some more grinding. I'm now level 20 already and haven't even been to the second world yet. I may do some more leveling up when I get back from work, maybe push myself to 25 before moving on to Deep Jungle or the Coliseum.

 

I'm thinking of what areas could be sticking points in this Proud Mode run. The boss on Deep Jungle will probably be the first one, which is why i'm leveling up so much. Maleficent will definitely be another but that's not for a long while yet.

 

Playing this again I forgot just how awesome this series is. When firing it up I just sat and listened to Dearly Beloved on the titles screen for a good few minutes. What a tune.

[Rummy]

Dat FFX laugh doh.

 

Interesting thoughts on XCX @Glen\-i - I loved Xenoblade Chronicles a lot despite never finishing it(still need to actually re-blitz it at some point if I can, just for the story etc). I never picked up XCX because I just wasn't sure about it and it took a bit longer than I'd hoped and my hype died. Hearing your thoughts makes me glad, though the hoarding buyer in me feels like I should still attempt to get it even though I know I'll probably do exactly what you suggest and fall off of it.

 

How much of it would you say you finished? Just story? Lots of collecting/exploring? How many hours would you say it all took you?

[Glen-i]

Interesting thoughts on XCX @Glen\-i - I loved Xenoblade Chronicles a lot despite never finishing it(still need to actually re-blitz it at some point if I can, just for the story etc). I never picked up XCX because I just wasn't sure about it and it took a bit longer than I'd hoped and my hype died. Hearing your thoughts makes me glad, though the hoarding buyer in me feels like I should still attempt to get it even though I know I'll probably do exactly what you suggest and fall off of it.

 

How much of it would you say you finished? Just story? Lots of collecting/exploring? How many hours would you say it all took you?

 

I'd like to answer that by first elaborating on how the story progress is different from the original Wii game. I feel like that'll help me explain myself better and maybe give you a better grasp on how I tackled the game.

So you know how you progress in Xenoblade, right? You go to some point in the world to activate the next cutscene and continue on.

 

In Xenoblade X, the story is split up into chapters, Each chapter starts off in the same place, your Barracks in New Los Angeles (NLA). You then get told what you need to do and you do it, seeing some cutscenes along the way.

Once you finish a chapter, you go back to NLA, where the next chapter is waiting for you.

 

However, before you can start next chapter, you have to meet certain requirements, those are the barriers I mentioned. You might have to do a certain sidequest, or explore a bit, etc.

 

I willingly did a veritable ton of optional content on my way to the ending. In fact, I tried to do every sidequest I could manage before even considering continuing the story. I'd even go about exploring some areas I hadn't been to yet because the enemies were too tough or something. It was quite often that I would spend about 10 hours just faffing around in between each chapter.

 

So by the time I actually decided to carry on with the story, I always met the requirements to start the next chapter. @RedShell, (Sorry to use you as an example again) on the other hand just wanted to get on with the story and in the end, just got fed up with having to jump through hoops just to advance.

 

I'd say I've done about 75% of the whole game so far, just a guess. But there's a handful of sidequests that pop up after the main story, and I do want to finish those off in the future.

 

My playtime when the credits rolled was just less than 120 hours, for comparisons sake, Xenoblade Wii took me around 90 hours.

[Rummy]

Thanks @Glen\-i(actually can't thank atm for some reason). I think what I'll try to do is see if I can re-play Xenoblade but with cheats or something to blitz it and refresh it in my head as I can't face the grindy times of it(not that it was particularly grindy, mind, but I don't know when/where I'll find the time otherwise) and then see about maybe jumping onto XCX if I find it at an acceptable price. I did find myself doing a lot of exploring/sidequesting collections in Xenoblade but I suppose it might be a little different being forced to do it, rather than just happening to otherwise. Thanks again for the views!

[nekunando]

I mentioned several weeks ago that I was playing through Doom (PS1) and I finished it a couple of nights ago

 

 

As far as I know, this version contains both Doom and Doom II, the latter of which I haven't yet touched, but I've definitely beat the first!

 

Having played Duke Nukem 64 earlier in the year, it was easy to see the similarities in structure between the two titles with confusing level designs, locked doors, secret areas and switches that activate things but you're not always entirely sure what

 

My wife saw me play through the odd section and thought it all looked hilariously bad but it was decent enough given how far the genre has come in the last couple of decades

 

As I said in an earlier post, this could well be my last title on a non-Nintendo console in 2016, a notion that would have been completely altered had I pounced on one of the PS4 deals this week

 

With my Nintendo hat firmly on (You know the one.. RED, with a large M on the front ) I've finally decided it was time to revisit Super Mario Sunshine, a game I enjoyed thoroughly at the time of release. The memories of it have diminished somewhat since then and it's interesting to see that I haven't really fallen back in love with it yet, 20 shines in.

 

I knew going in that the camera control was going to throw me due to being the opposite way of what I'd want but I can get used to that. What I wasn't prepared for was the inaccuracies of controlling Mario and the frustrations that come with it. We've been spoiled by amazing Mario gameplay over the years but something in Sunshine is currently feeling a little off and I've fell a few times due to not feeling like I was able to put Mario exactly where I wanted him. Again, I may get used to that but it's probably not going to feel as natural as one of the more recent Mario titles, even those restricted to 8-way movement

 

I'm, going to keep at it, though, so hopefully my appreciation of it will rise throughout the experience!

[Jonnas]

Little Big Adventure 2

 

	Audio

 

 

Told you I'd be playing it! And it's as great as I remember it. Even if I play it in German & French.

 

Continuing from the previous game, the sequel shows Twinsen is leading a happy life on a peaceful planet with his pregnant wife Zoé. Suddenly, they're visited by aliens with sinister intentions, and Twinsen ends up going on an adventure that spans two planets. And a moon. It's a more complex story than before, with twists and turns.

 

So, fresh off LBA 1, the first thing I noticed was that literally everything is better. The graphics are more detailed, the islands are more explorable, the Holomap is more useful, the movement feels less clunky (plus, there's a "dodge" button), you don't get hurt if you run against a wall, the save system is actually acceptable, the camera is zoomed out a bit, and the pace and difficulty of the game are actually acceptable (pretty good, even). Heck, even the song I posted is better quality.

 

It plays a lot like the first game (with the 4 moods), but there's a major change: Outdoor environments are now much bigger and in true 3D, something they accomplished in 1997 by having a fixed camera (that you can change/rotate, if you'd like). It's neat, it's like navigating pre-rendered environments in a JRPG.

 

 

There's more weapons, more skills, more vehicles, and more ways to interact with the world. The game allows for a lot of things, even if they sounds unlikely. Climb up an open window, punching your pregnant wife, humping a cow's backside... Heck, I robbed a bank by accident.

 

And as a child, I found my first ever sequence break in this game:

 

 

So yeah, what the elephant up there is saying is bull. If you buy a ticket, use it on the ferry, and skip the following cutscene, you get to ride on it anyway. I explored the desert island and even got as far as healing Dino-Fly before I finally ended the storm.

 

So, naturally, I tried to do the same this time around...

 

 

...but those bastards removed the ferry in this version

 

 

The world is more varied than before, now that we actually have peaceful towns and cities. Good thing, too, because that alien world is quite interesting, what with having an upper layer made of islands on a smog sea, and a lower darker layer made of rocks and lava (like a bleaker version of Skies of Arcadia).

 

It also has 4 races, but they're much more distinct and fleshed out than those of Twinsun. For example, the Francos (who are straight up talking sausages) are the "blue-collar" race, and much more common than the Mosquibees (straight up Beesquitos), who are a minority from an independent kingdom. Good thing, too, because those talking sausages are hilarious.

 

In fact, the entire game just feels so charming, interesting and immersive. NPCs in this game include a stripper sausage and burka-wearing elephant, for crying out loud. Even the mini-bosses look unique. I absolutely love this game.

 

 

The one thing I never did as a child was beat the bonus dungeon, but now I did! I thought I had to overcome a difficult aquatic obstacle course, but as it turns out, it was just a block puzzle. The obstacle course was the way back, and it was easier like that. Also, there was a Kabutops as a bonus boss, go figure.

 

Motherfucking FunFrock. Look, the reveal is well done, it makes sense in-story, and it's pretty clever to have a Twinsun-themed final dungeon...

 

 

But those goddamn teeth! Jesus, first he had some of the creepiest googly eyes ever, and now he transferred that unpleasantness to his teeth? What, is he going to have the ugliest nose ever if they ever make LBA3?

 

Also, it speaks volumes of the previous game's difficulty that regular enemies from back then are now the most elite enemies in the sequel. It's pretty amusing.

 

 

Oh yeah, there's a lot to say about this game, from its perfect pacing, its significant and well-executed mood changes, the good use of bleak colours in bleak parts of the game... I fear I'm just going to continue gushing if I keep writing, so I'm just going to leave my recommendation for this brilliant game.

 

Yes, you can totally hump a cow in this game. You get an extra life as a reward.

 

Played/Beat/Completed:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Currently Playing:

-Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by Jonnas

[Magnus]

the movement feels less clunky (plus, there's a "dodge" button)

And a dedicated 'interact' key that works regardless of which mood you're in! Man, the first game was clunky.

 

My brother and I still joke about how tone deaf Twinsen is when he sings the ferryman song. :p

[Jonnas]

And a dedicated 'interact' key that works regardless of which mood you're in! Man, the first game was clunky.

 

I knew I forgot to mention something You're right, that is a godsend.

 

My brother and I still joke about how tone deaf Twinsen is when he sings the ferryman song. :p

 

You piqued my curiosity, so I loaded a save. His English singing does sound cringy, but his German voice just took me aback. It's like they found the least musically-inclined man on the planet.

 

(I played with the French voice, though, which sounded quite nice)

Edited October 3, 2016 by Jonnas

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished Kingdom Hearts HD (PS3) on Proud Mode yesterday.

 

 

For the most part the difficulty wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. There were a couple of sticking points, though.

 

As I predicted, Maleficent was a toughie to beat. Once she hit her dragon form I was getting butchered. I then remembered that there was a spot where you could hide and just let Beast do all the work. I just sat there, healed when needed and then popped out when the final blow needed to be dealt.

 

The Riku fight gave me the most trouble. There were so many times that I had him down to the last bit of his health but I couldn't land a couple of more combos to finish the fight.

 

I had a quick Google to see if there were any tips on how to beat him on Proud difficulty. Many said that having the Olympia Keyblade worked wonders on him as it damages him even if he blocks. That being the case, I set off Olympus and completed the games to get me the Keyblade. With that in my hands I went back and butchered Riku.

 

The next sticking point was the end world. This introduces some new Heartless and they really battered me. I was around level 40 at this point and figured I could probably do with grinding a few levels. Before I done that though I wanted to nab a couple of accessories that boosted the exp I would gain. This required doing the 100 Acre Woods world and then finding a few rare materials.

 

After a few hours of material searching and grinding I was level 60 and also had upgraded the Aero spell to the max during this process. I was now ready for the final push.

 

Being level 60 and having Aeroga at my disposal meant that I DESTROYED everything in my path on the way to the final boss. Nothing stood in my way, despite the game being set to Proud mode.

 

The last boss was an absolute pushover, with no tactics needed other than Aeroga, fly up to his face and smash it in, heal when needed and repeat.

 

I love the ending to this game. When Simple and Clean kicks in...dem feels, especially when Kairi finds the drawing Sora done inside the cave wall.

 

 

With that done I was going to start something else but I feel the platinum is on the cards now. I just need to finish the game again on normal difficulty ( stupid thing doesn't stack! ) and complete all the gummi missions. I had a couple of hours rest and then fired it up again. I'm currently on the Alice in Wonderland world. The game feels like a walk in the park after coming off of the hardest setting.

 

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.

 

For a rhythm game there doesn't seem to be a lot of rhythm to it. At times the notes you have to collect don't seem to match the song that is being played. Speaking of which, some of the tunes seem very quiet in the game. Maybe that's what's throwing me off.

 

I also don't care for the boss fights. You could be having a great run but if you miss a certain note/enemy then you get one shotted and have to start the level from the beginning. Very frustrating.

 

I'm halfway through the game but i'm not sure if i'll bother finishing it, despite how short it is. I'm just finding it bland and not that much fun at all. I really need to stop buying Game Freak games. Pokemon doesn't have much appeal to me now, Pocket Card Jockey was random garbage and now this has also left a sour taste in my mouth.

[nekunando]

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..

 

OH NO

 

I haven't yet activated the discount (I still wish it was cheaper ) but I've also been looking forward to it! Hopefully I won't be as disappointed as you