Your 2019 Gaming Diary

[Sheikah]

That's just what happens to non-Nintendo games after they've been out a while.

I heartily recommend AC Odyssey by the way, it's a great game.

[Ganepark32]

3 hours ago, Sheikah said:

I heartily recommend AC Odyssey by the way, it's a great game.

Second this. AC Odyssey is brilliant and it's easily my favourite of AC game. If you're wanting a meaty game to sink you teeth into, that one can easily keep you going for 100 hours plus. I really need to get back to it myself but I got side tracked doing side missions and exploring the place, all while moving up the hunter ranks, so might do that soon.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is available on Game Pass @Ronnie of you're playing on Xbox One and have that. It's an ok game. I thought Rise was better but Shadow is probably more like the older Tomb Raider games with a heavy emphasis on exploring and doing tombs. I didn't get much from the story but it was alright. As I say, you can at least try it on Game Pass if you have it.

[Hero-of-Time]

7 hours ago, Ronnie said:

I've been playing a lot of smaller scale games lately, Cadence of Hyrule, Ori, Mario Maker... but now I'm in the mood to play a big meaty AAA potentially openworld game. Think it might either be AC: Odyssey or Shadow of the Tomb Raider as I can't think of much else that fits the bill.

I echo what the others have said and would say that Odyssey is the much better of the two games. Like Ganepark, I much preferred Rise of the Tomb Raider over the 3rd game. It's not a bad game at all it, just didn't reach the highs of the second game.

I continued my playthrough of Harmony of Dissonance, yesterday evening and it proved to be quite a frustrating affair. I spent ages going back and forth, just looking for where I had to go next. Every where I went I was met with a door that couldn't be opened, a wall that needed breaking down or a ceiling hatch that was locked. I kept reloading my save because it was much quicker doing that than having to walk all the way back to my starting point. I must have been lost/stuck for a good hour and a half before I finally managed to find the one spot where I needed to go. My game time doesn't actually reflect how long i've actually been playing the game.

The problem with this part of the game is that because you are split into two different castles it was hard to figure out what routes I had been in and what routes were blocked off in which castle. This issues gets rectified once it gets explained to you about the dual nature of the castle and the maps become separate but early on it's all in one map. Very frustrating. 

Once I got past that hurdle I managed to make some great progress and things became far more easier to navigate. I think I faced 3 bosses in the space of 5 minutes. I also came across another set of Axe Armour enemies but they were a higher level than I had previously faced. I used this opportunity to grind some and went up another 8-9 levels.  

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I went with Shadow in the end, after finding out from @Ganepark32 that it's on Game Pass (I still can't believe how good that service is). I was always going to play Tomb Raider at some point, and was on the fence about AC, the thought of 50+ hours in a world I'm not too fussed about made the decision for me. I'm sure it's a better game but the combat doesn't really appeal after watching a few videos.

[Hero-of-Time]

2 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I went with Shadow in the end, after finding out from @Ganepark32 that it's on Game Pass (I still can't believe how good that service is). 

I'd be all over that service if I still had my Xbox. I mean, just look at what is being added this month.

My Time at Portia and Timespinner have just recently been released on the Switch, Blazing Chrome looks great and Undertale is very well thought of. 

[Hero-of-Time]

The credits have rolled on another Castlevania game. I managed to get the good/real ending and cleared the castle at the full 200%.

Spoiler

 

This one was definitely the weakest out of the Igavania games i've played so far. I found the castle to be far too big ( mainly because of the A & B feature ) and it was very easy to get confused as to where you needed to go next. I think it would have been a better game had the developers just made it so there was only the single castle to explore. Granted, it would have been shorter but I think it would have been a tighter experience.

Another thing I didn't really care for was the way the shops worked. You had to meet certain criteria for the shopkeeper to show up, which was just a very weird way to do things. I think I only seen him a handful of  times during my time with the game.

The ability to infuse your sub-weapons with magic is something I didn't use until the final boss of the game. No, really. I didn't even know what the spell books were but but I kept picking them up anyway. It wasn't until I was facing the final boss where I had a gander at them in the menu and seen that I could equip them.  I tried out the Summon Book and a little fairy popped out and used a giant mallet on the boss. I also noticed this drained my magic meter. All through the game I was wondering why I had a magic meter but none of my moves I was using were draining it! 

With that done, there is now only Aria of Sorrow left to play. By all accounts this is the best Castlevania game on the GBA and one of the best in the series. I'm looking forward to playing through it. I was actually going to start it straight away after finishing Harmony of Dissonance but my hay fever was in full overdrive yesterday ( seriously, screw the Summer and bring on the Winter ) and I just didn't have it in me to start playing it.

[Ronnie]

Decided to forget Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I'll play that another time. Installing Sunset Overdrive, that might satisfy the mindless openworld itch I've got atm.

Odyssey was just too exhausting to attempt. If the game had a quarter of the content and improved what was there, I'd be all in.

[Hero-of-Time]

I've just finished Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, once again nabbing the true ending and finishing 100% of the castle. With that done and dusted, the trilogy is now complete.  

Spoiler

I'm not sure what to make of Aria of Sorrow. It's certainly better than Harmony of Dissonance but I don't think it's better than Circle of the moon. This one is certainly the shortest and easiest of the bunch and the castle seemed much smaller than the other two games. The soul system is good but it's something I never really faffed on with outside of getting the true ending. It was the same situation with Bloodstained in that once I found a setup that I liked I never really found the need to play around with any of the others. It's good there is a variety of options but it was mostly lost on me.

It's been great fun finally getting to play through this trilogy of games. Despite playing through 5 Castlevania games and Bloodstained over the past couple of weeks, i'm still not burnt out on them and if I owned the trilogy on the Nintendo DS I would no doubt be jumping straight on those. For now, it's time to play something else. The Dragon Quest Zenthian Trilogy has been complete and now the GBA Castlevania trilogy has been finished. I need a new trilogy/set of games to crack on with.  

[Jonnas]

4 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I'm not sure what to make of Aria of Sorrow. It's certainly better than Harmony of Dissonance but I don't think it's better than Circle of the moon. This one is certainly the shortest and easiest of the bunch and the castle seemed much smaller than the other two games. The soul system is good but it's something I never really faffed on with outside of getting the true ending. It was the same situation with Bloodstained in that once I found a setup that I liked I never really found the need to play around with any of the others. It's good there is a variety of options but it was mostly lost on me.

That makes sense. What I like the most about the game is the soul system, and I loved trying out new skills a lot. Plus, the plot was pretty compelling once it got going.

As for a new trilogy... Devil May Cry? Phoenix Wright? Mega Man Zero? NES Castlevania? Kingdom Hearts? Though you probably played all of those already

Edited July 6, 2019 by Jonnas

[Hero-of-Time]

4 hours ago, Jonnas said:

As for a new trilogy... Devil May Cry? Phoenix Wright? Mega Man Zero? NES Castlevania? Kingdom Hearts? Though you probably played all of those already

Thanks but other than Phoenix Wright ( VN type games aren't my thing ) I've played through all of them before. I could go back to the Ezio Collection. I finished both Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood a couple of months ago but never got around to finishing Revelations.

I've just completed and got the platinum for A Plague Tale: Innocence. Fantastic game and one that will no doubt be classed as a hidden gem once this generation is over.

This game is proof that a AA can easily stand alongside, and even surpass, most AAA games on the market. It just goes to show what developers are capable of when they are free to actually create a game without being held back by the publisher forcing monetization into their game.

Having a game that is more linear, focused, story driven and built around certain mechanics has paid off big time for me and is a breath of fresh air in today's gaming market. Mind you, the game won't be for everyone though. It's VERY stealth driven so if those types of games annoy or bore you then this is an easy pass.

Spoiler

I wasn't expected a few of the kids to get killed off. Very upsetting.  

I loved it once Hugo passed his final trial ( very moving scene when he's reunited with Amicia ) and got control of the rats. It really felt earned. You spent all of the game having to hide from everything and for the final couple of levels you were able to get some payback.

I thought the couple of boss fights at the end were very well done given the limitations of what you could actually do in the game. Extinguishing lights and controlling the rats made for great set pieces.

Big shout out to the musical score in the game. It really fit the mood perfectly. Whether it was an emotional scene or one that was really intense, the music helped bring everything together really well.

Brilliant stuff and up there with the best games I've played this year. 

[Ganepark32]

Glad to see you enjoyed the game @Hero-of-Time. It really is a brilliant game and, as you say, easily shows how a AA game can stand shoulder to shoulder with bigger budget AAA games. And like you said, the soundtrack is superb (turns out the composer also did the soundtrack to Remember Me). The more I think about the game post finishing it, the more I think it is my favourite game this year. So nice to have a game come out of nowhere like it did and be so engrossing.

Asobo did a great job bringing things together and I'm happy that they've signed on with Focus Home Interactive for another game, which I presume will end up being a next gen game at this stage in the console cycle, but I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled to see what they make next.

On the subject of smaller scale games that come out of nowhere, I've been deeply engrossed in Outer Wilds since it released. I've been plodding along through it since it released on Game Pass and I've been completely taken in by the game. I love it. It's not a game for everyone but it's exactly what I was looking for in a game at the moment and it's just so good.

Jason Schreier said it right when he said it was like Majora's Mask meets Metroid meets Return of the Obra Dinn. It's giving me that same sense of accomplishment that The Witness gave in that there's zero hand holding, you have to figure it out yourself and as you slowly put the pieces together on what's happening in the small solar system you're in, the history and learning the stories that are tucked away, it really is a captivating game.

Last night I spent a couple of hours just searching out clues and think I've figured out how to finish the game and that was do satisfying figuring out where to go and how go do it. There hasn't been a game in a long time that's made me feel that way.

It's so hard to really say much about the game because of how it all unfolds and how it would quickly spoil things but if you're able to play it, I would definitely say give it a go. Word of mouth has brought the game to the forefront on some sites recently and I'm happy it has because although it might not be for everyone, the game underneath and the amount of work that's gone in to create such a tight package that's bursting with charm, ingenuity and brilliant moments is something that shouldn't be missed.

I'll be sad to see the end of it but I'm glad it came to Game Pass so I could see what it was all about. And I'll be buying the game once I'm finished to support the devs more because they deserve it after creating this. Easily one of my top 3 games of the year, up there with A Plague Tale in being tied for first I'd say. It seems this gen is going to throw us a few gems before it's all over and I'm more than happy about that. I just hope both of these games don't get forgotten come awards season.

[Hero-of-Time]

Yesterday evening I finally finished Detective Pikachu. I actually bought this when it first got released, played for a bit and then dropped it due to boredom. I started the game from scratch this year ( a week or two before the movie was released ) and I managed to get halfway through the game before the same feeling of boredom hit. I was determined to see it through so yesterday I sat down and pushed on towards the end of the game. I figured if I left it any longer I would end up having to start from the beginning again.

Spoiler

 

Man, playing this game is rough. It's STUPIDLY easy but also manages to be frustrating at the same time. There are points in the game where you know exactly what the end game of the chapter is but you can't just go ahead and pick out the culprit. Instead you have to jump through a bunch of hoops just so you can get to the point where you can actually tell the game what you've known all along. Most of these tasks are very tedious, with you just running back and forth between various people and Pokemon.

In one of the chapters I tried an experiment. When talking to people I just kept hammering the A button, not taking in what was being said. I then got to the point of where you had to give your theory on what happened and I just made random guesses. It didn't really matter if I picked the wrong choice as the game would allow me to pick again. What was even the point of all of this if there were no real consequences?

I'm so happy it's now off the backlog but it is easily the worst game game i've played this year. That takes some doing, considering some of the trophy boosting games I played, as well as Days Gone. 

Next up is another pocket monster game. With the announcement of the Digimon games heading to the Switch, I decided to finally start Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory. I LOVED the original game and i've had this semi sequel sitting on the shelf for a while now and figured now would be a good time to play it. Enough time has passed for me  to have forgot bits and bobs about the original game, so now this one shouldn't feel as repetitive when I play it.

Seeing as I had played the original, there was a nice little bonus waiting for me when I started a new game on this one. I got a bunch of items, my Digimon field guide carried over, as did the 500 medals that I had collected. Sweet!

My first order of business was to get a hold of two of my favourite Digimon. With the field guide unlocked, it was easy to see which paths I needed to take in order to get what I needed. A bit of grinding ( made easier by the exp boosting item I got from the bonus items I received) and a few chapters in and my team went from this...

To this...

I absolutely LOVE both of these Digimon. I'm at a big disadvantage using them ( both are the same type ) and there are obviously much better ones to use but I really wanted these two early on. 

With that done, i'm now set for the rest of my Digimon adventure. 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Hero-of-Time

[Aperson]

Been addicted to Pokemon Trading Card Game Online (PC) recently. I've played a lot and appreciate how it's possible to build funds without having to spend real life money. I obtained two Zoroark GX through gameplay and then used in-game currency to buy a deck with two Zorua in it. I then proceeded to put this combo in every single deck because the card is just ridiculously good.

 

 

Fits into any deck, it's own ability can help it's main attack even though it's not the most powerful of moves by modern standards even at max power. It can sweep through many Pokemon if given the right support though.

 

Also been playing Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo Switch) though perhaps not as much as I was expecting to. Actually it's been a while since I made a level on the game. I have played a fair bit of story mode and built much of the castle, working on the second tiers of all three sections of the castle.

[drahkon]

After the incredible Detroitttttttttttttttttttttttttttt: Become Human I was in the mood for something more full of action. So I decided to download Thumper again. Bought it last Christmas (iirc) but stopped playing because I'm quite the perfectionist when it comes to rhythm based games and you couldn't restart levels immediately back then. 

Lo and behold, now you can  So whenever I miss a beat I can quickly restart that level and try again. It's so satisfying to beat a level without a mistake.  

Never thought a rhythm based game could be so violent. The soundtrack, sound effects and visuals are brutal and elevate this to a higher level. Wish I could afford PSVR  

Also downloaded Terraria. I was looking through my library for a game to relax and wind down with and it was either this or Minecraft. Decided to go with the former and leave the latter for autumn  

Edited July 18, 2019 by drahkon

[Jonnas]

8 hours ago, drahkon said:

After the incredible Detroid: Become Human

Me, I'm more of a fan of Detroid Prime.

[drahkon]

36 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

Me, I'm more of a fan of Detroid Prime.

Whoops.  

[drahkon]

Thumper progress: finished stage 3 with an S rank. Some levels gave me a little bit of trouble, but when I finally managed to get an S rank I let out an audible "FUCK YES!" everytime  

By the way, I checked and I bought this game the day before Christmas in 2016...fuck my life, time flies  

[Hero-of-Time]

I picked up, played and platinumed a few indie games on the PS4 last weekend. These are games that have been on my watch list for a while now and I picked them up as all of them were on sale at the time.

Donut County was a game that I loved the look of when it was first announced. It looked liked some kind of weird reversal of the Katamari Damacy games and that's pretty much what it was. Sadly, the game doesn't exactly live up to what it is clearly influenced by. It lacks all of the goofiness and charm of the KD games. That's not to say that this is a bad game it's just that I was expecting a bit more from it. The puzzles were pretty simple and I think the game was over too quickly.

Tacoma was an interesting one. I did enjoy Gone Home and this was made by the same guys who created that. I enjoyed the setting to this game more than Gone Home but I found the narrative to be a bit weak, which is not what you want in a game like this. I think as a game it is better than Gone Home but as a story I think Gone Home was the winner.

Blackwood Crossing is another game that I loved the look of when I first seen the trailer. The artstyle used and the promise of a dark narrative really appealed to me. I don't think the game lived up to my own expectations ( some of the plot points I figured out before they happened ) but it was still an enjoyable game to play through and, much like Tacoma, it was the perfect length for a game such as this.

My play through of Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory has been put on hold due to me starting Dragon Quest Builders 2. Both of these games started off fun but have become a chore to play through because of the amount of boring dialogue that is thrown at you. Digimon has been the worse offender of the two in this regard and I honestly don't remember the original game being this chatty. I'm hoping to get Dragon Quest done this weekend and then i'll get back to slogging my way through Digimon once that is done. 

[drahkon]

Welp, Thumper is kicking my ass. Halfway through level 5 and it's quite tough. Some stages I can beat first try but then I lose focus for whatever reason and get my ass handed to me  Love it.

Started to play Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun again. Completed two missions on hardcore difficulty. Not as difficult as it sounds but still challenging. Perfect stealth game with a great setting.

And then Terraria to relax and wind down from time to time. Managed to get the highest defense armor pre-hardmode, still haven't fought against a boss  I love to be prepared.

[drahkon]

Goodbye Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun  
Hello EVERSPACE  

If I have a choice between a rogue-like and literally anything else...it'll always come down to my favourite genre.
ontrols in EVERSPACE are a little clunky but I'm slowly getting used to it. Typical rogue-like mechanics are in place. So far, so good  

Thumper, man...Level 6, pretty much halfway through. Still a matter of: some stages I can beat first try, some fuck me up because I space out  But it's so much fun. 

Terraria, beat the first boss. Very easy, but that was expected as I prepared quite a lot. Still a long way to go before I reach the content that I haven't seen so far. It's been a long time and there have been a lot of patches/expansions since I've played it back in the day on my PC...

[Aperson]

What I thought I'd be playing in July:

 

Super Mario Maker 2

Hollow Knight

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3

 

What I actually ended up playing in July:

Super Mario Maker 2

Pokemon Trading Card game Online

Magic The Gathering Arena

YGOPRO Percy

 

This is a slight concern as I bought a month's subscription for Nintendo Switch online and barely used it aside from uploading about 12 Mario Maker Levels and a few Smash Bros. stages and characters.

[drahkon]

Gonna gush a little over EVERSPACE

What a game. It took a while for me to understand certain mechanics (and I was a little skeptical whether the game really is good)  but as soon as they clicked the gameplay made more sense. Spacefights are intense, crafting is elaborate and as far as I can tell it will get even more elaborate later on, rogue-like elements...well, I love 'em  

It's also a very pretty game

Screenshot doesn't really do it justice but it is gorgeous. (I lost the fight against this green fucker, by the way...was way out of my league).

Only reached sector two and died immediately because I didn't pick my fights very well  Love me some rogue-like action  

[drahkon]

Another one of my awesome double posts  

S-ranked what has been the most difficult stage in Thumper so far. They just had to throw in some off-beat shit  If you're up for a quick 2 minute video, here's my run:

Spoiler

 

I need a break now.

[Hero-of-Time]

I started and finished Timespinner today. It's been on my backlog since last year. Colin from Sacred Symbols had it pegged as either his game of the year of last year, or at least one of his favourites (can't remember now). For that reason I decided to buy it but it's taken this long to get around to playing it. It's shame that was the case because it is absolutely amazing and it's just what I needed after the slog I've recently had playing through both Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Fire Emblem Echoes.

I actually ended up finishing the game in a single 9 hour play through because I enjoyed it so much. I need to go through it again to get another ending while also playing it on the hardest difficulty. I'm quite eager to do that and will no doubt start first thing in the morning.

What a game. As a Metroidvania it's up there with the best of them and is a real love letter to SOTN. Probably just as much as Bloodstained is. I actually enjoyed this more than the 3 GBA Castlevania games that I've recently played through. 

Like various CV games this has got familiars to use, towers and libraries to explore, past and present castles (twist to the inverted castle from SOTN) to play around in and a soundtrack fitting for a Castlevania game. I mean, just listen to this.

With is being set both in the past and present it meant that it could play around with the stylings of both Metroid and Castlevania. One of the present sections in the game REALLY nails the mood and visual look of something like Super Metroid. The music that plays in this area is really something straight out of a Metroid game.

The game recently released on the Switch (I played it on the PS4) and is also on the Game Pass service on the Xbox. If you are after a fantastic 8-10 hour Metroidvania that is a love letter to SOTN then this is the game for you. 

Edited July 27, 2019 by Hero-of-Time

[Hero-of-Time]

Well, I ended up just cracking on with another play through straight after my last post (screw waiting until tomorrow) and have just finished the game again but on Nightmare difficulty. Platinum obtained.  

This run was super easy and ridiculously fun thanks to New Game+. With me getting all the upgrades and doing all the side quests in my first run, it meant I was uber powerful for this one. Even though the enemies hit harder and had more HP they didn't really get a chance to do much damage due to my high level and orb setup. 

The New Game+ also allows for you to have the dash ability right from the start. It made for much faster run as I could dash all over the place and make a few shortcuts.

Again, fantastic game.