Your 2020 Gaming Diary

[Hero-of-Time]

5 hours ago, londragon said:

3. Bomb Chicken - a very good puzzle platformer.  Simple mechanic of laying bombs to scale heights, solve puzzles, or shoot enemies, doesn't outlast it welcome.  Short overall, and the last few levels do become frustratingly difficult, but the middle section of the game feels and plays fantastic.

Loved this game. It seemed a lot of people slept on this title as it didn't really make any waves when it got released but it really is a great little puzzler.

5 hours ago, londragon said:

4. Namco Museum - a little cheeky calling this completed, but I've played through all the games until I've had enough of them.  Rolling Thunder, Rolling Thunder 2, Splatterhouse, PacMan, PacMan Vs., Galaga, Galaga '88, Dig Dug, The Tower of Druaga, Sky Kid, Tank Force.  Standouts were Rolling Thunder for its nostalgia, played it in the arcade, and genuinely still stands up as a great Shinobi clone to this day. 

Those games were why I bought the collection. Like you, I have fond memories of playing the original in the arcades back in the day and I was happy to find that the game held up. I find that some of the animations are still top tier  when you consider when the game was released.

5 hours ago, londragon said:

5. Batman - The Telltale Series - a far better game than The Walking Dead Season 1.  Shorter, includes touchscreen support, and the story draws you into the multiple choice dialogue boxes unlike other Telltale games I've played.  

 

20 hours ago, Jimbob said:

It's the remaster face animations which are hilarious, i did hear that II's faces in the original game were decent.  But they look hilarious in the remaster, Brotherhood faces at least look tidier and more fluid in comparison.  Going back to the older formula Assassin's Creed games took a little getting used to, playing Origins and Odyssey with the refinements i've taken as standard now.

I've played both the original and the remastered versions and yeah, they really did something weird to the faces. The eyes are very weird, with them being far too wide and white at times. Some of the characters look they are possessed or something.  I didn't mind going back to the smaller scale games. I enjoyed Odyssey and Origins but I did find the maps far too big.

[drahkon]

I've reached area 3 in Blaster Master Zero. @Hero-of-Time does this game eventually offer any kind of challenge? I'm enjoying it so far, but not sure how long I can deal with me breezing through it.

And yes,

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, drahkon said:

I've reached area 3 in Blaster Master Zero. @Hero-of-Time does this game eventually offer any kind of challenge? I'm enjoying it so far, but not sure how long I can deal with me breezing through it.

Nope. Both games are pretty easy.

[drahkon]

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

Nope. Both games are pretty easy.

Alright, are they short games, then? I.e. max. 10 hours? 'cause I like the general gameplay and all but if it's 20 hours of almost no challenge, then meh.

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, drahkon said:

Alright, are they short games, then? I.e. max. 10 hours? 'cause I like the general gameplay and all but if it's 20 hours of almost no challenge, then meh.

I think the first game is around 6-8 hours long and the second is slightly longer at around 10-12 hours.

[drahkon]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I think the first game is around 6-8 hours long and the second is slightly longer at around 10-12 hours.

Thanks. I'll stick with it, then  

Never heard of Inti Creates before, but if the quality and level of polish of Blaster Master Zero is indicative of all their work, then I'll definitely get more of their games  

[Hero-of-Time]

8 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Thanks. I'll stick with it, then  

Never heard of Inti Creates before, but if the quality and level of polish of Blaster Master Zero is indicative of all their work, then I'll definitely get more of their games  

They fast became one of my favourite developers on the Switch. Blaster Master Zero games, Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Dragon Marked For Death...all top tier games, IMO. I still need to pick up Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger X at some point, as well.

 

[drahkon]

7 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Dragon Marked For Death

What is this game? I've seen and read a bit about it but can't wrap my head around it. There are two versions? What's the difference between them?

[Hero-of-Time]

4 minutes ago, drahkon said:

What is this game? I've seen and read a bit about it but can't wrap my head around it. There are two versions? What's the difference between them?

It's kinda like a 2D Monster Hunter game. You kill beasts, repeat quests and upgrade gear. It's not for everyone but I enjoyed the game. I think the different versions are for the 4 different character classes. I bought the physical version and that has everything on it so I can't be that certain. I'm sure it's something like that though.

[Jonnas]

3 hours ago, drahkon said:

Thanks. I'll stick with it, then  

Never heard of Inti Creates before, but if the quality and level of polish of Blaster Master Zero is indicative of all their work, then I'll definitely get more of their games  

Inti Creates is made up of former Capcom staff who worked on the Mega Man Zero (and ZX) series. Their pedigree for 2D action platformers is rich.

On a related note, the Megaman Zero/ZX Legacy collection is coming out next month on all consoles. If you're looking for slick, smooth, fluid, and most of all, difficult and rewarding 2D Action, that's one you should absolutely consider

Edited January 23, 2020 by Jonnas

[drahkon]

37 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

On a related note, the Megaman Zero/ZX Legacy collection is coming out next month on all consoles. If you're looking for slick, smooth, fluid, and most of all, difficult and rewarding 2D Action, that's one you should absolutely consider

Interesting. A little short on money so I only want to get one full price game next month, but a collection seems like a good investment. *puts it on my list*

[Aperson]

Inti Creates also have Mighty Number 9 on their resume though...

 

Anyway, still been playing Magic The Gathering Arena and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes and finally got round to recording more of that this evening which meant actually fighting the infamous Boost Guardian. How that went, you'll have to find out, for now here's Part 9:

 

 

[Glen-i]

In an attempt to post here more often, I'm gonna post links to any reviews I do here. Shut up! It's efficient!

  Tokyo  Mirage   Sessions  #FE  Encore  

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished a bunch of games this weekend.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4)

Most of my thoughts about the game are in the main thread but I will quickly say that the series just keeps going from strength to strength and continues to deliver on every front. Bring on the Yakuza Remastered Collection

Blaster Master (Switch)

Spoiler

 

With me loving Blaster Master Zero 1 and 2 I thought it would be good to have a play through of the original game. It's part of the NES games on the Switch and seeing as i've never played the original before I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to put that right. Playing the game made me appreciate the remake even more. Zero was a very faithful vision of the original game and put its own spin on things, without forgetting where the game originally started. A lot of the layouts of the stages are pretty similar as well which meant I made quick work of the game due to being so familiar with Zero. I'm happy to have played through this and see where the series first came from. I know the guys on RFN love the original and I can see why.

Crystalis (Switch)

Spoiler

 

 

 

This is another game i've been wanting to play for a while now. It's a JRPG and it's a very lengthy affair. It's very old school in it's approach, meaning that there is plenty of grinding to be done. Strangely, the max level you can reach with your character is level 16. What a weird cut off point.  The battle system is pretty much like The Legend of Zelda, with you just hacking and slashing away at enemies but the experience and level up system is something more seen in turn based games.

The game is pretty tough at times and often you don't feel like the leveling up that you do has a big enough of an impact in terms of the damage you're both receiving and dishing out. Also, it's very easy to get lost. There are lots of towns, caves and dungeons to visit but because the game doesn't have an in game map a lot of this has to be remembered. I got lost a few times and this can take it's toll on your health when you are having to deal with respawning enemies Great for experience points though.

One major annoyance that I have with the game is the inventory system. Certain weapons can only harm certain enemies. This means you are having to swap between swords constantly in order to kill anything. I got a bit sick of it to be honest and eventually just stuck with one sword and tried to just sneak around any enemy that was immune to my attacks. Items and magic are constantly being used as well and this suffers from the same thing, with you having to keep going in and out of menus in order to do anything.

Despite this, I do think it's a great little game and well worth playing if you are a fan of the genre.

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With both of those completed, that's me pretty much done and dusted with the NES games on the Switch. I've went through everything that I wanted to play and all that's left are the sports games ( not worth playing at all ) and the standard Nintendo ( Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Kid Icarus etc.), most of which I played last year and others i've played countless times before. Time for me to move over to the SNES games.

I will say though that playing through the NES games in bulk has made me appreciate the little console even more. Sure, there are certain things that developers clearly didn't have a clue about, such as difficulty curves and how to make a game with a stable frame rate, but the system was able to pull off some amazing graphics and sounds with the modest innards that it had. I'm a big believer that you can really see a developer shine when they have to work within the limitations of a system and I think that's what happened with the NES. There were a lot of special games came out on the system, despite it's limitations. 

One thing that did get highlighted to me when playing the NES games is just how much I hate the positioning of the - button on the Switch controllers. A lot of the NES games have you pushing the - button to bring up inventory and having to lean over the left control stick got very annoying. It's really not in a good position at all.

Finally, one thing developers clearly had a thing for was using the same kind of end scenes in their games. I've put together a small selection of them that I have finished this month. Can you see the similarities? Look hard because they are quite subtle.  

 

Snipperclips (Switch)

Spoiler

 

I had to look after a couple of my nephews and my niece yesterday afternoon. I was sick of them looking like zombies, just sat there swiping away on their garbage mobile games that require no thought whatsoever. This being the case, I decided to fire up Snippercips. I've had this for ages but have never played the game and I thought this should be a great game to get their heads out of their phones and actually use their brains for a bit.

What a delightful little game this is. We played the game in 2 player, with the kids taking a turn after completing a stage and me being the player who stayed on at all times. My niece ( 7 years old ) did struggle a bit with it but the two nephews (10 and 13) got a feel for how the game worked pretty quickly. Those who weren't playing were eager to offer some advice on how to solve the problems and there were some very creative things came from all of us. A lot of the time i'm sure we completed a stage by not actually doing what the game really wanted us to do but I think that is the beauty of something like this. Thinking outside of the box and making your idea work gets the creative juices flowing and it was great to see the kids laugh as we completed stages in very weird ways.

We ended up finishing most of the base game before they left and I then finished the last 5 levels off this morning by myself. Some of these stages were actually easier on my own but a couple of them would have been easier with another player. There's still the DLC to play at some point (I have the Snipperclips Plus version) but I think I will leave that be until I have to babysit again.

Playing this did sadden me on just how kids are being brought up with shovelware on their mobile devices. Most of the games that are on there are clickers or free to play garbage. Games that have mind numbing and repetitive actions that don't value good game design and instead are there to just encourage spending. One the games I seen my youngest nephew playing was some penalty shootout game that had him watching adverts after every match. The only way to get rid of these adverts are to pay a premium. It's absolutely disgusting what's going on and I imagine that most parents haven't a clue. I know my sister is very oblivious to it all.

Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the tropics (Switch)

Spoiler

 

 

My playing through of the SNES titles started with this game. I love the original, have fond childhood memories of playing it in the arcades and I played it last year on the Switch thanks to the Data East games finally being released on the eShop. I was happy to see the sequel was part of the SNES games package and was eager to try it as i've not played it before.

Loved it. I actually think I enjoyed it more than the original. The game has more varied levels, doesn't have a harsh as difficulty as the original and seems to just play better. The Joe and Mac games have a great amount of personality to them, with funny animations happening for all of the characters and dinosaurs. I love the way a lot of the boss fights are just huge dinosaurs that fill up the screen and when you manage to land a hit it has them crying their eyes out. Hilarious stuff. It's not a lengthy affair by any means but it's a fun game to play if you have an hour spare and want to relive the 90's.

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Looking back at what i've got through this month, I swear i've played more games on my Switch in the first month of 2020 than I did the whole of 2019.  

Edited January 26, 2020 by Hero-of-Time

[Glen-i]

4 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Playing this did sadden me on just how kids are being brought up with shovelware on their mobile devices. Most of the games that are on there are clickers or free to play garbage. Games that have mind numbing and repetitive actions that don't value good game design and instead are there to just encourage spending. One the games I seen my youngest nephew playing was some penalty shootout game that had him watching adverts after every match. The only way to get rid of these adverts are to pay a premium. It's absolutely disgusting what's going on and I imagine that most parents haven't a clue. I know my sister is very oblivious to it all.

They really don't, you would not believe the amount of times I've had a parent ask me where they can find a game like Smash Bros on the app store, only for me to explain that I don't have some elaborate setup that plays mobile games on a TV; it's a Switch and 8 controllers. Whether it's because they've never really seen a console or it's because the Switch looks kinda like a tablet, I'm not sure.

But they do get impressed when they see their kids come together to play Mario Kart, Super Mario Party, Smash and so on, mostly because to them, those games look at least more engaging than a lot of the junk you see on phones.

The rise of mobile gaming is definitely the biggest factor, but I think some of the blame lies on the better accessibility of online gaming these days. Stuff like Roblox is so easy to access and play with your friends that traditional same-room gaming has only dwindled over time.

Don't get me wrong, online gaming is great, especially when you have a good community available. But it's never going to be a perfect replacement for sitting in front of a TV with other people laughing at what just happened to that unlucky schmo on Mario Party.

The difference between then and now is that kids today have more options, and the easier one is more appealing. It's not their fault though, they just need a knowledgeable adult to show them that hey, 8-Player Smash is loads of fun.

[drahkon]

39 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

We played the game in 2 player, with the kids taking a turn after completing a stage and me being the player who stayed on at all times.

Look who's showing dominance  

[Ganepark32]

It's been a slow start to the year in terms of completing games, or even playing them to be honest. I've felt a little disconnected from things and have wanted to be focusing on other things (started drawing again and getting back into a basic exercise routine as examples) but this last week I've managed to put two games to bed.

First up, I picked up the physical version of A Hat in Time on Switch and promptly flew through that, having played it all before on the PS4. I has worries performance would be bad going by what impressions were saying about the port but it seems the updates and patches since release have smoothed things out by and large. There's still frame rate dips when there's a lot going on on screen, such as with boss battles, or when you're in some of the more open areas like Mafia Town where there can be a lot happening. Yet it was never bad enough to stop me playing.

So I ran through collecting time pieces quick enough and finishing the main game and turned to the DLC to give that a go as the Switch version is the only console version where you can play the DLC. Annoyingly though, if you buy the physical as I did, you only get access to the Seal the Deal DLC and not the second piece of content meaning you have to purchase Nyazuka Metro separately on top of the cartridge which takes it well and above the price to get the game and all DLC digitally on the eShop. A but disgusted with that to be honest but it was never a game I was going to hold on to having played it already and once I'm done with the last couple of time pieces, the game will most likely be sold on.

Still, the DLC has been good so far. Nyakuza Metro in particular has been great. A large open level with multiple time pieces that you can work towards, with it's own story and no need to go back to the hub after each time piece has been collected. It's well designed and plays well so I'm glad I'm finally getting a chance to play the DLC even if I feel somewhat burned by the pricing of going physical with the game. A great game to start with and even more content just means more greatness.

Secondly, I started and finished Stories Untold the other day and really enjoyed it. Didn't really know what to expect going in but had generally heard good things about it narratively and came away very impressed with where it went story wise and how everything is slowly peeled back. I went in expected a horror story but it flipped and went a completely different way with the events tying all 4 of the vignettes together and it was great. I loved how different each of them was, from the text based adventure of the first part of the game to  running experiments on a specimen in a test chamber in the second bit to decoding radio messages in the third piece. And the way the fourth and final part brings it all together, I thought it handled it and the subject matter really well and really framed everything so well.

I'd definitely recommend giving it a go if you're into story heavy games and like things that ere on the side of weird. Has made me want to finally get on with playing their second title, Observation, on the PS4 as I've had it sitting for ages and haven't gotten round to it. Looks like I'll be doing that soon enough.

So two down to start the year off. Going for a far more casual approach to things this year to incorporate other things back into my life and just generally branch out (I'll soon be picking up the pen again to write about games and other things as an example) and look after myself a bit more.

Beyond those two, I've started playing Lego Harry Potter Collection with the missus on the PS4 in coop as we've not played anything coop together since Rocket League. I'm not a big Harry Potter fan but it's been fun and chaotic so far. I've also started Indivisible on the Xbox One as it was added to Game Pass recently. Really enjoying what I've played so far, not what I expected as I thought it was supposed to be a fighting game but the metroidvania/active combat battles mixture is suiting my tastes nicely so looking forward to playing more.

Also set to pick up both Journey to the Savage Planet and Kentucky Route Zero on the PS4 and Switch respectively tomorrow so plenty more to keep me going in amongst all the other bits and pieces.

[Dufniall]

Iconoclasts (Switch)

 

Done! I’ve finished the game in a little under 11 hours, which is a perfectly acceptable time for the game to last.

 

 

Don’t be fooled by that low score on Tweaks; I never crafted more of those as you only have 3 slots for them and I just crafted the ones I needed, and I didn’t know they would count towards completion. I have the materials to up that number quite a bit. Components is a bit low as well but I never went back to them as they don’t really give you anything extra. I wanted to backtrack to up the score but my savegame is before the final boss and I don’t think I can go back from there.

All in all an enjoyable game. The length for me is perfect, and it plays well. The characters could have used even more fleshing out, despite the comments of too much dialogue in this game that you read. I got it for €10 in the sale and at that price it’s definitely worth it.

 

Pokémon Sword (Switch)

 

I already posted about this in the Pokémon Sword and Shield thread, but I finally became Galar champion. I have mixed feelings about the game, although they hang towards the positive. But like I said before in the other thread, I think I just outgrew the series a bit. Will go back to complete the Pokédex, and probably get the DLC but I’ll give it a little bit of a rest first.

 

 

 

Okami HD (Switch)

 

With both Iconoclasts and Pokémon finished I have room to start some new games on Switch. I picked up Okami HD on my holiday in Japan, and I decided it’s time to start this. The first hour was a bit difficult to get into. First of all it took about 20 minutes before I could take my first steps, and the controls felt a bit outdated. But after adjusting a couple of things (inverting camera and turn of rumble, that is insane when on!) and coming to peace that this is a 12 year old game I got into it. The game looks so charming, and it is great that it is set in Japan as well, as I saw all these traditional temples and houses on my holiday. It’s quite heavy on the dialogue, and that cricket is damn annoying. But I think I’m going to get a lot of enjoyment from this.

 

For the second game to start I was thinking about starting Wargroove, but I think I will first finish off Valkyria Chronicles. It’s a game that I love playing but takes it’s time. I usually tackle a few chapters and then leave it for a couple of months. Time to push through. And postponing Wargroove means that I get to play it when the Double Trouble DLC is already out.

 

I also made some good progress with Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PC), but I'll update on that when I'm a bit further on. Still enjoying it.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Vileplume2000

[Nicktendo]

I haven't had much time for gaming this week, but I have picked up a couple of bits and pieces.

256GB micro SD card - the fridge is no longer full on my Switch (at least for another six months).

Bluetooth adaptor - I got this so I can play PC games wireless with my Xbox One pad because...

5m HDMI 2.0 cable - I can finally run games in 4K HDR to my TV from my PC. Fired up Bioshock Remastered in 2160p60 and MY GOD. It's so beautiful   

Had a few goes on Rocket League on the TV for the first time in a year and picked up The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY edition for £1.60 in the Steam sale. I'm thinking about redeeming the two week XBox Game Pass I got with the controller last year, would like to try out Forza Horizon 4, but I'll probably hold off for now. 

Switch wise, I dipped into the backlog and started playing an old indie game I picked up in 2017 shortly after the Switch launched. You'll hear more on the podcast 

[Aperson]

Been playing a mixture of games lately though progress on my Let's Play of Metroid Prime 2 has slowed as a result.

 

I started by playing more of Magic The Gathering Arena doing the usual grind but decided to stop drafting Throne of Eldraine because Theros draft starts this weekend, so I just opened the rest of my packs. But then also decided to go back to Pokemon Trading Card Game Online due to going to the Sword and Shield prerelease and I have found myself entering multiple events on that site after finding out exactly how other people have been getting some of the best cards in the game easily apart from playing for in a while. Turns out the Trading system in the game, the community has set up a currency system in terms of unopened booster packs. You need to win tradable boosters in game but NOT open them, instead use them to "buy" cards in game. So I was able to get a tag team of two of my favourite Alola Pokemon, Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor, using this system simply by entering multiple tournaments at once.

 

I also finally made some progress in Hollow Knight. I decided to look up other people's charm setups for the Lost Kin and copied it, I used this setup to finally beat it. Now taking on the Soul Tyrant.

 

New episode of the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Let's Play went up this evening. This was just supposed to be random item collection but one item in particular turned out to make one of the more interesting parts of the LP so far...

 

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I managed to sneak a final game into this month.

Doom (PS4)

I fancied some run and gun action and dug deep into my PS4 backlog for this one. I've had it on the shelf for around 3 years now and it was only now that I fancied playing it. The game gets a stupid amount of praise from a lot of outlets and I figured it was time to see if that praise was justified. It was not.

The combat in the game is where a lot of the praise comes from and it is very fast, kinetic and fluid. However, the story is completely throw away and the environments pretty bland, especially when on Mars and in Hell. Everything just seems like a different shade of red. I did enjoy the Rune challenges the game offered and I played a couple of games online (nab a couple of trophies) which ran pretty well. 

When people talk about the best FPS games this generation has produced this always comes up but I personally think that Titanfall 2 is a FAR superior game that is the complete package. Fantastic shooting, great platforming, fast and fluid movement, good narrative and interesting gameplay mechanics ( wall running and mech combat ). I still think Doom is a good game but it's one that I think has been way overhyped. 

I managed to nab the platinum before setting off to work this morning.

I was in danger of going through a whole month without earning a single platinum trophy. Couldn't be having that!  

With that done, here is my list for January.

Spoiler

• 4th Jan – Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PS4)
• 4th Jan – Kid Dracula (Switch)
• 4th Jan – Castlevania (Switch)
• 5th Jan – Castlevania III (Switch)
• 5th Jan – Super Castlevania  IV (Switch)
• 7th Jan – Castlevania: The New Generation/Bloodlines (Switch)
• 9th Jan – Castlevania II (Switch)
• 12th Jan – Phantasy Star (Switch)
• 13th Jan – Ninja Gaiden (Switch)
• 13th Jan – Gradius (Switch)
• 14th Jan – Twinbee (Switch)
• 15th Jan – Star Soldier (Switch)
• 16th Jan – Double Dragon (Switch)
• 17th Jan – Ghosts n Goblins (Switch)
• 18th Jan – Double Dragon II (Switch)
• 19th Jan – River City Ransom (Switch)
• 25th Jan - Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4)
• 25th Jan – Crystalis (Switch)
• 25th Jan – Blaster Master (Switch)
• 26th Jan – Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics (Switch)
• 26th Jan – Snipperclips (Switch)
• 30th Jan – Doom (PS4)

Yakuza Kiwami 2 was my favourite of the month. I continue to play Monster Hunter World Iceborne, and Ring Fit Adventure still gets a look in. Admittedly I need to get back to that. I dropped off it over the past couple of weeks. I really need more people on my friends list to be playing it. Being a goal oriented gamer, having people ahead of me is a great motivator. I played it a lot when RedShell was in front of me as it gave me a goal of catching him.  

Colin on Sacred Symbols mentioned at the start of the year that he would like to play at least 1 JRPG a month. Like me, he loves the genre and wanted to get back to clearing some of them in his backlog. He's not off to a good start because looking at his trophy list he has yet to finish DQXI. If he just wants to see the first ending then he may squeeze it in today. Anyway, I also wanted to try taking on this challenge and i'm off to a good start with me finishing both Crystalis and Phantasy Star this month. I've already got my next one lined up for tomorrow...

[drahkon]

@Hero-of-Time with his usual 800 games he finished in 31 days.

Here I am sitting at 5...

Dragon Quest I
Shovel Knight (Shovel of Hope)
Super Mario Odyssey
Golf Story 
Astral Chain

To be fair, Slay the Spire (50 hours) and Stardew Valley (20 hours) on Switch and Borderlands 3 Co-op on PS4 are pretty much all I play these days. Throw in Cuphead that I only play once per week with a mate and there you go  

Quite a bad start to 2020 regarding quality of the games I've played, or rather regarding my enjoyment of those games. Super Mario Odyssey, Golf Story and Astral Chain were quite average at best. I've stopped playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Shovel Knight (Plague of Shadows) and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! for various reasons.

That makes only two games I genuinely enjoyed from start to finish for 2020, so far.  

But, Slay the Spire and Stardew Valley are so good, I don't really mind  

I need to get back to Blaster Master Zero.  

[Dufniall]

47 minutes ago, drahkon said:

I've stopped playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Shovel Knight (Plague of Shadows) and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! for various reasons.

If you liked Shovel of Hope, then just go ahead and skip Plague of Shadows and start Spectre of Torment or King of Cards. Plague of Shadows is easily the worst one of the four, and it's the only one I couldn't get through. But the other ones I loved, so it would be a shame to miss out on those.

[drahkon]

17 minutes ago, Vileplume2000 said:

If you liked Shovel of Hope, then just go ahead and skip Plague of Shadows and start Spectre of Torment or King of Cards. Plague of Shadows is easily the worst one of the four, and it's the only one I couldn't get through. But the other ones I loved, so it would be a shame to miss out on those.

Yeah, I'll definitely give the other campaigns a go. As soon as I'm done with Blaster Master Zero  

[Aperson]

Continuing with Prime 2, here's the big temple fight against the Amorbis: