Re: Recently completed game(s)

by **MarkySharky** Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:23 pm

Glad you finally finished it and more importantly enjoyed it man!

by Wolvieware Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:03 pm

Finished Layers of Fear - easily one of the scariest games I've played. It will make you frightened to open doors! It's a very simple walking game but tells a great story with multiple choices affecting the outcome. I really enjoyed seeing how the game twists around you and shows things in different perspectives. I've even bought the dlc for it.

by aaroncupboard Sun Sep 11, 2016 7:28 am

Two games recently finished for me.

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

Firstly this is a great game but it is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. The story is weak and the ending abrupt, yet the minute by minute gameplay is fantastic. It also had some of the best side missions since The Witcher 3.

Unravelled

After a frustrating first few levels, this suddenly settles down and becomes a charming, relaxing puzzle platformer. There was a nice emotional theme throughout and it is absolutely gorgeous. Very good.

by Wolvieware Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:42 am

Finished Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell last night. It was an enjoyable coop game but I'm glad it was free. As a standalone game it's not much of one, merely side quests tacked on to an open world game. There's glitches galore, shoddy graphics but it makes up for it with wackiness. It is fun and more so with a friend, but not a good game in the slightest.

by **cal_el** Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:49 pm

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]

While work and life commitments have meant I have been playing a lot of games without end *cough* *cough* Overwatch *cough* to fill in my gaming time, I am still dabbling in some singleplayer affairs. The Bunker is a shortish narrative game which aims to update the use of FMVs in games to our fancy modern tastes.

For the two-ish hour length I really enjoyed The Bunker. It has its limitations but the game works really well within them and tells a compelling story which is presented in a cool way. The live action video gives a greater sense of connection to the characters on screen and the game does a few things to play around with the expectations you have of live action footage in games. It is far from perfect though. For a game that relies so heavily on live action footage there is a surprising amount of shoddy editing and scene transitions in the game. In many cases the seams of the game handling video files is nicely hidden but most of the time you'll encounter a jarring cut of the footage as the camera clunkily changes viewpoint or begins a loop again.

Still I enjoyed the heck out of it, mainly as a curiosity and a different way of handling FMV in games. I'd recommend picking it up if you have the money spare and especially if you like the Telltale games.

by **cal_el** Sun Sep 25, 2016 7:52 pm

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]
Virginia [PS4]

Virginia is a very different game. The short version is if you enjoy games like Dear Ester, Firewatch, 30 Flights of Loving, etc. and you want to play something that attempts to do something new with linear gameplay then I would highly recommend Virginia. I'd also recommend it if you enjoy films and TV shows that beg you to get lost in the little details and rich subtext. There is something about this game. As soon as I had finished it I wanted to start again, to pick it apart. To try to fully understand the story it is telling. The no dialogue approach to the game is interesting and as a result the game is an exercise in pure visual story telling.

If you prefer less "poncy" things maybe give it a miss. It's not for everyone but for my tastes it hits a high standard and makes me want to see more games like it.

by **cal_el** Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:29 pm

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]
Virginia [PS4]
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham [PS4]

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With the setup work done in the first installment, episode two of Telltale's Batman series ramps up the story and action while continuing to put its own spin on Batman.

I'm enjoying this a lot, it is trying to do something different with the story and characters rather than play it safe. Not everyone plays to their well established roles, instead there has been an effort to update some while going in different directions with others. It can be a bit hit and miss but I'd rather see this approach than say a poor man's Nolan's Batman.

A couple of cool decision points came up during this episode too which makes me wonder how they will play out in the next episode.

by **cal_el** Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:40 pm

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]
Virginia [PS4]
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham [PS4]

October
The Witness [PS4]

After a several month break I finally sat down and finished The Witness!

It is a damn fine puzzle game (perhaps one of the best ever made!) with an amazing amount of intricacy in its world design. As I've been playing I've been doodling solutions in notebooks, truly learning the island like the back of my hand and pounding my head against the wall in gleeful frustration as I slowly solved its many, many, many, many, many, many panel puzzles. It has made me think about games as a whole differently and pushed me to want more cohesive designs to the games I play. Which is great!

But...because it's a Jonathan Blow game it is so stuck up its own arse and that takes away from it, especially at the end. In that the answer to the question that is the game as a whole is basically, "Screw you, now play the game again."

But the thing is at some point I probably will. Well played Blow...well played...

by **cal_el** Wed Oct 12, 2016 8:15 am

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]
Virginia [PS4]
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham [PS4]

October
The Witness [PS4]
Gone Home [PS4]

This has been sitting on my PS4 HDD for too long so I figured it was about time I played it. I am very impressed! It's a great example of environmental storytelling done right, even if there is a lot of game type logic applied to it. (Objects of interest are dotted around the house rather than being clustered together as they would be in a real home) I found the various narrative threads you slowly unpick very interesting and heartwarming to a certain extent. It explores young love in an interesting way and also goes a long way to highlight parents needing to be more involved in their kids interests and wants. Also that every family has its secrets and that letting them build up can be destructive. I can understand why this generated as much buzz as it did when it was first released.

It's a great little game with something important to say.

by Wolvieware Sat Oct 15, 2016 4:26 pm

Finished Transformers Devastation. I'm so glad this was on PS+ because it was pretty shit and I nearly bought it. In terms of presentation and style it's like being in control of a classic Transformers cartoon episode - brilliant! But the game play is dull and repetitive. It's essentially a boss fight game with small sections of corridors to run down. Plus it only took about 4 hours to complete! The emphasis is on replay ability with other characters but one go round on this was enough for me!

by **cal_el** Wed Oct 26, 2016 2:01 pm

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]
Virginia [PS4]
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham [PS4]

October
The Witness [PS4]
Gone Home [PS4]
Job Simulator [PS4/PSVR]
Batman: Arkham VR [PS4/PSVR]
PlayStation VR Worlds [PS4/PSVR]

I may have picked up a PSVR headset for "research purposes" Very Happy

Overall I am very impressed with PSVR and the games/experiences I have for it. It is an impressive piece of kit that can give you truly great gaming fun times if handled correctly. I won't go into detail about VR Worlds due to work stuff but I will say that it has been cool to see how the final product has turned out.

Recently completed game(s) - Page 11 Jobsimulator1

Job Simulator is a great VR showcase that also happens to be a fun and funny pseudo-sim game. The humour is spot on and the bright graphics and design make the game really engrossing. It requires the most amount of space for a game on PSVR and it really uses the 360 nature of VR. Although loosing tracking of Move controllers can be an issue when turned around.

On the surface the game me seem simplistic but once you're in it is is surprising how involving it is. There is also a nice playful sandbox quality to the game that encourages pushing the boundaries of the tools given to you. There is also a decent amount of hidden details and easter-egg type stuff in there. The light hearted tone and humour is what makes the game for me though. It oozes personality and there is a razor sharp wit behind everything in the game.

Recently completed game(s) - Page 11 Batman-arkham-vr-20161009202450

Arkham VR is one of the coolest things I have ever played. It delivers on the being Batman promise that all the Arkham games have, although this time minus the combat. It is short and sweet but there are a lot of cool touches and moments that make this such a stand out experience. You get to armour up, physically piece together evidence, explore the Batcave and do a whole load of other cool shit. The only downside to this is that story for it is very poor. It is set after Arkham Knight and sort of undoes a lot of what made that game's story great to me. It also ends so abruptly that it boarders on the offensive Razz

Still it gives me hope that either Rocksteady's next game will be a VR title or have a VR element to it or that somebody else will pick up the starting point mechanically that this game presents and run with it.

by **cal_el** Tue Nov 29, 2016 6:08 pm

Updates in bold.

January
The Banner Saga [Steam]
Lifeline [iOS]

February
Pokemon X [3DS]
Firewatch [PS4]

March
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Remastered [PS4]
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition [PS4/PS Vita] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 26/3/16
Hitman: Prologue Episode [PS4]
Hitman: Paris Episode [PS4]
Deadly Tower of Monsters [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 24/3/16
Tom Clancy's The Division [PS4]
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV [PS4]

April
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters [PS4]
Bloodborne [PS4]
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers [PS4]
PaRappa the Rapper 2 [PS4]
Bloodborne NG+ [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 18/04/15
Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 [Wii U Virtual Console - Originally on N64]
Game of Thrones Episode 6: The Ice Dragon [PS4] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 21/4/16
Star Fox Zero [Wii U]

May
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
Pokemon Yellow [3DS Virtual Console - Originally on Gameboy/GB Colour]

June
The Order: 1886 [PS4]

July
- Life and playing games without end got in the way! Mainly Overwatch, lots and lots of Overwatch -

August
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1: Realm of Shadows [PS4]

September
The Bunker [PS4]
Virginia [PS4]
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham [PS4]

October
The Witness [PS4]
Gone Home [PS4]
Job Simulator [PS4/PSVR] - Platinum Trophy Unlocked 25/10/16
Batman: Arkham VR [PS4/PSVR]
PlayStation VR Worlds [PS4/PSVR]

November
Pokemon Soul Silver [DS]
Pokemon Omega Ruby [3DS]

November has been a very Pokemon-centric month for me! I finally finished my playthrough of Soul Silver and I managed to start and complete Omega Ruby just before Sun/Moon came out.

Soul Silver and I guess the original Pokemon Silver aren't as good as I remember them being and I've played them a lot over the years! Don't get me wrong there is a lot of great stuff in there and the Gen II Pokemon designs are amongst my favourites but the game feels too crammed in. While in Johto it feels like every town is right next to each other with little in terms of wilderness or caves between them. This is counteracted slightly by a strict adherence to having some sort of dungeon or challenge outside of the Gyms in or near each town. But yeah the world feels small and less fleshed out compared to the more modern games.

Then you have the whole going back to Kanto thing which is awesome on paper but the execution of it is mixed at best. Trainer and Gym Battles are of the appropriate level for your team but wild Pokemon are at their original values from Red/Blue/Yellow. So exploring the world quickly becomes an annoying slog of pointless battles. It also doesn't help that some of the cooler locations in Kanto are blocked off or have been redesigned into single rooms that are essentially just nods to the original games. This is probably constraints put on the game from the original release and the limited memory size of Gameboy cartridges at the time but for a remake surely they could have added some more...stuff and tweaked the balance a bit?

By the time I had beaten the Elite Four a second time and climbed my way up to the peak of Mt. Silver I was ready to face Red, the hero from the first Pokemon games. But then all his team were level 80 and I couldn't be bothered grinding to reach a similar level to stand a chance of beating him. Annoyingly this happens at a few point in Soul Silver. Arbitrary road blocks to cause you to backtrack a bit to train. I'm usually fine with this because in games like Pokemon X/Y there was plenty to do. In Soul Silver however you've most likely seen and done everything your first time through an area so there is nothing to do but grind. So yeah, while the game overall is great there is a slog to it that feels wholly unnecessary.

Omega Ruby on the other hand was a perfectly balanced game with a steady challenge (to a point) and a nice drip feeding of the story right up to the end of the end game. Gen VI's combat is near perfect and the systems carried over and enhanced from X/Y make playing this remake of Ruby similar but different enough to keep you engaged. The DexNav in particular is a welcome addition that makes hunting down Pokemon an interesting game of cat and mouse rather than blind luck.

Time was against me with my playthrough of Omega Ruby and I tackled the last three Gyms, Elite Four and the Post Game with EXP. SHARE enabled. I now remember why I turned it off in Pokemon X and in my current playthrough of Sun. Within a couple of hours my whole team was over-levelled for whatever area I was in and the game lost all sense of challenge. My playtime reduced significantly and I ended up speeding through the latter parts of the game because I was finding things way too easy. So in the end Omega Ruby was probably the quickest amount of time it has taken me to play a Pokemon game to completion. (37 hours compared to the 102 hours on my Pokemon X save file!) It was my choice to play it that way but EXP. SHARE is on by default whenever you get it so for the vast majority of players this is the normal way of playing through modern Pokemon games which is a shame. Still I had a lot of fun blasting through the game and I managed to complete it just as my download of Sun unlocked which I started playing and loving immediately. SO YAY FOR ME!

by dste01 Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:55 pm

Diner Dash on the DS.

Loved it. One of those simple but addictive games.

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