What Games Have You Completed? (2021 Edition)

Retr0gamer

1. Megaman X2|SNES
2. Streets of Rage 4|PC
3. Sekiro|PC
4. Megaman 7|SNES
5. Megaman 8|PS1
6. Megaman X3|SNES
7. Megaman & Bass|SNES
8. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim|PS4
9. Broken Sword: Director's Cut|PC
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert|PC
11. Mischief Makers|N64
12. Wolfenstein 2: New Colossus (DLC)|PC
13. Deception 4: Blood Ties|PS4
14. Final Fantasy Adventure|Gameboy
15. Virtua Racing|Switch
16. Thief 2: The Metal Age|PC
17. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Spearhead|PC
18. Crysis Remaster|PC
19. God of War: Chain of Olympus|PS3
20. Resident Evil Village|PC
21. Live a Live|SNES
22. Clockwork Knight|Saturn
23. DuckTales|NES
24. Drakengard 3|PS3
25. Double Dragon|NES
26. Secret of Mana|SNES
27. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions|Android
28. Halo 5: Guardians|XBox One
29. Air Combat|PS1
30. Kamui|PC
31. DuckTales 2|NES
32. Turok Dinosaur Hunter|PC
33. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box|Android
34. Ape Escape|PS1
35. No One Lives Forever|PC
36. DuckTales Remastered|PC
37. Yakuza: Like a Dragon|PC
38. Asterix|Master System
39. McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure|Megadrive
40. Fuga: Melodies of Steel|PC
41. Quake|PC
42. Return of the Obra Dinn|PC
43. Tail Concerto|PS1
44. Contra 3 (Hard Mode)|SNES
45. Rocket Knight|PC
46. Enemy Zero|PC
47. Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon|PC
48. Final Fantasy II: Pixel Remaster|PC
49. Sparkster (Hard Mode)|SNES
50. Sweet Home|NES

Sweet Home

Finally beaten this game from the October horrorthon. I never got around to Clock Tower.

Anyway Sweet Home is a late Famicom horror RPG from Capcom that greatly influenced Resident Evil. There's a lot of influence Resi pulled from this game from a finite amount of healing items in the game to the weird puzzles and clues. Even the animation of the doors opening is in this game.

Sweet Home is based on a japanese horror film of the same name. 5 researchers enter a mansion to document the mansion's famous frescoes and get trapped inside while evil forces lurk within. Each of the five characters have their own unique skill. Kazuo has a lighter, Akiko has a medikit for curing status ailments, Asuka has a.... eh... vacuum cleaner for cleaning frescos and shattered glass, Taro has a camera for photographing the frescoes and Emi has a key and is your 'Master of Unlocking'. Many of these items also have utility in battle that can help immensely in the early stages

The battle system is standard Dragon Quest style but with it's own horror tinged take on it that makes it very interesting. Most battles are random although some areas have visible encounters. Encounter rates are mercifully low. You can form parties with all five characters but never bigger than three members. You can switch between the 5 characters at any time. If a party gets into battle they have the option to fight on or call the other party members to join in the fight. The other party then has about 15 seconds to make their way over to the other party otherwise they will have to wait another round to call them again. Many of the traps, hazards and status effects the player encounters are designed to break up the party which can lead to very tense moments as you scramble to get your party back together before a random encounter triggers. Another difference is there are no heal skills like in other RPGs. You have to use one of your limited supply of tonics that once used will restore a party to full health. And it's dangerous to keep party members at low health as once they are dead they are gone for good (although you can get items to replicate their unique ability it's probably better to reset at this point). Inventory is also very limited with each character only able to carry two items.

What this leads to is a JRPG that is genuinely tense and works brilliantly. In the opening few hours. After that you kind of get a feel for the game and level up enough that you enemies aren't too much trouble. You learn tactics like using the call command in battle to leap frog you parties and keep them together and having the other party join you means you all share experience and can heal all 5 members with a tonic rather than the maximum of three in a single party. There's a few flaws, you can soft lock the game if you doing something stupid but it's rare and mitigated by the fact you can save anywhere.

Don't expect a good story with this one. It's not really all that well explained and I'm pretty sure you would need to have seen the film to get the full picture. Speaking of which the final item hunt and boss fight are very obtuse and I feel it's something that would make more sense to people that have seen the movie. A decent faq is probably required for the back half of the game and it is very easy to leave behind an important item and have to scour the mansion looking for it.

The visuals for a famicom/NES game are absolutely gorgeous. The overhead sections look like a high budget NES JRPG but the battle and cinematic pixel art is absolutely stunning with some really gruesome and well detailed pixel work and full animations which were rare for 8-bit (and even SNES) RPGs at the time. There's some very creepy music to add to the atmosphere.

Really enjoyed this one although a faq close at hand is recommended. It has it's flaws but it's hugely enjoyable despite these. It's such an interesting game with a wealth of ideas and there's really nothing else like it.

Kingp35

1. Resident Evil 3 - PlayStation 4
2. Resident Evil 4 - PlayStation 4
3. Yakuza Kiwami - PlayStation 4
4. Yakuza Kiwami 2 - PlayStation 4
5. Endless Fable 3: Dark Moor - PlayStation 4
6. Cube Escape: The Lake - Android
7. The Secret Order 7: Shadow Breach - PlayStation 4
8. A Plague Tale: Innocence - PlayStation 4
9. Ghost Files: Memory of a Crime - PlayStation 4
10. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka With Love - PlayStation 4
11. Anodyne - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
12. Dandara - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
13. Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
14. Dead Space 2 - PlayStation 3
15. Dead Space 3 - PlayStation 3
16. Medievil - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
17. Broken Age - PlayStation 4
18. Call of Duty Blacks Ops 3 (Campaign only) - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
19. Unmechanical Extended - PlayStation 4
20. Marvels Avengers - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
21. Far Cry 3 - PlayStation 3
22. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - PlayStation 3
23. In Rays of the Light - PlayStation 4
24. Yoku's Island Express - PlayStation 4
25. Borderlands 3 - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
26. Streets of Rage 4 - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
27. Judgement - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
28. Astro's Playroom - PlayStation 5
29. Red Dead Redemption 2 - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
30. Nier Automata - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
31. Bugsnax - PlayStation 5
32. The Last of Us Part II - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
33. Demon Hunter: Revelation - PS4 game on PlayStation 5
34. Far Cry 4 & Valley of the Yetis DLC - PS4 game on PlayStation 5

Far Cry 4 & Valley of the Yetis DLC

There's not much I can say about this really, it's a Far Cry game for better of worse. The story is entry was poor I thought with no memorable characters, Pagan Min was a fairly poor antagonist. I am one of the few who quite enjoys completing the checklist of things to do to collect most trophies in Ubisoft open world games. I find it quite relaxing and I also enjoy the fact that not all collectables of a particular type is required for the trophy.

Solid gameplay as usual but poor story just about sums it up.

TinCanMan

Bioshock Infinite [PS4] - I loved this game but not quite as much as the first. Although very different from 1 & 2 there are some slight similarities with weapons and vigours(plasmids). If you've never played a Bioshock game then the collection is available quite cheaply. I would highly recommend all three for those that haven't played them. They are masterpieces and should be played in order of release date i.e. 1,2 and then infinite.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider [PS4] - If you've played a Tomb Raider game before then you'll know what to expect. This one is slightly less combat heavy than the first two in the trilogy and more focused on stealth and exploration. It's a beautiful looking game and whilst I enjoyed it I found it to be the weakest of the three.

Astro's Playroom [PS5] - First things first, this game is seriously fun with so much nostalgia thrown in from Playstation history that I was grinning like an idiot at times. But what's most impressive is that they used this game to highlight the new features of the Dualsense controller and boy does it shine. This is a revolution in controller design and I can't wait to see how other games will make use of it in the near future. There's a real wow factor about the Dualsense and it lives up to all the hype.

Ghost of Tsushima [PS5] - This game is something else. The visuals are pure eye candy and the gameplay and story are excellent. Whilst the visuals on the PS5 are the same the 60 FPS makes a huge difference. I enjoyed this game so much that I went on to get the platinum. I have yet to try out the online mode though as I don't really play much online.

Uncharted 4 [PS4/PS5] - What a way to finish the series. If you've played the others then you'll know what to expect but boy does this game look beautiful and also plays really well. Looks amazing for a 6 year old game at this stage, great story and voice acting as well. I would advise on playing them in order though to get the most from the story and characters.

Days Gone [PS5] - What an absolute masterpiece this is. Although slow to get going things really pick up after the 10 hours mark. The only downside is that the human AI are as dumb as a bag of rocks. Fighting the hordes really gets the adrenaline flowing as well. I thoroughly recommend this and loved it so much that I went on to get the platinum.

Dishonored 1 [PS5] - There are so many ways to play this game. You can go all guns blazing, pure stealth or a mixture of the two. The graphics have aged but the cartoony nature means they're not too difficult on the eye. I really enjoyed my playthrough bar one mission. It's a short game but there are so many paths to take and so many ways to deal with enemies that I can understand why people complete multiple playthroughs. 

A Plague Tale: Innocence [PS5] - What an absolutely amazing game. If you haven't played it then I would highly recommend it. It's a story driven game set in the 1300's in France with stealth, puzzles and some combat. I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough and the graphics are pure eye candy. 

da gamer

Call of duty cold war - PS4

A plague tale innocence - Xbox one

Fifa 20 - Xbox one

Hotshot racing - Xbox one

Mafia - PS4

Resident evil 3 - PS4

The walking dead a new frontier - Xbox one

Hitman 2 - PS4

What remains of Edith Finch - Xbox one

Beyond 2 souls - PS4

Ion Fury - PS4

Mad Max - PS4

Assassins creed valhalla - PS4

Dead space 3 - Xbox 360

Apocalypse - PS1

God of war 3 remastered - PS4

Quake - Xbox one

Alan wake remastered - PS4

Little hope - PS4

PES 2021 - Xbox one

Ethereal Cereal

I'm not a big gamer, but recently borrowed a friends PS4. Not sure if it counts, but I finished Injustice 2 last night. On the playthrough story mode set to easy.

I really enjoyed it, the cut scenes were like a very watchable movie. I enjoyed the hell out of it, could have played it for twice as long.

Gamer Bhoy 89

GAME: GTA III: Definitive Edition

PLATFORM: Xbox One

I didn't run into any game breaking bugs like was being reported, but there were a couple of daft mishaps within the game that do need addressing. As I write this a patch was released but it only fixed a large amount of minor issues. I'd say it'll be another couple of weeks before they begin working on fixing all the bigger issues people have been reporting.

From a gameplay point of view, it's the best way to play. The controls have been modernised (though you can change it to the classic control scheme if you really, really want to).

The graphics themselves are very good. The lighting effects are amazing. The only visual problem I had was the implementation of HDR (Which they've disabled temporarily since the latest patch, by the looks of it) and the rain fx are horribly implemented. There were also two occasions where there was absolutely no audio during cutscenes, one of which, after a restart due to mission failure, the audio came back.

Few oddities like character models besides the main playable character being a bit on the funny side, but I'll forgive it considering they built this remaster on top of a 20-year-old game. It's almost exactly what I was expecting this game to be, minus the bugs.

As per, I can't play GTA III without beating it 100%, which is what I did here. All the achievements nabbed in the process.

It's my favourite GTA of the 3D era so I only have good things to say about it. It's as classic a GTA as you can get, fundamental and fun. It's basic, but that's all it needs to be. It's literally a classic GTA game in 3D, with all the bells and whistles the previous, original two games had before it.

wotzgoingon

[Xbox]

The Forgotten City

Good game had to wait around for ages in game time waiting for the election at night. I must have waited at least 15 mins real time. I actually ate my dinner while leaving the game running also I feel got the wrong ending luckily the game saves a decent amount so I'm going to load a older save and try for a different ending.

The Phantom Pain

64. Far Cry 6. Completed and platinumed (twice)

This and Far Cry 5 are duking it out for my favourite in  the series. I  can’t remember the last time I increasingly enjoyed a game franchise the longer it went on.  I appreciate that I’m in the minority, though, because the general consensus is that everything is just a clone of Far Cry 3 without the magic.

Far Cry 6 is not perfect and it does make a poor first impression but by a certain point it just clicks. The biggest hurdle long time fans will have to get over is adjusting to the new loot based progression system which every Ubisoft open world has become infected with of late, Watch Dogs being the exception (so far). All the default skills and their upgrades have been moved to gear which means the early game is a bit dull, depriving the player of the most basic of perks just so you can work your way up to average via gear acquisition. Additionally, a lot of the gear is very situational to the point where I’d imagine most will just equip the parkour set with maybe the occasional swap out here and there, and be good to go.  It’s also not helped by the fact that there’s no loadout system which is quite daft for a game where characters are constantly bleating about, “the right tool for the right job.” I think there are perhaps more inventive ways of making the player feel a sense of progression than simply downgrading the default mechanics from the old games... 

But once you get past the early game slog what awaits is a highly addictive action romp that you can just get lost in for hours at a time.  Yes, it’s fast food AAA schlock and I love it.  I never grew bored of rolling in with my silent pistol and one-shotting everyone. Headshot feedback is very satisfying and the plethora of inventive weapons at your disposal are all fun, especially the way you can customise your supremo (backpack that also doubles as an Ultimate) to fit your playstyle. Speaking of which, like most Ubisoft open worlds these days, Far Cry 6 is catered to many playstyles so you can also go in guns blazing if that’s your thing. As a result, there are lots of ways to go about earning resources and cash such as outposts, checkpoints, races, bandido ops (real time staff sim missions), hunting,  food buffs, special ops (co-op expeditions), dominoes, cock fighting or just looting everything you see etc etc etc. So if you ever get bored of one activity you have much choice, maybe too much choice as some of these systems can feel superfluous. Outside of trophy related activities, this is probably the least amount of hunting I’ve done in a Far Cry game because I didn’t need to.

Also, regarding enemy A.I., some will be happy to know that the enemy spawning has been overhauled so it’s not as frequent as in Far Cry 5... but frequency has been traded out for abundance, i.e. enemies just continuously respawn now which many are going to find irritating, especially in stealth situations.  The series needs to figure out how to let the player create their own water cooler moments rather than forcing it by throwing absolutely everything at the screen.

Thankfully, the chaos does calm down long enough for you to notice that the world of Yara is stunning (especially at night), despite an aging engine. I particularly found the final area i.e. the bad guy’s main base of operations pleasant to look at due to its more urban environment. The overall culture felt convincing from the language to the music to the cars and NPC lifestyles - not sure if it’s necessarily accurate as I am not Cuban (which Yara is said to be based on) but at least from an in-universe world building standpoint, Ubisoft did a great job.  On that note, this is best enjoyed on current gen consoles. Load times are super quick and it feels especially smooth in 60 fps. The transition from PS5 to PS4 version - for the purposes of a double platinum - was really jarring in a way that something like Last Stop, for instance, isn’t. At 30 fps it almost felt like it was lagging even though it wasn’t.

As for the characters, well, some are good… and some are absolutely dreadful to the point where you have to wonder who exactly they are supposed to appeal to. That said, the standout character, for me, is Clara Garcia - a wealthy high class journalist turned rebel leader with sass and determination. You understand her motivation and goals clearly and, to be honest, I wish she was the protagonist instead. She has the sense of conviction that makes her a more defined character whereas Dani feels more like a mere avatar for the player - possibly the result of the gender option robbing her of a distinct personality.

Spoiler Warning

Killing Clara off just so Dani could take center stage was the wrong call.

One of the things that I really liked about Red Dead Redemption 2 is that the main character is not Arthur, it’s Dutch.  In the Witcher 3 the main character is Ciri and you’re just playing her adoptive dad. In Far Cry 6, the main character is Clara but  I think Ubisoft writers are old school where they feel the player character has to be the hero, the star, the leader etc and that, to me, is a mistake because Dani is so meh. Equally a letdown is the villain. Far Cry has always prided itself on its villains and I found the main antagonist here to be cliched and eye-roll worthy (I also disliked Breaking Bad so I’m not in awe of Giancarlo Esposito like many are). He’s too straight whereas the previous bad guys had an eccentricity to them that made them enjoyable to watch. 

Additionally, the story has a real problem with tone. Normally, Far Cry is very good at balancing the wacky with the serious subject matters of the main narrative but here it’s all over the place. On the one hand you’ve got Clara, leader to Libertard, and her nemesis Castillo sparring with one another across the land which is great. You’ve also got the generational rivalry between old and new revolutionaries which is interesting when the story zooms in on it. But it’s all sandwiched in between Ubisoft silliness and most of the humour falls flat. The best example I can think of is when Dani and one of the main faction leaders basically threaten to cut a boss’ balls off. There’s tension in this scene that the same knife the leader is wielding could cut...and then it immediately transitions to a guy in white undies wiggling his bottom to the camera as upbeat music plays. It was the most bizarre tonal transition and I really don’t know what the director was thinking. The uneven tone also affects the pacing as you will do a string of goofy missions only to be placed in these climatic, emotional cutscenes that seemingly come out of nowhere because it hasn’t felt earned up to that point. Clara’s “not fearless but feared” speech, while great, made me think that some missions had been cut prior.

There are also some QOL oversights that really should not be in a modern AAA game.  For some reason, not all amigos can ride in a vehicle with you which is odd seeing as most companions could ride with you in Far Cry 5. All it does is result in them getting run over by NPCs and the player having to get out to revive them and I could never leave my little Chorizo behind. I love that little guy, especially the fact that he is so easily distracted because that’s exactly what dogs are like. His disobedience at times should have annoyed me but I couldn’t help but be impressed by how accurate his behaviour is; he’s adorable. 

Um, where was I?  Oh yeah, quality of life. There’s still no legend toggle for the map considering all the icons you need to sift through.  The slow-mo celebration when crossing into different regions and at the end of every successfully completed activity is annoying, removing your HUD for no good reason.  Also, despite being on a first name basis with Dani, the Preston Garvey NPCs can’t just radio her intel, forcing the player to stand and listen to the same repetitious dialogue about loot in the world that they can mark on your map.  These are small gripes that may or may not wear on you depending on how long you play it.

On that note, as a positive, one of the things many players with varying lifestyles will appreciate is that this game is as long as you want it to be. Much like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (although I really hate giving that game credit), it is balanced in a way that if you only want to do some side stuff here and there you can. You don’t have to grind side quests just to be able to beat the critical path. As someone who thinks side stuff is the entire point of an open world this is not a compromise I personally need but it’s nice that the option is there for those who do.

So, like I said, Far Cry 6 is not a perfect game but its combat, side activities, sense of exploration and the beautiful world of Yara made it one I couldn’t stop going back to. I was sad when it was over and would very much appreciate a new game plus mode with a harder difficulty option. Its story does leave much to be desired and you will be taken out frequently by the odd tonal transitions, but the core mechanics of the series remain rock solid. There has been much talk about whether the Far Cry formula is in need of a shakeup but if you’re like me and you subscribe to the idea of, ‘if it aint broke, don’t fix it’ then you probably won’t care. Would recommend to the fans and lovers of open world action games in general.

The Phantom Pain

65. Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass DLC                                                                                              

66. Battlefield 1: In the Name of the Tsar DLC                                                                                        

67. Battlefield 1: Turning Tides DLC DLC                                                                                                 

68. Battlefield 1: Apocalypse DLC    

Um...I don't know what is going on with the forum formatting so don't shoot me. Anyway, I acquired all trophies for the DLCs bringing completion to 100%. Battlefield 1 is an awesome game, man.  I really love the world war setting and while I knew it couldn’t last forever it was fun while it lasted. I’m not a MP person at all but IMO Dice make some of the most enjoyable out there. I hope they explore this setting again further into the generation where we can witness some true innovation in the genre.

wotzgoingon

[Xbox]

Limbo

Played this years ago around release on 360 and got stuck and it was always on my mind to go back so I did today. Had to restart it as I originally played it on the Xbox 360 offline. Got to the section I was stuck at and couldn't believe how easy the solution was. It was right there in front of me and I spotted it straight away this time. With my new found achievement I pushed on and got stuck a fair few time but you just have to think about it. I was really stuck at one section so I back tracked and sure enough the box I needed was there to be found and then pushed on.

I played it twice today the Xbox 360 version on backwards compatibility and then the Xbox One version as it's on Gamepass. Flew through it the second time. You might think that's crazy playing it twice but it's a short game less then an hour. That is when you know what to do. Playing it your first time you will get stuck.

skerry

Dark Souls Remastered

Been chipping away on this for a while and left off some point after the O&S fight. Picked it up again the last few weeks and finished it out including all the DLC which is well worth doing. Artorias fight was very cool . Fantastic game and world and loved the way everything is tied together. I've tried Demon Souls and much prefer how the Dark Souls world is tied together. Used a Dex Uchigatana build and found it very fun to play. Immediately started NG+ with a Great Scythe flippy ninja build which is awesome.

Dark Souls 3

Much like the above, I have played a decent amount of this and left it for a while (just before Pontiff). Launched straight back into it after finishing DS Remastered while I was still in Soulsey mood. Really enjoyed this one too. Used a strength build but I much more enjoyed playing Dex in the first game. Didn't venture into the DLC in this one as I hear its very hard and I was kind of burned out on Souls at this point.

Very happy to have finished my first 2 Souls games. Have DS2 SOTFS in the backlog and will get started on that once I get my next Souls fit. Have Sekiro too so might try that also, played a bit and dropped it before. Need to get good at parrying.

Retr0gamer

There's a boss fight in Sekiro you will get stuck on but it will also teach you how to parry and how the game works. After you beat it it's like being able to see the matrix.

Niska

Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5)

A fun, chaotic mess of a game. Doesn't quite know what it wants to be, it's a shooter that's closer to an ARPG. in combat you have a pair of guns that overheat if overused, allowing a power shot while cooling down (think the reload mechanism in Gears) - and this is about the only use of the adaptive triggers. The aiming is loose, very loose at times, and can add a layer of frustration to the game at time.

In addition to the main gun, you have four elemental shots (you acquire them over the course of the game) - ice, fire, wind (force pull) and electricity. Most enemies are vulnerable to a specific element or have an element specific shield - all indicated on the HUD which can get very noisy at times (see chaotic above).

You and your four teammates (Gamora, Rocket, Drax and Groot) have a cooldown power and gain more as the story progresses / XP are spent. While the game slows down when you pull up the power sue menu, it doesn't stop, adding to the chaotic feel. The powers tend to be either group control / damage or single target damage.

The enemies range from the usual minions to bosses, with some of the medium tier enemies feeling very bullet spongey - though this usually can be solved by the correct combination of powers, which leads to a frustrating fight turning good. There's also quick time events in combat, usually stripping a big mob of a limb or two which stops a specific power being used against you.

last element of combat is the huddle you call the team together, choose a response based on their dialog - choose right and all cooldowns are reset, poorly and just yours. This also adds a song from your walkman to the fight, and is usually the main reason to use it.

Outside combat it's a story driven (story is fairly good) , linear single player game. Lots of banter, and the voice acting is almost universally good, with voice queues in combat when cooldowns are read. Story is probably one or two beats too long, but doesn't out stay it's welcome too much. Along the way there are dialog decisions to make - most are time dependent, making them slow QTEs. Some will have long term effects - usually of the form of bypassing a fight.

Overall an enjoyable, messy game, but probably worth waiting for sale or Gamepass/PS Now/Epic.

Backbone - Xbox Series X.

An anthropomorphic detective game, with a really bleak and dark tone. Dialogue is really well written and the story is well paced. The art style is gorgeous. The music is really great.

The ending is... rather abrupt. It's on GamePass, I'd recommend getting it on sale only for other platforms. It's a good game, not a great one.

Kingp35

1. Resident Evil 3 - PlayStation 4
2. Resident Evil 4 - PlayStation 4
3. Yakuza Kiwami - PlayStation 4
4. Yakuza Kiwami 2 - PlayStation 4
5. Endless Fable 3: Dark Moor - PlayStation 4
6. Cube Escape: The Lake - Android
7. The Secret Order 7: Shadow Breach - PlayStation 4
8. A Plague Tale: Innocence - PlayStation 4
9. Ghost Files: Memory of a Crime - PlayStation 4
10. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka With Love - PlayStation 4
11. Anodyne - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
12. Dandara - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
13. Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
14. Dead Space 2 - PlayStation 3
15. Dead Space 3 - PlayStation 3
16. Medievil - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
17. Broken Age - PlayStation 4
18. Call of Duty Blacks Ops 3 (Campaign only) - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
19. Unmechanical Extended - PlayStation 4
20. Marvels Avengers - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
21. Far Cry 3 - PlayStation 3
22. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - PlayStation 3
23. In Rays of the Light - PlayStation 4
24. Yoku's Island Express - PlayStation 4
25. Borderlands 3 - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
26. Streets of Rage 4 - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
27. Judgement - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
28. Astro's Playroom - PlayStation 5
29. Red Dead Redemption 2 - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
30. Nier Automata - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
31. Bugsnax - PlayStation 5
32. The Last of Us Part II - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
33. Demon Hunter: Revelation - PS4 game on PlayStation 5
34. Far Cry 4 & Valley of the Yetis DLC - PS4 game on PlayStation 5
35. Lost Grimoires 3: the Forgotten Well - PlayStation 5

Yet another Artifex Mundi game completed and platinumed, Lost Grimoires 3: the Forgotten Well standard fare and exactly what I was looking for after playing Far Cry 4.

Next up for me is Mafia Definitive Edition. I've never played any of the Mafia games before so looking forward to it.

Sable - Xbox Series X

It's an adventure/exploration/puzzle type game where you play a female protagonist who journeys through a desert landscape trying to find her place in it.

It has a really beautiful and unique art style with very minimal graphical detail yet some of the set pieces were absolutely stunning and they really nailed the sense of place and culture in that world.

I think it's like a cross between Breath of the Wild and Journey.

Great game, I'd love to see what this team can do with a bigger budget.

The Phantom Pain

69. Scarlet Nexus (PS5). Completed and platinumed.

70. Scarlet Nexus (PS4). Completed and platinumed.

I’m not even going to attempt to explain the story in Scarlet Nexus. 

The good news is that after three full playthroughs I understand about 90% of it. Saying that its story is a convoluted mess is really understating it. I mean, it’s all there, folks: Conspiracy! Betrayal! Time travel! Mistaken identity! Cloning! Personality reprogramming! Metamorphosis! Artificial birth! Space travel! Did I say space travel?! No, I meant moon travel! And cryogenics! And wars! And planets! And wars between planets! And wars between planets and moons! And assassinations! And unethical medical practices! And it goes on and on and on and on and on. It became a running gag seeing how many spanners the writers could throw in the works, and with so many major plot holes you can drive a bus through them. I’m laughing now because I now understand it but at the time I was annoyed and confused! Your mind cannot wander here - you have to pay attention to every microscopic detail otherwise you’ll be lost with no way back. It’s so bombastic that characters literally have to stop and explain the plot to the player. The emotional payoff is actually very good but it can be a frustrating journey getting there, and I suspect that many people’s brains will just check out halfway through. Oh, and this is the type of game where you fight someone to the brink of death and then in the very next scene they invite you out for lunch... That’s not an exaggeration - that’s the story! It’s weird.

Essentially, there are two campaigns featuring two different protagonists, Kasane and  Youito.  Because that’s exactly what this game needed - a narrative that is already confusing as a whole chopped up into two halves... I found Kasane’s story much more emotionally engaging and, unlike Youito, she actually has character development. Youito is just wet from start to finish. He’s only entertaining when reacting in awe to Kasane’s rudeness, which is a side effect of her upbringing. She lacks the social graces of , say, her adoptive older sister, Naomi, who is the only person she shows any sort of affection for. Of course, it’s not just their stories that differ but also their combat styles. Kasane specialises in long range knife throws ( the distance you can improve with better weapons) and Youito uses a sword. Casual players will take to Youito because he can withstand more damage and it’s easier to close the gap between him and enemies in the early game. However, those who know how to get the best out of combos and are willing to put the work into various upgrade paths will undoubtedly find Kasane more fitting.  Despite their different combat styles, they both share one unique power which is, we’re told, psychokinesis. Kasane’s  psychokinesis is far stronger (for story reasons) and thus following those upgrade paths will turn her into a glass cannon by a certain point. The combat in general isn’t as good as it thinks it is but it has moments of greatness that, with a few tweaks, could make for a great sequel. There is a lot to learn, so much so that some might get irritated by the way the game constantly pauses to introduce yet another tutorial.

Most enemies have a ‘crush meter’ which is basically a stagger gauge. When the crush meter is depleted you can perform a finisher that KOs normal enemies and deals massive blows to bosses. A depleted crush meter is one of the telltale signs that you’re doing good combos and the literal crush sound it makes upon depletion is always a satisfying listen. The problem with the crush meter, though, is that it betrays many of the game’s boss encounters, as you will realise instantly that any boss without a crush gauge is not defeatable. There is one recurring boss fight that is so dull for this reason - it’s just a case of  waiting until the invisible timer runs out (usually when he stops monologuing) or whittling down his health enough for the cutscene to trigger. The payoff, though, is that when this boss finally does get the crush gauge it’s genuinely an, “on snap!” moment because you know it’s for real this time...unfortunately, that’s only his first crush gauge though, as you have to fight him about three times in about three separate fights thereafter... 

Overall, combat is nearly perfect but it has one notable flaw and that’s the inability to cancel animations. This makes it feel clunky and renders the dodge button virtually useless. Enemies don’t telegraph their attacks well so it’s a crapshoot whether you’ve timed the dodge right. It’s far more efficient  to cancel an enemy’s attack with a psychokinesis attack or just by flipping up in the air. And then there’s “brain drive” where Kasane and Youito gain temporary buffs to damage. Not to mention “brain field” where they have infinite psychokinesis on a timer that, if you let run out, will result in a game over (be prepared to hear the word “brain” a lot in this game). And then there’s the quicktime events where you can use objects in the environment for special cinematic attacks and...yeeaaaah, there’s a lot to this fighting system, but it does become second nature eventually.

Combat is also aided by ‘bond levels’. Using something called ‘SAS’ (don’t ask), Kasane and Youito can leach off their friends, using their powers to enhance their own. This is where Kasane really comes into her own because from about bond level 4 onwards (There are 6 bond levels in total)  she’s a monster. With Shiden, who specialises in electrokinesis, she will stunlock enemies to death (with cool looking animations to boot). Similarly, Kyoka’s power of duplication enables Kasane to double or triple herself, essentially having three versions of her doing damage at the same time.  And if that wasn’t enough, you can eventually have a maximum of 4 powers active at once - though you can only have up to two members in your active party. Active party members have long lasting effects and shorter cooldowns so Kyoka and Shiden were my go-to.  

And because Kasane psychokinesis power is so strong, just using Kyoka’s power activated alone can clear a room in seconds, it’s hilarious. There were some bosses that I absolutely slaughtered as a result of maintaining perfect combos while utilising all powers at once. Like, I staggered them  so hard they didn’t even have a chance to get up. Something is definitely broken and I loved it! The best part is the game acknowledged these special moments with a compliment from one of the party members which made me feel like a badass.  On that note, it would be cool if there was some sort of grading system a la Final Fantasy XV so I could check how well I was doing with combos; perhaps something to consider for the sequel.

Anyway, the point is, I rarely died on normal difficulty and for that reason I would not discourage people from playing on hard mode because some are going to find it laughably easy at times. I mean, on the off chance that you do go down you have, like, a 90% chance of being randomly revived by your teammates anyway... Now, granted, I did all the side quests and my bond levels were probably the max they could be at any given time so I can’t speak for those who like to rush through the critical path. As for what you need to do to increase bond levels: purchasing gifts for your teammates, doing their bond episodes and having them in your active party are all contributing factors. The bond episodes provide the most progress towards this and It’s here you get to really know the characters. Youtio and Kasane have different teams and Kasane’s team is by far and away the most interesting.

This is mainly because, like Kasane, most of her teammates are arseholes and finding out what makes them tick with each episode is part of the fun. I was particularly fond of Arashi who wears her laziness and the fact that she always has an ulterior motive like a badge of honour. It’s not until her final bond episode that you get to see through this facade and realise she's not all bad. And like Deathloop, teammates’ powers are convenient for their personalities.  Arashi is lazy so she uses her super speed for everything.  Shiden is a cantankerous child so he spontaneously damages things with his electronkensis. And Kyoka...is a spoiler.

Now, I said Kasane’s team is a band of arseholes and it’s true, but there is one member who takes “arsehole” to an almost uncomfortable level and that’s Kagero. This guy openly admits - I’m not joking - this guy openly admits that he is hitting on the teenage girls within the group because they remind him of his daughter............................................................................................................................................................................................. Also, while it’s often played for laughs, the things he does during the story and in what we learn of his past  is just straight up evil. In any other game he would be the villain and he never faces any consequences for his deeds! “BuT hE fEeLs ReAlLy bAd aT tHe EnD” - shut up. Dude’s a sociopath with mildly good hair, quit playin’. Oh, and his power? Invisibility. I’m gonna let y’all use your dirty imaginations with that one...

Moving on swiftly... on Youito’s team I developed a soft spot for Gemma , the rugged, old veteran jaded by a lifetime of fighting for a cause he no longer believes in (Power is Sclerokinesis, can become temporarily invulnerable). Of course, Gemma doesn’t actually look his age because this is a JRPG where old age and/or ugliness is a sin.  He has a beautiful arc about wanting to find purpose and meaning in his life and it has a touching payoff in both Kasane and Youito’s campaigns. I also kind of like Luka who is this even-tempered, small framed kid into weight lifting because of his complex about his size (Teleportation). The rest of Youito’s team are just too teen anime which personally made me laugh (at them) but the more grouchy amongst us will just find them straight up insufferable. 

Actually, on that note, one of my major irritants  - and this plays into who I think the target audience is - is how the game constantly gives you hints and tips, and you can’t turn them off from what I can see. If that was not enough characters are constantly yelling the same lines of dialogue: “That enemy is soaked in water! Try using an electrokinesis attack!”. Bitch, I’m 50 hours in - I know! It’s incredibly patronising and is a major giveaway that, even outside of the teen anime stuff, this game is skewing very young so be warned - do your research first before forking out the cash and then subsequently complaining that a teen anime is aimed at teens...

Anyway. You progress through the story in “phases”, with phase 12 being the last. In between each phase are “standby phases” where you can do bond levels and share gifts with teammates at your hideout. The first nine phases are really well done - perfect in length and well constructed but from about Phase 10  onwards the corridors become longer, windier and more boring. Remember when folks complained about chapter 17 in the Final Fantasy VII remake? At least chapter 17 had variety and some good bosses. This torturous brown, black, gold ugly slog of a level is one-note throughout and never lets up - and it comes out of nowhere!  Like, it goes full trash on a dime, like a new flame that seems charming at first but then they get comfortable and you see their true colours. In fact, phase 10 and phase 12 are so bad that they make you realise how clever the first nine phases were, because their repetitiveness is very well disguised by excellent pacing and visually inventive level designs. In phase 10, this repetition is unmasked, as waves and waves of high level enemies poop out like bad curry diarrhea around every corner.  And just when the game tricks you into thinking the worst is over in phase 11, in enters phase 12 which is...you know what? Let’s not. 

Also, while we’re on negatives, Scarlet Nexus has the worst new game plus implementation I have ever seen. Enemies don’t scale so you won’t be levelling up until the final phases. Imagine fighting level 1 enemies at level 60 in an already piss-easy game. There is one trophy that requires obtaining all skills which, in turn, requires reaching level 80 and if it were not for the recent patch that rewards loads of XP for completing side missions I would not have got this platinum as the idea of grinding any part of phase 12 for hours on end gives me PTSD just thinking about it. Most of the side missions, by the way, are just tasks where you flex what you’ve learned, e.g.  ‘kill such and such by depleting its crush gauge’. Other than some rewards which contain gifts for teammates they’re not really worth doing. Additionally, you can carry progress over from Kasane to Youito and vice versa but they don’t share levels - whatever level they were in your party is what carries over to the new game plus. So, for instance, if you finish the game as Kasane at level 60 but Youito was only level 59 in your party then you’ll be starting a new game plus with Youito at level 59. The game truly treats them as separate characters which I kind of respect but, at the same time, I wish wasn’t the case. 

To end on a positive note, let’s address the music. I don’t think I’ve ever played a JRPG with mediocre music and I’m happy to report that this trend continues.  Notably, there’s a construction site location (you can revisit locations whenever you want for the most part) which plays this weird jazz/ early 2000s garage groove and I love it. I would drag out fights in this area just to vibe to it. You’ll know the track the moment you hear it. It’s, as the kids say, a bop!

So when all is said and done,  Scarlet Nexus is worth playing but not right now and not at full price. Its combat is very good, albeit flawed, with moments of brilliance that with some tweaks in the sequel, if there is one, could rival that of the Final Fantasy VII remake. I like the bond system and Kasane’s half of the story, but it’s not essential playing and I think JRPGs fans might find it quite bland and unoriginal. Casuals and newbies might appreciate it more as the cliches of the genre won’t be apparent, although I do find this to be the weakest of all the JRPGs I’ve personally completed (which isn’t many).   I beat both last gen and current gen versions from start to finish and the only way you should experience this game is in 60 fps, if you can. The higher frame rate makes combat so much better. I did encounter the occasional bug on both versions where the psychokinesis ability wouldn’t trigger despite having a full brain meter, or where the player character would just freeze mid-combat. These bugs were very rare and instantly fixed with a save reload but they are there, even with patches so be warned. There was a lot I left out regarding story context and world building but honestly, the story is so ridiculous it has to be experienced to be believed and, ideally, with a notepad in hand... Worth a buy on sale.

Mr.Fantastic

1. Streets of Rage 4 | Switch
2. Cyberpunk 2077 | PS5(PS4 version)
3. Remnant from the ashes | PS5(PS4)
4. Life is strange Season 2 | PS5(PS4)
5. FFX HD remaster | Switch
6. AC:Odyssey | PS5(PS4)
7. Resident evil 3:remake | PS5(PS4)
8. Halo 5: Guardians | Xbox Series X
9. State of Decay 2 | Xbox Series X
10. Nioh 2 remastered | PS5
11. Astro's Playroom |PS5
12. Crash 4 | PS5
13. Gears of War 4 | Xbox Series X
14. Dex | Switch
15. Valkyria Chronicles 4 |PS5 (PS4)
16. Resident evil 8: Village | PS5
17. Outriders | Xbox Series X
18. Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition | Xbox Series X
19. Blood and Truth | PS5(PSVR)
20. Dead Space | Xbox Series X(X360 gamepass)
21. Disco Elysium Director's cut | PS5
22. Mass Effect 2 : Legendary Edition | Xbox Series X
23. Returnal | PS5
24. Ruiner | Switch
25. Zelda: Links awakening (remake) | Switch
26. Mass Effect 3 :Legendary Edition | Xbox Series X
27. Untitled Goose Game | Switch
28. Yakuza Kiwami 2 | PS5 (PS4)
29. FF7 Remake :Intergrade Intermission DLC | PS5
30. Children of Morta | Xbox Series X
31. 12 Minutes | Xbox Series X
32. State of Decay 2: Heartland DLC | Xbox Series X
33. Spiderman: Miles Morales | PS5
34. Metro Exodus | PS5
35. Metroid Dread | Switch
36. Final Fantasy 15 DLC Episode Gladiolous | PS5(PS4)
37. Astral Chain | Nintendo Switch
38. Slay the Spire | Xbox series X

Astral Chain

Just wrapped this up today and I thought the combat was great its not a patch on Nier though.

The plot for me is nonsense. I like anime and at times it was too anime.

Slay the Spire

Played this via gamepass, its one of those games you never really "finish" but I completed up to act 3 with the three original characters love the complexity of this deck building its a great game, would encourage anyone with gamepass to check it out. I know there is an act 4 but I can't seem to get past the final boss with any characters again pain in the ass

Nearly finished Judgment on the second last chapter and I have been putting some real hours into Halo infinite as its great imo.

Can't believe I finished forty games including some DLC parts crazy.

Mr Crispy

I must go back to Slay the Spire - I burnt myself out on it before the fourth character was introduced.

Oh, you reminded me that I finished Streets of Rage 4. It's a really great game, I loved the originals as a kid and it really catered to that nostalgia. So much fun playing this with a buddy.

Mr.Fantastic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227662#Comment_118227662

Yeah I loved it , love the artwork and the controls were great, was perfect for the switch I felt

Mr.Fantastic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227237#Comment_118227237

Yeah it's such a good game with that one more go vibe. I can't for the life of me reach act 4. I got to the last boss of act 3 with all keys and he had 14 health left , I had no attacks and his damage output was 76. I tend to have my deck fairly big though so I need to get it down to below 20 cards.

wotzgoingon

[Xbox]

Dishonored

Brilliant game, loved every minute of it.

wotzgoingon

[Xbox]

Dishonored (DLC) The Knife of Dunwall

More of the same if you liked the main game this is worth picking up.

Retr0gamer

1. Megaman X2|SNES
2. Streets of Rage 4|PC
3. Sekiro|PC
4. Megaman 7|SNES
5. Megaman 8|PS1
6. Megaman X3|SNES
7. Megaman & Bass|SNES
8. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim|PS4
9. Broken Sword: Director's Cut|PC
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert|PC
11. Mischief Makers|N64
12. Wolfenstein 2: New Colossus (DLC)|PC
13. Deception 4: Blood Ties|PS4
14. Final Fantasy Adventure|Gameboy
15. Virtua Racing|Switch
16. Thief 2: The Metal Age|PC
17. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Spearhead|PC
18. Crysis Remaster|PC
19. God of War: Chain of Olympus|PS3
20. Resident Evil Village|PC
21. Live a Live|SNES
22. Clockwork Knight|Saturn
23. DuckTales|NES
24. Drakengard 3|PS3
25. Double Dragon|NES
26. Secret of Mana|SNES
27. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions|Android
28. Halo 5: Guardians|XBox One
29. Air Combat|PS1
30. Kamui|PC
31. DuckTales 2|NES
32. Turok Dinosaur Hunter|PC
33. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box|Android
34. Ape Escape|PS1
35. No One Lives Forever|PC
36. DuckTales Remastered|PC
37. Yakuza: Like a Dragon|PC
38. Asterix|Master System
39. McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure|Megadrive
40. Fuga: Melodies of Steel|PC
41. Quake|PC
42. Return of the Obra Dinn|PC
43. Tail Concerto|PS1
44. Contra 3 (Hard Mode)|SNES
45. Rocket Knight|PC
46. Enemy Zero|PC
47. Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon|PC
48. Final Fantasy II: Pixel Remaster|PC
49. Sparkster (Hard Mode)|SNES
50. Sweet Home|NES
51. Yakuza: Dead Souls|PS3

Yakuza: Dead Souls

Dead Souls is a spin off of the main Yakuza games and not considered canon. In this game Kamurocho is invaded by zombies and it's up to a bunch of returning characters to solve the mystery and rid the streets of the zombie menace. In way this feels very similar to Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare expansion.

Dead Souls structure is very like a Yakuza game. There's loads of minigames, shops and side missions to distract from the main quests. Kamurocho is separated into free areas that are zombie free and quarantined areas that are teeming with zombies. As the game progresses more and more areas are covered by the quarantine zone and many establishments will need to be helped so you can avail of their services again. This kind of leads to some really weirdness like shops, hot springs, gambling dens and hostess clubs operating as normal deep inside the zombie infested zones.

This game just does not take itself very seriously. The developers have a lot of fun here, bringing back a lot of fan favourites without any concerns for whether they are alive or dead within the main canon. There's some real laugh out loud moments in the game, especially in some of the side quests, but it never games as good as Like a Dragon for laughs per minute.

Combat has also changed. The game is no longer a brawler but a third person shooter. And this is one of the big issues with the game. It's not as good a third person shooter as Yakuza is a brawler. It's strange as the team actually made an amazing third person shooter with the underrated Binary Domain. This game I think wants to appeal more to the japanese market with much more simplified controls with a lock on system. It's kind of awkward and not that satisfying. The game features special infected along with standard zombies to mix things up and it feels like these were ripped straight out of left 4 dead. I doubt this is a coincidence, when I was in japan they had Left 4 Dead arcade machines (with keyboard and mouse).

The biggest issue with this game is that it's extremely repetitive. While each chapter changes up the character you control and the quarantine zone meaning your entry into kamurocho also changes, you end up entering through the same way multiple times, especially if you are doing side quests. You get really sick of going through the same corridors to reach the open area over and over again. This gets especially annoying when the hostess bars end up in the quarantine zone as you will have to make multiple trips to the safe area just to hear a phone call and then head back to the hostess bar which can be at the far side of the map. (Pro-tip, if you are playing this game don't do the hostess bar quests. They are all a slog and not worth it. They've none of the comedy of the other side quests).

The game is fine but the repetition ultimately kills it and I can't really recommend it to anyone but the biggest Yakuza fans that will get the most out of the fan service. Anyone else is better off getting into the main series.

Kingp35

1. Resident Evil 3 - PlayStation 4
2. Resident Evil 4 - PlayStation 4
3. Yakuza Kiwami - PlayStation 4
4. Yakuza Kiwami 2 - PlayStation 4
5. Endless Fable 3: Dark Moor - PlayStation 4
6. Cube Escape: The Lake - Android
7. The Secret Order 7: Shadow Breach - PlayStation 4
8. A Plague Tale: Innocence - PlayStation 4
9. Ghost Files: Memory of a Crime - PlayStation 4
10. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka With Love - PlayStation 4
11. Anodyne - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
12. Dandara - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
13. Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
14. Dead Space 2 - PlayStation 3
15. Dead Space 3 - PlayStation 3
16. Medievil - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
17. Broken Age - PlayStation 4
18. Call of Duty Blacks Ops 3 (Campaign only) - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
19. Unmechanical Extended - PlayStation 4
20. Marvels Avengers - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
21. Far Cry 3 - PlayStation 3
22. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - PlayStation 3
23. In Rays of the Light - PlayStation 4
24. Yoku's Island Express - PlayStation 4
25. Borderlands 3 - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
26. Streets of Rage 4 - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
27. Judgement - PlayStation 4 (PS Now)
28. Astro's Playroom - PlayStation 5
29. Red Dead Redemption 2 - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
30. Nier Automata - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
31. Bugsnax - PlayStation 5
32. The Last of Us Part II - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
33. Demon Hunter: Revelation - PS4 game on PlayStation 5
34. Far Cry 4 & Valley of the Yetis DLC - PS4 game on PlayStation 5
35. Lost Grimoires 3: the Forgotten Well - PlayStation 5
36. Mafia: Definitive Edition - PS4 game on PlayStation 5 (PS Now)
37. Endless Fables 4: Shadow Within - PlayStation 5

Mafia: Definitive Edition

I really loved this game. I pretty much missed the entire PlayStation 2 generation of games so I never played any Mafia games before but I can only assume that this edition really adds to the original game. I found the story engaging, the graphics excellent, the voice work absolutely top notch and the gameplay both challenging and fun. I did think the controls were a little unresponsive at the start but once I got used to them there were no real issues.

An other thing I enjoyed was the option to skip driving sections. More games need this option as it's a huge time saver cutting out all the pointless drive from point a to point b sections that are nothing more than filler.

I already own Mafia 3 as part of PS Plus but I've heard bad things about that game. I'll definitely pick up and play mafia 2: Definitive Edition first though the next time it drops in price.

Endless Fables 4: Shadow Within

Another Artifex Mundi game, this one was actually slightly more difficult than usual with was welcome. Enjoyable as always.

wotzgoingon

[Xbox]

Dishonored (DLC) The Brigmore Witches

Good DLC. More of the same if you liked the main game then you would like this.

Retr0gamer

1. Megaman X2|SNES
2. Streets of Rage 4|PC
3. Sekiro|PC
4. Megaman 7|SNES
5. Megaman 8|PS1
6. Megaman X3|SNES
7. Megaman & Bass|SNES
8. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim|PS4
9. Broken Sword: Director's Cut|PC
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert|PC
11. Mischief Makers|N64
12. Wolfenstein 2: New Colossus (DLC)|PC
13. Deception 4: Blood Ties|PS4
14. Final Fantasy Adventure|Gameboy
15. Virtua Racing|Switch
16. Thief 2: The Metal Age|PC
17. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Spearhead|PC
18. Crysis Remaster|PC
19. God of War: Chain of Olympus|PS3
20. Resident Evil Village|PC
21. Live a Live|SNES
22. Clockwork Knight|Saturn
23. DuckTales|NES
24. Drakengard 3|PS3
25. Double Dragon|NES
26. Secret of Mana|SNES
27. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions|Android
28. Halo 5: Guardians|XBox One
29. Air Combat|PS1
30. Kamui|PC
31. DuckTales 2|NES
32. Turok Dinosaur Hunter|PC
33. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box|Android
34. Ape Escape|PS1
35. No One Lives Forever|PC
36. DuckTales Remastered|PC
37. Yakuza: Like a Dragon|PC
38. Asterix|Master System
39. McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure|Megadrive
40. Fuga: Melodies of Steel|PC
41. Quake|PC
42. Return of the Obra Dinn|PC
43. Tail Concerto|PS1
44. Contra 3 (Hard Mode)|SNES
45. Rocket Knight|PC
46. Enemy Zero|PC
47. Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon|PC
48. Final Fantasy II: Pixel Remaster|PC
49. Sparkster (Hard Mode)|SNES
50. Sweet Home|NES
51. Yakuza: Dead Souls|PS3
52. Picross S3|Switch

Picross S3

Why haven't I been beating many Switch games? Picross.

Picross S3 is pretty much the same as the rest of the series but more of it. You've got a tonne of Picross and Mega Picross puzzles. Clip Picross from S2 is back which are still terrible. They add nothing new to the game and as someone that has gotten very good at picross, they off no real challenging puzzles that I can't beat within less than a minute in most cases. Picross S3 however is the game to introduce Colour Picross puzzles (which also appeared in the Overlord cross over game). Colour Picross is excellent and brings a whole new way of approaching and thinking about the puzzles. There's one issue here, there just isn't enough of them, way less than half the amount of normal and mega picross. I'd gladly trade the crappy clip picross puzzles for more colour picross.

Anyway I'm going to try and stay away from Picross S4 because it's just such an addictive game and it's all I play anytime I pick up the switch. I really need to start Metroid Dread at some point!

da gamer

Call of duty cold war - PS4

A plague tale innocence - Xbox one

Fifa 20 - Xbox one

Hotshot racing - Xbox one

Mafia - PS4

Resident evil 3 - PS4

The walking dead a new frontier - Xbox one

Hitman 2 - PS4

What remains of Edith Finch - Xbox one

Beyond 2 souls - PS4

Ion Fury - PS4

Mad Max - PS4

Assassins creed valhalla - PS4

Dead space 3 - Xbox 360

Apocalypse - PS1

God of war 3 remastered - PS4

Quake - Xbox one

Alan wake remastered - PS4

Little hope - PS4

PES 2021 - Xbox one

F1 2020 - PS4

Retr0gamer

1. Megaman X2|SNES
2. Streets of Rage 4|PC
3. Sekiro|PC
4. Megaman 7|SNES
5. Megaman 8|PS1
6. Megaman X3|SNES
7. Megaman & Bass|SNES
8. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim|PS4
9. Broken Sword: Director's Cut|PC
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert|PC
11. Mischief Makers|N64
12. Wolfenstein 2: New Colossus (DLC)|PC
13. Deception 4: Blood Ties|PS4
14. Final Fantasy Adventure|Gameboy
15. Virtua Racing|Switch
16. Thief 2: The Metal Age|PC
17. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Spearhead|PC
18. Crysis Remaster|PC
19. God of War: Chain of Olympus|PS3
20. Resident Evil Village|PC
21. Live a Live|SNES
22. Clockwork Knight|Saturn
23. DuckTales|NES
24. Drakengard 3|PS3
25. Double Dragon|NES
26. Secret of Mana|SNES
27. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions|Android
28. Halo 5: Guardians|XBox One
29. Air Combat|PS1
30. Kamui|PC
31. DuckTales 2|NES
32. Turok Dinosaur Hunter|PC
33. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box|Android
34. Ape Escape|PS1
35. No One Lives Forever|PC
36. DuckTales Remastered|PC
37. Yakuza: Like a Dragon|PC
38. Asterix|Master System
39. McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure|Megadrive
40. Fuga: Melodies of Steel|PC
41. Quake|PC
42. Return of the Obra Dinn|PC
43. Tail Concerto|PS1
44. Contra 3 (Hard Mode)|SNES
45. Rocket Knight|PC
46. Enemy Zero|PC
47. Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon|PC
48. Final Fantasy II: Pixel Remaster|PC
49. Sparkster (Hard Mode)|SNES
50. Sweet Home|NES
51. Yakuza: Dead Souls|PS3
52. Picross S3|Switch
53. Umurangi Generation|PC

Umurangi Generation

Umurangi Generation is what you get when you make a game out of a videogame photomode. The results are incredible.

The basic premise is you are put into an environment and given 10 minutes to complete a list of photo assignments that have to fit a set of criteria. How you complete them is entirely up to you. There's bonus objectives as well which unlock additional camera upgrades that open up more options for enhancing, or in my case ruining, your photos. You might only have 10 minutes to beat a stage but the game as a really laid back relaxing atmosphere, the 10 minute limit is only there as one of the bonus objectives and you aren't penalised if you miss it. My first time in a stage I treat as a scouting run and then my second time is when I try to complete everything within the 10 minutes.

The environments are the real star of the show. Each environment is completely open to be explored by the player and each is very small by modern standards. However they are packed with so much detail that they manage to seem large and intimidating. The game is a real masterclass in environmental storytelling, there's lots of little details to pick out that give hints and explanations to what is going on in the world. It's all show don't tell and it works brilliantly to get your imagination asking questions. The minimalist art style might turn people off but I think the game looks gorgeous, it really has it's own identity and style. It's a bit like Jet Set Radio with some New Zealand Maori flair. The soundtrack as well is fantastic and adds to the mood the visuals set. It's just so much fun exploring these little microcosms and stumbling across something interesting or getting ideas for the perfect shot.

Technically the game is a little janky. It feels like a game made in Unity with little testing. Expect a little frustration the odd time you get caught up on scenery and there are bugs, I've been shot into the air a few times and once fell through the ground into the void. It's hardly enough to distract from where the game exceeds.

It's a short sweet unique little game with loads of heart and it might be my favourite game from 2020. On to the DLC now which I'm halfway through and really enjoying!