Another time traveling, branching narrative, somewhat repetitive action game from the people who brought you Stories: Path of Destinies Not bad but would be better if the combat had more flow and less jumping from hit to hit, enemy to enemy.
35. Ender Lilies (XBX)
If there was a Mt Rushmore for metroidvanias, well, Ender Lillies would not be on it but it would be damn close. It would be down the road, on a path slightly less traveled that will kick your ass if you are not prepared, and might kick your ass anyway.
Seriously, the game goes out of its way to make sure you never feel powerful. You die quickly at the beginning and you die even more quickly at the end.
1. Subnautica Below Zero
Given I had mostly beaten it in early access and reset it with no food or drink to worry about but still a great game and worthy successor to the first game--even if you really only need to use the sea truck.
Fitting! Definitely a worthy successor to the first Nioh and puts its own spin on the Soulslike formula. Which is great--and I probably don't understand half of it and people would probably laugh at my build.
But I beat the game without just abusing sloth!
Will have to tackle the DLC some time.
3. Death's Door
A good not great...I dunno isometric soulslike? It does trade a bit of style for substance and it didn't stick the landing for someone like me.
The most boring, dry, by the numbers JRPG 'throwback' I have played in a long time, possibly ever. Avoid it.
37. The Ascent (XBX)
Hyper details isometric twin stick shooter that is not as deep as one would hope but perfect for shutting off one's brain and shooting dudes. Diablo, this is not, but not everything needs to be.
38. Raji: An Ancient Tale (XBX)
On one hand this is a very simple brawler with mediocre character animations running through gorgeous architecture. On this other, this game takes place in a Indian mythology, something I have zero knowledge of, and it takes the time to explain who these deities are and what they are doing. Pretty good for game pass fluff, but be warned, it has literally no ending.
39 Death's Door (XBX)
You are a crow with a sword who works in a bureaucratic department of death, harvesting souls. Then it gets complicated. Where is Zelda influences on its sleeve, comparable to A Link to the Past if the game ended after Link got the master sword. Game is good, wish there was more of it.
40. Vigil: The Longest Night (Switch)
The most depressing metroidvania I have ever played. Vigil is not nearly as difficult as it first seems, but that doesn't mean I have any idea what the hell happened, other than very, very bad things.
41. Planet Alpha (XBX)
A 2.5D physics based platformer in the vein of Limbo, Planet Alpha is so in love with its own ideas it makes you do everything for twice as long as is any fun. If the fat was trimmed this would be a visually interesting sci-fi story with a nice twist at the end. Instead it is bloated and difficult to recommend.
Sort of a B tier Devil May Cry but an overall fun experience. Some enemies would just hit way too hard so I ended up bumping it down to easy by the end. But they did really capture the art style of Samurai Jack and doing a sort of greatest hits of the whole series is a treat. Worth checking out for Jack fans.
Dead Space 1-3
Mafia
Just Cause 4
What Remains of Edith Finch
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Subnautica
Dishonored 2
Control
RE8
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Subnautica: Below Zero
Plague Tale: Innocence
Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
More Hitman. Some really good levels this time around, but otherwise not that different from the other two games in the trilogy.
36. Nex Machina (PS4) - 35 hours - Platinum
Really fun twin-stick shooter with voxel graphics and no real story to speak of. The hardest platinum I've gone for in a while, with some trophies that seemed like they'd be utterly impossible, so there was a great feeling of accomplishment when I managed to get good enough to earn them.
Random Nippon Ichi game. Kind of an interesting concept - you control one character in a side-scrolling action game while also giving commands to their army fighting in the background - but it was ultimately pretty shallow. The story had potential but didn't quite wrap things up in the end.
40. Umineko no Naku Koro ni 1 (PS3) - 120 hours - Platinum
Debatable whether VNs are actually "games" or not, but I played it on my PS3, so I'm counting it. Interesting story but desperately in need of an editor.
Sequel to Rebel Galaxy (which I played in April). It switched from the "broadside" combat of the first game to more traditional space combat, which I'm not sure was an improvement. Overall a decent game though the story was pretty whatever.
You know I forgot to record a bunch of these because Chrome was having issues with not wanting to connect to this site at random. So now that it's no longer a concern, and hasn't been for months, let's update the ledger a bit. Still gonna miss the mark but I think I'm doing a hell of a lot better than previous years. SO!
4. Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5) - Solid enough game though I wish Cal had developed more of a personality sooner rather than waiting until nearly the end of the story. Had its fun moments but also a ton of warts namely the fact that animation lock is not accompanied by iframes so if I get pushed into an execution cutscene with one guy it always triggers anyone remaining to take a cheap shot. Real fun with those Purge Troopers I tell ya what. Story itself was okay, serviceable but nothing really stood out. I might try the sequel if they fix some of the problems or I might not, I'll see how it is.
5. Ratchet Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) - Blast and a half is what this game was. Story was basically as rote as could be but it did it competently and a healthy dash of snark certainly helped it along. The gameplay was standard Ratchet and Clank, at least the PS4 version, with a neat selection of weapons to pick from and their upgrades. Sadly my all-time favorite, the Sheepinator, didn't make it into the lineup this time around. And while the weapons were fun nothing really stood out to me like that one did.
6. Prey (PS5) - This game was a good time. Story had its twists and turns, nothing spectacular but what it did it did well so props for that. Gameplay was fun when I was not in combat which honestly was the weakest part of the whole thing considering Mimics would break cover as soon as I entered a room, rather than letting me punch coffee cups like all the memes showed, Phantoms died to shotgun, and everything else ranged from annoying to Could You Not (fuck off Nightmare respawn time) over the rest of the game.
7. Scarlet Nexus (PS5) - Technically I never fully finished this game but also I don't want to play it anymore because it's not fun at all. Story seemed like it could have been good but then it constantly pulls the "Oh no the power structure I work for is corrupt and keeps trying to kill me but I'm not gonna stop working for it or anything because woo lack of agency!" Even its big twist indulges in my most hated of asspull story tropes because it fucks up everything with its very existence. Everything in the latter half feels like budget constraints for the worse as fights are grindy and require exact combos to defeat otherwise get fucked.
8. Tales of Arise (PS5) - Another game I was waiting for from the moment it was announced. And now that I'm fully done with it I have to give it a lukewarm golf clap of "You Tried" because oh I have mixed feelings. Party goes from dumb but determined heroes to Lawful Stupid in a hurry as "both sides have problems" is a thing that crops up when one side is attempting genocide and the other punched them maybe possibly who could say. I was hoping they'd learn from Berseria and they absolutely did, but only for combat which is the best it's ever been and it still sucks because late game is all about big HP sponge enemies who cannot be killed with your special attacks, unlike every other non-boss enemy, until they have 1 HP left all the while they're spamming abilities you need to stop by calling in party members but whereas your party skills are on cooldown the enemy has no such hinderance. Worst Tales game I've played yet and that includes Zestiria.
9. Psychonauts 2 (PS5) - I was gonna hold off on this one until I'd beaten some existing titles in my library but all the hubbub about this game convinced me to give it a spin sometime after Fallen Order. And boy was it worth the price and then some. Story was solid, characters were great, gameplay did not make me want to die but also wasn't really what I'd call good either. I mostly spammed projectiles and dodged a lot. Level design was fantastic for the most part but I really have to question what's up with the person who created the Land of D R U G S in all its technicolor insanity. I'll get the platinum for this eventually but only once they put in something to find errant figments because those are the worst part of the collection achievement.
Coming soon in no particular order maybe possibly who can say: World of Final Fantasy, Horizon Zero Dawn, Nier Remake, and infinite other possibilities.
This is a tough one for me. As someone who played an instrument (a long, long time ago), and as someone who still doesn't know who he is and has never really grown up, this game almost resonates with me on a deep level. But it botches the ending. So instead of thinking on it warmly I just end up rewriting the finale over and over in my head.
It's on GamePass. Go play it. It is only a few hour long and, at the very least, there are some seriously trippy visuals.
*sigh* A game I had highly anticipated, gifted a bunch and finally got around to playing once the bugs seem to have finally settled--the last point is half right. It's still a beautifully realized world with lots of options for builds--when it works, but the bugs and shallow open world content just kept breaking my immersion and made me rush to the ending. Along with the controversy and crunch it's really hard to recommend it but it's still an experience.
Pretty much what I was expecting: Anime Soulslike. Had very little of that Soulslike difficulty though, which was a little interesting. The story wasn't a masterpiece but was enough to keep me engaged. Overall I enjoyed it and will probably pick up a sequel if they ever make one.
43. Ni no Kuni 2 (PS4) - 115 hours - Platinum + DLCs
Other than the Ghibli-esque cel shading, this felt more like a new IP than a sequel. The story was pretty inane, but I found the gameplay much improved and the art was, of course, charming. I'd recommend people steer clear of the DLCs, though, as they're pretty much entirely devoted to farming drops to overcome difficulty spikes. The new additions to the combat are nice, but you're still facing the same old enemies throughout.
I have played all of the modern Tales games and am used to them looking around two generations older than they are. Imagine my excitement when Arise came out only looking one generation old! But the voice acting, story and writing are all terrible, and the game feels tuned (in my opinion) to force the player into microtransactions. You can literally buy levels with real money. At least there was an easy mode.
At first it was for a spite completion because I knew I was near the end but as it went and things closed up it was a rather surreal and heartfelt experience.
Certainly recommend, especially if you enjoyed Pony Island and The Hex.
I'd have not of believed to finally play a sequel to this long forgotten gem--also for the sequel to point out how many flaws that original had and work to do better.
Really is recommended even though I'm not much for a platformer player and ignored most optional collectibles. Is a bit more combat focused though so could be harder for casual players.
Fun enough little tower defense/RTS hybrid. Controls well, environmental design ranges from fine to pretty good, and it has some chonky sound design but is a little marred by menu and inventory stuff (scroll panes that don't cover the whole list, some screens are navigated by both curser and d-pad while others (notably the tech tree and the warp menu) are curser only) and the fact that the bottom of the tech trees don't give you anything new, just upgraded versions of what you've been playing with for most of the game.
It definitely avoids my biggest irritation of RTS's making you rebuild your base every level, opting instead for a single base and then a few expedition areas where you search for resources. All in all a good grab on Gamepass if you're looking for something in the genre.
Much better in concept than execution, Apsulov would have been improved be leaning more heavily on the horror side than the scifi/norse mythology side. It does pull off a 'what if all the legends were true, but the gods were even bigger assholes than we thought' twist well enough. Far, far too many air ducts and tunnels, though. Design better levels, please.
This is just not another retro shooter. I mean, it is, as it looks a lot like Quake or Quake II, but the level design is decidedly modern. Three chapter or 10 levels each was not enough.
Pixel art metroidvania with a heavy (soulslike?) emphasis on parry/timing based combat. It's got a timer, you can turn it off though I'd really recommend you don't, but you have a lot of control over it and it's a really good example of mechanics reinforcing narrative.
Doesn't quite stick the landing, the last boss is a lengthy multi stage fight with a 30 second walking section and the final phase doesn't follow the parry rules of the rest of the game. I ended up just turning on invincibility and powered through but all in all it's a fun game. Especially with just a 10 hour runtime.
A small puzzle game that hits some deep topics. It clocked in at 4.5 hours and I got 100% of the achievements though I was missing a few collectibles. It is a narrator heavy game though it is a very charming narrator at that. The puzzles were easy enough that even a dummy like me could figure them out with only looking up one hint. Definitely check it out!
44. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry (PS4) - 5 hours - 100% trophies
After almost a year and a half of waiting, the Black Flag season pass finally went on sale, so I picked this up and got my 100% for Black Flag. It was... fine? I'd read reviews praising the story, but apart from one moment, it struck me as pretty typical AC fare.
45. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (PS4) - 18 hours - Platinum (two playthroughs)
I usually have to take a non-lethal ghost approach to Dishonored games for trophy/achievement reasons, so it was pretty fun to be able to go lethal but stealthy this time around. Nothing in this game really broke the mold, but it was nice to dive back into the series.
46. Vampire: the Masquerade - Coteries of New York (PS4) - 10 hours - 100% trophies
47. Vampire: the Masquerade - Shadows of New York (PS4) - 7 hours - 100% trophies
A pair of fairly short Vampire VNs. Not much here really, but I've always liked the setting and it was kind of fun to get reacquainted since it's been about 15 years since I followed any of the lore. Here's hoping that Bloodlines 2 actually comes out and isn't a disaster.
I know it's a well-loved game, but I found this to be the blandest ARPG I've played in years. It didn't do anything poorly, really, but it doing anything to make me sit up and take notice, either.
49. Umineko no Naku Koro ni 2 (PS3) - 150 hours - Platinum
The last four episodes of the Umineko VN. I have mixed feelings about the ending and would like to go back and play through it again now that I know everything... but I really don't want to spend that much time.
I was pretty impressed at how good this looked despite being a Vita launch title. It really felt and played like an Uncharted game (for better or worse).
51. Sky Force Reloaded (PS4) - 40 hours - Platinum
A top-down shmup game and the sequel to Sky Force Anniversary. This was essentially more of the same with some more levels and a bunch of different planes to choose from. Some missions could be pretty hard on the higher difficulty levels but it never made it to true bullet hell.
Finally got around to this and thought it did a good job of capturing the vibe of the originals. Getting the S+ rank on Hardcore for Claire brought back memories of doing Hard Core in Dead Space 2 since I could only save 3 times. I really thought that the DLC horde mode was going to end up being too much for me but I did get there in the end.
Games they I spent a lot of time on in '21 but ultimately didn't finish:
- Dragon Quest Builders 2: moment to moment gameplay is fun enough but every stage is twice at long as it should be, which is fitting for dragon quest game, and the obtuse room specifications are annoying
- Dark Alliance: Feels like it should be a hack and slash gem but wants to be tactical souls like. Ended up a muddled mess
- Yakuza: Like a dragon: fun and weird rpg, Ichi is a big dummy and is great. Put it down when I hit a spot where the game was saying some bad opinions about the homeless. I'll probably pick it back up at some point
- Final Fantasy 13: it's fun and I like it. The current state of the world and 2 small kids prevent me from having any energy to keep up a narrative game like this. I will be coming back to it
- Fae Tactics: SRPG with some neat mechanics. I eventually ran into a couple bosses that felt pretty bullshit so I dropped it. Not sure if they were actually dumb or it was just me being worn down (see above entry) but I'm not currently feeling compelled to try to pick it back up.
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Another time traveling, branching narrative, somewhat repetitive action game from the people who brought you Stories: Path of Destinies Not bad but would be better if the combat had more flow and less jumping from hit to hit, enemy to enemy.
35. Ender Lilies (XBX)
If there was a Mt Rushmore for metroidvanias, well, Ender Lillies would not be on it but it would be damn close. It would be down the road, on a path slightly less traveled that will kick your ass if you are not prepared, and might kick your ass anyway.
Seriously, the game goes out of its way to make sure you never feel powerful. You die quickly at the beginning and you die even more quickly at the end.
Given I had mostly beaten it in early access and reset it with no food or drink to worry about but still a great game and worthy successor to the first game--even if you really only need to use the sea truck.
Fitting! Definitely a worthy successor to the first Nioh and puts its own spin on the Soulslike formula. Which is great--and I probably don't understand half of it and people would probably laugh at my build.
But I beat the game without just abusing sloth!
Will have to tackle the DLC some time.
3. Death's Door
A good not great...I dunno isometric soulslike? It does trade a bit of style for substance and it didn't stick the landing for someone like me.
The most boring, dry, by the numbers JRPG 'throwback' I have played in a long time, possibly ever. Avoid it.
37. The Ascent (XBX)
Hyper details isometric twin stick shooter that is not as deep as one would hope but perfect for shutting off one's brain and shooting dudes. Diablo, this is not, but not everything needs to be.
38. Raji: An Ancient Tale (XBX)
On one hand this is a very simple brawler with mediocre character animations running through gorgeous architecture. On this other, this game takes place in a Indian mythology, something I have zero knowledge of, and it takes the time to explain who these deities are and what they are doing. Pretty good for game pass fluff, but be warned, it has literally no ending.
39 Death's Door (XBX)
You are a crow with a sword who works in a bureaucratic department of death, harvesting souls. Then it gets complicated. Where is Zelda influences on its sleeve, comparable to A Link to the Past if the game ended after Link got the master sword. Game is good, wish there was more of it.
40. Vigil: The Longest Night (Switch)
The most depressing metroidvania I have ever played. Vigil is not nearly as difficult as it first seems, but that doesn't mean I have any idea what the hell happened, other than very, very bad things.
41. Planet Alpha (XBX)
A 2.5D physics based platformer in the vein of Limbo, Planet Alpha is so in love with its own ideas it makes you do everything for twice as long as is any fun. If the fat was trimmed this would be a visually interesting sci-fi story with a nice twist at the end. Instead it is bloated and difficult to recommend.
Sort of a B tier Devil May Cry but an overall fun experience. Some enemies would just hit way too hard so I ended up bumping it down to easy by the end. But they did really capture the art style of Samurai Jack and doing a sort of greatest hits of the whole series is a treat. Worth checking out for Jack fans.
Finished up the Dishonored trilogy.
Death of the Outsider was good fun
35. Hitman 3 (PS5) - 28 hours - Platinum + all trophies
More Hitman. Some really good levels this time around, but otherwise not that different from the other two games in the trilogy.
36. Nex Machina (PS4) - 35 hours - Platinum
Really fun twin-stick shooter with voxel graphics and no real story to speak of. The hardest platinum I've gone for in a while, with some trophies that seemed like they'd be utterly impossible, so there was a great feeling of accomplishment when I managed to get good enough to earn them.
37. Battle Princess of Arcadias (PS3) - 40 hours - Platinum
Random Nippon Ichi game. Kind of an interesting concept - you control one character in a side-scrolling action game while also giving commands to their army fighting in the background - but it was ultimately pretty shallow. The story had potential but didn't quite wrap things up in the end.
38. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (PS4) - 155 hours - Platinum + DLCs
Not bad, but I liked Origins more. It was also way longer than it needed to be.
39. Door Kickers: Action Squad (PS4) - 15 hours - Platinum
Fun little game. Not really much to it.
40. Umineko no Naku Koro ni 1 (PS3) - 120 hours - Platinum
Debatable whether VNs are actually "games" or not, but I played it on my PS3, so I'm counting it. Interesting story but desperately in need of an editor.
41. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw (PS4) - 30 hours - Platinum
Sequel to Rebel Galaxy (which I played in April). It switched from the "broadside" combat of the first game to more traditional space combat, which I'm not sure was an improvement. Overall a decent game though the story was pretty whatever.
A solid souls-like/metroidvania though I ended up just doing the main quest by the end and not exploring the side stuff as much.
Ticks me off how many good singeplayer Star Wars games we might have gotten. Still worth checking out if you want to scratch that Jedi itch.
42. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (XBX)
95 fucking hours. And the game has no ending to speak of.
43. Flynn: Son of Crimson
Another bite sized pixel art game on GamePass. I am not complaining. After the last monstrosity it was nice to finish a game in two days,
4. Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5) - Solid enough game though I wish Cal had developed more of a personality sooner rather than waiting until nearly the end of the story. Had its fun moments but also a ton of warts namely the fact that animation lock is not accompanied by iframes so if I get pushed into an execution cutscene with one guy it always triggers anyone remaining to take a cheap shot. Real fun with those Purge Troopers I tell ya what. Story itself was okay, serviceable but nothing really stood out. I might try the sequel if they fix some of the problems or I might not, I'll see how it is.
5. Ratchet Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) - Blast and a half is what this game was. Story was basically as rote as could be but it did it competently and a healthy dash of snark certainly helped it along. The gameplay was standard Ratchet and Clank, at least the PS4 version, with a neat selection of weapons to pick from and their upgrades. Sadly my all-time favorite, the Sheepinator, didn't make it into the lineup this time around. And while the weapons were fun nothing really stood out to me like that one did.
6. Prey (PS5) - This game was a good time. Story had its twists and turns, nothing spectacular but what it did it did well so props for that. Gameplay was fun when I was not in combat which honestly was the weakest part of the whole thing considering Mimics would break cover as soon as I entered a room, rather than letting me punch coffee cups like all the memes showed, Phantoms died to shotgun, and everything else ranged from annoying to Could You Not (fuck off Nightmare respawn time) over the rest of the game.
7. Scarlet Nexus (PS5) - Technically I never fully finished this game but also I don't want to play it anymore because it's not fun at all. Story seemed like it could have been good but then it constantly pulls the "Oh no the power structure I work for is corrupt and keeps trying to kill me but I'm not gonna stop working for it or anything because woo lack of agency!" Even its big twist indulges in my most hated of asspull story tropes because it fucks up everything with its very existence. Everything in the latter half feels like budget constraints for the worse as fights are grindy and require exact combos to defeat otherwise get fucked.
8. Tales of Arise (PS5) - Another game I was waiting for from the moment it was announced. And now that I'm fully done with it I have to give it a lukewarm golf clap of "You Tried" because oh I have mixed feelings. Party goes from dumb but determined heroes to Lawful Stupid in a hurry as "both sides have problems" is a thing that crops up when one side is attempting genocide and the other punched them maybe possibly who could say. I was hoping they'd learn from Berseria and they absolutely did, but only for combat which is the best it's ever been and it still sucks because late game is all about big HP sponge enemies who cannot be killed with your special attacks, unlike every other non-boss enemy, until they have 1 HP left all the while they're spamming abilities you need to stop by calling in party members but whereas your party skills are on cooldown the enemy has no such hinderance. Worst Tales game I've played yet and that includes Zestiria.
9. Psychonauts 2 (PS5) - I was gonna hold off on this one until I'd beaten some existing titles in my library but all the hubbub about this game convinced me to give it a spin sometime after Fallen Order. And boy was it worth the price and then some. Story was solid, characters were great, gameplay did not make me want to die but also wasn't really what I'd call good either. I mostly spammed projectiles and dodged a lot. Level design was fantastic for the most part but I really have to question what's up with the person who created the Land of D R U G S in all its technicolor insanity. I'll get the platinum for this eventually but only once they put in something to find errant figments because those are the worst part of the collection achievement.
Coming soon in no particular order maybe possibly who can say: World of Final Fantasy, Horizon Zero Dawn, Nier Remake, and infinite other possibilities.
This is a tough one for me. As someone who played an instrument (a long, long time ago), and as someone who still doesn't know who he is and has never really grown up, this game almost resonates with me on a deep level. But it botches the ending. So instead of thinking on it warmly I just end up rewriting the finale over and over in my head.
It's on GamePass. Go play it. It is only a few hour long and, at the very least, there are some seriously trippy visuals.
*sigh* A game I had highly anticipated, gifted a bunch and finally got around to playing once the bugs seem to have finally settled--the last point is half right. It's still a beautifully realized world with lots of options for builds--when it works, but the bugs and shallow open world content just kept breaking my immersion and made me rush to the ending. Along with the controversy and crunch it's really hard to recommend it but it's still an experience.
Pretty much what I was expecting: Anime Soulslike. Had very little of that Soulslike difficulty though, which was a little interesting. The story wasn't a masterpiece but was enough to keep me engaged. Overall I enjoyed it and will probably pick up a sequel if they ever make one.
43. Ni no Kuni 2 (PS4) - 115 hours - Platinum + DLCs
Other than the Ghibli-esque cel shading, this felt more like a new IP than a sequel. The story was pretty inane, but I found the gameplay much improved and the art was, of course, charming. I'd recommend people steer clear of the DLCs, though, as they're pretty much entirely devoted to farming drops to overcome difficulty spikes. The new additions to the combat are nice, but you're still facing the same old enemies throughout.
Have you played Portal? What about Portal 2? Yes? Then don't bother with Superliminal.
46. Metroid Dread (Switch)
You could buy 3 superior metroidvanias for the price of Dread. Please do so instead.
I have played all of the modern Tales games and am used to them looking around two generations older than they are. Imagine my excitement when Arise came out only looking one generation old! But the voice acting, story and writing are all terrible, and the game feels tuned (in my opinion) to force the player into microtransactions. You can literally buy levels with real money. At least there was an easy mode.
The is the least of the modern Tales games.
48. Mighty Goose (XBX)
Metal Slug, but you are a goose. 10/10.
At first it was for a spite completion because I knew I was near the end but as it went and things closed up it was a rather surreal and heartfelt experience.
Certainly recommend, especially if you enjoyed Pony Island and The Hex.
I'd have not of believed to finally play a sequel to this long forgotten gem--also for the sequel to point out how many flaws that original had and work to do better.
Really is recommended even though I'm not much for a platformer player and ignored most optional collectibles. Is a bit more combat focused though so could be harder for casual players.
Moderately spooky, fairly interesting, 7/10 first person horror game. The whole thing is dreams within dreams.
Fun enough little tower defense/RTS hybrid. Controls well, environmental design ranges from fine to pretty good, and it has some chonky sound design but is a little marred by menu and inventory stuff (scroll panes that don't cover the whole list, some screens are navigated by both curser and d-pad while others (notably the tech tree and the warp menu) are curser only) and the fact that the bottom of the tech trees don't give you anything new, just upgraded versions of what you've been playing with for most of the game.
It definitely avoids my biggest irritation of RTS's making you rebuild your base every level, opting instead for a single base and then a few expedition areas where you search for resources. All in all a good grab on Gamepass if you're looking for something in the genre.
Much better in concept than execution, Apsulov would have been improved be leaning more heavily on the horror side than the scifi/norse mythology side. It does pull off a 'what if all the legends were true, but the gods were even bigger assholes than we thought' twist well enough. Far, far too many air ducts and tunnels, though. Design better levels, please.
This is just not another retro shooter. I mean, it is, as it looks a lot like Quake or Quake II, but the level design is decidedly modern. Three chapter or 10 levels each was not enough.
Pixel art metroidvania with a heavy (soulslike?) emphasis on parry/timing based combat. It's got a timer, you can turn it off though I'd really recommend you don't, but you have a lot of control over it and it's a really good example of mechanics reinforcing narrative.
Doesn't quite stick the landing, the last boss is a lengthy multi stage fight with a 30 second walking section and the final phase doesn't follow the parry rules of the rest of the game. I ended up just turning on invincibility and powered through but all in all it's a fun game. Especially with just a 10 hour runtime.
Edit: removed an incomplete thought
I just may have been saving Rez for the 52nd game.
This is my White Album. I have bought it on just about every system it has come out on. Even played it in VR on PS4, which was a mistake.
A small puzzle game that hits some deep topics. It clocked in at 4.5 hours and I got 100% of the achievements though I was missing a few collectibles. It is a narrator heavy game though it is a very charming narrator at that. The puzzles were easy enough that even a dummy like me could figure them out with only looking up one hint. Definitely check it out!
44. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry (PS4) - 5 hours - 100% trophies
After almost a year and a half of waiting, the Black Flag season pass finally went on sale, so I picked this up and got my 100% for Black Flag. It was... fine? I'd read reviews praising the story, but apart from one moment, it struck me as pretty typical AC fare.
45. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (PS4) - 18 hours - Platinum (two playthroughs)
I usually have to take a non-lethal ghost approach to Dishonored games for trophy/achievement reasons, so it was pretty fun to be able to go lethal but stealthy this time around. Nothing in this game really broke the mold, but it was nice to dive back into the series.
46. Vampire: the Masquerade - Coteries of New York (PS4) - 10 hours - 100% trophies
47. Vampire: the Masquerade - Shadows of New York (PS4) - 7 hours - 100% trophies
A pair of fairly short Vampire VNs. Not much here really, but I've always liked the setting and it was kind of fun to get reacquainted since it's been about 15 years since I followed any of the lore. Here's hoping that Bloodlines 2 actually comes out and isn't a disaster.
48. Torchlight 2 (PS4) - 65 hours - Platinum (two playthroughs)
I know it's a well-loved game, but I found this to be the blandest ARPG I've played in years. It didn't do anything poorly, really, but it doing anything to make me sit up and take notice, either.
49. Umineko no Naku Koro ni 2 (PS3) - 150 hours - Platinum
The last four episodes of the Umineko VN. I have mixed feelings about the ending and would like to go back and play through it again now that I know everything... but I really don't want to spend that much time.
50. Uncharted - Golden Abyss (Vita) - 30 hours - Platinum (two playthroughs)
I was pretty impressed at how good this looked despite being a Vita launch title. It really felt and played like an Uncharted game (for better or worse).
51. Sky Force Reloaded (PS4) - 40 hours - Platinum
A top-down shmup game and the sequel to Sky Force Anniversary. This was essentially more of the same with some more levels and a bunch of different planes to choose from. Some missions could be pretty hard on the higher difficulty levels but it never made it to true bullet hell.
52. Resident Evil 2 (2019) (PS4) - 35 hours - Platinum (five playthroughs) - 40 hours - 100% trophies
Finally got around to this and thought it did a good job of capturing the vibe of the originals. Getting the S+ rank on Hardcore for Claire brought back memories of doing Hard Core in Dead Space 2 since I could only save 3 times. I really thought that the DLC horde mode was going to end up being too much for me but I did get there in the end.
A whole game about a lovely couple in a healthy relationship where nothing goes wrong.
Yup yup, that's it!
Well 10 games done in 2021, actually better than I expected. Maybe I'll finish 52 this new year
- Dragon Quest Builders 2: moment to moment gameplay is fun enough but every stage is twice at long as it should be, which is fitting for dragon quest game, and the obtuse room specifications are annoying
- Dark Alliance: Feels like it should be a hack and slash gem but wants to be tactical souls like. Ended up a muddled mess
- Yakuza: Like a dragon: fun and weird rpg, Ichi is a big dummy and is great. Put it down when I hit a spot where the game was saying some bad opinions about the homeless. I'll probably pick it back up at some point
- Final Fantasy 13: it's fun and I like it. The current state of the world and 2 small kids prevent me from having any energy to keep up a narrative game like this. I will be coming back to it
- Fae Tactics: SRPG with some neat mechanics. I eventually ran into a couple bosses that felt pretty bullshit so I dropped it. Not sure if they were actually dumb or it was just me being worn down (see above entry) but I'm not currently feeling compelled to try to pick it back up.
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