Games Beaten 2015

[BoneSnapDeez]

Master System is godly.

Oh, and I had actually written a 2,000 word piece about Phantasy Star when I lost power momentarily. Poof!

[Michi]

Master System is godly.

And I'd get it (Oh, how I'd get it), but my shelf space is now at a premium and if I got one I'd have to do a major organizing overhaul that I'm just not prepared to do right now.

Oh, and I had actually written a 2,000 word piece about Phantasy Star when I lost power momentarily. Poof!

I had that happen once when I was working on a movie write-up.

Now I type everything out in Word first. Bless that little program and its OC need to autosave.

[Gamerforlife]

Until Dawn



The less I say about the game the better, but the only games I've played that I can compare it to is Heavy Rain and The Walking Dead Season 1...except, I think I had more fun playing this game than I did those. It has some interesting quirks like the Totem system, which are items that can warn you of upcoming danger or simply tease you with visions of possible future events that can either be hopeful or gruesome. Until Dawn is quite a fun experience...like watching a fun teen horror movie, but with you in control of the outcome (you seriously need to think carefully about what you're doing in this game or you WILL see people die). The basic set up is similar to movies like Evil Dead 2 or Cabin in the Woods. Some teens (though I don't think any of the actors they used for this are actually teens of course) go to some cabin or lodge in the middle of nowhere to fuck, bad shit happens...yada, yada, yada. Where it goes from there is fun. Interestingly, the game actually sort of plays out more like a horror series with recaps after each chapter.

Frankly, I think the game is fucking awesome and one of the first PS4 exclusives to really mean something, although I am one of the few who enjoyed The Order 1886 (which in some ways this game reminds me of actually with its overall cinematic presentation and some of the ways you interact with the game)

The whole thing felt like one fun ride, it's one of those games you may find yourself unable to put down until you beat it, which doesn't take that long. You may want to revisit parts of the game though for collectibles and to make different choices to try and save whoever got killed off in your first playthrough. Oh, and there's some fun bonus stuff you unlock, like DVD extras. There's some recognizable talent in this game like Ward from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The game does a great job of creating a spooky atmosphere, surprising and tricking you, and getting quite a few good jump scares on you. Plus, it even gets kind of meta on you. It feels like a nice horror fun house sometimes and playing this just reminded me of fun times with games like Eternal Darkness or old Resident Evil games.

[alienjesus]

Master System is godly.

Oh, and I had actually written a 2,000 word piece about Phantasy Star when I lost power momentarily. Poof!

I only realised how many words I type into this thread when I used a word count on my 6 game update the time before last and it was close to 4000. I've written essays at university that were shorter. My final dissertation was only 10000, I've probably written that three times over in this thread this year.

There's probably just as many typos as there were in my final dissertation too

[Fragems]

1. Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition(PS4)(Good)
2. Infamous First Light(PS4)(Good)
3. Drakengard 3(PS3) *Endings 1-4. Ending 5 I watched online due to BS boss.(Good except for the boss of the final alternate branch ending who can go burn in a firey hell )
4. Infamous Second Son(PS4)(Good)
5. Thomas Was Alone(PS4)(Great)
6. Uncharted Drake's Fortune(PS3) *(Good)
7. Uncharted 2 Among Thieves(PS3) *(Great)
8. Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception(PS3) **(Good)
9. Deadpool(PS3)(Great)
10. Red Dead Redemption(360)(Good)
11. Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare(360)(Okay)
12. The Walking Dead Survival Instinct(360)(Shit)
13. Fuse(360)(Okay)
14. The Bureau Xcom Declassified(360)(Okay)
15. Asura's Wrath(360)(Great)
16. Beneath a Steel Sky(PC)(Good)
17. Soul Gambler(PC)(Okay)
19. Harvester(PC)(Good, but disturbing)
20. Coma: Mortuary(PC)(Shit)
21. Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure(PC)(Good)
22. Freedom Planet(PC)(Great)
23. Tropico 3 Steam Special Edition(PC)(Great)
24. Far Cry 4(PS3)(Okay kinda meh)
25. Shellshock 2 Blood Trails(360)(Shit)
26. Grand Theft Auto V(PC)(Great)
27. Shadow of Mordor(PS4)(Great)
28. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare(PS4)(Okay)
29. Fallout 3(PC)- Great
30. Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage(DLC)(PC)- Crap
31. Fallout 3: Broken Steel(DLC)(PC)- Okay
32. Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta(DLC)(PC)- Buggy Crap
33. Fallout 3: Point Lookout(DLC)(PC)- Great
34. Dying Light(Xbox One)- Great
35. Sunset Overdrive(Xbox One)- Great
36. Murdered Soul Suspect(Xbox One)- Okay
37. Ryse Son of Rome(Xbox One)- Great

Ryse Son of Rome

Probably one of the best Xbox One exclusives that I have played so far. Presentation is great, atmosphere is great, story is great, and the combat is solid albeit a little basic/easy. It's just a really fun hack n slash game that is hard to put down once you get into it.

Really this game went above and beyond what I was expecting. I went in thinking it was going to be a somewhat wonky launch title with a heavy focus on Kinect use, but ended up having one of the best experiences so far with my Xbox One. Probably the biggest thing this game has going for it is the graphics, the Roman setting, and it's ability to make you feel like you are part of a massive battle even though most of the levels are very linear with low enemy counts.

The story is also pretty interesting with a mixture of corrupt politicians, gods, peasants, and barbarians. The story also has nice pacing with a very quick start and very little slowdown during the course of the game. I personally didn't care much for the ending, but it was a solid conclusion.

The star of the show though is the visuals. They did an awesome job with the Roman cities they look amazing and there is a crap load of action going on in the back ground at each location so they really feel alive and much larger then they actually are. They also did some great camera work for the cut scenes and the motion capture for the character movements looks great.

About the weakest part of the game has to be the game play though which I think is mainly thanks to the Kinect. The combat is similar to other third person action games with a melee focus centering around a block, stun, dodge, and quick attack button. Enemies can be killed with repeated attacks, but the game focuses more on weakening them then performing a brutal QTE execution kill which in my opinion really slows down the pacing and is way to forgiving(almost impossible to fail since hitting the wrong button just lowers xp/currency gain and you have a 2-3 second window to input the right command). Really combat is insanely easy and only becomes frustrating when you have 5-6 enemies on the screen and you loose track of them all thanks to the camera. The final bosses are kind of disappointing as well since they are really slow fights focusing on you countering their attacks then getting 1-2 hits then repeating the process over a dozen times till they die.

Game also has a multiplayer and co-op component, but I didn't really feel compelled to try them out at the moment.

Overall it's a solid Xbox One title if you haven't tried it yet it's price has dropped pretty low and it's well worth the asking price.

[Sarge]

Titan Souls came very, very close to being in the "not beaten" thread. But it's done. Whew.

[Ack]

1. Renegade Ops (PC)(Multidirectional Shooter)
2. Borderlands 2 (PC)(FPS/RPG)
3. Gunpoint (PC)(Puzzle Platformer)
4. Robotrek (SNES)(RPG)
5. The Tick (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
6. Alien vs Predator (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
7. X-Kaliber 2097 (SNES)(Action Platformer)
8. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)
9. Shadowrun (SNES)(RPG)
10. Quake II (PC)(FPS)
11. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES)(RPG)
12. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PC)(Action)
13. A Story About My Uncle (PC)(Platformer)
14. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)(FPS)
15. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC)(FPS)
16. Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
17. Catacomb Abyss (PC)(FPS)
18. Catacomb Armageddon (PC)(FPS)
19. Catacomb Apocalypse (PC)(FPS)
20. The Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
21. Catacomb 3-D (PC)(FPS)
22. EarthBound (SNES)(RPG)
23. Quake II: Ground Zero (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake II: The Reckoning (PC)(FPS)
25. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (PC)(RPG)
26. The 7th Guest (PC)(Puzzle)
27. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (PC)(RPG)
28. Loom (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
29. Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)(Action Platformer)
30. System Shock 2 (PC)(Survival Horror FPS)
31. Final Fantasy V (SNES)(RPG)
32. Descent (PC)(FPS)
33. Mortal Kombat 2 (SNES)(Fighting)
34. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
35. Alien Shooter (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
36. Alien Shooter: Fight for Life (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
37. Alien Shooter: The Experiment (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
38. F.E.A.R. Extraction Point (PC)(FPS)
39. F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate (PC)(FPS)
40. Among the Sleep (PC)(Survival Horror)
41. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PC)(FPS/RPG)
42. Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
43. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES via Super Mario All-Stars/Super Mario World)(Platformer)
44. Star Wars Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast (PC)(FPS)
45. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: Claptastic Voyage (PC)(FPS/RPG)
46. Risen (PC)(RPG)

Hrmm...mixed feelings on this one. Let me start this off by saying I had fun with Risen, the second series from developer Piranha Bytes(the first being Gothic). Risen is an open world action RPG set on an island where the player finds themselves shipwrecked. Unknown to the inhabitants of the island, the Gods are dead, and Titans now walk the earth laying waste to everything in their path. But the island is protected by something hidden deep within its bowels, and the one faction which knows what has happened to the mainland, the Inquisition, refuses to divulge that information. Instead they have taken over the one town on the island and shut its doors to lock out the monsters which now spew forth out of temples which are rising from the ground. Anyone caught outside by the Inquisition is pressed into service, though the criminal empire of Don Esteban is alive and functioning out of a swamp a ways away. Ultimately the thieves and the inquisitors will have to bump heads, but it is up to the player to decide which side they will ally with.

Ultimately though it just doesn't matter. Both sides offer similar equipment rewards, though I feel the Inquisition offers juicier options because they have access to magic. Eventually both sides ally anyway, but for the purposes of gaining experience, it is really worth it to start doing the Don's quests and then switch over to the Inquisition before making your decision on who to join(as opposed to vice versa, because once you start doing quests for the Inquisition, they will not let you leave). Getting experience is vital because it earns you learning points, which are used to buy skills and stat upgrades. You need combat skills to survive, especially against the tougher monsters that you will encounter later, and at one point the game basically throws a wall where you have to buy the Create Scrolls ability or else you won't be able to proceed. I lost a day where I was forced to grind out a level for this...not fun.

Also, monsters don't respawn, so there is a hard limit to the experience you will be able to acquire over the course of the game. The level limit is 50, but the real cap is around 29, because at that point there simply isn't anything left to fight or quests to finish by the time you get there. Certain abilities are also far more useful than others, so anybody who takes an interest in playing this, take note: focus in 1 melee combat skill and max it out(there are three: sword, axe, and staff. I went with sword). Get lockpick to level 2 but not 3, because there are few enough level 3 locks, and they contain nice enough loot that Open Lock scrolls are far better choices anyway. Max out alchemy, because it lets you make potions which permanently upgrade your attributes. And above all else, do NOT consume a Strength or Agility stat upgrade plant or potion until after you have gotten the stat to 100 through a trainer. Trainers cannot train Strength or Agility beyond 100, but the absolute max for these is 200, so use your items to get there(also note, having a stat boosting item equipped will cause this, so unequip stat boosting items before training). Beyond that...eh, have fun. I put a few points into mining and smithing to make better rings and amulets, but armor and weapon choices are actually quite limited, so you might not find it worth it.

From a technical standpoint, this game has a LOT of issues. I repeatedly had to kill the game because it would bug out when I would climb something or jump off a ledge. I fell through a floor at one point, and I had a few enemies I killed fly through walls and vanish. Perhaps the funniest bug I saw involved the Levitate spell, which for some reason slingshotted me high into the air so I could then fall to my death. And for some reason trapdoors in particular never seemed to work right. I tended to fall a foot into the open hole and then would hang there; I could either jump out or move around and slowly fall until I hit the ground.

I appreciate the music that goes along with the game, but I wouldn't buy the soundtrack. For some reason it was decided that music within ruins and dungeons needed monster growls and hisses mixed in, so I often wondered if I had really killed all the enemies or if something was waiting around the corner for me. This also detracted from the songs themselves, because I felt I could no longer listen to them. The overworld theme is nice and whimsical though, and it was a pleasant background to the lush foliage I found myself often running through. There is a hut on the eastern side of the island next to a small pond that was the prettiest place in the game in my opinion; the music fit this perfectly.

Oh, and the game has a terrible ending. You beat the final boss, and then the screen goes black for a voice over saying "Mankind has risen." I actually groaned out loud.

Despite all of this, it's an enjoyable and pretty game, and I enjoyed running around its landscape, fighting hordes of monsters, some of which were quite unique and many which posed a challenge until I learned how to fight them. By the end, I had killed off everything, but it was fun getting to that point, and I felt accomplished every time I took down a new type of enemy. I practically cheered the first time I killed an Ashbeast. Those things are nasty.

If you liked the Gothic series, give this one a shot. If you want a game that reminds you a bit of Fable, this will do. It's not perfect, but it's likable, and it definitely scratched an itch I was feeling for this kind of gameplay.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Risen is way better than "Gothic IV" - I will say that much.

Oh look the Gothic games are on GOG.

[Ack]

You mean Gothic III: Totally Not an Expansion to Gothic III?

And yes, yes they are. I may have Gothic installed on my computer because of it...

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Until Dawn

Frankly, I think the game is fucking awesome and one of the first PS4 exclusives to really mean something.

I just finished the game (saved everybody by some miracle - woo!) and I have to agree.

This game makes David Cage's stuff look like childs play. It captures that strangeness and is far more coherent and well produced than anything else like it. The game totally came out of nowhere too.

I wont expand on the story for obvious reasons but I will say I love all the clues and totems, and most of all the Butterfly Effect screen where it details every place where a decision you made changed the story - it's far more comprehensive than any other choose-your-own story game has been so far. It seems there are at least one hundred various little paths.

Seriously guys. If you have a PS4 and you think this looks interesting at all do yourself a favor and try it (Redbox has it if you want to just blow through it). There are a few other games like this but Until Dawn frankly, in my mind, represents a turning point for this interactive movie genre thing.