Re: Games Beaten 2018
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 10:57 pm
1. Ultima V - PC
2. Ultima VI - PC
3. Might and Magic VI - PC
4. Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny - PC
5. Pool of Radiance - PC
6. Curse of the Azure Bonds - PC
7. Secret of the Silver Blades - PC
8. Pools of Darkness - PC
9. Gateway to the Savage Frontier - PC
10. Treasures of the Savage Frontier - PC
11. Champions of Krynn - PC
12. Death Knights of Krynn - PC
13. Dark Queen of Krynn - PC
14. Into the Breach - PC
15. Lords of the Realm - PC
16. Dark Sun: Shattered Lands - PC
17. Lords of the Realm II - PC
18. The Alliance Alive - 3DS
19. Shattered Steel - PC
20. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition - PC
21. Battletech - PC
22. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part I - PC
23. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part II - PC
24. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Switch
25. Pillars of Eternity II - PC
26. Dragon Ball FighterZ - PS4
27. Detroit: Become Human - PC4
28. Call of Duty: United Offensive - PC
29. The Last of Us - PS4
30. The Last of Us: Left Behind - PS4
31. Prey: Mooncrash - PC
32. Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds - PS4
33. Resident Evil 7 - PC
34. Resident Evil 7: Not A Hero - PC
35. Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War III - PC
36. Overwhelm - PC
37. Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation - PC
38. Hard Reset Redux - PC
39. Nier: Automata - PS4
40. Darksiders - PC
I remember this game came out a number of years ago, and seemed super teenage generic, so I passed on it. Then last year (I think it was last year, maybe it was two years ago) they revealed that Darksiders 3 was going to come out, and that actually looked more interesting. So I decided to pick up the two previous games on Steam Sale, and finally got around to beating the first one. And I have to say, my initial impression all those years ago does the game a disservice. The game is actually a concentration of the 90s in one game, for better and for worst.
So the basic plot of the game is that heaven and hell waged war, then humans were created and they went on truce. There were seven seals forged, and they would be broken once humanity was ready for the Armageddon war. At that time, the Four Horsemen would land and fight to maintain balance or something. You play as War, and you get sent out because the battle is joined, but it turns out the seventh seal wasn't actually broken, so now everyone has jumped the gun and humanity is wiped out. You get in trouble and need to clear your name, because someone made you think it was time. So you murder a bunch of demons, find the truth, break the last seal, and now your bros are ready to come down and join you as you kick everyone's ass. I once saw it described as "The Bible by 90s Image Comics" and that's a pretty apt descriptor. Going along with that theme, the character designs are so over the top that even Rob Liefeld is like "dude, tone it down a bit". Everyone has a permanent scowl and frankly, the VAs should be applauded for managing to deliver everything straight. Even Mark Hamill gets in on the action, doing his Joker voice without the levity; just the parts where he was pissed at something.
Gameplay-wise, the game doesn't have a single unique idea. The basic gameplay is Ocarina of Time with God of War combat (complete with orbs when you murder stuff), and then at the end the game introduces a shittier version of Portal. The loop is to go to a dungeon, collect a new item to progress through that dungeon, then use that new item on the boss of that dungeon. And when you use it on the boss it stuns him so you can wail on him with your sword for a while, before he gets up and you repeat. Every dungeon also has a map and a compass (to see the treasure chests) available as pickups, though they have slightly different names. I mean, it is BLATENT. The combat is that sort of combo based God of War style where you can transition between moves, except all your best stuff you already have from the start. And the Portal mechanics can only be activated on certain very specific spots, and rather than being momentum based you have the option of making an exit push you out fast when you first deploy it (and even then, only if the game feels it's necessary for you to have a fast exit there). And the real shame is that the final boss is such a wimp. Whereas Ocarina of Time called on you to use a bunch of your tools to take down Ganon, here you just hit him with your sword a lot, because storywise nothing else can hurt him.
Overall, the game is fairly mediocre. Apparently the second one has some mechanical changes, so maybe that will be more interesting.
2. Ultima VI - PC
3. Might and Magic VI - PC
4. Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny - PC
5. Pool of Radiance - PC
6. Curse of the Azure Bonds - PC
7. Secret of the Silver Blades - PC
8. Pools of Darkness - PC
9. Gateway to the Savage Frontier - PC
10. Treasures of the Savage Frontier - PC
11. Champions of Krynn - PC
12. Death Knights of Krynn - PC
13. Dark Queen of Krynn - PC
14. Into the Breach - PC
15. Lords of the Realm - PC
16. Dark Sun: Shattered Lands - PC
17. Lords of the Realm II - PC
18. The Alliance Alive - 3DS
19. Shattered Steel - PC
20. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition - PC
21. Battletech - PC
22. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part I - PC
23. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part II - PC
24. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Switch
25. Pillars of Eternity II - PC
26. Dragon Ball FighterZ - PS4
27. Detroit: Become Human - PC4
28. Call of Duty: United Offensive - PC
29. The Last of Us - PS4
30. The Last of Us: Left Behind - PS4
31. Prey: Mooncrash - PC
32. Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds - PS4
33. Resident Evil 7 - PC
34. Resident Evil 7: Not A Hero - PC
35. Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War III - PC
36. Overwhelm - PC
37. Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation - PC
38. Hard Reset Redux - PC
39. Nier: Automata - PS4
40. Darksiders - PC
I remember this game came out a number of years ago, and seemed super teenage generic, so I passed on it. Then last year (I think it was last year, maybe it was two years ago) they revealed that Darksiders 3 was going to come out, and that actually looked more interesting. So I decided to pick up the two previous games on Steam Sale, and finally got around to beating the first one. And I have to say, my initial impression all those years ago does the game a disservice. The game is actually a concentration of the 90s in one game, for better and for worst.
So the basic plot of the game is that heaven and hell waged war, then humans were created and they went on truce. There were seven seals forged, and they would be broken once humanity was ready for the Armageddon war. At that time, the Four Horsemen would land and fight to maintain balance or something. You play as War, and you get sent out because the battle is joined, but it turns out the seventh seal wasn't actually broken, so now everyone has jumped the gun and humanity is wiped out. You get in trouble and need to clear your name, because someone made you think it was time. So you murder a bunch of demons, find the truth, break the last seal, and now your bros are ready to come down and join you as you kick everyone's ass. I once saw it described as "The Bible by 90s Image Comics" and that's a pretty apt descriptor. Going along with that theme, the character designs are so over the top that even Rob Liefeld is like "dude, tone it down a bit". Everyone has a permanent scowl and frankly, the VAs should be applauded for managing to deliver everything straight. Even Mark Hamill gets in on the action, doing his Joker voice without the levity; just the parts where he was pissed at something.
Gameplay-wise, the game doesn't have a single unique idea. The basic gameplay is Ocarina of Time with God of War combat (complete with orbs when you murder stuff), and then at the end the game introduces a shittier version of Portal. The loop is to go to a dungeon, collect a new item to progress through that dungeon, then use that new item on the boss of that dungeon. And when you use it on the boss it stuns him so you can wail on him with your sword for a while, before he gets up and you repeat. Every dungeon also has a map and a compass (to see the treasure chests) available as pickups, though they have slightly different names. I mean, it is BLATENT. The combat is that sort of combo based God of War style where you can transition between moves, except all your best stuff you already have from the start. And the Portal mechanics can only be activated on certain very specific spots, and rather than being momentum based you have the option of making an exit push you out fast when you first deploy it (and even then, only if the game feels it's necessary for you to have a fast exit there). And the real shame is that the final boss is such a wimp. Whereas Ocarina of Time called on you to use a bunch of your tools to take down Ganon, here you just hit him with your sword a lot, because storywise nothing else can hurt him.
Overall, the game is fairly mediocre. Apparently the second one has some mechanical changes, so maybe that will be more interesting.