tripptrap

Been playing this game for about a week, and really enjoying it so far. Like others have mentioned, the horror/suspense elements of the game have been the most surprising and fascinating to me. I don't play many survival games so I don't know how common this approach is, but I am definitely overcome with a sense of fear anytime I travel to unfamiliar areas. I'm at a point in the game where I rarely have to worry about food, water, or oxygen, so the fear I experience is purely based on not knowing what lies ahead of me. I had a particularly unsettling experience early on. I decided that I would try to swim out to a relatively distant landmark. By the time I arrived, night had fallen, and I had not yet constructed a flashlight, so I was swimming blind. As I was attempting to explore the area, I got stuck in some geometry. I attempted to free myself for a good 20-30 seconds, and during that time I didn't notice that the music had changed to a much more aggressive track. I finally noticed the music when I managed to free myself, and only had a few seconds to frantically look around before a massive creature appeared in front of me and killed me in one blow. I still don't know exactly where I ended up when I got out of the geometry glitch, so I get pretty terrified anytime I'm within a few hundred meters of the area I swam out to. Knowing that creatures like that exist in the game (and also NOT knowing precisely where I encountered them) makes exploring new areas genuinely terrifying.

I finished Soma a few months ago, and I tend to agree with you here. When I think back on the game, the moments that stick out to me the most are the story beats and interactions between the characters. The horror moments are a complete afterthought to me. I even went the opposite direction that you did, and intentionally played the game at night with the lights out, but I was always so interested in the story and character interactions that the monster sequences just felt like inconveniences to sidestep as quickly as possible. These monster sequences are mechanically identical to those in Amnesia, but for some reason the setting and horror elements of Amnesia captured my imagination and curiosity in such a way that I actually looked forward to the monster encounters, as they may reveal some new feature of the monster and the world it inhabits. For whatever reason, Soma's horror elements did not capture my imagination in that same way.

My list of shame casts a long shadow over the games I actually managed to complete in 2016, but here are my favorites: Dishonored 2: I replayed the original Dishonored immediately before firing up the sequel, and it's incredible how many improvements they were able to fit in. The game feels just like the original at heart, but filled with meaningful incremental improvements: more powers, varied enemy types, larger, more populated areas, and levels that push the labyrinthine design philosophy from the first game to an insane degree. The Clockwork Mansion level in particular showcases just how densely packed these levels can be, and how accommodating they can be to the player's whim. Firewatch: Like everyone else here, I was very impressed by this game. The opening sequence was unexpected an impactful. What followed was an affecting journey with two incredibly well realized characters through a setting that seemed almost unfair in its beauty. With more and more narrative-driven games emphasizing player choice and good/evil branching storylines, it was refreshing to play a game that just had one fully realized story to tell. I can't wait to see where Campo Santo goes next. Uncharted 4: Couldn't have asked for a better ending to the series. I'm probably in the minority as one who never really had a problem with the Uncharted formula (from a gameplay or narrative perspective), so I would have been happy with more of the same. While Uncharted 4 probably is more of the same to a certain degree, the improvements Naughty Dog made were substantial enough to make this the definitive Uncharted experience. The graphical fidelity is unbelievable, and probably the best looking game I've ever played. The addition of semi-open world areas was a welcome change to the normal gameplay loop. The grappling hook, with the way you could use it to exploit the verticality of some relatively large arenas, might be my favorite video game item of the past few years. Finally, the game concluded the Uncharted story in an unexpectedly affecting way. My List of Shame (I'm sure there are more, but these sting the most): Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Rise of the Tomb Raider The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Hitman Titanfall 2 The Last Guardian Watch Dogs 2 Stardew Valley

I agree with Vulpes, I used summon on about half of the boss battles in my playthrough, and this is definitely one that can get frustrating on your own. If you are determined to beat Logarius solo, I seem to remember the hardest part being his final stage, where his magic attack can basically one shot you. It's been awhile since I fought him, but I believe I found that the best strategy there was to stay as close to him as possible and just keep attacking/dodging as much as your stamina will allow. If you stop attacking for too long, or back too far away from him, that is when he will unleash that magic attack and own you. I don't remember a ton from his earlier phase, so I can't provide much help there.