Recently completed video games

[Sloshy]

Strider (PS4). Nice wee Metroid-style action thing that I would never have bought but am grateful to PS+ for putting in front of me. Starts out to be pretty underwhelming but give it half an hour and you'll have seen a couple of boss fights and picked up some skills and to revisit old areas with and you'll see what type of experience they're going for. It's only about six hours which is perfect for me and except for one fiddly bit at the end never gets as difficult as I'd feared a game so steeped in old 2D Japanese game design ideas might. Good stuff.

 

Funny you should mention this game because I'm getting closer to finishing it myself. I absolutely adore the art style choices in that game since it makes it feel both new and old at the same time, you know? I've heard the comparison that it's like a "bullet-hell" version of Metroid (like Touhou, Ikaruga, Jamestown, etc.) and that makes a lot of sense considering how many shots you're supposed to dodge and reflect over the course of things. I'd actually argue that it does the whole Metroidvania thing almost as well as the original Super Metroid did and in some places a bit better since there are no "blow up the glass tube that any logical person would assume is impossible without prior knowledge" moments. I'm playing it on PC and am really digging the graphical fidelity as a result, but I also got it from PS+ (though I don't own a PS4 yet).

 

Also, was I the only person who noticed these really weird reflections in the game? They're only visible in a few general areas but I find it fascinating considering it shows that the devs used at least two completely different methods for showing reflected objects on screen. One for dynamic models and one for the surrounding scenery.

[chummer]

Played through Papo & Yo this afternoon.  Fuck that is a depressing game.  The game part isn't very good, puzzles ranging from boring to just okay.  But I love the design, ascetic, story and everything else it has going on. 

 

The puzzles are definitely uninspired in what they're asking you to do, but the way you're affecting the world is what I loved. Pulling apart buildings, making light appear on walls, etc., was really pretty, even if I knew the solution to the problem before I started. 

 

 I'd like to call it essentially the world's most technically advanced mini-game collection, and not even that good of one... Everything that happened, and everything I could do on the side, just felt so pointless that I was never really able to enjoy it for what it wanted to be.

 

Agree with a lot of your thoughts, though I would say I ended up feeling negative when I finished the game. It felt almost like a satire of Ubisoft games in how it consolidates a lot of the design/UI decisions made in other Ubi games and doesn't have anything really distinguishing about it. I know the hacking aspect was supposed to be this game's twist, but it felt so... minor, which was really surprising considering that the rest of the game is one that Ubisoft has made multiple times already.

[Sloshy]

I know the hacking aspect was supposed to be this game's twist, but it felt so... minor, which was really surprising considering that the rest of the game is one that Ubisoft has made multiple times already.

 

See, this is actually the first "Ubisoft" (note the quotes) game I've played. I've played a bunch of Rayman games, Prince of Persia (2008), the original Far Cry, Trials, etc. but never an Assassin's Creed or the other few Far Cry games (though I own them all). This was actually my first open-world "achievement-athon" of sorts like this and I'm already bored of it. I'm a bit worried now about playing Ubisoft's other AAA titles despite how many good things I've heard (especially about AC2, AC4, and Blood Dragon) because of how Watch_Dogs burnt me out to that underlying concept they all share. I genuinely wonder how long they can keep up making this style of game before people get overwhelmed with content and become bored.

[JonCole]

The only thing that I felt was compelling re: hacking in Watch Dogs was the driving escapes from cops. Timing traffic light changes, deploying barriers, exploding transformers to cause a strategic blackout, all of that stuff made the ordinarily well-trodden, buzzkill ground of the GTA-style police chase much more interesting.

 

Also, the collectathon-style aspect of Ubisoft games are probably best expressed in AC2. I was able to complete that game with about 90% of the sidequests completed and collectable items collected just through the natural course of my game. With Watch Dogs and AC4, I'd need to specifically devote lengthy periods of game time to that task or simply play for hours on end after completing the game proper to "finish everything".

[chummer]

I genuinely wonder how long they can keep up making this style of game before people get overwhelmed with content and become bored.

 

Curious about this as well. I felt pretty finished with the AC series, but AC4's ship stuff looked neat enough to draw me back in. I had a lot of fun with that specific aspect of the game, but the rest of the stuff was so dull I don't think I could recall any part of it well; story, locations, abilities are all kind of a blur. I've also discovered that I treat AAA open-world games as a type of vacation, as I often enjoy just getting into a big space, driving around, goofing off, etc. for long periods of time.

[elmuerte]

Safecracker

This is an old "adventure" game, it's actually more like Gone Home, but with very mechanical puzzles and pretty much no rummaging through drawers.

There is some insignificant story, and a rather abrupt and odd ending. But if you like solving puzzles, it's quite ok.

[Apelsin]

Sam & Max: Culture Shock 

I picked up the full collection of the Telltale Sam & Max games during the GoG sales earlier this year and decided to finally play through them. Just finished the first episode. I liked this well enough, although not all the jokes hit home with me and it is plagued with some polish issues. The Sybil character especially seems to be stricken by some issues (Stuck in T-pose when player enters scene, and disappearing during a vital scene). The wackiness and a puzzle challenge level that is well adjusted for my skills mostly weighs up for most of these issues though.

 

Overall it seems like a decent first episode in a series that will hopefully find its stride later.

 

It also has the best UI and website of all games ever.   

[prawks]

Finally finished The Wolf Among Us this weekend, and overall really enjoyed the whole series. Makes me want to read Fables. The very end was pretty interesting, and while the lead-up to it was good, I thought a lot of the detail was a bit unimportant, and felt lackluster. What felt like they should have been big reveals just kind of hit me as backstory and "Oh, yeah makes sense." I was expecting more twists, I think. The Walking Dead had a more impactful series of reveals, or so I felt.

 

It seemed like there was a substantial increase in the amount of QTE's in the final episode, and I'll be honest, as someone who doesn't mind them, they became a bit much at one point. Might have just been my state of mind at the time, though. It was getting pretty late.

 

In particular, the fight between Bigby and Bloody Mary felt a little drawn out, even though the action was pretty good, and seeing Bigby's "final form" was neat.

 

However, there was a point where a QTE was used to make a split-second storyline decision, and I was surprised that they weren't used like that more throughout the story. I didn't play through it again, so I'm not sure how much of a difference it really made, but my point stands. Most of the major decisions are made on long timers, etc. The fast reaction timer to make a story decision just adds a level of authenticity to making a decision that I really enjoy, and it's used so well during conversation trees.

 

I'm referring to the part where Bigby jumps off an overpass and needs to choose between landing on Georgie's car or The Crooked Man's. I'd imagine that decides the place you go first.

 

One last nagging issue I had with it (and The Walking Dead, since they're basically sister games) is that some of the options in the conversation trees sounded one way, but Bigby acted them out another way. That's probably a tough problem to solve, but it made me laugh when I was trying to be nice to someone and Bigby tears them a new one.

 

Regardless, those are very minor issues. This game has some great art, and the music is fucking fantastic. The first episode is a serious hook, too.

[miffy495]

Sam & Max: Culture Shock 

I picked up the full collection of the Telltale Sam & Max games during the GoG sales earlier this year and decided to finally play through them. Just finished the first episode. I liked this well enough, although not all the jokes hit home with me and it is plagued with some polish issues. The Sybil character especially seems to be stricken by some issues (Stuck in T-pose when player enters scene, and disappearing during a vital scene). The wackiness and a puzzle challenge level that is well adjusted for my skills mostly weighs up for most of these issues though.

 

Overall it seems like a decent first episode in a series that will hopefully find its stride later.

 

It also has the best UI and website of all games ever.   

 

Pretty much every episode of Sam and Max from the start of season 1 to the end of season 3 is better than the one before it, with a couple of slight exceptions. Keep at the series. Season 3 was SO good.

[Twig]

Pretty much every episode of Sam and Max from the start of season 1 to the end of season 3 is better than the one before it, with a couple of slight exceptions. Keep at the series. Season 3 was SO good.

if we get a walking dead season four before sam and max season four i will never stop raging

[Sloshy]

if we get a walking dead season four before sam and max season four i will never stop raging

 

Don't say that! You're going to make me sad. Sam and Max was what brought me to Telltale in the first place... Well, that and Strong Bad since I'm a huge HSR fan. I remember loving the free episode of Sam and Max (I think S1E4) so much that I bought the book from the Telltale store along with every single season. It's a shame that they're filled with "adventure game logic" that practically requires a player's guide at some points now but for humor value alone, those games are downright legendary.

[Bjorn]

Finally got around to finishing off my NG+ run in Defender's Quest last night, after having stopped just a few missions away from the end many months ago.  I only remembered to go back to it because I saw something about them announcing Defender's Quest 2.  Great little tower defense/RPG game.  It's one of the better NG+ modes I've ever played.  It adds a bunch of stuff.  New weapons, new armor, the ability to upgrade unique weapons/armor, new quests that explain the backstory and the protagonist writes a journal giving her thoughts about the quest and her companions throughout the game. 

 

I liked DQ a bunch in part because it didn't start feeling like a puzzle game like some tower defense games do.  Some of those games have just a single tower layout in order to get a perfect on the hardest difficulty.  DQ never felt like that to me, that I had a lot more freedom for placement and strategy. 

[Tanukitsune]

I beat the rest of the Spy Fox series, I didn't expect the series to be this short. Only 3 games? I enjoyed the terrible puns although some are too forced even for me...

 

Playing them all in a row I realized how I kept running into a bear lady who I'm partially responsible of her losing her job in the last game and really enjoyed the cosmetic queen poodle as a cartoon villain.

 

I only regret Spy Fox didn't get as many games as the rest of the Humongous series... I like the terrible puns, cartoon villains and simple puzzles, they aren't as easy as the other Humongous games, so I enjoy them a bit more.

 

EDIT: I also had time to beat the two Pajama Sam games I had yet to play and... wow, I had no idea Atari bought Humongous Entertainment. The final game is from that era and... it kinda sucks, the voice actors are worse, the animation looks cheaper and there is less of it and wasn't as well designed... Pajama Sam is for 3-8 year olds, but some puzzles seemed too complex for a little kid's game, not to mention it's loses the little educational content it tends to have.

[Cordeos]

Just finished Hitman Absolution. What a disappointment, I am very glad I canceled my preorder and got it on sale later. There was one level that felt like something from Contracts or Blood Money. Sneaking through hallways is not what the series is about. Also the small levels were so silly. Ah well time to play something fun.

[prettyunsmart]

I just finished Valiant Hearts: The Great War, and am sad to say that I went from really enjoying the game, to finding it well-made but occasionally tedious, to wishing it would end, to actively disliking the work as a whole over the course of the game's four acts. The art is beautiful, and strangely I didn't find it to be at odds with the serious subject matter at any particular point. Unfortunately, the game's four story lines were ultimately uneven (one being pretty forgettable, two being very well done, and one being pretty atrocious). Also, the gameplay, outside of the basic adventure game puzzles, amounted to a horrible version of "red light/green light" where standing in the wrong space or moving at the wrong time would result in instant death. I sort of want to make a topic and get my full thoughts on the game out, but really, what's the point. I'm just generally disappointed and a little bummed out.

[Golden Calf]

I beat the rest of the Spy Fox series, I didn't expect the series to be this short. Only 3 games? I enjoyed the terrible puns although some are too forced even for me...

 

Playing them all in a row I realized how I kept running into a bear lady who I'm partially responsible of her losing her job in the last game and really enjoyed the cosmetic queen poodle as a cartoon villain.

 

I only regret Spy Fox didn't get as many games as the rest of the Humongous series... I like the terrible puns, cartoon villains and simple puzzles, they aren't as easy as the other Humongous games, so I enjoy them a bit more.

 

EDIT: I also had time to beat the two Pajama Sam games I had yet to play and... wow, I had no idea Atari bought Humongous Entertainment. The final game is from that era and... it kinda sucks, the voice actors are worse, the animation looks cheaper and there is less of it and wasn't as well designed... Pajama Sam is for 3-8 year olds, but some puzzles seemed too complex for a little kid's game, not to mention it's loses the little educational content it tends to have.

 

 

God I loved those games so much. They're basically my earliest gaming memories. That and maybe zoombinis or math blaster.

 

I especially love the weird galaga clone mode in Spy Fox 2 (I think?), which I played for hours and hours as a kid.

[syntheticgerbil]

I need to get to Spy Fox at some point. I played a bunch of Humongous games a few years ago just to see Ron Gilbert's and Dave Grossman's design work previously, but I still haven't beaten any Putt Putt games (besides the early ones I had as a kid). Pajama Sam was just awesome and Pamela Adlon is such a great voice actor. Freddi Fish is no pushover either.

[Griddlelol]

I finished INfamous Second Son. It's pretty ok, I even bothered to get the Platinum Trophy for no good reason other than I've never had a platinum trophy before. So I guess I enjoyed it enough. Not a lot to say on it other than it's a competent game and can be fun at times.

[Cordeos]

I finished INfamous Second Son. It's pretty ok, I even bothered to get the Platinum Trophy for no good reason other than I've never had a platinum trophy before. So I guess I enjoyed it enough. Not a lot to say on it other than it's a competent game and can be fun at times.

How does it compare with the previous two games?

[Merus]

I finished INfamous Second Son. It's pretty ok, I even bothered to get the Platinum Trophy for no good reason other than I've never had a platinum trophy before. So I guess I enjoyed it enough. Not a lot to say on it other than it's a competent game and can be fun at times.

 

How does your platinum trophy feel?

[kaputt]

Finished Wolfenstein The New Order. It's a good video game and it seemed shorter than it actually was, and that's really a bonus with how impatient I'm being with games with unnecessarily 10+ Hours campaigns. It never felt actually boring, even if it had some weak sections.

I think it is because of the story, it's a good one, not great, but pretty decent. if every AAA action video game had such a level of story things would be way more enjoyable. The characters were mostly well developed, and despite some weird moments, the writing was really good.

I'll definitely look forward for the next Machine Games project, was really surprised with this game.

[JonCole]

Hey, I also finished Wolfenstein: The New Order! I'm mostly in agreement, the story wasn't something incredible but it was self-aware, measured, and did what I believe it set out to do. I didn't think that anyone could get me to care about Wolfenstein, but this game really did it. The characters were all pretty great and I loved the Ramona diary entries along the way. I also loved how every Nazi was an absolute shitlord.

 

By the end, I found that I liked every gun pretty much equally. Usually these games get me to gravitate towards using one or two, but the game created lots of situations where each weapon had a good use and the situations evolved as more guns and mechanics were made available. I barely ever dual-wielded weapons, though, but I guess that's probably just a dedication to Wolf 3D? I dunno, it felt weird and I don't know how I would have survived some of the combat situations I was in without being able to aim and take more measured shots (I was playing at the second highest difficulty).

 

Anyways, super good stuff.

[Griddlelol]

How does it compare with the previous two games?

  

I still like the first game the most, just because it was something new to me. This one is technically better in pretty much every way though. I also like that the story isn't stupid over the top, you're out to save your tribe and a city.

How does your platinum trophy feel?

Every bit as pointless as I thought it would.

[Tanukitsune]

I beat the Regular Show WayForward made and considered that the did a pretty good job with Adventure Time, either they didn't have the budget or time to make this one any better.

 

You're trapped in a video game, but you fight villains from the show? How does that even work? Anyway, it's kinda two retro since Mordecai and Rigby die in one hit unless they get an attack power up, which is the only way to harm enemies... unless you jump on them.

 

You only gain two power which can only be uses in very specific places and are the true "8-bit" part of the game, Mordecai can turn into a shmup ship in space tiles and Rigby tuns into a top down shooter guy... when there are other top down shooter enemies around? Sometimes it gets kinda crazy when you have to switch character on the fly, but it's not really as hard as I expected, the final boss even has a check point in the middle of it's six forms.

 

But still, you can tell they didn't have the money or time for this one since there is no voice acting at all, and the cutscenes are GBA bad...

 

What kinda makes me think they didn't have the time or money is that unlocked a lot of concept art which looks way much cooler than what you do in the game.

[N1njaSquirrel]

I finished Remember Me. It's pretty ace. I figured out bits of the story before the game did, but not by a huge degree. It was a really enjoyable ride, and I'll forgive the more difficult fights to me trying to be pr0 haxx0r and playing on hard. At the end, I found that the best strategy  was to only use the 5 and 8 combos, and use only health attacks in the 5 slot, and all cooldown decreasers in the 8 combo slots. The game was also just the right length (clocking in at 11 odd hours for me) and told a story well. I recommend to people!

 

I also finished OlliOlli and by that I mean I did all the levels. stupidly good game. Addictive as all hell. I think I'll go back and complete the pro levels soon.