Recently completed video games

[Malfsyde]

Finished Hotline Miami. Even though it is mechanically quite different to Doom, it reminded me a lot of the raw fast pace carnage I got up to in Doom.

 

On the other hand it also made me want to see a more more strategic stealth/espionage or SWAT type game with this overhead mechanics style. I feel like it probably already exists, at least it should.

[Justin Leego]

It's not exactly as you described, but I wonder if LA Cops (Early Access) might be up your alley, so to speak.

 

[prawks]

On the other hand it also made me want to see a more more strategic stealth/espionage or SWAT type game with this overhead mechanics style. I feel like it probably already exists, at least it should.

 

Agreed, I didn't play a ton of the game, but the strategy of it really stuck with me. I liked planning out my approach by being able to see the way enemies patrolled with specific weapons in the adjacent rooms, and with the events unfolding very quickly afterwards (as you describe, SWAT-style "breaching" of rooms). I'd love to see something similar in a FPS.

[SecretAsianMan]

Agreed, I didn't play a ton of the game, but the strategy of it really stuck with me. I liked planning out my approach by being able to see the way enemies patrolled with specific weapons in the adjacent rooms, and with the events unfolding very quickly afterwards (as you describe, SWAT-style "breaching" of rooms). I'd love to see something similar in a FPS.

 

I think it's going to be a PvP game, but Due Process looks like it might be similar to what you're describing.

[Yasawas]

The Last of Us Remastered and the DLC I've forgotten the name of already. Left Behind?

 

I'd beat the main game last year already but while this version did look megapretty and held a steady 60fps better than I'd feared it might, it just didn't stand up to a second playthrough as well as I thought it would. I don't entirely know why. I think the combat is great fun and allows for different approaches, it's a lot less explicitly explore -> combat arena -> explore -> combat arena than the Uncharteds are which is what ruins them for me, and the characters are interesting in a video game sort of way, which is to say they are a big bag of cliches but at least the voice actors are good at what they do. (There are entirely too many "how are you holding up?"s though, which is something I am very sensitive to since Jake and Sean mentioned it a while back).

 

Basically I think this game is pretty sweet but is undermined by reminding me of Resident Evil 4 in a number of ways, but unlike that game it isn't one of my top five ever, doesn't have the same variety of locations or ludicrous ideas or memorable set pieces, and no matter how much fun sneaking about the snow sniping dudes with a bow is I'd rather be suplexing monks until their heads explode instead.

[Tanukitsune]

I just beat ZombiU and either I'm easier to scare now or this game is actually tense and scary? It's at least a decent survival horror game, limited resources and you're never overpowered and you'll probably use the cricket bat as you main weapon and it can be almost cruel at some time.

 

I'm pretty sure I died the most to explosive zombies, because it's pretty hard to deal with them if they're too close.

 

I really had a tough time in the ending, a bloody explosive zombie took out the previous survivor and while I tried to find the survivor to get it's gear I somehow ended in the ending area and run ran until the ending.

 

It does the WiiU's gamepad well enough, it's used as a scanner, which can hack, tag enemies to be easier to spot and get if that box has a useful item before risking your life to get to it. My biggest regret is that the game gave me a sniper rifle and you barely have time to use it, also even with the scanner and radar some zombies sneak up on you just for jump scare's sake.

[Hume's Spork]

I recently finished Fallout for the second time.

 

Last time I played this game I was about 11, and I loved all of the systems and possibilities, but I remember enjoying the second game a lot more. The mad guy who modifies your weapons in the basement, the fighting rings, the jokes, the guns.

 

Having played both recently at 27, I think the tone of the first game really stands out, even if it is missing a bit of polish and content. I remember the oppression and desolation of the first game really getting to me as a kid, but now I find it incredible.

 

The other major difference was just how much "better" I am at optimizing systems and understanding RPG mechanics. I built my character very differently, immediately going for lockpick, small guns and speech, with an emphasis on the non-combat skills so that I could access more content and alternative paths. Another example: When I first got to the librarian in the hub, I immediately bought all of the books, read them all, then stole back the guns I had traded for the books. Then I bought all of the books again. I repeated this for 10 or so minutes until all of the skills couldn't increase from books any more (90%?). I did this sort of thing a bit as a kid but now I find myself looking for this edge all the time. I didn't even *need* the edge!

[Ucantalas]

The other major difference was just how much "better" I am at optimizing systems and understanding RPG mechanics. I built my character very differently, immediately going for lockpick, small guns and speech, with an emphasis on the non-combat skills so that I could access more content and alternative paths. Another example: When I first got to the librarian in the hub, I immediately bought all of the books, read them all, then stole back the guns I had traded for the books. Then I bought all of the books again. I repeated this for 10 or so minutes until all of the skills couldn't increase from books any more (90%?). I did this sort of thing a bit as a kid but now I find myself looking for this edge all the time. I didn't even *need* the edge!

That right there is a major reason I get intimidated playing RPGs. I never know what I should be focusing on, and I feel completely useless at optimizing systems in most RPGs. I dont know where to put points and stuff, and especially with things like Diablo 2 where so many people have played it for so long, I just end up feeling incompetent because so many people seem to know exactly how to build a good character, and I'm just sitting there going, "Huh, that sounds neat, I'll grab that!"

[Tanukitsune]

I beat a few short games today:

 

They Breathe: A story about a frog diving into a pond, meeting the most disturbing creatures and trying to not drown. 

 

Akane The Kunoichi: Wow, this game is kinda terrible, but at least it's in a funny way? I'm glad I got it in a bundle.

 

P.A.M. or Post Apocalyptic Mayhem: It's an arcade style racer that while it doesn't have a story mode or even a full cup or campaign. Each car has a special power assigned to each button, but I'm sure they all have the Nitro Boost in common. Any game with "Winter Wasteland" level filled with giant presents and a car that throws explosive presents is awesome in my book! 

[Hume's Spork]

That right there is a major reason I get intimidated playing RPGs. I never know what I should be focusing on, and I feel completely useless at optimizing systems in most RPGs. I dont know where to put points and stuff, and especially with things like Diablo 2 where so many people have played it for so long, I just end up feeling incompetent because so many people seem to know exactly how to build a good character, and I'm just sitting there going, "Huh, that sounds neat, I'll grab that!"

 

Diablo 2 was the first game I really got hooked on, and I have to say that the way you level your character is very flawed from certain perspectives. A lot of optimal builds require you to not invest any points beyond the basic requirements (1 skill in the prerequisites) and then max out later skills. For a player who was 'rushed' through the game in multiplayer this was OK, as after your first (probably horrible) character you could get another to level 70+ within a couple of hours, this time doing it "right". The problem is that not everyone is in this situation, or wants to leave behind their first character, or has the friends to boost them.

 

Additionally, if you *do* go on the internet to find a good character build, it can easily feel like you've robbed yourself of the unique character. There is a list of what gear you want rated by rarity/cost and an exact build for maximum dps/tankiness/mobility/whatever. It's like copying someone's hearthstone deck - you still have to play it right, but if you make some changes it feels much more your own.

 

Another annoying thing is the binary equip requirements on items - you either have enough strength/dexterity to equip it, or you don't. Optimal builds usually leave these stats at a minimum, so if you need 20Str for your gloves which give you +25Str so you can equip your armour, which gives you +30Str so you can equip your weapon and shield, you leave Str at 20. This means any other points are "wasted", but *also* means you need the gloves and armour to use your weapon. You might not have the gloves and armour. What do you do?

 

The positives of this kind of leveling system are that, once you have mastered the basics of the game and have some more items/understanding of the systems, you can go in fresh and with a new idea. Diablo 3 loses what makes this special - "I'm going to make a trapsin/hammerdin/whatever with a focus on particular skill/item/whatever" doesn't exist in Diablo 3 once you have all the characters, as you can just change your gear and skills. You never need more than one Wizard. I guess that's why it's *the* wizard rather than *a* wizard.

[Dewar]

That's why every game should have a respec. Make it expensive and/or difficult, but at least make it possible. I don't want to have to sweat every leveling decision all the way through the game, but I do want those choice to matter.

[Diego]

Finished Hotline Miami. Even though it is mechanically quite different to Doom, it reminded me a lot of the raw fast pace carnage I got up to in Doom.

 

On the other hand it also made me want to see a more more strategic stealth/espionage or SWAT type game with this overhead mechanics style. I feel like it probably already exists, at least it should.

 

Maybe Door kickers  could fit the bill? I don't really know much about it, but it's a top down strategy game about SWAT teams. Seems much slower paced than Hotline Miami though. 

[Dewar]

Last night I completed two games.

 

First off, I finished my goal in Lunar Flight, to complete one of each mission type on every map, including Mars. I'll probably keep putting around in this game to pick up a few more achievements here and there, but it's nice to set a goal in these things then attain it. It's become my "play for a few minutes before work game" and I'd highly recommend it. Mars adds some pretty crazy challenges if you haven't tried it yet.

 

Also, I beat Lone Survivor on PS3. I got the blue (bad) ending, due in no small part to having fired more than 200 pistol shots during my playthrough. I really like how they give you a huge list of all of the factors that influenced you score at the end, and it seems like they made it pretty easy to go back and play through to get the other endings. The thing is, they just don't give enough story to really make the time investment feel worth it. I understand the want to be mysterious, but there just isn't enough substance to make the poor to middling gameplay tolerable. It's a shame too, because the first 30 minutes had me utterly intrigued.

 

Edit: Thanks in part to buying a bunch of multiplayer games for a party and calling them "complete" when we played every game mode at least once, I'm at 46 games completed this year versus 40 games purchased. I'm on target for my goal of beating more games than I buy, as well as beating a game a week (a challenge I've seen others on here doing.) It feels kinda nice.

[Brett E]

I finished Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate the other day. I really liked the game(s), a cool aesthetic, lots of interesting obstacles to overcome and it makes impressive use of a few core mechanics that it subtly modifies as you progress.

My only complaint is the bosses. It's not really fair to complain about this game specially I guess because bosses are in my opinion almost universally bad, just tedious and frustrating, nothing kills enjoyment like as boss battle. If you're replaying a section to get all of the diamonds or whatnot then you are forced to play through it all so you have to fight the bosses over again even if you don't actually need to, which creates both infuriation (possibly not a word, it's not in my phones dictionary at least) and despair in equal amounts. It feels a bit wrong to complain about a replay related issue and maybe it's because I've played a good portion of the games on PS3 so I'm replaying multiple times but good damn I hate the bosses in this game.

Rant over.

Overall a great experience and thoroughly recommended.

[Diego]

I finished S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Prypiat recently, I´m not really a big FPS fan but this and Far Cry 2 have become some of my favorite games in recent memory.

I think what I like the most about the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games besides the world and the atmosphere is how you don´t feel like the center of the virtual world you are inhabiting, but more like another small part of it. It makes you feel like the zone and its inhabitants don't really need you and could easily carry on without you, which i think is a really rare feeling in video games. 

[Merus]

Finally got around to Dear Esther.

 

Well. I think it's certainly an effective piece of art, but I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

[eot]

Finally got around to Dear Esther.

 

Well. I think it's certainly an effective piece of art, but I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

I know people like to take the piss out of it by calling it a walking simulator, but it actually made my middle finger hurt from holding down 'w' for an hour straight. I don't understand why they give you limited interaction (movement controls) when they never ask you to do anything with those inputs. It's like having to hold a button to keep your eyes open. I think I would've preferred a scripted walk path with free look over the game as it is. Maybe it's meant to feel like a chore though, I don't know.

[SuperBiasedMan]

Honestly Dear Esther to me felt like it was just a very slow moving roller coaster, where I'm free to look around but the actual path is the most linear I've seen in a game that wasn't just on rails.

[Merus]

That's weird because I thought it was interesting how well they disguised the fact that all the paths were leading in the same direction by fencing off the sides and having them rapidly separate in elevation. There's a fair amount to infer if you go looking for it. The pacing's clearly very deliberate, and there were places where you had to watch where you stepped. I'm sure it felt annoying at the time, but we've had a glut of games more interested in exploring a space than giving players a lot of interaction.

 

Where I'm ambivalent is whether the story is actually any good, and whether the world they've built hangs together with the story, and whether it's not just the portrait of a pathologically selfish man, in which case fuck 'im.

[Ucantalas]

I don't know if it counts as "completed", exactly, but I finished playing through my first match of "Warlock - Master of the Arcane". It's a turn-based strategy game that feels very much like Civ V but focused more on combat and with way way less diplomacy.

I somehow managed to blast my way through the match, amassing tons of gold, food, and a vast army to take cities incredibly quickly and destroy the AI "players". I'm sure when I started the match a few weeks back I must have set it to the easiest difficulty or something.

Anyways, I found it fun, but a bit lacking, especially since I have Civ V and just couldn't stop comparing the two. And it wasn't much of a favorable comparison, as a lot of what made Civ V cool to me (mainly, being able to win through methods other than destroying all your opponents in combat) either isn't here or is hidden so completely that it doesn't seem to matter. Also: If you loved fighting Barbarians in Civ, you'll love this game, with all of its dozens upon dozens of roaming monsters, and monster bases popping up randomly, sometimes even within your city limits...

I had fun, but I don't know if I'll play it again to be honest. Maybe with some friends, but certainly not by myself again.

[Bjorn]

Every time I see one the Ardania games mentioned (Warlock being one of them), I'm just reminded that Paradox has yet to make a proper sequel to Majesty.  Which may well be my favorite sim-type game ever made. 

[Malfsyde]

Maybe Door kickers  could fit the bill? I don't really know much about it, but it's a top down strategy game about SWAT teams. Seems much slower paced than Hotline Miami though. 

 

That is almost exactly what I had in mind, like a top down Rainbow Six or SWAT 3 still in real time. Sweet game thanks.

[Trip Hazard]

Finished Mass Effect t'other day for the 2nd or possibly 3rd time. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's not as good as ME2, and I can't fathom why just so many people think it's actually better. Playing ME3 now, but only about an hour into that.

[SuperBiasedMan]

I found Mass Effect One much better than two because the plot coherence held out for that one game, but in two the illusion of my choices making any difference broke down and the story was going in an entirely different direction to where I wanted it to. The systems and game play and polish were all amped up for two, but those were the things I cared about the least.

[Griddlelol]

Finished Mass Effect t'other day for the 2nd or possibly 3rd time. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's not as good as ME2, and I can't fathom why just so many people think it's actually better. Playing ME3 now, but only about an hour into that.

 

The feeling of discovery is what makes me prefer ME to ME2.You're learning about new species and a galaxy humanity has lived in for millions of years and that feeling made me want to read the codices. ME2 is better technically, but I found losing that sense of discovery made it the lesser of the two.