Games You've Beat in 2013

[MetalCaveman]

I panicked. Couldn't keep unit production going and my supply depots had been destroyed. Like I said, only reason I finished it was because the thing reached 100% charge before all my units died.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

It's been a long time since I played it, but I seem to remember the last level of WoL being somewhat frantic without actually being difficult.

 

This.

[toxicitizen]

I tend to get kinda stressed out in RTS games, so for me frantic might as well mean difficult.

 

Anyway, beat Thief: The Dark Project. Well, technically Thief Gold, but that's a stupid name so whatever.

 

Like I said in the currently playing thread, I initially just fired it up not really intending to finish it. I was bored and figured I'd do a mission or two and that would be that. But it just sucked me right back in pretty much instantly. It's been something like 10 years since I first played it and man, they just don't make games like this anymore.

 

The graphics are blocky and dated as fuck and that kinda makes the later levels significantly less creepy than they used to be. But goddamn the gameplay is as tight as ever. It really puts most recent stealth games to shame, Mark of the Ninja being the rare exception. Overall, it was really nice to replay it and still feel like it's one of my top games ever.

 

Definitely playing The Metal Age next.

Edited July 1, 2013 by FLD

[Hot Heart]

The Last Of Us.

 

Really great game. Multi-layered, moving story and some nifty gameplay to boot.

[TheMightyEthan]

Dragon Age 2.

 

I actually really liked it.  I don't necessarily feel like it should have had a 2 on the end, and maybe the negative reception made me have lower expectations and react more positively, but I really enjoyed it.  Sure it would have been nice to not reuse so many locations, but the game itself was fun and while the story wasn't as epic as other Bioware RPGs I thought it was good.

[Strangelove]

I was way more "entertained" by DA2 than Origins. I thought the game was a lot more fun. The story had a better pace and it was self contained. party members with personality and pretty good dialogue to boot. I also preferred the new art style. A lot.

To be honest, I wouldn't classify Origins as a "fun" game.

That being said, Origins has a huge scope that DA2 lacks, Origins is an adventure and everything about it is crafted perfectly with backstory and meaning. Its easily the better game.

Not only that, but the recycling of obvious dungeons in DA2 is almost insulting. I feel like Im being slapped by Bioware whenever I run into the same damn dungeon. They dont even remotely try to dress it up or cover it up. The only differences are some doors are closed and some are open. Thats it. Ill stick up for the game any time, but the recycling is offensive. if it was my name on that game, id never release it in that state. Were way past using the same assets for clouds and bushes. Its just embarrassing.

[deanb]

"Try to keep up, it's embarrassing" - Leliana

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Origins also had Shale.

[TheMightyEthan]

I'm glad they dropped the 3 from Inquisition.  This one should have been just like Dragon Age: Champion or something.

 

*Edit* - As far as art style goes I liked DA:O better, but really the only thing that bothered me was that the Qunari looked so much different than they did in DA:O.  Also that everyone kept pronouncing "Qun" like "queue", rather than the hard k sound used in DA:O, "koon".

Edited July 2, 2013 by TheMightyEthan

[Thursday Next]

Completed Mirror's Edge again, felt inspired by the announce of the Prequel / Sequel / Equel / Reboot / what have you.

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Only took an hour and 40 minutes, but it seemed longer (in a good way).

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Really liked it.  The reviews that say it's just more of the same from the first one are spot on, but I fucking loved the first one so to me that's a good thing.

[MetalCaveman]

Heart of the Swarm, it was fun, can't wait for whatever comes next. \m/ \m/

[TheMightyEthan]

Legacy of the Void is the Protoss one.

[deanb]

Dragon Age: Origins

 

 

After having it for 4 years (and buying it twice due to lack of DLC price drops) it is finally done. End get's a fair bit harder than the rest (it can be a bit too fast, and a few too many folks at once). I opted for Morigan to have my baby. Kinda bummed that only a few of the "loyalty" missions kicked in, not sure how you do it for most of them. Also it's a bit balls that you pretty much need a Rogue with you most times to deal with traps and locks and can't have it taught as a general skill (or even a spell of lockpicking or something TES-style). Quick party controls or something would be neat too, like "Ranged/Close" or something instead of having to tweak all the tactics.

 

Overall though pretty neat game, will potentially replay few years in the future. Gonna do Awakenings and the others next.

[TheMightyEthan]

The tactics have presets at the top, so you can set their general behavior without having to worry about each specific skill.

[deanb]

Yeah but that means going into the tactics menu, then individually setting everyone up. I'm meaning like a toggle beneath the portraits alongside move freely and whatever the other button was.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

I just used the pause button.

[toxicitizen]

Serious Sam 3: BFE.

 

I played through 85-90% of the campaign when I first bought it (like... two holiday sales ago? so early 2012, I guess) but got stuck and stopped playing. So it's been sitting there unfinished for quite a while and was kinda bugging me. I'd been running a bunch of games the past few days, to get the steam card drops and sell them on the marketplace, and when I got to this one I figured I might as well play (I would usually just start the games, minimize them and do something else).

 

Anyway, that last level was fucking INSANE. Once I got unstuck, it was pretty damn fun to play this again. Got kinda lucky, too. I guess I lost my saves at some point? Not sure how, but at least my campaign progress was saved to the cloud I guess, so I was able to pick up from the beginning of the level I was on. The game didn't register it as completed (didn't get the achievement for completing the campaign) but whatever. Fuck you, game. I beat you.

[MetalCaveman]

Legacy of the Void is the Protoss one.

 

Can't wait \m/ \m/

[toxicitizen]

Thief II: The Metal Age.

 

Holy shit. I remembered liking it more than the first one (mostly because the first one insisted on putting undeads everywhere and that got old pretty fast) but man, this game just might be the greatest stealth game ever made. The gameplay is largely the same, which is pretty fucking good to begin with, but there are some seriously amazing missions in this one. They really went out of their way to make them as varied as possible without ever detracting from the game's core concept of pure stealth. 

 

Man, now I'm all nervous about the new one. :/ I don't except it to really be the same or anywhere near as "hardcore" stealth, but I really hope we at least get something comparable to what DXHR was to the original DX. Anyway, don't think I'll be playing Deadly Shadows right away. I kinda started losing steam in the last few hours of T2 so I think it's time to mix things up with something different.

[danielpholt]

The Witcher 2

 

Second play through, this time on PC. Decided to go down a different path with my story (after siding with Iorvirth) in my first play through. And whilst i enjoyed that story line more, this still had its moments.

 

Now my canon is all messed up. I guess i'll be going with the events in this version of the game. Any idea if The Witcher 3 will carry over any information from saves? 

[CorgiShinobi]

The Walking Dead: 400 Days

 

I got back home last night, bought, played, and finished the DLC. It's good, and it is only $5 so you can't really complain if you feel it's short or not as in-depth as the main game. The only real complaint I have is that each individual story feels better if you find the order, which is essentially chronological order, i.e. Vince (2 Days In), Wyatt (41 Days In), and etc. I played Shel's story second (236 Days In), and it felt very out of place and dull. If I had played Bonnie's story first (220 Days In), I think it would have been interesting to play Shel's because, if you don't know, all these stories take place around the same truck stop and interconnect.

 

Probably the most intense moment for me was getting four draws in the Rock, Paper, Scissors game you play in Wyatt's story. In the end I got 4 out of 5 survivors to come with me. It was Shel who I goofed on because (as a fault of short stories) you'll be chill for two minutes, but then things go get serious instantly and have to make vital decisions that will carry on into the ending.

 

EDIT: Got a name wrong, but to add to my point, some things will change in "later" stories if you make choices affecting characters in the earlier days.

Edited July 10, 2013 by Atomsk88

[danielpholt]

Heavy Rain

 

It took me an hour or two to get over the QTE and control aspects of the game, but after i'd come to terms with those parts of the game i thoroughly enjoyed it. Found the story to be gripping and tense; although i am a little annoyed that my controller disconnecting at the wrong time cost me some story beats after one of my characters died. 

[Hot Heart]

although i am a little annoyed that my controller disconnecting at the wrong time cost me some story beats after one of my characters died. 

 

You could've replayed that chapter. I would've considered that fair play.