Games You've Beat in 2014

[TheMightyEthan]

8/10, would fap again?

[Mr. GOH!]

 

I'm okay with Telltale moving on and dabbling in other interesting IPs.

 

Like Borderlands.

 

Oh wait, you said interesting. Never mind.

 

Game of Thrones is what I was talking about, and you know it.

[toxicitizen]

8/10, would fap again?

Lol. Believe it or not, it's pretty restrained in that regard. Someone actually buying this for the fan service is going to be very disappointed.

[deanb]

Kingdoms of Amalur.

 

I got this Xmas sale end of last year, played a chunk of it in January, picked up again exactly a month ago. So not bad going for my time in playing RPGs these days. Overall it's pretty solid. I quite liked the combat the story and world building was pretty good (there was definite signs of an aim in making an MMO). Pretty much the only thing that sucked was the menus, which were godawful, and the grand scale of the maps meant it likely could be much shorter game if the castles were 1:2 the size. Feel like you're just walking for an age when doing dungeons. The gear could have done with been reworked a bit, I've covered it before but you can end up with low level gear that's better than everything else many levels higher cos of the combined set perks. I spent pretty much the entire latter third of the game in Emperyean set, and a fair chunk near the start in House of Ballads gear (which glitched and like a few other items stayed in my inventory, which kinda sucked. Levelling could have done with being reworked too (most armour is well below your level cos areas are put at a set level, and you might have built up a ton of XP before getting there through all the side quests and such).

 

It's a shame the company went belly up, I think a sequel or MMO likely would have been pretty kicking. The chakrams are a weapon I shall sorely miss.

[TheMightyEthan]

I got my smithing skill really high, so I just made my own sets of armor, typically better than anything I found.

[TCP]

I always thought of it as Fable, without the bullshit. Hopefully we see another one at some point from whomever ended up with the IP.

[TheMightyEthan]

Apparently the rights didn't even sell at the 38 Studios auction.  

 

*Edit* - So I guess that means the state of Rhode Island owns it?

Edited September 24, 2014 by TheMightyEthan

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed.

 

Finished it this afternoon. I was planning on trying to juggle both this and Danganronpa 2 but I ended up getting completely sucked into DR2 so Akiba's was put on hold for a while there. I only went back to finish it this week-end.

 

To say that this game is weird is putting it mildly. The story isn't garbage or anything like that but it's not very deep or elaborate either. It's also kinda short, my clear save said 10 hours but easily more than half of that time was spent on side-missions. It's very much a "pick up and play" kinda game where the missions are pretty short and you're meant to play it in short bursts whenever you have a few minutes to kill. In that regard, it's kinda weird that they bothered making a PS4 version (although the Vita version does suffer from pretty intense pop-in on the NPCs so it's certainly nice that they did). There's some replay value, though. At one point you get locked into a character path which each lead to their own endings. I'll definitely check those out when I have more time and less games to play.

 

Anyway, the setting and combat are the two main things the game has going for it. The setting in particular was the best part of the game for me, it just felt so authentic. It was kind of awesome early on to be running around only to stop because "wait, that song's kinda familiar". I'd look around and yep, Disgaea 4 trailer playing on the huge screen across the street. This is going to feel dated fairly quickly (it already did a little bit) but the in-game ads and licensed music were put to great use here. The atmosphere it really great, especially if you're into anime/otaku culture.

 

Then there's the combat. Overall, it's really fun and incredibly ridiculous to see in action. Unfortunately it's not the most refined gameplay-wise. Your move set lacks any sort of crowd-control ability so, while your attacks can and will hit more than one enemy at a time, you're still just aiming for one and it can get problematic when fighting very large groups. Your attacks can end up not going where you wanted them to and it can get pretty frustrating. Especially when it gives an opening to half a dozen enemies to just start wailing on you and there's little you can do break out of it. It only happened a handful of times throughout the game but it was frustrating enough that I feel it needs to be mentioned.

 

So yeah, if the game looks like you might enjoy it then you most likely will. What you see is what you get, for better or worse. I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend it at full price but I certainly don't regret my purchase either. It's rough around the edges but there's a lot of fun to be had here.

 

I've been meaning to pick this up since they actually released it on PS3, but with so many other games to play I haven't gotten around to it. Glad you enjoyed it, though. About how long would you say it is? I'll probably end up getting it when it's on sale. $45 seems like a bit much.

[toxicitizen]

I've been meaning to pick this up since they actually released it on PS3, but with so many other games to play I haven't gotten around to it. Glad you enjoyed it, though. About how long would you say it is? I'll probably end up getting it when it's on sale. $45 seems like a bit much.

It's not very long. The main story is probably no more than 4-5 hours. There's plenty of side-missions, though. I did all the side-missions I could and my clear save was a little over 10 hours. There's also some replay value since there's a bunch of alternate endings.

 

But yeah, I'd say waiting for a sale is probably the right move. It's a tough sell at 40$ but it's a no-brainer at 20$.

Edited September 24, 2014 by FLD

[Saturnine Tenshi]

And all games are $5-10 more than U.S. prices. But yeah, I know it isn't a good idea to judge by hours per dollar, but I just can't see myself paying that much for a 4–5-hour game. Still, it looks neat. Noticed you've been playing Re;birth. How's that? I played the original game, which is vastly different from what I've read.

[toxicitizen]

I'm only about 6 hours or so into Re;Birth but so far I'm enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. I can't really compare it to the original (which I hear is fairly terrible?) since this is my first Neptunia game but the script is funny and the combat is good. It's a little grindy so far but from what I heard that's not going to be the case for much longer.

 

I can already tell it's going to put my tolerance for cutesy anime shit to the test big time, though. The ratio of pudding talk to other topics of conversation is already ridiculously disproportionate and I'm starting to worry what kind of ill effects it could have on my sanity in the long term.

Edited September 24, 2014 by FLD

[toxicitizen]

OlliOlli.

 

I completely forgot that I beat this. I've been playing it on and off all month and I finally cleared all the objectives on the last few pro levels like a week ago. Seriously great little game. It's like a cross between classic Tony Hawk and Hotline Miami. I cannot recommend it enough. And it's on PS3/4 and Steam now, so you have no excuse not to get it!

 

I was reminded of it today when they officially announced OlliOlli 2! Really psyched about that!

Edited September 26, 2014 by FLD

[danielpholt]

OlliOlli.

 

I completely forgot that I beat this. I've been playing it on and off all month and I finally cleared all the objectives on the last few pro levels like a week ago. Seriously great little game. It's like a cross between classic Tony Hawk and Hotline Miami. I cannot recommend it enough. And it's on PS3/4 and Steam now, so you have no excuse not to get it!

 

I was reminded of it today when they officially announced OlliOlli 2! Really psyched about that!

 

You're a better gamer than I. I got maybe 4 challenges into that game before deciding it wasn't for me and running off with my tail between my legs. 

[toxicitizen]

You're a better gamer than I. I got maybe 4 challenges into that game before deciding it wasn't for me and running off with my tail between my legs.

Yeah, I get that. Early on I had this overwhelming sense of "Holy shit, I am never going to be good at this game." There's definitely a bit of a skill wall when you first start playing. Hitting X when landing seemed so fucking counterintuitive at first. But if you stick with it long enough it kinda becomes second nature after a while. I don't really have to think about it anymore, I just do it.

 

I still need to complete Rad mode if I want to go for 100% trophies but man, when I tried I couldn't even clear the first level. That shit is hardcore.

[MetalCaveman]

Metro 2033

 

Used this guide to get the Enlightened ending/trophy:

http://metrovideogame.wikia.com/wiki/Moral_Points

Didn't get all of them, missed some of the points you get for not killing anyone in Dry, Front Line and Black Station, but I still got enough points to get the Enlightened ending.

 

 

 

Destiny

 

It has a ton of issues, but it's still a fun game, running around completing patrol missions while listening to a podcast/music was really fun. Definitively not a fan of things like the limit on Vanguard marks per week or how all exotic bounties force you to play in the Crucible if you want to complete them.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Finally finished Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. I can't even remember when I started it. I enjoy the Layton games but I just get burned out on the puzzles sometimes.

 

Plot was OK, not quite as stupid as some of the others but there is always the problem with mystery plots when something is obvious but you still have to play along with the characters not knowing and the opposite when you know a character knows stuff but deliberately doesn't tell so they can stretch the plot out. It was good to get a decent bit of backstory on layton including that he had a perm, which tickled me. Also the bit after the credits was a bit bonkers so I will look forward to seeing how that pans out and finding out what's up with Descole.

[deanb]

I've beat Burtal Legend.

 

All in all a good game, I've played a fair chunk of it in the past (going up against Lionwhite) when I rented it for PS3. Now I had it on PC gave a chance to finish it. Yeah as all the critics bashed it for, it kinda sucks at throwing in the random RTS element, but I think with some hefty refinement it could have been pretty decent. The main thing going for the game is the direction though, they really took a theme and ran with it. Rare to see that. Some pretty kick ass design in the game, as well as nice to have the soundtrack and voice actors they have. Definitely one I reckon folks have a crack at.

[Chronixal]

 

 

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.

 

Then there's the class trial minigames. I started typing specifics but it quickly devolved into a long rant that probably would've made no fucking sense So let's leave it at: a couple of them were improved, most of them were either bad additions or existing ones made worse. It doesn't get much more ironic than calling a minigame "The (Improved) ________" only for it to be unarguably worse than the original version.

 

All that being said, where the game really does shine is, much like the original, the story. The murders were all pretty interesting and the methods and culprits were much less predictable than in the first game. I don't think I was able to guess one outright a single time, I'd usually only figure out the killer's identity at the same time as the characters, at the very end of their deduction.

I literally do not know anyone who thought the 'improved' hangman's gambit to be anything other than awful. The new mini games took some time for me to get used to, especially Rebuttal Showdown as the tutorial explanation really falls short. I had to replay that bit so many times before I figured out what the hell to do. Logic Dive...eh.

 

Agreed on the final chapter being pretty out there but unfortunately I did see it coming. Its hinted right at the very start of the game. DG1's twist caught me off guard way more.

 

That said, still loved it. Oh and please tell me 'that' scene in chapter 3 freaked you out too. Playing that bit alone in the dark was unpleasant.

[toxicitizen]

I literally do not know anyone who thought the 'improved' hangman's gambit to be anything other than awful. The new mini games took some time for me to get used to, especially Rebuttal Showdown as the tutorial explanation really falls short. I had to replay that bit so many times before I figured out what the hell to do. Logic Dive...eh.

Yeah, that first rebuttal showdown was brutal. Made me want to throw my vita at the wall... It was better once I gave up on using the touch controls, though.

 

Agreed on the final chapter being pretty out there but unfortunately I did see it coming. Its hinted right at the very start of the game. DG1's twist caught me off guard way more.

Yeah, I think playing the game so slowly worked to my advantage there. I know what you're referring to when you say it was hinted at the beginning but it took me almost 2 weeks to finish the game. I had completely forgotten about that and I only remembered it when it happened again during the final chapter.

 

That said, still loved it. Oh and please tell me 'that' scene in chapter 3 freaked you out too. Playing that bit alone in the dark was unpleasant.

Sorry, kinda drawing a blank here. I can't really remember anything particularly creepy off the top of my head. Which scene do you mean?

[deanb]

Finished Orcs Must Die. Likely gonna keep it around, I can work on improving my score in many of the levels, and it's quick enough. I only started playing the game yesterday. Could have finished it yesterday too, but chose to go to bed on time instead.

[toxicitizen]

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1.

 

I enjoyed this one way more than I expected to. I was curious about it but kind of on the fence and only bought it because I had a bunch of extra cash after my plans to get a 3DS fell through. The story is dumb as all shit but the script itself is kinda funny and it doesn't have any cringe-inducing corny moments like Disgaea does. I wouldn't recommend it solely for the story but if you enjoy Disgaea's story and meta humor then it's definitely worth checking out.

 

The combat system is pretty good. It's turn-based but with free movement and semi real-time attacks. It's nothing revolutionary but it does the job. I never found myself annoyed by encounters nor did I ever get tired of battles. And that actually says a lot because endlessly running into battles is usually the main reason I'll lose interest in an RPG, that shit can get so fucking tedious. But it was never a problem here.

 

Unfortunately, the game can be insanely grindy early on. It seems the game is balanced on the assumption that you've been clearing all the optional dungeons. Problem is, the game never bothered to tell me about them. I only found out they existed when someone on NeoGAF told me. But after that it gets better. Some later bosses required a little bit of grinding but there were always areas where the enemies gave tons of xp so leveling up was pretty fast.

 

Another mark against the game is that it recycles maps a lot. It only became obvious after 10 or so hours but most of the optional dungeons are carbon copies of some of the story ones. And some of the later dungeons re-used entire earlier dungeons and added an extra area or two to them. It sucks but considering that this is a very niche handheld game I can look past it. Besides, somehow it didn't feel quite as blatant and insulting as some other game that shall not be named...

 

Oh and one other thing. I'm not a purist about Japanese voice acting by any means (especially not when it comes to video games) and the english voices actually sounded pretty good to me, but after a while I started wondering why so many scenes weren't voiced at all. So, I switched to the Japanese track and, sure enough, it was fully voiced. So either that aspect of the localization was kind of half-assed or (more likely) it was a budget limitation. Either way, it's something to consider if you have no interest in playing with Japanese voices.

Edited October 4, 2014 by FLD

[toxicitizen]

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f.

 

I didn't expect I'd be making a double post but I finished clearing the last few songs on normal last night. Of course, this being a rhythm game, "beating" it on normal might as well just be the tutorial (especially since normal here only uses 2 buttons per song instead of all 4). Harder difficulties is where the fun truly begins so I'm nowhere near done with it. But I had to watch the stupid credits so whatever, I'm counting it.

 

There's not much else to add, I guess. It's a really good rhythm game, you just need to like or be able to endure this kind of music. I might grab the sequel in November should my budget allow for it. But man, I just want Persona 4 Dancing All Night already.

[deanb]

Monument Valley, a nice little distraction to play. Short but enjoyable. I'd say overall of the "specifically done for touch" games I've played, I'd put The Room higher up.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I'm happy with a short game, and don't subscribe to the hours per pound (dollar) value model and I liked Monument Valley better than the Room, but it was kind of jarringly short. It really only felt like they'd created the introductory levels for each chapter of a decent length game and it was over just as I was starting to get in to it.

[danielpholt]

Much prefer the aesthetic of Monument Valley, but in terms of game play I'd take The Room every time. Both are fantastic on a touch device though; shining examples of how to do games on that device well. And not an IAP in sight (maybe?)