Games You've Beat in 2017

[TheMightyEthan]

Horizon: Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

 

It's more HZD, I don't really have a lot more to add.  I would recommend it to anyone who liked the base game.

[deanb]

Space Plan

 

Was okay while it lasted but was pretty meh at the end. Essentially a clicker game with a fun narrator.

[toxicitizen]

The Evil Within + DLC.

 

After I was done with TEW2, I felt like revisiting the first one and doing some achievement hunting. I ended up playing the main campaign twice, one of which was a <5 hours speedrun. I still have to do a no upgrade playthrough as well as one on Akumu difficulty (you die in one hit) but I really don't feel like tackling that right now. At least the "bullshit" difficulty of the DLC isn't as bad, so I was able to clear them all right away. Instead of one hit kills, you just have to play in complete darkness except for your flashlight. It's really more of an annoyance than a challenge.

 

Also, I stand by what I said last month. TEW2 is the better game. It doesn't just have a better story, it's also way easier to get into and play for long sessions. Mainly because it's nowhere near as stressful and does a much better job of giving you spaces where you can catch your breath. TEW1 has better production values and feels more like a big budget game but I remember it being too stressful to play more than a couple hours at a time on my first run a few years back. I mean, even the save room is super creepy and feels unsafe. This time I jumped right into NG+ and already had an entire playthrough's worth of upgrades, so I just cheesed the fuck out of it. Having a fully loaded magnum saved specifically for the Keeper fights removes a LOT of the tension from the game lol.

 

Anyway, now that I'm done with this one for nowI can finally focus all my attention on Nioh.

[Mister Jack]

Just finished The Evil Within.

 

I liked it, but it was unfortunately full of bullshit ideas that really dragged it down for me.  The premise is good, but the story is told rather sloppily and is hard to grasp.  Combat is fine, but why do enemies get to use machine guns yet I can't pick them up after they die?  Why am I being pulled into so many animations where I'm forced to take damage when I haven't even been grabbed?  Why are there so many god damn one hit kills?  The gameplay is way too based on trial-and-error, and that can be a real problem when the game decides to be stingy with checkpoints. I also hate that running is disabled when your health is low.  Sure, it makes sense logically, but that's when you need it the most!  Even Resident Evil would at least let you limp faster, so this drew me into a lot of unavoidable deaths.  Finally, the bosses are WAY too fucking hard and are total bullet sponges with one hit kills galore.  If it makes sense, it feels like the game is mostly balanced like RE4, but whoever made the boss fights seemed to think they were making RE6.  

 

So yeah, that's a lot of complaints, but I still didn't hate the game.  When everything lined up just right it could be pretty enjoyable.  All these frustrations ended up dampening my enjoyment though, so I'd say it's decent, but not great.  Does the second game fix these problems?

[toxicitizen]

I want to say yes but I'm not sure if I agree with some of these complaints, so it could be that they simply don't bother me as much as you. Or it could just be that I don't remember my first playthrough all that well, I was pretty overpowered in my replay. But like I said, TEW2 is unarguably the better game of the two. It's nowhere near as uneven as the first one.

 

As for the story, having just replayed it, the Kidman DLC isn't just a nice complement to it. It's straight up necessary. It fills in some pretty big blanks, answers some questions I still had after playing the main game and even sets some things up for the sequel. Fair warning, though. It's way more stealth-focused. You don't have a gun for most of it and The Assignment (the first one) has my least favorite "boss fight" of the entire game. If one hit kills and trial-and-error bothered you in the main game, that fight might actually give you an aneurysm.

Edited November 14, 2017 by FLD

[TheMightyEthan]

Mario Odyssey

 

I wasn't really feeling this game at the beginning.  It was good, but it wasn't blowing my mind the way it seemed to be for other people.  It definitely grew on me as it went on there.  My biggest complaint is that the stars moons are so common, and many of them are so simple to get, that they don't feel very rewarding.  They're barely rarer than the purple coins.  My other little niggle is just that I would have liked a real hub world like Mario 64 and Sunshine had.  Even Galaxy had more of a hub than Odyssey.

 

I really loved being able to take over all the different kinds of enemies.  It was so much fun.  Best Mario gimmick ever.

 

I still want sequels to NSMB and SM3D though.

[Mister Jack]

Something about Evil Within's plot is bugging me, and since the thread for the game is archived I have to ask it here.

 

Spoiler

What's the deal with all those dead cops at the beginning?  The first part of the game at the hospital took place outside of STEM, didn't it?  So how did Ruvik still manage to kill all those people in the real world?  Is he supposed to be psychic or something?  Does being hooked into STEM give him some kind of mental powers in reality?  How could he get Sebastian in that machine in the first place when he's a brain in a jar?  

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by Mister Jack Skellington

[toxicitizen]

2 hours ago, Mister Jack Skellington said:

Something about Evil Within's plot is bugging me, and since the thread for the game is archived I have to ask it here.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

What's the deal with all those dead cops at the beginning?  The first part of the game at the hospital took place outside of STEM, didn't it?  So how did Ruvik still manage to kill all those people in the real world?  Is he supposed to be psychic or something?  Does being hooked into STEM give him some kind of mental powers in reality?  How could he get Sebastian in that machine in the first place when he's a brain in a jar?  

 

 

I told you the DLC fills in a lot of huge blanks.

 

But basically

 

 

The fact that Ruvik is walking around means it's in STEM. My guess after beating the main game was that they were already in STEM from the very beginning, based on both Ruvik's presence and the high-pitched sound they hear while in the patrol car before getting to Beacon. But the DLC explains that that high-pitched sound is actually how they get sucked into the wireless version of STEM. Basically, that's when Jimenez activates it. 

No fucking clue how they physically end up in those bath tubs, though. Chalk that one up to the magic of plot holes for dramatic effect.

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by FLD

[Mister Jack]

Well I beat the Evil Within's DLC, including that silly arena mode with the Keeper.  It does fill in most of the holes with the story...not all of them, but most of them.  That boss fight against that one monster wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I mean, I did die a few times before I figured it out, but I had a way easier time with it than just about any of the bosses from the base game.

[Mister Jack]

And now I've beaten Evil Within 2.

 

Yeah, this one is a lot better than the first one.  It's not perfect, mind you.  I don't think it reaches the highs of Resident Evil's best games, but it is still better than some of the less impressive mainline RE titles.  I appreciate that they're trying to do something different here with the semi-open world, and it feels like they took most of the criticism of the first game to heart and made a good faith effort to fix what didn't work.  That said, the open nature of the game means it doesn't build atmosphere as well as the first one did.  I would also say the monsters and the villain of the first game were better, although this one definitely had a much better story overall and Sebastian is much more relatable as a character than he was before.  It wasn't ball-crushingly hard either, but nor was it too easy.  For a first time playthrough, the difficulty was just right.  Some of the controls still feel just a little bit wonky, but I eventually got used to it.  It also kind of feels like the devs aren't expecting to make an Evil Within 3, because this game ties up the major plot points in a way that makes it pretty hard to continue.  I'm not saying it's impossible, but they would definitely have to go in a totally different direction if they do make a direct sequel.  I still wouldn't call this game a survival horror classic like RE4 or Silent Hill 2, but it's a big step in the right direction and I would like to see this series continue to improve.

 

Spoiler

Ruvik is completely absent from this game.  That's the one thread that's still dangling.  Where the hell did he go?  Don't tell me he died in Beacon because they implied his escape way too strongly.  If they do make a third game, I expect it to revisit this question.

 

[Mal]

Ys Seven

 

About time I've done it. I'm actually not sure what held me up on the PSP but on PC it was simple enough. Part of me think I was playing on Hard mode on the PSP (I played on Normal on this run). I had plenty of healing items this time around but if I was on Hard mode I might be back to where I was on the PSP. Though the only tough/annoying parts of the four part boss fight was the first and second stage. The second stage was just annoying because you cannot damage the boss directly until you take out some other bits. The other bits were easy enough to move around since this time I have a 360 gamepad, not a PSP.

 

Overall I rate this just below Origin and Oath. With regards to other Falcom games... gameplay is better than Zwei II but Zwei II blows Ys Seven out of the water when comes to characters and setting. The gameplay in Zwei II is almost for sure a prototype/offshoot of what came in Ys Seven. Ys Seven is just more refined and balanced.

[Mal]

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

I wouldn't call this a fun game or even challenging. It's more of an experience and it almost would be better off without the combat. Combat boils down to knowing how to deal with each enemy and trying to not be surrounded because movement is limited during combat. What you are essentially doing is hacking and dodging in the biggest of brawls. Some blocking and kicking in the smaller fights. The portions without combat are the "fun" bits while combat is a chore.  Since I mentioned movement, outside of combat it is fine but at times it can really be cumbersome.

 

As an experience, it is rather cool but it is exhausting. It's very audio and visually demanding on your mind. I wholeheartedly recommend it at some point. Of course, be prepared for some frustrations since it is a flawed game.

Edit: And no, I didn't get the true ending or whatever gets unlocked by getting all the collectables. Some are rather hidden, in plain sight even since the objects can blend into with everything else.

Edited November 25, 2017 by Mal

[CorgiShinobi]

I collected all the runes with a video walkthrough because some are quite out of the way. Not to mention that some only give you a single chance to collect them whereas other you'll be able to pass multiple times.

 

And it wasn't for the trophy. You learn some interesting Norse mythology, like Ragnarok which plays a big part in the game's narrative. All you get for finding all the runes is dialogue from Senua's friend (I forget his name). My memory is a bit rusty, so I can't quite remember what he says to Senua. I believe it's about what one will do when they not only confront their darkness, but also confront themselves.

 

And definitely one should take a break during the game. It gets quite stimulating on your mind with all the visual and audio hallucinations. Of course, that's what makes it such a memorable game and one I'll always recommend.

[Mister Jack]

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

 

This was a big step up from the first game, which I liked but I also felt like it was a bit too small in scale.  This game is bigger and better in just about every way.  There's more to do, there's more maps to explore, the bosses are better, and the combat has been fine-tuned.  It does get a bit grindy if you're going for the true ending in Act IV, which is the part that tries to bait you into buying loot crates, but I managed just fine without them, minus the crates I occasionally bought with in-game currency.  It took me a little over 40 hours to complete everything, so there's really no need to waste your money on microtransactions.

[Mal]

Nier Automata

 

Ending E and

Spoiler

Deleting my saves. I'm not even mad. Served me right for calling Yoko Taro's buff.

Great reason for a 2nd playthrough in the future. I only went through getting Ending E once but I want to experience it again because that was magical. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Let my sacrifice to guide some unknown player to through the magical moment that is ending E. Malico-2 will live on... until SE shut down the servers or something.

God damn. What an interesting game. As I said in the other thread, this game is like an onion. It's multi-layered and keep you on your toes. Gameplay is at the very least decent. The gameplay is like the game itself, ever evolving.

 

Of course there are lots of bug bears and other things (e.g., the ultimately simplistic gameplay) that I have but my experience as a whole was great. However I cannot call it my GOTY because of the problems. Mighty fine game though. Highly recommended if you can push through the bugs.

[TheMightyEthan]

Prey

 

Holy shit, that game is fantastic.  My save glitched on me near the end, but luckily it didn't prevent me from finishing the game.

[Mister Jack]

Doki Doki Literature Club

 

Honestly, it's impossible to talk about this one without spoiling it.  It's free on steam, just play it.  A single playthrough only takes a couple hours and I guarantee it's an experience you won't soon forget.

[Mister Jack]

Night in the Woods

 

I've been looking for games on my hard drive I could beat quickly and delete to free up some room, and this happened to be sitting on my D: drive. It's a neat little narrative with likable, well written characters and a charming art style. There isn't a whole lot of gameplay outside of a few mini games, so you're mostly just watching the story unfold. It's nice, but unfortunately the plot kind of falls apart at the ending. Lots of unanswered questions and it kind of feels like the devs wanted to just get it over with. There are a few good scenes that make me glad I played it though.

[TheMightyEthan]

Breath of the Wild: Champions Ballad

 

It was a fitting send off for the game, I think.  The first part of it felt pretty anemic when I thought that was all there was, but then the final challenge really ended it on a high note.

[Mal]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 

Anime bullshit that is totally worth your time to play.

The battle system absolutely spanks most other JRPGs (including my beloved Trails games) once it gets going. The world, while hindered by the Switch's lack of power, is breathtaking in that you will find yourself snapping screenshots quite frequently. The music is also top notch. I actually liked the story, despite the anime bullshit. I'm excited for the DLC story, whatever it is because they can explore so many options (may be a bad thing).

 

The game also has shit ton of quality of life issues that are too numerous to list. They are that pervasive in the game. Game issues however are related to my opening words to this post: Anime bullshit. If you can imagine it then it probably has it. The most egregious example is that you can absolutely spank bosses but then you get your ass handed to you in the cutscene. As for something that you will actively deal with... there is the RNG bullshit that comes with getting rare Blades. It's literal content of the game put behind a system ran by an increasingly stingy Lady Luck. If you run out of Cores to pull from then back to grinding for you! Also I hope you enjoy sitting through pulling screens (one example of QoL issues)...

I guess the obtuseness of the battle system can be an issue at first. For me, it was really poorly explained.

 

Edit:

If I have two piece of advice to future players (spoiled in case you want to go in blind)...

Spoiler

 

One: Power through the game. There's really no important things that you can miss. While the anime bullshit can mess with the pacing of the story, stopping for 30-50 hours to do sidequests is a bigger one. DO what you must to adjust your characters but plow through it.

Two: Get Rex up to speed Blade wise then just leave him.

God I am kind of pissed. I cannot talk about the story at all without spoiling. I can only dump info and how I feel.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Mal

[TheMightyEthan]

Wolfenstein 2

 

This is a really excellent game.  They do a good job with keeping the encounters varied, and everything is at just the right level of ridiculous.  I highly recommend it to anyone who liked the first one.  Once they finish releasing the DLC I'll probably go back to it and do all the side missions I skipped too.

 

*Edit - Now just to decide which of the games GOH got me to start next...

[TheMightyEthan]

Batman: The Telltale Series

 

Holy shit, that was amazing.  It really gives the feeling of all aspects of being Batman.  I went to buy Season 2 immediately after finishing it, though now that I realize it's not done yet I'm hesitating.

[Hot Heart]

I didn't think it would be that good, but everyone seems to suggest it is. Might have to pick it up at some point.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, even after hearing how good it was I was shocked by how good it was.  Definitely the best Telltale game I've played.

[deanb]

(it's free in next months PS+)