Games You've Beaten in 2018

[TheMightyEthan]

Homeworld 2 Remastered

 

Another game for the "didn't actually beat it but I'm calling it good" pile. I got to the last level, and the mission design is just atrocious. You have to destroy the enemy, which is all well and good, but while doing so you have to shoot down these missiles that are coming in toward the planet you're orbiting. Except the things launching the missiles are so far apart, and shoot so many of them, that you have to spend all your time microing your fighters to hit the missiles instead of actually managing the battle. Not fun, and I'm not doing it.

[Mal]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

 

Quite a bit easier than I expected but it was about what I have heard, I just kind of ignored it.

As for the story and plot, I'll say I have been spoiled a bit beforehand but it wasn't the full story. I am blown away by some of the revelations towards the end.

 

I'll post a detail feelings and impressions in the Falcom thread sometime later. But of course...

 

I NEED COLD STEEL 3 AND THE CROSSBELL GAMES STAT!

[toxicitizen]

3 hours ago, Mal said:

I am blown away by some of the revelations towards the end.

 

Interesting! I'm not quite done with it yet but I'm at the very end of Act 2 (just about to leave for the final mission) and so far the story has been a bit of a disappointment for me. Now you're getting my hopes up for the final stretch.

[Mal]

9 hours ago, FLD said:

 

Interesting! I'm not quite done with it yet but I'm at the very end of Act 2 (just about to leave for the final mission) and so far the story has been a bit of a disappointment for me. Now you're getting my hopes up for the final stretch.

I jumped the gun by saying I beat it... the end of Finale is good though. The part after the Finale is interesting.

Edited March 5, 2018 by Mal

[toxicitizen]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

 

I already posted some thoughts in the Falcom thread, so I'll keep this brief. The story wasn't quite what I was hoping it would be but overall it was a pretty solid sequel and even had a few plot twists that make me very excited for Cold Steel III.

 

Now I just need XSEED to announce it soon. Like, real soon. Oh and Crossbell, too. Definitely need Crossbell. Any day now, they'll announce both... 

[TheMightyEthan]

Tiny Metal

 

This is a really excellent Advance Wars clone. I think I even liked it more than most of the actual Advance Wars games I've played. My biggest complaint is that some of the units can't see far enough. Otherwise it was a lot of fun, and just the right difficulty (after the January patch that increased the difficulty of the last two levels). I would love a sequel.

[Mister Jack]

Moss

 

This is probably my favorite VR game so far. Rather than playing a first person perspective as usual, you play the role of an observer as you guide Quill the mouse, whom you also control, through a puzzle platforming adventure to save her uncle. Quill is very well animated and lifelike, and she frequently acknowledges you as a presence in her world.  If you are stuck on a puzzle she will point in the general direction of the solution. You can also pet her, spook her for a prank,  pick her up when she's hurt, or even high five her after a particularly complicated challenge. By the time I got to the ending I felt quite attached to my little mousy companion. The puzzles are clever and often require simultaneous cooperation between Quill herself and your ability to manipulate the environment. Combat is simple. There's an attack button and a dodge button. Best of all, because each area is on a fixed camera there's virtually no motion sickness to be had. You can lean around to view the room from different angles to find secrets, but that's as far as it goes. My only problem with the game is that I beat it in about four hours total. Considering they ask for thirty dollars, that feels a little steep. They tease a part two at the end, but I don't know if it's going to be a sequel or DLC. If you own a PSVR, definitely pick this up when it goes on sale.

[Hot Heart]

Decided to finish up Horizon Zero Dawn after doing every single sidequest. It really nails that action-RPG thing (with the emphasis more on action, obviously). Great story and characters. Brilliant game.

 

Now to play the Frozen Wilds DLC and watch that documentary then, I guess, wait for HZD2.

[TheMightyEthan]

What documentary?

[toxicitizen]

22 minutes ago, TheMightyEthan said:

What documentary?

 

Probably this one. 

[Zeo-Gold92]

I finally got around to finishing Battlefront II (2017) it was not the star wars game I was hoping for, it starts off pretty good and the space craft sections are pretty fun. Spent more time playing it online before even getting to the story campaign. But yeah the campaign was short and repetitive. Iden wasn't a bad character though. Glad I played it but I wouldn't play it again. I think I'd go back to online though. South Park Fractured But Whole, close to 100%ing it. I loved it absolutely loved it, my only major complaint is even though it is at least in my eyes better than Stick Of Truth, it doesn't feel as big as what stick of truth was. Way better combat gameplay than what Stick had and I love the aesthetics of mixing up the costumes. I hope the DLC story stuff keeps it great and maybe allows us to go into Canada. That was a section I was hoping to be able to explore.

[TheMightyEthan]

14 hours ago, FLD said:

 

Probably this one. 

 

Lol, that creates some weird cognitive dissonance for me, seeing a documentary about a PS4 exclusive on Steam.

[toxicitizen]

Yeah, it's a weird one to put on Steam. It's already available on their YouTube channel and they had others about stuff like Doom or whatever that would make more sense on a PC distribution platform. It kinda feels like they're picked this one specifically just to fuck with people lol.

[Mal]

Ghost of a Tale

 

Pretty and decent game. It's pretty open ended on how you progress so you can technically speed run the game. I took about 15 hours to so most stuff. The early to mid game is pretty magical as you explore but once that is done, it is backtracking to do this and that. Not like that is a bad thing since I think the game is paced fine.

 

I think the main failing is how (un)stable the game is and how somewhat unpolished it is. Common mesh errors and slow loading of the level. At times you might get stuck if you are adventurous.

 

Hopefully there will be a sequel or a side story. In this game we only have mice, rats, a frog and a magpie.  The lore is also really well thought out so it will be a shame if it doesn't get explored more. I want to see badgers, ferrets and other critters.

 

Now to go back to my backlog and wait for Ni no Kuni II.

Edited March 17, 2018 by Mal

[TCP]

PERSONA 5 (mild spoilers ahead)

Man. I loved this game. It was frustrating at times, with it's handholding, but overall I loved it. I guess what I'm trying to say is....

 

GAME OF THE YEAR!!!
...if it had been released this year (well and if Red Dead gets delayed). Because while it's great it's nowhere near as great as Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey. As much as I grew to love all the characters (Ann is my waifu) and the story genuinely had a few good twists, it also had horrible sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. I know there's a bit with Zelda where you could argue there's some homophobia/transphobia, but that was one instance and this was a problem throughout the entire game.

I kind of wish there was a way to continue relationships past level 10 if you choose to romance. I ended up dating 6 women, Ann, Makoto (how didn't they figure it out, we're in the same friend group!!), the shogi player, the doctor, the teacher, and the journalist. But as soon as we ended up in a relationship, except for the maid, that was the last time I ever really spent time with any of them (except for three instances with Ann). It would be more interesting, if you choose to enter a relationship, if it basically starts over your levelling, keep the perks, but give it a new levels to grow. 

Sucks that the canon sequel to this will be a dancing game.

I look forward to an enhanced port of this on a handheld (Switch?? since Sony doesn't do portables anymore) in the next few years.

So many cool instances I wanted to screenshot, what the hell Atlus??

Spoiler

So I caught the pancakes thing when it happened. When no one reacted I thought maybe I had missed something and someone else had said pancakes. They almost had me convinced. But when they start hinting there's something wrong with Akechi, the feeling was worth it. Honestly, out of all the male confidants, I liked him the most, sucks he had to die I would have traded him for Ryuji dying at the end of Shido's palace.

128 hours well spent.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Ultra TCP

[toxicitizen]

Final Fantasy XV Windows/Royal Edition

 

I mostly enjoyed it but dear god is this game kind of a mess. And this is the improved version with almost a year and a half of post-launch support and content patches. Although, to be fair, spending ~10 years in development hell only to be turned into something completely different at the last minute would probably mess anything up. If anything, it's almost impressive that the final product is halfway decent.

 

The game's biggest problem is the plot. or rather how it's told. It's pretty much always either being rushed through or happening off-screen. Especially in the second half, when the game suddenly decides you had enough fun in the open world and starts railroading you towards the end. The best way I've seen it described is that it feels like the devs were just following a rough plot outline without adding anything to flesh it out. It feels like a series of plot points without any of the connective tissue between them. And yet it somehow still made more sense than Final Fantasy XIII lol.

 

This is one rare instance where going open-world didn't feel like a mistake, though. I mean, don't get me wrong, I really hope the next mainline FF is nothing like this. But the game is at its best when it's just about 4 dudes on a bro-ad trip. It took me a few hours to really get into the right mindset, but once I did it was kind of a relaxing experience. Grab a cup of tea or coffee, get some quests/hunts, hop in your car, turn on the radio and just take in the scenery while driving there. I'm actually kinda looking forward to firing up the game once in a while to finish all the optional stuff and just explore the world more. It's a shame that the quests are mostly boring fetch quests because they almost had something special there.

 

So yeah, it was pretty much what I expected. Good but not great. But hey, it got me to start playing Theatrhythm again. So... there's that.

[toxicitizen]

Snake Pass

 

I started this one when I got it through Humble Monthly but only got around to playing the last few levels this week. This has to be the most unique platformer I've ever played, if only because of the controls. You can't jump, you need to zig-zag like a snake to build any kind of momentum and you need to really think about how you climb up on stuff and how to anchor yourself so you don't fall off of moving or rotating platforms. I thought it was pretty damn great but it has two major issues. 

 

First, the camera. I'm half-convinced there's actually an AI behind it that's intentionally trying to obstruct your view every chance it gets. Seriously, the camera might as well be the main antagonist of the game. For the most part it works fine but every once in a while you have to go under a bridge or something and it's just a goddamn nightmare to see what the hell you're doing.

 

Second, in the very last world they introduce this wind mechanic that pushes you off of stuff. It is the most infuriating fucking thing. The very last level of the game had a section where the wind combined with the camera almost gave me a fucking aneurysm. I'm talking Meat Circus level here. I only got past it through dumb luck because of what looked like the physics bugging out for a second and I didn't even give a fuck. Thankfully, it was just a short section near the start of the level, the rest of it was much more sane.

 

But yeah, those two things aside it was a very enjoyable experience for the most part. I'd totally be down for a sequel. I only have two achievements left and I'm really tempted to go for 100% completion but one of them is to complete all the levels without dying. I'm not sure if my sanity can take another go through that last world. I already have all the collectibles, though, so just going for the main goals might be a little easier.

[Zeo-Gold92]

Literally just finished the main campaign of Rise Of The Tomb Raider, waaaaaaaaaay better than 2013, not that 2013 wasn't good, I'll even admit to taking a little to get into Rise. Holy crap though I loved it. Can't wait to see what happens with Shadow. Here's hoping they can keep it up  Dunno if ill play the extra stuff.

[Mister Jack]

Batman: The Enemy Within

 

It's impossible to go into length about this without spoilers, so here's my non-spoiler opinion: it's better than the first season.

 

Spoiler

I had some reservations with the changes in this version of the Batman mythos, some of which I came to accept and others I didn't.  I like that there's more of the classic rogues gallery this time around, but they definitely took some creative liberties.  Bane looks ridiculous with his tank top and pornstache, though he thankfully eventually takes on a more recognizable appearance toward the end.  Harley is already a thing before Joker, which rubbed me the wrong way since her motivation for being such a psycho came off as rather flimsy to me.  I thought she was fairly well-written as a standalone character though.  The game actually remembers that she's a licensed psychiatrist with the expertise to go with it, though she still has so much plot armor that it can stretch my suspension of disbelief sometimes.  She's just a chick with a hammer and no powers.  How can she take down a veritable army of cops on her own?

 

John Doe, who is obviously Joker, was something I started off not liking but eventually warmed up to.  At first he just seems like a total wuss.  He whines, he kowtows to Harley, and he lets Bruce manipulate him because he wants his approval.  For a good while, Joker is a total pussy.  However, this eventually pays off at the end when he finally snaps.  Joker is doomed to snap no matter what you do, which kind of bugged me.  I know he's the Joker, but this is an AU Batman.  I don't see why we couldn't have a Joker that turns good, or at least less bad than he usually is.  They already changed so much else, but I guess they figured Joker was sacred.  That said, while John Doe starts off being unstable and sometimes violent but at least trying to be good, when he goes over the edge Bruce himself is partly to blame for it due to his manipulation and betrayal.  Depending on how you play it, Bruce might actually care about Joker.  He knows he's dangerous and has to be stopped, but they still had some genuine moments of camaraderie and it's clear that their friendship wasn't completely faked for the mission.  I thought that was an interesting way to do the Joker/Batman relationship.  Of course, if you prefer you can also be a dick and tell Joker that you never considered him a friend at all, but we've seen that a hundred times now.

 

I also really liked the relationship between Catwoman and Batman in this season.  It's less about flirty winking and coy innuendo like it often is between these two and more about exploring their genuine emotions.  They're not trying to hide or downplay their feelings as much as you usually see.  Catwoman knows she's in some serious shit and she wants to make things right so she'll be able to sleep at night.  She is openly concerned about Bruce's well-being, and you can express the same care for her in turn.  In fact, I was surprised to see that at one particularly dramatic point you can even choose to tell her that you love her.  With the actual L word!

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by Mister Jack

[CorgiShinobi]

I too have finished The Enemy Within. In the span of two days, because I have little time to draw this out. I will say, this series was far more Bruce focused and at times I felt like I was barely playing as Batman. Like I didn't get to do that much in-depth investigation when compared to the last game.

 

 

Like most of these multiple choice adventure games, there were a few moments that I guess I didn't fully understand. Like in Episode 2, when you're given the choice to call Gordon or Waller, I thought it was to get them to chase after the thugs vehicles, not to come save me. So I picked The Agency as GCPD was already spread thin, but next scene I have agents looking for me. This turns out to be a big deal because it ends up being 1 of 5 main points for your relationship with Gordon.

Because of that, even though I had good relations with him for the rest of the game, it was enough for him to turn on me. Even though I understand why, I ended up making him Disgraced Jim Gordon along with 5.7% of players. Like, what? The only other moments he was angry at Batman was when I said I would watch Bruce because Gordon wanted Wayne arrested. Of all the people who knew I was Batman, I couldn't tell Gordon?

At least I have Selina Kyle essentially as Bruce's girlfriend. According to the game, myself and 2.6% of players cleared her record. Maybe they liked the other girl, or felt they couldn't trust her this time round. Sucks to be them! Maybe they were wanting things to work out with Agent Avesta, but I at least offered her a job.

Of course, the important thing that might be why so much of this diverges is because I went the Villain Joker route. Reading up a bit, the game in Episode 5 can take a much different turn of events if you have John become Vigilante Joker. Wherein you go after Waller and confront this game's little version of a Suicide Squad.

 

Edited March 30, 2018 by Atomsk88

[TheMightyEthan]

I also just finished Telltale Batman Season 2, and really enjoyed it.

 

@Atomsk88 RE the Catwoman thing:

 

Spoiler

I tried to make a deal to free Catwoman, and thought that I had, but apparently for it to happen you have to select "You owe me" in the final conversation with Waller. That wasn't made even remotely clear so as a result I just grappled away and the game decided I hadn't made a deal. If there's ever a season 3 I'll have to replay this episode to fix that.

 

[toxicitizen]

Prey

 

Hoooooly shit! This is my kind of game. I kinda regret not squeezing it in at the last minute like I was planning to last year because it totally would've stolen my GOTY from Nier:Automata. I only played a few hours of System Shock 2 years ago but that was more than enough to recognize its DNA here. They dumbed down the formula WAY too much with BioShock, so I'm really glad to finally see a proper spiritual successor.

 

I know it didn't do so hot sales-wise but I really hope the DLC they've been teasing on twitter won't be the last we see of this series. I'm still bummed out that Deus Ex is all but confirmed to be dead again, so I really hope Arkane gets to keep making games like this and Dishonored. If not, then at least we still have the System Shock remake and System Shock 3 to look forward to. But you can never have too many immersive sims.

 

I think I need to go back and play the System Shock games now. I'm curious to see how well they hold up. I'm sure SS2 is still great but I think the original might be a little too dated at this point.

Edited April 9, 2018 by FLD

[deanb]

Far Cry 5

 

So straight up the story in this is absolutely shit. The system of breaking the map into three regions where as you reach certain points of "Resistance" it then forces you into story missions, even if all that pushed you over that point of resistance was trashing one of their trucks. So yeah it super sucked, especially when playing co-op and getting driven into a string of missions that pushed it into a 2AM gaming session.

 

Otherwise the game is pretty dang solid, I liked some of the (minor) puzzle elements around the Perk stashes, the vehicles were pretty fun, your HP was kinda fucked, stripping out the whole 'skinning' animation was a great QoL choice. In fact loads of QoL improvements such as not needing to hunt rare beasts to increase weapon carrying, instead using the perks or just letting you carry a shit ton of stuff.

 

The Arcade is a great component of it and I'll certainly have a dive into that at some point to make some stuff (have played some existing maps already).

 

Kinda looking forward to the DLC, hoping it'll be zany levels of Blood Dragon. Hopefully.

[TheMightyEthan]

Assassin's Creed: Origins

 

Overall this is a pretty good game, though it has it's problems. The biggest issue is the leveling system. Normally with these games I do side missions until I get bored with that, then do story missions until I feel like doing more side missions. With this one, however, I found myself being forced to do side missions when I would rather do story missions because I wasn't a high enough level for the story missions. It really killed my interest in doing side missions. The story was also disjointed.

 

It was fun to play though, which is really what matters.

 

4/5

[TCP]

3 hours ago, deanb said:

Far Cry 5

 

So straight up the story in this is absolutely shit. The system of breaking the map into three regions where as you reach certain points of "Resistance" it then forces you into story missions, even if all that pushed you over that point of resistance was trashing one of their trucks. So yeah it super sucked, especially when playing co-op and getting driven into a string of missions that pushed it into a 2AM gaming session.

 

Yeah but Faith though.