Your 2015 Gaming Diary

Finished Dead Kings yesterday before heading out. It was interesting, more of the same really. As in lots more bugs, which was a pain.

 

Transistor finished! Really enjoyed it in the end and have only just finished having multiple orgasms over the music which is just hnnnnnggg. Also, dat ending.

 

Games of 2015

 

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Finished and Platinumed

Transistor - Finished

 

I've now started inFAMOUS: Second Son which seems very fun, so far. The opening sequence was well done and it's got me gripped already. :p

 

I'm going to take on Valiant Hearts once Ine has finished it.

Done little to no gaming in recent times, bar some small progress with Kirby, and then last week decided to mix up to a 3DS download of Attack of the Friday Monsters! which I think I picked up on sale on recommendation of somebody here. It's simple yet effective, enjoying it so far though not really 100% on what it's vibing, just seems like a sweet little title. Due to its anime like design, it's got some great but simple use of 3D for the environments. Don't think it's a terribly long game, and it's making a nice aside from recent gaming ventures.

  Fierce_LiNk said:

Transistor finished! Really enjoyed it in the end and have only just finished having multiple orgasms over the music which is just hnnnnnggg. Also, dat ending.

That will probably be the next of February's PS+ games that I check out, but I want to get Yakuza 4 wrapped up first. Must be pretty close to finishing that though, as my latest save file appears to be just before the point of no return.

  RedShell said:

That will probably be the next of February's PS+ games that I check out, but I want to get Yakuza 4 wrapped up first. Must be pretty close to finishing that though, as my latest save file appears to be just before the point of no return.

 

It's quite short. You should be able to complete it in either one long play session or two or three shorter ones. Very sweet though and I didn't actually have that many problems with the length of it. The music is the highlight for me...think I might listen to it on Spotify later.

 

inFAMOUS is very awesome. I'm really enjoying it.

-I got all the Chaos Time Emeralds in Sonic CD, and destroyed all the machines. That's pretty good replay value for this game, I approve. I'll now attempt the Time Attack mode, not just to unlock the extras, but because the game is still incredibly fun ;

-Civilization V is usually hard as balls on Deity, but I'm starting to get a leg up on the match I'm currently on. The Aztecs are great;

-This weekend, I found a wishlisted game on sale, bought it, finished it:

 

 

So yeah, it's a Puzzle-Adventure game, much like Professor Layton, but this one is inspired by works like Twin Peaks or Fargo.

 

The puzzles themselves are good overall, though I didn't see any big mindbenders. The difficulty curve is all over the place (the last puzzles aren't the most difficult ones, for example), but that's a minor qualm to have.

 

The presentation is where this game shines, though (it is made by Telltale, after all). The quaint art style fits the mood of the plot, and the animation is evocative of a newspaper comic (like it's supposed to). The writing is well aware of the genre it's in, so it can be funny and silly a lot of the time, but still nails it when it needs to be unsettling. The sound direction is pretty good in this regard, too.

 

The game feels short, though, and the story does leave me wanting more. I'll look out for the next time the sequel is on sale.

 

I've been finding it tough to fit much gaming in over the last few days, only really being able to piece together about an hour's worth of Dino Crisis in total until this evening when I got to play for around an hour and a half

 

I'm enjoying it, so far The thing I usually fear with this type of survival horror game is using up too much ammo early on and worrying that I won't have enough to be able to make it past some of the bigger encounters later on. I'm not really feeling that with Dino Crisis, thankfully, so I'm carrying on without that relentles sense of dread that I'm somehow screwing myself over

 

In addition, I've also managed to squeeze in a couple of levels of Yoshi's New Island on 3DS whilst on the toilet : peace:

Cleared Yakuza 4 last night! :awesome:

I loved every minute of it, and so far it's definitely the most enjoyable game I've played this year.

 

The best thing about it is just how batshit insane it is (exactly how I like my videogames ).

You spend lots of time violently beating the crap out of people, but then all of a sudden you could be doing a makeover for a hostess girl... or playing ping-pong... or singing at karaoke bar... even having a conversation with some cats :

 

It's beyond weird, and I love it.

 

Amusing review by Zero Punctuation:

 

Experiencing a game like Yakuza 4 makes the decline of Japanese game development even more saddening.

The thought of a videogame industry without these kind of quirky titles is seriously depressing.

Anyway... the diary so far:

 

 

Just beat Kirby Triple Deluxe at long last!

 

Posted my thoughts here

After jumping back and forth between a bunch of games over the last couple of weeks, I finally sat down and focused on 1 or 2 and managed to clear them to add to my completed list for the year.

 

The first of those was Life Is Strange. Have been meaning to post in the topic about my thoughts of the first episode and my choices, but generally speaking I thought it was pretty good. It was clearly setting up and introducing us to a slew of characters and how they all connect and such so the gameplay side of things is a little more muted than I suspect later episodes will be. That being said, I still really enjoyed it and thought the characters, particularly Max, were well done and I do like the rewind mechanic. It's not as obtrusive and feels very intuitive. I also like the visual style of the game and the whole aesthetic and sound it's recreating, really think Dontnod have done a good job there.

 

So yeah, very much looking forward to future episodes. Picked up the season pass right off of the bat, mind was already set from the beginning (but hearing how publishers aside from Square Enix were wanting the main character to change to a male lent some credence to wanting to support the game on top of my desires to play it). Roll on March.

 

The other game I've managed to clear was Transistor. Joining the club on those that've recently finished this. Really enjoyed this. Had been mulling over picking it up for ages before it appeared on PS+ so was more than happy to see it be made available there.

 

Firstly, to get it out of the way, the visuals and soundtrack are superb! Seriously loved the whole style of the game, really digged the cross of futuristic and classical. And that soundtrack is just brilliant, probably one of the best and most memorable I've heard in a game recently and know I'll be listening to that one again in work tomorrow.

 

Secondly, I thought the gameplay was equally superb. Simply to get into but deceptively deep and tricky to master to not only protect yourself from attacks but also make the most of your attacks in combos to take out enemies. After a while, I got into the habit of trying to mix things up and experimenting with different combinations just to see what worked and what didn't and never thought of it as being dull at all.

 

The transistor's constant speaking did begin to grate a little, more so towards the end when it's sounding a bit "sick", if people who've played it get what I mean, but that's perhaps my only real gripe with the game. Thought it was a good length and didn't outstay its welcome. So yeah, definitely give it a go if you haven't already.

 

And finally, though not a game, I played the add-on for Thomas Was Alone, Benjamin's Flight. It's only another 20 levels but found myself not really taking to the whole jetpack thing. Just didn't click with me, which is a shame as I did enjoy the story and humour of it all (and still loving that soundtrack there as well).

 

I know move on to try and (finally) finish Valiant Hearts, which I haven't touched in a while, and The Swapper. Have also got Shadow of Mordor on the go which I'm slowly beginning to like, although it's still a bit repetitive for my liking.

Another game finished: The Walking Dead Season One.

 

Oh my god. I reaaaaally enjoyed this and the writing is on par with the television series, characters are well developed and it features so many gut wrenching moments that leave a lasting impression.

 

Can't wait to play Season Two and am 3/5s through the 400 Days extra content.

 

Games of 2015

 

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Finished and Platinumed

Transistor - Finished

The Walking Dead Season One - Finished and Platinumed

Given my recent progress in Dino Crisis on PS1, it seemed likely that my next finished game would heavily involve dinosaurs.. I just didn't expect it to be Yoshi's New Island

 

I expressed my feelings for the game in the appropriate thread, here, and find myself relatively satisfied that I've equalled January's tally of 3 games being cleared off the backlog

 

It means that 2015 has so far seen Star Wars: Rogue Leader, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Viewtiful Joe all reach their end on Gamecube with The Last of Us: Left Behind, ICO and Yoshi's New Island following in February. I suspect Dino Crisis may also be done by the end of the month..

Slow start to the year for me. Pretty much the only game I've been playing so far is Panzer Dragoon Saga. I'm almost of the 4th disc (of 4), so I'll hopefully be done soon and maybe move on to Skies of Arcadia Legends.

 

PDS is pretty awesome so far though. A bit short (unless the 4th disc is considerably longer than the rest) and shallow, but the gameplay is still great. Based on gameplay alone, it's probably not worth the silly prices on eBay though, unless you want it as a collectors item. Well worth getting a chipped Saturn and an "acquired" copy though.

First Light done. Not too shabby, nice to have a story focused around a different character. Ending was a bit meh, and this could have been played before Second Son (considering it's set before).

I've had an outstanding February's gaming:

 

First up was Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. My most-anticipated game for years, it's a class act all the way through and easily my favourite game on the eShop.

 

After that was Majora's Mask 3D. Tiring and arduous at times, my interest waned in the 3rd quarter, but it genuinely is one of the greats.

 

Can't imagine another month that'll beat this one!

 

Completed

Wind Waker HD

Axelay

Afterburner II

Streets of Rage

New Super Mario Bros U

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

Majora's Mask 3D

 

To be Finished

Super Mario 3D World

 

After that I suppose I'll be looking at Sega's next wave of 3D Classics.

Managed to finish Dino Crisis tonight, just squeezing in the last section before February draws to a close

 

The final completion time was a little over 6 hours, but I honestly felt like I played for considerably longer than that.. and not necessarily in a good way

 

For the most part, it was a good game, though there were many occasions where I found myself to be not quite sure what to do next. I also seemed to be holding back on using my better weapons as I was expecting a few more boss encounters to appear.. which didn't

 

I enjoyed it, but I'm also kinda glad it's over. I'm ready to move onto something else

  Rummy said:

Current 2015 Gaming

Kirby Triple Deluxe - DededeTour done! File completion at 89%. May not go for/get to 100%. Couple Kirby fighters events complete to Bronze.

NSMBU - Meringue Clouds/Rock Candy Mines - maybe 6 stages to go? All others star coin'd.

Smashing - little done, but still on the cards. Few challenges completed.

Shovel Knight - started, but little attention given.

 

To be done

Lego City Undercover

<Earthbound?> - potential postpone given time/progress of other games.

<consider finishing Ages then Seasons?>

 

Sooo...in spectacular Rummy fashion I've totally fucked off everything somehow. Started and finished the main story bit of Attack of the Friday Monsters, with some outstanding episodes to complete. Overall imo a somewhat charming, if different, little title - mostly a story game though really.

 

I now have Majora's Mask 3D on the way, and that'll be shooting to the top of my gaming list methinks. I've also totally ignored the list and decided to borrow and start GTAV off my mate, which I've been wanting to play for a long while. Depending how quickly I possibly get bored with it, I'll move on to other things. I'm thinking I may continue with the PS3 backlog sooner though, as I've got a spare PS3 in my room as well a massive collection of games compared to everything else being in the living room.

Another game finished! This time, inFAMOUS Second Son.

 

I've really enjoyed it, although I've only finished the "good" part of the game. Going to take a small break with another game or two before hitting the Evil part and then maybe tackling First Light.

 

Awesome game and really, really fun to play. There were only two moments that pissed me off and they were both boss fights. Aside from that, I had a great time playing it and I enjoyed the humour of it. Woodrecommend/10.

 

 

Games of 2015

 

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Finished and Platinumed

Transistor - Finished

The Walking Dead Season One - Finished and Platinumed

inFAMOUS Second Son - good ending completed

 

 

I've now started Metro 2033 Redux and I'm enjoying that, particularly the setting and themes of the game.

I returned to Okami for an hour today. I'm hoping my accumulated fatigue has surpassed and I'll finally be able to see it through to the end, at last

Around a week ago, I finished Majora's Mask 3D.

Fair warning, I'm gonna be casually talking about the game, especially the changes within, so if you don't want to know...

 

Had a rubbish February, just finishing room 2. But got so close to finishing others. Finished framed this week. A grest iOS game. It's a film noir, presented as a comic book, but each page it goes wrong (you climb through a window and a man is there with a gun), so you have to rearrange the frames on the screen so they get through that section. Great idea. Gets a little boring at times but ultimately really good.

 

Very nearly completed ocarina, Shantae, mega man 2... Got distracted by monster hunter 3 which I'm back into!

 

I've sold destiny on my ps4, awful game and I just didn't want to play through it. Same with killzone (got over a tenner for that) also sold infmous and first light. Want to finish alien and sell that, leaving fifa as my only disk I own on the ps4. Can't see me buying much more than batman and uncharted. Want to start playing through all the plus games I own now, it'll feel good clearing through at least one consoles backlog and keeping on top of it. Still hoping to finish at least 50 games this year!

Just beat Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D at last. I already finished the game on PS2 a couple of years ago but I have to admit that I found this version to be even more frustrating, probably due to the controls I absolutely hated the final segment of the game along with the boss fights towards the end. Had to repeat the final battle with The Boss countless times!

 

Many may see the game as the best in the series but I don't seem to be that fond of it. In fact, I prefer Sons of Liberty, though the original will always be my favourite I also had more fun with Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow in January!

 

At least Okami is managing to draw me back in again

Beat Rogue Legacy today. Really entertaining game.

PS+ is introducing me to some seriously great titles.

Started playing OlliOlli 2 yesterday, which is also a lot of fun.

 

Still got Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on the go too, I'm up to 9★ on the offline quests now. Think 10★ is the last set of story quests, so should get that "finished" this month.

 

  RedShell said:

Beat Rogue Legacy today. Really entertaining game.

PS+ is introducing me to some seriously great titles.

Started playing OlliOlli 2 yesterday, which is also a lot of fun.

 

Get playing Valiant Hearts!

  Hero-of-Time said:

Get playing Valiant Hearts!

Watched the trailer for it the other day, doesn't really seem like my kind of game, but I'll certainly check it out at some point.

I take it you enjoyed it then?