Your 2015 Gaming Diary

Jonnas · August 27, 2015

Since it's 2015, I couldn't let the year end without playing:

Back to the Future: The Game

Great Scott!

Audio

A direct, straightforward, and somewhat easy point&click game. The usual fare from Telltale, and as is also usual from them, the adaptation is incredibly faithful to the source material, in both writing and presentation.

Starting in 1986, Marty and Doc go on new adventures. The first two episodes are standard BttF fare, with the remaining three bringing something new to the table (Episode 3 in particular is pretty heavy, and Episode 5 isn't too far behind). All of it is coated with that 80s Hollywood kitsch that we all love, as well as tons of nods to the original trilogy.

The voice actors do a great job. Christopher Lloyd is still Doc, but an impersonator voices Marty instead of Michael J. Fox (though MJF actually has a pretty good cameo role).

So yeah, pretty much mandatory for fans of the films. And if you aren't a fan, then you likely haven't watched'em yet, so get cracking

The Civ 5 match is still ongoing.

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Hero-of-Time · August 28, 2015

Gears of War Ultimate (Xbox One) was completed this morning. It was great to visit the Gears universe, even if it is the worst of the original trilogy. They done a great job cleaning the game up, especially with the cutscenes.

The Brumak chapter was great to finally play. I remember back when it got released for the PC and the 360 owners didn't get it. I was a sad panda but now I finally got to play through it.

I remember Rod Fergusson talking about how he wants to take Gears 4 back to it's horror roots and playing this you can see what he means. As the series went on it lost the edge it had with the original game and playing through this just reminded me how dark the game was.

Lastly, Raam is still a pain in the backside to fight, even on normal. There's an achievement for defeating him, on insane, in co-op, without anyone going DBNO. Crazy!

Ganepark32 · August 28, 2015

Another game finished last night, this time I put in one last sitting to wrap up Valiant Hearts.

I'd been feeling bad for not finished it before now, seeing as I picked it up in the January sales on the PS Store, as I'd been really enjoying what I'd played and all the little historical facts and collectibles. So motivated myself to actually get it done and turns out, I was on the final chapter so didn't take too long.

What can I say about the game other than it's absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Ubisoft and the small team of developers who plugged away on this for years because I actually think it's perhaps one of the most memorable and moving games I've played in a long time, possibly ever.

The way the subject matter is handled is very well done and does make you engage with it, good and bad times, and there's a certain poignancy and lasting effect that's there once you finish the game. The story itself is really well done. I really enjoyed being able to play from different characters perspectives and experience many of the key moments of the war and the effects it was having on them and their relationships, particularly in instances where you'd help an opposing troop out and they'd shake your hand or help you as well. Very moving and that ending very nearly brought me to tears, expertly handled that part. Did think it was going to end slightly differently and said to my partner if the dog dies, then the game's going off (particularly after the trauma of Never Alone's twist) but thankfully that didn't happen.

The gameplay I thought was great and enjoyed the puzzles and trying to figure them out. One or two bits that could have been ironed out, like some of the puzzles using the turning wheel for inputting a specific code where it wasn't working as it should've for me and had some weird moments where my character and the story would just stop moving and it only resolved after pausing and then resuming. Happened during the ending which was particularly annoying. Other than that, very enjoyable on that front.

And another example of the beauty that can come from the UbiArt Framework engine. Really liked the art style and do hope Ubisoft keep using it.

So yeah, loved it all and wish I'd finished it up sooner. Everyone really should play this as it is a superb game.

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drahkon · August 29, 2015

It is done. : peace:

My girlfriend and I completed Super Mario Galaxy 2 yesterday and it has been a lot of fun. The game itself is almost perfect, but playing it with a loved one is even better

I was mighty impressed with her at certain points. Yes, she had trouble with the later stages, but sometimes she still did a perfect run.

Speaking of which: The Perfect Run. Beating Grandmaster Galaxy without getting hit/dying on one go.

The lady almost did it on her second attempt After that she got a bit frustrated (that's her nature ) and wasn't really concentrated. She had trouble with the part that begins at the 1:45 mark of that video.

We worked as a team, she played until that part, I completed it and she did the rest.

After 17 lives she did it. I couldn't really believe it.

31 hours over the course of the last 4 weeks. Mostly we played 2-hour sessions, yesterday it was an 8 hour session

Death count: 491 (at least 75 were lost during starbit farming for the 9999 that needed to be put in the Toad Bank to unlock the final challenge).

In 3 weeks we'll begin Super Mario 3D World as we found out with N++ that it's oviously more enjoyable when we can play at the same time.

RedShell · August 29, 2015

3 more titles to add to my list, first up is flOw.

Got this after there was a mistake with the PS+ lineup for August, not a bad little "game". Very short and trippy, seems like there are a lot of these kind of titles on Sony's systems.

Then I went back to PS3 for God of War: Ascension.

First game of this series that I've played, was better than I was expecting it to be. Similar gameplay and style-wise to Bayonetta although not as good in my opinion.

@Hero\-of\-Time, I see by your trophy collection that you've played through the lot, but also noticed that Ascension was the only one you didn't platinum. So, did I play the worst entry in the series, or just the one that's most difficult to 100%?

And last and definitely least, it's Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.

Not sure why I kept playing this as I found it pretty crappy. Guess I just liked the ancient Egyptian vibe. But yeah, game itself was quite boring. I also couldn't believe just how bad the the voice acting is, absolutely atrocious. Gave some much needed humour to the game though.

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Dcubed · August 29, 2015

I didn't think much of Ascension from what little I played of it. GOW1-3 are really great though. Personally I think of them moreso as linear Zelda style games more than DMC style Stylish Action games because they have a much stronger focus on platforming and puzzle solving (particularly the first game) than the likes of DMC.

RedShell · August 29, 2015

Dcubed said:
I didn't think much of Ascension from what little I played of it. GOW1-3 are really great though. Personally I think of them moreso as linear Zelda style games more than DMC style Stylish Action games because they have a much stronger focus on platforming and puzzle solving (particularly the first game) than the likes of DMC.

Now that you mention it, the platforming and puzzle elements were actually the things I least enjoyed about the game. A lot of the puzzles were too random, and some of the QTEs that popped up while platforming (for grappling on to stuff) seemed really unresponsive.

But yeah, was technically a free game, so shouldn't complain.

Eenuh · August 30, 2015

Hero-of-Time said:
I think this is the first time i've ever heard anyone say this. Everyone who I spoke to about the game said that the narration was one of the best things about it. A guy I work with even went as far as to say that the game simply wouldn't work that well without it.

Would you say Transistor is the better of the two? I loved Bastion but have yet to start Transistor, despite it being sat on my PS4 since it was released on PS+.

Yeah I know I am probably weird for disliking the narrator, but it just felt like I was missing stuff as I found it hard to focus on both combat and narration at the same time. That's just a personal thing though.

I do think I preferred Transistor, just seemed to work better for me I think. Plus the music in that is really nice and I enjoyed the story.

Hero-of-Time · August 30, 2015

RedShell said:

@Hero\-of\-Time, I see by your trophy collection that you've played through the lot, but also noticed that Ascension was the only one you didn't platinum. So, did I play the worst entry in the series, or just the one that's most difficult to 100%?

It certainly is the weakest in a fantastic series of games. I think I played it when Gears of War Judgment arrived ( pretty sure they came out around the same time ) and just never went back to it once it was finished it due to playing Gears online too much.

I knocked out a few more games over the past couple of day.

Jet Pac ( Xbox One ) I've just been playing on and off in between other games. I has a great pick up and play feel to it, especially with the save state feature. I have no real attachment to the game, as I never played it as a kid, but I still found it fun. The achievements were a bit of a pain in the butt, though. I had to finish the game a few times as most of them were kill or score related.

Disney Infinity 3.0: Twilight of the Old Republic (PS4) has been a joy to play. It follows the prequel/Clone Wars universe and kind of mimics the films story at times.

The music in the game is of course fantastic. I mean it's just the music from the movies, which is always a high point when playing Star Wars games. This added a hype factor when fighting the final boss. During the course of the stage Battle of the Heroes was playing and then when the boss showed up Dual of Fates hit. I had my character jumping around like a maniac, throwing her lightsabers, doing force pushes and attacking like a Jedi on crack. Good times.

Finally, from the Until Dawn (PS4) thread...

Quote
Absolutely amazing experience. Possibly the best gaming experience I have had all year. I'm not one for watching horror movies and this game shows exactly why that is. The amount of times I jumped out of my skin was unreal.

I will say, it's not just the jump scares but the whole mood that has been created within the game. The sound effects and music really create an unsettling feeling.

The collectibles that are in the game remind me of the old Resident games. They give you the backstory to certain things which can cause you to feel uneasy as you read them.

There's loads more I would love to discuss but obviously can't due to spoilers. All I can say is that I HIGHLY recommend the game and I know there are a few people on here who will adore this experience.

In related news, I told my nephew how good it was and he went and bought it this morning. He has been playing it all day as he can't put it down. I've been in party chat with him and it's been hilarious hearing him screaming down the mic due to the scares. He has allow allowed a mate to watch it via Share Play, so they have both been making the decisions.

Possibly my favourite PS4 exclusive. Supermassive, I salute you.

Another play through of Until Dawn will be done soon to mop up the trophies but i'll need to wait until my heart rate returns to normal.

Eenuh · August 30, 2015

I got a Platinum for Rocket League tonight, whoooo! Now I can finally add it to my games list, even though I'm sure I'll still be playing it for a while to come.

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**lostmario** · August 31, 2015

Tomb Raider Definitive Edition

100% Completed Tomb Raider yesterday.

One of them games where the controls and movement of the character just click straight away.

I'm not usually one to collect and unlock everything in a game but I was enjoying this so much that by the time I got to one of the later camps I stopped progressing the story and went back to the first camp and went through them all one by one 100% completing them just to get as much out of my first playthrough as possible.

By the time I got back to the story I was an absolute beast with all my weapons fully upgraded.

A really enjoyable and great looking game that I recommend to anyone who hasn't played it yet.

Its a long wait for the sequel though. However great this game was I wouldn't buy an Xbox One just to play it a year early.

Going to play multiplayer a bit but after playing this I really want to play Last of Us again.

nekunando · August 31, 2015

I'm off work this week so I figured it would be a good opportunity to put another big dent in Xenoblade Chronicles. I played for an hour and a half this morning, pushing past 28 hours in total and up to Level 40, but for the first time in a while I was starting to feel like I wanted to go away and play something else.

I'm not sure if it's the sore head or if I'm finally getting a little burnt out on it but it might be best to go play Splatoon for a bit to freshen things up..

Hero-of-Time · September 1, 2015

Finished Disney Infinity 3.0: Rise Against the Empire (PS4) yesterday morning. I was a right blast playing through a very condensed version of the original trilogy. Highlights were playing through all the set pieces in the game, such as the Death Star trench run, battle on Hoth ( love any game where I get to do the tow line trick ) and the battle above Endor. That last one reminded me of playing that battle on Rogue Squadron II.

The final battle against Vader was a right laugh. I got bored of using Luke and switched things up with Boba Fett. No matter how powerful the darkside is, you can't stop a fully charged rocket blast being fired up your backside.

I know await the Force Awakens playset. I think this hits around the same time as the movie and I will be there day one.

nekunando · September 1, 2015

I played a few multiplayer games with friends last night and felt like playing Xenoblade Chronicles again afterwards before bed. Thankfully, it was an enjoyable session and I couldn't really put it down until 2am

I started the game at the beginning of August so 30 hours in a month is pretty good for me on one game I'm sure many of you didn't think I'd make it this far but the quest continues

nekunando · September 2, 2015

I somehow played Xenoblade Chronicles for about 5 and a half hours yesterday (not all in one sitting ) but I just wanted to keep going!

Music, such as 'Engage the Enemy', really encourages me to hunt down those Mechon!


	Audio

As many have mentioned before, the game has a great soundtrack

**lostmario** · September 2, 2015

Finished Kirby's Adventure Wii this morning.

It was okay, but after Kirby's Epic Yarn, which is one of my favourite 2D platformers, I was a bit disappointed.

The music was a bit average compared to Epic Yarn and the game just never got going for me.

Final boss fight was good though, really challenging final boss.

The big positive is I played on my Wii U yesterday and today for the first time in months. Even if it was in Wii mode, it still counts!

Already put it up for sale so if anyone is interested in buying it, let me know.

nekunando · September 2, 2015

lostmario said:
Finished Kirby's Adventure Wii this morning.

It was okay, but after Kirby's Epic Yarn, which is one of my favourite 2D platformers, I was a bit disappointed.

The music was a bit average compared to Epic Yarn and the game just never got going for me.

Final boss fight was good though, really challenging final boss.

The big positive is I played on my Wii U yesterday and today for the first time in months. Even if it was in Wii mode, it still counts!

Already put it up for sale so if anyone is interested in buying it, let me know.

I may be interested.. depending on the price

Glen-i · September 3, 2015

I beat up that beat so hard, it's mother couldn't recognise it!

I played through Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise recently.

For those of you who don't know, this is a quirky rhythm game that was released on the Wii in it's later years.

The Rhythm Paradise games all revolve around being able to keep a beat, but it does so with games that are completely wacky, it's not your average rhythm game, that's for sure.

This game is one of the finest examples of "Easy to pick up, difficult to master", as you only use the Wii Remote's A and B buttons to play the myriad of games. The games are easy to play and clear, so it doesn't take long to finish them all, but if you're one of those guys who like to get everything, then you're required to "Perfect" every one.

Now that's all well and good, but why in the world can you only attempt a perfect run whenever the game feels like it? This is the only issue I have with this series, it's incredibly frustrating nailing a perfect, but getting nothing because I didn't do it when the game wanted me to.

Oh well, it's a small setback in an otherwise brilliant game, so I'm gonna show you one of my favourite games from it.

I tend to enjoy the games that go out of the way to put you off...

After I finished that, I went ahead and played through all the games in...

It wasn't the German one.

Same general idea as the Wii version, but with different games and touch controls.

I prefer the Wii version. But this is still great. And it has my favourite game in the series!

Hoo-hah hoo-hah HI!

I've played Lockstep so much, I know the whole thing by heart.

Anyway, that's enough happy fun rhythm times!

Let's look at something a little darker.

It's Shin Megami Tensei 4

Yes, I know this game came out ages ago, but I only recently finished it, mainly because I bought it during a sale and for other reasons that I will go into.

SMT 4 is a turn-based RPG released on the 3DS (Only on eShop for us though)

But important news from Isabeau!

Thanks Isabeau!

And with that, let's get started with the story. Spoilers ahead, so if you don't want to be spoiled, here's Isabeau to show you what to do.

Thanks Isabeau!

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DISCLAIMER: I have never played a Shin Megami Tensei game before this one and I've only seen one ending (The Law Ending). So please keep that in mind while reading this.

The game takes place in the Easten Kingdom of Mikado, you play as Flynn (Who you can rename, which I did), a Casualry who goes along to the annual Gauntlet Rite, some affair where a magical gauntlet chooses who will become the new Samurais.

Surprise surprise, Flynn gets chosen, and is thus thrust into a world full of demons that it is now his job to suppress.

But somethings not right here, a mysterious figure known as the Black Samurai is turning people into demons by giving them books!

Trust me, it sounds more foreboding in context.

I'm not gonna go into too much detail abut everything, but I will talk about the pacing. (Last chance to back out of spoiler territory)

The game's story moves along nicely until you get out of the first dungeon and find yourself in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

(Wait, so France DOES exist!?)

After this revelation, nothing really happens until you actually catch the Black Samurai about 60% into the game, then the story picks up nicely until the end.

That's kinda irritating, because for half of the game, the story is just stuck in one place.

The characters are very engaging though, and considering that the endings revolve around each one, it makes the choices you have to make quite difficult at times. The top-notch voice acting only serves to strengthen this.

I will point out that I genuinely felt bad about having to kill Isabeau during the Law ending because...

A. I knew full well she was right.

B. She's the most likable character in the game

Anyway, enough spoilers in the story, let's move on to the gameplay.

As I said before, this is a turn-based RPG. But there's a few little things that make it stand out.

First of all, loads of the monsters have weaknesses that if you nail, you get an extra turn. The same applies to you, if you get hit with something you're weak to, the enemy gets extra turns.

It's a nice little incentive to try and use the right techniques and works fantastically well.

The only issue I have is that with bosses, it can turn into a complete guessing game because most of the weaknesses make very little sense.

The other thing about the battle system are the demons themselves, you can actually negotiate with them to try and get them to join your team. This leads to some genuinely amusing conversations with the demons. One in particular stood out to me when I declared my love for some kind of robot dragon.

Naturally, it creeped him out and made him run away.

Once you convince demons to join you they become members of your party, so it's essential you get loads and make a good balance.

You can also fuse demons together to make new, stronger (Hopefully) demons. So there's always more incentive to recruit new demons.

But, there is one flaw I can't really ignore, and that's the difficulty.

Now there's nothing wrong with a difficult game. Hell, I've played all 3 Denpa Men games. But there is something wrong with the difficulty curve this game has.

It's completely backwards. The first dungeon is the hardest part of the game, after you get out of that, the rest of the game is much more manageable.

And nothing really proves this point more than the streetpasses I got while playing this.

There were two distinct groups of players. Level 6 players and level 80-ish players.

Clearly what happened is that players either gave up on the first dungeon, or went on to finish the game.

It's a shame, because the game gets a lot more enjoyable after that initial hump.

Anyway, thoughts, Isabeau?

Thanks Isabeau!

The visuals are very stylised, with battles using 2D sprites, exploration using 3D models and cutscenes using higher resolution artwork.

The 3D effect is servicable, it's there, but doesn't add much. (Although it doesn't need to, given the genre)

The soundtrack is very good though, very rock guitar based, but more somber when it needs to be. It doesn't really put a foot wrong.

Well, except maybe this song...


	Audio

Don't get me wrong, it's a very catchy song. But I couldn't help but giggle when I first heard it. It doesn't really fit the situation.

The soundtrack is still stellar.

How about you, Isabeau?

Ummm, kinda covered the story already. Also, that's not the story.

But, thanks Isabeau!

So all in all, Shin Megami Tensei 4 is a very enjoyable RPG once you get over the initial first dungeon difficulty mountain, and definitely worth picking up. (Especially if it's on sale, which happens quite often)

Anyway, say "Bye-bye" to Isabeau!

Thanks Isabeau...

And with that...

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RedShell · September 3, 2015

Glen-i said:

I beat up that beat so hard, it's mother couldn't recognise it!

I played through Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise recently.

For those of you who don't know, this is a quirky rhythm game that was released on the Wii in it's later years.

The Rhythm Paradise games all revolve around being able to keep a beat, but it does so with games that are completely wacky, it's not your average rhythm game, that's for sure.

This game is one of the finest examples of "Easy to pick up, difficult to master", as you only use the Wii Remote's A and B buttons to play the myriad of games. The games are easy to play and clear, so it doesn't take long to finish them all, but if you're one of those guys who like to get everything, then you're required to "Perfect" every one.

Now that's all well and good, but why in the world can you only attempt a perfect run whenever the game feels like it? This is the only issue I have with this series, it's incredibly frustrating nailing a perfect, but getting nothing because I didn't do it when the game wanted me to.

Oh well, it's a small setback in an otherwise brilliant game, so I'm gonna show you one of my favourite games from it.

I tend to enjoy the games that go out of the way to put you off...

After I finished that, I went ahead and played through all the games in...

It wasn't the German one.

Same general idea as the Wii version, but with different games and touch controls.

I prefer the Wii version. But this is still great. And it has my favourite game in the series!

Hoo-hah hoo-hah HI!

I've played Lockstep so much, I know the whole thing by heart.

Great stuff!

I absolutely adore the Rhythm Tengoku series.

As they were all released before you joined N-E, here are the old game threads if you're interested in checking them out:

Rhythm Tengoku

Rhythm Tengoku Gold/Rhythm Paradise

Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise

: peace:

Hero-of-Time · September 3, 2015

RedShell said:
Great stuff!

Seen you had posted in this thread and came in expecting you had finished Metal Gear Solid V. I leave disappointed.

Glen-i · September 3, 2015

RedShell said:
Great stuff!
I absolutely adore the Rhythm Tengoku series.

As they were all released before you joined N-E, here are the old game threads if you're interested in checking them out:

Rhythm Tengoku

Rhythm Tengoku Gold/Rhythm Paradise

Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise

: peace:

I enjoyed reading through those. Thank you!

Particularly had a good laugh reading through everyone panicking over the possibility of motion controls on the Wii version. In hindsight, it's really funny.

Also, I had no idea about the reward for 50 perfects. I'd love to play it, but I do not have the patience to try and perfect Love Rap...

bob · September 3, 2015

Managed to get 30 mins of gaming time this evening. So i fired up Wind Waker HD.

But it had been so long since i played it last, i couldn't remember what i was doing. I knew i had done one of the wind/earth temples, but couldn't remember which one i had left. I had no idea where the second sage was, and the damn lion boat was no help. Spent 20 mins just sailing around at random hoping to find something helpful.

In the end i had to look it up on the Googles.

RedShell · September 4, 2015

Hero-of-Time said:
Seen you had posted in this thread and came in expecting you had finished Metal Gear Solid V. I leave disappointed.

Are you crazy?!

Dude, with my MGS "skills" I might not even be able to finish the game!

Hero-of-Time · September 4, 2015

RedShell said:
Are you crazy?!
Dude, with my MGS "skills" I might not even be able to finish the game!

At least you can run and gun in this one.

Happenstance · September 4, 2015

Taken from my post in the MGSV thread:

Completed Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain earlier. Clocked in at 47 hours.

Its an incredible game, but not one without its flaws unfortunately. Those are mainly down to the story and voice acting. I think probably with any other game the story would have been less of an issue but of course, this is Metal Gear and because of that we were expecting a dense story, not one that kind of comes to you in drips throughout a 50 hour game. The voice acting is the worst part for me. Not necessarily the quality of Sutherland's work but just the amount. There are times when he feels like a silent protagonist and it actually takes you out of the moment. One mission in particular has a ridiculously long silence which feels like they wanted a reaction there but couldnt afford it.

The missions though were brilliant. I have always been terrible at Metal Gear Solid games, never getting along with the stealth mechanics but this time it was like they finally got everything just right and with it being an open world game, I could plan exactly how I wanted things to go. Multiple times I felt like a complete badass, going through bases completely un-seen or just sitting from a distance and taking someone out with my sniper rifle. I never would have expected at all to get an S rank on a mission before I started, let alone the 5 or 6 I ended up getting.

Quiet probably ended up being my favourite character in the game. Once I got over her "costume" (and Kojima claiming we would understand when we heard the reasons was pretty much bullcrap) I found her to be interesting and pretty damn awesome. She was always my buddy of choice.

So yeah, great game and I'm sure I'll be sticking with it for a while to finish off all the side missions.

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