The last few games you beat and rate them III

[ghosted plover]

LIMBO 7.5/10 Strange world, and I liked that. A bit too basic and short though.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Alpha Protocol (PC) 8/10

Now, let me preface this by saying that this game has a lot of flaws. The mechanics are a bit lacking, the graphics a slight bit dated (game was made in 2010), and the AI isn't very good. The hand-to-hand combat is also functionally lacking. I'm also not a big fan of the checkpoint-based save system, but I got used to it.

But, the game overall? I had a blast with it, and that's why the rating is high despite the flaws.

At first, I had trouble getting into it. I felt that the shooting was bad, but as I got further along I realized I was simply doing it wrong. It's different than many similar 3rd person cover-based shooters (compares very closely to the original Mass Effect, but in a modern setting) in that you can't just go ham on people with your guns - at least not until you level up your skill with them....but, if you take time with your shots, your accuracy increases drastically. This makes stealth and patience very key for the game, and once I figured that out, I really, really enjoyed it.

The plot is a bit of a generic spy story, but it's told very well and has pretty cool characters in my opinion. The dialogue system is interesting, as you have a limited time to make choices so that the conversation will flow neatly.

Maybe not a game for everyone, but I got really into it. 17 hours later, and I'm debating another play through.

Thanks to Oscar Acosta for suggesting it.

This game needs a sequel, hopefully with the mechanics a bit more fleshed out and some more room to maneuver.

Coincidentally, it's $4 on Steam right now.

 

[kovatroll*]

Blackguards: 4/10 this game got boring fast, I just finished it for the sake of finishing it. So many of the skills and spells aren't worth investing into because the buffs or debuffs don't do enough.

I got this and the sequel in some bundle and I doubt I'll even touch the 2nd one.

 

[SniperHF]

Blackguards: 4/10 this game got boring fast, I just finished it for the sake of finishing it. So many of the skills and spells aren't worth investing into because the buffs or debuffs don't do enough.

I got this and the sequel in some bundle and I doubt I'll even touch the 2nd one.

I got annoyed with it in the 2nd chapter since they kept pulling the "LOL WE TAKE ALL YOUR STUFF" thing.

 

[kovatroll*]

I got annoyed with it in the 2nd chapter since they kept pulling the "LOL WE TAKE ALL YOUR STUFF" thing.

Parts of the game like that definitely had me taking long breaks between playing it, such a lazy way of trying to inflate difficulty.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Broforce (PS4) 8/10

Another free PS Plus game.

This game is a ton of fun to play. It's fantastic for what it is: extreme, over the top side-scrolling mayhem with more than a few satirical jabs at America. Not overly easy, either, as the controls are a touch sensitive and you die in one shot.


The meat of the game, to me, was the multiplayer. The hilarity and chaos of up to four players was off the charts. Great stuff.

Unfortunately, multiplayer is also where it loses points. The lag and general multiplayer related glitches are really the only thing holding this game back, but it adds a ton of frustration.

Well worth a go if you are looking for a few hours of laughter and destruction with a few buddies, especially if you are a PS Plus subscriber. Just be prepared for some anger directed at connection problems.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Stardew Valley (PC) 10/10

Phenomenal game, for what it is (a $15 game developed by one guy).

Farm, mine, fish, build a life, and just generally waste time in style with this one. Finally a Harvest Moon game for PC.

This is another one of those games that you don't really "beat", but after more than 70 hours (according to Steam), I finally had to give myself an intervention. I had completed most of the objectives that I'd found.

Fair warning: it's not a game for everyone, but for those who like it, it's very addicting.

The only real knocks I have against the game are a couple minor glitches, and the fact that it's a clone of Harvest Moon with combat.

 

[Ceremony]

Grid: Autosport (PS3, 2014)

I've not finished this game. Despite probably ~30 hours minimum into the online I'm only halfway through getting the Platinum. That's 30 hours of optimised boosting. If I was trying to get there naturally it would probably take four times as long. It would also probably four times as tedious, which should give you an idea about that particular aspect of the game.

The true joy in a racing game comes in the single-player. The journey from starting in a ****box (much like the Focus touring car pictures) to the elite machines driven by elite drivers, the peak of performance which sees you rise above all competition to be the best in the best. The best game ever, Gran Turismo 4, had this formula implemented to perfection, allowing you near endless tracks and cars and variations and formats to drive them all in while providing a largely open-ended amount of freedom and choice. You progressed at your own pace and in your own direction.

The previous effort in this series, Grid 2, offered a much more structured affair, at least from what I can remember of it. It was certainly much more career focused in that you were a driver who was progressing through a racing series in different disciplines. Autosport offers five separate disciplines with individual progression in each. I will offer the caveat that you should go from class to class rather than finishing the whole of one before moving on to another. Regardless however, the sense of progress is... muted. Aside from the Street class where you start in Golfs and finish in Zondas, the sense of vehicular progression isn't very pronounced. The speed goes up but so does the grip. This is mitigated slightly by the game still being challenging and unforgiving at every class, but there is a pronounced lack of variation as you progress. Or perhaps an increased sense of similarity, in that your experience is largely the same regardless of what sort of car you're driving.

Physics-wise, like I say, it's unforgiving. This is in regard to the cars themselves as well as the AI. If you try and drive a car at speeds it can't handle, or if you go over the sides of a track, you'll get punished accordingly. In certain classes - Touring in particular - the AI is relentless. This isn't necessarily a good thing, since in Touring and Street the cars seem much more prone to damage in classes where there's much more contact at speed from the other cars, causing what should be a sense of challenge into one of genuine frustration. Having to drive while focusing on avoiding all the other cars on track instead of, you know, going fast, it's terrible. Very frustrating and stifles the enjoyment you should be getting from what is probably the most even discipline. Elsewhere, Endurance goes around under a false name since the races are a maximum of 12 minutes long and dictated by tyre wear rather than any sort of genuine strategy. Tuner sees a range of race types - races, time attacks, drift (UGH) competitions - but these aren't very competitive since for the most part direct competition is lost along with any enjoyment you'd get in such a situation. Open Wheel is probably the least competitive of the lot, I found myself winning 3/4 lap races by as much as twenty seconds.

The various slight grievances I've listed already aren't what I find the most distracting or disappointing about this game. It's not the layout of career progression which I don't like. It's the presentation of the whole thing which just feels undercooked somehow. The menu music is the only kind of music in the game. Imagine dubstep elevator music. Boring. In game you get messages from your pit crew, you can ask for position updates on your team mate or your nearest rival in a championship. In a 16 car grid, anywhere from 4th to 12th becomes "mid-pack." 13th-16th is "near the back of the pack." I don't want to say the game feels cheap as a result of this, but how difficult would it have been to record an addition 10 bits of audio? It also seems to vary whether or not your team-mates and rivals are actually referred to by name, sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. And, even though there are both male and female drivers it is always "they," as if the effort to differentiate by gender was just too much.

Graphically the game isn't anything exceptional. There's a large amount of cars and a large amount of tracks, even though it's artificially padded by having different layouts of circuits. Gran Turismo 5 & 6 peddled this con. If I go round one part of a circuit, then a different part, it all looks the same. It might even share corners. This doesn't add scale or variety, it adds repetitiveness. The circuits do vary somewhat from discipline to discipline however, so again I would encourage playing the game with variety in mind.

I've probably forgotten other gripes I had thought of mentioning as I was playing it, but I've got the important stuff. Gameplay, it's very good. the packaging of that, it brings it down somewhat.

 

[ghosted plover]

Batman Arkham City - Utterly outstanding in almost every way except length. 90+/100
Batman Arkham Asylum - Not as good as city 85ish/100
Dishonored - What a joke. 60/100

 

[Frankie Spankie]

Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone Expansion - 9/10

Amazing story and adds to the wonderful world of The Witcher. I don't want to spoil anything and it's really all just new story without any new mechanics or anything. The characters are all well written and the story is great. Just wish there was a bit more combat is my only complaint about this expansion but the story was so good the time flew by regardless.

Guild of Dungeoneering - 7.5/10

Guild of Dungeoneering is a sort of a mixture of a board game and a card game. You have an objective and you start at the beginning of a dungeon. It's up to you to make the dungeon how you want it to be with where you want paths to go, where enemies spawn, where loot spawns, etc. The combat is pretty simple, you get to pick between a certain amount of cards that each have their own uses. Some do physical damage, some magic, some both, some defend, some defend and do damage, there's a ton of different kinds of cards. There's also loot that will basically give you new cards and a handful of different characters with different perks. It's a pretty neat little game that feels casual but also has a deeper side to it. Also, it has the best menu song ever.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Postal: Paradise Lost - PC

8.5/10

 

[Commander Clueless]

Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void (PC) 8/10


The latest expansion to Starcraft II falls a little short of its predecessors in my opinion. The voice acting was pretty good (Alarak is easily the best character) and they managed to have some really awesome unit customization, but the story line (while still fairly decent) I felt fell well short of the previous two games. The missions felt rather repetitive to me as well, which was something I didn't notice nearly as much in Wings of Liberty or Heart of the Swarm.

In addition, the light RPG elements were noticeably worse. There were no real story line choices, even if the previous iterations' had only very minor ones.

Keep in mind I only really play skirmish and campaign, as my competitive Starcraft skills are essentially non-existent.

 

[Hullois]

AC Syndicate 6/10

They failed at making the game less redundant. Just like all the Assassins's Creed, its the same 4-5 missions again, and again, and again... They get points because the game is beautiful, at night you can really feel immersed in London. The map is huge and there is less fast travel points than in previous titles, so it is a good thing that they added the carriages.

But still, there is no innovation in this game compared to Unity. The two characters thing is completely useless as they are pretty much the same. The game is also too easy, with darts that can make your enemies fight between themselves, you can sit on a rooftop and then watch them die or run away and voilà.

The story is meh at best, with an ending cheesy as hell.

Good thing that they are taking a year off, they need to rethink this franchise or it will die quickly.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

Rise of the Tomb Raider - 8.5/10

Not as good as the last Tomb Raider but still very good. I was a bit disappointed with how few open areas there were. Not that the last one wasn't very linear but I just loved the open areas with guards walking around that you had to deal with a lot. It's really just more of the same from the old one which isn't necessarily a bad thing. My only weird problem I had is I'd keep forgetting I had that axe on the rope thing to use it for certain jumps and I'd stupidly sit there wondering how I'm supposed to make it to the next platform. Also felt like the movement wasn't fluid enough and made me botch too many jumps because of it.

It doesn't run that well on PC, not nearly as well as the last one. It only looks a little bit better but is a lot harder to run. I couldn't run it at 1440p with ultra settings or I'd drop to 30 fps. Running it at high was fine though keeping a steady 60-70fps and the game still looked beautiful.

 

[BigMac1212]

Sorry for another bump, but I just beat Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, and it was pretty good. The game mixes the gameplay a bit, and adds some elements from more established Final Fantasy games, but it's a good game. I did get lost late in the game, so I had to look at a game guide. But it was a good game.

8.5/10.

 

[blue425]

Bionic Commando Rearmed. Grabbed it the day it was released in 2008, played the **** out of it and let it slip into memory. Shame on me.

Swedish team GRIN (RIP) brought the 80's classic into the modern era while maintaining the look, feel, and charm of the original.

They did away with the annoying flaws that plagued the NES version:
- You don't need to guess which communicator you need
- You can switch between weapons on the fly

And best of all:

- Wide gun and 3 way shot were removed, they sucked. In their place are grenades (super useful), the vector cannon and the shotgun.

Weapons are now upgradeable once each giving a boost to either fire rate, power, or coverage. Unlike the original all will come in handy at some point in the game. The rocket launcher is not the be all end all this time.

BOSS BATTLES - Six all new boss battles were added (4 of the 6 are repeated but harder the 2nd time). They're fun, require creative solutions, have fantastic music, and are complete with pretty funny dialogue beforehand. The Nazis seem to love dwarves.

Lastly the Albatross is now an entire stage. At the end you will face off with Hit..I mean the leader. If you remember his death from the NES version it is even better this time.

Since its release it has become the gold standard of a remake done right. Any company considering a remake would do well to follow Grin's lead. This is a game for fans by fans and it shows.

If it has a flaw its that it might be too hard for some.

9.5/10

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Just completed Ryse 20 mins ago.

Can't go forward without mentioning the graphics, which are arguably the best I've seen so far now that I have a strong enough GPU to max everything out. There's probably a few games that have eclipsed it by now, but the combination of detail and art came together perfectly.

Now for the content. Story started off run of the mill but got more interesting later on in the game, ultimately surprising me. Some of the dialogue is kind of hokey, but as far as revenge tales go this one had more depth than meets the eye.

Gameplay is hit and miss. I enjoyed the combat mechanics, swordplay felt suitably heavy and satisfying. A bit too much emphasis on executions, wish it was a tad toned down to be honest; wish the combat had a bit more to it in general, but I was never particularly bored with the game. The rewards mechanic added some spice to the proceedings.

I'll give it a 7.5. Great showcase for my GPU, had a good time playing it and a fine time following the plot. Not very long, but if you can get it on the cheap then I definitely recommend it.

 

[Mantis]

I beat Red Dead Redemption last night after owning it for like 5 years. It was pretty good but the ending was so stupid. I don't see how it won game of the year and is rated so highly but its still pretty good. I might try the Undead Nightmare disc today.

I give it an 8/10.

I am trying to beat all the games I have on Xbox 360 before I go back to my PS4. Currently playing Max Payne 3 and Hitman Absolution.

 

[Mantis]

I am not a Halo fan but I have beaten 1,2 and 3. My old roommate left his Halo 4 here when he moved out so I figured I would try it. It is way shorter than the other ones but the combat is basically the same. I just played on normal because I didn't feel like putting in the time or effort to beat it on Legendary. It is fun for a brainless shooter but the storyline is so stupid. Cortana ends up being the hero and the Master Chief is all devastated that she sacrifices herself. SHE ISN'T A REAL PERSON! Thats like making GTA 6 and having the Siri on the main guys Iphone end up being the hero and everyone crying when he loses his phone at the end of the game.

 

[SniperHF]

Divinity 2: Developers Cut

This is the version Larian released which combines the base and expansion. Never played it back when it came out so I figured I'd give it a spin.

Basically it's a game of 3 different areas.

1) The standard mid-late 2000's action RPG fare which is passable. Clicky action oriented combat that's actually very harsh early but abates about halfway through to being rote.

2) Unique but ultimately not that interesting Dragon based combat. This fun for an hour or so but gets tiring fast. Thankfully it's not that challenging so you can get through the segments fast. Except one last segment at the end of the game which is a giant pile of dog **** and one of the worst missions I've ever played in any game.

3) The Larian trademark world building and interactions. Unsurprisingly here is where the game shines, but I was surprised how good it was given how uninspiring everything else is. Dialogs are fun and punchy. The unique aspect of mind reading NPCs is fun for the first 2/3rds of the game since you have to actually sacrifice experience points to do it. The towns and NPCs are all well thought out with purpose and feel like they could be real communities. While the quest complexity doesn't match early in the game, the expansion pack content is phenomenal.

There are too many generic/bad aspects to give it a high rating, but it's worth playing for certain things.

7/10.

 

[Commander Clueless]

8-Bit Armies (PC)

The $15 real-time strategy game made by some former Command and Conquer guys over at Petroglyph, and it shows.

It's essentially a basic form of C&C. So basic, in fact, that there is only one faction, and units are called "Infantry", "Tank", etc.

The campaign is basically just a tutorial, although there are co-op campaign scenarios that are interesting. Multiplayer is actually quite fun, but the lack of unit diversity severely shortens the experience I find.

Mechanically, it is solid, but it leaves me wanting more. More factions, more interesting units...maybe even just a more interesting campaign. They have said they will be adding to it, so I'll stay tuned.


That said, it is only $15, and for someone who is fairly new to RTS and is interested in trying out the basics, this may be a good choice...although personally, I'd say just go back and play C&C3 - Great game, still holds up.


6/10

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

I am not a Halo fan but I have beaten 1,2 and 3. My old roommate left his Halo 4 here when he moved out so I figured I would try it. It is way shorter than the other ones but the combat is basically the same. I just played on normal because I didn't feel like putting in the time or effort to beat it on Legendary. It is fun for a brainless shooter but the storyline is so stupid. Cortana ends up being the hero and the Master Chief is all devastated that she sacrifices herself. SHE ISN'T A REAL PERSON! Thats like making GTA 6 and having the Siri on the main guys Iphone end up being the hero and everyone crying when he loses his phone at the end of the game.

Cortana's memory chip/data is all based on Dr. Halsey, a real person, who has always been alongside with the Master Chief since his early training days as a kid. So that might make it seem a bit more reasonable. Also factor in that the game takes place 550 years or so in the future, so AI would be much more advanced and more similar to human life than Siri is.

 

[Mantis]

Cortana's memory chip/data is all based on Dr. Halsey, a real person, who has always been alongside with the Master Chief since his early training days as a kid. So that might make it seem a bit more reasonable. Also factor in that the game takes place 550 years or so in the future, so AI would be much more advanced and more similar to human life than Siri is.

That makes bit more sense.

I don't really pay attention to the Halo storylines but it is still ridiculously stupid. The dumbest part is the very end when the Master Chief is staring out the window at earth grieving and the ships new captain (who just seen many actual soldiers/friends die) comes over and says "I can't imagine what you are going through right now..." He can just get a new Cortana! The real soldiers are actually dead!

 

[Oscar Acosta]

Lego Batman 3 (PS4)

Your basic Lego game but I actually found it quite a bit more challenging than the others. Lot of times I was legitimately stuck and had to look up online what to do. The HUB planets were all really annoying and frustrating with the camera. Just an unnecessary add on to add playtime to the game because none of them were fun and every one was basically the same quests with Green Loontern annoying the hell out of you.

But it's a fun game in the end, great selection of characters once you unlock them all. Almost everyone you can think of from a DC universe and all their powers and abilities are spot on, lot of fun to mess around with. DLC levels were actually more enjoyable to me than the main game, Green Arrow pack actually made me laugh quite a bit.

Played through it like 3 times easy now because my 3 year old son thinks it's the greatest thing on earth. And in the end that's why I bought it.

7.5/10

Beyond: Two Souls (PS4)

Engaging story line and can't say enough about the graphics. Ellen Page and her ghost doing stuff in her mixed up story line where all your decisions have consequences.

But it gets old really fast. Seems they wanted to make a movie and God help em you're going to watch it. QTE all over the place, most mundane actions you need to press X or other random buttons. But no fear because you basically can't fail any of them unless you fall asleep watching the movie/game. You're just pressing buttons to make one scene go to the next, mixed in with some random decisions in her relationships along the way.

Controls when you actually do get control of Ellen Page are spotty and often unresponsive leading to her wandering around unnaturally or doing weird things in the situation kind of funny at times mostly frustrating other times.

Major gripe with this game and others that do this with achievements and trophies where they are going to try and make you play the game 7 times over to unlock everything. No thanks, I'm good at 65%

6/10

 

[Common Sense]

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

I was hugely skeptical, but I really enjoyed it. It's definitely Fatal Frame - has the atmosphere, the lore, and the grainy black & white cutscenes. I thought the gamepad camera controls would kill the immersion but I thought it was actually done very well. The biggest problem I have is that challenge is non-existent between the dodge ability and the "traces of the past" feature always telling you where to go. The repetitive battles and locations got pretty brutal toward the end of the game, but the atmosphere and "comfiness" redeemed it.

8/10

Ratchet and Clank (2016)

This one was a huge disappointment to me. The game is beautiful and the gameplay is great, but the weapon selection is awful and I was pissed at the cut planets. I know it's a movie tie-in (and I haven't seen the movie), but I wish we could've just gotten the first game remade with updated graphics and controls.

6/10