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Post by andytheaverage on Feb 9, 2022 17:17:00 GMT
Battle Academy (PC) I comfortably outdistanced How Long To Beat's estimate of 21 hours, weighing in at a whopping 59 hours, but I had a great time with this 2011 WW2 tactics game. Some of the later maps got a bit puzzley, and I had to save scum my way through a couple because they were rock hard. I was still learning tactics lessons late on (which I possibly should have absorbed earlier), and there were several maps where my units were all wiped out but I held the Victory Points by the skin of my teeth. It was a fantastic all round experience, highly recommended if you can spare a buck in the sales.
There is also a mountain of DLC - due to the increasingly puzzle-like nature of the maps though, I'd be a bit afraid that the DLC will go more in that direction, so I'll hold off on it for now (and also wait for a sale where they go for dirt cheap).
Outstanding game.
This looks interesting, is it a RTS? And are there base building mechanics or do you just use the units assigned to you? I tend to prefer turned based games without base building, but could probably manage a real time game as long as it was pauseable.
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Post by Chopper on Feb 9, 2022 19:00:12 GMT
This looks interesting, is it a RTS? And are there base building mechanics or do you just use the units assigned to you? I tend to prefer turned based games without base building, but could probably manage a real time game as long as it was pauseable. It’s turn-based with pause, not an RTS at all. There’s also no base building, and you have a predetermined set of units which you can supplement by spending a small pool of points. For example, do I buy this anti tank vehicle, which has a massive gun but armour like tinfoil, or do I play it safe and buy another tank with less stopping power but more armour to withstand a hit? And do I need more bazooka guys, engineers or infantry here? Etc. It’s pretty great. The mission setup starts with a comic strip describing the mission: Then a more detailed objective screen: Then you’re plonked down with your troops:
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Post by Chopper on Feb 9, 2022 19:22:05 GMT
I will say that there’s a reasonably aggressive turn limit for each scenario, so you do tend to have to push on. Also, as you can see in the last screen, there are optional achievements, which you can ignore/pursue to make the game easier/harder. Finally, you also have access to a medic, artillery, bombers etc on certain missions.
Achievements are not implemented in Steam though, so you have to settle for getting a star ranking in-game.
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Post by andytheaverage on Feb 9, 2022 22:52:28 GMT
I will say that there’s a reasonably aggressive turn limit for each scenario, so you do tend to have to push on. Also, as you can see in the last screen, there are optional achievements, which you can ignore/pursue to make the game easier/harder. Finally, you also have access to a medic, artillery, bombers etc on certain missions. Achievements are not implemented in Steam though, so you have to settle for getting a star ranking in-game. That sounds right up my street! Have you ever played Unity of Command 1 or 2? It sounds very similar but on a slightly larger scale (operation level rather than tactical).
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Feb 10, 2022 0:03:20 GMT
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
Some nice (albeit minor) tweaks to the formula, alongside the usual (i.e. stellar) writing and acting from Naughty Dog and co.
Much of a muchness, in many respects, but it did whet my appetite for a full-length Uncharted game starring Chloe and Nadine.
7.5/10.
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Post by Chopper on Feb 10, 2022 10:49:26 GMT
That sounds right up my street! Have you ever played Unity of Command 1 or 2? It sounds very similar but on a slightly larger scale (operation level rather than tactical). I just got the first Unity of Command in the Jan sales - I want to try out the earlier stuff to see if it sticks, before trying the more modern sequels. Though it's only ten-ish years ago in fairness, hardly ancient history. Although I also picked up the original Panzer Corps, which does look a bit ancient. Got it and all the DLC for a fiver, and apparently that's about 750 hours of gameplay
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Post by Chopper on Feb 10, 2022 18:57:54 GMT
That sounds right up my street! Have you ever played Unity of Command 1 or 2? It sounds very similar but on a slightly larger scale (operation level rather than tactical). It (Battle Academy) is on sale on Steam for 1.49 EUR at the moment!
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Post by andytheaverage on Feb 10, 2022 22:38:47 GMT
That sounds right up my street! Have you ever played Unity of Command 1 or 2? It sounds very similar but on a slightly larger scale (operation level rather than tactical). It (Battle Academy) is on sale on Steam for 1.49 EUR at the moment! That's ridiculously cheap, but I don't think I have a way to play it at the moment. It doesn't seem to be on geforce now and I don't think it's MacOS compatible. Unity of Command is great btw, the second is a lot more complex than the first but they're both great. If you like dry, turn based strategic war games then Commander: The Great War is also good.
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Post by Chopper on Feb 11, 2022 7:52:16 GMT
That’s a pity. If you were willing to spring for a bit more, the sequel is also on sale and seems to run on Mac. Thinking of picking it up myself. store.steampowered.com/app/306640/Battle_Academy_2_Eastern_Front/The original was also available on iPad once upon a time but it seems iPad OS has outpaced it and it’s not around any more. will check out Commander the Great War, thanks for the tip.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Feb 12, 2022 8:47:11 GMT
Clock Tower (PC)
Well, it's really old for sure. And it plays like an old adventure. The inspiration from Phenomena is obvious, but I see a lot of parallels with Alone in the Dark too. It went on a completely different direction from Resident Evil, but the starting point seems to be the same 1992 game for both.
I only got ending C, luckily it's not a bad ending. But unfortunately the game is just too slow-paced for me to play again. It's actually surprisingly forgiving for its age (being able to continue at any point, and it doesn't seem that you can ever get stuck in an unwinnable state, unlike those old Sierra games). But I've read that the endings pretty much only depend on the order on which you see some events, or whether you see them at all, while the game structure doesn't change. That's not so good for replayability.
6/10
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Post by Nanocrystal on Feb 12, 2022 20:14:12 GMT
Call of Cthulhu (PS4)
Picked this up for a few bucks in a sale and played it on and off over the past month. It starts quite strong with a nice set up, plenty of atmosphere, and some small semi-open levels that have you talking to locals, doing a bit of detective work and engaging in some basic stealth that in places worked quite well. But, the further it goes on, the worse it got for me, with a few horribly designed puzzles and even some truly awful FPS sections. The story kinda fizzled out (though the ending I got was fitting and featured some cool imagery), and the RPG mechanics like the various detective skills you can level up were never really used much. Nowhere near as good as other Focus RPGs I've played recently (Greedfall, Vampyr) but for the price I paid it was fine I guess.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Feb 12, 2022 20:16:30 GMT
Call of Cthulhu (PS4) Picked this up for a few bucks in a sale and played it on and off over the past month. It starts quite strong with a nice set up, plenty of atmosphere, and some small semi-open levels that have you talking to locals, doing a bit of detective work and engaging in some basic stealth that in places worked quite well. But, the further it goes on, the worse it got for me, with a few horribly designed puzzles and even some truly awful FPS sections. The story kinda fizzled out (though the ending I got was fitting and featured some cool imagery), and the RPG mechanics like the various detective skills you can level up were never really used much. Nowhere near as good as other Focus RPGs I've played recently (Greedfall, Vampyr) but for the price I paid it was fine I guess. I played it on Xbox One a couple years ago. It starts off good enough, but yeah, it never goes anywhere with the premise and just fizzles out by the last part. Basically the same issues as DCotE and Shadow of the Comet, which makes me wonder if Call of Chtulhu games are all doomed to this fate.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2022 12:17:28 GMT
Dragon Quest XI on the switch.
I completed this years ago on the ps4 but never did the postgame stuff. I kept meaning to go back to it and never did. Saw it on sale for the switch so decided to do it again, this time fully.
100 hours later and loved every second. I do wish they didn't call it the end the first time. It is not like a lot of rpgs where there is some additional stuff, there is literally another third of the game with massive story and plot development.
Joins mass effect trilogy, Persona 4 and Persona 5 S the only games I have ever spent 100+ hours on a playthrough, then repeated it later.
10/10
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ego
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Post by ego on Feb 13, 2022 12:34:52 GMT
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
I really enjoyed Frogwares' The Sinking City, and they must have done too because this was basically that. Only Sherlock flavoured.
The new focus on open-worldedness does dilute the problem solving and casework element which was always so strong in their previous games, and having to do things like 'pin' evidence before you can talk to an NPC about it seems like introducing a new mechanic for the sake of having a new mechanic.
The deduction system is still quite entertaining, though while it's nice to be able to interpret evidence in different ways that lead to different conclusions, i wish the game would allow you to get things wrong.
The island of Cordona is nicely realised, the story was really well told, and while simplified from games like Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper, the (consulting) detective element is still a lot of fun. The main positive to the open world is that it allows for a lot of smaller side investigations to break up the main missions.
Oh, and you can straight up murder bandits.
I prefer Crimes and Punishments, but this is pretty good too. Sherlock's default outfit is like something i'd wear, so at least you get to play the game in style.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Feb 13, 2022 17:43:23 GMT
Swagman (Saturn)
An old Core Design game from 1997, and quite the departure from Tomb Raider. Instead of a 3D exploration shooter, you get a puzzle game with two kids.
The most striking aspect is the visual style: in a nutshell, early 90's CG meets Nightmare Before Christmas in a game that was rated suitable for kids even though it's anything but. Some nightmarish stuff here. There is a massive gulf between the loading screens, which feature cutesy hand-drawn artwork, and the cutscenes, which are almost horror. The music is also wildly varying, sometimes it sounds innocent enough, sometimes it's straight out of Blood Omen.
Unfortunately, it's all too hard. Dying sets you back quite a bit, and you'll die a lot. The game is played in a 2D perspective that is reminescent of Zelda, but much more warped. So that doesn't help with platforming or combat. Any death also gives you a fairly lengthy reload screen. And if you die at a boss, you'll have to spend minutes just getting back to it again. This game is a lot easier to appreciate with savestates.
Even then, it reeks of rushed. The plot is set up to have 12 fairies to rescue, one for each level, but you only have to rescue five before the game throws you in the giant (and annoying) final level, where you rescue all the remaining ones. It feels like they cut out a few levels and bosses in the middle. Considering nobody heard of this game, and the Saturn version wasn't even released outside of Europe, I guess Eidos didn't believe in it much and simply cut their budget after a while.
Would be interesting to see it again today, if only because there would be lot of issues to fix.
5/10
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Post by Sarfrin on Feb 13, 2022 19:35:53 GMT
Astrologaster (PC)
This is a visual novel set in Elizabethan England....and was an absolute blast from beginning to end.
You play a Blackadder-esque doctor who mixes astrology with medicine to diagnose his patients, the eventual aim being to get eight letters of recommendation as the Medical Council is plotting against you as a charlatan. The astrology stuff is very clever, as it recruits you, the gamer, with your modern knowledge of medicine and political events (Walter Raleigh, the gunpowder plot, strange effects of vegetables from the New World, Elizabeth I's succession etc), to 'predict' the future. There's a fine line to tread between telling your patients what they want to hear (so you get points towards your letter) and what is likely to be honest and true.
But enough of that - I didn't realise it was a comedy, and supremely well done. I played the game with a huge grin on my face for the whole six hours. The dialogue is very funny, and it's amazing that it manages to carry the whole game, which is presented in a fairly basic, popup book format.
Also, each character is introduced by a full choir singing about them each time they appear, which never got old (they get more scurrilous as the game goes on): Highly recommended. It was in that big Itch.io bundle a few years ago, so you might already have it.
Oh nice. I'll check it out.
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Post by unrealkilla on Feb 14, 2022 16:09:53 GMT
Uncharted 4 (Legacy of Thieves on PS5)
Goddamit Naughty Dog have done it to me again. They made an amazing Uncharted game that makes every other story / adventure action game I've played recently seem shit, including Halo Infinite. On to Lost Legacy or whatever it's called.
9.5/10
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Feb 15, 2022 23:31:51 GMT
Judgment (PS5)Enjoyable as all Ryu Ga Gotoku games are but not as good as the Yakuza games. The mortal wounds were really annoying The detective trailing/drones were annoying at worst, didn't add anything at best. Characters good and it looks prettier than Yakuza 7 but is nowhere near as good a game. Still, I have Lost Judgment on my PS5 and I'm almost tempted to start already 7.5/10
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2022 23:56:18 GMT
Yeah, the mortal wounds and fuckin' Keihin Gang ruined the experience for me. By the last like, third or quarter of the game, I just stopped fighting them and got annoyed every time Kim texted me.
The story was good though.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Feb 16, 2022 6:28:26 GMT
Call of Cthulhu (PS4) Picked this up for a few bucks in a sale and played it on and off over the past month. It starts quite strong with a nice set up, plenty of atmosphere, and some small semi-open levels that have you talking to locals, doing a bit of detective work and engaging in some basic stealth that in places worked quite well. But, the further it goes on, the worse it got for me, with a few horribly designed puzzles and even some truly awful FPS sections. The story kinda fizzled out (though the ending I got was fitting and featured some cool imagery), and the RPG mechanics like the various detective skills you can level up were never really used much. Nowhere near as good as other Focus RPGs I've played recently (Greedfall, Vampyr) but for the price I paid it was fine I guess. I thought about buying it during the last steam-sale, but the review by Mandalore did make it look kind of weak. Sounded a lot like what you are saying about it.
CoC is by Cyanide, Vampyr by dontnod and Greedfall by actual real-life Spiders. All french, but still completely different developers. Though Cyanide and Spiders did cooperate on "Of Orcs and Men".
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Feb 16, 2022 8:07:53 GMT
Yeah, the mortal wounds and fuckin' Keihin Gang ruined the experience for me. By the last like, third or quarter of the game, I just stopped fighting them and got annoyed every time Kim texted me. The story was good though. Yes, meant to mention that, the exact same fights over and over got really, really dull. Hopefully Lost Judgment improves on the weak points as I like plenty of other aspects and the combat is fun and a change from the Yakuza games now that they're sticking with being JRPGs.
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Post by dominalien on Feb 16, 2022 8:39:40 GMT
I rather like the new trend for posting screenshots for less prominent games. Astrologaster looks ace. Uncharted: Lost Legacy on PS5 My first time, only played U4 on PS4. 60 fps does the job, sound on earphones is sublime, I'm not sure how much better it is over PS4, maybe I'll do a comparison sometime. It's more of the same so has to be a very good thing, and mostly it is. But it's obvious a lot less care went into it than the main game(s). Subtitles are sometimes broken, showing strings they aren't supposed to. Some flashing water. A couple of places you can jump down to but then the only way out is to fall to your death. Writing is great, though I really didn't like the very obvious progression from coldness to friendship between the two girls and then with Sam as well. It's very by the numbers and it was obvious when the previous relationship stage ends and the next begins (like when Nadine stops calling Chloe "Frazer" on death). So, not quite the awesome awesomeness of Uncharted but not far off either. 7/10
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Post by dfunked on Feb 17, 2022 8:27:27 GMT
Dying Light 2 - 7/10
The parkour system never gets old, especially when you start a decent run and that music kicks in. Combat is serviceable, but never great, with the temptation to just pepper people with arrows to skip it where possible always there. Story is surprisingly OK, with some side quests especially packing an unexpected punch. Soundtrack is fantastic in places (a couple of tracks will probably get playlisted), and the graphics were perfectly fine.
It just felt like a bit of a slog towards the end, so I just ploughed through the last few bits of story to get it out of the way. Doubt I'll go back to it either due to the auto scaling nonsense that gets introduced, as the game is at its least enjoyable with higher level enemies.
Definitely wait for a sale if you haven't been tempted by it yet.
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Post by docrob on Feb 17, 2022 9:52:29 GMT
Astrologaster (PC)
This is a visual novel set in Elizabethan England....and was an absolute blast from beginning to end.
You play a Blackadder-esque doctor who mixes astrology with medicine to diagnose his patients, the eventual aim being to get eight letters of recommendation as the Medical Council is plotting against you as a charlatan. The astrology stuff is very clever, as it recruits you, the gamer, with your modern knowledge of medicine and political events (Walter Raleigh, the gunpowder plot, strange effects of vegetables from the New World, Elizabeth I's succession etc), to 'predict' the future. There's a fine line to tread between telling your patients what they want to hear (so you get points towards your letter) and what is likely to be honest and true.
But enough of that - I didn't realise it was a comedy, and supremely well done. I played the game with a huge grin on my face for the whole six hours. The dialogue is very funny, and it's amazing that it manages to carry the whole game, which is presented in a fairly basic, popup book format.
Also, each character is introduced by a full choir singing about them each time they appear, which never got old (they get more scurrilous as the game goes on): Highly recommended. It was in that big Itch.io bundle a few years ago, so you might already have it.
Oh nice. I'll check it out. You’ve just reminded me that I never finished this! (OK, I know it’s short, I was playing it on the iPad and got interrupted). About to go away for a week, so that’s going on my list.
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Post by bichii on Feb 17, 2022 10:08:48 GMT
Hitman 3
Completed all the levels 2-3 times and just like 1&2 it's excellent with great levels that are a joy to learn and explore. Looks stunning on series X as well.
8/10
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2022 10:15:48 GMT
Oh nice. I'll check it out. You’ve just reminded me that I never finished this! (OK, I know it’s short, I was playing it on the iPad and got interrupted). About to go away for a week, so that’s going on my list. Finished this yesterday. Nice fun little quirky game to play between 100 hour rpgs. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it and am glad I played. 7/10
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Post by kilters on Feb 17, 2022 21:22:08 GMT
Psychonauts 2 7.5/10
Not really into this genre but it really was a pleasant surprise. The first hour is very lacklustre but gets going therafter. Incredible design and imagery. Some parts looked amazing and overall very high quality.
Some good gags and batshit crazy level design mean this is very much recommended
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Post by rawshark on Feb 18, 2022 2:29:01 GMT
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)
It’s stunning to look at and not sure I could go back to it in 30fps now.
Gameplay-wise, combat and traversal are still fun and satisfying. But the same issues with the original remain. In practice you just pick off baddies with stealth grabs and only go hand to hand if you have to. Clearing out bases is a chore and there’s not a lot of variety elsewhere. Miles’ shock powers and gadgets aren’t significantly different to Peter Parker’s, so very little new has been added to the formula. It’s still way behind the Arkham games in terms of design.
But my biggest bugbear is just how damned earnest it all is. When you’re not saving the city you’re helping people find cats, getting medical staff to work on time, making friends with deaf people (you know sign language, obviously) and enjoying lovely trips to the museum. It’s more like an episode of Captain Planet. It was an issue with the first game but it feels even more dialled up here.
You compare to, say, the Miles Morales of Into the Spiderverse, who’s got a rebellious streak - slapping stickers around, doing graffiti, chatting up girls… There’s none of that here. Just helping your mum doing the washing up and quietly tutting at your mercenary uncle. Maybe I could forgive this if it were set in Wisconsin or something… but this is New York. I’M WALKING HEEEEEERE! Get some edge!
6/10
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Post by Chopper on Feb 18, 2022 11:08:53 GMT
Completed Trials of Fire (PC) in a sense - I finished the main quest and one side quest out of four available. There are also daily challenges available, but I've decided to put it down for now as it has been absolutely eating my time. Pets neglected, dinner delayed, tumble dryer going on fire - all things that might happen with this game. It's very moreish.
It's been described as Slay the Spire meets Gloomhaven, and that's a pretty good description. There are 9 characters (6 unlocks) you can play, and each has a deck which forms a common pool of powers and action points which all three heroes can take from. You can play powers, attacks or move cards from one character on others, the same as buffs, and battles take place on a hex grid, while there's an overland/travel/event/upgrade aspect as well.
The only real drawback is that quest can last 1-3 hours, and you're pretty invested by that stage via all the upgrades you've given your characters, so dying at say, a final boss with new mechanics is a bit of a kick in the teeth. I have closed the game down many times in disgust, and then started it up again five minutes later. Really compelling.
There's a strong chance I will come back and do the remaining quests later.
I'm having a fantastic gaming start to the year; I guess that's because I'm pretty much exclusively backlog-gaming and they are all strong games.
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Duffman5
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Post by Duffman5 on Feb 18, 2022 16:15:56 GMT
Mass Effect (legendary edition) every bit as good as it has always been 10/10
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