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Post by dfunked on Jan 5, 2023 21:09:09 GMT
Death Stranding DC (PS5) - 9/10
I can definitely see this being a marmite kind of game, but I'm firmly in the loved it camp. It had its hooks in me from the moment the first few bars of a Low Roar song drifted in, and I've played a pretty disgusting amount of it this past couple of weeks. Cracking stuff. A great gameplay loop to chill out with and an engrossing, if a bit bonkers, story (admittedly I skipped a lot of the hologram dialogue)
The ending stretch was mostly great apart from one utterly tedious bit of padding. I'm fairly close to getting a plat, but at the same time the ending feels like a perfect time to walk away.
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Post by muddyfunster on Jan 5, 2023 23:17:15 GMT
I really enjoyed it on PS4 Pro. Found myself mildly obsessed with completing the roads, and I loved the atmosphere.
Too kojima at times (the character names are so on the nose stupid, the random cameos weren't great) but I finished it all the same as I was thoroughly invested in that moronic plot and the production values were so high.
I wasn't left wanting more though. Difficult to envisage how a sequel could be possibly have the same impact when much of the joy of the first was the increasingly rare sensation of experiencing a genuinely innovative and unique game mechanic.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Jan 6, 2023 0:16:16 GMT
I took quite a beating during the boss fight with Troy Baker and Sam keeps his visable damage for the following cutscene where he's running along the beach with the woman in the red dress. Looked completely ridiculous as he was all dirty with a busted face I think that's around where I finished
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Jan 6, 2023 0:37:08 GMT
I took quite a beating during the boss fight with Troy Baker and Sam keeps his visable damage for the following cutscene where he's running along the beach with the woman in the red dress. Looked completely ridiculous as he was all dirty with a busted face I think that's around where I finished
Okay, but when did you stop playing the game?
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Cosmopolitan
New Member
Font Geek is a stupid name
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Post by Cosmopolitan on Jan 6, 2023 10:16:03 GMT
Resident Evil HD Remaster (PC). Well what can I say. Loved it. A stone cold classic. I won't be nitpicking here, but there are some parts I think were not necessary to add to extend the game (e.g. the cabin with the female monster where you have to go just to get a certain item), but overall I think it deserves a 10/10. Of course, knowledge and completion of the PS1 original is strongly recommended to fully enjoy this.
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Post by FlexibleFeline on Jan 7, 2023 7:21:33 GMT
The Callisto Protocol
Mixed feelings here. Gorgeous game, dripping with - or maybe oozing - atmosphere, graphically and sonically; a generic but still reasonably compelling story; no-nonsense progression - its linear nature is genuinely a strength in my view; satisfying combat, for the most part. The first three quarters were 8.5/10 for me.
Then it descended into some level of bullshit and tedium, unfortunately, where the game's weaknesses really became apparent e.g. the random drops (the last few chests I came across fucked me over), save point and reforge station placement, relentless mob ambushes and shitty mini-bosses. My main problem is you could genuinely end up with your back against a wall - little or no ammo, little or no health, and suddenly you are ambushed. I'm sure many appreciate a game that doesn't hold your hand, but I felt cheated at various points towards the end - either I'm an oversensitive prick or that's poor design.
Stiil, I did get through, and enjoyed it overall. Then again, I was playing on easy. I just can't imagine playing this at a higher difficulty level and actually enjoying it.
7/10
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lukasz
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Post by lukasz on Jan 8, 2023 9:47:33 GMT
Horizon Zero Dawn frozen wilds on pc
So completed the main game in late December and now finished the expansion.
Played on hard which was super difficult until the fighting clicked. Then it became fairly easy. Except last boss fight of the expansion. Died on it once.
Super enjoyable. Now maybe I should try new game plus on ultrahard.
But seeing how my gaming time is so diminished already because of other stuff which happened at the end of the last year I do wonder whether I should bother.
I still have disco Elysium and cp77 untouched...
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EMarkM
Junior Member
Well, quite...
Posts: 2,149
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Post by EMarkM on Jan 8, 2023 11:21:33 GMT
Escape Academy (Xbox Series X, via Game Pass)
I can't even remember where I heard about this one; it was possibly just while browsing Game Pass and the Store, and spotting something puzzle-related that would be suitable for us to play as a family (myself, non-gamer-Mrs. and gamer-ten-year-old-step-daughter).
In any case, I presented it as "my" suggestion for our family activities one evening, during the Christmas/New Year break.
The game is a series of virtual escape rooms, with a narrative flow that I will not spoil here. Suffice it to say that the first room serves as an introduction for what is to come, but the short story (it took us four or five sessions to complete the game) has a few twists and turns along the way.
Peril is supplied by the ever-ticking countdown, although one soon realises that there is a "Continue" function, which removes some of the element of danger. That said, you do still feel urged on by the timer, particularly on a couple of levels, where the consequences of failure have a more pressing atmosphere.
The story, told by semi-animated "Japanese take on western characters" comic-book-style folk, could be seen as irrelevant pish but, playing as a family, I personally felt invested in the story and excited (and, at times, mystified) by where it was all headed.
The puzzles themselves, then. Again, no spoilers here, but I will say that they are challenging. We ended up using the Continue function several times, but the Hint system only once – and I regret doing so.
I do have the type of brain that handles this stuff very well (the usual puzzle fare – lateral thinking, anagrams, pattern-matching and so on), and I know that, the one time we used Hint, I would have got there eventually. I just didn't want to waste family time staring at it.
That said, my fellows on the team put their fair share of effort in, and often spotted a solution, or step towards a solution, before I did.
We've decided to give it 10/10, mostly because of the fact that Mrs. enjoyed it as much as the rest of us, and we enjoyed it as a family activity for a few nights. We are now considering the DLC, which, of course, we would have to pay for.
My personal rating: I'll stick with the family's "10", although the art style grates on me just a TINY little bit, and I wish the Continue function was replaced by some kind of Restart thing that had more severe consequences.
All in all, if you want to fool around with some puzzles, especially while it's included in GP, get it downloaded: it's a huge amount of fun.
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MolarAm🔵
Full Member
Bad at games
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Jan 8, 2023 11:32:09 GMT
Horizon Zero Dawn frozen wilds on pc So completed the main game in late December and now finished the expansion. Played on hard which was super difficult until the fighting clicked. Then it became fairly easy. Except last boss fight of the expansion. Died on it once. Super enjoyable. Now maybe I should try new game plus on ultrahard. But seeing how my gaming time is so diminished already because of other stuff which happened at the end of the last year I do wonder whether I should bother. I still have disco Elysium and cp77 untouched... Personally I think you'll get thoroughly burned out if you play too many open world games back-to-back. So play Disco Elysium. It's great, and it won't take you 60+ hours to beat.
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Post by dfunked on Jan 8, 2023 12:04:41 GMT
Yeah, I have to mix it up a bit. Can't just go from one huge open world game to the next. You need a bit of a palette cleanser between them.
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Post by Wizzard_Ook on Jan 9, 2023 18:03:17 GMT
Tunic
Very good. Not much else to say but too echo other forumites and reviewers in saying that it's an excellent game. Its well designed, looks fantastic (played on Ps5), sounds great, all whilst echoing old school classic gaming. The instruction manual mechanic is a novel idea and one that I really enjoyed. Could have been a bit annoying, but it is surprisingly tactile and loved the way it updates it self as you move through the game. There were a couple of 'aha' moments too as I figured out a couple of things. So it did its job.
There are not many negative things to say about it, other than it is too difficult in its final hour/hour and a half which is not really needed. For the most part it is fair game, and I didn't really have an issue with it but the boss for the last key you pick up, and the final boss was just..whats the point? I just finished it off by switching on no fail mode. Combat is probably the game main weakness and as with many games these days it tries to be difficult when it doesn't really need to be. Overall though, it doesn't really distract from the game though. Its good. Well worth playing.
4/5
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
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Post by malek86 on Jan 9, 2023 19:30:21 GMT
Tunic Very good. Not much else to say but too echo other forumites and reviewers in saying that it's an excellent game. Its well designed, looks fantastic (played on Ps5), sounds great, all whilst echoing old school classic gaming. The instruction manual mechanic is a novel idea and one that I really enjoyed. Could have been a bit annoying, but it is surprisingly tactile and loved the way it updates it self as you move through the game. There were a couple of 'aha' moments too as I figured out a couple of things. So it did its job. There are not many negative things to say about it, other than it is too difficult in its final hour/hour and a half which is not really needed. For the most part it is fair game, and I didn't really have an issue with it but the boss for the last key you pick up, and the final boss was just..whats the point? I just finished it off by switching on no fail mode. Combat is probably the game main weakness and as with many games these days it tries to be difficult when it doesn't really need to be. Overall though, it doesn't really distract from the game though. Its good. Well worth playing. 4/5 Should be mentioned that if you choose to dwelve in the manual a bit deeper, and try to understand the meaning of some of the game's landmarks, you will eventually realize that there is an alternate (better) way to finish the game, one that doesn't even require fighting the final boss... but it does require solving a lot of meta-game puzzles. Doing it with no hints was very satisfying though. Hadn't had this much fun in a meta-game puzzle since The Fool's Errand. For those like me, it was the best part of the game, and what really elevated it from a "merely" very good Zelda Souls (such as Death's Door), to my game of the year.
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Post by Wizzard_Ook on Jan 9, 2023 20:28:21 GMT
Tunic Very good. Not much else to say but too echo other forumites and reviewers in saying that it's an excellent game. Its well designed, looks fantastic (played on Ps5), sounds great, all whilst echoing old school classic gaming. The instruction manual mechanic is a novel idea and one that I really enjoyed. Could have been a bit annoying, but it is surprisingly tactile and loved the way it updates it self as you move through the game. There were a couple of 'aha' moments too as I figured out a couple of things. So it did its job. There are not many negative things to say about it, other than it is too difficult in its final hour/hour and a half which is not really needed. For the most part it is fair game, and I didn't really have an issue with it but the boss for the last key you pick up, and the final boss was just..whats the point? I just finished it off by switching on no fail mode. Combat is probably the game main weakness and as with many games these days it tries to be difficult when it doesn't really need to be. Overall though, it doesn't really distract from the game though. Its good. Well worth playing. 4/5 Should be mentioned that if you choose to dwelve in the manual a bit deeper, and try to understand the meaning of some of the game's landmarks, you will eventually realize that there is an alternate (better) way to finish the game, one that doesn't even require fighting the final boss... but it does require solving a lot of meta-game puzzles. Doing it with no hints was very satisfying though. Hadn't had this much fun in a meta-game puzzle since The Fool's Errand. For those like me, it was the best part of the game, and what really elevated it from a "merely" very good Zelda Souls (such as Death's Door), to my game of the year. Oh! That sounds interesting. I might have to look into that. Is that something you started yourself or you had some kind of hint to get you started?
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,176
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Post by malek86 on Jan 9, 2023 21:01:50 GMT
Should be mentioned that if you choose to dwelve in the manual a bit deeper, and try to understand the meaning of some of the game's landmarks, you will eventually realize that there is an alternate (better) way to finish the game, one that doesn't even require fighting the final boss... but it does require solving a lot of meta-game puzzles. Doing it with no hints was very satisfying though. Hadn't had this much fun in a meta-game puzzle since The Fool's Errand. For those like me, it was the best part of the game, and what really elevated it from a "merely" very good Zelda Souls (such as Death's Door), to my game of the year. Oh! That sounds interesting. I might have to look into that. Is that something you started yourself or you had some kind of hint to get you started? No hints. Just that I realized that the final boss was... well, a bit too strong. And that I hadn't found all of the manual pages yet. So I went and explored a bit, hoping to find something that would make it easier. And then I realized some things, and from there it snowballed. Don't think it will be easy though. Took me at least 5-6 hours to solve all of it. But I loved the progression. At first I was just "oh look, I can do this weird thing". Eventually, I realized more things. By the time I worked out the game's final secret, I had used three sheets of paper. If you want a very small kickstart: load your last save (I think it's still possible?), and go check out that weird golden stone on the northern edge of the main map. I seem to recall that's where I first realized that there was something more to the game.
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Post by deekyfun on Jan 9, 2023 22:00:25 GMT
I just finished Shadowrun: Hong Kong. A nice continuation of a series that delivers a solid tactical RPG, good writing and an interesting world. I feel like this installment excels at the worldbuilding and most missions are interesting, usually with some way of deviating from jumping straight into combat, or some interesting twist. They're also pretty bitesized, making the game nicely digestible. Special mention should also be made of the soundtrack, especially Heoi and Hard Landing - they walk just the right side of the genre and setting.
I hope we get some more from this series at some point.
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lukasz
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Meat popsicle
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Post by lukasz on Jan 10, 2023 1:35:26 GMT
. I hope we get some more from this series at some point. I do too but I do not think we will. They released the games on switch. But if they did not make a mint on those games I think they won't continue? Shadowrun Hong Kong is 7 years old by now. And with cp77 hype before 2020 it would have been perfect to release another one then. Seeeing how they did not... i think they were not popular. They were lovely game.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2023 4:04:04 GMT
TBF, they only launched on console last year. They have time to get a second life. Having said that, there’s been zero hype for these versions, so they probably haven’t done well there either. Hopefully people discover them on GamePass, at least.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Jan 10, 2023 6:30:14 GMT
It's a shame. They may not be the hugest, best, etc. RPGs ever, but I don't think there are any other RPGs that are this well-rounded and enjoyable in spite of how digestible they are.
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Post by deekyfun on Jan 10, 2023 8:23:14 GMT
I had assumed (maybe wrongly) that Battletech has been keeping them busy since Hong Kong, and some cursory googling provided nothing but radio silence on their next game. I'm not seeing anything regarding their sales figures, so no idea if they didn't make enough money?
So I guess we'll see. Regardless, they're good solid games worth a play. Maybe the first one a bit less than the other two, but tbh I still enjoyed that one as well. Standard advice is skip the first and there's no harm in doing that.
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Post by Chopper on Jan 11, 2023 8:04:12 GMT
Grim Dawn (PC)
Finished a first playthrough of this 2016 ARPG as a straight vanilla Demolitionist class with emphasis on ranged two-handed guns (can also be played dual wielding pistols, as well as many other variations) and thermite mines (melts mobs when dropped strategically). It's a very enjoyable game, with a lot of options within each class; you can also choose a second class at level 10, so if your demolitionist is a bit squishy, you can tap into the soldier tree to get some defence, for example, or gain extra pets or summons.
ToomuchFluffy recently summed up the game very well a couple of pages back, so I won't go over that again. Suffice to say it's a very crunchy ARPG that has a load of content and difficulty levels that should scratch that itch very well.
I've opened up Elite difficulty now, but I think I might try out a few more characters in the 'roguelike' (permadeath switched on) mode, just to see what they are about and to shake it up a little.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2023 9:31:56 GMT
Cyberpunk 2077
Looks great, and runs smoothly for the most part. Don't have any horror stories like people who first played the game.
City looks great, especially at night when it's raining, but it's very sparsely populated in parts.
Main story is good and you meet some interesting characters, it's just felt really short. I was surprised when I came to the point of no return. The side quests is where the game shines and has its most interesting stories.
The game seems to have added loads of things that seemed pointless or never used. The skill tree is shit, and hacking underused, an the augmentation parts half baked.
A game that promises so much but underdelivers.
7/10
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Jan 11, 2023 17:26:33 GMT
I'd agree that it's a mess of systems that mostly don't seem that impactful. Especially because of how numbers on guns, health and armor escalate over time.
I did too much running around Watson purely for exploration and side stuff and it has started dragging a bit. I'm trying to get to the end, but I don't want to leave the Judy- and Panam-questlines hanging. I guess I should just advance time and focus on getting those done before talking to Hanako (i.e the point of no return).
Definitely not short for me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2023 17:30:31 GMT
See, I fucked off the busy work apart from a few gigs and focused on side quests and the main storyline. The world wasn't fleshed out enough to bother with gigs and the other stuff.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2023 17:33:47 GMT
Doing the friend storylines (they’re not really companions as such) do add to the playtime. Most of the fixer gigs aren’t worth doing, though there are exceptions like the Peralezes (sp?), River, Lizzy Wizzy. There’s a buddhist monk you can find whose questline is very uneventful, but a welcome relaxing change of pace.
I do think the main storyline is pretty good though. It pretty much had me from the jump, but I think it also picks up once you go to the Voodoo Boys.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2023 17:35:48 GMT
Those came under side quests in the journal, gigs are the one off go here clean up/collect this type missions.
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Duffman5
Junior Member
big cook, little cook welcome to our cafe
Posts: 1,332
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Post by Duffman5 on Jan 11, 2023 20:29:40 GMT
Elex Series X 70 hours and counting 560/1000 gamescore/cheveos 9/10
So after 65+ hours and reaching lvl 39 I have completed the story and seen the credits roll, still some sides to do, skills to learn and never ending monsters and ncps to slay. As with all PB games the learning curve is steep and I have to say on reflection I'm not that sure I actually enjoyed the first 20,30 hours! but also with PB games they are rewarding once you start to get skills (still have to find the trainers to teach you) and better weapons, armour etc.
I liked the story but think I chose the wrong "ending" based on choices I had made throughout the game, oh well, I will live with that, or rather my enemies will...I have Elex 2 ready to go but I will play something non rpg (just bought Martha is dead, so likely that) before that and as I said I'm not finished with Elex just yet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2023 20:31:00 GMT
Nine out of ten??!?!?
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Post by A46Matt on Jan 11, 2023 20:38:47 GMT
I fell off of Elex after around 5 hours. 20+ hours before it becomes enjoyable is a big commitment!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2023 20:41:13 GMT
I wanted to give it a shot, but it was so buggy that I couldn't equip a new weapon and progress. Every time I tried, the game would lock up. Ended up asking for a refund. I played on Series X as well, so can't believe you got 70 hours out of it.
Pirahna Bytes are kind of... not great.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Jan 11, 2023 20:41:45 GMT
My entire gamescore is only 1200
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