52 Games Challenge 2020

[kamikazekeeg]

23 - Green Hell (PC 2018) - BEAT - Been a fan of survival games for awhile, though particularly good survival games are quite rare I feel.  Off the top of my head, the best ones would be The Forest, Subnautica, and now Green Hell.  They all got a good story component and good survival mechanics.  Green Hell stands out for probably being the most realistic of the three, but it's closest comparison would be The Forest for sure.

Story is surprisingly good, like there's an ongoing narrative, with an ending, and I won't say anything on it, but it gets way more interesting and engaging as you go on.  The actors in it do a pretty good job, though it is a little annoying how mad he gets every time he has to start a fire or breaks a tool lol.  It can feel very unforgiving at times, the tutorial only does so much and there were mechanics I didn't know about until I had basically restarted a few times and overall spent like an hour just failing before realizing what I was doing wrong or what I needed to do and it's easy to overlook some things.

A big recommend for the game, it was better than I was expecting as I was just looking for any sort of new survival game to play and this ended up being a great buy.

[telly]

Game 21 - Salt and Sanctuary (PS4) - 26 Hours

I've been really flying through games lately. Already have beat more games than all of 2019.

+ This game is famous for being a 2D adaptation of Dark Souls, and it certainly feels like that. That isn't a bad thing though. The gameplay was really excellent, with all the features that makes Dark Souls so fun and addicting to play, including the stamina, light and heavy attacks, equipment and class variety, leaving notes for other players, covenants, items, etc.

This game also adds some nice revisions to the Dark Souls formula. I really liked the way weapons and equipment were managed, with scaling classes of weapons and armor, and equipment load. I liked this game's version of bonfires because you can add shops, blacksmiths, and other services to your sanctuaries. This game also takes a page out of other 2D Metroidvanias, giving you extended movement abilities like a wall jump and dash. For that reason the game reminded me of Hollow Knight as well as Dark Souls. The bosses were all really fun to beat and the game has a lot of secrets and lore to uncover, which give you satisfying rewards.

- There were a few things I didn't like. This game desperately needs a map. Thankfully I didn't need to look up where anything is, but it's really easy to lose your way without it. I had heard at length on how beautiful this game was, but I strongly disagree. I thought this was one of the ugliest modern 2D games out there. Part of it is the art design; the characters and enemies look like something out of a 2007 flash game. I know this is the style of this development studio, but I still didn't like it. The ugly art style also extends to the environments. Visuals are muddy and blurred, and I found the overall level design very boring and bland. Hope you like the color grey, because that's all you'll be seeing. Grey, grey-green, grey-white, grey-blue, grey-orange, brown, and black. That's it. Lastly, I really didn't like the music. There is very little music in the game, and 90% of it you will hear within the first couple hours of playing, which means they get really repetitive once you're 15-20 hours in. The last few tracks were really good though.

[bikingjahuty]

Two replays for me that may or may not be getting videos made of them soon


34. Sin and Punishment (N64): Maybe the best rail shooter ever made, certainly on the N64. I absolutely love this game and seem to return to it annually like some tradition. I love its off the wall story, characters, and art design, as well as its phenomenal gameplay. However, I may love its soundtrack the most which is by far of of the best in all of gaming; I mean that 100% sincerely, it's freakin amazing. I don't know that a year will go by that I don't pop this in at least once and enjoy its odd awesomeness. [43/50] (6/15/20)


35. The Last of Us: Remastered (PS4): I've actually wanted to replay this game for a while now and there was no better time than recently with the release of the sequel. I remember liking this game back when I played it for the first time in 2016, but for one reason or another I ended up loving it way more than I remembered. It's story and characters are incredible, and the voice acting by every single character is amazing. The soundtrack isn't necessarily something I'd throw on my Ipod, but it suites the game very well and really sets the mood no matter what is happening. The weakest part of the game actually ended up being the gameplay which isn't terrible, but it's not the best either. But you'll muster through it just to see how the story unfolds and how the characters all develop. The game is on the cusp of being a top 10 game for me, and I am absolutely stoked to start playin The Last of Us Part II now! Oh, I also played the Left Behind DLC, which tells two compelling stories that really complement the main game very well. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but was a bit anti-climactic after playing and beating the main game, but whatever. [43/50] (6/22/20)

[bikingjahuty]

36. The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

Before playing The Last of Us Part II I knew it was a game surrounded by controversy and outrage. I had theories as to why this was and none of those theories could sway my excitement to play the game. So after beating the first The Last of Us I didn't waste anytime with starting the next game and despite one story decision towards the beginning of the game that a lot of people are super pissed about, it didn't sway me from continuing to play the game, and in fact sets up the rest of the game to drive the plot and the main character's actions. However, there was a massive shift halfway through the game that I kept hearing about in the spoiler free reviews and wondered throughout, "what could this be?" I was left guessing until I was literally right on the cusp of finding out when the need to go to bed because I have work in the morning arose and needed to turn the game off. I then spent the next hour in bed unable to stop wondering if I was right about the shift in the game because I knew if I was right, it would be incredibly difficult if not impossible for me to continue playing the game. I then made the difficult decision to spoil that part of the game for myself to see if I was right and it turns out that I wasn't only right, but it was actually way worse than what I could have imagined. I am purposely avoiding spoilers on this because if someone wants to play The Last of Us Part II I want them to in order for them to make up their own minds, but for me there could not have been a worse way to kill all enthusiasm and excitement I had for this game and prior to getting tipped off to what happens midway through the game. Needless to say at this point I could not even imagine spending another 12-hours playing through this game given what happens and I'm absolutely, 100% done. I am genuinely saddened about this since up until this point I was really enjoying the game for the most part. There were various things I didn't like about it, and I knew I didn't like it as much as the first game, but I still found it to be highly enjoyable for the most part. But I simply cannot go on with this game with what I know know. What a shame. (6/25/20) Abandoned

[justin8301]

36. The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

...there was a massive shift halfway through the game that I kept hearing about in the spoiler free reviews(6/25/20) Abandoned

I believe I just got to the part you are referring to last night... and I will say this was a huge WTF moment for me... I've been avoiding ALL spoilers, reviews, or even comments on this game cause I really wanted to come into it and experience the story as it was intended. I sat there for a minute and really thought about turning the game off, but I continued on. I've not very far past that part but I have decided that I'm going to see it through till the end. I want to see how everything plays out and really give it a chance. I am still enjoying the game, its just not what I expected at all and I'm ok with that.

[kamikazekeeg]

24 - The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4 2020) - BEAT - Well, adding to the Last of Us 2 talk, I just beat the game.  Going into it, this game  was so loaded with controversy, a lot of it overblown as it tends to be on the internet, and I did my best to avoid most of what was going on, being spoiled on one thing, but it didn't affect my experience.  I also won't spoil anything here.

Overall, just to cut to it, I think it's a really good game.  Visuals, gameplay, all of that is good to great.  It's a notable improvement over the first game, it's more challenging, fights are exciting, and I like having more to explore in a mini sandbox sort of way.  The story is where the game is the most controversial, but I think most of it is good.  This is a brutal, dark, depressing story, it's a misery march for a lot of it, and I can see people not liking that or how the story does it for the entire length of the game, it's a lot.  That said, I don't think it's much worse than most of Walking Dead, and in fact a lot of is a better than what Walking Dead has been doing for awhile. 

Not that I love the story, some parts of it annoy me, the structure of how its told drags at a certain point, and the "misery march" starts to feel kinda overdone towards the end of the game, but there isn't much to the overall story that I hated, it's just a few elements of it that kinda lessen the experience.  This is absolutely a good game, but I see where the story can get rough for people and the writing isn't the best in spots as it's not nearly as tight of a story as the first game was.

[ignition365]

24 - The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4 2020) - BEAT - Well, adding to the Last of Us 2 talk, I just beat the game.  Going into it, this game  was so loaded with controversy, a lot of it overblown as it tends to be on the internet, and I did my best to avoid most of what was going on, being spoiled on one thing, but it didn't affect my experience.  I also won't spoil anything here.

Overall, just to cut to it, I think it's a really good game.  Visuals, gameplay, all of that is good to great.  It's a notable improvement over the first game, it's more challenging, fights are exciting, and I like having more to explore in a mini sandbox sort of way.  The story is where the game is the most controversial, but I think most of it is good.  This is a brutal, dark, depressing story, it's a misery march for a lot of it, and I can see people not liking that or how the story does it for the entire length of the game, it's a lot.  That said, I don't think it's much worse than most of Walking Dead, and in fact a lot of is a better than what Walking Dead has been doing for awhile. 

Not that I love the story, some parts of it annoy me, the structure of how its told drags at a certain point, and the "misery march" starts to feel kinda overdone towards the end of the game, but there isn't much to the overall story that I hated, it's just a few elements of it that kinda lessen the experience.  This is absolutely a good game, but I see where the story can get rough for people and the writing isn't the best in spots as it's not nearly as tight of a story as the first game was.

I finished the game a couple of days ago and I agree with so much of this.  The structure of the story bothered me the most, it didn't make for the best pacing.  It's not the worst pacing, but I think they could've done better.  The only other thing I would complain about is the game not doing enough to make you care about most of the characters in the game.  The first game did so much to make you care about a lot of the characters.

I expected the game to go on the top of my list, and it did... but after playing it, I did have a serious sit down and thought about whether or not I liked it more than say Resident Evil 3 or Atelier Ryza.  I think it wins out for me because days later I'm still thinking about the game, and normally once the credits hit I'm already thinking about the next game I'm gonna play.

[kamikazekeeg]

I finished the game a couple of days ago and I agree with so much of this.  The structure of the story bothered me the most, it didn't make for the best pacing.  It's not the worst pacing, but I think they could've done better.  The only other thing I would complain about is the game not doing enough to make you care about most of the characters in the game.  The first game did so much to make you care about a lot of the characters.

I expected the game to go on the top of my list, and it did... but after playing it, I did have a serious sit down and thought about whether or not I liked it more than say Resident Evil 3 or Atelier Ryza.  I think it wins out for me because days later I'm still thinking about the game, and normally once the credits hit I'm already thinking about the next game I'm gonna play.

Yeah abit of my annoyance with that pacing could've been dealt with I think had they split the story into like two playthroughs.  You play through the one and then the second opens up afterwards.  Not sure if that would work, but to me that would've helped with the story dragging abit where it does.  That was probably my biggest issue with the story as anything related to the characters were much more minor.  Also I definitely see the inevitable DLC and what story that will tell.

[telly]

Game 22 - Mega Man ZX: Advent (PS4) - 9 Hours

The last game on the Zero/ZX collection has been finished! This was the game I had the most experience with, so it felt good to revisit what is my favorite 2D Mega Man game (out of the ones I've played so far anyway).

+ All the improvements in the original ZX games are here, but there were some tweaks added with the sequel. The biggest one was that you can transform into every single boss that you defeat in the game, which is such a cool concept. Altogether you can transform into almost 20 different characters, which adds a lot of strategy in navigating and exploring the game. Some bosses can let you fly or hover, roll into tight spaces, access certain items, and break special obstacles. The game has lots of hidden secrets that encourage you to revisit the earlier levels with your new upgrades.

Unlike the first ZX game, you also get an actual map, and it's like 100% easier to use when figuring out where to go. There are also special challenges that you can do with each of the bosses if you would like. The sidequests are much more improved and can give you items that help you in the game. It was a treat to play the game on this collection to experience the cleaned up cutscenes and original audio recordings. Other than that the music and gameplay is just as good as any Mega Man game.

-

On the topic of voice acting, the writing and dialogue is super cheesy and silly, just like the other Mega Man games. The story is your standard destroy the world spiel, which is worn thin and cliche, but that's a pretty obvious statement by this point. I also found this game to be the easiest out of all the games on this collection, but it could be because I beat it as a kid both on easy and expert mode.

[telly]

Game 23 - Wattam (PS4) - 5 Hours

+ This was one of the weirdest and most surreal gaming experiences I've ever had. Playing this game felt like I was watching children play in real life. The game apes a simpler time, with no responsibilities, no stress, and no conflict. A period of time in our lives that was all about sharing, accepting differences, working together, laughter, holding hands, and having fun. It made me reminisce of my own childhood, and reflect on some of those important lessons about life that we all learned as kids but we sometimes lose sight of as adults. I dunno, that's just the reaction I had with this game, but I really enjoyed it. There are lots of fun and humorous little moments that just put a smile on your face. Even though the game has a lighthearted overtone, the overall story does have a serious and emotional message and theme to it that felt very well put together. Lastly, the music is phenomenal. Very much feels like Katamari Damacy-caliber of cute and endearing. It was also really great how all the characters have their own instrument that adds to the music, I loved that little touch.

- I do think this game has several flaws. For how short the game is, the actual gameplay never challenges you or makes you think. The puzzles are extremely simple, and 90% of the time the solution is just flat out given to you. I think the potential was definitely here to make a really interesting and challenging puzzle game, but the game never takes of the training wheels and ultimately feels really insubstantial. There are a lot of weird collision problems and other jank when trying to control the different characters too. Lastly, some of the voices can get really obnoxious especially when there are a lot of characters on screen too.

[Cartagia]

36. The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

...there was a massive shift halfway through the game that I kept hearing about in the spoiler free reviews(6/25/20) Abandoned

I believe I just got to the part you are referring to last night... and I will say this was a huge WTF moment for me... I've been avoiding ALL spoilers, reviews, or even comments on this game cause I really wanted to come into it and experience the story as it was intended. I sat there for a minute and really thought about turning the game off, but I continued on. I've not very far past that part but I have decided that I'm going to see it through till the end. I want to see how everything plays out and really give it a chance. I am still enjoying the game, its just not what I expected at all and I'm ok with that.

I'm not quite finished with the game yet, but I feel like I know what you guys are talking about - and to be honest, as someone who was also not spoiled on the game - it has done very little to surprise me.  I'm invested in the story - and do agree about how the structure could have used some tweaking - but none of the major beats have shocked me.  In fact, I predicted the major "twist" coming right after the prologue.  Maybe its simply the fact that I was aware that something was coming that upset people and caused controversy, but I find it hard to believe that any one familiar with "prestige" storytelling (like Game of Thrones, The Wire, etc) and how their story structures play out could have been blindsided by any of this.  I have a friend who was roughly at the same place as me and we have a text thread that straight up says after we passed the prologue that "So, this thing is related to that thing, right?  And the story is going to do this with it?"

[telly]

Game 24 - 2064: Read Only Memories (PC) - 11 Hours

+

I was very surprised by how good this game was, compared to Broken Age, this was definitely a better point-and-click experience for me by far. The game has a nice pixel aesthetic and the character animations are well done. The game builds a compelling and appealing dystopian future world that's fun to explore and learn about. The characters, writing, and voice work is top notch, and feels very natural. I really liked the inclusion of non-binary and LGBTQ individuals as major characters in the story, that was a great touch. Lastly, the music is fan-freaking tastic. The music combined with the setting reminded me a lot of Cowboy Bebop, but it also stands on it's own in spite of that. Just ticked all the right boxes for me. The only song I didn't like was the ending credits, didn't fit the mood of the game at all, and just wasn't a good song (and this is coming from someone who's a big fan of hip-hop).

-

The only negative thing I have to say is that the game can get incredibly long-winded at times, and the dialogue as a result starts getting really tiresome to listen through. That's about all I have to criticize the game on though.

[telly]

Game 25 - Pikmin (GC) - 9 Hours

I remember really enjoying Pikmin 3 a few years back. So I was excited to jump into the first two games and give my GameCube some play time again. The first Pikmin game definitely feels a little less refined compared to the third game, which is to be expected. Most of what's really fun about Pikmin is here, including the addicting gameplay, with just the touch of urgency with the survival mechanic. The game has a cool art and music style that feels very alien, and it's fun to play as and control creatures on such a small scale (like ants).

However like I said, the first game had the least in the way of features. Only three pikmin types, minimal bosses and areas, not a lot of challenge, and the least amount of mechanics. I found all 30 parts on my first playthrough, so there's really no reason to play the game again unless I want to try and get a higher score (I did have to retry the final boss a few times though).

[Cartagia]

I'm not quite finished with the game yet, but I feel like I know what you guys are talking about - and to be honest, as someone who was also not spoiled on the game - it has done very little to surprise me.  I'm invested in the story - and do agree about how the structure could have used some tweaking - but none of the major beats have shocked me.  In fact, I predicted the major "twist" coming right after the prologue.  Maybe its simply the fact that I was aware that something was coming that upset people and caused controversy, but I find it hard to believe that any one familiar with "prestige" storytelling (like Game of Thrones, The Wire, etc) and how their story structures play out could have been blindsided by any of this.  I have a friend who was roughly at the same place as me and we have a text thread that straight up says after we passed the prologue that "So, this thing is related to that thing, right?  And the story is going to do this with it?"

Finished it on Friday.  Stand by everything I said.  It's probably about 5 hours or so too long, and about as subtle as a freight train, but still a worthy follow up to the original.

[ignition365]

I beat like 5 games this weekend.  Gonna jump me up quite a few numbers when i update my stuff in the morning.