Author Topic: 52 Games Challenge 2022  (Read 32111 times)

kashell

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #105 on: February 23, 2022, 05:14:07 pm »
17. Mega Man X4 - X (PlayStation version)

This is one of those timeless games I can never get enough of. I played my PlayStation disc version on my PlayStation 3 and it (almost) felt like old times. Going through the game as X is a lot easier than I remember, but I did add a challenge by going to Split Mushroom's stage before having the Lightning Web power-up. That little mushroom hits hard and fast!

telly

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #106 on: February 24, 2022, 09:46:24 am »
Game 2 - Super Mario 3D World (Wii U, 2-player co-op) - 11 Hours

I thought this game was very fun, though there were some bumps along the way. My biggest issues stem from the combination of a lot of the design philosophies of 2D Mario with a 3D space. I had a lot of trouble judging distance and placement for my jumps so I would fall off the map pretty frequently. The fact that you can't control the camera also doesn't help matters. Maybe it's because we took long breaks in between playing and I just didn't have enough consistent practice time. This game adds several new and re-imagined power-ups, but only the cat suit was fun in my opinion. The double cherry was a mess to use effectively, and the "blockhead" power ups were more annoying than anything. Some of the boss fights were repeated too, which was dissapointing.

Other than those issues, it was a fun experience. I'm sure it can be very competitive depending on who you're playing with but my girlfriend and I played very casually. The game does have fantastic music and visuals, a lot of really interesting and fun level design, and a lot of extra stages to keep you playing long after you finish the story.

« Last Edit: February 24, 2022, 09:52:14 am by telly »
Currently Playing:
DOOM (PS4)

My music collection | My Backloggery

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #107 on: February 26, 2022, 06:51:10 am »
3 - Monster Hunter Rise (PC 2022) - BEAT - Beat this a few days ago, but thought I had more story to do so didn't count it till now.  I had beaten the game last year already on Switch and then they updated the game after that and I never got to it.  Thought it mean the story got expanded and it kinda did, but the quests that would be more story are so sparsely spread out and require me to grind my way up through High Rank, that I'm not counting it for "beating the story".  I got credits, I'm counting it lol  The PC version is great, I got mod support, it runs and plays way better, it's absolutely the better version of the game if you don't want the game for its portability on Switch.

After a second run of the story, I gotta say that I like Monster Hunter World way more for sure now.  The only thing I think it does on par or better is the gameplay.  All the wirebug mechanics are awesome.  Everything else just wasn't as good to me other than the Japanese setting was cool.  I wanted to grind for the things I needed in Monster Hunter World, but I feel like getting the stuff I want in Rise is more dragged out and I'm not really into the Rampage fights.  I'd maybe like them more if I did co-op, but I mostly play Monster Hunter solo.  I am gonna keep playing once I'm done with Elden Ring, as I want to be ready for Sunbreak, but I'm not putting the hours I did with World into Rise.  I think I did 250 hours into just the base game for World, but I'll be lucky to see 100 in Rise by the time Sunbreak comes out I feel.

dhaabi

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #108 on: February 26, 2022, 08:23:07 pm »
04. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory || PlayStation 4 || 02.20.22

After having not played any Kingdom Hearts entries in nearly three years, I finally felt ready to delve back into the series by playing the spin-off title Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. Unlike every game prior to it, Melody of Memory departs from the accustomed action-RPG genre and instead adopts the rhythm genre.

In many ways, Melody of Memory is a celebration of what all the series has accomplished so far and is by every means a game that has fans in mind. With that said, the story campaign takes you from the very first entry up to the Re:Mind DLC for Kingdom Hearts III and even onward. As players steadily progress through 150 stand-out songs from across the entire franchise, story narration paired with spliced cutscenes are featured. I found this added aspect successful, as it allows for the entire narrative to be presented succinctly so that even those foreign to the series have some understanding of the overall plot. Even as a series veteran myself, these elements were greatly appreciated as additions to the overall product as, for some of the later titles in particular, the plot details for each become less familiar as I've generally played these only once before.

As a rhythm game, Melody of Memory is nothing impressive and certainly doesn't elevate the genre into some greater. However, it is a solid and fun game. Through the game, there are three types of music stages: Field Battle, Boss Battle, and Memory Dive. While all three stage types vary in terms of presentation, player input is largely the same in that successfully timed button and analog stick presses are needed. At the same time, three different play styles are also available for players to choose (Basic, One Button, Performer) while three difficulty settings (Beginner, Standard, Proud) can be toggled on a whim. Lastly, a versus mode is also available for either a second player to join in playing against or by battling a COM opponent. In regards to available content, I was genuinely pleased.

Accompanying each song through the campaign, various objectives are set to be completed. Overwhelmingly, I personally found the majority of these to be simple enough for all player of any skill level to clear. To continue advancing through the campaign, successfully accomplishing these goals are necessary, although perhaps only 50% are required. On that note, I found that at least 80% of objectives were simple enough for most players to be able to accomplish, with the number rising if a fair amount of practicing was completed for those being challenged. Alongside the campaign, both an in-game achievement system and in-game gallery are also included. These aspects are entirely optional for players to explore, while completitionists will certainly be required to spend an extensive amount of time for collecting everything.

While far from perfect, Melody of Memory does have its faults. As far as the gameplay itself, my only notable concern is how the Memory Dive music stages function. While the required player input is no different from other music stage types, video cutscenes play full-screen in the background. It is a nice thought to feature and certainly something that could have been great, but I experienced slight lag as required button press markers advanced for me to follow which did affect my completion score. I admittedly was a little surprised to be experiencing this problem with the PlayStation 4 version, as I would have expected this sort of issue to only be with the Switch port. On the other hand—and outside of the gameplay—my biggest problem is in regards to the game's collectibles. With over 500 unique gallery items to collect, two types exist for each, with the second type more uncommon. This means that there are over 1,000 items to collect. However, this is not an issue in itself. The issue is that acquiring duplicates is possible and is a common occurrence. I've ready accounts elsewhere of completitionists attempting to truly 100% the game—they've mastered every song in of all three difficulties and accomplished every other feat, but they are still desperately trying to complete the gallery which is disheartening.

Overall, Melody of Memory is an entry that veteran fans should not ignore. As I played through each song and the campaign, being able to revisit timeless music tracks from the series was refreshing while offering a fair challenge for me to best. Of the 354 campaign objectives, I've completed 353. I'm not personally concerned with the in-game accomplishments, but the in-game gallery is something that is enticing as a thought, but the reality in how it operates is certainly off-putting. I won't be putting in that much more time into the 20 hours or so I've already given it as I do wish to earn a Platinum trophy (which is much more simple than in-game achievements), so it is something I've dropped yet.

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #109 on: March 01, 2022, 07:03:28 pm »
12. What Remains of Edith Finch (Xbox One X) 01/03/2022

A wonderfully creative experience, I've been known to 'dis' Walking Simulator games with terrible experience swith Gone Home and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture lacking active story telling segments but WRoEF is a welcome surprise to the genre. It follows a woman revisiting her old home as she explores a dark truth about her family history. The game tells separate stories about family members and each one is a unique with very creative gameplay to tell the story. It's really best to go into know as littel as possible really enjoyed it overall!

I'm also excited to see where Annapurna Interactive as a game publisher is going, they seem to be making sure their games have strong visual imagery and creative ways to tell their stories within the gaming medium - I'll certainly be on the look out for what else they have to offer in the future!

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #110 on: March 03, 2022, 12:14:21 am »
20. Alien: Armageddon (Arcade)

I decided to blow some steam off at a local barcade this evening and decided to give this one a go after passing it by countless times. My opinion of Raw Thrills is a bit mixed, but mostly veers towards negative; I just think they're games mostly seem cheap and uninspired with a few exceptions here and there. Alien: Armageddon mostly fits this description. First off this game is one of the most poorly designed lightgun shooters I've ever played. For one there is next to no balancing and the game just throws wave after wave of enemy at you while making you content with a very time consuming reload technique. Add in most enemies in the game being total bullet sponges and you have an arcade shooter that is beyond cheap and will burn through you quarters quickly. At least in terms of gameplay Alien: Armageddon is one of the worst games of its genre I've ever played. However, it does have some redeeming qualities and in the end I actually didn't hate this game beyond its totally broken gameplay. Visually the game looks decent; the alien enemies and variety are cool and draw a lot from the Alien universe beyond what's been seen in the movies. There are also some very cool, over the top scripted sequences which definitely added to the entertainment value of this game. Likewise the audio is decent too with familiar sound effects like the iconic smart gun firing noise and other cool sounds you'll recognize if you're a fan of the franchise. The OST is nothing special, but works for the most part with this game. As I said, I didn't hate this game as I probably should have. This was largely due to the game's IP carrying it way further than it would have if this had just been a generic arcade lightgun game. I'd still probably save your quarters if you ever see this machine and just watch a half hour playthrough of it on youtube instead. (3/2/22) [26/50]

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #111 on: March 09, 2022, 01:00:52 am »
8 - Elden Ring (PS5 2022) - PLAYING - Well this was absolutely one hell of a game.  It honestly surpassed my expectations going into it, figuring it was just a souls-game with an open world, and it is, but it's impressive how well it all works without really sacrificing anything or just falling into the trends of the current open world releases (Which isn't a knock against all of them, I'm gonna play Horizon 2 in a month or so).  It's such an improvement over previous games just for the sheer freedom, being able to tackle so much on your own time and in your own way and it all feels great with its movements and gameplay.  While I don't have a problem with going back to a more linear and directed experience for a Bloodborne or Dark Souls sequel or whatever the next game is, the enjoyment of exploring was pretty fantastic and I got super absorbed into the game because of it.

The only things I could complain about might be that the ending area feels like they just sorta ran out of new enemies to use.  It's a cool zone, but I can not think of a new enemy they added there and I'm not counting new variants as new enemies.  On top of that, I think they kinda over-tuned that whole area.  I'm not wanting a cake walk, but I was around level 100 when I got there and it was such a difficulty jump for a number of fights.  There's a challenge and there's just being annoying.  Also Crucible Knights suck, I hate them so lol  Something I'd also like to see them add is a lore friendly sidequest/NPC notebook, not a quest log that directs me, but if I meet someone and they give me information to act on, I don't feel its out of place for my character to keep track of things like this as there would be times I'd completely forget about NPC's or just not know who someone was because I had met them countless hours ago.

I do think this might be my favorite Souls-based game.  Previously, it was kind of a battle between Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, with Bloodborne maybe winning out for its really awesome setting and lore stuff (I hope they got a remaster or sequel coming soon for it, I really want to replay it with 60fps).  I think this game is just as good as them, with some very nice improvements to the whole experience with good movement, the mount is very easy to use and was real helpful in combat, especially when I had a great sword, the map was a godsend for a game like this, and I know this all sorta sounds like I'm thankful for basic stuff other games have, but for a series that always had abit of jank to it and was adamant about being as minimal as it could with the player for certain things, this game though just had a good pile of QoL elements.

I highly recommend this game if you are into other FromSoft games.  If you aren't into the other Souls games, I don't think this game would truly change your mind, it still has all of that challenge the previous games had, though there's a number of nice updates, and the game has more freedom, so if you are getting pissed at a boss, you can just leave and go somewhere else to level or find new gear to improve yourself.  Like I played the game for over 15 hours before even attempting to beat the games first main boss lol

Oh and just to add for kicks, I was a strength build for much of the game, focusing on the big two handed great swords and colossal great swords, it's my go to usually for these games, big damage and big stun, but after awhile, I wanted something different, so found a dual katana build focusing on bleed damage, so it's all about diving in, slashing like crazy, and trying to get big blood explosions.  Worked great, especially once I got a summon that combined super great with it.  It even did pretty alright against enemies that don't bleed just for the rate of DPS, though a few enemies made it abit annoying (Those moving cat statues drove me nuts at a few points until I finally got their patterns down).

I'm mostly done with the game, I did like 90% of it before ending the story and with a little bit of stuff left, I might change thing up for it, see about doing some sort of magic build, maybe half magic/half sword as I'm not super into the full mage build idea.  I like the stabbing and poking more than the pew pews.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2022, 04:31:47 am by kamikazekeeg »

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #112 on: March 09, 2022, 09:39:58 am »
Forgot to do my Feb. update:

Games I Beat in Feb
Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5) - Great writing, amazing soundtrack... kind of repetitive gameplay.  Big recommend if you're a Marvel fan.  Beat on Feb. 9.
Journey (PS5) - Finally got around to one of the grandparents of the modern walking / environmental sims.  Beautiful and fun.  Beat on Feb. 10.
Shadow Warrior (2013) (XB1) - The perfect in between step of Duke Nukem Forever and Doom (2016).  Modernized in the same style as Doom, but a lot of the same juvenile humor that permeated Duke Nukem.  Kinda racist, and really poorly optimized for the X-Box.  Beat on Feb. 16.

Played in Feb
Cities: Skylines (PC) - Best modern city builder.  So fun to just dick around in for hours.
Elden Ring (PS5) - At this point I'm just over 60 hours in.  So, so much fun.


tripredacus

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #113 on: March 09, 2022, 09:56:34 am »
4. Force of Nature (Abandoned)
This is a casual survival/crafting game that is (was) very promising and I did actually enjoy playing it to a point. The game was never truly finished and the developer had moved on to the 2nd game in the series which also looks interesting. It is a grind-fest but once you get the hang of things that part isn't that terrible.

The game starts off as being easy and in an area that is separated from the rest of the world via foliage. You can't go past that and monsters/animals can't either. You can cut down the trees or bushes in order to be able to explore but you have to be careful as then the wandering enemies can go through that part also. It is simple enough to be able to survive until you get the first Force of Nature shard, and also not terrible to get the second. The second one is in a different biome (and to the dev's credit) the transition between these first two areas is done very well. The third on the other hand, no so.

Anything you can build or craft is locked based upon what level you are at. There is no way to improve stats or items unless you complete quests to finish the level. When you get the first shard, you look on the map to find where the second one is. The biome it is in has different temperature and on this level you are given the ability to make the armor for that temperature. You are able to make anything you need to survive this area without an issue, even the way to cure poison from the scorpion enemies.

Combat is simple but there are very few ways to have creative combat. The potential is there but it isn't actually possible. Enemies are passive and have a short aggro range. There is a co-aggro for each enemy and if the first spots you, any other enemies within a short distance of that first enemy will be alerted also. But this stacks and you can end up with a ton of trouble if a pack comes after you. This can only be solved by waiting until the monsters move around and you can attempt to kite one at a time. Despite having better armor/weapons/stats at a later level (say level 9), there is still the potential for low level enemies to kill you. You can use the environment to funnel monsters (some are too big to walk under trees) and there are ranged weapons but the shooting angle is fixed and too short. So because of the shortcomings, all combat is basically set up so that you have to tank damage and hope to outlast the enemy.

The primary issue I faced was that the balance between biome 2 and 3 is not good. The enemies you fight in the third biome are much stronger in comparison to enemies in the second (as compared to your level at that time). I think their HP is fine but their damage is too high. I attempted to kill the monsters at the third shard 3 times and each time I can't make it through all of them. The cover around is not as good as the 2nd biome and they were always too close to each other to kite single units. Enemies respawn when the map loads, so you have to do it all in one shot. Also IMO the weapons (or the armor or something) is just enough to make the regular enemies in biome 3 to be challenging but not enough to take out the shard guardians. Another issue is that there is no food in biome 2 or 3, so you only have what you brought with you.

There is no cheats for the game, but there is a creative mode. I may take a look at that to see if it is possible to do quests that way but I have some doubts. The ways the enemies/animals move around the map is interesting, as they can "migrate" to other areas. Usually no issue for enemies but sometimes they can come close to your base. There was one instance where a super high level goblin wandered into the starting biome which was not fun. Also about goblins, you can tame one, which going by how the quests were set up makes you think that you should be using a goblin at the third shard... BUT bringing a goblin anywhere is a death sentence. I tried one in the starting area and they move around so much they trigger so many aggros and it would not be ideal to use in an actual fight. The one in the starting biome when I was level 9 and all the monsters were level 1-2, the goblin had kited about a dozen enemies too me.

Also there is no real support for the game. All of the videos and threads about it are outdated. It is obvious that the game was updated at some point after it was "popular" but no one made any meaningful content about the game (no longplays, tutorials, etc) at its current state. So when I was stuck, there was no posts or videos about what to do next. After running out of ideas and having no where to turn, I decided to abandon the game. Unlike previous games I abandoned, I didn't delete it, may take a look at it again some other time.

gngtiger

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #114 on: March 10, 2022, 02:21:51 am »
3: Super Mario Bros. (Completed 3/5/2022)

I feel so ashamed putting this here.

I have spent most of my free time towards YouTube instead of gaming this year, and I felt the need to put SOMETHING to live up to it. I most likely won't get even 21 games finished. As for this, I literally just played it on the Switch Online version, abusing the rewind feature and the warp zones so I could get some My Nintendo platinum points for those new icons. It's a fine enough game and all, but I'm not sure if it truly belongs.

Overall the game is 7/10. I respect it a lot more than I actually enjoy it.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2022, 12:57:19 pm by gngtiger »

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #115 on: March 10, 2022, 11:02:38 am »
21. Gran Turismo 7 (PS5)

While admittedly I did not "beat" Gran Turismo 7, I played it about 50-hours since it came out last friday. In other words, most of my free time over the past week has been playing this game lol. Because of this I feel like I have a good enough grasp on the game to review it and also because I've always seen the GT games as something you play until you don't have any further desire to play them. This typically occurs when the game starts resembling something like a dedicated Le Mans or Rally game. The real joy of these games is being able to drive cars I actually have a genuine interest in and feeling how different they perform between one another; it's the closest I'll ever get to driving a Skyline GTR R34 V-Spec II Nur or a McLaren F1 and because of that I'm addicted to these games up to a point.


But anyways, I have to agree with some of the more favorable reviews GT7 has received over the past week and say it's at the very least the best GT game released since the PS2 era of games, and at the very best it's the best GT game ever made. I am of the latter opinion hands down. Everything in the game feels so genuine and real; the cars all sound and perform as you'd expect them to in real life, and look absolutely stunning I might add! The tracks, including many iconic tracks that have been absent for far too long make a triumphant return. Oh, and they also look incredible. The actually driving and racing gameplay is the best in the series so far, bar the Rally races which feel a lot more floating than they do in previous titles and also have some questionable physics. However, my biggest gripe with the gameplay is how slow the game starts off. There are weird little avatar people that talk to you depending on what section of the map you're in. While most go away after the first couple hours of the game, some do not and the pacing would have been greatly improved if they were removed entirely. Also, for better or worse, this is by far the most linear GT game ever made. In other GT games you start the game with a few credits, buy a cheap starter car and get to work your way up by unlocking licenses, participating in whatever races you want, and being able to buy and sell cars to get the cars you need to compete in other races. While you can do some of this to an extent in GT7, your progression is a lot more planned via unlocking a new car in most of the races and also only being given new races after completing the previous set of races. I'm going to be honest, I was not a fan of this at first and I still don't fully like it, but it did grow on me after a while, although I'd have preferred it more open like the previous games. Beyond the inclusion of other modes like Mission Mode, Photo Mode, and multiplayer, and want to focus briefly on one more mode that really blew me away; tuning. Yes, the tuning in GT7 is the best in any GT game by far. Not only are you able to essentially completely transform a car with multiple body, wheel, and livery options, but performance parts have a very noticeable and realistic impact in the way a car sounds, handles and just feels overall. It wasn't terrible in most of the previous games, but it just felt more general in terms of its performance impact on your car. Finally there's the OST and overall sound quality. GT7 does an amazing job at capturing the sounds of the vehicles and in this regard it gets a 10/10 in my book, however the OST is definitely a mixed bag. I liked a lot of the menu and overworld music, however the music that plays while racing is once again some generic, bland rock/techno/pop OST with few tracks you'll recognize or get you pumped in any way while racing. I feel like the musical OST in GT games has been sorely lacking since GT4 and it would be nice if Polyphony would spend more on licensing music people might actually want to hear while competing in a race. But yes, GT7 is the best GT game ever made, which is something I've so badly wanted to say with each new GT game since GT4 which has remained by favorite for almost 2 decades now. I will definitely be returning to GT7 more in the future in between other games and just when I feel like I need my car fix. (3/8/22) [41/50]

kashell

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #116 on: March 11, 2022, 08:09:12 am »
18. Metroid Fusion

I kept forgetting that I had this as part of the 3DS Ambassador Program. It was cool; a lot more fun than Dread. It got pretty frustrating near the end since every damn enemy wanted to give Samus a hug.

undertakerprime

PRO Supporter

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #117 on: March 11, 2022, 09:10:17 pm »
11. Mass Effect 2 Legendary Edition
Hot damn this game is good. I won’t make a long writeup, but I just had to comment about how great the Suicide Mission is. Having to make quick decisions based on the situation and your knowledge of your team really puts you in the shoes of Commander Shepard.
I played through the whole series twice years ago on X360 and never lost a team member on the Suicide Mission, but that changed this time. I never had access to DLC back then so this was my first time with the DLC characters Zaeed and Kasumi. Zaeed is a veteran of many battles and former leader of a mercenary organization, so I figured it made sense that he could be a good squad leader…apparently the game didn’t think so and he got shot. Oh well, I hardly ever used him because I’m playing as a Soldier class and Zaeed’s similar abilities made him redundant.

I still remember how much I hoped ME3 would include similar situations, and I was disappointed when it didn’t (it does have big decisions, just not those kind where selecting the wrong person for a job can have deadly consequences).

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #118 on: March 11, 2022, 11:35:14 pm »
22. The Flintstones (Genesis)

The Flintstones on Sega Genesis is a very, very special game for me; it was the first video game I ever got when I got my Sega Genesis for my 6th birthday. Also, related, but unrelated, for years I always thought I received my Genesis for my 5th birthday in 1992, when in fact I had to have received it for my 6th birthday the following year since this game came out in Feb 1993 in the US. While not a big deal, it's kind of crazy how poorly we remember things from our past sometimes. But anyhow, back to the review. The Flintstones is a very mixed bag in terms of quality. On one hand this is probably one of the best looking third party Genesis games ever made; it's levels are all distinct, it has a large variety of enemies and bosses, and the sprites are just excellent. Also the OST is also really catchy and fun too. However, the gameplay is a whole different kettle of fish. The gameplay is functional in some ways while in others it is borderline broken. Case in point, there's a grappling mechanic you'll use often to grab ledges. This mechanic works when it feels like sometimes and takes a lot of getting used to in order to compensate for how super specific it is to get it to work. Also the hit detection is very dodgy too, both when hitting enemies and getting hit. You can take out an enemy with your club when they aren't even that close, but likewise they'll hit you when there's a noticeable distance between you and them. However, the most frustrating and broken part of this game has to do with the level design, especially the last two stages. There were several sections of both stages that nearly broke me and I had to replay many, many, many, MANY times to get past. It wasn't because they were difficult, but fair, but rather just as poorly designed as a retro platformer could get. Like literal one frame opportunities to perform jumps in order to grab onto a ledge, which as I mentioned is already not a well functioning mechanic. I never beat this game as a kid, and barely beat it as an adult because of all this crap. Sadly, despite The Flintstones holding a special place in my heart, the game just isn't that great or fun to play which is a shame since it's very well made otherwise. Still I have to give credit where it's due and also acknowledge the importance this game will always have for me. (3/11/22) [32/50]

undertakerprime

PRO Supporter

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022
« Reply #119 on: March 12, 2022, 09:01:08 pm »
12. X-Men (arcade)
For my birthday, my kids and I went to an arcade at the mall where you pay $10 to get in and get unlimited play. We ended up playing through the entire arcade version of X-Men, and it’s great to share it with my kids; I used to play that game all the time at the arcades when I was in high school. I was Storm, one son was Cyclops and the other was Nightcrawler. Took a lot of (free) credits but we beat it.