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52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

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dhaabi:
22. Flow || PlayStation Portable || 05.04.24



Being familiar with thatgamecompany's works, I've never before set out to play through their first title, Flow. Long ago, though, I do believe I had tried out the Flash version, but not at any noteworthy length. So, my time playing the game now felt quite new still.

As a simulation game, Flow has players assume the role of a microorganism consuming all other life in its vicinity, allowing it to grow exponentially in size and capability. While only having one specific organism available at the game's beginning, players will eventually unlock a total of five different lifeforms, each with their own play style. Despite the subtle changes each playthrough brings, the objective remains the same: become the top of the food chain by growing and evolving to the point where you reproduce by laying an egg, resulting in stage completion. Once an egg is laid, it is hatched upon being selected at the main hub area, which is when it then becomes the vessel you control in a new life as a new playthrough.

Regarding stage design, each stage is comprised of sixteen layered levels, which the player is freely able to ascend and descend to any freely. Across each level, other organisms to consume exist in addition to non-living cells which either restore health or help bring forth evolution. As players progress deeper and deeper one layer at a time, enemies will frequently become hostile, although many are non-confrontational and largely serve as fodder. To overcome predators, players must navigate strategically to consume them one health segment at a time. Of course, these enemies behave similarly; once the player's health has been depleted, they are sent upward one layer, so the penalty for death is minimal.

However, there is no requirement for the player to behave as a predator. Instead of consuming life, players may instead descend to the lowest layer where the current playthrough will end. Of course, such a play style may be difficult in levels which enemy hostility is high, and, naturally, avoids most of the game's in-game systems and gameplay mechanics. With that said, I didn't take the time to properly understand the evolution system and how it relates to player health, but I'm sure there is some balance of the two. Instead, I merely consumed all cells in any order as I neared them, which didn't cause me any concern.

Like later game soundtracks from thatgamecompany, Flow's music offers calming ambiance, but I seldom had the chance to properly listen to it. The reason for such is due to the constant barrage of interactive noises which serve as an audio feedback to life consumed. In deeper levels where cells move about by the dozens, there is little opportunity to avoid them even if wanting to, so the soundtrack becomes a distant sound. Since there are no in-game menus, audio control is not available. Having played the first half of the game with headphones, I found this issue quite bothersome.

Overall, Flow is a relaxing game which allows players to experience what's been created without much consequence. There is simplicity to it which allows for a certain element beauty to come forth, no different than later works made by the team.

tripredacus:
17. Dragon Age: Origins
Time played was 44 hours, and I had started this over a month ago but I had taken some breaks. I was super hooked on Heroes of Might & Magic III that I was spending big hours on playing that. I had to get to a point where I basically had run out of things to do with that because I kept going back to it. I'm still not going to bother with the campaigns but I had put in 381 hours since the beginning of the year or whenever I had put that on my list.

Back to DAO, it is a fine game. Has too much lore and I just am not that into delving into game lore like I did in Morrowind. Even when Skyrim came out I didn't care about reading the books like the previous games. So the codex was something I'd only look at when I needed a break. Nice to see the choices matter type in this game. Moreso that it can effect your party. I didn't look into spoilers because in general I did not run into many situations where I didn't know what to do next. Like I killed Wynne in the mage tower and didn't know until later she could have been recruited. I never ran into Zevran that I am aware of. Some in-game choices can make a party member rebel such as some choice I made where the chantry rogue decided to side with an enemy in a dungeon. Or when I spare Loghain and Alistair decided to just leave.

Issue with the ability for party members to rebel is that you get to gear them, so if that happens they are going to be using good items. The Chantry girl didn't have anything good yet but Alistair did. I always had in the back of my mind to try to bribe Alistair with gifts because I wasn't sure if I could beat him in a fight. Until I got to a point where I knew he couldn't beat me is when I stopped caring whether he liked me or not.

Sound and music was fine. Story was fine. The only big issue with story was the ending where it said someone had died but I never did the quest to kill them. I only played the Origins part and have not yet done the additional content that comes with the remaster or whatever, including the expansion pack. It did get me to watch that Dragon Age BD I've had for awhile and it makes me a bit more interested in the other games.

telly:

--- Quote from: kamikazekeeg on May 04, 2024, 03:49:25 pm ---I really wanted to love that game, it's so cool, but the hardcore depth of field visuals killed it for me, it's like the extreme version of what was done with the Link's Awakening remake, another one I didn't like.

--- End quote ---

Yes I didn't mention it but there were some issues with the visuals. Part of it was that when moving down the screen you can't see what's in front of you so sometimes you just run into enemies. Also the water effects were really weird and blinding upon loading a level.

Cartagia:
I finished the remaster of Advance Wars.  Pretty mixed feelings on this.  The tone is pretty bizarre with how light and fluffy it is even though it is very specifically about urban warfare and a lot of death.  It also has an intense difficulty spike at the end of the game which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't really easy up to that point.  I do generally like gameplay, though - aside from the fog of war mechanics.l, which I really didn't care for.  Fog of war makes sense in games like this, but it's not implemented  super well because moving and attacking aren't separate actions.

kashell:
40. Soul Hackers 2 - Paradise Lost Ending

Along with going through New Game Plus and getting the true ending, I was also able to get the platinum trophy. All demons in the compendium have been fused or summoned. All of the teammates had their soul levels at 200. All Soul Matrices have been explored. Everything else fell into place in the first playthrough. This was a very fun game. I enjoyed it way more than Persona 3. The main SMT series will always be my favorite, but Soul Hackers deserves some flowers. I liked its neon and techno vibe, the characters were relatable and likable, and the game didn't outstay its welcome. Doing everything took a good 60 hours across two files. There isn't too much else to say that hasn't been said from my previous post about it. I'll just end this update by recommending it to RPG fans.

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