52 Games Challenge 2019

[justin8301]

Finished up two more games the other day.

16. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS4) 4/6 - Beat
A lot of people say this game isn't as good as 2 but playing them back to back I'll have to say it was every bit as good; in fact I'd even say there are parts that are better. I felt like the story was more engaging and there were some crazy twists and turns. I would have to agree there are a few choke points where I wanted to throw my controller but I made it through it and am glad I did.

17. Final Fantasy IX (Switch) 4/6 - Beat
What can you say about this, Its FFIX. The switch is really shaping up to be the best way to play some of my favorite retro games. This port was excellent, the upgraded character models were awesome and even though it still uses the same low resolution pre-rendered backgrounds its kinda like they applied a filter to them that makes it almost look a watercolor painting.

[justin8301]

18. Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) 4/8 - Beat

Easily the most charming game I've ever played. You can really tell the developers poured their hearts into this game; from the level design to the music it just feels like you're playing a game straight out of a child’s imagination. I honestly think I was smiling the entire playthrough... except the level with the Murder Clowns... screw those guys.

[justin8301]

19. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch) 4/9 - Beat

Played this one on casual mode but it still wasnt the easiest game ever played. Really fun and I enjoyed the character switching mechanic.

[wolfen]

6.Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch)

I really love how cozy and imaginative this game is. The music could have been way batter than it was, each stage had a variation of the same tune throughout the game. It doesn't hit that same spot that Whooly World did but it's still a good time.

Time: 40 hours

[kamikazekeeg]

14 - State of Decay 2 (PC 2018) - BEAT - I'm basically counting this as beat as I essentially completed the main goal of the game, which is to wipe out the plague hearts, making your town safer.  The true "ending" is just completing the leader goals, which I don't think there is much left to do there, before you get an ending that has you leaving to a new town and essentially starting over in New Game +.  Because the game has no real story or characters and is really just a one note survival sim game, I'm basically good where I am.

I was actually kinda worried about fighting the plague hearts this time, because they felt so troubling last year I played, but turns out all you do is spam molotovs or fuel bombs and it's completely easy.  This game is just a real half-baked concept.  It wants to be a survival sim, but there isn't enough depth to make that engaging.  It wants to be this hack and slash action zombie game, but combat isn't interesting and there's not a lot of variety of things to accomplish.  The game just sits in this weird place where it either needs way more story and action or way more survival elements to really customize and explore your options, but it has neither.  Like by the time I got to the end, I realized that there almost no humans to fight and I could've swore in the first game you had to worry about humans along with zombies, so not sure what happened.

Anyways, this is just a mildly tolerable, alright, game, that is a generally underwhelming sequel.  I can't really recommend it to even people who like zombie games.  I only played it as I did because I realized it would be fine as a podcast game where I really don't need to focus too hard on things and I can catch up on podcasts I've had building up.

[telly]

Game 8 - Spelunky (PS4) – 8 Hours

This is one of my favorite games and I was so happy to hear when it got a physical release from LRG, it was actually one of my dream games to be released physical. I had played the freeware version years ago and watched tons of this updated HD version too, so it was great to actually play it for myself

+ The game doesn’t have much of a story, the real meat and potatoes is in the gameplay. All its levels are randomly generated which makes the game brutally difficult but also incredibly satisfying to beat. It took me 80 runs or so to beat Olmec, and there are still secret areas to go through and achievements to unlock which keeps the replayability high. Despite the random level generation, the game is also pretty fair (for the most part), and 95% of the time when you die, it was because of a mistake that you made. The game truly forces you to learn and get better because you can’t memorize level layouts, and it’s one of the finest tests of your skills as a platformer that I’ve ever experienced.
Outside of the gameplay, the graphics are quite appealing and the music is solid too. It’s one of those games that I will probably put aside and then come back to later on to try and finish a hell run and a 500,000 gold run.

- Because the game is randomly generated, there is the occasional bullshit level layout or situation that you can’t get out of without using one of your bombs or ropes, which I don’t like. The biggest issue is in the shops/black market when a shopkeeper has a fighter for hire or a kissing booth. If the people they’re selling gets damaged by an enemy (like they’re eaten by a mantrap or something), they attack YOU, even if you’re not in the shop. It’s a really dumb oversight but thankfully it doesn’t come up that much.

I’m really excited to dive into Spelunky 2!

[Cartagia]

Just finished The Evil Within.  It’s Resident Evil with twice the gruesomeness, half the polish, and none of the charm.

[kamikazekeeg]

Just finished The Evil Within.  It’s Resident Evil with twice the gruesomeness, half the polish, and none of the charm.

Evil Within 2 is a lot better if you ever get to it. 

[bikingjahuty]

I haven't bumped one of my reviews on here in a while, but if anyone has been following my most recent reviews on page 4 I've been steadily playing games even though I've been super busy with other things. Anyhow, here's my newest review. Looking forward to this Summer as I should have way more time to play games, even though 22 so far is a pretty respectable number.


22. Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker (Switch): I played this game cooperatively with my girlfriend over the course of several months, not necessarily because it's a long game, but because I just had a very hard time staying engaged and interested in it. As a platformer (sort of) this game is pretty basic, simple, and easy. There isn't much challenge throughout the game, even when doing the stage challenges which are different for each stage, but typically belong to one of about 10 types of overall challenges you can do. As a result, the game is kind of boring and underwhelming. Visually the game is colorful, vibrant and creative, but the levels are all essentially giant, floating cubes in the sky that you have to navigate through, with each level being completely separate from the last. In the end it is mostly a good looking game while also being very plain at the same time. The soundtrack is nothing to write home about, but does feel very Nintendoee so I'll give it that. Sadly, upon finishing this game I was somewhat relieved that I was done despite having fun at times. Unfortunately this will go down as one of the most mediocre first party Nintendo titles I've ever played, although Yoshi's Crafted World, which I'm also playing right now, if certainly giving Captain Toad a run for its money. (4/22/19) [29/50]

[justin8301]

20. Super Meat Boy (Switch) 4/21 - Beat

[kamikazekeeg]

16 - Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4 2019) - BEAT - Just beat the story, but while there is still alot of extra stuff left, it's really unfortunate that this games legacy is gonna be known for the frustratingly designed time towers and the pretty crappy currency system with mobile-like resource features.  This stuff will be patched, adjusted, and tweaked for awhile, but this is like a 9/10 fighting game with incredible visuals and a good story to it, with some real cool things like the lore heavy Krypt, but it's just marred by bad, anti-consumer, ideas.

[telly]

Game 9 - The Last of Us Remastered (PS4) - 16 Hours

+ This game on the whole was fantastic. Really polished and well presented and overall very entertaining. First the game looks gorgeous. The huge environments with all the destroyed and overgrown buildings and interiors are simply breathtaking. The sound design is also fantastic, and the minimalist music sets the tone really nicely. The story, while overall pretty simple, has enough impact through the plot twists, and character developments keep you wanting to keep playing. There were some really emotional moments and I definitely teared up at some of them. I really liked Joel and Ellie and the dynamic they shared as you play the game. The voice acting in general was really good. Gameplay wise, the game wasn't anything spectacular but plays well and the crafting system was well implemented. The game's pretty scary at times too! I enjoyed dealing with the infected way more than the soldiers/bandits because they were scarier to fight.


- I have a few minor complaints but they're more related to how I like to play games that have a stealth element in them, like Metal Gear Solid. I don't like to have to kill people if I can avoid it, but the game sometimes forces you to kill everyone before you can move on to the next area. There are also some glitches and immersion breaking moments especially when your allies run directly in front of the enemies you're trying to sneak around. Lastly, I did not like the ending at all. It felt really anti-climactic and I wish there was a simple choice option where you could decide what direction you wanted to take the game.

[wolfen]

7.Sekiro (PS4)

Fantastic game. I love that the difficulty isn't in how cheap a boss is but how skillful you are with the options available to you. That is such a breath of fresh air. On top of that it has quite a compelling story throughout. I've never played any of the Soulsborne games and I found it to be a lot of fun and a great challenge.

Time: 70 hours

[bikingjahuty]

Just passed a tech cert test I've been mentioning on here for a couple years now. With that out of the way I am going to play the shit out of so many games now!

[mizzach86]

2. Super Mario Odyssey (2017) [NS]
Completion Requirements:
•   Collected 999 Power Moons
•   Purchased all hats, outfits and souvenirs
•   Completed capture list
•   Acquired all music
•   Reached rank 50 in Luigi’s Balloon World

Game #2 of 2019 is finally completed! I've been playing this since Christmas time and I absolutely love this game. The graphics, the locations, the best 3D Mario controls I've used, and an amazing soundtrack have all made playing this a great experience. I'm almost tempted to say this game might finally dethrone Super Mario World as my favorite Mario game, but at the bare minimum it's my favorite 3D Mario game. I've been having a rough time this year at work and in life also, so this game has been very therapeutic for me over the past 4+ months. Nintendo games have always done this for me anyway. This is a bucket list game for sure if you haven't played it.

Tip: If you want to purchase all the hats and outfits, play Luigi's Balloon World. It's by far the easiest way to rack up coins. I didn't figure this out until I'd spent many hours grinding coins in bonus areas.