phantom_leo said:

Reserved!

wicked.

1. The Legend of Zelda - NES - 14/01 - great game, surprisingly feature complete for a first attempt.  None of those cheap deaths or difficulty spikes you often find in games of its time.  -  8/10
2. Monster Hunter World - PC - 22/02 - The game to finally bring Monster Hunter the sales it deserved.  Supposedly less obtuse than previous games, although there's still plenty that is not explained and the online matchmaking is still horrible.  Biggest actual changes are the graphics, how there are no loading screens in missions anymore, and that you don't have to bring a spare pickaxe in case your main on breaks down.  Great game, as every MH is, but I could have done with less of the story getting in the way of the actual monster huntin'. - 8/10
3. Guacamelee 2 - Switch - 06/04 - enjoyable game, although it does little to advance the formula set by the original.  The game seems to hint at a light world/dark world change-up, but it never happens and just ends.  The boss battles were too easy, and the final boss is disappointingly short and unimaginative.  Enjoyable, but I was hoping for more  -  7/10
4. Jotun - Switch - 01/05 - didn't like much about this game.  it's slow with an unrefined combat system.  The so called hard bosses were pretty easy and the final boss required a gameplay gimmick that wasn't used anywhere else in the game, nor hinted at by the game itself.  -  5/10

5. Bravely Second: End Layer - 3DS - 23/06 - Too much like the first, as the overworld and nearly all locations, NPC's and enemies were lifted directly from it.  Still, I enjoyed the story and overall silliness.  All in all a very charming and enjoyable game, but it dragged on too long and was too similar to the original.  -  7/10

6. Last day of June - Switch - 25/06 - Very nicely done tale about loss of a partner set in a painterly, claymation southern European village.  An indy game with clear vision.  Enjoyable and smart enough to not outstay its welcome. - 9/10

7. SteamWorld Dig 2 - Xbone - 08/07 - Basically just SteamWorld Dig, but that isn't a bad thing when the core gameplay loop is so enjoyable.  You're constantly upgrading to the point where traversal becomes a breeze, very enjoyable.  Didn't outstay it's welcome. - 7/10

8. Little Nightmares - Switch - 28/08 - A horror game about a scared little girl sneaking around.  Both repulsive and relatable.  Brief without feeling too short and leaves you pondering what the story actually all was about.  -  8/10

9. Gris - Switch - 31/08 - a beautifull 2D game about human feelings that really is a 7/10 game, but gets bumped up just by how artfull it is.  -  8/10

10. Catherine - Xbox 360 through BC on Xbone - 15/10 - a unique coming of age tale in which the protagonist, uncertain about where his life and his relation are headed, is tempted by a new love interest that is much more than meets the eye.  A unique puzzler which makes you ponder your own values in life.  -  8/10, leaning towards a 9 because of how well it executes on it's unique premise.

11. Tetris99 - Switch - 17/10 - came in 1st.  Great game, only thing I could wish for is being able to matchmake with friends and seeing their game highlighted as you play.  Also, would be better that the competition's games would increase in size to fill the screen when less people are still in the game.  -  9/10

12. Unruly Heroes - Switch - 11/11 - a challenging action platformer that has plenty to like, but for me fell flat.  I actually counted down the levels untill I was done with it. - 6/10

1. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis [PS1] - 1st of January to 10th of January

I liked this more than RE2 actually. 8/10

2. Onrush [PS4] - 20th of December 2018 to 17th of January

Like Motorstorm crossed with Burnout but without the best of either one. 7/10

3. Life Is Strange [PS4] - [will update later] to 30th of January

This went in unexpected directions. Despite my disdain for some of the vocabulary I must give it 9/10.

4. Life Is Strange: Before the Storm [PC] - 1st of February to 9th of February

Even if I don't like the main character I liked the game. 8/10

5. A Hat in Time [PC] – 29th of July 2018 to 15th of February

I could finally finish now that my desktop's working again. 7.5/10

6. Long Live the Queen [PC] - 15th of February to 18th of February

My yearly tradition of playing this game for a short while at some random time. Got through it twice without dying. 8/10

7. Civilization VI [PC] - ? to 19th of February

I've had enough of this for now. Won and lost a lot of games. The latest expansion is too expensive for me right now. 9/10

8. Spyro the Dragon [PS4] - 9^th of October to 19^th of October

A great remake of a good game. 8/10

9. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage [PS4] - 19th of October to 27th of October

Better in some ways, worse in others; about the same overall. 8/10

10. Final Fantasy IX [PC] - 30th of October to 29th of November

The very first Final Fantasy game I finished, back in 2004. It's now the first Final Fantasy game I've finished twice. 9/10

11. Prey [PC] – 15^th of December to 28^th of December

Pretty all right, brother. 8/10

I also played a lot Stardew Valley [PC], but how do I complete it?

1. Valkyria Chronicles 4 - 1/12/19

2. Mother 3 - 2/24/19

3. Little Inferno - 3/22/19

4. Resident Evil: Biohazard  - 6/9/19

5. Resident Evil 7: Not and Hero and End of Zoe  - 6/25/19

6.  Call of Cthulhu - 8/29/19

7.   Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 10/13/19

8.   The Unfinished Swan - 11/17/19

Anyway guess what, I already beat a game! This year I will do like Edge and have mini reviews for smaller games.

1. Organ Quarter

This indie old school RE game in VR is one of the best experiences I've had. It very much lacks to polish of a big game cause it was made by two guys in boca raton but it captures what made old RE great. Managing health and items, stashing items in item boxes, solving weird puzzles by using items you find around and of course shooting monsters in the face. All done in first person with your hands interacting with the environment. No real jump scares which is a plus, that's cheap in VR, it's more silent hill style atmosphere. Any fan of survival horror with VR needs this. Score: 7.8

2. Devil May Cry 3 SE

Still the GOAT hack and slash action game.

3. Red Dead Redemption 2

Full review coming soon. A masterpiece. Score: 9.6

4. Budget Cuts

One of the best VR demos ever was for this game where you in full room scale have a portal gun and need to sneak around an office while avoiding killer robots with only throwing knives as your weapon. The game expands the demo into a full game. You will duck behind desks, open many drawers, peek around corners physically. The immersion factor is impressive. Sadly I never felt they really developed any further than the demo. Its just the same gameplay loop repeated with new areas. Not until the last level does it really throw you a crazy "boss" enemy, which sadly for me ended up glitched. A good first attempt for a game. Those without VR just do not understand how immersive it is to be in a stealth game where you are literally croutched on the floor and peaking over cubicles. Score: 7.5

5. Resident Evil 2

THEY DID IT!!!! I'm still playing, full review later. Its an instant classic, one of the best RE games ever. Move over REmake.

6. Kingdom Hearts 2

Played on critical mode which makes the combat one of the best in the genre. Incredible bosses, still a blast of a game with so much variety in locations. Still a classic.

7. Devil May Cry V

The king is back!!!! Another classic! Review is up on the site, it gets a 9.4!

8. Sekiro

Jesus this game was hard. Combat is reflex and pattern based, just a lot of memorization and trial and error. The game world is incredible but I wish there was more to it. Review soon.

9. Mortal Kombat X

Replay to get ready for 11.

10. Mortal Kombat 11

Great fighting system but too much F2P nonsense clouds the progression. Everything is a pain in the ass to unlock which is a shame cause the krypt is fun to explore. The story is well done, but that you can rent and knock out in a few sittings. Left me disappointed actually, still lots of good stuff in there. I'll give it an 8.

11. Castlevania 2

Dont ask, I just felt like playing it.

12. Toe Jam and Earl Back in the Groove

Holy shit they did it! A great recreation of the Genesis classic with a few tweeks and modes to make it even better. It is 100% classic Toe Jam and Earl! Overall Score: 8.1

13. Rage 2

How do you take such great gunplay with super powers and make such a boring game out of it. Guns that have cool uses but no enemies that tactically need them, the starting rifle remains the best gun the whole game. All these cool powers and what, you just spam the same three powers over and over. The game world is filled with activities that are just copy paste , same shit for many hours. The game has vehicle combat, then gives you a flying chopper that is the only way to travel around quickly so you never drive again. The first game was way better designed. Shame cause when the combat is working it is like Doom 4. Overall Score 6.5

14. Red Trigger

Some free game on steam thats like an hour long but pretty cool. Felt like a level made in dreams. Its a first person platformer where your gun activates red paltforms that come out of walls or spring up from the ground and then it gets complicated hitting triggers in air to launch you around. Blocking laser paths and so on. Pretty neat. A solid 6.5

15. Bloodstained Curse of the Moon

I cant believe how good this bonus 8-bit game is that came out just to promote the full game. It's better than Castlevania 3, I just played it a second time this time on the mode where you only play as the three CV3 like characters. It had a new final stage and boss making use of all three characters and their powers. What a great treat for any really old school Castlevania fans. I am now ready for the return of IGAvania. Score: 8.6

16. Bloodstained Ritual of the Night

Iga returns in great form with an excellent new fake Castlevania game that takes elements from all his games, sort of recrerates the SOTN map and puts a big emphasis on tough bosses. I played on hard and it was the hardest Iga game I have ever played. I actually needed to strategize and take advantage of the multitude of powers I could use. I loved the shard system, obviously its taken straight from the sorrow games and there are some really cool ones in this. It's lengthly, has loads of secrets, great levels and enemies, nice power progression. It does not try anything new, its rather by the book so because of that I won't put it in the class of the best CV games but its in the middle of the IGA pack.      

Overall: 8.8

17. Super Mario Maker 2

WOW what a sequel. The first one disappointed me in the end. It was a fun game and I made a bunch of levels but trying to find good stuff to play was painful. This one has so much better ways to find and play great levels. The options available to you are a bit overwhelming, lots of great new items and mechanics. It has a proper story mode with over 100 levels that have so much variety and cover all the new gadgets and items. Full review later but this is a classic.

18. Darksiders 3

Clearly a budget game that has lots of technical issues. Terrible frame rate, some freezes, weird glitches but it works most of the time. When it does you have a solid Souls clone with a dash of Zelda puzzles which kept me entertained for 20 hours or so. Combat is shallow, the same strategies work for basically every enemy. The fun came from exploring the interconnected world and the occasional cool puzzles that made use of all your powers. I am a sucker for these kinds of games so I liked it.

Overall Score: 7.9

19. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Oh yeah this is one hell of a classic CV game. It has all the cool branching paths of CV3 with far better graphics and boss battles. This is old school CV at its best.  Overall Score: 8.6

20. Blazing Chrome

Really neat Contra clone thats not as good as Contra 3 but about as close as you are going to get. Score: 7

21. Shadow of the Tomb Raider

I'll probably review it later. This is clearly the B-teams TR game. It has the same core which is good, its still fun to play and ther are a few good tomb puzzles. But it doubled down on just running and platforming, removed almost all combat and you are left with a game where everything is busy work to upgrade skills you never need.  Overall Score: 6.9

22. Star Wars Vader Immortal Episode 1

Part 1 of an on going VR series where you play some new character that is adept to the force and you end up in Vader's fortress and he needs you to resurrect Padme... yeah... anyway the production values are great. It feels like a cool interactive VR ride, it has some neat moments and then you get the lightsaber. The story is like an hour long but the meat of the game is the dojo with 40 levels of lightsaber combat which is quite fun. Overall Score: 7

23. Batman Arkham VR

A very short VR experience that makes the most of it by having one of the most fucked up batman stories I have seen. Plays like a horror movie more than anything, shows you how creepy Batman's rogue gallery can be, the star being Mark Hamill's Joker of course. You dont do much but scan for stuff, move objects around to look for clues and throw a batarang or two. Then when you finish the story the Riddler shows up and gives you 30 challenges hidden around the game, now you have to observent and solve some simple puzzles. Its a nice way to pad the exprience and a way for Rocksteady to show that they are second to none with the detail that goes into their worlds.  Overall Score: 7

24. RC Pro Am

Played this on Rare Replay and its still as fun as I remember it. Loved this game as a kid, super easy to pick up and play. Fun times.

25. Mass Effect Andromeda

It only took me 3 years but I beat it! The open worlds filled with pointless icons got me last time and made me quit. This time I just did regular quests and tried not to get bogged down chasing icons on a map and it almost felt like a ME game. Combat is really fun but the lack of team squad control really takes away from what little strategy ME games had. Encounters out in the world get a bit repetitive once you find a power combo that works. The stength is still the characters and questing, I had all the loyalty missions to do so I focused on those. Some where really well done with that classic make a choice moment.  I enjoyed all the squad members and their interactions with each other, Bioware is still the best at making a living party that feels like they learn to become a family.

The main story really lacks any reprocussions from choices, its nothing like the past ME games in that regard. That said it gets really exciting by the end and has a finale that would have been worthy of ME3 if ME3 had an actual ending. Epic space war stuff, a brand new beautiful planet with a huge war going on, every character coming together for one big fight. Its what you want from a finale. There is a good ME game some where in there. This game kind of got unfairly trashed, it's still pretty damn good.

Score: 7.8

26. Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening

It was an all time classic and this remake proves it. Took a few hours, I thought maybe it doesn't hold up but once you get into the meat of the adventure its grips you in all the right ways. The overworld is a joy to explore especially now with all the quality of life improvements this version brings. It's a beautiful game with tremendous art style, far better than ALBW. The dunegons are sublime, Eagle Tower is an all time great dungeon. It's classic Zelda almost at it's very best. I'll score this the same I did LA back in the day.

Score: 9.7

27. Minit

This was free on Epic and I always wanted to play it. The concept is neat, you have one minute to make progress before you die and start from a checkpoint area. The game is top down like a zelda but its way more like an adventure game than Zelda game, combat is almost non existance. Instead you will be searching for items that let you access areas quicker or get to the next checkpoint station so your area of exploration can grow. The minute mechanic works well when solving puzzles in a certain area but when you are lost and need to explore it can be annoying. I felt this game just ended on me, I had no clue I was fighting the final boss until it was over. Neat game but nothing special.

Score: 7.0

28. Gears 5

Woah where did this come from. I grew bored of this franchise by 3, the gameplay is repetitive and there is only so much they could do with the cover shooting. I skipped 4, this is the first Gears I have played in years and wow what a comeback. The addition of the robot partner Jack adds a whole layer of strategy to the combat, now you can go stealth, or create a shield, hack enemies, set traps all while doing the normal running and gunning. Jack's upgrades serve as the rewards for all the side quests, yes this game isnt a gaint corridor, now there are semi open areas with actual  good side quests. These quests lead to some of the best fights in the game and the rewards were worth it, thats a rare combination. The setpieces is where this game shines, there is a constant stream of new situations and big epic moments. At first enbemy variety is great but it stops adding new enemies about half way through. It makes up for it with some RE4 quality battle rooms where finally it feels they understand level design. Mix in a few good bosses and generally great responsive combat and you have one of the best shooters this gen. I didn't even try the multiplayer stuff, the 8 hour campaign was enough for me. Oh and its BEAUTIFUL.

Score: 9.0

29. Shenmue

Nothing quite like it. Very much a fossil now with game ideas that would piss off many people. No way to speed up time. A game where you literally get a job and have to go to that job for five days. But its attention to detail and full commitment to be a simulator is admirable.

30. Death Stranding - Review on site

31. Jedi Fallen Order - Review coming soon.

1. Beat: Blaster Master Zero: 5/10 - meh kind of a baby metroid game


2. Beat: The Banner Saga 3: 6/10 - They made encounters a bit more mixed up by adding more environmental hazards, new type of bad guys that had gimmicks and reasons for me to use perks, and the end game set up was reasonably tense because I was playing like an asshole. Ultimately a reasonably enjoyable but highly forgetable turn based strat game.


3. Beat: God of War 4: 7/10 - Finished everything this time and trials. Good game, but well you get the gist lol. I still prefer the Greek games, they have more options and better enemies n bosses. GIVE ME DEVIL MAY FUCKING CRY FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I miss Instruction manuals.

1. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix 04/FEB/2019


I just beat Kingdom Hearts for the first time in 17 years. I remembered most of the game when I played the only part I forgot was the final world including the final boss.

How do I beat Tetris 99?