Last Game You Finished And Your Thoughts V3.0

TITLES
Manny chain reaction
turtles
Living underground
turtles
Minister action
TURNS
IT'S A SHELL OF A TOWN

Huh, so I guess I came in here after the works do last weekend? Anyway, I've finished some computer games since then.

DOOM Nintendo Switch

Ooh, this is fun. Just top quality shooting. Great weapons and enemies in fun maps. Like all the best shooters this is all about movement and violence, ripping and tearing. There's no cover, no stopping and listening to dialogue. You shoot and chop and bomb and jump and fight. Every room is a puzzle and the solution is guns. Plus, the hell on mars aesthetic is still really fun and unique.
There's also a lot of secrets and mysteries hidden in the environments if one is of a more curious, exploratory bent. Shen found loads of upgrades and stuff for me. I mostly just killed daemons.
Doom marine for Pope

Pokemon Diamond Nintendo DS

I've been poking at this on trains and buses, lunch breaks and toilet sessions, since. . . well since I finished Hotel Dusk, pretty much. There's lots I like about Sinnoh - the deep myth and lore, the Metroidvania way each HM unlocks little secrets in old areas, Cynthia . . . but there's also huge issues with pacing. You know the design is messed up when you get fly super early to make up for all the backtracking. One of these days I need to play Platinum and properly understand how it differs from the original duo.
Before that, though, it'll be onto Black or White in my quest to have one of each game ready to go for my Pokedex quest next year. I've played through 4 pokemon campaigns in the past 12 months and I'm still honestly enjoying it!
But next on my DS docket: Spirit Tracks

EDIT: Oh yeah, nicknames. Sinnoh is based on Hokkaido, the dairy capital of Japan, so all my monsters were named after cheese. Roquefort the Empoleon (its a blue cheese, he is blue), Cheddar the HM Slave Bidoof, String the Drifblim, Parmesan the Lucario, Feta the Carnivine, Gorgonzola the Luxray and finally Gouda the Dialga (he's the time Pokemon and Gouda is aged).

Two posts, two Drunkas! I'll come back to the TITLES one later...

Everyone says the new Doom is great, and I'm pleased it does what it says on the tin, but I don't know if it's for me - I'm glad it's a banger though.


Speaking of those

This was bloody great, and has taken up about 80 hours of my time. As someone who spent a lot of time playing Minecraft, my initial thoughts were "well, they've left it a bit too late for this" - however, having a structured story, on top of the shiny graphical shine, made this a lot more appealing; it didn't really outstay its welcome either. There were a lot of negative points raised by others about the Chapter structure; i.e. leaving behind a town you've spent hours beautifying, only to have to travel to another stinky land and start again. This isn't a sensible argument - each chapter has its own save file anyway, so you can treat that loading as a "fast travel". Maybe there was room for a bit more ramping up of the difficulty, but actually I enjoyed it for what it was. I don't regret the huge amount of time I spent playing it. And there's a slime called Splatrick.
9.5/10

I've heard good things about DQB - a focused Minecraft game with RPG elements sounds dead fun. It reminds me of Dark Cloud, in a way.

Definitely going to look into Far Lone Sails that Mas posted about a page back. I'll be picking up Okami on the Switch sale too. Had my eye on it for a while but after Drunka's post I can't really put it off any longer.

I've heard nothing but goodness about Dragon Quest Builders, but I'm not sure I'll ever get around to getting it.

FAR would be my game of the year so far within our voting system on here.

I really should start Okami but it falls into a similar issue to likes of Wind Waker HD that I know the game is good but as I've played before, I'm in no real rush to get to it. Same sort of goes for Dragon Quest Builders as I've got it downloaded on my PS4 that it's never going anywhere plus I sort of forget what I have digitally.

Jimbob wrote:

There were a lot of negative points raised by others about the Chapter structure; i.e. leaving behind a town you've spent hours beautifying, only to have to travel to another stinky land and start again. This isn't a sensible argument

I think it's a great game but that is definitely a sensible argument. The game doesn't make it clear that will happen and "just reload an old save" is the only silly argument!

I can see the appeal, but it's not for me. And, er, that's it!

Drunkalilly wrote:

Pokemon Diamond Nintendo DS
There's lots I like about Sinnoh - the deep myth and lore, the Metroidvania way each HM unlocks little secrets in old areas, Cynthia . . . but there's also huge issues with pacing. You know the design is messed up when you get fly super early to make up for all the backtracking. One of these days I need to play Platinum and properly understand how it differs from the original duo.

Seems fair. I didn't finish Platinum, but it felt like a massive improvement.


I'd say that you pretty much know what you're getting out of YCW. You're probably expecting simple yet charming platforming adventure. Babby's first platformer, relying on its myriad collectables to provide much of the challenge. Cute but uninspired, feeling like an afterthought compared to the greats of Mario or even the new 2D adventures of Donkey Kong. Good but not great.

Most of that is fair.

YCW isn't uninspired though. Simple yes; not uninspired. I'm not only talking about the visual style, which is as lovely as it looks in static shots and Nintendo's trailers; I'm talking about gameplay that's always throwing something new and interesting at you. It's a gentle throw, but every level feels full of fresh ideas, some of which (like the best bits of e.g. Odyssey) could almost be games of their own. The robot. The plane. The car.

And the spooky levels, dear God the spooky levels. YCW's finest levels are truly special. That's offset by other levels that are merely okay, but even those will have things to like. (Not the music though. Never the music.)

It's a good game with great moments. Recommended at full price, if not quite full expectations.

I recently play MVC:I and actually playing this even though both are very similar it is the polish that's the real difference.

The story mode even though cheesy and has Ronda's acting, knows what it is and does it so well then after that there is so much to do be it klassic towers with each fighter having there own ending which makes it worth playing.

The issue with MK11 is unlockables which you can get by playing the story mode and winning fights along with special towers that change daily but mainly you earn three different types of kurrency which you can use in the krpyt that is basically loot boxes on an island which you can walk around.

Just you don't know what's going to be in these boxes, they're all different amounts for some reason like why does a 500 gold box give me the same as a 5000 gold box? Ohh and you can't buy any of these kurrencies either meaning you have to grind and again everything is random or you can buy time krystals with real money to buy things in the in-game shop but that is also random selection each day.

You, of course, want this gear to make Sub-Zero your Sub-Zero with a kool kostume and arguments to take online and help in trickier towers.

Lot's to do and unlock, I'd even go as far to say it's on par with a SMASH with kontent for a traditional fighter and polis, let down my unlockables.

OrangeRakoon wrote:

Jimbob wrote:

There were a lot of negative points raised by others about the Chapter structure; i.e. leaving behind a town you've spent hours beautifying, only to have to travel to another stinky land and start again. This isn't a sensible argument

I think it's a great game but that is definitely a sensible argument. The game doesn't make it clear that will happen and "just reload an old save" is the only silly argument!

I was personally a big fan of travelling somewhere new because it give the sense that there was still a lot to work to be done although it wouldn't hurt to let you go back to the previous area to keep check on it.

I've finished Yoshi's Crafted World too, "a good game with great moments" right enough. It's really easy if you're just looking to blast through it, but there's probably a more substantial challenge beneath it's surface. There's a lot to do and see here, you'll know the script if you've played a mainline Yoshi game before. It's really pleasant and easy-going, it's business as usual, really.

As well as everything others have said, I'll add this: I'd say Yoshi's Crafted World is better than Kirby Star Allies, is not as good as Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, is and about level with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. It's maybe a little bit worse than Yoshi's Woolly World on the Wii U too. 7/10.

Apart from the KSA and YWW comments, which I can't say anything about because I played those games wrong and not at all irrespectively, I agree absolutely with that.

Katana Zero

I went into this expecting nothing more than a cool wee Samurai action game & I got that but the story is quite clever in places which was a nice surprise, I don't want to give much away but it explains the rewind/slow mo mechanic really well whereas in most other games it's just a feature that's there to make the player feel cool. Overall the writing isn't the best but the dialogue choices and how you interact/affect the story are smart, actually parts of it reminded of one my favourite films Memento.

My only real downside is I wish there was more of it as most will blitz through it in 6 hours or less but the length aside I'd still say it's something you's should play.


Guacamelee 2

Just finished this off an hour or so ago and while it's good stuff it hasn't done much different compared to the first game & that's a real shame.

I bought FA day one on Xbox One as I liked the look of it and I had seen it reviewed well. Since then and a few days ago, I had touched it which meant I've seen it on sale a few times.

Which I did think to myself why didn't I just wait to buy it in a sale when I want to play it, however, I feel that would have done the game and the developers an injustice as it was every penny.

You may have seen me mention in the eShop thread saying it felt point and click adventure-like but you move Anne along well it did to start with but as it goes on you do get times of not a lot of puzzles and when you do get some they're not really that hard along with always centred the same tools you have.

That FA is more like anime due to the art-style that you play in a side on few and you do the puzzles they would in the show. It's the art style, music, story, vo and characters that drive you forward.

OR has said he's played more than once but I do feel even you make choices along the way, the ending will always pretty much be the same if that puts you off (Balla).

This very much could be a hidden gem as I've never heard anyone talk about it.


Very much a great fit for Xbox Game Pass with a new episode every few months of this episodic game based on a Skybound property of the same name.

Plays very much like a Telltale game just at a different POV and let's just say a simpler art-style. I only really continued past episode 1 as that was only about an hour long and was just during Inside Xbox Fanfest, as it's only 4 episodes and rather short, why not finish it.

I finished Dad of war. Very good game. A technical marvel with the best axe ever. But it runs a bit long and the more I played it, the less I felt like a god... so I turned it down to easy and felt much better.

masofdas wrote:

OR has said he's played more than once but I do feel even you make choices along the way, the ending will always pretty much be the same if that puts you off (Balla).

Yeah the game doesn't branch, only how you approach and deal with each scene, but I think it achieves that well. The ending just comes down to a binary choice regardless, but I think you can get various end ratings.

Whereas everybody knows that the best game endings are three-way choices.

Although I wouldn't say that my favourite all-time games were Metroidvanias, I would say that I really do love a good side-scrolling go-here-to-get-that-so-you-can-now-go-here-to-get-that-so-etc adventure, and Wonder Boy 3, despite originally being older than the relevant 'Vanias, is a great example of this.
I know I said this before, but I've gotta say it again: until I hit the "retro" button, I had no idea that this was basically running on the same engine as the Master System original. The cartoony art style, I would say, sets an example that anyone remaking an old game should aspire to. Beautiful. The game itself holds up as well - any time I found myself hitting a difficulty wall, I went elsewhere to discover I'd missed another route that was an obvious first step; I only had myself to blame. The only negative? Fun as it is, its age as showed it to be a little bit basic, even with the variety of Animal Friends.
I think I picked up a random NGamer when doing the big tidy-up, and I think they declared the original, on its VC release, as a bit crap. Now, I wouldn't normally go against the sacred tome of red blue and orange, but I think they've been a bit dismissive there. (Also, I'm pretty sure it was on the "VC titles we'd like to see" DVD from the early days).

Er... 5 out 6. Divided by 3. Multiplied by 6. Divided by 2.

...that's just 5/6 you sneaky boy you. Anyway, is that the most recent one which is really quite expensive? If so that's on my watchlist.


I've found myself comparing SWQHoG, as nobody should ever refer to it, to a couple of completely different games I've played recently-ish: Yoshi's Crafted World (see above), and story-based indie Metroidvania-ish thing Iconoclasts. These are games with great special moments, let down because of other moments or things that are mediocre or poor. Then you have Steamworld Quest, a game without many of either.

All of Quest is very good. The battle system is good, the customisation is good, the level and enemy design is good, the visuals and audio are good, the lifespan (15h) is good for an indie. The writing is very good, and funny at times (I laughed out loud at least once). It's the work of a team that's on top of their game, and their game is polished to a sheen as a result. The only criticism I have is the clunky cut-scene skip, but everything else is very good.

Nothing really stands out as great or special. The game is great, not because anything in it is great, but because it does what it does flawlessly.

I'm not sure I'd recommend it as much as Iconoclasts or Yoshi, even though it's better, and I enjoyed playing it more overall, and it was the first thing I wanted to do when I had a moment to myself for the duration of its playtime. I'd still recommend it, at full price, and you'll enjoy it; but it's completely missable. The only thing you'd miss out on through playing it is a damn good time.

How many hours did you put into it Balla?

Balladeer wrote:

...the lifespan (15h) is good for an indie...

That's the whole game, incidentally; a very small amount of grinding; and five or so of the Colosseum battles.  I think I had one Game Over, on the second-to-last boss.

I somehow missed that in the brackets, woops

Sounds like a good length, definitely intending on playing it at some point!

Wonderboy: The Dragon's Trap is on my to-play list. I'll get round to it, someday...! I'm giving SteamWorld Quest a miss - just not my sort of game at all.

~



I’ve completed Trailblazers, a colourful and energetic co-op arcade racer that seemingly came and went with very little fanfare at some point last year. The core concept is what makes it stand out: it’s basically WipEout meets Splatoon. In your flying motor, you're laying down streaks of paint on the anti-gravity tracks for your teammates to boost over, and for you to boost over on your next lap. You’re doing that while running over your opponent’s tracks, making their race slower, and they’re doing the same to you. I think it’s a cracking idea, but unfortunately it’s a little let down by rubbish teammate AI, unconvincing collision detection and some dodgy performance. You sense that a developer with a bigger budget would have been able to tighten all of this up.

That said, it looks all right, has a decent amount of tracks and racers and has a really catchy soundtrack. For only £10.99 at Argos just now, I think it’s worth a go if you’re waiting around for Team Sonic Racing and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled like I was.

I just traded it in for £10.80. I got my 19p’s worth. 7/10.

Another Cappa bargain. But Hats off to them for a solid concept.

What a great game.

With an almighty twenty-five strawberries and an almighty eight hundred and sixty-three deaths, I've reached the end of Celeste. Truthfully, I'd always thought that folk were overreacting to it, but now that I've played it for myself, I'm happy to admit that I was very mistaken. Like everybody else, I found Celeste to be very sincere, very imaginative and very thoughtful. All the gamey stuff (like the graphics, gameplay, music and all that) is superb in itself as well. Fair enough, Celeste made me shout 'FUCK OFF!' more times than anything I've played since Super Monkey Ball, yet all that frustration was quickly and easily forgiven.

I know that there's loads more of it, but I'll savour it. Again, what a great game. 9/10.