apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,493
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Post by apollo on Sept 15, 2024 10:53:12 GMT
Persona 3 episode aigis
Thankfully the entire "expansion" pass is/was free as gamepass ultimate perk, as its lot to ask for minimal content. The only gameplay DLC is this episode and while its nice to see some flashback scenes of the main characters, large part of the DLC is doing more repeating dungeons again and again. They could of done a theme like the palaces in p5, but that would of been work. Same old monsters even for the "bosses" - bosses are just regular enemies with more health and resistances.
5 or 6/10
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Sept 15, 2024 11:44:00 GMT
Thank Goodness You're Here - 7/10
Appreciate the intention is largely for the humour to carry most of this like a sketch show, but the gameplay loop is frustrating.
Has anyone sent off their Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope?
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JonFE
Junior Member
Uncomfortably numb...
Posts: 1,839
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Post by JonFE on Sept 15, 2024 17:13:28 GMT
I managed to complete a game myself this weekend, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown on the Xbox.
There's not much to say that hasn't already be said about this game, but I'll give my 2 cents anyway.
It is a metrovania game, which means there's a lot of backtracking to open parts of the huge (oh matron) map that were previously locked/inaccessible with your limited early abilities. Speaking of abilities, as it is customary in games like this, you start off as a pushover and end up a god, both in regards to fighting and transversal. The game does a great job handling abilities over time gradually opening the map and keeping things interesting, before it gets boring or a chore.
Art direction, level and enemy design, animations etc are all top notch. The game also offers an extensive array of difficulty/accessibility options apart from the basic Easy/Normal/Hard, like damage modifiers, that will help every player customize the experience around his/her needs. It even has an option to let you bypass demanding platforming bits (that are aplenty), if they stop you from advancing the game.
Took my sweet time with it, over 50 hours for a bit of over 90% completion, although many hours were lost on me trying some platforming bits over and over again to actually beat them. I still got 3 achievements to get, 2 of which involve the aptly named "Impossible Climb" and the last one finding a couple of missing health upgrades. I'll probably gun for them in the coming weeks, along with the upcoming DLC.
Apparently, it didn't sell very well (according to the internet and the fact it's asking price was soon discounted) and it is a shame, as it's one of the best games coming out of Ubisoft lately and a fine way to revive a once great gaming franchise. Hopefully the upcoming DLC will do the game justice and more is on the horizon.
Easily 4/5.
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Post by peacemaker on Sept 16, 2024 16:21:48 GMT
Space marine 2 on Xbox
Great campaign full of carnage from start to finish. Visuals are great and it has some lovely cut scenes which are always welcome in a campaign.
Loses a couple of points for some dodgy audio issues and lacking much variety.
Decent length as well, didn’t outstay its welcome like most games and comes together in an epic finale.
Highly recommended though.
80/100
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Blue_Mike
Full Member
Meet Hanako At Embers
Posts: 5,054
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Post by Blue_Mike on Sept 16, 2024 20:36:11 GMT
Caravan SandWitch
This was on my wishlist since the first trailer. Thoroughly enjoyed the demo, so it was a day one purchase for me.
It's a (near) perfect game to chill out with over a couple of evenings. Finished it in 11.7 hours with 22 out of 26 achievements. The relaxing atmosphere of it served as a welcome break from my play through of Red Dead 2 where things had been getting quite heavy. It's one of those things where you can really tell that a small dev team poured their hearts into it.
I started to think of the van as a character in itself, although I would have appreciated a speed upgrade. The "speed up" did so little it put me in mind of the way Bioware fucked with our heads by making mount travel in DA:I seem like it was faster even though you were travelling at the same speed.
The soundtrack by French artist Antymony is really quite something. I can't praise the sound design enough, ditto the art direction. It never looks anything less than stunning. Estello village in particular was a place I would be quite happy to live in.
The only thing that marred my enjoyment of it was the fact that on several occasions, my progression was stalled by mis-placed quest markers, where it would direct me to a certain area of the map, only for me to discover that the next step was somewhere else entirely.
It's good, but it could do with a patch to address minor issues.
8/10
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Post by gamingdave on Sept 17, 2024 15:44:29 GMT
Dave the Diver (PS5)
I'm still playing, but I've reached the end credits of this little gem. It had me from the off with and only grew on me the more I unlocked the various different sub-games and the story unfolded.
It looks great, sounds great, all the play mechanics are well designed and it's got a lovely humorous charm.
Already put 55hrs into it, but I am going to keep going to platinum it as I don't think I am far off that.
Felt bad not supporting the devs as it was free on PS+ so I bought the physical version for the Switch as it should be a delight to play on that and it'll be fun starting all over again now I know whats coming and will make for a lovely holiday game.
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Post by skalpadda on Sept 17, 2024 21:46:24 GMT
In my ongoing journey to assassinate all the creeds* I just finished AC Syndicate. At first it didn't click with me on any level and I thought it would be my least favourite by far, but I ended up having a pretty good time. I liked the setting of Unity more, but while this has inherited most of Unity's problems with glitches and shitty AI it was a much smoother ride overall. I even kind of enjoyed the ending, which is a first for this series.
I had fun with the Jack the Ripper DLC as well. The terror mechanics were actually interesting and fun to play around with, while not taking away your other tools. Completely broke the AI and made everything stupidly easy, but it didn't outstay it's welcome. The only letdown was that the story didn't go anywhere.
*All the creeds of the last decade. I wanted to start with Black Flag, but Ubisoft doesn't want to sell it to me for some reason. No idea if the earlier ones are worth going back for - I know a lot of older players swear by the first few games, but they look very much of that PS3/360 era of console games that I never managed to connect with.
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Duffmangb
New Member
Locust Forever
Posts: 186
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Post by Duffmangb on Sept 18, 2024 7:51:09 GMT
*All the creeds of the last decade. I wanted to start with Black Flag, but Ubisoft doesn't want to sell it to me for some reason. No idea if the earlier ones are worth going back for - I know a lot of older players swear by the first few games, but they look very much of that PS3/360 era of console games that I never managed to connect with.
Shame you can't get BF, brilliant game. As for the older titles I would still say they are worth going back to, if not the first (there is talk of a remake ?) certainly the Ezio trilogy. I played AC3 for the first time ever recently (it was the only mainline game I had not played through and completed) and actually had a lot of fun with it, so maybe that ? As for Syndicate, I have a lot of love for it, loved the WW bits and being a Sherlockian I love being in Victorian London.
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Post by kilters on Sept 18, 2024 10:00:52 GMT
No Man's Sky 6/10
Spent 60 hours or so on this. Completed the main story arc. I think.
It looks great and at the outset there is plenty to do. Some of the activities are interesting at first and I was very interested in getting all the vehicles, freighter etc. Once I had those, it all fell off a cliff.
All of the activities, the plot lines, the settlement management, derelict,freighters, planets are paper thin in terms of depth. I appreciate they use procedural generation to change things up a bit but somehow it just feels incredibly similar. And it's all delivered in a really twee and false way in terms of dialogue and interactive options
Another disappointment was the vehicles. They look cool but feel like absolute shit to control. You are. Always better off just flying your ship around and landing.
I could not recommend even though I spent a fair chunk of time on this as it is ultimately very unrewarding.
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Post by pierrepressure on Sept 18, 2024 12:11:56 GMT
Mr Moskeeto
A paperthin premise, with a whacky setting and characters combine to make a relatively enjoyable experience.
Blasted through this in under two hours via PS+ so it never outstayed its welcome.
6/10
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lukasz
New Member
Meat popsicle
Posts: 640
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Post by lukasz on Sept 18, 2024 14:37:47 GMT
Crysis 2 completed. on 3rd attempt. first one was 11 years ago (according to steam history i activated the key Aug 2013) second one maybe 5 years ago. got distracted had better games to play.
7h or so to beat campaign. almost zero 'collectibles' found.
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Post by skalpadda on Sept 18, 2024 16:27:58 GMT
*All the creeds of the last decade. I wanted to start with Black Flag, but Ubisoft doesn't want to sell it to me for some reason. No idea if the earlier ones are worth going back for - I know a lot of older players swear by the first few games, but they look very much of that PS3/360 era of console games that I never managed to connect with.
Shame you can't get BF, brilliant game. As for the older titles I would still say they are worth going back to, if not the first (there is talk of a remake ?) certainly the Ezio trilogy. I played AC3 for the first time ever recently (it was the only mainline game I had not played through and completed) and actually had a lot of fun with it, so maybe that ? As for Syndicate, I have a lot of love for it, loved the WW bits and being a Sherlockian I love being in Victorian London. It's weird - Black Flag comes up on the Uplay store when I search for it, but the actual game page doesn't seem to exist and gives a 404. It's been that way for a year. I could buy it on Steam, but Ubi games on Steam still launch via Uplay and I'm not so desperate to play it that I want to mess around with multiple launchers and other faff. I actually have AC3 remastered in my library (I guess it was added for free at some point), so might give that a whirl.
Crysis 2 completed. on 3rd attempt. first one was 11 years ago (according to steam history i activated the key Aug 2013) second one maybe 5 years ago. got distracted had better games to play. 7h or so to beat campaign. almost zero 'collectibles' found.
Was it fun? I only ever made one attempt and couldn't get through it - everything just felt "wrong" compared to the first - but yeah, that was over a decade ago.
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,169
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Post by malek86 on Sept 18, 2024 19:45:36 GMT
Havsala: Into the Soul Palace
A puzzle adventure limited to one location. It was okay, but most of the puzzles were a bit on the easy side... except for one time where the game assumes you must obviously know what the hell one of the notes is talking about. Anyway, the game was very clearly written by someone whose first language was not English, and while it's usually not an issue, it does get annoying at times. There is a story but it's not very clear, nor does it really matter. I was just there for the puzzles anyway.
Despite being point and click, it's not very accurate. I often had to click things several times to find the right spot.
6/10
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lukasz
New Member
Meat popsicle
Posts: 640
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Post by lukasz on Sept 19, 2024 15:52:13 GMT
Crysis 2 completed. on 3rd attempt. first one was 11 years ago (according to steam history i activated the key Aug 2013) second one maybe 5 years ago. got distracted had better games to play. 7h or so to beat campaign. almost zero 'collectibles' found.
Was it fun? I only ever made one attempt and couldn't get through it - everything just felt "wrong" compared to the first - but yeah, that was over a decade ago.
It was. I liked the setting. modern NYC, very detailed. Felt new to me as i didnt play a FPS in modern city in a while. I thought the upgrade to how you use powers was good. found them easier to use than in C1. I needed something straightforward and simple and the game delivered.
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Post by Mark1412 on Sept 19, 2024 19:48:53 GMT
Cyberpunk 2077 10/10
This game aligns so perfectly with my tastes in games and stories, feel genuinely miserable that it's over. Sunk so many hours into this playthrough and loved everything about it even if it is absolutely creaking under the weight of the ambition of it. My game of the generation, and very much consider it a game of this generation as the PS4 version I played when it released was not even close to being the same game.
Please don't make us wait a decade for another one.
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Post by peacemaker on Sept 19, 2024 22:29:58 GMT
Cyberpunk 2077 10/10 This game aligns so perfectly with my tastes in games and stories, feel genuinely miserable that it's over. Sunk so many hours into this playthrough and loved everything about it even if it is absolutely creaking under the weight of the ambition of it. My game of the generation, and very much consider it a game of this generation as the PS4 version I played when it released was not even close to being the same game. Please don't make us wait a decade for another one. Good news my fellow 2077 lover they already have a team working on a sequel.
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Post by pierrepressure on Sept 20, 2024 7:14:37 GMT
Bad news is it'll take 10 years to make
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Aunty Treats
New Member
Delivering tasty treats to the townsfolk
Posts: 735
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Post by Aunty Treats on Sept 20, 2024 10:26:11 GMT
Good news is we'll get it in 7
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Post by rhaegyr on Sept 20, 2024 11:20:49 GMT
Neon White
Brilliant. Some of the most fun I've had with a game in quite a while. Controls like a dream, level design is excellent and even the wrap-around story is interesting enough to provide a bit of breathing room between levels (though it's a bit anime cringe at times).
Any fan of arena shooters, DOOM 2016, Mirror's Edge, Super Meat Boy or Celeste should absolutely give this a look.
9/10
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Post by Bill in the rain on Sept 20, 2024 13:47:25 GMT
I was tempted when it first came out, but the anime stylings kinda put me off.
I like all those games though (except meat boy)
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deez
New Member
Posts: 691
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Post by deez on Sept 20, 2024 13:49:21 GMT
Good news is we'll get it in 7 But another 2 years after that to fix it.
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Post by pierrepressure on Sept 20, 2024 14:00:41 GMT
Robocop: Rogue City
This really surprised me, was expecting a pretty average game but it had some neat ideas (that were mostly cribbed from other games).
It's a strong 7/10 that could easily have been an 8 if they'd have given it a little more polish and ironed out the jank.
Wouldn't mind a sequel, maybe Robocop vs. Terminator?
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Tuffty
Junior Member
Posts: 3,426
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Post by Tuffty on Sept 20, 2024 16:33:56 GMT
Neon WhiteBrilliant. Some of the most fun I've had with a game in quite a while. Controls like a dream, level design is excellent and even the wrap-around story is interesting enough to provide a bit of breathing room between levels (though it's a bit anime cringe at times). Any fan of arena shooters, DOOM 2016, Mirror's Edge, Super Meat Boy or Celeste should absolutely give this a look. 9/10 What a game, absolutely wonderful. Actually went super all in on it and was sitting around #8 on the world on ps5 at some point. Very much doubt that's the case now but still, soundtracks amazing too.
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Post by docrob on Sept 21, 2024 18:12:36 GMT
Just completed the main story of Ghost of Tsushima on PC. It was… emotional. I went for the Spare Lord Shimura ending and, having watched the other on YT, I think it was the right choice. It might not have been what he wanted but it was what felt right, and Jin felt hopeful afterwards. He deserves that at least. Will go on to liberate the whole island and then move to Iki, but wow.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Sept 22, 2024 10:16:36 GMT
Finished off Far Cry 2 again some days ago.
Playing on Infamous it was as heavy on trial-and-error as I remember, though a lot of it comes down to what loadout I was using and what kind of environments the encounter took place in. Basically, taking cover in solid buildings is one way to be somewhat safe, fire - which can often be started without giving your position away and which is very distracting to the AI - mostly only works in the savannah, and stealth is difficult even during the night, but potentially very powerful. There is a reason why the only silenced sniper in the game only provides three darts by default.
I usually enjoyed myself the most when these kinds of encounters worked out well - especially when going with some weird loadout - and sometimes when just wandering across the map while being immersed in the strong atmosphere. Sometimes it was unique little encounters like when I got discovered by two militiamen in a technical that managed to miss me while I was hiding in the dense brush, allowing me to sneak to their vehicle and then mow down the vegetation through which they were still searching with the heavy machinegun they had on there.
Towards the end I was reminded again of how nonsensical the story gets in the latter stages, but for the most part it sells the idea well. I still like the incidental chatter of enemies and the jackal tapes that are hidden around the maps more than the actual plot.
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Post by steifybobbins on Sept 22, 2024 10:56:22 GMT
Thank Goodness You're Here - 7/10 Appreciate the intention is largely for the humour to carry most of this like a sketch show, but the gameplay loop is frustrating. Has anyone sent off their Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope? I'm glad it wasn't just me. I was really excited for this and the frustratingly obtuse nature of progression made the whole thing a bit of a bore
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Duffmangb
New Member
Locust Forever
Posts: 186
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Post by Duffmangb on Sept 22, 2024 11:28:09 GMT
Just completed the main story of Ghost of Tsushima on PC. It was… emotional. I went for the Spare Lord Shimura ending and, having watched the other on YT, I think it was the right choice. It might not have been what he wanted but it was what felt right, and Jin felt hopeful afterwards. He deserves that at least. Will go on to liberate the whole island and then move to Iki, but wow. Wonderful game and so is Iki, enjoy. Re you know, I went another way.
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Post by uiruki on Sept 22, 2024 11:37:49 GMT
Going on holiday next week but that's not going to stop me!
34. Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow - September 16 - PC - 4/5Part of the Dominus Collection. Still a fun game, with a lot of the touchscreen gimmickry improved or removed. Good flow, great soundtrack, some fun weapons and abilities which encourage a lot of swapping things around as you find them. I think the soul drop rate could be higher as a big part of the fun for me was getting and powering up souls, as well as using them to upgrade weapons. Just as good now as it was back in ’05. This collection is a little more of a mixed bag. It runs funny on PC, wanting to run at 64fps, the extra controls are a little fiddly and it weirdly only gets four hours of battery life on a Steam Deck OLED. I’m sure I’d be at a full 8 on a straight emulator. Not a dealbreaker by any means, and I’m sure it’s because it renders the game internally at a higher resolution, but one to look out for as I actually did have to plug in during a longer session due to the aforementioned flow. The game also seems to be running at a weird fixed resolution that’s slightly below 720p which is a shame when it comes to trying to optimise screen size and layout especially on non-16:9 screens, and on my Linux desktop I have a white border around the outside of the background when full screened. None of this is too much of a deal breaker with this pack though. Steam Deck: As above, expect 4 hours battery. 35. Exophobia - September 22 - PC - 2/5An interesting idea with some execution issues. Basically a first person search action game, all taking place across four huge Wolfenstein-style levels. When you’re uncovering the map and exploring, especially after getting a new powerup the game can be fun; the problem is that it kind of gets bogged down in itself. The map is awful, even having a (thankfully optional) battery drain meter, leaving you to aimlessly wander a bit too much. Visually the pixel graphics are just too low resolution, harming clarity (especially on your collected powerups section on the HUD which is just blocks overlapping blocks). Worst of all, though, is that the shooting just isn’t much fun. It’s mostly pinging off shots from your peashooter or charged shot which takes about a second too long to charge and it’s never satisfying. Going back to the graphical failings of the game, the lack of depth perception really becomes a pain later on, as you get an explosive shot that’s manually detonated which was about my number 2 cause of death in the game after a certain pattern memorisation boss as you can easily take off half of your health with a mistimed detonation. Overall a miss, with some good ideas. I’d be interested to see what they do next, though, especially if they can get it to run at more than 60fps, improve the aiming and don’t get too stuck in the four colour super blocky aesthetic. Steam Deck: 60 frames, expect 8 hours I suspect; I didn’t play it much because the aiming was abominable on sticks, but my PC’s graphics card didn’t even get out of 2D clocks so it’s very light.
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Post by docrob on Sept 22, 2024 12:14:03 GMT
Thank Goodness You're Here - 7/10 Appreciate the intention is largely for the humour to carry most of this like a sketch show, but the gameplay loop is frustrating. Has anyone sent off their Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope? I'm glad it wasn't just me. I was really excited for this and the frustratingly obtuse nature of progression made the whole thing a bit of a bore It’s 20% off on Steam right now. Was planning on buying it to play on my Deck.
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Post by Phattso on Sept 22, 2024 14:34:39 GMT
Chants of Sennar (Game Pass)
Might be one of my favourite games of recent years. Not sure why I waited so long to play. Had some recollection of people complaining about bad stealth sections. Regardless I gave it a go and it basically ate my whole weekend.
One part adventure game, one part deduction, one part intriguing. I’ve loved it. Every second. Even the three stealth sections (which really were incredibly brief).
Docked points for slight backtracking and a relatively weak opening.
More like this, please, indie devs.
8/10
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