Board 8 > August Game of the Month Club ft. Star Fox 2, Beyond: Two Souls, and Prey (2017)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Augusts Games:
Star Fox 2 (SNES)
Beyond: Two Souls (PC/PS4/PS3)
Prey (2017) (PC/XB1/PS4)

What is Game of the Month Club?
Game of the Month is a community project open to all B8ers where users share, discover, play and/or discuss a select few games every month. The games featured each month are chosen by YOU the users (and Lady Luck)

The Basics
- Each month will usually feature three games that were chosen via a random drawing from a pool of games that users nominated
- For each game you beat, you get a cool point on our just-for-fun standings as well as a nomination for next month's randomized drawing
- In order to receive the point and nomination, you must beat said game within the calendar month
- If you beat one of the current month's games in the previous month, you can apply for a "recently beaten waiver," but you will only receive a point and no nomination should you do so
- Drawing for next month's games is usually around a week before the end of the month
- If you periodically keep us posted on your progress and/or talk about different aspects of the games, then everyone will think you are super awesome!

Nomination Rules
- You get one nomination automatically each month
- You receive additional nominations each month for every chosen game that you beat
- Each game you nominate has to be unique from all other nominations and cannot include a game that has already been selected for GotM
- Each game must be a standalone game that can be acquired and played on its own (aka cannot be DLC/expansion that requires the base game)
- Nominations only carry over if you beat a chosen game after the drawing for next month's games but before the end of the month
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Just-for-Fun Standings (among those who beat a game in 2017 or later)
KCF: 93
gameking: 88
Mr Crispy: 56
Lolo Guru: 53
ArkOfTurus: 49
KnightOfNee: 35
Arti: 23
scarletspeed: 23
MegamanX: 19
Cody: 17
Fenny: 15
Robazoid: 13
Wickle: 13
profDEADPOOL: 8
Wigs: 8
Shaduln: 7
Shonen Bat: 7
UndeadUnicorn: 7
darkx: 6
Johnbobb: 6
BetrayedTangy: 5
MrSmartGuy: 5
MZero: 5
paperwarior: 5
LordoftheMorons: 4
Bane: 3
GreatPaul: 2
KommunistKoala: 2
PrinceReva: 2
Waluigi1: 2
azuarc: 1
Fake Account: 1
Harrich: 1
Kain66: 1
Peace Frog: 1
SantaRPG: 1
SBell: 1
Steiner: 1
Tom Bombadil: 1
Wiki: 1

Spreadsheet with history
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X8E8oqzES42W4S82j7WTfNnzNa8c3uXdSE1rnqYG7WM/edit?usp=sharing

Additional noms this month
Crispy - 1
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Prey is currently available on Game Pass for both XB1 and PC

Prey is on sale for $18 USD ($15 with PS+ subscription) on PS4 until August 6th (may be US-only)
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1003-CUSA04493_00-PREYPS4FULLGAME1

Beyond: Two Souls is on sale for $3.50 (PS3) and $10.50 USD (PS4) on PSN until August 20th (may be US-only)
PS3 - https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-NPUA81087_00-GBEYONDTWO000001
PS4 - https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-CUSA00495_00-GBEYONDTWO000001
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Well uh... this is... a set of games.

Just another skippable month.
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I forgot to post that I beat Rondo of Blood yesterday!

Can I still get a point?
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Sweet I have Beyond: Two Souls on PSN. Must have been free at some point
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Tag
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KCF0107 posted...

Prey is on sale for $18 USD ($15 with PS+ subscription) on PS4 until August 6th (may be US-only)

Just checked, available in Canada as well ($19.99 CAD with +).
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MZero11 posted...

I forgot to post that I beat Rondo of Blood yesterday!

Can I still get a point?

Sure
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I dont know if I want to play prey or not.
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MegamanX posted...

I dont know if I want to play prey or not.

Do you like the Bioshock or System Shock games?
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I played Prey for a little under an hour before I went to bed last night. It hasn't grabbed me yet, but I will give it another go maybe tonight.
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WickIebee posted...

Well uh... this is... a set of games.

Just another skippable month.

If you think this a weird, or whatever you are insinuating, set of games, you should have seen last month.
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TheArkOfTurus posted...

MegamanX posted...

I dont know if I want to play prey or not.

Do you like the Bioshock or System Shock games?

I liked Bioshock 1 after I got the camera and could take pictures to improve my damage or defense. But wasn't in love.

I did buy Prey for $7 on a black friday sale and its sitting here sealed. I just dunno if I'm like gung ho about playing it
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Session #2 of Prey makes me wonder how many more I will do.

I get why I am not overpowered and everything, but man I hate how sluggish and clumsy I am compared to the swift and powerful enemies. The delay between switching weapons (not to mention switching and using) is among the largest I have experienced from the past several years.

I want to explore, but I feel like I am being punished for exploring with the guerrilla tactics and inability to draw 1-on-1 fights, but maybe that is the point and the game wants to stick with the main objectives for the first several hours. I mean, I seem to be locked out of all the side quests I have uncovered one way or another.

I will see how just sticking to the main story objectives goes next time.
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Sticking to the story path isn't a bad idea on a first playthrough. The sluggishness can mostly be fixed with neuromod upgrades. There are ways to beat anything you run into, but maybe not in a straight up fight.
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Star Fox 2 is done. I like the ideas here and would like to see a Star Fox binding of isaac random generated game. That could be very fun
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After realizing that combat isn't going to really improve much, I decided to lower the difficulty to easy and treat this as a stealth game by avoiding/ignoring most enemies. Additionally just going for main quests instead of the side quests that include having me find the corpses of 500 employees, I'm warming up to Prey nearly six hours in.

I'm currently in the G.U.T.S. section/room and on just the fifth(?) mission (just how long are these missions?!).
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Haven't started anything yet.

Since the Genesis mini comes out next month, I think I'll Nominate Castle of Illusions and Castlevania Bloodlines
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I pounded out 10 hours of Prey over the weekend. I don't know how close I am to finishing it, but I'm not going to rush myself tonight. I should beat it in around two weeks though. Adapting to the game's mechanics and putting together an approach that makes it enjoyable to me definitely improved my outlook of the game, but I am still forced to do full-on combat encounters from time-to-time, and this game just kind of fails at that, or at the very least doesn't do it well. That's surprising and very disappointing given this is clearly inspired by the likes of BioShock, System Shock, Deus Ex, and Arkane's previous works in the Dishonored series.
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Tag

Still looking to try Prey and probably Starfox 2, once I finish up Fire Emblem.
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Making my way through the G.U.T.S. in Prey. Playing on hard mode, but it doesn't feel much different than normal mode on my first playthrough. I never used typhon powers in that playthrough, so I'm excited to start experimenting with them (although all I have now is a damage ability, and a non-combat ability so far.)
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Started up Prey.

Was trying to figure out a way to get over to the suit upgrade in the machine shop without alerting the repair bots, but then the game crashed during loading whoops.
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My travel plans were slightly delayed, so KCF has beaten Prey.

A lot of the supplemental stuff I liked a lot (setting/music/atmosphere), but man did they miss the mark with what's most important to me, the interactive elements. Not to make an essay on this or anything (like I did with RIME), but it felt that there was no intrinsic or extrinsic value to engaging the Typhon, and that goes for most of the side quests too except those that I would have felt bad not to do (when lives were in danger and you were on a timer). The game also started to overstay its welcome after maybe a dozen hours. I can't imagine how it would feel to do all the side quests. I feel like they were too ambitious and unfocused with this game.

I beat it in 19:30, saved 7 humans and killed none.
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As a means to hopefully draw back some users in after noticing some of our mainstays and recent newcomers have gone silent, I will do games that can be expected to be beaten in one sitting

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

These also having high ownership rates also helps.
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In the Psychotronics area in Prey.
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Hmm I was going to start this up this month but I don't really want to play any of those. I'll skip and check back in next month.
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Nominate Lost Sphear
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Monthly Progress
Star Fox - MMX
Beyond -
Prey - KCF

Nominations
Crispy - Castle of Illusions, Castlevania; Bloodlines
KCF - SMB, SMB: TLL
Wigs - Lost Sphear
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ArkOfTurus has beaten Prey

I think I enjoyed it even more on a replay. In my first playthrough I spent too much time trying to play encounters like a straight up FPS, which worked pretty poorly. Being more familiar with my other options helped a lot. I do wish they hadn't discouraged using the typhon mods, though. My reaction, like I think a lot of people's would be, was that playing the game without them was the right way to go. Having used them on the second playthrough, their impact on the story was extremely minimal, but their impact on the gameplay was a significant improvement.

The setting, exploration, and world building are what really make it for me, though. There's something really cool about having a full list of crew with assigned jobs, almost all of them findable in the game, and many of them having their own story going on. The main storyline is unfortunately mostly fetch questing, but there are enough small stories around that it never got dull for me until I explored everything. I do agree that it overstays its welcome, though. Running through the areas just to hit objectives is pretty dull (especially with the load times between areas.)

I'm still trying to decide if I want to pick up the DLC or not. I don't know how much I'd enjoy this game with procedurally generated levels, although I am usually into roguelikes.
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Nominate Ass Creed Brotherhood
Nominate Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
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Played a bit of Star Fox 2. Not really in the mood for it, I don't think.

Nominate Slay the Spire and Sonic Mania
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Cavedweller2000 has beaten Beyond: Two Souls
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I should remember to play Star Fox 2 soon.
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Nominate Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage

Still engrossed with Fire Emblem as all my game time.
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Drawing maybe on Sunday
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ok started beyond and played for a couple hours.

pffffffffffffffftttttttt.
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Drawing, well, draws near
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Nominate adventures of Lolo 2.
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Drawing tomorrow
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Nominates Evil Within
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I beat Beyond: Two Souls.

I'm conflicted with this game. I enjoyed it enough while playing it, but really had to turn my brain off with the pretty bad writing. Had some neat moments, but man, the plot could get kind of dumb and was really not self aware.

Been playing Prey, though, and I'm really into it. Hoping to finish it by the end of the month, but I'm taking my time with it.

I'll nominate Transistor and Rayman Legends.
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Glad to hear someone else is enjoying Prey!

Transistor has already been featured, though.
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Monthly Progress
Star Fox - MMX
Beyond - Cave, gameking
Prey - KCF, Ark

Nominations
Ark - Sonic Mania, Slay the Spire
Cave - Evil Within
Cody - Spyro 2
Crispy - Castle of Illusion, Castlevania Bloodlines
gameking - Rayman Legends
KCF - Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros: TLL
Lolo - Adventures of Lolo 2
MMX - Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Castlevania: AoS
Wigs - Lost Sphear

Drawing tomorrow
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Nominate Layers of Fear
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Nominate Zelda II
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Last call for noms and changes
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Noms and changes are closed.

I will draw within the hour.
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And your September Games of the Month are...

The Evil Within (PC/XB1/PS4/360/PS3)
Slay the Spire (PC/XB1/PS4/Switch)
Super Mario Bros. (essentially every Nintendo system)

As the third of a four-part Second Chance series, Cody has selected Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (see SMB) as a special fourth game.

Congrats to Cave, Ark, myself, and gameking for having their games selected!
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Will play Slay the Spire, of course. Might as well play SMB, too.

Slay the Spire is part of the Humble Monthly bundle, by the way. $12 for that, Squad, and some random other games which may or may not end up being good.
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