Board 8 > Post Each Time You Beat a Game: 2020 Edition

(+) Yeah! (+)

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 (XB1)

While the Rescue Rangers games are rather plain, I do appreciate that the game allows you to go through levels briskly. It's more fun that way.

Disney Afternoon Collection rankings:
DuckTales 2 >= DuckTales > TaleSpin > Darkwing Duck > Rescue Rangers 2 > Rescue Rangers

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Old School Musical- Chicken Republic (PC)
Not a different game so much as a post-game set of content, but it's long and different enough to count. The theme here is increasing levels of visual distortion effects to make the standard rhythm game interface harder to process. Some of the tracks are repeats from the main campaign but generally benefit from the distracting visuals and no longer having part of their runtime be cutscenes.

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Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

It took me three months, but I finally got through it. I wouldn't be surprised if this remains my favorite Switch game through the system's entire lifecycle. I have 293 power moons and may try to make a major push in the coming days to get that a lot higher.

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KCF, you're on a roll.

I really liked Odyssey, probably my favorite Mario game.

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Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Fate of Atlantis DLC (PC)

And with that I close the chapter on this game. It's been a ride but its probably the worst 100 hours I've ever spent on a game. This DLC brought alot of unique places to the table, but really I was just there to enjoy the eye candy of it all. Breezing through the story was the least entertaining part. Going through the worlds of the underworld and Atlantis was magnificent. I'm also glad they added masteries and like 200 skill points to just totally break your character the way you want it.

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The Last of Us (PS3)

I have to say I really enjoyed this game. Not enough to put in best games of all time category or so much that I'm extremely hyped for TLoU II, but I did really enjoy it. I like how even once you get more guns, and you upgrade your guns, and you upgrade yourself, combat encounters never become comfortable. Every combat encounter stays tense and I found myself constantly using the listen mode to make sure there was nobody around. The final area got a bit silly with how well all the enemies could take bullets, but I'll allow it because it was the final area.

Writing-wise, I also found it to be quite good. I feel like the relationships between all the characters that were introduced was very clear. I like how throughout the game you keep getting reminders that Joel is not really a good person, but you ignore it because he can be nice and funny and has a great relationship with Ellie and he then gets contrasted by scumbags like David who do carry their group/town of people but have awful personal "things". Ellie, I was very impressed by; kids in media are 9/10 atrocious, but Ellie never really annoyed me from a writing perspective (I highlight writing because fuck that dumb scene where Joel wrestles that one hunter who smashes him down a floor on that rebar when Ellie could have just shot him but oh no we couldn't have done the winter scene then!).

If anything, I do feel like the game kinda has a pacing problem. Half of the game takes place during the summer, and the other half cycles through fall, winter, and spring pretty quickly, which is a shame because it's nice to get the difference in outfits and locales. I think someone like Tess could've stuck around a bit longer so that her end is more impactful for both Joel and Ellie, but I understand they wanted to focus on the Joel and Ellie relationship as soon as possible.

I think the most frustrated I got with the game was in the winter segment; Ellie plays so much differently than Joel and it's annoying when you spend a lot of the game leveling up a guy and upgrading all his tools and then you get basically a Lvl 1 character for a chapter. Even though I was very stealthy throughout the playthrough, it was difficult because I felt that there were no second chances; you get spotted, you're dead. Like every enemy became a clicker.

Anyway, I do really like this game and will probably check out the DLC. I wish I had known it takes place during/before the winter chapter, and then I probably would have played it during/before that, but oh well.

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Mega Man (PS4)

After going through the other five Mega Man games first for a change, I've come to appreciate the original more.

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VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (Vita)

Bought a physical copy of this from LRG and went through the story. Some interesting interactions with many of the characters - no real storyline to follow, but it's fine in a game like this. While not optimized very well for the Vita, the touch screen controls work very well here and I'm glad they implemented them for this. Seems like playing without a mouse or touch screen would be more annoying than anything else, so I might have to buy the Switch or PC version when the sequel comes out.

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Pokemon White Version 2 (DS)
Pretty nice campaign with substantial differences from part 1. I got fed up with the eternal lack of things to level on before the Elite 4 and beat them all anyway.
God of War III Remastered (PS4)
I totally forgot that a lot of that final boss sequence existed, and it had been informing my opinion on the game. I remembered plenty of other stuff about this game. Still annoyed that there's a shortage of red orbs even if you get all the collectibles, and no NG+ to finish up with.

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Metro 2033 Redux (XB1)

I got an XB1 in 2015 I believe, and this was one of the first games that I bought for it. I finally got around to beginning it earlier this month.
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Maneater (PC)

Silly game. Short, and the beginning parts are tough. Still enjoyed it though.

198X (PC)

I rather liked this game, though there are a couple changes I would make for QoL.

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Persona 4 Arena (PS3)

I am still mad about Malevolent Entity
I will forever be mad about Malevolent Entity

Downfall (PC)

One of my oldest games. So old in fact, that I actually have the original AGS version which i recall I had to find all around obscure internet sites just to acquire. I wouldn't have known that this guy would go on to make a Redux version, as well as The Cat Lady and Lorelai. I was told that the Redux is verrry different, and so I went and played this from GOG and it was good for what it is. The premise appears initially straight out of SIlent Hill 2 but I'm glad it went through a completely different direction.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

I really enjoyed playing this. I think it was the best game that SE has made in a long time. I think my favourite part of the original was the first bit of the game anyways, so this captured all of that and expanded on it. The characters were all great, the gameplay was fun, and I felt that overall it managed to capture some of the classic feel of the older Final Fantasies but still present it with a modern style. My only real gripe with it is that in Hard Mode you can't use items but they still give you so many items.

This was also my 50th platinum trophy yay.

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Wonderful 101

Wow. Just wow. I have a lot I could say, but I'll just say I loved it and leave it at that.

Other news, I was playing Kingdom Hearts, but I'll probably drop it. I'm around 12 hours in it and not having a good time at all.

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Downfall: Redux (PC)

Playing the original for me is necessary now that I've seen both. It's the same story, but they changed things around to fit The Cat Lady's universe. The story is much more fluid and the characters are more relatable now. Only thing is the last part of the game probably will make no sense unless you've played The Cat Lady. I'm so glad for this dev, to have worked so hard in what was originally a one-off indie that would've just fallen to obscurity.

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Transistor (PS4)

A substantial improvement over Bastion. I thought Bastion was an above-average/borderline good game. It was a run-of-the-mill isometric action game that was better as the game went along due to all the fun weapons being locked until the second half of the game.

By comparison, Transistor is its own thing from the start and boy does it start of strong. I like how you had a lot of flexibility in combat. While using Turn is ultimately a necessity in most battles, it wasn't as if you had to use immediately as it came available. Transistor was ultimately an uneven experience, but I think that is mostly due to me taking them up on their incentivized offer to trying out new function combos, so I'm not really holding that against it. While I was kicking myself for failing a few of the backdoor tests at the last second, I've had a lot of fun with those that I've had access to. I'm planning on doing a new game+ to finish up the tests.
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Celeste (PC - Steam)

I reached the summit of Celeste Mountain in 7A, but that doesn't mean I'm done just yet.

Dragon Quest XI > Portal 2 ~= Celeste > 999 > Deiland > West of Loathing

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Pokmon Shield (Switch)

Gen 5 > 4 > 7 > 3 > 2 > 1 > 6 > 8

Forza Motorsport 6 (XBO)

Fun enough racing game. I was kinda done with near the end because the tracks didn't change all that much and neither did the cars you were racing with. The Formula One cars did change things up a bit, but they were also pretty annoying to get used to.

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4)

I liked it fine, but it was like, completely average. It did have a couple of things I really liked - the challenge tombs and hiding in the undergrowth on the walls. Also using mud as camo. But it also gave you all these action tools and nowhere near enough action sequences to actually take advantage of all of them

Lara's VA wasn't very good imo, I'm kind of tired of her, and the dialogue in general was hardly Naughty Dog level or whatever. Whole series needs to be stripped waaaay the fuck down. Get rid of the fucking skill trees and upgradeable weapons. Get rid of the melodramatic stories that Crystal Dynamics really aren't exactly great at. Put me in a tomb and have me slowly unlock and find my way through it like a sort of archaeological Resident Evil 2 (except with more, bigger tombs, in different parts of the world). I liked 2013 a lot, it was great at the time, and Rise was fine, but the new series on the whole hasn't had anything to match Temple of Xian from Tomb Raider 2, or even anything close really. Bring back a sense of isolation and exploration. For god's sake, don't do another "open world" thing. I don't need side missions in Tomb Raider.

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Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut (PC)
Well, I understood why one person said to skip it, and another to play it to understand the improvements in the following games. Still easier to engage with than the original.

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NO THING (Switch)

"The year is 1994 and it is the future.

NO THING is a minimalistic surreal action game set in a totalitarian regime of future.

Tells the story of an office clerk who is sent with an important message to the Queen of Ice."

It's a first person auto runner with colors that change while you listen to a computerized voice telling you the story. You only have to turn Left and/or Right to change directions while you continue to move until you reach 100% to go on to the next level.

Level 7 was pure hell.
Level 10, the final level, almost felt like Level 7 but not as bad cause every time I felt I was close I managed to mess up somehow but I persevered.

So...this was a game. It was very...trippy, yes. Quite possibly one of the most weirdest games I have experienced on the Switch and maybe in general.


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Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch)

How the hell do you leave out games like Cribbage, Rummy, and Cheat and instead include garbage like War, Takoyaki, and Pig's Tail?

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case (PS4)

The sequel to the Silver Case based on a new ward that was constructed after the events of the original, this new storyline follows three different stories based on it. Like the original game, it is best to alternate between the storylines so all the information comes in the correct order (especially with Matchmaker and Placebo, as the characters in each tend to work with each other as you proceed through the story). It continues the dark storyline that was in the original and expands on it with the new ward, and again Tokio Morishima is the best character in the game, especially in his final chapter. The platinum requires around one hundred plays of Correctness chapter 7 to choose every ending out of a humongous list, so it may be a while until I do that, but I'll finish it up eventually.

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Super Mario 64 (Wii U VC)

120 Star'd for the umpteenth time

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Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (Switch)

Or at least, the main game. Still need to do the new story.

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Goetia (PC)

Somewhat okay puzzle adventure game. The plot was really confusing and the endings, both of them don't end well.
That said, it was fine for a distraction. It was eerie and well-made and didn't feel cheap. But it wasn't a horror game at all which was what I was expecting.

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Deponia Doomsday (PC)

This has been in my folder for like 3 years. I remember doing the original trilogy around that time and I heard things about this 4th one. Well for starters, it really has nothing to do with the past games even though what sets the plot off is the original ending of the trilogy. But what I wish I knew was that this game wasn't the FU I thought it was going to be to fans of the original games. From the getgo this game tells you that that ending cannot be changed. And well, it wasn't as FU as I thought it was going to be. At best it was like, a "Stop bothering us". And the message of the game itself---to see a matured Rufus finally admit that the past can't be changed. It sounds very fulfilling.

But man is the game wrought with some experimental puzzle design. It is totally not like the previous games mechanics wise. It almost feels like it was a combination of things that never made it in the original trilogy.

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Return. (PC)
It's acceptable for free, but it's no Helltaker or Princess Remedy. The jumping is kind of bad. Being able to jump 3 times in the air isn't much good if you can't clear 1 tile with a single jump and have to mash them out to reach max altitude. That said the entirety of the platforming isn't hard enough to make it all that frustrating.

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Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XB1)

Beat it with 100% in 13:53:58

Only like two people on my friend's list did the spirit trials. One was Icehawk, and I am pretty sure I beat all of his records. The ball is in your court if you somehow read this!
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Mario Party DS (DS)

Boards suck and touch screen minigames suck more.

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas (Switch)

I bought it because it was giving me some Kirby's Adventure vibes, and it did deliver on that somewhat. Ultimately, some really poor level design choices (especially in the desert area) really sunk this game.
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Sludge Life (PC)

Fun game

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Spring Falls (PC)

Short little puzzle game from the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality on itch.io. Fun game. There is one single puzzle that I cannot figure out and it isn't even the last one. The solution to puzzle number 58 eludes me at the moment. Solved all the other puzzles and saw the credits

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Mario Party: Island Tour (3DS)

Every Mario Party after 8 is bad

Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (Vita)

Finally got around to seeing all the new scenes added to the ending with all the alchemists in the series at the end, which I think gives a slightly better conclusion to the game overall. I'll hold off giving a full rating about it until I see the new true ending though and that requires two playthroughs.

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I made a new topic

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78770420
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A Kishoutenketsu in the countryside (PC)

This is in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. It's a very short (about 20 minutes) puzzle game made up of mazes and boulder pushing puzzles. It's enjoyable enough and doesn't overstay its welcome.

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GOGZero posted...

NO THING (Switch)

"The year is 1994 and it is the future.

NO THING is a minimalistic surreal action game set in a totalitarian regime of future.

Tells the story of an office clerk who is sent with an important message to the Queen of Ice."

It's a first person auto runner with colors that change while you listen to a computerized voice telling you the story. You only have to turn Left and/or Right to change directions while you continue to move until you reach 100% to go on to the next level.

Level 7 was pure hell.
Level 10, the final level, almost felt like Level 7 but not as bad cause every time I felt I was close I managed to mess up somehow but I persevered.

So...this was a game. It was very...trippy, yes. Quite possibly one of the most weirdest games I have experienced on the Switch and maybe in general.

Holy shit, you beat this? Also holy shit, you played this?

I couldn't ever get past level 7 - fuck that level. Agreed though: trippy and mostly enjoyable game that I totally impulse bought like a year ago since it was all of 99 cents. Cool to see someone else here played it.

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@StartTheMachine Yeah. I had to take a lot of breaks from the game for a day due to Level 7. I was like "If I can't beat it today or tonight, I'll do it tomorrow or another day." What I did was I avoided those cubes that you can pick up near the beginning of the level cause the cubes can speed you up or slow you down. I would either pick up the cubes midway or just ignore them. Knowing when to turn Left or Right when the speed picks up was also almost like a rhythm to me.

After you pass the hallway part of the level with the narrow floors, it doesn't get too ridiculous once you get out of there but it can still be tense.

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Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition (Vita)

Definitely a very good visual novel. It doesn't surprise me that the director of this game was also the director for Ever17, as the game shares a lot of similar themes, similar pacing issues, and a final route that reveals everything going on behind the scenes. I feel that most of the Before route could be completely cut from the game and it would still work out extremely well - however the rest of the game is excellent and definitely worth a read, though the unique way of accessing certain scenes may require a guide. I initially got a normal ending which resolved nothing in the final chapter my first time through.

There's still a lot of content I need to go through that was added to this version, so while I got the true ending there's still a bit more to do.

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OneShot (PC)
Aaagh, what a cruel choice.

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SiN: Gold

Kinda fun but I prefer Soldier of Fortune. It's mired with bugs but I guess it had some innovative things like levels affecting other levels in a way not done in any other 90s shooter at the time

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Black Mirror 2017 (PC)

I knew it was crap coming in. But it existed and I wanted something to remember the original trilogy by so I dove into it. I have to say, that I appreciate the storytelling, the flow, the whole mystery of it. The voice-acting was great, set the mood properly but the stilted facial expressions sort of removed the mood sometimes. But a game this is not. It's not even TellTale non-game quality. It felt like a huge incomplete tech demo showing only the very basics of adventure gaming. It was clear that the puzzles only served as a storytelling device, which would be its greatest strength. I can see why alot of people hate this game.

I just think its okay. If this were any other game and not a remake-ish thing I probably wouldn't have bothered. But having known the story already and seeing it being retold, changing some elements which frankly diminished some of the padded puzzly parts of its original point-click counterpart, and having actually walk in the mansion as I did years ago but in full beautiful 3d even if there wasn't really anything to do; it just means something more to me. Shit game? Sure. Memorable? Yeah, sure.

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I Am Setsuna (PS4)

I was pretty excited for this game when it first came out because it's entire thing was that it was "like Chrono Trigger" and I love Chrono Trigger. So, playing through this game, it's not really a surprise that it didn't really reach the same levels of CT, but that's kinda a given considering how the bar is so high. It is interesting how the game is essentially Chrono Trigger gameplay with FFX's story but it just kinda falls flat. That said, I did like the classic JRPG feel to it and it certainly wasn't a bad game. Just, the pacing was off and the characters are just ok.

Found out that there was a "spiritual successor" to the game too, will probably play that as well when it goes on sale.

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Furi (PC)
Long overdue, started and abandoned on PS4. I played the PC version from the beginning and finished it. Quite an excellent shmup/character-action hybrid boss rush game, and accessible enough for me even though I'm not good at shmups. Very stylish, with each fight feeling different from the last.

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I abandoned Furi long ago as I wasn't a fan of its arbitrary, sometimes jarring combat shifts where they strip away so much.
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