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

(+) Yeah! (+)

My first game of the year done.

Mysterious Realms RPG (Steam)

Pretty short thing, and simple. Feels a bit too simple as you stretch further into the game.

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Princess Remedy in a Heap of Trouble (Steam)

If you liked the first one, this is more of the same. Quirky humor, shmup-inspired combat, obscure secrets, and dating whichever girl/boy/thing/monster you want.

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Half-Life 2: Episode 1

Replayed this one with a friend as well. Went for the One Free Bullet achievement, and it was kind of difficult. We're moving on to Ep 2 soon, but don't know what challenge/achievements I'm going to work towards on that one now. usually don't care about them, but figured since I was replaying them it'd change the experience somewhat.

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Obviously you've gotta go for the gnome rocket man achievement!

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Coffee Crisis (Switch)

You play as Nick and Ashley. Two baristas that have to stop the aliens from stealing the Earth's Wi-Fi, heavy metal music and retro games. Yes, the game's story is nonsensical and they roll with it along the way. Not one of the best stories ever told in a beat em' up but most people don't play for the story of a beat em' up anyway.

Right off the bat when you start the game the modifiers are set to on as the default. The game does an awful job of not even telling you what the modifiers do and they expect you to figure out how they work. The modifiers can either help you or hinder you. One of them made the screen really red and all it did was make it annoying. I went back to the options and turned them off right away. If you're going to put in modifiers in a game and make it similar to a roguelite, they should at least freakin' tell you what the modifiers do.

As for the gameplay itself, nothing special out of the ordinary from most beat em' ups. You can punch, throw, use weapons, a special move that drains your health. Basic stuff. Nick uses a bag of coffee beans and Ashley uses a coffee pot. The gameplay also seems very unbalanced and doesn't require much thought or strategy. It almost seems if you want to stand any sort of chance you're almost forced to play this game in local co-op so you don't get mobbed. Feels cheap and doesn't feel very polished. The game gives you with 5 character passwords after you beat a level if you want to continue.

The positives I do like about the game are the pixel graphics and the heavy metal music.

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Shovel Knight - King of Cards
100% save file, all feats, all challenges (also turned out Specter of Torment got 5 more challenges in some patch a few months ago so I did them too)
Fantastic fantastic fantastic
Hated the card game sometimes but once you learn it...it's passable.
I mean, it's good, but I don't like card games.
Played the 3DS version so now Showdown for me and I don't feel like double dipping
Kinda sad to miss Shovel Knight for the next few years but oh well it was a great experience

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Hatoful Boyfriend (Steam)

The bird dating concept is amusing but I don't think the writing is funny enough to match it. Overall it's just kind of bland? I got the Nageki ending and I'm happy not doing any other routes.

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Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4)

For better or worse, this seems like a pretty close translation of a super hero movie to a video game.
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Cuphead (Switch)

I feel like this game isn't precise enough for its difficulty? The hitboxes especially seemed off; I felt like I got hit often by attacks I was nowhere near, and then sometimes enemies would just phase right through me. A lot of the bosses weren't too hard themselves, but had constantly respawning flying enemies, which like... yes, it's well established that the Ninja Gaiden birds are difficult, but it's not exactly the most fun kind of challenge. Also, I'm hardly the first one to make this observation, but the run-and-gun levels weren't anywhere near the quality of the boss levels.

That said, it's a gorgeous game with a challenge level that's generally pretty satisfying, so I still recommend it.

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Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun (PC)

Oh this was so much better than Murder on the Orient Express. The game I mean, not the novel. Vastly improved but still with some flaws. Regardless, the framing device is what trumps all its shortcomings. Basically, unlike last time in which you did the dirty work for Poirot because he got injured---an excuse for the guy to not be able to do adventure gaming stuff, this time you're playing as Poirot, but in order to get by the above limitation, it is told from the perspective of someone RP-ing as him.

It's quite amusing to me, seeing as I run Trail of Cthulhu, that this adventure game is basically Poirot running the GUMSHOE system on someone. This has allowed Poirot in-game to do some stupid adventure puzzling, question things that Poirot might already know, and waive things over such as boring sequences and things that a cutscene could not explain.

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Attack of the Friday Monsters! (3DS)

I still don't really understand this game's plot, but it's cute.

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Shatter (Steam)

This a breakout-style game with boss fights and an outstanding soundtrack. Short campaign, but fun.

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This War of Mine (Steam)

Twelfth game of the year.

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Journey to the Savage Planet (PC)

Fun game, I 100%ed it.

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Despotism 3k (Android)

Oh my god, and I thought Cultist Simulator was finicky. At least that game had a variety of directions to go on. This one just had one. The game gives you the illusion there's a variety of ways to finish this game, given the upgrades and random events. But in truth, there is only 1 way and that is extremely grindy. I only saw it to the end because I was so close to it but needless to say, there isn't really much of a strategy in this resource management puzzle.

Worse game of the year so far.

Please tell me if the Steam version has any differences. Because I don't feel like playing any other mode beyond the 1st one.

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Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (3DS)

I contemplated going for another ending but decided against it thanks to there being to many RPGs in my immediate backlog. Got Gin's ending on my playthrough.

Thomas Was Alone (Steam)

Cute puzzle platformer about rectangles. Hard to recommend over other, better games, but you can do worse than this one.

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LordoftheMorons posted...

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Mac)

(Got to the credits, anyway)

Addendum: finally got through the patches and made it to Heavensward

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Lightmatter (PC)

Mid-level puzzler that doesn't outstay its welcome although I felt like it could've used some more levels with what could be done. The shortness I feel though, is probably in line with the narrative direction. The main draw for me is the brilliant voice actor who talks to you for about 90% of the game. He comes off as this extremist Tony Stark who just loves hamming it up. His narration was one of the major things that kept me going despite the dreary monotonous atmosphere and the sometimes Talos-level puzzles. The finale though was amazing, as it properly decided to screw the puzzling and get to parkouring around the facility in a very extended sequence that just felt satisfying after skulking around the facility for so long.

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Gris (PC)
Overall felt it was just okay. The art was great, but really thought you were supposed to feel something while playing and I just don't do that.

Kenri posted...

Obviously you've gotta go for the gnome rocket man achievement!

You've inspired me, I'm doing it! We've made half through the car segment. Been pretty annoying so far!


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V.O.I.D. (Switch)

A retro inspired action/platformer
You play as 2 Ploids named Alpha and Omega that has to stop an alien race.
This game needs to come with a seizure warning. After you complete a world, there's a really annoying red flash that blinks on and off rapidly that is totally unnecessary. I'm glad I don't suffer from seizures. Easily remedied if I look away from the screen.

The controls feel a little slippery-ish when you try to make jumps and the ice physics in the Ice Age level are awful. Best way to go about it is jump first then move forward.
Some of the graphic filters that fit with the theme of the level is a little annoying to view. Too bad there's no way to turn them off but it's only a minor thing. Only really bad in the Desert.

You go through different time periods like an Ancient Desert, Lost Atlantis, Medieval Era, Ice Age, Feudal Japan, Grass Land and World War II as you collect Shards at the end of the world. The game also has a password system where you go through colored transporters (modeled after Mega Man Boss Hatches) to continue the game.

There are only 3 boss fights in the whole game and the boss music has Japanese vocals which is...neat.

Alpha and Omega play very differently from each other. I have a better time playing as Omega.

Alpha has a triple jump and can run fast, but she has no weapon and can die in one hit. She's hard mode. Good luck trying to beat your first boss you fight much later in the game with her due to some really bad hit detection when you try to jump on the boss's head and die anyway. Never had a problem with other enemies in the game except with the boss.

Omega on the other hand can take up to ten hits, has a blaster that also has charged shot. The only flaw with him is he doesn't move as fast as Alpha (not a problem) and can only do a double jump (also not a problem).

Game is ok-ish and you can probably beat it in under 2 hours or less time.

Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension (Super Famicom)
Beat the Story Mode.
The fighting system was pretty cool. A little reminiscent of the King of Fighters series.

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Pikuniku (Steam)
short little platformer about saving the environment from a corrupt industry mogul...very whimsical and features lovely tunes from the one and only calum bowen!!
there's also a co-op mode but i have yet to try it out
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Lapse: A Forgotten Future (Android)

I don't usually like playing these Reigns clones, but this one is post-apoc and got dat Stein's Gate vibe to it. It was still pretty annoying but before I could complain about that, I managed to snag an ending or two. I feel like the game could have been something else, as the story is genuinely intriguing. But to wait for the story breadcrumbs after a string of random game overs is kind of a turn off.

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Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (Steam)

I liked it, but I think my computer was only capable of running it at half speed, which definitely isn't the ideal way to play it!

ViolentAbacus posted...

You've inspired me, I'm doing it! We've made half through the car segment. Been pretty annoying so far!

Yeah, I took one look at that achievement and forgot about ever doing it. My apologies for the inspiration!

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Super Mario World (Switch)

I have beaten this game over a dozen times, yet it was longer than I remembered it being.
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Kirby Super Star (Switch)

I was trying to wrap this and SMW up before my Nintendo Online trial ran out. It has been several years since I last beat it, and I think my game rankings are different now.

Great Cave > Dyna Blade > Meta Knight > Milky Way > Spring Breeze

Cave, Dyna, and Spring have been locked into their ranks for like 20 years, but Meta Knight and Milky Way swapping is more on the former impressing me.
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To the Moon (Steam)

I got a little bit tired of the two viewpoint characters making snide jabs at each other, but the whole story of Johnny and River makes up for it.

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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD (PS3)

Raiden > Snake

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PC)
That was pretty fun. The Legacy of Goku comparison holds merit, but it's still an improvement,

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YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (PS4)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78379062#14

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Analogue: A Hate Story (Steam)

I wouldn't exactly call it fun, but it's well-written and good at making me feel things.

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Control (PC)

Uhhh strong contender for my game of the year. Just a bit dragging by the end, but any excuse to shoot things while telekinetically throwing shit around while the physics explode everywhere is welcomed.

Strong SCP/Warehouse 13 vibes first off. The story is...kinda there. Least they tried and didn't make an excuse plot. The creepiness and level design were outstanding. The music was very haunting for being mostly percussion based. And the TONS of readable collectibles shows this game was not lazy. My only CON is the way the checkpoints are setup in that there is no ingame quicksave. So, if you die at a boss (which you will, another gripe but a fun one), you are also forced to backtrack to said boss fight.

Not sure if I'll wanna play the DLCs immediately. Might do it if the story is explained a bit more. Also, if you're planning to play this the last level is just All Red. I had to stop and rest my eyes midway through the fight.

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Kentucky Route Zero (GOG.com)

Act V was a lot shorter than I expected. Because it had been a while, I did have trouble remembering some of the characters but I still felt this act pretty well. I can't really say much about it. I enjoyed this weird, emotional and intriguing experience. I don't think this game is for everybody, but if you're a gamer, you need to play a game like this at some point, just to kinda get an idea and broaden your mind to what a game can be. Act III still has one of my favourite gaming moments of all time, so I don't regret playing this at all.

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simulacra: pipe dreams (pc)

the live action 'fake ads' were worth the price of admission. maybe i'd like it more if i or a close friend were addicted to candy crush

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Gemcraft: Chasing Shadows (Steam)

Decent tower defense. What makes the game good and unique also weighs it down by the time you're closing in on the end, though, but it's a game with absurd replayability.

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Danganronpa V3 (Steam)

Well, that was certainly an ending. Not as stunning as the beginning, though.

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Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Crimson Flower route.

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Oh didn't see the new topic.
Beat disco elysium few weeks back.
Gr8 game. Feels like it ends when the story is at its most interesting tho.

WorldEnd Syndrome (PS4)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78396623

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Cave Story+ (Steam)

I hadn't played Cave Story in probably 15 years, so at first playing this was like seeing a childhood friend again. But as the game went on I started to remember why my opinion on it has soured over time. It's still a classic but I'm definitely not as wild about it as lots of people are.

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Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Beat for the second time, with a friend playing for the first time. Got the "Little Rocket Man" Achievement this time.

Kenri posted...

Yeah, I took one look at that achievement and forgot about ever doing it. My apologies for the inspiration!

I would not wish it upon anyone! I nearly gave up during the car segment, it took forever and died a ton.

Took a screenshot to commemorate the occasion

https://i.imgur.com/I6YiK4k.png

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TowerFall (Switch)

The campaign mode here really isn't anything to write home about, but eh, I was in a Towerfall mood.

ViolentAbacus posted...

Got the "Little Rocket Man" Achievement this time.

Congrats!

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The G.G. Shinobi (Game Gear)

Replayed. I had an incentive to replay this game cause they made an achievement set for it over at Retro Achievements. Got every achievement for it.

I like this one and it's sequel (The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury).

You play as Joe Musashi (Red Ninja) as he sets off to rescue his fellow Ninja (Blue, Yellow, Green, Pink) and put a stop to Neo City.

You can play the stages in any order. After you defeat a boss, you get a Ninja added to your team and you can switch between them at anytime when you pause the game. They each have many different abilities.

I really love that there is an 8-bit remix of "Terrible Beat", the boss music from The Revenge of Shinobi in this game. Courtesy of Yuzo Koshiro.

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Slay the Spire (Switch)

I finally got a heart kill! Heavy Blade too strong.

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AI: The Somnium Files (PS4)

It was a roller coaster ride with just as many cons as there are pros, but I am ultimately glad that I played the game.
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God of War (PS3)

GoW > CoO

Robonauts (Switch)

You play as a robot in a 2D action/platformer where you jump from planet to planet (reminded me of Super Mario Galaxy) as you go around destroying enemies and opening gateways to proceed to the next level.

The soundtrack that was done by Simon Viklund really drew me in. Some very catch stuff!

This game was really fun, short and sweet,

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider (XB1)

I came in thinking that this was widely considered to be just an okay game and easily the worst of the trilogy, but that can't be right. I liked this one a lot and think it was an improvement over Rise! Unfortunately, going for 100% completion seems like a total chore in this game, so I doubt that I will do more with it. I got through all the tombs before beating the game, so I think that I'm good.
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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (PC)

I'm not sure where to start. I loved the core gameplay in the first game. I still love it in this one.

The combat is more challenging because it'll throw more enemies with more variety at you, but you also get more powers.

The stealth and traversal is easier. In some ways I'd compare it to the jump from Arkham asylum to Arkham city.

The plot is broken up more distinctly into arbitrary quest lines, some of which might bore you. Or at least confuse you. Enemies and allies die and come back time time and time again for vague lore reasons, yet play off each death as important

There's a pseudo twist near the end and a climactic final boss. Far cry from the quick time event in the first game. Shadow of War really should've ended there, or at least more strongly indicated that the postgame had begun. I played another few hours of typical gameplay just to get a cutscene.

Anyway, I didn't notice any microtransactions, even though there were obvious places where they could be plugged in. I think there were microtransactions upon release which is horrific. Thankfully they were taken out and the game rebalanced.

The forts were obviously designed to be money sinks. The upgradable gear with power levels were obviously designed for that as well. I didn't do anything with either system, except equip whatever I already had with the highest level, and I was fine.

I'm not sure if I'll do any true postgame stuff. I could upgrade gear by essentially trophy hunting. Each item has a repeatable mini quest to unlock new powers and bump up its power score.

Dumbest part of the game? The battle arenas, where you watch your minions fight and your character can't interfere, kind of like in pokemon when your friend trades you a level 100 blastoise that won't do what you say. I also ignored this mechanic

I dunno. I got this through a humble bundle, have nothing going on in my life and I enjoyed it. I am on the defensive because my friends gave me a lot of crap for even installing it

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Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (Switch)

Beat this, was a really good pirate game. Enjoyed the naval combat a lot - though hated the following missions, especially the naval ones. Will play through Rogue soon.

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