What Games Have You Completed? (2023 EDITION!)

ShaneU

1. God of War: Ragnarok
2. Hitman World of Assassination
3. Ni No Kuni 2
4. Tunic
5. Dredge
6. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
7. Final Fantasy XVI
8. Diablo IV

Finished the Campaign. I enjoyed the story but the game doesn't let you complete it at your own pace! I was level 38 before I left the first area, I completed all the side quests, strongholds, dungeons etc. and then I read online that the campaign is capped at level 50! I was then forced to go straight through all the main story quests as if I had kept playing the same way I would have been fighting enemies at level 50 when I was at a higher level, not only only making the game too easy but getting less xp too!

TinCanMan

The Last Guardian [PS5] - A game that I both loved and hated. The story and the world that it plays out in are amazing with the sense of scale when outside and traversing upwards providing some exhilarating moments. The bond between the two main characters is a joy to experience and grows throughout the game. Now for the bad. The controls and camera are beyond frustrating at times and can lead to some truly rage inducing moments. In addition some of the puzzles have little logic to them and can be difficult to figure out. That aside the game was a beautiful experience and well worth playing.

Assassins Creed Black Flag [PS5] - What a joy this game is to play. It’s definitely one of the best Assassins Creed games to date and for a game almost 10 years old it still looks beautiful. The story is well written and the protagonist likeable. The ship battles add greatly to the game with some epic battles ensuing but this game is more than just that. I found the player control to be well polished as well. Overall I would thoroughly recommend this game.

Stray [PS5] - This game is visually stunning in a unique setting where you play as a cat with the ultimate aim to escape the world that you are forced into. Along the way you will encounter various puzzles and enemies. Whilst not overly challenging they do add to this unique environment. It’s a beautiful experience, especially if you are looking for something a bit different at a more relaxing pace. 

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [PS5] - I can’t recommend this game enough. It really hits you in the feels. The game itself looks beautiful and has a unique playstyle as you need to control the two brothers simultaneously with the left and right analog sticks. There are various puzzles and enemies to tackle on your adventures. Whilst the game isn’t overly long it’s definitely one that everyone should experience. 

Omno [PS5] - If you need a game to relax to then this is for you. It’s a delightful indie puzzle platformer that reminds me in some ways of the playstation classic Journey. It’s never too challenging but the beautiful world and almost zen-like gameplay is ideal for someone looking for a less stressful game to play. 

Dishonored 2 [PS5] - If you’ve played the first then this is a huge step up both graphically and in terms of gameplay. You get a choice of playing as the main character from the first game or his daughter, both of whom have different skill sets and strengths. You can be guns blazing or super stealthy, the choice is really up to you. I played this stealthily and had a blast causing mayhem from the shadows. For those that haven’t played dishonored 1 or 2 I’d highly recommend giving them a try.

Mafia: Definitive Edition [PS5] - A remake of the first Mafia game. You play as Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who through chance ends up joining the Salieri crime family and the game follows his rise in the organisation. It's a chapter driven game with varying missions from driving, shooting, assassinations and robbery. It's beautifully played out with real depth to the characters and an engaging story. 

Metro 2033 Redux [PS5] - a moody, atmospheric first person shooter set in the post apocalyptic metro tunnels of Moscow. Not the longest of games and very linear but I highly recommend it. Really enjoyed my playthrough.

Gone Home [PS5] - I played this as I had it free on PS Plus and it was recommended as a hidden gem. It’s basically a walking simulator where you uncover the story of the main character as you explore her home. It’s ok but if I’m honest nothing special.

ABZU [PS5] - I would describe this as more of an experience than a game. Set in a beautiful underwater environment you dive into the depths exploring and solving some light puzzles on the way. It’s a beautiful meditative experience where you can chill for a few hours.

The Artful Escape [PS5] - An audio and visual feast, both psychedelic and mesmerising in parts. A very enjoyable experience. 

wotzgoingon

1. High on Life [Xbox]
2. Rayman Origins [Xbox]
3. Hi-Fi Rush [Xbox]
4. The Witcher 3 [Xbox]
5. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone {DLC} [Xbox]
6. Supraland Six Inches Under [Xbox]
7. Rayman Legends [Xbox]
8. Inside [Xbox]
9. Rayman 3 HD [Xbox]

Rayman 3 HD

Great game but like any game from this era the camera fights you as you cannot move it where you want it to be. So you can walk off ledges by accident and jumping onto small platforms you can mis judge the jump and fall.

There are some tricky parts in the game but I always got through them on my second attempt even the last boss. So not too difficult. It's a bit annoying though when you die as there are no checkpoints so you have to start the entire level again and made worse when it's a long level. It happened me once it was a long level and I was on the last enemy and died and had to do the entire thing again.

The game is stingy on health pickups too at times.

I actually started this game many years ago and just said one day I better finish it.

Retr0gamer

1. Sonic Frontiers (PC)
2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
4. Aladdin (SNES)
5. Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
6. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
7. Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
9. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
10. The Firemen (SNES)
11. Omaze (Playdate)
12. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
13. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
14. Battletoads (NES)
15. Contra (MSX2)
16. Super Mario Run (Android)
17. Star Sled (Playdate)
18. Run Saber (SNES)
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission

I have plenty of issues with the base game of FF7R and I was hoping the short length of the Intermission scenario would alleviate them. Unfortunately even with its short length it manages to make many of the same mistakes. After a short opening the game dumps you into sector 7 and gives you a load of boring side quests to complete including a Fort Condor minigame which is just an absolute pain. Thankfully once you leave this section behind the game becomes one big combat section and improves greatly. It's just baffling the scenario opens with such an awful section.

At least the combat is still as good as ever. Yuffie is joined by Sonon in combat. You only have direct control over Yuffie but she is a tonne of fun to use and has a very different combat style to other FF7R characters. While Sonon can't be controlled you can issue commands to him and carry out synergy team attack. It works really well and complements the already excellent FF7R combat. There's a few new bosses here which are all great and a particularly nasty final boss. Yuffie as a character is a lot of fun and bounces off well with the other characters. The story however is a little week, it seems to set some stuff up for the sequel but doesn't really go anywhere and the ending is quite unsatisfying. Still other than that awful opening it's a nice short bit of additional content that is worth returning to.

da gamer

Call of duty modern warfare II - PS4

Lego the Incredibles - PS4

A plague tale requim - Xbox series s

High on life - Xbox series s

Prodeus - Xbox series s

Goldeneye - Xbox series s

The last of us - PS4

TMNT shredder revenge-Xbox series s

Shadow warrior 3 - Xbox series s

Mafia 2 - PS4

Halo infinite - Xbox series s

The walking dead TFS - Xbox series s

Double dragon 2 - Nes

Terminator resistance - PS4

Dusk - Switch

Evil west - PS5

Gamer Bhoy 89

Planet of Lana || Xbox Series X

Aw mate, this game was like if Playdead was merged with Studio Ghibli. It plays like Limbo and Inside but it's artwork is very much Ghibli inspired.

I absolutely adored this game. Cinematic platformers are my all-time favourite subgenre and this game delivered ten-fold. I wish the game was physically available - I'd absolutely buy this and keep it in my collection (looking at you LRG).

It broke my heart on several occasions, too. One of the best platformers I've ever played in recent years.

Get it - it's on Game Pass if you have it.

Sephiroth_dude

Forspoken - ps5

The outerworlds - ps5

Watch dogs legion - ps5

Hogwarts legacy - ps5 - Finished this last night, I thought it was a fantastic game full of wonderment and discovery, I guarantee you though it won't be at the game awards, it will be silently ignored, the devs don't deserve that, they deserve some credit for the great game they made.

johnny_ultimate

PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

My first visual novel in a while, and it comes with all the unique pleasures and absolute bullshit the genre is known for.

The basic setup is that a curse linked to some old Japanese legends has reawakened one night in Sumida near Tokyo, granting seven people 'curse stones' that enables them to use the 'Rite of Ressurection' and bring one person back to life. The slight caveat is they need to use the stones to kill others using specific curses to gather the 'soul dregs' necessary to complete the rite. It starts with a prologue focused on one character, before expanding to cover three different perspectives on the events.

It actually starts pretty creepy, with some clever use of simple panoramic environments to build dread and even a few neat little scares. The presentation is excellent throughout - between hyper-emotive character art and near photo-realistic environment art, all coated in moody film grain. As it expands, the tone drifts more towards traditional anime, and the story grows increasingly convoluted. It definitely hits its stride around halfway through, when the various narrative tracks all come together in a series of encounters and setpieces, although like the Zero Escape games - which it resembles in its approach to branching narratives and some fourth-wall breaking carry-on - it becomes very busy with names, places, twists and lore by the end.

It's mostly a lot of fun, although it becomes increasingly confusing at parts given the sheer volume of people and lore you need to remember (and non Japanese speakers - like myself - will probably struggle keeping track of all the names and surnames). It does get messier than it needs to, and the motivations of characters can get very blurry when they're psychopathic murderers in one sequence but much more chill in another timeline branch. But generally it's a fun, pulpy ride - not very scary at all, but good, harmless paranormal fun with broadly-drawn characters. Some of the later twists are enjoyably batshit, others are just nonsense, but there's enough of the former to go along with the ride.

It is a visual novel, so gameplay is limited, though it does have a few tricks and puzzles up its sleeve. I did end up with a guide for a few of them as it's sometimes hard to figure out what the game expects from you - and it has a few Kojima-esque meta gags that may not be immediately obvious when you first encounter them. There are handy menus where you can review info to figure out the parts where the game prompts you for an open-ended answer, although one late game code-breaking bit was quite vague and tricky with even all the info to hand. Some of the cleverest bits are when you can tweak the timeline in one scene to have repercussions in an entirely separate one. Altogether, it's around 10-12 hours of game, depending on how fast a reader you are (i.e. how quickly you scroll through reams of text boxes).

Amusingly, the game repeatedly boasts of the support of the real-life Sumida City Tourism Division. While it certainly offers some insights into the local folklore and some lovely panoramas of the city environments, I'm not sure this tale of mass murder, creepy strangers and various paranormal antics is necessarily the best tourist advertisement, but what do I know :)

Mr.Fantastic

1. God of war: Ragnarok -PS5
2. Signalis -Xbox Series X
3. The Callisto Protocol - PS5
4. FF7 Crisis core reunion -PS5
5. Fire Emblem: Engage - Switch
6. Hogwarts Legacy - PS5
7. Resident evil 4: Remake -PS5
8. Star Wars : Jedi Survivor-PS5
9. Chained Echoes -Steam Deck
10. Dredge - Steam Deck
11. Midnight Fight Club - Xbox Series X
12. Final Fantasy XV -PS5

Midnight Fight Club

A nice little indie that I finished on Gamepass, kinda reminded me of hotline miami its very enjoyable but its bit light on plot. Combat is satisfying in it.

Final Fantasy XV

Really enjoyed this overall felt it was a bit dragged out at the end and the some of the sidequests are not great defo seem like they were done by an intern team. The combat was great though I felt was like a mashup of FF7 and DMC can get a bit frantic.

Spoiler Warning

Thought the ending was okay considering some of the side quests really fleshed out the characters only, for it to be left open ended with the ending , have to say the VA was great and it was nice hearing regional accents in it. Especially Gav as a man from the toon howay man

TinCanMan

The Last Guardian [PS5] - A game that I both loved and hated. The story and the world that it plays out in are amazing with the sense of scale when outside and traversing upwards providing some exhilarating moments. The bond between the two main characters is a joy to experience and grows throughout the game. Now for the bad. The controls and camera are beyond frustrating at times and can lead to some truly rage inducing moments. In addition some of the puzzles have little logic to them and can be difficult to figure out. That aside the game was a beautiful experience and well worth playing.

Assassins Creed Black Flag [PS5] - What a joy this game is to play. It’s definitely one of the best Assassins Creed games to date and for a game almost 10 years old it still looks beautiful. The story is well written and the protagonist likeable. The ship battles add greatly to the game with some epic battles ensuing but this game is more than just that. I found the player control to be well polished as well. Overall I would thoroughly recommend this game.

Stray [PS5] - This game is visually stunning in a unique setting where you play as a cat with the ultimate aim to escape the world that you are forced into. Along the way you will encounter various puzzles and enemies. Whilst not overly challenging they do add to this unique environment. It’s a beautiful experience, especially if you are looking for something a bit different at a more relaxing pace. 

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [PS5] - I can’t recommend this game enough. It really hits you in the feels. The game itself looks beautiful and has a unique playstyle as you need to control the two brothers simultaneously with the left and right analog sticks. There are various puzzles and enemies to tackle on your adventures. Whilst the game isn’t overly long it’s definitely one that everyone should experience. 

Omno [PS5] - If you need a game to relax to then this is for you. It’s a delightful indie puzzle platformer that reminds me in some ways of the playstation classic Journey. It’s never too challenging but the beautiful world and almost zen-like gameplay is ideal for someone looking for a less stressful game to play. 

Dishonored 2 [PS5] - If you’ve played the first then this is a huge step up both graphically and in terms of gameplay. You get a choice of playing as the main character from the first game or his daughter, both of whom have different skill sets and strengths. You can be guns blazing or super stealthy, the choice is really up to you. I played this stealthily and had a blast causing mayhem from the shadows. For those that haven’t played dishonored 1 or 2 I’d highly recommend giving them a try.

Mafia: Definitive Edition [PS5] - A remake of the first Mafia game. You play as Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who through chance ends up joining the Salieri crime family and the game follows his rise in the organisation. It's a chapter driven game with varying missions from driving, shooting, assassinations and robbery. It's beautifully played out with real depth to the characters and an engaging story. 

Metro 2033 Redux [PS5] - a moody, atmospheric first person shooter set in the post apocalyptic metro tunnels of Moscow. Not the longest of games and very linear but I highly recommend it. Really enjoyed my playthrough.

Gone Home [PS5] - I played this as I had it free on PS Plus and it was recommended as a hidden gem. It’s basically a walking simulator where you uncover the story of the main character as you explore her home. It’s ok but if I’m honest nothing special.

ABZU [PS5] - I would describe this as more of an experience than a game. Set in a beautiful underwater environment you dive into the depths exploring and solving some light puzzles on the way. It’s a beautiful meditative experience where you can chill for a few hours.

The Artful Escape [PS5] - An audio and visual feast, both psychedelic and mesmerising in parts. A very enjoyable experience. 

Judgement [PS5] - What an amazing game. If you’ve played a Yakuza game then you’ll know what to expect. It’s got all the usual things you’d find in a Yakuza game but this time you play as a detective (ex lawyer) rather than a Yakuza with the task of solving several gruesome murders and the conspiracies behind them. It looks and performs beautifully on the PS5. Would thoroughly recommend this especially if you have enjoyed previous Yakuza games.

 

Retr0gamer

1. Sonic Frontiers (PC)
2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
4. Aladdin (SNES)
5. Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
6. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
7. Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
9. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
10. The Firemen (SNES)
11. Omaze (Playdate)
12. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
13. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
14. Battletoads (NES)
15. Contra (MSX2)
16. Super Mario Run (Android)
17. Star Sled (Playdate)
18. Run Saber (SNES)
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
21. Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)

Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse

Surprised I never got around to this game considering SMT4 is one of my all time favourite RPGs. I even bought this at release. Apocalypse is basically the TotK to SMT4's BotW. It started out as an updated version of SMT4 before development got out of hand and they ended up making a brand new game in the SMT4 world.

Apocalypse is a gaiden game that starts near the end of the SMT4 neutral path when the MC is about to take on the forces of Chaos and Law. Your namable protagonist gets himself killed but is resurrected by the Irish Celtic god Dagda as long as he does his bidding as his 'Godslayer'. Unfortunately this leads to the opening of a proverbial pandora's box unleashing a third demonic faction into the world, the Divine Powers. The Divine Powers have their own agenda at odds with the humans, chaos and law leading to an uneasy alliance to try and take down this new faction.

While Apocalypse uses the same setting as SMT4 as well as a lot of the same art and music, it really can't be called a lazy sequel. There's tonnes of new areas not in the base game. New music has been composed for the game that really compliments the SMT4 soundtrack, which so happens to be one of the all time great videogame soundtracks. The battle system has also been overhauled. You now have to take into account demon affinity for spells and abilities. It means there's no longer broken demon builds such as the ice demon jack frost with fire abilities. The smirk status has also been reworked where it's nowhere near as overpowered as in SMT4. Some overpowered late game spells have also had their utility nerfed.

What this leads to is a much better balanced game. The original SMT4 caused a stir over how hard it was and the brutality of it's boss encounters but this really only applied to the opening area of the game. The game became a cake walk after these areas which was unfortunate as the quality of life features SMT4 brought to the classic SMT press turn battle system were a welcome improvement. As a result, Apocalypse maintains a fair level of challenge through the entirety of the game. The only exception is the final dungeon which was fairly boring for me as I had reached the level cap at that point.

Where Apocalypse falls flat compared to SMT4 is the story. Whereas other SMT games have the player decide on siding with Law, Chaos or forging their own neutral path, Apocalypse's alignment choices are various flavours of netural. This works well with the games theme of the power of humanity when people work together. During the course of the game you will gather a party that represent all factions from the SMT4, most of which are idealistically opposed to each other. Of course they all have to learn to live with each other and understand each other to succeed. It's a unique ideological exploration for the series and not exactly a bad one. However it comes across a bit too much like the anime trope of the power of friendship trumping all. I didn't hate the story as much as some people but it is tonally quite a shift from mainline SMT games which are usually quite dark and mature. I honestly didn't mind a more goofy fun take on the SMT tropes but it is a big step backwards from the excellent story of SMT4.

Despite some disappoints SMT4: Apocalypse is one of the standout JRPGs on 3DS and one of the many games on that portable system that made a mockery of the state of JRPGs on the likes of the PS3 and PS4. The game looks stunning, it's a real visual showcase of the 3DS and one of the best looking games on system. I have to mention the soundtrack again, it really is an all time great. It's well worth your time and I hope the rumours of a SMT4 remaster are true and they don't forget Apocalypse.

I also finished the DLC missions for the game. Two missions are just very difficult boss fights that net you two very powerful demons to add to your party. Another is a series of battles that you must beat in 25 turns. It's a fun little combat puzzle. Another adds an extra boss to the Twisted Tokyo optional end game dungeon. Just be wary that this boss is insanely tough. The last DLC is the best of the bunch and a real treat for fans of the series. It takes place in a dungeon reminiscent of the dream dungeon from SMT 1 and brings back all SMT protagonists for and incredibly tough fight against a reoccurring character.

All the DLC is optional and doesn't add anything to the story. The big issue I have is that the resources to build the overpowered demon parties you need to complete the DLC are thin on the ground unlike in SMT4. However the game has DLC that makes gathering these resources a breeze. It all comes off a bit predatory as you absolutely need this DLC to stand a chance with how hard this DLC is. And with the Nintendo eshop down there's no way to access it. I ended up having to hack my 3DS to get the DLC so I could actually finish the DLC I did buy.

Mr.Saturn

Kinda funny you mention how hard SMTIV is as I’m finding it a welcome reprieve after the ‘protagonist dies/game over’ difficulty of SMTV, though I guess V is a lot more generous with its difficulty options. I was bumping it down to grind in the late game and you’d one-shot most enemies at equal level to party.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984295#Comment_120984295

How far are you? I found it reasonable but the first two bosses can be ballbreakers if you aren't used to SMT. After that it gets way too easy. But I just remember at release all the articles on game sites about the difficulty of the game and it was very obvious the people playing hadn't even gotten to the real meat of the game.

Mr.Saturn

Just cleared the training dungeon. Died a couple times but from inattentiveness rather than anything actually difficult. Also, the N3DSXL is the absolute comfiest little JRPG machine ever.

Retr0gamer

The first real boss and the second boss are the bits that trip newcomers up. I'd be interested to see how you get on with them. Minotaur especially can be a doozy.

However once you beat them you can enjoy what is the greatest piece of music ever composed for a jrpg overworld. Unfortunately said overworld is stupidly confusing but at least the music is great while you are lost.

Retr0gamer

1. Sonic Frontiers (PC)
2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
4. Aladdin (SNES)
5. Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
6. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
7. Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
9. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
10. The Firemen (SNES)
11. Omaze (Playdate)
12. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
13. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
14. Battletoads (NES)
15. Contra (MSX2)
16. Super Mario Run (Android)
17. Star Sled (Playdate)
18. Run Saber (SNES)
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
21. Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
22. Parameters (Browser)

Parameters

Have you ever played a game that totally wastes your time? Live service games like Destiny, MMOs, or even games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that seems made to just completely waste your time. Well Parameters is a simple browser game that sets out to explore this. It's created by Yoshio Ishii, a one man developer behind Nekogames.

Parameters greets the player with a big grid of boxes and a few stats that simplifies the RPG genre to its bare bones. Clicking on box is a quest. Just clicking on some a few times will complete quests. Some require keys to unlock first. There's also enemy squares that lose HP with each click but also take your HP. These enemies will regain health over time so the goal is to outpace their DPS. If you run out of life or action points you will have to wait for them to regenerate over time, there's no game over.

Clicking on boxes will give experience and money which must be collected with the mouse. EXP can be used to increase one of three parameters (get it?), attack, defense and how quickly the action gauge regenerates. Finishing some boxes can also release keys for unlocking other boxes. There's also special boxes that exchange parameters or keys for money and a casino that can give big rewards and is weighted heavily in the players favour.

As you progress in the game more and more grinding is required and kind of exemplifies the sunk cost fallacy most of these games illicit.

It's a fun little game to play and makes a statement about videogames. A playthrough will only take 30-60 minutes.

It's a very hard game to find but I'll provide a link below to people interested.

https://evilgames.eu/flashgames/parameters.htm

wotzgoingon

1. High on Life [Xbox]
2. Rayman Origins [Xbox]
3. Hi-Fi Rush [Xbox]
4. The Witcher 3 [Xbox]
5. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone {DLC} [Xbox]
6. Supraland Six Inches Under [Xbox]
7. Rayman Legends [Xbox]
8. Inside [Xbox]
9. Rayman 3 HD [Xbox]
10. Tinykin [Xbox]

Tinykin

What a game. I enjoyed every minute of it. Managed to get 1000/1000 Gamerscore too.

Retr0gamer

1. Sonic Frontiers (PC)
2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
4. Aladdin (SNES)
5. Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
6. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
7. Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
9. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
10. The Firemen (SNES)
11. Omaze (Playdate)
12. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
13. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
14. Battletoads (NES)
15. Contra (MSX2)
16. Super Mario Run (Android)
17. Star Sled (Playdate)
18. Run Saber (SNES)
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
21. Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
22. Parameters (Browser)
23. Quake 2 (PC)

Quake 2

I was never all that fond of Quake 2 but the recent Nightdive remaster has made me have a new respect for the game. I had the same experience with Quake 1 but in that case it made me realise just how well made that game was and how much I missed actual level design in shooters. Quake 2 I like but don't love. I guess playing it now at 60 FPS instead of 10-15 FPS at 320x240 on a P100 makes a big difference.

Quake 2 is a strange relic, released at at time when PC games were evolving rapidly. The original Quake 1 was fairly old school with it's levels revolving around finding keys and a linear progress but it pushed the adoption of fully polygonal 3D engines. Other games such as Hexen were introducing exploration and RPG mechanics into the FPS genre. Quake 2 took a different approach to it's level design with each section of the game consisting of multiple levels that connected to each other. Instead of just reaching the exit, you have to complete mission objectives before moving on the next section of the game. Goldeneye released around the same time and introduced mission objectives to FPS games. It also did mission objectives way better than Quake 2. The level design is also not quite on par with the quality of the level design in Quake 1. I can see some players getting lost in the more labyrinthian levels and some like the cell blocks are just plain bad. The game takes a nose dive in the penultimate area with a very confusing area filled with way too many bullet sponge enemies that you end up cheesing. Nightdive have updated the enemy AI to where they have much better pathfinding and are much better at pursuing the enemy. Some enemies gain new attacks. The Berserker in particular has gone from a complete joke to a real threat that can catch you off guard. Where the game excels is in how it plays. As with all Id games it just feels great to move around. Weapons feel great and the shotgun definitely doesn't disappoint. The Railgun is an excellent addition to the arsenal.

My one big problem with Quake 2 is how ugly it is. Nightdive did a great job in porting this game and it's a fabulous update. It's just always been a nasty looking game. The over use of coloured lighting is really garish. The art design is not good and the teenage edgelord sci-fi marines mixed with body horror aesthetic always came across as really lame to me.

I enjoyed the nostalgic revisit of Quake 2. It's always been a weird game, coming out with silly amounts of hype before being totally forgotten about (not in multiplayer though which had a very long life and is still excellent). Unreal would release 6 months later and totally blow Quake 2's cutting edge visuals out of the water. In less than a year Half-Life and Thief would release, two games that would herald the modern age of FPS games and set the standard for storytelling, world building and game design in games.

da gamer

Call of duty modern warfare II - PS4

Lego the Incredibles - PS4

A plague tale requim - Xbox series s

High on life - Xbox series s

Prodeus - Xbox series s

Goldeneye - Xbox series s

The last of us - PS4

TMNT shredder revenge-Xbox series s

Shadow warrior 3 - Xbox series s

Mafia 2 - PS4

Halo infinite - Xbox series s

The walking dead TFS - Xbox series s

Double dragon 2 - Nes

Terminator resistance - PS4

Dusk - Switch

Evil west - PS5

Fifa 23 - PS4

wotzgoingon

1. High on Life [Xbox]
2. Rayman Origins [Xbox]
3. Hi-Fi Rush [Xbox]
4. The Witcher 3 [Xbox]
5. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone {DLC} [Xbox]
6. Supraland Six Inches Under [Xbox]
7. Rayman Legends [Xbox]
8. Inside [Xbox]
9. Rayman 3 HD [Xbox]
10. Tinykin [Xbox]
11. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine {DLC} [Xbox]

Blood and Wine

Great DLC but I put it to the side as you can see as I played a few games since I finished Hearts of Stone. I got the credits but I'm still not done with the game as I have a few side missions still left to do. It had a mazing scenery even at night and then the

Spoiler Warning

fairy tale location

was pretty cool as well. Overall a great DLC.

Retr0gamer

1. Sonic Frontiers (PC)
2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
4. Aladdin (SNES)
5. Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
6. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
7. Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
9. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
10. The Firemen (SNES)
11. Omaze (Playdate)
12. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
13. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
14. Battletoads (NES)
15. Contra (MSX2)
16. Super Mario Run (Android)
17. Star Sled (Playdate)
18. Run Saber (SNES)
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
21. Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
22. Parameters (Browser)
23. Quake 2 (PC)
24. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

Super Mario 3D Land

What an absolute joy this game was and I can't believe it's taken me this long to sit down and really play it.

3D Land takes a more linear approach to the 3D mario template than the more exploration based contemporaries. In a way it closely patterns itself after Super Mario Bros 3 with it's bitesized levels. It makes no secret of this with there being numerous references to mario 3 which extends to the inclusion of that games iconic Racoon and Tanooki suits. It makes it a perfect fit for the handheld platform. The diorama camera alleviates the necessity for camera controls on a system without the right analogue stick. It's a game perfectly tailored for the handheld experience.

It's a rather generous game in terms of content. There's a huge amount of stages and each one has been designed with the usual Nintendo quality you just don't find in another other competitors platformers. Each stage also has 3 coins to collect, some of which are quite fiendishly placed. These are used to unlock progress through the game but the requirements are quite generous in that regard. Finishing the game opens up the special world which effectively doubles the content of the base game. While I found the initial set of levels a bit too easy the special stages ramp up the challenge. These stages are a mix of brand new stages or previous stages with the stages and objectives switched up to add more challenge. It's also a requirement to collect all of the 3 hidden coins on each stage to unlock the final levels of the special world.

The game is wrapped up in Nintendo's high level of polish. The music is excellent. Visually it's one of the best looking games on the system. Stages are full of flourishes and call backs to mario's history that will bring a smile to your face. It's one of the all time great handheld games.

Gamer Bhoy 89

Resident Evil 4 (2023) || PlayStation 5

Posted my comment on this in the wrong thread 😂 Didn't notice until 3 weeks later.

But anyway; what's to say? It's Resi 4. As good as the original, if not better. Capcom have been nailing these remakes (and yes, I'm a fan of RE3 remake. I loved it).

Little Nightmares || PlayStation 5

Hadn't played this one in a few years - completely forgot how short it was.

Brilliant little horror-platformer. Great art style. Stellar soundtrack and sound design in general. Doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves.

So happy the devs have announced a third instalment. I'm gonna jump into Little Nightmares 2 now

Gamer Bhoy 89

Little Nightmares II || PlayStation 5

This one exceeds the first game by a country mile. It also has one of the coolest endings to any (at least indie) game I've seen in recent years.

Really can't wait for Little Nightmares III

White Shadows || PlayStation 5

Saw this one for sale after I beat Little Nightmares 2 so I decided to grab it and give it a go.

Cinematic platformers are among my favourite genres, but this one, honestly; a bit of a let down.

I mean, it was fine. There was little to no challenge to it (few trial and error moments but those were down to my lack of awareness). I think the developer's focus here was the story more than anything, before gameplay.

Visually it's nice, but technically it's a bit of a mess. I wouldn't recommend it on console; at least PS5. Frame rate drops all over the place. If it runs better on PC (and I'd assume it does), get it there.

Personally though, I found it a bit boring.

Gamer Bhoy 89

Flashback || PlayStation 5

My favourite game of all time. Practically comfort food at this stage.

Final two levels are a massive pain in the hole though. Massive spike in difficulty.

Nothing much I can say. It's one of the best cinematic platformers ever made. If not THE best.

da gamer

Call of duty modern warfare II - PS4

Lego the Incredibles - PS4

A plague tale requim - Xbox series s

High on life - Xbox series s

Prodeus - Xbox series s

Goldeneye - Xbox series s

The last of us - PS4

TMNT shredder revenge-Xbox series s

Shadow warrior 3 - Xbox series s

Mafia 2 - PS4

Halo infinite - Xbox series s

The walking dead TFS - Xbox series s

Double dragon 2 - Nes

Terminator resistance - PS4

Dusk - Switch

Evil west - PS5

Fifa 23 - PS4

Quake 2 64 - Xbox series s

TinCanMan

The Last Guardian [PS5] - A game that I both loved and hated. The story and the world that it plays out in are amazing with the sense of scale when outside and traversing upwards providing some exhilarating moments. The bond between the two main characters is a joy to experience and grows throughout the game. Now for the bad. The controls and camera are beyond frustrating at times and can lead to some truly rage inducing moments. In addition some of the puzzles have little logic to them and can be difficult to figure out. That aside the game was a beautiful experience and well worth playing.

Assassins Creed Black Flag [PS5] - What a joy this game is to play. It’s definitely one of the best Assassins Creed games to date and for a game almost 10 years old it still looks beautiful. The story is well written and the protagonist likeable. The ship battles add greatly to the game with some epic battles ensuing but this game is more than just that. I found the player control to be well polished as well. Overall I would thoroughly recommend this game.

Stray [PS5] - This game is visually stunning in a unique setting where you play as a cat with the ultimate aim to escape the world that you are forced into. Along the way you will encounter various puzzles and enemies. Whilst not overly challenging they do add to this unique environment. It’s a beautiful experience, especially if you are looking for something a bit different at a more relaxing pace. 

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [PS5] - I can’t recommend this game enough. It really hits you in the feels. The game itself looks beautiful and has a unique playstyle as you need to control the two brothers simultaneously with the left and right analog sticks. There are various puzzles and enemies to tackle on your adventures. Whilst the game isn’t overly long it’s definitely one that everyone should experience. 

Omno [PS5] - If you need a game to relax to then this is for you. It’s a delightful indie puzzle platformer that reminds me in some ways of the playstation classic Journey. It’s never too challenging but the beautiful world and almost zen-like gameplay is ideal for someone looking for a less stressful game to play. 

Dishonored 2 [PS5] - If you’ve played the first then this is a huge step up both graphically and in terms of gameplay. You get a choice of playing as the main character from the first game or his daughter, both of whom have different skill sets and strengths. You can be guns blazing or super stealthy, the choice is really up to you. I played this stealthily and had a blast causing mayhem from the shadows. For those that haven’t played dishonored 1 or 2 I’d highly recommend giving them a try.

Mafia: Definitive Edition [PS5] - A remake of the first Mafia game. You play as Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who through chance ends up joining the Salieri crime family and the game follows his rise in the organisation. It's a chapter driven game with varying missions from driving, shooting, assassinations and robbery. It's beautifully played out with real depth to the characters and an engaging story. 

Metro 2033 Redux [PS5] - a moody, atmospheric first person shooter set in the post apocalyptic metro tunnels of Moscow. Not the longest of games and very linear but I highly recommend it. Really enjoyed my playthrough.

Gone Home [PS5] - I played this as I had it free on PS Plus and it was recommended as a hidden gem. It’s basically a walking simulator where you uncover the story of the main character as you explore her home. It’s ok but if I’m honest nothing special.

ABZU [PS5] - I would describe this as more of an experience than a game. Set in a beautiful underwater environment you dive into the depths exploring and solving some light puzzles on the way. It’s a beautiful meditative experience where you can chill for a few hours.

The Artful Escape [PS5] - An audio and visual feast, both psychedelic and mesmerising in parts. A very enjoyable experience. 

Judgement [PS5] - What an amazing game. If you’ve played a Yakuza game then you’ll know what to expect. It’s got all the usual things you’d find in a Yakuza game but this time you play as a detective (ex lawyer) rather than a Yakuza with the task of solving several gruesome murders and the conspiracies behind them. It looks and performs beautifully on the PS5. Would thoroughly recommend this especially if you have enjoyed previous Yakuza games.

Alan Wake [PS5] - A game I’ve been wanting to play since the Xbox 360 version but never got that chance. A horror/thriller where you play the part of a writer whose wife goes missing in mysterious circumstances whilst on vacation with sinister forces at play when darkness descends. I really loved this and whilst initially spooky it’s more fun than scary after a few chapters. Thoroughly recommended. 

 

da gamer

Call of duty modern warfare II - PS4

Lego the Incredibles - PS4

A plague tale requim - Xbox series s

High on life - Xbox series s

Prodeus - Xbox series s

Goldeneye - Xbox series s

The last of us - PS4

TMNT shredder revenge-Xbox series s

Shadow warrior 3 - Xbox series s

Mafia 2 - PS4

Halo infinite - Xbox series s

The walking dead TFS - Xbox series s

Double dragon 2 - Nes

Terminator resistance - PS4

Dusk - Switch

Evil west - PS5

Fifa 23 - PS4

Quake 2 64 - Xbox series s

God of war ragnarok - PS5

Retr0gamer

1. Sonic Frontiers (PC)
2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
4. Aladdin (SNES)
5. Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
6. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
7. Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
9. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
10. The Firemen (SNES)
11. Omaze (Playdate)
12. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
13. Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
14. Battletoads (NES)
15. Contra (MSX2)
16. Super Mario Run (Android)
17. Star Sled (Playdate)
18. Run Saber (SNES)
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
21. Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
22. Parameters (Browser)
23. Quake 2 (PC)
24. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
25. Astroboy: Omega Factor (GBA)

Astroboy: Omega Factor

I'm amazed it took me so long to playing this game considering who the developer is and how well regarded it is but I'm glad I finally gave it a go.

Sega decided to release two games to coincide with the 50th anniversary of astroboy and the release of a new cartoon series, a 3D PS2 game and a GBA game. Mostly licensed GBA games were the absolute dregs but strangely the PS2 game has been largely forgotten due to its mediocrity and the GBA title was a real standout, probably due to who Sega got on board as developer.

Sega's internal team Hitmaker was in charge for the project and their lead as a big fan of Gunstar Heroes brought in Treasure to develop the title. Treasure put in charge who set up a team with Gunstar Heroes lead designer and programmer, Mitsuru Yaida, in the same role.

While Treasure are one of my all time favourite videogame developers they are a bit like Platinum in that their own IP is usually very well crafted but their licensed games are hit and miss, mostly miss. Their GBA output was also quite disappointing, Gunstar Heroes is a top 10 greatest game of all time for me but the GBA sequel Super Gunstar Heroes was a massive disappointment. I think there was a lot of love for the Astroboy licensed with this game and a decent budget as it really feels like a passion project and while there's a lot of Treasure's DNA in here, particularly Gunstar and Alien Soldier, it's very much a unique experience with the complex systems that Treasure is known for.

Omega Factor is a typical platform beat'em up with a not very typical control system. Astroboy has pretty much all his many available abilities to him and they have somehow all been mapped to the four buttons of the GBA. Along with a standard punch astro can kick enemies which sends they careening across the screen and can hit other enemies to create satisfying combo attacks. Astro can also use his finger tip lasers for a long range attack. Astro has a simple jump but can engage his booster jets to travel across the screen and give him i-frames. Finally he has three special moves that can be activated when the ex bar is full. This is filled by attacking enemies. There's his screen clearing button machine guns that also give i-frames and a very powerful super laser that does huge amounts and cancels enemy bullets but leaves astro in place and vulnerable. His final attack has astro using his jets and careening into enemies but I found this attack in consistent as you press both A and B at the same time and the timing is very strict.

Despite the amount of options the player has the control scheme is quite intuitive. Each stage of the game is split into smaller action segments. These can be unique action segments or, in Treasure tradition boss, massive boss battles. The difficulty of the game initially isn't too hard and I found myself bumbling through a lot of these fights and most people should be able to as well.

I say initially here as that all changes in new game plus. Omega Factor has a very interesting take on new game plus. The first time through is a linear journey to the end leading to a strangely dark and depressing ending. New game plus opens up a stage select and a time paradox story line as astro travels through time to avert disaster. New stages open up and new challenges while enemies and boss now hot much harder and challenge you on your knowledge and executing of astroboys unique move set.

While astroboy is one of the best action games on the GBA I haven't really touched on how it's not just a love letter to Astroboy but to his creator, the late Tetsu Osama. The story of Omega Factor mixes up the Astroboy story with characters and stories from all of Osama's works. This feeds back into the game as meeting characters and understanding them allows Astro to upgrade his abilities as well as filling out his 'omega factor', a representation of astro understanding human emotion that also serves as an encyclopaedia for Osama's work.

Astroboy Omega Factor is an absolute gem of an action game and we'll worth playing despite a few difficulty spikes and frustrations.

Mr.Fantastic

1. God of war: Ragnarok -PS5
2. Signalis -Xbox Series X
3. The Callisto Protocol - PS5
4. FF7 Crisis core reunion -PS5
5. Fire Emblem: Engage - Switch
6. Hogwarts Legacy - PS5
7. Resident evil 4: Remake -PS5
8. Star Wars : Jedi Survivor-PS5
9. Chained Echoes -Steam Deck
10. Dredge - Steam Deck
11. Midnight Fight Club - Xbox Series X
12. Final Fantasy XV -PS5
13. Mortal Kombat 11 - Xbox Series X

Mortal Kombat 11

Dusted this off on gamepass enjoyable, I have the DLC also but was mindless fun for a few hours.

ShaneU

1. God of War: Ragnarok
2. Hitman World of Assassination
3. Ni No Kuni 2
4. Tunic
5. Dredge
6. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
7. Final Fantasy XVI
8. Diablo IV
9. Starfield

Some cool moments in this but the engine is feeling very dated now. Other than Barrett I didn't really find any of the characters endearing. The main quest is based around going to identical temples and doing an identical mini-game to get powers over and over. Who thought that was a good idea? I was fed up the third time. The faction quests are MUCH better. Ship combat is great. They've actually managed to make stealth worse than Skyrim, all the enemies have spidey senses and can spot you from half a mile away! I alerted an enemy by walking past them on the other side of the wall in a different room! I didn't bother with the base building as it seems rather pointless and I could spot the AI generated rubbish a mile off, avoided that. Once again, Bethesda UI is dreadful, no information on what you want to pick up at all. Also the navigation for a game set in space is poor. I really hope Elder Scrolls VI doesn't use this same engine but it probably will.

10 Coccoon

Brilliant puzzle game by the maker of Limbo and Inside. Lots of "there's no way they expect me to do that...oh wait they do!" moments. It's on gamepass.