Moot_Geeza wrote:

I devoured it in a few days but I'd imagine the drip fed chapter approach would've worked nicely too, perhaps that would've suited you a bit more. It's not my usual thing but everything felt on the money for me. Glad you got something out of it but it's an unusual experience for sure.

I have one more act to go, just finished the thing between Act IV and Act V. Wish I could start it now, but I've had too much coffee and not enough food so I'd probably click through it way too fast. It's been an absolute treat the last couple weekend mornings, everyone is still asleep, and it's just me and this weird tale. It makes me incredibly happy to play this game, it's just really good. The episode I did this morning had a storm in the background, so having rain and some occasional thunder in real life made it so much better.

If I'd played it on Switch it would've made my GotY list, but it was the first game I played on a PC since.....Doom II maybe. Lovely game.

It could go on Tilly's list, was the first game she completed without input from me I think. Was shocked to see her at the top a couple of days after buying it.

Nina wrote:

Moot_Geeza wrote:

I devoured it in a few days but I'd imagine the drip fed chapter approach would've worked nicely too, perhaps that would've suited you a bit more. It's not my usual thing but everything felt on the money for me. Glad you got something out of it but it's an unusual experience for sure.

I have one more act to go, just finished the thing between Act IV and Act V. Wish I could start it now, but I've had too much coffee and not enough food so I'd probably click through it way too fast. It's been an absolute treat the last couple weekend mornings, everyone is still asleep, and it's just me and this weird tale. It makes me incredibly happy to play this game, it's just really good. The episode I did this morning had a storm in the background, so having rain and some occasional thunder in real life made it so much better.

I love reading about people enjoying it. Had a similar thing with Outer Wilds.

Dayum, didn’t know that.

7 - Knights and Bikes
Played through this with B. A lot of charm packed into this, and it even got a little bit emotional towards the end. Gameplay lacks a bit, and can get slightly annoying, but there's always something in the visuals or writing that will make you smile at the game again.


Wonder if I can get to 10 this year, I could probably throw Pokémon, Astro Boy and Into The Breach on the list if I struggle, there's still things I want to do in an them but credits have rolled.

Yeah I'm about two hours in and it's not much cop if you strip away all the brilliance elswhere.  Love the characters and general atmosphere but it terms of how it plays it's no Cat Quest II.

116. Ultimate Ski Jump 2020 - Switch (30 mins)

What do you get if you build an entire game around one event from a substandard Olympics game that might've existed circa 1992?  That's right, this shower of shit.  I've got no idea why I've sort of fancied this for ages - probably because I like Olympics games and I was intrigued how a single event game could sell for £8.99 - but after foolishly eyeing it up a few times on the EShop I finally bit the bullet this evening for 89p.  I have no words really, it's probably the worst game I've ever played, including games I've deliberately played for their infamous rubbishness on retro days with @retroking1981.  It's truly deeply genuinely atrocious and I urge everyone to try it - it's worth it for the pre-event text alone (literally stuff like 'you feel bad today because you are unwell.  This event will be hard as you are ill and ate paprika chicken.  Try to finish 10th').  I've finished the campaign and I don't really know how it works.  The difference between classic and realistic controls seems to be minimal and I haven't the foggiest why you'd ever lean forward as leaning backwards always makes you go further.  Just a coincidence mere days after wariospeedwagon asked me about the worst thing I've played in these threads, but here it is. [0], considering it costs almost as much as Hollow Knight pre discount.  That's a genuine score too, please try.  This would've bounced off the mustard in 1985.



I had to immediately treat myself to Blasphemous in an attempt to cheer up.

Souls with loads of checkpoints though, right?

I played the demo and liked the combat, was the sort of feel I was looking for with Slain.

2D or GTFO with difficult games.

I enjoyed Blasphemous but some of the platforming annoyed the everloving fuck out of me. Still an [8] for me though

117. Blasphemous - Switch (12hrs 31mins, 73.5%)

It's frankly ridiculous how much I've smashed this since Tuesday, looking at the hours played I'm not quite sure how I managed it.  The fact that I attacked it with the same zeal as I did Hollow Knight (probably the last game that I became this obsessed with) should speak volumes - this was a very special experience, and one that will definitely take residence in the top half of my Cinty 100 list if I ever update it.  There's a chance the sizable patch had a lot to do with my enjoyment here - the aftercare package seems strong, and includes a change to the feel of the jump, QoL fixes with timings/layouts, full Spanish language track, various control tweaks and more, leading up to these two whoppers:

The penitent one will only climb a ledge if you press up, to prevent accidental climbing. 

Damage while wall climbing now doesn't prevent further wall climbing.  Before it was only available after touching the ground again.  


So to me, hanging from a ledge before picking my spot to nip up was intrinsic from the start, but it seems this is a recent addition (unless pressing any direction made the character haul himself up previously?).  Anyway, I thought the post-patch game I played was a breathtakingly good Souls/Metroidvania hybrid genuinely comparable to Hollow Knight while also feeling like an ultimate form Symphony of the Night with its mammoth kitbag of buffs.  The platforming won't be for everyone (Tempy used the word punitive, and while it fits as a criticism, punitive jumpmans can be very appealing and was here for me).  I had no qualms flagellating myself with the platforming as it never felt unreasonably hard, just adroitly mean.  

The pixel art style and animation are stunning, real jaw-drop stuff.  Before this I thought Huntdown and Katana Zero were the poster children for the increasingly popular style, but this does so much so well it probably edges in front of both.  It's a beautifully grotesque game with artwork worthy of Etsy canvas prints.  Music is excellent in places too, and the sound design in general is nigh on perfect, be it the shrieks of stricken foes or delightfully creepy whispered incantations.  

Aside from Hollow Knight this was my first 'Souls' experience (obviously the term has been attached to both loosely but I think I understand where it applies in each).  In 3D this would still be a nope for me as side scrollers tend to be my comfort zone as a rule.  If I die in a good platformer I hate myself, if I die in a good 3D game I still tend to hate the game (probably why I've allowed myself to select easy mode for a handful of titles in recent years).  I hated myself most of the way through this, and therefore loved the game.  

I've gone a bit off track here and I was planning to sit down and attempt to do this game justice with a full review, deep diving on the various things that make it tick.  Bit tired though, probably because I've been staring at a screen for an obscene amount of time!  It's an awesome (old style awesome) quest that struck me as masterfully designed from start to finish and absolutely worth fine tooth combing for the hundo hunters.  I might even NG+ it for the integrated DLC, which would be another first for me. [9]

Astro's Playroom (PS5) 8/10

If you've been following the early reviews/impressions of this game I don't have too much to add - Maybe it's not an all-time great game, but it's a great introduction to the PS5.  The controller in particular - this haptic feedback trigger stuff is the real deal.  I can't wait to try a shooting or racing game that makes the most of them.

AP is a fairly slight game, you can get to the credits in a couple of hours.  You have 4 main levels, each of which have a bunch of hidden nickknacks to find (mostly 3D renders of old PlayStation hardware (it's cooler than I make it sound)), and you can unlock other stuff after your done.  

Astro is pretty good to control.  He's very precise and the camera keeps up with him.  I'm not all that excited by the art style but didn't find it obnoxious

I would have been satisfied if this was a mid range price game, let alone a freebie.  Impressive stuff!

Is that my Phoebe in your avatar btw?

Chinese Satellite is track of the year for me by a considerable margin. 

118. Knights & Bikes - Xbox One (6hrs)

Delightfully presented co-op adventure game that's unfortunately built around (or at least frequently punctuated by) a truly terrible combat system.  Everything to do with the characters and presentation is within reach of wonderful, but battling baddies, performing most actions and many of the puzzles themselves are poor.  As mentioned the combat is hideous, to the point where it feels like there's a delay on absolutely everything and the characters are trudging through frame dropping quicksand.  I struggled in co-op with my mostly on point gaming buddy, to the point where I can barely begin to imagine how awful it would be for a solo player to juggle two characters during these sections.  

I'm not up for dwelling on this one, but there's more than a whiff of Horace to it. Partly because both were near the top of my wishlist for a long time, so they annoyed me more than rando average games might, but also because the non-game parts of both are excellent while the lifeblood of the experiences - the way they play! - flit between kind-of-alright and terrible.  Here moreso than Horace, in fact.  I had a good time with it because Tilly loved it, especially Captain Honkers/the bike customisation bits/the caravan park slide, and the Goonies horn quest noise is chef's kiss, but it's not a good game.  [5]

The thing I hated the most was towards the end

As mentioned the combat is hideous, to the point where it feels like there's a delay on absolutely everything and the characters are trudging through frame dropping quicksand.

We didn't really have this though, the combat mechanics aren't great, but no quicksand feelings. Played it on pc here.