1.Godfall - 10 Hours - 6/10 - PS5

Glad this is over...it wasn’t awful but just so many pieces poorly executed, I imagine it’s much better in a group but as an SP experience little bits became so obvious.

It’s a nice little hack and slash with a passable story and a decent enough mix of weapons and enemies. The environments are used over and over again and they’re deceptively small. It’s just the usual kill group of enemies, run here and kill another group, then a boss, for a good 8-10 hours. There’s nothing more to it. Which is no bad thing but just wish there was a little more.

There are a number of weapon systems and layer upon layer of additions to those weapons, I stopped trying to understand after a couple of hours and just got on with what I already knew. There’s certainly a lot of depth here but I couldn’t possibly tell you if it really added anything to it as I just found it over the top.

At the end of the day it was a run and slash over and over that whilst it was pretty it was completely over the top looks wise and completely oversaturated when it comes to effects. Well worth a quick run through if in and around £20, but the quintessential launch window game.

6/10

2.Gears 5 Hivebusters - 4 Hours - 10/10 - Xbox Series X

That was awesome! Nice bit of campaign DLC with a new squad and a new mission within the Gears universe. Playing as Scorpio squad you take on the swarm and a big badass bird that spits acid that Colonel Hoffman wants to weaponise!!

Same cover to cover Gears gameplay with some new added abilities which don’t detract at all from the norm. Corridor shooter so none of the open world stuff, just battle to battle in the most gorgeous game ever.

Nothing new here just more of the awesome same. Real shame more people haven’t played this as it’s an ace bit of DLC and part of Gamepass. 10/10 as it’s just a perfect short shot of Gears Campaign, nothing more and nothing less.

3.Halo Wars 2 Spearbreaker DLC - 3 Hours - 6/10 - Xbox Series X

Really wanna polish of the rest of this so did the first DLC element today. It wasn’t bad by any means but the score reflects it just being ok. Not bad just ok.

No Spartans involved in these missions which always sucks a little but I just took my time and built a MASSIVE army then slowly destroyed EVERYTHING! Which I always find fun.

4.Cyberpunk 2077 - 44 Hours - 10/10 - Xbox Series X

I was going to give this a 9 not a 10, but I absofuckingloutely loved this game. Only met a few tiny tech flaws but in spite of them it drew me in completely, that pushes it passed a 10 in my eyes. Had me really thinking about pretty much every choice as I really struggled as to which one was right for my V. Really made me think about the development of my build and how I wanted to play. Really enjoyed the main story as well as the vast majority of the supplementary story lines and characters. And I’m a total lover of the genre and for me it was nailed.

I may have overused fast travel and I may have played it a bit too close to a thorough FPS when there are plenty more options, but that’s exactly how I wanted to play it and I love that I could just play it like that and not really feel like I was missing out.

Will add more but I love that though bits are broken it’s still one of the finest games I’ve played. Loved it. 10/10.

5.Halo: CE Anniversary - 6 Hours - 10/10 - Xbox Series X

Going through the books again so couldn’t help but want a quick CE playthrough, and it just never fails.

It’s not just nostalgia it’s just so perfectly balanced in every way with so many ways to approach every battle, every firefight, every stealth melee section. Even now 20 years on there’s different things that you can throw at the Covenant and then the flood.

Still just perfect fun for the family, 10/10.

6.Destiny 2: Beyond Light - 6 Hours - 5/10 - Xbox Series X

Destiny just gets worse and worse for me. After worshipping the original and putting serious time in on this sequel it’s just become something else entirely.

Was it always like this and I just didn’t see it? The grind is beyond grind beyond grind. And it’s all just the same stuff it’s been for years. All this is of course well known but christ, just didn’t have any fun with that at all. The new sub-class was seriously awful and the only one I’ve ever immediately thought I don’t want to use this unless I have to. And I had to over and over again.

Yeah the same great gunplay is there, but most of the weapons are same old, same old as are the enemies, the environments, everything. Hope it’s the last time I get drawn in.

1. No Man's Sky (PS5) - 30 Hours [7]

1. Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)  [8] 

2. Jewel Quest 2 (Switch)  [8]
 
3. Donkey Kong (NES)  [7] 

4. Chameleon Run (Switch)  [8] 

5. Cosmonauta (Switch)  [5]

6. New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (Switch) [8]

7. Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA) [9]

1. Game (Platform) [Score]

Shameful Hall of Permanent Abandonment
Shit games that are bad
Game (Platform) --

Ok I'll try again.

Placeholder. At least MHGU can finally go onto the just when Rise releases.

1. Kentucky Route Zero
What do you say about this? Probably loads once you really get going, but no time for that now. The best brief thing to say is that it's not like anything else I've played before. I mean, it's not a game, is it, or even a walking sim? More like an interactive theatrical production, but also a bit like a novel due to all the text. It's fascinating, and not just for being weird, which it definitely is, but for being properly surreal in a way that brings out the strangeness of everyday (American) lives. And for being playful with your perspective and your role, ensuring that you're always taking part in the story, not just a spectator, even when there's not really much to do.

I did think it was a bit too stretched out though, especially in parts 3 and 4. Not enough to break up the endless conversations, no matter how well written they are. But even then, it's interesting to think about that in terms of how the game branched out over time between episodes and got more ambitious. I think it would have been a different experience again to play it in pieces, as originally intended.

2. Demon's Tilt [8]
Not one you can really finish, but I set myself a target of getting the two big trophies - access Wizard mode (doing all the ritual challenges on the table in one game) and reaching 1 billion points - and managed those, so that'll  do.

This is pretty much what I hoped it would be. I'm not really interested in pinball, but always loved Devil Crash on the MD, and Demon's Tilt is clearly channelling its spirit. A little more like a proper table than DC, but also includes all the moving parts and monsters that being a video game allows. Hitting targets is one thing, smashing the ball into bullet-spewing hell spawn takes it to a different level. There's tons to do and every challenge requires strategies, practice and a bit of skill to get it done reliably. The main table is even better than DC's, which is definitely something.

The only issue really is the rather rigid front end. To get a satisfactory control set up I had to change the PS4 settings. There's an Ex-mode which adds bonus screens, but is also more difficult. Why not have the extras on the standard difficulty too? The game itself is good enough to deserve a little more care in this area.

I'm gonna do a youtube thing this year to force me to play games, as I'll have to do a weekly update, and not just play Destiny/Minecraft forever.

1. Yakuza 7

2. Super Mario Galaxy

1. ABZU - 2 HOURS [9]

What an utterly joyous experience. Two hours, stunningly beautiful, simple. Delightful.

2. AXIOM VERGE - 10 HOURS [8]

A very enjoyable Metroidvania which has some ridiculous difficulty spikes in certain areas. Score dropped from an [8] as it did the one thing these things should never do, allowed me to access a section which I didn't have the powers to then escape from. Was stuck and had to reload save sending me way back to a save point, hate that shit. Fairly sure I sequenced boke or something but still. A few of the weapons are meh, but a decent map, story and some great bosses.

EDIT: Changed to an 8 as I'm a fucking idiot.

3. CLOSE TO THE SUN - 5 HOURS [6.5]

An Epic Games freebie so can't complain. A 'horror' explorathon plot thingy. We've all played them. Tesla, electricity, science, ship, nonsense.

Fairly enjoyable, in a go here and do this then go there kinda way. Let down by some real shit chase sequences and it all kinda just dribbles out in the last couple chapters. Its horror but isn't scary in the slightest. I still fairly enjoyed it though and as I said, for free can't complain.

1: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5) 7/10

This is mostly a 2020 game obviously!  Couldn't QUITE get there over the Christmas break.

There's a quote the Eurogamer Reader's GOTY post that says this must be a great game if it can crash 15 times and still make you come back.  15 is underselling it though.  My game was well into the dozens of crashes.  I haven't played anything this flaky in 15 odd years, when I played Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines and Star Wars KOTOR back to back (games that had an even chance of crashing every time I loaded a new area) on PC.  Cyberpunk takes the cake.   It even crashed on the fucken end credits! 

Aside from the crashing there were lots of visual bugs.  At the start my character's willie was peeking through his leather trousers.  Later I got given a jacket that made the rest of my clothes invisible; I didn't realise for a while and was just getting around like an old school flasher and none of my friends told me.  A bloke was playing guitar loudly, but the guitar didn't load in so he was just thrashing away at nothing.  Maybe it was just a tribute to that funny noise bloke from Police Academy that I didn't get at the time.  People will be kissing, but they will both be facing the same direction, so the bloke is going to town on the back of the girl's head and she's pashing the air.  Etc.

Luckily it was mostly playable and the important stuff didn't bug out all that much.  There were some bits that turned sombre moments into slapstick farces and all that, but my game never broke irreparably.  

And there WAS plenty to like - I don't have anything new to say but the dialogue bits really do set a new standard with their body language and they really help sell the stories.  I quite like CDPR's style of role playing where you have a fairly defined character but a bit of wriggle room to play them your way.  There are some great side stories and characters to meet.    Even though I got a bit lost with the main story (there was like a 20 hour period where I just did side content, which is not the correct way to play!  When I tried to get back into the main quest I couldn't remember half the shit I was doing or people's names) there were still a bunch or really memorable sections.  Mostly involving Keanu Reeves who I reckon did a great job.  

The fighting was quite good though I'm not a huge fan of the endless looting.  Too many hours spent after a shoot out picking up things, then going through your inventory to upgrade your gear, and selling the stuff you don't need.  There's too much of it!  Nearly everything's obsolete after a few fights.   Really wish you could upgrade your clothes more effectively - nothing worse than having a cool outfit then having to swap out your cowboy hat for a baseball helmet because it has +20 armour!

Even though the side stories are of a high quality, you also get a heap of interchangeable missions where you have to kill a regular gang bloke in his hideout.  Sometimes they want you to sneak or steal something but it doesn't matter.  Maybe they're well written but I didn't care about them.  They were just shit clogging up the map and journal.

Also, your mobile phone is worst than in real life!  God no one will leave you alone for five minutes.  Sometimes people called when I was talking to someone else!  It would say press [button] to answer.  But even if you don't press the button, you still answer it!  Ridiculous.  Every bastard texting you and trying to sell you cars and shit.  

Writing this out, I'm mostly just whinging about the game - this reminds me of how I talk about Witcher 3.  It's one of my favourite games.  When I try and summarise my thoughts I say I enjoy the stories characters and dialogue, then spend half an hour complaining about everything else in the game!  Even though there's plenty I'd change about the game, that stuff matters less than the stuff that sucks me in.

I had an eye on a second playthrough from the beginning, too.  Beyond hoping all the bugs and crashing get cleaned up I'm keen to see it looking like a PS5 game should, and playing as a character I can better relate to. Hopefully a quality expansion or two as well.  I really hope it can come good.

2.Gears 5 Hivebusters - 4 Hours - 10/10 - Xbox Series X

That was awesome! Nice bit of campaign DLC with a new squad and a new mission within the Gears universe. Playing as Scorpio squad you take on the swarm and a big badass bird that spits acid that Colonel Hoffman wants to weaponise!!

Same cover to cover Gears gameplay with some new added abilities which don’t detract at all from the norm. Corridor shooter so none of the open world stuff, just battle to battle in the most gorgeous game ever.

Nothing new here just more of the awesome same. Real shame more people haven’t played this as it’s an ace bit of DLC and part of Gamepass. 10/10 as it’s just a perfect short shot of Gears Campaign, nothing more and nothing less.

It’s so good. It’s absolutely nothing different or special but if you like Gears it’s perfect.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

I used to like it. Gears Tactics might've pulled me back in.

YESSSSS!!!

1. ABZU - 2 HOURS [9]

What an utterly joyous experience. Two hours, stunningly beautiful, simple. Delightful.

Abzulutely wonderful.