I wasn't aware it had alternate endings, I didn't get the one in the spoiler.

I didn't purposefully do anyone wrong outside of the main story (apart from to a woman who was relentlessly attacking me in a town and absolutely would not stop ever until she was dead, aka the actual best bit in the game), but I didn't help anyone either.  I guess my ending was somewhere in the middle.

Valkyria Chronicles 4

I've said elsewhere on the forum that I wanted to finish this before I go on holiday (tick), and before starting Fire Emblem (also, tick). I was around 15 hours in, but after another 25 hour push, I've seen the credits. Non je ne regrette rien!

I picked up the first VC on the PS3 and was immediately taken by the art style and the gameplay. I then got stuck on a mission. I also had growing frustration with with the system of chapters (which presents small vignettes of dialogue, as discrete parts of the tale) forcing me to listen and not play. I gave up, but I was annoyed that I gave up.

I'm a little older, wiser and I love my Switch - so when VC4 was released and the reviews said it was the best one since the original, I was sold. This time, it wasn't the same frustration that stopped me from playing, it was the commitment needed and the flurry of decent Switch games vying for my attention. That's on me, not the game.

Anyhoo, background context aside, VC is superb and I would recommend it to anyone who has a passing interest in turn-based games. The story is strong, but it isn't without its questionable content: particularly when it comes to children and women - albeit, the latter is cleared up a little as the story progresses. The real winner is the gameplay though - which really does make you think about how to approach the enemy and what tools you need for success.

I didn't have to grind too much to get the game finished, but there are some power-ups that you only see at certain character levels, which I had to get from completing the skirmish missions (main missions from another angle basically). Those power-ups make very (I mean very) light work of the latter foes. You also need to invest in resource allocation and there's always that fear that you haven't made the right decisions and you won't know until it is too late, but it didn't turn out like that for me.

I've probably rambled on too much and would be interested to see if anyone else has given this a go, or seen it through. If anyone is enjoying Fire Emblem and, after the 80+ hours that offers, wants more - I think this would be viable next choice.

Is he not saying another 25 hours after an initial 15, making it 40 in total?

It was late and I was drinking was my excuse. 40hrs still isn’t bad.

Agree on the camera and the charm. I was more moved by the conclusion than I care to admit.

The camera had issues, aye, but I found the game consistently inventive and one of the only games I can think of that really used everything the Vita had to offer, despite occasional frustrations.

An absolutely lovely game.

Properly completed Red Dead Redemption 2 now!

Detention

So I'd read about this horror game that was supposed to be really good earlier in the year, and when I saw Detention on sale in the PS store I thought that was it. Turns out that the game I'd read about was Devotion and had only been released on PC anyway, and had since been removed from sale altogether. It also turns out that Detention was the previous game from the same Taiwanese devs, Red Candle. It also also turns out that it's really good.

Think something like a 2D side-on Silent Hill, with nightmarish versions of ordinary locations (most of it is set around a school). But there's no combat and it's a bit more puzzle focused, kind of like a simple point 'n' click adventure, but not shit. But then it's set in Taiwan during the 60s during the anti-Communist purges and all the disturbing shit connects to the terrors of the time. And it's really quite scary, or at least very tense for long periods. Genuinely effective horror. For instance, to get past monsters you have to hold your breath and walk really slowly right by them, which never stops being a nervy experience. You're also forced to get your hands dirty to solve some of the puzzles, with one 'solution' being particularly grim. But the inventiveness is admirable and it all fits with the overall themes. If anything, perhaps it drags out the final part a bit much, with a tonal shift that focuses more on the narrative, but it's a powerful enough story to get away with it.

And right now it's £4 on the PS store (other versions are available). It'll only take you around 4 hours to finish it. Give it a go. Preferably with headphones.

Inside
I'm sure I'm very late to this party, but I've just finished Inside, after picking it up (for free) through the Epic Game store. I enjoyed Limbo, but wasn't blown away. I think this is a better experience overall - albeit I'm not sure that was exactly the closure I was looking for, when I first started running through the woods.

Inside was great. The ending was certainly different, I loved it.

I've just completed Creature in the Well with 100% completion no less, I can't remember the last time I did that. Fantastic game, the odd difficulty spike here and there but I was never in any danger of quitting on it. The timer seems to be a bit wonky as it has me down as 24 hours, pretty sure I wasn't playing it in my sleep. It's not the longest game and completing it has left me wanting more, always a good sign.

Baba is You can wait, I'm terrible at it anyway. Creature in the Well next for me.

There you go.

8. Resident Evil VII

Had its moments. I’m glad they went back to creepy horror and first person perspective works really well. Started off good, but I found myself getting bored halfway through and the fetch quests got tedious. Picked up again later and was good for a while then kept going... it seems a mixed bag. And could’ve done with a more varied set of enemies.

Tried VR. I loaded a save from just before the final fight with Jack. Man, it was fucking awesome but I was feeling sick after just 5-10 minutes. Not for me. If only I had the stomach/head for it. 

[7]

Gears of War 5

Gears is back and bigger than ever! Which sadly ends up translating to bloated, not titanic. Two of the central Acts take the COG out of the corridors they are familiar with and drop them in quasi-open world segments where you travel by skiff from objective to objective, uncovering hidden tasks along the way. It looks nice, but it plods, which is a pretty succinct way of summing up the whole game. It feels rote, with none of the set pieces carried off with the flair of the previous games.

New enemies seem to be nothing but awkward bullet sponges with a tendency to chain you with attacks that make a few of the tougher fights a bit tedious. It’s a shame because all of the drudgery is set in really beautiful vistas. The scale is pretty immense at times, with a special mention going to the section set in a red desert dotted with fulgurite, eventually leading to a set price set in storm where you watch the structure form and crumble as you play.

The story is utterly ho-hum, and it feels like they don’t really know what to do with it, just like the game itself. Characters are witty and enjoyable enough to be around, it ultimately there feel like there are no stakes, no one to position as a primary antagonist, and the rug gets pulled on you so quickly at times that you never feel like the impact has time to settle before you’re off blowing up the next disposable thing.

Heavy 6/10 material, but at least that gunplay is satisfying.

I really enjoyed it, it just isn’t anything special