Oom (Playdate) - An hour-long treat from Gregory Kogos, the genius creator of Omaze. This is part rhythm game, part shoot ‘em up, part puzzler, part 2D Zelda dungeon… This didn’t hit the spot quite as strongly as Omaze for me but it’s still a great bit of game design that uses the hardware brilliantly and I’m absolutely gonna check out what he does next. [8]

AndCallMeCharlie wrote:

Is there a playdate thread?

Here you go:

https://www.thebearandbadger.co.uk/discussion/2731/panic-playdate-owners-club/p1

Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) - Very fun, very formal puzzler-platformer. I 100%ed the whole thing. Donkey Kong has stolen the Mini-Marios and you play through a variety of stages liberating them, guiding them through levels, defeating Donkey Kong with them and, in the post-game, just blasting through some more difficult levels. This remake adds two new worlds, which are mid-game content and integrated into the existing difficulty curve. There is also an optional time trial for each level. I completed all the time trials and was a bit miffed the learn the game does not acknowledge this achievement at all! (There’s also an annoying quirk where triggering the exit sequence with Mini-Mario is a bit fuzzy and imprecise, which wastes valuable time in the time trial mode.) It’s a fun game, a bit easy to begin with but increasingly challenging throughout without getting overly frustrating. The process of 100%ing it took somewhere between 20-25 hours, so I feel like I got my value for money. [8]

Lies of P

Plays like something where the team really loved Bloodborne and Souls in general but then tried to put their stamp on things by introducing extra systems in order to make it play differently. Which is a real shame, because when it finds its stride and identity it actually plays really well and some of the boss battles are really fun to play. There's a real need to switch weapons as you play and it gives you enough upgrades to allow you to experiment, however it's clear that certain weapons simply do better regardless of the enemy. Bosses range from being fun and inventive to highly frustrating, but mostly down to arena size and a camera that shits the bed too often when you need it to work for you. The acting, story and graphics are pretty well done and there's some nice mechanics in relation to music and the theme of you trying to be a real boy. Having played a raft of souls likes and giving up on a lot of them like Steel Rising, I had enough fun to see this all the way through to the end. Worth a shout if you can get it cheap. 8/10

Resident Evil 3 remake
Dumb and silly but generally great fun, do find with RE games though that the first half is more enjoyable than the second.

regmcfly wrote:

In and out in 5 hours too

Which is to be applauded

Finished RE4:Remake at the weekend just gone, which is just over a year after starting it! Hooray for kids. Can't remember the last game I completed before this.

Anyway, enjoyed it and the wife did too as a back-seat participant (and shooting gallery have-a-goer). Definitely drops off after the castle tho, the industrial zone just isn't as fun or atmospheric at all. The village and castle were good times tho.

We're doing Quarry now for a bit of a changeup, then going into RE7 which I've never played (aside from the first 30mins or so) so that'll be good.

I thoroughly enjoyed RE7, highly recommended.

Did 8 when it came out, great game. Picked up some tasteful artwork from it too.

The first hour of 7 in particular is absolutely terrifying.

At first I was afraid, I was petrified...

Cough

Yeah after that first hour or so I had to force myself to remember it's a game to avoid being frozen in fear. That broke the immersion massively and it wasn't scary or fun to play after. More a me thing than the game itself.

Dogs through the window back in RE1 was quite something

My worst has and will always be Sinistar. FUCK THAT GAME.

5. Dragon's Dogma 2 - PC - 39.6hrs - I honestly didn't expect this game to end as quickly as it did. Certainly more to discover with several side quests not done. It's a great game that encourages exploring to get the most out of it (as long as you don't want to climb a mountain!) and rewards you with some great combat encounters. I never NG+ games, but think I will for this as I never got to experience the Magic Archer. I think a failing of the game is clearly pacing, with the main quest not really building as much as it could have, despite one great set piece towards the end. It's obtuseness can also affect how or whether you complete a quest properly. Despite it's jank, poor performance and lack of stability (it crashed on me twice freezing up the PC), the overall feel of the world and combat loop make it a great game [9]

acemuzzy wrote:

Minishoot' Adventures (Steam Deck) Quality little game really, basically a 2D Zelda crossed with a shmup (nominally "bullet hell" but not yet that hellish, the adventuring probably more of a thing than any real shooting challenge, particularly as you start leveling stuff up). And it just works! Very well executed. Movement and shooting both get great, and the Zelda aspect just fits in perfectly. Really well combined, madness you wonder why it's barely been done before. Feels fresh and fun, sensible length, looks nice, a few secrets etc scattered about. Basically a solid thumbs up. I've been really close to giving it a harsh [8], as the final dungeon didn't really exist, and there's some pants insta death stuff in the back end. But I think I'm be kind - alongside that there's some post game content, and the mis-steps are minor. And the fact it's legit indie means I'll go slightly generous [9] after all. PC only atm I think, but surely a console release will follow? It's a cracker and would be perfect on Switch too I think.

Some dodgy design decisions towards the end but was caracking fun - hear you on the score defo between 8 and 9.