1: The Last Guardian
- 11 hours - 6/10 - Trophies/God knows -
Really didn't enjoy, such a beautiful world but unforgivable issues with controls and camera sucked the joy out for me.

2: Halo Wars: Deluxe Edition
- 9 hours - 8/10 - 200/1000 -
Surprisingly I love me some Halo and returning to HW was aces. Early Access so a few technical issues but very simple but pretty game, babies first RTS fun.

3: MGSV
- 20 hours - 5/10 - 360/1000 -
Totally given up on this now, in order to unlock the last few missions I've gotta do a ton of side ops with Quiet and then a number of other things? No f'ing way. Took the MGS out of MGS for me.

4: Uncharted 4
- 13 hours - 7/10 - Trophies/God knows -
Beautiful and very slick but missing something. Gunplay is ok and there's so much of it it should be better. Too simple, just hold forward and jump now and again to complete, Should of made the environments trickier to traverse. Very bloated, nice story bits and pieces but the same as a lot of current gen games, instead of bloating they should be shorter, sharper and then done.

5: Bioshock 2-Bioshock Collection
- 8 hours - 7/10 - 855/1000 -
Such a great game, absolute pleasure going back to it. So very different to the first. Not as complete a game and story, but better to control, better visually and some incredible design and set pieces. Well worth a return to rapture.

6: Minerva's Den
- 3.5 hours - 8/10 -
Great DLC, one of the best I've played. Just the right length too as to not be too much after I'd just finished B2. More great characters in one of the best most realised worlds in gaming. Good little story too, you obviously knew pretty much from the beginning but it's still nice having the audio tapes etc bring it to fruition.

7: Bioshock Infinite
- 9 hours - 8/10 - 820/1200 -
Gave up on this at release as just didn't get on with it, but within an hour of starting it as part of the collection my mind was changed. Awesome game, Columbia is big bright setting in comparison to Rapture, much stronger more obvious storyline and character work, and the usual spin that I hadn't worked out at the end. The infinite universe ending is a little out there but it did mean at the time they could keep on expanding and link stories if they wished. Very much enjoyed, real shame the mainline games ended there.

8: Burial at Sea-Part One
- 3 hours - 8/10 -
Wow. Minerva's den eat your heart out. Stunning to look at, sound is amazing. Great little extra story as I love the characters and evil Elizabeth. Great ending. Straight into part two.

9: Burial at Sea-Part Two
- 4 hours - 9/10 -
Best story driven piece of DLC ever. Wasn't hugely happy at first with the stealth approach but it fits, and it's worth the change of pace. Great story, such a 'meta' experience.

10: Deus Ex:MD
- 14 hours - 6/10 - 280/1000 -
Wow it just...ends. What a disappointing game that was, and I feel like that score is being generous. Great set of augs but badly spliced into the game at the wrong times and just no real semblance of a story outside of what a half hour episode of some bad sci-fi series provides. What a dissapointment.

11: Batman: Arkham Knight
- 15 hours - 8/10 - 610/1000 -
Didn't realise I was only a couple of hours away from finishing this off. Must be a year since I've touched it so it was massively over complicated at first. Still not a big fan of the car but it's a stunning game with good If simplistic combat and a great story. The last half hour or so was Brilliant. May mop up some achievements but think I'm done.

12: Resident Evil 7
- 14 hours - 9/10 - 1000/1000 -
Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Felt like a few games in one, kept changing pace and offering different challenges. From the building of tension creeping around to more pacy frenzied uncomfortable action worrying about ammo and health before slowing down and having you worried you've got little left to get you through the next section. As with most games of it's type I finished with an absolute ton of extra ammo and health etc as I always save as much as possible and measure each combat sequence far too much, but it's left me just wanting more. Will begin Madhouse mode and live it all again awaiting more info on the new/continued universe. Aces.100% done Resi now, 3 playthroughs, all achievements, amazing game.

13: Infamous: Second Son
- 8 hours - 7/10 - Trophies/God knows -
Very enjoyable game and with the combo of PS4Pro and 4KTV absolutely stunning, one of the best looking games I've played. Just suffered from the usual open world mechanics, good at a number of things but not really great at any. The abilities were great, characters were ok as was the story, the boss encounters were rather awful though. But I'd certainly play another and will be looking for a playthrough of Last Light too.

14: The Order: 1886
- 8 hours - 6/10 - Trophies/God knows -
You know what, I actually enjoyed if. Yes The Order: 1886 is a boring collection of game cliches that betrays its fascinating premise but it's easily the best looking game ever made and it's got some fun guns. The story is its second greatest asset after its looks and I'd love to play a bit more in that universe as there's some real depth there. But the pacing was awful, the gunplay, the AI, the hand holding, the forced walking, the sudden change of inputs at different times. And there's lots of QTE's. But, I quite enjoyed it and it didn't outstay it's welcome.


15: Halo Wars 2
-7 hours - 8/10 - 220/1000 (For now) -
Awesome game, loved the first and the second is just as good if not better. More depth to this sequel if still an RTS lite. Great little story with the crew of the SoF and Atriox is an awesome enemy. Controls over your army are nice and quick and there's more options than ever on how you want to tackle any battle. I loved the backs to the wall missions as well where it's all about merely holding out and surviving. You'll enjoy it it you like Halo, if you like a good fun RTS and also I'd say if you fancy something a little different to most releases. Straight onto the harder difficulties.

16: Fire Emblem: Heroes
- 8 hours - 8/10 -
Not really into mobile gaming but found myself doing more in my new job...This was a really well made strategy game with enough depth to keep it interesting if simple. Cleared the main story a few times and the other additional combat alternatives as well as the multiplayer content. Looks lovely too and has got me a little more likely to look for other games in the series.

17: Resident Evil 5 - Co-Op
- 6 hours - 8/10 -
What an awesomely awesome game. Haven't played since release but still a brilliant co-op bit of fun. The controls are awful, the drama is cringeworthy, the characters are laughable, then there's the boulder moment but man is it fun. Straight onto a pro run before Resi 6 co-op.

18: Zelda: Breath of the Wild
-105 hours - 10/10 -
As close to a perfect gaming experience as I can have. Just beautiful. Relaxing, charming, rewarding, deep, emotional, it covers so many different feelings and experiences. It's a shame they can't make it more difficult but at the same time it could possibly really detract from the experience. Finished with all 120 Shrines, all 4 Divine beasts, all 12 memories, just about every piece of clothing and all the side quests I could find. Only 0.63% from the completion mark I would like but that's enough for me. There's been enough said about it everywhere else so I'll leave it as I started, it was as perfect for me as gaming has ever got and it shares first place in my greatest games ever list.

19: Mass Effect: Andromeda
-63 hours - 8/10 -
Love me some Mass Effect and this instalment though suffering from a number of technical issues is only a step behind the best. New story, new characters, new combat system, same sci-fi feel, soundtrack and approach to storytelling. Looks sublime in places but a little underwhelming in others. Good sci-fi bobbins story and lots to get your teeth into, but it's the combat where this game excels, haven't had nearly this much fun with a games combat system in a long time. Absolutely awesome game, shame that others couldn't look past the admittedly unfortunate issues as there's a great game underneath it all.

20: Little Nightmares
-2 hours - 7/10 -
Little gem of a game. Very lovingly crafted and characterised. Very much enjoyed being uncomfortable and distressed in 6's little puzzled world. A bit of a breeze of a game without any kind of difficulty spikes or head scratching, more of an experience. It's been compared to Limbo and a few others but it's not nearly as clever or intricate but I don't think that's the point, more just like the title, a little nightmare you just fall into, run through and then wake up at the end. Recommended for a nice run through a pretty little game.

21: Rainbow 6: Siege
-6 hours and counting - 7/10 -
Great game. Very tactical combat, it's ace building strategies after something going wrong only for the AI to change everything and have you starting afresh every single run. Extremely difficult at times but only because you've forgotten you're playing R6S and think you're playing CoD. It's slow, strategic and requires a real plan when it gets going. It's nice to have an alternative in the FPS genre when you want tense and slow mission structure. Have Max starred all the situations and lots with mates, yet to really dive into online but looking forward to it.

22: Prey
-22 hours - 8/10 -
Bioshock in space for me. Great game with some very clever sections with a great script to boot but marred by the last couple of hours reverting to the usual go back to everywhere you've been again for some silly little jobs. Sound design is amazing and it looks good but nothing particularly great. Don't feel the need to play again at the moment and the enemy in general, meaning everything you're up against, feel a little lifeless and bland. Sounds like a bad review but I did really enjoy it, just could of done with a little more time giving different aspects more character.

23: Gears 3-Co-Op-Arcade Mode
-5 Hours - 9/10 -
Still such an awesome campaign, tons of enemies, tons of weapons, a crazy story setting up tons of great set pieces. Some amazing levels set up for lengthy firefights with some dumb but fun AI. Still love a good Gears run through, especially with mates.

24: Mariokart 8:Deluxe
-15 Hours - 8/10 -
No doubt it's a great game and it perfectly achieves what it sets out to,but...isn't it just a little boring? Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed it, it looks stunning, the controls are very good, some of the tracks are brilliant, but like most racing games I just got really bored. Now whenever I turn it on I can't keep it on for more than 30 minutes. Great fun while it lasted though.

25: Battlefield 1
-8 Hours - 8/10 -
After not really getting into it upon release I went back to the campaign courtesy of EA Access and ended up really enjoying it, I would of actually liked a little more. Quite liked the different stories and blend of different vehicles, weapons and engagements. Absolutely stunning visuals and the sound to match. Maybe best audio I've experienced from a game. Hard could of been a bit harder but all in all I really enjoyed that.

26: Destiny
-877 Hours - 10/10 -
No better way to sum it up in my opinion aside from best game ever. Simple as that. Yes the story was lacking but there was enough there to enjoy, but the gameplay is simply the best, Bungie at their finest PVP and PVE just incredible. There's no point in me saying much more as that's it really. Only reason I'm stopping playing is because the sequel is about to take over my gaming life just as Destiny did. Best gaming experiences ever.

27: Resident Evil Revelations
-7 Hours - 8/10 -
Aces game, just a good fun campaign with some good Resi maze designs, good weapons and the usual batshit crazy Resi storyline. Doesn't outstay it's welcome and doesn't suffer any dips in its pace, a whole lotta fun and impressed with its upscale to this gen.

28: Destiny 2
- 20 Hours - 10/10 -
Only the campaign, just another few hundred hours to go. Great campaign though, felt just like another Destiny/Halo mix which to me is perfection. Looks amazing but the sound is more than merely incredible, sublime. Good story too with some nice CGI linking it all together. Usual sci-fi tropes which are fine with me. Loved it, now Destiny 2 really starts.

29: Metal Slug 2
- Not actually sure... - 7/10 -
Just a good old shmup with very little going on. A few bits with timing and a little tactics needed but that's all. Charming old style game that's a good fun run through.

30: Metal Slug 3
- Not actually sure... - 7/10 -
Just a good old shmup with very little going on. A few bits with timing and a little tactics needed but that's all. Charming old style game that's a good fun run through. Not to be confused with Metal Slug 2...

31: NBA Playgrounds
- 14 Hours - 6/10 -
Not a terribly bad game, bought for the old NBA Jam vibe it seemed to have, but it actually doesn't. Quite a tough game really with slow progression but a decent amount of depth if you really want it. Have enjoyed my time with it and won't necessarily delete it just yet but certainly not a classic NBA game.

32: Evil Within 2
- 19 Hours - 9/10 -
Amazing game, really enjoyed the first, loved the second. Opening the chapter design up to an open world affair was a master stroke. Creates the opportunity not only to have the usual corridor scares and jumps but also false sense of security scares in clearing and observing your environment. So many options in the combat or stealth decisions, the weapons, the attributes you decide to upgrade, aces. Usual B-Movie horror story and the VA is terrible but it all fits perfectly. Absolutely loved it.

33: Mario: Odyssey
- 15+ Hours? - 8/10 -
Not much I can say about this really that hasn’t already been said. Terrific game, smooth, great to look at, great to control, just...it’s just more Mario but less challenge. The feeling of achievement within Mario has just gone for me. I had a very different experience to everyone else as whilst I enjoyed it, I just didn’t love it.

34: Walking Dead: Season Two
- 5 Hours - 7/10 -
Another decent little story, these are couple games to me that you play with your Mrs on the sofa together, arguing about decisions and playing pass the pad between chapters. Didn’t feel as dramatic as the first season but still an enjoyable little story.

35: CoD: WW2
- 8 Hours - 9/10 -
Oh I love my annual CoD hit and this year was no different. A long awaited return for some to the battlefields of WW2, I enjoyed the more modern and eveb futuristic iterations but I also looked forward to the gritty nature of the WW2 scene. Has a simple little war story and a few b and z list celebs amongst the cast that are entertaining. The play is the same as always with a few additions in some QTE’s, medipacs return and your squad builds up abilities/equipment with each kill you make, but none of it really changed the formula, and it didn’t really need to. It’s CoD, if you like CoD it’s sharp, has some great set pieces, it’s completely crazy, unrealistic and downright stupid in places, but that’s just why I love it.

36: Gone Home
- 40 Minutes - 6/10 -
More an experience than a game for me, but reasonably clever in how it sets the scene then slowly shifts as you progress. A rather nice experience if silly but I imagine that’s the entire point.

37: Wolfenstein:II
- 10 Hours - 8/10 -
Very up and down with this. Great as a technical showpiece, looks stunning, sounds stunning, and great feedback, plus the story is batshit awesome, but it wasn’t entirely fun to navigate, at times a slog, but there are some great highs and it’s overall a very good campaign. Very much enjoyed.

38: Destiny 2 Curse Of Osiris
- 2 Hours - 8/10 -
Loved the art direction and sound design, sucker for the ancient Egyptian vibe. Good little story with some good characters, really enjoyed the admittedly brief time with it but for very little money more than worth it, especially considering the other parts of the DLC, aces.

Currently playing : Resi 6, Here They Lie VR, Gears: Judgement Co-Op, Gears 4 Co-Op, Golf Story, Destiny 2.

Next up: ?

Ok, I'm in.

1. This War of Mine (PS4) - Only done one scenario, but it's not going to change much gameplay wise, so whilst I'll do more, for all intents and purposes it's done. I liked it a lot, I've learned a lot about how the game actually works to make subsequent playthroughs hopefully a bit easier. Was a lot shorter than I was expecting, but certainly enjoyable, and it seems replayability in the other scenarios is where the tail of the games is rather than surviving forever.

2. X-Wing VR Mission. (PS4) - This is quite simply one of the best things I've ever played. I really fucking love this. You get to fly an X-Wing! And shoot Tie Fighters! I took on a bloody Star Destroyer! I want so many more games like this. Especially if it's more X-Wing flying. But any VR flying. Ace Combat would be brilliant. This is short, but when I finished it I went straight back in. It's that good.

3. Entwined (PS4) - An absolutely wonderful little game. It's like Tempest crossed with Flower. I see that it got middling reviews on release. Having read through some, I can't agree with the complaints. When things started going wrong, I got frustrated with myself, not the game. The IGN reviewer states that he never got into a rhythm playing the game, which might be be where opinions differ.

The beauty of this game is when it becomes an almost zen like experience. It was for me, largely a switch off game, where I just enjoyed the music and the backgrounds as I hit through the gates. There is some criticism of it for lack of challenge as well (which does kinda conflict with earlier criticism), but for me that misses the point. There are plenty of games that exist for challenge. If I want to get my arse kicked in an endless tunnel, I'll load up Space Giraffe again. Entwined is there to be enjoyed, not taken on. And enjoy it I did. It's 9 stages might only last you a short evening, but it's a wonderful evening.

4. 10 Second Ninja X (PS4) - Another short and sweet indie game. It's a Meat Boy type thing, but this time you've got to destroy robots, and each level has a 10 second time limit.

I'd probably not have paid for this, but it's perfect Plus fodder. There a load of extra shit to do after finishing the levels, but I'll probably not bother with that. If you're into the whole perfect run thing on these type of things, you'd probably get deep into this, but I'm content just completing it.

5. Never Alone (PS4) - I've meant to play this for fucking forever, after watching my housemate play it on one of his rare ventures on the PS4. So I finally got round to it today. It's a charming little platform game based on an old folk tale from the Alaskan native people.

There is a reasonable amount of variation in what's a relatively short game, and it starts off very leisurely, before the frankly awful controls conspire to kill you in various ways. It's a shame, because this could be a Kirby like experience, with the added bonus of the 'cultural insights' unlockables that make you feel like you've wandered into a BBC 2 documentary.

At that point it becomes hugely frustrating, because you know what you need to do, the controls just won't let you do it. Still, the story and the art was enough to make me push through to the end. It's a deeply flawed game, but one I'm very glad exists and I got to play.

5. Superhot (PS4) - So I've like the look of this for ages, and finally got round to it. Gameplay wise, it's amazing. The story is fucking awful, and would have much improved the game by not being in it at all, and just presenting us with level after level. Finishing it seems to unlock this mode though, so I'll actually have more fun with it now I've finished it than during the original playthrough I reckon.

Also the SUPER.HOT.SUPER HOT.SUPER.HOT.SUPER HOT. during the replay at the end can get in the fucking sea.

It's a really great idea, it's challenging enough without being too frustrating, and really satisfying when you pull off what you were going for. Which might be a totally different way to how someone else would have done it, you aren't forced to do it a single way. Fully recommend, just have to try the VR version now!

6. Amplitude (PS4) - Backed this on Kickstarter, but never actually finished the campaign, partly because I managed to delete the save file when I got a new hard drive. So I had to start this again from the beginning, and I did it over a few days. Unlike the Rock Band games, I don't really like the music all that much. Its fine in the game, but Id never listen to but outside if the game. Its not as good for me as Blitz, though YMMV depending on music taste. I'm not a fan of the stages where you have to streak through a gate, but its only one per round. I'm very glad the game exists, I doubt it would convert anyone who isn't already a fan, but I really enjoyed it. Its also the only game I've ever finished that I'm in the credits of.

7. Broken Age (PS4) - Backed this on Kickstarter, but never actually played it until now. Originally I decided to wait until both parts were released after they split it, but then it just sort of got lost in the shuffle. Still, better late than never. It's basically what you'd want from a new Lucasarts style game. It's fantastic to look at, it's funny and charming with some nice inventive puzzles. Also in line with the old adventure games, it's got some infuriatingly designed puzzles, including that fucking knot puzzle which is apparently bugged making it impossible to solve sometimes. Still, it didn't detract from the whole, which gets a herarty thumbs up from me. Also now the second game I've beaten that I'm in the credits for.

8. Batman: Arkham VR (PS4) - This is actually the first one of the Arkham games I've played, so the story stuff didn't mean all that much to me, although I am apparently the Worlds Greatest Detective because I'd figured out the perpetrator right at the start. This is a relatively short experience, you could hammer it out in an evening easily. That said, it does have reasons to replay it with the Riddler stuff, and the Batcave stuff, but also, Gotham just looks incredible. I'd love a full length title in this vein. No combat, just Batman figuring stuff out. This, like the X-Wing game is the sort of stuff VR is made for.

9. Spider-Man Homecoming Virtual Reality Experience (PS4) - Yes it's basically a glorified tech demo, and no I don't care. This is awesome, and I want more. I've gone back on it 3 times to get the better ranking on the web shooter bits, and also just to fuck about with the physics for the webs. And again for VR, it's glorious to look at. The sense of height, even though I know I'm stood on the floor is bang on. I might well be leaning over my couch, but it feel like I'm leaning over the top of a building. People who say VR is just a gimmick can't have played it. Stuff like this is something pad and TV can't give you.

10. Another World 20th Anniversary Edition (PS4) - This game. This fucking game. So I knew it was supposed to be hard. I heard the horror stories back in the early 90's of people never getting off the first level. But Christ. If you've played it before, it's probably fine, but as it's trial and error gameplay, if you don't know what you have to do... Man. It is however absolutely fucking beautiful, and you can switch between original and new at will. It's all absolutely bang on. They haven't updated the way it plays though. It's an early 90's game with all that entails, so if that puts you off steer clear. I really enjoyed it despite the frustration at times. I love how much it gets over with so little. There's no HUD, and aside from the computer in the opening cutscene, no text. In a world inundated with shite games, it's a crying shame that we've only had 2 games from Éric Chahi in the 26 years since.

11. Titanfall 2 (PS4) - This is the current leader for the best game played this year. It's a real shame EA are soon to destroy Respawn, because this is just so, so good. A proper blockbuster game, shooting as a Pilot is incredibly satisfying, and then when you get let loose as a Titan whoo boy! I will definitely be back on this  when I'm not chasing completions. My only regret is that there isn't more of the time jumping stuff, because that was a riot. I used that way more than the cloak, because it was just fun to disappear, then come back behind people. BT is a better character than most games give you from human characters as well.

12. Ratchet & Clank (PS4) - Not much to say about this game that I've not said before. It's awesome, inventive and hilarious. You can make a tank dance for Gods sake, what more do you want? If you haven't played it, rectify that.

13. Destiny 2 (PS4) - I could have done this a while ago, but for some reason I never finished off the adventures, which it turns out should probably be played before the Raid. Ah well. So this has been an incredibly divisive game. It's far from perfect, but I'm really enjoying it. One of the few games on this list I'll be continuing to play, and not just for PvP. I could write pages on this game, but I'll just leave it at this. It's fun. Extended play may or may not be fun for you. I love it.

14. Fortnite: Battle Royale (PS4) - So I decided that a win on this would be my completed point, and I got a couple throughout December. If you've not played it, I'd describe it as like PUBG, but fun. I jest, but you get the idea. It's much more arcadey and accessible. The amount of updates from Epic is unreal (lol) and have led to a game that gets better on a weekly basis. I've put a stupid amount of hours into this, and it's responsible for this list being as short as it it.

15. Universal Paperclips (Browser) - So this one is weird, and I think makes for my only non PS4 game. It's a clicker game, and I've never played one of these before. In explaining what they are, it got my colleague addicted to Cookie Clicker again, though from what I saw of that, this is a much better game.

In this, you are an AI tasked with making paperclips. You do this by boring means like improving production methods, and more fun means like creating drones to hypnotize people into buying paperclips.You can create a program to invest in the stock market to fund takeovers to get a monopoly on the worldwide paperclip market. Eventually, this leads to exhausting all matter on Earth, so you expand into space, and eventually exhaust all matter in the universe.

This was a perfect game to play at work, as the interface is a white background with black text, with some things in tables, so my manager was able to look at my second screen and talk about something there without noticing I had a game open on the first screen.

mistercrayon wrote:

Ooh I'll join in.

I've got to the end of two games already this year. (Although one tripped over from last year)

That's fine! They all count as long as completed this year!

Aces guys, the more the merrier!

Into it like a showbag. 

I'll add more detail when I can but so far in 2017 I can add:

1. Valkyria Chronicles Europa Edition PS4 - got as far as something like ch16/18 where you have to breach some major castle via three paths with dozens of tanks. Did that pretty impressively, saw the next level was vs Selvaria McBlue Dolly Parton InflataBoobs and gave up.

2. PES 2017 PS4 - just lots and lots of league matches. Got fed up.

3. Twilight Princess HD Wii U - got an hour in, BOTW arrived.

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Tech bonus: I'm trying to limit myself to 10 game purchases this year.

Games of 2017

1. PES 2017 [9]
2016-
12 hours. Continuing playing Become a Legend and Master League modes, which I started last year (already played tens of hours). Something to dip into now and again.

2. Dragon Quest Builders [COMPLETED] [9]
25 Dec-21 Mar
50 hours. Finished the last chapter. Fantastic combination of RPG and construction with the charm of the DQ universe. Planning and executing buildings is rewarding, and it's worth taking time over it.

3. Titan Souls [COMPLETED] [7]
7 Jan-9 Jan
4 hours. All done, bar higher difficulty levels. I enjoyed it. The bosses are well-designed and varied, control is simple, and nothing is too frustrating. Quite a limited concept though.

4. Super Time Force Ultra [COMPLETED] [5]
10-11 Jan
4 hours. Main game done. The central idea is kind of fun, but never exploited to its full potential. I didn't mind it, but wouldn't have finished it if it were much longer.

5. Grow Home [COMPLETED] [7]
11-12 Jan
3 hours. Main mission done. Surprisingly enjoyable even though there's not much to it. The control of the robot is really well done and makes navigating the environment a pleasant challenge.

6. VVVVVV [COMPLETED] [6]
7-19 Jan
3 hours. Main story done. Good fun for a bit, but increasingly tiresome as it went on. There are a few nice ideas and clever bits, but it needs more of them.

7. Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate [7]
20 Jan-
19 hours. It's Shiren with various added mini games (which I spent a good chunk of time on) and other bits. Early stages are too easy and feel unnecessary after a few goes. Probably won't finish it, but will return to it sporadically when not at home.

8. Velocity Ultra [COMPLETED] [8]
23-26 Jan
8 hours. Finished final level and polished off some of the extras and trophies. This was good fun and had more to it than there initially appeared, with puzzle and other elements beyond the basic scrolling shooter mechanics.

9. The Last Guardian [COMPLETED] [9]
8-13 Feb
20 Hours. Finished it twice. It's a wonderous thing the likes of which I've never played before. Some technical issues, but Trico is an incredible creation, and the relationship between it and the boy develops beautifully and subtly.

10. Dishonored 2 [COMPLETED] [7]
14-24 Feb
25 hours. Completed once, and took my time. Some great level design and locations, and the powers are fun to play with. Too familiar and safe overall though, and the stealth feels slightly dated after MGS V.

11. Not a Hero [COMPLETED] [8]
16 Feb-18 Feb
8 hours. Finished all the levels, did quite a few optional challenges and the secret levels. Very enjoyable 2D shooty cover game with slick gameplay and nice level design.

12. Final Fantasy VII [COMPLETED] [10]
17 Feb-15 Jun
30 hours. Finished. Played it many times before, but not for years. It's easier than I remember, but the characters, combat systems and world building are still exceptional. Plus best soundtrack ever. Love it.

13. Doom [COMPLETED] [8]
27 Feb-17 Mar
20 hours. Finished campaign and did most upgrades, challenges etc. Enjoyably OTT old school FPSing with some more modern ideas thrown in. It all works well but was too repetitive.

14. Disc Jam [COMPLETED] [7]
7-15 Mar
8 hours. Got all the trophies and carried on playing some more. MP only future sports game that plays really well. Far too sparse in content in its initial form, but I may go back to it when more is added.

15. Lumo [COMPLETED] [4]
17-18 Mar
4 hours. Played to the credits. Old-school isometric platformer. Some nice ideas but most of it's not very exciting and the forced perspective makes it increasingly frustrating as the difficulty rises.

16. Tearaway: Unfolded [COMPLETED] [7]
22-25 Mar
7 hours. Played the Vita version before and was curious how this compared. The changes are quite substantial and mostly work just as well. Plenty of charm and ideas, but also some frustrating or dull bits.

17. Final Fantasy XV [COMPLETED] [7]
26 Mar-15 April
40 hours. Finished. A weird mix of western and Japanese RPG with plenty of original ideas but lots of flaws. And it's unfinished. Boring, irritating, impressive and fun in a constant rotation.

18. Ninja Seki DX [COMPLETED] [7]
3-5 Apr
3 hours. Completed final level. Simple 8-bit style platformer with solid, harsh-but-fair level design. Having to restart whole level on continuing is a test, but otherwise enjoyed it.

19. 10 Second Ninja X [COMPLETED] [9]
6-9 Apr
6 hours. Got all 300 stars and a few other bits. Quick restart platforming with tight controls and clever level design. The shortness of the levels makes it great for just replaying until you get it right. Excellent. 

20. Persona 5 [COMPLETED] [9]
18 Apr-18 May
140 hours. Completed and then did about two thirds of NG+. As absorbing and consuming as Persona 4, with tons of added audiovisual style. The dungeons can still be a trudge, but the story and characters shine. Soundtrack is fantastic.

21. Sky Force: Anniversary [COMPLETED] [7]
17-21 May
5 hours. Completed on Normal difficulty. Enjoyable vertically scrolling shooter. Earning medals for perfect runs sustains interest when repeating stages. But the level design is a little conservative.

22. Invisible Inc. [COMPLETED] [10]
1-2 Jun
5 hours. Another play through of one of my favourites from last year. Done everything possible on it already, just playing for fun. Perfectly balanced turn-based strategy stealth.

23. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided [COMPLETED] [8]
2-13 Jun
20 hours. Finished and did most of the side missions along the way. Story, characters and visuals are poor, but the stealthy FPS gameplay is great fun, it always gives you options, and choices feel significant.

24. Rime [COMPLETED] [8]
6-11 Jun
8 hours. Played through once and half again. Extended Journey-alike with added puzzles. A nice environment to explore, with tried and tested game elements that keep it moving at a steady pace. Packs an emotional punch.

25. Horizon: Zero Dawn [COMPLETED] [9]
16 Jun-15 Jul
55 hours. Finished and got platinum trophy. Top quality open world game. Looks amazing and provides a great world to explore. The combat against large robotic beasts is where it really shines.

26. Capcom Classics Collection [COMPLETED] [7]
17 Jun-2 Sep
4 hours. Played through Forgotten Worlds and had some goes on 1943, Black Tiger, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Final Fight etc. at various points. FW and BT in particular are still solid games.  

27. Severed [COMPLETED] [8]
19-21 Jun
8 hours. Finished 100%. Nicely stylised first person exploration on Vita, with touchscreen combat. Some annoying difficulty spikes, but it's original, well-designed and atmospheric.

28. Nex Machina [COMPLETED] [9]
20 Jun-11 Jul
30 hours. 1CC on Experienced difficulty and plenty of individual level score chasing. Excellent modern Robotron-style shooter with tons of depth. Hectic, challenging and very satisfying (when it goes well). 

29. Little Nightmares [COMPLETED] [5]
26 Jun-15 Jul
4 hours. Completed. Great atmosphere and gruesome visual style, but not much of a game. Tiresome trial and error and repeated use of simple puzzles.

30. Until Dawn [COMPLETED] [7]
16-19 Jul
8 hours. Completed (with a couple of deaths). Nicely done interactive slasher film with plenty of tension and genre mimcry. Doesn't quite hit its potential, and doesn't warrant a second play through, but it's a fun ride.

31. Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu [COMPLETED] [7]
17-21 Jul
1.5 hours. Completed with save states. Platform kick 'em up on the NES. Looks nice and plays smooth enough, but some sections are just annoying and the difficulty is all over the place.

32. Rive [COMPLETED] [4]
20-29 Jul
4 hours. Completed. Twin-stick side scrolling shooter with nods to various classic games. Some decent level design in places but it's incredibly frustrating and unfair, and the lame humour really grates. Doesn't seem to understand the games it's referencing.

33. Yakuza 0 [COMPLETED] [7]
21 Jul-10 Aug
38 hours. Finished with 43% completion. Silly open world gangster action with lots of beating people up. Tons to do, often funny and has some great characters, but lacking depth and sophistication in its mechanics.

34. Downwell [7]
1 Aug-
3 hours. Been playing for ten minutes or so here and there. Unlikely to finish it - got to level 3-1 so far - but may still have the odd go now again. Simple but original concept - a downwards scrolling roguelike platform shooter - with sharp controls. 

35. Nier Automata [COMPLETED] [8]
8-19 Aug
35 hours. Finished all the main endings. Fascinating game full of innovation and intellectual depth. Its perspective shifting, both physically and narratively, is superb. Let down slightly by too much busywork and undercooked action sequences.

36. Nioh [COMPLETED] [8]
20 Aug-3 Oct
50 hours. Completed final mission and epilogue. A lot of Dark Souls and a little Ninja Gaiden make for a good mix, with highly polished systems, intricate level design, and exciting combat. Shame it's weighed down by too much RPG baggage and lacks the variety to justify it.

37. Prey [COMPLETED] [8]
2-16 Sep
24 hours. Completed campaign and did a lot of the optional side missions along the way. Great scope for creative play and a great setting. There are so many ways of getting things done and little hand-holding. Shame about the monsters - they're just not very good. 

38. Everybody's Golf [COMPLETED] [7]
3 Sep-
25 hours. Got to the highest rank in single player, and did some B&B tournaments. A very enjoyable game of golf, which is straightforward and has some depth. But the SP matches are too easy until much later on, and the game's structure is too grindy.

39. Child of Light [COMPLETED] [7]
17-22 Sep
13 hours. Completed and got all trophies. Pleasant platform exploration with nice visual style and turn-based combat. Battles are the highlight, especially boss battles, but elsewhere it doesn't really add enough ideas after the first hours and gets repetitive.

40. Lara Croft GO [COMPLETED] [7]
23-25 Sep
7 hours. Completed 100%. Nice clean visual style and clear grid-based movement make for some decent puzzles. Main adventure is a little too basic, but the two additional bonus levels provide some challenge, with more complexity and imagination.

41. Final Fantasy XII [COMPLETED] [9]
4 Oct-11 Nov
95 hours. Completed and did a lot of optional extras. Missed this back on PS2 so was great to have another chance to play it. Definitely one of the best in the series, with the combat system and exploration really standing out, even if the story is a little weak.

42. Wipeout Omega Collection [COMPLETED] [8]
6 Oct-24 Nov
15 hours. Playing occasionally, completed the Wipeout HD campaign. It's loads of Wipeout. The racing is very enjoyable for a quick session now and then. Shame about the weapon system, which still doesn't really fit.

43. Resident Evil VII [COMPLETED] [8]
31 Oct-19 Dec
14 hours. Completed on normal difficulty and restarted. Also played the free DLC. Great atmosphere and some expertly designed horror set pieces, bolted on to the usual Resident Evil formula. Could have done with a little more finesse and a little more content.

44. Bound [COMPLETED] [4]
20-21 Nov
2 hours. Played through once. Journey style platformer with balletic moves. Just doesn't really work at any level, from control to move set to camera to its attempt to abstractly represent emotions and events.

45. Dark Souls [10]
19 Nov-
8 hours. Halfway into another run through the greatest game ever. Looks a bit creaky now but everything about it is still wonderful.

46. Limbo [COMPLETED] [7]
26-28 Nov
3 hours. Gave up on this years ago but went back and finished it, then played from the start again. I didn't like it much before - too much trial and error - but enjoyed it more on the second run. Some nice puzzles and that weird creepy atmosphere.

47. Inside [COMPLETED] [9]
27-28 Nov
4 hours. Finished a single play through. Like Limbo but massively better. Clearer visual communication and superb animation, physics, art direction and sound effects. Perhaps the puzzles are a little too simple, but the overall experience is weird, scary and often amazing.

48. Titanfall 2 [COMPLETED] [8]
29 Nov-4 Dec
7 hours. Finished campaign on normal difficulty. Great fun linear FPS with some imaginative ideas. Switching between pilot and mech modes is done well and the level designs accommodate them both. A bit more of it would've been nice.

49. Hatoful Boyfriend [COMPLETED] [6]
7 Dec
1.5 hours. Played through twice and got different endings. Not sure what to make of it really. Amusing in places, and intriguing in others. But very little to do except make a few decisions, so not worth playing again for all the endings.

50. Darksiders 2 [COMPLETED] [7]
8-16 Dec
21 hours. Finished on normal difficulty. Enjoyable action adventure with solid fighting, platforming and puzzle-based dungeons. Takes too much of its inspiration from other games and doesn't have enough of its own.

51. Letter Quest Remastered [COMPLETED] [6]
19-21 Dec
6 hours. Completed story mode. Make words in a Countdown/Scrabble style to beat up enemies and earn cash for upgrades. The light RPG mechanics don't add much, so it gets repetitive, but the core word game is absorbing.

52. Undertale [COMPLETED] [8]
22-25 Dec
6 hours. Completed once. A weird journey through a subversions of RPG tropes guided by a bunch of likeable oddball NPCs. It's funny and clever, if a little slight, and worth it at least because there's nothing else similar.

53. Raiden V: Director's Cut [COMPLETED] [8]
22-29 Dec
5 hours. Only played to the end with lots of continues, but have also practiced the early levels a bit. Very enjoyable and hectic shooter. Doesn't do much new, but is well made. Will put some proper time into it later, although it's definitely too hard for me to ever get through on a single credit.

54. Transistor [COMPLETED] [8]
26-28 Dec
8 hours. Completed and started NG+. Great combat system with tons of versatility, and the audio-visual style is impressive. Some more adventurous and varied level design would have made it something special.

Let's do this then.

1. Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition - COMPLETED
11th December 2016 - 1st January
This was started mid December last year and makes the list by virtue of being finished on the 1st of January.  This was a sleeper hit on the 360, and managed to excel in areas GTA hadn't.  The transition to this gen is a mixed blessing.  The combat is still good if repetitive, but some of the controls and mechanics clunkiness are amplified in this transition.  An entertaining blast nonetheless. 7

2. Firewatch - COMPLETED
15th January
Started and finished in one sitting, so gripping.  Wonderful game, loved the art style, good music, great story, very enjoyable. 9

3. Mirrors Edge Catalyst - COMPLETED
4th January - 17th January
Hard to love this game.  Wastes its potential to be an exhilarating free running experience by being let down by a poor environment and poxy controls.  Just as you feel it might branch into a good game, the branch becomes a stick that gets thwacked straight between your balls.  DICE clearly didn't learn the lessons of the original ME. 5

4. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - COMPLETED
17th February - 20th February
A tad dated now, but fun to be had messing around with Force powers.  Main protagonist the Apprentice is as bland as it gets and unwisely channels Hayden Christiansen's performance in Clones/Sith, but despite that not a terrible game but one that suffers from being played ten years too late. 6

5. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition - COMPLETED
26th February
One that escaped me from my Amiga days, given the Disney graphic treatment.  The old graphics you can switch to with a button press, and they haven't lost their charm.  The humour I appreciated but many of the jokes were probably funnier first time round.  Not a long game but one extended by the hints system that has you scurrying around in the most inefficient manner.  Still managed to finish in one long sitting, enjoyable fare. 7

6. GRID 2 - COMPLETED
1st May 2016 - 5th March
Started last year and not touched since last June.  I completed the remaining 2 of 5 seasons to finish the career mode.  I remember OG GRID being better, the handling model here is caught between two places, being balls out arcade or verging onto simulation, but never being sure either way.  Standard career mode, work your way up through car tiers completing various flavours of event, mostly races but also touge (spit) and drift (double spit).  Pretty unremarkable really, explains GRID Autosport. 6

7. Life is Strange - COMPLETED
31 December 2015 - 23rd March
I had played episodes 1-2 last year (no, NYE 2015!) and despite loving them at the time never carried on to finish the game.  Remedied this and put the remaining three episodes to bed this week.  Really enjoyed this, like hella enjoyed it.  There's a very nostalgic glow to this game, it takes you back to warm summers with friends, the first world problems of youth.  I really enjoyed the setting, the characters, the story, the teen dialogue didn't grate and it had me involved emotionally.  Quite glum that it is over. 9

8. Need for Speed (2015) - COMPLETED
9th August 2016 - 8th April
'Story' complete, such as it was.  A series of live action skits where a collection of British actors ham up their best US accents whilst guzzling Monster energy drinks.  I however, remained a mute presence, fistbumping my way through this charade.  This game overall was bad, it didn't have to be, Ghost Games coded Rivals, and that was a decent rerun of Hot Pursuit.  This reboot though, a misstep, but nothing that a decent amount of playtesting wouldn't have fixed.  Tuning options that only serve to convolute the handling as you try in vain to find the sweet spot, non playing AI that interfere with events and their tendency to appear on blind bends.  Where they go from here I do not know. 5

9. ZOMBI - COMPLETED
19th August 2015 - 23rd April
Another one I had let fall by the wayside, despite initially enjoying it.  Picking this back up I was reminded how much I liked the premise, the isolation, the familiarity of the landmarks, the permadeath.  It feels like a unique zombie game to me.  I reintegrated myself with the story after leaving it around 60% done.  On this last stretch the game decided to throw oxygen tank wearing instakilling zeds at me, after all of the prior undeads were manageable, believable zombies.  This was disappointing and led to a few cheap, frustrating deaths.  Not to be dissuaded I pushed on and despite a limp end, I still really enjoyed this. 7.5

10. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - COMPLETED
3rd May - 28th May
Campaign complete and gold on all challenge maps.  Good old fashioned shooty fun.  Good production values, smooth and solid graphics and gameplay.  A touch repetitive but the campaign doesn't outstay its welcome.  Challenge maps are a score attack affair, tricky but rewarding when mastered.  Popping Nazi noggins doesn't get old.  Biggest gripe, I could do without having to press X to pick up ammo and armour, particularly as it is contextual and can be a touch arbitrary, but that is it. 7.5

11. Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels - COMPLETED
9th May - 20th May
Campaign and all races completed.  I can say I had fun initially, but after the novelty wore off, the many flaws of Horizon 3 started to eke through and grate.  Looks amazing, needs a 'better' or more rewarding arcade handling model in the vein of Hot Pursuit than the under steering, floaty shambles that is Horizon 3.  Would have been better in FH2, shame. 6

12. Metro: Last Light Redux - COMPLETED
28th May - 4th June
A solid sequel to 2033, immersive storytelling, takes less risks with the plot than 2033 but remains coherent whereas the former seemed to wander.  Mechanically and graphically more sound, cannot fault a game that tells a good story from its first person viewpoint though.  Extra DLC levels are a mixed bag but a welcome bonus also. 7.5

13. Refunct - COMPLETED
7th June
I took a punt on this after it popped up on HotUK, very cheap, but came highly recommended on Steam.  A simplistic fusion of first person platforming and music, you must reveal a path by activating beacon after beacon to finally reach your goal.  Sounds basic and it is, but I found it strangely hypnotic bounding around to a very laid back soundtrack and the final reveal was well meaning.  Over in minutes, with some replayability through speed runs, no complaints. 7

14. Speedrunners - COMPLETED
10th June - 18th June
A short campaign completed, but served as a tutorial for the main event, multiplayer.  There we have FUN in abundance, four players sharing the same screen in a race to be the last one standing.  How to be a bastard to your mates where everyone comes out smiling, a rollback to local multiplayer but without the sharing of BO and body fluids.  Should just have called it Cheesey Grin Simulator. 8.5

15. The Final Station - COMPLETED
1st July
Started and finished in one day, a freebie from the MS E3 presser.  Pleasantly surprised to find it was a 'good little game'.  A retro inspired mini adventure putting you in the shoes of a train driver involved in some undefined preapocalyptic post viral outbreak, where through exploration, you find and deliver passengers to their destinations.  Resource management and the welfare of your passengers are the key mechanics here, with crafting elements present but made difficult by the most unwieldy of cursor highlighting, presumably a hangover of its port from PC.  Nothing groundbreaking here, but for a free and brief experience, very welcome. 7

16. Watch_Dogs - COMPLETED
9th July - 25th July
I had actively avoided this, it stank of hype and early gen apathy, so my expectations were tempered when I received it through GwG.  A victim of its reputation, the reality was there was a compelling and well crafted game world here, albeit enveloped in a bobbins story.  The hacking central theme I actually enjoyed and the mechanics that complemented this are novel; hacking the environment to disable pursuers, threading CCTV cameras to achieve goals and so on, however the repetition of some of the mechanics do begin to grind.  There's a lot of busywork outside of the campaign, and getting drawn into this means the campaign drags, but overall a fairly decent experience. 7

17. Battlefield 1 - COMPLETED
12th August - 16th August
War Stories campaign completed.  6 separate mini campaigns highlighting different arenas of World War One.  Best described as extended tutorials for multiplayer; here is a tank campaign, here is a plane campaign, this one has a horse...  I was at odds with the single player, it looks good, sounds good, it aims to mean well but is instilled with this faux empathy.  An understanding is reached for that I just don't think comes across well in games, best left to film.  I enjoy the codecs that seek to inform, but having them as a reward for fulfilling an in game objective is arbitrary, the text cutting off towards the bottom leaving many incomplete is just poor.  Overall a very well produced effort, but one that misses the emotional mark by a long way. 6

18. Gears of War Ultimate Edition - COMPLETED
18th August 2015 - 9th September
I allowed myself to get caught up in the nostalgia for this release and it was a slightly inebriated impulse digital purchase, of which I had started but left off after Act 1.  I've always enjoyed a GoW campaign, perfectly mindless bro shooting and the combat I've always got on with in single player, although I've never been much cop with the multiplayer.  So this is the jazzed up version, the browns are a bit more browner, the greys more greyer, combat still as satisfying and it sails along smoothly.  Some bits I'd forgotten since the original, some I hadn't, some I wish I had.  Pretty fun altogether. 7.5

19. Destiny 2 - COMPLETED
16th September - 20th September
Can you complete Destiny 2?  Well the campaign you can so in it goes.  A huge improvement as campaigns go over D1, which really isn't saying much, but at least this was a coherent threaded attempt.  As an introduction to the game it works, amazing visuals, first class gunplay.  Can't really enthuse too much about the story as it is standard guff, but the mechanics and visuals pull it through, onto the end game. 7.5

20. Gone Home: Console Edition - COMPLETED
1st October
A GwG freebie but right up my street I found.  I found myself playing through this three times in one day (regular playthrough, 1 minute speed run, commentary mode), egged on by achievements, but thankfully they pushed me towards the dev commentary mode which was very interesting.  You play the part of Caitlin, returning to your family home after some time away to find the place deserted, save for a breadcrumb trail of notes and objects.  Over the course of the next few hours, you piece together the story, unveiling the many secrets contained within the house.  A very atmospheric, immersive game all told; I found myself sucked in by the house, a sense of fear and dread pervades, as though playing a ghost story.  I enjoyed. 9

21. Feeding Frenzy - COMPLETED
16th October 2016 - 2nd October
Mega old PopCap game, courtesy of EA's Vault.  I've dipped in and out of this fairly simplistic game since last year and finally finished the main campaign.  It's good to put on for half an hour when your brain can no longer contemplate anything at all late of a Friday/Saturday evening.  Start as a small fish, eat other fish, avoid bigger fish, grow bigger, eat bigger fish, rinse and repeat. 6

22. OXENFREE - COMPLETED
3rd October
On a roll with the GwG goodness here, another belter.  Again another one I may have passed on otherwise, but an enjoyable story led game that can be done and dusted in one generous sitting.  You play Alex, a blue haired girl who finds not everything is what it seems when she and a bunch of friends land on an old childhood island.  Lots of dialogue in this, but well written and acted, great characterisation throughout.  There's a strong 80s sci-fi mystery vibe running through this, part Stranger Things, part Close Encounters, the excellent music drives it along.  I really enjoyed uncovering all the secrets, the use of the radio you are equipped with was great, the story I also found quite touching, not quite chopping onions time but I was emotionally invested nonetheless. 9

23. Forza Horizon 3: Blizzard Mountain - COMPLETED
15th December 2016 - 14th October
I was initially sceptical of this DLC expansion, given my criticism of FH3's handling, I have grown to enjoy it a lot more.  Mostly down to it being predominantly off road, in MP it can still grate when the physics let you down, but there's always fun to be had wrestling a Rally Monster or very capable A class Scooby around the snowy wastes.  The SP career is entertaining then, if at times the star system does irritate, not from blunting your progression, but from insisting on concentrating on achieving skill goals to get that third star.  Overall a fun package. 8

24. Air Missions: HIND - COMPLETED
17th October - 26th October
I do love me some helicopter action, unfortunately these games are thin on the ground on console, my last focussed title being the excellent Apache: Air Assault on the 360.  I hovered over the buy button on this budget ID@Xbox title before committing via the cheaper Russian store, apt considering its focus on Russian helos.  This being a budget game from a very small team, the flaws are obvious; ground textures and models, soldier animations, all very last last gen, the helicopter models up to the job though.  The campaign was short and not incredibly challenging, I finished all instant action scenarios too.  It scratched an itch, didn't quite acquit itself wholly, but for £8 it was a decent enough experience. 6

25. LocoCycle - COMPLETED
17th November - 18th November
Well somebody had to, might as well be me.  This game is so bad it's good whilst also managing to be so bad it really is bad in equal measures.  To be fair to Twisted Pixel they weren't setting the bar high and they know it, it looked like fun was had in making this game.  Low on concept; AI superbike gets fried by lightning and drags its hapless Mexican mechanic by his ankle on a cross country sprint to reach a biker freedom rally, all the while being pursued by the private army of its maker.  It manages to riff off several games in its five hour run time; Road Rash, 1942, Mortal Combat, Afterburner, and its live action scenes are strangely enjoyable in their shitness... and Sex Machine from From Dusk Till Dawn is in it, it gets an extra point just for that.  I will play worse games than this. 6

26. World of Tanks: War Stories - COMPLETED
23rd August - 19th November
War Stories are four short episodic story campaigns featuring graphic novel intros and outros and familiar WoT battle scenarios.  I'm not sure who these are aimed at, new players possibly, there isn't enough new or challenging to entice and hold existing players.  They cannot be called tutorials as they don't fully explain the mechanics of the game and a tutorial already exists that does this better.  Not sure if there was any clamour for story content on the WoT forum either.  But it is inoffensive and free and a slight distraction to the MP and done. 6.5

27. Sniper Elite 3 - COMPLETED
19th November - 7th December
There are many games that allow you to lay waste to the Nazis, up there with zombies as the gamer's perennial bad guy.  However Sniper Elite 3, as with every SE game, is unique in making the slow-mo x-ray kill cam its central feature.  An open level game based in Africa, the pretence of destroying a Nazi supertank driving on the glorification of puncturing holes in many nameless faces of the Third Reich.  With the open level nature of the game, there is some fun to be had in this playground, stealth or action, sniping or machine guns blazing.  Stealth, with the best of intentions, invariably ends in action and more often than not a comedic retreat to a safe distance that soon sees the forgetful Nazis return to their patrols.  Repetitive when played at length but perfectly mindless and satisfying in chunks. 6.5

To Start - Doom, Gears 4, Halo 5, Half-Life Episode 2...

To Finish - Layers of Fear, Mad Max, SuperHot, Sunset Overdrive... to name but a few from the started pile of shame.

Games
1 - The Wolf Among Us (Played through fully) - scored a [6] - 1/52
2 - Oddworld - Stranger's Wrath (Mid-way through)
3 - Seven Little Words (Puzzle game, played ~daily) - scored [6] - 2/52
4 - Hexcells Plus (Puzzle game, played through second half) - scored [8] - 3/52
5 - Rise of the Tomb Raider (Completed, though started last year) - scored [8] - 4/52
6 - Trackmania Turbo (Ongoing TT)
7 - Forza Horizon 3 (Ongoing dabbling)
8 - Stacking (Played in full, about three hours) - scored a [3] - 5/52
9 - A Bird Story (Played in full, only an hour long) - scored between [4] and [9] - 6/52
10 - Hexcells Infinite (Puzzle game, played (the finite bit) in full) - scored [8] - 7/52
11 - Renegade Ops - scored [8] - 8/52
12 - Emily is Away (played through, once) - scored [8] - 9/52
13 - BoxBoy! - scored [9] - 10/52
14 - The Blackwell Legacy - scored [5] - 11/52
15 - Gunman Clive (played through in full - it's only an hour) - scored [5] - 12/52
16 - Bike Rider DX (completed) - scored [6] - 13/52
17 - Shadow Complex - scored [8] - 14/52
18 - Trials Fusion (seem to be playing it again )
19 - 6180 The Moon (got to the end - haven't done it all in reverse tho) - scored [8] - 15/52
20 - Home (played through fully) - scored [6] - 16/52
21 - 1001 Spikes (into World 2...)
22 - Lume - scored [6] - 17/52
23 - Pullblox World [WiiU] (finished) - scored [7] - 18/52
24 - Super Mario 3D World - scored [8] - 19/52
25 - Pullblox [3DS] - scored [7] - 20/52
26 - Shovel Knight (done!) - scored [8] - 21/52
27 - Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald - scored [7] - 22/52
28 - Dark Souls III (onwards, in preparation for the second DLC...)
29 - Alan Wake: American Nightmare - scored [4] - 23/52
30 - Super Stickman Golf 2
31 - Mighty Switch Force 2 - scored [4] - 24/52
32 - Retro City Rampage DX
33 - Pilotwings Resort - scored [7] - 25/52
34 - Bravely/Default - scored [8] - 26/52
35 - Murdered: Soul Suspect - scored [6] - 27/52
36 - Titan Souls - scored [7] - 28/52
37 - CounterSpy - scored [5] - 29/52
38 - Metro 2033: Redux
39 - Hyper Light Drifter - scored [8] - 30/52
40 - Volume - scored [4] - 31/52
41 - Actual Sunlight - scored [7] - 32/52
42 - Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris - scored [6] - 33/52
43 - Minutes - scored [8] - 34/52
44 - Never Alone - scored [5] - 35/52
45 - Titan Attacks - scored [7] - 36/52
46 - Table Top Racing - gave up cos it's utter shite
47 - Dear Esther: Landmark Edition - scored [7] - 37/52
48 - Gone Home - scored [5] - 38/52
49 - Everybody's Gone to the Rapture - scored [4] - 39/52
50 - You Have To Win The Game - scored [9] - 40/52
51 - Letter Quest Remastered - scored [5] - 41/52
52 - Unmechanical - scored [7] - 42/52
53 - Pumped BMX+
54 - Donkey Kong Country Returns - scored [7] - 43/52
55 - 80 Days - scored [5] - 44/52
56 - Uncharted: Lost Legacy - scored [8] - 45/52
57 - Picross e - scored [8] - 46/52
58 - Call of Juarez: Gunslinger - scored [9] - 47/52
59 - Luigi's Mansion 2 - scored [8] - 48/52
60 - Magicka
61 - Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - scored [8] - 49/52
62 - Kentucky Route Zero
63 - rain - scored [6] - 50/52
64 - Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - scored [8] - 51/52
65 - Yoshi's Woolly World - scored [7] - 52/52
66 - SteamWorld Dig - scored [7] - 53/52
67 - Super Mario 3D Land - scored [9] - 54/52
68 - Star Fox 64 3D - scored [4] - 55/52
69 - Unmechanical: The extended bit - scored [7] - 56/52
70 - Professor Layton and Pandora's Box - scored [6] - 57/52
71 - Need for Speed: Rivals - scored [7] - 58/52
72 - Axiom Verge - scored 8 - 59/52
73 - The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Running total: [394]

Coming soon: DkS 3 DLC, GoW4, Sunset Overdrive, Bayonetta 1 & 2, Resi 4, Yoshi's Wooly World, SM3dW, Pandora's Tower, BoxBoy!, Mario 3D Land, Pilotwings Resort, Luigi's Mansion 2, Downwell, Home, Gone Home, Monkey Island 1 & 2 Remastered, Grim Fandango Remastered, Day of the Tentacle Remastered, Titan Souls, Trine 1-3, Catherine, Hyper Light Drifter, Never Alone, Rogue Legacy, Saints Row: Gat out of Hell, Sleeping Dogs, SteamWorld Dig, Binding of Isaac, Volume, Axiom Verge, Gravity Rush, Stealth Inc 2, Transistor, Counterspy, Valiant Hearts, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Broforce, Magicka 1&2, Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris, Kentucky Route Zero, 1001 Spikes, Alan Wake American Nightmare, Mighty Switch Force 2, Remember Me, Catherine, MGS V/GZ, Danganronpa, DmC, Dust, From Dust, Gears of War (1-4), God of War, Hitman (early ones), Splinter Cell, I Am Alive, Outlast,  SotC HD, Styx, Thief, The Crew, Ys, Yakuza, XCOM, Suikoden, rain, TWD (s2), The Evil Within, The Banner Saga, Sniper Elite, Richard & Alice, Hydrophobia, Gunpoint, Else Heart.Break(), Door Kickers, Brothers, Malicious, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castevania: Lord of Shadows, No Time to Explain

Sponsored: Skies of Arcadia Legends, MGS3, Bravely/Default, Call of Juarez Gunslinger, Stranger's Wrath, more Renegade Ops, and maybe Just Cause 3... and PoP SoT & Shadow Complex, Shovel Knight

Books
1 - Half a King (Shattered Sea #1)
2 - Half the World (Shattered Sea #2)
3 - A Monster Calls
4 - Half a War (Shattered Sea #3)
5 - The Sellout
6 - The City of Mirrors (The Passage #3)
7 - The Roanoke Girls
8 - And then there were none
9 - The Girl with All the Gifts
10 - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
11 - The Blade Itself (The First Law #1)
12 - A Murder is Announced
13 - Before they were Hanged (The First Law #2)
14 - Murder on the Orient Express
15 - Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3)
16 - Peril at End House
17 - Nutshell
18 - The Handmaid's Tale
19 - The Dry
20 - The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
21 - A Head Full of Ghosts
22 - Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
23 - Ender's Game
24 - The Time Machine
25 - Dark Matter

Movies / whole TV series
1 - Sisters
2 - The Martian (bits only...)
3 - Jurassic World
4 - The Incredibles
5 - The Revenant
6 - Bridge of Spies
7 - 24: Live Another Day
8 - Apple Tree Yard
9 - The Affair (s3)
10 - Modern Family (s7)
11 - Catastrophe (s3)
12 - Quarry (s1)
13 - Broadchurch  (s3)
14 - Big Little Lies (s1)
15 - The Girl on the Train
16 - Fortitude (s1)
17 - Twin Peaks (s1)
18 - 13 Reasons Why (s1) - abandoned
19 - Unforgotten (s2)
20 - The Line of Duty (s1)
21 - Dr. Foster (s1)
22 - Ozark (s1)
23 - Dr. Foster (s2)
24 - The Line of Duty (s2)
25 - Bladerunner 2049
26 - Manchester by the Sea
27 - Bad Moms
28 - Mr Robot (s1)
29 - The Handmaid's Tale (s1)
30 - Bloodline (s1)
31 - Peaky Blinders (s3)
32 - Bloodkine (s2)
33 - Peaky Blinders (s4)

Fuck it, why not - even if it's just to demonstrate how little I play these days. I'm going to list what I'm currently actively playing and intend to progress, if not complete, this year.

1. Forza Horizon 3
2. Battlefield 1
3. Doom
4. Dying Light
5. Batman Arkham Knight
Finished all the main quests and side stories with the exception of the Riddler stuff. I was intending to try and 100% it but really, I can't be arsed - 99% will have to do. Loved this one, contrary to many on here who weren't fans - but I'm a huge Bat-Geek and the extensive rogues gallery and the freedom of exploring the city was the ultimate 'be the bat' experience. Highlight of the whole game was Hamills Joker which was again a masterclass in voicework. Now thinking of picking up the remastered first two for another play through.
6. MGS5
7. Sunset Horizon
8. Hyper Light Drifter - Completed
Loved playing this, the Zelda-like exploration, the vague and mysterious world, the bad-ass protagonist (fucking love that sword-plant he does when you kick the areas of a load of enemies) and the stunningly beautiful visuals. Star of the show is the soundtrack though - which imo elevates the game as an experience from good to truly great. The OST is up there with my all time favourite albums in any genre. A sublime experience and one I'm sad to have finished.
9. Ori
10. Dark Souls 3
11. Fallout 4
12. Mirrors Edge
Always fancied playing this and finally got to through GWG. Well. It looks lovely, still, and the concept is great and it's nice having a decent female lead. But fucking hell, the controls are shite. Totally counter intuitive and combined with the new unforgiving need to get certain jumps pixel perfect there's so much restarting going on that it's killed my interest in it almost completely. Life's to short for this shit.
13. Bioshock Infinite
14. Bioshock 2: Minervas Den
15. Fez
16. Oxenfree
17. Titanfall 2
18. Hitman Episodes
19. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
20. Trials Fusion
21. Peggle 2

I'll more likely go against the spirit of the thread TBH. I aim to get a handful of games and take my time getting the most out of them, so I don't buy any more for 6 months or so. One a month would be a better target.

Most of it will hopefully be from Pile O' Shame.

digi wrote:

Im game for this.

1. The last guardian.
Game of 2016 completed in 2017

2. Fifa career mode.
Il continue with ultimate team but story modes done.

3.layers of fear.
Completed, missed one rat drawing and some other stuff.

4. Slenderman the arrival.
Im at a weird part of this and not sure of game length.
Made slightly more progress but get lost regularly.

5.final fantasy 15.
So finished this now and its definitely in the top games of the year, really enjoyed it and will probably go for the platinum in time.

6.mgs v.
Got 2 or 3 trophys to go to reach platinum but there stupidly tough (all s ranks and all objectives complete) might replace this with something else further on.

7.battlefield 1.
Had 2 campaign missions to finish on hardest difficultie so decided to do them early today becouse of this thread.

8.Pure pool.
Was playing this local multiplayer and decided to play a bit more career mode wich became moreish and then i finished it!

9.Zombie army trilogy.
Thought i had finished this already but were missing trophys for the final 3 levels, so got it done and kept playing.
Fun game.

10.god of war 3 remake.
Was cheap and i like the combat and visceral nature of the game, finished in two sittings.

11. Dying light up to 51% thru from a previous play thru.

12. Sniper elite v3 bought as i enjoyed the offshoot zombie army trilogy so much i bought this cheap drom psn.
Finished the campaign now and it were a bit just average, but enjoyed the hoard mode more.

13. Absolute drift.
Bought and put an hour in so far but unsure il keep it up.

14. Batman arkham knight redownloaded but unsure were my progress were left at.
Save file were completely gone so reatarted completely.
Need to do 1 side mission to reach the end.
Update: finished without all riddler stuff, but all main and side stuff done.

15.resident evil 7.
Done and dusted and great.

16.dead nation
Done and done, co-op whole way thru and really enjoyable too.

17.oli oli 2
Another great little game i got free on ps+ and only got round to finishing, bloody great too.

18.horizon: zero dawn.
Making good progress but im doing all.side missions before the completion.
May even platinum this one.
UPDATE: platinum got.

19. Rise of the tomb raider.
Enjoying it but there just seems to be.something missing and those tombs arent really tombs, there tiny.

20.tearaway unfolded, charming and.fun game with a lot more going on than expected.

21. Shadow of mordor, im quite away in from a previous play at this but i think destiny addiction pulled me out.

22. Assasins creed black flag, 85% done so far and i had done most previously.

23. witcher 3 um this may take a while.
UPDATE: main story all done and on hearts of stone and blood and wine now.

24. Inside.
Finished this and got all trophys and even the secret ending.
Proper brilliant game.

25. Rez infinite.
Finished all story mode and beat the first boss.

26. killing floor 2
Free game on ps+ and its really good fun, done all the collectables etc too.
UPDATE: all done and just need to grind to reach max rank.

27. life is strange
Another free ps+ game in what has been an excellent month for ps+.
I can see why this was voted in as a game of the year, still have a few photos to find for the platinum.

28.nom nom galaxy...
Old ps+ game (i think) i love the pixeljunk folks output and this is so fun and has a load more depth than i expected, nearly done.

29. Letter quest remastered.
This is an other old ps+ game iv been really enjoying, just need to get all the crystal stars now to see it all thru.

30.driveclub vr.
Absolutely loving this, the immersion is great.
So close to the end but il be playing this for a long time to come.
UPDATE: all done.

31.job simulator.
Finished the gourmet chef job, will start on others when everything is fully charged or when i need some light relief from a tc wipe on raids in days to come.
UPDATE; finished all jobs.

32.until dawn: a rush of blood.
What a great game and the jump scares made my girlfriend fall of the pouffe.

33.superhot.
Finished story mode and katana only.

34.superhot vr.
Not started but its about to be tonight.
Stuck at a hard part now.

35.bulletstorm ps4.
All done and replaying echos mode for all stars.

36.dirt rally vr.
Done a full rally in mini with 2nd place overall.
On last country in my ibiza f2 kit car.

37.diablo 3
Started this co op with a mate.

38.destiny 2
All done with 3 classesjust need a raid boss kill to finish.

39.rock band 4
Full story mode tour done.

40.uncharted 2 remaster.
On The last few sections.

41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

51.
52.

Think i can make a fair dent in these as i have a huge backlog and can't stop buying more games.

Im not sure if i should add dlc's in here too as im still to finish dark souls 3 dlc and im loving the divisions survival mode but apart from extracting from dmz what would count towards finishing?

Great idea btw.

DLC's count I suppose! It's more If on completion you feel like you've really got a 'game' out of it. Survival I'm not sure, I love it and maybe if you kill the hunters and get out that counts?

Oooo interesting.

1) FFXV - *update* finished this today, playtime at end of story was about 75 hours. I absolutely adored this game, I could spend a lot longer in the world than I did, but wanted to push on through the story. There's something not quite tangible about what makes this game special.  

2) Dark Souls 3 - Literally started this last night, will try and make it the first Souls game I actually finish!

3) Gears of War 4 - This was surprisingly good, after the shaky first chapter anyway. In the end it was a great campaign full of the Gears nonsense you know and love. Ends a bit abruptly but still an gory, bloody, messy blast.

4) Day Of The Tentacle Remastered - enjoyed this throwback to puzzle games of yore. Some of it is a bit too random and thinking out of the box becomes 'try that thing with every other thing' but it's still good fun and genuine lols too.

5) Halo Wars 2 - If you liked Halo Wars, then you'll like Halo Wars 2. It was actually really great being back in the universe and away from the terrible campaign that was Halo 5. I do just generally enjoy the world that Halo sits in; the units, the combat, the lore... It's fun and interesting to me. Campaign doesn't outstay it's welcome but is a good mix of missions and tactics. I blasted it on normal but can see it being tough on Legendary. Haven't tried proper MP yet as it seems it's a bit of a broken, unbalanced mess at the moment.

6) The Last Guardian - well that's forum game of the year 2016... Sure has its issues and at times a highly frustrating experience, but also very beautiful and intriguing. Enjoyed my time but wouldn't ever go back.

7) Prey - This was a great 'shock' game in a different shell. Really enjoyed it for the most part, some niggles around combat but mostly great. Wonderful setting and the world is built very well.

8 ) Modern Warfare Remastered - Blasted through the campaign on Hardened, didn't take too long. It's fun to go back, and the campaign certainly did take some steps for the time it came out. It's easy to see the influence on other FPSs and campaigns in general over the next years after this came out. Still frustrating in parts, and just killing people to be able to move forward 10 steps etc

9) Just Cause 3 - I wouldn't have bothered with this if it wasn't on PS+ but as far as free games go I was happy with it. Blasted through the campaign to completion, freed all the provinces and did most of the challenges. It was a pretty textbook 6-7/10 game - rough around the edges but some charm and fun to be had. Graphics were surprisingly nice, gameplay was basically unchanged from the 360 Just Cause game which is both good and bad. Kept me going for most of a month anyway.

10) Battlefield 1 - did the campaign on this as was looking for something to blast through. Didn't really think much of it, nothing special at all despite it trying to bring home the horror of the first world war. Missions are very short and straightforward and it's clearly just trying to prep you for the multiplayer. I finished the missions on normal and the achievement is 'rare' which says something!

11) Thimbleweed Park - Finally finished this one off, using a guide. I liked being back in an adventure game, but this ended up being a bit too obscure for me at times. The multiple character aspect didn't help things, it just ended up being confusing and you could do a whole bunch of actions as a character which had no relation to anything that was happening that chapter. You could also spend a long time walking around as one character, getting nowhere, because what you needed to do was with one of the other 4 characters. It's a shame because the story, world and themes were actually interesting.

Definitely.

I dunno, this year I've already played -

Hitman
The last guardian
Gears 4
Oxenfree
Pokemon Moon
Picross 2
The Witness
Frog Fractions 2
Final Fantasy XV



I guess I dip in and out but this seems easy as piss. I'm more inon my 100 movies / 30 books challenge.