And what a game it is! Just got the platinum trophy so I’m happy to call it completed although I’ve not set any decent scores or completed Arcade without free play. Maybe one day.
One of the best shmups. Going straight into Top 100 list too.
Updated OP with Super Lucky's Tale, Unravel and The Wolf Among Us. Up to 14 now which isn't too shabby for late March.
12. Super Lucky's Tale 5th March – 10th March
Great charm and production values run throughout this bright and cheery 3D platformer, playing as Lucky the fox in his quest to save the Book of Ages. It looks great, bursting with colour, however the platforming itself in the 3D space was a let down and frustrated the overall experience. I felt the control of Lucky was not as correct as it could have been, leading to many missed leaps and landings, hampered further by the limited camera. I'm not sure why it was necessary to restrict the camera, but I know it would have made the world of difference to the enjoyment of the game if it had 360 control. Not terrible in any way but a missed opportunity. 6
13. Unravel
19th July 2016 – 18th March 2018
Came back to this Nordic platformer a third time after a long absence, determined to see it through. I had dipped a toe twice before but it just couldn't quite pull me in. Playing as a woolen character called Yarny, you must leap, swing and puzzle your way through many levels, completing a scrapbook of memories that charts the life of a family. What was clear from playing this was it is clearly a very personal game to the developer, Coldwood, and I appreciated the sentiment. The look of the game is great, some fabulous texture work, and the physics were very well done. You are required to swing a lot using yarn and this was satisfyingly done. What let it down though was my nemesis, trial and error. I just don't like it and it feels like lazy developing when I encounter it. It gets marked down for this. 6.5
14. The Wolf Among Us
18th March – 24th March
I'm not familiar with the graphic novel so went into this blind. I have a number of Telltale games on the hard drive and the bad taste of Back to the Future still lingered, I was aware this is considered a decent effort and I wasn't disappointed. A stylish, very well told noir thriller of fairy tale characters inhabiting a New York borough, with you as Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown. I really enjoyed the premise, the story was interesting and involving, the characters well acted and scripted. As Bigby I was invested in shaping the story, the dialogue was entertaining and the level of interaction very well done. So much better than BttF in every way. 8.5
GT: WEBBIN5 - A life in formats: Sinclair ZX81>Amstrad CPC 6128>Amiga 500>Sega Megadrive>PC>PlayStation 2>Xbox>DS Lite>Xbox 360>Xbox One>Xbox One X>Xbox Series X>Oculus Quest 2
GT: WEBBIN5 - A life in formats: Sinclair ZX81>Amstrad CPC 6128>Amiga 500>Sega Megadrive>PC>PlayStation 2>Xbox>DS Lite>Xbox 360>Xbox One>Xbox One X>Xbox Series X>Oculus Quest 2
4. YS: Memories of Celceta - Vita
Solid RPG that wasn't too taxing or long (40 hours).
The real time combat suited my button mashing style, although there were a few too many bosses for my liking. The story is nothing special but it was enough to stop me glazing over. Characters weren't overly annoying, even if some of their dialogue was cheesy.
There's an NG+ so I might do that at some point and go for the Platinum. 7
You'll get some joy from it, there are some good sections.
GT: WEBBIN5 - A life in formats: Sinclair ZX81>Amstrad CPC 6128>Amiga 500>Sega Megadrive>PC>PlayStation 2>Xbox>DS Lite>Xbox 360>Xbox One>Xbox One X>Xbox Series X>Oculus Quest 2
Going well here, finished games 15, 16 and 17. God bless short games and a long weekend. Next!
15. Tales From The Borderlands
25th March – 31st March
Started hot off the heels of the much enjoyed The Wolf Among Us, expectations were high for this graphic tale from the Gearbox franchise. Snappy dialogue coupled with a tittersome script and some energetic action sequences made this an entertaining Telltale edition. It felt a little flabby towards the middle but the pace picked up again in the final third. The characters were all likeable, even the villains and there were some darkly comic moments that bounced off the seemingly juvenile tone and style. A special mention to the opening credits of each episode which I thought were great, a well worked blend of cinematic camera work and music. Overall it didn't top Wolfie, but it was still a very good Telltale game. 7.5
16. Virginia
31st March
I was aware of this divisive game, but I found it cheap in the Xbox Spring Sale so for the price of a pint I thought I'd satisfy my curiosity. I'd seen it billed as a Lynchian blend of Twin Peaks and The X Files, and this was a fairly accurate portrayal of the game. Set in Virginia in 1992, you take the role of newly graduated FBI Special Agent Anne Tarver, beginning your career with the investigation of a missing local boy. You are thrown in at the deep end by your superior as you are also tasked with incorporating an internal affairs investigation into your new partner. This game is a variation on the walking simulator with point and click elements, the plot and events unfold, you have little bearing on the outcomes as such. The story is one of mystery and intrigue; it begins rather straightforward but soon descends into surrealism and confusion. There are many motifs and signifiers, many meanings can be assumed. The final third splinters into plot fragments and it feels at the end you are meant to make your own interpretations. I kinda liked it, it was weird yet wonderful, brilliantly cinematic, eerily odd with no spoken dialogue but the direction was tight and the runtime concise. The music is excellent and the score from the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is rousing and perfectly complements the tale. The game as a whole sits below the likes of Edith Finch if I can make that comparison, and I can see how the ending may not satisfy many as it descends into arthouse territory, but I felt it a highly commendable effort. 7.5
17. Late Shift 31st March
Not so much a game as an interactive FMV, I had my eye on this in previous sales but never pulled the trigger, so I was pleased to see it drop onto MS' Game Pass. You decide the fate of Matt, a student working the night shift at a private parking garage used by a fairly high class clientele. Your quiet night takes a turn when you go to investigate what looks like an attempted car theft. What follows is a fairly slickly produced hour long FMV ride with branching chapters and multiple endings. The acting is never BAFTA troubling as it veers from the good to the not so good, and technically it can fall a little short as the game attempts to stitch together your decisions in real time. Generally though I thought it was quite good, the plot is clichéd and occasionally rough, but it shows that FMV games have come a long way since the likes of Night Trap. 7
GT: WEBBIN5 - A life in formats: Sinclair ZX81>Amstrad CPC 6128>Amiga 500>Sega Megadrive>PC>PlayStation 2>Xbox>DS Lite>Xbox 360>Xbox One>Xbox One X>Xbox Series X>Oculus Quest 2
Perfect write-up of Lucky Webbins. I agree with everything you say. Strangely I kept coming back to it and I have even downloaded the DLC (didn't feel so bad because I downloaded on Game Pass). Screw that 99,999 coin achievement though
There were three achievements added as part of a title update. Realistically you're only going to get the 15,000 one. Have only just broke 20,000 and I have finished the main game and got all the clovers.
Yeah it was a good game hampered by a wanky camera and then dodgy platforming because of this. I manfully stuck at it for completionist purposes. The coin gongs are a pointless grind, don't see the need for achievements like those.
Edit - Lucky's.
GT: WEBBIN5 - A life in formats: Sinclair ZX81>Amstrad CPC 6128>Amiga 500>Sega Megadrive>PC>PlayStation 2>Xbox>DS Lite>Xbox 360>Xbox One>Xbox One X>Xbox Series X>Oculus Quest 2
10 Second Run Returns rounds off my productive long weekend. 22.
Wowee. You’re going some. I’m impressed and very jealous of your free time. Do you not have a family who rudely take up your time, moot? Forgive my ignorance, I’m just astonished at the rate you get through games. Today, I’ve managed about 20 mins on owl boy and then felt guilty that I wasn’t doing anything for anyone else and put it away.
I get a fair bit of time, especially for Switch gaming. We've only got one telly, so if the wife's on that and I'm not interested in what's on - as she usually is and I'm usually not - I'll play a handheld in the evening after the 7pm cor/phew of my daughter's bedtime. 9 of the 22 so far were polished off on the train - games listed as Vita, GBA or 3DS in my reviews are mostly commute only. I haven't read a book since I started doing this shit last February, which I'm a bit unhappy about, but not enough to stop doing this, I kinda love it. I also finish work at 2.15pm every day, so the dog walk and the bo-ring stuff like washing up and cooking can be done in the afternoon.
I'm also amazing at ignoring the guilt. If I look up from Golf Story and wifey's on season 17 of Say Yes to the Dress then I'm bulletproof. So if you don't watch much TV, allow most films to pass you by, never read any books and mostly drink indoors, there's an outside chance you could be cruising past the goalposts by September.
I also work six days a week, so I tend to be gifted some Moot time as a reward at least once a week, where the ladies fuck off somewhere and I play PS4 in my pants and/or dressing gown.