Don’t do that Elf! If you’re loving it then aces! Don’t listen to me, I’m now about to play MGS2 for the millionth time I can’t say anything.

Why are they phasing Peter out? I just thought he was main man spider?

Moot_Geeza wrote:

He was for a while. Then he kinda just

Spoiler:

Petered out.

*runs away*

I played the PS4 version not long ago, it was a bit rubbish.  Always wante to play the original on MD.

41: Crimson Clover (Switch) 7/10

I enjoy level 1 in most shmups, after that it usually gets way too hard for me. This is no exception but luckily you can continue as often as you want so you can brute force your way through. I enjoy blowing everything up while dodging a bunch of slowish bullets and gradually powering up my ship. Not to the point I'll ever git good, and I would love an easy, no frills shmup for people like me who want to beat one while occasionally looking up to watch the cricket.

In lieu of a game like that, this one is pretty good I think

42: Prodeus (Switch) 7/10

A very good boomer shooter. I like how it has the old school, fast paced, no fucking around shoot em up style but doesn't go too silly with the labyrinthine key hunting and backtracking. I didn't spend much time looking at the map and a good thing because the Prodius map is a bit rubbish. But most everything else is good. It has some great guns especially the shot gun and chain gun and everything is fun to kill or blow up. It's pretty gory in a pixelated way and the blood really gushes and gets over everything like an FPS MK. Jolly good stuff. It does get a lowish score though since the Switch version isn't great. While the low resolution kinda suits the aesthetic it makes it a bit hard to see what you're shooting at as the game goes on and the levels get bigger. It chugs along at times too which is not ideal for a fast FPS. I had a look at the PC version on YouTube and it's night and day difference. I'd play it on PC or another console if possible.

43: Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways DLC (PC) 8/10

Nice little victory lap for one of my favourites from '23. Ada is a pretty fun character and has a grappling hook that you get to use a bunch to open up the levels and zip around. She's no Spider Man but it does mix up the old levels a bit. The shooting is still fantastic, with the exception of a recurring fight which doesn't suit the RE combat style at all, IMO. The loop or intense shooting with barely enough ammo, a quiet bit to restock your gear, then levelling up your guns and maybe solving a little puzzle before getting into another shooter bit is still really moreish. I hope they keep remaking these, feel like I'll always be up for them.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Yeah a bit rubbish is fair, if it wasn't an old game I expect I would have killed it.  Not awful though, and almost definitely would have been something I would have enjoyed in 1994.  I remember ogling screenshots of it in Diehard Gamefan.

Ah Diehard Gamefan. I think that’s the mag I keep trying to remember! I think that’s the one where I used to ogle at pics of Mana before it got a U.K. release and also pics of Lunar on Mega CD.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Gutted I let Prodeus slip off Game Pass before I got properly stuck in.  The first three levels were great.

Haha I had it installed for months but never got to it! Lucky the local game shop was selling switch physicals of it cheap(ish) last week.

2022:
Final Post

Games reviewed:
Ready or Not, Can Androids Pray, Bad End Theater, Anger Foot, Bloodborne PSX, Day Repeat Day, Elden Ring, GT7, Horizon: Forbidden West, Emily is Away 3, Fifa 22, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Good Night Knight, There is no Game, Disco Elysium, Cyberpunk 2077, Deep Rock Galactic, YAKLAD, Manifold Garden, Factori, Circadian Dice, Nier Re[in]carnation, The Sexy Brutale, Dragon's Dogma, Vampyr, Rogue Legacy 2, Lair of the Clockwork God, Escape Simulator, Ender Lillies, Rhythm Doctor, Citizen Sleeper, You Have to Win this Game, Narita Boy,, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, NORCO, Buck Up and Drive, A Year of Springs, Buddy Game Simulator 1984, Dicey Dungeons, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order, Grindstone, What the Golf, Reigns, Moonlighter, Ctrl Alt Ego, Tales of Arise, Mini Metro, Gloomwood, Kill it with Fire, Civilization IV, Civilization VI, In Other Waters, Deathloop, Blink

2022-2023 hangovers - finished in 2022, written up in 2023:
Marvel's GotG, Two Point Campus, Stray, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Peglin, Slay the Spire, Nioh 2, Railway Empire, Catherine: Full Body, Wasteland 3, Subnautica, Death Stranding: Director's Cut

2023
Part 1: Games 1-3 (plus 2022 hangovers) (Judgment, Vampire Survivors, Miles Morales)

Part 2: Games 4-39 (Vaporum: Lockdown, DMC5:SE, Lost Judgment, Roadwarden, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Against the Storm, RE: Village PSVR 2, Tentacular, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Destiny 2: Lightfall, Tyranny, Lunacid, Pile Up!, Synapse, Far Cry 6, GTA 5, RE4 Remake, Tchia, Scarlet Nexus, Pistol Whip, Olli Olli World, Nier: Replicant, JETT: The Far Shore, Rune Factory 4: Special, Horizon: Call of the Mountain, DQ11:EoaEAS - Definitive Edition, Legend of Grimrock 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Whitewater Wipeout, Casual Birder, Pick Pack Pup, Crankin's Time Adventure, Direct Drive, Legend of Etad, Reel Steal, Recommendation Dog) 

Part 3: Games 40-43 (Dungeons and Puzzles, The Bookwalker, Chambers of Devious Design, Super Corporate Tax Evader)

Part 4: Game 44 (El Paso, Elsewhere)

Part 5: Game 45 (BABBDI)

And here comes to the post where I hit, and pass, 52. In actual fact, played a bunch more games than this through the year - well over 200 - but most of those were due to work and so it felt wrong (and in some cases, NDA breaking) to include them. So, this has just been games I play for me and play enough to have an opinion on. Might be able to hit 65 before the end of the year, we'll see. 

46. Genshin Impact
Tried this as I wanted to hang out with Nina and Shabby and while it's pretty and fun enough it has the worst account and log in system ever devised and I ended up deleting it. [5]

47. Honkai: Star Rail
Tried this as I wanted to hang out with Nina and Shabby and while it's pretty and fun enough it still had the worst account and log in system ever devised and I ended up deleting it too. [5]

48. Teardown
Been following this game since the early gifs started being shared by the dev on twitter. Then it went a bit viral, got a publisher, ended up on PC and console and now it's on PS+ Extra for "free".

The conceit is simple - you destroy buildings and / or plan heists. You are placed into a small sandbox and given a period of time to set up the heist and plan routes. Then, once you trigger an alarm, the timer starts and you need to perform several actions before getting out in time. 

It's a brilliant idea, and the destructibility is genuinely mind-blowing. There's nothing else in gaming like knocking a hole in a 2nd storey wall, moving a digger arm to create a walkway form the hole to a 2nd building and then pulling it off in action.



But...there's just something not quite right here. It's a fantastic concept and tech demo still looking for a slightly better game, and I ended up appreciating it more than enjoying it. [7]

49. Humanity
Played this on PSVR2 and while I doubt it dramatically altered the game in any way, i loved being able to lean in and out like a god and check on the little humans marching to their dooms.

Back on the Dreamcast I spent way too much time on Chu chu Rocket. This is Chu Chu Rocket Lemmings in VR from Enhance and honestly just typing that sentence out was enough to stir feelings. 



It helps that the game grows and plays with the formula. That it remains consistently and smoothly surprising. And it helps that I just adored the vibe. [9]

50. Walkabout Mini Golf
It Golf. It VR. It good. 

Lovely course designs and a charming low-poly aesthetic- this is one of my outside contenders for GotY and will be include in my list when I get around to the final update. A very, very strong [8] that could rise higher once I get some MP in.

51. Shadows of Doubt
A procedurally generated detective ImSim, this has no right actually working as good as it does. Rather than just offering you a random crime to solve, SoD goes way beyond that - when starting a new character, a few city blocks are generated along with a few hundred NPCs - every NPC has a home and a life, every building and room has a use and occupant. And then, the game begins with your character choosing to take on one, or multiple successive, tasks and investigations.

That's special enough, but the game goes further. The ImSim is strong with this one. When you pick up or investigate an item (and EVERYTHING can be investigated) you can choose to remember that thing. Then, you can choose to put pieces of evidence together you believe are connected. So, your mental picture of a crime might start like this:



A location...a murder victim, maybe a murder weapon. But you investigate, maybe find a note, or some fingerprints with your fingerprint scanner (oh yeah, EVERY NPC in this game has a unique set of fingerprints and there are fingerprints everywhere...)...so you do some lead chasing. Eventually, you might end up like this:



It's brilliant, and involving, and Prey-esque in how it gives you tools and lets you solve problems. It's highly systemic - locks and security systems and vents and day/night cycles and....the world and the way you tackle all these is your oyster. People don't stop and wait to be caught either - crime sprees continue, killers can be apprehended before they strike again, you can completely miss entire threads of a story. It's stunning stuff.



It also helps that it is nice to look at. It's a voxel game, sure, but it also makes proper use of full ray tracing and reflections and shadows and...it can be stunning.



The game can also be as hands on or hands off as you want. I wanted to be handheld through the tutorial, before turning off most of the assists and going my own way from there. The game let me, and it took me on a hell of an adventure.

Is it perfect? No. NPCs in particular, still lack definition and are overly robotic and, well, procedurally generated. But, it's getting there and it's one of the most impressive games i've played all year [9]

52. Omaze


A playdate puzzler. Crank the crank. Press B to switch into a neighbouring pod. Get to end. Easy. 

Then the game cranks up the difficulty, it becomes devilish, introduces new obstacles and requires the brain to understand how multiple interlocking parts with different rules interact. 



It was good. [8]

53. Demon Quest '85


Another Playdate corker. A mixture of puzzle game and visual novel, DQ85 sees you summoning, well, demons and chatting with them. But, to summon you need to understand what they need first, and then find the right friends, items and music to entice them. Once you've succeeded, a dialogue begins, and more choices present themselves. 

It's a simple concept, done really, really well, and elevated by gorgeous art and a surprising amount of choice and consequence. Brilliant. [9]

54. Slay the Spire (again)

Yes, I included this is my 2022 round-up as I got Asc20 Heart kills and thus "completed" it. Well, now I have the platinum, so I'm including it again. An endlessly replayable piece of gaming perfection. [10]



Next:
Final Fantasy XVI
Growing my Grandpa
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty 
He fucked the girl out of me 
The Forest Quartet 
Spare Parts: Episode 1 & 2 
Unpacking

acemuzzy wrote:

Are those playdate games included in the seasons? The detective one does sound fun...

The 2 playdate games I reviewed today are both in Season 1, yes. Though i've also paid for a couple myself - Direct Drive, Legend of Etad - on itch.io and sideloaded. 

Detective Game is a great one, but it's the most PC game that ever PC-ed on PC. So, only worth playing if you PC on PC.

Minnesänger wrote:

He fucked the girl out of me

A 'wait, what?' title for a videogame if I ever saw one. Had a little dig online, interesting. Shadows of Doubt sounds amazing but I know I'd hate playing it.

You have a wildly eclectic (almost random!) taste in games, love these updates.

I loved Omaze. I think the dev launched a second game on Catalog, need to look into it.

Verecocha wrote:

but god the Plant goes on forever…

it’s not very fun or exciting…

the lead is as beige and genderless as they come…

and that last hour and a half of movie and codec talk is just so painful…

it has some brilliant touches AND Solid Snake is in it.

Cannot see this (and, to be clear, I respect your right to like what you like) and not post this:
https://www.deltaheadtranslation.com/MGS2/DOTM1.htm

tl;dr

Every problem you have with the game was intentional, and it's a work of actual genius.

Minnesänger wrote:

acemuzzy wrote:

Are those playdate games included in the seasons? The detective one does sound fun...

The 2 playdate games I reviewed today are both in Season 1, yes. Though i've also paid for a couple myself - Direct Drive, Legend of Etad - on itch.io and sideloaded.  Detective Game is a great one, but it's the most PC game that ever PC-ed on PC. So, only worth playing if you PC on PC.

Ah yeah I've plugged mine in for the first time in a yonk and it's found quite a few more Series 1 games since it was last connected, including those two.  So that's quite a bunch I can take for a whirl now, hurzzah.

I don't seem to have either Direct Drive or Legend of Etad in my sideload collection, guess I should give those a look too...

And will there be a Series 2??  For free??

44: Forest of Doom (Book) 7/10

This isn't a computer game but fuck it I'm not going to get to 52 without cheating somewhat.

It's Fighting Fantasy Book 3! I haven't played a Fighting Fantasy in forever. I was in the local nerd shop and saw they'd brought out a new edition of a few of the books. My favourite, Creature of Havoc was one of them, so I brought it on impulse. I got home and remembered I still owned an old copy. I dug it out as it has better artwork on yellowing, aging paper and smells like the well read old book that it is. I'll probably drop the new version off at the op shop this weekend.

I had a few other books packed away too:

Island of the Lizard King: this is a real old early edition a mate gifted to me. I never realised they didn't always come with a bright green spine (This one is reddish orange; I'm not sure if they were all that colour back in the day or it's just IOTLK). Its oldness is negated by it's lack or repair though, most of the pages are loose unfortunately and it's mostly just fit to sit on a cardboard box or on a shelf rather than be played.
Deathtrap Dungeon: The classic
Trail of Champions: Not quite at the same level but still iconic
The Rings of Keether: ... yeah look I don't know about this. Getting into the less interesting ones here. 99% sure I've never clocked it. It's a sci fi one where I think you have to bust some intergalactic drug rings. Not sure I'll give it a razz.
Spellbreaker and Magehunter: These are 2 latter day books, which must have came out right at the end of my fandom. Think they may have been birthday prezzies but can't be sure. In fact, I definitely remember ONE of them but not the other. I remember it being pretty decent. There was a mongoose in it that someone called a Snakebane. I imagine you kill a lot of wizards in whichever book it was too.
and: THE FOREST OF DOOM

I picked this to play as I remember it being a very meat and potatoes book and I didn't want anything too crazy for my first go back. Certainly not Creature of Havoc which makes you read a big preamble and you have to 'learn' a new language at a certain point (it's not very hard once you know the secret! But still! Christ I barely only read comics and websites nowadays I don't need this just yet). This one, you get into fights with standard fantasy monsters and score weapons armour and treasure like it's going out of style. No bullshit.

Went out and brought myself some good-ish pens, a ruler, a notebook and some dice (it's really fucking hard to buy dice in Hobart; had to get a couple of fancy ones from the aforementioned nerd shop. Was worried I was going to buy some giant wooden dice for toddlers or get like a Monopoly board or something for a minute.

The stationary was worth it though. It really took me back, drawing up a character sheet on the couch, figuring out how much space I'd need for my Stamina rolls and provisions and inventory. Was a fun little ritual. I declined to draw a map as I went though; that was a step too far. I'm happy to see you can look up the maps online if you wish! I'm sure I will wish later.

Forest of Doom is pretty standard stuff but I appreciated how straight to the point it is. There's really no fucking around and not too much to worry about. You're an Adventure, you like to have a fight and you want to get rich off treasure. You meet a Dwarf who sends you off on a quest, and you say okay and get on with it. The text is to the point and fairly plain, but it really does put you in the adventure's shoes and there's an awful lot to see and do.

There really wasn't too much need to worry about maps though - it's really not that hard (and you barely have to cheat! I did from time to time though...), as thankfully, if you get to the end without collecting the special bit of gear you need to find, you can just go back to the start and try again, with all your powered up equipment. You can win through brute force. It took me three goes through. It was cool to see how much you can miss in one go.

But while it was nice to effectively New Game + the book, it made the fights really tedious. So I stopped rolling dice after a while and just assumed I'd win. Once you start cutting out bits and pieces of the experience it just turns into a lesser thing. After that it's a bit easier to re-do sections or, like, it will ask "Do you have a Golden Sword?" and I don't but I still say yes because you're clearly supposed to if you want to win. I don't recommend playing like that, but at the same time it's real hard not to cheat somewhat; you really do want to get to the end because starting from scratch is a fair bit of fucking around and reading the same bits over and again.

I'll have to get past that and maybe play the same book every Saturday until I beat it, see how I enjoy that. I ordered Vault of the Vampire of Ebay, which was my first favourite, so we'll give that a good old try and see how we go.

45: Super Mario RPG (Switch) 8/10

Bit of a funny one in that I reckon I'd have been just as happy with an old SNES ROM on the Switch to be honest. I haven't really played that version but this is apparently just a 1:1 remake with modern graphics. That's mostly fine by me but I wish they got a bit more creative with the mini games (like riding a mine cart or racing Yoshis. That stuff is very 16 bit and a little shit to be honest. luckily the old fashioned RPG template holds up just fine and it's mostly good stuff. It's nice to play a light hearted pleasant RPG that you can whip through in a couple of days.

The story is breezy but could do with a bit more meat on the bone. Bowser's good fun but I'm not sure there's too many neat little character moments, which is the sort of thing I like in this kinda game.

Just a quick graphics whinge for the hell of it: I don't like how the characters are a bit squashed looking. Like they haven't eaten a mushroom or you've got the aspect ratio mucked up. Also it's a pretty basic looking game with some nice touches at times, but other times it looks real ordinary and chugs along for no apparent reason.

I did like the Final Fantasy sound effects and awesome soundtrack. Didn't get sick of the battles at all, and thought it had perfectly timed level ups where it was never TOO long between someone in your party getting tougher. It's a quality game just not sure why it exists. A bit confusing.

2022:
Final Post

For list of games played in 2022, click any of Parts 1-6 below. List removed from Part 7 onwards.

2023
Part 1: Games 1-3 (plus 2022 hangovers) (Judgment, Vampire Survivors, Miles Morales)

Part 2: Games 4-39 (Vaporum: Lockdown, DMC5:SE, Lost Judgment, Roadwarden, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Against the Storm, RE: Village PSVR 2, Tentacular, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Destiny 2: Lightfall, Tyranny, Lunacid, Pile Up!, Synapse, Far Cry 6, GTA 5, RE4 Remake, Tchia, Scarlet Nexus, Pistol Whip, Olli Olli World, Nier: Replicant, JETT: The Far Shore, Rune Factory 4: Special, Horizon: Call of the Mountain, DQ11:EoaEAS - Definitive Edition, Legend of Grimrock 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Whitewater Wipeout, Casual Birder, Pick Pack Pup, Crankin's Time Adventure, Direct Drive, Legend of Etad, Reel Steal, Recommendation Dog) 

Part 3: Games 40-43 (Dungeons and Puzzles, The Bookwalker, Chambers of Devious Design, Super Corporate Tax Evader)

Part 4: Game 44 (El Paso, Elsewhere)

Part 5: Game 45 (BABBDI)

Part 6: Games 46-54 (Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Teardown, Humanity, Walkabout Mini Golf, Shadows of Doubt, Omaze, Demon Quest 85, Slay the Spire...again)

Some quick ones today - couple of games here can be done and dusted in less than 30 minutes. A few of these games come from the Games for Gaza bundle that was on itch.io a couple of weeks back, and I aim to work through a bunch more of the games included over the next week or so.

55. Vignettes

I wanted to like this, but I really did not.



Vignettes is, essentially, an item and perspective manipulation game. Move an item into a position to create a new shape, and the item will turn into something related to that. A phone, might become a bowl, which might become an eye, which might turn into the top of a lamp. 

It's completely textless and it's both annoyingly obscure and infuriatingly hands-on. During the tutorial, every perspective shift and possible interaction is signalled and repeated by an onscreen gesture, and there's no way to turn it off which is...annoying, but fine as it's a tutorial. Then, later, when it drops you into the game proper, it's up to you to figure out what you should even be doing here...spoiler, you're recreating items that are missing from pictures by moving down multiple chains of item manipulation.



It's a fine idea, and it's dressed up in very modern indie clothing, but it's also...a bit boring and not very fun at all. A shame. [3]

56. Froggy's Battle



It's a roguelike with a frog on a skateboard, and it's not half bad. 

Gameplay is simple enough, your frog automatically travels in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and you are able to reverse that. Enemies spawn, you kill them, so far so roguelike. At the end of the round, you get offered power ups. Again, nothing unique here.

The fun of Froggy's Battle then comes from how it effectively goes for that casual and colourful Dicey Dungeon ground. Besides changing directions, you can jump and dash, thats it. All powers and skills work automatically on a timer, certain skills are tied to your jumps, and there's no navigation requirements beyond moving in a circle. 

It comes away feeling quite lightweight, but the counter-side to that is accessibility - i'd put money that this would actually be a half decent My First Roguelike for a young'un or partner. 



Is it perfect? No, controls (or more specifically direction) can be frustrating, and it's worth tinkering with the 4 (!) different methods for determining how direction of travel is determined. It's also not always clear what contact will / won't damage you, which can be frustrating. But, as a quick 5-minute pick up and play thing...it's a frog on a skateboard. [6]

57. co-open



This game can be completed in 4 minutes. Your gran takes you to a shop, tells you to buy some stuff and that she will come pick you up later. If you walk around and pick up stuff, then buy it, she'll pick you up and you'll chat on the way home as the credits roll.

But maybe you don't. Maybe you talk to some people. Maybe you go down to the warehouse. Maybe you...



It's basically a freeform CYOA with a small scale and a social twist. It's very "wholesome" for all the positives and negatives that come with that, and each person will know their own tolerance for very twee, very soft and safe storytelling. I thought it was fine, if a little too ko_op in its style and presentation. I doubt i'll remember it in 2 days. [5]

58. Fatum Betula

A twisted and bizarre first-person adventure puzzle game. I really liked this. It's also ridiculously obtuse at times and it seems the consensus from fans is that using a guide or walkthrough to see all the endings is fine. 



There's little to say about the game other than your job is to walk around to self contained little areas and solve puzzles there, or interact with sth. 

The game originally dresses itself up as very fantasy in its stylings, recalling something in the vein of King's Field, or a Souls game if you must. But it quickly reveals itself to be weirder, more psychedelic and utterly, utterly enthralling in its own uneven way. [7]

59. Executive Golf DX



I like the art, but the game itself didn't grab me. Maybe there's more later and i've missed it, but this seems to me to be the more middle of the road golfing games i've played - despite the amusing premise and (as mentioned) nice presentation. [4]

60. Questy Chess: Role-Playing Chess Simulator



This was great. You start as a pawn in a top-down turn-based RPG on a mission to deal with the fallout from a bad chess game update. You move left to right, occasionally taking enemy pieces that are against you, occasionally picking up chests and items you come across. But...your options are limited by your movement.

You get through a level, a world map reveals itself in the manner of a 2D mario, and a completion bar for that level pops up. You missed a lot, but there wasn't much you could do...

Then, you gain the ability to switch pieces, levels and rules unfurl and reveal secrets, the challenge ramps up. It's...really fucking cool, and I enjoyed it a lot. The Playdate does it again. [8]

61. He fucked the girl out of me



A Gameboy Colour visual novel about sex work, trans identity and trauma written in an autobiographical manner. It's heavy and a lot, and there's little to no interaction beyond walking and reading. It can be finished in half an hour, and there's no secrets or replayability.

It's also a deeply personal piece. It's nuanced and sad and painful and stressful and bleak and it's also deeply insightful. There's not really much out there like it. And, for what it's worth, I was completely onboard from the first few minutes. [8]

Next:
Final Fantasy XVI
Growing my Grandpa
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty 
The Forest Quartet 
Spare Parts: Episode 1 & 2 
Unpacking
NUTS
Super is Hot
Neurocracy
Evolution
Slasher U
Cannelé & Nomnom - Defective Agency
Football, Tactics and Glory
Druidstone
Prodigal
Tangledeep
Jupiter Hell
Mary Skelter 2