Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 - Platinum 

Started this game in 2017 and seven years later managed to drop the platinum. 
It remains one of my favourites and mainly because the world building is exquisite, the combat is fun and close to TLOU in terms of crafting and sneaking if you want. At the end of the run I was an absolute badass and able to swat even the biggest Thunderjaw out my way. Moving on to Forbidden West next for another plat.

AndCallMeCharlie wrote:

Rev wrote:

Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 - Platinum  Started this game in 2017 and seven years later managed to drop the platinum.  It remains one of my favourites and mainly because the world building is exquisite, the combat is fun and close to TLOU in terms of crafting and sneaking if you want. At the end of the run I was an absolute badass and able to swat even the biggest Thunderjaw out my way. Moving on to Forbidden West next for another plat.

Cheers, you inspired me to download from my pile of shame on the SteamDeck

Good stuff.

LivDiv wrote:

Yakuza Kiwami Had this two thirds done for ages and got distracted. A big push today saw it off. Not as good as 0 but still great. Really enjoyed the whole Majima system.

You have inspired me to go back to it. Also two thirds through, "what are the chances?" (harry hill voice).

Ordering checks out so far

0 is going to be tough to top.

LivDiv wrote:

0 is going to be tough to top.

I diverge a little in later Kiryu paths from mainstream, but if you wanted me final rankings it's, from best to worst, ignoring OG 1 and 2 -

Only done 0 and 6 both of which I enjoyed but needed a long break between the two of them.

Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials (PS5)

So moot hated this and only very reluctantly finished it, and Cinty broadly agreed with him, before I got suckered in to a bet to complete it with at most one assist (they'd both basically chucked them all on to get through the thing AIUI).  

And, well, I didn't mind it as much as they did. Or at least, the jumping didn't bother me, basic progression seemed fine, combat was simple yes but I felt ok with it given the fairly simplistic vibe to the whole thing. And while they're were the occasional tricky "change bat mid jump" bs it was pretty rare and optional.

I think I may have skipped some bits though, given moot got some lightning power up I had no idea about...

My enjoyment did waver by the end though, it's fair to say. Its victory lap was unduly tedious, it seemed to think people care about the narrative in games like this, and without the damage assist some bosses were pretty spongey so I was glad I turned that on towards the end.

If it had stopped at the 8h mark it might have squeezed a [7], a bit more love in a few places even an [8], but I think I'm giving a slightly harsh [6] in the end. It's fine, but I'm glad it's over, and have zero intention of ever going back.

Top work muzz. I paid up ages ago though so technically you didn't have to bother.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Volgarr the Viking done, again. Top 25 ever, absolutely made for me.

Need to give it a go again, will put it on the steam wishlist

I've just finished Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

I should probably start by saying that I enjoyed the first game. I wouldn't want to play it again, but the experience is one that stuck with me and, from memory, was very much a story about a protagonist battling psychosis. I remember the whole way through wondering whether Senua was or wasn't experiencing what was happening to her at all, or if it was some kind of hallucination that was wrapped over her reality. There wasn't much of a game there, but the overall package was impressive.

Now, I'm either not quite getting Hellblade 2, or this is a confused mess. The game starts with Senua captive on a boat. She's a slave being taken as sacrifice to the gods. This time she gathers companions who experience the same events as her (albeit they sometimes conveniently disappear) and Senua is referred to as a 'seer' multiple times - someone who can tap into the otherside. This paints the picture that the psychosis/voices from the first game were nothing of the sort. Senua isn't 'mad' now, she's enlightened in some way, if we trust what is happening on screen.

On the way to confront the person responsible for taking the slaves (the overall objective of sorts), Senua battles some giants. Her companions see these giants, as well as other people, making them very real in the world. Unless, I'm to accept that (a) the whole thing is in Senua's mind, or (b) all of the characters have developed some sort group fever dream. Everything in this game is pointing to Senua now not being someone who is mentally ill, but someone who is battling her inner demons (caused by her mother/father relationship) while at the same time overcoming a very real, but mythical threat.

However, when Senua eventually makes her way to the person in charge of the slavers, it's revealed that there was no giant to make sacrifices to at all. It was just something the guy made up to stay in power through fear. He's portrayed as the giant this time, but he's just a power hungry man (quick, let's draw some parallels to Senua's abusive father). We're just conveniently forgetting that Senua has defeated two giants already, alongside an average of three other people, who are portrayed (one in particular) as a very trustworthy person. Do they exist or don't they? Perhaps they do, but just not here, or perhaps they don't and I'm supposed to accept that the past 6-7 hours of this story didn't happen at all.

At the end, Senua has a choice to make. I won't say what it is for those who want to experience it themselves, but I will say the game makes it for you. You are, after all, playing an exceptionally linear, narrative experience. A very confused one, but it's straight as a line and the player has no agency over it at all (to the point it sometimes feels like it's playing itself). The game then closes with the line: "Her story is not written. There is always a choice." I mean, fuck me. A fucking choice? I didn't do one thing in the game that was a choice and even the choice at the end wasn't even fucking one. Arrgehehjehf. I feel like I'm the one battling psychosis now. Maybe the real Hellblade 2 was the voices of the imaginary friends we made along the way?

With the above in mind, I can completely see why this has been getting 5's and 10's. Technically, it's impressive, but as commented elsewhere earlier, it's not baked in the oven for seven years impressive. There's a lot of sleight of hand going on learnt from the Switch port of the first one, with FMV style backgrounds that are very well hidden, but there all the same. I can see how some may get swept up in all that and badge it the next big thing. For me, it's more a [5], maybe even lower. It's undone the good (and brave) work of the first game because someone thought bigger/more was better. That person is as equally stupid as the product they put out.

In case you haven't worked it out, I'm actually cross about a stupid game.

Fuckin' ouch.

I smashed it in a couple of days. Not a great game by a long shot but the fancypants visuals plus the fact that it was very cheap to play (less than the price of a cinema trip with a drink) means I've got no major problems with the weaker elements. Massively Marmite but there aren't many games like it really. It's just a dumber do-over and I've (often happily) wasted more than 6hrs on film sequels that fit that description in my time.

Yeah I thought it was great. Didn't quite complete it so should really go back to it.
I neglected levelling up my crab pots then needed them late game so will have to grind them up iirc.

I might start again at some point I think. I've forgotten most of it anyway.