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No new games in 2021, unfinished backlog only

Do you sign the No New Games Pact of 2021?

  • Yes

  • No


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VidKid369

Member
100% completed Suikoden III (PS2) last night I gathered together all 108 Stars of Destiny and did the Bonus Chapter. Game makes much more sense when you collect everyone.

Trying to focus on PS2 RPGs now. Next, probably Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King or Growlanser Generations. I feel bad I totally ignored those two games completely.
 

Bakkus

Member
Was at my cabin a few days ago and took with me my GBA. Finished one game which was the Japan only Rhythm Tengoku. The first game in the Rhythm Heaven series. Really fun, but also pretty tough. To say that the timing is uncompromisable would be an understatement.
 
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Phase

Member
It's been a while so figured I would update. Let's keep this thread going! I had to play some new games but I've also been finding some interesting older games lately, so some more to come later.


52games-Deaths-Door.png

28. Death's Door (PC) - 10hrs
I loved this game. It's very Zelda-esque. Level design is fantastic. I felt like a kid again finding secrets and solving puzzles to unlock keys and new paths forward. Boss design is great as well, just hard enough that you have to learn the patterns to succeed. And the music ties it together creating a wonderful experience with a perfect length (for me) of about 10 hrs.

52games-Narita-Boy.png

29. Narita Boy (PC) - 8hrs
Another fantastic game that drew me into its world. The music was the star of the show. This is the best soundtrack of the year imo. That, plus the pixel art with the crt filter worked it's magic.

52gameswreckfest.png

30. Wreckfest (PC) - 12hrs
Very fun and loved the drifting physics. There are also some cool courses, though I wish there were more. I completed career mode and did a few daily challenges. Great racing game with a unique feel.

52games-Candleman.png

31. Candleman (PC) - 5hrs
A relaxing platformer with a unique mechanic and nice variation in environments. The checkpoints could have been a little better, though, as the game's movement is slow so repeating a few segments 5 or so times becomes monotonous.
 
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DelireMan7

Member
My challenge :
No 2021 games . I can buy older games as my backlog is limited to 1 genre and I might want to change genre during the year according to my mood.

Physical Backlog :
  • Lunar Silver Star Harmony (PSP) Done !
  • The Legend of Heroes : Trails in the Sky (PSP)
  • Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
  • Odin Sphere (PS2)
  • Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal (PS4)
  • Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3) Done !
  • Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) Done !
  • Zelda Ocarina of time (N64)
  • Hollow Knight (PS4) Done !
  • [Replay] Final Fantasy X and X-2 (PS2)
  • [Replay] At least one SoulsBorne (PS3/4)
  • [2021] Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
  • [2021] Project X Zone (3DS)
  • [2021] Radiant Historia : Perfect Chronology (3DS)
Games completed :
  1. Rayman Origins (PS3) (started in Spring 2020, main story finished 5th of January 2021, coop with my 4 years old daughter, her first video game)
  2. Lunar : Silver Star Harmony (PSP) (Started 1st of January, finished 17th of January, 25h56m)
  3. Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) (Started 19th of January, Finished the 13th of March, around 67h)
  4. Hollow Knight (PS4) (Started 26th of February, Close to platinum the 23rd of April, around 83h)
  5. Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3) (Started the 25th of April, Finished the 29th of May, around 33h)
  6. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid (PC) (Started the 29th of May, Finished the 5 of June, 8h32)
  7. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty (PS2) (Started the 7th of June, Finished the 15th of June, 13h29)
  8. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater (PS2) (Started the 18th of June, Finished the 29th of June, 22h25)
  9. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns of the Patriots (PS3) (Started the 29th of June, Finished the 8th of July, 18h44)
  10. [2021] Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker (PSP) (Started the 16h of July, true ending the 28th of July, 34h46)
  11. [2021] Metal Gear Solid V : Ground Zeroes (PS4) (main mission done the 30th of July, 2h06)
  12. Metal Gear Solid V : The Phantom Pain (PS4) (Started the 2nd of August, done the 20th of August, true ending in 63h)
It's not without emotion that I watched the ending credits of Metal Gear Solid V, thinking that I have completed my journey into the Metal Gear Solid universe leaving me with a mixture of joy, nostalgia and melancholy...
It was an amazing journey to relive (and discover some part) this saga and I had a revelation during it : my love for Metal Gear Solid and Kojima's work, that I was thinking dead for several years, is still there !

Let's speak a bit of The Phantom Pain.
Story wise, it's definitely something different from the others games. It's much less focus on it but when it does, it was good enough for me.
I will not dive into details because there is too much to spoil.
At one point in part 1, the story is really not present. I was starting to get a bit "bored" (not really because the gameplay is amazing but I was missing the story) then suddenly toward the end everything becomes panting and the story is now the main focus with many cutscenes, revelation and (at last) an epic boss fight.
After that comes part 2 (or the quest for the True ending) which was much more interesting for me due to the focus on story with regular cutscenes and mysteries to solve.
I liked how we get an ending for different characters storyline (Huey, Quiet, Eli,...). I would not say I am satisfied with all of them but it was good to see.

The true ending in itself left me conflicted. First I already knew the major reveal of it (2 years ago I ask a friend to tell me the ending because "I will never play this game"... Never say "never" I guess...) so it didn't the "punch effect" on me. And then, I don't really see the point of it since it doesn't really impact the whole MGS storyline. Till now we didn't know it and all was still making sense. It's more a "Look another WTF twist in the MGS story" for me but without real consequences.
Also I felt like there was a lot of fan service. Like Eli and the "third boy". I appreciate seeing these characters but in the end, it doesn't bring much to the overarching MGS storyline. I felt a lot was there just to connect the game with previous games but didn't bring a lot of new stuff to the story.

Something that bothered me was the Mother base exploration... which was tedious and mostly pointless. I am sure there is some secrets here and there but I spend quite some time at the beginning exploring some of the platform to find nothing... After 50h, I found out (thanks to a YT thumbnail) that a certain character can be found in Motherbase with a long running sidequest that gave a reason to do the only side ops I found tedious. I still did it but everything in a row... I wish I discover it much earlier that I can do it while playing the story.
Also I enjoyed part 2 much more because of the many cutscenes you get when coming back to Mother base in contrast with part 1.

Then the gameplay.
One of the weak point of the game, when compare to previous games, is the boss fights. There are almost non existent. The SKULL units are acting to be boss fights but there are really tedious and boring that I escape them when I could (you can runaway from them...). But I really love the visuals of them. So in the end, there are only 2 real boss fights. Cool ones but nothing crazy like in previous games.

Another small complaint is the loading time when navigating the menu (Idroid)...
At first I also saw the whole "helicopter ride" before and after mission or when going to mother base annoying but it really immersed me more into the game universe and I ended up liking them. But it can feel like a waste time for some.

But the strong point of the game is definitely the stealth and infiltration gameplay. It offers so much possibilities and the controls are so good. It was a pleasure to sneaking up into enemy's fort, base, outpost, villages...
The best gameplay of the franchise for sure and it easily shadows the game's flaws.

So in conclusion : a great game with a masterpiece of gameplay. I'm glad I finally played it properly.

What to play next :

I have to say, Metal Gear Solid V really hype me up for Death Stranding. The Skull units cutscenes really made me think of the trailers of DS and I loved them. But I think I'll wait to have a PS5 to appreciate it to its fullest potential.
And also, I need to take a break from realistic settings and I want to cross some names on my backlog list...

So I decided to finally replay a very special game for me : Final Fantasy X (started 21 st August) My first FF and it was a revelation for me. I spend several hundred of hours on it back in the days... Can't wait to revisit Spira !
 
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DelireMan7 DelireMan7 You're on fire, dude.... :messenger_bicep:

I've been stuck on Witcher 3. About 30 or so hours in, and really enjoying it, but all summer long I've had a shit ton of work, and a lot of family/friends/etc socializing. I think everybody is trying to get their social time in before (they think) Covid ramps up again for the fall and winter.

But it's looking like things are (finally!) slowing down on the social front, so I'm gonna get back to some Witcher 3 goodness.

Good to see all the backlog slaying here though, fucking awesome!
 

Kazza

Member
This just popped into my Youtube recommendations, and now I really want to play Sleeping Dogs again:




I already played it to completion before on the Xbox 360, but I'm sure playing the PC Definitive Edition on an RTX3060 will be an even better experience (IIRC, the 360 was the usual 30 fps if you're lucky plus 720p screen tearing - still had a lot of fun playing it though)
 

VidKid369

Member
Beat Grandia. (PS1) The story seemed way too long I kinda felt like it dragged on a little bit. It was a fun little romp. Took me 47h.

Next, I'm thinking about the Legend of Dragoon but I'll sleep on it tonight, lol.
 

Bakkus

Member
Finished Dark Souls including the DLC. Really tough game, especally when it's the first Soulslike game you've ever played. Most of it is fair, but there is also a lot of jank which adds to the difficulty, and some areas which could've been designed better. Anyways, I overall liked it, even if I obviously didn't enjoy it as much as the OP did. I probably would have if I was more lucky with the sword drops. The Black Knight Greatsword boosted to +5 is something I really wish I had for more than the very last part...

Now, should I begin Bloodborne immediately?
 
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stonedwal

Member
So since my last post, my state was forced into lockdown #6. Been making the most of the little bit of extra time each day with more games. Seems like the earliest date we're getting any eased restriction is three weeks away. August was the best month in terms of finishing games that I have had in some time.

My challenge:
No buying games or playing new games in 2021. Hanging on. Looks like it's not going to be a great Q4.

Game #14: (Replay) Dead Rising (PS4)
Main game, overtime and seven day survivor done. I know I said I was going for the platinum, but I needed a break after seven day survivor.

Game #15: Katana Zero (Xbox One)
I was excited for this one, had a kickass looking trailer. Gameplay was pretty good, but started to wear on me by the end. Didn't care too much for the framing device & story.

Game #16: Shakedown Hawaii (PS4)
I liked this a heck of a lot more than Retro City Rampage. Goofy plot resonated with me. Ended up taking over the whole island, but have a couple of minigames holding me up from 100%.

Game #17: Retro City Rampage DX (PS4)
After being Shakedown Hawaii, I wanted to go back and knock this one over. Seemed quite a bit rougher, and the last couple of missions soured the experience a bit.

Game #18: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (SMS)
This is one of those games that has technically been in my backlog for over 30 years...but no more. I finally took down that stupid dragon. I will take on the Megadrive/Genesis version and the remake at some point in the near future.

Game #19: Steamworld Dig 2 (PS4)
I didn't mind Steamworld Dig, but it never really grabbed me. I'd heard a lot of good things about the sequel and bought it but never really played it. This ended up grabbing me and I ended up beating it in one sitting. Only silver star ratings though.

Game #20: Spryo the Dragon (PS4)
I did not own a PlayStation while it was an active console (PC/N64 for me), so most of my exposure to it was after the fact. The remake of Spyro is the first time I sat down with it properly. It's pretty good, but I found my enjoyment waning as it went on. Originally I was on the path for 100% completion, but the enthusiasm just started to run out.

Game #21: Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (PS4)
This was one of a handful of games I bought back in 2017 that killed off my willingness to pay more than about $AU40 for a game. Not because it's a bad game or anything, but it seemed to me like it was heavily discounted within about 8 weeks of release. My wife insisted on watching me play the first time I tried, and her screeching and freaking out made playing a bit irritating so I made sure she was busy with something else this time around. I agree with the sentiment that the game was best in and around the original mansion - the latter parts of the game are all out action and the returns are mixed. I do want to play it again, but RE2 and 3 remakes will come first.

Game #22: Transformers Devastation (PS4)
Always felt this game was unfairly maligned due to its short length, but when you're trying to clear 52 games in a year a short game isn't always a bad thing. I felt it accomplished what it set out to do, the core gameplay is pretty good, but the nostalgia factor for me having grown up with G1 probably gives it a boost.

Game #23: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan (PS4)
After Transformers, I went for the other Platinum-developed nostalgia piece of this gen. Suffice to say it's not quite as good as Transformers, but again probably unfairly maligned for things that don't bother me (e.g. short length and online co-op).

Game #24: The Order: 1886 (PS4)
Picked up where I left off in July. I was enjoying the game for the most part, but it kind of shat its pants in the back half.

Game #25: Command & Conquer (PC)
I'm kind of proud of this one. I have tended to be terrible at real time strategy games for a long time. I really enjoyed the original C&C, but I was shit at it and could never finish the campaign. I was excited when the remaster was well received last year. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did - beat the GDI and NOD campaigns in a little under half a day. I even stayed up well past midnight knocking over NOD missions - something I very rarely do (and always pay for now, being middle aged).

In Progress:

(Replay) Dead Space (PS3)

Haven't played any further

Yakuza 0 (PS4)
As above

LEGO Marvel Avengers (PS4)
I may end up giving in on this one. It's such a slog compared to the other LEGO games and I can't quite put my finger on why. Might just be because I was never really into the MCU. Have fallen asleep on at least three occasions trying to play this game.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC)
Eight missions into Allies. I feel like I could knock this over today.

Next Candidates:

On top of those mentioned previously. Trying not to plan too many.

Sonic Mania (PS4)
The four Sonic games on the Megadrive remain some of my all time favourites. The positive reception gives me hope.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (PC)
Always used short FPS games as a bit of a circuit breaker or palate cleanser.
 

Bakkus

Member
Played and finished Castlevania: Symphony of the Night over the weekend. Loved the first half of the game, the latter half with the inverted castle isn't even close to as good and pushes the overall rating down a notch. We all also know how bad the VA is, so I won't even criticize it.
 

Soodanim

Member
Played and finished Castlevania: Symphony of the Night over the weekend. Loved the first half of the game, the latter half with the inverted castle isn't even close to as good and pushes the overall rating down a notch. We all also know how bad the VA is, so I won't even criticize it.
You say that, but they changed the VA for the PSP version that was included in Dracula Chronicles X and I hated it. Original VA only for me
 

DelireMan7

Member
So I am now 20h in Final Fantasy X and I can confirm I still love this game. I was a bit surprised on how "slow" it is at the beginning with all the scripted battle that explained some mechanics and cutscenes (which is not a bad thing for me but forgot there was so many).
Also I have at least 5 hours into the Blitzball minigame... It still the best FF minigame, I have played so far. I can't get enough of it.
I couldn't play for the last 5 days so I can't wait to go back to it tonight :)

Also here my updated backlog with 2 new additions :
  • Brigandine : The legend of Runersia (Switch). After discovering it here on Neogaf (thanks to its most fervent fan cireza cireza ), it picked my interest and decided to buy before it becomes too expensive (so many "not so old" Nintendo RPGs I want to play are too expensive now). I could find a collector edition for 65 euros. I will not started now and will play it next year (because I have to get my Switch back and want to do some backlog slaying before Elden Ring)
  • The Mark of Kri (PS2). This week-end I found it on a flea market. Back in the day I heard about it but never played it. Somehow the few gameplay footage I have seen from it let a really good impression in my mind. So I am glad to add it to my list and curious to finally play it.

Physical Backlog :
  • Lunar Silver Star Harmony (PSP) Done !
  • The Legend of Heroes : Trails in the Sky (PSP)
  • Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
  • Odin Sphere (PS2)
  • Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal (PS4)
  • Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3) Done !
  • Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) Done !
  • Zelda Ocarina of time (N64)
  • Hollow Knight (PS4) Done !
  • [Replay] Final Fantasy X and X-2 (PS2) Ongoing !
  • [Replay] At least one SoulsBorne (PS3/4)
  • [2021] Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
  • [2021] Project X Zone (3DS)
  • [2021] Radiant Historia : Perfect Chronology (3DS)
  • [2021] Brigandine : The legend of Runersia (Switch)
  • [2021] The Mark of Kri (PS2)
With these 2 new additions, I brings my "new" games for this year to 5 while I have beaten only 4 from the original list... (The MGS run didn't help :messenger_grinning_sweat:) I swear I'll use the rest of the year to correct that :)
 
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cireza

Banned
So I am now 20h in Final Fantasy X and I can confirm I still love this game. I was a bit surprised on how "slow" it is at the beginning with all the scripted battle that explained some mechanics and cutscenes (which is not a bad thing for me but forgot there was so many).
Also I have at least 5 hours into the Blitzball minigame... It still the best FF minigame, I have played so far. I can't get enough of it.
I couldn't play for the last 5 days so I can't wait to go back to it tonight :)

Also here my updated backlog with 2 new additions :
  • Brigandine : The legend of Runersia (Switch). After discovering it here on Neogaf (thanks to its most fervent fan cireza cireza ), it picked my interest and decided to buy before it becomes too expensive (so many "not so old" Nintendo RPGs I want to play are too expensive now). I could find a collector edition for 65 euros. I will not started now and will play it next year (because I have to get back my Switch back and want to do some backlog slaying before Elden Ring)
  • The Mark of Kri (PS2). This week-end I found it on a flea market. Back in the day I heard about it but never played it. Somehow the few gameplay footage I have seen from it let a really good impression in my mind. So I am glad to add it to my list and curious to finally play it.

Physical Backlog :
  • Lunar Silver Star Harmony (PSP) Done !
  • The Legend of Heroes : Trails in the Sky (PSP)
  • Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
  • Odin Sphere (PS2)
  • Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal (PS4)
  • Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3) Done !
  • Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) Done !
  • Zelda Ocarina of time (N64)
  • Hollow Knight (PS4) Done !
  • [Replay] Final Fantasy X and X-2 (PS2) Ongoing !
  • [Replay] At least one SoulsBorne (PS3/4)
  • [2021] Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
  • [2021] Project X Zone (3DS)
  • [2021] Radiant Historia : Perfect Chronology (3DS)
  • [2021] Brigandine : The legend of Runersia (Switch)
  • [2021] The Mark of Kri (PS2)
With these 2 new additions, I brings my "new" games for this year to 5 while I have beaten only 4 from the original list... (The MGS run didn't help :messenger_grinning_sweat:) I swear I'll use the rest of the year to correct that :)
Loving RPGs is tough. I love them as well, but it does not work well with a busy life, wife and kids. I hope that you will enjoy Brigandine, I am planning on playing it again when I get my OLED Switch !

I recently played Radiant Historia on 3DS as well, this is still a masterpiece. The new content wasn't really that interesting though. It is the exact same 3D graphics by the way, and no 3D effect :(

I also completed the entire FF XIII trilogy during the last few years, on Xbox One X and Series X. They are all awesome games, and I particularly loved Lightning Returns.

During the summer vacation, I started Utawarerumono on PS Vita (the first game in the story, which was the third released) and had a pretty good time. I need to complete this game at some point, and play both sequels... Felt a bit like Shining Force, gameplay wise, with a huge VN component.
 
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DelireMan7

Member
Loving RPGs is tough. I love them as well, but it does not work well with a busy life, wife and kids. I hope that you will enjoy Brigandine, I am planning on playing it again when I get my OLED Switch !

I recently played Radiant Historia on 3DS as well, this is still a masterpiece. The new content wasn't really that interesting though. It is the exact same 3D graphics by the way, and no 3D effect :(

I also completed the entire FF XIII trilogy during the last few years, on Xbox One X and Series X. They are all awesome games, and I particularly loved Lightning Returns.

During the summer vacation, I started Utawarerumono on PS Vita (the first game in the story, which was the third released) and had a pretty good time. I need to complete this game at some point, and play both sequels... Felt a bit like Shining Force, gameplay wise, with a huge VN component.

Yes, loving is RPG hurts sometimes... I have accepted the fact that I will never be able to play all the games I want but damned ! There are so many RPGs I want to get into (Tales of series, Ys series, Trails series, Dragon quest, Suikoden, Shin Megami Tensei, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics, Baldur's Gate, Divinity.... This is only the big names and I could continue forever with smaller titles...).
Few years ago I wanted to play as much as possible so I was kind of rushing them without appreciate them to their fullest. Now I decided to take my time in each on the games to really savour them. Quality over quantity when it comes to gaming time...

Starting from this month I'll have every second Tuesday off with child at daycare/school and wife at work... I will for sure use this time to advance my backlog :))

I am really looking forward Radiant Historia. Critics and what I have seen from it really hyped me.
I am also really curious about Final Fantasy XIIIs. I know everybody say it's shit but each time I saw it, I am really excited to play it. Also the fact that it's kind of universally trash talked make me want to play it to make my own opinion.
 
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DelireMan7

Member
That's actually a vocal minority you see on internet forums. All the people I know in real life who like the series loved FF XIII and XV.
Good to hear.
Good point mentioning XV which is a similar case of "trash talked" game that I love. It has flaws for sure but I did it twice I each time I had such a great time.
 

Phase

Member
A few more complete.


52games-MOHAA.png

32. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC) - 6hrs
Great game. There are some frustrating sections (i.e. sniper levels) but it was fun to come back to. I still remember the levels like it was yesterday.

52games-Gun.png

33. Gun (PC) - 5hrs
First time playing this game. Went back in time to clunky controls, but fun nonetheless. Glad I picked it up.

52games-CODMW2019.png

34. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 (PC) - 5hrs
The last COD I played was World at War, and it's amazing to see how little the single player gameplay has changed.
 
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VidKid369

Member
Beat Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice. I surprisingly enjoyed it! Not totally big on strategy RPGs. Playing Tales of Destiny II (Eternia) right now.
 

Bakkus

Member
I beat Bloodborne including the DLC The Old Hunters just now and I really liked it. Not to the point that I think it's among the best games ever, but I still liked it. Even more than Dark Souls 1 beause there wasn't any really annoying areas in this game like that one had a good few of. The joy of finally defeating some of these hard bosses after countless tries is such a thrill, even if some of them can be a bit unfair since you can get trapped so easily or due to the bosses instakilling you due to combo RNG if you get hit to begin with. But I guess those kinds of things just comes with the territory for these games. After beating this and Dark Souls 1 so close to eachother and those being the first Soulslike games I've ever played, I'm gonna now take a long break from doing more of these types of games and get back to my comfort zone. Something I think is really shit about both of these games are that the moment you beat them you immediatly start at NG+ and that the DLC is someting you have to very cryptically find in the regular game and again, you are screwed out of playing those if you accidentally beat the game beforehand. Absolutely ridiculous. Thank goodness I had YouTube walkthroughs to help me out with this. This is also why I'm not gonna buy Elden Ring until it's inevitable DLC gets released.

Another really weird thing which is hard to grasp is that this is a fully Japanese game. It already felt really weird with Dark Souls, but this takes the cake. And people say Kojima is a "westaboo"...
 
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Phase

Member
52games-MP3.png

35. Max Payne 3 (PC) - 10hrs

While enjoyable, I had my gripes.

Cons
-it plays like a cover shooter with slow motion, I wasn't successful running and gunning
-too many cutscenes everywhere. As soon as I was starting to lose myself in the game another one came
-Max constantly switching back to pistol every cutscene
-didn't find the story too engrossing, felt less intimate than the first two
-final cutscene glitched and I just received the text at the bottom without visuals or sound

Pros
-looks great
-great soundtrack
-ran perfectly
-still fun to shoot in slo-mo
 
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Phase

Member
52games-Fableanniversary.png

36. Fable Anniversary (PC) - 13hrs
So good. The game has as much character as I remember; and I hadn't played the extended ending before so that was neat.


52games-Valley.png

37. Valley (PC) - 3hrs
3/5. It was enjoyable and I think the addition of a bit of combat in the latter half of the game helps a lot, however simple it is.
 
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Bakkus

Member
Finished Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil on the PS2, and I liked it. Fun 2.5D platformer level designs and nice mixup levels where you are snowboarding, it also doesn't overstay it's welcome by making it a short 5-6 hour or so long game. Some minor flaws is that the game does feel a bit slow at times and it has a bit too much dialogue which is all very saturday morning cartoon trope-ish, but still, play this if you're a fan of 2D platformers. I've also heard rumors of a collection remaster of all the games happening soon. Please be true!
 

Soodanim

Member
Wario Land 4 - Great game. Took me a bit by surprise honestly, since I haven't managed to get in to any other Wario game I've tried.
I had the first two Wario Land games at release and I loved them at the time. What’s different that made you enjoy it more?
 

Phase

Member
52games-Kena.png

38. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PC) - 10hrs

This is probably my game of the year, and I initially wasn't interested. I had some issues, but most were trivial. Playing this game actually makes me happy. Clearing areas feels like an accomplishment. By the end of the game I was in a flow state with the combat. The controls are very intuitive, even after acquiring all of the new skills. Props to the devs for that. On top of that the environments, world, music, puzzles, are all well done. And it ran maxed out on my ultrawide at 90-100fps the whole time. Don't mind the fact that this is a new game in 2021, lol.
 
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Bakkus

Member
Played and finished Katamari Damacy over the last day, and honestly...what's so great about this other than the wacky and really fun soundtrack (I guess a lot of people also enjoy the king's wacky antics throught the game which I was fairly indifferent to)? The gameplay is really repetitive, there are only 2 or 3 different levels repeated throughout the 20 or so missions. The controls can also be really frustrating and the camera always is because the right stick is used to control the ball meaning you can never adjust the camera with it. Still, I managed to finish it, and there was some fun to be had curling all the things in to the game up to your ball even if it's really hard often to move it around due to being stuck in to things (there was even a time I had to restart a level due to my ball being to big to advance down a staircase where there was an item blocking to big for the ball to take), and I can see why this has reached such meme status and a lot of people find very fun, but to me, this is very overrated.

The soundtrack on the other hand is great. Two of them have been a part of my VGM playlist long before I even played this game.
 
I used to post in this thread (Sidney Prescott)

Still been working on my backlog on PS4. I can't rember what the last game I played was in here, maybe GTA 3? I did finish that on PS4 again. I've basically been working through my library of games. I'm planning to play through AC: Revelations soon out of the Ezio Trilogy as I only played Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood.

The only new game I've played recently was Bloodborne, but it has technically been on my 'want to play' list for years now. Just never worked up the courage. It was a great experience.
 

Bakkus

Member
Played and finished Viewtiful Joe over the last few days, it was really fun to be honest, just like you'd expect Kamiya game to be. Some of the levels are a bit meh design wise, but the boss battles are fantastic. The speed up, speed down portions of the game are really good and feels so unique. The story is some of the most nonsensical shit ever, but it's so charming in it's own way that I wish I understood all the homages, but I have never seen any of the old anime(s) it's obviously referencing.

One very last thing I gotta address is why does almost every Capcom game make you refight previous boss battles!!?? I mean, I loved them, but if I ever felt like replaying them, then I'd prefer a seperate mode for that. Boss rushs at the end of a game always ruins the pacing in my opinion.
 

Bakkus

Member
Played and finished the English fan translation of a fairly obscure Japan only Game Boy game called in English: For The Frog The Bell Tolls. It's made by the same developers who went on to make Link's Awakening, and you can clearly see the resemblance in the gameplay and in visuals. Just like LA, this game has a lot of charm, and well made characters, and despite the story being pretty basic, the game has some fun twists and segments which really spices things up. As for the gameplay, it's...ok. The combat is actually kind of an RPG playing itself. It's pretty weird and not very engaging, but this was an early Game Boy game, so I'll let it pass. It also as a lot of backtracking to collect items or to talk to people and other various archaic features which I wasn't a fan of. A better part of the game are the sidescrolling segments which are very similar to the aforementioned LA, and this game has many more of those segments than LA did. There's a lot more to say, but try it out if you like Link's Awakening.
 

LegionX

Member
Wow.. my last post was in July... how very slack I've been.... It's been an oddly slow gaming year for me, but I HAVE finished a few games since the last update

12. Air Combat (PSX)

This was if not a launch game, then close to it.. for the original Playstation... the reason I picked it was because while it's called Air Combat.. it's technically the first game in the long running Ace Combat series.. and I figured I'd start from the beginning! It's obviously very simple compared to the modern games, no cut scenes or much of an effort to provide a story at all, just text based mission briefings.. It's also a bit painful to play as it came out before the Playstation added the analog sticks.. so it's D-Pad only... All up it was only probably 4-5 hours of my time, and at least I can say I've started the series now... but people that don't have the weird quirk I have of feeling the need to play game series from order of release should just play one of the more modern ones....

13. Sackboy's Big Adventure (PS5)

Technically this is my second cheat game purchased in 2021... but from the start I was only going for the 5 backlog per 1 2021 goal, so I'm still within that... This was a bit of an odd one in that I was a bit slow to get going with it.. finding it really well made and enjoyable... however only being able to play a few missions at a time before switching it off.... but as things progressed and the levels got harder I seemed to get more in to it.. to the point that once I rolled credit and unlocked the post credits extra hard missions, decided to go for the Platinum.... it took me about 34 hours to get.... (Certainly would have been faster if I had any friends that also owned the game as I wasted a lot of time waiting for suitably skilled/helpful people to randomly join my online game for most of the co-op stuff) but all up, I really did end up having a good time with this one

I've finished a couple more but I'll write them up a bit later on
 

DelireMan7

Member
Small update :

I am now 70 hours in Final Fantasy X.

It's a really fantastic game. I have the airship and I need to go to Bevelle and I think after that I can go to Sin (It's crazy how I don't remember a lot of detail, it's like a fresh new start, it's so cool) but I spend the last 10 hours doing side stuff. Lot of Blitzball, quest for some Celestial weapons (Kimahri and Tidus completed, Auron, Rikku and Yuna missing the sigil), monster capturing for the arena and doing some farming in the Omega Ruins. I try do not look up on the web so I have to find stuff by myself. Some I remember from my past runs and some I completely forgot. Like I have no idea where the Sigil for Auron's weapon is. I guess it has to do with the Jecht's Spheres.
I'll continue for a bit the side content and then move on with the main story.
I love my run so far :)
 

LegionX

Member
14. Gravity Rush 2 (PS4)

I originally played and completed the first game back on the Vita when it came out.. so it's been quite a while to get to this one... And honestly I think it was probably best suited there. Sure it looks prettier, and has a larger area to traverse around, but it still somehow feels like a smaller kind of game, and the controls are really not accurate enough.. Negative as that sounds, I did still enjoy my 30hour or so of time with the game... but it really did seem oddly put together at times.. The basic way of moving around with gravity and the combat was far from precise in the original game, and its the same here... yet at times they designed levels (or at least the side missions, perhaps not the main story campaign) where precision movement is needed, and it was a hell of a frustrating battle to get through a few... really felt like somebody with no experience in the game designed a few levels and nobody else looked them over...

All up though, negative as I've been, I'm still glad I played through the game, but I think the odds of a 3rd game are almost 0 at this point
 

SpiceRacz

Member
Finished Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance yesterday. Haven't touched it since it came out on GBA. It's the weakest of the 3 Castlevania games on GBA imo. Feels uninspired and the color palette is kind of ugly in spots. Colors look washed out or almost too bright. Looks okay on handheld, but doesn't translate well to the TV. Also, this game feels like it involves more backtracking than the other games, at least from what I remember. Doesn't help that castle and level design isn't very interesting either. Not a bad game by any means. Just not as good as I remember. On to Aria of Sorrow.
 

DelireMan7

Member
My challenge :
No 2021 games . I can buy older games as my backlog is limited to 1 genre and I might want to change genre during the year according to my mood.

Physical Backlog :
  • Lunar Silver Star Harmony (PSP) Done !
  • The Legend of Heroes : Trails in the Sky (PSP)
  • Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
  • Odin Sphere (PS2)
  • Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (PS4)
  • Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal (PS4)
  • Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3) Done !
  • Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) Done !
  • Zelda Ocarina of time (N64)
  • Hollow Knight (PS4) Done !
  • [Replay] Final Fantasy X and X-2 (PS2) Done !
  • [Replay] At least one SoulsBorne (PS3/4)
  • [2021] Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
  • [2021] Project X Zone (3DS)
  • [2021] Radiant Historia : Perfect Chronology (3DS)
  • [2021] Brigandine : The legend of Runersia (Switch)
  • [2021] The Mark of Kri (PS2)
Games completed :
  1. Rayman Origins (PS3) (started in Spring 2020, main story finished 5th of January 2021, coop with my 4 years old daughter, her first video game)
  2. Lunar : Silver Star Harmony (PSP) (Started 1st of January, finished 17th of January, 25h56m)
  3. Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) (Started 19th of January, Finished the 13th of March, around 67h)
  4. Hollow Knight (PS4) (Started 26th of February, Close to platinum the 23rd of April, around 83h)
  5. Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3) (Started the 25th of April, Finished the 29th of May, around 33h)
  6. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid (PC) (Started the 29th of May, Finished the 5 of June, 8h32)
  7. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty (PS2) (Started the 7th of June, Finished the 15th of June, 13h29)
  8. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater (PS2) (Started the 18th of June, Finished the 29th of June, 22h25)
  9. [Replay] Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns of the Patriots (PS3) (Started the 29th of June, Finished the 8th of July, 18h44)
  10. [2021] Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker (PSP) (Started the 16h of July, true ending the 28th of July, 34h46)
  11. [2021] Metal Gear Solid V : Ground Zeroes (PS4) (main mission done the 30th of July, 2h06)
  12. Metal Gear Solid V : The Phantom Pain (PS4) (Started the 2nd of August, done the 20th of August, true ending in 63h)
  13. [Replay] Final Fantasy X (PS2) (Started the 21st of August, done the 17th of October, 79h)
I already mentioned how special this game was for me and this new run, around 19 years after the last one, confirmed it again. I am not gonna lie, I had my eyes full of tears and my heart full of joy and melancholy when the credit rolled yesterday evening. The ending, "Suteki da ne" on the credit and the symbol of an era that Final Fantasy X is for me just got me entirely...

I'll be brief : I love this game. I love the entire cast of characters, the story, the world of Spira and its history, the battle system, the blitzball and majority of the side content, the spheregrid system...

The turn based battle system is such a joy especially with the flexibility it offers : you can change mid battle your equipment and characters. You can always adapt to the need of battle.
Planning my ways on the spheregrid was extremely addictive. I forgot how good it was. I spend my last 20 hours doing side content (4 celestial weapons done, lot of blitzball, farming, monster hunting and still the weakest "boss" of the arena one shot me...). If you're a completionist, this game is crazy (or frustrating for some)

The soundtrack is brilliant and last thing I want to mention : the CGI cutscenes... A true wonder ! They have this charming touch that makes them special. I'll sound like an old man yelling at clouds but I think nowadays, in this race for hyper realism in graphics, we lost something. I'll take this CGI over current gen graphics any day...

Final Fantasy X remains my favorite Final Fantasy !

What to play next :
At one point during my playthrough I had an urge for action gameplay so I considered a lot of game as my next : Odin Sphere, Bloodborne and even giving a second try to Sekiro (I think I am too harsh on that game).

But after finishing FFX, I want to stay in Spira... So I'll go for Final Fantasy X-2 (Started the 18th of October). I don't remember much of it outside the dressphere system (which I liked). I checked my save and I had one at 89h so I did spend quite some times exploring it. Curious to rediscover it as I did with Final Fantasy X. And I really like the idea to see how Spira changed after what we did in the first game.
 
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Bakkus

Member
Finished Moon Remix RPG Adventure. This is one of the games that inspired Undertale and it's creators went on to make the likes of Chibi-Robo, Rule of Rose, Little King's Story and Chulip. You can really see the resemblance in many areas to those games. This was originally on the PS1 and was Japan only for the longest time until it last year got a full English translation; No fan translation was ever completed. I liked it, but I'm not confident in recommending this game to a regular gamer becuase it's really, really obtuse (like on level with some of those 90s PC point & click games) and progression is also very cryptic, so I recommend using a YT video guide in many places and asking for help on Discord if you get stuck. In regards to the gameplay, one of it's key mechanics are identical to Zelda: Majora's Mask in that the game is splitted in to different days where the NPCs does different things depending on the day and time of said day and you have to be there for that very moment if you want to get something out of it. You also have to save many monsters which can also in many cases only happen at specific points in time (and this game came out before MM). I loved the characters and the story and some of the gameplay segments, but again, it's hard to recommend to everyone.
 
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VidKid369

Member
I beat Tales of Destiny II for the PS1 just now. If you haven't played this one yet, and you're a fan of RPGs definitely do so it's pretty fun! Next, I kinda wanna play Suikoden V just cause I haven't gotten around to it yet.
 

Aurelius

Member
Finished Persona 5 Strikers. What a terrific game. Might be my GOTY. It is really is a proper sequel and not some random spin-off. The jails (dungeons) might have lacked some originality, but that was made up with the excellent fighting system that is ways better then the one in FFVIIR. The characters (old and new) were excellent, the story memorable.
 

Bakkus

Member
For the first time in a while, I had to give up on a game, and that game is Jet Set Radio. Incredible presentation, but man is the gameplay frustrating. I could accept it for the shorter levels, but these long 1000 second levels are the fucking worst. Like, there are dozen things you have to spray in every area, but some of the locations have no spray cans up for grabs or way too few at best, meaning you have to backtrack all the time, but in many cases that's impossible. On top of that you have to worry about the police and those freaking helicopters....nope, I'm done.
 
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DelireMan7

Member
Ok...
20 hours in Final Fantasy X-2, beginning of Act 4.
The 10 first hours were "ok" then the next 5-6 hours were a pain. The story and characters are silly/cringy with several of awkward gameplay moment (like I had to do a massage minigame for the main story...).
But most importantly, the combat system is quite frustrating for me. You have to wait all the time. Wait to choose an action and then wait for the action to be cast. Which leads to really frustrating moment. In ATB based Final Fantasy there were always this moment of "Phoenix down loop" like I call them. A character die, you ressurect him but the time you heal it, it dies again.
But in this game it's next level. You see one of your character is low HP, so you select a healing spell/item BUT the time your character decide to cast it, the character dies... So the spell/item is wasted on another random character. Then you revive it. And then try to heal it... But again the time the healing spell/item is cast, the characters can die in between. So often you have to mobilize the 2 remaining characters to ressurect and heal the third one (and even with that, the foes can attack between the ressurection and the healing...), so meaning during this process, you don't do damage and you take damage on the 2 others characters.
To summarize, losing a character is extremely painful often leading to waste of phoenix down and healing spell, and resulting in your party being low HP and the battle turning into a tedious fight for survive by casting only healing spell/items.
Then there is the "inconsistent" ennemy placement. In FFX, each area at a fitting "theme" for its ennemies like the tropical Kilika's forest is filled with carnivore plant, wasp, lizard and thunder elementals. The same area in FFX-2 also has wasp and plants BUT suddenly there is "Stalwart" or "Ironside" which are massive armored turtle link creature (which are end game ennemies in FFX). It's so unfitting and disturbing for me... It happens in many areas.

I consider several time quitting but I have to say I am addicted to the dress spheres progression system. And I want to know the final word of the Shuyin/Lenne story and also the Tidus' stuff going on.
So I will try to go fast and finish it quickly from now.


Also with a friend, we started a coop run of Path of Exile... It's our first time for both and well... After 30 min, we were already in love with the game. And now after 5 hours, we are addicted xD. The game gems and skill tree system is so good. The possibility it offers are limitless ! I just want more !
For the moment, I'll keep it as a coop game and will not make a solo run (otherwise my backlog will never be done xD) but I can't assure it will stay like this
 

Phase

Member
Ok...
20 hours in Final Fantasy X-2, beginning of Act 4.
The 10 first hours were "ok" then the next 5-6 hours were a pain. The story and characters are silly/cringy with several of awkward gameplay moment (like I had to do a massage minigame for the main story...).
But most importantly, the combat system is quite frustrating for me. You have to wait all the time. Wait to choose an action and then wait for the action to be cast. Which leads to really frustrating moment. In ATB based Final Fantasy there were always this moment of "Phoenix down loop" like I call them. A character die, you ressurect him but the time you heal it, it dies again.
But in this game it's next level. You see one of your character is low HP, so you select a healing spell/item BUT the time your character decide to cast it, the character dies... So the spell/item is wasted on another random character. Then you revive it. And then try to heal it... But again the time the healing spell/item is cast, the characters can die in between. So often you have to mobilize the 2 remaining characters to ressurect and heal the third one (and even with that, the foes can attack between the ressurection and the healing...), so meaning during this process, you don't do damage and you take damage on the 2 others characters.
To summarize, losing a character is extremely painful often leading to waste of phoenix down and healing spell, and resulting in your party being low HP and the battle turning into a tedious fight for survive by casting only healing spell/items.
Then there is the "inconsistent" ennemy placement. In FFX, each area at a fitting "theme" for its ennemies like the tropical Kilika's forest is filled with carnivore plant, wasp, lizard and thunder elementals. The same area in FFX-2 also has wasp and plants BUT suddenly there is "Stalwart" or "Ironside" which are massive armored turtle link creature (which are end game ennemies in FFX). It's so unfitting and disturbing for me... It happens in many areas.

I consider several time quitting but I have to say I am addicted to the dress spheres progression system. And I want to know the final word of the Shuyin/Lenne story and also the Tidus' stuff going on.
So I will try to go fast and finish it quickly from now.


Also with a friend, we started a coop run of Path of Exile... It's our first time for both and well... After 30 min, we were already in love with the game. And now after 5 hours, we are addicted xD. The game gems and skill tree system is so good. The possibility it offers are limitless ! I just want more !
For the moment, I'll keep it as a coop game and will not make a solo run (otherwise my backlog will never be done xD) but I can't assure it will stay like this
Nice writeup. Also, POE is amazing. Have fun.
 
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