Modern Games Beaten in 2020

[cimerians]

9 hours ago, Austin said:

With these Souls games, it always seems like the first one people play is the one they get the most attached to, or the one that makes the biggest kind of impact in the way you describe. For me it was Dark Souls 1, with the interconnected world and whatnot.

Yep

[+wongojack]

11 hours ago, Austin said:

2. Demon's Souls (PS3) - Hated this game at first. Even broke a disc in half in a rage-inducing moment. But after watching someone else play it, I grabbed another copy and finally finished it. It's not a bad game--it just has some frustrating design choices that have since been refined in later Souls games, like the ridiculously long runbacks. It's the kind of game that's tough to learn, but once you know where everything is and how to handle each situation, it's pretty easy (and satisfying to play through). It's also quite easy to cheese a lot of situations in the game with arrows. I do enjoy it now, but it was the roughest of all the Souls games for me to learn. I've now finished the game three times total. I'll be interested to check out the remake if it is indeed in production like it's been rumored to be.

 

10 hours ago, cimerians said:

 

I actually imported this game and played the crap out of it before it was even released here, it was brutally hard, I think I made it as far as the spider or the flame demon and then gave up. If there is a remake or remaster I hope it comes out on steam I'll buy it for sure it's actually a favorite of mine. I remember discovering the arrow trick to kill the dragon early on, there are definitely a bunch of cheese opportunities in this game lol

 

I pay attention to both of your posts on this site and really respect your opinions about games, so I need help with this series.

 

I own a couple of these (including Demon's Souls).  I've never actually played any of them long enough to get frustrated with the difficulty.  Each time, I kinda get bored with what seems to be a total lack of any story at all.  I think the last time I tried was DS II. I played for like 2 hours and just wondered "why am I playing this?" "where am I going?"  "what will I do when I get there?"

 

I've heard about these games so much that I plan to go back and sort of surgically play one of them some day, but I've gotta say that my usual attempts at starting a game and getting into it have failed with this series.

[cimerians]

24 minutes ago, wongojack said:

 

 

I pay attention to both of your posts on this site and really respect your opinions about games, so I need help with this series.

 

I own a couple of these (including Demon's Souls).  I've never actually played any of them long enough to get frustrated with the difficulty.  Each time, I kinda get bored with what seems to be a total lack of any story at all.  I think the last time I tried was DS II. I played for like 2 hours and just wondered "why am I playing this?" "where am I going?"  "what will I do when I get there?"

 

I've heard about these games so much that I plan to go back and sort of surgically play one of them some day, but I've gotta say that my usual attempts at starting a game and getting into it have failed with this series.

Wongo!!! I think Austin has a souls thread here somewhere which has more info but for me it's just been the draw of a dark D&D type RPG with somewhat ‘realistic’ combat mechanics along with some horrific Monsters\bosses, also the discovery and exploratory nature of them…story definitely takes a backseat. Sadly I can't get far in these games without giving up but there's always a way as Austin mentioned. I'm not totally into them cause I have trouble beating them (Bloodborne kicked my ass and I think Dark Souls III may be the best of the series per reviews)....so I can't recommend them for everybody, these games are definitely not for everyone. I just have a sweet spot for the original 'cause it's the first I played and probably the only one I played a lot.

Edited March 3, 2020 by cimerians

[cimerians]

Just beat the FF7 remake demo on PS4...if that counts

 

It was pretty disappointing for me. ?

[Austin]

On 3/3/2020 at 11:05 AM, wongojack said:

 

 

I pay attention to both of your posts on this site and really respect your opinions about games, so I need help with this series.

 

I own a couple of these (including Demon's Souls).  I've never actually played any of them long enough to get frustrated with the difficulty.  Each time, I kinda get bored with what seems to be a total lack of any story at all.  I think the last time I tried was DS II. I played for like 2 hours and just wondered "why am I playing this?" "where am I going?"  "what will I do when I get there?"

 

I've heard about these games so much that I plan to go back and sort of surgically play one of them some day, but I've gotta say that my usual attempts at starting a game and getting into it have failed with this series.

I'd recommend starting with Dark Souls 1. You will get your ass kicked a lot sooner in the game, then it will start to make sense.

 

These games aren't so much about direct story as they are exploration, action and danger. That's not to say there isn't any lore--all of the games are more than jam-packed with it--it's just dished out to the player via item descriptions, occasional NPC talk, and the environment. They are games where you feel isolated and it's easy to get lost in them. There's little unnecessary exposition. You connect the dots yourself in your head as you play the games, and you connect more of them through repeated plays.

 

A couple of hours isn't enough to really get frustrated with these. My first Dark Souls playthrough was 70 hours, to give you an idea. You could also spend two hours running around the first area doing pretty much nothing, making no progress, if you are a slow player that takes everything inch by inch.

[+chicgamer]

I finished Jak II. I think I'm going to take a break before taking on Jak 3. Overall, I enjoyed Jak II, but I found some of the missions annoying/frustrating (racing missions, for example). Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I think Daxter is a much better game.

[+wongojack]

10 hours ago, Austin said:

I'd recommend starting with Dark Souls 1. You will get your ass kicked a lot sooner in the game, then it will start to make sense.

 

These games aren't so much about direct story as they are exploration, action and danger. That's not to say there isn't any lore--all of the games are more than jam-packed with it--it's just dished out to the player via item descriptions, occasional NPC talk, and the environment. They are games where you feel isolated and it's easy to get lost in them. There's little unnecessary exposition. You connect the dots yourself in your head as you play the games, and you connect more of them through repeated plays.

 

A couple of hours isn't enough to really get frustrated with these. My first Dark Souls playthrough was 70 hours, to give you an idea. You could also spend two hours running around the first area doing pretty much nothing, making no progress, if you are a slow player that takes everything inch by inch.

That's what I figured.  That description doesn't appeal to me at all, but why should I let that stop me? - LOL

 

They are on my list, I'll get there eventually.

[+chicgamer]

I finished Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 last night. I've had the remastered version for PS3 for years, but I never got around to playing it. I'm glad I didn't, now. The PS4 remake is stunning. I got the game as part of my PS Plus subscription, and now I want to get a physical copy.

[cimerians]

Just beat Dragon Age Origins on Xbox 360\Xbox One, about a year or two ago I figured I'd play a few 360 games on Xbox One just to see the visual improvements.

[+wongojack]

On 3/7/2020 at 6:30 PM, chicgamer said:

I finished Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 last night. I've had the remastered version for PS3 for years, but I never got around to playing it. I'm glad I didn't, now. The PS4 remake is stunning. I got the game as part of my PS Plus subscription, and now I want to get a physical copy.

Interesting - I have the PS3 disc somewhere, but I let my Plus subscription expire . . . dilemas

[+wongojack]

I played through Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series on PC.  It is exactly what you would expect from Telltale in that the gameplay is minimal.  In fact, this playthrough I was struck by just how similar these games are to the classic Dragon's Lair.  It made me wish Telltale had done a version of Dragon's Lair before they went broke.  Anyway, it was a really enjoyable and unique Guardians story.  You got to see some backstory for the different characters and the choices were meaningful (in that Telltale way).  This stuff was probably all re-hashed from the comics, but I've never read a Guardians comic, so even if that is the case, it was still new to me.  I also really enjoyed the '70s era soundtrack which they used very well.  Although, I think some of the songs that were originally in there may have been removed at this point as a few of the episode titles were named the same as iconic 70's songs that I did not hear during the game.  Anyway, it was an enjoyable 9hrs (+/-) of my life. 

 

If you are interested, I believe I got this through a Humble Bundle at some point, and I don't think it is for sale at all anymore.  Physical game discs for Xbox or PS4 will include the first episode but require you to download the remaining episodes which are no longer available on either store.  Buyer beware.

[Agamon]

8 hours ago, wongojack said:

I played through Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series on PC.  It is exactly what you would expect from Telltale in that the gameplay is minimal.  In fact, this playthrough I was struck by just how similar these games are to the classic Dragon's Lair.  It made me wish Telltale had done a version of Dragon's Lair before they went broke.

You never know, there's a new Telltale that has the Batman and Wolf Among Us licenses. But I would think it'd be a narrative re-imagining, TT has never really done arcade style games.

[+chicgamer]

10 hours ago, wongojack said:

Interesting - I have the PS3 disc somewhere, but I let my Plus subscription expire . . . dilemas

There are videos on YouTube that compare the PS2, PS3, and PS4 versions. Might help you decide if it's worth getting the PS4 version.

[+wongojack]

On 3/9/2020 at 9:04 AM, Agamon said:

You never know, there's a new Telltale that has the Batman and Wolf Among Us licenses. But I would think it'd be a narrative re-imagining, TT has never really done arcade style games.

I think you are referring to Batman Shadows Edition and TWAU 2.  I can't speak for the "Shadows Edition," but the 2 Batman games they made were excellent new takes on old comic stories.  I especially appreciated Batman: The Enemy Within.  It was an amazing twist on storytelling that had you guessing how your choices would impact the outcome of a story you thought you already knew.

 

As for Dragon's Lair - I was just thinking that it would have been nice if they had adapted those characters into the Telltale fold and given us a narrative story based on the old arcade games.  Typically the action in Telltale games is very similar to the original arcade game anyway (push U,D,L,R or a button), but they just use more pace and forgive failure easier.

[digdugnate]

I always have to look the title of this silly game up every time because it's so long.

 

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (Switch)

 

It's kind of grindy and samey (is that a word?) but it took me about 30 hours of messing around to finally finish the game.  I enjoy mindless dungeon crawler games.

[TheObscureGamer]

Black baseball league (black console). What a great game this is. I don't think there has ever been a baseball game about the black baseball league until now which is a shame because most historians will tell you they could outprefom the best MLB teams at the time. It's like Super Baseball 2020 on the NeoGeo but with RPG elements. Each character has their own special moves and their own advantages and disadvantages.One team called the Zulu Cannibal Giants are barefoot so they are more prone to injury. You can really tell that the developers played different great arcade style baseball games and wanted to improve on them in every way. 30 hours in and I'm still enjoying it. 

[Steven Pendleton]

Finally done with Death Stranding a few minutes ago.

[+wongojack]

I went the easy route on a couple of games recently

 

Celeste (XBox One) - I've described this before as a series of enjoyable beatings.  I played through each of the initial levels and the epilogue at least once.  I collected 4 of the crystal hearts which are kind of like hidden optional prizes in each level.  I consider myself to be done with the game, BUT is it "Beaten?"  Not really.  This game now has almost triple the original content thanks to a recent free DLC called "Farewell."  I tried some of the Farewell content and it . . . beat me - LOL.  I may go back to Celeste at some point, but I'm definitely done with it for a while.

 

Thimbleweed Park (Xbox Gamepass for PC)- I opted for an easier route on this one too as it is about to leave XBox gamepass on Tuesday.  I finished the game on "Casual" difficulty and only had to use the built-in hint system 2x.  A very quick glance at some online walkthroughs reveals that there is A LOT more content on the harder difficulty, so I guess I have that to look forward to if I ever buy a copy of this game outside of gamepass.  I'll say that the game really did feel like and old school point and click with some quality of life improvements.  I liked the story in that I didn't see the twist coming.  However, I think they sort of buried the best character into a supporting role.  My favorite character was Delores and we weren't introduced to her until several hours into the game.  By contrast, the two agents who are on all the game art and you control from the beginning felt kinda bland.  The actors also made choices to limit their vocal performances which made them less dynamic and interesting.

 

Old Man's Journey (XBox One) - If you don't know about this game, you should check it out.  It is a short story driven adventure with no dialog.  The game action consists of typical mouse-based "click here to move" type stuff with some ability to move around the scenery.  It was enjoyable and only took about 2.5 hours.

[Punisher5.0]

I just finished Beyond 2 Souls for the PS3 and wow Ive never played anything like that before. The story and graphics are phenomenal. The controls were unique too but I had a tough time with them often. Especially during combat scenes.

[+wongojack]

5 minutes ago, Punisher5.0 said:

I just finished Beyond 2 Souls for the PS3 and wow Ive never played anything like that before. The story and graphics are phenomenal. The controls were unique too but I had a tough time with them often. Especially during combat scenes.

I REALLY liked this game.  I think it is the best Quantic Dream game even though Detroit: Become Human has its fans too.  You should check that one out and Heavy Rain.  The controls don't get any better though - LOL.

[Punisher5.0]

13 minutes ago, wongojack said:

I REALLY liked this game.  I think it is the best Quantic Dream game even though Detroit: Become Human has its fans too.  You should check that one out and Heavy Rain.  The controls don't get any better though - LOL.

Thanks for the suggestions. Ive been thinking about trying out Heavy Rain next. Did you pick Life or After Life in B2S? I chose life but I was wondering if there was actually any difference.

[+wongojack]

1 hour ago, Punisher5.0 said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Ive been thinking about trying out Heavy Rain next. Did you pick Life or After Life in B2S? I chose life but I was wondering if there was actually any difference.

Hmmm - I may need to research that.  Its been a while, and I don't immediately remember.

[Steven Pendleton]

I just beat Fire Emblem again.

[Metal Jesus]

I just beat The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (XBOX One) the other day. By the makers of Until Dawn, but sadly not at good. Still the motion capture technology is a marvel to watch! It's some of the best in any game and looked fantastic on the XBOX One X.

[BawesomeBurf]

The only modern (or retro) game I've beaten so far this year were the first 2 Ratchet & Clanks from the PS3 collection. I've been playing lots of stuff, but not super-concerned about finishing games anymore. Just play a game until I get bored, and then move on to something else.