Lurker > Simoun

Black Mirror 2017 (PC)

I knew it was crap coming in. But it existed and I wanted something to remember the original trilogy by so I dove into it. I have to say, that I appreciate the storytelling, the flow, the whole mystery of it. The voice-acting was great, set the mood properly but the stilted facial expressions sort of removed the mood sometimes. But a game this is not. It's not even TellTale non-game quality. It felt like a huge incomplete tech demo showing only the very basics of adventure gaming. It was clear that the puzzles only served as a storytelling device, which would be its greatest strength. I can see why alot of people hate this game.

I just think its okay. If this were any other game and not a remake-ish thing I probably wouldn't have bothered. But having known the story already and seeing it being retold, changing some elements which frankly diminished some of the padded puzzly parts of its original point-click counterpart, and having actually walk in the mansion as I did years ago but in full beautiful 3d even if there wasn't really anything to do; it just means something more to me. Shit game? Sure. Memorable? Yeah, sure.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

SiN: Gold

Kinda fun but I prefer Soldier of Fortune. It's mired with bugs but I guess it had some innovative things like levels affecting other levels in a way not done in any other 90s shooter at the time

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Deponia Doomsday (PC)

This has been in my folder for like 3 years. I remember doing the original trilogy around that time and I heard things about this 4th one. Well for starters, it really has nothing to do with the past games even though what sets the plot off is the original ending of the trilogy. But what I wish I knew was that this game wasn't the FU I thought it was going to be to fans of the original games. From the getgo this game tells you that that ending cannot be changed. And well, it wasn't as FU as I thought it was going to be. At best it was like, a "Stop bothering us". And the message of the game itself---to see a matured Rufus finally admit that the past can't be changed. It sounds very fulfilling.

But man is the game wrought with some experimental puzzle design. It is totally not like the previous games mechanics wise. It almost feels like it was a combination of things that never made it in the original trilogy.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Goetia (PC)

Somewhat okay puzzle adventure game. The plot was really confusing and the endings, both of them don't end well.
That said, it was fine for a distraction. It was eerie and well-made and didn't feel cheap. But it wasn't a horror game at all which was what I was expecting.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Downfall: Redux (PC)

Playing the original for me is necessary now that I've seen both. It's the same story, but they changed things around to fit The Cat Lady's universe. The story is much more fluid and the characters are more relatable now. Only thing is the last part of the game probably will make no sense unless you've played The Cat Lady. I'm so glad for this dev, to have worked so hard in what was originally a one-off indie that would've just fallen to obscurity.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Downfall (PC)

One of my oldest games. So old in fact, that I actually have the original AGS version which i recall I had to find all around obscure internet sites just to acquire. I wouldn't have known that this guy would go on to make a Redux version, as well as The Cat Lady and Lorelai. I was told that the Redux is verrry different, and so I went and played this from GOG and it was good for what it is. The premise appears initially straight out of SIlent Hill 2 but I'm glad it went through a completely different direction.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Fate of Atlantis DLC (PC)

And with that I close the chapter on this game. It's been a ride but its probably the worst 100 hours I've ever spent on a game. This DLC brought alot of unique places to the table, but really I was just there to enjoy the eye candy of it all. Breezing through the story was the least entertaining part. Going through the worlds of the underworld and Atlantis was magnificent. I'm also glad they added masteries and like 200 skill points to just totally break your character the way you want it.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

KCF0107 posted...

Darkwing Duck (XB1)

I mentioned before that this was the one Disney Capcom game that I played as a kid, and I recognized only two levels at the max. My friend and I must not have been good enough to get far in the game.

Just wanna let you know that there was a fanmade romhack called The Last Action Duck and its free. You can get it here if you want.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180817150746/http://www.hammer-created-dreams.de/projects/DarkwingDuckTheLastActionDuck.zip

This game adds more moves, more gadgets, more villains including Negaduck, and the levels are more open, inviting multi-directional exploration. They're also pretty tough. I recommend it if you loved the original version.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Legacy of the First Blade DLC (PC)

Continuing my love hate relationship for this game, it was honestly more of the same. But since I haven't returned to this game in ages, it was a little refreshing for awhile.

One more DLC then I'dve "caught up" with the franchise. At least, if I finish it before the viking one comes out.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Cat Quest 2 (PC)

It's really more of the same, except now there's 2 of you. This makes the game way easier especially if you're playing it alone because the AI is just as competent as you and bosses rarely require alternate strategies. The start of the game was mostly whacking and evading like the first game. But come halfway the mage becomes incredibly useful and because there's two of you now, your AI controlling the whacker makes for a good kite.

My complaints about the first game was that it dragged way too long. Now it's just too short. I think the problem is that there's little you can do to change the formula when all you can do is dodge and whack. Its so easy to regain mana and spells have no cooldown, trivializing the last 3 boss fights. There's also a lack of post-game content. I'll admit this game had like 2 challenges. But as soon as I had the Best Spell in the Game (taken from Challenge 1, and practically required for Challenge 2), I was unstoppable in all fronts. I managed to snag the best armors and weapons in the game last and by then there was nothing else to do.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

The Suicide of Rachel Foster (PC)

Firewatch in a hotel. The execution up until the end was fantastic. There was this creeping sense of dread that something was gonna pop up at any moment. The ending was....ehhh. The plot went from cruise control to car wreck when that final day popped up. Felt like the devs ran out of money, like Life is Strange and just dropped the twist and left you holding the bag. There was also too little to piece things together. So many questions left unanswered and essential ones too. Gone Home is still my number 1 game for this genre, which is interesting because in this game the ghost is real but I bet you if it wasn't people would give it the same flack Gone Home had. You just can't win'em all.

5/10

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC)

Back in 2006 when this game came out, I knew it was bad from the reviews. Stealth/Action segments in adventure gaming. A Cliffhanger of epic proportions. A completely new protagonist. And the annoying limitations of the 3d craze most games seem to have fallen for at the time. If I never knew that a sequel would come 10 years later, I would've just left it at that. So I consider this game a transition point of sorts. It really is a bad game. I'm glad to be done with it. But it was necessary to understand the next one.

That said, I'm starting to feel like the next one will be as Telltale-y as this game. It was already wrought in exposition in the first game and now its just worse. I'm just in this for the plot that I'm now invested in. I'm so curious how 10 years has changed things. When I'm done with Chapters, I might do a retrospective of the entire saga.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Finished 2 games today. Finished the first Streets of Rage (PC). I know there's a 4th game but honestly I didn't hear about it until recently. SoR 1 was a childhood demon that I never finished when my SEGA Genesis was still alive. Finishing it was satisfying a little.

Then I just finished Universal Paperclips (PC). Interesting Idle clicker and one with an ending. You actually had a choice of prestiging which I didn't bother to. I liked that it had 3 levels of idle and wasn't just the constant need to purchase and purchase bigger and better things.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

The Longest Journey (PC)

I played this adventure a long time ago back in highschool and I remember it fondly as one of the greatest 00s pt clicks. I replayed it again recently because I never played its sequels which at the time didn't exist yet and I think I tried to at one point but my PC couldn't handle it.

So coming back to this I knew the major twists already but assumed things out of order. I didn't think there were so much dialogue in this game which thank god was skippable. There was I feel way too much infodumping and lore building that it felt grating at times. Like I just wanna solve inventory puzzles and shit. But I'm not complaining. TLJ lives up to its notoriety. It holds up as a classic game even today. And the bittersweet ending of sorts feels like something Daedalic Games used to make on occasion.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent (PC)

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Sally Face (PC)

I saw this back in 2016 and only one episode had been released then. That was also a time when indie gaming horror games were still in full swing, and so I thought every wannabe game out there was either going to be bad or stuck at Episode 1 forever. When I heard the last Episode released last year, I went and did it all in one tonight and it was great. The story is rather tragic and takes influences from Ben Jordan and the Chzo Mythos but goes a bit further with it and isn't afraid to kill off characters or change them forever. This kind of cosmic horror is a bit more street level and doesn't truly go cosmic until the end, which frankly what makes the last episode kind of lame in that it just brushes aside the creeping investigative horror in favor of that cult butt kicking. But it still ends bittersweet and that makes it endearing.

I'm glad I waited all these years for it and never forgot about it. Such an underrated horror series.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Doom Eternal (PC)

Pure awesomeness. It was either this or RE3 and it looks like I chose right. Only thing is I'm just not good at it to truly enjoy it for what it is. Doom 2016 was awesome for me but this was a bit stressful and busy for me to love it. I suppose if I collected everything on easy, then played on normal with all the upgrades I would appreciate it more. But my heart goes out to Id for being an awesome company and personal favorite I loved that they put 3 Quake 2 tracks in this game. Quake 2 was the Id game I grew up on and I know of its status as sort of a black sheep in the franchise. But you can't deny those rockin' tunes.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Running With Rifles (PC)

It's top-down Battlefield basically. It has a campaign where you can play as VaguelyGerman, VaguelyRussian, or VaguelyAmerican. Its a little annoying because you can miss. Like, the accuracy mechanic is tied to the fact that you can't just run and gun and have to actually use cover I get that. And you die in 1 hit unless you're ranked up or wearing a vest. It's okay. It kind of got repetitive by the end, and the WW2 Pacific Campaign introduced new weapons but I thought this game was going to be more of an open world do whatever you want war thing.

I would imagine the multiplayer shines better but meh I'm so sick of this game to even try.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Daymare: 1998 (PC)

I really really wanted to like this game. It's not a bad game, in fact. I find it charming, however, the aftertaste leaves much to be desired. The Resident Evil roots and inspirations are there, and for all intents it is a perfect fangame, but shed the influences and you're left with an unpolished and somewhat mediocre game. Legitimate issues abound concerning enemies, repetition, cheesy stilted dialogue. I praise the inventory system and the game looks GREAT but everything even the plot and that ending was just so stupid.

6/10

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

City Climber (PC)

Silly little physics based climbing not unlike Human Fall Flat or I Am Bread, but singleplayer.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

HunieCam Studio (PC)

My fingers are numb from the clicking but after 4 tries, I finally got that diamond trophy.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare (PC)

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Hypnospace Outlaw (PC)

Love it for the 90s nostalgia. Geocities, Angelfire, Bonzi Buddies. Simpler times. There are probably a few things in this game no one younger than the age of 15 will recognize lol. It was shorter than I expected but it has depth in the pages and the reads, and I can understand why the game was structured like that. At first it seemed like a 90s version of Mainlining, but it becomes its own thing however there are missable content which I'm not happy with as I have to redo segments again despite the fact that the end has an archival portion.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun (PC)

This is a very fun RPG, but I would assume people getting into this will be wrought by assumptions. Immediately it appears to be a game like Grimrock or The Bard's Tale. But it is neither of those. It's actually closer to Etrian Odyssey without the grinding. You can say I've been looking hard for a Grimrock follow-up and this game isn't it. I did enjoy it however for its writing, its lore, and the English voice-acting. It poked alot of fun in the genre and had a sense of wit to it as well, without being cheesy.

Mechanics-wise, the game felt more like a puzzle instead of a straight up RPG experience. Certain game design choices basically meant that the goal of this game was to get through the next few sets with whatever you had (secrets and all) and you may try again as many times as you want. So, basically if you go into this thinking about experimenting on builds and exploiting mechanics, you might be disappointed. The respecc abuse, the fact that you will always gain exp and level up even if you die, and that there are only a limited amount of enemies in the game assures you a somewhat bottled linear experience.

That said, once you are able to respecc just right and realize what needs to be done, it is very satisfying especially by the end where the final boss has like several sequences and forms to contend with. Enemies are very cheap as well and the hit-miss ratio is godawful, sometimes bordering unfair or abysmally easy. It actually feels like it wants to be an SMT game. Alot of people might see these aspects as flaws. But the fact that I'm so excited to talk about the details of the system might mean I'm just gushing at it like a fanboy.

Worth your time, in my opinion. As long as you don't have any expectations.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

The Great Perhaps (PC)

A good distraction. Plot's been done before and I wouldn't have minded a pessimistic ending, but an abruptly ambiguous one was kinda lame.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Assassin's Creed III Remastered: Tyranny of King Washington DLC (PC)

Another major AC off my list and I feel sad that my time with Connor has passed. I'm going to truly miss this oldschool system and the emphasis on stealth. This DLC honestly feels like Far Cry 3/5 and lol a giant pyramid in the middle of New York echoes a certain game in the near future at the time. There's only 1 more thing I have to do and its the 2 DLCs for AC Odyssey and I'd have "caught up".

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Assassin's Creed III Remastered (PC)

So I got this game to do the King Washington DLC, and I was just allured to replay this. The visuals look amazing and Connor is awesome. But having come so far I can now see without the nostalgia glasses how flawed this game was for its time. Still, it was very innovative and brought to the table a ton of features that future games would take for granted. Why can't this oldschool one-hit-kill anything system be brought to the vast world of the recent 2 games.

I still say Unity is the superior game and doesn't deserve the flack that it gets.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

paperwarior posted...

Chrono Cross (PS1)
The final dungeon tried our patience and left us very confused about the plot. And then standing in front of the final boss were 3 NPCs who dropped ALL the exposition. This is not ideal.

i so envy you. CC is one of my longest backlogged games. throughout my life, every single time Ive tried to beat this game something always happens. the cd breaks. the PSP breaks. This time I'm turning to emulation.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

The Spiral Scouts (PC)

This is a weird game, and I don't mean in its oddness. If you look at the game's screenshots, you'll find it pretty innocuous. And it is in fact innocuous. It's primarily a puzzle game with a cute art style. It's got a catchy soundtrack too.

However. The writing is atrociously vulgar. Toilet Humor. Juvenile MTV Jackass stuff---no actually age it a bit down because it's more of the stuff you hear a gradeschooler would say. It's as if they lost all the dialogue in the game on the last minute and decided to hire some 12 year old who made a few abridged anime videos to just fill in the blanks.

The crude tone is really a hit or miss. It just tackles everything and isn't afraid to cross the line: Crack and Ecstasy, Satanic sacrifices, Stalking a Married Woman, Orgies. In one sidequest, you even help a horny receptionist get her rocks off with a massive censored vibrator. And it fascinates me that all this is played straight without any subversion or twist in the end. There is a super secret endgame that will test your puzzling skills, but the reveal is just as crude as the rest of the game.

All in all, you'll either love it or hate it. It's a hard game to recommend but if you can get past the juvenile attempt at humor, its a great game.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Nancy Drew 30: The Shattered Medallion (PC)

Might as well be a treasure hunt game like Ransom of the Seven Ships. But at least this one didn't have an annoying driving game. I don't really mind these Non-Mystery Mysteries much because I'm all about that puzzle solving goodness so this was decent. Also, the game's about Reality Shows so its kinda funny this game hasn't aged well.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Control: The Foundation DLC (PC)

I think this is the first time in awhile where I'm actively playing something current and not just doing a backlog or an old game. It was quite short but I just can't get enough of the battle system in this game so any excuse to keep shooting and messing around with the physics of this game is a welcome addition.

Can't wait for the next DLC.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry (PC)

Just cleaning up the last few AC games I missed. I put this one between Liberation and Rogue. There is nothing really worth playing for in this one except for that dark storyline and amazing music. It's yet another one of Ubi's excuses to cash in on something. Still. It was nice to sail and fight as a real ship again and not the bullshit Odyssey was. My next AC game will be the King George DLC for ACIII, then bringing it back home with the 2 DLCs for Odyssey, and then I'll be truly done with the series.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel + Clastastic Voyage DLC (PC)

Jack is so OP. I dunno, maybe they just didn't care by the end. In the end of it all, it was ultimately the loot that survived me, but the entire gimmick behind Jack's abilities are so exploitable. Anyways this was very enjoyable and I'm glad to put it all behind me.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Healer's Quest (PC)

Very fun, very unique RPG based solely around being a healer. You better believe it pokes fun at all the JRPG tropes out there. My favorite was a dungeon that mocked Mobile Casual Games. It gave you "Daily Rewards" and an imaginary currency that was only used to decorate said dungeon.

What I originally thought was a tiny and simple game turned out to be quite the brain bender due to only having 4 skills at any time, each with their own unique skill trees and hidden perks. My only gripe is that the game forces you to respecc to change your strategy constantly with each boss which wouldn't be so bad if the respecc place wasn't only in 1 location and you could only move slowly like in a classic JRPG on the overworld. That said, if you can get over the grinding (admittedly DQ games have softened my hatred for them), the game is a blast and especially cathartic once you beat the 2 true bosses and get the real true ending.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Nancy Drew 29: The Silent Spy (PC)

My 2nd playthrough of this and frankly, I think I appreciate it more. I didn't quite understand it the first time the emotional weight carried in the backstory and eventual closure concerning Nancy's mom. Also, back then I didn't know that the terrorist organization in question was more of a red herring because I remember one of my criticisms being that the plot was all over the place. As it turns out, there was also a character that "returns" which just boggled me back then but now I know which ND game she came from. Now I see why this game is a strong contender in many a fan's top 10. Everything in this one was just so different from formula, that it felt refreshing despite introducing some old tropes.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Soul Axiom Rebooted (PC)

It was okay. I played it because I heard it was a cyberpunk game. It's sort of there but you have to dig a little for that sweet implication. It has an interesting premise, and great environments and puzzles. Being in a virtual realm for memories gives the devs an excuse to come up with whatever backdrop they wanted. It's also strange that this is actually a sequel to a horror game. I'd like to think they've matured as devs since.

I can admire the charm and look past the sometimes-clunky part of the interface. I also kind of hated the jumpscares. Some of them unnecessary tbh.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Black Mesa (PC)

Holy shit. Game of the Year. Strong contender at least. I never liked Half-Life 1's dizzying level design and yet even the parts that were copied exactly, I never once felt lost and confused in Black Mesa. Anyways, it s a very faithful adaptation. Better than anything I've ever played in a long time. They improved everything: The enemy AI, the weapon balance, and Xen. Motherfucking Xen.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Alan Wake + All DLCs (PC)

When I heard that (other game spoilers) one of Control's DLC might finally resolve this game's plot. I decided to go back and play the Remedy game that I missed. I actually mistook this for another game which was also console exclusive at the time: Heavy Rain, for some reason and most of what I knew about Alan Wake turned out to be from that game in particular. So I went in this blind. And it was okay. Shitty combat but intriguing story and I'm always a sucker for things that are inspired by Twin Peaks and/or Stephen King.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Borderlands 2 Remastered + All DLCs (PC)

Haven't played it since 2014. When I heard there was DLC tying this game to the 3rd, I set out on a quest to restart this game, beat everything significant in it, do everything I can possibly do solo, all with a character I've been dying to use (Krieg). Today, that quest ends. Every mission. 1 or 2 Raid bosses beat. Equipment and weapons I always wanted to have. And all the miscellanea like achievements and easter eggs and such. Its not 100% but, I can now safely move on from this game without ever coming back.

I think it has aged pretty well. It's a timeless classic even if the humor is just super crude. I'm a little piqued about playing Tales, because of the significant tie-in which I didn't think was significant at first.

Anyways, my next big venture would be the Pre-sequel which I just never actually finished. So, I'm not gonna be playing the 3rd game anytime soon and maybe by the time I do, the DLCs will all have dropped.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Safecracker (PC)

Old Adventure Company game that basically predates Flash room escape games. A nice distraction full of tiringly cliche block puzzles. Also hilarious ending where you get to decide who gets the inheritance you've been hunting. You can even give it to yourself.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Grim Dawn + All DLCs (PC)

Had no idea it was made by the Titan Quest people until about a quarter in. If that were the case, I'd say its a big improvement. I finished all the mandatory stuff but I can see that there is some replayability here. Unfortunately such theorycrafting is not to my liking and in fact the honeymoon period was so over by the time I got to DLC 2. What I will say though is that I enjoyed reading on the lore, which was basically done Dark Souls style. Dozens upon dozens of textbooks that had nothing to do with the main story was there for your perusal. It's got that feeling that the game had been constantly worked on and is certainly not the crap that Titan Quest was.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.

Infinitode 2 (Android)

Many months in the making leading up to that final level. Okay, it was a p2win tower defense game. But by the time I knew I needed to grind I was hooked. So kudos for actually having an ending and actually have such a huge tech tree to work with.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.