Lurker > Simoun

Big Drunk Satanic Massacre / BDSM (PC)

Clunky controls, weird glitches, crude humor, nonsense plot. Basically existing to blow demons up. It was also a trying to be offensive and had an NSFW version for some reason (as if you needed to see mlp boobs) It was fine. C+

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Sludge Life (PC)

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

The Lost Crown (PC)

After finishing The Dark Fall trilogy as well as the Barrow Hill games, this was my next stop. I wish I didn't save it for last, or maybe I was glad to because my god this game is soooooooo slow. Only one game comes close to this slowness and that is Syberia. I hated that game and I want to hate this but. It is admittedly a good mystery when the mystery is happening. Of course this is also an adventure game and so it has to have alot of adventure game shenanigans. Events that trigger only when you talk to someone. Items that aren't pickable until that trigger comes. Mindless backtracking and pixel hunting. All standard fair for a game like this to have come out back then but the most unforgivable aspect for me is the inability to skip dialog even on repeats. The scenery is great but you'll be backtracking and revisiting most of them and thank god teleportation to already visited areas exist but the pacing is still very deliberate.

I put this game in AGES ago and I don't even remember half the plot each time I resume it. There's wayy too much exposition going on and I mean I can appreciate when a game is trying to settle you in and breathe life into a town with all its mysteries and secrets. But this is just way too deliberate for my tastes. Syberia had its pointless screens and slowly animated puzzles and at least this game has depth going for it as well as the true slow burning horror that creeps into you and unsettles with nothing but sounds and ambiance, very rarely relying on jump scare tactics.

I think I'm done with this guy's games. There's some recent ones though like TLC Halloween or that new Dark Fall game which has nothing to do with the trilogy. I might check them out someday but it's not a priority.

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Hedon: Bloodrite (PC)

First off, this dev made Episode 2 which in itself might as well be an entirely new game, free if you bought the first Hedon. He could've easily sold it as its own thing and didn't. Kudos.

That out of the way, I was so pumped for this one that I actually in rare form went back and played Episode 1 because unlike other retro shooters this game actually had a plot and lore that I had pretty much forgotten when I beat it March this year. I honestly didn't expect Episode 2 to drop anytime soon but when I heard it did I dropped everything to beat it. The lore and plot continues here and much heavier this time. I love it. And there are hints for an Episode 3 but this time the dev has taken a real hiatus towards the series which is honestly well-deserved.

That said, is it a good game? Well. First I'd like to say that episode 1 was basically the dev finding his style. It had some DOOM and Quake going for it and that was great. Probably my favorite thing is that the weapons just feel so right and none of them ever feel obsolete. This is also an FPS with an amazing shotgun AND a flamethrower that actually works AND they're even the same gun! Episode 2 on the other hand is the dev clearly flexing his map-making and scripting muscles. Everything is bigger better and more impactful. New weapons, new enemies, new rockin' soundtracks.

Now I expected Episode 2 to be bigger in scale but more of the same. And herein lies the rub: It's Hexen. Hub Worlds. Multiple maps per map. Secrets relying on previously unlocked secrets. Inventory puzzles. Puzzles. Its not as confusing as Hexen thank god but, clearing a room then having to occasionally consult a guide for an item I might've missed or a piece of the puzzle that I did out of order severely throws the flow out of whack once in awhile. And there's 2 of them: 2 Hub Worlds with 3-4 levels each. I just want to kill some demons!

Also, unlike other Retro FPS', this game actually gives you a plethora of items to use and in fact they are necessary even on normal mode. I shudder to think how speedrunners even deal with hard its insane. I also feel contemptuous towards its boss fights which not only feel like something out of Serious Sam (which is fine if you weren't so brittle and half the enemy roster move faster than you AND shoot projectiles), but also have their own gimmicks. The final boss without spoiling has 5 fucking phases with little to no healing parts in between. Come on. That was just unfair.

In the end, I think I preferred Episode 1 but that's only because I really find the Hexen style of play to be a bit annoying so ymmv. I did appreciate the story and lore though and I hope Episode 3 comes soon when the dev feels like it.

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I forgot that I beat Psychonauts 2 (PC) a day before Avernum 1. Its a good game that made some minor qol improvements however. It was essentially more of the same down to the scavenger hunt that happens early game and even the flow which was by lategame you were whisked away to a completely separate area to just keep playing a set of levels with no chance of moving back until the finale. I just wanna say that this sequel's way of improving that problem by making the game an open world exploration game when everything is over, is like a patchwork solution. Obviously when I'm done with something like Psychonauts, I'm not gonna keep playing for long. There's nothing at stake anymore. Just give me my damn backtrack mechanic, game!

The plot was fine and it managed to resolve some unanswered questions but a couple of plotlines were dropped and some things just didn't make sense if you think about it hard enough.

My main gripe though is the brainworlds. Raz was basically playing psychoanalyst and fixing people's problems and so the worlds were more realistic for the lack of a better term. I like the hint of consent that came with each one though, but for me Psychonauts was always about the wackiness of each brainworld instead of literally fixing people's problems. I feel like the actions you do trivialize actual mental help irl. Idk. I want my napoleon boardgameworld is all. I want my velvet matadorworld. I don't care about mucking around an Overcooked parody fighting puking hand puppets or sailing around wind waker jr while listening to an abusive drunk's problems.

And today I beat Terminator: Resistance (PC) an example of a true 30 USD game that makes no attempts to be a 60 USD game like most. For an FPS made in 2019, its pretty decent. It tries to incorporate some mechanics we've seen before, mainly Fallout stuff but its hit and miss. Instead it shines in the little details of game design and my god you actually fight terminators in this game (and you struggle so much very early on). You also get to meet John Connor and save the damn timeline without any sort of sequel hook. Its a C+ kind of game that you rarely see now when a game either has to perform really well or suck forever. It feels like it came out in 2010 and has no business existing today but its here and it's alright.

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Avernum: Escape from the Pit (PC)

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Penumbra Twilight of the Archaic (PC)

Lovely little mini-dlc ish fan mod that answers some lingering questions brought on by Necrologue and the original games. It include yet even more Requiem levels which honestly surprises me into actually accepting Requiem as canon.

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Penumbra Necrologue (PC)

Thought I was done with the series, eh? As it turns out, the cult classic was so popular, it received a couple of fanmade sequels. Two of them a total conversion mod of Amnesia, and one currently in the works as a total convert of SOMA.

This mod is simply stellar. You'd think it really was the "third" Penumbra game, capping off the trilogy very nicely (the next one is a prequel). There are assets, backdrops, and models straight from Penumbra, with the only differing thing being the voice actors for obvious reasons. The second game was enough closure in itself, but this "third" one is a proper bookend, referencing not only the first two games but surprisingly even the rather droll Requiem as well, considering it canon of all things.

The fact that you enter the game delving into some mines (in Overture) and eventually a lab facility (in Black Plague) only to find out you're never going back means that this mod-sequel has a perfect opportunity to take you back the way you came. Through the labs in Black Plague and through the mine in Overture. And as such, Every important setpiece from the original games comes is recreated in the new Amnesia engine and it looks great!

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Penumbra Requiem (PC)

Yeah I know it sucks but I played it for the puzzles and for completion's sake.

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Penumbra: Black Plague (PC)

I feel that this shouldve just been the game itself. It didnt need to be a duology. It feels like FEAR 2; an improved game in terms of horror and mechanics but mainly more of the same. At least I dont have to skulk around some mines for more than half the game.

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Penumbra Overture (PC)

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Iconoclasts was amazing. I love the story and it made me think about it for weeks. But I will admit the metroidvania part of it just fails.

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Zombie Shooter 2 (PC)

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Zombie Shooter (PC)

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

Barrow Hill: The Dark Path (PC)

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Everhood (PC)

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

Mayhem in Single Valley (PC)

Nice cool gem I found. Worth playing and I can forgive its flaws like the somewhat repetitive but jammy soundtrack and how perspective messes with you sometimes when shooting and platforming. Luckily you can pretty much save and load anywhere save the finale so its forgiveable.

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Mirror's Edge Catalyst (PC)

6/10

Glad I wasn't at all excited for this one. Beautiful game though.

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Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)

103% The trilogy is beaten.

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

Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle (PC)

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SteamWorld Dig 2 (PC)

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SteamWorld Dig (PC)

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

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC)

Ittle Dew does it better. You'll wanna play this for the humor and it is decent. The gameplay is clunky but serviceable and its not that long anyways. What I didn't expect was the dark backstory. It was kinda interesting how the game is set in a post-apoc setting and humans are dead and nuked. You being sentient fruits and veggies are a result of toxic radiation. Also, I just realized it but the game crosses the line twice when you inadvertently kill a little girl with radiation, only to have to fight said girl as a boss. And kill her.

So yeah, this game was actually interesting in that the unfolding worldbuilding was pretty intriguing a take. However, after the above spoilered revelation, the game leaves it at that, focusing more on you and your attempts to evade taxes. Interesting secret boss though but I would really have loved exploring that backstory a bit more. Shame.

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Nancy Drew 32: Sea of Darkness (PC)

This took a great while to get back into. Part of it was because I had already played this one and was debating playing it again so recently. But I'm glad I did. I discovered parts that I thought I knew but didn't. ND32 holds a special place for me. It was one of the first ND games I've ever played, maybe the one that really got me into this series. I used to await the series until the whole drama with game 33 happened (tl;dr change in management at Her Interactive and the decision to change engines to Unity made the dev cycle reaaaaaally long in a game series where 2 games are churned every year).

And that's when I decided. I was going to go back and suffer through the old games, playing them in order until ND33 got made. Or if it didn't, I would've lost this cosmic bet I made to myself. But luckily enough, it finally did release and I hear it is not good. But I'm a fan now so I'm gonna have to play it and see for myself.

As for the game itself, I think its great. My opinion of it is stronger than before. I couldn't understand the format of an ND game back then and thought it was just a regular point-click affair but knowing where its come from and how much has changed...essentially several liberties have been taken in ND32 that's different from previous affairs. I'm gonna save myself the embarrassment of geeking out on the subtleties of this game because nobody will understand. But I'll give you an example: I was amazed that for the first time Nancy finds herself in two death-defying traps instead of the mandatory one that I've been getting for the past 31 games. It's such a refreshing twist.

The game itself is still a treasure hunt essentially, but now its way entrenched in the central plot of another mystery. All the suspects actually have stakes and character developments that happen throughout the game and the villain ultimately did it for other reasons than just being a greedy sonofabitch. I think this game has one of the most sympathetic culprits actually.

Gamewise, there are puzzles I've never seen before so right off the bat it didn't recycle anything. It even had a primitive version of the 1024 game you see in mobile phones nowadays. There's even one puzzle that lampshades the fact that its extremely abstract in nature that even Nancy finds it silly to "fix a heating lamp this way". The way that the treasure is found; the ship being part of the setting and for logical historical reasons is wonderful and never feels contrived. And the music is amazing as always.

I also did not realize at the time that the game was set in Iceland, which I've always wanted to visit. It is quite beautiful and idk this game will probably be the closest thing to it for a long time.

Now all that's left is ND33 Midnight in Salem and I'll have "caught up" with this series once and for all!

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Lost Ruins (PC)

Dead Cells with the combat system of Blasphemous minus the stamina bar. Oh, also anime tiddied boss fights.

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

Return to Zork (PC)

The very first Zork game I ever had as a kid. Beaten. Not as tedious as I imagined it would be.

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

Turok (PC)

Fuck this game is amazing. The N64 one was garbage and I could never finish it. This one just felt so right. I'm glad it was finally ported.

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

Cloud Cutter (PC)

Kind of an unknown game on Steam right now if the reviews are any indication. Cloud Cutter is a shmup that leans more on 19XX and Raptor games than touhou. It's all about blowing shit up and feeling good about it instead of dodging insane patterns. There's alot of modernized qol improvements such as different kinds of bullet colors, realistic enemies and explosions, depth (bullets and enemies getting bigger the nearer they approach you), and the most controversial change a health bar with enemies dropping health upon death when you get too low. Luckily you can change the latter in the options menu.

The game has no story and no context. You start, and you have 13 missions to complete. With the way the last one ended, I feel like there should be more on the way and in fact the devs have expressed a DLC or two. But tbh, this is a very valiant effort and a sub-genre to shmups that takes you back to the arcade days. It might not be Mars Matrix or Jamestown, but its got its own thing goin on.

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I'm back with a clear head to rant about Enderal.

Okay first off, Get This Game. Seriously. It's free if you have Skyrim (its a total conversion mod), and I do believe it has an SE edition for SE Skyrim as well. This game is so so so far from what Skyrim is. Bethesda take notes. Although it takes place some years after Nehrim: At Fate's Edge which in turn is a total conversion mod of Oblivion, it is not necessary to play. And in case you're curious the devs worked on 2 more games: Arktwend and Myar Aranath, both TCMs of Morrowind. Only the former has an english patch (sub only). All 4 games are part of a created universe called Vyn. These games are known as "The Vyn Saga".

In fact Enderal is the only game with English dubbing and my oh my the writing and the voice-acting is divine. There is more emphasis on dialogue and discourse when it comes to interactions. Plot-moving things to say are clearly marked, letting you know that there are a ton of other lines from which to explore the lore and hear people talk. Apart from the rather limited things the normal NPCs say you'll be hearing quite alot as everyone in this game actually talks like a normal person. This isn't really a problem because there aren't alot of towns and so if you just keep hearing the same thing in the same town, you sort of just get used to it.

From the moment you land on the titular continent, Enderal has lots to offer. About six to eight biomes all distinct. Every dungeon is uniquely made. There are collectibles to find; you be hard pressed to 100% the achievements in this game. The enemies though lacking in variety are very well placed and more importantly do not level up with you. This gives you a subtle way of knowing when exactly you can explore a certain area. That is to say, you might not be able to tell if you like me, decided to play like Skyrim and go stealth archer only to be mauled by the first set of wolves.

Indeed the system for levelling was revamped to something more CRPG. You get points every level up to distribute abilities to. But also, you have to actually purchase skill books to learn the appropriate skill and every 25 levels the books ratchet up the price. I find this a very good strategy so as not to immediately bloat your wallet to ridiculous levels. Of course, if you just go straight for the Rhetoric skill then yeah bartering becomes Skyrim-levels of dumb. Incidentally, you'll wanna do it anyway as Rhetoric gives you some very unique dialogue to be sure.

Let's get to the meat of things. The plot and the themes this game explores. Enderal is not a happy tale. It is a somewhat deconstructing romp through a traditional heroic storyline. But it doesn't try to be as in your face as possible with the deconstruction. It plays out more like a swamp of a novel; it hooks you in slowly with beautiful bits of description, giving you a sense of wonder before it absolutely devours you and before you know it you have to see it through the end even though you might dread what's beyond that door. I'm trying really hard to sell this game without spoiling it, because it is just something you have to witness. I haven't played anything this dark since idk Memoria? And that was a point-click adventure.

The themes of this game are tied to "Endings". There is nary a source of life outside the capital. Animals are going rabid. Undead are rising again. Bandits strewn across the land. It seems like the world is on the brink of extinction. The falling apart of humanity both physically and mentally is nigh. Especially the latter. The game is very good at showing you how a person just breaks down no matter how valiant they can be. The sidequests are 90% either tragic in hindsight, or twisted into an undesirable outcome on the last minute. In fact the one quest that ends pretty well for everyone involved with no twists whatsoever felt like a twist in itself because I was expecting something to happen.

Now here's the part where I go into a bit of Spoiler territory and tell you how I love/hate how it ends. Because the end is just...its one of those makes you think about life kind of games. Basically, you start off as this "Chosen One" despite being an Outsider and is prophesized to prevent something called The Cleansing which has to the shock of many been happening for aeons. Everytime, the same thing. So you go have some adventure, discovering things you think the bad guys are keeping from you and a plan is made to defeat an enemy that can't be fought and what happens.

You all die.

It turns out that everything. Even being The Chosen One. Was the plan all along. What every Cycle has been doing to try and save themselves from The Cleansing was the Cleansing. The Silver Lining? Pffff. Alright, the silver lining is you're actually the first person to self-actualize as "an agent of the bad guys". And so now you have 2 choices: The Bad Ending in which you sacrifice yourself to prevent the Cleansing of the world...only affecting the entire Enderalean continent. Or The Worse Ending in which you just gtfo and let the entire world of Vyn cleanse itself, escaping in order to become a new god for the next Cycle hoping that The Cleansing doesn't happen again. The new edition updated with a secret ending in which you just die but in your dreams everything is awesome. So yeah.

So yeah I think I'm done gushing about this game. Best game I've played this year. Definitely washes off the bad taste of Greedfall in my mouth. Go play this game. And if you got questions about it, just ask em.

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

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

102% cleared.

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

Enderal: Forgotten Stories (PC)

Not even close. No contest. This is my game played of the year. It's so beautiful. It doesn't do Skyrim justice. It turns everything into this awesome little adventure. And the themes. God. I knew where it was going and I wasn't ready for the end still. I haven't felt like this since playing Iconoclasts but that game didn't take itself seriously much and this one just pulled existentialism completely straight. Also kinda funny since I had just played Mass Effect. Seeing as that game's ultimate plot mirrors this one---ancient inevitable beings who exist outside our understanding, manipulating the entire world in order to bring about their self-annihilation, only to do it all over again.

There's alot I wanna say about this game and I might've made this post too early as I'm fresh out of the post-game funk. So maybe I'll come up with a decent writeup in the future. All I can say is, this game lingered for awhile in a manner who's themes are similar to the game itself. It was like Spec-Ops: The Line where the only to win was to not play at all. But unlike that game, it was all over in 15-ish levels. This one took its time. Set things up. The well-writteness of it, as well as the voice acting really sold things. Sold everything. God, this game.

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

Final Fight 2 (SNES)

This is the one I grew up on and now I see why nobody remembers this. While it was easier than the insane first game, it was too simple. I realize now playing oldschool beatemups that all enemies have a certain pattern to them and getting it down given the right combination was how you're suppose to play these things. Anyways the enemies were boring here. Probably just the 1 or 2 types stood out and the rest were just hardy at best.

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

Final Fight (SNES)

Single Credit. That Abigail is always such an asshole. I lost 5 lives to him

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

Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Beat it 101%

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

Mass Effect 2 (PC)

Well here it is, I did it. I honestly don't remember most of it when I abandoned it halfway ages ago. I recall being very bored with it; just talking and shooting and excuses to do both. I recall it being very limited in comparison to the first even thought they improved the mechanics. But I think I figured out why I hate this one.

It's not so much the missions themselves being repetitive and some of the 12 you get on board aren't very exciting (actually most are droll at best, but nothing I didn't particularly hate, owing it to the lore and worldbuilding and voice-acting). It's more of, when you get down to it this game is just about getting 12 people and doing 12 things with them then 4 more missions of payback and some DLC icing. I get that this game tropified loyalty missions, but JRPGs were doing character-centric development way before ME2 was. It's interesting to have to explore each character to make them feel more real and immersive, but not when it's a game mechanic in itself. FF6 is a better ME2.

That said, experience was so-so. I didn't feel utterly tedious until the last few side quests so its great in that regard I guess.

EDIT: That said, I just wanna talk about something unrelated for a second. Jojo Part 8.

ME2 reminds me of Jojo Part 8 because when it comes down to it, Jojo Part 8 is a Mystery manga with Stands. Like, the entire thing could've been great but the Stands and bizarre fights feel tacked on simply because "its Jojo". Most of the battles have little to no payoff either because it was a misunderstanding or the bad guy wins anyway. And most of the battles are less "Shounen" for the lack of a better term. My theory is simply that Araki's signature is trying to mature and its not doing a good job because its holding on to the past.

I don't think every fight was lame btw. The Snail fight was an interesting cerebral experience, that could only work in Part 8 because its stands are really less fighty and more sleuthy.

If Araki wanted to do a great Mystery manga, then he should've just nixed the Stands. The story alone is honestly worth it. Or, if it was inevitable, he should've put Stands and fights into the wayside. Or. He should've done the complete opposite and gone full tilt, sacrificing a bit of sleuthing for bizzareness. My most hated example right now is that Stand who is basically the Internet. All that stand does is act like a GPS but it does nothing in fights that might perhaps need the use of an on-the-spot forensics observation or a googling of someone's personal life, likes, dislikes, habits. It doesn't go beyond anything more than "this stand just tells me where to go by 'coincidence'" and I feel like every stand is like this. Wasted potential.

Another example is our main man Josuke who the only thing he seems to steal that aren't physical objects is "friction" and "sound". The Josuke from Part 4 was way more interesting by comparison.

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Mass Effect (PC)

I thought I was kidding myself but I actually did it. Went back and played this all over again after being so reminded of it playing Greedfall. I remember everything about this game and how terrible its mechanics were, but forgot that once upon a time the worldbuilding and setting were solid and it still held up. I even forgot that at least one party member had to die and I had to deal with that shit.

Its so strange now to see where Bioware is and has become. I wouldn't really feel their arrogance I suppose until Game 3. I originally gave up on ME2 because I hated how it just became a shooter and the RPG mechanics took a backseat. But this game was broken as a shooter as well so ehhh. Maybe this time I'll power through the 2nd game for real.

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Greedfall (PC)

Ugh, from one B-List game to another. Well on the plus side, this was a vacation compared to Nioh. On the other, it was like a clunky Bioware RPG clone. I actually want to go back to Mass Effect (which I dropped because it bore me) because of this game which is a damn shame.

Amazing universe and setting. Intriguing politics. But mediocre everything else. Mainly, it is the insane amounts of backtracking in this game and for what: Talking to people. Useless padding like you wouldn't believe. I had to employ a speedhack just to survive but it got real boring even after I was running around like The Flash.

At least most generic RPGs had you get 20 bear butts or fight some bandits or *something* to accompany to unique parts of the game (looking at you Witcher 1). But in Greedfall, the sidequests consist of running around talking to people who can't be bothered to talk to each other themselves. And they're not even exciting! One mission had me dealing with land rights. This is how the quest flowed:

• Talk to people in the land
• Run back to the city, ask the Advisor (4 flights of stairs btw) for advice.
• Run down to the archives to get the deed (its in the basement, so thats 5 flights down)
• Run back out and talk to the previous governor to decipher the deed (1 flight up and around the block outside)
• Run back to the Advisor (4 flights again) to come to a legal decision.
• Run back to the land and talk to the people.

And then the game has you do it AGAIN. All of that above, AGAIN. For another dispute concerning the land. It's ridiculous. Were I not a completionist who wanted those sweet EXPs I wouldn't have bothered. Nioh was tedious for being overwrought. This piece of shit was tedious for being the exact opposite. Its droll, lifeless, mundane in its execution. It feels like an awesome looking MMO but after you walk around you realize that everyone is just a static NPC and the quests don't have you doing anything epic.

Avoid.

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

I still remember playing MMZ4 and being very sad when I found out that was the last game in the series. Like in MMBN6.

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

I don't wanna start fights but imo its 2>1>3

The minigames are fine. It was the first implementation of such design in an Insomniac game that you would see later on in Ratchet and Clank so I can forgive some of it for being dastardly. Despite that, they still aren't impossible. Although I gotta be honest, playing re-ignited on the PC is very cathartic because the mouse is mapped to right analog stick and it basically trivializes almost all the minigames.

The first Spyro was a magical trip, but it was just too basic in hindsight. It started the collectathon genre for me that wouldn't be perfected until Psychonauts. And it showcased Insomniac's ability to make great music and worlds. But it was mostly an exercise in run jump glide and didn't have a personality of its own. I would still play it, moreover the remake. But I would def play 2 more.

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

Infectornator 3: Apocalypse (Android)

Maybe you'll remember this title from the Flash games of the past. The 3rd one is surprisingly solid as it does not have IAPs for one which is just great. This one improves the visuals a whole lot albeit I do miss the pixelized art style. It throws alot of new mechanics and encourages you to use items more as this time they are easier to refill and easier to use all at once.

The difficulty curve flattens immediately right after the halfway point and while there are many paths towards your ultimate world domination goal, the game forces you to make a beeline towards a lab in some country across the world that's making the cure. The repetitive nature of the game does not lose its flair for a long time as you unlock newer and more kinds of zombies than the last two games combined but it does eventually peter out and you will have to trudge in the last moments of the game as you have to darken every single continent to win.

It's got that fun cannot-put-it-down nature but after finishing it the first time, it leaves a sort of feeling where your zombie girlfriend just ravished you leaving you broken and undone. However if you are an optimization fiend, there are leaderboards for attempting this repetitive exercise in as few days as possible. Fun? Eh.

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Solioxrz362 posted...

The sequel is a lot of the same, BUT it's better at everything. The story in the first game is garbage, but great in the second game. The gameplay keeps all the same mechanics, but you get more weapons to play with and a new mechanic where you turn into a Yokai.

I thought the original was like a 7 and the sequel was a 9 despite being largely the same in structure. So take that as you will. I recommend you give the second game a fair shot but definitely give it a while to wash the bad taste of the first game out of your mouth.

That's very nice to know. But yeah you're right. This game left me very drained and I need something fun and exploitable that doesn't let me think much about builds or crafting or what have you. Diablo mechanics in a Dark Souls game is a weird unsafe design.

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

Nioh: Complete Edition

Did not expect the game to be this long. I don't think I've ever played a more frustrating game that I just kept playing anyway. I was expecting something Dark Soulsy yeah, but there was so much theorycrafting that ultimately it had me mentally stressed as I had to keep track of so many little mechanics the game was tossing my way. I also didn't like the mission based structure of it and would have preferred a consistent persistent world like in DS.

Also, definitely don't play it for the garbage story. It would've been fine but I wish the game was more about yokai hunting rather than the historical reliving of the Sengoku era all over again. It was kind of like enjoying Jojo 1 and 2 then suddenly everyone has a Stand now and you start acquiring them like Megaman powerups. It is a Capcom game after all. Still, this game is pretty much a spiritual successor to not only the Onimusha series (which I just beat recently) but Genji as well.

I *might* go on and play the sequel but I think I'm gonna take a rest from here for awhile.

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

Superliminal (PC)

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

The Mystery of the Druids (PC)

Finally got to play this memetically terrible game. It's a terrible adventure game and has one of the dumbest protagonists in history. I will say thought that this is the first adventure game where every person in Detective Halligan's life acknowledges that he is in fact an Adventure Game protagonist, and such all of his acts of klepto and jerkassery have consequences. It's a wonder how he's even a Scotland Yard detective in the first place.

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

I'm actually slighted that people hate Spyro 2. Spyro 2 is the one that put it on the map for me. And I treat all of the original 3 with a higher regard than any of the trash that followed.

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

Hedon (PC)

I love this retroshooter. Yeah it was made in GZDOOM but it's very polished. It starts out all metal and stuff and the trailer will have you believe this is another one of those frantic ultraviolent 1 vs Many romps. But I was surprised to find that while the levels did have huge setpieces, most of them were spent exploring, learning the lore and appreciating the worldbuilding.

But probably my favorite design choice is the puzzle solving. There is a more creative thematic bent to what are essentially key and button hunts. Instead of telling you to get the red key to fit the red door to press the button that makes a sound to hint you of a door opening closeby, you're given a setpiece; a mansion in the woods. How do I get in? Maybe a tunnel in a lake. Maybe through the front or the side. I honestly thought this game was made by the Build engine with the sheer amount of creativity going into the level structure and the way the enemies gibbed and some of the weapons and playstyles actually reminded me of Blood.

And I think this is why Hedon is such a hard sell for anyone looking for another Dusk or Amid Evil. Because its not. You are a gun-toting thicc half-orc looking for some payback, but there's more to it. You're in a war. You've lost your memories. Your sisters are out there somewhere and these cultists; how could they have gotten in despite everything? All this intrigued me up until the end. By the way, there's barely any metal in this game nor are there roomful of monsters to face up until maybe the last 2 levels. All the monster placements were very careful and calculated and the pacing was very different.

I can't wait for episode 2.

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

Control: Ultimate Edition (PC)

Decided to just re-play the whole game again when initially I was just waiting for the AWE DLC to drop. I was very very excited for it and I'm super glad that it (other game spoilers) decided to canon-weld Alan Wake and put him in the spotlight this time. Previously, he was just slyly referenced little by little. Alot of my appreciation for the AWE DLC is because of my love for Alan Wake, which is why I played all of its games in anticipation last year. I'm not really too happy about Ultimate's integration because the DLC has unique powerups and mods strictly only for the floor you explore in. It would've been nice to have them throughout the whole game as playing it now expertly, it would've greatly helped with balance; the monsters and fights got way too easy less than halfway in and all I had to do was pump the TK/Launch Skill. Bosses that I would have a hard time repeating over and over before, are suddenly trivialized because I threw 3 forklifts at it (exaggerating, but it is possible). There were fights that I absolutely dreaded not repeating only to be surprised that it was done in 30 seconds or less. I completely abandoned using guns late-game.

But now I'm back to gush about Alan Wake. God. The universe fits so well and I'm so glad Remedy decided not to forget about their other franchise. I was honestly expecting Alan to finally escape the darkness, but then I realized what with how Control is framed, Alan's entire existence within the darkness is now a much better element than if it were a story about him escaping.

They put in alot of breadcrumbs that answer some of the unanswered mysteries in the form of how the government agency is seeing it. And I'm satisfied and impressed about it. I also got to fight and defeat Hartman, who if you know you're Alan Wake, is an asshole who you didn't get to directly deal with before. And by the end of it, of course they make it all open ended and hint that something AW-related is going to 'return'. I'm all for that honestly, but they better make good on that promise. It's been way too long.

Maybe they can integrate Max Payne too, lol.

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

Moons of Madness (PC)

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

Mainlining (PC)

I had this game ages ago but the final 2 cases weren't made yet. But now its done and playing it all over, I appreciate the tactileness of inputting IP Addresses to "hack" people. The game looks beautiful in its endless parody but is a definitely linear experience. If they had more time I suppose they could come up with a Hypnospace Outlaw-like universe but as it is, the ride was great.

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

Ittle Dew 2+ (PC)

Re-finished it, this time getting the true ending, the super duper secret remedy (where you fight That Guy from Princess Remedy) and get his skin) which had this really convoluted requirement that had you starting over a new game on hard mode just to get (I just cheated it; you were suppose to get a passcode or something). Then I finished the Bonus Content which was Dream World, at the time just released when I finished this game ages ago. I was so burnt out on the puzzling then that I just didn't bother, which is great because once I got to the final dungeon of Dream World, I was suuuuuper stumped for awhile. I would say on par with late-game Baba is You.

I will say thought that there was a room in Dream World I dub the trash puzzle, because it had every puzzle element in the game: Buttons, Blocks, Switches, Numbered Blocks, Gates. And I was in there for HOURS until I couldn't take it and looking online, the solution was Dead Simple. What a troll!

That said, this is still one of my favorites. I can't go wrong with Ludosity it seems and one of my favorite devs is in it (Daniel Remar of Iji fame). Its just a shame this game doesn't get more recognition than it deserves despite it being ported all over.

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