Kill Your Completion - Catch 22

[purgta]

Game #2 Chernobylite

 

 

 

Chernobylite is a survival horror game with base building mechanics. It is pretty fun so far. You explore the Chernobyl exclusion zone and try to slowly unravel the story's mystery. It is not really that similar to the Stalker series gameplay wise. If you go in expecting Stalker 2, you are going to be disappointed but as its own thing it is a lot of fun. I am still pretty early game though and resource management games tend to be the most enjoyable around this time.

 

I thought the tutorial was pretty bad. It is not really a good view of what the game is actually like. You would think the game was pure stealth after completing it. It is short but I could see it turning people away. You start each day off in your base and pick a mission to do for the day. You can also send out your party members to collect resources while you do your own thing. You have to keep up their morale by making sure they are well fed, have a place to sleep and are entertained. The game is broken up into levels which seem pretty open so far. You can do a scan which will highlight the location of nearby resources. It is a bit immersion breaking but I have been spamming it non stop. You can also spend skill points to have your party members teach you a perk. There is a menu that shows you a description of all the available perks, even if you have not recruited that particular party member yet which is nice.

 

I have not progressed too far into the actual story yet. The more characters you have the more resources you need to keep them happy. I have been exploring and improving my base for the moment. The gameplay loop is fun so far.

 

Next up for me is Shadowrun Hong Kong. I know Voodoo eyes mentioned he wasn't a huge fan of the series but I loved Returns and Dragonfall.

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #3 - Preview

 

 

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Genre: Survival Horror

Price: 39,99

 

 

Similar to the Yakuza franchise, I've played this one completely out of sequence. Starting with RE5 that I enjoyed a lot. RE Revelations (mediocre), Revelations 2 (didn't like it), RE4 (which was good) and then RE6 which was mediocre again.

I've also tried the first game and 0, both of which I couldn't get used to with the controls.

 

I'm quite looking forward to this one, and hopefully it'll end up on the list of enjoyable RE games for me. I think I played the demo back when it came out and wasn't completely convinced at the time.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

Just a quick update: I've played Planet Coaster and Spider-Man 2 on Sunday but haven't gotten around to writing yet (both were fun though, and I'll play at least one more game today. Next weekend is mostly free for me so I'm hoping to make good progress then, and catch up on writing if I haven't already.

[ProfSeajay7]

Finally got an update. Was a bit scared when I saw it was the 15th, but I forgot that your three days end every multiple of 3, not start. I'm getting old and forgetting basic math.

 

 

So yeah, this game.

 

I still think, after 30 years, I am a big fanboy of Dragon Quest, despite the art designer who inspired it, Toriyama, passing away. RIP.

 

However, my Dragon Quest chops were the Builders series and while those are fun, I need to pay respect to the original mainline. Sadly, this is the only game which has trophies as Dragon Quest had remained in the house of Mario except for VIII, which was a Playstation 2 game. Its port... went to the N's 3DS which means I can never play it unless I pay $300 for a physical cart due to online being unavailable. I have a copy of Dragon Quest VII's remake on my New 3DS(which has a broken HOME button which never works) and I will keep it there until the day I die and that New 3DS gets dumpstered.

 

I have earned the platinum on this game on my last account but here I am again. I need to remember Dragon Quests main games are not short or easy. And the last time I platinumed it, I did most of the things on 2D Mode which felt more comfortable to me. The usual 3D mode is a bit jarring, despite having a speed-up feature for battle(which isn't really fast at all, Ultra-Fast is only 2x faster), but I'll get over it.

 

I just finished the Manglegrove and am returning to the first village, so I'm about 10% of the way into the story. This game has three acts, and I'm only 10% into Act 1.

 

Profile Completion: 88.56% (+0.36%)

 

Yes, I actually healed my completion, because I had popped the platinums for both versions of the original Nexomon yesterday, so that completed my profile a bit. I am hoping this trip to Utah undoes that with the Vita game I have downloaded. But there is, of course, one more game I have to do beforehand...

 

Game #6: LEGO DC Super Villains

 

Yes, another LEGO game set in the DC universe, this time you join forces with the rogue's gallery of DC villains like the Joker and Lex Luthor alongside a bunch of people who you wouldn't know about if you didn't read every comic in the DC universe. 😜

 

The fun part is your main character is actually a customized character who has a weird ability to absorb powers. Sort of like Dhelsim in Infamous Second Son, a game I used to play early in my trophy hunting career before I realized how much I hate karma systems.

Edited May 15 by ProfSeajay7

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

 

Game #8: Planet Coaster

Playtime: under an hour

Trophy completion: 5/39 weighed as 7%

 

I have this on Steam too but decided to try it here since the Steam version doesn't have a tutorial.

 

I'm not often playing park sims - Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 was the only one I put any real time into until the Jurassic World Evolution games , and that was just in sandbox mode - but I instantly liked this, being catapulted back into my RTC3 goofing around.

 

I'll play more for sure, only question is do I do that here or on Steam.

 

 

Game #9: Spider-Man 2

Playtime: about half an hour

Trophy completion: 1/43, weighed as 1%

 

I liked it and will probably play it sooner than I thought I would. It feels fun and the web-swinging doesn't get old.

 

 

Game #10: Tunic

Playtime: under an hour

Trophy completion: 2/37 weighed as 2%

 

It feels like fun so far and I'm going to try more after the event. It feels fun that you only get the tutorial parts bit by bit.

 

 

Game #11: Hogwarts Legacy

Playtime: exactly 45 minutes

Trophy completion: 0%

 

Red flag: demo time 45 minutes instead of 2 hours like the rest. You guys afraid I'll see the main game too much and realise it's bad?

Red flag: I click on "do not link profile" and I still get a dozen outfit dlc rewards.

Red flag: so much cinematics in the prologue...

Red flag: can't jump off the cliff. So I guess it's not a proper adventure game, just pretty looking pictures where you hwalk from A to B.

 

I could go on. I might still get this but only when it's very, very cheap. I like the effort they've put into making stuff recognisable for movie fans though.

 

Ranking:

 

Definitely going to play more of

1) Ghost Of Tsushima

2) Maneater

3) Trials Of The Blood Dragon

4) Just Cause 4

 

Definitely going to buy

5) Planet Coaster

 

Probably going to play more of

6) Tunic

 

Probably going to buy

7) Spider-Man 2 

😎 Everspace 2

 

Probably not going to play more of

9) Mystic Pillars

 

Probably not going to buy

10) Hogwarts Legacy

 

Already deleted

11) Power Wash Simulator

Edited May 15 by Oobedoob S Benubi

[PerryToxteth]

KYC 22

Game No. 2

Ultimate General: Gettysburg

 

 

Playing Time: 3 hours?
Trophies Earned: 5/23 (10%)

 

Final Thoughts: The best military strategy game that I have found on a console was way back on the original PlayStation, so 20+ years ago? Panzer General, and its sequel Allied General were great, hexagonal map games and I’ve been searching for something similar ever since.

 And sadly, I’ve struck out again. Not that Ultimate General: Gettysburg is bad; it just seems terribly dumbed down for the PS5.  When I saw that this game was released, I headed to YouTube to see what the gameplay looked like. The overhead map looked great with 3Dish environments and units, and the game looked pretty involved with tech trees and using exp points to build up your regiments. 
Well, all those videos were highlighting Ultimate General: Civil War on the PC. This is UG: Gettysburg and there is a catastrophic difference. 
   Whereas the PC version takes you through countless campaigns spread all across the military theater, the Gettysburg game is just focused on the three-day battle that took place in 1863 in southern Pennsylvania. Because of that, there is no tech tree, no exp points and absolutely no carryover from skirmish to skirmish. 
 Essentially, it’s around 15-20 stand-alone mini-battles, that took place over the three days. If you know anything about the penultimate battle, you will be impressed at the historical focus the developers put in. For the environment, Little Round Top is here, along with the Wheatfield, Culp’s Hill, etc., etc. And all the units are historically based as well, with The Iron Brigade, Louisiana Tigers, and real generals like Buford, Sickles, Pickett. The units are division size, so around 1000+ men and each are labeled with their commanding officer.

  For gameplay, the battles are fought similarly to how the Total War series on the PC does battles, but again, dumbed down. You will want to line up your units to make a solid line, taking advantage of the terrain that will provide cover if possible. As enemy units engage, the winning tactic is to flank the opposing unit, by bringing another unit to the end of the line and earning enfilading fire. This is played in real time, but is slow enough for you to change tactics without getting angsty. The problem is, each battle I have played so far, kinda mirrors the previous one. You need to hold a couple points on the map as the time winds down. Hopefully, the game evolves as you get further into it.

  The other issue is there’s not many options with your units. Artillery doesn’t have a grapeshot option, infantry units stand shoulder to shoulder instead of having a disperse command when they are getting hit by artillery. Cavalry are useless other than scouts. Commands so useful in Total War are tragically missing here. 
  In conclusion , the game is fine. I will likely finish it. But after playing it a few hours, it made me long to replay Total War: Napoleon instead of sticking with this game.

 

Final Ranking: 

 

Next Up: Away, The Survival Series. I dropped Plague Tale from my list after I realized I wouldn’t have enough time to fully get into it. 

  

[MarkusT1992]

Game #3: LEGO City Undercover

 

 

I mentioned in my last post that this game originally released on the Wii U in 2013. Four years later it got released on PS4, XBox One, Switch and PC.

Since the original was published by Nintendo only on Nintendo consoles there were some Nintendo specific collectables. If I remember corectly you could find those ?-blocks from Mario with a star in it and other Nintendo easter eggs like a piranha plant. Those things are removed from this version. Not sure if the Switch version still has them or not.

 

Gameplay wise it is like all the other LEGO games. I guess most people have at least played one LEGO game but if not, here is how all of them work.

You have an open world, in this game LEGO City, which you can freely explore. There are tons of things to do and collect. You have gold bricks, new character and vehicle token and red bricks to collect plus other activities like parcour, breaking doors open or using dynamite to explode stuff. And that's just the things I can do right now.

During the story you unlock different disguises for Chase, the main character of the game. You start with his civilian form and get his police form early on. Then you get the criminal and a mine worker. Later on you get a farmer, firefighter or astronaut and some more. Each version can do other things. Only the criminal can open doors with his crowbar and the mine worker can use the dynamite. Since you unlock those disguises through the story you can't do much in the open world at the beginning. The further you get the more you can collect.

A new thing in this game are the super build. Those are at specific places and use bricks you can get for breaking stuff or by finding special super bricks all around the world. To find all the stings to do and collect you have a scanner. Using that can mark nearby things on your minimap. By unlocking red bricks you can find more stuff with the scanner. In the Wii U version that scanner was your controller, now you just move it with the gamepad.

Besides the open world stuff you have the story levels. Each level has some puzzles to solve to reach the end. Some of those levels include super build for which you find the bricks inside the levels.

 

Just a few things about the story. Chase McCaine comes back to LEGO city after being absent for a while to arrest Rex Fury again who escaped from prison. Jase was the guy who arrested Rex originally so the mayor called him back. That's basically all of the story. Throught (undercover) police work you try to find clues about Rex.

 

There's also a 3DS game that is a sequel to this game called LEGO City Undercover: The chase begins. In my opinion the could have included that in this rerelease.

I enjoy playing a LEGO game every now and then and this one is no exception so far. The humour is great in this game, especiall Frank Honey, a quite stupid policeman.

 

Time played: 4h 30 min

Trophies: 9/49

Rating: 8,5

 

My next game will be Final Fantasy VII Remake

[PerryToxteth]

KYC 22

Game No. 3

 

 

Playing Time: 5 hours

Trophies Earned: 6/24 (21%)

 

Final Thoughts: I had no idea what a sugar glider was before this game. I also had no idea that I would ever curse so much because of a sugar glider. I don’t think I’ve sworn so much at a video game character since Lara Croft in the PS1 days. “Jump, you F’er, Jump!”

  Away:The Survival Series is an unusual game, where you control a sugar glider (squirrel-like, predatory marsupial) on its quest to track down its mother and sister. The start of this game is pretty interesting, the graphics are strong, the world is vibrant, and the game begins like you just tuned into a David Attenborough nature series, complete with narration. 
  But as the game moves on, troubles emerge with wonky controls, diabolical mechanics, screen tearing and a loss of the fun factor. I played through the Story Mode, not realizing until I was half way through, that there is also an Exploration Mode. I just assumed I was in a multi-hour tutorial part like I was playing a Ubisoft game. Even then, they still didn’t explain all the features of the game. At times, bars in different colors will appear around the glider’s head and I don’t know what they are indicating. And this is after I completed the story!

  In the Story Mode, the narrator will guide you along as try to track down a vulture, who swiped your family, but then chose not to eat them for days and days. The path is not apparent, until you realize there are lighted mushrooms to follow. You will know you are heading in the right direction when the narration or cut scene kicks in. A variety of things are thrown out you, including “battles” with bosses like a scorpion, black mamba, etc. The most annoying part is the platforming bits. It’s hard to direct your glider to make precise jumps and if he touches water, it’s almost assured he will die bc he can’t swim. So a good chunk of the game is missing a jump, watching him go kerplunk into water, and waiting for him to drown after 15-30 seconds. And then try again. 
  You will also have to do caretaking for the glider. He oddly, doesn’t need to drink water - ever! But he does need to eat. As you move along, you will want to grab a snack with small things such as mushrooms and berries, or go hunting for lizards, crickets and cicadas which have much more nutrition. I never found myself terribly in need of food, but if you die on Medium Mode, he only comes back with half life, so you need to scrounge around for snacks pronto. 
  What could be the coolest aspect of the game - climbing and flying - can become frustrating. It appears he can climb almost any tree, but once he starts, he will start doing circles and you can’t direct him to the place you want to get to. And the glider lives up to his name by gliding (not flying), much like a flying squirrel. It’s similar to wingsuit flying in Ubi titles like Steep or Riders Republic, but with nowhere near the agile controls. There are a few sections you will have to repeat over and over again bc he is just not easy to maneuver. 
  I just started the Exploration Mode. It looks like I have hours and hours of collectible hunting to get the platinum. 🤮 And, I have to replay the Story mode for one trophy. I played on the most difficult level, assuming both difficulty trophies would pop upon completion. Nope, I just got the Medium one and not the Easy trophy. Argh! There’s also a Hard Mode I guess, though you aren’t offered it at startup and the one hard trophy pops halfway through the game.  This tells you all you need to know about the developers.

  In conclusion, it was an interesting premise for a game, but the story gets dragged out and isn’t all that compelling. And the looks of an open world actually become quite linear once you get going. A good idea but I’m not sure the developers hit their mark. Still, it was interesting to play. .

 

Next Up: PGA Tour 2K23

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #3 - Final Impressions

 

 

Time played: 7h

Trophies earned: 17/45

 

 

I actually only spent a bit over 3h of actual game time with this game. No idea where the remaining 4 hours come from, but that's what the profile says.

I just got to the sewer part in Leon's first run. Still confuses me how that works, but once I get through the whole game I assume I'll get the idea.

 

For the most part I quite like this game. Atmosphere, voice-acting and visuals are great. I thought I'd find the back and forth for items to progress to be tedious, but it's actually not too bad. Save points are few, but enough and there are plenty of autosaves.

 

What I'm not the biggest fan of is the enemies being a bit of bullet sponges. I get it that it's mainly to be a survival horror with the idea being to avoid enemies where you can. It would at least be nice to have a clear indicator when an enemy is actually "dead dead" instead of potentially wasting bullets on them.

The infamous Mr X parts haven't been too bad either and add to the atmosphere, especially when using headphones.

 

So far it's an 8/10 for me.

[ProfSeajay7]

 

So yeah, we have a third LEGO game based in the DC multiverse on the docket, this one with an interesting twist: Your roster for the story are the rogue's gallery of the DC-verse, not the superheroes. I will have to boot up LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes now and try to finally get a PS3 game on the profile, but this game is sort of interesting in that you have an actual protagonist, a mandatory custom character who everyone called "Rookie"(which is why I named my last FFXIV character who is now gone the last name of Rookie ) who has the power of Peter Petrelli... uh, no, nobody here has watched the mini-series Heroes, so let's use a video game reference.

 

The Rookie is basically Dhelsim from Infamous: Second Son, who has the power to absorb the energy of super-humans and obtain their powers. If you are a fan of the DC-52 comics, you probably know who Amazo is. You also know about Earth-3 and the Crime Syndicate. If you don't read DC comics, this is your first intro to all that lore.

 

Over the course of the story, Rookie absorbs canisters like Dhelsim did and obtains new powers. Unlike Dhelsim, who uses powers in sets, these are individual powers which have properties of usual LEGO powers. They first get the Heat Ray that destroys gold objects, then the ability to grow or shrink(if you played LEGO Dimensions, this is sort of like the Size ability) and then they get super strength that allows them to grab giant objects and throw them to break walls in the air, similar to the Incredible Hulk or similar giant-sized figures in the LEGO Marvel games.

 

I just finished the fifth story level and am now tasked with finding Gorilla Grodd. Much of the stuff from The LEGO Movie games and LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2(like the hacking mazes that Khamala had to get through and the ability to take selfies, which are collectibles in the levels - you have to find paintings, deface them, and then take a selfie) are here. All in all, a very standard LEGO title using many of the same DC characters as LEGO Batman 3. They even have load screen movies of Lois Lane and Jimmy Orson tracking the events and talking about them. Very nice.

 

Completion Profile: 87.20% (-1.36%) (I actually don't think it was this game that did the dirty on my completion; I just started up Cat Quest II which probably killed my completion more than this game did and I am sure that LEGO Batman 2 will kill it even further. 😼)

 

So, as I said before, tomorrow I am going to be leaving my computer and going on a plane to Utah for a gaming marathon which I will attend two days of before coming back on the 22nd. Since I will be back a day after I finish my next game, I won't be able to write a review on the 21st as I will be in a hotel with no computer and my phone's internet is limited. So expect the review of the next game on Wednesday. I will probably not do Game #8 on the 22nd as I will probably be too tired from jet lag, so I will have to do double duty on the 23rd to make up for that, which is fine as the game there will be grindy, but speaking of grinds, let's get to the next preview!

 

Game #7
Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention

 

Since I can't take my PS4 or PS5 on the plane - I did take the PS5 on the plane last trip but I feel like it was too much of a hassle - I am only bringing a few handhelds. A 3DS for a redo of Pokemon Omega Ruby(great title) for a Professor Oak Challenge, my Nintendo Switch Lite(I won't bring my other Switch as I don't intend to be trading Pokemon with myself during the trip) and my PS Vita. Therefore, since I want to avoid failing the challenge, I have to get trophies, so I'm playing a PS Vita game and decided, on a whim, to do this.

 

Disgaea 3 was and probably still is my favorite Disgaea game as the setting of a demon academy with a very eccentric mad scientist student is comedy gold. The Vita version adds in a bunch of new content, including the PS3's DLC stories and a new story line involving two new characters from a rival demon academy. I know that I will be regretting this game as there are a lot of difficult boss fights (due to this game having none of the quality of life features that Disgaea 4 or 5 have like the cheat shop) and the three trophies for reverse pirating in the Item World are just pure RNG. Still, I love this game and want to add it to my roster, and it has plenty to occupy an hour of my time for the three days I will be in Utah.

 

So, I hope you all have a good day and I'll update on the 22nd as soon as I get back home. See ya later!

Edited May 18 by ProfSeajay7

[grumpaluffagus_1]

Game #2: Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection

Time played: 3 hours

Trophy progress: 3/45 (7%)

 

Game #2 is in the books with Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection. I am massively behind from where I should be in this challenge thanks to some unexpected IRL events, but I should be able to get caught up this weekend.

 

This game is a simple port of the original Star Wars Battlefront games to modern hardware. The developers advertised that there were a few more heroes, and maybe a new map or two but nothing radically different from the originals. This works because the originals were just fun, you play as one of the four factions CIS, Republic, Rebels or Empire and work on capturing command posts, depleting enemy reinforcements and a few other side objectives. Each class within each faction feels different and allows you to customize your playstyle, I mostly played as the base soldier class but tried each of the other ones. For some reason, sniping really isn't my thing in these games. The base gameplay loop is identical to what I remembered as a kid, kill other units until you get killed and then respawn and try again. There is an online mode to these games now, but I read that none of the trophies were supported online so I never tried it (probably a good thing since it apparently has a ton of problems).

 

Each game has it's own series of campaigns, I spent most of my time in Battlefront's campaign. Here you play through significant battles from the original and prequel trilogy with movie cutscenes as the intro and finale to each one. Most of these battles are very easy, but some do require a bit more work thanks to starting with fewer reinforcements than the enemy or the enemy having multiple vehicles that must be dealt with before they destroy your life. Battlefront II, which I played a little of, has an original story following a legion of clones from the start of the clone wars through the rise of the Empire. I didn't get far in it, but it at least has some story as opposed to the original Battlefront. However, the draw of these games for me is not the story but rather the ability to drop into the Star Wars universe for a few minutes and just blow the heads off those Rebel scum. There's no need to master any deep mechanics or follow a thought provoking story line. Just hop in and have some fun.

 

The only other thing worth mentioning here is the price. This game goes for $35 on most platforms right now, the content here is probably worth only $15, there were no significant upgrades to the originals and the multiplayer is apparently not great. As someone who has the original Battlefront II for PC on my collection shelf, having trophy support is not enough to justify paying that much extra money for it.

 

Overall: 7/10

 

Starting Percentage: 58.45%

Current Percentage: 57.32%

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

 

Game #12: Jurassic World Evolution 2

Playtime: about half an hour

Trophy completion: 2/55, weighed as 2%

 

So I've played this game on Steam Deck and the first one on PS4, but I really really felt like buying it on PS5 and playing it a bit on a big screen with better graphics.

 

On Steam I said if you liked JWE1 you'd love JWE2, and if you disliked JWE1 then JWE2 would probably have fixed enough for you to enjoy it.

 

I'm getting in a bit of a park sim mood lately, since finishing my third Stardew Valley run. First Planet Coaster, now this, and I have my eye on Planet Zoo for when it goes on sale again.

 

Anyway, JWE2 is still awesome and the PS5's power (which the Deck has traded in for portability) do the dinosaurs justice. Looking forward to spending another couple dozen hours in this.

 

I've decided to make JWE2 and Assassin's Creed Mirage not mere bonus games, but just owned games that I actually get the regular requirement of three hours in. So on the bottom I'll still do my PS+ ranking, but when I'll get three hours into JWE2 and Assassin's Creed Mirage (and possibly one or more other owned games), I'll add ratings for them too. I'm currently thinking 17 PS+, 5 owned might be a good thing. Then I'll actually have five games that I got enough time in for the regular event too and the 17 PS+ games are just a bonus kill.

 

Ranking of PS+ games:

 

Definitely going to play more of

1 - Ghost Of Tsushima

2 - Maneater

3 - Trials Of The Blood Dragon

4 - Just Cause 4

 

Definitely going to buy

5 - Planet Coaster

 

Probably going to play more of

6 - Tunic

 

Probably going to buy

7 - Spider-Man 2 

8 - Everspace 2

 

Probably not going to play more of

9 - Mystic Pillars

 

Probably not going to buy

10 - Hogwarts Legacy

 

Already deleted

11 - Power Wash Simulator

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #4 - Tales of Kenzera Zau - Preview

 

 

Developer: Surgent Studios

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Genre: Metroidvania

Price: 19,99

 

 

Not much to say about this one. Had no intention of buying this when I saw it announced (don't even remember where I saw it to be honest). Then it came to PS+ extra on launch day and I figured, I might as well try it. So here we are.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

2 hours ago, voodoo_eyes said:

Not much to say about this one. Had no intention of buying this when I saw it announced (don't even remember where I saw it to be honest). Then it came to PS+ extra on launch day and I figured, I might as well try it. So here we are.

I put it on my list too after I saw it on PS+, hadn't heard about it before. It looks interesting though. I'll make sure to play it today so I have my under-one-hour opinion.

[purgta]

Game #3 Shadowrun - Hong Kong

 

 

 

Shadowrun: Hong Kong is a turn-based tactical role-playing video game set in the Shadowrun universe. It is a pretty terrible comparison but it is a bit like a fusion of cyberpunk and xcom with some fantasy races thrown in.

 

I am not really too far into the main story to comment on it but it seems good so far. It seems a bit more personal than the large scale of Dragonfall's story. Companions all seem good so far. Doesn't seem to be any Blitz type characters from dragonfall here. The hub area can be a bit annoying to navigate. There are lots of narrow pathways which can sometimes be a pain to move through. The game seems to control fine on console though. Far better than I was expecting. I played the first two games on PC and think it is a decent port. For the most part, Hong Kong is just a continuation of the previous game, gameplay wise. If you didn't enjoy Dragonfall, you probably wont enjoy Hong Kong.

 

I tend to get choice paralysis in these games when it comes to creating a character in these games. I want to spec to be able to see everything but that tends to make a companion obsolete. I am a street samurai but I am thinking of resetting to play a decker. I like the decker companion this time around but I fell like I am missing out on content.

 

I might leave this for after the event. I really enjoy this series and want to give it my full attention. It is unlikely we will get another game in the series from Harebrained Schemes. Next up for me is Dave the Diver.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

17 hours ago, purgta said:

I really enjoy this series

I have three games in the series (Hong Kong, Returns, Dragonfall) on Steam unplayed, through some bundle.

 

Would you recommend them to someone who doesn't regularly play turn based tactical RPGs? I think the only games in that genre that I've played are The Banner Saga and Mario+Rabbids. Technically I think one of the two Ubisoft South Park RPGs was tactical but those are more joke games than anything else.

 

17 hours ago, purgta said:

Next up for me is Dave the Diver.

I hope you enjoy it; I played a little bit on Steam when it released then had it refunded. I might try it again on PS+ since there's no time limit to trying it out.

 

Edited May 20 by Oobedoob S Benubi
No PSNP, I don't want you to merge my review post with my reply post.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

 

Game #13 - Tales Of Kenzera: Zau

Playtime -  about half an hour

Trophy completion - 1/20, weighed as 1%

 

It seems like a colourful and fun metroidvania so far, though personally I like my metroidvanias to focus on exploration/platforming over combat. The story appears clichéd and is about love and loss (and I'm assuming, letting go).

 

I just saw it on PS+ and thought I'd give it a go while knowing nothing about it. It seems like a decent game, with the gameplay and design being good and the story being forgettable, but not for me.

 

On the ranking list: I realised Planet Coaster isn't a demo but a regular PS+ game so I had to put it under a different category.

 

Ranking of PS+ games:

 

Definitely going to play more of

1 - Ghost Of Tsushima

2 - Planet Coaster

3 - Maneater

4 - Trials Of The Blood Dragon

5 - Just Cause 4

 

Definitely going to buy

 

Probably going to play more of

6 - Tunic

 

Probably going to buy

7 - Spider-Man 2 

8 - Everspace 2

 

Probably not going to play more of

9 - Mystic Pillars

10 - Tales Of Kenzera: Zau

 

Probably not going to buy

11 - Hogwarts Legacy

 

Already deleted

12 - Power Wash Simulator

Edited May 20 by Oobedoob S Benubi

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

 

Game #12: Jurassic World Evolution 2

Playtime: about two hours

Trophy completion: 4/55, weighed as 5%

 

Final Review

 

With me having put thirty hours into this game on my Steam Deck, I feel comfortable leaving a final review after two hours. I might play more today but I have to take review time where I can get it (I played Zau yesterday morning but didn't get around to reviewing until a couple of hours ago).

 

First: why I bought it on PS5: so I could play the game with its proper graphics, and boy, the game does not disappoint. Portability is nice and the game is perfectly playable on the Deck, but for the low sale price the game goes for these days I don't mind the double dip for a stable FPS with top graphics.

 

jWE1 was rushed, and no matter how much they improved the game after release, you kept noticing it in-game with weird choices they couldn't go back on any more. JWE2 is much more polished.

 

In my two hours on PS5, I completed the first two story missions. The story missions here are basically tutorials for the game, getting you familiar with the possibilities across some fifteen hours of play and making sure you're ready for the challenges of Chaos Theory and the Challenge mode, as well as making sure you know all your options when you start in sandbox mode.

 

Overall, this is possibly my favourite park sim (not that I've played that many) and it makes me think about getting Planet Zoo, even if that one leans more to the management side and less the excitement one.

 

Final rating:  - A great park sim that goes easy on the micromanagement and is all about the wow with the dinosaurs, inaccurate as the franchise may be on that front. What little flaws there are (like driving physics) are easily forgiven when looking at an Allosaurus hunting a goat.

 

Ratings of owned games:

Jurassic World Evolution 2 - 

 

Ranking of PS+ games:

 

Definitely going to play more of

1 - Ghost Of Tsushima

2 - Planet Coaster

3 - Maneater

4 - Trials Of The Blood Dragon

5 - Just Cause 4

 

Definitely going to buy

 

Probably going to play more of

6 - Tunic

 

Probably going to buy

7 - Spider-Man 2 

8 - Everspace 2

 

Probably not going to play more of

9 - Mystic Pillars

10 - Tales Of Kenzera: Zau

 

Probably not going to buy

11 - Hogwarts Legacy

 

Already deleted

12 - Power Wash Simulator

Edited May 20 by Oobedoob S Benubi
Corrected PS+ list

[Psy-Tychist]

I promise I'm still here... just lots of other things going on...

[purgta]

17 hours ago, Oobedoob S Benubi said:

I have three games in the series (Hong Kong, Returns, Dragonfall) on Steam unplayed, through some bundle.

 

Would you recommend them to someone who doesn't regularly play turn based tactical RPGs? I think the only games in that genre that I've played are The Banner Saga and Mario+Rabbids. Technically I think one of the two Ubisoft South Park RPGs was tactical but those are more joke games than anything else.

 

I hope you enjoy it; I played a little bit on Steam when it released then had it refunded. I might try it again on PS+ since there's no time limit to trying it out.

 

 

I think they are well worth an attempt. It might be best to start with the second game though. None of the stories are connected and they each take place in a different country. The first game, Shadowrun Returns is a bit basic compared to the later two. You might want to ask Voodoo their opinion about it as well. They mentioned in their Baldur's Gate post that they were not the biggest fan of the series.

 

I remember you mentioning that about Dave the Diver before the event started. Hopefully it clicks for me but since I got it on PS+ rather than buying it, no real worries if it doesn't.

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #4 - Tales of Kenzera Zau - Review

 

 

Time played: 12h

Trophies earned: 20/20

 

 

Since I got the platinum in this, might as well wrap this up.

 

For a first attempt at a game, not bad. Unfortunately not good enough.

 

Visuals are great and sound is well done. Story is predictable and not really grabbing. The gameplay is mediocre at best though.

 

It barely feels like a metroidvania. Yes, there is some backtracking and some skills you unlock throughout the story. The skills are mostly for traversal and puzzles though. While that aspect of the game is kept somewhat fresh, the combat pretty much stays the same the whole way.

There are also two chase-sequences, that were somewhat annoying. In those you have to escape while using all the traversal abilities you've acquired.

 

Overall, I'm glad I didn't buy it and got to try it through the service. 6.5/10

 

 

I'll start Dave the Diver earlier than planned, since I've finished this one, and don't know how much time for gaming I'll have next week.

[MarkusT1992]

Game #4: Final Fantasy VII Remake

 

 

I might be one of the last people who haven't played Final Fantasy VII. According to steam I have played the original 0,3 hours about nine years ago.

The original version of this game was released in 1997 for the PS1.

While the original game had a turn based battle system, the Remake changed that to an action battle system. That's the biggest difference between the two games. I'm normaly more the action battle type then turn based so that's a plus for me.

 

I know that the plot of FF 7 is quite complicated but I guess I can summarize what happened so far in a few words. Cloud Strife, an ex member of SOLDIER, gets hired by a group called Avalanche to help attack and destroy a Mako reactor. After the mission is completed Cloud meets a florist called Aerith. Back in sector 7 we meet Tifa, a childhood friend, again. After doing some small tasks there we go on another mission. After a motorcycle ride we arrive at our next destination. That's my current progress.

 

During fights you can attack, use skills and magic or items. For anything except normal attacks you need a filled bar to use. That's sometimes annoying when you need some healing but can't use a potion because your bar isn't filled yet.

Outside of combat you walk through the quite linear areas in chapters 1 and 2. In chapter 3 you get access to the slums, an area that could be a kind of hub. You unlock stores and learn the basics of the game like sidequest and battlereports.

 

All in all I had some fun hours in this game and I guess I'll continue at some point in the future.

 

Trophies: 12/63

Time played: 5h

Rating: 9,0

 

My next game will be Pac-Man World Re-Pac

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #5 - Dave the Diver - Preview

 

 

 

Developer: Mintrocket

Publisher: Nexon

Genre: RPG/Management Sim?

Price: 19,99

 

 

I think this might be another devs first go at a game. It's also another game I don't know all too much about. It's touted as one of hte best games of 2023. A combination of RPG and management sim, that has you catch fish and then sell it at the restaurant.

 

That's all I know, and I'm very sceptical that this is something I'll enjoy.

[grumpaluffagus_1]

Game #3: LEGO 2K Drive

Time played: 28 hours

Trophy progress: 12/39 (18%)

 

So game #3 for me was LEGO 2K Drive. It is LEGO's attempt at an open world racing game and it is the a great one. The racing mechanics in the game are solid. You can drift, boost, use power-ups and drive in reverse at high speeds if you feel like it. As someone who has been playing a ton of Disney Speedstorm, adapting to the slight change in controls was very simple. There's a wide variety of vehicles/racers to collect and experiment as well as the option to customize these things within the garage. As you drive around, you are free to destroy objects and hit pedestrians with your car, which was way more fun than it should be.

 

The story is not significant, but it doesn't need to be. You play as an up and coming racer traveling through different regions and winning races on your way to facing your rival in the ultimate tournament. Being a LEGO story, there are quite a few amusing moments built into the story. My personal favorite was having one of the announcers be named Parker Car. It's a story that doesn't demand too much involvement and is amusing with some quality cutscenes. However, the main draw is the gameplay and the collectibles that are integral to every LEGO game.

 

The open world is really well done, there is so much to do. The collectibles are everywhere. Some are simply out in the open and others require making jumps at top speed or some precision bunny-hopping from ledge to ledge. None of that is too difficult. Where some difficulty can come in is with the on-the-go events in the open world. For the platinum, a gold medal is required in every one and while simply finishing them is very easy, getting gold requires very precise steering, drifting and jumping at decent speeds. I pulled off the gold medal time in three of them and they took me about 15 to 20 minutes each. It might be possible to cut that down if someone has figured out a shortcut and posted a guide, but it isn't too difficult to figure out on your own.

 

Now, I feel obligated to mention the grindy trophies. There are four that really stand out as being a monotonous grind with no true in game benefit. The first is to wreck 100 times; this will likely take about an hour, but will not be completed naturally since it is very difficult to do unintentionally. The second is to jump over a missile 50 times, not difficult but is easiest to do with a friend or a second controller since the AI does not cooperate here. This likely has the same time requirement and honestly neither one of these is too bad, they just won't occur naturally. The worst are the drive 3K and 6K miles trophy (why are these in miles when the game is in meters?). These probably take an additional 20-30 hours on top of the rest of the trophy list (shout out to @PerryToxteth for the warning here) and the easiest way to do them is to just rubber band your controller and AFK drive in circles the whole time. I got to about 80% of the 6K trophy (side note: do not close the game directly from test drive while doing this - I lost 8 hours of progress by doing that) and this probably encompasses all but 5 hours of my game time. I cannot comprehend why these trophies exist. It is clearly a hollow attempt to pad game time in an attempt to drive players towards the season pass (nice try 2K), but whoever added them forgot that rubber banding has been a widely known gaming technique for the last two decades and so instead they just created a reason for me to withhold hair ties from my cat. In doing this, you are ruining the experience for players who are enjoying your game with a mindless grind and not doing anything to drive dedicated players to where you want them, the live service portion of your title. Why not change these trophies to ones for reaching the final level of a season pass or collect X number of cosmetics, which would mostly be obtained from the season pass. That way, players are at least looking at the season pass screen and FOMO can begin to build to hopefully entice them to spend a bit of cash. Instead, there is a pointless grind for both the developer and the player and I just don't get the logic here. Either way, the ability to do this AFK makes it so it doesn't ruin the overall experience; it just makes me question how 2K is still so bad at live service games when they make so many of them.

 

Overall: 7/10

 

Starting Percentage: 58.45%

Current Percentage: 57.05%

[Psy-Tychist]

Game 1: Submerged - Apocalyptic Big Sister Simulator.

Games Played: 1056

Completed Games: 616

Completion: 72.69%

Unearned Trophies: 9,411

 

Submerged is what would happen if you took the idea of A Flame in the Flood, removed all the mechanics and introduced the chill aesthetic and minimalist storytelling of Firewatch. You play as a little girl who is looking after her brother who seems to be sick. Your goal throughout the game is to find items which will ease his symptoms and hopefully he will recover. You are boating around in a flooded world, skyscrapers dominate the skyline and monuments stick out of the water at absurd angles; all remnants of a past which you know nothing about. 

 

The game is very simple, go to areas around the map, use your telescope to find collectibles and improvements for your boat and nature watch while you are at it. There are no enemies, there is no danger and for that really there is no impetus. You can careen around the four corners of the map, watch whales jump from the water and climb to the highest point of the map and your brother will stay where he is until we come back and provide him with whatever we find next. With the climbing, you find areas with red roses and vines which you can latch onto and then pressing up, down, left or right, the girl will climb where she can. So far I have found a First Aid Kit, food and some water. there are 10 large containers to collect which will finish the story part of the game. The story has been told with pictograms, emulating the idea of cave paintings or Mayan drawings. Each story that you unlock or animal you interact with will show up in your journal for you to look at and understand more of the history which you piece together as you explore. 

 

I'm not too far in the story, but I know that the ending isn't going to be wonderfully happy from my conclusion I have drawn up so far. Even so, without any dialogue the game shows you the personal history of the boy and girl and conveys it simply but effectively. I will have to collect more boxes to see if my thoughts are right about how the game ends and I will update when I do.

 

Trophy-wise, it is very simple. Just exploring, collecting the journal pieces and climbing won't be too taxing and you can complete the game at a leisurely pace within 6 hours.

 

Personally, it is a nice change of pace from having a game which is forcing objectives or having a great deal of lore dump. This is a nice chill excursion into an apocalyptic world where survival is what matters. Worth spending some time enjoying the world and the ideas it puts across.

 

Next Game: Subject 13.