Kill Your Completion (Event finished)

[Hemiak]

I actually don't have PS+ lol. I can't see the need to shell out $50/year for a subscription that only gives out games I don't want to play. I also don't have a PS4, which would effectively mandate the subscription. On further examination of my backlog, I actually have 9 unplayed games, which I can provide upon request.

I also don't have a ps4, but I know that I'll get one eventually. I've subscribed to ps+ on and off over the last two years and I currently have around 30 games waiting for me when I finally do get my ps4. Yes, some of these I really couldn't care less about, but several of the games I'm legitimately excited to play and would've probably shelled out money for eventually. I find one or more games I'm interested to play almost every month, and the cloud save feature and extra game discounts are huge bonuses as well.

I definitely won't be doing another one of these immediately, but in 2 or 3 months I'll probably run another. I was thinking about having 9 unplayed games and a bonus game under 5%. Nothing is decided yet either way.

[MarkusT1992]

 

Game #6:

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition ()

 

I'm sure many know the classic adventure-series Monkey Island, a story about a guy called Guybrush Threepwood who wants to become a pirate and soon gets in a conflict with the fearsome ghost pirate LeChuck. The Special Edition is an improved version of the original adventure with updated audio and visuals and a new interface.

 

For me personally it's the first Monkey Island ever played so I don't know what awaits me. I was too young when the first game was released and back in my childhood I was more the type of person that enjoyed playing platformers or racing games on my GameBoy or SNES so I barely came in contact with point-and-click adventures (the only ones I remember are the Discworld-games my brother played). I only started to play adventures one or two years ago with my highlights being the revamped Day of the Tentacle on Vita and the Deponia-series on PC. And compared to those games the PS3-version of Monkey Island ain't that much fun. Main reason as you may guess are the controls.

An analog stick is not designed to replace a mouse. Especially when there's no possibilty to alter the sensitivity.    I already had some struggles while finding the cooking pot for a task as it was not much fun to navigate through the kitchen of the scumm bar and find that thing. It's nice that the game has a hint system telling you what you should do next but an item highlighting (like in DotT) would have been much more useful. Another thing I still have to get used to is the actions menu which is activated by pressing as it happened to me quite often that I lost the action by choosing the wrong order. Still don't know for sure if I have to choose either action or the item first.

 

Can't say much about the story yet except the fact that Guybrush has to complete three trials to become a pirate: Fight against a sword master, finding a treasure (which I found by accident) and stealing an item. The save file tells me that I already finished 15% of the game (after one hour) so this may be the first game where I will be able to finish the story during this event.

 

On a sidenote:

As I was so frustrated of Monkey Island I decided to play another hour in Battle Princess. Yes I know I didn't like it that much but I realized that I had several rings in my inventory that gave the characters plus 20% on movement speed. And guess what? The movement speed went from sloth to geezer for some characters and from geezer to normal person for others. Now the gameplay is a lot better IMO and it's somehow fun to play other characters now. Even leveled up some characters from the lower 10s to late 10s or mid 20s. (e.g. Violone). 

 

My first Monkey Island game was Curse of Monkey Island on my Windows 98 pc. I never managed to get the ship, crew and map to leave the island

 

 

 

Demon's Souls

Day 1

Trophies: 0/38 (0%)

 

My very first Souls game. This was the game I was most hesitant to include in my list just because it was so time consuming and I knew I wouldn't make much progress in 3 days. However, I've put this series off for too long and also have Dark Souls and Dark Souls II just sitting in my backlog. Figure it's time to give it a try. So, yesterday before starting on the game I attempted to glance at a guide and some info on the game. That was a mistake. After looking at a wall of information that included links to several other sub-guides on specific features of the game, my head started to hurt. Screw all that! I'm just going to do a completely blind playthrough and treat this like a 3 day demo. Whenever I come back to this game I'll probably just start over completely. That way I don't have to worry about missing something or totally screwing up right now.

 

I spent some time editing my character's appearance and information. Decided to choose the Royalty class because that's the only thing I remembered from glancing at the guide and who doesn't want to be a royal? After that it was on to the training level. To start the game I have a basic shield in my left hand and a rapier in my right hand. Make my way through the tutorial until I stumble upon a boss. Yes, a boss in the tutorial. I'm guessing this boss was just to familiarize myself with the "You Died" screen. Have a feeling that I'm going to be seeing that screen a lot.  After getting smashed by the boss, I am transported to the Nexus which appears to act as the hub for the game. Not much to do right now though. I talk to a couple of people, check out a blacksmith but can't afford much right now so I enter the portal to the first level.

 

I died several times within the first few minutes of entering Boletarian Palace. Right near the beginning I was jumped by several enemies. Feeling overwhelmed since I was still learning the controls, I decided to back away from them. Unfortunately, I wasn't too aware of my surroundings and backed directly into a fire that burnt me to a crisp. Next up, I came to a hole in the ground but there was some shiny blue light coming from the hole and I could see some objects down there. Surely I can just jump down there and explore some, right? Wrong. I died once again.

 

Finally, I made some good progress as I slowly inched my way through the area killing enemies until I came to a branching path. Decided to go straight and check out that route first. Went into a building that seemed to go down forever into the darkness, so I decided to turn around and check out the other area first. By the way, there are messages scattered throughout the game. Some of these are from the actual game, but some are left by other players I believe. Anyways, I inspected a message that warned me of a formidable foe ahead. Pfffft...I got this. So I turn the corner and spot some knight with glowing red eyes off in the distance. The Soul Arrow has killed most enemies with 1 hit so far, let's try that out on this guy. Direct hit and....nothing. I think I just pissed him off because now he's moving around a little.......OH SHIT he's running straight at me. I run away to buy some time to change weapons and prepare to fight. Turn around and.....I'm dead. 

 

For anyone who hasn't played the game, I should point out that when you die, you lose all of the souls you have collected. I knew this was an element of the game but it's not as bad as I imagined and I think it's an interesting mechanic. Luckily you don't lose your equipment, items, or anything like that. Just the souls, which appear to be like the currency you use to upgrade things in the game. Once you die, you respawn at the beginning of that area and have to backtrack to reach the point where you previously met your demise. If you make it back, you can touch your bloodstain to reacquire all of your lost souls. If you die before making it back, you lose all of them. I'm sure I'll be cursing it later on, but right now it really adds some tension to the game.

 

After backtracking through the level, I recovered my souls and decided to call it a day. We'll explore that other path today and just avoid that red-eyed knight for now. 

 

Demon's Souls is the only Souls game I couldn't play and therefor hope to get a PS4 remaster to finally play the beginning of the Souls series.

The Souls series is one of my favourite game series.

[voodoo_eyes]

 

Game 4 - The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

Update 1 - .5 hrs

Purchased 12/24/2015, $2

 

I bought this game on a whim.  I saw it on sale just before Christmas and it looked like something my wife would enjoy.  The game opens with a short narration, then you get "control" of who I'm assuming is the main character, who is currently falling from a very great height.  You get a few prompts to hit x to grab or climb up other falling items, and then you have a somewhat funny conversation with a genie, who apparently is the cause of your plight.  After some arguing the genie finally saves you.  Next was the opening credits, which kept "breaking down".  Then you'd have to use a small robot to find and fix parts of the machine controlling the credits, basically a small tutorial.  After mastering that Like A Boss, I met one of the other main characters, an Elven princess named Ivo (I think) who is arguing with her mother.  After that scene ended and I got control of her I saved the game, as Mim had fallen asleep on the couch.  Not really too much to say about the game now, seems like it's pretty much exactly what I was expecting, only thing is whether or not it's written well, and how fun the puzzles are.

 

That one is my favourite point-and-click up to this date. It is genuinely humorous throughout. I'm still hoping for the first one to come to psn.

 

 

 

Game 6 - Day 2

 

 

 

Hours played: 2

Trophies earned: 16/51

 

 

Started the actual career championship today. Fiddled around with more settings and thus more trophies popped about. Went into the race and of course I start from last position.... My team objective was to finish 12th, to my surprise i managed to get 1st place. That should come back to bite me in the arse though. Team objective for the 2nd race was to finish 1st  , well... that didn't happen, ended up on 6th. On that race I had to change way to much stuff on the bike to make it feel better on the track. The game let's you restart the race whenever you want, which I did considering I kept sliding with my bike on the very first curve (as did a third of the opposition, hence the fucking about with the bike). Third race, again I was expected to win it, apparently I'm expected to win the bloody championship now, because I placed 1st once... I guess.  

 Well, I finished 4th and couldn't be bothered to do any more today.

 

One neat thing in this game is before you go to a race, you get to see a few short real life clips of the city and track. On the other hand fuck those load times .

Edited July 17, 2016 by voodoo_eyes

[MarkusT1992]

Tales of Zestiria (Day 2)

 

 

I played for about 2 hours today and most of it was in the city of Ladylake and the sewers of the city.

I met another Seraph called Lailah who is know as the Lady of the Lake by the humans. She made me officially to the new Shepherd to defeat the Lord of Calamity.

After much story I walked around the city to find a person looking for another person. We then went to the sewers to find that missing person and had an argue with Mikleo who left afterwards.

We explored the sewers and found an old altar of the Shepherd and more story

After that we went back to Alisha to bring back her dagger which she lost in the ruins of Elysia. She decides to come with Sorey as Squire of the Shepherd and than we can finally leave the city again.

 

I constantlay learn new things about the story and the battle system. The last few battles allways gave me an information window after the battle with something new.

On the way to my next target I saw a strange looking enemy and thought I could defeat it. I was so wrong. He defeat all three of us in like 5 second. After loading I stayed as far away as I could.

 

The game is very good so far and maybe I can play more than watching cutsceens or dialogue in the future but the anime style cutsceens are very nice.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

Quote time I see... This multiquote thing is brilliant.

 

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

 

I'm a fan of point and clicks. Loved those games when growing up. Even though I never played Monkey Island (thought it was weird that there was no speech), I did play Fate Of Atlantis, Day Of The Tentacle, Sam & Max Hit The Road...

 

I liked Monkey Island even though I think the other three I mentioned are more fun. Tentacle remains my all-time favourite but Atlantis was a very good 'grown-up serious' game. I thought Hit The Road had a bit of an anti-climax but since then I've bought the Sam&Max collected comics and I now understand that that was the whole point and a Sam&Max story can only end like that..

 

I managed to go through Monkey Island without a guide and without too much backtracking. I guess it's all about knowing what to look for (blindly click everything), understanding the weird thing that is point and click logic, and listening to small hints. The logic is actually weirder in Monkey Island because it's somehow both a point and click game and a parody of one.

 

I'm not sure you're aware, but the original Bionic Commando WAS actually an 8-bit NES game.  It's actually one of my favorite on that console, and I played a ton of games back then.  Bionic Re-armed was an updated version of the original game.  They added a few things, and changed almost all the bosses, but for the most part the level design is exactly like the original game.  The music is also roughly the same, though cleaned up a bit.  They also didn't change the controls much, though it is more responsive.  In the first game you can't even jump   I haven't played the 2nd one, but I'm imagining it's very similar.  If you go in expecting a ps3 psn title I could imagine being sorely disappointed.  If however, you go in expecting a remaster of a great NES game, it's a little easier to deal with.

 

 

Nah man, you just suck.

I'm joking, the controls and swinging mechanics can take a while to handle and get used to. Can't tell you how many times I'd swing or shoot my claw in the wrong direction, usually resulting in my death. Once you get more comfortable with the controls though, the game is fairly easy. Do you have the health regeneration upgrade equipped? It makes combat and the bosses a joke. Doesn't help much if you are dying from falling in pits or spikes though.

I played Bionic Commando on the NES back in the day but I haven't played Bionic Commando Rearmed. One of those games that I'll probably pick up if I see it at a good price in a sale. It should be pointed out that Rearmed 2 almost universally got lower reviews than the original Rearmed. This one wasn't a remake of a classic so it's all original levels, story, etc. They also added a jump button which was a weird choice given the franchise. You can find a lot of weapons and upgrades but most aren't necessary at all. You can get through the entire game with just your basic pistol. A couple of the upgrades like the grenade launcher are helpful and used to find hidden items, but most items aren't even needed or useful. It was an alright game that had a few good qualities and highlights, just nothing special. I'd like to play the original Rearmed since most people say that is a better game.

 I was aware that the origins were in much older games though I did not know they were specific to the NES. I don't think being based on an old game is an excuse for having lousy controls and music now though. What if Donkey Kong Country would have had only the same music as the original Donkey Kong, or the same controls... I'm all for remembering the past fondly but we have to keep going forward while doing so.

 

I did get the health regeneration and the grenade upgrades. When I gave up yesterday, I fell into the same (small) pit three times even though it was already far below me and I was two or three levels up - the game made me go back and forth a few times, each time going up a level. The bad thing is that each time when I fell (because the controls were unresponsive), I knew the pit was coming up and tried to catch the plank above the other end. First two times, my hook 'missed' and hit the wall even though the graphics connected with the plank. The third time he didn't throw the hook at all but went sliding against the left wall. So I tried jumping to the other side and throwing my hook up. He jumped, did not throw his hook and went sliding against the right wall, straight into the spikes. Fuck that.

 

Demon's Souls

My response is also to the responses you've already gotten but quoting all that would be hell.

 

Never played that one but I am playing Bloodborne at the moment (or I will again after this month at least), and I've played a bit of Dark 1 and 2. They're definitely games you have to get the hang of but they're so rewarding afterwards...

 

I'm glad Bloodborne just has a 'play offline' option. As for Dark Souls, I just disconnected from the internet before starting the game. I did not look at completion, I just did not want some jackass to ruin my day.

 

I actually don't have PS+ lol. I can't see the need to shell out $50/year for a subscription that only gives out games I don't want to play. I also don't have a PS4, which would effectively mandate the subscription. On further examination of my backlog, I actually have 9 unplayed games, which I can provide upon request.

I also don't have a ps4, but I know that I'll get one eventually. I've subscribed to ps+ on and off over the last two years and I currently have around 30 games waiting for me when I finally do get my ps4. Yes, some of these I really couldn't care less about, but several of the games I'm legitimately excited to play and would've probably shelled out money for eventually. I find one or more games I'm interested to play almost every month, and the cloud save feature and extra game discounts are huge bonuses as well.

 

Well if you don't like the games then don't pay for plus :-)

 

I started with plus little over two years ago, when I got a PS4. I got a PS3 and Vita only last year so at first it was only the PS4 games (though I still put the other games in my backlog). As Hemiak said as well, just put the games in your library and you'll have a nice collection for when you do go to the new generation.

 

Personally, I like PS+. For another argument in another topic, I checked each and every month in my PS+ time and every month I got at least one game which I ended up enjoying, except for June 2016 - and even then I got Gone Home, which is a game I really wanted to get but it just ended up being a disappointment. So I guess for that month I'm just glad I did not have to pay for Gone Home.

 

I also don't like multiplayer (in general, there are exceptions), from the start I bought PS+ just for the + games (and the occasional extra discount).

 

I definitely won't be doing another one of these immediately, but in 2 or 3 months I'll probably run another. I was thinking about having 9 unplayed games and a bonus game under 5%. Nothing is decided yet either way.

October or later please, I'm too busy with work and planning an anniversary party in September. (That probably means November, with the VR coming out in October.) Edited July 18, 2016 by BillyHorrible

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

Game #6: Bionic Commando Rearmed 2

Final Review
Total playtime: just under two and a half hours

Trophies: 2/12

 

 

There once were some guys with no balls

Who made a game with very bad controls

And just to be dicks

They added awful music

If I find 'em I'll nail 'em to the walls

 

I know, I know... Rhyming balls with controls, and dicks with music... If you're into poetry, what are you doing at a gaming site? It's saying something that I disliked the controls so bad that it took over my limerick. Even with Yakuza 4 and ZOMBI, I still managed to get something about the actual setting in. With Bionic, I just could not be bothered.

 

I actually made some good progress today. Finished levels 4 (died once, at the same pit I talked about in the post above) through 8 and it was in level 9 that I gave up.

 

What was it that finally made me end this misery, you ask? Well, I had only one chance left thanks to those stupid controls. I had to swing over water. I connected the hook to the part where I had to swing from. Then, instead of actually swinging across, the idiot decides to unhook and walk into the water. Because of course he does.

 

This is a game I'll use as an argument for years when talking about mediocre games with some potential being killed by laggy, when not outright broken, controls. It does not help that the developers apparently knew the controls sucked and decided to make it worse by having you interact with the tiniest of objects, which won't connect unless you're at exactly the right position with barely a millimeter of leeway.

 

The bad part? I'm playing on casual. I'm supposed to be having a breeze. Unfortunately, thanks to those awful controls I died much, much more than necessary. The only plus I see at this point is that the levels are short so even with the bad controls I just might make it through this eventually. Don't count on me playing through this when I've still got much else in my backlog though.

 

Tomorrow: SSX.

[Hemiak]

Game 4 - The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

Update 2 - 1.5 hrs

 

So after some TV time with the wife, I got about another hour in last night.  I completed the first area's puzzles, but didn't move to the next area, so no new trophies.  This seems to be a true 3D point and click.  Most of them that I've played are either 2D or a Faux 3D like Monkey Island.  You can technically move back and forth in the scenery, but all of it is controlled by where you click.  In TBoUT2 you actually have full 3d control of where your character walks and looks.  One thing that is cool/sucks, is that the first time you interact with any object the character always gives a short monologue about it.  While it's neat to get some detail about the world, sometimes you just want to pick up the stupid rock or whatever item it is you obviously need.  There is also a ton of minutiae, where most objects have 2-5 different snippets you can learn by re-inspecting them.  Neat, but when you enter a new area and there are 10 different inspection points, and you have no idea which ones are important, a bit pointless.  The puzzles so far have been pretty easy, and my wife is actually getting a bit bored with it since it's just one character walking around talking to herself.  I'm hoping once I move into interacting with other people things will pick up.  I'll need to play a bit more of this game before making a final review and such.

 

 

 

 

Game 5 - Starwhal

Update 2 - 3.5 hrs

 

Got another hour and a half of Starwhal in once Mim passed out.  Fired up the obstacle half of challenge mode, to see what I could do.  An hour later I had finished all the courses on that side, 14 platinum and 2 gold medals.  This earned me the trophies for 15 platinum total, and 20 total gold.  I have played the first 6 of the target levels and I've got 2 plat and 4 gold there.  It honestly seems like some of the "hard" levels are easier to reach platinum rank on, as you have a slightly more lenient time.  It seems it's more about surviving than making a perfect run, though you still need to be pretty damn close.  Looking at the guide again, it seems like my trusty ps3 copy is glitched, and the 1k/3k hearts stabbed in classic mode, and the 2k/4096 points in score attack have to be done in one sitting.  Not only that but the game likes to glitch when you play 12 or more times on the same map without switching it up.  Fun stuff to consider when I finally go back to finish this up.  I have however earned several UR trophies already from the game, and I find I'm getting better with directing my lubed up tube sock full of gelatin.  I do however think I've spent enough time with this game so I'll be moving on and starting SSX at midnight tonight.

Fun: 7/10

Challenge: 6/10

Position in the post event plat queue: 1 or 2

[MStalker58]

 

Demon's Souls

Day 2

Trophies: 1/38 (1%)

 

I'm starting to love this game. The action picked up yesterday on my way to the first boss. Started off by saving Ostrava of Boletaria, some random NPC who was surrounded by a horde of enemies. Got a new item as a reward for my efforts. Next up, I came across a bridge filled with enemies. I started walking across the bridge and preparing to battle when a f'n dragon came out of nowhere. Doubt I could have taken that bad boy down with my sword and shield (guessing I need a long range weapon) so I retreated as fast as I could. The dragon torched all of the enemies on the bridge as I escaped to cover just in time. After a few moments, I peeked my head out of cover to check out the situation. Once the coast was clear I made a mad dash across the bridge. Made it to the other side just as the dragon returned. That was a close one. 

 

Now it was time for my first boss fight against Phalanx. This boss wasn't too hard once you figured out what to do. Phalanx was more a defensive enemy and it just took some patience. Basically the actual boss was a harmless blob that slowly crawled around the room. However, he was covered in smaller blob enemies who formed a shield over his entire body. These little guys were the only form of attack as they occasionally threw spears at you. Luckily the room was rather large and there were plenty of pillars to use for cover. I spammed the Soul Arrow to kill off the individual blobs until the Phalanx was vulnerable. A message at the entrance to the boss informed me to use fire on the enemy, so I used some Turpentine on my weapon to create a fire sword. That was pretty cool. Then it was just a matter of hacking away until the boss fell. 

 

After defeating Phalanx, I noticed an area located behind the boss lair. Wanting to explore, I started taking a couple of steps in that direction before I paused for a moment. Thought about it for a second, then decided I better not. My fear outweighed my curiosity so I transported myself back to the Nexus. Time to spend those hard earned souls on some upgrades! 

 

One of my favorite things so far is that there is always tension and I never feel safe unless I'm in the Nexus. Usually, I'm the type who likes to fully explore every inch of the game as soon as possible. However, in this game I'm having to consider if exploring that extra path is truly worth it right now. Do I want to risk losing my souls and having to backtrack or is it better to wait until I've leveled up some more. Also, I forgot to mention yesterday that it appears you can't pause the game. That just adds to the tension because you aren't even safe when browsing through your inventory. Luckily the game autosaves frequently so you can just quit to the main menu if you need a break.  Also, I'm kind of torn on viewing these messages from other players in the game. Part of me feels like it takes away some of the surprise since several messages have warned me of tough enemies or hidden treasures. On the other hand, I'm never sure if the message is legit and trying to help or if someone is just trolling me. Sure, jump off this ledge to find a hidden treasure while trusting a message from some random dude on the internet. 

 

Really looking forward to exploring a new area today. Not sure where I'll go to next. 

Edited July 18, 2016 by MStalker58

[Maddawgmax]

Stupid broken Sherlock Holmes making me mad and not playing anything. Well since I screwed the pooch I'm gonna try to catch up, I actually got another copy of Sherlock Holmes. Since that game basically made me stop playing I think I'm going back to play that and see where I can go from there :/

[effdeegee]

500 replies and 10,000 views in less than a month, ol' Hemmy boy! Not too shabby at all.

Just past the midway point of the event and I feel I need to take it upon myself and publicly chastise the participants displaying the lowest levels of consideration for, and dedication to, Hemiak's contribution to our community. You're lame and I hope karma is creative with your comeuppance.

I'll be playing the final session of Medieval Moves tonight and I'll do the review in a bit.

[Hemiak]

Just a quick update here. Had a work cancelation so I'm headed home. I hope to knock out a few more challenge maps in Starwhal. I did some research and it seems like the cumulative-trophy progress tracking has been patched. Really crossing my fingers this is true.

Pre patch there were 4 separate 4+ hr sessions that had to be completed without restarting or freezing. Two of them could be idled, but still that would have effectively rendered the Plat unobtainable for me.

This is good news because I think I'd like to have this as my 100th Plat for several reasons

I like that it's UR and I'll be on the 50 first achievers list.

I also like the Plat image.

Also, Cosmic Baller is a pretty badass Plat name.

[MesopithecusUK]

Edited:  Removed personal stuff

Edited October 31, 2016 by Rach

[Hemiak]

I'd like to apologize for whatever ass hole made you feel bad. That's the last thing I want this event to be about. Shit happens, and when all is said and done, these are video games, and real life is far more important.

You take care of yourself and your family. If you get your motivation back before the month is out, feel free to jump back in. If not don't worry, we're good.

[voodoo_eyes]

I've pondered whether or not to give a full disclosure into my absence, but as I've literally just had the worst week of my life to date (and I'm still not out of the woods)  I feel as though I have nothing else to lose.

 

After coming back from a spur of the moment break, I was extremely unwell - dizziness to the point where I could barely lift my head up, tiredness like I've never experienced and other undesirable symptoms.  As it turns out, I was pregnant....which defies medical opinion as I was historically told this was an impossibility.  During this time I lost interest in doing everything I enjoy - gaming, baking, reading...everything.

 

Sadly though, I'm no longer pregnant.  I've had a lot of pain - both physical and emotional the past few days and I'm struggling at a very personal level.  I've almost been completely reliant on my husband during this time.

 

Yesterday was the first time I thought about gaming, as a way of a distraction so I turned the PS4 on and tried playing some Final Fantasy X.  I wanted something familiar that I could just sit back and play....but within a few minutes of turning it on I got a message from someone on my friends list deriding me for playing it again rather than playing something new.  I promptly turned it off and went to bed.

 

It reinforces my mentality of being kind to everyone, as you never really truly know what's going on in someone's life behind the screen.

 

I hate letting people down when I've signed up for something, and I hate feeling like I'm making excuses.  My situation has been an unexpected one that has blindsided me....so I'm sorry everyone for being one of the people that hasn't given the commitment and dedication this event deserves.

 

I want to wish you all the best for the rest of the event, as I feel during this time I need to take a break from everything to get the full rest and recovery that I need.

 

Thanks for your time and sorry, once again.

 

You have my sympathies. No one can possibly imagine how you must be feeling.

 

I dare say that everyone appreciates, that you decided to share that information with us. Even though you didn't have to do so, especially considering it being about such a private matter. There definitely isn't a necessity for an apology though, for not continuing with the event. It's supposed to be fun, so there is no point in doing something you won't be able to enjoy, whatever the reason may be.

 

I hope you both manage to surpass the shock and pain, even though it may take some time.

 

 

 

PS: If I may, I'll leave the suggestion of turning the console to offline mode for a while. It may seem harsh or unkind to the folks on the friendlist, but I'm certain that everyone gets to the point where other people can just fuck off (to put it bluntly). I believe that everyone needs some peace and quiet at times.

Edited July 18, 2016 by voodoo_eyes

[MStalker58]

 

 

Hate to hear that and can't even begin to imagine what you are going through. Sorry that you are going through this and hope you recover and feel somewhat better soon. My sympathies and thoughts are with you. 

 

As for the event, absolutely no need to apologize at all. At the end of the day, this is just for fun and a way to meet some fellow forum members while discussing games. Doesn't mean anything compared to real life issues. I'm sure everyone understands and we'll be thinking of you.

[voodoo_eyes]

Game 6 - Part 3

 

 

 

 

Hours played: 3 and a half

Trophies earned: 18/51

 

 

This one is probably the game that most surprised me so far. Didn't expect it to be as good as it is. I shall be back for more!

[effdeegee]

July 16-18

Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest

Trophies: +3/46 (7,584 - 7,587)

You would think it's just another crappy game for Sony to push their Move gimmick. Cheap looking in design with weak or broken controls. Then you see that the rarities are all 0.50% and 1.00% and think that it must be so broken, that it's hard to play.

It's actually a good game with decent graphics and responsive controls, and the rarities are only there because everything is a grind. If you're that starving for a 0.4% UR , you can totally do this one easily.

There was an accident at work today and my arm was injured. I really don't feel comfortable swinging a Move controller around, but luckily, tomorrow's game is a dancing game, so I'm still kickin'.

Lastly, I never meant Rach. I think everyone knows full well the ones I spoke of. Edited July 20, 2016 by effdeegee

[Hemiak]

Game 4 - The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

Final Update - 3 hrs

 

I got in about another hour and a half tonight and made some decent progress.  I'm reading all the text and exhausting all the dialogue options so I'm probably taking quite a bit longer to get through everything than somebody speed running with a guide, but that's fine.  I solved some puzzles, met my father who is a very nice man, and spoke with my mother a couple more times.  I only got stuck once but was able to figure everything out without a guide.  Usually when you're stuck, you just go talk to the people available and a new dialogue option will have opened up.  I really like the highlight button, you hit and it displays every object you can interact with on screen.  It's very useful when you're not sure what to do next.  You can just cycle through all the items in your bag with highlight ON and anything new options are displayed. This wasn't super necessary for most of the level I finished, but definitely helped out once or twice.  I drank the potion I mixed the other night, found out what my ailment was, and decided to go on a journey.  I then figured out how to cast a magic spell and found some gold to pay for passage.  All in all a decent night's work.  It also seems like the next time I play I will be controlling a new character, who is a gnome mage.  The game has it's moments, but so far hasn't grabbed me.  I also thought this was going to be my wife's favorite game from the entire event and she's pretty unimpressed with it so far, though she doesn't mind me playing it.  All in all I'll definitely work through the game... eventually, but it's not going to be priority one when the event ends.

 

Anyways, it's 11:59pm and SSX is loaded and waiting downstairs, I'll update you tomorrow.

[crimsonidol38]

...

 

Just take your time and you don't have to feel ashamed for relying on persons like your husband in such situations. I hope that you gain motivation to follow some of your interests again. It may take some time but that's ok. There are ups and downs for everyone.

 

And like voodoo_eyes suggested: if you feel like playing something, turn the console into offline mode. You shouldn't have to legitimate your personal actions to anyone that just randomly pops in and asks something or makes a nasty/unpleasant comment. And if you don't feel like putting your status into offline mode. Just don't activate WiFI or pull the Ethernet-cable from the consoles.

[delboy_rules]

It reinforces my mentality of being kind to everyone, as you never really truly know what's going on in someone's life behind the screen.

 

This is so true and a lesson for everybody.  I can't possibly imagine what you are going through, but you have my deepest sympathies.  I know it may not feel like it now, but time heals all wounds, so take your time to rest and heal.  Much love, x

[MStalker58]

 

Demon's Souls

Day 3

Trophies: 1/38 (1%)

 

Near the beginning of level 1-2, I come across a bridge filled with charred remains and debris. Looks like my old buddy the Red Dragon is lurking about nearby. Sure enough, he comes flying in while engulfing the bridge in a wave of fire. Basically, in this part he just flies in a loop and you have to start sprinting across the bridge while he's looping around in order to make it safely across in time. However, the nice developers of this game decided to troll idiots like myself by putting shiny item pick-ups scattered across the bridge. Like a dumbass, I try picking up a couple of items during my dash across the bridge. Here I am, with a fire breathing dragon chasing me, and I look like I'm leisurely skipping through a meadow and stopping to pick flowers. You know what happened next. That's right, I got torched. 

 

That's it. I've had enough of this dragon. It's time to teach my nemesis a lesson. What follows is a 20-minute epic battle filled with total badassery on my part. There was blood, sweat, and tears while epic music played in my head. Finally, I landed the killing blow and slayed the dragon beast. From now on, you all can call me "Stalker the Dragon Slayer" or "The Dragon Stalker". Either is acceptable. 

 

Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a tad in my description. In reality, I might not have been a total badass and the fight might have featured some cheap tactics from myself. It's possible that I just sat in the safety of a nearby watch tower while drilling the dragon with Soul Arrows as he flew by. Still, the dragon is dead and that's all that matters. Let's not sweat the details. 

 

Shortly after my battle with the dragon, I noticed some stairs leading down inside the actual bridge. I decided to take that path instead of continuing on across the top of the bridge. Now, it is almost pitch black down here and I can barely see anything at all. So, I'm just strolling through here, my chest puffed out, feeling good about myself for slaying the dragon. Out of nowhere, I get swarmed by a group of 4-5 rabid dogs. At least I think they were dogs, could have been wolves but it doesn't matter. I'm dead before I can even react. So let's get this straight. I killed a fire breathing massive dragon, only to be killed seconds later by some measly dogs? Something about that just isn't right. 

 

Now I have to backtrack through the area to reach all those souls I just dropped. Let me tell you, this was the most nerve-wrecking part of the game so far for me. I received thousands of souls from killing the dragon and now I could potentially lose them all due to some damn dogs. Thankfully, the dragon doesn't respawn like normal enemies do, so no worries there. I inch my way through the insides of the bridge, constantly in fear of a dog jumping out of nowhere and sprinting at me. After a couple of very close calls, I was able to kill the dogs and reclaim my souls. What a relief. 

 

I'm sad that it's time to change games and I can't wait to play this game again and continue with the Souls franchise. Now I know why it's so popular and considered so great by so many people. Glad that I've finally started the game and one of my favorites of the event so far. 

Edited July 19, 2016 by MStalker58

[crimsonidol38]

Game #6:
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition ()

 
At first I expected to finish this game during the three days playtime but my motivation said no. So where I'm at now? Beginning of chapter 2, the travel to Monkey Island. What happened in the meantime? I was able to fulfill the other two of the three tasks I was told to do (fighting the sword master and stealing an idol) so Guybrush can become a pirate. On the way there he fell madly in love with govenor Elaine Marley but that love didn't last long as Elaine got kidnapped by her admirer LeChuck. As soon as Guybrush heard of this he decided to hire a crew, get a ship and rescue his love, ehm, the governor.
Obtaining the crew members was rather easy (okay for Otis who was imprisoned I had to look up a solution) but the part about obtaining a ship was annoying. First I didn't knew where Stan, the guy selling those ships was (I thought those lights would lead to the place where the troll was ) and second it was annoying to negotiate with him to lower the price he wanted for the one ship. But after following a guide (again... :/ ) I was able to get the ship for less than 5,000 gold pieces.
 
Final thoughts
Monkey Island was one of the games I had high anticipation for but afterwards I have to say that so far (about three hours played and one third into the game) it's a big letdown for me. I thought it would be as fun as DotT but so far it's a similar disappointment as Broken Age or Grim Fandango have been. I guess the thing that annoys me the most is the cumbersome interface. Finding the appropriate actions for an item via the -menu or the d-pad was more pesky than expected.. If an action can't be used with an item it shouldn't be made available, at least nowadays. The setting itself wasn't very appealing either. The HD-versions of the characters looked somehow strange to me and the story was okay so far, but not really good. The only thing that was a nice addition is the hint system. But an highlighting for items still would have been more useful.
I'm not sure if I will continue this game as it was my biggest stinker so far. Even Battle Princess and Zone of the Enders were more enjoyable for me. I hope Tokyo Jungle will turn out better...
 

Stats:

Total playing time: ~3 hours

Trophies earned: 4 / 12

Completion rate: 28%

Rank: D

Did the game lower my completion? Yes

[voodoo_eyes]

Game 7 - Day 1

 

 

 

 

Hours played: close to 1 and a half

Trophies earned: 9/50

 

This was quite enjoyable, up until the game got stuck on the loading screen... >.<

 

This is another one of those genre mixes, where they tried to cramp all sorts of stuff into one game. It works mostly alright, the vehicle sections aren't well made though. It switches to top-down view and wants to be a twin stick shooter, without mapping the controls for it. So instead of having the movement on the left stick, and the aiming and firing on the right, the left one is for moving and aiming . Which feel awkward as hell.

 

Apparently the game is meant for two players, as after every mission a scoreboard comes up comparing me to the AI controlled bum that tends to get 0 points every time aka useless for the most part.

 

Anyway, I got 5 missions done before the game didn't want to continue. I'll give it another try either tonight or sometime tomorrow, without further issues I hope.

[Hemiak]

Game 6 (for me) - SSX
Update 1, 3.25 hours played

This is one of those games I figured I'd either love or hate. I'm not a huge sporting game fan for the most part, and I haven't played a snowboard game since the N64 or ps1, I honestly can't remember which. So far the game is... allright. I'm definitely not hooked yet, but neither am I yearning to play something else. :shrug: we'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.

So about the game. The controls are pretty standard for this sort of thing. X jumps, . The other 3 face buttons do various grabs. You can hit two of the buttons in succession to change which hand makes the grab, which is a nice touch and can add some extra points. L1 is rewind, which you can use 3 times a drop to save your ass. It takes a bunch of points to use and the clock /opponents keep moving so it's not good for use in races. R2 is boost, which you fill by doing tricks. When you hit a certain combo score you go into tricky mode which gives unlimited boost, and changes all your tricks to slightly better versions. If you keep it up you can go SUPER TRICKY!!! which is an even more awesome version.

There are thre main game modes. World Tour (career), Explore(free play/exhibition I'm assuming), and Global Events (the online.)

I've spent most of the time so far in World Tour, though I've dabbled in the online. This mode focuses on a bunch of extreme sports enthusiasts from various specialities, who team up to form Team SSX, in order to compete with one man. :/ The mode is broken up into ranges like Patagonia, Antarctica, Siberia, and The Alps. Each range has 4-5 peaks(events), usually a race or two and a tricky event or two, and one Deadly Descent. You begin with one character, and the first event in each range is always a race against your next teammate. If you beat them they join you. Races and tricky events are pretty straight forward, but the deadly descent are slightly different. You simply have to make it to the bottom to win.

Each range has a different piece of gear associated with it. Tree filled ranges use armor to protect yourself, icy ones use ice axes for better traction, big gaps necessitate the wing suit, and ones with lots of caves need head lamps and flares. There is a comic book type cut scene when you start a new range, when you get your new teammates, and when you finish the range. I've now completed the first 3 ranges, and the Deadly Descents are the only things even remotely difficulty, though they can be frustrating at times.

The online takes the form of various timed events you can enter. You have your usual race and tricky events of course. New to this mode are survival events. The camera decides to pull a 180 and look at you as you carve your way down the mountain. At some point you'll take a big drop or carve too hard and start an avalanche. The entire goal of this mode is to make it as far as you can. If you reach the bottom you jump in the helicopter and head back to the top and start over with the same hp you had when you finished.

For all the online, you are ranked bronze - > diamond depending on where you finish, and your cash bonus is awarded accordingly. Like I said the events are timed, so you might drop or raise depending on how many more people join the event and how they place. The prize pot for each event is based on how many participants there were, and how much the initial buy in was to participate.

Each section of the game has it own series of badges you can earn. A few are short/easy, but most seem to be for grinding out tasks or earning/spending a certain amount of credits.

@Stalker: glad you're liking DS. I played it first and enjoyed it, but still thought Dark Souls 1 was better in almost every way. It's a great series for sure.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Hemiak

[voodoo_eyes]

Update regarding Star Wars The Clone Wars Republic Heroes:

 

Well the game's busted...

 

I tried loading up the game to continue where it froze previously, as a result the console froze this time around, tried again same happened. So I deleted the save and started from scratch. Start a new game, get a couple of new trophies, finish the first couple of missions, and I'm back to that loading screen from my previous run, that has been going now for the past 15 minutes... I think I can safely assume that there won't be any more progress there.

 

 

So, should I grab another game to replace this one, or give my final thoughts on this one on day 3? (technically I got close to 3 hours already, since I ran through this twice now I'm at 2h40...)

 

Gutted as this one was actually fun :/

Edited July 19, 2016 by voodoo_eyes