Blood_Hungry_III's List of Too Many Games and Not Enough Time

[Blood_Hungry_III]

63. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita)

 

At last I finally finished this one. This was the first AAA game I played on my Vita and it was a great start. I think it did a great job of showing off what the Vita can do, so I'm hoping other games I play can do the same. I've been a fan of the Uncharted series for years (as you can see from my list) and this lived up to the console installments. Aside from a couple of needlessly difficult sequences in the game, the only complaint I have is about the bounty system. I don't know the numbers off the top of my head, but I'm fairly sure I spent more time farming bounties than I did going through my Crushing difficulty/collectibles playthrough.

 

 

 

Now that I've finished the Gaming by Numbers event, I think I'm going to slow down and focus on playing and enjoying games I really want to play. I started Broken Age only for the event, but I'm really enjoying it so I'll probably finish it before I start any other games on Vita. I also just bought Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 so I think most of my console time will be going towards that for a while.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

64. Telling Lies (PS4)

 

I've had this game and been meaning to play it for several months, so I finally got around to it. I enjoyed the story although it was somewhat hard to follow. I think this is a game where it would be difficult to completely understand the story as you're playing it, so I ended up reading the plot online after I finished playing it.

 

 

 

This is my first update in a while. After I finished the Gaming by Numbers event, I wanted to slow down a little bit. I bought Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and I've been putting a lot of time into that. The platinum in that game is a massive grind so I'm slowly working towards that.

 

I'm also getting back into Night in the Woods. I started that game ages ago, but I'd like to finish it off soon.

 

On my Vita, I'm trying to get back into Broken Age which I started several months ago.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

65. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS4)

I loved playing through both games over and over again. I think the remake was perfectly done and the new additions were really good. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the original games, but it's definitely a long platinum. I dragged mine out rather than doing it the most efficient way, but I think that helped me get more enjoyment out of the game.

 

 

Finally another update. This one took me a while so it was exciting to get the platinum, but I'll definitely miss playing it every day.

 

I started The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan with my wife over the weekend, so I think that'll be a new game I can play through with her. We originally started L.A. Noire together but she lost interest so I'll probably play it myself eventually.

 

As far as my main solo games, I think I'll focus on finishing Night in the Woods, Trials Fusion, and Katamari Damacy Reroll before I start anything new.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

66. Trials Fusion (PS4)

 

This is a really fun game, and there's a lot of content if you get the edition that includes all of the DLC. The game is difficult though, and I didn't have the skill or patience to even consider trying to get all of the trophies. I skipped some of the tracks that I couldn't finish, but I was at least able to complete most of them.

 

 

 

I've also been playing Katamari Damacy Reroll and I'm close to finishing that one. I only have a couple levels left to finish but I'm debating whether or not I want to get the final 2 trophies after that. I think once I finish the rest of the levels I'm going to make that decision based on how much of the collection I've gotten. The game is fun, so I may end up doing it just to get more out of the game.

I also want to finish Night in the Woods as well. I've taken a lot of breaks in it, but I'd like to really stick to it and finish the game. I know that I definitely won't get many trophies in the game, but I don't mind. I think I went into that one with the assumption I would do a single playthrough without a guide, and I think I'll probably stick to that.

 

I'm still planning to not play anything else until I finish both of those, other than Broken Age on my Vita and Man of Medan if my wife wants to continue it.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

67. Night in the Woods (PS4)

 

It took me a lot longer than it should have, but I finally finished a playthrough of this one. I'm not going to put in the time to get the platinum, but I would definitely recommend this for anyone who likes story-based and adventure games. I really connected with the characters and the soundtrack was great as well. I'm glad I stuck with it to finally finish it because it was a treat.

 

I have one level left in Katamari Damacy Reroll before I put that one to bed as well.

 

I recently got back into Hitman and I'm completely sucked in. I just bought Hitman 2 so I think I'll be starting that as soon as I finish the first. I also picked up a few indies (SOMA, Oxenfree, Kentucky Route Zero), so I think I'll be starting one of those once I finish up Katamari Damacy.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

68. Katamari Damacy Reroll (PS4)

 

I never played this back when it came out on PS2, so I was glad to see it come to PS4 so I could give it a shot. The game was a lot of fun, but it did take me a little while to get the hang of the controls. I finished all the levels, but stopped short of the platinum. I finished with only 75% of objects collected, and I don't want to spend the time using a spreadsheet to collect the rest.

 

 

 

I'm finishing up Hitman at the moment, so I can't wait to get into the second one soon. On top of the few indies I mentioned in the last update, I also recently got 11-11: Memories Retold, so I think I'm going to start working through those four while playing Hitman. I think I'm going to do Kentucky Route Zero first, so I'm excited for that.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

69. Hitman (PS4)

 

When I originally started this one, I had trouble getting into it and I put it aside for a year and a half. I finally came back to it, and I was hooked. I had a lot of fun with it, and I know I barely scratched the surface with what you can do in each level.

 

 

 

I'm excited to start Hitman 2, so I think that will be next. I've also started Kentucky Route Zero, so I think I'll be putting some time into that in between Hitman missions.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

70. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS4)

 

It took me way too long, but I finally finished this game. It's been one of my favorite games since the original version came out on PS2, and I've been meaning to finish playing through it on PS4 for years now. The controls feel really dated, but after getting used to them, I didn't really think about them anymore. I reached 100% completion, so I spent a lot more time than I would have if I only went for the platinum. After all that time, it was a little bittersweet to finish it. This will be my first time without a GTA game to play since GTA V originally launched, so I'll be looking forward to that one relaunching on PS5.

 

 

 

Now that GTASA is wrapped up, I think I'm going to finish up Star Wars: Republic Commando and Kentucky Route Zero. I also just bought the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, so I think that'll be my next big set of games to tackle.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

71. Habroxia 2 (Vita)

 

I found this game on sale recently and figured I should play it since I really enjoyed the first one. I never really liked this type of old school shooter when I was younger but I've grown to really enjoy them now. And it helps that Habroxia and Habroxia 2 are both pretty inexpensive. Habroxia 2 added a lot more content (more levels, New Game+, New Game++, etc.) that wasn't present in the first game. The games don't have many owners on PSNP, but I'd recommend them both as some solid slide-scrolling old school alien shooters on either PS4 or Vita. And they're both pretty easy platinums, which I know is a bonus for a lot of people.

 

 

 

I moved into a new house in August and I haven't spent nearly as much time playing games since then. I've finally gotten myself to accept that I won't be able to finish every game on my list and I think I'm okay with that now. I'm continuing to maintain a list of games I own and want to play, but I'm not stressing over completing it.

With that said, at the moment I'm currently playing:

-Battlefield 2042

-Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Definitive Edition

-Star Wars: Republic Commando

-Broken Age

 

I have a few other games that I've started and I'm intending to come back to if and when I can:

-Hitman 2

-Mass Effect

-The Division 2

-Kentucky Route Zero

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

72. Astro's Playroom (PS5)

 

I wasn't expecting to find a PS5 last weekend, so it was a nice surprise to get one and be able to play Astro's Playroom. I've been looking forward to the game ever since the console launch, so it was hard for me to put this one down. It was a ton of fun and I'm so glad they included it with every console. I think I probably would've paid for the game if I had to.

 

 

 

I've been able to play games a few days a week this year, but I've been primarily focusing on longer games so I don't get the chance to update this list as often as I used to. At this point, my backlog is a list of games that I own that I'd like to play, but I know I won't play them all. As long as I enjoy what I do play, I'll consider it a success.

 

Now that I have a PS5, the games I'm planning to play may shift around, but for now I'm playing:

-Battlefield 2042

-Grand Theft Auto V (replaying now that I have the PS5 version)

-Hitman 2

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

73. Hitman 2 (PS4)

 

It took me a while to get through this one because once I got the entire trilogy into Hitman 3, I replayed the first game and maxed out location mastery in every location. After that, I finally worked my way through Hitman 2, maxing out my location mastery there as well. I had a ton of fun with this one, and I don't think there were any missions or locations that I didn't enjoy. Trying to reach max location mastery was intimidating at first, but I've actually really enjoyed being "forced" to fully explore every level while trying multiple different assassination methods. I loved every minute of this game, so I can't wait to see how the third one goes.

 

 

 

I jumped right into Hitman 3 after finishing the second one, so that's my main game at the moment. In addition, I'm also kind of working on:

-Grand Theft Auto V

-Star Wars: Republic Commando

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

74. Hitman 3 (PS4)

 

After finishing Hitman 2, I dove right into this and I finished it faster than the other two games in the trilogy. Overall, I don't think I loved the locations in this one as much as the other two games, but they were still a lot of fun to play and explore. I did enjoy the addition of the shortcut mechanic in this one, but I don't think I used them very often. Now that I've finished the trilogy, I'll probably take a break from it, but I can definitely see myself coming back to replay some of the missions when I'm bored in the future.

 

 

 

I started Miles Morales this weekend, so I think I'll be focused on that for a little while. I also bought Hell Let Loose, so I'm hoping to mix that in as well.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III

[Blood_Hungry_III]

For a while now I've been thinking about how I want to spend more time on reviews for games that I play. I don't finish many in a given year, so it probably isn't too much of a burden for me to do that. I decided to write longer reviews for a few games that I've already finished and posted in this thread, and I'll be trying to write longer ones for games I finish moving forward. With that in mind, I decided to start it off with a re-review of my favorite game of all time.

 

(Re-Review) 70. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS4)

 

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has some pretty big flaws. The graphics are dated, the controls are brutal by modern standards, the game is buggy, there are some frustratingly difficult side missions, and lack of checkpoints and quick-saves makes the game much more unforgiving than newer entries in the series. Even though any of those things would be enough to justify a new player bouncing off the game in their first few hours, none of them kept me from reaching 100% completion in the game and loving (nearly) every minute of it.

 

When San Andreas launched in 2004, I didn’t own a PlayStation 2. I spent all my money to buy one and the game, and I’ve never regretted it. I spent hours and hours playing the game until finally getting stuck on some side stuff, leaving it at 95% completion, and calling it quits. I made a few more attempts over the years at coming back to it but they never stuck.

 

Fifteen years after finishing the story the first time, I finally started my 100% completion run. As I booted it up, I had doubts about coming back after all those years. I knew the visuals and controls would be rough and I wondered if I could actually stick with the game enough to see it through. I’ve regarded San Andreas as my favorite game for many years and I worried that playing it again (especially after playing and loving Grand Theft Auto IV and V) would taint my memories of it.

 

 

As I watched the opening credits, those doubts started to fade quickly. And as I got back on my BMX bike, I realized that San Andreas is my favorite game because of how it makes me feel. Or more accurately, how it made me feel in 2004. The first time I played the game, I’d never been to California. My mental image of it was what I’d seen in movies. Driving around San Andreas gave me a chance to feel like I was truly exploring a place I’d only dreamed of.

 

Possibly the biggest flaw in the game for me is an outdated control scheme. Not using R2 to fire your weapon or accelerate a vehicle feels counter to everything modern games have made me accustomed to, but I was surprised how quickly I adapted to San Andreas’ controls. After just a few play sessions, I got used to them and never had to think about them again.

 

I got lost in the world immediately, and my memory of the map came back to me without much effort. Even without the polish that GTA V has, the three cities of San Andreas manage to seem different enough that they almost feel like separate games, and the countryside and desert were fun interstitial areas while I waited to get access to San Fierro and Las Venturas. The game’s characters are blocky and driving at high speeds leads to visual pop-in, but I was able to ignore those things to appreciate the vast world Rockstar created.

 

Some of the game's sound effects, especially the guns, sound tinny and unrealistic, but the excellent voice acting and music more than balanced it out. The soundtrack kept me entertained for the dozens of hours I spent driving cross country in San Andreas. Some of my earliest exposure to grunge bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden came in my original playthrough of this game, and hearing Rage Against the Machine every time I flipped on Radio X helped turn them into one of my favorite bands. My tastes have shifted a little bit since then (and I have a new appreciation for the artists on K-DST and Radio Los Santos that I lacked back then), but hearing Killing in the Name or Rusty Cage today never fails to make me think of this game.

 

The story of Carl Johnson getting rich, building up the strength of the Grove Street Families, and exacting revenge on those that have wronged him sounds on paper like an unbelievable movie plot, but it managed to keep me compelled the entire time. I found myself suspending my disbelief and being glued to the game to find out what would happen to CJ with every twist and turn.

 

Lack of checkpoints means that failing a mission requires you to travel back to the trigger point and start it over from the beginning. Some of the tougher (and longer) missions made this frustrating at times, but the plot of San Andreas had its hooks so deep in me that I didn’t mind trying over and over until finally passing each mission.

 

 

On top of the main story, I also kept coming back for all the side activities the game has to offer. The collectibles got a bit tedious, but I had a lot of fun with the side missions. In a non-RPG, I found it really refreshing that on top of getting paid, a lot of them had additional benefits for completion like increased health or infinite sprint. A train driving side mission has no right to be as engrossing as it is, but maybe that’s just part of the GTA magic.

 

Rolling credits and seeing the 100% completion message was really bittersweet for me. Seventeen years had passed since I booted up the game for the first time and I’d put a year and a half (and roughly 90 hours) into what became the 100% playthrough. I’d had so many great moments and I was never bothered by the game being rougher and uglier than GTA IV or V. I started the playthrough thinking San Andreas was my all-time favorite game, and I ended the playthrough knowing it was.

 

I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet, so I spent half an hour driving around in my newly unlocked Rhino tank. I knew it was possibly the last time I’d ever play it, and I wanted to get a few more minutes with a game that meant so much to me. I finally shut it off and accepted that it was over.

 

…until of course I tried the Definitive Edition five months later. But we don’t need to talk about that.

 

 

 

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Feel free to let me know your thoughts if you'd like. As I said, I'm hoping to post some more longer reviews soon.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Blood_Hungry_III