52 Games. 1 Year. 2019.

Theswweet · Jan 1, 2019

I'll use this post for my regular list, and the one below it for the spoiler block.
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#1 Titanfall 2 – Completed 1/1/2019 PC – 5 hours
#2 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Completed 1/5/2019 Switch – 25 hours
#3 Rayman Legends – Completed 1/8/2019 Vita – 10 hours
#4 What Remains of Edith Finch – Completed 1/10/2019 PC – 2 hours
#5 Bright Memory Episode 1 – Completed 1/11/2019 PC – 1 hour
#6 Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix – Completed 1/28/2019 PS4 – 26 hours
#7 Kingdom Hearts III – Completed 2/6/2019 PS4 – 45 hours
#8 Devil May Cry – Completed 3/5/2019 PC – 5 hours
#9 Devil May Cry 2 – Completed 3/5/2019 PC – 4 hours
#10 Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition – Completed 3/6/2019 PC – 9 hours
#11 Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition – Completed 3/7/2019 PC – 9 hours
#12 Devil May Cry 5 – Completed 3/9/2019 PC – 10 hours
#13 The Princess Guide – Completed 3/18/2019 PS4 – 8 hours
#14 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Completed 3/25/2019 PC – 30 hours
#15 Muv Luv: Alternative – Completed 4/6/2019 Vita – 40 hours? (Not Logged)
#16 The Great Ace Attorney – Completed 4/19/2019 3DS – 31 hours
#17 Borderlands GOTY – Completed 4/20/2019 PC – 16 hours
#18 Picross 3D: Round 2 – Completed 4/21/2019 3DS – 29 hours
#19 Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception – Completed 4/27/19 Vita – 21 hours
#20 Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth – Completed 5/30/19 Vita – 62 hours
#21 Yakuza 0 – Completed 6/23/19 PC – 52 hours
#22 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony – Completed 7/3/19 PC – 38 hours
#23 428: Shibuya Scramble – Completed 7/21/19 PC – 22 hours
#24 InnerSpace – Completed 7/22/19 PC – 3 hours
#25 Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – Completed 8/28/19 PS4 – 545 hours (215 for Iceborne)
#26 Utawarerumono: Zan – Completed 8/31/19 PS4 – 8 hours
#27 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening – Completed 9/19/19 Switch – 10 hours
#28 Borderlands 3 – Completed 9/24/19 PC – 40 hours
#29 Ys IX – Monstrum NOX – Completed10/10/19 PS4 – 45 hours
#30 Minit – Completed 10/13/19 PC – 1 hour
#31 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 – Completed 10/21/19 PS4 – 93 hours
#32 Inside – Completed 10/22/19 PC – 3 hours
#33 Shadow of the Colossus (2018) – Completed 10/24/19 PS4 – 4 hours
#34 Luigi's Mansion 3 – Completed 10/31/19 Switch – 11 hours
#35 Batman: Arkham Asylum – Completed 11/3/19 PC – 8 hours
#36 The House in Fata Morgana – Completed 11/4/19 Vita – 30 hours? (Not Logged)
#37 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice – Completed 11/6/19 PC – 8 hours? (Not Logged, Game Pass)
#38 Demon's Souls – Completed 11/12/19 PS3 (RPCS3) – 19 hours
#39 Asura's Wrath – Completed 11/13/19 PS3 (RPCS3) – 8 hours
#40 Pokemon Sword – Completed 11/17/19 Switch – 24 hours
#41 Astral Chain – Completed 11/22/19 Switch – 21 hours
#42 Dark Souls 3 – Completed 11/26/19 PC – 32 hours
#43 Dead Cells – Completed 11/30/19 PC – 8 hours? (Not Logged, Game Pass)
#44 Yoku's Island Express – Completed 12/1/19 PC – 5 hours? (Not Logged, Game Pass)
#45 SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions – Completed 12/10/19 PC – 35 hours
#46 Sayonara Wild Hearts – Completed 12/12/19 PC – 1 hour
#47 Outer Wilds – Completed 12/14/19 PC – 8 hours
#48 Motorstorm: Arctic Edge – Completed 12/17/19 PSP/Vita/PC (PPSSPP) – 25 hours
#49 The House in Fata Morgana: Requiem for Innocence – Completed 12/22/19 Vita – 10 hours
#50 Ape Out – Completed 12/23/19 PC – 2 hours
#51 The House in Fata Morgana: Reincarnation – Completed 12/24/19 Vita – 8 hours
#52 Dragon Quest Builders 2 – Completed 12/28/19 PC – 57 hours

Titanfall 2 - I had the game on PS4 already, but decided to pick it up again with Origin Access since the friends I had played the multiplayer with on console had switched to PC last year. Finally got around to the campaign this time, and it's definitely as good as everyone says!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - I was a little disappointed in the games lack of series staple modes like Break the Target, but World of Light was very, very good. I think I enjoyed it more than Brawl's Subspace Emissary.

Rayman Legends - Had this on my backlog for years. I platinum trophied Origins on Vita back in the day, but just... never got around to playing Legends. I think Origins is the better game, but I had a blast with this one too. Might go back to play some of the other extra levels eventually.

What Remains of Edith Finch - Thanks, Epic. I had planned on picking this up from a steam sale, but getting to play it for free is nice too. Short, sweet, I loved how each section was very distinct feeling. I LOVED the comic book aesthetic about halfway through.

Bright Memory Episode 1 - This was a random Chinese developed FPS I saw some folks chatting about on Twitter. It was cheap, and I decided to give it a go. It's not the most polished, and the TL definitely needed some work, but I enjoyed it - it'll be interesting to see what the new content offers, later.

Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix - I had originally intended to clear up my Kingdom Hearts backlog before KHIII hit, but I only managed to get through the first game. It starts off *very* slow, but I did enjoy it in the end. Never starting a new game though, fuck that.

Kingdom Hearts III - For a non Final Mix version of the game, it's very good. Obviously has its faults, but as long as you weren't over-hyped going in I'd say it's a solid end to the Xehanort saga. Can't wait to see what the Final Mix DLC brings!

Devil May Cry series - I played all 5 of them back-to-back, so I'm putting all my thoughts here. DMC1 is still great, but obviously very different from the rest of the series. I don't know why I played DMC2 but it's short so whatever. DMC3 is fantastic and everyone should play it at least once. DMC4SE is still only half a game. DMC5 is fantastic but I felt that the level design got a little dull. I think DMC3 is still my favorite, but DMC4/5 have their strong points, too.

The Princess Guide - I wrote a review for this, it's not very good

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Absolutely the best world and level design that From has ever delivered, and an absolute gem of a game. I think Sword Saint Ashina will be a boss fight I'll always remember fondly.

Muv Luv: Alternative - I can see why this is rated so highly on VNDB. While it's not my personal favorite VN, it's damn close. What a great read.

The Great Ace Attorney - Scarlet Study did a bang-up job on the translation, for what is easily one of my favorite games in the Ace Attorney series. Here's for a speedy translation of the sequel!

Borderlands GOTY - Honestly, wasn't a big fan. I played it so I could play something with my roommate. It's fine.

Picross 3D: Round 2 - I had to stop myself from going back to perfect clear all the puzzles and move onto my next games.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception/Mask of Truth - Putting these under the same description, because they're two halves (two thirds?) of the same story. Great VN, while also being a surprisingly fantastic tactical RPG. Once again, I had to wrestle myself from this (and didn't play nearly as much Dream Arena as I'd have liked) to get to my next games.

Yakuza 0 - I don't think I can say anything about Yakuza 0 that hasn't already been said. It's got drama, it's got comedy, it's got Space Harrier. What more could you want?

Danganronpa V3 - This is the best Danganronpa story, and the ending is great. I will not be taking questions or comments.

428: Shibuya Scramble - Somehow I never saw myself enjoying a VN that's entirely live action photography and short videos, but here we are.

InnerSpace - I'm not gonna lie, I don't remember all that much about this one. All I know is that it was just ok and probably not worth playing again.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - I poured nearly 400 hours into Iceborne this year, and I would do it all again.

Utawarerumono: Zan - I poured nearly 12 hours into Utawarerumono: Zan this year, and I doubt I would do it all again.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - I played through the entirety of this remake during a single livestream, and I would definitely do that all over again.

Borderlands 3 - Better than Borderlands 1, and I actually really enjoyed it - when it worked. Maybe the bugs are ironed out by now, and if that's the case I'll give it my honest recommendation.

Ys IX - Monstrum Nox - I really enjoyed this one, but it simply wasn't nearly as great as Ys VIII. It's honestly impressive how Falcom managed to have the game run worse than Ys VIII on Vita, while barely looking much better.

Minit - This was a really cute game, that I had a lot of fun with. That being said - with how short it was, it's also pretty forgetable! Still glad that I played it, though.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - I used turbo mode for pretty much anything that wasn't a cutscene and this still took me nearly 100 hours. I loved every second of it, but sheesh.

Inside - What the actual fuck was that ending?

Shadow of the Colossus - What the actual fuck was that ending?

Luigi's Mansion 3 - This is probably my favorite in the series, and without a doubt the prettiest game to release on the Switch so far. Fantastic game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - This has not aged well, and the final fight with the Joker - if you can call it that - was incredibly disappointing and bland.

The House in Fata Morgana - Everybody is Crying, definitely not just me. Finally, a VN I can recommend to people with an allergic reaction to anime bullshit.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - I'm super glad that I have a killer headphone setup for my PC, because it would've been a shame to have played this with a shitty pair of cans.

Demon's Souls - I played Demon's Souls at 1440p/60FPS on RPCS3 and it was glorious. Probably my favorite Souls game, and I won't apologize for that.

Asura's Wrath - I played Asura's Wrath at 1440p/60FPS on RPCS3 until the QTEs got too bad and I turned it back down to 30FPS. Really, this is more of an interactive anime rather than a proper game, but I'm not complaining. What I *will* complain about, is the True Ending being DLC. What the actual fuck, Capcom? That's the best part of the game!

Pokemon Sword - I reviewed this, too.

Astral Chain - I enjoyed the hell out of this game at the start, but by the end I was well and ready to move on. It's obvious that Platinum wanted players to replay this, but even if I wasn't busting my ass to finish enough games for the challenge I wouldn't have bothered replaying this anyway.

Dark Souls 3 - I ultimately enjoyed my time with Dark Souls 3, but it's the Tokyo Xanadu eX+ of FromSoft games. If you don't know what that means - don't worry about it. If you *do*, that should tell you all you need to know.

Dead Cells - I had to stop myself from instinctively starting a new playthrough right after the credits rolled. What an addicting game!

Yoku's Island Express - Beautiful artstyle, but I'm still not sure why I played a Pinball Metroidvania. It was a cute game, worth playing for sure, but I don't think I would've been happy with it if I hadn't played it on Game Pass, but rather had bought it with my own money.

SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions - I reviewed this, but all you need to know is that it's our RPG of the Year, and has what might just be the best turn-based battle system of all time. Do yourselves a favor and play this, for the love of god.

Sayonara Wild Hearts - This was a trip, but I couldn't help but feel that the game really wasn't designed with higher refresh rates in mind. At 144FPS, the flickering from the colors shifting between Blue and Pink was just asking for some poor epileptic person to go into shock. I don't get seizures, but even then I felt disoriented!

Outer Wilds - I played through Outer Wilds blind, and so should you.

Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - Would you believe that this game took me literally a decade to finish? Yeah, I started playing this on my PSP, back when I was 12. The same savefile has gone from my PSP, to my Vita, to PPSSPP. Easily has been the longest that a game has been on my backlog (that I've actually finished, at least...)

The House in Fata Morgana: Requiem for Innocence - I didn't really think I needed this, uh, extension of the story. I was wrong.

Ape Out - Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just want to go apeshit?

The House in Fata Morgana: Reincarnation - This was cathartic as hell, and a really nice sendoff to the characters.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 - Ok this game is seriously one of the sleeper hits of the year. It's a very, very strong sequel in basically every way - fixing or improving upon almost all of the issues from the first game. What a gem.

Theswweet · Jan 1, 2019

Reserved #2!

Noctis Winters · Jan 1, 2019

Thinking about trying this too, I have more than enough games in my PS4, Vita and PS3 backlog. Although... I started with No Man's Sky, I'll have to mainline that story this week and I have no idea how long it is.

ThisOneHasNoName · Jan 1, 2019

ThisOneHasNoName - 14/50

I love Smash and when Nintendo said this was the ultimate Smash, you can't imagine how much they meant it. World of Light is Amazing in it's scope, but might go on a little too long. And really everyone is here, what more do you want

Swery65 is and interesting developer, but even still I don't think I ever saw this one coming. A game about queerness that is completely unafraid to wear it proudly. It's heartening to see this kind of story outside of a free game on itch.io or something. It may not be the best game ever but, like Celeste from last year I think this one will stick with me for a long time. (I don't know how it took me this long but that's what the game clock said at the end.)

This had all the potential of be one of the best games ever. All the pieces were there, and yet some how it's a let down. Boring mission design, odd and confusing story, mixed with an updated control scheme that feels worse than the first one, and an almost 3 times as long game that way overstays it's welcome. The characters are still likeable and floating endlessly still incredible, but in the end a disappointment.

The catchup has begun. I mostly finished the original version of this back when it first came out but could never beat the final boss. Finally, this game has been conquered and now I get to move on to the 8 other games between here and Kingdom Hearts III. Most impresively this remaster holds up and the ending (which I had previously only seen on youtube) still hits me all these years later. Truely, Simple and Clean.

For all the complaints about not enough content and expensive cardboard, LABO is a really fun litte project. Even though I will probably never play around with this stuff for an extended amount of time, the joy of building things and seeing how smart the design is was enough for me.

While the story is a bit of a letdown, the fantastic combat system and numerous interesting characters makeup for it in spades.

It took forever to finish this game, and that's not because I sent a lot of time in it's world. This game is the poster child for open world bloat. A world half as large and twice as intereseting would have made this a better change of style for a long in the tooth franchise. The pieces are there so maybe Odyssey can fix it.

Cool Art style and an inventive take on the roguelike style. Good humor and somewhat punishing difficulty.

Amazing game and gorgeous art. Cannot wait of the sequel.

This game took over my life and I couldn't be happier. What if Super Soldier/G.I. Joe fighting aliens. More customization options. I want XCOM 3 to be dress up soldiers first and alien fighting like third. Fantastic.

Compelling for the jump, Hellblade doesn't let go till it's over. I finished this game in one sitting, always a good sign. Excited to see where we go from here.

My favorite Fire Emblem game makes a great first impression. Unfortunately the second part of this game feels a little like wasted potential. Also, can Nintendo just say my gay romance is a gay romance without streaching innuendo as far as it can go. Overall a great Fire Emblem that every one should play.

This game is so cool for about 9 hours and then it became very annoying when you just want to do one thing and the loop keeps screwing you. I wish it was just a little bit shorter or more focused on the exploration up till the end. Some of the creepiest and mind blowing visuals I have seen in a video game.

This is one of the best games I have played in a long time. When Max Payne came out years ago I fell in love with Remedy Games. I think this is the best game they have ever made. Between the mundane out-of-this-world style, the funny and disturbing Bureau files explaining the day to day, and the compelling characters, nothing else could be my game of the year. What a way to end 2019.

ThisOneHasNoName · Jan 1, 2019

Reserved Post #2

chrominance · Jan 1, 2019

Debated whether I should try this year, as last year was a dismal failure after four years of making it to 52. I think I will give it a shot, but not hold myself to it if I feel like I'm forcing myself to play games. Hopefully I'll at least finish more than nine!

COMPLETED

Yoku's Island Express (PC, 2018) - 3:38 (+0:48 in 2018) - COMPLETED January 5
The most adorable game I've played in a long time. Everything in it--the music, the lovely characters, the unique pinball platforming, Postmaster Yoku--feels like a warm hug. Highly recommended.
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (PS4, 2019/PS2, 2004) - 13:08 - COMPLETED January 26
Well, the game definitely took it all away and shoved it in my face. (In a good way?) The story is borderline laughable, but it does the job when it needs to. As for the combat, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy flight sims, and this one really hits the spot. I just hope later Ace Combat games learn what a checkpoint is.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4, 2019) - 13:45 - COMPLETED February 2
It's better looking than AC5, and the airplane tree is a cool progression system. The missions are a mixed bag: I liked a lot of the ground attack missions, but there are also a lot of gimmicks that don't quite work and later missions get really frustrating and annoying. And somehow the story is worse than AC5 by a decent margin. Still, a fun time.
Apex Legends (PC/PS4, 2019) - 6:17/7:03 - CONTINUING February 10
I honestly thought I was done with multiplayer games after Overwatch, but Apex Legends addresses my three biggest concerns with multiplayer games. It makes it fun to lose (most of the time, anyways), it makes it fun to play with randoms, and it makes it fun to play without requiring voice chat. I'll get tired of it eventually, but I'm shocked at how much I enjoy this game.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4, 2018) - 40:25 (+2:51 in 2018) - COMPLETED March 2
Hides its origins as a decade-old game far better than Kiwami 1, and a fantastic Yakuza experience.
Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3, 2012) - 4:27 (+22:10 in 2018) - COMPLETED March 8
Came back to clean up the last Yakuza game I hadn't yet completed. The shooting is horrendous and the last few chapters are infuriating sequences of constant stunlocking, but I like the post-apocalyptic take on the Yakuza formula in principle. My secret hope of a Dead Souls 2 starring a dual-pistols-wielding Haruka with better shooting controls remains strong.
Anthem (PC, 2019) - 25:56 - COMPLETED March 9
Flawed in ways that have been comprehensively examined, but still potentially interesting. Right now Anthem's legacy will rest on the content coming in the next few months and hopefully years; if Anthem can fix its major issues and break from Destiny's "buy all our DLC or get shut out of the story" business model, Bioware could yet pull a win out of this quagmire.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 (PC, 2019) - 51:34 - COMPLETED March 20
Originally I wasn't even planning to play this, but Anthem was a perfect storm: it made me care about loot shooters, but was broken in some fundamental ways and thus not wholly satisfying. The Division 2 also has its problems: the story is bad the few times it's in your face, and I never stop thinking about the weird totally-not-a-civil-war politics of the game. Plus, the difficulty for solo players can be really tough for the first 10 levels. But if you can set all that aside, you have a game with great combat and a world full of events to do and loot to grab. And I'm not even done yet, the endgame looks immense!
Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World (PS4, 2019) - 35:03 - COMPLETED April 9
I had such low expectations for this game. I knew it wouldn't be a traditional Atelier game, I knew that it was likely made on a budget, I knew it could potentially coast on the mere presence of the alchemists from previous games, and I wasn't convinced Gust would be able to nail the gameplay in such a different genre. Nelke exceeded all my expectations. Just as compelling as the traditional Atelier games, but in its own unique way. I don't see how they could ever make another game like this story-wise, but I'd definitely be down for a spiritual sequel.
Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg (PS2, 2005) - 8:44 - COMPLETED April 2
Considering this is a (revamped) version of the very first Atelier game, it's surprisingly easy to play. Many of the franchise's systems are very barebones here, but that's not the thing that makes it feel old. It's the lack of direction regarding how you're supposed to achieve your goal. Even basic things like "not dying when you step outside the city" is incredibly difficult at the beginning, and learning recipes is a haphazard business. But by the end, Marie is practically a demigod, able to synthesize items no one has seen before and demolish legions of demons with a flick of her wand. Yup, it's an Atelier game alright.
SUPERHOT VR (Oculus Quest, 2019) - 1:55 - COMPLETED May 29
No game has ever made me work as hard physically as this one. Thank god my knees aren't busted, because the number of virtual pool tables and barrels I've had to take cover behind is mind-boggling. It gets real frustrating near the end, but otherwise SUPERHOT VR is a showcase for wireless VR.
Observation (PC, 2019) - 4:24 - COMPLETED June 5
If there's one thing that Observation absolutely nails, it's the precariousness of life in space. As an AI who has to help an apparent lone survivor hold together the remnants of the tiny space station she once called home, Observation has an intriguing premise and some neat ideas. The ending didn't work that well for me but I can see why others would love it.
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland (PS4, 2019) - 60:28 - COMPLETED June 27
A pretty good Atelier game. It plays like a mix of Arland and Mysterious games, which is pretty neat but still doesn't quite hit the mechanical highs of the Dusk series. As for everything else, the parts of the story that work best are the fanservice parts (because the original bits just aren't very interesting), but even then the answers to "what's everyone been up to for the past decade?" tend not to be very interesting. Still, it's great to have the old gang back, even if they no longer speak English.
BYTEPATH (PC, 2018) - 1:33 - COMPLETED July 6
A neat take on the twin-stick shooter that... doesn't actually use two sticks. You don't pick where to shoot; the minute-to-minute gameplay is focused on moving your ship. Instead the focus is on improving your ship through augmentation: a bewilderingly large skill tree, tons of different bonuses and perks, and classes and ship types that play quite differently. You don't get to the level of having to crunch numbers to minmax; instead you use your intuition to decide what's worth focusing on. Very short, but with quite a bit of replayability. It's also dirt cheap. Easy to recommend.
Days Gone (PS4, 2019) - 58:20 - COMPLETED July 7
Feels like three seasons of a television show crammed into a single game. Days Gone is immense, more so than most games I've ever played. It does a great job of selling its world emotionally: lonely, brutal, always on the precipice. It does, however, suffer from significant issues. Technically, the game begins to unravel at the end, with even familiar territory suddenly dropping to mid-20 framerates on a PS4 Pro. The gameplay is occasionally difficult to the point of frustration, and that's when bugs don't break various game systems. All that said, it's an engrossing game, and though I'm not sure I want to revisit it anytime soon, I'm glad I played it.
Judgment (PS4, 2019) - 56:50 - COMPLETED August 4
Yeah, I'd play a Judgment 2. A worthy spinoff of the Yakuza franchise, and possibly the game to carry the torch of the old Yakuza games, now that we know about Yakuza 7's gameplay changes.
Sayonara Wild Hearts (iOS, 2019) - 1:21 - COMPLETED September 27
Part endless runner, part rhythm game, part interactive music video. It has a fantastic aesthetic, its gameplay evolves in interesting ways, and the ending is surprisingly touching. My only real complaint is that the touch controls don't work well with this kind of game, even during the sections where it seems like touch should work better than the controller.
Possessions (iOS, 2019) - 0:42 - COMPLETED September 27
A neat diversion that involves the use of forced perspective to "place" objects in a room. The puzzles don't really ramp up much in difficulty and never pose much of a roadblock, but for a 45-minute game that's not a terrible sin. The story attached to the game is best thought of as background wallpaper; it's not all that interesting and it doesn't really feel like it ties into the game at all.
Untitled Goose Game (Switch, 2019) - 3:49 - COMPLETED September 28
A delightful game from start to finish. It's best to avoid spoilers as much as possible, not for any story reasons but because otherwise you'll miss out on many happy surprises.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch, 2019) - 90:37 - COMPLETED October 9
Finished the Crimson Flower route, which is supposed to be the SHORTEST one. I remember being worried when we got the first details about Three Houses--you're a professor at an officer's academy? Get ready for shitty anime tropes. But somehow Three Houses manages not only to sidestep the most egregious of the "students at war" tropes, it actually forges a decent story of geopolitical intrigue and titanic struggle. I liked Fates a lot despite its flaws, but Three Houses beats it handily.
Detective Pikachu (3DS, 2018) - 7:37 (+6:29 in 2018) - COMPLETED October 20
A charming adventure game that works best when it focuses on the personalities and quirks of the many Pokemon in the game--it almost feels like a crime that we don't really get to see any of this stuff in the main games. That said, there's essentially no challenge here, and both the puzzles and story are clearly designed for kids, with ample handholding. As a result, it kind of overstays its welcome and feels more tedious than it should, though meeting new Pokemon never gets old.
CONTROL (PC, 2019) - 16:24 - COMPLETED October 26
Some of my favourite games have environments that feel like central characters: System Shock 2, Prey, Bioshock, and now Control. Control has fantastic combat (though I would've liked better situational awareness and checkpointing) and an eerie mindfuck of a story, but I think it's the Oldest House that will stick with me the most. Remedy's best game in years.
What the Golf? (iOS, 2019) - 8:52 - COMPLETED October 28
A hilarious and endlessly inventive game that's golf-adjacent. Its only real flaw is the number of levels that essentially boil down to "shitty physics lol fuck you."
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout (PS4, 2019) - 37:33 - COMPLETED November 12
I'm torn on this one. It's got a pretty good story by Atelier standards, and the setting and characters feel more real than most games in the franchise. It's also an ambitious overhaul of nearly every gameplay system Atelier is known for, and large parts of that overhaul either work really well or serve as a solid foundation for future games. But it's also rough around the edges in rather unfortunate ways. It's an Atelier game that de-emphasizes the use of items in battle, thus negating a significant use of alchemy. It's also an Atelier game where the act of synthesis can be so cumbersome at times that it actively makes me want to avoid synthesizing. Luckily, there's nothing here that can't be improved and tweaked for the better. The fundamentals are still sound, and it's still an Atelier game.
Death Stranding (PS4, 2019) - 68:42 - COMPLETED December 14
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise of the year. Death Stranding has many problems--a story told almost entirely via blatantly expository dialogue and bad undergrad philosophy essays, an overabundance of needless transition animations, a half-baked combat system--and yet somehow manages to be an engrossing experience from start to finish. Dig underneath its supernatural sci-fi post-apocalyptic story, and you'll find a peculiar mix of Euro Truck Simulator 2, The Tomorrow Children, and maybe just a pinch of QWOP. That combination isn't for everyone, but if you're at all intrigued you owe it to yourself to play this.
Pokemon Shield (Switch, 2019) - 34:03 - COMPLETED December 18
FINALLY, after three Pokemon games over many years, I've finally gotten it together enough to finish an entire Pokemon game. I have to say, as someone who doesn't really know much about the Pokemon lore beyond whatever I've picked up from Pokemon Go and Detective Pikachu, Shield is a totally fine game and I had plenty of fun as a casual newcomer. I totally get why veterans of the series would be disappointed at some of the things that changed or got cut, and I'll probably be alongside you in a few more Pokemon games. But for now, I'm just happy to have finished one of these, and to have grown attached to my lovely team.
Need for Speed (PC, 2016) - 16:12 - COMPLETED December 21
There is promise here, but my god the number of ways in which Ghost Games fuck up the execution. Case in point: three years after the game was first released on PC, it's crashed on me so often that it even managed to crash DURING THE END CREDITS. The handling feels decent mostly, but has bizarre moments where suddenly the car decides to ignore your turning input and runs you into a wall. Collision physics seem totally fucked; tapping a wall lightly at high speed causes giant explosions seemingly at random. It was fun enough to stick with but boy.

PLAYED RECENTLY
Pixel Puzzle Collection (Android, 2018) - 73:30
DJMAX RESPECT V (PC, 2019 Early Access) - 1:12
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (PC, 2018) - 0:57
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (PC, 2019) - 2:28

PURGATORY
Everspace (PC, 2017) - 7:40 (+8:21 in 2018)
Fallout 76 (PC, 2018) - 1:42 (+68:08 in 2018)
Sokobond (PC, 2014) - 0:39 (+0:45 in 2018)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch, 2018) - 0:29
Slay the Spire (PC, 2019) - 1:02 (+4:23 in 2018)
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (PC, 2019) - 6:41
Tales of Zestiria (PC, 2015) - 8:51 (+1:31 in 2015, 2018)
Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch, 2018) - 1:45
Opus Magnum (PC, 2017) - 7:48
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD (PS4, 2017) - 1:57
Baba Is You (PC, 2019) - 3:02
Beat Saber (PC Early Access, 2018) - 0:55
Metro Exodus (PC, 2019) - 7:11
Tom Clancy's The Division (PC, 2016) - 12:14
Atelier Elie: The Alchemist of Salburg 2 (PS2, 2005) - 0:53
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess (PS4, 2015) - 1:39
Project Highrise (PC, 2016) - 7:54
Outer Wilds (PC, 2019) - 1:43
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (PC, 2004) - 2:33
Starbound (PC, 2016) - 1:46
Wolfenstein Youngblood (PC, 2019) - 7:37
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 2017) - 3:58
Tint (iOS, 2019) - 0:12
Grindstone (iOS, 2019) - 0:22
The Outer Worlds (PC, 2019) - 9:23
Ring Fit Adventure (Switch, 2019) - 2:27

1. Yoku's Island Express (PC) | January 5 - 3.6hrs
2. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (PS4) | January 26 - 13.1hrs
3. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4) | February 2 - 13.8hrs
4. Apex Legends (PC, PS4) | February 10 - 13.3hrs
5. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) | March 2 - 40.3hrs
6. Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3) | March 8 - 4.5hrs
7. Anthem (PC) | March 9 - 26hrs
8. Tom Clancy's The Division 2 (PC) | March 20 - 51.5hrs
9. Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World (PS4) | April 9 - 35hrs
10. Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg (PS2) | April 28 - 8.7hrs
11. SUPERHOT VR (Quest) | May 29 - 1.9hrs
12. Observation (PC) | June 5 - 4.4 hrs
13. Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland (PS4) | June 27 - 60.5hrs
14. BYTEPATH (PC) | July 6 - 1.5hrs
15. Days Gone (PS4) | July 7 - 58.3hrs
16. Judgment (PS4) | August 4 - 56.8hrs
17. Sayonara Wild Hearts (iOS) | September 27 - 1.4 hrs
18. Possessions (iOS) | September 27 - 0.7 hrs
19. Untitled Goose Game (Switch) | September 28 - 3.8 hrs
20. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch) | October 9 - 90.6 hrs
21. Detective Pikachu (3DS) | October 20 - 13.8 hrs
22. CONTROL (PC) | October 26 - 16.4 hrs
23. What the Golf? (iOS) | October 28 - 8.9 hrs
24. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout (PS4) | November 12 - 37.5hrs
25. Death Stranding (PS4) | December 14 - 68.7hrs
26. Pokemon Shield (Switch) | December 18 - 34.0hrs
27. Need For Speed 2015 (PC) | December 21 - 16.2hrs

kurahador · Jan 1, 2019

Fire Bocchi · Jan 1, 2019

Fire Bocchi · Jan 1, 2019

reserving post #2

Deleted member 6137 · Jan 1, 2019

2019 list:

Domstercool · Jan 1, 2019

Failed badly last year! Gonna make 2019 right!

I start by my annual beat a game in one day on New Year's Day :)

1: Forgotton Anne (PC) - 6 Hours 18 Minutes
# Beat 1st Jan - Beautiful little platformer with amazing visuals and lovely story. 8/10

2: Far Cry 5 (PC) - 17 Hours 30 Minutes
# Beat 16th Feb - More Far Cry. Solid, fun, open-world bang bang shooter. 7/10

3: Far Cry 5: Hours of Darkness (PC) - 2 Hours 5 Minutes
# Beat 16th Feb - Pretty standard shooting and less of the Far Cry goodness 6/10

4: Resident Evil 2 (PC) - 26 Hours
# Beat 3rd Mar - Best game so far of 2019 and a hell of a remake. 9/10

5: Metro: Last Light Redux (PC) - 12 Hours 15 Minutes
# Beat 13th Mar - Replayed Last Light with now the DLC to get ready for Exodus - Still a great shooter 8/10

6: Blur (Xbox 360) - 18 Hours
# Beat 11 Aug - Now we have real looking cars with Mario Kart formula and it works great. 8/10

7: Astral Chain (Switch) - 20 Hours 16 Minutes
# Beat 28 Sep Great Platinum action with some interesting tag-ons, not their best, but still a bloody good time. 8/10

8: The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan (PC) - 5 Hours
# Not quite as good as Until Dawn, but a decent horror choice adventure that feels a little rushed towards the end. 7/10

9: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PC) - 18 Hours
# Great mix of Uncharted and Dark Souls, offering a sort of Dark Souls-lite with platformer. I could see this as a great entry into the Souls Genre. Nice to see Star Wars get a great single player game to boot. 8/10

Rhaknar · Jan 1, 2019

Game #2 - Submerged
Time: 3.5 hours

Neat little exploration game that mixes simple boat navegation (sorta like Wind Waker I guess) with Uncharted-lite climbing. There's no combat so I have half a mind to call it a walking sim, but there is a lot of actual gameplay like the climbing, using your spygladd to find secrets and mission objectives so, well I won't. It's a shorty especially if you stick to the main objectives (which I advise, the collectibles are just simple abstract small pictures that dont amount to much and the simple climbing gameplay gets old fast), but its pretty, has a enat concept and a cute story, and all around it just has heart. Worth a playthrough imo sticking with the main objective (which should take you about 2 hours, I had about 3/4ths of the collectibles and I finished it in around 3 and half).

Main Post

TomcatTheLion · Jan 1, 2019

Will reserve and see how far I get this year.

Dead Guy · Jan 1, 2019

#1 - Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine | PC | 10 hrs | 02.14.2019 | 7/10

Doing a let's play for this game right now so you can pretty much double the hours spent if you want. It's a game from my childhood that I loved and decided to revisit this year. The game is basically a Tomb Raider clone with an Indiana Jones skin, but one that I find controls a lot better than the original Tomb Raider games. Does it still hold up? To me, absolutely. The story is fantastic, the level design is fantastic and the music is also amazing for a game that came out in 1999. There definitely are some negatives though. It's a late 90's 3D platformer so you can still expect a lot of clunkiness navigating through the levels; Uncharted this is not. Combat can also feel a little stiff because of this as well and there's no manual aim button so when you are trapped in a room with a ton of enemies it can get frustrating when Indy decides to shoot at a dude way off in the distance instead of the guy right in front of him.

Overall though I had a great time going through this game again and it wasn't nearly as hard or confusing as I remember. Just a great 3D platformer that deserves much more recognition than what it gets.

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#2 - LA Noire | PC | 43 hrs | 02.25.2019 | 8/10

Started playing this game last year and unfortunately had to restart several times due to computer failures lol. Finally was able to finish it today with a 90% completion rating (got every collectible except for the cars and finished all the side cases as well). Overall it was a fantastic experience and really captured the feeling of being in a Noire film of the 40's. Nicely paced between investigation and action sequences, the game gives you a very complex intertwined story taking place over the course of all 5 desks. The technology they used for the faces still holds up well today and LA itself is very alive and detailed.

Now onto a few negatives. The ending wasn't very satisfactory to me. I knew because it's supposed to be a noire film, the ending would be bitter-sweet but I felt it cut off very abruptly and left a lot of things unanswered. Maybe they were leaving it for a sequel but at this point I think a sequel is very unlikely to happen making this ending feel pretty lackluster. Some of the driving could also get tedious but they do give you the option to just fast travel to locations which fixes this pretty easily. The last thing I want to complain about is that some of the questioning can get a little confusing at times when you aren't following the games' logic. Clues that seemingly have nothing to do with the question at hand were the right answer a few times because Cole pulls some convoluted reasoning out of his ass that would never hold up in court. Oh well, this can pretty much be expected in any detective game (looking at you Ace Attorney!) so it's not a huge flaw to me.

Overall I had a great time with this game and hold on to the faintest glimmer of hope that it will get a sequel some day.

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#3 - Half Life Blue Shift | PC | 3 hrs | 02.28.2019 | 6/10

Finished this game last night and with it, I have finally finished the original Half Life 1 trilogy. This is easily the weakest of the 3; it's incredibly short even compared to the other expansion Opposing Force and adds nothing new to the game at all - mechanic or lore wise. They did try to make this one a little more difficult as some of the platforming sections and puzzles are very confusing and hard to figure out. I did still enjoy the mindless shooting that makes half life great though so I can't be too hard on it. It was a nice little extra add on to the game so you can revisit Black Mesa one more time.

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#4 - Nancy Drew: Danger by Design | PC | 4 Hours | 04.04.2019 | 7/10

This is a game series that I believe will be fairly obscure to most people on this site as I never hear it talked about and Her Interactive is an incredibly small company in the grand scheme of things. Still though, they've been quietly producing games in the background for over 20 years now and the Nancy Drew series now sits at 32 games total. These games were a huge part of my childhood and because of this I started doing Let's Plays for them on my YouTube channel over 5 years ago. This particular entry is game #14 in the series. The game (and series as a whole) is a first person point and click adventure/mystery series that has you navigating and searching different environments for clues as well as the occasional puzzle thrown in that you must complete to progress. This particular game takes place in Paris, France and revolves around an eccentric fashion designer who is throwing tantrums and firing people left and right. It's our job as Nancy Drew to figure out why this is happening and possibly uncover the solutions to other mysteries in the process.

The environments in this one are quite nice and you do get a genuine 'Parisian' feel from the music and atmosphere. There are no terrible puzzles that stick out in this entry (unlike some other games in the series) and you progress at a relatively quick pace. The big negative here though is that I find the suspects incredibly weak in this game. Only 2 really have anything to do with what is going on while the rest are just kind of road blocks put in the game to impede your progress. One in particular I believe is one of the worst in the entire series as her entire story arc amounts to you baking cookies for her and getting an autograph so you can access the Paris catacombs later in the game.

Still though the game is engaging enough that it keeps your interest all the way through and the slower pace of the game is a nice change from the all out action of many other games I play. The series itself I feel is one that is very overlooked, especially when it comes to female representation in gaming. Nancy isn't an ass kicking heroine like many others you see but she is incredibly intelligent and uses her smarts to outwit the bad guys every time. It's a refreshing take on female main characters and shows that they don't have to become physical threats in order to win the day and stop the villain's plans. Definitely check out the series if you are a fan of adventure games and solving mysteries. They are only $20 dollars and will give you a great experience.

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#5 - Dive Kick | PC | 9 Hours | 04.22.2019 | 7/10

A fun little indie game who's main idea is to take fighting games and break them down to their simplest form. And I mean very simple as there are literally only 2 buttons needed to play. Despite this, the game is much deeper than it looks at first glance and is a fantastic introduction for beginners into competitive fighting games and the fun you can have with them. There's a decent number of characters here and all play differently depending on their speed, special moves and trajectory of their kick. Different strategies will have to be used with and against every character adding a lot of replay-ability as well as teaching you to think on your feet in very stressful situations. Should I get closer or further away? Is this a good time to use my special attack? Why is Uncle Sensei the worst character in the game despite supposedly being the Dive Kick champion 5 years running? All questions you will have to ask yourself in every match if you want to actually get good at the game and develop sound strategies. There is also a lot of humor based around parodying the FGC as a whole which I found quite funny, although if you aren't familiar with fighting games at all most of it will probably go over your head. Still though, I can't think of a better game to introduce a total beginner into the genre so if you've ever wanted to get into fighting games but have been intimidated by other franchises you may want to give this a try.

Swapzism · Jan 1, 2019

This time it's for real.
2016: 25 games
2017: 42 games
2018: 28 games

January
01. [XB1] Tom Clancy's The Division - 31:43
02. [XB1] Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 - 4:06
03. [PS4] God of War - 25:00
04. [XB1] The Gardens Between - 3:00
05. [XB1] Spintires: Mudrunner - 12:15
06. [XB1] Dead Rising 3 - 9:54
07. [XB1] Dirt 4 - 24:48
08. [XB1] Never Alone - 3:45

February
09. [PS4] Detroit: Become Human - 15:00
10. [XB1] Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 20:34

March
11. [XB1] Kingdom Hearts 3 - 30:42
12. [XB1] Late Shift - 2:51
13. [XB1] What Remains of Edith Finch - 3:28

April
14. [XB1] Darksiders 3 - 18.09
15. [XB1] Apex Legends - 21:06
16. [XB1] The Swapper - 6:40
17. [XB1] Unmechanical: Extended - 4:49
18. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies - 7:00

May
19. [XB1] Doom - 9:26
20. [XB1] Life is Strage 2 Episode 2 - 4:28
21. [XB1] Wolfenstien: The New Order - 13:19
22. [XB1] For the King - 10:00

June
23. [XB1] Shadow Complex Remastered - 10:02
24. [XB1] Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel - 19:41

July
25. [XB1] The LEGO Movie Videogame - 11:34
26. [XB1] Gears of War: Ultimate Edition - 11:31
27. [X360] Perfect Dark - 6:00
28. [XB1] Silence - The Whispered World 2 - 8:49
29. [XB1] Batman: Arkham Knight - 27:29

August
30. [XB1] Ashen - 22:00
31. [XB1] Battle Chasers: Nightwar - 32:48
32. [XB1] Old Man's Journey - 1:30
33. [X360] Perfect Dark Zero - 7:30
34. [XB1] Hue - 5:15
35. [XB1] OnRush - 25:00
36. [XB1] Life is Strange 2 Episode 3 - 3:48

October
37. [XB1] Gears 5 - 32:43

November
38: [XB1] Yoku's Island Express - 11:00
39: [NSW] Pokemon Shield - 76:45

December
40: [XB1] Full Metal Furies - 12:00
41: [XB1] Life is Strange 2 Episode 4 - 3:45
42: [XB1] Untitled Goose Game - 6:35
43: [XB1] Life is Strange 2 Episode 5 - 4:14
44: [XB1] Remnant: From the Ashes - 30:00

dlemarc · Jan 1, 2019

I'll try this again. I didn't participate in 2018, but I got to 22 games in 2017. I cleared out a decent chunk of my backlog.

01 - Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag - 1/10/19 - 8/10
A return to form after Revelations, AC3 , and Liberation.
02 - Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry 1/18/19 - 9/10
I enjoyed the story, and I really enjoyed the power fantasy of taking down plantations and slave ships.
03 - Anthem 3/2/19 - 7/10
I love flying around the battlefield kicking ass, and I enjoyed the story that was there. I didn't have any expectations that were shattered either.
04 - The Vanishing of Ethan Carter 5/24/19 - 7/10
Great visuals, great atmosphere, and interesting sad story.
05 - What Remains of Edith Finch 5/25/19 - 8/10
Love the variety of scenarios, and the story was more affecting to me than I thought it would be.
06 - Stories Untold - 5/25/19 - 8/10
Fun text adventure, more thriller than horror for me, great amount of suspense.
07 - Thief of Thieves - 5/27/19 - 7/10
Telltale-style game with stealth and style. I'd like to see a sequel build off of what's here.
08 - Firewatch - 5/28/19 - 8/10
Another quality walking simulator with a twist built off a great NPC relationship.

I can't play anymore games involving dead kids, though. Between Ethan Carter, Edith Finch (especially the tub scenario) and Firewatch, I'm tapped out. I have 3 kids, and one who died at 4 months, and it's getting to be too much at the moment.

07 - Magnetic: Cage Closed - 6/2/19 - 6/10
First person puzzler worth a play-through. Tone was annoying at first, then made sense at the end.
08 - GNOG - 8/7/19 - 8/10
Fun short puzzler.. It was fun seeing my youngest son figure out puzzles as well.
09 - Crackdown 3 - 9/20/19 - 7/10
This was right up my alley in terms of game design,. Except the Ngata boss fight. Fuck that shit.
10 - Gears of War Ultimate Edition - 10/12/19 - 7/10
Mostly fun romp through the first Gears, although the last act dragged.
11 - Gears of War 4 - 10/15/19 - 8/10
Enjoyed the refined gameplay and visual upgrades to the Gears formula. The goriness is right up my alley as well.
12 - Gears of War 5 - 10/18/19 - 8/10
Good improvement to the Gears formula, but I want a better ending that's not a cliffhanger.
13 - ReCore - 10/27/19 - 6/10
I enjoyed my time overall, but the mechanics needed to be better for so much platforming.
14 - Halo: Spartan Assault - 11/2/19 - 5/10
Exceedingly average game. Glad I played this on Game Pass for $2 instead of spending $3.
15 - Halo Wars - 11/8/19 - 7/10
This is the first RTS I've beaten, and I definitely plan to spend more time with the genre. The story was pretty forgettable, though.
16 - Halo: Spartan Strike - 11/12/19 - 5/10
There are some improvements to the formula that make this a little more fun, but having to unlock the last levels by getting gold on all previous levels is trash.
17 - Halo Wars 2 - 11/22/19 - 8/10
Polished game that drew me in more than it's predecessor. More interested in the Halo lore because of this game.

BrickArts295 · Jan 1, 2019

11/8/19 EDIT: I totally forgot about this!

Goodness, Its that time of the year again :)

My records so far:
2014: 35
2015: 41
2016: 56
2017: 78
2018: 113
2019: 79

Don't think I'll be able to beat 2018, I'm getting burned out but my backlog is almost finished-ish XD

January

Mortal Kombat X (XB1) - 9/10 - 5 hours (Jan 4)
Celeste (XB1) - 9.5/10 - 8 hours (Jan 7)
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance (PS4) - 7.5/10 - 14 hours (Jan 13)
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage (PS4) - 6/10 - 3 hours (Jan 13)
Amplitude (PS4) - 7/10 - 1 hour (Jan 16)
Devil May Cry (PS4) - 8/10 - 5 hours (Jan 19)
Contra (NES) - 6/10 - 1 hour (Jan 19)
Double Dragon II (NES) - 6/10 - 1 hour (Jan 19)
Ninja Gaiden (NES) - 7/10 - 3 hours (Jan 19)
Super Mario World (SNES) - 9/10 - 5 hours (Jan 22)
Contra III (SNES) - 7/10 - 1 hour (Jan 23)
Devil May Cry 2 (PS4) - 6/10 - 3 hour (Jan 24)
Resident Evil 2 (PS4) - 9.5/10 - 7 hour (Jan 28)
The Gardens Between (XB1) - 7/10 - 2 hours (Jan 30)
Until Dawn Rush of Blood (PSVR) - 6.5/10 - 3 hour (Jan 31)

February

Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Android) - 8/10 - 10 hours (Feb 6)
Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4) - 9.2/10 - 26 hours (Feb 12)
Devil May Cry 3 (PS4) - 9/10 - 5 hours (Feb 15)
Devil May Cry 4 (PS4) - 8/10 - 5 hours (Feb 15)
Metro Exodus (PS4) - 7.5/10 - 15 hours (Feb 18)
Bioshock Infinite + DLCs (PS4) - 9/10 - 20 hours (Feb 24)
AC Brotherhood (PS4) - 8.5/10 - 10 hours (Feb 28)

March

Far Cry 5 (PS4) - 8.5/10 - 24 hours (Mar 8)
Red Faction (PS4) - 7/10 - 4 hours (Mar 10)
The Bard's Tale (PS4) - 7/10 - 9 hours (Mar 13)
Devil May Cry V (PS4) - 9.3/10 - 11 hours (Mar 20)
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (XB1) - 8/10 - 2 hours (Mar 21)
Battlefield 1 (XB1) - 9/10 - 4 hours (Mar 22)
The Walking Dead The Final Season (PS4) - 9/10 - 10 hours (Mar 26)
Broken Age (PS4) - 7/10 - 5 hours (Mar 31)

April

Apotheon (PS4) - 8/10 - 10 hours (Apr 7)
Framed 2 (PC) - 6.5/10 - 2 hours (Apr 11)
The Last Blade (PC) - 7/10 - 1 hour (Apr 11)
Old Man's Journey (PC) - 7/10 - 1 hour (Apr 14)
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (XB1) - 8/10 - 10 hours (Apr 21)
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (PC) - 7/10 - 8 hours (Apr 25)
Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4) - 9/10 - 5 hours (Apr 28)

May

Days Gone (PS4) - 7.5/10 - 40 hours (May 12)
Resistance: Burning Skies (Vita) - 6/10 - 6 hours (May 14)
Rage 2 (XB1) - 7/10 - 9 hours (May 19)
Metropolis: Lux Obscura (Vita) - 5/10 - 3 hours (May 25)

June

GTA San Andreas (XB1) - 8.5/10 - 22 hours (Jun 4)
Blood & Truth (PSVR) - 9/10 - 6 hours (Jun 6)
Trover saves the Universe (PSVR) - 7.5/10 - 5 hours (Jun 8)
Bound (PS4) - 6.5/10 - 2 hours (Jun 9)
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PS4) - 8/10 - 16 hours (Jun 25)

July

Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled(PS4) - 8.5/10 - 5 hours (Jul 3)
Onimusha: Warlords (PS4) - 6.5/10 - 3 hours (Jul 17)
AC Odyssey Complete Edition (PS4) - 9/10 - 105 hours (Jul 29)

August

Borderlands The Pre-Sequel (PS4) - 7/10 - 20 hours (Aug 3)
Borderlands 2 + DLC (PS4) - 9/10 - 60 hours (Aug 9)
Halo 3 (XB1) - 9/10 - 6 hours (Aug 15)
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 (PS4) - 8.5/10 - (Aug 19)
Dying Light (PS4) - 8/10 - (Aug 23)

September

A Plague's Tale (PS4) - 7/10 - 12 hours (Sep 3)
Burnout Paradise (PS4) - 9/10 - 15 hours (Sep 5)
Sairento VR (PSVR) - 7/10 - 2 hours (Sep 13)
Ghost Giant (PSVR) - 8/10 - 3 hours (Sep 14)
Lost Dimensions (Vita) - 7/10 - 15 hours (Sep 16)
Gears of War 3 (XB1) - 8/10 - 7 hours (Sep 21)
Halo 3 ODST (XB1) - 8.5/10 - 7 hours (Sep 22)
Control (PS4) - 9/10 - 15 hours (Sep 27)

October

Tetris Effect (PSVR) - 9.5/10 - 4 hours (Oct 1)
Link's Awakening (Switch) - 9/10 - 10 hours (Oct 9)
Toy Story Mania (PSNow) - 6/10 - 3 hours (Oct 12)
Raiden V (PSNow) - 6/10 - 3 hours (Oct 12)
SkyScrappers (PSNow) - 5/10 - 4 hours (Oct 13)
Gears of War 4 (XB1) - 8/10 - 8 hours (Oct 17)
Concrete Genie (PS4) - 8/10 - 7 hours - (Oct 25)
Astral Chain (Switch) - 8/10 - 16 hours - (Oct 31)

November

COD Modern Warfare (PS4) - 9/10 - 7 hours - (Nov 2)
Reigns (Android) - 8/10 - 3 hours - (Nov 3)
The Outer Worlds (XB1) - 9/10 - 20 hours - (Nov 8)
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (XB1) - 8.5/10 - 15 hours - (Nov 30)

December

Death Stranding (PS4) - 9.5/10 - 45 hours - (Dec 7)
Halo Reach (XB1) - 9/10 - 8 hours - (Dec 16)
TACOMA (XB1) - 7/10 - 3 hours - (Dec 17)
Sekiro Shadows Die Twice (PC) - 9/10 - 15 hours (Dec 25)
Fire Emblem Three Houses (Switch) - 9.5/10 - 36 hours (Dec 26)

yes06kin · Jan 1, 2019

*reserved*

Gonna try to attempt this again. The only goal is to beat more game than I buy and I thought this would be a good motivator. I also want to write more about games as well so I'll be keeping up on here and my blog as well. Good luck to you all!

GarrettB · Jan 1, 2019

Did 54 games last year and probably will never finish that many games in one year ever again. I didn't like how it influenced my playtime. I still had a blast last year and played a lot of great games but never again. My goal is 12 games and that's good enough for how much time I have to devote to this hobby.

1. Holedown - Phone - 1.8.2019 7:46pm
2. Portal 2 - PC - 1.12.2019 2:23pm
3. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - PS4 - 1.17.2019 11:00pm
4. Apex Legends - PC - 2.9.2019 6:30am

5. Metroid - Switch - 2.14.2019 9:45pm
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: The Champions Ballad - Switch - 3.2.2019 7:00pm
7. Ridiculous Fishing - Phone - 4.2.2019 8:26pm
8. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - PC - 4.6.2019 10:16pm
9. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PSX - 4.11.2019 - 11:00pm
10. Katana Zero - PC - 4.20.2019 -3:00pm
11. Super Mario Bros Lost Levels - Switch - 4.22.2019 -8:25 am
12. Hyrule Warriors - Switch - 4.24.2019 -5:40 pm
13. Tekken 3 - PSX - 5.21.2019 - 11:00 pm
14. The Legend of Zelda BOTW - Switch - 5.25.2019 Fnished a second time with my 3 year old, by the end of the game he finished a shrine entirely on his own and after multiple tries beat a guardian on his own without ancient arrows, the kids a prodigy, some of the most fun I've had in games. This is one of the greatest games ever made and great for kids because it's such a sandbox.
15. Rise of the Tomb Raider - PC - 5-28-2019 11:24 pm
16. Cadence of Hyrule - Switch - 6.15.2019 am
17. Metroid Fusion - Emulation - 6.18.2019 11:55pm
18. Mario 3D World - Wii U - 6.26.2019 9:45 pm
19. Super Mario Maker 2 - Switch - 7.1.2019 10:35 pm
20. Slay the Spire - PC- 7.10.2019 7:15 am
21. Mario Odessey - Switch (Replay with son)
22. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening - Switch 10.1.2019 12:20AM
23. Mario 64 - N64
24. Smash Brothers - N64
25. Sonic Generations - PC
26. Star Wars Jedi Academy - PC
27. Luigi's Mansion ( Orginal game) - 3DS
28. Outerwillds - PS4

Rolodzeo · Jan 1, 2019

Reserving!

1 - ELOH (27/01/19) (? hours) (Smartphone/Android) - 8/10

A gorgeous rhythm-puzzle game. It's quite short, but it's rewarding and fun in every level. Recommended.

2 - Gears of War 2 (04/03/19) (? hours) (Xbox One S) - 8/10

Really enjoyable game. Great atmosphere, action and gameplay. I didn't expect to like it so much! Recommended.

3 - Nightmares from the Deep 2: The Siren's Call (17/04/19) (5 hours) (PC/Steam) - 7/10

Fun hidden object game, I beat the first one a few years ago, and this was more of the same. It's a really nice game if you're into this genre. Recommended.

4 - LEGO Jurassic World (18/04/19) (~20 hours) (PC/Steam) - 8/10

I actually finished the game a few weeks ago, and I had planned to 100% it before marking it as finished, but... I kinda forgot about it and started other games, so I think I'm done with it. Anyway, it's a fantastic game, full of references, characters, vehicles, gadgets, etc from the movies, so it's a real treat for fans. I really enjoyed it, just got a bit tired trying to complete all the extra stuff after beating the game. Recommended.

5 - Professor Layton and the Curious Village HD for Mobile (06/05/19) (10 hours) (Smartphone/Android) - 9/10

I played the original on DS back in its day, and this is a perfect port with some added bonus features. It's a wonderful puzzle adventure game with a lot of charm and gorgeous aesthetics. Recommended.

6 - Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones (14/06/19) (~6 hours) (PC/Steam) - 8/10

End of the trilogy for this hidden object saga. It shares the same pros and cons of the other games in the series, so I'd say that is a pretty competent hog, specially if you like the genre. Recommended.

7 - Void Bastards (18/06/19) (? hours) (PC/Xbox Game Pass Ultimate) - 8/10

I didn't expect to like this game, but it was a really fun and hectic experience from beginning to end. It reminded me a bit of Bioshock in certain game mechanics, like being able to buy items from vending machines, pirating enemy bots, etc. Recommended.

8 - Kero Blaster (07/07/19) (4 hours) (PC/Steam) - 7/10

Fun retro run and gun game, albeit a little repetitive because of the many times you might end battling some bosses in order to learn their attack patterns. Still an enjoyable (and short) game. Recommended.

9 - Frostpunk (20/07/19) (17 hours) (PC/Origin Access) - 10/10

Pretty difficult strategy game about surviving in a freezing postapocalyptic Earth. It took me a ton of tries to beat the main campaign, but it was absolutely worth it. Every time I tried, I learned a bit more and undesrtood better the gameplay, it was a really rewarding experience. Play this game.

10 - MouseCraft (22/07/19) (~11 hours) (PC/Steam) - 8/10

A blend of ChuChu Rocket!, Lemmings and Tetris, this is a game in which you have to guide three little mice to a piece of cheese by using different kinds of blocks to build (or destroy) a path. If you like puzzle games, give this game a chance, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I completed all the levels with a perfect score and it took me around 11 hours, but if you only do the minimum to complete each stage I'm sure it can be beaten in a lot less time. Recommended.

11 - Warhammer 40000: Mechanicus - (26/07/19) (~25 hours) (PC/Steam) - 8/10

Pretty good game, similar to XCOM but set in the W40K universe. The atmosphere of the game is amazing and the soundtrack is superb. The gameplay is solid too, but... it can get quite repetitive towards the end, as you basically have a handful of different types of mission which, to put it simply, must be resolved basically the same way. Overall, a good game, but it gets a bit boring after you've done the same kind of mission 10 times. Still, recommended.

12 - Mad Max - (07/08/19) (~50 hours) (PC/Steam) - 8/10

Good game that manages to capture the universe of Mad Max perfectly, but with some little issues here and there (including a few minor bugs) that prevent it to become amazing. The most interesting missions are the optional ones, which is quite odd. Also, it's extremely repetitive if you try to complete all the optional quests and collectibles, but if you stick to the main story you should have a blast. Recommended.

13 - Tron: Evolution - (13/08/19) (? hours) (PC/Steam) - 4/10

This game is awful. I forced myself to finish it and it was not worth it. Basically, it's a really poor attempt at mixing a completely broken Prince of Persia parkour style platforming with tedious, repetitive and frustrating combat, without forgetting the painfully dull vehicle sections. Both camera and controls are a mess, also. Lastly, the story is generic as it can be and adds nothing to the Tron universe. Obviously, I don't recommend this game at all.

14 - The Room Three - (06/09/19) - (~8 hours) (Smartphone/Android) - 9/10

Great puzzle game with good visuals and fun gameplay. This time around the game presents four different endings, so it has some replayability, although two of them are almost identical. Finishing the game with the first ending is quite easy, but unlocking the three others can be a bit more tricky. Recommended.

Miamiwesker · Jan 1, 2019

I was terrible last year, completed only 30 games. Normally I am over 50 easy. This year I will try to get back.

1. Organ Quarter

This indie old school RE game in VR is one of the best experiences I've had. It very much lacks to polish of a big game cause it was made by a few guys but it captures what made old RE great. Managing health and items, stashing items in item boxes, solving weird puzzles by using items you find around and of course shooting monsters in the face. All done in first person with your hands interacting with the environment. No real jump scares which is a plus, that's cheap in VR, it's more silent hill style atmosphere. Any fan of survival horror with VR needs this.

2. Devil May Cry 3 SE

Still the GOAT hack and slash action game.

3. Red Dead Redemption 2

A masterpiece. Will write more in the GOTY thread.

4. Budget Cuts

One of the best VR demos ever was for this game where you in full room scale have a portal gun and need to sneak around an office while avoiding killer robots with only throwing knives as your weapon. The game expands the demo into a full game. You will duck behind desks, open many drawers, peek around corners physically. The immersion factor is impressive. Sadly I never felt they really developed any further than the demo. Its just the same gameplay loop repeated with new areas. Not until the last level does it really throw you a crazy "boss" enemy, which sadly for me ended up glitched. A good first attempt for a game. Those without VR just do not understand how immersive it is to be in a stealth game where you are literally croutched on the floor and peaking over cubicles.

TheIlliterati · Jan 1, 2019

60 games / XXXX hrs / 2013
84 games / 1244 hrs / 2014
65 games / 1403 hrs / 2015
62 games / 1258 hrs / 2016
72 games / 1077 hrs / 2017
69 games / 1298 hrs / 2018

pratepon · Jan 1, 2019

reserved!
Games Playing
1) (1/1/19) Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

ClayModel · Jan 1, 2019

Clinching this year by playing and finishing up smaller houred games on my win!

25/52 Damn, not finishing this year's 52 games. Ah well, cest la vie.

Game 1: Tales of Berseria (GPD WIN) - 18hours
There are still short tips explaining about new mechanics???

Game 2: Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drops Distance HD (PS4) - 23hours COMPLETED (JAN)
Fuck that 2nd last boss fight's design, spammy teleporting bs boss fight with a dumb mechanic at the end.

Out of all the KH games, DDD easily has the best combat and movement, quick and snappy and not overpowered and easy like KH2, IMO balanced. Visually, it looks as good as any PS2 remastered on current gen consoles go. My biggest gripe with it is the story, it's the most convoluted KH story thus far. Time travel, sleeping, parallel worlds but run in slowed down time, Xehanort???, utterly confusing to the end. Also I found the Spellican and 2nd last boss fight shittily designed boss fights that are also designed to drag on playing this game longer.

4/5 two annoying boss fights and wack as fuck story but best movement and combat.

Game 3: Iconoclasts (GPD WIN) - 12hours COMPLETED (APR)
A fun enough exploring game with a hell of a charming pixel art style but it's bogged down by weird translation or just odd writing and collectible and upgrades that really don't matter that much. For a game that's made by a single person, it's truly impressive though. Music is also banging!

3/5 fun enough marred by rough wording. I'd love a sequel that improves the faults of this game.

Game 4: Kingdom Hearts: A Fragmentory Passage HD (PS4) - 2hours 35min COMPLETED (JAN)
Visually, it's a looker but something's off with the lighting though. Combat and movement wise, it's fun but magic can get too OP at times but makes sense given it's Aqua but it aint topping DDD for me. An interesting filler story that ties BBS to KH1 that explains some of the stuff in KH1 and even connects to the future KH3 with it's teasing at the end. Consider me ready and hyped for KH3.

4.5/5 A neat preview of what may come in KH3.

Game 5: Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4) - 32hours COMPLETED (MAR)
It's finally over, kinda. Who knows what SE/Nomura has in plans after that ending.

Easily the best looking out of the series aside from the few ugly looking 2D characters such as Hercules. Combat is fun enough and quick but at the expanse of the easiest game of the series and the most repetitive. I usually don't tend to notice pressing the button alot but specifically in KH3, pressing X is so so much noticeable. Sure the variety of Keyblades and magic add some kinda change up in the combat but again, those also made combat way too easy again. It's about on par as KH2 but BBS and DDD being the top of KH's combat gameplay.

Story wise, the beginning and ending were great but everything in the middle just felt like so much of a waste of time or filler, especially made worse with worlds like Frozen and Toy Story feeling underutilized. Also where the heck were KH's spin on the FF elements of SE side of KH? Disappointingly lacking. The writing is about on par as previous game, as in it's not that well made and super confusing BUT frustratingly entertaining.

Sountrack was kinda disappointing, I expected a bit more new OST for this addition to the series but only a handful of recognizable new tracks where as everything else was same old OST from past games. Seemed like there's more old soundtracks compared to newer ones. Still though, those old OST were just as great when I first listened to them in past KH games.

Overall, combat's way too easy, story was not paced well in the middle and super confusing and entertaining.

4/5 Free from KH...for now.

Game 6: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4) - 48hours 35min COMPLETED (APRIL)
Yeah, it's another great game from From but it doesn't Bloodborne for me.

After abandoning most of what I learned from past Souls games, I finally clicked with the game's combat. It's visceral and quick if you know what you're doing and the sound effects, that sweet sweet deathblow is awesome to pull off. In terms of exploration, it's the best with the grappling hook that works mostly smoothly and even swimming was solid. Sekiro is also visually their best looking game so far, with no filters or post processing and just visual crispness.

However in terms of difficulty, it's the easiest of the From games I've played considering the options of quickly ending a battle, bosses included, through posture and deflections or whittling the enemy's health to zero and pulling off the deathblow plus the ability to revive after dying once means you can choose to run away and come back and keep on fighting. But when I say easiest, it doesn't mean it's their worst output, that'd be DS2. Another gripe with the game is the repeating use of bosses but those are just a handful of those happening though IMO.

4.5/5 another solid entry from From Software's library.

Game 7: RAGE 2 (PS4) - 11hours COMPLETED (MAY)
Fantastic shooting and intermixing abilities, movement and shooting but everything else sucks ass.

The story is utterly forgettable, writing and concept is wasted potential and characters while interesting are also wasted and relegated to being check points and each character literally are involved in just 2 main missions each which then lead up to a disappointing final mission which involves driving a tank for 1/4 of the mission and ending with a lame ass boss fight. Also side missions are just activities that don't even attempt to have any interesting writing or build ups or anything remotely special, they're all just shootouts. I'm not all that down with this game though.

The shooting and feeling of gunning down enemies is really great, similar to Doom 2016 and with solid movements such as teleports and double jumps along with decent enough weapons, that's easily the best part of the game. The only downside is having to stick to 2 weapons to switch out instead of having 4 available slots to switch to. Having to use to the weapon wheel slows down the pacing of combat so I just stuck to the default AR and shot gun and sometimes switching up with hypersniper and flaming magnum which btw you click to light enemies on fire. Visually, traversing the world on the ground or mid air is pretty stunning to drive/fly around in. Sadly, that's all there is to the world, it looks pretty but it's a boring uninteractable world.

2/5 good shootemup, shit everything else. I was hyped for this. Second game from Avalance where I felt burned by the end. Avalanche needs better writers, for fucks sakes!

Game 8: Monument Valley (Mobile) - 1hour 45min COMPLETED (JUNE)
Beginning puzzles from chapter 1 to 4 are mind numbingly easy but thankfully gets much harder chapter 5 onwards. The visual design and art is just stunningly made and simply eye catchingly beautiful.

4/5 Beautiful and I can see why this was applauded when it came to top mobile games.

Game 9: A Plague Tale: Innocence (PS4) - 12hours COMPLETED (JUNE)
Not top 5 for now but easily top 10 games I've played this year. You can easily the Naughty Dog influence poring throughout this game with moving crates, triangle to start and take note of environment, etc. I found the characters endearing except for Arthur, what happens to him by the end didn't really make me care for him, there just wasn't much time we spent with him but the rest of the cast was done well enough that I kinda got attached to them. Stealth, combat and crafting works good enough where I never felt burnt out by the end, well paced weapons and items throughout. Now the star feature of the game, the rats. Boy oh boy do they live up to developers hype. They're just unnerving to hear and see crawling around like water, still freaky to see by the end. It does get a tad bit ridiculous in the last few chapters but if I was ok with sea of rats, I'm ok with what happens to the later parts of the game lol.

4/5 a sea of rats and also hyped for whatever Asobo games make next!

Game 10: Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4) - 8hours 30min COMPLETED (JUNE)
One of my top 5 games this year! Amazing looking visuals, fun and simple enough combo/button presses even for someone who doesn't really play much fighting games, an insanely fun engaging story with well directed scenes that could be compiled into it's own movie. I tried online but I got my ass kicked in an instant though lol. There's also bunch of other stuff to do like Towers and the Crypt thing. My only gripe is Rounda Rhousey, she is soooo bad.

5/5 Johny Cage's nut punch even works on roobots!

Game 11: Entwined (PS4) - 1hour 30min COMPLETED (JULY)
It's ok for a PS+ game and pretty bare bones.

2/5 meh

Game 12: Judgement (PS4) - 37hours 30min COMPLETED (AUG)
Well, while I didn't like the slog of the 2-3 chapters long of set up, I ended up loving this slight spin on the yakuza formula. With a much more focus on social aspect, justice and detective work, there's just enough to make this game stand on it own alongside the Yakuza. The combat is much better than Y6 as it has enough to make combat not feel as repetitive or as easily broken with an OP attack, also enjoy the more agileness to Yagami vs Kiryu's brute force of nature. The story doesn't top Yakuza 0's story but I'd easily place it next to it and I liked it more than Y6's story too, also a great set of characters to interact with. I was also relieved to see that side stories or in this side cases still exist but instead of just stumbling on them, you can choose to engage a side case when you want to. I also like that instead of resolving once the side case is done, the stories can evolve further as the main story progresses. Makes Kamurocho even more of a living breathing game world when you can see those related characters walking on the streets as you are. I suppose the worst part of this game is the tailing missions. Not only are they too easy to finish but sometimes such a slog to go through as you wait for the tailing character to stop and the turn back and then get back to walking, annoying time wasters.

4.5/5 solid jumping start for hopefully more to come and less or improved tailing gameplay. Also, you can't pet cats :C

Game 13: Bulletstorm: Full Clip edition (PS4) -6hours 30min COMPLETED (AUG)
What an absolute delight of a shooter...in terms of shooting. The writing however is bad, constantly filled with shouts of SHIT FUCK SHIT SHIT FUCK but in that sea of screams, there's a sliver of good writing between characters. I'm also impressed by the how each level changes things up with their own settings and environments which are so much colorful than I expected for this kind of a shooter. Really also love the leash and melee that adds slow mo to enemies you hit and making each killing/shooting feel fantastic and fun to pull off. Helps that each weapon has a unique feel and secondary fire, the worst of the lot however being the sniper, it's super annoying how the enemy somehow always knows to move to the side as soon as the bullet zooms in, didn't like that.

4.5/5 great shooter along with leash but 95% shite writing.

Game 14: Borderlands The Pre Sequel (PS4) -20hours 30min COMPLETED (SEP)
It's more Borderlands 2, only not a memorable villain but slight improvement in movement. Shooting is basically the same as Borderlands 2, only the inclusion of laser weapons which I really enjoyed using, a shame they don't pop up in BL3. The Oxygen mechanic was slightly annoying, thankfully the amount of oxygen everywhere helped balance that annoyance. The only interesting about this story is that it's all kind of a flashback which also explains how Handsome Jack was born.

4/5 More BL2, just with more gravity and space. Oh and Australians.

Game 15: Control (PS4) -13hours COMPLETED (SEP)
Easily up there in my top 5 games of 2019. Mostly loved my time with the game, the visuals were wonderfully crafted, as about on par as RER2's visuals, the weirdness to everything which made getting collectibles so much fun as you kinda unravel the oddities of this world, and the combat is fun and powerful to play around with, along with traversal options. I even enjoyed the explorable aspects despite the rather wonky map. Jesse is a fine enough character and her interactions with side characters was fun to watch.

However, there are definite problems with this game. For one, there aren't that much memorable boss fights in the MAIN story, the only memorable ones were in the side stories. And the explosion/splash damage in this game is frustrating as hell, getting hit directly or not tended to leave me with 1 freaking health, which can sometimes come out of nowhere as well. The other thing that usually killed me was the freaking holes on the floor, in particular two side bosses. Doesn't help that some of those bosses have infinite mob spawns, at least one of them from my frustrating time with one particular boss fight. The biggest offense of this game, before the console patch was the performance drops in framerate, annoying in particular during mob battles. So much chugging, it's a wonder how I finished this game lol.

That said, I still enjoyed this and am looking forward to the AWE dlc next year.

4/5 TAKE CONTROL.

Game 16: Darksiders 3 (PS4) -21hours 30min COMPLETED (NOV)
I regret checking this game out during release. I definitely liked this much more than Darksiders 2 which was the one I started with. The combat feels like an arcadey version of what a Souls like game is, which I liked. Plus there's enough variety in the combat, weapon and timing that made fighting never a dull moment. Visually, it's ok, nothing too amazing and the art style of fantasy mixed with reality helps bring the game look better IMO. The story was engaging enough, especially thanks to a really solid main character, Fury's personality shines throughout. The worst parts this game had was the annoying and kinda frequent loading stop points ie the game literally stops for a few seconds to load the next section, which killed the pacing of a world that is so much fun to explore, without ever feeling the need for a map and the fun use of traversal upgrades.

A solid 4/5, hopefully the next Darksiders has the same combat type in here than the last two Darksiders.

Game 17: Steven Universe Attack The Light (mobile) - 5hours 30min COMPLETED (SEP)
Fun lil mobile game that is surprisingly well made with combat that's well made for mobile but sadly by the end, not enough variety to it as most combat encounters always relied on Garnet since she's the heavy hitter and the other two are just well, I got enough star things to use em I guess. Visually colorfully popping.

3.5/5 fun lil SU based game but nothing amazing.

Game 18: Battlefront 2 (PS4) -11hours 30min COMPLETED (AUG)
This is one hell of good looking game and really places you in what Starwars battlefield would be like but sadly, not all that much gripping multiplayer to the ones I like.

2.5/5 amazing graphics but meh gameplay mp.

Game 19: Vagrant (GPD WIN) -10hours 40min COMPLETED (NOV)
Ridiculous boobs aside, this was actually a pretty fun lil beat em up that can easily get broken, due to the usual feature of being a 2D game ie easy dodging. The art looks pretty solid, just about on par with the Vanillaware games, music is blah and boss fight are diverse and fun. What I really didn't like was unskippable cutscenes whenever I died from a boss battle that had cutscenes before em. Exploration is decent with it's set of rewards and chests.

3.5/5 has a chance of being confused for being a Vanillaware game.

Game 20: Ways of the Passive Fist (GPD WIN) -4hours 30min COMPLETED (DEC)
A fun, neat lil beat em up kinda rhythm game but ruined for me by annoyingly designed bosses. I enjoyed combat when it was one on ones but when it came to boss battles with groups, I just couldn't get them down. The pretty great difficult adjustments helped a bit, I actually enjoyed this feature quite a lot, but the bosses were just annoying to deal with.

2.5/5 like the parrying but not the bosses.

Game 21: Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order(PS4) -18hours COMPLETED (NOV)
For a first of hopefully a trio of games in a series, this was solid enough for a first outing. The combat was solid enough and I enjoyed it, at jedi master difficulty, but I didn't like the sluggishness of the controls and the animations, which made parrying something I rather avoid and instead focused on dodging more. The amount of enemy variety made the combat even more enjoyable. Visually, it can look good to amazing but at the cost of albeit rare but annoying slow downs/frame drops and loading/loading freezes. One of the worst offenders of this game is the "rewards" at the end of secret pathways or path unlocks. Skin customizations for like 80-90% of the game and the 10% being possibly the health and force bar upgrades. Another offender is the lack of physics that you could mess with like let's say Force Unleashed or even a game outside star wars like Control. Disappointing but I suppose that's for next gen since Control's own performance was pretty bad at times thanks to I'm guessing the physics. Story wise, it's not amazing and just a straightforward story of chasing a macguffin but the characters made up for a somewhat lacking story. Cal would've been oh forgettable if BD wasn't there, those two just made this game more fun.

4/5 close to greatness, can't wait for the sequel.

Game 22: Blip Blops(Mobile) -5hours COMPLETED (NOV)
Yes, I spent quite a number of hours playing this free game and nothing really interesting happens once you do get to 100 besides prestiging. Nah, I'm done.

1.5/5 free is free I guess.

Game 23: Borderlands 3(PS4) -35hours COMPLETED (OCT)
A huge step up in gameplay, visuals but such a huge let down in terms of writing, disappointing main villains and main story. A better gameplay of Borderlands 2 but a downgrade in story. Solid soundtrack though.

4/5 You know your main story sucks when I'm more invested in Jack/Angel side mission.

Game 24: Nioh(PS4) - 40hours COMPLETED (DEC)
Wow, just wow, this game easily stands up there among the best of Souls combat and feel. The movement and fighting stances and how it all smoothly and snappy the combat is, just sublime and fun. There's a variety of enemies to test the system out but sadly, halfway through the game, you've seen all the enemy types and even bosses that'll pop up in side stories and main missions, so much repetition of enemy types, sparsely shaken up with differently texture enemy types. Thankfully, the fun and slick as hell combat makes beating repetitive enemies fast and quick. Speaking of bosses, they're all pretty easy, especially compared to the average "hard" bosses of the Soulsborne Sekiro genre. Even more so, the human bosses which can be beat and hack to death by dodging behind them. Level design is mixed bag, I like that once you've been through a level, going through it again for a side mission makes it fast to complete but at the cost of the good fun mystery dungeon exploring. Story is just interesting in that some Irish guy went to Japan and started getting possessed by spirits and fight Japanese people during a civil war. Pretty forgettable and or generic characters too.

4/5 repetition was bad but combat was so so good. Bosses were pretty easy though.

Game 25: Black The Fall (GPD WIN) -3hours COMPLETED (DEC)
If you'd told me this was a spiritual successor to Limbo, I'd believe you. The inspiration is heavy in this game and I don't mean that in a bad way. No UI, all just intuitively figured out with simple controls of movement and a use button. The story weirdly shifts all so suddenly by the last chapter when it seemed to be escape, seemed so rush, sadly enough.

3.5/5 Could easily be confused for Inside's spin off brother.

Bastion · Jan 1, 2019

Game 1-Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 Roads(2018)-PS4-Beaten on January 1
-First game beaten this year was a good one! I really enjoyed this one a lot even if it might have started a bit slowly. I really look forward to episode two later this month. 8/10

Game 2-The Gardens Between(2018)-Switch-Beaten on January 2
-I really enjoyed this short puzzle game about the magic of childhood and childhood friendship. 8/10

Game 3-Meditation for January 2-Fill the space(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on January 2
-I really love his idea and it will make it really easy to get to 52 games. Maybe I shouldn't count them? I'm going to when I feel they are really good. What the heck! The goal for today's game is really a breathing exercise game. That's how I beat it. There is a dot in the middle of a big circle and all you have to do is hit a button to make the dot grow. Your goal is to fill the entire circle. Hold the button too long and the dot goes back down to its original size. I beat it when I started pressing the button to match my breathing. 8/10.

Game 4-The Walking Dead The Final Season Episode 3 Broken Toys-(2019)-PS4-Beaten on January 18
-This was my favorite episodes ever in this series. It was action packed, emotional and had me really thinking with my decisions. So good! Can't wait for the finale! 10/10

Game 5-God of War(2018)-PS4-Beaten on January 20
-This game was great! Great looks, great sound, great combat. Everything about it was great. However, I do think I enjoyed he PS3 God of War games more. 10/10

Game 6-Bury Me, My Love(2019]-Switch/PC via GPD Win-Beaten on January 20
-I loved this visual novel/text adventure about the plight of a Syrian refugee trying to get to persons Europe. The game highlights many of daily issues that refugees face, especially women. The game is really a text conversation between the wife who is leaving Syria, and the husband who is in Syria. Educational and emotional. The Switch version froze on me numerous times so finished on my Win. 10/10

Game 7-Ruiner(2017)-PS4-Beaten on January 22
-I knew I would like this game and I did. Dark, dirty, Hotline Miami like. Just good, old fun. It did have some noticeable slowdown(felt like lag) and I do think attacking enemies could feel better with better rumble. Good game. 8/10

Game 8-Resident Evil 2 Remake(2019)-PS4-Beaten on January 28
-Survival horror is probabaly my favorite genre of games and this ranks near the top of my all time favorites. So good! 10/10

Game 9-Opus The Day We Found Earth(2017)-Switch-Beaten on January 30
-This as a short little adventure game that was pretty good. I didn't like it at first but the little robot grew on me as I played. 7/10

Game 10-Drowning(2018)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on February 1
-This short game is a walking simulator where you basically walk and read about a young person that is struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. I thought it was very powerful and did not overstay it's welcome. 9/10

Game 11-The Hong Kong Massacre(2019)-PS4-Beaten on February 8
-I loved this game! This is a mix of Hotline Miami and the slow momof Max Payne. Great fun! Too bad the story was stupid and really non-existent. 9/10

Game 12- Resident Evil 2 Remake Leon 2nd Run(2019)-PS4-Beaten on February 11
-Playing it through the second time with slightly different story beats was just as good as the first time. 10/10

Game 13-VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action(2017)-Vita-Beaten on February 14
-I enjoyed this visual novel but I still think it is a bit overrated. There are just to many people whose stories are just a waste and the time would be better served with the main characters. Looking forward to the sequel. 8/10

Game 14-Cosmic Star Heroine(2018)-Vita-Beaten on February 20
-This is the second straight gMe that I played on the Vita and it reminds me how much I love this device. I love the Switch too but sometimes having a smaller device is better. Anyway, I loved this ten hour rpg. Had a great time with it. Was it perfect? No, but very few complaints. 9/10

Game 15-2064 Read Only Memories(2017)-Vita-Beaten on February 25
-I enjoyed this point and click visual novel with puzzle elements. It was my least favorite of the three Vita games I recently beat but still a good time. 7/10

Game 16-36 Fragments of Midnight(2017)-Vita-Beaten on February 25
I never expected to beat this game. I played it a few times when it first came out and got like 3-6 fragments before died. The I picked it up a few days ago and got to 30 pretty easily and so I decid d to try it again today and got all 36 fragments in my second try. Fun little game. 7/10

Game 17-Metro Exodus(2019)-PS4-Beaten on February 27
-I have really liked this series a lot and I enjoyed this one too but it is my least favorite of the series. 7/10

Game 18-A Way Out(2018)-PS4-Beaten on March 2
-I really enjoyed playing this game with my daughter. It wasn't perfect and would prefer it to not have split screen, but it was a fun cooperative game that got quite sad at the end. 7/10

Game 19–Crackdown 3(2019)-Xbox One-Beaten on March 5
-I enjoyed the overall gameplay loop but I am glad it was a a relatively short game because it was starting to get monotonous by the end of the game. I got this game via a $2 Gamepass for two month special, so for that, it was great! 7/10

Game 20-Ape Out(2019)-Switch-Beaten on March 9
-Inactually beat this game a couple of days ago but just finished the post game extra level Ape-In and it literally took me three days and about 200 tries to finally beat the extra level. Frustrating but super fun! I loved everything about this game. The graphics, the music, the way the ape runs, and of course, the Hotline Miami inspired gameplay. 10/10

Game 21-Crow the Legend, Kingdom Heart VR Experience, Fate Grand Order VR(2019)-Beaten on March 10
-I didn't feel like doing each one of these separately was fair so I put them all together. I loved the Crow The Legend animated short. It was great! Kingdom Hearts was a huge let down but more is supposedly coming. Fate Grand Order was really meant for one purpose. In order-10/10, 2/10, 6/10

Game 22-Valley(2019)-Switch-Beaten on March 13
-I really liked this game. It was what a AA game was like back in the PS2 era. Fun game but it is mostly a walking or rather sprinting/jumping simulator with some combat and one boss fight in the game. I also like the mysterious story. 8/10

Game 23-RD(2019)-PC Via GPD Win-Beaten on March 16
-Terrible game that should not have been made.

Game 24-12 is Better than 6(2019)-Switch-Beaten on March 16
-I really can't get enough of Hotline Miami style games and this one was pretty good. I liked he black, white and red color choice for the game and the fact that I could play guns blazing or stealthily. 7/10

Game 25-The Walking Dead The Final Season Episode 4 Take Us Back(2019)-PS4-Beaten on April 21
-This was a good ending to a series I have enjoyed since the first episode. I think I would have preferred the sad ending to the happy ending but it was still good. I don't theink we have seen the last of this series. 8/10

Game 26-Trails in the Sky the 3rd(2017)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on May 4
-Halfway to 52 and what a game to do it with. I have loved the entire series and while this is my least favorite in the series, it still a great game. I just love the world and it was great to see all the characters again. I did miss the cites and other NPC's which is why I am giving it an 8/10.

Game 27-Katana Zero(2019)-Switch-Beaten on May 10
-Loved his game! Such a fun action experience. Some stages were a bit too hard for my taste but I got through them. Great slowdown technique too. 10/10

Game 28-Ritual of the Moon(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on May 18
-I played this game for about five minutes every day for 28 days which is what the game calls for. It's about witch being exiled to the moon and all you do is click on the planet and some advice pops up on the screen. You then go into a building and click on some shapes and then draw a shape. You then leave the building and decide whether to move the comet away from a planet or have it crash into one of two planets. My big takeaway is why did I do this for 28 days I guess I thought there would be a big payoff in the end. Nope. Stupid game. 1/10

Game 29-Battlefield Bad Company(2008)-Xbox 360-Beaten on May 25
-So I was browsing my back lock and came across the Bad Company series and decided to play the single player campaign. Reviews were quite positive back in 2008. Oh how things have changes. The shooting felt terrible, the dialog was terrible and it just wasn't very good. With that said, I will play the sequel very soon to see if it is better. 6/10

Game 30-Trails in the Sky Zero no Kiseki(2010)-PSP-Beaten on May 29
-I loved this game and the entire Trails series. It's so charming and well made. I played the English translation and while it wasn't perfect, I am so grateful for the people that take a ton of time out of their lives so people have a chance to play game. Now for Ao. 10/10

Game 31-Observation(2019)-PS4-Beaten on June 6
-I liked he atmosphere of this game but overall I found it a bit boring and slow. The puzzles were a bit to sciencey for my tastes but it makes sense since the game takes place in space. The ending was very interesting so we'll see what the sequel eventually brings. 6/10

Game 32-One Piece Grand Cruise(2018)-PSVR-Beaten on June 11
-This was more of an experience than a game a star it was about half an hour of content. It was neat but super short. It was fine for the $5 I spent on it. 5/10

Game 33-One Night Stand(2016)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on June 12
-I enjoyed this short visual novel about the morning you wake up after a one night stand and the awkwardness of it. It was very short but I really liked the graphics. 7/10

Game 34-A Plague Tale: Innocence(2019)-PS4-Beaten on June 16
-I loved his game for the most part. I loved the setting and the characters and the story. I even came about to like the rats. There were a few frustrating parts but my most pleasant surprise since Hellblade. 9/10

Game 35-Blood and Truth(2019)-PSVR-Beaten on June 17
-This was a fun, summer blockbuster game for me. The story was good and the gameplay was fun. Great Vr game. I look forward to more in the series which it appears will happen based on the ending. 8/10

Game 36-Missed Messages(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on June 18
This was was a free visual novel which I thought was a powerful look at depression and suicide. Recommended. 9/10

Game 37-NBA2K VR Experience(2016)-PSVR-Beaten on June 18
-Thisw as a short, fun experience and well worth the couple of bucks I paid for it. It had you doin* shooting drills. Basic and simple but fun for 30 minutes. 6/10

Game 38-Bloodstaind Curse of the Moon(2018)-Switch-Beaten on June 19
-This was an old school game that played just like the old Castlevania games. The game was pretty good. 7/10

Game 39-Rise of the Tomb Raider Blood Ties(2016)-PSVR-BEATEN ON June 25
-I loved this vr game. While it was about two hours it was great searching around Croft Manor solving puzzles. 9/10

Game 40-Trails in the Sky Ao No Kiseki(2011)-PSP-Beaten on June 30
-I just beat this game and took my 62 hours to do so and I loved every minute of it. Such a good rpg. Now I will look to play Nayuta soon and then Trails of Cold Steel 3 this Fall. 10/10

Game 41-Devil May Cry 5(2019)-PS4-Beaten on July 3
-I really enjoyed this game as I have all the Devil May Cry games. Great stylish action!! 9/10

Game 42-Project Lux(2019)-PSVR-Beaten on July 5
-This VR game was ok. I really like the idea of having a visual novel within vr but overlal, the story wasn't boring and you were in one room the entire game. Get me a Dangonranpa game like the demo and I would be there day one. Another issue is that one prt of the game one of the characters is talking in Japanese and there's is not captions. Unexeptable. 5/10

Game 43-Chrono Trigger(2011)-PS1 Classic on PSP-Beaten on July 9
-Beating this game in the mid 90's would have been a completely different experience for me I think. After all the Trails game I have beaten lately, this game fell flat. It was good but I really would have had no idea What to do had it not been for a guide. The PS1 version is also a little rough but played that version so I could easily use cheats which made the game much more tolerable. I have been a bit negative but my expectations were very high as it is always praised as one of the greatest games ever. 7/10

Game 44-Luna(2019)-PSVR-Beaten on July 9
-What a lovely little game about a bird bringing life back into the world. So chill and relaxing. Perfect game for a hot July afternoon. 10/10

Game 45-Final Fantasy XIII-2(2014)-PC-Beaten on July 14
-This was an ok sequel. I really liked FF 13 but this ones story was just crazy and I didn't like jumping around to different times. Still looking forward to Lightning Returns. 7/10

Game 46-Archlion Saga(2019)-Switch-Beaten on July 19
-This was a three hour long rpg by Kemco that just came out. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was a nice quick diversion. 7/10

Game 47-Ratchet and Clank Tools of Destruction(2007)-PS3-Beaten on July 19
-I loved this game! So good For a 12 year old game. The Platfoming was great, the action was great with so many crazy weapons to choose from. Lookingforward to playing the rest of the PS3 games. 10/10

Game 48-The Static Speaks My Name(2015)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on July 20
-This was a fifteen minute game about depression, psychosis and suicide. It's the only game that I ever remember hanging myself in. I saw it on a List of great indie horror games so gave it a try. It's not very good. 4/10

Game 49-the uncle who works for Nintendo(2014)-Browser game-Beaten on July 21
-The was a short little TWINE game that was kind of weird about two childhood friends during a sleepover. It gets weird and then ends suddenly. Kind of interesting. 7/10

Game 50-Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty(2008)-PS3-Beaten on July 23
-This was about a four hour game. It was good but I really did miss Ratchet and Clank being together. Still very good and a tone of fun.. 8/10

Game 51-Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions(2007)-PSP-Beaten on July 24
-While I end he game overall, the story was very confusing wit all the different names and the Shakespearean language. Not the classic I hear people gush about in my opinion. 7/10

Game 52-Medal of Honor Heroes(2006)-PSP-Beaten on July 26
-Made the goal with just under half the year left. This game was pretty good especially for a FPS on a handheld in 2006. It reminded me of the PS1 Medal of Honor games only with shorter missions. The multiplayers was no longer available so it was the campaign only which was fine with me. 7/10

Game 53-Hitman(2016)-Xbox One-Beaten on August 5
-I really enjoyed his game and it is the first Hitman game i have ever beaten(except Go). It was a fun stealth game even though i didn't play it very stealthy most of the time. I also thought the story was confusing. I look forward to getting the dlc once it's on sale. I do own Hitman 2 so I am excited for that. 8/10

Game 54-Hitman 2(2018)-PS4-Beaten on August 7
-I own all the games in this series but just got around to beaten the most recent two and I loved them. Loved the stealth gameplay and the environments. So good. I will haveplay the others sometime soon. 9/10

Game 55-Ratchet and Clank A Crack in Time(2009)-PS3-Beaten on August 13
-I liked this game a lot but not as well as the others in the series because for most of the game, Ratchet and Clank aren't together. This really takes away from the game in my opinion. Outside of that, it's great fun. 8/10

Game 56-Secret Agent Clank(2008)-PSP-Beaten on August 13
-This was a decent game that really needed to have two analog sticks. I played it on PSP but should have played it on Vita instead. It was a game focused on Clank with a little Ratchet and Captain Qwark thrown in to mix things up. 7/10

Game 57-Eliza(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on August 16
-I loved this very high quality visual novel about the dangers of technology. Very interesting and well made. 10/10

Game 58-Hellboy:The Science of Evil(2008)-PSP-Beaten on August 17
-Why did I play this game? I had it on my PSP back log and knew it was short so I decided to play it. It was kind of nice to have a very linear, short game that was mostly a hack and slash. Unfortunately, the game was average at best. 5/10

Game 59-Ratchet and Clank into the Nexus(2013)-PS3-Beaten on August 19
Another Ratchet and Clank game and another awesome, fun experience. Loved it! Hopefully we'll will see some games in this series going forward as they are so fun. 10/10

Game 60-Telling Lies(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on August 30
-I loved this FMV game. So good and interesting piecing the story together. 10/10

Game 61-Stranger Things 3 The Game(2019)-Switch-Beaten on September 3
-I love this series and this game was a fun diversion. Was it good? It was repetitive, had slowdown, and really made the story quite choppy but I still enjoyed it. 7/10

Game 62-Blair Witch(2019)-Xbox One-Beaten on September 6
-As September rolls around, I start playing more horror games and this one was very good. I loved the isolation I felt in the woods and also really lIke's the last chapter even though it did drag on too long. It had lot of slowdown but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of the game.

Game 63-Erica(2019)-PS4-Beaten on September 21
-Great fmv game! Good, thrilling story and great acting. It is short more like a movie but I want more of games like this. 10/10

Game 64-Affected The Manor(2018)-PSVR-Beaten on September 21
-This was a very brief(40 minutes) haunted house walkthrough. For $8 it's ok. 6/10

Game 65-Spirit Hunter Death Mark(2018)-Switch-Beaten on October 13
-I really enjoyed this adventure game. It was perfect for the season and was 10 hours roughly which is a good length. 9/10

Game 66-Control(2019)-PS4-Beaten on October 18
-Not since Psi-Ops on PS2 have I had played a game that allowed you to control things with your mind. I loved Psi-Ops and I loved Control. Great creepy atmosphere as well. Lots of slowdown though. 9/10

Game 67-Layers of Fear 2(2019)-PS4-Beaten on October 22
-This was an ok horror game. It was atmospheric and dark but the story was very confusing overall. I liked the original better. 7/10

Game 68-My Time with Dee Dee Episode 0-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on October October 27
-This was a very short visual novel made by the EPROMs that runs the Digitally Downloaded website. It was very short and not very good. I did buy episode 1 so I'll see if it is better.

Game 69-Spirit Hunter NG(2019)-Switch-Beaten on November 3
-I loved the original and liked this one just as much. Great moody atmosphere. 9/10

Game 70-Tokyo Dark Remembrance(2019)-Switch-Beaten on November 21
-Excellent, moody visual novel/adventure game. Interesting story that gave me a lot of choices. 10/10

Game 71-Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars(2009)-PSP-Beaten on November 29
-This was the first GTA game that I have beaten and I loved it! Perfect portable game. It's sad to think we will never see another game like it. 10/10

Game 72-Persona 3 Portable(2010)-PSP-Beaten on December 12
-The PSP made a resurgence in my gaming time this year. It is a great system. Persona 3 Portable is just an awesome game. I loved it. Perhaps a bit monotonous but I kept playing because it was engaging. 9/10

Game 73-Life is Strange 2 Episode 2 Rules(2019)-PS4-Beaten on December 14
-I finished episode one way back in January and am just now gettin back into the series. Episode 2 is around the Christmas season so its perfect. I really liked this episode and how it tied into Captain Spirit. My goal is to finish the all the episodes before the end of the year. If I had one complaint, it was a bit slow. 9/10

Game 74-Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight(2018)-Vita-Beaten on December 16
-After recently beating Persona 3, I wanted to give this game a shot and I really had a good time with it for about 5 hours. It's a great music rhythm game. I didn't completely finish the game as I just don't want to keep grinding the songs to open all the social links. I will probably go back to it again in tHe future. 8/10

Game 75-Life is Strange 2 Episode 3 Wastelands (2019)-PS4-Beaten on December 17
-This episode was very slow but wow the ending! Very good and can't wait to start the next episode to see what happens Right now. 8/10

Game76-A Winter's Daydream(2019)-Vita-Beaten on December 18
-This was a nice, short visual novel that had an unique twist and was a bit sad as well. It was about family and how you should really take the time to get to know them and not take them for granted. Super easy platinum as well. All you have to do is find one the game which clocks in around three hours. 8/10

Game 77-Life is Strange 2 Episode 4 Faith(2019)-PS4-Beaten on December 20
-I was not a fan of this episode. I found it slow and boring. I did like the introduction of the mother but so far she isn't a great character. 6/10

Game 78-Life is Strange 2 Episode 5 Wolves(2019)-PS4-Beaten on December 21
-I loved this episode and it really made the entire season. Of course I did the exact opposite of what I would have done in real life but its a video game. Great, great ending to a pretty good season. 10/10

Game 79-A Short Hike(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on December 22
-What A lovely little adventure this was. So good and relaxing. A perfect game for Christmas break. 10/10

Game 80-Cthulhu Saves Christmas(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on December 24
-This was a nice little Christmas gift right before Christmas. It was. A fun, festive, four hour rpg that was perfect timing. 8/10

Game 81-Persona 4 Golden(2012)-Vita-Beaten on December 26
-Great rpg! I bought this the day it cam out in 2012 and just now beat it after recently beating and loving Persona 3 Portable. I liked this but not as much as 3. I think it was the color scheme and the darker story. I'm not a fan of yellow. I also thought after beating the final boss in December, the game drug on for way to long after really doing nothing but building relationships and then leaving to go home. It was a bit monotonous But couldn't stop playing. 8/10

Game 82-Kids(2019)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on December 27
-Very strange and short game(?) about how teenagers flock together like sheep and all do what the others kids do. At least that's my tame. 6/10

Game 83-The Exorcist Legion Vr(2018)-PSVR-Beaten on December 27
-I love horror games and at times, this was one of the scariest I ever played. Great atmosphere! The issue is that the game froze on me numerous times, had several save files get corrupted that forced me to start over and re-download everything again, and I also got caught out over camera view 3 or 4 times forcing me to restart the game again. Frustrating to say the least. 7/10

Game 84-Blindfold A Verite VR Experience(2019)-PSVR-Beaten on December 27
-This short VR experience was on sale for 99 cents so I decided to get it. I really enjoyed the game it is a companion to-1979 Revolution Black Friday so I want3d to give this a try. It was super short, like 10-15 minutes, but was good. A much longer experience like this would be really good. 7/10

Game 85-Persona 4 Dancing All Night(2015)-Vita-Beaten on December 30
-This was a great game and much better then Persona 3 Dancinn Moonlight for the simple reason that it had a proper story mode which was a lot of fun. No complaints about this game at all. 10/10

Games completed by platform:

PS4-21
PSVR-10
PC-16
Switch-12
Vita-8
PSP-8
Xbox 1-4
Xbox 360-1
PS3-4
PS1-1

Platform of the year-PlayStation 4
Game of the year from 2019 that I completed-Control
Game of the year from any year that I completed this year-Trail of the sky Zero and Ao

Hey Please · Jan 1, 2019

You folks are such ravenous beasts. It takes me months to finish a single game that is less than 10 hours long. I wish I had your dedicated pace given my ever expanding backlog.

For RPGs and open world games, do you folks just stick to most direct path to conclusion or wander about delving into sidequests and sightseeing? If so, how the hell do you still manage to finish games in reasonable time?

Just as an example: It took me north 150 hours to finish the first playthrough of Persona 5 (granted there was a lot of "walking" and restarts).

Deleted member 32615 · Jan 1, 2019

Reserved, didn't get to finish last year after my PS4 decided to delete all my data and lost motivation to play games

Scoring System

5/5: Excellent 100% of the way through, ground breaking, can have some small nitpicks still.
4/5: Awesome, almost perfect, few big nitpicks.
3/5: Great, few problems, but kept me hooked all the way through
2/5: Alright, a lot of problems, but enjoyable
1/5: Bad, unenjoyable
0/5: Big Rigs Off The Road Racing, unplayable, nothing redeemable
============
Games completed

1: Portal (PC) (2 Hours) (4/5) (Jan 2nd, 2019)
2: Metro 2033 Redux (PC) (6 Hours) (4/5) (Jan 2nd, 2019)
3: Portal 2 (PC) (4 Hours) (3/5) (Jan 7th, 2019)
4: Metro Last Light Redux (PC) (8 Hours) (3/5) (Jan 12th, 2019)
5: Spider-Man (PS4) (17 Hours) (4/5) (Jan 13th, 2019)
============
Currently Playing

God of War (PS4)

Sanchoco · Jan 1, 2019

1. FIre Emblem Warriors - Finished March 23, 2019(12 Hours) I got this during black friday of 2018 and I would play in bits and pieces due to my work life. As someone who likes Warriors games and previously liked Hyrule Warriors, this was up my alley and boy did it deliver.

2. Mario Tennis Aces - Finished May 12 2019 (8 hours). With only the GBA game the only Mario Tennis I played before it, I was excited about this when I saw it might have some RPG elements (there was but not like in the GBA game). When I got the game, it wasn't what I was expecting but that wasn't all bad. There was a story, boss battles, mini games sprinkled within, multiple rackets and free dlc characters coming in as well. The fact we could use motion controls to swing the racket is a nice bonus too.

3. Super Mario Party - Finished May 18, 2019 (7 hours) Mario party is back and the car system is gone. I had fun playing by myself but obviously this game really gets going when friends join in and it succeeded on that front. However, the things knocking the game are the lack of online multiplayer with friends (they could have had it for just minigames) and the small amount of boards.

4. Guacamelee 2 - Finished June 22, 2019 (10 hours) I loved the first game and when I learned it was added to gamepass, I immediately went to download it. I loved everything about the game (and it's cheesy/punny dialogue) and completed the game with all achievements.

5. Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee - Finished August 23, 2019 (16 hrs) I love Pokemon, I love Pokemon Go and the fact that this allowed me to get an Eevee as a starter was enough to sell me on this. I was so glad to see that there was going to be no wild battles and I got to throw the ball to catch Pokemon. While the requirements were a bit bothersome, they weren't hard to complete. Hearing the remade tracks (that champion theme!!), Walking/riding with my Pokemon, and changing outfits with Eevee was fun as hell. I can't wait until Sword and Shield.

Doorakz · Jan 1, 2019

Place Holder, try it again this year. Took a year off of caring about backlog

JonathanNielson · Jan 1, 2019

Reserving my spot. Only got 35 last year, but succeeded the prior two years, so I'm hoping I can get back to that.

Slythe · Jan 1, 2019

Off to a subdued start for the year but I'm knocking out games I needed to finish badly.

1. Celeste (Xbox One)
Enjoyable game with pretty tight level design and nice music and atmosphere. I did not connect to this one quite the same as many others, with the 8-directional controls being a particle barrier to my enjoyment. Found the inputs frustrating to execute consistently and found myself fighting the controls too often. Overall a very engaging game even if flawed.

2. Hollow Knight (Switch)
I played this game in chunks across a 6 month period. I loved the exploration, all though I'd be lying if I didn't say I was overwhelmed early on. As the movement abilities began to compound I felt like the world become more enjoyable to traverse, and combat became more nuanced. I don't quite put it in the masterpiece category as some do, but it's an excellent game that is quite a technological feat given the small team and limited resources.

3. God of War (PS4)
Another game that took me nearly a calendar year from start to finish. It makes a strong first impression, but the first act grinds to a bit of a halt once you begin to explore the lake and first few realms. The gear grind felt needlessly slow paced, and I found myself not playing it for weeks on end. However the main storyline receive a huge boost in the late second act, which not only deepens the father son plot but adds an entire new layer to combat that makes things much more interesting. As great as the game is, I think the pacing could've been a bit more urgent in the early goings. As it stands, it's a rock solid game and a fine addition to Sony's already daunting exclusive lineup.

4. Tetris Effect (PSVR)
I've developed a bit of a Tetris obsession between Puyo Puyo Tetris, Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect. TE features a strong original soundtrack laced with a sweeping visual pallet of varied locales and themes. It all makes for a cathartic experience that is well realized in VR. One drawback is that the low fidelity of the PSVR goggles results in many of the stages looking quite jaggy and rough. I found myself wishing for a more developed version of the tech to support the breathtaking vision that is being attempted by the developers. Additionally - and this is a bit nitpicking - the UI, menus and level up bar have a lack of sound effects that makes navigating and level up seem... barren. This stands out even more due to the fact that this is the type of games you almost have to play with headphones on. Overall this is a strong recommendation for Tetris veterans and newcomers alike.

Deleted member 10629 · Jan 1, 2019

52 Game Challenge 2019

1. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4, 28 hours)

What a fantastic game, as good as the other Yakuza games I've played (0 and Kiwami 1). My only problem is that it doesn't perform that well on console, here's hoping for a PC release.

2. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (PC, 5 hours)

The CoD with more spectacle of the MW bunch, and the most ridiculous in terms of plot.Its not a bad game, it is just meh. And its depiction of Africa is pretty fucked up.

3. DOOM (2016) (PC, 10 hours)

A pretty fun and exciting shooter, with frantic battles and great looking environments. Highly recommended!

4. Tales of Berseria (PC, 46 hours)

My second 'Tales of' that I play to completion. It tells a good story that becomes less and less interesting as you get to the end of the game. The combat system is serviceable, but it is a little too complicated for something that you could just mash your way to victory. Nonetheless, I think this one deserves a playthrough if you are a JRPG fan. Oh, and everyone in the main cast is fantastic.

5. Vanquish (PC, 4 hours)

Another great game from PlatinumGames and Shinji Mikami. The frenzy of this third person shooter is something unmatched in gaming I think, with fantastic gameplay and set pieces. The downside is that the story is just plain weird and ridiculous. And it is very, very short.

6. The Division 2 (PC, 36 hours)

Managed to get to World Tier 1. Fantastic game, highly recommended. I was liked the first Division 1 but never managed to finish it. This one though, hooked me in like few games can. A great rendition of Washington DC, with exciting missions and a weird plot line. It also runs pretty well on my mid tier PC.

7. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One X, 15 hours)

This game is what I think everyone expected from the reboot, more focused on exploration than combat. Too bad it came too late, if this was the first or the second game, it would have been better recieved. I think it is worth playing, especially since it is on sale constantly.

8. Dishonored 2 (PC, 12 hours)

A pretty good continuation of the first game, gameplay wise. Story is eh, the main villian motivation is kinda stupid. The game definitely loses steam on the second half, but the first half, is very, VERY good. Recommended if cheap.

9. Cyberdimension Neptunia 4 Goddesses Online (PC, 14 hours)

The most 'okay'-est game I've played in a while. Recent patch fucked up achievement progression so stay clear until it gets patched, if ever.
10. Hitman 2 (PC, 9 hours).

I beat every stage but I still want to do all the mastery stuff. Pretty neat game, with six beautifully crafted levels, interesting storyline and gorgeous graphics.

11. Portal (PC, 3 hours)

Revisited this game thanks to the Spring Cleaning event on Steam, I think I havent played it since 2010! It was a great experience back then and it is still tons of fun now, even though I think the puzzles are a tad easy.

12. Portal 2 (PC, 7 hours)

I had a blast with this game, the gel and tunnel mechanics add so much to the core gameplay, and the voice acting is just top notch. Also, the chamber difficulty is quite higher than the first game, I had to look up the solutions of two puzzles. And Want You Gone is a GREAT song.

13. A Plague Tale: Innocence (PC, 11 hours)

Another okay game. It looks visually stunning but the gameplay is nothing special, and the story takes a dive on the second half.

14. Borderlands: GOTY Enhanced (PC. 16 hours)

Replayed for the first time since I finished it back in 2010 on my Xbox 360. It is still kinda fun. I didnt do the DLCs because honestly I already had my fill, and there's no way I'm doing a second Playthrough soon.

15. Wolfenstein II The New Colossus (PC, 10 hours)

Played it thanks to GamePass. I quite disliked it when I played it on a Xbox but now with proper KB+M controllers it is not that bad. Defenitely weaker than The New Order. Just completed the story, will make the sidemissions when I own the game on Steam.

16. Alan Wake (PC, 16 hours)

Completed the main game plus the two DLC chapters. It is as good as I remember it to be back in 2011. Peak Remedy.

17. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PC, 17 hours)

A fantastic game. Gameplay is tight, music is great, story is shit. Could have used a biiiit more of budget.

18. Turok Remastered (PC, 7 hours)

The last game I played this was in 1997, when it released on N64 and I was 6, so I didnt enjoy it properly. This remaster is pretty good, and it has the original music fron that console so it is a nice plus. Great level design and fast paced combat.

19. Jet Set Radio HD (PC, 6 hours)

A blast from the past. I've never had the chance to play it, just look at it (damn you uncle! :p) It was rather short but I enjoyed it a lot. And the music, oh GOD the music. Controls are a bit frustrating tho.

20. Ai: The Somnium Files (PC, 29 hours)

A fantastic visual novel / adventure game. I've never played something from Uchikoshi so this was a great surprise for me. The humor can be a bit silly but I thoroughly enjoyed the game.

21. Call of Duty Modern Warfare (PS4, unknown amout of time but I'm sure it was less than 10 h)

I liked the campaign quite a bit. Nowhere near as good as the original MW but still very enjoyable. MP seems to be a toss up tho, I think it is serviceable.

22. Control (Xbox One X, I dunno how much it took)

Cool game, with intriguing story and solid mechanics. But a lot of the weapons suck, me thinks.

23. Halo: Reach (PC, 6.5 hours)
Completed the game with @BlindRhythm in co-op mode, which was lots of fun. The story is eh, but gameplay is solid and the levels are interesting. Can't wait for the rest of the games!

24. Far Cry New Dawn (PC, 18 hours)

A fun Farcry 5 spinoff. Much smaller in scale, story is kinda dumb, but the open world is enjoyable at least. I didnt do every optional thing because honestly it wasnt worth it. I still recommend it, tho.

Deleted member 32615 · Jan 1, 2019

Update: January 2nd 2018

Game 1: Portal (PC) (2 Hours) (4/5)
Beat Main Story
My yearly playthrough of the Portal games begins here. God I love this game, every room is interesting, and GLaDOS is such an interesting, funny character that keeps you going throughout the game. The Portal mechanics are so simple yet so complex, with every test chamber being completely different from the last.

There's not much more for me to say, glad that I got to finish it again this year.

Original Post

chrominance · Jan 1, 2019

i-Lo said:
You folks are such ravenous beasts. It takes me months to finish a single game that is less than 10 hours long. I wish I had your dedicated pace given my ever expanding backlog.

For RPGs and open world games, do you folks just stick to most direct path to conclusion or wander about delving into sidequests and sightseeing? If so, how the hell do you still manage to finish games in reasonable time?

Just as an example: It took me north 150 hours to finish the first playthrough of Persona 5 (granted there was a lot of "walking" and restarts).

I poured about 200 hours into Persona 5 and got the platinum trophy in 2017, which also happened to be the last year I managed to finish the 52-game challenge. I didn't even come close in 2018. So I've seen both sides. It's definitely doable even with a bunch of big JRPGs under your belt, it just means you'll probably be playing a lot more short games to make up the difference. (In the case of Persona 5 specifically, it also helped that I played all those 200 hours during a two-week staycation. Obviously not everyone has the ability or desire to do that.)

For me the key has always been not to force myself to finish the challenge or go too far out of my way to make it happen. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen; you don't have to turn in your gaming card or whatever. Play what you enjoy and don't stress too much; if you're having fun the whole time, I find it's naturally easier to fit more games in.

OmegaMori · Jan 1, 2019

Just beat #2 it was Donut County took me a little over an hour it was a fun game cool sound track and made me laugh a few times. 8/10

Felsparks · Jan 1, 2019

I guess I'll stop being a lurker as part of the new year and reserve a post. Hopefully will make sure to update, unlike when I tried this at the old place.
Doubt I'll get all the way there without playing some short stuff but I least want to get one larger game a month.

opalheart · Jan 1, 2019

This will be tough but I want to do this. The most games I've beaten in a year was last yr with 23. Not even half of 52
I currently have 103 games started, and about 200 more in my backlog that I haven't touched.

Daikon Set
I came across this free game when browsing the Wii U eShop for good games that haven't made it to Switch or anywhere else yet. I downloaded it out of curiosity and ended up playing all the way through. It gives you a choice of 3 simple minigames to play, with 3 levels each, that last as long as the song playing in the background of the level. It reminded me of my days playing flash games in the 00s, since I could tell it wasn't super polished or complex, but was interesting and fun enough to keep me playing. The fun music and flashy cover art of each game helped too.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
This one has been on the backburner for a while for no particular reason. I bought it on Wii U a couple years ago and got about a 3rd of the way through, and finished it up this past week. I'm so glad I did, too!! Super Mario 3D World is my favorite Mario game and one of my favorite platformers of all time, and this semi-sequel satisfied that part of me that wanted more of this style (at least for now). It has that irresistible Nintendo charm in spades with adorably bright characters and worlds. Not to mention the collectathon puzzle platformer design just feels so good to play. Here's to more delightful games being unearthed from my backlog pile this year.

Butterfly Soup
I've been meaning to play this free itch.io game since it came out in 2017. It's a VN about gay asian-american girls playing baseball. It's really sweet and had me smiling like an idiot the whole way through.. except for the moments where I was straight up cackling because it's so hilarious. Please play this little game you won't regret it :) And consider paying a few bucks for it as well!

Fast Like a Fox
Fun little mobile platformer I downloaded a couple years ago. It has a really interesting control scheme - you tap the back of the phone rapidly to make the fox run, and tap the screen to jump. I have no idea how it works. It's pretty addicting and now that I've beaten it I can see myself losing some hours to trying to find all the collectibles and improve my times.

Florence
If you have $3, do yourself a favor and download this game from the app store. Florence is short, sweet and tells a really thoughtful story about love. It uses the medium creatively - the simple interactive setpieces it has you solve get turned on their head to feed into the emotional arc of the story. Really made me think about some things when it comes to relationships and the different ways one can affect your life. Plus it's just super charming and made me smile a lot.

Sonic CD
I'm a huge Sonic fan and it was a treat to play this, the weirdest of the 2D Sonic games, for the first time. I'm a sucker for the very 90s music and aesthetic it has going on (I've always been especially starstruck by the animated cutscenes) and have been meaning to experience it firsthand for quite a while. So I bought the lovingly crafted mobile port by Christian Whitehead for all its QOL features. This game... is a lot. and I love it. It takes level mechanics from previous Sonic games plus lots of its own, and goes absolutely hogwild with them, from the ridiculous bounciness of Wacky Workbench and Collision Chaos to the chaotic blistering speed of Stardust Speedway. Even after beating it, I feel I haven't even scratched the surface of this game with its time travel mechanic with 4 (!?) different versions of each zone, exploring alternate routes, and collecting the Time Stones. I'm excited to dig more into it!

opalheart · Jan 1, 2019

reserved #2

thekonamicode · Jan 1, 2019

This will finally be my year!

thekonamicode · Jan 1, 2019

Post #2

Fairy Godmother · Jan 2, 2019

(Reserved)
This year, man... Definitely!

44 games in 2017
47 in 2018
50 in 2019?

Handa · Jan 2, 2019

Hey Gang! Super excited to do this, this year.

#Reserved 1

Handa · Jan 2, 2019

#Reserved 2

Dyna · Jan 2, 2019

Reserving a post. Didn't make it last year but succeeded in 2017.

1 | Football Game | PC
1.5 hours | Completed January 2nd

This popped up in my Steam discovery queue during the winter sale and it looked very intriguing so I decided to give it a try. It's a short mystery game set in 1987. You play as Tommy, a boy who needs to get to his important football game and also figure out what's going on with him and his girlfriend. Although it isn't a horror game, there's an eerie sense of mystery surrounding you and I liked the ambiguous atmosphere throughout the game but in the end, I felt a bit let down by the way the story wrapped up. Still, for the 2€ price tag (and less than an euro on sale) I'd recommend it if you enjoy thrillers and point and click adventures (don't expect any real puzzles though).

2 | Life is Strange | Xbox One
16 hours | Completed January 7th

I finally decided to give Life is Strange a chance since it was added to Game Pass on Xbox. Sixteen hours of gameplay in total of which only a few were actually interesting and/or enjoyable to me. Yeah, this was a bit of a bummer... I did not have high expectations since I'm not the biggest fan of this type of adventure game but I still went into it with an open mind because I was intrigued by the Twin Peaks-ish vibe and I enjoyed Heavy Rain and a few of the Telltale games. However, I started to realize the game was more "13 Reasons Why" than Twin Peaks as it went along and although I wanted to see the story to the end I didn't really enjoy most of it. There were some cool, actually touching moments sprinkled here and there during the episodes and I didn't mind the soundtrack (the menu music rules!) but overall this just did not stick with me like it apparently did for a lot of others. The rewind ability was alright and it was cool that you had the ability to mess around with it to change dialogue choices etc. but on the other hand, I couldn't help but feel that it sort of hurt the core of the game in a way. Yes, you still had to make big, difficult choices but it does still give you the option to just freely explore every possible outcome in most situations which is sort of a double-edged sword in my opinion. I don't know, like I said, this game didn't really do it for me and I most likely won't check out the prequel or the sequel but I'm glad I gave it a chance at least. It's cool to see Dontnod Entertainment creating all these different types of games though, seems pretty bizarre that Remember Me, Life is Strange and Vampyr are all from the same studio!

3 | High Hell | PC
4 hours | Completed January 8th

This was a fun little arcade shooter with Superhot-esque structure. Well designed short levels where you have to act fast but also think about your approach if you want to get the highest score possible. I really enjoy this game's style; the hot pink cel-shaded visuals, Doseone's banging soundtrack and the over the top enemies really make for a fun experience. It's a short game but going for the hidden collectibles and the high-scores adds a good amount of replayability to the levels. Burn the money and the drugs, free the monkeys and KILL BO$$!

4 | Resident Evil 2 | PS1
12.5 hours | Completed February 26th

In anticipation for the Resident Evil 2 remake, I started playing the original since I never actually finished it and I wanted to find out what changes they would make in the remake. I played the Leon A to Claire B route (so the non-canon one apparently) on normal difficulty and I had a lot of fun with both playthroughs. I had a bit of a rough time at the start (I must have died four to five times while making my way to the station...) but the game gets easier to manage later on. Like most Resident Evil games, I don't think the game is really that scary but some of the Mr. X moments definitely got my adrenaline pumping and the sewer section was horrifying. I think I honestly enjoyed RE1's mansion setting a bit more than the police station but the station (and the lab area) was still fun to explore. Really good soundtrack and sound effects in general and I think the goofy storytelling is honestly very endearing. Personally I don't mind the tank controls at all, of course they feel dated but I think they fit these games quite well. All in all a very enjoyable ride, even in this day and age, and definitely makes me appreciate the remake more (at the time of writing this I have already played quite a bit of it)! I also have RE3 downloaded on my Vita so when I get the RE itch again (itchy, tasty...) that's going to be next in line for sure.

Dyna · Jan 2, 2019

Reserving a second post.

Hx] · Jan 2, 2019

Reseved. I'll finally attempt it. This time I feel confident~!

1. Dragon Quest XI: Echos of an Elusive Age (PC) | 1st Feb - 77hrs | 4/5
"Jumped to this as a fan of Blue Dragon and it definitively deserve all the praises it got"

Hx] · Jan 2, 2019

2# post

Rare Opiums · Jan 2, 2019

I have never tried this before. In fact, I never put a list of games that I have completed.
Wish me luck, guys!

Rare Opiums · Jan 2, 2019

#reserved

Aters · Jan 2, 2019

I did it last year. I feel like completing this once in a life time is quite enough.

52 Games. 1 Year. 2019.

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