Your 2016 Gaming Diary

Worked through the rest of Teslagrad today after starting it towards the end of last year. (think it was on Plus at some point)

Pretty enjoyable Metroid-vania style game but mostly non combat apart from the boss fights

Had good puzzle elements that for the most part weren't too annoying and it's another Platinum in the bag for the year

With Crypt of the Necrodancer and Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer I don't find the time to play anything else

Finished an All-Zones-Run with Cadence on Crypt of the Necrodancer just now : peace: Next step will be unlocking a new character.

Reached Level 40 (Prestige 2) in CoD: Black Ops III Multiplayer. Having such a blast with this. Best shooter I've played in years.

February is almost over. Haven't finished as many games as last month, but that was to be expected. Next two game's I'll buy will be Dark Souls 3 and Uncharted 4. Until then I probably won't start a game from my Backlog. Maybe Shovel Knight. Finished this once, but looking to get the Platinum some time.

Finished up Submerged last night on the PS4. Had had my eye on it for some time as I liked the look of it but the price always put me off and even previous discounts didn't really do much to make me want to jump in. Thankfully, it hit at just over half price on the PS Store recently so thought "Why not" and gave it a go.

Generally speaking, it's a very relaxed game. You play a young woman who is trying to find resources to help save a sick young boy and it all takes place in a flooded city where everything is dilapidated and overgrown with flower and fauna. There's no combat and no other humans to interact with, it's just you, the dying young boy and your boat as you sail around the remains of the city in your boat. That may well put some off and the more you play, the more you do wish there was a little more substance to the gameplay other than that but it is still a relaxing and fun experience. You're not completely alone though as you'll come across various animals (whales, dolphins, flying fish, etc.) which appear at times and accompany you while sailing though after the first couple of sightings, they do start to get annoying with their sounds and getting in the road a bit.

You'll sail around the city and scope out the place with your telescope hoping to find vital supplies which have been air dropped on top of 10 specific locations and you're then tasked with climbing up these to retrieve them. The platforming is more or less automatic once you get alongside a building and grab the first ledge, the only other inputs being a push of the left analog stick to dictate whether you jump up, down or move along ledges. It's very simple and serviceable but it does get a bit tedious as there's little variety and no risk of failure or impending sense of doom to liven it up a bit.

And that's really the main crux of the gameplay: find the buildings where the supply crates are located and retrieve them. The game then automatically takes you back to your base where you'll have to start from over and over when heading out to find more crates. You can't get more than one at once which is a bit ridiculous and artificially inflates the play time.

That being said though, there are other reasons to explore. A bunch of secrets littered around the decaying ruins provide story panels which reveal the story behind what's happened to the city (similar to how the story of your character is revealed after you return with each crate). It would be better to have a more overt expression of the narrative (even a narrator like with other similar titles like Never Alone or even Toren) but the way in which it is told is at least interesting. There's also boat parts to be found around the map which help speed up your boat and give you a boost (seems they took on board what Nintendo did when they re-released Wind Waker).

It's a bit of a short game, easily completed in a couple of hours, and suffers from some technical issues (it stutters quite badly at times) and while that may not be great for some, it was just what I was looking for in terms of gameplay: a relaxing and intriguing journey around a decaying city that looks beautiful at times and has a heartfelt story of a woman trying to save a young boy's life while her own deteriorates (I've seen some liken the general story and ending to Shadow of the Colossus though I've not played that so can't say much myself). Still some of the collectibles to grab to finish it up but there's no platinum so I may just end up leaving it till another time.

Also managed to finish up the situations/missions in Rainbow Six Siege. Not much to say about it other than they were fun if not infuriating at times because of the guys with the bomb vests. Not too keen on playing much of the online multiplayer as I've heard the community is a bit on the toxic side so it may well be left for now.

Finished Horizon Chase. Best 79p I've spent on a game since the good old days of the C64.

If you're a fan of Out Run or old school racing games in general, definitely check it out!:

A PS4 version is apparently in the works, would be great if they added online multiplayer.

And after finally giving up on Xenoblade Chronicles X, I decided to get into PS+ freebie, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. This game confused the hell out of me at first, but I stuck with it and ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

I also love how the online lobby is done, with a little arcade you can walk about in. It doesn't seem to be too busy though, just like the real-life arcade scene.

And after finally giving up on Xenoblade Chronicles X, I decided to get into PS+ freebie, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. This game confused the hell out of me at first, but I stuck with it and ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

Have you played Persona 4 and the first Arena game? Otherwise I see why you'd be confused.

Finished Horizon Chase. Best 79p I've spent on a game since the good old days of the C64.

If you're a fan of Out Run or old school racing games in general, definitely check it out!:

 

A PS4 version is apparently in the works, would be great if they added online multiplayer.

 

Looks interesting. Unfortunately it seems you cannot get the full version of the iOS version of the game due to a bug.

(According to the reviews for the current version on the App Store)

Have you played Persona 4 and the first Arena game? Otherwise I see why you'd be confused.

Looks interesting. Unfortunately it seems you cannot get the full version of the iOS version of the game due to a bug.

 

(According to the reviews for the current version on the App Store)

I bought the full version on iOS a while back (when it was on offer) with no problem.

Yes, it is weird. The game is available as 'free' with in app purchases (this may have changed recently). All of the reviews for the current version complain that they paid to get the full version but the game doesn't recognise it as such.

Managed to finish up two more games there at the weekend. First up, I managed to close off Firewatch on the second sitting. Pretty short but sweet game I thought. I know some opinions around the net have taken issue with the lack of things there is to do in the game but I really enjoyed it. Thought the whole thing was rather intriguing and felt the story only became more so the further in I got. Also, really enjoyed the interaction between Henry and Delilah, should you go with it, although the ending with the two of them from my play through wasn't as great as it could have been. Definitely felt like they dropped the ball slightly there.

But yeah, really enjoyed the experience and was a nice relaxing game to jump into and something I'd definitely recommend to those who enjoyed similar titles like Everyone's Gone To The Rapture and such.

Also managed to finish up Unravel as well. The game didn't leave me with the greatest impressions at the start as I thought it was a little on the clunky side (parallels between how this and LittleBigPlanet played were drawn which wasn't the best as I'm not the biggest fan of the those games) and there are definitely some points throughout the game that are more frustrating than anything else (bloody crows!).

But the game eventually got its hooks in me and I really started to enjoy it all after a bit. When everything clicks, the gameplay mechanics with the yarn work so well and it's so much fun to play, swinging from one point to the next no problem and solving some of the little puzzles with ease. It's just, as I say, that there are some points that feel a bit too fiddly and are clunky in their execution.

Was a very moving experience though and the visuals and soundtrack really played their parts on that front. It looked beautiful at times and the little attentions to detail, like snow sticking to the yarn or the yarn getting wet when you fell in the water/got caught in the rain, really added to the feel of the game. And the soundtrack really was amazing at times, been listening to it at work as I sit marking things and it's just so relaxing. A nice juxtaposition to the gameplay at times, but one the ably complimented it too.

Overall, really enjoyed the game and glad that it turned out as it did. There are the little issues I pointed to but in the end, when you get over them, it reveals itself as a solid and moving platformer.

Let's take a little detour from Metroid Prime and look at a small little game.

So, most of you would consider yourself Zelda fans, right? I imagine that some of you have played every Nintendo-made one, huh?

What's that? You have? Hmmm...

You certain about that?

Yep, I played through Zelda for the Game & Watch!

To be specific, it's the very last game that you unlock in Game & Watch Gallery Advance for the GBA, which came out on the WiiU VC.

Zelda originally came out in 1989 in America and was released in Europe as part of the Nintendo Mini Classics in 1998.

Game & Watch Gallery Advance came out in 2002.

I separated this game from the other 19 Game & Watch titles on the GBA game for two reasons.

- It's a Game & Watch game that actually has an ending.

- As far as the Zelda series goes, it's really, really bizarre!

The story (Yes, there's a story) goes that eight dragons really hate mankind and kidnap Princess Zelda and lock her behind a door that can only be opened by a piece of the Triforce. (I'm gonna assume it's Wisdom)

So Link has to traverse the eight dungeons, kill the eight dragons and save Hyrule!

Pretty simple, but the thought of a Game & Watch game with a story is amusing.

Being a G&W game, the gameplay is a lot simpler than your average Zelda. There's no overworld, the entire game takes place in the 8 dungeons (Which all suspiciously look the same, can't imagine why...) and there's only 3 different varieties of enemies and the dragon boss at the end of each dungeon. And as for puzzles, don't expect any.

But for a G&W game, it's surprisingly deep!

It definitely plays the most like Zelda 2, with all the action being side-scrolling. The objective is to defeat the enemy on the right without losing all your health. Holding the attack button thrusts your sword forward, but also puts the shield behind Link, leaving you open to attacks from the front (But blocks attacks from behind you, which comes into play later on)

You also have to keep an eye on the enemies below you, as they'll periodically try to knife your feet. And that stings.

It's simple, but strangely fun. Positioning is everything and the key lies in knowing when to attack. And thanks to the handy dandy save feature that is present in the GBA version, there's no need to worry about getting a Game Over.

There's even items that help you in your quest, including maps, Water of Life (It's a potion) and the Tomahawk, which lets you do mad damage against the next boss you fight.

When you reach the boss, the gameplay switches to the top screen. (Yep, DS always ripped off the G&W's style) You have to dodge fireballs and Ridley-esque tail stabs while hacking away at it until you get your Triforce piece.

It can get a little repetitive, but I had a good time, just tackling a little bit every now and then.

Nope, this was the very first Persona game I played.

What an awful introduction to the series. Not only is it the second half of the Arena story, but it also spoils the plot of Persona 4, which deserves a lot better than this. You really messed up there, 'Shell.

I loved that Zelda Game and Watch as a kid. How hard is it to unlock?

I loved that Zelda Game and Watch as a kid. How hard is it to unlock?

You have to be really good at Game & Watch games.

There are 11 games on G&W Gallery Advance that you can earn "stars" on.

Each of these games have 4 different ways of playing (Original G&W versions and Modern Mario remakes, each with an Easy and Hard mode, with the exception of Boxing and Donkey Kong 3).

You get one star for every 200 points (Or 3. K.Os in Boxing) you get, for a maximum of 5 stars for getting a high score of 1,000 points.

That means there's a total of 200 stars that you can get without going into the multiplayer modes in Boxing and Donkey Kong 3. (You could get a bonus 20 stars from just playing those a few times, bringing the total to 220)

Zelda becomes playable when you get 160 stars.

So if you don't have a second GBA (Or you're playing the WiiU VC version), you have to score an average of 800 points on every game, on every difficulty.

It's very hard. Especially on games like G&W Donkey Kong. But by the time you get Zelda, you have 20 G&W games to play, so the value is insanely good. You just have to work for it.

You have to be really good at Game & Watch games.

That'll be a nope then. Ah well, too many games to play at the moment anyway.

What an awful introduction to the series. Not only is it the second half of the Arena story, but it also spoils the plot of Persona 4, which deserves a lot better than this. You really messed up there, 'Shell.

Thanks to the leap year, I managed to sneak a final game ( Pokemon Red (3DS VC) in before March.

 

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I have to say, the game has aged very well. There were people on Gaf and on here that said that playing the older games all these years later would be a real eye opener for people, due to how badly they have aged, but it hasn't been the case at all.

 

There is a simplicity and purity of these early games. There's no fluff to them, like petting Pokemon, dressing them up, putting them in competitions etc. It's just a kid on his adventure.

 

Playing this however has just hit home just how little the series has moved on from its core. To this day you still have to pick one of the 3 starter types which consist of Fire, Water and Grass. There's still some big bad to fight. The structure of the 8 gyms and final battles all remain the same, as well.

 

For a series that focuses on evolution so much, it could really do with evolving some of these core aspects a little.

February is at its end and it's time for another GOTM award

As expected, I haven't played/finished as many games as in January. But last month has been a great gaming-month nonetheless : peace:

The Wolf Among Us, another story and choice driven game I've completed and I enjoyed every second. The plot was great, the pacing a bit off at times, but the conclusion...did not expect that. Got the Platinum for this one

In between all the games, I've played the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer a lot...like 48-hours-a-lot And that one weekend...9 1/2 hours in one sitting. Good times.

A nice, relaxing and very casual game to play while watching some football matches, you ask? Why let me tell you something about Peggle 2: Possibly one of the most casual games in existence, nice to look at and very relaxing. Hook your Vita up via remote play and there you go, a couple of hours spent with a cool little game. Managed to grab the Platinum for this one, too.

Crypt of the Necrodancer...I've been waiting for a release on PlayStation systems since I've heard about this game a year ago. It arrived early February and everything about it haunts me. The core mechanics' simplicity, the beautiful pixel art, the incredible music (seriously, the music is insanely good), the difficulty, the different characters and their game changing play styles...The best rogue-like I've played since The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.

My girlfriend has been playing a lot of Crypt of the Necrodancer, too. She already knows she won't be able to complete the game with certain characters, but she is determined to finish a run with several of them

Speaking of my girlfriend, we have played and completed Super Mario 3D World. It was a good playthrough, we had fun, enjoyed it for what it was.

Not too much to choose from and I'm pretty sure many of you already know which game I'm going to pick

Finally finished Final Fantasy Type 0. I liked the game and the political and militaristic story. The rest of the game was pretty average, the characters in particular. Gave up on the game last year after the retard last chapter. The story was great up to then, from a realistic, serious and bloody war, to bat shit crazy with frustrating challenges, cheap deaths and giant demon aliens. In order to get through the ordeal of the last chapter I used the "glitch" to grind half of the 14 characters to lv 80+ and the rest to 50+. Finished up some misc trophies afterwards and got the platinum. I think there are more to the game, with secret dungeons, dozen of more summons and secret endings but I do not want to play through that last chapter again, story and gameplay wise.

Also finished and platted Far Cry Primal. Great game. Not much to say, it's Far Cry in the stone age, similar but still very much fun. A lot bigger focus on scavenging and collecting recources, I was constantly looking for supplies for my spears, bow and club, all which are expendable especially if you throw them for bigger damage. And then you got all the supplies needed for the village and upgrades. Big world with lots to do and explore if go for it. The platinum was easy, but I think Ubisoft hand them out too easy lately. So I completed everything in the in game tracker for 100% as well, including all collectibles, animals and missions. Also, not recorded by the game I also uncovered every question mark and increased the village to max population. Took me just under 31 hours.

Next up is Heavy Rain on PS4. About halfway into the game already. Seeing as I have already completed the original, and you need possible several runs and reruns and chapter selects, I'm just making it into a trophy run for the first playthrough. Newcomers should of course play through it blind.

Also played 20 minutes Pokemon Yellow but the knowledge of the fact that I won't be able to complete the Pokedex made me quit.

I haven't had much time to devote to Skies of Arcadia inthe last couple of weeks so I won't have it finished by the time Twilight Princess HD arrives. I still intend to keep going with it, though, as it's a great game and I'm onto the second disc

I have, however, cleared Power Stone (DC) with all characters throughout the course of the month

Despite being terrible at it, I found it to be quite enjoyable and this brought with it a disappointment that I'd never really had the opportunity to enjoy any multiplayer chaos.

A game I did have fun with in the past with friends is International Track & Field on the PS1. I've owned the N64 cartridge of the Summer Games version for a few years but I've recently sold that on eBay in favour of the Dreamcast version (just as I have been trying to do with Rayman 2.. though the N64 games has had to be relisted )

Anyway, I've played ESPN International Track & Field a little over the last couple of days, unlocking and setting records in each event so I guess that's it considered finished It's the sort of game I like to bring out when friends are here, though, as it's always fun

With that, February has drawn to a close so it's time to update my list for 2016

January

Spyro the Dragon (PS1)

Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)

Mario vs Donkey Kong (GBA [3DS Ambassador])

Kirby's Adventure (NES [Wii U VC])

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (PS2)

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3)

February

Space Channel 5 (DC)

Wave Race: Blue Storm (GC) Replay

Power Stone (DC)

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

ESPN International Track & Field (DC)

Bring on March There are way to many games I want to play right now and just not enough time! I'm still working my way through a few Dreamcast titles, with my eye on a couple more, but the lure of the N64 is strong at the moment with a desire to give Duke Nukem 64, Turok and Hybrid Heaven a chance to impress!

NX needs to be 2017

A bit of slow month for me in Feb.

I completed Uncharted 3 last night. Really enjoyed it! I've played all three games back to back and I have loved the series.

Thoughts are in the thread.

Finished Sonic Generations (PS3) last night. I haven't played it since finishing it on the 360 all those years ago and I really enjoyed playing through it again. It still remains my favourite Sonic games in recent years. I think they struck the right balance with the 2D and 3D stages in this game and there's plenty of content for those willing to dig a little deeper.

I managed to get 1000/1000 back on the 360 version but i'm not sure if I can be bothered with getting all the trophies on this version. One of them requires me to delete most, if not all, of the people on my friends list as the online trophies are borked and have been since the game came out.

Yesterday, I have finally started The Unfinished Swan on PS4. Such a wonderful and beautiful game

Finished chapter one yesterday, and chapter two today. Might continue with the third later tonight or save it for the weekend

Managed to complete All-Zones-Mode with two more characters on Crypt of the Necrodancer and I've reached Prestige 4 in Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer. : peace:

I have also begun playing one of this month's PS+ games is Flame Over. You control a little fire fighter who has to put out fire (duh) in randomly generated buildings/floors while rescuing cats and humans. Stay too long near fire and you lose a heart, and as with most video games: lose all your hearts and you die.

This wouldn't be all that difficult if there wasn't a time limit. With that you need to prioritize what you should do next. Important things to do: Rescue humans to gain 1 minute, rescue a cat to gain a heart, extinguish fires to earn money and eventually complete the stage, finish a side mission, buy an item from the shop...

It's a rogue-like. So I like it.

Edit: Finished (heh) The Unfinished Swan. Heartwarming little game.

So...I have been tempted by Street Fighter V recently, but decided not to get it as the singleplayer is apparently a bit sparse. Mortal Kombat X/XL looked appealing, but @Hero\-of\-Time and @Happenstance both recommended that I play Mortal Kombat 9 first and maybe try it on PSNow. I signed up to that for a free trial and decided to go and play another game first that I've known about for years but have never played...Ico.

It's the first time I've ever used PSNow. A bit of a mindfuck when you think about it. I'm streaming a PS3 HD version of a PS2 game on a PS4 through PSNow. Arghhhh! First of all, the streaming service held up absolutely fine and I've had no issues with it thus far.

So...onto the game. It's a bit fiddly at first getting used to the controls, but I quickly got over it. The camera is a bit strange, especially maneuvering it...but the action is always kept in the centre and it keeps the game feeling cinematic. It also helps you at times with knowing which way to go and I like how you can zoom in with the shoulder buttons.

The puzzles in this game are fantastic. I LOVE the big puzzle to do with opening the East and West gate. It's very similar to the sort of stuff you see in Zelda, except the location is one big puzzle. At times, it does feel more visceral and raw than some of the latest Zelda games. I love how you've got to not only think about your character, but also Yorda and how she can help during certain puzzles. It's a great mechanic that works successfully throughout the game and never once feels like a novelty. I love how you at times have to leave the character and have to "call" for her and how you have the option to hold hands to drag her through certain areas. It's just fantastically well done.

Outstanding game. I'm very happy that I've finally played it and now I see why so many people are anticipating The Last Guardian. 10/10 game, for me. Lived up to its promise and was not only a fantastic game, but an awesome experience.

Games of 2016

Flower - Finished

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - Finished

The Unfinished Swan - Finished

Grim Fandango Remastered - Finished

Race The Sun - Finished

The Wolf Among Us - Finished

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Story Finished

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone

Ico - Finished

I finally gave Limbo a chance. Started an hour ago and couldn't put it down

Its atmosphere is incredible, the presentation perfect.

It is also surprisingly brutal and sad at times...

Apparently I'm already halfway through, according to the chapter select screen, so I'll stop playing this for today. Will finish it sometime next week. : peace: Already looking forward to it.