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What games have you played over the past year, and maybe even finished?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Nero, Feb 4, 2020.

  1. JunkyardDwg

    JunkyardDwg Contributing Member

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    I'm really tempted to go back and play Ori again before Will of the Wisps comes out but I don't think I'll have the time. Definitely wanna revisit it at some point though.

    And I forgot about Metro: Exodus! The Metro series has been fantastic and a great mix of survival horror and fps. I feel like the frahchise hasn't been as noticed as other marquee series and that's a shame. And with Exodus, again it's another example of a frahchise slightly reinventing itself. One thing I don't like is the alternate endings. You almost have to be a complete pacifist to get the better, canonical ending in these games.
     
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  2. RC Cola

    RC Cola Contributing Member

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    I don't remember exactly what I played last year, so I might include some things from shortly before. I probably didn't finish any of them haha. But that's mostly because they're open-ended games, (incomplete) indie games, or I just didn't have the time to finish them. I'm pretty lazy these days. :)

    Pretty much everything on this list is from the PC. I'll group some games together, and you'll hopefully understand why.

    Spoiler tagging since it is pretty lengthy:
    No Man's Sky - I play this game every so often. I loved it when it came out, but the devs have gone crazy adding stuff to the game. I haven't even tried out the latest one, which added organic ships or something like that. It is such a great game to play when you just want to relax and explore. Probably one of my favorites of the generation.

    Witcher 3 - I put 100+ hours into this when it was originally released, but like some of you, I decided to (re)visit it after the Netflix show was released. I actually didn't complete some of the new side story content, so I did a bit of that. I don't think I have anything to say that hasn't already been said about this game. Another favorite of the generation for me.

    Endless Space 2/Stellaris - I think I saw someone else mention Stellaris, but I ended up liking both of these games quite a bit. They scratch that strategy/tactic space sim I get from time to time. I think I preferred Stellaris a bit more, but I enjoyed my time with both.

    Nioh/The Surge - I'm throwing the Souls-like games together, although I should point out I spent way more time with Nioh, which I really liked. In some ways, I liked it much more than even Dark Souls/Bloodborne, although I think it could use some more polish/QoL improvements among other things. The sequel looks like more of the same, which I'm thinking is probably a good thing. :) The Surge was decent as well, although I didn't get too far. I just tried it out since it was free with Game Pass I think. Don't know how the sequel (or eventual 3rd game) improved on things, but I think if you want a sci-fi themed Souls-like game, this does an OK job. Both games, despite being obviously inspired by the Souls game, seemed to add some interesting game mechanics from what I remember.

    CrossCode - I haven't had a chance to finish this game since it was fully released, but I played it pretty extensively while it was in early release. EVERYONE SHOULD CHECK THIS OUT! It feels like a 90s SNES/PS1 game, but on steroids. And with a lot more QoL to match modern gaming standards.

    Elex/Outward - Neither one of these were bad (in fact, I like them and sorta recommend them), but I was a bit disappointed with both. I put like 40 hours into Elex, so obviously parts of it I like a lot. It is like a sci-fi Gothic. Definitely had some interesting gameplay mechanics. The story should have been interesting, but I think I just got bored at some point. If I recall correctly, there were 3 major factions in the game, and the story wants you to pick one. I kinda hated them all though haha. So it was hard for me to get too invested into the storyline and the characters. Outward got a lot of hype prior to release, and I did like it quite a bit. But I think it was a game with some good ideas that wasn't quite ready to make the jump to amazing title. The world itself was kinda boring too. I played solo, so if you play with friends, it is probably a lot better.

    Starbound - Terraria in space. Or 2d minecraft...in space. Well sorta. I put 40+ hours into it. From what I remember, the base content is OK, but nothing great (especially the story). But mods add a LOT to the game. You could probably play this for hundreds of hours easily.

    Grim Dawn/Wolcen - Someone else mentioned Grim Dawn. And yep, it is a pretty good game. I think I played it at launch (I backed the kickstarter I think?). I played for maybe 20 hours or so. Then I came back to it a while later, and I found out they added quite a bit. A really fun Diablo clone. Wolcen just came out, and I only played it for an hour or so. It seems pretty interesting though. Kinda Warhammer-ish. Looks pretty. :)

    Freeman: Guerrilla Warfare - I guess you could describe this as a modern-day, post-apocalyptic Mount and Blade. Or something like that. M&B with machine guns and grenades, OK? I only really played it when it launched, when it was horribly janky and unpolished. But I still liked it quite a bit. I think it is still pretty janky, but it looks like they added some content, mod support, and more. Plus I think they have more on the roadmap.

    Disco Elysium - I'm only a few hours into this one, but it seems really great. If initial impressions are anything to go by, it definitely deserved some of the awards it won.

    Kenshi/RimWorld - I grouped these together since they're both super open-ended games with no real "story," other than what you create for yourself. Both involve building a squad or colony. Beyond that, they're very different, but I really enjoyed both quite a bit. I think I played both while they were in early release, so they're probably a bit more polished now. Both have pretty small development teams behind them if I recall correctly.

    Avorion/Empyrion/Starsector/Stellar Tactics/Astrox Imperium - Haha basically a bunch of hardcore open-world space sims, though they're all pretty different. Avorion is um Minecraft crossed with um maybe something like X3 or Freelancer. Empyrion is sorta No Man's Sky, but maybe more survival based. Starsector (not on Steam) is a 2d space sandbox game...kind hard to explain as well. I think it is mostly developed by one dude, and he's been working on this for a LONG time, and honestly it will probably take several years before it is done. But it is pretty unique and interesting IMO. Still has lots of content and polish in its current state. Stellar Tactics is a weird combination sandbox space game (like the others), but with a turn-based squad RPG combat system when on the "ground." Also feels very 90s/early 2000s (for good and bad). I think it still needs a lot of development to finish, but again, pretty unique and interesting. Astrox Imperium is basically a single-player EVE clone with a few tweaks. I think also developed by just one guy, and he's still actively developing it.

    Star Citizen - I haven't played the last patch or two, but I played quite a bit at the end of 2019 and early 2020 I think. This is a pretty controversial game, and I have no idea when it will be finished or even semi-finished. Last I played, it still lacked some very important gameplay content and gameplay loops (i.e., the stuff that keeps you coming back to play). Having said all of that, it does seem to be coming together. I check in on the game a few times every year or so. Most of the earlier updates were glorified tech demos IMO. I'd fly around in my ship, check out a planet, then go, "Hmm...that's pretty cool...but not sure what I should do now." Assuming the game didn't crash before I got to that point. But over the last year or so, I'm really starting to see what could make this game special. Even doing a simple fetch quest seems 100x more immersive and fulfilling than other games. Kinda hard to describe, but I found myself completely immersed and in love with the game during certain moments. They have a long way to go, but if they pull it off, this could be an amazing experience IMO.

    I could probably add a few other games, but they were mostly smaller games that I thought were mostly just OK (e.g., Starpoint Gemini Warlords).

    I'm looking forward to Cyberpunk, FF7, and the other typical big games. Probably won't play many of them right away, but I'll get to them at some point.
     
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  3. noize

    noize Contributing Member

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    Don't get me wrong. I will try my best to complete all of them at some point...its my plan. I take more satisfaction when I jump from game-to-game instead sticking to one game for long duration just to beat it. I used to do that, but now with a family and I'm no longer single, my style play has changed..meaning, I have less time to play game and I like to balance things out so that I can play a little bit of everything. I've just beaten a few more games on my list. I have a good memory, so taking a break from the story POV is not an issue.

    With that said, I'm now playing FFXV so I can fill the void until FFVII Remake comes out. Concerning FFXV, what an under-rated game. I was holding off on this game for a long time, b/c of the negative feedback from user reviews. I found this in a bargain bin and can't be more happier. It looks like FFVII Remake combat draw inspiration from FFXV. I'm not sure if I like the improvement as in some cases I enjoyed the combat in FFXV a little more. I already put in ~30 hours and I'm not expected to put it down anytime soon. The mystery of the story and its lore is driving me to complete this game sooner rather then later.
     
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  4. Duncan McDonuts

    Duncan McDonuts Contributing Member

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    @Drexlerfan22 XC1 spoilers...
    Bro wtf, they killed my girl Fiora in the first 30 minutes of the game! So angry.

    Just finished chapter 4 where Juju gets captured. Combat is different. Getting by okay, but not really understanding chain attacks. I might need to YouTube tutorials to optimize my combat.
     
  5. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    Ah yes, but that spoiler makes for a real strong, emotionally impactful intro, and chasing after the villain is good motivation for awhile!

    TBH I don't remember the details of the combat either, but I kinda remember it being simpler than XB2 actually. Swapping blades around seems cool but I feel like a bumbling idiot sometimes.

    Of what I've played so far, I still give the slight nod to XC1 over XC2. Though it's still too early to judge and it might be nostalgia talking. I don't love the way they handle a few of the systems in the newer entry... they never really made it clear how important pouch items are to progression, it's silly that I need to go to a blade's affinity screen before they actually get the benefits of the levels they earned, and paralyzing how I can't move blades to other characters. And, while I think the general storyline and characters are probably stronger so far in XC2, so far they've got nothing on the villain in XC1 IMO. He's so delightfully cheesy and menacing. Though, XC1 does have that horrendous gem crafting system. Nitpicks though, I do love them both.

    Ironic timing on your post; I took a long unintended pause on XC2 for two reasons: 1) I totally didn't get the necessity of using the pouch to level up field skills, and so got stuck at that part where you need enough to open that grate because the internet said that unique rare blade should be assigned to a party member I don't have yet, and 2) games-as-a-service kept sucking me in, specifically Warframe and Another Eden. Both of which are highly recommended, by the way.

    But I've solved both those things... I left my Switch on and just stood there with things in my characters' pockets until I had Superstrength leveled once, and I'm all the way caught up on my live game for awhile. Really looking forward to resuming XC2 actually! Which is again ironic, given that my XC1 definitive arrives... tomorrow (today?). Took the rare step of getting the special edition. Hope the art book's good.
     
  6. Duncan McDonuts

    Duncan McDonuts Contributing Member

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    The blade system in XC2 is a bit complex. It starts off randomized, so hard to customize your characters. The pouch system can give pretty strong buffs to your characters. I never really used it until end game, but at first it was a means to earn trust. There's a vendor in Chapter 5's town that gives decent trust to all blades, but the best way to grind it is with a DLC item called Love Source which you can get from Chapter 6 on. It is pretty dumb how you do have to go to a Blade's screen to progress the affinity level.

    So far in combat, I find myself focusing on circling for position to optimize arts and scrolling between the arts bar. It's hard to do all that and pay attention to what's actually going on in combat. That seems like a drawback to me, but maybe I'm just used to XC2's timing based arts with limited mapped arts.

    I did get the Works Edition. Europe's collector's set has more goodies, but unfortunately America got shafted. I'm enjoying the game. It hasn't gripped me like XC2 did, but that also took a while to understand and progress before I felt like that.
     
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  7. RayRay10

    RayRay10 Houstonian

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    Finished BOTW earlier this year...fantastic game that I didn't want to end, but I completed just about everything I could (minus collecting all the seeds).

    Got a job shortly after that so haven't been able to play as much, had started on Dragon Quest Builders 2, but it didn't grip me like the first one did. Think I just need to take some time before getting back to it.

    Just finished Outer Wilds...fantastic puzzle game that doesn't hold your hand, but isn't too difficult either. Basically a Groundhog Day/Majora's Mask situation where the sun blows up every 22 minutes and you have to put the pieces together to complete the game. Ending perfectly made sense and really makes you think about what our purpose here is as well as the purpose of the universe.

    On to my backlog...Started Rise of the Tomb Raider Sunday night.
     
  8. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    Good tip on the Love Sources, I'll look out for that. I did get all the DLC so I assume I have a bunch? Do I just use them on a blades, is that how it works?
    There are so many things in this game I feel like I forget a system whenever I learn a new one. Speaking of which, I probably need to send out my reject-blades on those mercenary things, I feel certain I forgot about them at some point, haha.

    The funny thing about the positioning-based stuff is it still exists in XC2, only it just doesn't seem to matter that much, since your driver's attacks seem to be the warm-up for blade artes (probably the wrong term). But in XC1, positioning and attacking with your guys is all there is, and I kinda liked that that mattered a bit more there. Just like the progression system of like knockdown -> lift whatever whatever is still in there, but in XC2 there's the extra-layer of "I guess I'll try to save my meter for when something is knocked down? Oh and I also have to hit it early enough that the arte actually executes before the knockdown/whatever ends". Stressful isn't the right word, but I guess XC2 feels more frantic to me?

    Sounds like we're both just used to one or the other game. :)

    BTW, funny thing, you mentioned that spoiler-y thing happening 30 minutes in, but for me that was many hours in. I'm such a power-leveler that I hung around wandering the starting area for freakin' ever, gather resources and leveling. If I'd known, I probably would've waited a bit longer to go ham on that stuff.

    Is the artbook any good on the Works edition?
     
  9. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    Have you played Witcher 3? I know they scratch different itches, but I didn't love BotW. It was fine, I enjoyed it. But as open worlds go I concluded I would rather have just played Witcher 3 again.
     
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  10. Duncan McDonuts

    Duncan McDonuts Contributing Member

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    I sent out any rare blade I wasn't using and common blades with masteries to speed up the mission. Missions level up their affinities, too, so that's a passive way you can do it. It just takes a lot of micromanaging that got overwhelming with some blades. The merc system could use some QOL upgrades.

    The driver arts are meant to build up your blade combos, so yeah, positioning doesn't matter as much. Driver art damage pales in comparison to the blades. Driver combos are still very useful for the Break->Topple->Launch->Smash. You also get loot and party gauge that way.

    I would've probably done the same as you and done more side missions, but I'm gonna try to go through the story first and be a completionist on my NG+ run. I haven't looked at the artwork yet. I dove right into the game. These first few chapters were surprisingly short.
     
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  11. RayRay10

    RayRay10 Houstonian

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    Not yet...I was about to start it, but wanted to get through Rise of the Tomb Raider first because I know I'll get wrapped up in the Witcher 3 and it'll take months for me to get through it.
     
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  12. Poloshirtbandit

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    Finally finished Jedi Fallen Order. Enjoyed the game, but felt kinda meh about the ending.
     
  13. Poloshirtbandit

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    I had to watch a video on YouTube to figure it out. Only advice I can give is to parry and recognize patterns. I was in the same boat and finally on my last attempt I only used two health refills. Honestly not sure what happened.
     
  14. STR8Thugg

    STR8Thugg STR8Thugg Member

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    RDR2 is a must play.
     
  15. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    FWIW, if you can play it on PC, definitely do:


    This PC screen in this compare is with various texture mods; the difference between vanilla pc vs console is not as big. But modding it up a bit really ups the immersion. Not that graphics are the only good thing about it or anything, but still. That entire game was one big "wow" moment for graphics.

    And the story-telling matched that greatness. My only peeve on it is I didn't love the combat when it came to engaging multiple enemies, and some of the sword slash animations were needlessly long/inconsistent. But those are easy things to forgive when everything else is so perfect.
     
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  16. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    That's so much smarter, I probably should do that on the regular when NG+'s are available. But I can never resist being a completionist right away; I'm my own worst enemy. :D
     
  17. Duncan McDonuts

    Duncan McDonuts Contributing Member

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    I did a lot of side quests and exploration in XC2 but it led to me being overleveled. Plus, I had no desire to redo those quests in NG+. So I decided to focus on the story in the first playthrough with minimal side quests, then complete the rest of it afterwards. We'll see how it goes. :)
     
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  18. larsv8

    larsv8 Contributing Member

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    Been playing early access for a PC game called Hades.

    Super addictive, would recommend.
     
  19. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    FWIW I just cracked open the artbook myself. I was surprised to read in the intro that they had added new equipment, redesigned existing equipment, and also made some main story battles easier. Which makes it sound like focusing on new game+ is an even better idea, because I remembered thinking some of the story fights were a bit tough even being a bit over-leveled, but I take it that's a thing of the past.

    More changes listed here:
    https://screenrant.com/xenoblade-chronicles-definitive-edition-every-change/
    (misleading title as that can't be "every" change, since they don't mention new equipment or easier story battles)

    I have mixed feelings about a few of the changes... e.g. did they vastly change designs of some of the original equipment with no real reason, is it good to always have side-quest markers instead of being forced to explore, is it better to remove some of the story mode difficulty given that they added difficulty levels anyway, and is it really a good thing to lower the requirements for colony 6 reconstruction? Mostly good changes I'm sure, but hopefully they didn't go too tweak-crazy. I prefer Definitive Editions to only make improvements that are 100% improvements, instead of "sidegrades".

    Sadly I'm a bit disappointed in the artbook itself. It has the same problem the one for XC2 had, which is that it shies away from big, full-color prints of the environments... my favorite part. Instead it's 99% concept art and character art. Ironically, the artbook for the original game (small, but came free with the pre-order) was basically all full-color prints of the environment. Sigh. Sad when the free thing has more longevity than the paid thing.
     
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  20. Aware

    Aware Member

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    i played crisis core for the first time not too long ago.
    a bit upset that square managed to port type-0 to the ps4 but hasn't touched this one.

    i imagine there must be some licensing issues preventing it cause otherwise its pretty dumb not to do it.
     
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