qolelis on 29/1/2019 at 00:43
I'm also playing (
https://store.steampowered.com/app/885690/)
Liminal, which is in Early Access, but free and a pretty solid puzzle game (in my opinion (not everyone in the Steam reviews seems to agree, though)). Nice and clean flat-shaded look and great use of colour and lighting. No issues so far, except long loading times (exceptionally long when starting the game (almost "go grab a coffee" kind of long), but shorter for restarting or loading a chapter). Nothing overly unique, but greatly executed. Nice game to come back to gaming with.
froghawk on 30/1/2019 at 18:50
Quote Posted by Sulphur
Luckily, the areas that actually matter, like the environments, mission design, and incidental detail are as expertly crafted as expected.
Ah man, Santa Fortuna is
awesome. Might be my favorite mission in H16/18 so far!
demagogue on 31/1/2019 at 04:58
@qolelis, as you're into surreal games, you might like Mu Cartographer, or anyone else into that style.
It's also something I've been playing recently so on topic.
It's basically a puzzle game wrapped up in an aesthetically fashionable mystery. It doesn't give the player any guidance, or the most minimal, and most of the game is just figuring out what to do with the bewildering controls in front of you, so you just start diddling dials and buttons and see what happens. I kind of like it now that I know what I'm doing -- at that point it's pretty low-key casual dial fiddling puzzles with nice aesthetics, which I'm happy with -- but I recognize not everyone will have the patience to get into it.
henke on 31/1/2019 at 10:41
GAMES OF THE YEAR 2019, one month in1.
Rats, Bats, and Bones - Almost finished Act 2, still loving it!
2.
Derail Valley - VIRTUAL TRAIN GOODNESS
3.
DIE HARD: A Christmas Blast - look just (
https://wstacey.itch.io/a-christmas-blast) play it ok.
4.
New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe - Yeah I'm not feeling the new Mario.
Also still haven't played Hong Kong Massacre and Pikuniku. Only a month in and already I'm behind the release schedule. Too many damn games!
qolelis on 2/2/2019 at 21:50
I just forced myself to finish
Unknown Fate: too drawn out, the promised puzzles turned out to be mostly annoying platforming (had I known this was going to be a platformer, I would have avoided it), and the story was a mess at best (thin, drawn out, and trying too hard to leave room for a sequel).
The environments were okay, although many of the spaces felt pointless. The main character was perfect if he was meant to be annoying (I think I recognize the voice actor from other games and he always seems to be either surprised or slightly angry in any given situation). The game didn't deliver at all what was promised, although if you are a fan of 3D platformers with no story, you might still like it, but don't expect it to be anything more. The first scene made me think the game would be kind of cool or interesting with some degree of exploration, but I was soon disappointed. When I finally reached the end I was none the wiser, only relieved that the game was finally over. To the game's defence I could say that maybe its symbolism was lost on me -- if there was in fact any symbolism.
Quote:
enigmatic story-driven action adventure set in a surreal world full of mind-twisting puzzles and bizarre creatures
-Most of that description (taken form the game's Steam page) is either a stretch or not true:
-Enigmatic and surreal? Yeah, I guess, although calling it enigmatic is a good way of saying it's messy without actually admitting it.
-Story-driven? Not really.
-Action? More like a few, and far between, simple fighting sequences squeezed in for the sake of being able to add the tag. The rest of the action was done in cutscenes or in the platforming (if that counts as action).
-Mind-twisting puzzles? No, the puzzles were rather about execution (good timing, precise jumping, hidden objects, and matching) than figuring out what to do, so none of the satisfaction that actually mind-twisting puzzles can bring.
-Bizarre creatures? I guess, although calling them arbitrary seems more fitting.
Unknown Fate reminded me of a game called (
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/04/11/review-caligo/)
Caligo which I played some time ago, and which also pretended to be more than it was. I can't recommend playing any of them. Come to think of it, the respective main characters have the same way of saying that the game is pointless.
froghawk on 3/2/2019 at 19:23
Quote Posted by froghawk
Ah man, Santa Fortuna is
awesome. Might be my favorite mission in H16/18 so far!
I take it back - Mumbai swiftly dethroned it. The triple target setup where one has a hidden identity and a second hitman is after two of them is just absurd. None of the other episodes had such intricately linked targets before. How does this game keep getting better?
Thirith on 4/2/2019 at 08:07
I finished Celeste over the weekend. Well, when I say 'finished', I mean that I played through the main story and got to the summit. Good stuff, very well designed - there were so many screens where I thought I'd never manage, and then I did and felt pretty good about it - but I don't think I'll immediately go out and get all the remaining strawberries (I got about ~70). The ascent had a sense of urgency that was brilliantly done, with flags along the way counting down to the top, and without that urgency I think I'd burn out on the increasingly difficult jumping puzzles, added to which I've got used to the upgrades powers towards the end, and going back to the original set feels... off.
I've now moved on to Gris. Haven't played much yet, but I can already say that it is a gorgeous game to look at, one of the most gorgeous I've ever played.
Malleus on 4/2/2019 at 12:25
Quote Posted by icemann
particularly love the FMV bits where you learn about how GDI and Nod came to be, where tiberium first appeared etc.
I love how the FMVs were integrated into the narrative and how it basically incorporates the fourth wall. You see, when you install the game, you dont just install "C&C the game", the installer says you install EVA, which according to the lore, a client that lets you connect to a military network that allows communication between units in the field and the commanders, who are sitting at home in front of their computers. You know, like YOU, the player. And its incorporated into the story as well, like whe UN cuts GDI funding, and the network is shut down, and theres a cutscene where your client tries and fails to connect to various Gdi servers. Not to mention that scene where Kane hacks into the network and sends you video message where he says "I know where you live commander, its only a matter of time". I think it was brilliant.
WingedKagouti on 4/2/2019 at 13:51
Quote Posted by icemann
Been playing the first Command and Conquer.
I (re)installed C&C3: Kane's Wrath last week. What made that series so great is the copious amounts of cheese, ham and eating the scenery that goes on in the FMVs. And the series would likely not have been as well remembered without Joseph Kucan (the actor playing Kane).
Thirith on 4/2/2019 at 14:09
I don't think I ever finished a single C&C game, or indeed any RTS. I'd always enjoy them a lot for a few missions and then lose all interest. Still, by far my favourite memory of anything C&C-related is the Red Alert trailer set to music from Mozart's Requiem. I distinctly remember watching that trailer and wanting to play the game singing "Confutatis Maledictis".