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Gris (PS5) by jp (Apr 20th, 2025 at 20:25:52) |
I distinctly remember Gris getting a "meh" review score in Edge magazine. So, I was expecting to be underwhelmed gameplay-wise though wowed visually.
And yes, I was wowed visually (and aurally too - playing the PS5 version that makes use of the speaker controller in a cool way)...and the gameplay was sort of meh - but, it got better and better the longer I played!
Not counting the "hub" area, the game has four zones/levels that each introduce a mechanic, as well as some in-world things to interact with. And so, the game really goes from less to more as later levels incorporate more in-world mechanics as well as require use of the character mechanics you unlock. It also all makes sense with the game's theme and story and balblabla (ludonarrative harmony is what my students brought up).
That being said, it's a pretty relaxing and flowing kind of game - nods to Journey in there as well - and there isn't really a fail state, though you can get stuck on puzzles and some dexterity-timing dependent puzzles. There's some swimming bits that are just glorious - as you dash from "water bubble" to "water bubble" (blocks of water in the air) - and I loved swimming up waterfalls.
What impressed me the most though were two things:
1. I kept on trying to "go the wrong way" and most of the time, it was the right way.
2. The onboarding and tutorials are really, really well done. You notice a thing, or do a thing, and then that's the thing you have to do later to solve puzzles and so on. It feels very natural and very normal.
So, I'm actually excited to try Neva now...
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Lost in Blue 2 (DS) by jp (Apr 18th, 2025 at 18:46:41) |
Perhaps the strangest thing for me about this game is that it's a bona fide survival game on the DS. In my mind, the genre is more recent than 2006! I'm thinking of all the indie survival games (craft stuff, gather food, don't die of hunger or thirst) and then ones on Steam..and here's this game - a sequel no less - and it's straight up THAT. Survival. And there's two characters to boot - and you can die (I did, pretty soon it turns out).
I guess I was surprised by how quickly I did die - and, from a novice perspective, it felt sudden and a bit unfair. As in, CLEARLY there was nothing I could have done differently to survive. I spent too much time exploring was probably the main problem, and I left the boy behind in a cave we found, and I'm not sure that's what you're supposed to do? You have to keep both of them feed, hydrated and energized, and I felt like I had my hands full with just the one character.
I think my biggest mistake was probably not getting the spear for fishing made sooner? But then, I'm not even sure how you're supposed to use it - and all the other food I kept scavenging wasn't really doing much. Like, you'd eat it and not see a huge effect. I'm guessing there's something I'm not understanding and it makes me wonder if a full reset makes the most sense? (instead of loading into a saved game that's already doomed/too heavily stacked against success).
Perhaps the strangest thing (for me) about the game is that there's a super simple mini-game for cooking! You collect stuff to cook and also stuff to use as spices and then need to sort of trial and error recipes - though I could set the boy (the character I was not controlling directly) to cook and he'd come up with his own stuff... it's weird.
And it's a sequel? I guess I should look up if this is a port to DS from someplace else? It would make more sense in a way - the game is also low-poly 3D as you wander around the environment. Still...I might just put it on the shelf.
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Phantom Abyss (PC) by jp (Apr 6th, 2025 at 19:14:27) |
I'd heard of the game's hook (or gimmick if you will) as, everyday it's a different 1st person platforming game/run, and if you die - that's it. Play a different run later.
I'm guessing stuff changed along the way, though the concept is still here - it's a reasonably challenging rogue-like 1st person platforming game. I've had fun, you have a whip to help you climb and each level has different modifiers (the whip has an ability) and you can pick up boons in your run (if you have enough coins to afford them) and hopefully make it to the end. BUT, you see a bunch of ghosts for everyone else who played this level - if someone died, you can collect their spirit or something for a small heal! During each run you collect keys you can use to buy permanent upgrades, and so you go up the progression ladder of many roguelites...
Someone described this as first person temple run, which is close enough? I mean, the levels themselves are a lot more interesting than the "mere" reaction times that temple run goes for, here you can side-step/etc. stuff - and there are different paths, and in all you can be a bit creative for how you approach stuff...I've had fun so far - unlocked all the green levels and I've started on the blue ones!
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Cuphead (Switch) by jp (Apr 6th, 2025 at 13:37:03) |
I only get to play this when my son comes around - and we play together and I realized, yeah - I need to either start practicing seriously or just give up. And, I enjoy playing it co-op, so there's not much sense in practicing, so I decided to give up.
We did make it to the 2nd island(?), and played some of the levels there - but I was clearly starting to see a steeper path to success. As in, it too us (mostly my fault) more and more tries to make less progress. He's already played it, beat it too? So, not much point for him really.
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Sonic Rush (DS) by jp (Apr 6th, 2025 at 13:34:08) |
I started playing this from the saved game - with new(?) character Blaze on "area 2" (I don't remember the exact name). And, I just could not beat the level - it was set in the casino world, and everything was moving super fast and on "automatic" - so, you just press move and the character zips along, bounces, etc.
It's actually quite boring! Because you just do this, at some point you hit an enemy (very few enemies in the game!), lose your rings, and then carry on. But, I'd lose because I'd fall into a bottomless pit, lose three lives and then out.
I'd say it wasn't so much frustrating as it was a disappointment. Yes, the point of Sonic is that it's "fast" - that's it's thing. But I find that there's little interaction to the game for most of the levels - you just "go along with the direction". It's neat when sometimes you get bounced around automatically, but for the most part I like to control the character.
So, I deleted the save file and started a new one, this time with Sonic in the equivalent of green hill zone. This level has two areas and then a boss. So, it's like 3 levels make up a level.
And, the experience was pretty similar - run on automatic for a while, lose rings suddenly or die, repeat with a bit more caution...etc. I did make it all the way to the boss fight - which I almost beat one too many times, and I just realized - ok, this is dumb - at least the boss fights have more gameplay ( you dodge, make an attack when the weak spot is open, etc.) - but it's still a pretty boring/uninteresting platforming experience.
So, off to the shelf it goes!
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GameLog hopes to be a site where gamers such as yourself keep track of the games that
they are currently playing. A GameLog is basically a record of a game you started playing. If it's open,
you still consider yourself to be playing the game. If it's closed, you finished playing the game. (it doesn't matter
if you got bored, frustrated,etc.) You can also attach short comments to each of your games or even maintain a diary (with more detailed entries)
for that game. Call it a weblog of game playing activity if you will.
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2286 registered gamers and 3257 games. 7789 GameLogs with 13266 journal entries. 5110 games are currently being played.
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Wolfenstein: The New Order (PC) by dkirschner |
| Fast, guns blazing! Just trying to get gun perk unlocks...Excellent game. Loved the tone. |
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most recent entry: Tuesday 21 April, 2020
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Wolfenstein 3D was a game heavy in my rotation as a kid. And the game is nestled inside The New Order. It's a "nightmare" that you have while you sleep. That attention to detail is one thing I loved about The New Order. The game is slick as hell and they nailed the tone. It's dark, moody, emotional, and oddly funny at times. The story is an alternate history where the Nazis won WWII and dominate the world. Resistance cells have been squashed...well, almost. BJ Blazkowicz has a backstory setting him up for love, hate, and revenge. But mostly, he just wants to do what he's best at: killing Nazis. You kill hundreds of them, but some of the good guys die too. I actually teared up during one moment. A couple that I had saved earlier in the game was killed. This wasn't shown during a cut scene or anything. It's something the player finds through exploring the resistance base (which is really well fleshed out with characters and environmental storytelling), the couple embracing on a bed and shot to death. It was really sad. I think part of the emotional response to the game is negative attitudes toward Nazis, eugenics, white supremacy, and the like. I hated all the bad guys more so than in other video games because Nazis are real.
The combat is fast-paced and feels great. I haven't played a quick FPS in a long time, so I had to adjust to the speed of it. Enemies don't stay in one place for long, and you will constantly switch weapons to defend yourself against various enemy types. You will also die a lot, which forced me to develop strategy and was much appreciated. Many weapons have alternative fire modes, and you can dual wield most anything. It's excessive being a whirlwind of destruction. And for some reason the assault rifle gets a rocket launcher attachment. Because why not? I think you get that attachment on the moon. The Nazis have a moon base. I love this game.
Even though the game is generally fast-paced, some levels slow it down to a stealthier approach, or at least give you the option. You get a metal cutting tool that allows you to enter air ducts, and there are some incentives for being stealthy. Most notable is not alerting commanders. Commanders are special enemies with headsets who can call for reinforcements if they detect you. Best to sneak around and put a knife in their backs before opening fire on anyone.
Another incentive for stealth--for varied playstyles really--are the perks. These offer mini-goals and I had a lot of fun trying to unlock as many as I could (and I got almost all of them!). One perk tree rewards you for doing things like racking up stealth kills or killing commanders with throwing knives; a gun-oriented perk tree gives you ammo and reload upgrades for killing enemies from cover or getting so many headshots. Other perk trees encourage the use of explosives and heavy weapons. I liked that Steam achievements were tied to each perk, so an unlock in the game was also a reward on Steam.
The one thing I found a little disappointing was the lack of really interesting boss battles. I can remember two noteworthy ones (London Monitor, General Deathshead). Usually, another character talks in your ear telling you how to defeat the enemy. The hints made the fights too easy. But, in a cruel/wonderful twist of game design, there are no such hints with either phase of the final boss. You have to figure it out. The boss is hard anyway, but having help removed was disorienting! I wasn't sure if I was progressing the fight because there was little feedback. All of a sudden, phase one was over. And on like the 15th attempt at phase two, as I chanced standing in front of him emptying all of my ammo in a fury, the boss died. Granted, it was hard to see him potentially displaying injury through all the jets of flame.
I knew I would like the game, but was surprised by how good it was. Part of me expected a cheese fest. As soon as I get the 35GB expansion downloaded, I'll dive right back in to shooting Nazis.
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