Nox

An above average if a bit short and linear hack 'n' slash/action cRPG. There are three classes to choose from and supposedly each follows a vastly different storyline. I finished it with a Wizard and then began with two other classes (Warrior and Conjurer) - beginnings were vastly different although each path led to a same place in chapter 4.

Even though it's technically a RPG I guess you could also call it an action adventure as hero stats raise automatically each level without any input from the player whatsoever and the selection of items is very small. Thanfully there's a big selection of spells (at least as a Wizard), although other than 3 or 4 spells they are mainly situational, like telekinesis, pull, push, tag enemy etc. The atmosphere is... cozy, I guess you could call it that. It's definitely one of those games that don't take themselves too seriously. Storyline is average, only there to push you further down through mostly linear levels really. There isn't much exploring involved and world lore is bare-bones. Still, it's a fun little adventure to embark on. Overall a 7/10, I would recommend it to all action cRPG fans.

Just beat Shadow of the Colossus on PS4.

Two years ago I got the Ico + SotC collection for PS3 and beat the former (and was blown away by it) but ragequit and abandoned the latter. It didn't help that I got the PS3 version of SotC the same day the PS4 remake was announced, lol. I didn't actually enjoy SotC that much but dear lord, it's good that I gave the game another chance in the form of its PS4 remake.

First off: the remake is utterly gorgeous. Bluepoint Games are known for nigh-flawless HD remasters but this was their first port/remake/whatever with a genuine visual overhaul that was supposed to make a classic game compete with modern titles. They absolutely succeeded. Some details, especially human characters and animals, don't look that good but the environments are just stunning and I just had to tap the capture button at least once a minute. And I don't know how much they did with the audio but the game also sounds amazing, both in terms of SFX and music. My only gripe with the latter is that the dynamic music system is outdated, with pretty weird and abrupt jumps between tracks during fights but that's okay. The music itself is still as amazing as it was back then and one of my favourite soundtracks.

Interestingly they don't seem to have changed anything in terms of controls or mechanics, even the camera behaviour appears to be the same as in the original game. That makes the game feel very odd at first and especially the camera work is sometimes a tad annoying but you get used to it. Oh yeah, actually the controls were improved a little bit - by default a "modern" button layout is selected that's a lot more sensible than the original one.

As for the game itself: it's great. It's a bit short, I beat it in less than six hours, and pretty easy on normal difficulty. I died only once and that was because I tried jumping in a spot where you must be riding the horse, lol. The "boss fights" (which are famously the ONLY fights in the game) are still pretty great, however. There have been very few games that even remotely tried to imitate SotC's formula (climbing around massive enemies) so much of it still feels unique and spectacular. I'm gonna be controversial and complain a bit about the simplicity of the fights: the boss patterns are generally very simple and it's ultimately always about climbing towards "vital points" and stabbing the crap out of them. From a game exclusively about boss fights I expected more complex and challenging patterns especially in the later portion of the game. It's generally always about provoking the enemy and then climbing onto them once they are exposed - there's usually just one such provocation pattern per enemy that we repeat two or three times. That was a tad disappointing but still, figuring out how to make an enemy expose itself was satisfying most of the time - and a hint system that provides some pointers if you're taking too long keeps the game from getting frustrating.

But of course SotC is not just about the fights. Between fights you get to travel through these huge and gorgeous landscapes, preferably by horse, and that fella, Agro, becomes your best friend very soon. Interestingly the world is quite empty, there's just a few types of collectables to find that increase your HP or stamina and shrines that heal you (which is pretty much unnecessary) and also serve as respawn points (theoretically useful but as I said, I respawned only a single time). There's also no puzzles or too much climbing in the world. You just use your sword to guide you towards the next colossus and what follows is several minutes of travel - unless you decide to just walk around for a zen-like experience. The fact that the world is so empty only supports the game's atmosphere, though. Like all other games by Team Ico (or rather by director Fumito Ueda) Shadow of the Colossus has a unique melancholic atmosphere that I absolutely adore. There's very little dialogue (which is interestingly spoken in a fantasy language), no music outside the fights - just this empty tranquil mysterious world. It's a very unique feeling these games, including SotC, evoke. And the same goes for the story: it's simple but quite heavy with the hero (apparently called Wander) slaughtering creatures that he apparently knows nothing so some dark god or something can bring the woman he loves back to life. It's clear from the beginning that he's acting irresponsibly and there will be terrible repercussions. The way all of this is delivered makes the game a pretty unique and amazing experience.

I may still prefer Ico or even The Last Guardian over Shadow of the Colossus but seriously, it's a pretty remarkable title that deserves its cult status and I'm sure as hell grateful that we got this gorgeous remake.

Oh yeah, there's actually a tad more to the game than I have seen in this basic playthrough and I may actually give the game another shot to unlock some stuff or just see if I can beat the bosses in hard or time attack mode.

Edit: And now I'm pissed. There was a trophy for not dying even once, lol.

and Warcraft 1 campaign is beaten.

fun. orcish campaign had one difficult mission. 11th. had to restart it as got crushed.

of course i cheesed my way through last mission with demon summons. fun!

Dreamfall: Chapters

The 3rd game in the Longest Journey series of games, and the long awaited conclusion to the cliffhanger at the end of the 2nd game. The first game was my favourite and is probably my favourite non-Lucasarts point and click. The 3rd games plays more as a combination of the 2nd game and Telltales games, creating an open world puzzle game with choices that affect how the story plays out. The story takes place immediately after the last one, and is split across 5 episodes. Several characters make reappearances, though a few minor characters are absent without reason.

Now the biggest annoyance in point and clicks, is items being too difficult to find, which this game suffers from a lot. The problem with setting a point and click in an open world, is the 'open' part, items rarely stand out and are sometimes hidden unless you turn the camera to an obscure angle. I was very close to consulting a walkthrough, at one point running around a house for 45 minutes looking for a bunch of drawings. The story is intriguing and make you eager to see what happens next, however it can be a bit slow sometimes and occasionally confusing.

While the game is good, I'm still not a fan of the change in setting between the 1st and 2nd games. The game is also fairly buggy with numerous graphical and audio glitches. While the big twist, wasn't really surprising as it's insinuated multiple times in the 2nd and 3rd game (One character remarks that it was obvious all along). I'd only recommend it if you've played the other game, mostly due to the references and the fact 1 puzzle specifically requires you to know the story of the first game.

1406

A very short horror/adventure that you have to restart from the beginning if you get killed which is the only reason it took me 45 minutes to beat. Meh.

Mysteries of Neverville: The Runestone of Light

A strictly average, maybe slightly below average these days, and quite short Hidden Object Game. They didn't even bother making an ending cutscene. Bad guy stabbed, screen blackens to The End.

Hexcells

It is kind of like minesweeper, in that you have tiles, and use clues to deduce which have numbers, which are blank, and which you should flag. On the other hand, it is composed of specific levels rather than random, and so you have highscore chasing to do.

Not a very long game, and it sticks to what it does well. It is chill for a bit, but honestly I expected to connect with it more than I did.

Also continuing my TWD playthrough. I lost a lot of momentum when Telltale shut down, but I am back on track. I had a save from midway in TWD season 2, and finished that. It's a good story. Better use of the interactivity than the first game, still has strong writing, and a lot of tension in some sections. I still think Season 1 is better because of the connection to Lee and Clem, but S2 is probably actually more fun to play. Going to start Michonne next.

Super Castlevania IV (Castlevania Anniversary Collection, Switch)

I've been meaning to play this for a while, the first Castlevania on the SNES. This is the oldest Castlevania game I've played, coming from a childhood of Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow, so the gameplay was a bit of a change. The game was a bit dated, especially compared with more recent games from the same genre like Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Simon Belmont moves like a tank and can only attack in one of 8 directions, making certain more mobile bosses with fast attacks a pain in the ass. However it was a good experience, it's easy to see the roots of the series in games like this and it makes me appreciate the newer games more. It's a good game, but I'd only recommend it for nostalgias sake, especially as the anniversary collection contains multiple games in the series.

The first Hexcells is pretty easy and relaxing. Afterwards, especially with Hexcells Infinite, there are some real brain benders. Hexcells Infinite puzzle 6-5 took me about as long to solve as the entire first game did...

Super Columbine Massacre RPG

Yes, someone made a game about it using RPG Maker. You play as Eric and Dylan and in act one you enact the events of the day in a documentary sort of way with flashbacks and one sided JRPG style combat. Act 2 is your trip through hell fighting and meeting all sorts, including lots of enemies from Doom. Act 2 actually gets hard...depending on how much you levelled up in act 1.

It's free. Just Google it and you will find the developers site and the games story. It's also featured in the RPG Book, which is how I became interested in playing it.

Castlevania: Bloodlines (Castlevania Anniversary Collection, Switch)

Bloodlines builds on from the previous games by adding much improved visuals and a choice of two characters. Unlike the majority of Castlevania games, this one actually takes place across multiple locations in Europe, seeing you traverse between famous sights such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Palace of Versailles and a German Munitions factory (???). Another big change from the previous games is there are less enemy attacks that could be described as 'unfair', you can learn how to dodge most boss attacks quite quickly. One of the more frustrating aspects of the game is that you can't attacks upwards unless you jump, although this is only a problem in a few sections with numerous flying enemies. This was a great game, and I'd fully recommend it.

Include me

Portal
Final Fight (SNES version)
Transistor
Final Fight (Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle Version)
Captain Commando
Knights of the Round
The King of Dragons
Warriors of Fate
Armored Warriors
Battle Circuit
Hard Drivin'
OutRun
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective: The Case of the Mummy's Curse
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective: The Case of the Tin Soldier
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective: The Case of the Mystifed Murderess
Scramble
Thunder Cross
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Lethal Enforcers
Ikaruga
Super Breakout
Eye of the Beholder
Samurai Shodown
Risk
Canyon Bomber
Human Cannonball
Splatterhouse 2
Gauntlet IV
Final Fantasy (mobile version)
Hocus
Vanguard
P.O.W--Prisoners of War
Psycho Solder
Fantasy
Beast Busters
Street Smart
Guerilla War
SAR; Search and Rescue
Ikari III: The Rescue
Crystalist (via the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection)
Contra (Arcade version via Contra Anniversary Collection)
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth

Nirvana Pilot Yume

A very short and not-as-good Skyroads with a VN bolted on top. But hey, it was only $0.69 on sale.

Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge

An Action/Platformer about a space heroine's quest to get back at the internet troll who told her she belongs in the kitchen. A pretty hard game that I only completed because I played it on easy, which gives infinite lives (unlike most beat'em'ups death sends you back to last checkpoint instead of resurrecting you in place, so it's not like having infinite play in Golden Axe or whatever games where that happens.) Easy also reduces enemies health so that most common foes take 1 hit instead of 2 to kill. Would've liked playing the game with Normal level enemy health but still infinite lives, but no option for that.

Anyway, game has great retro-style graphics and I enjoyed it without the frustration that limited lives brought me (couldn't even pass first level.) What also helped was finding out online that the "S" pickups in each level unlock upgrade shops, and that rescuing your sidekick in each level unlocks the final level for a good ending instead of a bad one. The game certainly didn't give much indication of this.

Grim Grimoire (PS2)

I finally decided to get around to going through the last of my PS2 backlog. Grim Grimoire is a RTS set in a magical school, where students learn to summon creatures through the use of runes to fight for them. The setting of a wizarding school, run by a bearded headmaster (named Gammel Dore...), populated with elves who serve their human masters is totally original and definitely not ripped from a popular children's fiction series. You play as new student Lillet Blan, who arrives eager to learn magic and make new friends, unfortunately 5 days into your studies an evil undead wizard attacks and takes control of the school, however just before he can kill Lillet, she is transported 5 days into the past. The basis of the story is you have 5 days to save the school, after which you will be sent back to repeat those same 5 days but with the added skills you've gained through your studies. However while stopping the evil wizard seems straight forward, it seems fellow teachers and students all have their own plans, meaning solving one problem can end up creating another.

The gameplay is fairly straight forward, you are given a 2D full view of a tower, separated into different floors joined together by staircases. You must gather mana from various crystals located across the map in order to craft one of 12 runes from 4 different schools of magic (Glamour, Alchemy, Sorcery & Necromancy). Runes are used to summon 'familiars' who will be used to gather mana or fight enemies. Each school of magic is weak against another and strong against another, meaning certain familiars are more effective against certain other familiars. Runes can be upgraded to create new familiars or increase the stats and abilities of current familiars. Each level will have a certain objective, usually destroy all enemy runes, survive for x minutes etc.

There are 3 levels of difficulty, with normal being fairly challenging, but a good knowledge of the familiars helps. Like other RTS's the 'Zerg Rush' strategy of sending many fast units at a particular weak point works fairly well, but results in a low score. Some of the characters names are appallingly bad and almost resemble names of strippers (Margherita Surprise and Amoretta Virgine to give two examples), there are a few strangely long pauses during character dialogue and audio bugs are common. The graphics are fairly good for a game of this age and complements the setting nicely. I think it could do well with a digital rerelease similar to Disgaea and would be a good introduction for younger players to the mechanics of RTS's if it weren't for certain inappropriate female character models. I would recommend this, though as far as I know, only physical copies for PS2 exist.

Redline aka Redline : Gang Warefare 2066 (1999)

2/5

Graphics and gunplay were fine imo. Yeah the graphics look bad today but I don't mind that. The main problems were the car mechanics. Driving could have been worse, but trying to hit anything while trying to avoid enemy fire was pretty annoying. Also getting stuck on walls outside of vehicles and trying to see enemies in the dark was rough. The game really needed some difficulty settings. As it is I cheated for ammo and health. I did appreciate the shortness of it though.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/198443-redline/cheats

Gitaroo Man (PS2)

How the f*** the creators managed to persuade the distributors this game should be sold outside of Japan, I don't know. Gitaroo Man is a rhythm game where you control U-1 (Yep, that's his name) a shy awkward kid who doesn't believe himself, but has the power inside him to become Gitaroo Man, a superhero who defeats enemies with the power of his Gitaroo (Guitar). Gameplay involves 2 methods: Attacking involves pointing the analog stick in the direction of the oncoming notes and push a button, whilst 'dodging' involves pressing certain buttons as they appear. What stands this apart from other rhythm games is the lack of licensed songs, the crazy story and the difficulty. This is a hard game, because unlike most other rhythm games your health doesn't increase when you hit a correct note unless it's in a particular phase, this in effect gives you a hard number of mistakes your allowed to make with no chance of making it up later in the song. Other aspects that make this difficult is the length of the songs, in most game the average level length is around 2 - 3 minutes, in this game it's around 5 - 10, making it incredibly frustrating to fail at the last hurdle. 5 - 10 minutes may not seem like a lot, but in a game where trial and error is so important, some levels can take hours to complete. One final aspect, which I regard as cruel and unfair, is that certain levels have a random element, adding or removing certain sections of the song each time you play it, this is much more noticeable in certain levels and means you cannot rely on memory as much as you could in other games.

Each stage represents a different style of music, with the Mojo, Samba and Rock Opera levels being some of the more difficult challenges, with other genre's including J-Pop, Metal, Love Song and Reggae. Whilst it is mostly agreed the Samba level is the hardest, it also has the most memorable and best song in the game, possibly for that reason. One annoying thing is unlike other rhythm games, you're not playing to the music, you're playing in response to the music, which means unless you have very good reactions it's hard to know the timing of the note you're meant to play. This game is probably the hardest rhythm game I've played (On Normal Difficulty), and represents a real challenge for anyone who reckons they are pretty good at this sort of thing. It's only available on PS2 and PSP, so you'll have to get a physical copy to play it.