Holy cow. The last time I check in on this thread was over a year ago in May 21'... while I was playing Control (PS5) and Ori and the Blind Forest. Both of which I beat and really enjoyed. Shortly after that I started Breath of the Wild and Judgement-- both of which are extremely long and then decided to move to Chicago. After which point-- life became a blur.
Anyways-- I'm gonna dig through your guys convos from the past year, but here is an update on mine (as it pertains to gaming):
* = DIDN'T BEAT
Control (PS5): 8.5-- Remedy games are always solid and occasionally excellent. This is their best game since Max Payne 2. It was a touch harder than I would have liked. Which is funny because I replayed Max Payne 1 (Xbox version) in 2019 and loved the grind of it. I think the difference is that Max Payne is about memorizing map and enemy layout and then retrying. Where as, this is a lot of of dying in the middle of chaos. That said, the atmosphere, world building and story are top notch (as usual with Remedy) and the core gameplay mechanics are a LOT of fun to mess around with. And honestly, I think I might have given this a higher score if it weren't for the fact that the Ultimate Edition mixes the DLC straight into the normal game-- and the DLC stuff heavily overlapped with my least favorite (and the hardest) moments. Sort of dumb they didn't ear mark it better.
Ori and the Blind Forest (Switch): 9.0-- What a wonderful game. The platforming is demanding but precise and innovative. The graphics are stunning and help shape its melancholy tone. The map was sometimes annoying to traverse despite (if memory serves) there being quick travel built in and the "combat" is merely solid when compared to the excellence of the platforming. I hear this is improved in the 2nd game and the platforming plays a much smaller role. Not sure how I feel about that. Also, the Switch version definitely has some frame rate issues during some of the more intense "evacuation" sections that end each level. Still, this game is a must play.
*Gravity Rush 2: 7.0-- I really, really wanted to like this game. I tend to gravitate towards cult classics (both in film and gaming), and deeply appreciate games that are brazen in their attempt to do their own thing (Conker's Bad Fur Day and Mirror's Edge are both in my top 10). However, while the graphics and world building in this game are awesome, the gameplay mechanics are lacking in polish. Which is a shame because the core mechanic- shifting gravity-- is incredibly unique. It's also stupidly frustrating. It was nearly impossible to be precise and I often a struggled to even land the character within the vicinity of where I was aiming. On top of that, the combat mechanics are too simple and grew redundant. I wound up quitting around 10 hours in.
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time: 9.5 (PS3)-- As will become evident with another game later on this list, I still occasionally buy PS3 games or chip away at my backlog. Though many would disagree with me, the PS3 is probably my favorite console of all-time. (The others would be the Gamecube and SNES). Anyways, I can't believe how well this game holds up. I bought it over a decade ago and never got around to it. I'd also never played a Ratchet and Clank game. I proceeded to burn through all 15 hours in a single weekend. Which is the first time I had done that in years. Looking forward to playing the new one.
Gris: (Switch): 10-- A perfect game. Short and light on actual mechanics, but STUNNINGLY gorgeous and contemplative, this is the sort of game that washes over you. Think of it as a 2D, watercolored answer to Journey.
My Friend Pedro (PS4): 8.5-- A 2D Max Payne with an arcade-like, level based scoring system. It's fun to play and makes you feel like a bad ass. And the the scoring system means re-playability.
Judgement: (PS4): 8.0-- I haven't played a Yakuza since the 3rd one right around the time the original Red Dead dropped. This was a fun journey back into that world. The story kept me interested the whole way through and had several well executed twists. Multiple characters are quite memorable and the Yakuza sense of humor is present throughout. The city within is fun to explore and most of the side activities are worthwhile. However, there are also some ham fisted moments of melodrama and the game is a bit bloated in places. I think I wound up spending 60 hours in the game, and while I savored most of it, the stealth missions were an absolute chore. I dislike stealth in general, but the stealth system in this game is beyond poorly designed. And yet, the stealth sections constitute maybe 15% of the overall missions so it's hard to avoid them. Also, the game is too easy. I played it on hard and still rarely died unless facing a boss.
2022:
Resident Evil 2 (PS4): 9.0-- I'm sure most of you have played this. So I'll just say that it's a A+ remake and I had a blast.
*Deathloop (PS5): 8.0-- This game is really well done. The FPS mechanics are polished and remind me of the TimeSplitters series in their fast pace and arcade-y touch. The voice acting and style are TOP notch. And the world of Death Loop is well designed and interesting. That said, this is further proof that rouge-lites are rarely for me. The game is built is a way that feels fair-- in that you basically gain HP that allows you to keep and upgrade weapons / powers with each successful run. However, the levels themselves grew redundant. The appeal of games for me is often exploration, and the idea re-entering the same spaces over and over wound up boring me. Especially because you usually can't approach a situation from multiple angles. And I'll always HATE when a game takes away substantial progressive from the player when they die. It's why I can't do From Software games. I quit maybe 15 hours in.
*The Outer Words (PS4): 7.0-- The most disappointing game I've played in some time. I like Oblivion's previous work and though I was itching for another Mass Effect. And yet, while this game has their trade mark humor and I was really drawn in by the politics and satire of their world... it was WAY, WAY too much walking from place to place without any combat taking place. Frankly, the world felt empty of enemies and the side missions were bland. In my younger days, I probably would have beaten this as there is still a lot to like. But as a dude in his 30's whose living in a new city and taking advantage of the summer, I bailed after maybe 10 hours.
LoZ Breath of the Wild (Switch): 10-- I started this game during 4th of July weekend of 2021. Almost exactly 1 year and 100 hours later, I finally beat it. And while I wouldn't call it a perfect game due to a) the lack of any traditional dungeons and b) the weapon degradation... this was as good as advertised. I haven't had so much fun exploring a world in FOREVER. I think it part because it was such a fresh twist on a franchise that so often repeats the same "beats". But also because the core mechanics feel incredible and the game gives you so much freedom. It knocked 2018's God of War off of my my all-time top-10 list.
Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3): 8.0-- Silly, stupid fun. Suda games are always a) brimming with style, b) lacking in polish and c) one of a kind. In the one you play as a high school cheerleader whose family hunts zombies on the side. Is it a bit pervy? 1000% But it's also a kick-ass beat-em-up with a killer soundtrack and a lot of humor. The script was co-written by James Gunn and has his trademark off-color snark. Also, there's some absolutely zany moments, some batshit genre busting and a level based scoring system.
Disco Elysium (PS5): 9.0-- Everyone needs to play this game. It has, hands down, some of the best writing and world building I have ever experienced in a video game. The characters are memorable, it juggles multiple tones and the ending I experienced was satisfying. It's funny and thought provoking throughout. And I've heard that the moment-to-moments of the game vary wildly depending on the character attributes you've chosen and the ideologies you adopt. The ONLY reason this isn't a 10 is because there were several times where I couldn't figure out what I need to do to keep the game moving forward- it was slightly too easy to run out of things to do in a day. And that meant several instances of extreme boredom while I scoured the map trying to figure out how to move the story forward. Also, that map is clunky as hell to navigate though that might be less of a problem on PC. Same time? You will remember this game forever and you've never played anything like it. Video games answer to The Wire.
I'll probably start after that. I'm glad that it looks like XB2 is back in print too. It has gone out of print and was selling for ridiculous amounts last year.