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Neobr10: Just finished Chester. It's a pretty bad "retro platformer". Why are most indie "retro platformers" so awful? I'm coming to the conclusion that only Nintendo makes good platformers nowadays. I'm a big fan of 2D and 3D platformers, but it's extremely hard to find one not produced by Nintendo that's worth it.
If you are interested in "retro" platformers done right, I'd recommand you Volgarr the Viking. Masterpiece, nothing else to say. It takes the best from Castlevania, Ghouls'n'Ghosts and a bit of Megaman. Careful, though: it's Nintendo hard! ;)
I'd also like to suggest VVVVVV, though it is a bit aypical: you can only move left and right, while instead of jumping you can invert the gravity. Imo, it's more than worth the (already cheap) price!
It is heavily based on trial-and error, but you literally have a checkpoint after every few pixels, so it is not as problematic as many other similar titles tend to be.
Post edited August 25, 2014 by Enebias
For me it's a really short list because I haven't got any new games nor the time to finish the either so... yeah.

AC4: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
Shadowrun Returns

That's really about it... I guess Animal Crossing New Leaf if you count the fact that I saw the credits for it... But that's it :/
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the_atm: Batman Arkham Origins
Was this as bad as people are making it out to be?

How did it compare to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City?
Post edited August 25, 2014 by djdarko
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the_atm: Batman Arkham Origins
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djdarko: Was this as bad as people are making it out to be?

How did it compare to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City?
It was a great game, not nearly as bad as people said.

When relating it Arkham City you will see the same places but the map is also twice as big so there's much more to see.

The story was pretty good, most boss fights were amazing except for all the stupid bane fights...

overall though it was a solid entry into the franchise, I only encountered a few bugs, the combat is the same which is good, and there's still some good replay-ability with a hardcore mode where once you die, your dead forever.

Also if you like suits, there's allot of suits to choose from if you get the DLC or season pass.

TL;DR, If you liked Arkham City, this is just as good.
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djdarko: Was this as bad as people are making it out to be?

How did it compare to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City?
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the_atm: It was a great game, not nearly as bad as people said.

When relating it Arkham City you will see the same places but the map is also twice as big so there's much more to see.

The story was pretty good, most boss fights were amazing except for all the stupid bane fights...

overall though it was a solid entry into the franchise, I only encountered a few bugs, the combat is the same which is good, and there's still some good replay-ability with a hardcore mode where once you die, your dead forever.

Also if you like suits, there's allot of suits to choose from if you get the DLC or season pass.

TL;DR, If you liked Arkham City, this is just as good.
I loved the previous Batman: Arkham games and I can't really agree with any of your points (understanding everybody has different opinions and it's all subjective etc etc). If I had to use one sentence to describe Batman Arkham: Origins I would say "It does everything the previous games do...but worse". I would say more but...you can find my own thoughts on Batman: Arkham Origins in this thread.
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fronzelneekburm: Dear Esther
dude, that spoiler was not cool. thanks for ruining a game, which though you think sucked, i still wanted to play.
Post edited August 25, 2014 by Crewdroog
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fronzelneekburm: Dear Esther
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Crewdroog: dude, that spoiler was not cool. thanks for ruining a game, which though you think sucked, i still wanted to play.
To be fair he seemed to really misunderstand the ending of the game and most of the story and symbolism up until that point (which plays into the actual ending). I wouldn't call the game ruined by what he wrote, honestly. If you still don't want to play Dear Esther now, PM me and I'll send you a (a Steam version of a) great game that covers a lot of the same ground as Dear Esther.
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fronzelneekburm: Dear Esther
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Crewdroog: dude, that spoiler was not cool. thanks for ruining a game, which though you think sucked, i still wanted to play.
Edited it. And don't my inane scribblings deny you the pleasures of experiencing Dear Esther for yourself. Just because you are vaguely aware of a single plot point doesn't necessarily mean you'll not enjoy the game or not appreciate the craft that went into it.
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kalirion: Honestly, I believe Eye of the Beholder 2 is a much better game. Though there's this one really annoying area... But it's still by far the best of the trilogy.
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Starmaker: What area, the invisible teleporter maze? Ahh... I remember getting stuck in there, getting increasingly annoyed - finally, I start hammering the forward button out of frustration and notice a tiny button nested in a curve of that plaster wall decoration thing. And I just sit there staring at it for no less than a minute before saving and proceeding further.
For me it was the lower level area where you can't rest.
I just finished 2048. Wicked game!!!
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Crewdroog: dude, that spoiler was not cool. thanks for ruining a game, which though you think sucked, i still wanted to play.
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fronzelneekburm: Edited it. And don't my inane scribblings deny you the pleasures of experiencing Dear Esther for yourself. Just because you are vaguely aware of a single plot point doesn't necessarily mean you'll not enjoy the game or not appreciate the craft that went into it.
thanks for fixing that :)
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Enebias: ...
Yeah, i've heard many good things about Volgarr and Shovel Knight, i will definitely grab them when i can. I already own VVVVVV, but i haven't played it yet. Now that you mentioned it, i'll give it a try.
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apostolis_80: I just finished 2048. Wicked game!!!
Yeah, my last hour (um, looks like almost 2 hours) at work were not very productive. Thanks dude. :)
Bad Mojo

First off, many thanks to ddickinson for gifting me this classic game, it's been on my wishlist ever since showing up on GOG.

I must admit this was not the quick & easy game I expected. It took me more than 10 hours to complete, most of which was spent desperately crawling around like a confused little cockroach - which is exactly what you are in the game. Apparently, many people complete this in 4-5 hours or less but my insect brain is not that capable. Getting into character, I guess!
Back in the 90s, I only played the demo which is very short and doesn't showcase any of the harder parts and makes you think it's a simple corridor style game. It is not! While it's mostly linear in that there is only one solution to each problem, some of the areas allow you to crawl around in all directions which is fun at first because you feel like a little roach that will conquer the world...until you get eaten by the house cat, one of many ways to die in this game.

Most of the time it's hard to keep track of where exactly you are, and where you are supposed to go. The microcosmos perspective means you only see a tiny part of the world, even if that world is just a kitchen or bedroom. Fortunately, the game switches to a wider view at some strategic points and that really helps with orientation. Backtracking is still a major pain in the rectum and if this is your first playthrough you're probably going to do an uncomfortable amount of it. No fast travel option, no skipping screens. Being a slow little roach that can't even wade through a drop of water is a true test to your patience. On the other hand, your physical limitations as a roach add to the realism and make interacting with the world a highly original experience.

Puzzles are surprisingly tricky, fortunately only one puzzle is entirely devoid of logic. There are plenty of hints strewn throughout the game if you make the connection but the solution is so out there it's not even moon logic, it's just esoteric.
There are hints for every single puzzle, sometimes in the form of a short video clip and sometimes it's documents you crawl over. Observation is key. No pixel hunting for tiny objects since everything is many times larger than you. It's easy to miss important hints though and if you don't explore every nook and cranny and keep your 2000 lenses and antennae out, you will get stuck completely in some places.
The game is mostly a mental challenge, luckily controls are dead simple: All you need are the four arrow keys. You have no inventory, all you can use is your puny body weight to push little things around. At first, this seems way too primitive to allow for any kind of interesting gameplay. But as the game progresses you'll be surprised by all the great things a little roach can do.

Presentation, style and atmosphere are the real strong points of this game. Pre-rendered scenery means the graphics have aged surprisingly well. Sounds are eerie, music is used only sparingly. The story is told via flashbacks and visions ranging from odd to weird to disturbing. These short cutscenes are triggered when you come across particular objects and places. There is no dialogue in the active part of the game. Aside from the ever lurking but easily avoided house cat, there are no jump scares. It's easy to die and you'll probably die quite often, fortunately the game doesn't require any jump & run dexterity, you have ample time to navigate your way around dangers. There's only one timed sequence at the very end.
There are four different endings to the game of which I only discovered two, both entirely depressing. Apparently, there is a third bad ending and one possible good ending but I could not make it happen, even though the solution was clearly suggested in a vision cutscene and I knew what had to be done. Utterly frustrated, I looked up a walkthrough but even then I couldn't make the good ending happen, not sure if I would have had to do something different earlier on. I wasn't patient enough to play the game again so I watched the good ending on the internet, thanks Youtube!

If you are easily grossed out, this game may not be for you. Bad Mojo does not take place in a 5 star hotel so expect to see rotting food and lots of generally disgusting things, all lovingly detailed. It's a fabulously filthy and gritty environment, a very refreshing change from the sterile and flat levels so many 3D games had in the late 90s and still have today.
For adventure fans who aren't afraid to switch it up and try something different, Bad Mojo is a must have. You'll need to be resilient and patient like a cockroach and open minded at the same time. That will save you disappointment and reward you with a unique experience. This is not a "gamey" game, it's a surreal trip. Veni, vidi, creepy!

EDIT: Here's a screenshot from the intro, this is what I look like when I get stuck in adventure games:
Attachments:
bad-mojo.jpg (26 Kb)
Post edited August 25, 2014 by awalterj
Beyond Two Souls - **SPOILER FREE**

Okay I just finished this one.

This is a cinematic based game about a girl (Jodie) who is linked to an entity (Aiden). The story paces itself jumping around different times in Jodie's life from the age of 8 to 23 years old, and the different situations she gets into along the way. Some of these involve being a child at home, being a rebellious teenager living in a research lab, meeting strangers in the most unlikely places, and being part of military operations.

Playing as Jodie:
Jodie's gameplay consists of walking around and looking for hot-spots which are indicated by white dots on the screen. Tapping a certain direction on the control stick will cause Jodie to interact with said object.

Sometimes you will have a choice of what to do with the object, or how to reply to a character you are talking to.

These segments are generally timed, so that different choices disappear the longer you wait to answer.

There are some action sequences which consist of tapping certain buttons as they are shown on the screen, for example in one segment you are doing situps, and have to press L1, R1, L1, R1. Another example would be flinging the controller downward to jump down to an area below.

Action sequences generally involve pointing the right control stick in a certain direction to avoid, or counter enemy attacks. Other times you would have to tap a button, or shake the controller quickly to cause Jodie to successfully do an action sequence.

Many times I had no idea which direction to press during the combat sequences, as the cinematic camera and lighting seemed to be working against me. For example: I would press down assuming I was supposed to duck under an attack, when I was actually supposed to press towards the enemy to counter the attack.

Note: Failing the action sequences usually has little to no consequence from what I could tell.

Playing as Aiden:
During certain parts of the game, Jodie will indicate that Aiden needs to be used, this is done by pressing the Triangle button on the controller. While playing as Aiden you can explore certain areas around Jodie, and even go through certain walls, though for some reason Aiden is generally restricted to going through doorways, even if a nearby wall leads into the same room.

The purpose of using Aiden is generally to unlock doors, distract enemies, or to find clues in the area to move the storyline forward.

Action sequences involving aiden generally include hodling L1+R1 and pushing the control sticks in different directions, generally outward or inward.

While playing as Aiden you can sometimes engage enemies by killing them, possessing them, or knocking them out. This is generally done for story purposes, and (from what I could tell) was never optional.

General awkwardness:
You get this feeling that the game would be really interesting if you could just explore everything, but here's the problem: you usually can't. Many times Aiden's movement is restricted to only a few feet away from Jodie, and when it's not, it's because you're supposed to be using him to move the story forward.

In the event you can move Aiden freely, there usally isn't much to do with him. On rare occasions you can overhear characters conversations, or find a secret hidden somewhere, though neither of these occurred often at all during my play-through.

Camera and Controls:
These are awkward at best, the camera is usually restricted the point that it's always trying to guide you exactly where you are supposed to go, prohibiting you from even looking in the wrong direction, eliminating possibilities of exploration with Jodie.

The character controls are sluggish and tank-like. As if there are hands on your characters shoulders constantly trying to keep you from walking somewhere you don't need to go.

It should also be noted that generally you can't run, Jodie tends to walk slowly from place to place, sometimes even during segments where you think she should be in a hurry. I can only guess this was done for framerate purposes.

The overall feel of the game is very hollow, as if so much more could have been done to make the game world feel realistic, rather than to simply look realistic.

Also, you get the constant feeling of being rushed through any exploration segments, as wandering around will cause the characters to constantly remind you of what need to be doing; "Hurry Aiden, do etc. etc."

PROS:
+Good graphics
+Interesting story involving paranormal / afterlife
+Some interesting characters
+Decent soundtrack score
+Interesting and somewhat touching ending

CONS:
-Overly cinematic
-Stiff restrictive camera
-Stiff restrictive controls
-Quick Time Events aren't fun - they become repetive and boring very quickly
-Somewhat predictable story
-No freedom
-Trying really hard to be a movie, not trying hard enough to remain a video game
-I personally did not like Jodie as a character, especially as she got older.

I would suggest to tread very carefully if you are considering buying this. Buy it on sale, rent it, or borrow it from a friend unless you are absolutely certain you want it in your collection.

Note: I have also played through Quantic Dream's previous game Heavy Rain, which is a similar to this, but in my opinion, much more varied and interesting.
Post edited August 26, 2014 by djdarko