Topic: Games you've recently beat

@Th3solution 🤣

@sorteddan Ah I didn't know there was a secret ending! I probably won't replay it anytime soon but that's good to know in case I ever want to replay it in the future.

I finally beat Blasphemous

Was quite annoyed that I initially got Ending B (The bad end) despite seemingly doing everything for the "true" Ending (Ending C) that was introduced in an free dlc update/patch.

Turns out I hadn't done the incredibly cryptic requirements for Ending A that the true end leads off of so had to waste my time doing that before actually getting the true end.

If I hadn't stumbled into ending C's path I'd have SERIOUSLY been disappointed from how lame and uninteresting the bosses are mechanically. Only Crisanta (and I guess Escribar) are interesting from the original roster.

BUT goddamn were Sierpes & Isidora actually interesting and challenging bosses that actually made me use my goddamn brain, having to learn their patterns and weren't complete pushovers.

Crisanta's extra phase added in ending C's path was quite tough too and I only had a slither of health left when finally beating them. I actually got through the first health bar (the original fight) without losing any health which was pretty impressive

I'm 95% sure my game bugged out though against the "true" final boss as I had no health but could just keep carrying on fighting them. Wasn't that interesting of a fight though so I'm not too bothered.

I know people like to give the souls games flack for how cryptic they can be for lore and the likes and that's why all those lore videos are a thing (Not that hard to read the item descriptions and put things together yourself) but I thought this MUCH worse for that and I pretty much have 0 clue on the final boss' motivations beyond a very generic wanting to keep the status quo, stay in power and please the eldritch/higher powers deal.

I didn't really care for any of the side characters or the world building either?

So overall? Sadly very mixed to honestly negative feelings about the game as a whole for me.

Incredible art design/direction. Good music but nothing that really stood out to me. Boring traversal, mostly boring combat & rather boring bosses (from the base roster) from a mechanical perspective.

@HallowMoonshadow I’m surprised at the tepid experience with Blasphemous since most people have been high on it. The sequel is apparently better, but I’m not sure it addresses any of your concerns about the uninteresting world and characters. Also I think it might be current gen only and I doubt with the way you felt about the first game that it’s sequel would be a system seller for you. 😅

What are you on to next?

Blasphemous II is also on Switch I believe @Th3solution? Not that I'd get one of those for that either

It's real shame I've become so mixed on it because at first I was REALLY into it. I have to stress how unique the art design/style is even if it is pixel art. It's very good and nicely animated.

Maybe the bosses being rather easy is more of a me thing (like when I finally replayed Demon's Souls & Dark Souls 1 Remastered and found them a breeze) and in my mind I am comparing it to my first (and frankly the best) Metroidvania Hollow Knight so... Maybe I'm a just a smidge biased.

Still doesn't excuse the lack of traversal options, being a bit stingy with your options in general at first and feeling a bit too cryptic for certain things.

I actually beat my next game earlier.

Abzu

Dunno why I thought playing ocean based Journey would be any better then journey... Cus that really was just Journey but underwater

I'll be going back to Okage now though I feel. Though I might add another smaller title into the mix to compliment it.

Uncharted 3. First time playing it because I played the series way out of order. It’s a good one. More streamlined than 2 for better and worse. Less annoying combat bits and some great set pieces but it also sort of just ends. Sure, I really think Uncharted 2’s Shambala section is overlong but the lost city in this one is like 2 chapters long. It’s a very very good game and definitely better than 1 but it probably is below 2 and 4 for me.

Spellforce 3 Reforced. Campaign Is about 20 hours long. Was an OK game, 6 and a half out of 10. Not really much to say other than it was on the ps plus extra and if you like top down games with a story and some building settlements and battles then you'll find this game enjoyable. I used it as a filler game. Not sure what I'm going to play next either.

Just beat Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered.

It was fun. Visually it looks brilliant and there are some really good sections in the game. The web-slinging around New York is quite enjoyable and feels really smooth the vast majority of the time.

The combat was boring at the beginning but acquiring a few of the upgrades throughout the game made it less so, but there’s still room for improvement — maybe the upcoming Spider-Man 2 will address that. I never bothered with a good chunk of the side-content. I did a few of the side-missions but you’re having a laugh if you think I’m going to waste time chasing around after a load of birds. That’s what I used to do at the nightclubs when I was 16.

Overall it’s a decent game. 7/10.

@KAIRU

It's not exactly going to sound visually brilliant is it? 🤣. Sorry, just a little pet peeve of mine!

@LN78 Good thing I don't care about you or your pet peeves then.

@JohnnyShoulder Accurate! I definitely wasn't as smooth and cool as I thought I was. 😂

@KAIRU Indeed.🤣.

@KAIRU I think we all did! Especially after a few drinks! 😂

@JohnnyShoulder Might be one of the reasons why I don't drink anymore. 😂

Speaking of Spider-Man, and to @KAIRU ‘s point of the combat being a bit dull at first — how are people feeling about playing as both Peter and Miles in the upcoming sequel?

I’m worried that it will get confusing switching back and forth, depending on how deep each of their unique skill sets are. I suspect I’ll gravitate to one of them and prefer their powers over the other.

I bring this up because I’m playing Jedi Survivor (yes I’m still playing it, don’t judge 😅) and I’ve essentially stayed with the same two stances for the majority of the game because they fit my playstyle and I can’t be bothered to perfect the combos and timing of one of the other stances. So I’ve stayed with Crossguard and Double-Bladed which has served me well for offense, defense, quick-strike, and also tactical approach.

Are action games getting too complicated for their own good? I appreciate the variety, but I’m left feeling like I haven’t explored half of the combat options and I wonder if Spider-Man 2 will also have me either A) just skirting the surface level of each character’s skills, or B) learning one character well and just staying with them for all the most challenging enemies and using the other character only when required by the story.

@Th3solution I honestly don't think there will be a problem. If you've played both Spider-Man and Miles Morales, their combat should be second nature. Also, while he does have some different moves than Peter of course, he's not that extremely different to play. Unless I'm remembering things horribly wrong since it's been since early 2021 since I played Miles Morales besides loading it up again to get a couple of trophies.

I also don't think it's bad to have options. Obviously some people will use one character more than others, but you could always play the game a second time if you want to experience more of it from a different "perspective".

@KilloWertz I recall actually enjoying Miles’s powers more. He’s got more stealth options, so I guess I could see how each of them could be better for certain scenarios, and so maybe they will complement one another rather than compete for gamers’ time. Especially with the new OP-appearing venom powers. It looks like Peter’s the heavy-hitter and Miles is the tactician.

Perhaps I’ve been trained by the Soulsborne games to not experiment too much with lots of options. My personal approach lately has been to find something that works, max it out, and therefore make the game easier for myself. So I stick with a few select weapons and skills for the duration, and just try to be as proficient as possible with them.

But yeah, the broad range of combat options do make for better replayability. Too bad I rarely replay games. 😅

@Th3solution I stay away from Soulsborne games, but if I did play them, I'd probably do the same thing. Any way to prevent myself from throwing my controller is fine by me.

Honestly, I don't replay games a ton either. Certain third party titles I played on Xbox are an exception if I want to have them on "record" on PlayStation so to speak or they didn't click as planned the first time around. Also since the release of Horizon Forbidden West was such a big deal for me, I did replay Horizon Zero Dawn. Final Fantasy VII Remake and eventually Cyberpunk 2077 are others, so I guess in the end if I really love a game there's a chance I'll replay it again.

@KilloWertz Yes, that’s me too. If there’s a remaster/remake or a huge sequel, then I’ll consider a replay. I need to get back to my Uncharted replay because I want to experience the Legacy of Thieves remakes. Also, Mass Effect Legendary Ed. Gotta get back to my continuation of that too.

The rumored Horizon Zero Dawn Remake might be one of the first party 2024 releases, speaking of. It’s probably release alongside the Netflix show, just like TLoU Part I did with the HBO show.

After fifty something hours and seemingly most of September I'm watching the credits roll on Days Gone. Well that was a journey well spent. I think I'll be a bit sad to leave this world behind.

Take the stealth and crafting bits from The Last of Us, the slow motion focus mode headshots from Red Dead Redemption and the open-world map clearing activities and random encounters from, well from any number of open world games and wrap it all up in a narrative that falls somewhere between The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy and you get Days Gone. Despite being derivative enough that I can see all of these inspirations in it I feel it did what it set out to achieve well and I enjoyed the game, it's story, setting and characters.

Despite spending upwards of 50 hours on it it never felt like a grind and ran fantastically on PS5, even when the hordes were descending upon me. Still got a couple of trophies to tick off so not quite finished yet. If anyone was, like me, undecided on whether it was worth a punt I would certainly recommend it as worthwhile.