The first Gears game is legendary, put a huge emphasis on horror that the later games strayed away from as the war progressed and it adopted a more hopeful, more colourful palette than the first game, but the first one will be something I'll always remember for its horror and brutality. Genuinely terrified me as a child yet I kept coming back to play it.
Graphically, the original does look solid for an Xbox 360 game released in 2006, it does show its age today but I think it's important to remember and appreciate that it looks the way it does for the time it released in. I'm on Act V now, hoping to beat the game tonight after work.
The Ultimate Edition includes a cut chapter from the original game, that does a better job explaining a transition in a crucial portion of the game, that the original game just sort of skips to, so I do feel the Ultimate Edition is the definitive way to play the original. It's on Game Pass if you wish to give it a try, we could even try and do a co-op run at some point if you wish?
The first Gears of War games were very brutal and detailed. Never played it except maybe Gears of War 2, I can't remember its been a while. … moreBut I've seen gameplay and story vids on YT and honestly all their games still hold up pretty well to this day.
Genuinely terrified me as a child yet I kept coming back to play it.
If I played it back when it came out in 2006 my parents would be terrified, and that's being nice about it
It's on Game Pass if you wish to give it a try, we could even try and do a co-op run at some point if you wish?
Unless it's cross compatible unfortunately I probably won't be able to do co-op. I only use PC to play games now
It's good that your playing it again because I just saw the new prequel Gears of War trailer. It captures the feel and setting of the originals.
The first Gears game is legendary, put a huge emphasis on horror that the later games strayed away from as the war progressed and it adopted… more a more hopeful, more colourful palette than the first game, but the first one will be something I'll always remember for its horror and brutality. Genuinely terrified me as a child yet I kept coming back to play it.
Graphically, the original does look solid for an Xbox 360 game released in 2006, it does show its age today but I think it's important to remember and appreciate that it looks the way it does for the time it released in. I'm on Act V now, hoping to beat the game tonight after work.
The Ultimate Edition includes a cut chapter from the original game, that does a better job explaining a transition in a crucial portion of the game, that the original game just sort of skips to, so I do feel the Ultimate Edition is the definitive way to play the original. It's on Game Pass if you wish to give it a try, we could even try and do a co-op run at some point if you wish?
Unless it's cross compatible unfortunately I probably won't be able to do co-op. I only use PC to play games now
I did some searching and unfortunately, it isn't cross compatible, it came out before Xbox announced their Play Anywhere initiative, so sadly it didn't get an update or anything to include that. I'm sure that there are some other games we could play together besides Rocket League
It's good that your playing it again because I just saw the new prequel Gears of War trailer. It captures the feel and setting of the originals.
It was actually that trailer that got me back into it, along with watching some lore videos, it pushed me to replay the games, I wanted to do co-op with my brother but never found the time, but I might do it soon to connect with him more as it's been difficult since I moved across the country.
The trailer does look good though, I was hoping that The Coalition would come out with a Fenix Collection, including a remaster of the second and third games, and I still hope for that, but I'm happy to be back in the boots of Marcus Fenix and having Dom back. The newer installments in the main Series, while maintaining the classic gameplay and improving it, just doesn't hit the same, it's a newer cast and they have strengths and weaknesses but they aren't as memorable as Delta Squad and their chemistry.
Genuinely terrified me as a child yet I kept coming back to play it.
If I played it back when it came out in 2006 my parents would b… moree terrified, and that's being nice about it
It's on Game Pass if you wish to give it a try, we could even try and do a co-op run at some point if you wish?
Unless it's cross compatible unfortunately I probably won't be able to do co-op. I only use PC to play games now
It's good that your playing it again because I just saw the new prequel Gears of War trailer. It captures the feel and setting of the originals.
I beat Gears of War Ultimate Edition a few days ago, and it was a blast, I do think they increased the difficulty a bit from the original game as the Locust takes far more bullets to kill, while it takes less bullets to kill you. I played on normal difficulty, I prefer being able to enjoy a game than pull my hair out from it.
The game is graphically gorgeous, the Series has always had beautiful skyboxes and wonderful environmental storytelling that paints such a grim picture of the war and the brutality of the Locust. I found myself admiring the environments as they are so heavily detailed, the cutscenes themselves are smooth and fairly life-like. The original game did have solid graphical fidelity for a game released in 2006, that I think if anyone was playing it today, you can definitely notice its age, and the stiffness in some animations, but I think in that case, it's important to view it through the lens of what a game released in 2006 would be like, and I do think Gears of War stood out for being a graphically strong game with good animations for a product at that time.
Gameplay wise, you can really feel the weight of the characters you control, they are big brutes, and they move like such, the weapons pack a punch, you feel powerful and in awe of the Gnasher Shotgun, the Lancer, and of course, the Hammer of Dawn, you know when you press that trigger, you know you are utilising a weapon that will turn the Locust into mince meat.
Gears of War is a fairly tactical game, I'd say it's not like your traditional shooters where you just run and gun, with Gears you really have to work your way up, attack and progress, it's almost non-stop action from beginning to end, you have a minute or so to catch your breath after a wave and progress further into the Chapter, but soon enough you'll find yourself in cover again, having to pick off enemies to work your way through. The thing is, cover doesn't always guarantee your safety, the Locust are always pressing forward, so you may be comfy in cover for a bit but soon enough you will have a Grenadier pressing you and forcing you to move otherwise you'll be obliterated by their Gnasher Shotgun.
As for the story, it is a remaster, so it's the same as it was years ago, only difference is they included a cut chapter in Act V that does a great job in transitioning from early Act V to the endgame, which the original game didn't have. But the story for Gears of War is a solid one that's harrowing and bleak, you can see the desperation of humanity in the war, through their evisceration of their home using WMD's, they really have been pushed to the brink. Latter games in the Series do adopt a more hopeful story, but the first one will always be remembered for its emphasis on horror.
The characters, particularly the main cast, are especially charming and memorable, Cole and Baird are two characters I enjoy a lot. Cole is an energetic killing machine that used to play Thrashball, the Series' version of American Football, he takes great pleasure in his job, his charisma skill tree was maxed out. His introduction is legendary, very memorable, and shows how effective The Cole Train is for the COG.
Baird is very tech savvy, but a sarcastic asshat, which I do love, I love a bit of sarcasm. He does clash with some of the main cast due to his personality, but he does mean well and his heart is in the right place.
Dom is a good man, always wanting to help people, he is someone that hasn't let the war strip him of his humanity, he is like a brother to Marcus, the main character, he always has his back, through thick and thin, Dom was and is always there, genuinely trying to fight for a better future.
Marcus, the main character, is a real scruffy, blunt kind of character. He's hardened, as you would know straight away from looking at him, he's literally been through the wars, and is looked at as a hero, and a traitor. Beneath that cold exterior is a good man, with a big heart, he doesn't look at his military as one without fault, he's aware of the corruption, the atrocities, and is a big critic of how they carry/carried out their missions, but he puts it to the side in order to reach a common goal; to end the Locust war.
The cast overall is very memorable, the dynamic between Delta Squad is legendary, their banter takes the cake, it's so much fun to listen to them, they bounce off each other very well.
Overall, I think Gears of War Ultimate Edition is great, a fitting remaster that pays tribute to the original game, and enhances it to make the experience so much better.
nothing "scary" has happened yet, but it's just a weirdly small, SUSPICIOUSLY QUIET house.
I KNOW the game is gonna throw something spooky at me at some point but it's been a good few minutes of slowly exploring and still there's nothing. No payoff, no catharsis.
Started a puzzle room in the basement with a big mannequin, and yeah, nope, nopenopenope not doing this tonight this is getting too freaky
Beat Gears of War 2, such a ride. Sequels often have a hard time matching up to the originals, but this time, I feel the sequel did far better than the original. It expands upon everything from the first game, gameplay is far tighter, introduction of flashy and graphic executions that make you question why it wasn't in the first game, and the story... I remember saying that the games after the first Gears of War are a lot more hopeful, with the use of a brighter colour palette to support that, but honestly, it isn't really the full case with Gears of War 2.
To get onto the story, the game does get into even darker territory on the Locust war, showing their brutal nature of the humans of Sera. The first game makes you feel like a buff super soldier that can take down anything, and while that is there in the second game, you are then hit almost instantly with an event occuring that shows you are human, you can only do so much, and sometimes that isn't enough to get the result you wanted, you are very much one individual in a grand war, that while you are instrumental, you see the effects it has on your team, your friends, and on you, that although you may not have totally succumbed to the trauma and bloodshed of war, you see toughened soldiers that fall, and realise that the very same can happen to you. I'll elaborate more on that later in a spoiler tag.
Graphically, the game does have subtle differences in character models from the first game, there is more detail, we are talking about an Xbox 360 game from 2008, so for what the game turned out like, it is stunning for a product of its time. There are some issues with rendering of textures, where characters would appear smooth, then the detailed assets will load in, it's noticeable and off-putting when you are watching a cutscene and that happens, but it is what it is.
The gameplay feels a lot tighter, if I were to compare it to the Ultimate Edition, then the Ultimate Edition takes the cake completely but comparing it to the original 2006 release, it's a night and day difference for me. New animations were brought in for a feature that was introduced in Gears 2, named "Executions", as the name would imply, it allows you to execute downed enemies, often in very brutal ways, but it also means that the enemies can now execute you. One feature that was a game changer is the introduction of a downed state for the player. The original game and the remaster didn't have that, so if you took too much damage, you were dead, simple as, see you later, sayonara. It was frustrating as Gears is a fairly difficult game to be honest, so not having that chance to come back in the first game, it was frustrating. The AI for Gears is decent, but the problem I have is when you are downed, your teammate, be it Dom, Baird, whoever, they will stand beside you, or walk around you, shoot down enemies, get swarmed, then they are downed, you just sit there watching your screen gradually turn red, hearing Marcus ask to be revived and be walked past, then you get a Drone, just the one, the lone survivor that comes in and finishes you off. It annoys me so much. The time for being in the downed state is quite short also, it is something they adjusted in later entries to be more forgiving, but you have so little time to be revived in Gears 2, it can get frustrating, especially on higher difficulties when you will be downed a lot more.
Regarding the Story, it takes very dark turns, and it does end on a hopeful note, but for 99% of the game, it's dark and gritty, pure Gears of War. I'll be touching on the big defining moments that stuck with me, because as often is the case with Gears, those moments are the dark, brutal gritty ones.
So early in the game, you are travelling to a point of interest, to drill and go underground and go on the offensive against the Locust. As Marcus and Dom are getting loaded into the machine, a high ranking Locust, named Skorge, armed with a staff with two chainsaw bayonets appears, and tears through a vehicle like a hot knife through butter. You don't seem the aftermath of Skorge's destruction as you are sent underground, unable to stop his rampage. You leave behind Tai, and Dizzy, two of your own men. Later in the game, you go through the prison cells of a Locust barge, and find Tai, completely physically and mentally broken. This is a guy we saw earlier in the game walk out from under the rubble of a destroyed vehicle, without a scratch, just shrugs it off and carries on, this is a guy that despite everything he has seen, remains mentally tough, but after a number of hours of torture, they broke him completely, the damage they inflicted on his body and mind, are explicitly shown when you rescue him. Marcus arms him with a Gnasher Shotgun, and Tai turns the gun on himself and takes his own life. It came as a shock to everyone, because he was someone who was revered for being able to survive anything, yet the Locust completely destroyed him.
Another big moment is when Dom finally finds his wife Maria, who has been missing for years, but she too was tortured, as the term that is used "processed", completely lobotomized, unable to recognise Dom, unable to muster any words, just completely a shell of her former self. What makes the scene heartbreaking is that Dom doesn't see it straight away, he envisions her to be how he remembered her, a beautiful lady, but reality creeps in and he sees what the Locust done to her. Out of mercy, Dom takes her life. I think they handled it very well as it was an emotional scene, but it was set up from the first game, it wasn't the main objective, but because of your bond with Dom through the game, you want him to be reunited with Maria. The game didn't make it the primary objective, it was very much a side thing that also happened to have a resolution as the war progressed, which I liked. It was, as you would expect, a very defining moment for Dom, really developed his character and provided resolution to a story introduced from the first game, and it just further solidifies how horrific the war is. We saw what happened with Tai after a few hours, Maria was trapped for months, Tai showed the beginning of "processing", Maria displayed the end result if carried out uninterrupted. It is honestly so tragic and gut wrenching.
Benjamin Carmine, the brother of Anthony Carmine from the first game, who was sniped early on, he gets swallowed into the Riftworm, and brutally devoured by the creatures within the Riftworm, it is actually a scene that has stuck with me for years, back when I first played Gears 2 in early 2009, which is a bit worrying, but he did deserve better. He's that kind of character that means well but makes ill informed decisions, he deserved better, but his death continued the unlucky tradition of the Carmine family and their enrolment in the COG, which often led to their own horrific demise.
The last memorable scene I want to mention is the final boss, the Lambent Brumak, it is a freak of nature, actually disgusting. You are riding a Brumak to tear through the Hollow, the Locust stronghold, and as you are traversing through, the Brumak walks into a lake of imulsion, a fuel source in the Gears Universe, but it is a parasite, it's actually a living organism that infects and turns the host into a mindless, raging, explosive monster. You see the Brumak undergo a very graphic, disgusting transformation, growing tentacles that root it into the lake of imulsion, its veins glowing a bright, luminous green, and the worst of all, a worm-like thing that springs up from the inside of the Brumak, out through its mouth, and it sheds that former skin, it is very graphic and unsettling, the stuff of nightmares. Entertaining boss fight though. The game ends with the Gears sinking Jacinto, a full blown city, in order to flood the Hollow in attempts to wipe out the Locust, the game does take a brighter appearance in its final cutscene, to make it seem that it is all finally over and that the humans of Sera can finally rebuild, or at least, the tides of war have changed.
Overall Gears of War 2 is a massive step up from the first game in all aspects, it is a joy to play through, it has some very emotional moments so keep a box of tissues handy, and enjoy the ride.
Recently finished the rhythm game Thumper on PSVR2.
I've played it quite a few years ago on PS4 and I enjoyed it, but found it quite difficult.
This game in VR though? Ohh, man, this is how the game was MEANT to be played.
It feels a little easier, maybe because of the 3D depth perception effect, letting you see the track heading towards you easier and knowing when to turn.
It's also incredibly immersive being able to turn your head to see the track coming up and also how "locked in" you can get with a rhythm flow state.
Also the SIZE of the final boss of each area, ohh my god, it's SO COOL.
I actually had a great time re-completing the first few levels perfectly that I decided to be a little crazy and get All S Ranks on every level!!
It took quite a few tries on some levels, takes a lot of figuring out the rhythm, some reflexes, and some repetition, but I really enjoyed it and think it's one of the best rhythm games out there, (considering it REALLY tests your sense of internal rhythm)
The later levels get really fast and a little wild with the timing of notes/turns but it's adaptable!
Btw the last two levels are PURE EVIL and are basically made just to screw with you I bet, but MAN, I did it, I enjoyed it, it was worth it! 😄
God of War 3 is my all-time favorite game, but currently I'm playing an Islamic game and a little bit of pubg for just a little while. But some day, one day, I'll play the God of War series.
Yup lol. It's quite a lot, especially with its 3 act structure and how specific some Investigation sections are for you to progress forward in the case.
(Honestly I love the "tutorial cases" in each entry since they're always just the Courtroom sections, and I love all the courtroom drama and twists that happen!)
It helps to keep track of your main objectives/obstacles, and has a tiered Hint system to figure out the solutions, revealing more specific details one-by-one, so you can still figure it out yourself, if the game just isn't giving any concrete advice for you.
I quite prefer to just use manual saves and figure out the solutions myself. If I get something wrong, I'll just repeatedly reload save until I get it right.
The courtrooms are easily the best parts and the investigations being the worsts. I understand the purpose but some answers and clues aren't obvious enough for me to click. It's like LA Noire all over again with its interrogations.
Yup lol. It's quite a lot, especially with its 3 act structure and how specific some Investigation sections are for you to progress forward … morein the case.
(Honestly I love the "tutorial cases" in each entry since they're always just the Courtroom sections, and I love all the courtroom drama and twists that happen!)
If you ever need some help getting through the original games, I highly recommend this "hint guide".
https://www.uhs-hints.com/uhsweb/phoenix-wright.php
It helps to keep track of your main objectives/obstacles, and has a tiered Hint system to figure out the solutions, revealing more specific details one-by-one, so you can still figure it out yourself, if the game just isn't giving any concrete advice for you.
The first case in Ace Attorney Justice For All is by far my least favorite case thus far in this franchise. Because of one single thing:
Why the hell did I not have an option to tell everyone that Dustin could NOT have written the Maggie word on sand? According to the autopsy, he fell and BROKE his fucking neck. Not an anatomy expert myself but when you break your neck, you are instantly paralyzed and you die. You wouldn't have any time or control to think and do thing after that injury. That should have been enough evidence to prove Dustin didn't write on sand AND Maggey didn't kill him. Like WTF???? Also, even though I understand his purpose, Winston Payne is such a boring prosecution attorney.
Not an anatomy expert myself but when you break your neck, you are instantly paralyzed and you die.
It depends on the severity and location of the damage. Breaking your neck doesn't necessarily paralyse you or kill you. Though they probably wanted to keep things simple and just say his neck broke in a way that could kill him but not in a way that might've prevented him from writing Maggie's name, instead of including anything like internal bleeding.
I had Kojima's P.T. added to my PlayStation account when Konami announced it was going to remove it way back in 2015, before I even owned a PlayStation 4.
I've never bothered going through the workaround to do it (mainly because the tools are Windows executables and I have been using MacBooks and Chromebooks for years - and my Bootcamp partition that had Windows on my Mac got corrupted, so I had to nuke it and merge it back into my main partition and I didn't feel like going through the steps because Windows 10 isn't free anymore and it's a hassle).
Anyway. I finally tried the workaround and it actually still worked. I have it sitting on my PS4 now. I'm still wandering around Red Dead Redemption II finding all the stuff I missed on my first playthrough, but I'm sure I'll put it aside to play P.T. at some point. Either that, or I'll 100% RDR2 and then play P.T. (I doubt that though).
When you say you'll 100% RDR2, do you mean that you'll do everything (such as missions,side missions, random events, find all animals etc) or get gold medal on every mission? If you manage to do either, I applaud you cause both aren't easy and take time.
I had Kojima's P.T. added to my PlayStation account when Konami announced it was going to remove it way back in 2015, before I even owned a … morePlayStation 4.
I've never bothered going through the workaround to do it (mainly because the tools are Windows executables and I have been using MacBooks and Chromebooks for years - and my Bootcamp partition that had Windows on my Mac got corrupted, so I had to nuke it and merge it back into my main partition and I didn't feel like going through the steps because Windows 10 isn't free anymore and it's a hassle).
Anyway. I finally tried the workaround and it actually still worked. I have it sitting on my PS4 now. I'm still wandering around Red Dead Redemption II finding all the stuff I missed on my first playthrough, but I'm sure I'll put it aside to play P.T. at some point. Either that, or I'll 100% RDR2 and then play P.T. (I doubt that though).
The first. I might try the medals, but I'm definitely trying to complete the mission log and the compendium. Yes, it definitely takes time. I'm still on chapter two after over a week just trying to get the companion requests to trigger.
When you say you'll 100% RDR2, do you mean that you'll do everything (such as missions,side missions, random events, find all animals etc) o… morer get gold medal on every mission? If you manage to do either, I applaud you cause both aren't easy and take time.
I played and finished a horror game called Still Wakes the Deep.
As someone who is tired of these walking sim/hide&seek horror games, I am happy to say that I enjoyed this game a lot. The voice acting is hilariously top notch, the tension felt real and the gameplay did not overstay its welcome. I actually felt like I wanted to finish this game in one sitting and I didn't feel bored.
This is made by the Chinese Room, the same developers behind that terrible Amnesia A Machine For Pigs and I'm glad to say they redeemed themselves with this one. I never even heard about it until I saw some youtubers uploading walkthroughs of it. I'm not gonna give ANY details of the story and characters because I think this is one of the games that you would rather play COMPLETELY blind in order to enjoy, just like how I did it. All I can do is give you a small description to give you the impression of it. And that is: Amnesia The Dark Descent meets John Carpenter's The Thing, set in an oil rig.
Played two games recently. Call of the Sea and American Arcadia by developers Out of the Blue. Both narrative driven adventure puzzle games.
Call of the Sea
Set in the 1930's, the game follows Norah (Cissy Jones), a woman suffering from an illness that has plagued her family for generations. She embarks on a journey to a mysterious island in search of her husband Harry, who ventured there on an expedition in search of a cure. I quite enjoyed my time with Call of the Sea. The story is pretty interesting and heads into unexpected directions that kept me engaged all throughout. Cissy Jones delivers a solid performance as Norah, particularly with the more emotional moments of the game. They do a great job of fleshing out the relationship between Norah and Harry. I really like the setting and atmosphere in the game, it does a good job of transitioning its tone from calm and adventure tone to something more eerie and unsettling. While it isn't a horror game, there certainly are some elements that I found to be pretty creepy.
I think my only real problem with the game is that puzzles range from pretty easy to completely obtuse, especially in the latter half of the game. There are clues to solving puzzles scattered around through some notes and iconography, but there is little to no handholding. You're pretty much left to figure things out on your own and there were a handful of times where I found myself relenting and just searching up the solution online because I could not for the life of me figure them out. Overall I did enjoy the game, especially its story and worldbuilding, but I do think its puzzles could have been further refined.
American Arcadia
Set in a futuristic, 70s-styled corporate American city called Arcadia, the game follows Trevor (Yuri Lowenthal), who discovers that his and everyone else's life in Arcadia is secretly part of a globally watched reality television show, where those deemed too boring are 'written out.' He meets Angela (Krizia Bajos), an insider working on the show who is also involved with a group of radical protesters determined to save his life and free him from Arcadia. I had an absolute blast with this game! It’s a significant step up from Call of the Sea in terms of gameplay, and the characters are just so fun to watch. This game features one of my favorite performances from Yuri Lowenthal, you can tell he’s having a great time with it, especially in the last quarter of the game.
The game lets you control two characters: Trevor and Angela. With Trevor, it’s a 2D sidescroller reminiscent of Limbo and Inside, while Angela's sections switch to a first-person perspective where you can walk around, explore and solve puzzles. The game does an excellent job of keeping both perspectives engaging and very rarely feels like a slog to play. I really enjoyed the writing, it's incredibly charming, funny, and pretty meta, though it can get a bit referential at times. The puzzles here are much more refined, again no handholding but I could solve every puzzle just fine, though some took a bit of time to get the idea of, which should be how it's done.
Overall I really enjoyed American Arcadia and had a lot of fun with it. After having played both games, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Out of the Blue has in store with their next game, The Vigilante Diaries.
Man that late-game puzzle in CotS in that big circular room with 4(?) Spinny things you had to spin in the right order. That one is still a mystery to me, I don't get it even when guides tried to explain it to me although to be fair it kinda felt like the guides didn't fully understood it either.
Played two games recently. Call of the Sea and American Arcadia by developers Out of the Blue. Both narrative driven adventure puzzle games.… more
Call of the Sea
Set in the 1930's, the game follows Norah (Cissy Jones), a woman suffering from an illness that has plagued her family for generations. She embarks on a journey to a mysterious island in search of her husband Harry, who ventured there on an expedition in search of a cure. I quite enjoyed my time with Call of the Sea. The story is pretty interesting and heads into unexpected directions that kept me engaged all throughout. Cissy Jones delivers a solid performance as Norah, particularly with the more emotional moments of the game. They do a great job of fleshing out the relationship between Norah and Harry. I really like the setting and atmosphere in the game, it does a good job of transitioning its tone from calm and adventure tone to something more eerie and unsettling. While it isn't … [view original content]
Yeah that's one of the ones that absolutely killed me trying to figure out (another being the totem puzzle at the camp), especially the last part of it. The guides I used also did a really poor job of explaining it.
Man that late-game puzzle in CotS in that big circular room with 4(?) Spinny things you had to spin in the right order. That one is still a … moremystery to me, I don't get it even when guides tried to explain it to me although to be fair it kinda felt like the guides didn't fully understood it either.
I played and finished a horror game called Still Wakes the Deep.
As someone who is tired of these walking sim/hide&seek horror games,… more I am happy to say that I enjoyed this game a lot. The voice acting is hilariously top notch, the tension felt real and the gameplay did not overstay its welcome. I actually felt like I wanted to finish this game in one sitting and I didn't feel bored.
This is made by the Chinese Room, the same developers behind that terrible Amnesia A Machine For Pigs and I'm glad to say they redeemed themselves with this one. I never even heard about it until I saw some youtubers uploading walkthroughs of it. I'm not gonna give ANY details of the story and characters because I think this is one of the games that you would rather play COMPLETELY blind in order to enjoy, just like how I did it. All I can do is give you a small description to give you the impression of it. And that is: Amnesia The Dark Descent meets John Carpenter's The Thing, set in an oil rig.
This is probably the best hide & seek horror game I have played since Outlast. Unlike the other ones that I played, this one is very focused on telling the story, getting engaged with the characters. Usually, this type of horror games don't focus on such thing and I can't think of the last time I loved a non-combat horror game due to its narrative.
And yes, not every day we see a horror story taking place in an oil rig. That made it even fresher. This is by far my GOTY.
Comments
The first Gears game is legendary, put a huge emphasis on horror that the later games strayed away from as the war progressed and it adopted a more hopeful, more colourful palette than the first game, but the first one will be something I'll always remember for its horror and brutality. Genuinely terrified me as a child yet I kept coming back to play it.
Graphically, the original does look solid for an Xbox 360 game released in 2006, it does show its age today but I think it's important to remember and appreciate that it looks the way it does for the time it released in. I'm on Act V now, hoping to beat the game tonight after work.
The Ultimate Edition includes a cut chapter from the original game, that does a better job explaining a transition in a crucial portion of the game, that the original game just sort of skips to, so I do feel the Ultimate Edition is the definitive way to play the original. It's on Game Pass if you wish to give it a try, we could even try and do a co-op run at some point if you wish?
If I played it back when it came out in 2006 my parents would be terrified, and that's being nice about it
Unless it's cross compatible unfortunately I probably won't be able to do co-op. I only use PC to play games now
It's good that your playing it again because I just saw the new prequel Gears of War trailer. It captures the feel and setting of the originals.
I did some searching and unfortunately, it isn't cross compatible, it came out before Xbox announced their Play Anywhere initiative, so sadly it didn't get an update or anything to include that. I'm sure that there are some other games we could play together besides Rocket League
It was actually that trailer that got me back into it, along with watching some lore videos, it pushed me to replay the games, I wanted to do co-op with my brother but never found the time, but I might do it soon to connect with him more as it's been difficult since I moved across the country.
The trailer does look good though, I was hoping that The Coalition would come out with a Fenix Collection, including a remaster of the second and third games, and I still hope for that, but I'm happy to be back in the boots of Marcus Fenix and having Dom back. The newer installments in the main Series, while maintaining the classic gameplay and improving it, just doesn't hit the same, it's a newer cast and they have strengths and weaknesses but they aren't as memorable as Delta Squad and their chemistry.
Shadow of the Erdtree is extremely gorgeous.
I beat Gears of War Ultimate Edition a few days ago, and it was a blast, I do think they increased the difficulty a bit from the original game as the Locust takes far more bullets to kill, while it takes less bullets to kill you. I played on normal difficulty, I prefer being able to enjoy a game than pull my hair out from it.
The game is graphically gorgeous, the Series has always had beautiful skyboxes and wonderful environmental storytelling that paints such a grim picture of the war and the brutality of the Locust. I found myself admiring the environments as they are so heavily detailed, the cutscenes themselves are smooth and fairly life-like. The original game did have solid graphical fidelity for a game released in 2006, that I think if anyone was playing it today, you can definitely notice its age, and the stiffness in some animations, but I think in that case, it's important to view it through the lens of what a game released in 2006 would be like, and I do think Gears of War stood out for being a graphically strong game with good animations for a product at that time.
Gameplay wise, you can really feel the weight of the characters you control, they are big brutes, and they move like such, the weapons pack a punch, you feel powerful and in awe of the Gnasher Shotgun, the Lancer, and of course, the Hammer of Dawn, you know when you press that trigger, you know you are utilising a weapon that will turn the Locust into mince meat.
Gears of War is a fairly tactical game, I'd say it's not like your traditional shooters where you just run and gun, with Gears you really have to work your way up, attack and progress, it's almost non-stop action from beginning to end, you have a minute or so to catch your breath after a wave and progress further into the Chapter, but soon enough you'll find yourself in cover again, having to pick off enemies to work your way through. The thing is, cover doesn't always guarantee your safety, the Locust are always pressing forward, so you may be comfy in cover for a bit but soon enough you will have a Grenadier pressing you and forcing you to move otherwise you'll be obliterated by their Gnasher Shotgun.
As for the story, it is a remaster, so it's the same as it was years ago, only difference is they included a cut chapter in Act V that does a great job in transitioning from early Act V to the endgame, which the original game didn't have. But the story for Gears of War is a solid one that's harrowing and bleak, you can see the desperation of humanity in the war, through their evisceration of their home using WMD's, they really have been pushed to the brink. Latter games in the Series do adopt a more hopeful story, but the first one will always be remembered for its emphasis on horror.
The characters, particularly the main cast, are especially charming and memorable, Cole and Baird are two characters I enjoy a lot. Cole is an energetic killing machine that used to play Thrashball, the Series' version of American Football, he takes great pleasure in his job, his charisma skill tree was maxed out. His introduction is legendary, very memorable, and shows how effective The Cole Train is for the COG.
Baird is very tech savvy, but a sarcastic asshat, which I do love, I love a bit of sarcasm. He does clash with some of the main cast due to his personality, but he does mean well and his heart is in the right place.
Dom is a good man, always wanting to help people, he is someone that hasn't let the war strip him of his humanity, he is like a brother to Marcus, the main character, he always has his back, through thick and thin, Dom was and is always there, genuinely trying to fight for a better future.
Marcus, the main character, is a real scruffy, blunt kind of character. He's hardened, as you would know straight away from looking at him, he's literally been through the wars, and is looked at as a hero, and a traitor. Beneath that cold exterior is a good man, with a big heart, he doesn't look at his military as one without fault, he's aware of the corruption, the atrocities, and is a big critic of how they carry/carried out their missions, but he puts it to the side in order to reach a common goal; to end the Locust war.
The cast overall is very memorable, the dynamic between Delta Squad is legendary, their banter takes the cake, it's so much fun to listen to them, they bounce off each other very well.
Overall, I think Gears of War Ultimate Edition is great, a fitting remaster that pays tribute to the original game, and enhances it to make the experience so much better.
RE8VR: House Beneviento.
nothing "scary" has happened yet, but it's just a weirdly small, SUSPICIOUSLY QUIET house.
I KNOW the game is gonna throw something spooky at me at some point but it's been a good few minutes of slowly exploring and still there's nothing. No payoff, no catharsis.
Started a puzzle room in the basement with a big mannequin, and yeah, nope, nopenopenope not doing this tonight this is getting too freaky
Beat Gears of War 2, such a ride. Sequels often have a hard time matching up to the originals, but this time, I feel the sequel did far better than the original. It expands upon everything from the first game, gameplay is far tighter, introduction of flashy and graphic executions that make you question why it wasn't in the first game, and the story... I remember saying that the games after the first Gears of War are a lot more hopeful, with the use of a brighter colour palette to support that, but honestly, it isn't really the full case with Gears of War 2.
To get onto the story, the game does get into even darker territory on the Locust war, showing their brutal nature of the humans of Sera. The first game makes you feel like a buff super soldier that can take down anything, and while that is there in the second game, you are then hit almost instantly with an event occuring that shows you are human, you can only do so much, and sometimes that isn't enough to get the result you wanted, you are very much one individual in a grand war, that while you are instrumental, you see the effects it has on your team, your friends, and on you, that although you may not have totally succumbed to the trauma and bloodshed of war, you see toughened soldiers that fall, and realise that the very same can happen to you. I'll elaborate more on that later in a spoiler tag.
Graphically, the game does have subtle differences in character models from the first game, there is more detail, we are talking about an Xbox 360 game from 2008, so for what the game turned out like, it is stunning for a product of its time. There are some issues with rendering of textures, where characters would appear smooth, then the detailed assets will load in, it's noticeable and off-putting when you are watching a cutscene and that happens, but it is what it is.
The gameplay feels a lot tighter, if I were to compare it to the Ultimate Edition, then the Ultimate Edition takes the cake completely but comparing it to the original 2006 release, it's a night and day difference for me. New animations were brought in for a feature that was introduced in Gears 2, named "Executions", as the name would imply, it allows you to execute downed enemies, often in very brutal ways, but it also means that the enemies can now execute you. One feature that was a game changer is the introduction of a downed state for the player. The original game and the remaster didn't have that, so if you took too much damage, you were dead, simple as, see you later, sayonara. It was frustrating as Gears is a fairly difficult game to be honest, so not having that chance to come back in the first game, it was frustrating. The AI for Gears is decent, but the problem I have is when you are downed, your teammate, be it Dom, Baird, whoever, they will stand beside you, or walk around you, shoot down enemies, get swarmed, then they are downed, you just sit there watching your screen gradually turn red, hearing Marcus ask to be revived and be walked past, then you get a Drone, just the one, the lone survivor that comes in and finishes you off. It annoys me so much. The time for being in the downed state is quite short also, it is something they adjusted in later entries to be more forgiving, but you have so little time to be revived in Gears 2, it can get frustrating, especially on higher difficulties when you will be downed a lot more.
Regarding the Story, it takes very dark turns, and it does end on a hopeful note, but for 99% of the game, it's dark and gritty, pure Gears of War. I'll be touching on the big defining moments that stuck with me, because as often is the case with Gears, those moments are the dark, brutal gritty ones.
So early in the game, you are travelling to a point of interest, to drill and go underground and go on the offensive against the Locust. As Marcus and Dom are getting loaded into the machine, a high ranking Locust, named Skorge, armed with a staff with two chainsaw bayonets appears, and tears through a vehicle like a hot knife through butter. You don't seem the aftermath of Skorge's destruction as you are sent underground, unable to stop his rampage. You leave behind Tai, and Dizzy, two of your own men. Later in the game, you go through the prison cells of a Locust barge, and find Tai, completely physically and mentally broken. This is a guy we saw earlier in the game walk out from under the rubble of a destroyed vehicle, without a scratch, just shrugs it off and carries on, this is a guy that despite everything he has seen, remains mentally tough, but after a number of hours of torture, they broke him completely, the damage they inflicted on his body and mind, are explicitly shown when you rescue him. Marcus arms him with a Gnasher Shotgun, and Tai turns the gun on himself and takes his own life. It came as a shock to everyone, because he was someone who was revered for being able to survive anything, yet the Locust completely destroyed him.
Another big moment is when Dom finally finds his wife Maria, who has been missing for years, but she too was tortured, as the term that is used "processed", completely lobotomized, unable to recognise Dom, unable to muster any words, just completely a shell of her former self. What makes the scene heartbreaking is that Dom doesn't see it straight away, he envisions her to be how he remembered her, a beautiful lady, but reality creeps in and he sees what the Locust done to her. Out of mercy, Dom takes her life. I think they handled it very well as it was an emotional scene, but it was set up from the first game, it wasn't the main objective, but because of your bond with Dom through the game, you want him to be reunited with Maria. The game didn't make it the primary objective, it was very much a side thing that also happened to have a resolution as the war progressed, which I liked. It was, as you would expect, a very defining moment for Dom, really developed his character and provided resolution to a story introduced from the first game, and it just further solidifies how horrific the war is. We saw what happened with Tai after a few hours, Maria was trapped for months, Tai showed the beginning of "processing", Maria displayed the end result if carried out uninterrupted. It is honestly so tragic and gut wrenching.
Benjamin Carmine, the brother of Anthony Carmine from the first game, who was sniped early on, he gets swallowed into the Riftworm, and brutally devoured by the creatures within the Riftworm, it is actually a scene that has stuck with me for years, back when I first played Gears 2 in early 2009, which is a bit worrying, but he did deserve better. He's that kind of character that means well but makes ill informed decisions, he deserved better, but his death continued the unlucky tradition of the Carmine family and their enrolment in the COG, which often led to their own horrific demise.
The last memorable scene I want to mention is the final boss, the Lambent Brumak, it is a freak of nature, actually disgusting. You are riding a Brumak to tear through the Hollow, the Locust stronghold, and as you are traversing through, the Brumak walks into a lake of imulsion, a fuel source in the Gears Universe, but it is a parasite, it's actually a living organism that infects and turns the host into a mindless, raging, explosive monster. You see the Brumak undergo a very graphic, disgusting transformation, growing tentacles that root it into the lake of imulsion, its veins glowing a bright, luminous green, and the worst of all, a worm-like thing that springs up from the inside of the Brumak, out through its mouth, and it sheds that former skin, it is very graphic and unsettling, the stuff of nightmares. Entertaining boss fight though. The game ends with the Gears sinking Jacinto, a full blown city, in order to flood the Hollow in attempts to wipe out the Locust, the game does take a brighter appearance in its final cutscene, to make it seem that it is all finally over and that the humans of Sera can finally rebuild, or at least, the tides of war have changed.
Overall Gears of War 2 is a massive step up from the first game in all aspects, it is a joy to play through, it has some very emotional moments so keep a box of tissues handy, and enjoy the ride.
I did it.
I beat Shadow of the Erdtree. Best DLC that didn't even feel like one, which is a good thing.
Recently finished the rhythm game Thumper on PSVR2.
I've played it quite a few years ago on PS4 and I enjoyed it, but found it quite difficult.
This game in VR though? Ohh, man, this is how the game was MEANT to be played.
It feels a little easier, maybe because of the 3D depth perception effect, letting you see the track heading towards you easier and knowing when to turn.
It's also incredibly immersive being able to turn your head to see the track coming up and also how "locked in" you can get with a rhythm flow state.
Also the SIZE of the final boss of each area, ohh my god, it's SO COOL.
I actually had a great time re-completing the first few levels perfectly that I decided to be a little crazy and get All S Ranks on every level!!
It took quite a few tries on some levels, takes a lot of figuring out the rhythm, some reflexes, and some repetition, but I really enjoyed it and think it's one of the best rhythm games out there, (considering it REALLY tests your sense of internal rhythm)
The later levels get really fast and a little wild with the timing of notes/turns but it's adaptable!
Btw the last two levels are PURE EVIL and are basically made just to screw with you I bet, but MAN, I did it, I enjoyed it, it was worth it! 😄
God of War 3 is my all-time favorite game, but currently I'm playing an Islamic game and a little bit of pubg for just a little while. But some day, one day, I'll play the God of War series.
I underestimated the length of Ace Attorney. Almost each case takes like 6 hours to complete.
Yup lol. It's quite a lot, especially with its 3 act structure and how specific some Investigation sections are for you to progress forward in the case.
(Honestly I love the "tutorial cases" in each entry since they're always just the Courtroom sections, and I love all the courtroom drama and twists that happen!)
If you ever need some help getting through the original games, I highly recommend this "hint guide".
https://www.uhs-hints.com/uhsweb/phoenix-wright.php
It helps to keep track of your main objectives/obstacles, and has a tiered Hint system to figure out the solutions, revealing more specific details one-by-one, so you can still figure it out yourself, if the game just isn't giving any concrete advice for you.
I quite prefer to just use manual saves and figure out the solutions myself. If I get something wrong, I'll just repeatedly reload save until I get it right.
The courtrooms are easily the best parts and the investigations being the worsts. I understand the purpose but some answers and clues aren't obvious enough for me to click. It's like LA Noire all over again with its interrogations.
With Alien Romulus coming up, I'm inspired to finally check out Alien Isolation since I've heard nothing but good things.
Absolutely do it. It captures the essence of the first film perfectly.
Speaking of Alien: Isolation, I just learned you can now play it on the switch and on your iphone
Crazy times we’re living in
The first case in Ace Attorney Justice For All is by far my least favorite case thus far in this franchise. Because of one single thing:
Why the hell did I not have an option to tell everyone that Dustin could NOT have written the Maggie word on sand? According to the autopsy, he fell and BROKE his fucking neck. Not an anatomy expert myself but when you break your neck, you are instantly paralyzed and you die. You wouldn't have any time or control to think and do thing after that injury. That should have been enough evidence to prove Dustin didn't write on sand AND Maggey didn't kill him. Like WTF???? Also, even though I understand his purpose, Winston Payne is such a boring prosecution attorney.
It depends on the severity and location of the damage. Breaking your neck doesn't necessarily paralyse you or kill you. Though they probably wanted to keep things simple and just say his neck broke in a way that could kill him but not in a way that might've prevented him from writing Maggie's name, instead of including anything like internal bleeding.
I had Kojima's P.T. added to my PlayStation account when Konami announced it was going to remove it way back in 2015, before I even owned a PlayStation 4.
I've never bothered going through the workaround to do it (mainly because the tools are Windows executables and I have been using MacBooks and Chromebooks for years - and my Bootcamp partition that had Windows on my Mac got corrupted, so I had to nuke it and merge it back into my main partition and I didn't feel like going through the steps because Windows 10 isn't free anymore and it's a hassle).
Anyway. I finally tried the workaround and it actually still worked. I have it sitting on my PS4 now. I'm still wandering around Red Dead Redemption II finding all the stuff I missed on my first playthrough, but I'm sure I'll put it aside to play P.T. at some point. Either that, or I'll 100% RDR2 and then play P.T. (I doubt that though).
When you say you'll 100% RDR2, do you mean that you'll do everything (such as missions,side missions, random events, find all animals etc) or get gold medal on every mission? If you manage to do either, I applaud you cause both aren't easy and take time.
Is it bad that I am already crushed on Franziska Von Karma just after the first trial with her? She is sooo savage but I just can't help but love her.
The first. I might try the medals, but I'm definitely trying to complete the mission log and the compendium. Yes, it definitely takes time. I'm still on chapter two after over a week just trying to get the companion requests to trigger.
I played and finished a horror game called Still Wakes the Deep.
As someone who is tired of these walking sim/hide&seek horror games, I am happy to say that I enjoyed this game a lot. The voice acting is hilariously top notch, the tension felt real and the gameplay did not overstay its welcome. I actually felt like I wanted to finish this game in one sitting and I didn't feel bored.
This is made by the Chinese Room, the same developers behind that terrible Amnesia A Machine For Pigs and I'm glad to say they redeemed themselves with this one. I never even heard about it until I saw some youtubers uploading walkthroughs of it. I'm not gonna give ANY details of the story and characters because I think this is one of the games that you would rather play COMPLETELY blind in order to enjoy, just like how I did it. All I can do is give you a small description to give you the impression of it. And that is: Amnesia The Dark Descent meets John Carpenter's The Thing, set in an oil rig.
Played two games recently. Call of the Sea and American Arcadia by developers Out of the Blue. Both narrative driven adventure puzzle games.
Call of the Sea
Set in the 1930's, the game follows Norah (Cissy Jones), a woman suffering from an illness that has plagued her family for generations. She embarks on a journey to a mysterious island in search of her husband Harry, who ventured there on an expedition in search of a cure. I quite enjoyed my time with Call of the Sea. The story is pretty interesting and heads into unexpected directions that kept me engaged all throughout. Cissy Jones delivers a solid performance as Norah, particularly with the more emotional moments of the game. They do a great job of fleshing out the relationship between Norah and Harry. I really like the setting and atmosphere in the game, it does a good job of transitioning its tone from calm and adventure tone to something more eerie and unsettling. While it isn't a horror game, there certainly are some elements that I found to be pretty creepy.
I think my only real problem with the game is that puzzles range from pretty easy to completely obtuse, especially in the latter half of the game. There are clues to solving puzzles scattered around through some notes and iconography, but there is little to no handholding. You're pretty much left to figure things out on your own and there were a handful of times where I found myself relenting and just searching up the solution online because I could not for the life of me figure them out. Overall I did enjoy the game, especially its story and worldbuilding, but I do think its puzzles could have been further refined.
American Arcadia
Set in a futuristic, 70s-styled corporate American city called Arcadia, the game follows Trevor (Yuri Lowenthal), who discovers that his and everyone else's life in Arcadia is secretly part of a globally watched reality television show, where those deemed too boring are 'written out.' He meets Angela (Krizia Bajos), an insider working on the show who is also involved with a group of radical protesters determined to save his life and free him from Arcadia. I had an absolute blast with this game! It’s a significant step up from Call of the Sea in terms of gameplay, and the characters are just so fun to watch. This game features one of my favorite performances from Yuri Lowenthal, you can tell he’s having a great time with it, especially in the last quarter of the game.
The game lets you control two characters: Trevor and Angela. With Trevor, it’s a 2D sidescroller reminiscent of Limbo and Inside, while Angela's sections switch to a first-person perspective where you can walk around, explore and solve puzzles. The game does an excellent job of keeping both perspectives engaging and very rarely feels like a slog to play. I really enjoyed the writing, it's incredibly charming, funny, and pretty meta, though it can get a bit referential at times. The puzzles here are much more refined, again no handholding but I could solve every puzzle just fine, though some took a bit of time to get the idea of, which should be how it's done.
Overall I really enjoyed American Arcadia and had a lot of fun with it. After having played both games, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Out of the Blue has in store with their next game, The Vigilante Diaries.
Man that late-game puzzle in CotS in that big circular room with 4(?) Spinny things you had to spin in the right order. That one is still a mystery to me, I don't get it even when guides tried to explain it to me although to be fair it kinda felt like the guides didn't fully understood it either.
Yeah that's one of the ones that absolutely killed me trying to figure out (another being the totem puzzle at the camp), especially the last part of it. The guides I used also did a really poor job of explaining it.
I saw a playthrough of this game and I found it incredible. They really immersed themselves in the setting and it made for this awesomely unique game.
This is probably the best hide & seek horror game I have played since Outlast. Unlike the other ones that I played, this one is very focused on telling the story, getting engaged with the characters. Usually, this type of horror games don't focus on such thing and I can't think of the last time I loved a non-combat horror game due to its narrative.
And yes, not every day we see a horror story taking place in an oil rig. That made it even fresher. This is by far my GOTY.
7 Days to Die
Just finished playing Alien : Isolation was awesome experince.