Games Beaten 2014

[Luke]

Go get 'em Tiger(s).

[AppleQueso]

Hmmm, I should try and plan to beat a game at 12:01a so I can start the thread.

Bonus points if it's an atari 2600 game that loops.

CHALLENGE ... ACCEPTED!

You failed me, Stark.

[MrEco]

I'm actually gonna join in this year and keep track of the games I finish. There, that's my new years resolution.

[Ack]

1. Blood II: The Nightmare Levels (PC)(FPS)

Heheh, first actual game beaten, I take it. Eh, this one is extremely short, and I had played through about 3/4 of it in 2013, so I'm not surprised.

The Nightmare Levels was the official expansion for Blood II: The Chosen, and it focused on Caleb and the other Chosen being attacked by a demon called the Nightmare and forced to relive stories they are telling around a campfire. The end result is only five levels long and suffers from much of the same issues as Blood II in terms of AI and the majority of its weaponry, though this second point has had some new additions put in that make up for it. These new tools include a bloody hook which binds enemies in place while damaging them over time and an orb that operates like that braindrilling device in Phantasm(for a video game comparison, think of the Cerebral Bore in Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, only much slower). The level layouts have changed from Blood II: The Chosen's futuristic dirty cyberpunk to a variety of varying locales based on the different stories told, so the Chosen end up venturing through a hedge maze, sorority house, circus, haunted mansion, and a wild west town.

That said, beyond a welcome change turning the cultists back into their original hooded versions and the new weapons and locations, The Nightmare Levels does little to improve upon its base problems with bullet sponge enemies with perfect accuracy yet ridiculously stupid AI.

[Stark]

CHALLENGE ... ACCEPTED!

You failed me, Stark.

Frack!

I did beat (part of) a game this morning though!!! 1:15am approximately.

1/1 The Walking Dead S2 - Episode 1: All That Remains (PS3)
This is definitely a Walking Dead game! Runs a little choppy on the PS3 which is a bummer, coupled with the fact that apparently it imports your save from S1 and I played that on the PC. If you don't do that it randomizes your choices, which to be blunt ... is dumb. Why can't it just let you build a choices file? So the random choices weren't too off the mark from what I actually did, except for the last one, which is of course one of the most important.

I won't bother with details, I don't want to spoil S1 for anyone. This one felt a little more like a point-and-click adventure game, you have an inventory and a little bit of choice therein. Bottom-line: if you liked Season 1, get this now! If you think you'd like this, but haven't played S1, play that first!

[BoneSnapDeez]

So I'm assuming you guys started these games in 2013?

[Stark]

So I'm assuming you guys started these games in 2013?

Technically yes, I started mine at like 11:30p. It was 2014 somewhere.

[Gamerforlife]

I'm predicting that either Zelda A Link Between Worlds or Assassin's Creed Black Flag will be the first game I finish for 2014. They're two quality titles engaged in an epic struggle for my attention

[dsheinem]

I'm predicting that either Zelda A Link Between Worlds or Assassin's Creed Black Flag will be the first game I finish for 2014. They're two quality titles engaged in an epic struggle for my attention

same here

[isiolia]

I'll try to join in this for 2014 as well.

1. Beyond: Two Souls (PS3)



Thoughts:

Overall it wasn't bad, though not everything felt like it really meshed well.

Quantic Dream has continued to try and evolve their interactive movie design for a game. Those who have played previous efforts will be familiar with the general model. Mostly walking the character to the next hot spot, a generous portion of QTEs (whether tapping directions for combat/dodging or button presses/holds for actions), and occasional options in conversation or action/inaction.
In Beyond, you control both Jodie, and the entity attached to her, Aiden. While a lot of it is scripted as to which you'll control at a time, there are ample times when you can swap between them at will, allowing the use of Aiden to listen to conversations or find hidden unlockables.

The game has sections that approximate stealth action as well, but they're highly linear, which is kind of a shame since the general concept could have worked very well for a more open game.

In all, the design serves to provide the player with constant momentum. In a sense, it's a very high budget visual novel, albeit with choices that aren't always obvious or deliberate, and no real ability to branch off onto a vastly different path. There are multiple endings, along with a number of smaller choices that can change things along the way...but the chapter progression is the same regardless.

My main quibble with the game design isn't so much with the lack of "real" gameplay. As a VN, to me, the point is more one of making decisions. In making a seamless experience, Quantic Dream often neglects to let a player second guess how things happened to turn out. There's no redo option outside of quitting/reloading, for example - and when some "decisions" are made by failing a QTE, that can be annoying.
I don't think you can quite back yourself into a "bad end" like in Heavy Rain, but it was still something I'd hoped they would have improved on.

I didn't try the two player mode (lets one person control Jodie, one control Aiden), or the tablet companion app, which lets you use a tablet instead of a controller (with even simpler controls).

The story is told as recalled memories, out of order, and usually not directly connected to anything else. There's an overall narrative that comes together, but it's still got gaps in it (though possibly intentionally).
While good enough to keep me playing, for the level of talent that went into other parts of the production, the writing is fairly weak. Characters and situations are, largely, not written believably. Some of the major setups make little logical sense. Aside from not really having a middle ground between good and evil, characters don't really seem to hold much against Jodie, which seems out of place in a decision oriented game.

Taken on their own, the earlier memories (even if they don't show up until late in the game) could have set up a great story. Instead, things go towards what could just as easily have been the framework for a shooter, save for a couple long sections that are basically superfluous anyway.
Considering how ludicrous game stories can tend to get, it'd be hard to call Beyond's terrible. Just more of a missed opportunity to be great. Worth playing for fans of story heavy games, but probably after a price drop.