[Mentalist]

Like most PC gamers who were around in the Steam era, I am lost in the amount of games I have.

As time becomes more and more of a precious commodity, I need to organise what I want to play.

Since making a "to read" list helped me (somewhat) to cut down on impulse buying and lowered my TRP to something almost reasonable, I thought, "why not try that with games?)

I'm gonna do this thematically, more than anything. Basically, making a list and publishing it semi-publically helps me to stick to resolutions. I'm weird like that.

1) -currently playing "Age of Kings HD". Finish the remaining campaigns on "Normal". Take a break. Come back later, do a re-play of all campaigns and the 'Battles of" scenarios on "Moderate" in chronological order- aim for April to start.

Immersive Sim
-Thief 3
-Arx Fatalis
-Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
-Dishonored + DLC
10)-Thief 4 Stalled hard. Little interest to continue
-Deus Ex: Mankind divided
-Deus Ex: The Fall?
-Give Boiling Point another try
-Try Precursors
-Play Sir, You Are being Hunted
-Play Miasmata
-Play Pathologic
-play Dishonored 2
-play the new Prey
-Also play more Deus Ex mods (do the other side of Nameless Mod. Play 2037)
-replay Mirror's Edge. Then play Catalyst
-Chronicles of Riddick: AoDA
-Underworld Ascendant?
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
-Far Cry

shooters/First Person games
-Finish Episode 2 of HL2
-Play Portal 2
3)-Play the Stanley Parable
-Play Bioshock: Infinite-
Try Serious Sam 1+2. If too old, try 3
-Play Cryostasis
6)-Play MagRunner
11)-Play Hard Reset
-Play Spec Ops: the Line
-Finish Max Payne- Play Max Payne 2
-Play F.E.A.R
-Play Alan Wake
-Try Painkiller
9)-Play Metro 2033 + Last Light
- PlayMetro Exodus
-Play Rage
-Play Doom 3
-Play Doom 2016
-Play FarCry 1+2, Crysis
-Play Dead Island
-Play Dead Space
-Play Vanquish
-Play Echo
-If all done, Buy Far Cry3. Maybe 4

3rd person Action/Adventure (not open-world
(Whenever Darksiders 3 gets a release date:)-replay 1 ] + 2- then -Darksiders 3!
-play Darksiders: Genesis
Play Garshasp: monster Slayer
2)-Play Remember Me
-Play Enslaved: Journey to the West-
-Play The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time games
-Sands of Time
Warrior Within
-The two Thrones
-Give Beyond Good and Evil another attempt. Finish the game this time
14)-Play Psychonauts
12) -play Bayonetta
-play Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance
-Play the original Resident Evil
-Buy and Play Resi 2 remake
-Play the R3make
- Play Onimusha: Warlords
-play the BloodRayne re-releases
-play the DMC games
Trilogy, 4, prequel, 5
-Praey to the Gods?
-Play DARK
-play Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
-play Murdered: Soul Suspect
-Play Legend of Kay: anniversary
-play the Tomb Raider reboot (and sequels?)
-Play Son of Nor
-if all else is done, play the original AssCreed.

3rd person open world games
-do an Arkham Origins playthrough on New Game+
-play Arkham Knight
-Biomutant
-Play GTA3 trilo
-play Saints Row2
-Play Sleeping Dogs
-Play Watch Dogs
-Play Outcast
-Play LA Noire
-Move on to Saints Row3
-Monster Hunter World?
-Okami HD
-Shenmue games?
-Prototype?
-Saboteur?
-shadow of Mordor
-play Shadow of War

Open-world RPGs
-Play Morrowind
-Play Fallout 3 + New Vegas
-Do another playthrough of Witcher 3 with all DLCs
-Dragon Age: Inquisition (?)-if I finish replay of the other 2 first
-Maaaybe look @ Souls games + related things?
-Play Sekiro

-kingdom Come: Deliverance

RPGs (3d Action)
-Of Orks and Men
7)-Mars: War Logs
-Bound by Flame
-Styx
-Game of Thrones
-Demonicon
)-Faery-Legends of Avalon
-Technomancer
-Greedfall!
-Venetica
-Blood Knights
--Vampyr
- prior to playing Vampyr, replay Alpha Protocol
-Styx2?

RPGs (other
-Shadowrun: Hong Kong
-Do a proper playthrough of "Arcanum"
-Finish "Anachronox"
4)-Play "Bastion"
5)-Play "Dex"
-Play "Inquisitor"
-Play "Omikron
-Play " Unrest"
-re-play Dragon Age: Origins. Play through DAII, maybe Inquisition
-Try Baldur's Gate games
-Play Wasteland 2
-Re-play Pillars of Eternity, with the new expansion.
-play Pillars of Eternity 2
-play Torment properly
-Play Tyranny
-Play Disco Elysium
-Play KotOR, maybe 2 as well
-maybe, try getting through the original "ultima" games (4 and up)
-Pirahna Bytes games: maybe Gothic II, or the Risen trilo + maybe Elex?
-South Park games
-Divinity: Original Sin
-possibly, if all else is done, check out Mass Effect

Strategy games
-Star Craft 2: if I see the last 2 games for under $20 anywhere, buy them.
- replay WoL ,
-and then the other 2 campaign
- Heart of the Swarm stalled halfway through
-legacy of the Void
-before that, replay the original StarCraft
-Dragon Commander
15)-Homeworld Remastered Collection
8)-Grey Goo
-Etherium
-Go back and try to beat Heroes of Anhihilated Empires
-Go back and beat SpellForce II: Faith in Destiny. Play the 4th expansion.
-SpellForce 3?
-Play Xenonauts
-Play the new X-com (1, not 2)
-Invisible, Inc
-play "Dead State"
-Satellite Reign
-Universum: War Front
-Buy and play Supreme Commander
-dig up and try to finish C&C 2 + 3
-Battlefleet Gothic I and II
-maaaaaaaybe look into Total Warhammers?

Adventure
Play the Longest Journey
13) Dreamfall/Dreamfall Chapters
-Try Amnesia again. Figure it out this time.


I've labelled the first 10 games for the new year. I'll see how many of these I get through, but I've narrowed the list down. I will also avoid buying any additional games, unless they are 75% off or under 10 bucks

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 08 March 2023 - 01:26 AM

[Aptorian]

Holy shit, Ment. That's a whole lot of game time. Even if you played 10 hours a day I still think those lists would take you years if you were aiming towards finishing each game.

Or does "play" just signify "try out and gather impressions"? Because otherwise, oh boy.

If I could give you some advise I'd remove:

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. I tried it out and actually thought it was pretty good despite how archaic it feels and looks. But there's nothing exceptional to experience in that game compared to modern games, except perhaps the kicking mechanic and the levelling.

Necrovision: Even if you put the game on easy this is a tedious game to play through. It's a cool scenario and theme, demonic magic unleashed in the trenches during WW1 but it's not a good game. It's not designed well and the combat is very old school.

I'd move up:

Stanley Parable: It's great and you can get all you need out of that game in 3-4 hours.

Skip Dead Island and play Dying Light instead. It's the same just a generational leap in development skill and polish.

Also forget Farcry 1+2 and play 3 and 4 instead. Again, besides gaining knowledge of the earliest editions, the newer games are just better versions.

[Aptorian]

Okay, it's a Sunday, I have nothing to do. I am going to create a similar list out of what I have in my Steam library.

My list generally consists of games bought because I was curious about them and just wanted to try them and games I do want to play through and finish because they are important.

I currently have a ton of games installed because I was checking them out after the Steam Christmas Sale.

Finished in 2016:
Blue Estate - 5/5 hair gel products. This game completely clicked with me. It's an old school quick time rail shooter like Time Cop. The controls are frustrating at time (with a mouse) but I love the settings, the action and the characters.

Major Mayhem - 2/5 mobile phone apps. I impulse bought this along side Blue Estate because I got a hankering for quick time rail shooters but this is made for a smart phone screen. Just not fun.

Prismatica - 3/5 puzzle wheels. Another smart phone port. It's a clever little brain teaser but the 10 minutes I spent on it was all I needed. Not suited for couch play.

Guns Gore and Canolli - 4/5 Metal Slugs. This is an old school side scrolling shoot-em-up, mixing gangsters and zombies with a charming cartoon art style. It's a basic experience but if all you want to do is run through a level feeding tommy gun rounds to zombies you can't go wrong.

Kingdom Rush - 2/5 sleeping pills. This is a boring, simple and mediochre tower defense game.

Styx - 4/5 vicious stabbings. Great middle tier fantasy stealth game. It lacks polish and more development experience but the game is all heart. Great characters, writing and story.

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken - 3/5 Fascist penguin dictators. A sort of terrible action platformer that is saved by great artwork, cutscenes and music performances. It's one of those games that you keep on playing despite not really being sure why. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Titan Souls - 3/5 bad checkpoints. I am sure there are people out there who love this game but I just can't play it. You can't make a rock solid, bone hard boss fighting game that kills you in 1 hit and then force the player to walk 30 seconds between each fight. The game doesn't respect your time.

Angry Birds: Space - 3/5 Ham Planets. This game is fine. It's more Angry Birds with space themes and space mechanics. The problem I have with these games is that a lot of the times the results feel random. Just luck of the draw and the quirks of the physics system. That coupled with obtuse level design just doesn't make it terribly appealing.

The Deer God - 3/5 Deer Pellets. This turned out to be an endless runner-type with quest elements. I was looking for a platformer. For some reason I found myself finishing the game despite the game not being terribly appealing to me. I think it's a novel game idea. Man reincarnated as a Deer. The art style was great and I love the atmosphere but it's dull.

Time Clickers - 2/5 trillion clicks. This is an incremental idle clicker. It appears to actually be a teaser for a bigger game called Time Rifters. I kept it running for a couple of weeks but it's not a very satisfying idle game. The ramp up is too slow and it doesn't change fast enough.

Godus - 1/5 Moleneuxs. I decided to start this game up again, simply because I don't think 22 cans will ever finish the game. Wanted to see what it's all about or see if it has changed in a year. There's barely any game there. You click houses for energy and use energy to level mountains. That's pretty much all there is to the game. That coupled with obtuse mechanics and poor resource management and gathering just makes this game soul destroying.

Mighty Switch Force Hyper Edition - 3/5 Bait and Switches. I'd heard good things about this game. It's a challenging platform and tile swapping arcade-like game. Time based collection of escaped convicts. I actually appreciate the gameplay but it's a bit too hard for my liking, coupled with unfair check points and frustrating challenges. If it didn't punish you so hard for being bad, I'd call it a 4/5.

Magrunne: Dark Pulse - 3/5 Portals into hell. I think this game starts out really well. Like a low budget mix of Portal and Q.U.B.E. mixed with Lovecraft. But the story is terrible and surprisingly Lovecraftian elements lose all charm when you actually shine a light upon them. As the story progresses the puzzles began to get a bit too improvisation and not enough logic.

The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief - 4/5 pudgy constables. I was initially disappointed when I discovered this game was more point and click adventure than third person detective story but it grows on you. I am a sucker for classic Hercule Peirot types of crime mysteries and this game delivers on everything I wanted. I love the attention to detail and the charming cliches the stories are populated with. The second part of the game completely flipped the script which I didn't really like and I guessed who the Raven was immediatly but I really enjoyed this.

Tales from the Borderlands - 5/5 Vault Hunters. Loved this series. Best I've played from Telltale so far. It's basically Borderlands with out the first person shooting and a well told story. I love what the game does with Gearbox world and this game seems like a send off for Pandora before Borderlands 3 takes us gods know where in the Borderlands universe.

Fable Anniversary - 4/5 Chicken chasers. This game holds up surprisingly well despite being extremely dated. This game is pretty easy and it's easy to cheese the fights wih AOE spells but it's still fun. It's fun to see the game that was the foundation for 2 and 3. Playing this I REALLY want to play a fourth Fable game.

Woolfie: The Red Hood Diaries - 3/5 Gritty re-imagined fairytales. This game is a mess. Supposedly it was the first part of a series of games or a larger game, that was released before the studio went belly up. You can tell that the game has problems in terms of designh and pacing. But it's still a pretty cool action platformer. It feels like this game had a lot of potential but not the budget or talent to realize the developers dreams.

Rise of the Tomb Raider - 5/5 Desecrated tombs. Absolutely loved this game. Couldn't put it down. It's basically builds upon the Tomb Raider reboot and creates a more polished, streamlined, well paced action and open world action adventure. You could criticize it for just reusing the prior games set-up but I think the game works really well. This game sort of ties the new games back into the old ones. It's going to exciting to see where they go from here.

COD: Black Ops 3: Campaign - 3/5 Frozen forests. I am sort of torn about this game. I don't think the story really works and the pacing felt off to me. By the time it actually clicks and you understand where the whole thing was meant to be going the game is nearly over. On the other hand, what they do in this game, especially towards the end is really cool. This game kind of makes me wish Activision would make an open world COD game like Farcry or Dying Light. There's some really fascinating possibilites built into the game but you never really get to explore it all.

Firewatch - 5/5 Sarcastic radio conversation. This is my kind of game. It's not particularly heavy on actual gameplay but it's not quite a walking simulator. What this game is about is the story and the interaction between the characters. The voice acting is superb and the writing is in a class of its own. I understand why people hate the games ending but if you've followed Idle Thumbs this is exactly the kind of story I would expect from Campo Santo. Can't wait to see what their next project will be.

The Witness - 4/5 incomprehensible line-puzzles. This game kicked my ass mentally. I wish I could say I completed this game fair and square but half-way through I gave up and just used a guide when ever I got stuck. As I got further and further into the game I realized the level of logic and understanding this game demanded was way past my intellect or patience. I can't say I entirely enjoyed how all the puzzles work and I think the game lies to you some times but I can't deny the games quality. Playing through the end game using a guide was baffling.

Teslagrad - 3/5 Calvin and Hobbs imitations. I quit this game halfway through because I just couldn't be arsed to finish it but it's pretty charming if a bit obtuse. I wish the game was better at guiding you and connecting the dots but it's a realitively cheap indie platformer.

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition - 3/5 bad checkpoints. Dark Souls is in my opinion a really good bad game. There's a really solid fighting RPG inside this game that is aided by a world of mystery that makes the player want to play more and more to see what hides around the next corner. Unfortunately the game is mired in a host of poor game design decisions, coupled with environmental design that malfunction and looks outdated the game becomes more tedious and frustrating than satisfying in the long run.

Painkiller: Hell and Damnation - 3/5 monsters impaled by stakes. This is a mediochre re-make of an okay classic FPS game. This game looks and plays like shit but it's hard not to sort of appreciate it for what it is, a salute to old school FPS games. Where you never have to reload, You carry 10 weapons with two firing modes, you run backwards at 50 miles an hour while 20 monsters run at you with no regard for their own life. Mindless fun.

Dying Light: The Following DLC - 5/5 hit and runs. Really great expansion to Dying Light. If you liked the main game then you will love this as well. The driving takes some getting used to, I felt really rusty at first, but the game holds up really well. Racing around crushing zombies with a car is a pretty solid gameplay experience. I felt like the new guns were a bit disappointing but I love the new crossbow.

Waiting:
Abyss Odyssey
Alien Isolation
Alien VS Predator -Alien and Predator missions.
Angry Birds: Space
Besiege
Black Ops 3: Campaign
Blue Estate
Blues and Bullets - When the final episode is finally released
Bully
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
DARK
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition
Darksiders 2: Deathinitive edition
The Deer God
Divinity: Dragon Commander
Dungeon Siege 3
Dying Light: The Following DLC
Ether One: Redux
The Evil Within
Fable Anniversary
Firewatch
Godus
Grim Fandango: Remastered
GTA: Episodes from liberty city
Guns, Gore and Cannoli
Incedible adventures of Van Helsing 1+2+3
Jade Empire
Killer is Dead
Kingdom Rush
Krater
KOTOR 1+2
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
The Last Federation
Legend of Grimrock 2
Lichdom Battle Mage
Lords of the Fallen
Magrunner: Dark Pulse
Magicka
Major Mayhem
Mark of the Ninja
Mega Man: Legacy Collection - 3-6
Mighty Switch Force: Hyper drive edition
Of Orcs and Men
Overlord 2
Painkiller: Hell and Damnation
Prismatica
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.
The Raven - Legacy of a Master Thief
Risen 2: Dark Waters
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Road not Taken
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken
Sacred 3
Shadowgate
Sir, you are being hunted
Sonic Generations
Styx: Master of Shadow
Tales from the Borderlands
SW: Force Unleashed 2
Super Time Force Ultra
Tomb Raider: Legend
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Two Worlds 2
Topico 4
Teslagrad
Time Clickers
Titan Souls
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power
Ultra Street Fighter 4
Valyria Chronicles
Viking: Battle for Asgard
The Witness
Woolfie: The Red Hood Diaries
Zeno Clash 2

MMOs:
Planetside 2
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Secret World
Final Fantasy What ever.
World of Warcraft What ever
ARK: Survival Evolved

I am going to keep an eye on this list and cross out games I finish/uninstall and leave a comment on them. I wonder how many I will get through in 2016.

This post has been edited by Apt: 02 December 2016 - 03:55 PM

[Maark Abbott]

For me... hmm. Short list for now.

Resident Evil 0
Thief 4 (xb1)
More Chronophantasma (dem stein combos)
Cryptark (gift)
Depth (gift)

[Primateus]

Apt, I notice you have KOTOR 1+2 on your list. Those are both solid and awesome games. However, if you play them from steam there are some issues you should know about. First of all, KOTOR 1, don't ever, ever, EVER use the quick save function, because you'll think it works fine, right up until the game crashes on you and you find out you've lost many hours of play.

With KOTOR 2 I highly recommend you use the restored lost content mod found in the workshop.

Otherwise, both games are awesome!

I suggest skipping Dungeon Siege 3. It sucks huge big donkey balls! That's my personal opinion, though, but I really hated it.

If any of you are unfamiliar with them, I suggest the Trine games.

Otherwise, happy gaming

[Gorefest]

Only essential thing on there is Grim Fandango

[Cause]

Mentalist start by crossing off every game on your list with a metacritic rating under 75. Otherwise your task is impossible.

I have quite the backlog as well:

Assassins creed (2, brotherhood, blackflag, unity)
Max Payne 3
Dead Space 1,2,3
Watch Dogs
Tomb Raider
Bloodborne
Valkyria Chronicles (oddly I played 2 but never 1)
Witcher 2, 3

Im sure many more.

In the last month though (I have been on a mission too) I did manage to get through:

Uncharted 2
Uncharted 3
Esnalved: Oddysey to the west

[Morgoth]

Playing games seems like such a chore when you approach it as something you have to do.

[Aptorian]

Cause, on 11 January 2016 - 10:33 AM, said:

Mentalist start by crossing off every game on your list with a metacritic rating under 75. Otherwise your task is impossible.

That's a terrible suggestion. Metacritic scores are guidelines but seldom give a complete picture, especially if you tastes lie on the fringe of the popular genre's and established franchises. There's a whole lot of the games on Ments list that are appreciated by strategy or RPG fans but do not have the polish or budget to get high scores.

For example, within the last couple of days I have played Blue Estate and Styx: Master of Shadow. Two games that got a 59 and 71 average on PC. They're two of the best game experiences I have had in years. Blue Estate is the most fun I've had with a shooter in ages.

Morgoth, on 11 January 2016 - 11:24 AM, said:

Playing games seems like such a chore when you approach it as something you have to do.

Depends upon your approach. Personally gaming is as much a hobby as a form of entertainment or leisure to me. I follow the news and discussions. I want to keep abreast with what ever games are noteworthy or important.

This post has been edited by Apt: 11 January 2016 - 11:55 AM

[Cause]

@Apt - Well obviously he has to apply some of his own preferences. However if we look at hist first person list and assume he has limited time, he needs a way to determine whether to play FEAR 1, Alan Wake, Metro 2033, Farcry 1, Farcry 2 or Bioshock Infinite. Under these circumstances I would argue he is best served by playing the 'arguably best or most iconic games' first and playing the leftovers if his schedule allows. Allan wake was a great game, was well received and had a bit of a cult following. Metro 2033 is an amazing game, Bioshock infinte is good, FEAR 1 is average and worse considering how out of date it is. He also speaks about perhaps buying farcry 3 and 4. Here my advice is simple (I can't speak for farcry 1 or 2 as I never plaid them) but 3 and 4 are the same game (I mean identical) except for setting. Given limited time just buy Farcry 4 and play it and skip 3. At some point you have to leave behind parts of your backlog or you will finally be playing farcry 5 when farcry 10 is out.

Many games on his list are niche and ys in those circumstances his own opinion is all that counts.

This post has been edited by Cause: 11 January 2016 - 01:29 PM

[Aptorian]

I get your point but I will not have this slander of Fear 1. I played the trilogy a couple years back and of the three, it's Fear 1 that impressed me the most.

Fear plays and feels like a tactical Half-life game. The enemy AI is superb and really challenges you in the fire fights you get into with them. I have never been able to discern if it's Valve's engine or if it's some third party physics system but when you shoot people in Fear 1 it feels immensely satisfying.

[Mentalist]

Hehe. The point of the exercise is to quantify the backlog. Also to create preferences in each genre I'm interested in.

This list does not include "every" game in my Steam, GoG, Gamersgate and Origin accounts. Due to buying in bundles, I have way too many titles. This list represents the initial culling.

In no way am I saying I will play all these in 2016. I have a fairly small amount of free time, which I must split between sports, reading, gaming, being social, and sleep.

The purpose of a list such as this is not to "make it a chore", but rather to put the hobby into perspective. And, ultimately, to control a buying habit, and reduce impulse purchases.

Since I've started working and stopped pirating, it's a cointoss which I've spent more money on-books or games. And it's not that I don't enjoy either- but rationally, I want to get a better handle on my buying habits and become more responsible with money.

Re: FarCrys: I know that they are unconnected, and 3 and 4 are much more "modern". But i'm interested in the African setting of 2, so i'll try it regardless.
Thanks for the input on NecroVisioN, Apt i'll make sure to put it in the end of any list.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 11 January 2016 - 02:46 PM

[Khellendros]

I have a list of games I want to play, which I am working through chronologically based on release date. The current list is over 1600 games long.

I am currently on game number...11 - Super Mario Bros. (up to level 7-1, so close to finishing, then it's on to Donkey Kong Junior)

[Gothos]

Of the games I already have, mostly just Alien: Isolation.

Other than that, we have Hearts of Iron IV coming out so there's that.

[Aptorian]

You can do it Khellendros! I believe in you!

I started Alien: Isolation but chickened out. Probably got 3 or 4 hours into it but I am big wuss. Eventually I will pick it back up but I am using the rest of my back-catalog as an excuse to avoid it.

In other news:

I finished Styx today. It was fucking awesome. The game may lack polish and it may look and play like it's 10 years old but what a great setting, what a great character. I cannot wait to play the sequel that is supposed to come out this year. If they manage to reiterate on the great writing and environment design and just focus on polishing the controls and UI this series will give Dishonered some legitimate competition.

I also played through Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken. I was actually having buyers remorse when I started it up. From previews I knew it was a sort of mediochre action platformer but it feels super underwhelming. It sort of feels like playing a more fast paced Pitfall or Prince of Persia game, just with more shooting.

After playing the initial levels I was going to just stop and delete the game but then the game shifted and it throws well made cartoon story sequences in and adds jet pack levels and a sort of good "for kids" action hero origin story and I started to appreciate the game more and more. I ended up playing through the whole thing in two sittings and really enjoyed it.

What really sells this game to me was the artistic design and the music and songs. It's super stylish.

Again, this is a game that is supposedly getting a sequel in 2016. I want to see what they do next.

EDIT: As an addendum I am striking Titan Souls off the list. I really appreciate this game for what it's trying to do but this is not a game for me.

You can't have hard, puzzle like boss fights with one hit kills that come out of nowhere and then place the check point up to 30 seconds away from the boss room.

I don't mind a challenge, I don't mind dying again and again, but I need to instantly be able to get back into the fight for it to be satisfying for me.

This post has been edited by Apt: 14 January 2016 - 08:09 PM

[Khellendros]

Apt, on 14 January 2016 - 06:58 PM, said:

You can do it Khellendros! I believe in you!

I started Alien: Isolation but chickened out. Probably got 3 or 4 hours into it but I am big wuss. Eventually I will pick it back up but I am using the rest of my back-catalog as an excuse to avoid it.

In other news:

I finished Styx today. It was fucking awesome. The game may lack polish and it may look and play like it's 10 years old but what a great setting, what a great character. I cannot wait to play the sequel that is supposed to come out this year. If they manage to reiterate on the great writing and environment design and just focus on polishing the controls and UI this series will give Dishonered some legitimate competition.

I also played through Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken. I was actually having buyers remorse when I started it up. From previews I knew it was a sort of mediochre action platformer but it feels super underwhelming. It sort of feels like playing a more fast paced Pitfall or Prince of Persia game, just with more shooting.

After playing the initial levels I was going to just stop and delete the game but then the game shifted and it throws well made cartoon story sequences in and adds jet pack levels and a sort of good "for kids" action hero origin story and I started to appreciate the game more and more. I ended up playing through the whole thing in two sittings and really enjoyed it.

What really sells this game to me was the artistic design and the music and songs. It's super stylish.

Again, this is a game that is supposedly getting a sequel in 2016. I want to see what they do next.

EDIT: As an addendum I am striking Titan Souls off the list. I really appreciate this game for what it's trying to do but this is not a game for me.

You can't have hard, puzzle like boss fights with one hit kills that come out of nowhere and then place the check point up to 30 seconds away from the boss room.

I don't mind a challenge, I don't mind dying again and again, but I need to instantly be able to get back into the fight for it to be satisfying for me.

Hah, thanks Apt! I was actually thinking of starting a blog about it. I really feel the world needs another blog.


Styx is number 1484 on the list.

Have you played 'Of Orcs and Men'? It's a different type of game to Styx, but it's where the character first appears (and it's No. 1291).

[Aptorian]

Do you really have a list? I want to see it if you do.

I bought "Of Orcs and Men" when I realized how much I enjoyed Styx but I suspect that it's going to be a less enjoyable experience. Everything I have seen about that game looks sub par, except the writing. It's my impression that the studio is learning with each release and by the time Styx 2 comes out they might be swinging for the big leagues, a la CD Project.

I also have my eyes on Mars: Warlogs and Bound by Flame but again, those games are not a priority.

This post has been edited by Apt: 15 January 2016 - 10:55 AM

[Khellendros]

Apt, on 15 January 2016 - 10:54 AM, said:

Do you really have a list? I want to see it if you do.

I bought "Of Orcs and Men" when I realized how much I enjoyed Styx but I suspect that it's going to be a less enjoyable experience. Everything I have seen about that game looks sub par, except the writing. It's my impression that the studio is learning with each release and by the time Styx 2 comes out they might be swinging for the big leagues, a la CD Project.

I also have my eyes on Mars: Warlogs and Bound by Flame but again, those games are not a priority.

I really do have a list, yes. It's colour-coded and everything. It's now a stupidly-long Word document which I'm converting into Excel (not sure why I didn't start it in Excel but oh well!).

And Mars: War Logs is No. 1361. Bound by Flame, I'm afraid to say, hasn't made it.

[Mentalist]

Lol. I'll probably get to those Spiders games first, i'll share my impressions. There's also a new game in the works "Technomancer", unrelated-to-but-set-in-the-same-world as "Mars: War logs".

[Aptorian]

Finished a bunch more games.

Angry Birds: Space - 3/5 Ham Planets. This game is fine. It's more Angry Birds with space themes and space mechanics. The problem I have with these games is that a lot of the times the results feel random. Just luck of the draw and the quirks of the physics system. That coupled with obtuse level design just doesn't make it terribly appealing.

The Deer God - 3/5 Deer Pellets. This turned out to be an endless runner-type with quest elements. I was looking for a platformer. For some reason I found myself finishing the game despite the game not being terribly appealing to me. I think it's a novel game idea. Man reincarnated as a Deer. The art style was great and I love the atmosphere but it's dull.

Time Clickers - 2/5 trillion clicks. This is an incremental idle clicker. It appears to actually be a teaser for a bigger game called Time Rifters. I kept it running for a couple of weeks but it's not a very satisfying idle game. The ramp up is too slow and it doesn't change fast enough.

Godus - 1/5 Moleneuxs. I decided to start this game up again, simply because I don't think 22 cans will ever finish the game. Wanted to see what it's all about or see if it has changed in a year. There's barely any game there. You click houses for energy and use energy to level mountains. That's pretty much all there is to the game. That coupled with obtuse mechanics and poor resource management and gathering just makes this game soul destroying.

Mighty Switch Force Hyper Edition - 3/5 Bait and Switches. I'd heard good things about this game. It's a challenging platform and tile swapping arcade-like game. Time based collection of escaped convicts. I actually appreciate the gameplay but it's a bit too hard for my liking, coupled with unfair check points and frustrating challenges. If it didn't punish you so hard for being bad, I'd call it a 4/5.