Your Games Completed of 2023

Caved and bought Baldur's Gate 3 due to a combination of D&D-group peer pressure and Martonomics.

Haven't started it yet - it's a huge download! - but I look forward to spending several hours in a character creator later.

martTM

Caved and bought Baldur's Gate 3 due to a combination of D&D-group peer pressure and Martonomics.

I was Bitcoin before it was cool.

Ninchilla

Just realised I put that in the wrong thread - should be in PWB, not Games Completed. Oops!

feltmonkey

Guys, what's worse? JDub with his one and done approach to Hitman, or me who has played the tutorial level with the plywood cruiseship 15 times, the second tutorial with the jet once, the fashion show level also once, and nothing else?

martTM

The jet level is a great sandbox, since it really teaches you how even small places can have multiple approaches. Tagging everyone in that tiny office without getting spotted is such a joy.

Also, you're both monsters.

Brian Bloodaxe

If it helps I've never played any of them.

martTM

That's allowed though, Bri. It's the equivalent of being vegan and not having ever tasted the delights of Five Guys*. You just wouldn't know.

Imagine having eaten four fries and a solitary bite of a double burger with fried mushrooms and onions though, cooked to perfection, and then thinking you're full. Imagine it. The horror.

(* Other burger outlets are available, but none of you would have ever heard of the incredible Boogie Moogie, so I'm playing to the masses here)

Garwoofoo

It's the equivalent of being vegan and not having ever tasted the delights of Five Guys*.

But I’m vegan and I’ve tasted the delights of…

Oh, burgers.

martTM

I set 'em up, you knock 'em down.

Also, for your reference and drooling.

feltmonkey

Weird that their logo is a pair of conjoined twins. Very inclusive though.

Mr Party Hat

September 12, 2023

With a cracking set of Warcraft shoulder armour.

JDubYes

September 12, 2023

Guys, what's worse? JDub with his one and done approach to Hitman, or me who has played the tutorial level with the plywood cruiseship 15 times, the second tutorial with the jet once, the fashion show level also once, and nothing else?

When was this? Because that what I did when the first one came out, years ago, then played those all again a few months back, prior to the binge in the last few weeks. On that basis, I’m now wondering if you’re following the same pattern, and will be back in here to similarly irritate the purists in about 2027.

The other thing that’s amused me in all this talk is that I’d forgotten (how) to tag people throughout, thanks to leaving just enough time between the tutorials and the playthroughs that I hadn’t remembered that was even a thing.

martTM

September 20, 2023

JANUARY
Ori and the Blind Forest
Escape Academy: Escape from Anti-Escape Island (DLC)
Windosill
Tinykin

FEBRUARY
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
The Witness (kind of)
A Little To The Left

MARCH
Elechead

APRIL
Nothing

MAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

JUNE
McPixel 3
Vampire Survivors

JULY
Nothing

AUGUST
Pikmin 4

SEPTEMBER
Vampire Survivors (properly this time)
Pikmin 4 (properly this time)
[REDACTED] - To be updated when appropriate.

martTM

September 27, 2023

JANUARY
Ori and the Blind Forest
Escape Academy: Escape from Anti-Escape Island (DLC)
Windosill
Tinykin

FEBRUARY
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
The Witness (kind of)
A Little To The Left

MARCH
Elechead

APRIL
Nothing

MAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

JUNE
McPixel 3
Vampire Survivors

JULY
Nothing

AUGUST
Pikmin 4

SEPTEMBER
Vampire Survivors (properly this time)
Pikmin 4 (properly this time)
[REDACTED]
Gunbrella - The further I got into this, the less I enjoyed it (the gameplay never really evolves and a lot of things it gives you - like varied ammo for your gunbrella - are pretty pointless). The ending/pay-off was frankly rubbish. Oh well.

BeanyFGC

September 27, 2023

Dredge -8.5/10

Sometimes the best games are the ones you never asked for. Like a indie horror fishing game. It shouldn't really work, but with great story telling and a satisfying chilled gameplay loop. it's one of my favorite games this year. It kinda feeds you little bits of story as you go on collecting resources to upgrade your boat. Nothing scary but comes across grim and spooky. Why is it fishing in games are so addictive? If you feel the same way, I definitely recommend it.

Spark the Electric Jester 3 -6/10

A small game that's heavily influenced by the Sonic Adventures series. With some decent improvements to the speed movement's. It has it's moments. Some stuff I'll love to see in the modern Sonic games. It also comes with some terrible original ideas too. Like a lackluster combat system. Mix that with some of the jank that you'll expect from the Sonic Adventure games and it starts to add up. Can't recommend, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Double Dragon Gaiden -8/10

I love 2D side scroller beat'em ups, so this was a no brainer. Isn't quite up to the level of the lastest River City Girls and Street of Rage 4 but adds a more simple fun gimmick. There's a lot less in your move set with your standard attack combo and three super attacks you'll need to use meter for. It does make up for this in the amount of characters you can unlock. The aim of the game is to reduce a group of enemies health and finish them with one of your super attacks. The more enemies you kill at once the better rewards you get (up to 5 max). Like I said it's simple but still fun. The art style isn't what I would of chosen. Not the biggest fan of the cute chibi style but in no way effected my experience. Would recommend.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk -9/10

Finally completed this. I've said a lot in other threads but this plays as if it's JSR3 would have done. Improves on some of the jank you'll expect from the JSR game's that were released years ago and adds bikes, skateboards and free running to the mix. The world hubs looks beautiful and showcase that they "get it" from a gameplay point of view. Kinda surprised with the amount of well hidden high spots you'll need to find a way to get there. Almost feels like a puzzle at times. Easy recommend. A must for JSR fans.

Starfield -6.5/10

Definitely not a bad game, but I wouldn't say a good one. Unfortunately the best way to describe Starfield is disappointing. I feel like nothing this game dose hasn't been done before but better. The easiest disappointment is the poor exploration. From a Bethesda standard it's shocking on multiple levels. I found myself more often running for ages on a empty planet just to find a underwhelming cave with little do. Throw in a crazy amount of load times. It made me not want to explore anymore. I simply only went to planets to complete quest. Teammates feel massively outdated. Personally wise, I think they picked some pretty boring characters to play with. Looking back at other Western RPGs like Mass Effect and Outer Worlds. None of the main teammates in Starfield interested me like them other games. In terms of gameplay, what do they bring to the table? No skill tree, no bonuses like plus hacking or whatever direction your character is going and no attacks or abilities in or out of combat. The only reason to keep them around is to let them be a walking handbag to dump your stuff into when your carrying too much. The combat is improved from past games, although I miss "VAT". It's still has that Bethesda jank to it though. If you compare this battle system to Cyberpunk it's night and day which one is more fun. I will say the main campaign gets interesting in the second half, and some of the side quests are brilliant. Even the amount of side quest is impressive. I think a lot of people will love this game, and I can understand why, but for me it's one step forward and two steps back at every chance it gets. Maybe this game was in development for too long or it's just far too ambitious. I honestly feel less would be better. A 1,000 planet or whatever is just too much of you expect to a rich universe you'll want to explore. Outer Worlds did space better.

martTM

October 04, 2023

JANUARY
Ori and the Blind Forest
Escape Academy: Escape from Anti-Escape Island (DLC)
Windosill
Tinykin

FEBRUARY
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
The Witness (kind of)
A Little To The Left

MARCH
Elechead

APRIL
Nothing

MAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

JUNE
McPixel 3
Vampire Survivors

JULY
Nothing

AUGUST
Pikmin 4

SEPTEMBER
Vampire Survivors (properly this time)
Pikmin 4 (properly this time)
[REDACTED]
Gunbrella

OCTOBER
Cocoon - Ow, my brain, especially towards the end. Rattled it out in an afternoon with my partner. What a very lovely game (bar one tiny bit at the end where I got locked out of getting the last secret… thank god for the devs thinking of including incremental save wind-back).

BeanyFGC

October 06, 2023

Sonic Mania -8.5/10

So much love and care has been put into this. Just going from the animation alone you can see. If your a fan of the Sonic 2D classic you'll be hooked from the very start of the title screen. It seems like a small thing but compare this opening title screen to the Sonic the hedgehog 4: episode 1 or 2 and it disgusting. One looks like it's running on a slideshow and the other is super polished. That's one of the takeaways from Mania. It looks and feels polished throughout the game. Level design is amazing… mostly, which I'll go into soon, but some of the gimmicks and original levels are some of the best yet. From running around in some kind of TV show to being shot out of a revolver in the wild West. It feels new and fresh from the other classic games. The remakes of pass titles mainly in the second act are a interesting take. Like for example chemical plant from Sonic 2 has you turning the water into jelly. Completely flipping it on its head. It feels nostalgic and new at the same time. Great stuff. My one and only issue with the game is the act 1 of the remake Zones. They pretty much one to one from the originals from back in the day. It's nice to see them back looking nicer than ever, but there's too many. It adds up to a big chunk of the game. Considering how good the new originals are, this a shame. I can't take replaying Green Hill Zone from Sonic 1 anymore. Please can we move on now? It's a good level, iconic even. We don't need to keep seeing it.

The DLC adds two new characters, Mighty and Ray. Both great additions and bring a new way to play. With the main game and the DLC being pretty old. I've seen bundles with them both for cheap. Easy recommend if you haven't got round to it already.

Sonic Triple Trouble 16 Bit -9.5/10

A free to play fan made game that's a remake of a game gear Sonic title in the early 90's. When I say remake, I'm talking an insane amount of work to the point when you likely wouldn't recognize it when comparing them side by side.

This game ticks every box you'll want from a classic Sonic game. Gimmicks, new zones (no green hill 👍), characters, story, replayability and lots of content. I think one of the most impressive things about this game is how smooth transitions are between the zones are. It always manages to squeeze something interesting in like character building, moving the story along or making sense just going from A to B, but it never linger for too long. Going the extra mile for that appreciated effort. As for the Zones, amazing. Like I said before any Sonic game that doesn't start with Green Hill is a bonus. One of the standouts is on top of a train while one of the 3 main bosses is trying to stop you (Nack). That's also something this games pulls of well. The fact that it has 3 main bosses without it feeling too much. It's handled perfectly. As for the replayability. Once you complete the game with Sonic and Tails you can replay the game as knuckles who has different levels and boss fights. Then after that you can play with the new character Nack who has a completely new play style to any other character in the pass games and also Amy (my favorite).

If you enjoy the old classic Sonic games I beg you try out. It's free to download and is easily one of the best Sonic games made.

Garwoofoo

October 07, 2023

Cocoon - like Mart, I really enjoyed this. It's a brain-bending puzzle game with a vaguely disturbing aesthetic that reminded me oddly of Thumper. But while it's very clever, and will undoubtedly leave you stumped in places, it's also quite kind to the player in terms of closing off doors behind you so you know when you've got everything you need to solve a puzzle. I made it all the way through without having to look up any solutions (unusual for me) and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.

martTM

October 07, 2023

I made it all the way through without having to look up any solutions (unusual for me) and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.

The bit with

Spoiler - click to showthe shooting white ball turret, putting the green in the orange with things lined up just right, THEN having to hit switches to throw the ball up in the air at just the right time, before making it to the green smoke before it changes!

I've never felt so clever and broken at the same time. 🫠

Ninchilla

October 11, 2023

Previously

God of War
Astro's Playroom

…and now, Stray Gods.

It's not a long game - 5 hours, according to the played time listed on my PS5 - and it doesn't quite live up to its ambition, but the story is great, and there are some pretty obvious major branching points in the back half. The story is decent, the writing is great, the cast are fantastic; but a lot of the audio stuff lets it down.

I've mentioned before that the songs are kind of bit-y, with none of them really hanging together as actual songs - shifting genres and tone every verse unsurprisingly makes for an uneven (and sometimes incoherent) track, but the real problem is lyrical. A lot of the lyrics are heavy-handed, with weak or nonexistent rhymes and borderline-tortuous rhyming schemes or/rhythm. I mean, they're mostly okay, some are half-decent, but there's no big hit in here.

The mixing and sound design, though, is godawful. Especially playing with headphones, the near-total absence of any kind of ambience in most scenes - and especially the ones that take place in crowded areas, clubs, or at parties - is a gaping hole. Reverb on lines (especially in a later sequence in Hades) cuts off instantly when another character starts to speak. It's a real mess, even if it does manage to highlight just how hard the cast are working to sell it.

It ends with at least two hints for a sequel - though I have no idea how that would work, given some of the choices I've made.

I've checked the trophy list, and the platinum would involve at least another two playthroughs; I'm not sure that's something that interests me; I think I've gotten what I can from it.

Garwoofoo

October 11, 2023

I thought that was the cat game, and was getting increasingly confused as I read your description of it.

Ninchilla

October 11, 2023

I should have included the The Roleplaying Musical subtitle, huh?

martTM

October 17, 2023

JANUARY
Ori and the Blind Forest
Escape Academy: Escape from Anti-Escape Island (DLC)
Windosill
Tinykin

FEBRUARY
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
The Witness (kind of)
A Little To The Left

MARCH
Elechead

APRIL
Nothing

MAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

JUNE
McPixel 3
Vampire Survivors

JULY
Nothing

AUGUST
Pikmin 4

SEPTEMBER
Vampire Survivors (properly this time)
Pikmin 4 (properly this time)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Gunbrella

OCTOBER
Cocoon
Blasphemous - The new content was totally worth the effort to experience. However, there are still five bosses and a quest line I've never done locked behind the NG+ gate… do I start over? Maybe. We'll see.

Alastor

Buckle up because I've been busy! Since @Garwoofoo was a naughty boy and got sent to twitter jail or something I figured he'd like to know how this thing has gone!

Resident Evil 4 (Original)
Played this in the run up to the release of the remake, the game is basically as good as the day it was released on Gamecube. I don't think it gets quite as good after you leave the village (which practically clowns most similar games on its own as a set piece) but the shooting is never not extremely satisfying. Leon is a very fun protagonist in a sometimes pretty silly game, is it better than the remake? We'll see. :)

Resident Evil 2 (PS1)
One of the best sequels of all time to one of the best survival horror games of all time, what blessed console the PS1 was. I think this is a step up from Resident Evil 1 in pretty much every way, the Mansion probably used to be more iconic than the Police Station but now I'm not so sure. This game just expanded the scope of the original both in terms of gameplay and just general content. Is it then the remake? We'll see. :)

Resident Evil 3 (PS1)
I think this is a good game even though I shit on it from time to time, the reason I do this is that other than the Nemesis system this feels like a step back from Resi 2 in a big way. The game has some cool idea like random encounters and story choices but it's the Nemesis who is the obvious star of the show here and arguably without him this game would feel a little flat. With him however, he constantly keeps you on edge even when he's not even there, because you feel at any moment he could jump through a pre rendered window (he literally does this) and chase you down. Also the Raccoon City streets were a cool setting, too bad you leave it behind. Is it better than the remake? Yes :)

Resident Evil 1 Remake
In terms of being a survival horror this is probably the best in the series, the fact that you explicitly do NOT want to kill Zombies in this one because they will turn into a super zombie unless you do some boring legwork with two items in your inventory everytime you do kill one changes the dynamic considerably and makes the Zombies more of an issue then ever. This combined with the fact that this game is pretty item puzzle heavy means you are making some hard choices throughout, leave the Herb? Take the item, whoops can't pick up the Red Herb now! Also it looks incredible, it made my jaw drop the first time I saw it and I still think it looks insane now.

Resident Evil 0
An even more uncomfortable Resident Evil game than Remake, and sometimes very rough to play. It had a lot of new ideas the series never went back to like no Item Boxes meaning now you could just drop stuff on the floor and you know have two playable characters at once. In theory you are supposed to use this to mean double the inventory slot and double the firepower but most people, me included used One room as a the Item Dump Room (usually a save room) and left Rebecca in that room until a duo puzzle popped up because the mental stack of her being with you was a bit high for me. Despite it all, despite the stupid OC villain inserting his bishonen, opera singing face into the established lore, despite it being mean and having unfun monsters, I liked it and still think it has that 'Classic' Resi. Too bad it's probably not canon!

Resident Evil 4 Remake
I guess I'll say this now, I think despite some areas in this version feeling like a downgrade I think I prefer this to the original. The combat has always been the main reason RE4 was a classic imo and it's simply better here, inconsistent enemy stagger be damned. Not really much else to say tbh, other than Ashley's character glow up in this game is insanely good.

Resident Evil 5
I know I'm in the minority here but I didn't enjoy this at all and was basically googling how many chapters were left in the first Act. People will say 'It has a piss filter and the setting sucks ass but the shooting is still Resi 4 levels of solid' and I just want to say I did not feel this way at all, I thought the shooting and the guns felt a lot worse to use(compare the Shotty in 5 to the one in 4) and there's just so MANY enemies on screen now that it often felt like the almost personal engagements of Resi 4 were turned into these really impersonal swarms of crowd management simulation. Because it's a co-op game I had to basically never use some of the weapon types in this game because you can only hold a few and item pickups don't double up. So I had to feed Sheva's terrible AI with ammo and guns I wanted to use but couldn't. If they remake this I hope they make Sheva AI the same way they did to Luis in Resi 4.

Resident Evil Revelations 2
As some people may know, Claire is my favourite Resident Evil Character, so a game with her AND Barry 'I hope it's not Chris' blood' Burton is a great way to get me excited. This seems to be a generally well liked game and I can see why, it plays well and it feels like a Resi game in tone, the only issue is that it (and every TPS gameplay in the series) will have to stack up to Resi 4 and obviously it just doesn't, but it's at least way more satisfying to shoot weakspots in this then shooting at all in Resi 5. I think making you do every level again as Barry was kind of a bummer and would have happily not had him in the game, or just in cutscenes if that's how they wer going to do it, though if we're here..was nice to see him back.

Resident Evil Revelations 1
This time it's Jill Valentine's solo return on a Cruise Ship which has a much more survival horror feel to it. I think the level traversal and everything to this is just fine but the enemies in this game are pretty awful, but the game as a whole feels like it has less down time than Rev 2. I think I prefer it to the sequel overall but it sucks that both games are marredby either 'shit enemies' or 'levels can feel like a drag to do twice'.

Resident Evil 3 Remake
I really wish I could defend this more than I am, because it's not a bad game but it's a very disappointing one. To highlight how insanely compressed this version of Resident Evil 3 is you meet Nemesis, Carlos and the Mercs and seen most of the city in like the first ten minutes in what is basically an on rails section of walking in a straight line compared to the fair amount of walking and puzzling you have to do in the original. there's a whole area in this game that was cut (well, there are several whole areas but..) and the device used to access it was moved and turned into an item dispenser??? Also, Raccoon City in comparison to the PS1 version feels insanely small and basically a straight line…then you leave again, it's practically the most iconic part of RE3 I would have preferred to see it longer not shorter. Also poor Nemmy, his 'stalker' vibes were completely stolen from him in the Resident Evil 2 Remake by Mr X and he just feels a bit lost in this game and then he turns into a fucking quadraped halfway through the City section.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica
People said this game sucks, well fuck them because I liked this one a lot!!! It's definitely a bit on the meaner side of Classic Resi but I don't think it's that hard man. Lots of great Claire Redfield moments, some great locations (I think the Prison is a bit underrated as far being creepy goes) and a pretty memorable villain. I'm not a fan of how Chris comes in and basically steals the spotlight in the second half though, but as a Resi 2 fan it's nice to see Claire finally on screen with the brother she searched for in Resi 2.

Resident Evil 6
I like this more than most people did, it's got some of the worst enemy and level design in the entire series but also as an action game it was pretty fun to control and once again not to fit lick Resi 4's boots in that area at all. I quite admire the ambition this game had, it had multiple campaigns for different characters in a big interwoven story and usually their own flavour of gameplay. These vary by quality pretty wildly though(Leon's campaign gets the flowers from everyone for bringing Zombies back but no one going to mention the Catacombs sucking ass???) and ultimately makes the game feel super fucking long. Better than Resident Evil 5 don't @ me.

Resident Evil: Gun Survivor
The first PS1 'hybrid lightgun game' and, this will be a trend with 'these ones', feels like an expanded tech demo than anything. This is mercifully super short and you just walk from location to location shooting things in first person, like it's a fan mod or something (which is funny because this HAS a fan mod to make it 3rd person lol). It does have the PS1 Resi feel to it though because of the assets and whatnot.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
An ACTUAL lightgun game and a sequel to one I will list after this, both of which I played with a Move Controller I bought specfically for this. This is the usual lightgun game fun where you can shoot scenery for secrets and ammo as well as the Zombies but for Resi fans it's a nice treat as you go down memory lane through abridged versions of Resident Evil 2, Code Veronica and the new backstory for Leon and Resi 4's Krauser. It has one almost fatal flaw form e though, there's an abslutely infuriating amount of cursor shake in this that literally makes some of the precision shots required super hard, I can understand if it was when they were running at the same time but it's not. For a lightgun game you can see how this would be a problem.

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
This is the prequel lightgun game and it doesn't have that game's annoying cursor wobbling BS, on the whole this makes it more enjoyable to play. It features Resi 1, 0 and 3 this time and they door a pretty piss poor job with Resident Evil 3 to the point it didn't feel like I was doing much of any of that game, ah well. The Wesker chapter where he escapes the Spencer Mansion from Lisa trevor is fucking awesome though. Still think both games well worth playing with a Move controller (which quickly became very painful to aim at a screen for a even a short amount of time)

Resident Evil 7
The game I was dreading most replaying and turned out to be less of a drag than I thought, however some of the magic of the first playthrough has definitely gone now. The best part of this game first time through was the Baker household, avoiding Jack/Marguerite and trying to solve puzzles, but when you know what you are doing these parts are super fast. After that you end up doing some Saw inspired BS and then it turns into a straight shooter with some of the worst enemies of the series. I respect the game for dragging the series back to survival horror, felling like a Resident Evil game and keeping to the Survival Horror roots but I don't think I have any reason to replay this.

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
Yes, the DS version of the PS1 game, I'm sorry I had to do it! This is actually a really good version of the game provided you play the DS 'Rebirth mode' which has a few new changes to the game such as touch screen FPV knife battles that overstay their welcome pretty quickly, new enemy placements, new puzzles using the touchscreen, knife shortcut, skippable door animations and little things like Forest coming back as a Zombie which he doesn't do in the PS1 game. Also…it's Resident Evil 1 OG, of course it's a good game! It's a super camp b-horror classic.

Resident Evil: Dead Aim
Another lightgun hybrid and the closest one that comes to being an actual game, it's fun to play but overall it's so short and forgettable (like the two main characters who I can't even remember the names of). It's not entirely first person too, when alking arounf you are in third person so it feels like as a game it's not as good a 3rd person action game as Resi 4 and not as good at being a lightgun games as the actual lightgun games. This game has possibly the most ridiculous villain in the entire series, his life goal is to make a 'Kingdom of Beauty' in Africa and when he becomes a Tyrant he becomes this 'yes bitch slay' androgynous monster in HIGH HEELS.

Resident Evil: Gun Survivor 2…Code Veronica(?)
This is a shitty tech demo set in Code Veronica split into 5 stages and…is it even a lightgun game? I used a pad but the controls for this were atrocious. I'm not beating the 'padded his list' allegations thanks to this but I could hardly leave the last lightgun-ish game out could I? Don't play this I say, as if people can and would just pop on to the PSN and buy it

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
This one, you CAN buy which I did, and currently on sale which I did not….do NOT buy this piece of shit or even play it. It's a squad based third person shooter set in a sort of 'what if' universe where Umbrella was somewhat more competent? I don't even need to compare this to Rsi 4 it just feels horrible, it was playable for like 30 mins then I realised all guns feel the same and no mater where I shot enemies it didn't seem to matter. This will not even be good in multiplayer I fear

Resident Evil 2 Remake
Finally we come to my favourite game in the series, I'm very biased but this game is pretty immaculate for me. The 3D Police Station is fucking glorious, and I feel like although it's still as short as any Resi location when you know what to do, making your way around, avoiding/killing zombies, hiding from Mr. X, it's all just so damn good. those moments of you feeling through the dark with the flashlight and then get blindsided by a Zombie only to whip out the Shotgun and pop his head like a watermelon is one of those personal moments of tension I don't think any game in the series does as well. Also Mr X stalking the entire Police Station for you is big stress in a good way, and hearing his footsteps shake the whole floor above you is enough to make your heart rate soar.

Resident Evil Village
Or Resident Evil 8 if you want, yes this is a direct sequel to 7, a more action orientated (bar one awesome level) take on that game and a fun game in its own right. I didn't know what to think at first, the opening was great but then the Castle with the Big Vampire Lady really had me feeling like this was a misfire, it's like a very linear, condensed version of the Resi 7 Baker house and the Resi 1 Mansion somehow. But after you leave it leans more into being action and again, no Resi 4 and the combat arenas aren't great but the guns and the feel of shooting the enemies (now more varied than 7's walking piles of black goo) are super satisfying. Unlike Resident Evil 7 I think Iwould love to replay this.

I also watched all 4 CGI films, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Resident Evil: Damnation, Resident Evil: Vendetta and Resident Evil: Death Island and whil none of them are 'good' for fans you might enjoy some of the action sequences. My only regret is that I didn't play Resident Evil: Outbreak but I feel justified in that the offline experience of that isn't why I wanna' play them in the first place. I also played Resident Evil Gaiden on the Game Boy Colour and dropped it because it's a fucking piece of shit game.

22 Games, 4 films, good times. Happy Halloween! I might be done with this but I still want to play Resident Evil 4 Remake again, and not just because of the Ada DLC but I actually only beat that game once!

Brian Bloodaxe

That's a lot of Evil.

BeanyFGC

@Alastor ok, now do Evil Within 1 & 2! 😋

Alastor

October is nearly done, don't think I'll fit them both in

EDIT - Still gutted Signalis is leaving Game Pass since I now feel obligated to rush it. :/

BeanyFGC

I think you'll be fine with Signalis. You might complete it in one playthrough.

Garwoofoo

Buckle up because I've been busy! Since @Garwoofoo was a naughty boy and got sent to twitter jail or something I figured he'd like to know how this thing has gone!

Genuinely the most Alastor post that ever Alastor'd. I think your stream of consciousness gaming posts are one of the few things I genuinely miss about Twitter, if you ever decide to hop over to Threads instead then look me up.

Anyway I think our thoughts on the Resi games are pretty similar:

Resi 1 remake is essentially perfect.
Resi 0 has a strong start (the train section is brilliant, and the opening mansion section is good) and then it goes rapidly downhill once they introduce the leeches. I think I prefer the Umbrella Chronicles take on this one.
I'm more down than you on Resi 2 Remake - it's good, but I hate the way they dropped the ball on the whole two-story thing, it's vastly inferior to the original in that regard - and I like Resi 3 remake more, it's just a nice self-contained little action game.
Haven't played Resi 4 remake yet.
Code: Veronica was amazing when it came out on the Dreamcast but I'm sure it's aged like milk. It should be the next in line to be remade.
Resi 5 is so racist we should all pretend it never happened.
Resi 6 is so ridiculously over-the-top that I can't help but like it. Bloody long too.
Resi 7 is good but is another Resi game where the first half is better than the second. It's also a bit too scary I think? I want schlocky zombie horror from my Resi games, not genuinely terrifying hillbillies.
I haven't played Village yet but your post has inspired me to pick it up today in the current Halloween sale, so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into that one.

I really like Umbrella Chronicles, am less keen on Darkside Chronicles, and haven't played most of the other spin-offs you mention. Revelations 1 was just a 3DS technical showcase and Revelations 2 is a Resi game without the budget, but they're both fun enough.

Great post though, what's the next series to try and tackle?

Garwoofoo

And a game completed for myself: Starfield. I was only an hour or so from the end so I pushed through with it for the sake of a completion.

I think we've discussed this game's many flaws abundantly elsewhere so I won't kick it any more. I will say though that this is probably the worst game I've ever put so much time into. It's weird because we all wanted this to be good and you can kind of convince yourself it's going to be, for quite a long time. It does throw a lot of stuff at you and for a while the sheer scale of it is quite impressive. Eventually though you realise that it's all smoke and mirrors and you're not actually having any fun. The best moment I had with it in the last ten hours or so of play was uninstalling it and reclaiming 101GB of disk space back on my Xbox.

Alastor