Your Games Completed of 2020

Fractured Minds

Probably the oddest game on GamePass - a first-person exploration of mental health developed by a single teenager that's no more than 20 minutes long at most. As such it's really just a curiosity, it has a couple of striking images and it's impressive for what it is but it's hardly going to be Game of the Year. 1000 gamerpoints in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, though, if that's relevant to your interests.

Yakuza 4

Good but still not quite a top-tier Yakuza game. It's the point where the series really starts to come together - you've got multiple characters, engaging and length substories and a ridiculously convoluted main plot - but it's still firmly in PS3 territory and it's all a bit clunky. Apparently 5 is a big step up but to be honest I'm a bit Yakuza'd out right now, need to take a break from the series before continuing with my odyssey.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia

The Mortal Kombat 11 story mode (and Aftermath) is as you'd expect from Netherrealm at this point - nonsensical, filled with plotholes you could drive Outworld through (the number of times it contradicts itself, an injury is treated in a hugely inconsistent way, or someone knows something they haven't been told/shouldn't know, is actually very funny), but still pretty good fun. It's tacky, schlocky crap, but I like it, and it's bolted to a very good fighting game. It's also very pretty, especially now they finally seem to have learnt to animate people.

Virginia is a short "walking simulator" telling the story of a young FBI agent who's assigned a missing persons case with a partner she's supposed to be keeping an eye on (or possibly straight-up investigating). Probably. The fact that Virginia has no dialogue whatsoever is an interesting choice, which contributes to a general lack of clarity, and it's further insistence on being as enigmatic and odd as possible when the opportunity arises compounds the confusion.

I'm sure I missed some stuff (based on the Trophies), despite it being very linear, but I'm not sure any of the stuff I missed would've changed much, or explained the story (and it's "resolution") any further/better. It's certainly interesting, but your tolerance for some of its tropes and indulgences would likely affect how you'd react to it - some will think it a fascinating little game, others will probably think it a shonky waste of time with it's head so far up it's own backside it can see the future.

(I quite liked it. I think)

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia

Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy

In some ways that's a high point of the series, with the lack of the usual mass-murdering treasure-hunter making it feel a little incidental in some ways, even as it strengthens it in others. Very good fun though, and very pretty (and generally extremely well put together and presented, as always)..

Brutal crunch'll do that.

Minecraft Dungeons - this was fun. Not a classic I don't think but fulfilled its remit of "Diablo for kids" perfectly. Everything's nicely streamlined, it's fun to play and the upgrades you get are interesting enough to make you want to push on through. I think it would have been even better if the levels were shorter - they do drag on a bit, and you can't save mid-level - and I'm not sure there's much there to drag us back now we've finished it, but it's a solid few days entertainment while it lasts.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia
Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy

The Last of Us Part II

Jumbled mess of thoughts in the thread.

With the Brutal Crunch double bill complete, I think I'll go take a shower and then find an cheery indie game to play for a bit.

Jedi: Fallen Order - I'll post some thoughts in the main thread.

JANUARY
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

FEBRUARY
Granblue Fantasy Versus

MARCH
Nothing!

APRIL
Monument Valley 2
DOOM (2016)
Accounting+
ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission

MAY
Streets of Rage 4
Maneater

JUNE
Nothing. Turns out, living with someone you actually want to spend time with has a terrible influence on gaming activity.

JULY
Carrion - Loved this, it's an absolute power trip and yet you feel incredibly vulnerable. Only disappointment was the very end, but I guess they did with it what they could. At least it wasn't Inside.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia
Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy
The Last of Us Part II

Vanquish

Only purchased because it was in a sale in a double-bill with Bayonetta (which I fancied finally playing a decent port of), but bearing in mind how dated Vanquish feels, not least in regard to the treatment of the female characters, I am a bit worried that I've made a mistake…

Mechanically, at its core, it's still fun and satisfying, but in other ways it's aged less well, and I remember thinking at the time (despite having thoroughly enjoyed it) that some of the praise was perhaps a bit over the top. Add in a few things that bothered me more second time around, and on balance, despite it still being fun, I probably should've just left it in the past.

I love Vanquish, I think it's probably still my favourite TPS. "We ended up with a Rat's head literally shoved up it's own ass!"

That feels like it lends credence to a theory I have, which pretty much revolves around the suspicion that I’m less keen on it than some others largely because I’m just not very good at it.

Ah I didn't mean to make you feel that way, sorry! I just liked how all the different weapons worked in their own way, like the balls that go through cover or the disk launcher that can name without using energy. When you play the harder mode, which has no upgrades, you'll see the shotty is still godlike but even stuff like the lock on laser has a niche. It was like a Ratchet and Clank game in that sense.

Also, throwing your grenade and shooting it in slow motion as it passes over a crowd of robots was always fun.

February
Untitled Goose Game
May
Final Fantasy VII Remake

August
The Last of Us Part II
Boy howdy. I have THOUGHTS, but need to take time out collect them. Will post in the main thread in due course.

Ah I didn't mean to make you feel that way, sorry! I just liked how all the different weapons worked in their own way, like the balls that go through cover or the disk launcher that can name without using energy. When you play the harder mode, which has no upgrades, you'll see the shotty is still godlike but even stuff like the lock on laser has a niche. It was like a Ratchet and Clank game in that sense.

Also, throwing your grenade and shooting it in slow motion as it passes over a crowd of robots was always fun.

Oh, don't worry, I arrived at that conclusion all on my own!

I'm not disciplined or imaginative enough with the tools at my disposal in it, I think, and ignore about half of the weapons to boot. Too often I'll be using the suit only to flank or give myself a slower-moving target, and that's not exactly using them to their maximum potential.

It's another game that's probably better the more you experiment (well), but a lack of skill on my part combined with the intention to get through it in decent time (like I said, it was almost a throw-in for me) meant I wasn't playing it to its (or my) fullest. That probably would excuse some of the issues I had with it, if not all of them.

JANUARY
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

FEBRUARY
Granblue Fantasy Versus

MARCH
Nothing

APRIL
Monument Valley 2
DOOM (2016)
Accounting+
ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission

MAY
Streets of Rage 4
Maneater

JUNE
Nothing.

JULY
Carrion

AUGUST
Glass Masquerade - Lovely but simple puzzle game (as in, literal jigsaw puzzles made of stained glass). Got it on Switch for less than £2, but now I see the bundle (GM1&2) is on sale for a touch more. I'd recommend that if anyone's interested in such things.
A Short Hike - Really, really enjoyed this. Visually, it reminds me of Phantom Hourglass (that's a plus) and it's a perfectly self-contained little adventure with plenty of distractions you can ignore if you want. Lovely writing too, very cute and wholesome. It's only just over a fiver on Switch, I'd recommend it.
Paper Mario: The Origami King - My 'holiday' game, played through in just under a week while I've got time off. Really enjoyed it, despite what everyone thinks of the combat system. Very solid, enjoyable Paper Mario game. Missed one collectible treasure (the boss rush one) and four 'trophies', which I could go back for at some point. I might. But I've rinsed this now, so I wouldn't be too fussed if I leave it there.

I finished A Short Hike too quickly.

Not a complaint at the length; I love a short game. I just didn't realise that reaching the peak was 'the end', and I followed the signs straight to the peak. F inished it in about 15 minutes. So now I'm going back and doing all the other stuff.

It is lovely though, definitely recommended.

I finished A Short Hike too quickly.

Not a complaint at the length; I love a short game. I just didn't realise that reaching the peak was 'the end', and I followed the signs straight to the peak.

The actual 'end' genuinely made me laugh out loud at its abruptness. Completely caught me off guard.

Also: I didn't think you could hit the summit that quickly due to the need for climbing aids (well, feathers). Impressive!

I think I had six or seven feathers, I just found them on the climb! Didn't do any of the activities. I took a very circuitous route, but yeah it was a speedy 'end'.

Finally found that demanding little git's fifteenth shell yesterday, so I need to remember where she was.

Don't get too mad when you find her…

The Touryst - well this was a nice surprise, a bright and breezy little game that tasks you with nothing more consequential than pottering around a handful of islands, solving little puzzles and playing daft minigames. There's a main story of sorts, revolving around mysterious monuments found on each of the islands, but the game never insists you pay it any attention and it's up to you whether that's more interesting than, say, helping the ice cream man develop a new flavour or working out how to get the beach party pumping. It all looks lovely and doesn't outstay its welcome. Recommended.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia
Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy
The Last of Us Part II
Vanquish

Wreckfest

I liked that. The damage modelling was never less than satisfying, and the racing itself straddled that line between realistic and slide-y that I enjoy. Well worth picking up in a sale (there isn't the greatest variety in tracks), if it's the kind of thing that floats your boat.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - I originally played this years ago on the DS, now it's part of the re-released trilogy on the Switch and it holds up well. The redrawn graphics lack a bit of the charm of the original (and are nowhere near as well animated as the later games in the series) but it now looks pretty decent even blown up on the big screen and it's hard to see what else they could have done. I always forget how long these games are - this is the one that's got the insane "bonus" case, Rise From The Ashes, that's nearly as long as the rest of the game put together, so it's easily the longest of the original trilogy at least - and having forgotten almost every twist and turn in the years since I last played it, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. The jokes still land and the localisation is still among the best (and most eccentric) the industry has ever seen. Really good fun.

Tell Me Why - yep, really enjoyed this. A quieter, more thoughtful story with smaller stakes than Life is Strange, but no less affecting for that. It has some interesting things to say about memories and unreliable narrators, the characters are strong and everything's handled with great care and sensitivity. Dontnod are rapidly turning into the new Telltale, but they're much better at this stuff than Telltale ever were and I can't wait to see where they go next.

Spiritfarer - Said most of what I wanted to say in the PWB thread this month, but this is a lovely mix-up of genres with an elegantly elegiac tone and some surprisingly affecting writing. Definitely one of my favourite surprises of the year.

Journey to the Savage Planet is lovely. Very pretty, and despite being Metroidish it's impossible to get lost thanks to some excellent signposting. Great game to chill out with.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia
Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy
The Last of Us Part II
Vanquish
Wreckfest

Gravity Rush 2

Despite it being a surprisingly large time investment, and having a tendency to ask for more precision than it's seemingly mechanically able to facilitate, as well as some baffling story pacing, it proved impossible not to like this in the end, thanks to its charm, and the inherent joy of the traversal.

As soon as you realise and accept that it's more like an open-world JRPG with a basic combat system than an proper action game, it becomes much easier to enjoy the game's strengths and forgive its weaknesses, though you do sometimes wish the designers had all had the same epiphany.

I really enjoyed the first Gravity Rush, and I think I might have bought the second. I'll have to have a look.

Yeah, I liked the first one too. Picked up the second in a sale, expecting a similar length, but doing all the side-quests and challenges on the second took me about 50 hours…

Make your peace with it's limitations early, and accept that it will seem that very little is happening for big chunks of the game, and it's a really nice thing to spend time with. Also makes a good complementary game, if you happen to be playing other stuff too.

Only played the first one but bopping things on the head by redirecting her gravity was fun in the original, and the full on telekinesis shooting with random objects. Does it still have boss fights that take place across the entire city?

There are some pretty epic boss fights, yeah, though I always seemed to find ways to make it so I was fighting the camera/controls as well.

I also think the collateral damage must be immense in these games - when you shift you often pick up civilians and send them flying, often straight into the abyss.

I've 100%'ed the story and combat sections of 13 Sentinels so I think I could call it "complete", but… it feels like a technicality.

There are at least another 10 combat missions for me to tackle (unlocked once you complete all of the characters' stories and the other three Destruction "areas"), and I'm missing at least one Analysis file, probably for weapons I've not unlocked yet.

With only three trophies between me and the Platinum, I'm probably gonna grind it out – to kill time until the Series X gets here, if nothing else.

Batman: The Telltale Series: Season Two: The Enemy Within

I miss Telltale games. Like all the others, this one contains surprisingly good writing and storytelling, held together by the jankiest game engine imaginable. It stutters, it hitches, it crashes, it shut down my Xbox without warning once, and it does its best to turn the game's drama into amateur puppetry.

Which is a real shame, because technical issues aside, this is pretty great. Telltale's takes on the Batman characters are quite unique (their Joker, who gets a much bigger role here than in their first game, being particularly striking), it's often bold where you expect it to be formulaic, and even the fight scenes work well. Best of all, it allows you to play both sides of the main character exactly as you see fit - I played Bruce Wayne as an insincere narcissist and Batman as an unhinged fascist, and it was quite happy to accommodate that.

There will never be a third one of these, and that's a real shame. Track down the first two if you can.

I played Bruce Wayne as an insincere narcissist and Batman as an unhinged fascist

Well, that explains a lot.

With only three trophies between me and the [13 Sentinels] Platinum

Not anymore! Turns out I'd missed a bonus objective Mystery File from one of the earlier Destruction areas, so once I replayed that with the right squad the All Files trophy popped up (along with the All Obejctives one). Then I just had to grind a few combat missions to afford the last few mech upgrades and that's the Platinum. I still have a handful of optional post-game missions so I don't think I'm quite done with it yet, though.

I've been playing mostly on the Vita with Remote Play, which has made me really wish it was a Switch game; the connection between the handheld and PS4 was pretty flaky at times, and the later battles got pretty tough to read on a five-inch screen. A properly-optimised portable UI would have been lovely, as even on the PS4 some of your party stats are difficult to make out. (Fortunately, the battles are all ridiculously easy – spam some sentry turrets down, and you're basically set. I haven't lost a 'mech yet.)

I still have a handful of optional post-game missions so I don't think I'm quite done with it yet, though.

There are, according to online sources, ten thousand of these optional Sumire Ward battle waves, so I reckon the 20-odd I've finished might be enough for me to call this one done.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All

God, this one was a slog.

Now, I love the Phoenix Wright series. I've completed them all, and loved them. Except this one. And I couldn't remember why I'd never finished it. I'd kind of dropped away from it halfway through, which is something I've not done with any other game in the series. Why did I do that?

Because this game is very, very bad. Well, sure, on the surface it looks like every other PW game - the same characters, the same silly mysteries. It's even got a couple of additions (such as the Psyche-Lock system) which are genuine improvements, and which go on to be staples of the series.

But there's something really fundamental missing in this one. The plotting, the pace, it's simply not there. A good PW game leaves you feeling clever: you're either one step ahead of the mystery, and enjoying seeing the pieces fall into place, or you're bluffing wildly alongside the main character yet somehow just hanging on. Justice for All doesn't do that, at all. Every case is a long, slow, miserable slog with a bunch of bits of evidence that are all pretty much the same, a bunch of witness statements that are all pretty much the same, and a series of highly improbable twists that you can't possibly predict - so you're constantly just presenting random stuff against random statements and hoping it somehow moves things along. Even the investigation sequences are unnecessarily prolonged, and leave you feeling like you're just trying to trigger the next statement rather than actively progress the mystery. It's so far removed from the fun of literally every other game in the series that I can't help but wonder what happened to the writing team on this one. Oh, and also, the whole game is uncharacteristically full of typos, which given that this Switch version is something like its fifth re-release, is pretty unforgivable.

By the time of the final case, an interminably drawn-out affair that has an interesting premise (what does a principled defence lawyer do when he knows his client is guilty?) but actually ends up with you trying not to solve the case but prolong it as long as possible so someone else can save you, I was utterly sick of this. I've only persevered so I can say I've completed all the Phoenix Wright games. But this one is the worst, by miles. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Yeah, it's nowhere near as good as the first, and maybe I'm being selective here but some of the stuff in those trials felt fucking stupid.

Spoiler - click to showDude in wheelchair dropped the bust, that snagged on the cape somehow and when he lifted it someone saw it and thought it was a ghost? It's been a very long time so I might be forgetting something here? :thinking:

Spoiler - click to showAlso, not really a fan of the Psyche Lock thing in the sense that iirc he outright asks the guy in the last trial if he's guilty or whatever it was that allowed the guy to lie to the spirit voodoo shit on a technicality. Then….never does that again? Okay.

Also, one of the biggest crimes was the new Cornered and Themes, which were suspenseful as fuck in the first game but pretty lame in the second. Anyway who cares because the third game is the best and has the best finish to the first three games they could have possibly done.

Yep. The third game is definitely the best - and the sixth game, that rounds off the second trilogy, is very nearly as good. I wish they would hurry up and announce a new one.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia
Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy
The Last of Us Part II
Vanquish
Wreckfest
Gravity Rush 2

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+

I mean, not really, but credits rolled, so I'll count it for posterity, I guess?

It's an unwritten rule that I love roguelites, but am terrible at them, and don't often really stick with one of them for long enough to do it any real justice, git gud, or even finish runs on them (Slay the Spire being the
most notable exception), so I think this was my first complete run on BoI, despite having owned it on at least four platforms (to the point where I think possibly my first attempts pre-date my "proper" understanding/fondness for the genre). Indeed, in the last few weeks I've actually been playing it semi-regularly on two different platforms (because why not?), and loving it all over again.

So now I'll carry on plugging away, unlock more stuff, and try and get to the same point on the Switch too (though even I probably won't update this thread if I see the credits roll "for the first time" again).

Just to be clear, you beat Mom's Heart for the first time… right?

(looks down the long, long road ahead)

Oh, you poor sweet innocent child. I was young once. How I envy you.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - well, the single-player campaign, at least.

And you know what, it's pretty good. It's a few hours of uncomplicated pew-pew that's as deep as a puddle but often looks and sounds astonishing, and therefore perfectly matches the source material. As a throwaway extra for a predominantly multiplayer-focused title, it's better than I expected. It's not so much a game as a Star Wars-themed rollercoaster, barrelling through iconic locations and favourite characters at quite a lick, but it really does look incredible (it's one of the few games where the Xbox One X version comfortably outstrips the PS4 Pro) and it's not trying to be anything more than what it is.

As for the multiplayer side of this package, which I've only dipped into briefly: hoo boy. There's a whole galaxy of stuff in there. With its loot box controversy now long patched out, and several years of free patches and content drops, it's an absolutely massive Star Wars toybox with modes and maps galore, and impressive attention to detail. Everything you do increases something which unlocks something which levels up something else - I think I've spent a good couple of hours on the Collection screen alone admiring all the character models and working out what I want to level up next. And the look on the face of my Clone Wars-obsessed son when I dropped him straight into a battle of clones versus clankers on Geonosis was quite something. I'm not much of a multiplayer gamer at all really but I've had a lot of fun with this already and it seems to be something that's actually quite enjoyable even if you're shit at it (always a bonus in my book). Anyone else play this?

JDUB
If you only beat Mum's heart you have to immediately delete that post as it sullys the thread.

As soon as I saw Jimbob had posted I knew it'd be aimed at me.

I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO MOM'S HEART YET GUYS.

Spoiler - click to showI may or may not have put Binding of Isaac in here, having only just beaten mom for the first time, just to wind these two up , so I'm leaving the original post alone, but I won't count it on the list in future. :D

YOU MONSTER.

Dishonored 2
Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: Fallen Order
Gris
Borderlands 3
The Last of Us: Remastered
Devil May Cry V
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Mortal Kombat 11
Virginia
Uncharted: The Lost Leagcy
The Last of Us Part II
Vanquish
Wreckfest
Gravity Rush 2

Limbo

Played once on the PS3, but thought I'd give it a replay before I try and finally get around to Inside, seeing as it was in my Library anyway somehow.

Still a very satisfyingly put together, slightly unsettling game, I very much enjoyed the reunion.

Did you also do the blind level?

I very much enjoyed the reunion.

I guess that depends entirely on what meaning you take away from it. I thought it was really depressing, given the title screen when you return to it.

Did you also do the blind level?

Er…?

I guess that depends entirely on what meaning you take away from it. I thought it was really depressing, given the title screen when you return to it.

There's more than a tinge of sadness, of course, but I think because I'd played/completed it before I remembered what to expect, and while there's no big happy ending (which that screen reminds you), there is a hint at potential salvation in the ending. Unless you play(ed) it again immediately, of course, as then I suppose it would all seem a bit Sisyphean.

I was mainly talking about how satisfying I find it all (mechanically) though, to be honest. :P

There's a secret section in there somewhere where the lights keep going out and you have to navigate the death traps based solely on the audio.

Other than that but I really liked the game.

while there's no big happy ending (which that screen reminds you), there is a hint at potential salvation in the ending.

Spoiler - click to showIIRC, the title screen after you finish it is a nondescript pile of something exactly where you land as the game finishes, with flies above it. I took that to mean you're dead too and everything is pointless.