I picked up “Mafia: Definitive Edition” cheap the other day (I’ve linked it on Steam as it’s still on sale for the next few days).
I was a fan of Mafia (the original from 2002) and felt it was cheap enough to give it a shot and I’m glad I did: besides the infamous/arduous racing level I found it to be very enjoyable overall.
I was sad to see that there wasn’t any “Freeride Extreme” in the latest version (this was bonus, fun, ludicrous content, available after completing the game) as it would have been a nice addition, the “Freeride” mode is likewise a little lackluster but the actual campaign is great.
What was the last game you finished? Was it any good?
I finished Outer Wilds a few weeks ago. It was, in my opinion, one of the strongest arguments for treating video games as an art form that I’ve ever experienced. It’s not long - I finished it in about 20 hours - but the narrative and story is so well put together and thought out that it felt a lot longer. I thought it was beautiful and thought provoking.
Video games as a whole aren’t for everyone, but if I meet someone and they’re interested in games but hasn’t played them much, Outer Wilds is on the top of my list of recommends. If you play a lot of video games, this one will amaze you. Don’t read anything about it - just grab it when it’s on sale and go in blind. I did and it made a big difference.
In the same boat, it’s such a beautiful game, especially the less you know about it beforehand. It’s been awhile since I’ve played a game like that. I’m just about finishing up the DLC, then going back through the final sequence to see how that affects the ending, I might try to go back and finish out the Steam achievements on it too, just to have them done. If I could have any memories erased in my life, it would be all knowledge of that game, just so I could go back through it one more time with fresh eyes. The ending kind of mirrors the reality of finishing out the game itself, it’s kind of sad and bittersweet, it’s like a book that I never wanted to end.
Any of the main games by Quantic Dream are of similar artful quality I’d say. Really a playable story with choices impacting the plot and twists and discovery that keeps you hooked. I liked Beyond: Two Souls the best, but Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human aren’t far behind.
Life is Strange is great in that same vein too.
I just finished Lies of P. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a souls-like game that takes story elements from Pinocchio.
I found it a lot more approachable than other souls-like game. It’s a lot more linear (but I don’t think it suffers from that) and does a better job of introducing you to game mechanics. What also made it more approachable was the parry system felt a little more forgiving and there is always a save point right before a big boss (so even if you’re stuck on one, you can keep jumping right back in).
I’d give it a 9/10
I really loved the parry mechanic of Sekiro. I know the games were developed by different companies. Are you able to make any comments about how they compare?
I only played a bit of sekiro, so keep that in mind. However, I would say that Lies of P gives a similar level of importance to parrying/perfect guard, but it’s not solely dependent on it. In sekiro you really need to parry, but in Lies of P (in many instances) you can get by with dodging and finding openings. That being said, the rhythm element to parrying is very much there, and most bosses require learning the cadence of attacks so you can parry.
Some added context, in lies of P if you block at the right time it’s a perfect guard which uses no stamina and blocks all damage. It also has the benefit of reducing the stamina of the enemy, which after enough guards or hits will open them for a critical strike (similar to a stance break in souls games). If you’re playing bosses without assistance, this is the key way to win, so feels a bit like sekiro.
If that sounds interesting I would take a look at a gameplay video.
Oh man I know what I’ll be trying after bloodborne then haha. Thanks for the info!
Thanks, sounds promising
If you like Dark Souls/Sekiro/Bloodborne then you will love Lies of P. It’s very high quality. If you didn’t know better - it could’ve been made by From Software.
The biggest complaints are that it’s almost not original in how well it copies every single facet of From Software. They’re clearly very talented - I’d love to see what they do if they added their own spin.
Alan Wake 2. What a masterpiece, especially THAT sequence. I absolutely loved this game.
The older I get, the more I start to appreciate studios that take risks and believe in their creative identity. Games like Death Stranding and Alan Wake 2 are perfect examples. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s what art is. Someone might hate something that you personally find breathtaking. And vice versa.
I’m also playing Spiderman 2 at the moment, and while it’s good and it’s very fun, I will not remember this game 1 day after I finish it. Death stranding I finished 3 months ago and I still think about it. I’m extremely excited for DS2 and hopefully Alan Wake 3.
Show me the champion of LIGHT!
Just completed Sea of Stars 100%. Was a charming game and was a nice break from the game I last finished: Dark Souls
You don’t really ‘finish’ Factorio, but a few months ago I FINALLY launched my first rocket after a thousand hours of play over 6.5 years. I just always had other things I was up to and for a long time launching a rocket mechanically did nothing so I had no incentive. Here I am detailing some of it at that other site
Last game I finished was Days Gone and it was great. Nice open world zombie shooter in the US state of Oregon. Great map, great characters, decent plot, good action. Very cinematic at times. After the 10+ minutes of cinematic closing credits you can actually start roaming again and there is some more story after the credits.
I 100% it just a few days ago. What a fun game. Btw it’s definitely worth it to continue roaming and do all the side missions, There’s a “secret ending” that’s really worth it imo
Days gone gets a lot of hate but I thought it was a blast and the motorcycle travel was such a great game mechanic.
What did it get hate for?
Just Cause 2. Very fun game that is too big for its own good.
They really need to mod the wingsuit into the game somehow. I remember playing the demo way back when and being blown away by how much you could explore even there. I got the game a couple years later and to this day I still haven’t finished it.
God I’d forgotten how much fun that was. Rico was so cheesy and fuckin psychotic at the same time
It blows me away how little publicity that game got. All the best elements of a cinematic action movie packed into one game.
I just finished Cassette Beasts. Fun pokemon type game with a great soundtrack. Maybe a little short but a fun experience all around.
If it’s short then it’s next on my list!
Lately I seem to be collecting unfinished games. The very last game I finished was Cyberpunk 2077 and that was a few months ago, on patch 1.6 I think. I absolutely loved it and I’m definitely planning to buy the dlc and go through it again. I’m a sucker for good story and interactive experiences, couple that with the cyberpunk genre, this was the game of this year for me, no doubt.
Undertale. Finished the neutral and then the True Pacifist ending. I refuse to go genocidal. I’ve had my happy ending
Hotline Miami. Very fun game.
That was my go-to “blow off steam” game before DOOM 2016. What a killer game, literally, and a work of art imo.
I’ve realised that I need fun, skill-based gameplay the most. I get fed up with doing inventory management, stuff-shuffling and crafting, both in-game and IRL! Edit; awesome soundtrack too
I finally played Mass Effect 3, I’d played 1 and 2 but after all the stink about 3 and it being on Origin / EA Play for years I never bothered until a recent $1 sale on a month of that EA subscription, which has ME3 on it.
I spent 90%+ of the game going “Wow this isn’t bad at all, I am really impressed! This really is a good game!”
…until I got to the ending sequence, when it felt like the game had taken crazy pills all of a sudden. I understood why everyone was mad about it, and totally agree that it ruined the game. It wasn’t that Shepherd died, it wasn’t the Red/Blue(/Green) choice they gave you, it was a combination of 3 factors though:
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Crippling your character and making you limp along, unable to use any of your powers, forced to slog through a bunch of token combat EDIT with only pistol, and all your cosmetic choices were erased as you drag around at half speed through corridors just to get further in the chain of conversations.
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Except for the pass/fail check on the conversation with the Illusive Man (which is very easy to miss the requirements for without expecting it), none of what you did before entering that final sequence matters, it really was just press a button to receive ending. On that same note, you can have all 3 endings regardless of what you did, spent the entire trilogy making nothing but Renegade choices? Don’t worry you can still press the Blue button! Hail Mary deathbed confession!
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I found the child avatar kind of out of place and a bit weird, yes I know it was a reference to the kid that died, but it was not really immersive and it made this gigantic long conversation that makes up “the last boss” really awkward, especially since half the conversation is just explaining the story for people that weren’t paying attention or missed all the side quests.
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Pretty much just finishing up Outer Wilds +DLC, I just haven’t taken the time to collect some last scraps of information to close out some clues and then finish the game again (after now going through the DLC area). I had actually started this game up about 2 years ago, but got stuck and had some other things come up so that I put it aside. Then I resolved to just watch somebody else’s playthrough to spoil the game. I started by watching an astrophysicist playthrough, ‘Oliver Plays’ on Youtube. I watch as he starts out and relive some of my own experiences of discovering the early game, when suddenly in one of the episodes, I notice something small that brings me back to where I had been at in the game in my own playthrough and the solution instantly became clear. So I jumped back into it like I had never left and now I’ve pretty much about to finish the game.
I originally went in blind because of everything I kept reading about it being such a great game, blah blah blah. And it lived up to the hype, it was such an awesome experience going in completely blind (I didn’t even watch any trailers), but the shitty thing is, I can’t really talk about the game that much. So much depends on experiencing it for yourself and discovery, that saying anything about the game potentially spoils somebody else’s first experience with it, and I don’t want to take that away from anybody. It’s just such a beautiful gem of a game, I’ve not really played anything like that before (though I’ve read of some others that may be similar).
The Dead Space remake, absolutely loved it! Never played the original or any of the sequels even thoughthey always intrigued me. Gonna play through NG+ immediately.
I just finished the ff7 remake and the dlc, I’ve always wanted to get into the final fantasy games but never really had the means to or another game got my attention first. I’m glad I finally gave it a shot, now I know why it’s so famous but damn is it long.
damn is it long
The thing about this is, VII Remake isn’t even the longest game in the franchise. And there isn’t too much difference in play time between Remake and the original. Now we have Rebirth coming up that will add even more to that.
Sounds like you really enjoyed it. Are you planning on delving into any other Final Fantasy games?
Ouch, seems like I have a lot to do now. For sure, I’ve been looking at…XV? The one on the ps4 and I’ve been playing XIV for a while now so I’m happy to be into it now.
Haha there certainly is a lot. There’s plenty of great games to enjoy though. Though I’ve not been able to play lately, XIV is a longtime favourite of mine.
XV is a good choice, a lot of people will tell you it isn’t, but that’s because it can be a contentious game among fans. I thoroughly enjoyed playing it and found it to be a really compelling game. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it.
