March '20 Play Log
Welp, the world has officially gone to hell in a handbasket. I’m currently working from home, which works wellish. I’m a software engineer, so my job is in front of a computer all day, and when I get home I often spend the evening gaming. This doesn’t generally bother me, but since work and gaming are now in the same room, I’m realizing that the simple change of scenery made a huge difference. I’m not prone to cabin fever as I’m definitely a homebody, but after 2.5 weeks shut in I’m feeling it faster than expected. It doesn’t help that my sister and her boyfriend are recently back in Canada and are staying with me, so I’m ending up quarantined for 3 weeks. Thankfully it’s only 1 week left. I’m looking forward to getting my house back after that, but there’s a possibility they’ll have to stay for the rest of April. Fingers crossed they don’t… How is everyone else coping?
In game related news, way too many activations. I was hoping to beat Graveyard Keeper before the end of the month, but just beat it tonight so you’ll have to wait till next month for that review. Gotta say though, dispointing ending.
To begin with I wasn’t sure about this, but overall I quite enjoyed it. Recommend for anyone who likes story based FPSes and hasn’t played it yet.
Pros:
- Interesting story
- Decent graphics
- Good voice acting
- The plasmids and tonics mean there are a variety of ways to play
- The challenge maps add a neat twist, they’re (mostly) not the traditional ‘very tough enemy’ type challenges
Cons:
- A lot of the story is through collectable diaries, so if you miss a lot you may not know what’s going on
- There are a lot of collectable diaries, but some of them are irrelevant. I think it would have been better to skip those ones.
- Crashed once in a challenge map
Verdict: 8/10
Play or Pay. Took me a bit to warm up to this, but in the end I enjoyed it. WAY TOO MANY AUDIO LOGS THOUGH!! Overall I think I liked Infinite more, but that could be the whole rose-coloured-glasses thing. My intention is to play the Burial at Sea DLC next, but we’ll see when that actually happens.
A very good game, but awfully short. I haven’t tried the challenges yet though.
Pros:
- Very similar to the non-VR version, but the levels are different
- Adds a new weapon compared to the non-VR version
- Ducking/sidestepping punches, bullets, etc is a lot of fun and works fairly well
- I didn’t have any issues in my small computer room with 2 trackers
Cons:
- Very short
Verdict: 8/10
This wasn’t half a bad work out, and a lot of fun. Only thing that sucked was that it was so short. I think I’ll ignore the achievement for playing the whole thing lying down though… I didn’t try the challenges, they sound quite hard. I may take a look at them at some point though.
- The ending left me intrigued for what will happen in Episode 2
- I enjoyed the part where Alex was sniping (but I’d have loved a shot of that myself)
- Voice acting continues to be good
- Graphics are quite good considering the age of the game
- Doesn’t really explain how you end up back at the Citadel after the ending of Half-Life 2
- Crashed twice
- Alex drove me nuts. She consistently got in my way. Given that she’s with you almost the whole game this was much more of a problem than in Half-Life 2
- A few times she also stood facing the opposite direction, leaving me to deal with a wave of enemies alone.
- The zombie burning achievement requires it to be done in a single playthrough, but doesn’t specify that. I eventually realized after reloading several times because I couldn’t do it in one playthrough without dying.
- Alyx redeems herself in this episode, being much better at staying out of the way
- Story is fairly good
- You have a Vortigon follower for a while which is a lot of fun
- Ripping around in the car is really fun
- I found the missions more fun in general than in the first episode
- Some of the achievements are really annoying. Launching a garden gnome into space sounds like fun until you realize it means carrying him around for the entire game and hoping you don’t leave him someplace you won’t be able to go back to/drop him in a hole/etc.
- While the main story is left at a reasonable spot, it’s not finished, and there’s another open question left at the end. Clearly intended for an episode 3 that was never made.
Overall I recommend this, but somewhat half-heartedly. Part of the issue is my own fault - I should have turned down the difficulty earlier. Part of it is the game.
Pros:
Cons:
Verdict: 6/10
Much better than the first episode. Makes me wonder what possessed Valve to stop making these.
Pros:
Cons:
Verdict: 9/10
I’m glad I played these, so thanks to Traqie for changing my mind. I wasn’t a big fan of one, but not for the reasons I expected. The ending was good though, and I thoroughly enjoyed episode 2.
Before you get excited for a WW2 bomber simulator, keep in mind this is primarily an exercise in time management. You have to control all of the most basic things, and it gets extremely difficult fairly quickly to the point that you have to grind to get all the best gear, taking all the fun out of it IMO.
Pros:
- Good music
- Animated style graphics unusual for a war type game are a nice change
Cons:
- Requires you to grind to get money for better gear or you have no chance of surviving the main missions
- Gets difficult very quickly, requiring you to do 5+ things at once all urgently.
- Gunners won’t even go get ammo when they’re out unless you tell them. Ammo feed turrets are an option, but they’re heavy, expensive, and slower to unlock, which means yet more grinding.
- Long despite little real change as the game goes on. Granted I gave up long before the end but it was already getting repetitive
Verdict: 4/10
Play or Pay. Wasn’t a fan of this one. Grindy, unnecessary micromanagement, and excessively long given the lack of variety led me to abandon it far from the end. Gunners can’t even get their own ammo when they run out? I feel more like a baby sitter than anything else.
Absolutely loved this game. Don’t expect anything serious here, either gameplay or story-wise. You’ll be disappointed. If you enjoy a casual FPS and want a good laugh though, this game is definitely worth playing. I’ve seen other reviewers disappointing with the ending. As much as I can understand this, a serious resolution would have felt out of place given the content, and personally it gave me a laugh.
Pros:
- I enjoyed the music
- Voice acting suited the game well
- Not overly challenging (which I like, but some others may not)
- You can fast-forward through story parts, which is great for repeat playthroughs
Cons:
- I don’t really see the point in a separate arcade mode given that the story isn’t exactly serious. Especially given that they use the same levels, enemies, etc. They do add an additional challenge, but personally I’d have preferred more story levels.
- Some of the fast-forwarded parts could have fast forwarded a bit more
- 2 of the achievement seem to be broken
Play or Pay. No idea where I came across this but I’m really glad I did. Hilarious and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it if you enjoy funny shooters and don’t mind the on-rails aspect of it.
Recent Acquisitions
So my bad SG luck streak ended with 3 Sakura games. Never played anything like them before, so here’s hoping they’re my thing.
- GRIS
0 minutes playtime
0 of 17 achievements - Sakura Angels
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
- Sakura Fantasy Chapter 1
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
- The Council
0 minutes playtime
0 of 42 achievements - FarSky
2 hours playtime
no achievements
- Borderlands GOTY Enhanced
7 hours playtime
13 of 80 achievements - Sakura Agent
0 minutes playtime
0 of 10 achievements - Nephise Begins
0 minutes playtime
0 of 5 achievements
I’m having a semester abroad with Erasmums+. It started before Covid-19 came to Eurpoe–if it hadn’t, then I would’ve been home right now. Currently, all of my courses are switched to online and they will be for the rest of the semester. This allowed me to have a month of exchange, making friends, ect. I’m lucky to have relatives here, in Belgium and I’m staying with them but being unable to go back home to my parents and brother is kind of … sucky. But I’m no way near affected by this virus as others have been and still are.
In terms of games, this post reminded me I really should go and finish playing Gris!
Oh that’s cool. Crappy timing though lol. Definitely good you have relatives.
Yeah I read a number of good reviews here, so I’m looking forward to playing it!
Ahh I’m happy to see you gave episodes a try :) Now you are ready for HL Alyx! :P As for EP1 didn’t you see cutscene at the very beginning? The vortiguants saved Alyx from explosion and pulled you from stasis, prison, however you want to call it, where G-Man sent you to wait for next assignment after you blew Citadel in HL2. It’s also how they separated you from G-Man and why you never see glimpses of him, he could only contact in you when they were busy with saving Alyx. That whole “heart-to-heart” talk btw gets a slightly new meaning after what you see in HL Alyx…
In here we just entered further into a full on lockdown, only grocery stores can be open and only 3 per can be inside for each cash register. Schools, cinemas, parks etc are all closed. There are rumors that our shitty goverment wants to implement french idea of only leaving your house if you have written permission. Underage can only leave house with a parent or guardian. You’re not supposed to leave your house and if you do, go alone and if you do go with someone only go with one person, stay apart at least 2 meter distance, only exception is a child with a parent/guardian, but it doesn’t apply to your significant other XD You can sleep with your wife/husband but can’t hold hands when you’re outside or stay close to each other.
Personally I’m fine for now, tbh my life didn’t changed that much lol. I only miss going to gym but it’s closed obviously :( And now that parks are closed for real, I can’t take my dog on a long walks. I’m currently unemployed and the unemployment is bound to rise with the whole corona panic shutdown, economy slowing and possible recesion. Add the laughable “help” from our government for business and it’s only a matter of time before they start cutting loses by letting people go.
If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly do you do as soft dev?
Oh that’s right, I forgot about that… guess I shouldn’t wait so long to write reviews lol. I’ve updated it on Steam, thanks for reminding me.
We’re sort of in lockdown here. Provincial government ordered it, but has considered so many things ‘essential’ that a lot of places are continuing as normal. For example, pretty much all manufacturing is being considered essential. Wow, I’m all for restrictions but those sound awfully extreme. What’s the harm in going for a walk? Maybe an issue if you live downtown in a big city, but in the suburbs it’s easy to avoid people.
My dog has been loving having me home all day lol. Sorry to hear about your unemployment, that’s definitely going to be an issue going forward.
C++ is my area of expertise. Currently I’m on my second 1 year contract for a car company helping design and implement the next generation multimedia systems (BT/USB/iPod playback, etc). I used to work for a company that made hardware and software for ISPs for traffic management. I loved that job until it got bought out by a US firm, and the nature of the work changed. Less new development, more maintaining old stuff.
I was actually just talking to my friend a couple hours ago about how I liked what I played of Bioshock but find storytelling through collectibles tough to fully comprehend. Between focusing on the narration plus surroundings, moving forward and whatnot. Especially when it’s full monologues, can sometimes zone out for a second and feel completely lost. I enjoy them in some ways, but having stories fully told through that narrative is definitely a tricky balance.
That’s hilarious that about the New Perspective achievement, it’d never even crossed my mind about playing VR lying down. Only sitting. :) Apparently you only need to beat one level to get the achievement though not the whole game, which doesn’t sound bad.
Gris is a favourite of the year so far, enjoy!
Yeah I agree. I’ve played some games where you can understand the story without collectibles, but they add more background, etc. I like that. But requiring collectibles to understand the story bugs me. Rather than trying to find them on my own I have to use a guide so as not to miss the story, which takes away from the game.
Didn’t realize you only need to beat one level. I may have to give that a try then!
Over here we are being told until June this could go on. That it might even be 6 months til everything returns to the way it used to be. Apparently the uk suck at listening which is why everyone thinks we will end up being the worse off. I would say im better off then you since I only have my mother with me but then well shes grumpy normally, pregnant even more and she hates being indoors so I think I just beat you.
I’m the total opposite for bioshock. I didn’t like infinite but loved the other ones, mainly 2. I disliked the challenge maps. I crashed way more then you. I will agree with the diaries being needed. If you just go straight forward you will miss them all. You don’t need them to understand whats going on but without them the story definitely lakes in making you believe there used to be happy people around
Wait theres an achievement for playing superhot vr laying down. Its vr you aren’t meant to lie down! Finally well done on your wins. I see so many people winning sakura games now. Somehow they ended up with people I know rather then the lvl 0s no shows
From what I’ve read it’s pretty much going to continue until there’s a vaccine, otherwise a soon as we go back to normal it’ll flare up again. Does sound like you win though lol.
Yeah, kinda defeats the purpose of a VR game. It’s called New Perspective. It’s a secret achievement… something tells me no one will manage to unlock it by accident lol.
I mean maybe I would unlock it since im lazy but im also not so lazy that I wouldnt get up after spending 100s on it