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The 52 Games of 2020 Challenge Thread

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    #76
    After the previous epicness of gamage, it's time for week 36 can it match the previous outing by going exponential like the rising rate of Covid-19 or will it be more like the govermental lie of nothing to see here, go back to work?

    Only time will tell, and the time for this week runs from 2nd Sept to the 8th - go infect that pile of shame
    ---------------------------------------------------------

    Tell Me Why - Xbox One

    From Dontnod (Life is Strange, Before the Storm, Life is Strange 2) and along similar lines of their previous games in terms of gameplay. However, this time the story is loads better than the last awful effort of LiS2 and the whiney brat kid Daniel Diaz who really did just need drowning in the sea and if that didn't work burning with accelerant.

    Thanksfully the characters Alyson and Tyler Ronan who are twins are much more interesting in this story and far less annoying. There's still the often pointless busy work in the game which does little to help move things along, but overall it's more LiS than LiS2, so I'd recommend taking a look if you enjoyed the first game. It's a three parter and the third part is out 9th Sept, so the gap between episodes has been very tight this time around.

    I give it 8.5 menial tasks out of 10.

    -------------------------------

    Half Life Alyx - PCVR

    I can't decide whether this is a good game or a good game because of VR. I'm erring towards good game and not just because of the immersion VR provides, but there's definitely spades of atmosphere. As always with VR games, that extra depth of realism adds a lot to the experience with the grand sense of scale it presents.

    I thought it would be more horror than it is, I suppose you kind of expect the jump scares so it doesn't have the same impact from that perspective, but no one needs to see that much detail in a head crab zombie.

    It's probably not worth shelling out £919 on an Index for HLA alone, but it's worth seeking out the experience by other means if you can. I give it 9 distopias out of 10.


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    Last edited by MartyG; 07-09-2020, 22:36.

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      #77
      Stick a fork in it, I'm done .... is not something you're going to hear from me as we've only gone and reached week 37. This one runs from 9th September to 15th September (so very close to next-gen pre-orders).

      You don't want all those unplayed last gen games hanging around like the rotten corpse of an original Xbox or Nintendo Virtual Boy, so get them played and you'll feel less guilty when you buy an Xbox Series S, because it's cheap.

      And go.
      --------------------------------

      Crusader Kings III - PC

      It's a murder simulator. Okay, that's not the complete focus of the game, but picture this - my King had a child and this child adored his father, however, the child's stats were absolutely awful and despite giving him a chance to excel by appointing him to the King's council as a foreign secretary, all the diplomats kept complaining he was insulting them with his behaviour.

      The child was next in line to the throne - he had to go as it was not possible to change the line of succession in any other way. A secret plot to murder his son was underway, a slip of poison in the wine and the secret would be taken to the grave with a smile, there wouldn't be a stupid king on the throne.

      This is Crusader Kings III - I give it 10 backstabbings out of 10. This is one of Paradox's best efforts in a long time.

      --------------------------

      Hotshot Racing - Xbox One

      Sorry Sumo, I don't like this one. I was actually quite excited by what I'd seen of the promo material, an old school arcade racer like Daytona and Outrun 2 with a drift mechanic. Yes, it is an old school arcade racer, but I'm finding the handling of the cars terrible it's nothing like Daytona or Outrun 2. I'm sure it's something you'd adjust to with time, but the nature of it means it doesn't have that instant arcade play feel - it's more block of lard on tarmac, with a loose connection to the controller.

      I give this one 5 skidmarks out of 10.
      Last edited by MartyG; 12-09-2020, 11:22.

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        #78
        In all the haste for next gen hardware, that pile of shame has been languishing as the lateness of this update shows.

        But we don't need that hot garbage which is next gen, it's expensive, there aren't any games worth playing and you've got a huge pile of unplayed titles to turn your attention to anyway.

        It's Week 38 and this one runs 16th Sept to 22nd Sept, forget repeatedly hitting F5, get current gaming.
        ------------------------------------------

        Disgaea 4 Complete+ (PC)

        Technically I suppose it's not really an unplayed game, given I played the PS3 version to death. I only put it on for a quick look to shift it off the pile and ended up playing it for over 6 hours.

        Disgaea 4 is the one they overcomplicated the different systems on and made it so it was more difficult to progress your characters, splitting skills out with evalities and everything competing for the mana you have to spend, this along with the senate area of having to layout buildings on an isometric map for the different boosts like exp & mana sharing - it all got a bit messy and awkward.

        It was also the game where the higher end Game+ stuff was really difficult to reach, thankfully they pulled back a bit for Disgaea 5 and it was a better game for it.

        With that said, all the usual trappings with Disgaea are in 4+ complete, but you willl have to remap the controller the first time you go in as cancel/ok are reversed from the common config (unless you're JP PS player), once done, this is easily 9 DOODS! out of 10.

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        Last edited by MartyG; 19-09-2020, 16:31.

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          #79
          Are you confused between left and right, black and white, Wii and WiiU or Xbox One X and Xbox Series X? Well make no mistake here, it's definitely Week 39 (the numbers make it easy) - this one runs from 23rd September to 29th September.

          Now that you're going to be spending more time inside for the next 6 months after coming back from the pub at 10PM, there are no excuses - get those unplayed games played.

          -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

          Zero Caliber PC VR

          It's a FPS with guns. Lots of guns. And strange arms. There's often a disconnect in VR games on your avatar representation, do you go with a full skeleton or just show the hands. ZC goes with full skeleton, just without bones, so your arms looks like they lack joints and stretch and bend oin odd ways. Fortunately it's not too distracting.

          There's another issue in this type of VR game, how complex do you make the weapon handling? In this case you don't need huge precision, so loading the magazines and cocking the mechanisms is easy to do. The controller will probably make a difference, it work well gripping the rifles two handed with Index.

          Then you have movement - again there's a choice, do you make things free or snap and teleport? You have a choice here and your selection will depend on how well you can handle the VR Vom Rocket (it gets better with higher refresh rates).

          Then you get to shoot stuff. It's pretty basic and enemy AI is garbo, so only get this on sale. I give it 5 reloads out of 10.

          -------------------------------------------

          AirCar PC VR

          You've seen BladeRunner right? You were disappointed that you didn't get your flying car as the film from 1982 promised you would have in 2019. Well now you can.

          This freebie sits you in a flying car in a sprawling metropolis in the rain - fly around and find landing pads to boost your turbo speed and fly a bit more.

          That's it. As an experience this is pretty decent, I definitely felt like I was piloting an aircraft and for a while I forgot we are in the middle of a real life apocalypse. Worth a look.

          I give this one 8 replicants out of 10.

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          Last edited by MartyG; 29-09-2020, 12:41.

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            #80
            Today sees the beginning of Week 40 - for those sat on the fence I shall be campaigning that this week starts on 30th September and ends on the 6th October. If you've already decided on the dates, then you won't be surprised to find this one finishes in a a different month.

            The same 7 day length applies in both cases, this is how long you have to reduce your pile of shame further. The motion is play your unplayed games, you now have the floor.

            ------------------------------

            Rush - PC VR

            Ever fancied sky diving? You're in luck, Steep allows you to live your dreams. Base jumping, light aircraft, wing suits. It's all here along with mini basket balls and hoops in the plane as you climb to your departure height.

            Lift your arms and steer like superman, collect tokens, press the boost button. If I'm not sounding convincing about trying this one, it's probably because I'm not that enthused. I was expecting more vertigo.

            I give this one 6 rip cords out of 10. It's not terrible (I'll let you put that on the box).

            ---------------------------------------------
            Last edited by MartyG; 08-10-2020, 21:10.

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              #81
              As we approach Week 41 it's time to reflect on the skill and craftmanship of the pro gamer. Sat there with their competition mouse & keyboard and 144Hz monitor, playing on low shadow low detail for those extra frames. They wouldn't have a big pile of shame to get through, so why do you? They'd also know this week runs from 8th October to 14th October.

              Getting gaming
              -------------------------------------------------------

              Drake Hollow - Xbox One

              Annoying, confusing and boring. Avoid. I give it 3 tedious collection missions out of 10.

              ------------------------------------

              Doom Eternal - Xbox One

              Seems more difficult than Doom and I'm not sure if it's Xbox (I played the original reboot on PC) but the movement input is way too sensitive on the pad. I turned the sensitivity down and I'm still over shooting turns. Not enjoying this as much as the first one and introducing things like wall climbing seems to have been done for the sake of it, not to make the experience better.

              Much prefered the first game. I give this one 7 Cacodemons out of 10.

              -------------------------------------

              Double Kick Heroes - Xbox One

              Meh - it really does seem there are a lot of mediocre titles on my pile of shame this week - it's a very basic rhythm game with zombies. Someone watched too much Bill & Ted after getting drunk.

              I give this 5 wild stallions out of 10.

              -------------------------------------

              Dungeon of the Endless - Xbox One

              More like Dungeon of the Irritating, amirite? Awful controls, awful UI, needs a mouse so doesn't work very well on Xbox One with a pad. No, uninstalled.

              I give this one 4 I really can't be bothered with this out of 10.

              ---------------------------------

              Minit - Xbox One

              I'm sure the concept is clever, but it's not much fun.

              I gave this 5 minutes out of 10 (literally).

              ---------------------------------

              Afterparty - Xbox One

              I think it's trying to be ironic, but it's actually a really bad interactive version of American Pie - one of the terrible spin off sequels at that.

              I give this 2 college parties out of 10.

              -------------------

              So mostly terrible terrible games this week, but at least I can cast them aside from the pile of shame.
              Last edited by MartyG; 11-10-2020, 11:35.

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                #82
                Welcome to Week 42 it's pre-lockdown week and this one runs from 14th October to 20th October.

                You may be thinking that as you're going to be sat at home locked inside that you can simply goof off this period.

                You are wrong.

                Sleeping does not exist in this dojo, does it? Slacking does not exist in this dojo, does it? Downtime does not exist in this dojo, does it?

                No excuses. Play or be sweeped in the knee.

                -------------------------------------------------

                Touhou Luna Nights - Xbox One

                It's another one of those roguelite action platformers that have become so popular - the gimmick here being you can stop time for a few seconds and of course that starts to become overused as way to get through the platform levels.

                It's alright for what it is, but other titles do it better like Dead Cells.

                I give it 7 stop watches out of 10.

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                Last edited by MartyG; 18-10-2020, 13:06.

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                  #83
                  The numbers are rising - yes it's week 43. This one runs from 21st October to the 27th October.

                  Rather than watching Bake Off this week, why not playing Cooking Mamma instead - that's on your pile of shame right? No, Overcooked? Overcooked 2? Cook Serve Delicious? Battle Chef Brigade? Bakery Simulator? Fallout 76 (come on, you do you just decided not to play it after the reviews).

                  Anyway, you have 168 hours. Ready. Steady. Bake.

                  ----------------------------------------------

                  Undermine - PC

                  It's one of those Rogue Lite games where you have one life, do your game run and eventually die, taking some of your (not all) items collected into your next run.

                  It's a random dungeon affair where there are traps and enemies and you kill everything to travel deeper down the mine, getting further the more items you're able to accumulate to make yourself more powerful, until you meet a boss you just can't beat.

                  It's pleasant enough with a nice 16-bit era feel to it. Responsive enough to controls not to annoy you and you can get far enough into the dungeon/mine to feel like you're making progress.

                  I give it 7 ever deepinging levels out of 10.

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                  Last edited by MartyG; 25-10-2020, 14:09.

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                    #84
                    Holy smokes, it's the spooky week 44 - this one runs with the spiders from 28th October to 3rd November.

                    As the nights get colder and the Covid gets bolder, you're going to be much better off staying in and playing some of your unplayed titles. It's also Steam Sale week - as tempting as it maybe, are you going to think twice before adding more games to that pile of shame?

                    Go on, play the dormant ones you already have.

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                    Arizona Sunshine - PCVR

                    I wasn't really expecting much from this given it was one of the earlier VR games around, but it turned out to be a fairly interesting zombie game. This is helped greatly by the fact it's not just a horde shooter (although there are horde moments). There is also an amount of environment exploration and the odd simple puzzle element.

                    Certainly worth picking up along with the DLCs when on sale as it won't take too long to complete.

                    I give it 8 Negans out of 10.

                    --------------------------------------------

                    Aerofly FS 2 - PCVR

                    Although you don't need VR for this, flight sims are massively improved with a headset. This FS isn't as complex as X-Plane and Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it still looks decent with the high-res texture packs and it doesn't need a super powerful rig to get it to run at 60 fps.

                    The downsides are you don't have a world-wide locations to fly to and from, which makes it less appealing if your enjoyment comes from simulation of long haul flights in heavy jets.

                    It goes on sale for about £25 and it's definitely worth a look for that if you're struggling to run the recent release from MS. Just don't expect the online weather model and aircraft location data to be streaming in.

                    I give this one 8 stall turns out of 10.

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                    Last edited by MartyG; 01-11-2020, 18:10.

                    Comment


                      #85
                      I've counted all the votes (even the ones the postman hid behind the Nintendo Gamecube) and it's definitely Week 45. This one runs from 4th Novermber to 10th November.

                      Remember that every played unplayed game counts towards your 52 week challenge total - even if the winning margin is very small.

                      It's not over until it's over.

                      -----------------------------------------

                      Tech Support Error Unknown - PC

                      Imagine doing a really boring level 1 job where you talk to idiots that do idiot stuff to their phones and you have to pretend to care. That is this game.

                      I tried to find adventurous ways to annoy callers, but unfortunately you can't insult their mothers and have to choose from set responses rather than using genieously typed wittery.

                      If you want to play the game properly, you have to toe the corporate line - couldn't really bring myself to do that.

                      I give this one 6 wetware issues out of 10.
                      Last edited by MartyG; 10-11-2020, 19:58.

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                        #86
                        Week 46 - We will remember them. Those unplayed games I mean. This week runs from 11th November to 17th November.

                        Why not try your hand at those CoD clones you bought but never booted up because although at the time they seemed like a bargain, now they seem third reich ... I mean rate. At least they're unlikely to have a load of microtransactions in them.

                        And remember, poppies are optional due to virtue signalling - get playing.

                        -------------------------------

                        Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - Xbox One

                        This kind of doesn't count given I completed the original back on the PS1 years ago, but it's been on my list for a while and remains my favourite of the Final Fantasy games (controversial). People wax on about the materia system, but the junctioning in FF8 took that concept and expended on it hugely. Plus the side-quest card game is really decent in FF8.

                        The difference in this version is the main models had a makeover, but sadly the backgrounds didn't, so the low res BGs and higher res characters kind of clash. There are also some built in cheats to speed up gameplay (which is welcome as those animations do start to drag), make you god like and turn off random battles.

                        I very much doubt I'll play through this again to completion, but it's off the list now.

                        I give it 9 shivas out of 10 - it's still a great story and experience.
                        -------------------------------------------------

                        Tetris Effect - PC

                        I've had this on the list for a while but ended up being a little disappointed. Not quite sure what I was expecting, maybe an expansion on the concept as was done with Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Galaga but it's just the same Tetris really.

                        Tetris is great and always will be a classic, but I think I'd only ever recommend getting this version when it's on sale.

                        I give it 6 single line clears out of 10.

                        --------------------------

                        The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - PC

                        Bonus entry: This was on free weekend so I don't own it (at least not yet).

                        I really think I should have started with the first game in the series (which I do have and haven't played) as I think I'm maybe missing out on some of the references and characters. It isn't a hinderance to playing the game, but it's possibly a case of missing out on some subtle details.

                        Be prepared for a lot of exposition in this game, it's almost visual novel like in this regard. All that text is rewarded by the combat systems though, which are some of the best in modern JRPGs. Turn based but a lot to it with the different arts and skills which can be combined with other characters.

                        On ultra settings it's still a little bit plain looking, typical anime like characters. It hits the usual JRPG tropes with chaacter types and story setting, but if this is what you like in an RPG, it hits all the spots and is definitely worth a look.

                        I give it 9 RNGs out of 10.

                        ------------------------------------
                        Last edited by MartyG; 15-11-2020, 13:15.

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                          #87
                          Fear not, Week 47 is not forgotten - like a silent assassin, it's just snuck in without you noticing. This one accidently kills from 18th November to 24th November.

                          All you need do is setup the long shots and extract those unplayed games. Go get 'em.

                          -------------------------------------------------------

                          The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners - PCVR

                          Definitely one of the better translations to videogame from the books (or TV series), not quite sure as I didn't recognise any of the characters so far. As a VR experience it's very good, has that lone person in a sea of zombies ready to eat your flesh look and feel, with most combat being melee and needing a good degree of force to drive that screwdriver or ice-pick home through the skull.

                          You might want to have strengthened your VR legs before playing this one, although you can play it seated, it's easier as room VR given the movement needed; it has some comfort settings to allow you to avoid motion sickness.

                          Overall a decent VR experience, worth picking up. I give it 8 Grimes out of 10.

                          ---------------------------------

                          Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Xbox One

                          Or Fallen Shadow of the Mordor. Amiright. Actually this is a pretty decent Star Wars game, although I'm not sure why they only put half the effort in to modelling the secondary characters - what's wrong with Cere's face? It's like it's been filled with air.

                          I can see the platforming might get a bit samey and the parrying in combat is annoying as most other system - time it or die. At least you can adjust the difficult to make that need less precision.

                          In all though, it's a pretty solid effort, especially considering it's from the EA stables.

                          I give this 9 droids you weren't looking for out of 10.

                          -------------------------------------------------
                          Last edited by MartyG; 23-11-2020, 20:37.

                          Comment


                            #88
                            They say that it's always the last part of the journey where the hero is mostly likely to fall. We are at Week 48 so the end is in sight, but don't let this mean you can take your foot off the gas. Your concentration is still required and those games won't play themselves.

                            Set yourself some time from 25th November to 1st December and I'll see your at the Christmas tree lights turn on ceremony around the Xbox, PC and PlayStation. Or Switch if you're getting desperate

                            And go .........
                            -----------------------------------

                            DoDonPachi Ressurected - PC

                            This is not a game to play after consuming vodka or meth. There is so much going on in this game that it completely overloads your brain. The amount of enemies and bullets on screen really are hell. BulletHell.

                            Cave never disappoint when it comes to shooters and this is one of three titles available on Steam. I think I slightly prefer Mushihimesama (it's slightly easier to play so you'll get further in), but all three of the Cave titles currently available on Steam are worth getting, including this one.

                            I give it 9 mid-level bosses out of 10.

                            ----------------------------------------------

                            Cloudpunk - PC

                            It's not long until Cyberpunk 2077 now, but if you want to get your Bladerunner on before then, Cloudpunk might satiate you for a while.

                            In this game you're a delivery diver in an aircar - and you deliver stuff. What more do you want? It's voxel base, but has some nice neon lights everywhere, it's certainly cyberpunk in look and feel. Very nice soundtrack in this game too.

                            I give it 8 Deckers out of 10.

                            --------------------------------------------
                            Last edited by MartyG; 28-11-2020, 11:55.

                            Comment


                              #89
                              It's Week 49 and also just 8 days away from "that game" - you know the one I mean. It was also the Steam Sale last week and I know you bought more games to add to your pile of shame, don't deny it.

                              Take this week of lull (which runs from 2nd Dec to 8th Dec), to convert those unplayed titles into beacons of hope. Get to it.

                              -----------------------------------

                              Assassin's Creed Valhalla - PC

                              I must admit I'm not the biggest fan of the AC series, I find them a bit tedious to play, although the more recent games have been a bit more interesting - it's on my list as it was a freebie.

                              Valhalla has a nice setting and the open world looks good, but I don't think I can recommend this on PC. It runs like garbage, even turning the settings right down at 1080P and I don't have garbage rig. Running the benchmarks showed things getting worse turning on the adaptive quality than better, which makes me think this game needs some performance patches. It definitely needs to be on a fast drive as it seems to stream in a lot of data, but I'm seeing framerates go from 3 to 90 on the high settings with shadows turned down to medium at 1080P.

                              I give this one 5 norse gods out of 10. If they can improve the performance so that it runs at consistent framerates it will be worth another look.

                              -------------------------------------

                              Anno 1602 History Edition - PC

                              I like the Anno games, but going back to this after spending time in Anno 1800 is a step back in time too far. Whilst Ubisoft have sorted out the scaling so it works on 4K screens without icons 2 pixels wide, that's all they seem to have done. All the nice things like tooltip and context sensitive help is missing as is the ability to customise very much.

                              If you persevered, you might get something out of it, but I'd suggest just playing 1800 instead.

                              I give this one 3 graves of dead settlers out of 10.

                              -----------------------
                              Last edited by MartyG; 08-12-2020, 22:08.

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                                #90
                                Nearly there, mate!

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