Announcement

**MartyG** · 01-01-2021, 11:00

January 2021 - Play at least one title from your pile of shame

It begins - this is an easy one, so there can't be any moaning about being too full from post-chrismas pigouts, or whinging because you're a bit hung over. It's January, it's cold and frosty outside, so I know you're sat on the sofa in your jimjams doing nothing important.

You've also bought or been given games over the holidays, so you've got no excuses - get those unplayed games played - you've only got to get through one to meet this month's challenge, but the more titles you can remove from your pile of shame, the better.

Month one is go ...

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Unruly Heroes - Xbox One

A meh platform/metrovania lite game - looks like it's set the universe of Monkey, played it for a bit, but there's little here you haven't seen before. Okay if you like this sort of thing, it's not badly done, but it's not my cup of tea (Dead Cells is this only platform/metrovania game you need).

I give this one 5 collapsing platforms out of 10.

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Control - Xbox One

Oh Remedy. I know there are big fans of this game, but the irony is I didn't in anyway feel in command - cut scenes also drag on (as all Remedy games suffer from). Perhaps it's one of those titles that needs more than 30 minutes, but time is short and if things don't grab me in the first 10-15 minutes, I don't generally go back.

I give this one 6 do as you're tolds out of 10.

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Eternal - Xbox One

It's never a good sign when you've downloaded a game and boot it up that it then spends an eternity (ha!) doing internal downloads, but that's the experience here.

Eternal is a free-to-play deck building game, so if you want to make significant progress, the next thing that will take eternity is gain experience, unless you eternally give Eternity more money. But worse than that - this game has severe server issues and most of the time you'll sit there on an initializing or a connecting screen.

But hey, it's fee to pay. I give this 2 eternal damnations out of 10 - it's not worth the bandwidth it takes up.

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Heliborne Enhanced Edition - PC

I'm not entirely sure what's enhanced about it, but it's not a game I'd recommend rushing out to buy. It's a helicopter combat game, made in Unity. I'm sure loads of time has been put into it, but this one definitely feels like a fan project.

The menus have been put together by a blind badger from the 70s and the control scheme by a dlipped bird who believes that if it can't fly, neither should anyone else be able to.

This is also primarily an online game, which is populated by the same number of people at a 2020 U2 concert.

Heli sims, at least good heli sims, are a tricky beast and there aren't many of them (LHX Attack Chopper hasn't been beaten yet

) - this does not increase that number.

I give this 4 collective sticks stuck at 50 RPM out of 10.

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Space Channel 5 - PC VR

The Dreamcast classic in VR. It's not quite the same as you play one of Ulala's support class but it still has the same great music. I think this is actually a lot easier (I hit 93% accuracy on my first attempt), so the timings are no where near as strict as the original.

Pretty basic looking as VR games go, but there are a few different games, even if there's not that much difference between them. If you were a fan of the original, you'll like this too.

I give it 8 up downs up downs out of 10.

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Medium

Very atmospheric music, runs reasonably well too even though it's targetted 30 FPS - it does mean that input feels a little more treacle than silicon grease, but it isn't dropping to 20 FPS every two minutes as some would have you believe (it just doesn't happen).

I can't say that I think it looks truly "next-gen" tho and if I'm honest, I don't like the fixed camera angle viewpoints (ala RE1&2), I just find this approach really jarring, especially when angles changes massively in perspective.

I'm not really a horror genre fan either, so I very much doubt I'll ever finish this title, it's a reasonable effort tho.

I give this one 7 afterlifes out of 10.

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Desperados III - Xbox

I'd forgotten how much I dislike this style of game. When it said strategy, I thought it was going to be like XCom, but it's real time, not turn based. It's one of those titles that gives the appearance of being open, but actually requires very precise positioning and I just don't find them fun at all, so that got uninstalled fast.

If you're a fan of the genre you could score it a bit higher, but this one gets 4 cracked horseshoes out of 10.

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Aragami - Xbox

I'm not a big stealth-em up fan, but I quite enjoyed Aragami, there's a little bit of give-and-take with this one, in that it's not game over as soon as you're spotted (as is the case with far too many of these). If you need to do hard kills, rather than stealth, that option is open here.

I also quite like the look of the game, it's not ultra poly, more an anime look which really suits the game.

Definitely worth a look and I give it 8 Katanas out of 10.

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Knights and Bikes - Xbox

Nope. You want me to play your game, don't start it with music that makes me want to destroy the console by smashing it with claw hammers within 2 minutes of starting playing it.

I give this 2 punctures out of 10. No, I don't want to ride your bike.

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Man of Medan - Xbox

Horror adventure game with plenty of jump scares. Definitely got a nice atmosphere, with the game direction going with that cinema look & feel, the fixed camera angles aiding that.

Very slow paced though, takig you through a series of stories alowing you to make critical choices, puntuated by QTEs (fortunately they're not too taxing).

I give this one 7 mini novellas out of 10.

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**MartyG** · 01-02-2021, 20:28

As the cold days of January leave us, the cold days of February join us. It's still winter, it's still lockdown, you know that you're better off inside, so why not spend that time completing the 12 month challenge?

The early blocks remain the easiest, so with February being the second month of the year, the goal is to play at least two titles in your pile of shame and eliviate the guilt that comes with an overeaching shadow of neglect.

So get to it: February - Play at least 2 unplayed game from your pile of shame

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Dyson Sphere Program - PC

This is my next desert island game - first play at it turned into an 11 hour session, it's like crack cocaine.

If you've ever played Factorio (and if you haven't, why not? Go and buy it now) - this is quite similar but the idea has been expanded on quite a bit. The basics are you start off as a solo mech and have to start gathering resources to build miners, factories and research facilities. All of these items build upon each other getting ever more complex as you progress through the tech trees.

The difference here is you play across multiple planets, so eventually will need to set up interplanetary transport systems in order to succeed. The ultimate goal, keeping with the name, is to build the Dyson sphere and win the game.

It's a must play and must buy and I give this game 10 schematics out of 10.

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Wreckfest - Xbox

Been around a while. but it seemed a little bit empty - driving around smashing into other things and try to survive. Trouble is the game doesn't really give you a very good intro, setting you on a mini tractor that has terrible handling.

I've never really understood this way of thinking in some driving titles, giving you a crap vehichle, forcing you to drive it around for ages until you can upgrade to something that's fun. Just make it fun from the beginning with the faff (and yes I'm looking at you Gran Turismo).

It's not absolutely awful, so I give this one 5 spare parts out of 10.
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**MartyG** · 02-03-2021, 10:42

It's March 2021 and that means a step closer to the start of spring: Put that leap in your step by playing a total of at least 3 games from your pile of shame this month.

March - Play at least 3 unplayed game from your pile of shame
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Watchdogs Legions - PC
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I'm please I didn't spend loads on this ... whilst the recreation of London is quite impressive (although the seats in the commons don't look comfy), the game just isn't very interesting to play. The whole recruitment thing gets old fast and that's really the only thing that differentiates it from the other games. If that part doesn't matter to you, then you'll get exactly the same experience from playing WD2.

So, points for the environment, but loses for the accents and gameplay - I give it 5 cockneys out of 10.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake - PS4
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SquareEnix haven't done a bad job with this one, but it's not quite the same without the ATB combat - instead it's another hack and slash RPG and somehow less satisfying.

Pleasant enough to play, though after 2 hours of it, I'm really not that inclined to return to it, not when I'd rather be playing the original game - even if you can't save whenever you please.

I give this one 7 pheonix downs out of 10.

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Octopath Traveller - Xbox One
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I've had this game quite a while on PC but never booted it, so tried it on Xbox for the achievements. Has a nice look and feel but it's very unforgiving. Got destroyed by the first minor boss fight.

Think I'll play it on PC with a trainer, because life's too short to need to grind just to get past the first 30 minutes of the game.

I think it might be good, but when you've seen the game over screen because you only have 200 hit points and enemies take 160 off you in a single turn, there aren't enough potions in world to help you.

Edit: After playing this quite a bit more (to the extent I haven't played much else since starting it), I've warmed to the game a little. The battle system is still a little bit on the not that much to it side (basically if you can break enemies by targetting their weakness, you can pretty much tank any battles). I am enjoying the story and the differing character jobs. Once you start unlocking a few more things, the game does become more fun - fortunately this happens pretty quickly.

For that reason, it gets 8 unlocking the hidden things out of 10.
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**MartyG** · 02-04-2021, 16:27

It's April so don't be no fool, this month you need to get four games from your pile of shame cleared. The easter hols give you extra days and there's still a virus on loose, so don't make up an excuse.

March scrapped through, mostly due to 30 hours of Octopath Traveller, but one title a week should be easily doable for all - challenge on.

April - Play at least 4 unplayed game from your pile of shame
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Outriders - Xbox One
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It's alright, like a cheeky rip-off of Destiny crossed with Gears of War. Didn't seem to want a SquareEnix login unlike the demo (at least I wasn't prompted for one, I stopped at that point with the demo).

You shoot bullet sponges from behind cover and pick loot up - it's fine, but Destiny 2 still does this stuff better.

I give it an average 5 random drops out of 10.

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Star Trek Bridge Crew - PCVR
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I've seen the mixed reviews and it is a little bit janky, but once you get used to the UI, then it's actually quite fun - plus you get to be Kirk and Picard, so live out those Trek fantasies.

You can play it single player with an AI crew, but if you have fellow Trekkies to help out it plays a little differently, many players will expect you to know how to use the different console tho.

Despite its flaws, if you can pick this up on the cheap it's a worthwhile VR diversion.

I give it 7 make it so out of 10.

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Zombie Army 4 - Xbox One
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I think they've dulled the difficultly a little bit on this (but then the originally trilogy just got a bit stupid in the end).

It's simply more of the same as the previous games, navigating the level to complete the objects and killing Nazi zombies - it plays exactly the same as before and as such is an enjoyable romp. Gun play is decent, especially with the sniper rifles and playing it co-op enhances the experience. Just a shame there didn't add in a few more secrets or secret achievements - you get nothing for shooting the vermin, so don't waste the ammo.

If you enjoyed the other games then you like this just as much - I give it 8 roaming zombie hands out of 10.

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Borderlands 2 VR - PCVR
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Awful, stick to the normal version. I quite like Borderlands (although you probably only need one of them), but the VR implementation has big issues, you can get stuck when enemies close on you and shooting and moving ends up being a pain as you're trying to do it all in the one hand - it is possible to make this kind of game work, just look at Half-Life Alyx.

I give this one 2 Baby Toxic Grogs out of 10.

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I Expect You To Die - PCVR
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It's a seated puzzled game with a "secret agent" theme. It's alright, not a lot to it but it's pleasant enough.

I give it 6 Booby Traps out of 10.

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Warplanes: WWI Fighters - PCVR
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Pretty good experience, you can set the physics as simple or complex you like to balance it out with the dogfighting. The nice thing with this game is that the speed is reasonably slow, so you can spend the time with the positioning and tactics without having to worry about closing too fast, or be bothered with a complexity of switch gear.

The only real down side is that the virtual controls are a bit exhausting with Index, having to grip the stick. You can toggle, but I always find that diactivates far too often, and there's no way to adjust this sensitivity, or map to a different button, so it does end up straining the hands.

Definitely worth a look though and there's a fairly big demo if you're not sure.

I give this one 8 old fockers out of 10.
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BallisticNG - PCVR
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Remember Wipeout? This is Wipeout(ish) in VR - I wouldn't recommend it for the VR novice as this game moves very fast with a lot of motion is all directions, but if you have you VR legs, then you can appreciate the racing, at least for a few races (it will start to make you motion queezy eventually I reckon, even for seasoned players).

It's not got the greatest interface though, the UI is a little tricky to read as the menus aren't well contrasted. The tracks can be a little short too, but overall worth a look.

I give this one 7 air cars out of 10.

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**MartyG** · 01-05-2021, 20:35

The merry month of May means it's time to start afresh and reset your monthly unplayed game count to zero. This month has not one, but two bank holidays in it, so there are no excuses not to take five games off your pile of shame this month. Plus it's still not safe outside

May - Play at least 5 unplayed game from your pile of shame
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Ageless - PC

Pixel style platformer with the usual wall climbing mechanics - nothing here that hasn't been done before and better. Worst of all, no controller support (why?) so you're stuck using WASD.

It's not awful, but I can't see a compelling reason to buy it.

I give this one 5 controller buttons out of 10

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Avicii Invector - PC

Nice little music rhythm game where you fly a space ship hitting buttons in time to the beat, shifting the craft across different planes. Nice soundtrack from the sadly deceased Avicii .

The trouble is the bar for music rhythm games is really high, from Rock Band to Beat Saber and whilst this is good it's not the same league as those games.

If you like the music from Avicii you'll enjoy it, just don't expect to be blown away.

I give this one 7 lack of plastic instruments out of 10.

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Boreal Blade - PC

Online sword fighting game type thing - it's fairly simply graphics wise, but well stylised. Battles are over an open area and it might be good, if you could get a game. There doesn't seem to be many people playing it and those games that are open seem impossible to get into - not sure this is a very open community tbh.

I don't have time to waste, so uninstall.

I give this one 1 rusty blunt and dull bit of steel out of 10.

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Colt Canyon - PC

Ever wanted to play Red Dead Redeption but in pixelated 2D? Well this is for you - it's a kind of twin stick shooter rogue like, plays a bit like Hotline Miami, but with a wild west theme to it.

It's actually quite fun, but as is typical with this type of game, you die quickly and need to build up your ability over time by restarting and replaying.

Certainly well implemented and cheap enough to make it worth picking up. I give this one 7 empty bullet chambers out of 10.

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Cyber Hook - PC

This one is a first person speedrunner vector graphic affair. The unique selling point on this one being you have a hook device (think Titanfall) only with worse hook mechanics.

Pleasant enough, but there's not a lot to it. If you're into that whole speedrunning thing, then it's worth a look.

I give this one 6 wish I was really playing Titanfalls out of 10.

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**MartyG** · 01-06-2021, 20:51

Crikey, it's June. And you know what that means, not only is summer on its way (it's on the 20th, not the 1st - never trust the weather man), it's also time to break out the unplayed games.

This merry month of June, the challenge is as follows - Play at least 6 unplayed game from your pile of shame.

And go ...
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Skully - PC

This is kind of third person marble madness with a skull as the marble, which for some reason can't go in liquid water but can go in liquid clay pits (no I don't get it either, it's not like water is bad for bones and they're only an inch deep).

Can't really say I had much fun with this and the music seems to be a 2 minute loop, it's pleasant looking enough, but there's nothing compelling about it so I see little reason to spend money on it.

I give this one 4 water deaths out of 10.

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Fury Unleashed - PC

This one isn't too bad, it's kind of like a Metal Slug game crossed with some Celeste with some speed running - it's quite fun to play and introduces a lot of mechanics really quickly. There's some dash movements & double jumps and multiple ways to kill enemies with grenades, guns, stomping and super powers.

With quite a few different chapters to work through, if you like this kind of 2D / shooter platformers, there's a lot to like here. It plays well without being too overwhelming and generally comes across as a fun game.

I give this one 8 well timed jumps out of 10

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Going Under - PC

If you take Dead Rising and really simplifer the graphics and replace zombies with cuter monsters, that's basically what this is. You're able to pick up items in the environment and kill the monsters with them, or throw items at them. Weapons eventually (well quite quickly) break, requiring you to pick up new ones.

It's a map where you move from room to room, so normally you're pitted against one or more monsters at a time, then you'll reach a boss fight which is a case of attrition.

It's alright, but nothing really special. I give it 6 Frank Wests out of 10.

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Knockout City - Xbox One

It's 3 vs 3 Dodge Ball with a few quirks like having a handglider and bomb balls. It's pretty fast paced, best of three rounds, first to 10 knockouts.

It's seems to play okay, maybe if you have a couple of mates rather than playing with randos it'd be better - maps are quite vertical but quite small.

I might play a few rounds, but there's a bunch of cosmetic micro transactions with it - no real need to buy into them tho.

I give it 6 medicine balls out of 10

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Mount & Blade Warband - Xbox One

Playing this makes me think I'm playing an original Xbox game the UI and UX is so bad. Maybe there's a decent gae in there if you can get past how horribly it controls and how that makes doing anything really difficult..

I just didn''t have the patience to find out. I give this one 3 thrown horse shoes out of 10.

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Bleed 2 - Xbox One

An indie game that's a cross between a platformer, bullet hell and a twin stick shooter, but it's certainly quite an unforgiving game, even on normal and will punish you if you make errors as the achievement completions will testify (you'll get a rare on pretty much all of them).

It plays pretty well and action is fast an hectic, but you'll need a bit of practice to get a good end level ranking - I give this one 8 mid level bosses out of 10.

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The Dark Crystal: Age of resistance Tactics - Xbox One

This is a fairly average 3D isometric tactics game, based around the Dark Crystal. The problem is there are loads of games that do this far better (think Disgaea, XCOM, Shadowrun) and the story really isn't that compelling.

Add to that a quirky menu for combat that's slow to use and the UX becomes quite poor.

For that reason I can't really recommend this one and it gets an average 5 cracked crystals out of 10.

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**MartyG** · 01-07-2021, 19:47

Half way into the year and that now means the challenges have become more challenging - July means we're looking at getting through seven, yes, a whole seven of your unplayed pile of shame (and I know you've bought more in the Steam sales.

This even merrier month of July the challenge is as follows - Play at least 7 unplayed game from your pile of shame.

You've got 31 days to get through them, starting now. Go go go ...
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Spellforce 3 - PC

This is an isometric RTS/RPG with some base building elements to it. It looks very nice and plays quite well - story seems a little bit generic so far, but mostly just playing through the tutorials.

As first impressions go it seems decent enough as this type of game goes, so I give this one 8 resource gatherings out of 10.

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Caves of Qud - PC

This is a game I should like, it's a proper roguelike with complex character classes and deep RPG systems - it harks back to the classic Rogue game made of ASCII art, going further than MUDs ever did.

I'm still struggling to get into it - as much as we complain about games holding your hand, sometimes having a few pointers on how to begin are helpful, but all you'll get here is a page of text on how to get started.

This is a good game, but you definitely have to be in the right mindset to get the most out of it.

I give this one 9 @#£ out of 10. For Toy and Wichman.

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The Falconeer - PC

It's basically an air combat shooter with you on the back of a giant eagle. It seems to play okay, although there are some odd game mechanics in it (pressumably because they couldn't think of a better way of doing things) such as having to fly into a thunderstorm and get struck by lightning to recharge your weapons.

I quite like how the bird controls but there's nothing particularly engaging here. Still it's a good effort overall, so this one gets a slightly above average 6 feathers out of 10.

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Dragon Quest Builders 3 - Xbox One

It's a little bit like Minecraft with a Dragon Quest skin. If you like both of those things, then you'll get a bit of fun out this - only a bit of fun tho. Progress is so slow it's almost glacial and you can't just skip through the tutorial stuff. All the text is slow to skip through too.

If you're after some cheap achievements and have the patience to wade through all the hand holding, there's a family friendly title waiting to break out - it's no action game mind.

I give this one 7 basic building blocks out of 10.

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Total War Rome Remastered - PC

It's perhaps a little bit of a cheat to include this as I played the original to death, however, it is a new unplayed purchase.

This is still a great game and now works and scales far better on newer PCs. There are quite a lot of quality of life improvements in the game, most of it around the UI, making management of settlements in the campaign a lot easier and control of units of the map better. This is done without losing the flavour of the original game.

The good news is these improvements work well, but if you've played the more modern Total War games, this might still seem a little archaic by comparison. That said, the simpler gameplay of Rome means it's a far more approachable game that avoids getting bogged down in complexities.

If you were expect the original just with update graphics, you might not like it so much, but if you were after an overall with some QoL improvements, then yes it's definitely worth the asking price. For that reason I give it 9 Commoduses out of 10.

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60 Seconds - PC

This is a fun little apocolyptic survival game - it starts with 60 seconds (hence the title) before the bombs drop, giving you that much time to gather up as many resources as you can (four items at a time) into your bomb shelter (this includes family members).

From there it's about rationing your supplies and venturing outside to gather new items when you can. Only the first 60 seconds sees you controlling a character, the rest is choose your own adventure like interactions.

It's not seriously complicated and games can be quite short, but it's kind of fun trying different variations of things to chuck into the shelter.

It's cheap enough not to worry and worth at least 60 seconds of your time. I give this one 7 gamma particles out of 10.

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CrisTales - Xbox

This is a turn baed RPG and it looks quite pretty but that opening tutorial of having to find the frog - yup, that was enough to make me uninstall it - constant nagging "you've got to fin the frog" when you accidently touched a screen edge where the game didn't want you to go, then taking an age to sip the dialogue box that popped up to tell you ....

There might be a good game there, IDK, don't make your game that irritating to play, especially an RPG. Frankly I don't care where the frog is.

I give this one 2 exceedingly slow text scrollings out of 10.

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Atomicrops - Xbox

It's FarmVille with more radiation and less Facebook.

Didn't really hold my interest and it had unskippable cutscenes which in this day and age is unforgivable. Just no.

Loads of holding the same button doing the same thing over and over - nuclear bombs don't make it more interesting.

I give this one 4 irrigations out of 10.

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Empire of Sin - Xbox

This is basically XCOM: Gangsters.

I used to play a game back on the ZX Spectrum called Mugsy - this is a more strategic version of that.

You build up an organisation, opening speakeasy bars and brothels and take over other organisations until you win the city. Combat is turn based, in a tactical style that pretty much apes that of the XCOM games and it works well.

There are a lot of systems in the game overworld, but the control system works okay with a pad (though it's definitely easier on the PC with M/KB) using a radial dial.

If you ever wanted to be Capone and enjoy this type of game, there's a lot to like here, so I give this one 8 Kingpins out of 10.

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**MartyG** · 03-08-2021, 18:38

So everything has changed in August - new jobs, new challenges, new games and bigger piles of shame. It may be the middle of summer - but that's no excuse. With the lack of new releases around, now is the perfect time to get stuck into that back catalogue.

So with that - August - Play at least 8 unplayed game from your pile of shame.

Activate.
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Vetrix - PCVR

Do you like Tetris? Do you like VR? Then you'll like Vetrix. It's not quite the T/VR fusion, more it's a puzzle game where you must slot in Tetris like shapes into a 3D grid and eliminate lines in the similar way to the famous game.

The twist here (ahem) is that you are free to to rotate the blocks in any direction you desire, so suddenly you're not just thinking in 2D as blocks can be placed in several different ways that you never had to think about before.

Overall this is a decent VR puzzle game and I give it 9 waiting for the long piece to drop out of 10.

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Duckpocalypse- PCVR

Do you like dual wielding LASERs? Do you hate ducks? Then you'll like Duckpocalypse.

Clearly inspired by the famous NES lightgun game known as Duck Hunt - Duckpocalypse is a get-as-high-score-as-you-can-in-a-timelimit 'em up.

So just shoot lots of things as much as you can - that's pretty much it.

It's a very basic experience and you can pick it up for less than £1, so one to have a quick bit of fun when introducing someone to VR for the first time and don't want to make them puke on their first outing.

I give this one 7 basic quacks out of 10.

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Visionarium - PCVR

This isn't really a game, more an interactive lightshow - there are quite a few of these rollercoaster like experiences about - you can site in your chair and chill for a bit of take on the more intense journey. Accompanied by some nice electronic type music, trails on neons will dart across your eyes as you move down a tunnel, forward, upward and sometimes sideways.

It's not the best of them, but it's fine if you tired of shooting ducks.

I give this one 5 neon lights out of 10.

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Boyfriend Dungeon - Xbox

Definitely a bit of a different game - it's part rogue lite and part dating sim - I think it's trying to be woke, but I'm not sure it completely succeeds.

The combat isn't that great and the dating dialogue is a bit over-familiar.

I give this one 3 first impressions out of 10

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Library of Ruina - Xbox

I think this might be a good game, but I can't really tell - it's a turn based strategy card game battler, set in a libriary governed by a strange dominatrix.

The trouble is the UI is completely obscure and the systems not explained in a meaningful way. You'll probably need to watch a tutorial to work it out as it's quite unapproachable.

I give this one 6 overdue fees out of 10.

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Art of Rally - Xbox

It's an isometric rally game with a cartoon look. Free roam through some big maps collecting stuff.

Thought it was pretty tedious tbh.

I give this one 4 homologations out of 10.

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Battlefield 2042 - Xbox

This is an NDA.

I give it X NDAs out of 10.

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Streets of Rogue - Xbox

Had this hanging around for a while and should have played it sooner - very fun take on the Rogue lite genre, working your way through random floors completing objectives and destroying everything and everyone (bonus points for killing innocents). Lots of things to find, lots of different items, traits, character classes and more - and it has co-op. It's on Game Pass at the mo too, so definitely no excuses not to check this game out.

I give it 9 gib punches out of 10.
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Psychonauts 2 - Xbox

It's very good - I'm not the biggest 3D platformer fan, but this reminds me a lot of Donkey Kong 64 - all the hidden secret areas to find stuff in. The little incidentals details in the background are fun and the core mechanics, if a touch more complicated than they really need to be, as pretty solid.

Well worth checking out - I give this one 9 mind controls out of 10.

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**MartyG** · 01-09-2021, 21:13

Heading for the autumn months and first up is September. Although the autumnal equinox isn't until 22nd September, that's not an excuse to let the pile of shame removal slip.

The goal this month is get thru at least 9 unplayed games, so get gud.

September - Play at least 9 unplayed game from your pile of shame
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Curse of the Dead Gods - Xbox

It sort of like Hades but not as good. Combat is a bit awkward, especially the counters that don't seem to have great timing (or I don't because the window of getting it right is tiny).

It's alright, but yeah, I'd rather be playing Hades.

I give this one 6 you'll be wishing it was Hades out of 10.

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Haven - Xbox

Very strange game - sort of wants to be Jet Set Radio Flower, with a graphic novel.

It's a bit boring and I'll probably never boot it up again, looks ok.

I give it 5 floatings over blades of grass out of 10.

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Carto - Xbox

Quite a nice little indie title with some clever use of the map (hence the title I guess) - it's an adventure game with some small puzzle elements revolving around the manipulation of the map, the blocks of which make up the grid can be moved around to change the layout of the world in the game.

It's nicely done and works well, if a little on the simple side, but it's quite charming and worth a look.

I give this one 7 ordinance surveys out of 10
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Crown Trick - Xbox

A basic turn based rogue lite dungeon crawler.

You know the score, move one square at a time, battle enemies, get to the end of the level.

There are a couple of things that expand on things here, like familiars and spells, but it's a fairly average by the numbers game of this genre. It's not bad, but it's not special.

I give this one 5 floor tiles out of 10.

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Signs of the Sojourner - Xbox

This is an adventure card conversation game. Yeah, sounds a bit strange and it is - you make progress thru the game by having conversations with different characters, the outcome of which is controlled by a battler card game.

It's kind of like a hybrid game of dominos, with some cards having extra powers - you have to match a set number of cards based on the card's type and if you reach the end of the row, you get a positive speech outcome, fail and it's a negative outcome. Sometimes it's not possible to complete the conversation because you won't have the required card type in your hand - the game uses this concept to lock out parts of the adventure until you can collect them in your limited deck.

It's a bit different to the norm, but it didn't really manage to hold my interest because the story behind it isn't that enthralling, so this gets 6 oral exams out of 10.

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Craftopia - Xbox

I nearly fell asleep - it's fine, but it's Ark without interesting dinosaurs, there's really nothing here we haven't seen two dozen times before. To succeed in this genre you need to be doing something different and this simply doesn't.

There's nothing particularly bad here as it's implemented well enough, it's just a bit meh, so what's the point in playing it? I give it 4 chopping down yet more trees out of 10.

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The Artful Escape - Xbox

This is another indie title, an adventure this time which I think kind of wants to be Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, given the theme. It's a musical journey and I think the devs who made it enjoyed hallucinogenic drugs.

It looks fantastic tho and character design is certainly a bit different. Those times years ago when you dreamt about playing a game that looked like an animated movies, well they're certainly here now and this does it very well.

I get the impression it's a short game as it gives the achievements away fast, but what I've played of it I give this 8 Be Excellent To Each Others out of 10.

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Sable - Xbox
What a nice looking game.

Sadly that's where it ends - currently this has frame rate glitches, camera issues, lackluste controls and worst of all - it's really tedious to play. It just drags and drags and drags.

If you're looking for something that's really slow paced where nothing much happens then this might be for you, but I give it 4 oh the camera is stuck in the wall out of 10.

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Lost Words: Beyond the Page

What is the point of this game? More like beyond the likelihood of selling very much. Amiright?

You walk across sentences as platforms and then can't progress past the fourth page. I give this 2 Lord Byrons out of 10.

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I am a fish - Xbox

This is basically a third person perspective marble madness, except in this case controlling the bowl across the environments is even more sluggish and annoying, especially given how far the check points are apart. Ultimately it's more fun to keep killing the fish.

I give this one 5 flake foods out of 10.
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**MartyG** · 02-10-2021, 08:08

So we're getting towards the final few months of the challenge and the last quarter of the year - this is where things get trickier, especially given that it'll soon be full of ghouls, witches and fireworks.

On the otherhand, you're not going to be going outside as it gets colder and darker, unless it's to find firewood to burn as gas prices climb. Just make sure to budget enough electricity for your console / PC as this month means you need to get thru at least 10 unplayed games from your pile of shame.

So, October - Play at least 10 unplayed games from your pile of shame - Let'sa go.

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Max Curse of the Brotherhood - Xbox

Platformer with a twist where you can draw stuff to help you progress. Didn't help be progress past a spikey tortoise. Okay, but not enough to make me want to find out how to get past it after a few failed retries, so uninstalled.

I give this one 5 no double jumps out of 10.

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FarCry 6 - PC

It's more FarCry on a different map; if you like how this series plays, you'll like this too, if not it isn't going to change your mind. Looks okay, runs okay. It's okay. Okay?

I give this one 7 aligator pets out of 10.

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Astrobot - PS5

Dunno why this was getting such rave reviews. Okay, it's a freebie, but it's a pretty average 3D platformer. It shows of the features of the new pad, but that doesn't save it. It's worth the price paid, but don't expect the world.

I give this one 6 It's not Marios out of 10.

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Hell Let Loose - PS5

It's a FPS which seems to need team mates to get the most out of it. More tactical than BF5, lots of walking. It might be good, but I didn't find any one to shoot. Looks quite nice.

I give this one 6 It's not CoDs out of 10.
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Marvel's Avengers - Xbox

Single player game is more interesting than multiplayer, which got repeatitive very fast with every mission seeming almost identical to the last one. Look nice, but one for superhero fans, just not those who like the films because there are no actor usage rights here.

I give this one 6 It's not Deadpools out of 10.
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Outlast 2 - Xbox

Horror adventure with dark places, torches and mean people with sharp knives. At least there weren't any zombies.

I give this one 6 It's not George A. Romeros out of 10.
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Mighty Goose - Xbox

Platform shooter with a Goose. Pretty tough going, so it you like a challege this isn't too bad. You will die a lot.

I give this one 7 It's Not Metal Slugs out of 10.

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Bridge Constructor: Portal - Xbox

Build bridges with a portal theme. It has some of the humour but not of the laughs. There are better bridge constructor games and this one is really short lived.

I give this one 4 It's Not the Tacoma Narrows out of 10.

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The Procession to Calvary - Xbox

It want's to be a Terry Gilliam animation more than it wants to be a videogame - a pretty garbage point and click that I couldn't uninstall fast enough.

I give this one 1 It's Not Monty Python out of 10.

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F1 2021 - Xbox

Wasn't even sure I was playing the 2021 version. Could have been 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. Who knows?

Perfectly competent racer, as this series always is. No VR support on PC is just mind bendling stupid at this point.

You do not need to buy this if you have any of the other games. At all. Especially not a full price.

Two scores for this one:

If you own other games in the series: I give this one 5 blowouts out of 10. It's not an essential purchase, wait for the sales.
If you don't own another F1 game: I give this one 8 blowouts out of 10. It's a decent F1 racer and worth a look (but consider buying 2020 for cheap instead - it's the same game).

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**MartyG** · 01-11-2021, 19:20

Who'd believe we'd already be in November. It's time to put the dynamite under that pile of shame and send those unplayed games up in rockets and bangers. Then celebrate by getting the sparklers out.

Yes, I know Battlefield 2042 is out this month, but given that game isn't going to be in a properly playable state until 2022, it's time to hit the November challenge.

November - Play at least 11 unplayed game from your pile of shame

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Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus - PC

A 2D fighter - I have so many of these in the library that have been gathering dust that I could easily do the first 6 moths of the challenge just on these. This is typical of the Arc System Works fighters, a good range of different character with a wide variation in fighting styles. The animations are pretty decent (though perhaps not quite as detailed as some Capcom fighters), but they definitely play well and it feels pretty balanced.

Lots to master here and plenty of game modes to keep solo and online players happy so this one gets 8 Gatling Combos out of 10.

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Forza Horizon 5 - Xbox

Things go vroom. Whilst it might not really do anything particularly new as far as FH games go, Playground Games have refined the formula down and produced a glowing shine. It looks lush, the map is huge, the driving is fun, the events are plentiful and the special events are, as always, spectacular.

Definitely worth checking this one out so I give it 9 MOTs out of 10.

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Unpacking - Xbox

I went into this not really knowing what it was about, but it is litterally unpacking boxes and putting them into draws, shelves and cupboards. There's something really enjoyable about putting a collection of items in size and colour order. For those that like organising things, this organis-em-up will scratch that itch. It's very ataractic.

I give this one 8 pickfords out of 10.

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Age of Empires IV - PC

Back in 1998, on a fairly basic laptop, I happened upon multiplayer Age of Empires. Having always been a fan of this series, I was definitely looking forward to trying out a modern take on the series - and it is good.

What it isn't tho is very ambitious - to that end if you already have the Age of Empires II remastered edition, it might just be better sticking with that unless you really want some slightly different victory conditions.

It's a top notch RTS, it does everything fine, it's good old reliable Nathan.

I give AoE4 7 war elephants out of 10.

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Rift Breaker - Xbox

This is part RTS, part Tower Defense and part Base Building like Factorio. It errs more towards the action side of things, building bases up then then bringing in hordes of aliens which you and you base defenses must defeat - did I mention that you have a talking AI mech suit? Yeah, you have one of those. And fricken laser beams and massive machettes.

That you're destroying another planet's environment because you destroyed yours on Earth is by-the-by. Ravage away. It can get quite overwhelming, even on the easier difficulties, but an enjoyable experience. It'll probably be easier to manage on PC as the controls need a few button combos and radial dials, it works okay on console but the controller definitely slows reactions down.

Still, I give this one 8 enviromental destructions out of 10.

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Ring of Pain - Xbox

No, I haven't been eating really hot chilli again, but I have been giving this RNG deckbuilding dungeon crawling battler a go. It's along the lines of Slay the Spire and Dicey Dungeons, move from room-ro-room trying to defeat random creatures using a random draw from your deck of cards.

I enjoyed it, but it's RNG, so it's not without quick cheap deaths - fine for a quick play to waste 10-15 minutes if you don't have time for anything deeper - but there's no deep strategy to this card-em-up.

I give it 7 random duces out of 10.

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Chicken Invaders - Cluck on the Darkside - PC

Well, chickens are invading the earth and you must defend it in your star ship. As perspective goes, they're either massive chickens or you have a tiny spaceship. It's a cross between Space Invaders and Galaxians and it's done well enough, it didn't crash it looks nice enough for a sprite game. It exists. I'll never play it again.

I given this one 5 egg bombs out of 10.

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Iron Fisticle - PC

It's a twin stick shooter with hordes of Zombie sprites coming at you - kinda like Robotron 2084, but slower paced. It's another fairly basic indie title, not completely unpleasant, but doesn't scale properly on a 4K screen.

Runs okay on a 3080. I give this one 4 please, not more zombies out of 10.

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Call of Duty Cold War - Xbox

I still haven't finished the previous year's Modern Warfare, but this has also been sitting around waiting to be played. I am enjoying the campaign and there's fun to be had in the zombie modes which have introduced some different ways to play them in co-op.

Not something I'd ever dream of paying £80 for, which is why I pick these up for £20 for the campaign when the price drops.

I've found it to be a solid CoD game single player (if not quite up to MW) and it sure does look pretty enviroment wise. I give this one 8 CIAs out of 10.

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Motorstorm RC Complete Edition - PlayStation

Top down micro machines like track racing game, with the typical controls (oversteer heavy) this type of title likes to use. For an older game, there's still fun to be had, though without the graphical tour de force this full fat sybling has.

I give this one 6 flat nicads out of 10.

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Edge of Eternity - PC

This is a little bit like a My First JRPG. There are parts of it that are interesting, like the combat and so far the story is making for wanting to know more, but the questing is so far a bit tedious with a lot of backtracking. It's a case of do you need to go here, but when you get there someone is stopping you progressing unless you go and do a quest for them. It's not very satisfying.

Then there are the looks. It's an odd one because parts of it are pretty and others bits look like they've been done in Microsoft Paint. It is a small indy team developed title (IIRC) and it has been crash free, it isn't tho, a particularly compelling experience as far as JRPGs go.

I give this one 7 Shivas out of 10.

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Garfield Kart - Furious Racing - PC

Not sure that there's much furious here. It's basically a pale immitation of Mario Kart, even with the 50,100 & 150cc karts.

I give this one 5 red shells out of 10.

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'80s Overdrive - PC

It's possible that this game was developed in the 80s. Sprite based racing, kind of like the Original OutRun, with less SEGA.

I give this one 4 neon signs out of 10

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**dataDave** · 01-11-2021, 20:32

Eh, I didn't catch this thread. Will join in for 2022 as I have a load of 16-bit RPGs to get around to (or I never will).

**MartyG** · 01-11-2021, 21:20

Next year I'm think of making it the 365 Challenge - a game a day keeps the pile of shame away

**MartyG** · 01-12-2021, 08:51

Blimey, would you look at that. It's December already and nearly time to start self-isolating again (give it a couple of weeks, we're usually late to the party).

Still, with being inside more, this will give you the opportunity to complete the 2021 challenge and get those December games you've been letting fester in your pile of shame played.

December - Play at least 12 unplayed game from your pile of shame - for the final time of 2021, get to it.
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Archvale - Xbox

A hack and slash adventure thing, almost Zelda like but not quite as fun to play. Combat gets a bit annoying due to directional limitations and colour use, but it's not too bad overall. It's competent enough.

I give it 6 you'll wish it was Zeldas out of 10.

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Lawn Mowing Simulator - Xbox

This is pretty zen but there's not a lot too it. Buy a sit on lawn mower, start a grass cutting company and cut some grass.

If you're looking for something that doesn't require a lot of thought and just want to pass the time in a relaxing no pressure environment, this might be for you.

As for the simulator part, well I've never driven a sit on mower, so I can't comment on the accuracy, yet somehow this game makes me want to get one for the giggles.

I give this 7 bin bags full of timmings out of 10.

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Rubber Bandits - Xbox

There seems to be a spat of this type of game at the moment, spawned from the who Fall Guys thing.

This time it's a multiplayer bank robbery-em-up with characters with purposely woolly controls. It always seems like these are aimed at the streaming crowd to watch rather than for games to actually play (although Fall Guys can be fun for a while).

I give this one 4 the cops are on their way out of 10.

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Next Space Rebels - Xbox

I always try to look for something positive in every game, even if I don't personally like it because it doesn't gel with me.

I cannot find anything positive to say about this game - it's just a really really bad knock off of Kerbal. Even Simple Rockets is better.

There is no reason to download this.

I give this one 1 there's already too much debris in space out of 1
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Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Xbox

A tactical strategy game based in the Warhammer universe.

I had some hope that this would scratch the XCOM itch and it's pleasant enough, but the UI isn't that great and it struggles to work nicely with a pad, especially where the menus are 3 or 4 paths deep.

It's worth a look if you like this type of game, especially if you like the setting, however, XCOM it is not.

I give this one 7 going to overwatch out of 10.
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DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game - Xbox

It's a meme game - like all of these games, if you think it's funny, you'll get a kick out of it. It's little more than an asset flip in reality tho.

I give this one 3 it was made on an acid trip out of 10.
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Exo One - Xbox

You wonder around a very pretty planet for a bit and then realise this isn't actually a game. Looks nice tho.

I give this one 2 was Newton right out of 10.

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Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition - Xbox

Another title jumping on the Souls train, but nowhere near as well executed. If you're looking for a frustrating experience you'll get something out of it, but you'll have to love the whole slow and limited stamina combat thing. Probably better off just replaying Demon's Souls again.

I give this one 5 I can no longer lift my sword out of 10.
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The Gunk - Xbox

It's like a cross between Mario Sunshine & No Man's Sky but with only a single planet. It's filled gunk - clean up the gunk. It did keep me entertained for a little while, but holding the right trigger to vaccuum up weird stuff isn't a thrill a minute, pretty tho.

I give this one 7 oily globs out of 10.

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Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator - Xbox

It's like wall street in space with more liver.

I give this one 5 stock market crashes out of 10.
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Townscaper - Xbox

It's like my first city builder and an easy 1000 gamerscore points.

Quite fun if you want to turn off your brain.

I give this one 8 it's almost lego out of 10.

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PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay - Xbox

It's as dreadful as the title sounds. Your child will not thank you if you buy them this for Christmas. Get them CoD instead.

I give this one 2 full ketamine injections out of 10.

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Life is Strange True Colors - Xbox

Still not quite up to the original, but way way better than LiS2. The new engine looks great, loads more details so looking forward to the remake of the first game now (even tho I know the story back to front). It was nice to see some nods to the other games (of course Steph being a central character - the others were quite subtle).

The story in True Colors is interesting enough, solving the mystery, but the ultimate choice at the end wasn't really a difficult one to make given how things unfold. The power was more interesting than LiS2, but it's always going to be difficult to beat LiS and the time control, that's lightning in a bottle that'll never be captured again.

Still, well worth playing this one thru and I still have some hidden memories to mop up, so I give this one 9 different emotions out of 10.

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Announcement

The 2021 12 Month Gaming Challenge

The 2021 12 Month Gaming Challenge

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