BadgerFarmer

I quite liked AC Valhalla, even though I didn't finish it. Because the story was divided into loosely connected chapters, each taking a few hours and culminating in an ending of sorts, it felt more like a series of smaller open worlds that you could hop out of when you'd had your fill. So I experienced all I wanted to over maybe 40 hours, then did just that.

It comes down to whether the stuff you find when exploring is actually interesting to play with.

 

Ghost of Tsushima fails on that point, I think - you've seen one fox, hot spring, bamboo thing, you've seen them all. The bandit camps and duels are effectively the same each time as well.

 

In Elden Ring, though, each discovery is a piece of interesting level design, or a worthwhile encounter, or at least some weird shit you weren't expecting. Although it arguably still overstretches itself in the end, with stuff like minor Erdtree bosses becoming a chore.

 

I had plenty of fun with the open world in Horizon Zero Dawn too, in that case because the combat systems and enemies were varied enough to play around with, and there was reward in simply experiencing the scenic views. Just going out into the world and dealing with its challenges in different ways was often sufficient for me to forget about achieving specific goals, which is always a good indicator with these things.

 

Now I'm playing Ghostwire Tokyo, and it definitely suffers from open-world repetition, and the dreaded map full of icons. But apparently the main path only takes around 10 hours, which seems like a good compromise. The core loop is entertaining enough to sustain it for that long at least. Perhaps more open-world games should try that approach.

Good that you're enjoying it. I didn't really mean in terms of difficulty anyway, more that the character and controls aren't suited to anything more than shooting, and every time it introduces something a little more platformy, it can be a pain in the arse. That's the first one, but there are plenty more. 

I pushed through and finished it in the end, and I'm glad I did, even though some of it was a bit of a drag. Somehow, as much as the card game keeps evolving, it never really gets more tactically interesting, but the presentation and meta-narrative stuff is worth staying on for.

Game of the Year

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Elden Ring

3. Pentiment (video game)

4. Card Shark

5. A Plague Tale: Requiem

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Somerville (video game)

2. Saints Row (2022 video game)

3. Signalis

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. A Plague Tale: Requiem

3. Norco (video game)

 

Best audio

 

1. Sifu (video game)

2. A Plague Tale: Requiem

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Best writing

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Pentiment (video game)

3. Card Shark

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. What Remains of Edith Finch

2. Into the Breach (Advanced Edition)

3. Inscryption

 

Best developer:

 

Half Mermaid Productions

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

-

 

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

 

And just to complete a top 10, because these all deserve a mention:

6. Norco (video game)

7. Marvel's Midnight Suns

8. Stray (video game)

9. Sifu (video game)

10. Citizen Sleeper

7 hours ago, Robo_1 said:

Only two hours in but as I say, I'm loving it. For better or worse it really is a time capsule to a style of game which even PS3 era gamers would have found a little old hat but you'll know instantly if that holds any appeal! 

Presumably you've done the train level by now. Did you not find the final stretch of that to be infuriating? 

7 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

@BadgerFarmer 

 

Chained Echoes has tickled my interest, too, and I've read it's not supposed to be too long. And, despite swearing myself off JRPGs for good, all the gushing praise I read for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has also caught my eye, though that really is an epic 100 hour+ campaign.

 

Regarding Forbidden West, YMMV, but I got fed up with it, despite also enjoying the first game; there's just far too much of it - too many quests, characters and loot, loot, loot. It felt like what the Assassin's Creed games have become.

I didn't really get on with the first Xenoblade on Wii. I think I soldiered on for around 30 hours, but it got a bit tedious and I wasn't keen on the combat. So I don't have any real inclination to play the third, especially since it's so massive.

 

I may end up trying Chained Echoes over Live a Live, simply because of the cost.

I'm in a position where I played most of the stuff I wanted to as it came out, and have caught up on a handful of those I missed in the last few weeks.

 

I've got Ghostwire Tokyo to start now, and I still want to get round to The Stanley Parable Deluxe, and Neon White.

 

It would be nice to dive into an old-school RPG too - Live a Live, Chained Echoes or Tactics Ogre - but I doubt I'll have time.

 

And then part of my also wants to try both Bayonetta 3 and Horizon Forbidden West, even though what I've seen and read of them has been a little uninspiring. But I really liked HZD and Bayo 1 is an all-time favourite.

 

I'll do well to get through a few of those. I've probably only got a few weeks before the new cycle starts over again.

Part-ridge Racer

I've just got to the second part too, and it's certainly quite the comedown. Hoping it gets better again if I push through it, because I loved the first part, but it's much less enjoyable at the moment.

This is on Netflix now. I thought it was great fun. More of a farce than the first one, but funnier for it.

 

 

I've just bought Inscryption and Ghostwire Tokyo, so one of those. 

I've been playing this recently and finished it off today (after adjusting the odds in my favour a little). 

 

A nice little treat today is that everything has gone Christmassy, with snow, gifts and everyone from NPCs to monsters wearing their Xmas hats.

 

Rudolphenstein 3D

The Witcher 3: Blood and mistletoe and wine.

Especially compared to Gungrave.

I wish it could be Christmas every day of the tentacle

Dark Solstice

 

(Prepare to diet)

16 hours ago, Stanley said:

Snowman’s Sky

A walking (in the air) simulator?

2 hours ago, caveman said:

Bob Cratchit and Clank

A Gift Apart.

FFS. Seconds late on the mince spy pun.

Mince pie vs spy

Silent night, Hollow Knight

I'd kind of forgotten about this, but just saw it for £20 on the Epic store - which actually means £15 with the coupon system - and feel like giving it a try. I know it's supposed to be padded/repetitive, but it's got some pretty interesting stuff going on too, right?

It's only 10% off, but I bought Rogue Legacy 2. Seemed like just the right thing to chip away at over the next week or so.