Lara Croft: GO (Android), which I finally managed to finish after they updated it, fixing the glitch I had encountered.
In terms of gameplay, it's a turn based puzzle game, and each level consists of 1-4 dioramic screen sized rooms you must work your way through by solving the environmental puzzles along the way. They manage to keep things fresh by constantly introducing new elements, like traps (cracked tiles, saws, boulders, etc.), enemies (snakes, giant spiders, & monitor lizards), and interactive objects (levers, spears, movable platforms, pillars, etc.). While the main game isn't too difficult, the post game tomb will test your knowledge of all the game's elements to the max (I believe it's actually available from the start, just with a difficulty warning). Despite all the surprising depth & variety, it's perfectly built for mobile, with everything just needing a simple swipe or tap. Also, as an optional objective, there are vases hidden in the background environment that contain relics & gems, which you can collect with a tap. In total I think there are around 50 levels? (never actually counted them out)
Graphically, it features a simple polygonal look that recalls the series' origins, it's quite colorful, and runs smoothly on my 3 year old tablet (in high quality, according to the settings page). Also, there are maybe about a dozen unlockable costumes you can earn by collecting all the relics & gems in an area (these costumes are purely cosmetic).
In terms of sound, it has an ambient sountrack that fits the theme, and sounds nice (especially with headphones).
Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse (Android), a mobile remake of the 16-bit classic that I played while waiting for SE to update the above game.
In terms of gameplay, this remake is actually reminiscent of N64/PS1 era platformers rather than the 16-bit original, with a hub castle that you can run around in a 3D space, and it contains 5 worlds & the main boss' lair. Each world consists of 3 levels, the first two of each are sidescrolling in a 2.5D space (though there's usually at least one segment in each that takes place in a 3D space), while the third is that world's boss (two of them take place in sidescrolling arenas, but the rest take place in a 3D arena, including the final boss). In order to unlock the next world, you must not only defeat the previous world's boss, but also collect enough diamonds scattered throughout the world's previous two levels (a bit of a callback to the collectathon era, though I always had more than enough). The only issue, and a pretty big one at that, as why in the heck they made it a mobile exclusive (unless it's on Steam?), as it's clearly the kind of game that would work better with traditional controls, and it shows (while it's usually not too bad, there are a few segments that are infuriating because of the controls, such as a segment that recalls the Crash Bandicoot boulder levels, where a giant apple is rolling down towards you in the same manner). As a bonus, there are also playing cards & chilli peppers hidden in the levels as collectables.
Graphically, it generally looks pretty fantastic, and it forgoes the generic fire, water, desert level world motifs in favor of much more imaginative designs such as an enchanted forest, toy world, library world, etc. (they work water segments & the like into the levels in an organic manner). In fact, the levels in a world can wildly vary in look (The Library world for example, doesn't just have segments jumping around enormous books, but also junk food world segments, as well as swimming segments where you're working your way through a cup of tea, manoeuvreing around sugar cubes). The collectables I mentioned in the gameplay segment unlock different costumes for Mickey (accessed from a magic mirror in the castle's second floor), as well as concept art (cleverly hung around the castle's walls as paintings), and statues of the game's characters (these also decorate the castle grounds, and act as character bios). In terms of bad, the framerate takes a dip with a lot going on, and there's some graphical glitching (a couple of the bosses looked like they were covered in little holes, and this even happened once to a level's environment). This issue's may have something to do with my tablet's age, but I wanted to bring them up, just in case.
Sound: The soundtrack is peppy, and there's a narrator that makes the preceedings charming. Oh, there's also some spoken lines by Mickey himself, as well as the big bad.
Both titles are currently on sale for $1 I believe (as well as Hitman: GO, which I'm currently playing), so now would be the time to pounce. I'd say Lara Croft: GO is must play for anyone interested in mobile gaming at any price (so it's a steal), and despite it's issues, there's some fun in CoI.
Just beat TW3 main game; funny how a friend of mine who loved it more than I did got the worst ending while I got the best one. Now I'm into DS2 SOTFS and if I'll ever solo it I'll go back to TW3 to finish the DLCs too...
Finished Rise of the Tomb Raider (again - this time on PS4) with 100% completion on the Story. Also finished the Baba Yaga, Blood Ties and Lara's Nightmare as well...
A pessimist is just an optimist with experience!
Why can't life be like gaming? Why can't I restart from an earlier checkpoint??
Feel free to add me but please send a message so I know where you know me from...
I've just finished Alien Isolation for the second time, I was trying to get the no deaths and no killing achievements but only managed the no killing as even though I was really careful I must have met a grizzly end at some point. I now need a third play through to 100% it by getting all the collectables and the no deaths run.
@crippyd: Still need to finish A:I myself for the first time. It stopped given me the Achievements for beating the missions so I stopped playing but should return to it. Don't know that I would be going for all those achievements though - seems like too much effort and not fun...
A pessimist is just an optimist with experience!
Why can't life be like gaming? Why can't I restart from an earlier checkpoint??
Feel free to add me but please send a message so I know where you know me from...
@BAMozzy I would say that it is giving the game credit that I'm looking to play through a 50 hour game a third time when I've got so many others I could play. It is an excellent game and even when you know what's coming it is still so tense and atmospheric.
Cleared out another of my PS+ titles in Lords of the Fallen. Really difficult & cheap game- died 47 times against ONE boss.
Some aspects of the game are very good, but it's bogged down by terrible combat & cheap one hit kills.
Bad Dark Souls wannabe. Might be an interesting challenge to some but I couldn't recommend it over other similar games the PS4 has to offer.
Lives, Lived, Will Live.
Dies, Died, Will Die.
If we could perceive time for what it really was,
What reason would Grammar Professors have to get out of bed?- Robert & Rosalind Lutece
I just beat Final Fantasy IX for the first time, after recently finishing VII and VIII for the first time also. Of the three, IX stood out for its spectacular presentation, story-telling and characterisation, however I preferred the general setting (particularly the modern / sci-fi aspects) and gameplay (particularly the "blank slate" party members and overall battle speed) of the previous two instalments. I played the Steam version, which looked beautiful in HD, and partially ironed out a couple of things that frustrated me about the original release. The ending was excellent - one of the most emotional endings to a video game I've ever played - although I found the final battles to be underwhelmingly short for an RPG.
In recent weeks, I have beaten Titanfall 2's campaign on the hardest difficulty, Infinite Warfare on Veteran difficulty and Ratchet and Clank too. Currently over half way on Modern Warfare Remastered on Veteran too so I expect to beat that soon...
The Little Acre - a very short point and click adventure (90 minutes) but I absolutely loved it. It was my intro to this genre that I may now play a bit more of.
Heavy Rain - First time playing this and after playing through once, I decided to go for the platinum to see all the endings. Great game with some obvious plot holes.
Virginia - Mmm what the hell happened there?! Visual and soundtrack are great...
Actual Sunlight - Well that was a bit depressing. Thought it was okay and can see what it was aiming for.
Finished Killzone Shadow Fall last night. It's the only game in the series that I have played so the story was a bit confusing at times but overall it was a good game. I'm not sure if I'll give the MP a try because it's probably dead by now.
@KratosMD: Yeah, pretty much my only gripe with the game is that there wasn't a lot of action-packed moments throughout the levels. Most of the time I found myself advancing towards the objective without anything to shoot at.
Got the platinum on Final Fantasy XV over the weekend. Spent the last moments walking from one end of the map to the over to level Gladio's survival skill. Enjoyed the game overall, although the story was dire after the first third.
Over the weekend I polished off Zero Time Dilemma and Severed on Vita. Both were lovely, although my arm was absolutely sick of Severed by the end. Not used to these touchy, swipey games.
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