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Gastrick

Cipher
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
1,704
Mexi
Retard


Here are my completed games in 2020. One of the smaller lists, I got back into gaming partway through 2020.-->
  • Wizardry II(nes) - 17h - This version is much longer than the DOS version because you can't bring over your party from the previous game. Drawing maps is slow but it's fun overall.
  • Gothic 1 - 30h - Enjoyable ARPG with difficult combat and an interesting setting. Game mechanics are unfortunately shallow and the game crashes frequently. C&C is good for the start but around halfway through it becomes linear. My rating of the game is neutral-positive/10.
  • Metroid Prime - 17h - Pretty great game overall with some amazing moments.
  • Etrian Odyssey - 50h - An anime blobber, this one has better gameplay than Wizardry II. The main flaw with the game is how long it is.
  • Earthbound - 25h - Reloaded an old save so I can't say much. The world manages to feel alive even though it doesn't have an overworld map. With the final boss it's more what he says than what he looks like for his effectiveness.
 

Mexi

Dumbfuck!
Dumbfuck
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Jan 6, 2015
Messages
6,811
Mexi
Retard


Here are my completed games in 2020. One of the smaller lists, I got back into gaming partway through 2020.-->
  • Wizardry II(nes) - 17h - This version is much longer than the DOS version because you can't bring over your party from the previous game. Drawing maps is slow but it's fun overall.
  • Gothic 1 - 30h - Enjoyable ARPG with difficult combat and an interesting setting. Game mechanics are unfortunately shallow and the game crashes frequently. C&C is good for the start but around halfway through it becomes linear. My rating of the game is neutral-positive/10.
  • Metroid Prime - 17h - Pretty great game overall with some amazing moments.
  • Etrian Odyssey - 50h - An anime blobber, this one has better gameplay than Wizardry II. The main flaw with the game is how long it is.
  • Earthbound - 25h - Reloaded an old save so I can't say much. The world manages to feel alive even though it doesn't have an overworld map. With the final boss it's more what he says than what he looks like for his effectiveness.
Only fags and trannies play video games, dude.
 

Deuce Traveler

2012 Newfag
Patron
Joined
May 11, 2012
Messages
2,899
Location
Okinawa, Japan
Grab the Codex by the pussy Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture
From best to least:

Witcher 3
Persona 5
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Sengoku Rance (again)
Fell Seal
Avernum 6
FarCry: Blood Dragon
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Divinity: Original Sin
FarCry 3
South Park: Stick of Truth
Metal Gear Solid V
Castle Crashers
Streets of Rage 4
Recettear: An Item Shop
Beat Blades Haruka
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade)
X-Men (arcade)

And I got through a good portion of Wasteland 2 until I ran into a game breaking bug and quit. Overall, not a bad year for games in general, though I can't claim to have been interested in much published from this year. I pretty much knocked out most of the big items I wanted to play from my backlog. I also tried and quit Beat Cop, Anvil of Dawn, Stonekeep, Unepic, invisible Inc, Sid Meier's Covert Action, Soma, Stalker, Amnesia: The Dark Desent, Lords of Xulima and Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs. I just couldn't get into them after the first few hours. Maybe I'll try again sometime.

My goal for 2021 is to finish a good chunk following:

No One Lives Forever
No One Lives Forever 2
Legend of Grimrock 2
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Marvel's Spider-Man
Disco Elysium
Return of the Obra Dinn
Torchlight 2
West of Loathing
Into the Breach
Banner of the Maid
Rance 8 if it's ever released
Realms of Arkania remake
Last Evil
Nier: Automata
Elite: Dangerous
Valkyria Chronicles 4

Edit: Added Stick of Truth. Forgot that one.
 
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Uncreation

Savant
Joined
Jul 14, 2017
Messages
346
Hard West plus Scars of freedom addon
The Talos Principle
Legends of Eisenwald
Wasteland 2
Overlord plus Raising Hell
Shadowrun Returns
Dawn of War 2

And too much WoW Classic :negative:

Not that many but i tend to play slowly and take my time with games.

Edit: oh and Icewind Dale 2, forgot about that one.
 
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Dick

Educated
Joined
Dec 31, 2020
Messages
48
By looking at some of these lists, sweet gathers upon my brow indeed.. Wow..
Well, actually finished, hmm.... some of them are actually replays:
-Champions of Krynn - just a very good goldbox game
-Death Knights of Krynn - same as above
-Warcraft II - still fun today, the add-on is a bit too high on the difficulty-scale, but standard game is totally doable
-Kohan Immortal Souvereigns - very nice game, but the last scenario gave me headaches
-Al-Qadim The Genie´s Curse - I liked the uncommon setting, the stats of the main character are practically irrelevant, but nice Zelda-clone (earlier Zelda games)
-The Dig - on one side, it starts fairly interesting, but then, there really are some obscure puzzles throughout the game.. I used a walktrough during the mid - to endgame to not get crazy
-Jill of the Jungle - this now free game at GOG gave me opportunity to remember and replay this little game.. fairly nice, but quite a bit clunky for today
-Legend of Grimrock - it was a nice game.. but I don´t feel the need to replay it in the near future and the end was a bit strange
-Into the Breach - interesting at first, and then the game revealed itself as a puzzle game, but still, quite nice (and fortunately, there are minor random elements in the game)
 

GhostCow

Balanced Gamer
Patron
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
3,994
-The Dig - on one side, it starts fairly interesting, but then, there really are some obscure puzzles throughout the game.. I used a walktrough during the mid - to endgame to not get crazy

Good choice. I loved this game in middle school. I had to use a walkthrough back then too. Some of the puzzles are a little retarded. I'd love to see a remake.
 

Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
Played Hades and Xcom 2 at the very last week of the year. Hades GOTY 2020 quite possibly indeed. Xcom 2 is also a p. great game from 2016.
 

DeepOcean

Arcane
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
7,394
I was planning in doing a full playthrough of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the whole megaten, just avoiding the kids games, dance games and the two oldest ones that are based on those shitty japanese novels. Unfortunately, I'm spending most of my free time programming and I'm more after a more creative hobby and keeping games as a secondary hobby when I have time, so no completed game on 2020.
 

Belegarsson

Think about hairy dwarfs all the time ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Oct 20, 2015
Messages
1,261
Location
Uwotopia
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Not released in 2020:

Pyre: I'm probably one of the 5 people that actually enjoy the weird turn based basketball gameplay where your finesse is tested to its limit, but only on normal difficulty, hard is just too much with how unmanagable matches can be. The rest is wonderful, a potent soundtrack that dynamically morphs with each faction you fight against, a cast of charming companions with clever dialogue writing, and the lore is so overdeveloped for a game on this size. Best Supergiant game, I still think it slightly edged out Hades :5/5:

The Evil Within 2: there's something weird about this game that I can't quite get, because it is a horror game that's not really scary in a traditional sense, but it's full of tension and really cool imaginative terrifying scenarios. Fun but simplistic exploration. Stealth and gunplay are okay, a bit easy to cheese. Writing is... I think it's okay for this type of game, the protagonist Sebastian has a linear and predictable personality and he just keeps asking questions again and again. It has a personal theme about the pain and suffering of losing who you hold dear to, but I feel like the sloppy moment to moment writing didn't do the plot justice :3/5:

One notable thing about TEW2 is that it... actually has a first person mode, and in some particular chapters the horror feels more convincing because of the way portraits and objects shift outside of your vision. It also changes the way you use cover system too. If you plan to play TEW2, I suggest giving first person mode a try.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season: yes I'm one of those filthy fags that dare to enjoy some of the nuTelltale's works, and TWD Final Season really delivered. No clunky ass animation? Checked. Very few cringe characters? Checked. Very little scenarios that were written just to make characters suffer? Checked. It finally feels less like shitty torture porn where you count who gonna get their head rolled next like season 2 or spending 10 hours to deal with insufferable characters like A New Frontier, and more like a hopeful journey like the first season. A lot of great callbacks, lots of emotions, just all around a proper closure for this series :4/5:

Manifold Garden: trippy gravity defying puzzle game with MC Escher aesthetic and a concept that revolves around "looping world". I won't speak too much about this, basically it's Antichamber and lots of puzzles that make you see the abstract architects in new perspective. Really imaginative albeit puzzles themselves aren't really difficult. One of the most unique games I've played :5/5:

Outer Wilds: I wish every video game in existence did blind exploration as cathartic as this game. Go to space, explore, OH NO YOU'RE STANDING IN A PLANET THAT'S BEING SUCKED IN BY A BLACK HOLE IN ITS CENTER READY TO GET FUCKED. Just unique :5/5:

Metro Exodus: open world strangely fit Metro. Still atmospheric and exhilarating, feels less restrictive than previous games but still is Metro. Objectively a :4/5: but I decided to give it a :5/5: because of something completely not related to the game itself.
My uncle looks EXACTLY like Stepan and he proposed to his wife 25 years ago on a train. Has a guitar but stopped playing years ago, but I'd like to think he did play some songs for her on that train.

Draugen
: a story about nonacception that strangely gets depressing but never overly dark (except in one specific scene in the climax). I think the tension escalation felt a bit rushed, but it executed all of its plot points really well - especially the twist about a character, and the damn mannequin:4/5:

GET EVEN: I still don't believe this came from The Farm 51. The guys who made Necrovision, Painkiller Hell & Damnation & Deadfall Adventures tried something new: a psychological thriller about recapturing shattered memories. It has impressive sound design and distorted soundtrack, outstanding voice acting, and genuinely captivating storytelling. I went in expecting some dumb scifi fast paced shooter, and then came out perplexed at how off the wall this game is. It's somewhat even more terrifying than The Evil Within because the emulated spaces that you repeatedly get thrown into make you constantly feel "this ain't right...", and then different evidence layers start bleeding into each other and the entire thing turns out to be way bigger and more complex than you ever expected. It virtually has no combat and stealth play is severely underbaked, but I would completely understand if it becomes a cult classic in 5 or 8 years later because there's just nothing quite like it :5/5:

Observation: atmospheric space horror game from Stories Untold devs. You play as an AI and guide the last scientist to figure out what happened to your broken space station. Slightly more scary than The Evil Within 2, slightly more fucked up and somewhat more unrefined. Navigating the station can be obtuse at times even with waypoint, puzzles are overly simplistic, and holy crap what the hell is up with camera's slow panning speed. But overall I liked what I played through, it still has this mystique vibe from Stories Untold and the pacing was done really well, legit felt like a work of professional film directors because these guys knew how to stop after cliffhangers, start a chapter in pitch black, then just escalate everything from then, just really cool film techniques :3/5:

Yakuza Kiwami: even though I adore 0, sadly I found Kiwami to be quite frustrating because of its awful boss fights and repetitive side stories. Understandable because it was a faithful remake, but still, I really forced myself to finish it if not for the story :2/5:

Hypnospace Outlaw: bubbly colorful detective game that takes place inside the 90s webspace. You get to be an internet police, mark shit you think is copyright infrigment, wipe out some edgy kid's bullying pieces off the internet, then get involved in some weird insidious stuffs. Highkey stylish, lowkey scary :4/5:

Into The Breach: I hate this game and I hate myself :5/5:

The Outer Worlds: fucking dreadful/10. Expected Fallout but a bit wackier and gen Z appeal, got some abomination child of Mass Effect and Borderlands style encounter/combat. And this is coming from someone who has 200 hours in PoE 2.

Released in 2020:

Wasteland 3: first inXile game I've enjoyed since Wasteland 2. I genuinely love this rendition of Wasteland's depiction of... you know, wasteland, violent, zany, but doesn't feel like a carbon copy of Fallout. Surprisingly huge amount of C&C, combat is unbalanced but feels so dang good, and fucking Major Tomcat is fucking A :4/5:

BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION: best isometric scifi South African featuring skull-animal-people of February 2020? :5/5:

XCOM Chimera Squad: sadly I lost interest before getting to finish it. I get the appeal here, a scaled down modern XCOM focused on pre-defined characters, some experimental mechanics like breaching and finally getting to use previous hostile powers against AI are fun, but it lacks XCOM 2's tension, and everything got old for me after 20 hours :3/5:

Gears Tactics is also another disappointment, where polished moment to moment gameplay and flexible 3AP can't carry the lack of metagame outside of combat. A tactics game can't live on a linear third person shooter's main structure :2/5:

Someday You'll Return is a promising story driven first person adventure game that actually doesn't hold your hand. Exploring the forest gave me some early KCD vibe of trekking around among thick jungles, and there's an alchemy minigame, and navigation that relies on reading map and memorizing pathways. Fun on paper, but bogged down by horrid voice acting and the general low budget feel when it comes to story centric sequences. It was also pretty buggy the last time I played :2/5:

Kentucky Route Zero is my GOTY. My pathetic vocabulary can't express how much I love this game, if you want an insight then I recommend Noah Caldwell-Gervais' video, he nailed everything I wanna say about it. Despite being an Asian, I have an unrelenting love for Americana, Steinbeck's works and magical realism, and KRZ is like 100 Years of Solitude in video game form to me :5/5:

F1 2020: best simcade racer, fleshed out career mode, great handling. Probably last good F1 game since EA is buying Codemasters this year :4/5:

Spiritfarer is a game I had looked forward the most in 2020 and sadly was also the game I was most disappointed with. You play as Sheila, the next successor of Charon the ferrymaster of the dead, your job is accompany lost souls through the gate of afterlife. It is god damn cozy and heartwarming, the light farming/cooking loop is entertaining, and making your boat look neat with buildings fit each other is bizarrely fun... for the first 10 hours. This game turns out to be less of a narrative based game, but more of a grindy casual farming game, and the casual farming aspect isn't deep enough to carry itself in 30 hours. The characters, some of them was gone too fast, some of them overstayed their welcome, and the way the dialogue.was.written.and.presented.like.this makes progressing a chore. Their charm quickly disappear once your interaction with them remains their need for specific type of food. I love the vibe of this game, but for the love of Daffodil I genuinely hated how the game wasted so much time, like how you can't create some materials in bulk, or how Sheila's animations - while very well animated and full of character - slow down everything way too much. It shouldn't have been a 30 hours game, and the grinding aspect completely soured my intial positive impression for it :2/5:

Post Void: a cheap ass shooter that looks like Hotline Miami just put its head into a bucket of cocaine. Weirdly addictive :3/5:

Paradise Killer: off beat Danganronpa style game where you solve a murder and collect shit tons of items. Feel like a vaporware fever dream infused in incredibly sharp writing and I couldn't get enough of it. Second most favorite GOTY :5/5:

Death Stranding: third most favorite GOTY. Give me more experimental AAA games like this: a traversal simulator where trying to climb a mountain is just as engaging as firing a gun. I don't care if you think this is some snobbish attempt of sucking off Kojima, I just simply found it ethereal, the type of earnest solitude that you rarely get in mainstream AAA games today :5/5:

Suzerain: I know very little about politics IRL, and still know as much after playing this game. But I got one lesson from it: it's hard trying to please everyone. So it deserves a :4/5: because it's rare a game can piss you off so much you wanna start a new playthrough as an authoritarian power hungry dictator afterwards.

Wildfire: If you dig Mark of the Ninja, give this a try. A side scrolling stealth magic game where elements affect environment in immersive sim manner, like how you can create your own climbing spot with roots, throw water balloon at guard and make them fall to death after floating up in the air, carry a dead cat on your shoulder so other dangerous roaming cats can't smell you, and lots of other interesting interactions. I found the levels a bit repetitive but overall the core gameplay is strong and really creative at some points :4/5:

Spelunky 2: Kinda a shame everyone jerked all over Hades and forgot about a masterpiece sequel to a masterpiece indie gem. I was terrible back then in Spelunky HD and I'm still terrible right now in Spelunky 2, but the joy from this "surprise generator" has never stopped me from putting it down :5/5:

Carto: neat little game where you swap and put map pieces together to reveal new locations and ways to progress. It doesn't have a definitive rule about how the main mechanic works, you can only rely on NPC's or the world's guide to know what to do next, which can make piecing map feels arbitrary at times :3/5:

When the Past Was Around: a small, short puzzle game about a girl trying to move on from the death of her significant other, his soul now manifested a humanoid... owl? I don't know, I tried not to think too much about it, and I think it's a sweet little game with a memorable catchy tune and some harrow moments. It reminded me of the game Florence but the magical aspect and more involving puzzles definitely elevated this game over Florence :4/5:

Some honorable mentions: Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children - haven't finished it I've been enjoying it way much more than Gears Tactics and Chimera Squad. Deep Rock Galactic and Hunt Showdown are my most favorite multiplayer games this year, and Ghostrunner for keeping the spirit of stage based one hit kill combat genre in the same vein of Hotline Miami and Katana Zero - and for being a good non-buggy cyberpunk game :positive:
 
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Jinn

Arcane
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
4,930
In reverse chronology (Dark Souls III - The Ringed City completed 12/28/20), with sizeable DLC included. [ ] with relevant information to the particular playthrough, i.e. difficulty, builds, co-op, etc. Lot of Japan this past year. Can't complain, honestly. * is replays.


Dark Souls III - The Ringed City [Co-op] (PC)

Dark Souls III - Ashes of Ariandel [Co-op] (PC)

Dark Souls III (PC)

Nioh - Dragon of the North (PC)

Quake [Hard] (PC)*

Blasphemous [Map 95%|Total 85%|Ending B] (PC)

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - Crown of the Ivory King [Co-op] (PC)

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - Crown of the Old Iron King [Co-op] (PC)

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PC)

Silent Hill [Bad Ending] (PS)

Dark Souls II - Crown of the Sunken King [Co-op] (PC)

Final Fantasy [Revision B] (NES)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II [Nightmare] (PC)

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn EE [Bard|Core Rules] (PC)*

Castlevania (NES)

Death Stranding [Hard] (PC)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel [Nightmare] (PC)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure [Hard] (PC)

Shin Megami Tensei [Neutral Path] (SNES)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero [Hard|78hr] (PC)

Beautiful Desolation [Good Guy] (PC)

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness [9999XP] (PC)

Illusion of Gaia (SNES)

Pathologic 2 [Haruspex|15/28 Survived] (PC)

Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention [26hr] (GEN)*

Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyūshutsu Emaki [USA|Save States] (SNES)

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight [Normal|98%] (PC)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd [Normal] (PC)
 
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Hag

Arbiter
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Nov 25, 2020
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1,647
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Breizh
Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming!
Finished :

Planescape Torment
: after all those years, got motivated to finish it at last. The beginning is ok, a bit boring, but the game starts to shine when you get out of the fucking catacombs and begin to grasp what's going on. I greatly enjoyed it, loved the story, development and characters, the attention to details and the overall atmosphere. My only gripes would be with the weak start and the stupid d&d system, but since talking to people gets the job done it was not a big bother.

Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy : loved it. Was surprisingly fun and not frustrating, losing all your progress is not bad when you know you can come back (you did it at least once, you can do it again). After finishing the climb, the game change to become "how fast can you do it ?". Going from 13 hours to 8 minutes is a great feeling, I finished it 50 times and decided it was time to move on.

Stalker Call of Pripyat : another game I started several time but stopped quickly. This time I understood why : this is not Shadow of Chernobyl sequel, as I was expected. It is a fully different game, albeit in the same setting, with the same weapons and story, but no mechanic is similar. Played it on Master but was not particularly challenging, the game is not as scary as SoC but is more polished, balanced and better designed altogether. Lot of running around which is fun while it last (also rewarding for exploration), but got bored in the end and mostly disliked Pripyat. The last mission is one of the buggiest thing I have ever witnessed in all my gamer life, but I did not care at this point and was glad it finished, be it in some random wtf incomprehensible fashion.


Almost finished :

Sengoku Rance
: way more fun than I thought, but too slow paced in my taste. Probably did many mistakes in the beginning since I had trouble getting more action points. For a Japanese game, I for once mostly like the art direction and the sane boobs sizing. Great game design, lot of good ideas, but got too grindy for my taste and I stopped playing around the battle with the big bad demon.
 
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Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
Stalker Call of Pripyat : another game I started several time but stopped quickly. This time I understood why : this is not Shadow of Chernobyl sequel, as I was expected. It is a fully different game, albeit in the same setting, with the same weapons and story, but no mechanic is similar. Played it on Master but was not particularly challenging, the game is not as scary as SoC but is more polished, balanced and better designed altogether. Lot of running around which is fun while it last (also rewarding for exploration), but got bored in the end and mostly disliked Pripyat. The last mission is one of the buggiest thing I have ever witnessed in all my gamer life, but I did not care at this point and was glad it finished, be it in some random wtf incomprehensible fashion.

:what:

I'm no Stalker expert nor lover (7.5/10 pls don't kill me) so correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember all the mechanics being damn near identical to the first game. Further still to me it was the same game, new map/story, but with more polish. weapon upgrade trees and better anomalies. the only mechanical difference I recall is guns no longer jammed and required fixing up. What did I miss?

I completely agree with the final area (Pipryat) being such a disappointment. It brought that game in particular from an 8.5/10 to a 7.5/10 like the original, for me. And yeah it could have used an extra horror house or two like the original, but still had its moments.
 

Nevermore

Novice
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
30
Location
The Nest
Bloodborne: my second Souls-like game. The hardest bosses for me were Rom and Gerhman while Moon Presence didn't give me much trouble. I skipped the dungeons though.
Yakuza 0: Still playing it for side stories and cabaret management.
Journey: I don't have PS Plus so I didn't meet anyone in the game world. Besides this, the experience was mildly fun.
SMT IV: Apocalypse: prior to this title I've only played Persona games. Liked this one too, the game loop is solid and fun, there are a lot of demons and mythical creatures to read about, and the music is fantastic. The plot.. didn't make me really impressed, but that's partially my fault since I hadn't played the original SMT IV before starting Apocalypse.

Now I wonder why I keep buying games on Steam, PS Store and Nintendo shop if I manage to complete only 2-3 of them in a year. :|
 

Galdred

Studio Draconis
Patron
Developer
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May 6, 2011
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4,346
Location
Middle Empire
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Shadow Empire: Not finished, but I spent 100h+ on it(and I still don't know whether it is singular or plural)
Kenshi: clunky and awesome. It is also a good tool to teach your kids why you need to feed prisoners (for training !), and the value of allies in a post apocalyptic world.
These two games have given me my faith back in our timeline.

Dominions 5: Not really "finished it", but got into MP
Conquest of Elysium 4: Not as good as Dominions
KeeperRL: great start but too short
Deity Empires: Kitchen sink fantasy 4X. A mix of greatness and UI torture (a bit like Shadow Empire, but Shadow Empire pushes the greatness further). I still had a lot of fun with it.



Castle Crashers : Really fun with friends. Not so much alone, main content is a bit short, and unlocks+insane mode are way too grindy (and I am not good enough).
 

Hag

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Breizh
Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming!
I'm no Stalker expert nor lover (7.5/10 pls don't kill me) so correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember all the mechanics being damn near identical to the first game. Further still to me it was the same game, new map/story, but with more polish. weapon upgrade trees and better anomalies. the only mechanical difference I recall is guns no longer jammed and required fixing up. What did I miss?

I completely agree with the final area (Pipryat) being such a disappointment. It brought that game in particular from an 8.5/10 to a 7.5/10 like the original, for me. And yeah it could have used an extra horror house or two like the original, but still had its moments.
In SoC, artifacts are literally all over the place. You pick them up from the ground, can use up to five, and the economy is limited. Hard to see why they are precious.
Stashes are empty and fill up when you search bodies.
Weapon economy is broken : you start naked but with some luck/dedication/knowledge, you can find 90% of weapons as soon as you gain access to the bar. Just go to the army warehouses and help dealing with monoliths soldiers and voila, you get your g36. And if not you spend your time switching weapons because after some time you are drowning in assault rifles, while two areas south you were lucky to find a SMG.
Game is story driven and very linear in the way enemies, places and characters are introduced. While freeplay is kind of possible, the game shines when you play it for the first time and discover the atmosphere, the guitar playing next to the fire, when you get to explore the underground labs, or reach Pripyat. Strong moments.

In CoP, artefacts are uncommon and some downright legendary. Getting them require to go to some specific and dangerous places and they are very valuable all game long. You can use only two, or three most of the game (a stupid decision in my opinion).
Stashes are always present but well-hidden and feel more realistic.
Weapon economy is different: most weapons are useful and through improvement you can use the same one for a long time. Powerful ones are difficult to get while kalashnikovs stay common everywhere (more realistic and balanced). Ammo can be difficult to get for uncommon types.
The game story is... acceptable, but the hub system and vast open areas are a godsend for freeplay and doing your own stuff. Quest writing is way better. Almost no underground lab.
Blowouts add a constant threat and make shelters very welcome.

Small differences, but many of them. While on most point I found CoP a better game than SoC, I must say the latter keeps a special place in my heart for its incredible mood and threatening atmosphere. Both are good games, but play and feel differently.
 
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lycanwarrior

Scholar
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
1,168
Control
Outer Worlds
Greedfall
Two Point Hospital
Beautiful Desolation
Metro Exodus
WtA Heart of the Forest
Wasteland 3
Dungeon of Naheulbeuk
The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
Tomb Raider Reboot trilogy
Deliver Us the Moon
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Heavens Vault
Stygian Reign of the Old Ones
Division 2
Assassins Creed Odyssey
Shadowrun Returns
Maneater
GTA 5
Journey to the Savage Planet
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Anno 1800
Civ 6
Afterparty
 
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lycanwarrior

Scholar
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
1,168
Might & Magic I through IX
Starcrawlers
King's Bounty: The Legend
King's Bounty: Crossworlds
Just Cause
Just Cause 3
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Shadowrun Returns
Shadowrun Dragonfall
Shadowrun Hong Kong
Arx Fatalis
Bard's Tale Remastered and Resnarkled
Bully Scholarship Edition
Grim Dawn
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death
Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
Kohan II: Kings of War
Legend of Grimrock
Legend of Grimrock II
Mass Effect 3
Mirror's Edge
Necrovision
Necrovision Lost Company
Postal Redux
Regions of Ruin
Eye of the Beholder
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon
Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor
Black Moon Chronicles
Tropico 2
Children of the Nile Complete
Stonekeep
The Temple of Elemental Evil
UFO Aftermath
UFO Aftershock
UFO Afterlight
Victor Vran
Xcom Enemy Unknown
Nox
A.I.M. 2 Clan Wars
Genesis Rising
Silent Storm
Silent Storm Sentinels
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate II
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale II
Space Pirates and Zombies
Armies of Exigo
Throne of Darkness
World in Conflict Complete Edition
Sacrifice

Probably forgetting a few, but whatever. Most of them were good fun.

Where did you find the time?

EDIT: If these were games you finished in 2020.

The COVID19 lockdowns may have something to do with it.

Especially in countries and states (like California) where it was strictly mandated...
 

Jasede

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
24,793
Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
I think I played:
Underrail
Pyre
Troubleshooter
Ace Combat 7
Persona 5
Dragon Quest 11
Knights of the Chalice 2
Bloodborne
Sekiro (I can't remember if that was this or last year)
 

Reina

Arcane
Joined
Nov 2, 2018
Messages
1,581
Location
Western Ruritania
The good:
:cool: Crusader Kings III
:) Total War: Warhammer II
:cool: Mount and Blade Bannerlord
:salute:Vestaria Saga
:o Aldo Senki

The replays:
;) Persona 4 Golden
:D Pathfinder: Kingmaker
;) Heroes of Might and Magic III

The bad (AKA unfinished):
:| Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
:cry: Langrisser I+II
:cry: Battle Brothers
:? Cultist Simulator

The I don't know what to think about it:
:| Disco Elysium
 

kangaxx

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
1,385
Location
Atop a flaming horse
First time completed:
  • Streets of Rage 4
  • DOS2
  • Control
  • Dishonored 2
  • Nu Hitman 1 & 2
  • Chrono Trigger (just awful, I can't believe I finished it).
  • Shadowrun Returns
  • Shadowrun Dragonfall
  • The Hex
  • Firewatch (for info only, it doesn't qualify as a game, fucking waste of 4 hours).
  • Cyberpunk
  • Black Mesa
Replays
  • BG1
  • BG2
  • System Shock 2
  • Prey 2017
  • Portal 1 & 2
  • Tomb Raider Anniversary
Not massively RPG-focused in hindsight... I'm probably missing some though.

Played some other games like EU4, CK3 but I don't know if you can ever really "finish" those.
 

Lawntoilet

Prophet
Patron
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
Messages
1,840
Expeditions: Conquistador
Expeditions: Viking
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk
Solasta (Early Access)
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (Early Access)
Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome
 

Sarathiour

Cipher
Joined
Jun 7, 2020
Messages
3,262
Feel free to quote anything you disagree with, i tried to kept thing as synthetic as i could.


Blasphemous
: Solid Metroidvania, with an uncommon aesthetic. A few bug of collision, but nothing really annoying. :4/5:

Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night: A tribute to the second gen of castlevania game, unavoidable if you liked them. Game offer a shitton of option to deal with foes, you will probably need to play at least in hard to experience a challenge.:5/5:

Cthulhu Saves Christmas: Made with the infamous (J)RPG-maker, some kind of humorous jrpg. On paper, it has interesting combat system, with thing like" madness" debuff who supposedly change moveset and resistance of an ennemy. In practice it amount to nothing, the only thing to do is to cycle through the same skill to slap, heal and fight until the end of the game, difficulty only make it more tedious. Boring. :1/5:

Darksiders Genesis: Finished it on co-op during lockdown. Importunately, isometric view tend to make control a bit iffy, even more so in co-op. Otherwise it's decent, Strife add interesting mechanics to the fight system.:3/5:

Disco Elysium: I played as a visual novel, and narration was solid for the genre. :4/5:

Divinity - Dragon Commander: Meme potential is immense, sadly game mechanics doesn't follow. :2/5:

F.E.A.R. Platinum Collection: Honestly, i'm not that much into fps, but i guess this year was the year. One of the best in the genre i ever played :5/5:

Mother Russia Bleeds: Also finished in coop, although we both sucked. I don't have much expertise in arcade, i'll guess it would be :3/5: for me.

Painkiller Black : I have mixed feelings about this one, quality is highly variable depending on the level. Sometimes entertaining, sometimes plain boring, overall okayish . :3/5:

Serious Sam The First Encounter : Younger me tried to played it as a kids and got his sorry ass kicked. Older me also got his ass kicked, but managed to finish the game this time around. It's pretty bare-boned as shooter go, but you don't need pointless complexity to make a good game. :4/5:

Star Wars - KotOR2 : To make an interesting and nuanced story about star wars is no small feat. Sadly, main gameplay loop is too samey and way too easy. Also, i don't know if it's due to the compatibility mode between my os and the game, but it was riddled with bugs. :2/5:

Sengokou Rance: I blame codex for turning me into a degenerate. :4/5:

The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel III : Probably the best jrpg i played up to this point.Very weebish, don't come anywhere close to it if you are allergic to anything that even remotely smell Japanese. :5/5:

Transistor : This game is probably some sort of meta response to the debate between rtwp and turn-based. Joke aside, interesting concept, you gain both horizontal and vertical growth while enemy get uppraged too during the course of the game. Art direction is, as always with supergiant , either a hit or miss, but it was clearly more than an afterthought. :4/5:

Tokyo Xanadu eX+ : A-Jrpg from falcom. Few nice idea, (like planning around keeping the combo counter high) overall decent. Again, very weebish. :3/5:


Also, game that i finished while taking a shit :

Chrono Trigger : Never touched it before, finished it out of sheer curiosity. People praising this are obviously blinded by nostalgia. Art style is nice if you like toriyama's work, but this game is for kids, and as such, combat is extremely basic, with a few gimmick here and there, to keep the children guessing. :2/5:

Ace attorney trilogy : Anime visual novel, again curiosity got the best of me. I'm not really sure that there is something to rate here.

SMT Devil Survivor : It's a tactical jrpg, i guess. Solid mechanics, also quite challenging if you don't grind like a retard between each mission. :5/5:
 
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Child of Malkav

Erudite
Joined
Feb 11, 2018
Messages
2,452
Location
Romania
Gothic 1 and 2
Commandos 2
Breath of the wild on CEMU

Now I'm preparing to play KotOR 1 and 2.
 

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