What Games Are You Playing?

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Completed Game #3 | GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst (PS4)

Note: I re-drafted my post after publishing it to be more accurate to my overall thoughts.


Last month I talked about my experiences with the first game GOD EATER Resurrection, which was a remake of the updated version of GOD EATER Burst, and upon finishing that game you probably know that I had mixed thoughts about it. Turns out the game was actually released after the updated version of GOD EATER 2 called GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst and because I was still in the mindset for the gameplay I figured I would give the franchise another chance sooner than later. GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst is an updated version of the Japan-only PlayStation Vita game GOD EATER 2, and it's basically similar to how GOD EATER Burst was in terms of essentially being the same game but with additional content or tweaks to enemies or combat.


GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst I can say, was a much better experience gameplay-wise. In a sense, GOD EATER Resurrection and GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst are both pretty much the same game in terms of graphics, gameplay and general concept, but as a sequel, it introduced a number of new additions that benefits you greatly during combat. The first is 'Blood Arts' which provides additional attack damage during combat as well as offering extra bonus support depending on the chosen teammates in your team - for instance one user will provide Link Burst support (which is a mini-mode that gives you some boost in ability), another user can offer Extra Damage support against enemies, and another even offers a free revival when you lose all of your HP. Another new addition is 'Link Support' which adds additional help during combat, for instance 30% extra armour between 2-5 mins of combat, Level 3 Burst mode at the 5 minute mark, or bond damage against Aragami is 30% more likely to appear etc. You can have up to four link support slots as long as the chip count totals up to 100, as well as you cannot use the link support for characters that are in your party (with the exception of your character).

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GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst also has character episodes which are a set of additional missions with your teammates, where you can interact and get to know their backstory or general thoughts. They have pretty interesting scenes and are worth the extra time spent as completing these will give them the ability to use Blood Arts. In addition, one of the characters, Ciel, will allow you to unlock the ability to utilise 'Blood Bullets', which are the chips that can be attached to your bullets during customisation and these will provide extra support for your guns. This is integral to your combat because those chips will add extra power to your bullets and deal tons more damage against Aragami. You could literally destroy everything on-screen if you had the right recipe and equipment from that alone. Literally.

Also included in GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst is 'Blood Rage' which is unlocked as part of the Rage Burst storyline. It's basically a special ability that makes you invincible and do extra damage against enemies, on the condition that you are able to complete some requirements during battle. I actually did not use this as much as I would, because I found that it was best to savour them for bigger fights because the progress bar for the Blood Rage ability carries over to the next mission so you don't have to worry about grinding before fighting constantly.


It's thanks to these new additions that I found the gameplay to be a lot more tolerable and during my playthrough I tried out both the Assault and Blast guns to go with my Short Blade weapon. The Assault Gun worked pretty well at first with the bullet recipes that I had, but as the gameplay gets more challenging I realised that it wasn't strong enough and would result in more time being spent on every mission. Therefore, I switched to the Blast Gun, which helped greatly when it came to dealing with Aragami that have a large amount of health (to the point where you could just consider them as sponge).

As for the story, it is a weird one because I liked the ideas they provided, but I did not think it was as strong as the first game. That being said, the Rage Burst portion was better than Resurrection's new content especially in terms of providing a closure, though Rage Burst's storyline goes very anime on some of the big moments. The characters I found to be surprisingly likeable though you can tell they basically have similar traits to the characters introduced in the first game. A majority of the characters from the first game do make a return and they can even tag along with you as teammates which is nice, though most of them only show up until the Rage Burst storyline.

The gripes that I have with the level up system for the equipment still remains, though this time you won't know what the materials needed to upgrade are until you find them first which is rather annoying. The skills system actually did not click with me until the last second so you can use the Item Upgrades, Link Support, and your general equipment to get as many important skills as possible. For instance for the Blast Gun, you would want Frugal and Trigger Happy to reduce the OP cost of your bullets and allow more usage in a shorter time period during combat. One feature that is not included in GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst are Predator modes, which to be honest I can do without as I found that only benefited me when I had to grab materials from devouring the Aragami after they're defeated.

The game has a ton of missions; story, free, hard difficulty, specials and character episode content. Having a lot of content is perfectly fine by all means, but because of the game's simple idea of "select a mission, defeat Aragami, rinse and repeat" it can get very repetitive pretty fast so it was a bit too much content if I had to be completely honest (and apparently because GE Resurrection had fewer missions in response to general feedback).


The game took me 30 hours to finish the base-game storyline and 32 hours to finish the Rage Burst storyline. The difficulty was still there, but because I had used the Blast gun and managed to keep my equipment updated and with the best skills possible, it was a lot more tolerable to deal with. I recommend users who want to play GOD EATER to try out the Blast Gun and make use of the recipes the game has (HOH recipes allow the bullets to hit Aragami from above, which is super helpful for combat and distance). Much like the first game, the game's music, characters, and monster/character designs are all very good. The English dub is pretty solid as well, though I have noticed some lip-syncing issues from time to time. The Japanese audio is not included as I recall this was a decision done by Bandai Namco before release (though I would not be surprised if the PC version patched this back in).

Overall, GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst was a much better experience and while the story is not as strong as the first (though not bad), I do think folks should skip Resurrection and jump into the franchise with this instalment mainly because the game's additional gameplay mechanics helps you greatly and there's more variety of Aragami monsters and levels that helps reduce a bit of repetitiveness.

GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst is available to own physically and digitally on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, followed by digitally on PC. If you buy a physical copy of GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst, it will include a free digital download code for GOD EATER Resurrection (though I don't know if the code expired or not).​

My backlog so far:
#Platform#Game NameGenre
1​
3DS​
1​
Senran Kagura 2: Deep CrimsonAction
2​
3DS​
2​
Tales of the AbyssAction RPG
3​
PC/Steam​
1​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the SkyTurn-Based RPG
4​
PC/Steam​
2​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second ChapterTurn-Based RPG
5​
PS3
1​
Castlevania: Lords of ShadowAction
6​
PS3
2​
CatherinePuzzle
7​
PS3
3​
Dragon's CrownAction RPG
8​
PS3
4​
Drakengard 3Action RPG
9​
PS3
5​
Eternal SonataTurn-Based RPG
10​
PS3
6​
FolkloreAction
11​
PS3
7​
Katamari ForeverPuzzle
12​
PS3
8​
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White WitchTurn-Based RPG
13​
PS3
9​
PuppeteerPlatformer
14​
PS3
10​
Sengoku Basara 3: Samurai HeroesMusou
15​
PS3
11​
Siren Blood CurseHorror
16​
PS3
12​
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus HDPlatformer
17​
PS3
13​
Sly 2: Band of Thieves HDPlatformer
18​
PS3
14​
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves HDPlatformer
19​
PS3
15​
Soul Calibur VFighting
20​
PS3
16​
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the OverlordTactical RPG / Visual Novel
21​
PS3
17​
White Knight ChroniclesTurn-Based RPG
22​
PS3
18​
White Knight Chronicles IITurn-Based RPG
23​
PS4​
1​
The 25th Ward: The Silver CaseVisual Novel
24​
PS4​
2​
428: Shibuya ScrambleVisual Novel
25​
PS4​
3​
Blue ReflectionTurn-Based RPG
26​
PS4​
4​
Chaos;ChildVisual Novel
27​
PS4​
5​
Code VeinAction RPG
28​
PS4​
6​
Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses OnlineAction RPG
29​
PS4​
7​
Danganronpa 1 ReloadVisual Novel
30​
PS4​
8​
Danganronpa 2 ReloadVisual Novel
31​
PS4​
9​
Danganronpa V3: Killing HarmonyVisual Novel
32​
PS4​
10​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 1: Rinne UtopiaVisual Novel
33​
PS4​
11​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 2: Ars InstallVisual Novel
34​
PS4​
12​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 3: Twin Edition: Rio ReincarnationVisual Novel
35​
PS4​
13​
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 FortuneSimulation
36​
PS4​
14​
Fate/Extella: The Umbral StarMusou
37​
PS4​
15​
Fate/Extella LinkMusou
38​
PS4​
16​
Fist of the North Star: Lost ParadiseAction
39​
PS4​
17​
Gal*Gun: Double PeaceOn-Rails Shooter
40​
PS4​
18​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of HeavenFighting
41​
PS4​
19​
JudgmentAction
42​
PS4​
20​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold SteelTurn-Based RPG
43​
PS4​
21​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IITurn-Based RPG
44​
PS4​
22​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IIITurn-Based RPG
45​
PS4​
23​
Megadimension Neptunia VIITurn-Based RPG
46​
PS4​
24​
Megadimension Neptunia VIIRTurn-Based RPG
47​
PS4​
25​
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant KingdomAction RPG
48​
PS4​
26​
Nights of AzureAction RPG
49​
PS4​
27​
Odin Sphere LeifthrasirAction RPG
50​
PS4​
28​
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3Musou
51​
PS4​
29​
Onechanbara Z2: ChaosAction
52​
PS4​
30​
Our World Is EndedVisual Novel
53​
PS4​
31​
Persona 5 RoyalTurn-Based RPG
54​
PS4​
32​
Punch LineVisual Novel
55​
PS4​
33​
Raging LoopVisual Novel
56​
PS4​
34​
Robotics;Notes DaSHVisual Novel
57​
PS4​
35​
Robotics;Notes ELITEVisual Novel
58​
PS4​
36​
Saint Seiya: Soldier's SoulFighting
59​
PS4​
37​
Sakura WarsAction RPG / Dating Sim
60​
PS4​
38​
Sengoku Basara 4: SumeragiMusou
61​
PS4​
39​
Senran Kagura Burst Re:NewalAction
62​
PS4​
40​
Shining Resonance: RefrainAction RPG
63​
PS4​
41​
Steins;Gate EliteVisual Novel
64​
PS4​
42​
Steins;Gate: Linear Bound PhenogramVisual Novel
65​
PS4​
43​
Super Robot Wars VTactical RPG
66​
PS4​
44​
Super Robot Wars XTactical RPG
67​
PS4​
45​
Sword Art Online: Fatal BulletAction RPG
68​
PS4​
46​
Tales of BerseriaAction RPG
69​
PS4​
47​
Tales of VesperiaAction RPG
70​
PS4​
48​
Tales of ZestiriaAction RPG
71​
PS4​
49​
Tokyo Xanadu eX+Turn-Based RPG
72​
PS4​
50​
Toukiden 2Action RPG
73​
PS4​
51​
Utawarerumono: Mask of DeceptionTactical RPG / Visual Novel
74​
PS4​
52​
Utawarerumono: Mask of TruthTactical RPG / Visual Novel
75​
PS4​
53​
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the FallenTactical RPG / Visual Novel
76​
PS4​
54​
Utawarerumono: ZanMusou
77​
PS4​
55​
Valkyria Chronicles RemasteredTactical RPG
78​
PS4​
56​
Valkyria Chronicles 4Tactical RPG
79​
PS4​
57​
The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival EditionAction RPG
80​
PS4​
58​
WORLDEND SYNDROMEVisual Novel
81​
PS4​
59​
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this WorldVisual Novel
82​
Vita​
1​
Bullet GirlsThird Person Shooter
83​
Vita​
2​
Demon GazeDungeon RPG
84​
Vita​
3​
Freedom WarsAction
85​
Vita​
4​
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black HeartTactical RPG
86​
Vita​
5​
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1Turn-Based RPG
87​
Vita​
6​
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sister's GenerationTurn-Based RPG
88​
Vita​
7​
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V GenerationTurn-Based RPG
89​
Vita​
8​
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action UnleashedMusou
90​
Vita​
9​
MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS ZombiesMusou
91​
Vita​
10​
Muv-LuvVisual Novel
92​
Vita​
11​
Muv-Luv AlternativeVisual Novel
93​
Vita​
12​
Superdimension Neptune vs SEGA Hard GirlsTurn-Based RPG
94​
Vita​
13​
Touch My KatamariPuzzle
95​
Vita​
14​
Valkyrie Drive BhikkhuniAction
Completed Games Collection of 2021:
#Game NamePlatformGenreMonth
1​
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
PS4​
ActionJanuary
2​
GOD EATER Resurrection
PS4​
Action RPGJanuary
3​
GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst
PS4​
Action RPGFebruary
Platinum Trophy Collection:
#Game NamePlatformGenreYear
1​
Saints Row: The ThirdPS3Action2014
2​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star BattlePS3Fighting2015
3​
Hyperdimension NeptuniaPS3Turn-Based RPG2015
4​
Dekamori Senran Kagura
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2015
5​
Steins;GatePS3Visual Novel2015
6​
NieRPS3Action RPG2015
7​
No More Heroes: Heroes' ParadisePS3Action2015
8​
Asura's WrathPS3Action2015
9​
Saints Row IVPS3Action2015
10​
The Darkness IIPS3First Person Shooter2015
11​
Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2PS3Turn-Based RPG2016
12​
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HDPS3Action2016
13​
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus
Vita​
Action2016
14​
Gravity Rush
Vita​
Platformer2016
15​
Hyperdimension Neptunia VictoryPS3Turn-Based RPG2016
16​
Resogun
PS4​
Arcade Shooter2016
17​
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Vita​
Third Person Shooter2016
18​
Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game
PS4​
Adventure2016
19​
Miracle Girls Festival
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2017
20​
Senran Kagura Estival Versus
PS4​
Action2017
21​
The Wolf Among Us
PS4​
Adventure2017
22​
Final Fantasy XV
PS4​
Action RPG2017
23​
Amplitude
PS4​
Music/Rhythm2017
24​
Root Letter
PS4​
Visual Novel2017
25​
IA/VT -Colorful-
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2017
26​
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2017
27​
Gravity Rush Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
28​
NieR: Automata
PS4​
Action RPG2017
29​
The Silver Case
PS4​
Visual Novel2017
30​
Steins;Gate 0
PS4​
Visual Novel2017
31​
Under Defeat HDPS3Arcade Shooter2017
32​
Tales from the Borderlands
PS4​
Adventure2017
33​
Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD CollectionPS3Fighting2017
34​
Life is Strange
PS4​
Adventure2017
35​
Sword Art Online: Lost Song
PS4​
Action RPG2017
36​
Crash Bandicoot Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
37​
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
38​
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
39​
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
PS4​
Action RPG2017
40​
Corpse Party: Blood Drive
Vita​
Horror2018
41​
Persona 5
PS4​
Turn-Based RPG2018
42​
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
PS4​
Visual Novel2018
43​
Persona 4: Dancing All Night [Japanese Version]
PS4​
Music/Rhythm2018
44​
Marvel's Spider-Man
PS4​
Action2018
45​
Akiba's Trip 2: Undead & Undressed
PS4​
Action RPG2019
46​
Spyro the Dragon Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2019
47​
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage Remastered
PS4​
Platfomer2019
48​
Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2019
49​
Tekken Tag Tournament HDPS3Fighting2019
50​
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy HDPS3Platformer2019
51​
Taiko no Tatsujin V Version
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2019
52​
Utakumi 575
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2019
53​
Jak II: Renegade HDPS3Platformer2019
54​
Jak 3 HDPS3Platformer2019
55​
Ratchet & Clank HDPS3Platformer2019
56​
Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando HDPS3Platformer2019
57​
Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal HDPS3Platformer2019
58​
Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash
PS4​
Third Person Shooter2019
59​
Kingdom Hearts III
PS4​
Action RPG2020
60​
Zero Escape 3: Zero Time Dilemma
PS4​
Adventure Visual Novel2020
61​
Deadly Premonition: The Director's CutPS3Action Horror2020
 
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I don't game much but I started playing Rakuen (the one about the boy in the hospital, and I have the OST, I bought it all off Steam a while ago) and I bought Stardew Valley off Steam with the OST too but haven't started it yet - I've barely bought any new video games at all since... a couple of years ago, I think? But SV just sounded really interesting to me. Myself I'm no good at games requiring quick reflexes and combat skills so stuff like that is what I have a chance of actually completing and thankfully I really enjoy some games like that, though I still don't play much and can't always handle things that are thematically downers or scary. I think the only game I have completed is Bastion, just the once though I have heard people say it is worth playing twice to get the full/real story, I had to play it in the mode where you can just keep going no matter how many times you die lol, never would have completed it otherwise XP I bought Okami HD off the PS3 store last year as well and I liked a lot of things about it but trying to progress in the game made me feel sick and headachey :(
 
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I wish I had time for games :)
I'm in a similar position as well where I don't truly have free time for games, anime and manga/novels.
Best you can do is to set a daily/weekly schedule for recreational period. It too is important to balance between work and hobbies as happiness is the key to life 🙌
 
I fiiiinally got all the trophies for Assassin's Creed Origins, so now I've gone backwards to Assassin's Creed Syndicate - the same series, but a big change in setting and gameplay. 😅
 
I've been back on the NES games you get with Switch Online.

A few months ago, I beat Super Mario Bros and Lost Levels - I just finished Super Mario Bros 2 (the first video game I ever played) and now I've jumped right onto Super Mario Bros 3.

I'm not very experienced with SMB3 - I owned it when I was a kid, but the game was faulty and I never got a replacement. I'm having fun with it so far! There are a few enemies (Boos, Thwomps, Dry Bones) that I thought didn't appear until Super Mario World, so I'm learning a few things too 😅
 
What did you think of the beta? I'm in awe of their new rollback infrastructure.
It's a pretty solid fighter with stunning 2.5D visuals, impressive character roster and unique movesets. As for the Online experience, their new rollback netcode keeps the online matches very fast-paced and smooth. I've not experienced any lags in my matches yet. Here's hoping it stays this way in the final release. I'd safely say this will be a bit hit in fighting game scene 👊🔥💯
 
It's a pretty solid fighter with stunning 2.5D visuals, impressive character roster and unique movesets. As for the Online experience, their new rollback netcode keeps the online matches very fast-paced and smooth. I've not experienced any lags in my matches yet. Here's hoping it stays this way in the final release. I'd safely say this will be a bit hit in fighting game scene 👊🔥💯
Yeah I'm a massive fan of fighting games and Guilty Gear. The uniqueness of each character is unlike anything else in the genre. Do you have a favourite character? Yeah it felt completely like offline to me which is huge. There is a ton of hype. We've been asking for good online for over a decade. It feels a bit surreal that its finally a reality.
 
Ghost of Tsushima - I finished the main story on this one yesterday, having also cleared the major side-quest lines and about 3/4 of the "please kill all the Mongols in this village" map markers. There are so many open world action/stealth games, and they're all so similar, that I can usually only be bothered with one or two per year. Fortunately, this was a very good one. It's very similar to the gameplay in Assassin's Creed Odyssey (the last big open world I played), with just a few differences. Odyssey has more varied quests, more role-playing options, and naval combat. Tsushima has significantly more satisfying combat and more gadgets, but has little role-playing aspect aside from the ability to choose to approach most encounters as a samurai or ninja would. The combat is particularly significant, since you spend a lot of time swinging weapons around in both games, and Odyssey is surprisingly janky on that front for such a big budget game in a long-running series. Both games have beautiful, atmospheric worlds. On the whole, Odyssey lives up to its name with an adventure of epic scope, while Tsushima does better at nailing its gameplay fundamentals.

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force - I'm only five hours into this, and it's pretty mediocre so far. I knew this was a Compile Heart game going in, so I should have expected shallow, goofy nonsense, but I hoped they might have aimed higher for one of their few JRPGs outside the Neptunia series. Unless it takes a big turn later, I'm not impressed. The plot is as basic as they come. Characters are one-dimensional and annoying. The combat system is decent, but it's ripped straight out of Neptunia. I'll give this one a bit longer, but I don't know if I'll bother finishing it. I'm glad it only cost me £10.
 
I’ve started up on Persona 5 S (the strikers subtitle reminds me of a football game) and I’m enjoying it so far.
 
Hitman 3
As much as I absolutely love the World of Assassination trilogy as a whole (few things have made me happier than IOI buying back their independence and going back to basics after the disappointment of Absolution) I can't help feeling a little short-changed with this final instalment. Six levels, okay, that's the same as the other two at launch. But one of those levels is boredom inducing empty sprawl (Berlin) which reminds me more of the pre-Blood Money days than anything else from the new trilogy and another (Carpathian Mountains, now there's a misleading level name if ever I saw one) is almost entirely linear. Fifty quid still seems a little steep for the four good levels and there were a couple of unfortunate missed opportunities with mission stories why on earth could I not accept Alexa Carlisle's last request to off her daughter in law? but I really can't be mad at IOI for building a game with nearly endless replay value and restoring my faith in a franchise I've been a fan of since the very beginning. Not many things I can say that about these days, when I automatically expect every new instalment of most game franchises I enjoy (or once enjoyed) to be worse. And my man crush on 47 has only gotten stronger. Speaking of disappointing sequels...

Life is Strange 2
Finally finished. tl;dr: It's no LiS 1. Episode 5, the only one I had left to do, felt like more of a conversation simulator than an adventure game. It's not such a good experience to be trapped in cutscenes and dialogue with the thought "Am I going to get to explore soon?" and then when it arrives, I only get a tiny, empty area for a short time before the next dialogue or cutscene kicks in. Half of the enjoyment of LiS for me is walking around discovering things through exploration and soaking up the (wonderful) atmosphere. LiS 2 started the same way and I was very encouraged, but by this last episode that's nearly all gone. When you have sections of the game like LONG CUTSCENE > Walk over to wall > Interact with wall > Walk away from wall > LONG CUTSCENE and there is literally nothing else to do in that area it makes me wonder why it was even interactive in the first place. Presumably because someone remembered this is supposed to be a game. If I was to compare the number of things you can interact with in any meaningful way in Episode 5 with the same in Episode 1, I imagine it would be fully half, maybe even one third. Maybe less.

The other half of my enjoyment of LiS was that it did SUCH a good job of making every character human, their flaws and attitudes that might lead you to write them off in the beginning as total phalluses were almost uniformly elaborated on to the point where, even if you still didn't like them, you at least understood how or why they became that way. You still felt for them in spite of their actions. These kinds of characters are still there (Shaun and Daniel's Mother and Grandmother, Finn) but they're usually more sympathetic than not, so there's not much in the way of conflicting feelings towards them. They're also joined this time around by such one-dimensional characters as xenophobic violent cop, xenophobic violent store owners, xenophobic violent rednecks and uh, xenophobic violent vigilantes. Perhaps Shaun and Daniel's journey being a physical one where they are constantly on the move and their interactions with others are often fleeting could go some way to explaining why these characters are never expanded upon beyond their cartoonish villainy, but there are issues with that. Namely the fact the Brothers do settle for a while in no fewer than three communities, none of which feature characters with these attitudes. There could have been real opportunity to explore what misery or influences might lead people to hold such beliefs (which I definitely agree are misguided and destructive) but there wasn't any. They're just a string of cartoon villains sent in at regular intervals to hammer home xenophobia is bad, m'kay?

That, in turn, leads to my dissatisfaction with the primary story choice: To teach Daniel to follow rules or to break them. Given Shaun and Daniel's constant, unprovoked victimisation by people in positions of power and authority over them, what reason would the player ever have to teach Daniel to respect rules and authority? Perhaps if Daniel (or at least the player) was able to see these characters as human beings who despite treating the brothers badly still had their reasons for being the way they are, who also suffered and hurt, then there would have been some agonising over how they should be treated. But there wasn't any. The antagonists had all the depth of paper shooting targets so the final major choice, unlike the agonising one of LiS 1, was easily the quickest decision I made in the entire game. Daniel BTFO all of them and I felt nothing. I was happy to see them win and be together in the end, because the brothers' relationship was genuinely well written and touching, and the best part of the game by far because it actually made me consider my actions and choices. All the other characters however? I didn't really give much of a toss because the game either didn't want me to care about them or, perhaps due to the nature of the story as a road trip, I didn't spend enough time with them to care. And that's a HUGE difference for me between LiS 1 and LiS 2.
 
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Life is Strange 2
Finally finished. tl;dr: It's no LiS 1.
I'd have to agree. I love both LiS 1 and Before the Storm, but I gave up on LiS 2 during the second episode. The writers were beating us over the head with all the miserable things happening to the brothers in an effort to make the player sympathise, but it felt forced and manipulative. They picked the most boring and generic superpower imaginable. It also lacked lacked what I love most about the first two games: role-playing as fairly normal schoolgirls and experiencing both the mundane and extraordinary parts of their lives in Shenmue-like detail. LiS 2 was too quick to cast aside normal daily life, and I think it was doomed from that point on.
 
I gave up on LiS 2 during the second episode. The writers were beating us over the head with all the miserable things happening to the brothers in an effort to make the player sympathise, but it felt forced and manipulative.
That’s interesting, I think I probably enjoyed Episode 2 the most, because I felt there was more opportunity to relax a bit and spend time with other characters (ones with at least a bit of depth) and get to know them. Episode 3 also had that going for it, but once again it was a whole new cast of supporting characters you were back at square one with. By Episodes 4 & 5 it just felt like all the nuance had gone and everyone you met was either a nice, open minded liberal or a nasty, closed minded bigot, which was a real step backwards since that was the major criticism I had of Episode 1. The only character in the later stages of the game who had any shades of grey was Agent Flores, but no matter how kind she might have been to Shaun & Daniel, aligning herself with the forces set against them at the end made it pretty easy to turn on her. “Only following orders” has never been a particularly sympathetic position in my book.
 
Doom Eternal
I've played the first few missions of this. So far what I'm finding is that everything good about is are the parts taken from Doom 2016, and everything bad about it are the parts they've added. Doom 2016 had some of the most satisfying run-and-run gameplay around. It was hectic, and could be difficult, but it rarely got too frustrating. Eternal is frustrating almost from the first mission. There's just too much to keep track of for such a fast-paced game.

As with 2016, you get health items by finishing off enemies with a punch, and you get ammo by finishing them with the chainsaw. But now there's also a flamethrower that makes enemies drop armour, and after doing a few melee attacks you'll charge a meter that makes the next punch more powerful, but at the price of it not generating health items. You can't decide when to use that super punch, so you can end up needing health but with no way to replenish it. The main problem is keeping track of the HUD; even at its largest size it's too small and off to the edges, and you can't afford the time to check everything during a frantic firefight. This is problematic because your grenades, flamethrower, sometimes your chainsaw, and the new dodge move all have cooldown timers, and it's a pain keeping track of when you can use each. One or two have audio cues, but those are hard to hear amid the gunfire, explosions and demon screams. On top of all that, it throws environmental hazards at you from the very beginning: lava pits, electrified floors, collapsing platforms, random fireballs flying out of the walls, the works.

So, despite it still having a solid core of gameplay that's better than a lot of the competition, I don't know if I'd recommend this game to anyone. If you haven't played Doom 2016, that's much better. If you have played 2016, but aren't bored of the gameplay, you're better off playing that one again. If you are bored of the gameplay, Eternal doesn't add anything good to it.
 
In case people havent seen Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of the ps+ games this month!

I've never actually played any FF games before so it's all new to me but I've put a handful of hours in so far (on easy) and it's been a lot of fun. The story introducton has been engaging, the characters varied and likeable, the games can be a bit hectic for me but on easy it's not much of an issue. Also the graphics are pretty amazing!
 
Took a sudden notion to revisit a lot of the user-generated levels for Hotline Miami 2. The modding community may not be huge, but it's nice to see that they've kept going all this time - a lot of the fan-made campaigns are arguably more entertaining than the base game. I particularly like the ones from Puzzlebox; they really throw a pie in the dour, self-serious face of the main plot by repurposing the whole thing as absurdist comedy. Why ponder the meaninglessness of the characters' nihilsitic struggle when you can shake down the owner of a counterfeit pizza place while totally naked instead?
 
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Completed Game #4 | Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (PS4)

Back in 2018 I picked up my first Fate video game with Fate/Extella, the third instalment in the Fate/Extra series. While Extra and Extra CCC were RPGs, Extella is actually a Musou game. The game is split into two parts; the main story which follows Red Saber aka Nero, the ohoho Fox girl Tamamo, silver-haired girl Altera and one final story campaign that wraps it altogether. The other part is the side stories where you can play as Blue Saber aka Artoria, Gilgamesh, F/SN's Archer, F/SN's Rider, F/SN's Lancer, F/A's Jeanne d’Arc and more.

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Going to start off with the story first because to be honest this is the weakest element of the whole game. I like aspects of it but it was just overstaying its welcome and ruins the momentum of the gameplay. Because the gameplay itself for a musou game is pretty good, and while the enemy variety is very weak, the combat is good enough. Plus, you have to be pretty tactical in terms of which area you want to capture as the enemy will always invade one of your own pretty quickly which is not something I often see in other Musou games unless it was scripted.

Once you capture enough areas you will then collect enough keys to unlock the final boss of that map which is a servant. Your combat is split into different parts; Extella Maneuvers is a move that you will use a lot to get rid of a bunch of enemies on the screen in order to get the Aggressors out who take control of the areas (kill all of them in an area, and that area will be yours), the Moon Crux/Drives which is a special where your strength and power is better than usual so you can whack more damage against others and of course Noble Phantasm which requires you to collect three items before you can use it against the enemies on the screen.


There's also Code Cast where you can use items like additional damage, more protection or switch to a different servant during combat. In-between combat areas, you can check your skills and add better ones which if linked together can increase its ability by a certain percentage. I would say the side story stuff is more interesting than the main campaign as each of the servants you can play has different abilities and fighting tactics which is both its strength and weakness as some characters don't work well compared to others.

Overall, Fate/Extella is decent enough though I have heard that Fate/Extella Link is a much better game between the two so I'll check that out some time as it's also in my backlog. Also a minor nitpick but I don't personally think the artstyle works for the characters in this game as I found it quite jarring, though it works with the Tamamo girl.

Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is available to own physically and digitally on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch, followed by digitally on PC.

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Completed Game #5 | Gal*Gun Double Peace (PS4)

Another game I started playing parallel with Fate/Extella was Gal*Gun Double Peace, the second game in the on-rails shooter anime series. The first game is Japan only though its remaster is available on Switch and PC as of recently, and while I never really properly played the original I decided to begin the franchise with this one, which has been in my backlog since September 2018 (in fact I actually bought this game alongside Fate/Extella).

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For those who have never heard of Gal*Gun, basically imagine House of the Dead but replace the zombies/monsters with anime girls wanting to date you. Despite the insanity of its concept, it's actually genius and I'm surprised nobody in Japan bothered to make this sort of game back in the 90s and 00s era.


The game's biggest weakness is the fanservicey mini-games in-between the episodes during the main story routes and questionable is probably the best way to summarise it (not my cup of tea to put it lightly). The other issue I have is actually with its gameplay and controls during these segments - it does make use of the PS4 DualShock touch pad which at times does not function especially when there are moments that require a clockwise or anti-clockwise twirl.

Outside of that though, and I guess the Doki Doki segment but you can easily skip it during gameplay, the rest of the game is actually pretty solid. The framerate is really solid so you can get good shots without too much hassle, which was a big issue with the PlayStation Vita version. The episodes are short but provide branching paths so you won't get the same outcome at times. The boss battles are very good and provide a solid amount of challenge to the mix, and the way each girl has their own weak spot is cleverly done by the colour of the symbol that appears next to them so it's up to both skill and memory to get the highest score possible.

These anime girls will want you so much they would surprise you in lockers, caves and even the vents.


The story is very simple but there's some fun humour throughout. Voice-cast also features Yui Horie (Monogatari's Hanekawa) and Yukari Tamura (Higurashi's Rika) who play the angel characters helping the protagonist during his journey to find a girlfriend otherwise he'll be forever alone 24 hours later. The game has six main routes; Shinobu, Maya, Sisters, Angel, Demon and Patako. The latter three are technically part of one route but will branch out depending on your choices and specific requirements. After completing each one you will then unlock the 'Unseen Destiny' route which is where you can choose your own waifu from the 70 or so girls that are hunting you down in the game.

The game is short, about 8 hours to go through each of the main routes, but I decided to spend an additional 20 hours to get the rest of the trophies because during one of my playthroughs I was able to acquire the Godlike rank which is earned by reaching 1,000,000 points. The choice to get the rest of the trophies was quite draining because it was basically the definition of insanity, having to redo the same levels all over again to get the profiles completed. Then there's the images gallery which requires all of the true ends, all of the bad ends, the ending where you get the Ghost Girl, and specific dialogue choices during the main route that have different images. Either way I was able to get the Platinum trophy so I'm happy about that (Gal*Gun 2 is apparently a lot easier to Platinum from what I heard, though I'll need to double check that).

Overall, Gal*Gun Double Peace is actually a fun entertaining on-rails shooter and while the fanservice in parts is not that great the rest of the package is good fun.

Gal*Gun Double Peace is available to own physically and digitally on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, followed by digitally on PC.​

My backlog so far:
#Platform#Game NameGenre
1​
3DS​
1​
Senran Kagura 2: Deep CrimsonAction
2​
3DS​
2​
Tales of the AbyssAction RPG
3​
PC/Steam​
1​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the SkyTurn-Based RPG
4​
PC/Steam​
2​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second ChapterTurn-Based RPG
5​
PS3
1​
Castlevania: Lords of ShadowAction
6​
PS3
2​
CatherinePuzzle
7​
PS3
3​
Dragon's CrownAction RPG
8​
PS3
4​
Drakengard 3Action RPG
9​
PS3
5​
Eternal SonataTurn-Based RPG
10​
PS3
6​
FolkloreAction
11​
PS3
7​
Katamari ForeverPuzzle
12​
PS3
8​
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White WitchTurn-Based RPG
13​
PS3
9​
PuppeteerPlatformer
14​
PS3
10​
Sengoku Basara 3: Samurai HeroesMusou
15​
PS3
11​
Siren Blood CurseHorror
16​
PS3
12​
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus HDPlatformer
17​
PS3
13​
Sly 2: Band of Thieves HDPlatformer
18​
PS3
14​
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves HDPlatformer
19​
PS3
15​
Soul Calibur VFighting
20​
PS3
16​
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the OverlordTactical RPG / Visual Novel
21​
PS3
17​
White Knight ChroniclesTurn-Based RPG
22​
PS3
18​
White Knight Chronicles IITurn-Based RPG
23​
PS4​
1​
The 25th Ward: The Silver CaseVisual Novel
24​
PS4​
2​
428: Shibuya ScrambleVisual Novel
25​
PS4​
3​
Attack on Titan 2: Final BattleMusou
26​
PS4​
4​
Blue ReflectionTurn-Based RPG
27​
PS4​
5​
Chaos;ChildVisual Novel
28​
PS4​
6​
Code VeinAction RPG
29​
PS4​
7​
Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses OnlineAction RPG
30​
PS4​
8​
Danganronpa 1 ReloadVisual Novel
31​
PS4​
9​
Danganronpa 2 ReloadVisual Novel
32​
PS4​
10​
Danganronpa V3: Killing HarmonyVisual Novel
33​
PS4​
11​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 1: Rinne UtopiaVisual Novel
34​
PS4​
12​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 2: Ars InstallVisual Novel
35​
PS4​
13​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 3: Twin Edition: Rio ReincarnationVisual Novel
36​
PS4​
14​
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 FortuneSimulation
37​
PS4​
15​
Dragon's Crown ProAction RPG
38​
PS4​
16​
Fate/Extella LinkMusou
39​
PS4​
17​
Fist of the North Star: Lost ParadiseAction
40​
PS4​
18​
Gal*Gun 2On-Rails Shooter
41​
PS4​
19​
Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite CombateAction RPG
42​
PS4​
20​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of HeavenFighting
43​
PS4​
21​
JudgmentAction
44​
PS4​
22​
Kandagawa Jet GirlsRacing
45​
PS4​
23​
LangrisserTactical RPG
46​
PS4​
24​
Langrisser IITactical RPG
47​
PS4​
25​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold SteelTurn-Based RPG
48​
PS4​
26​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IITurn-Based RPG
49​
PS4​
27​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IIITurn-Based RPG
50​
PS4​
28​
Megadimension Neptunia VIITurn-Based RPG
51​
PS4​
29​
Megadimension Neptunia VIIRTurn-Based RPG
52​
PS4​
30​
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant KingdomAction RPG
53​
PS4​
31​
Nights of AzureAction RPG
54​
PS4​
32​
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New MoonAction RPG
55​
PS4​
33​
Odin Sphere LeifthrasirAction RPG
56​
PS4​
34​
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3Musou
57​
PS4​
35​
Onechanbara Z2: ChaosAction
58​
PS4​
36​
Our World Is EndedVisual Novel
59​
PS4​
37​
Persona 5 RoyalTurn-Based RPG
60​
PS4​
38​
Punch LineVisual Novel
61​
PS4​
39​
Raging LoopVisual Novel
62​
PS4​
40​
Robotics;Notes DaSHVisual Novel
63​
PS4​
41​
Robotics;Notes ELITEVisual Novel
64​
PS4​
42​
Saint Seiya: Soldier's SoulFighting
65​
PS4​
43​
Sakura WarsAction RPG / Dating Sim
66​
PS4​
44​
Sengoku Basara 4: SumeragiMusou
67​
PS4​
45​
Senran Kagura Burst Re:NewalAction
68​
PS4​
46​
Shining Resonance: RefrainAction RPG
69​
PS4​
47​
Steins;Gate EliteVisual Novel
70​
PS4​
48​
Steins;Gate: Linear Bound PhenogramVisual Novel
71​
PS4​
49​
Super Robot Wars VTactical RPG
72​
PS4​
50​
Super Robot Wars XTactical RPG
73​
PS4​
51​
Sword Art Online: Fatal BulletAction RPG
74​
PS4​
52​
Tales of BerseriaAction RPG
75​
PS4​
53​
Tales of VesperiaAction RPG
76​
PS4​
54​
Tales of ZestiriaAction RPG
77​
PS4​
55​
Tokyo Xanadu eX+Action RPG
78​
PS4​
56​
Toukiden 2Action RPG
79​
PS4​
57​
Utawarerumono: Mask of DeceptionTactical RPG / Visual Novel
80​
PS4​
58​
Utawarerumono: Mask of TruthTactical RPG / Visual Novel
81​
PS4​
59​
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the FallenTactical RPG / Visual Novel
82​
PS4​
60​
Utawarerumono: ZanMusou
83​
PS4​
61​
Valkyria Chronicles RemasteredTactical RPG
84​
PS4​
62​
Valkyria Chronicles 4Tactical RPG
85​
PS4​
63​
The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival EditionAction RPG
86​
PS4​
64​
WORLDEND SYNDROMEVisual Novel
87​
PS4​
65​
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this WorldVisual Novel
88​
PS4​
66​
Ys IX: Monstrum NoxAction RPG
89​
Vita​
1​
Bullet GirlsThird Person Shooter
90​
Vita​
2​
Demon GazeDungeon RPG
91​
Vita​
3​
Freedom WarsAction
92​
Vita​
4​
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black HeartTactical RPG
93​
Vita​
5​
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1Turn-Based RPG
94​
Vita​
6​
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sister's GenerationTurn-Based RPG
95​
Vita​
7​
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V GenerationTurn-Based RPG
96​
Vita​
8​
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action UnleashedMusou
97​
Vita​
9​
MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS ZombiesMusou
98​
Vita​
10​
Muv-LuvVisual Novel
99​
Vita​
11​
Muv-Luv AlternativeVisual Novel
100​
Vita​
12​
Superdimension Neptune vs SEGA Hard GirlsTurn-Based RPG
101​
Vita​
13​
Touch My KatamariPuzzle
102​
Vita​
14​
Valkyrie Drive BhikkhuniAction
Completed Games Collection of 2021:
#Game NamePlatformGenreMonth
1​
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
PS4​
ActionJanuary
2​
GOD EATER Resurrection
PS4​
Action RPGJanuary
3​
GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst
PS4​
Action RPGFebruary
4​
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star
PS4​
MusouMarch
5​
Gal*Gun Double Peace
PS4​
On-Rails ShooterMarch
Platinum Trophy Collection:
#Game NamePlatformGenreYear
1​
Saints Row: The ThirdPS3Action2014
2​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star BattlePS3Fighting2015
3​
Hyperdimension NeptuniaPS3Turn-Based RPG2015
4​
Dekamori Senran Kagura
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2015
5​
Steins;GatePS3Visual Novel2015
6​
NieRPS3Action RPG2015
7​
No More Heroes: Heroes' ParadisePS3Action2015
8​
Asura's WrathPS3Action2015
9​
Saints Row IVPS3Action2015
10​
The Darkness IIPS3First Person Shooter2015
11​
Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2PS3Turn-Based RPG2016
12​
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HDPS3Action2016
13​
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus
Vita​
Action2016
14​
Gravity Rush
Vita​
Platformer2016
15​
Hyperdimension Neptunia VictoryPS3Turn-Based RPG2016
16​
Resogun
PS4​
Arcade Shooter2016
17​
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Vita​
Third Person Shooter2016
18​
Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game
PS4​
Adventure2016
19​
Miracle Girls Festival
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2017
20​
Senran Kagura Estival Versus
PS4​
Action2017
21​
The Wolf Among Us
PS4​
Adventure2017
22​
Final Fantasy XV
PS4​
Action RPG2017
23​
Amplitude
PS4​
Music/Rhythm2017
24​
Root Letter
PS4​
Visual Novel2017
25​
IA/VT -Colorful-
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2017
26​
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2017
27​
Gravity Rush Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
28​
NieR: Automata
PS4​
Action RPG2017
29​
The Silver Case
PS4​
Visual Novel2017
30​
Steins;Gate 0
PS4​
Visual Novel2017
31​
Under Defeat HDPS3Arcade Shooter2017
32​
Tales from the Borderlands
PS4​
Adventure2017
33​
Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD CollectionPS3Fighting2017
34​
Life is Strange
PS4​
Adventure2017
35​
Sword Art Online: Lost Song
PS4​
Action RPG2017
36​
Crash Bandicoot Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
37​
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
38​
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2017
39​
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
PS4​
Action RPG2017
40​
Corpse Party: Blood Drive
Vita​
Horror2018
41​
Persona 5
PS4​
Turn-Based RPG2018
42​
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
PS4​
Visual Novel2018
43​
Persona 4: Dancing All Night [Japanese Version]
PS4​
Music/Rhythm2018
44​
Marvel's Spider-Man
PS4​
Action2018
45​
Akiba's Trip 2: Undead & Undressed
PS4​
Action RPG2019
46​
Spyro the Dragon Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2019
47​
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage Remastered
PS4​
Platfomer2019
48​
Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon Remastered
PS4​
Platformer2019
49​
Tekken Tag Tournament HDPS3Fighting2019
50​
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy HDPS3Platformer2019
51​
Taiko no Tatsujin V Version
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2019
52​
Utakumi 575
Vita​
Music/Rhythm2019
53​
Jak II: Renegade HDPS3Platformer2019
54​
Jak 3 HDPS3Platformer2019
55​
Ratchet & Clank HDPS3Platformer2019
56​
Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando HDPS3Platformer2019
57​
Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal HDPS3Platformer2019
58​
Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash
PS4​
Third Person Shooter2019
59​
Kingdom Hearts III
PS4​
Action RPG2020
60​
Zero Escape 3: Zero Time Dilemma
PS4​
Adventure Visual Novel2020
61​
Deadly Premonition: The Director's CutPS3Action Horror2020
62​
Gal*Gun Double Peace
PS4​
On-Rails Shooter2021
 
5A8CEA0A-3AFB-4566-B597-F76A21CF7C13.jpeg
Completed Ys IX Monstrum Nox

A very good game and a good addition to the Ys universe. If you’d played previous Ys games or Falcom games then it won’t disappoint you.
 
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