We arrive at that time of year again where I go over games that I’ve actually finished, yes! I actually found time to finish a couple!
I picked up The New Colossus late last year during one of the steam sales for an excellent price. I never finished The New Order, although I did play enough of it to get the idea of what I was doing PLUS the game does a good job rehashing enough of the previous installment to get you where you need to be. I completed the game on the Fergus timeline because I found his personality to be more entertaining (although I’ve been doing a replay on the Wyatt timeline to see what that’s like). In The New Order you have to sacrifice either Wyatt or Fergus to the Nazi’s, but unlike the previous game your choice can make all kinds of differences in cut-scenes, enough that it really is worth playing through a second time just to see another perspective. The gameplay itself was a whole lot of fun, and I’m glad they finally gave us the ability to save wherever we want instead of relying on autosaves and checkpoints… that was one of the reasons why I got annoyed with the first game, especially when trying to stealth my way around a really active area. I enjoyed finding the original game in its entirety, Wolfstone3D instead of Wolfenstein3D. I really enjoyed the story too, though I’ve listened to a lot of people complain about the overall story-line being similar to a Quinton Tarantino film, not being historically accurate, having a “mouthy” black chick join their ranks, and of course my personal favorite to poke fun at Nazi Fatigue… apparently having Nazi’s in a Wolfenstein game is a concept lost on some. :zorak: Another excuse I’ve heard in similar vain is that there are too many games where Nazi’s are being shot, and somehow that’s a bad thing. To me it had a message; stand up for what you believe in, don’t let your friends or your spouse think for you, analyze a situation or a story for yourself… you might even find something that someone else missed. Also nazi’s are bad, that was the shorter message. :v:
Then of course after finishing the New Colossus I was still in a Nazi killing mood but didn’t feel like doing an immediate play through again of the same game. A lot of people that I read were butthurt by the sequel to this game said this had the better story of the two, and that it was much more serious… did they forget the part where BJ drops acid and has a drug trip? Of course that also depends on which timeline you choose… but I actually enjoyed the stories of both games, despite this port not running as smoothly as its sequel. I’m definitely intrigued by the new Wolfenstein game Bethesda announced at E3, and I’m hoping they don’t screw the pooch with it as they’ve done with Fallout76 thus far… though this is a different property to them I will still wait for the final result. The great goddess Beth Esda works in mysterious ways.
When I heard about the Devil May Cry HD Collection coming to PC I was stoked enough that I bought it for day one release, in fact it was funny because I was contemplating buying a copy for my PS3 so I could see what I’ve been missing out on from that particular era. Everyone that played the series always told me that 2 was the worst and I never understood why, now that I’ve had a chance to play it I fully understand. I knew there was a problem when I managed to beat the game. Contrary to what at least two people might think, but as much as I love this genre I’m terrible at it, and I’m willing to admit that. So I was surprised that I was able to hack, slash and shoot my way through the game in no time flat. Everything from gameplay to story to how everything was executed was just wrong. They made Dante too serious, and they made the game easy enough to a point that you could probably beat all of the demons and bosses while blindfolded six feet under the earth in A DARK ROOM. I haven’t worked up the nerve to play as Lucia yet, perhaps I’ll pick it up again if I find the right amount of medication to play a game that would even bore grandma with its game mechanics.
I played the Landmark Edition. It’s just like the original… moving on.
As someone who enjoys the Homestuck comics, this was something that I highly anticipated. You don’t have to read any part of the comics to play or understand this game (although in some cases it might help already explain things, like what are the grey children doing with candy cane horns?). Hiveswap is a love letter to the 1990’s, including Easter eggs scattered throughout the game pointing to older games of that era, such as Myst. Much like Homestuck, Hiveswap does an excellent job nailing that 90’s aesthetic. My only complaint was that I found it to be too short, though I look forward to the next act when that eventually comes out.
That pretty much covers what I’ve finished this year. All other titles I’ve played are games that are not played to be completed, like Skyrim or Quake Champions, or I’ve been replaying games for the sake of replaying them, or for testing under Linux via Proton… or both. 😛 I hope everyone has a Happy New Year, and if anyone wants to share or reflect on something you’ve played this year feel free to write it down below.
Happy New Beers!
