Last game played...

[repoman]

I did like Fallen Order but hated the confusing holomap thing and the puzzles.  That one with the spheres was miserable.

Speaking of miserable, I started The Division 2.  Standard Ubisoft open world shooter.  Has no creativity.

[shaolin_monkey]

I did like Fallen Order but hated the confusing holomap thing and the puzzles.  That one with the spheres was miserable.

I know what you mean.  I have no patience for puzzles like that, so I just watched a YouTube vid of how to do it, and then got on with the pew pew slashy choppy force push type stuff.

[repoman]

Me too.  In fact I didn't even realise it was a puzzle for ages and then yeah, went on YouTube to make sense of it.

[Keef Monkey]

Speaking of puzzles (I liked the ones in Fallen Order, think action games need it to break things up a little), played through a very short one yesterday called Pneuma: Breath of Life. It was a decent enough stab at a first person indie puzzler, it was no Portal but still had some satisfying moments and at a couple of hours long didn't overstay its welcome. I did get stuck on a puzzle and then when I looked it up found comments about the puzzle being broken in that the correct solution doesn't always work, so I'm not going to beat myself up too much about getting stuck on that one.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

Just played through Darksiders Genesis, really enjoyed it! They did an awesome job translating the Darksiders combat and puzzles into a top down dungeon loot game. The loot system revolves around enemies having a % chance to drop their soul, which you can then equip in a skill tree to give you benefits particular to that soul. Where you put it in the skill tree can also affect whether you get an extra bonus or not, and the more of the same soul you acquire, the more it levels up. Some IGA castlevanias have something similar (although a bit simpler), I've always liked it!

The story was fine, it's a prequel filling in some gaps in the plot but I'm anxious to get back to the current timeline with the next game and 'finish the fight' as they say. It's nice to see lots of interaction between two horsemen though, which is something we haven't seen yet, and there's lots of characterisation in their dialogue.

I'm going to play through it on Apocalpyptic difficulty next, just waiting for a friend to get round to it as it's co-op!

Yakuza 0 is out on game pass on the 26th I think, that's the next big one for me before Doom Eternal next month!

[Professor Bear]

Terminator: Resistance is either
1 - a sub-par tie-in game that lacks the polish expected of such a high-profile licence and property, or
2 - a decent short-lived shooter with RPG elements that isn't rocket surgery and whose low budget often feels like it's channeling the original Terminator film, right down to the almost-foggy aesthetic of low-resolution/low-budget 1980s post-apocalyptic action movies, which is really helped by the dated technology and synth soundtrack complete with sleazy guitar version of the Terminator theme playing over the sex scenes.
Shovelware gets a bad rap because of all the mediocre titles that get released that could have benefited from more development time or more involved gameplay mechanics, but how much time do you really want to spend on a game about shooting robots in an abandoned factory?  This has a good balance between shooty/level-up gameplay and never feels like you're grinding just to get the next level/skill unlock.
I really enjoyed the art and sound direction (especially the zapping of the plasma rifles), and I liked that the default gamma setting emulates the high-contrast of the mid-80s STV action genre - could have done with a slider setting for the colour saturation and/or a scanlines filter, IMO, but the 30FPS option to make it judder like a PS2/PS3 game is also a neat touch for retro fanatics.
If you don't mind a few rough edges, this is pretty good for a budget title.

[repoman]

I kind of fancy it despite everything in the Terminator universe now being horrible.

I actually got sent a code for it on PS4 but gave it to someone else to review.  I kind of regret that.

[Keef Monkey]

I've had my eye on that Terminator game for an inevitable price plummet at some point, because generally a license I like is enough to get me through a game like that (and I'm still very much a Terminator fan, so if I can be the guy who really likes Dark Fate then I can probably be the guy who really likes Resistance).

[repoman]

Finished Spider-Man.  I'm not much of a fan of Spider-Man or Marvel things in general but I'm calling it, this is the best PS4 game.  The combat is great, there's loads to do and it looks absolutely stunning.

Less good though, I'm currently reviewing a Double Dragon compilation that is all the NES games.  It's a struggle.

Still playing Division 2.  It's often terrible but in co-op there's fun to be had.

Just finished reviewing a game called Knightin'+ which is a very basic dungeon hack and slasher.  Think Zelda meets Atic Atac.

And a shoot 'em up called Project Starship that would be good if it wasn't so easy.

[Apestrife]

DOOM3 BFG edition. Got through it a bit too easily on Veteran (second highest difficulty setting) playing handheld on my Switch. The BFG edition has softer shadows than the original, as well as making it possible to use the flashlight at same time holding a weapon. I also think this version's ammo pick ups are far more generous. Packed full ammo on the plasma, rockets, minigun rounds and BFG all the way. But outside being a bit too easy I still enjoyed it. Still plays like the love child of Doom and Resident evil raised on a hell infested Mars.

The graphics still holds up really well thanks to good design, as does the sound. Some really good sound design. I really like going through a computer room and hearing distinct buzzing from each apparatus. Weapons and explosions still sounds weak, but there's a certain charm to them since they sound unique. Not many games which has a machinegun who sounds like a typewriter, or a shotgun which sounds like a bag with hard heavy things hitting a wooden table.

The only big grip I have with the game are the controls. The run button being clicking the analogue stick and being on/off, and changes to "press to run" when in hell. Really wish I could map it to some other button instead. Made the last boss (in hell) "harder" than it needed to be. That as well as being able to change to Vanilla Doom 3.

So my enjoyment of the game probably stems from nostalgia. I still remember when it first came out. A horror focused DOOM game with insanely good graphics. And now I can play with those graphics on a hand held. I'm truly in the future. But for those new to DOOM the original 2 are probably easier to fall in love with, but I still think the 3rd also deserves some love. It's still a quite unique game. That said, the next DOOM I play will be Eternal 

[Smith]

Hand of Fate 2 and Thea the Awakening. Both very addictive.

[JamesC]

I've been on a bit of a NES kick recently. It's a great platform for action games - they're often quite quirky and are still fun as hell to play today.

Metal Storm - this has been re released by Retro Bit (it never had a PAL release originally). It's an incredible action platform game which requires some problem solving/logocal thinking. It's made by Irem (of R-Type fame) and is an absolute gem.

Blue Shadow - Great, fast paced, ninja fun.

Shadow Warrior - More great fast paced ninja fun!

Isolated Warrior - Great shooty isometric fun.

Power Blade - Platformy boomerang fun with a vest wearing Arnie lookalike. 

[Apestrife]

DOOM2. While waiting for Eternal to release on Switch I gave the old 2 a go. Holds up really well. Lots of fun. The super shotgun is still the most awesome gun ever.

[Colin YNWA]

Been getting back into Evoland 2 (via a heavily discounted Evoland Legendary edition) and its such fun. It builds the tour of the history of gaming into the story really effectively and so while playing in nostaglia - even to none heavy games like myself - oit also is just a plain fun game in itself. Highly recommended to Switch owners out there - sure its available on other platforms too.

[shaolin_monkey]

I'm tempted by that Terminator game, but will wait until it's under £30 before I buy it.

In the meantime, I've been trying out Sea of Thieves.  I understand it came under a lot of flack previously for being incredibly repetitive, and relied on lots of folk working together to run a pirate ship, and coming across other players and taking them on was the fun bit.  |However, since then there's has been some narrative additions etc.  such as the Tall Tales, to make it more enjoyable.

I tried to solo this and found it very hit and miss.  I love the sea, I love the way you get the boat going, I love the basic missions (the repetitive ones), I loved the skeleton captain hunting, but I found the narrative tales incredibly annoying and buggy.  Connection problems abound, and if you're flung out mid-Tall Tale it'll dump you at an island miles away when you log back in, meaning a tedious voyage back to the starting block.  Also, any key items you had picked up in the previous 'chapter' are often missing, meaning you just have to start again.

I've not explored the multiplayer, which is where it sounds like the action is, as I just can't make a solid crewmate commitment of a couple of hours a time to get into stuff.  This is where the game falls down for me - it doesn't suit my busy lifestyle - I can't just dip in and out of it.


On the other hand, I'm on my second playthrough of Horizon Zero Dawn (which I always thought was an odd title until the last few hours of the game).  I'm not doing it on hard mode or anything, I just found that I missed the gameworld, and Aloy the rather awesome huntress. I think in this modern era of gaming this is my favourite game so far.  It just ticks so many boxes for me - massive open world with so many nooks and crannies to explore, fantastic story, interesting characters, incredible graphics and sound.

But the absolute killer for me is the gameplay.  to begin with, I have never had a game respond so well to my clumsy fumblings on a controller.  I run, I duck, I slide, I sneak, I swing that staff, I ping arrows off on the run, I leap from crevasse to crevasse like a mountain goat. They NAILED the sense of movement from Aloy throughout all this too.

Then there's the freaking ROBOT DINOSAURS!!  I mean, ROBOT DINOSAURS folks!  Done really well!! You have your basic, easy to take down Watchers, some Striders you can take over and ride around,  and then you have your really tough panther like ones that will mess you up if you get too close, and of course you have your absolutely massive juggernauts bristling with an array of weapons.  When any of those see you, and their eyes turn red, you know you have a major fight on your hands!

And the tactics!  Each one has strengths and weakness.  Do you want to set a tripwire that sets them on fire?  Or do you want to ping them with soundwave arrows that knocks off vital components, weapons, and armour first?  When up against a pack do you want to hunker down surrounded by traps, or do you want to pick out the weakest in the herd, take them out, and then work on the big fellas?  How can the terrain help you?  Is there enough grass for sneaking and silent takedowns?  Are there rocks to hide behind in case you need a quick health potion?  Can you make a quick getaway of you have to?  So many things to consider, and it means you have to think like a hunter!  No scene is the same, no robot takedown is the same, no tactic is the same. 

Unlike the aforementioned Sea of Thieves, you can dip in for 30 mins, or you can play for five hours straight.  Either way, there's no end of amusement here for me. Aloy and her world get absolute top marks from me - even on a second playthrough.