Last game you finished, tell us about it

Deus Ex
This is my 3rd attempt at posting some thoughts on it so I'll try to briefly sum up my thoughts write like a 5 year old.
+Extremely (by FPS standards) open map design
+Plenty of fairly deep ways one can approach the missions
+Moderately complex gameplay, more importantly the game presents you with the tools and gives you considerable freedom in pursuing the goal. The engine plays a big part in this. Unconstrained first person sneaking (with leaning!) felt almost liberating in comparison to DE:HR's cover system which reduced maps to a few (usually 3) linear paths.
+Length, thought I was approaching the end by 1/3rd of the game
+Not simplistic story, number of main characters could rival most RPGs.
+Some C&C. About as much as DE:HR had which is alright but not as many as in your average decent RPG
+Limited free-roaming. A bit less than in DE:HR but makes for a nice break between missions.

-Easy. The game presents you with (at times) a genuinely impressive number of routes and while they may not be as painfully obvious as in DE:HR the optimal route (let's be honest 4/5 times there is one) is quite easy to spot. As in DEHR I had to think of challenges for myself (ie not knocking anyone down+never being seen by anyone) to make it a bit more interesting.
-Dated AI and visuals. I'm certainly not going to hold either against it but they were significant enough to the experience to deserve a mention. The AI was at times immersion breaking (hacking in front of people, poping in and out of shadows in front of guards) while the graphics looked almost hard to stomach despite me using 2gfx mods (as a sidenote this made me highly doubtful of my being able to properly enjoy System Shock)
-Boss fights. Bit of a reactionary point due to the hate HR has gotten but I found the boss fights in the original as unavoidable and blunt as in the prequel.

From here on it's going to be highly subjective:
-Story. It's as far from a non-attempt as they could have realistically have gone but the very focus on conspiracy theories ruined it for me. I found myself cringing more often than when watching bad action movies. The low level interaction was solid but it's hard looking past the main theme.
-Lack of Atmosphere/Immersion. Maybe it's the amount of breaks I had to take, maybe it's the (to use DA's favourite word when it comes to Obsidian) bleak visual style or maybe it's me being a gfx whore but it was one of the least immersive titles I've played.
-Entertainment. Even reading this I can see that it's probably a ridiculous point to make but I honestly never had much fun playing Deus Ex. On the contrary I found myself taking half-hour breaks every 45 minutes, easily my most physically exhausting playthrough. I felt there was a lack of high points in DE. The strategic decision making is alright but there need to be some sort of reward either through the story or through the gameplay and with the rest of it not presenting much of a challenge I felt it was an overly flat experience despite the commendable gameplay design.

Overall I felt the same feeling of disapointement I had after finishing Half-Life although to nowhere near the same degree. The scope of the gameplay is impressive enough to warrant it an 8 but not much higher. DE:HR which was rather overrated in my eyes is probably as good but with the much more well-rounded experience making up for the significant step back in gameplay.

Edit: So much for being brief :uhoh:
 
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Dear Green Place
Wasn't that the point of timeless classics? ;)

It sure works for RPGs.
 
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Dear Green Place
I think Deus Ex holds up extremely well against later games. There have been very few RPG/shooter hybrids that have surpassed it.

I really don't think you're capable of objectively reviewing older titles though. It's obvious that a significant part of your enjoyment is dependent on graphics/visuals.
 
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It's obvious that a significant part of your enjoyment is dependent on graphics/visuals.
Don't feel like getting into an argument but that's hardly fair. I won't deny having a standard which unless met could deter the experience or that my modded Deus Ex was too close to the cut-off point but I'd argue that almost everyone has experienced graphics he couldn't stomach (otherwise Knights of the Chalice and the Spiderweb games would be much bigger) and that I really haven't put much (or any in HL's case) emphasis on the visual side of the both the old and the modern games I play (or post about). It can be a great bonus to the atmosphere (the Metro games being great examples) but as long as it's passable the bottom line remains virtually unchanged.
 
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Dear Green Place
Don't feel like getting into an argument but that's hardly fair. I won't deny having a standard which unless met could deter the experience or that my modded Deus Ex was too close to the cut-off point but I'd argue that almost everyone has experienced graphics he couldn't stomach (otherwise Knights of the Chalice and the Spiderweb games would be much bigger) and that I really haven't put much (or any in HL's case) emphasis on the visual side of the both the old and the modern games I play (or post about). It can be a great bonus to the atmosphere (the Metro games being great examples) but as long as it's passable the bottom line remains virtually unchanged.

I'm not saying that most people don't have a certain standard for visuals, I just think that you waiting almost 15 years to finally play through Deus Ex impacted your perception of the game.

You made it a point to specifically mention the visuals being outdated, and that it was "significant to the experience". Had you played through it when it was new, that wouldn't have been an issue. I'm also pretty sure that you would have found it a lot more immersive had you played it back then.

Oh and for what it's worth, I also didn't play through Deus Ex when it was released. I played it in 2008-09.
 
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Finished A:CM DLC - Stasis Interrupted

Well…. The first 45 minutes or so were strong. Defintely the best part of the game overall - and there's some genuine tension there.

The rest of the DLC is just as uninspired and repetitive as the full game - with a few exceptions of one or two interesting audio logs. That said, the DLC is quite long when you consider the length of the full game. I'd estimate the full game to be ~6 hours - and the DLC is around 2-4 hours. Just keep in mind that some players are much faster than others.

Again, unless you're a die-hard fan of Aliens (like myself) - stay FAR away from this mess of a missed opportunity.
 
Finished Gone home which is more interactive story than game.

Game is set in 1995, you play as Kaitlin Greenbriar girl in early twenties who just returned home after long trip through Europe only to find that one is there.Main story is about Kaitlin's younger sister Samantha, but there is story about rest of family if you explore house carefully.House design is excellent and very detailed, atmosphere is very good.
I don't think game is masterpiece as most of review claim to be, writing is really good but story becomes predictable relatively early.There is also price of 20 euros for game that is little more than 2 hours long.

Overall it's was wonderful experience, with some subtleties you don't often see in video games and I don't regret my money, but I just don't it's good as most people claim to be.
 
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Metro: Last Light

Generally more of the same goodness. Even stronger atmosphere and some even better looking scenes. Weapons generally felt a bit more enjoable this time around and given how limiting the gameplay was weapon customization felt like a significant addition.

On the downside I found their portrayal of in-game politics quite shallow so the increased exposure was ultimately redundant. The morality system wasn't good but at least it offered a couple of choices this time around while staying completely in the background the rest of the time. The bosses were (as all bosses) annoying and out of place.

In addition, for some reason, (I'd assume due to the game's increased focus on politics) the disparity between the Russian voice-overs and the English subtitles was much more noticeable this time around. I'd assume any English found in the game is a result of localization which would explain why the communists and even their non-political banter was so much more cliché. Nevertheless it was certainly worth it for those who enjoyed the 1st and appreciated it for what it was.


The Walking Dead

Decent experiment. I think there's great potential in this sort of medium/genre even if they keep most of the reactive stuff cosmetic as I felt it largely was in this case. I'm sure it's approach has been the topic of some developer talks and I'd be quite interested in their view but I feel that apart from one possible case it was hardly a monument to groundbreaking reactivity and more of a nice packaging of the things RPGs have been doing for years (this chart seems to agree with me).

It felt quite unusual due to being better in terms of identifying with the protagonist than a movie or a series in the early less gamey parts and quite a bit worse than your average video game towards the end. Particularly the ending, which I can imagine having a strong effect an a lot of people, had me firmly in the observers seat rather than the participants. Ultimately traditional character development had much more effect.

I feel the game could have been effective had it taken itself a bit more seriously. Most of the characters were monumental idiots and there was plenty of outright silly over the top gore (unless it was supposed to be shocking?). More importantly the themes it tackled felt rather shallow, in comparison to how genuine and raw post-apoc can get (possibly undermined by the specific setting?). I have to admit that last bit was spoiled by me considering the whole concept of zombies one of the most childish, lazy and outright brain-dead things to plague pop culture.
 
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Dear Green Place
I just finished Icewind Dale 2….a very good game, but a very, very long one indeed. And whoever thought of the infinite loop 5-days scenariao….ehm….what what where they thinking? Also, the eight folded way or some sort in the temple in the ice…. and the magical forest….I had to use a walkthrough to get through this….and even then it sometimes went wrong.

And if you want to talk repetitive and tedious combat with lots of enemies swarming at you the moment you got to a new place, this game actually has it. And lots of it. And reinforcements came from the strangest places.

Overall a good game that I'd gave somewhere between 7.5-8.0, probably around the 7.8 mark or so.

ps:
the combats were so many and challenging that my old computer died in the middle of the game.....not while I was playing though. Got a new computer :)
 
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I found IWD 2 to be fairly forgettable. The joinable npc mod helped a lot as I had lost interest about 1/2 way through on my first go around. Still better than a lot of games, but the weakest of the IE hashes for sure
 
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I haven't played IWD2 since it was released, so my memory is a little hazy when it comes to the plot, etc., (Infinite loop 5-days scenario?), but I thought I enjoyed it about as much as the first game. I really liked combat in the IE games though, and I especially like the huge variety of enemies in the IWD games.

I recall the final battle being a real bitch though.
 
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@ JDR - and others ;)

If you spent too much time in the Underdark (say sleep a lot etc), you'll get stuck in the same place for 5 days, each day taking your 1 day further back. Real annoying.
And the final battle? yes it was 'bitch', but I got through, thanks to the wizard from the tower (in the severed hand) who came in and saved the day and defeated the main bad guys. (I did'nt quite understand why the two bad gys were villians in the first place).
 
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I last finished The Walking Dead, and I thought that it was really great. The choices did not effect the overall plot, or change the world around you, but it did have a big impact on the other characters, in how they developed and if they died or not. There were only a few real 'puzzles' and they were not particularly challenging, but I found myself really enjoying the game anyway :). It has a great story, re-activity, and top-notch voice acting.
 
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Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden

Just finished this phonegame. Yes, a phonegame.

Is it RPG? Not actually although it's classified as such. It does contain RPG elements though. Instead of XP and levelups, you gather weapons, collectibles that turn into items with buffs and cash used to buy pots or two collectibles.

So it's actualy action-adventure game. The story is classic - you're some anonymous daily lollygagging jerk who discovers that is destined to save the world. Sounds annoying but it isn't, it's not a writing masterpiece, but it's also not something you'll skip without reading. And you better not skip as the game contains many puzzles with hints given in texts, even in a boss fight your "conscience" will suggest you what to do.

Now those puzzles are refreshing, some are easy and for some it took me hours to pass! Yup, hard ones are in the game, and I dare to say that I lack of things like this in PC games! All puzzles, easy and hard ones, are designed very good (apart from a certain timed one which is not fun at all, but only one).

Fights are not hard, you choose a weapon and then hit or dodge (phonegame). There are of course bosses and minibosses you need to nail with "tricks", but none of them is a torment.
In short…

Pros:
- totally different from everything I've seen so far among phonegames
- above average gfx/music/sound
- easy controls
- puzzles, puzzles everywhere
- explore to collect useable items
- very rare mobrespawns*
- a horse (riding and fighting from!)
- you just can't finish it in just a few hours, it took me a few days

Cons:
- here and there you can get stuck on objects, luckily you can hit/roll to get unstuck
- badly designed and very annoying moving staircase timed puzzle
- pixelhunting for some collectibles
- somewhat annoying fetchquests (collect 20 herbs instead of just a few)
- no quicksave (autosave on completing something)
- it's a bloody phonegame!

And for the best phonegame I've seen so far goes (it'd be 9, but being a phonegame is instant -2):
7/10

This game costs 7€ and you can try it before buying. And I'm recommending it (can't believe, but I do).
Too bad there is no sequel. Yet.

*there is a place with endless respawns but as you'll learn and do in the game, they CAN be stopped from respawning. spoiler incoming:
Don't be a fool like I was. Means don't solve the quest that'll stop those respawns as soon as possible. Two items you want to buy are very expensive so first grind at least 100K cash on those endless respawns then stop them from respawning!
 
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I just replayed Might and Magic: World of Xeen. I've lost track of the number of times I've beaten it, including one two-character run, but still this is one of the few games to manage to hold my attention seemingly indefinitely.

I even started the laughable Swords of Xeen mod that was made by some fans afterward, though the complete lack of balancing, or sanity, in the design left me wanting more.

Pros:
Clean graphics, and modern amenities in a classic dungeon crawler design
Mostly open world, though you're likely to get slaughtered like sheep if you wander into an area beyond your characters' abilities
No invisible encounters or respawns (mostly).

Cons:
It ends and there's no easily available modding tools that actually work.
Economy is rather messed up, as it experience rewards. I ended the game with less than 40,000 gp, level 90, and over 181,000,000 experience; enough for about twice my level. In the end, there's only training to spend money on after a brief while. And you'll never have enough to train to keep up with your experience rewards.

I've been debating going back to M&M3, which has similar gameplay, if a bit tougher than even Warrior mode in Xeen. Or going to M&MVI or VII.
 
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I just finished a survival-horror game called Outlast.

This might be my new favorite indie title. Although from the production values, it's hard to tell that this is an indie game. Fantastic atmosphere throughout, and this game does a great job of using sound and level design to build tension.

It's hard to talk about the plot without spoilers, so I'll just say that you're an investigative reporter who breaks into a psychiatric hospital on a tip from a former employee that there's some weird shit going on there. That only scratches the surface though.

It plays like any modern first-person game, but you do not carry a weapon, and your only means of defense is to run and/or hide. In that aspect, it's similar to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but this game is, imo, a much more intense experience than Amnesia was and has much better production values.

If you decide to search the web to get a better idea of this game, avoid Wikipedia as it completely reveals the plot.

Definitely not for the faint of heart. :)
 
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I tried it, but decided against playing it after a short while - because it was obviously going for cheap shocks with loud noises and sudden movement, which is the wrong kind of horror in my opinion. But I really liked the build-up and atmosphere.

But maybe it changes later on? How long is it?
 
It does get stronger as the game goes on, and the plot ends up being pretty good. Definitely better than the mystic mumbo-jumbo in Amnesia imo. I can barely even recall what Amnesia was about (no pun intended ;) ), but I'll be remembering Outlast for a long time.

My only complaint is the linear level-design, but I guess that could be considered somewhat of a necessity for a story-driven experience such as this.
 
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It does get stronger as the game goes on, and the plot ends up being pretty good. Definitely better than the mystic mumbo-jumbo in Amnesia.

My only complaint is the linear level-design, but I guess that could be considered somewhat of a necessity for a story-driven experience such as this.

Stronger? As in more or less subtle?

Length?
 
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