The last game you completed

[February's Ghost]

The Inn-Sanity on Steam

Early 90s. You stayed in a quiet hotel for just one night and the next morning you’ve found out that the old world was destroyed. Alien dreams, secrets of your past and other guests that are turning into monsters. This hotel will not let you to check out.

store.steampowered.com

Bought and playe dthis game yesterday as a break from Avatar: Frontier of Pandora. It a decently little game. Good visuals, I encountered no bugs that I am aware of. The premise is kinda basic, but it has some real refreshing gameplay elements that impressed me. For a horror game the scares weren't really there for me, but the setting has all the right parts for a creepy and gory atmosphere.

There isn't a lot of depth to the game, as it only took about 3 hours, but what is there is really good for such a short, inexpensive title. Certain parts really could have a great expansion to its system (mainly an influence dialog that determins how a certain character reacts to you, good or bad). If I had one major complaint it was the puzzles, they kinda dip into the over used (restore power, get the medkit) but fortunately they are not overdone or over used.

 

[Hriman222]

Stalker 2. It was quite good

 

[McStabStab]

Just got 100% achievements on Ballionaire. Never thought I’d get the “score a billion points” achievement but I used the rainbow > broom > teleporter > cave > pinball bumper strategy to score mega points (I had already gotten all the other achievements before looking up a way to score a billion points).

 

[February's Ghost]

Puppet House on Steam

Puppet House is a puzzle-adventure horror with escape room elements. A freak ritual creates a killer puppet, murdering anyone who enters the ventriloquist’s mansion. Detective Rick, seeking missing locals, will soon face his greatest horror.

store.steampowered.com

Bought this last month on sale, played and finished it today.

Coming in at just under 3 hours, this short horror game probably isn't worth full price, but it does have some value. Parts of it are fantastic and other parts are decent, but nothing special, and some are not so great.

First and foremost this game is close to being a masterclass in non-janky indie game development. It's visuals are crisp, it's performance is extremely smooth (I encountered only a couple bits of stuttering) and its overall visual design is well above average.

Second, its story is pretty decent. Though you'll pretty much figure the hook out almost immediately, it's a good premise that is told somewhat poorly. Notes are basic fare being more straightforward in simple descriptions than with the kind of prose a good horror game should have. There's little mystery to ponder.

Third, though once areas are unlocked you can pretty much roam around at will, but the game is decidedly linear. Puzzles are about as simplistic as you can get and the answers given to you either just before, or shortly after, encountering the puzzle.

Fourth, while not exactly terrible, the voice work is pretty weak. The grizzled voiced protagonist sounds like someone trying too hard to pull off the grizzled voiced detective shtick and the spoken lines are...okay. Sometimes you're like "Why did he say that?" Every other time you're just "Meh."

As for the scares? They are lacking. The settings is creepy, there is some tension to start but it fades mid game and builds back a little bit near endgame. Fortunately the dev doesn't try to make it up with overused jump scares. There's a few, and a couple good ones, but not overdone. The truly tense moments end up being watered down with very generous quicktime triggers that take away any sense of real peril. The setting and the antagonist are still creepy as hell.

Last, the game is pretty much spoon-fed to you, so if you like 100% achievements in a game you'd have to be a really bad player to not get it here.

Ultimately I enjoyed it, but it lacks the writing and gameplay that make games great.

 

[DXCHASE]

Almost fell out of the top page!

Just wrapped up Avowed. Overall a solid 8/10 for me. Story was good, combat was fun, progression was quick and the VA wasnt too bad.

It was a unique experience playing this though because i mostly played this on a tv with a controller, something i rarely do anymore, even had an audience from time to time (not forced i swear).

 

[Rolfil]

I just finished AC: Mirage. I liked that it wasn't as open world and was a much shorter game that others in the series. Once I turned bloom effects off it looked really nice as well.

 

[February's Ghost]

Just finished the main story of Alan Wake 2 and will start playing the DLC later today. I think the game is brilliant. Its continued use of its metafiction hook elevates the concept well beyond its use in the first game.

The best part abut the game is that its weirdness fits so well you just stop wondering and start believing. It isn't weirdness for weirdness sake. A true example of there being a method to the madness.

Although quite improved from the first game the combat is, again, the weakest part of the game with most encounters being the same. It's just different enough to not be a straight rehash of the first game's combat, with a small dash of upgrade available to tweak how you fight.

The combination of live action sequences woven into the game, many from director/writer Sam Lake himself is a real treat as well, further enforcing the blend of reality and fiction.

And, of course, music from Poets of the Fall/Old Gods of Asgard (with one insane musical number) is almost worth the price of entry itself.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Just finished the main story of Alan Wake 2 and will start playing the DLC later today. I think the game is brilliant. Its continued use of its metafiction hook elevates the concept well beyond its use in the first game.

The best part abut the game is that its weirdness fits so well you just stop wondering and start believing. It isn't weirdness for weirdness sake. A true example of there being a method to the madness.

Although quite improved from the first game the combat is, again, the weakest part of the game with most encounters being the same. It's just different enough to not be a straight rehash of the first game's combat, with a small dash of upgrade available to tweak how you fight.

The combination of live action sequences woven into the game, many from director/writer Sam Lake himself is a real treat as well, further enforcing the blend of reality and fiction.

And, of course, music from Poets of the Fall/Old Gods of Asgard (with one insane musical number) is almost worth the price of entry itself.

That Champion of the Light sequence alone is one of the highlights of the last few years in AAA games. Agree on the combat, I think a couple of the boss fights are frustrating and could have been much better. Also liked Sagas origin story and the meta stuff excusing the quality of some of 'Alans' writing.

I mean to replay it because I think the second playthrough might give you a different ending, without wanting to spoil it for anyone.

Its a shame that quite a few people missed out on it due to Epic publishing it.

 

[February's Ghost]

I mean to replay it because I think the second playthrough might give you a different ending, without wanting to spoil it for anyone.

Yeah, The Final Draft is a New Game + mode with more lore drops and an extended ending. I am going to get to it later this year. Tonight it's The Lake House expansion followed by the Night Springs episodes.

Its a shame that quite a few people missed out on it due to Epic publishing it.

I am on the hate Epic and Tim Sweeney bandwagon, but I love games more than I hate them and I will buy what I want to play from wherever I have to and I doubt I'll ever not buy a Same Lake game.

Also this:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2AwUAr-jPo

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Yeah, The Final Draft is a New Game + mode with more lore drops and an extended ending. I am going to get to it later this year. Tonight it's The Lake House expansion followed by the Night Springs episodes.

Nice, I'll probably get there one day. Its one of my favourites from the last few years.

I am on the hate Epic and Tim Sweeney bandwagon, but I love games more than I hate them and I will buy what I want to play from wherever I have to and I doubt I'll ever not buy a Same Lake game.

Pretty much the same.

Also this:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2AwUAr-jPo

I have AW Remastered as well, havent played the original in almost 10 years so would be fun to play them back to back. I think AW is a bit of a shorter game than 2 so would be easier to tack on and compare to the second, and see what I forgot story-wise related to the second game. I do remember that set piece pretty well, and Barry covering himself in Christmas lights.

I came straight out of Black Mesa and now Im most of the way through HL2. Was intending on running through the episodes but a change might be nice.