Completion Thread 2017: Trigger Happy Havoc

[gameoverDude]

12) Mass Effect 3 - main game (PC)
Played on Hardcore, hit the max level 60, and chose Synthesis by taking the center route. Sadly, Jane (Shepard) didn't survive. After the credits, the game rewinds to the point before the Cerberus HQ raid, so it's possible to try for other endings or another shot at Armax Arena.
Total time was 106 hours counting all the DLC. I had carried over Jane (Ruthless/Spacer/Soldier) through the other 2 ME games.

Power recharge speed was cranked to +178%, partially by carrying only an assault rifle and shotgun. At 178, cooldown is maybe a second or two at most. Tons of Slams and Concussive Shots were spammed out in the final stretch. CS is also good for busting barriers, as the description says. And it's one good detonator for power combos- burning enemies can explode, and frozen enemies can get shattered (love the sound FX for this).

If there's one thing from here that I miss in Andromeda, it's being able to order squadmates to use a power. OTOH, I kind of like Andromeda's separate cooldowns per power better than ME3's unified cooldown.

The story is good, but ME3 does hit where it counts- the gameplay. The combat system is good with a nice cover mechanic, and some choices you make in dealing with NPCs shape what happens later. Instead of gaining squadmate loyalties, it's about building alliances.

[Tain]

12. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap



I played the original version of this back in 2010 or so, and this is very much the same game under the hood. What an awesome port, though! It would have been cool enough to see the original running at 60fps and in widescreen (and this provides options to do that), but the drastic aesthetic overhaul here is gorgeous. Environments are the biggest improvement, imo: the original had many backgrounds that were extremely basic and repetitive in the original game, but these same areas now become massive, distinct, and memorable backgrounds with all sorts of detail and neat depth tricks. Most of the character sprites look way better, too, generally maintaining their original form's cuteness (generally) while getting way more fluid animation and even new animation logic (like the various forms of the main character now getting a "turn around while running" animation). Great renditions of the soundtrack, too!

This is a new high bar when it comes to re-releases of old 2D games. The tech here is masterful, M2-level stuff, the options are plentiful, and the new coat of paint could have easily been fucked up yet they nailed it.

[Tain]

13. Robo Recall



As soon as I booted this up I was shocked at the visuals. Would it be unfair to call this the most technologically advanced game around? A high-ish budget game with gorgeous cityscapes, hordes of detailed robots, and all sorts of effects going on all over the place as the bullets and limbs fly, yet it all happens to run smoothly in VR. Going from a game like Climby to this is something else. Thankfully the mechanics are pretty great, too. It's yet another teleportation-based VR wave shooter, sure, but the maps are big and have distinct areas, there are a few naturally-introduced objective types, you fight some cool bosses, there's lots of enemy variety, and there's a surprisingly fun scoring system that allows you to ramp up a multiplier and get lots of points for Bulletstorm-esque bonuses. Stuff like long-distance marksman shots, juggling enemies in the air with bullets, grabbing them and using them as meat shields, throwing them into each other, throwing their bullets back at them, etc etc.

And that's one of the game's weak points: you won't die for a long while, and the biggest punishment for getting hurt seems to be losing your multiplier. I'd like for the game to have a hard mode where you're given far less life. To the game's credit, though, there are side objectives for each mission that often involve racking up big points, and there's an "All Star" mode that I have yet to try that unlocks once you get all the stars in a level. Hopefully that's what I'm looking for. The game's other big issue is occasional dumbass internet gamer meme humor.

When this game first came out it was mostly limited to forward-facing tracking and you would use the analog stick to pick a facing direction. It now supports 360-degree tracking and allows you to disable rotation-during-teleportation, so that's definitely the way to play if you have the setup. Basically makes it control like Raw Data.

[haohmaru]

Tales from the Borderlands (PS4) ... just in time... for it to be free next month... lol

Love the universe, but if you've played any of these Telltale games you know what to expect. I liked it but it's not for everyone.

[Diff-chan]

Gears of War 4 - I liked it. I think the new developers had a good handle on the game and delivered a pretty fun title. It didn't break any new ground but not every game needs to. I still really like the way GoW plays and they certainly didn't screw that up.

[Frogacuda]

Robo Recall is amazing. Even though it's arcadey in gameplay and scope it's the most polished thing I've played in VR.

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[Diff-chan]

...it's the most polished thing I've played in VR.

how many times have I read this?

[Some Stupid Japanese Name]

How many times has he posted in the thread?

[Tain]

It not a bad thing to repeat, lol. After playing a LOT of low-budget VR games it's kind of a revelation.

Insomniac's games are nice-looking but they aren't even close.

[Frogacuda]

Wilson's Heart is really impressive, too, but it's more atmosphere and story rather than mechanics.