THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 22, 2012, 11:15:17 PM

Title: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 22, 2012, 11:15:17 PM
I posted in the Steam summer sale thread that I was going to create a new thread going through the backlog of games that I purchased in the steam summer sale.  This thread isn't meant to be self-aggrandizing; the overall lesson of the thread will probably end up being not to go nuts with the steam deals.

So I'm going to force myself to play these games.  I rarely have time to play games but I will make time.  I commit to spending at least 10 hours a week going through these games.  The goal is to try to complete these games the best I can to the extent of me feeling like it.  Some games will be crap and hell, some probably won't even run on my gaming rig regardless of suggestions out there on the internet.  To make things easy, the first game I'll play is Dear Esther.

I will update the thread when I complete a game, offer impressions, etc.

The list:

Bastion
Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY
Batman Arkham City
Ben There, Dan That!
The Binding of Isaac
Borderlands GOTY
Bulletstorm
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
Cave Story+
Company of Heroes
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
Dead Space
Dead Space 2
Dear Esther
DiRT 2
Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga
Dragon Age: Origins – Ultimate Edition
Driver San Francisco
E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy
Empire: Total War
Far Cry 2
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Half Life 2
Half Life 2: Lost Coast
Hard Reset
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman: Codename 47
Jamestown
Medieval II: Total War
Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms
Men of War
Men of War: Assault Squad
Men of War: Condemned Heroes
Men of War: Red Tide
Men of War: Vietnam
Mirror’s Edge
Napoleon: Total War
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Orcs Must Die!
Rayman Origins
Red Faction: Guerilla
Rome: Total War – Alexander
Rome: Total War Gold Edition
SimCity 4 Deluxe
Skyrim
Super Meat Boy
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
Thief 2
Thief Gold
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Time Gentlemen, Please!
Torchlight
Trine 2
Tropico 4
VVVVVV
Wizorb
Xotic
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Ys Origin
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on July 22, 2012, 11:25:41 PM
Word up, mayne. Prepping for next gen here too. Will keep me busy for a minute. I got mostly everything i wanted off of steam from this sale.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: MrAngryFace on July 22, 2012, 11:27:45 PM
It was a good sale, no doubt.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 22, 2012, 11:46:28 PM
Yeah, the best part is that I got a lot of games I've wanted for a while for almost nothing (Mirror's Edge, Super Meat Boy, etc.).

I will also include games on Steam that I previously owned that I did not get from the sale.  Those games are DiRT 2, Rayman Origins, Skyrim, Saints Row 3, and Ys Origin.

Word up, mayne. Prepping for next gen here too. Will keep me busy for a minute. I got mostly everything i wanted off of steam from this sale.

Yep.  I still want to eventually go through the PS3 titles I missed that I want to play but for now, its all about Steam.

It was a good sale, no doubt.

Yep.  There were a few games I held off on like the Crysis collection and Dead Island; I know I can get those games for a couple bucks for the holiday sale or for next year's summer sale.  I'm not worried.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Positive Touch on July 22, 2012, 11:46:37 PM
that's more games than i played in the last 5 years
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: pickle on July 23, 2012, 12:51:39 AM
Dear Esther's pretty cool.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: MrAngryFace on July 23, 2012, 01:00:03 AM
most games are pretty entertaining if you approach them with an open mind- not saying that to point out something you're doing wrong- but mostly to point out my approach to gaming the past few years.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 23, 2012, 11:47:31 PM
I finished Dear Esther.

I really liked this game.  Well, I wouldn't really call it a game but I really enjoyed exploring every bit of the gorgeous environments.  The cave section was omg, the water effects were amazing, and the ending area was visually spectacular as well.  The writing is a little overwrought but the game is called "Dear Esther," so it is to be expected.  I highly recommend that you all get this game during the next Steam sale.

Time on the steam clock: 1.4 hours
Indie Cred: Moderate - I've heard a few mainstream podcasts and forums talk about it
Buy?  Yes!

Next game will be Half Life 2.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on July 23, 2012, 11:49:39 PM
can you change the thread title to the backlog thread?

let's all make backloggery accounts
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Vizzys on July 24, 2012, 12:32:20 AM
its 2012 how has anyone not played half life 2
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: pilonv1 on July 24, 2012, 12:58:42 AM
can you change the thread title to the backlog thread?

let's all make backloggery accounts


what is your fascination with catch all threads?
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: CajoleJuice on July 24, 2012, 01:26:43 AM
awesome thread
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on July 24, 2012, 02:06:37 AM
can you change the thread title to the backlog thread?

let's all make backloggery accounts


what is your fascination with catch all threads?

i think it's the aspergers. I just need shit all in one place.  :-\ :-\
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: pilonv1 on July 24, 2012, 02:19:42 AM
Make your own backlog thread! I would read it.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 24, 2012, 07:28:41 PM
can you change the thread title to the backlog thread?

let's all make backloggery accounts

No.  Nobody would participate and it would die off in a couple of days.  You should make your own backlog thread.

its 2012 how has anyone not played half life 2

After I play Half Life 2, you'll be correct.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Cormacaroni on July 26, 2012, 07:27:21 PM
played Dear Esther last night, cool stuff. Nice to see a game narrative leave some space for imagination for a change. THANKS TREESONG :bow
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: demi on July 26, 2012, 07:42:05 PM
I'm not even bothering to make any backloggery, I just need to look at my shelf to remind me all the shit I'll never play.

Then I'll get OCD and have to remember every game I ver beat so my list doesnt look pathetic.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on July 26, 2012, 08:10:22 PM
played Dear Esther last night, cool stuff. Nice to see a game narrative leave some space for imagination for a change. THANKS TREESONG :bow

You probably extra enjoyed it because of the strong thematic connection to Iain Banks' The Bridge! But yeah, if you're gonna do an art wank game, at least do it right.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 26, 2012, 10:56:05 PM
Dear Esther is a really good game and it will definitely be something that I will revisit someday.

I've been playing some Half Life 2.  While it is apparently possible to play this game on a 360 controller through some modifications, I've opted to use the wasd KB/M control style.  It isn't something I'm used to so I'll occasionally make a stupid mistake like hitting the Windows key when I want to hit the CTRL key instead but the mouse is by far the superior method of aiming.  While I'm not the biggest fan of FPS games, I have been enjoying this game.  The simple puzzle elements add a nice twist, especially compared to almost on-rails type of FPS games that are common with the dudebro titles.  I have everything cranked up to maximum settings and effects and it is running without a hitch so it looks really nice in some areas.  I'm at the water hazard area and going from some of the information I've seen, it looks like I'm about a quarter into the game.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on July 29, 2012, 10:30:41 AM
I failed at my first week; I only played 6.5 hours of games instead of the 10.

I'm at Ravenholm in Half Life 2.  I'm really getting used to the wasd kb/m setup and this game is pretty good.  I'm just having a hard time sitting down and playing a game for more than an hour at a time.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: fistfulofmetal on July 29, 2012, 10:58:30 AM
Ravenholm is so awesome. When you're at Black Mesa East and Alex ominously says "We don't go to Ravenholm anymore" you're like "ooooo i'm gonna have to go to Ravenholm" and you do go to Ravenholm! and it's awesome.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Positive Touch on July 29, 2012, 11:12:46 AM
kb/m is great for aiming but terrible for comfort.  i got carpal tunnel from a half-life marathon years ago :'(
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: demi on July 29, 2012, 11:17:34 AM
I wouldnt be able to stomach an hour of Half Life 2 as well. Booooring
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: MrAngryFace on July 29, 2012, 11:43:09 AM
Ravenholm is the worst part of HL2, fucks up the pacing of the game
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Positive Touch on July 29, 2012, 12:16:35 PM
i think you forgot about the waterboat part or the car part or the desert where bugs pop up all over the fucking place
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Great Rumbler on July 29, 2012, 12:20:42 PM
I liked the vehicle parts. :smug
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: fistfulofmetal on July 29, 2012, 12:35:50 PM
Ravenholm is the worst part of HL2, fucks up the pacing of the game

you're full of shit.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on July 29, 2012, 12:35:51 PM
vehicle parts are better on replays

ravenholm owns
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Cerveza mas fina on July 29, 2012, 02:14:20 PM
I never finished HL2. Meh.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 04, 2012, 01:37:30 PM
I wouldnt be able to stomach an hour of Half Life 2 as well. Booooring

I agree.  I'm at the Sandtraps part and I'm getting tired of this game and is the sole reason why I missed my gameplay target both weeks.  I'm going to play something else to cleanse the palate.  I'm going to wrap up DiRT 2, which I didn't get on the Steam sale (although it was on sale!) and maybe get back to HL2.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Sho Nuff on August 06, 2012, 03:58:06 AM
Sandtraps is real bad, no idea why that's in there, or else I'm playing it wrong
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 19, 2012, 11:03:21 AM
I finished DiRT 2.

I didn't get this game on the sale but this game was on sale so I'm counting it anyway! :maf

I really like racing games and one of my favorite racing games last generation was Rallisport Challenge 2 for the Xbox, made by DICE before they turned into an outfit that just pumps out Battlefield games.  It had great graphics, varied tracks, and was a lot of fun in general.  Since then, the racing genre has been on a steady decline, which is a shame.  One of the few developers who even bothers to make these games anymore is Codemasters, who just recently announced that making racing games is all that they're going to do now, which means they will probably be shuttering their operations in 2014.  Anyway, while I'd love to see a Rallisport Challenge 3 someday, Dirt 2 from Codemasters holds the mantle of my favorite rally racing game now.

The meat of the game is in the Dirt Tour, where you progress worldwide through several events consisting of usually 2-3 tracks, acquiring experience points and money, both of which will unlock additional vehicles and events.  You'll befriend some of the other competitors, go head to head with some in special challenges, and even team up with them in some events.  The graphics are fantastic and the music isn't quite my bag but after a while, some of the music (which is pretty much all pop-punk) will get in your head.  There's a multiplayer mode too and a few people were online at any given moment to race.  So it has a small community of online participants, who of course proceeded to kick my ass in every race I participated in.

I was able to get 60 fps on full settings and works great with the 360 controller.  The biggest flaw is that it has GFWL and it lacks true fullscreen.  You can maximize the window but not true full screen gaming, which isn't a huge deal but still.  Also, at the end there was a glitch that wiped out all of my experience, requiring me to start over.  Not a big deal as I experienced this towards the end of the game where I've already unlocked all of the tracks and vehicles anyway.  Not a bug free game by any means.  I stopped playing once I completed the Dirt Tour and messed around a little bit on the online multiplayer modes.

This game during the sale was $5 and I highly recommend it.  Heck, even at full price, $20, it is still worth it.  Support the dying racing genre, especially Codemasters, who has the balls to switch over to a racing game only outfit.  It won't turn out well for them sadly but they're pumping out racing games when every sizable developer is steering clear.  http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/04/20/codemasters-drop-shooters-and-action-games-for-cars-form-codemasters-racing-label/?ns_campaign=article-feed&ns_mchannel=ref&ns_source=steam&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0

Time on the steam clock: 19.4 hours
Indie Cred: None - This game is made by a mainstream developer with minimal to non-existing amounts of irony
Buy?  Yes!

Next game will be Jamestown.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 19, 2012, 10:20:39 PM
Goddamn, Jamestown is an amazing game.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: CajoleJuice on August 19, 2012, 11:19:02 PM
Yep.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Fifstar on August 20, 2012, 02:48:07 AM
Don't know if you still need it but I think you can proper maximise Dirt 2 by pressing alt + enter, at least that did the trick with Dirt 3 for me (which I just played one week ago and is also a really great game, so I can recommend it if you're not burnt out on the formula).
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 20, 2012, 10:33:03 PM
I finished Jamestown.

This is a great game.  Great 16 bit era shoot em up gameplay with an absolutely amazing soundtrack.  At first, the game is very easy and in the first couple of levels, you need to play the second from the most difficult level to have any bite.  However the final level can be extremely difficult and I'm pretty sure I beat the last boss by sheer dumb luck.  There are also a lot of unlockables that you can exchange for the Ducats you get at the end of the stage.  This game was dirt cheap on Steam and during the next sale, definitely pick it up.

Time on the steam clock: 3.7 hours
Indie Cred: Moderate - It got quite a bit of attention on mainstream gaming websites, podcasts, and forums
Buy?  Yes!

Next game will be Rayman Origins.  I also want to get back to Half Life 2 and finish that game.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 20, 2012, 10:44:52 PM
Don't know if you still need it but I think you can proper maximise Dirt 2 by pressing alt + enter, at least that did the trick with Dirt 3 for me (which I just played one week ago and is also a really great game, so I can recommend it if you're not burnt out on the formula).

During the Steam sale, they had a Codemasters bundle with Dirt 3 and Dirt Showdown among several other games.  I really wanted to get it, however I was getting to the point where the purchases got to be a little too crazy and held off on it.  I will probably get the bundle at the next sale.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Cerveza mas fina on August 21, 2012, 03:33:01 AM
Half life is not really worth it past the opening hours.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on August 21, 2012, 03:35:45 AM
For HL2, it's worth finishing if only for Episodes 1 and 2 which are better than the base game, particularly 2, which may as well be my favorite single player fps behind Riddick.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: tiesto on August 21, 2012, 08:40:23 AM
I played a bit of Dear Esther, made it to the caves but the damn game wouldn't save so I lost my progress. Will have to play it again continuously.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Beezy on August 21, 2012, 09:09:08 AM
I finished Jamestown.

This is a great game.  Great 16 bit era shoot em up gameplay with an absolutely amazing soundtrack.  At first, the game is very easy and in the first couple of levels, you need to play the second from the most difficult level to have any bite.  However the final level can be extremely difficult and I'm pretty sure I beat the last boss by sheer dumb luck.  There are also a lot of unlockables that you can exchange for the Ducats you get at the end of the stage.  This game was dirt cheap on Steam and during the next sale, definitely pick it up.

So that was you playing yesterday. After losing both continues to the stage itself, I got game over while facing the last boss. I'll beat him today then get back to either Ys Oath or The Binding of Isaac.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: demi on August 21, 2012, 09:12:42 AM
Half Life is great until the alien world. Half Life 2 is fun up until... I think the prison area? I forget. It definitely loses its fun and adventure way early on.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: archnemesis on August 21, 2012, 09:14:08 AM
For a casual shoot 'em up player like myself I thought the difficulty in Jamestown was perfectly balanced between being really challenging and yet not too frustrating.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: tiesto on August 21, 2012, 02:19:36 PM
Half Life 2 has good and varied ideas that they drag on for faaaar too long.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Cerveza mas fina on August 21, 2012, 04:09:13 PM
Half Life is great until the alien world. Half Life 2 is fun up until... I think the prison area? I forget. It definitely loses its fun and adventure way early on.

Exactly. Giving it a few hours is all you need for the HL experience.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Positive Touch on August 21, 2012, 04:17:15 PM
I played a bit of Dear Esther, made it to the caves but the damn game wouldn't save so I lost my progress. Will have to play it again continuously.

choosing new game lets you pick from each of the maps.  you should be able to start right at the beginning of the caves.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 21, 2012, 05:59:01 PM
I'm still going to try to beat Half Life 2, even if I'm not the biggest fan.  My goal is to beat as many of these games as possible.  I understand I got quite a few strategy games that would ordinarily take up 60-80 hours if not more and I guess I will cross those bridges when I get to them.  I still want to beat as many of these games as I can.  Probably explains why I only finished three games but damn it, I'm going to try!

I finished Jamestown.

This is a great game.  Great 16 bit era shoot em up gameplay with an absolutely amazing soundtrack.  At first, the game is very easy and in the first couple of levels, you need to play the second from the most difficult level to have any bite.  However the final level can be extremely difficult and I'm pretty sure I beat the last boss by sheer dumb luck.  There are also a lot of unlockables that you can exchange for the Ducats you get at the end of the stage.  This game was dirt cheap on Steam and during the next sale, definitely pick it up.

So that was you playing yesterday. After losing both continues to the stage itself, I got game over while facing the last boss. I'll beat him today then get back to either Ys Oath or The Binding of Isaac.

Yep, I go by Rich Manley on Steam, PSN, and Live.

I thought the stage was a lot harder than the final boss in retrospect.  The final boss shoots out some very simple bullet patterns that are easy enough to evade.  The previous boss was a lot more challenging.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Cerveza mas fina on August 21, 2012, 06:13:32 PM
Whats this deal with "finishing" games? Why not just stop when you stop enjoying/having fun. Serious question btw.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Beezy on August 21, 2012, 07:09:42 PM
I feel like I wasted my money if I don't at least attempt to play through a game that I bought. Even Steam's dirt cheap games.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: archnemesis on August 22, 2012, 03:18:36 AM
Whats this deal with "finishing" games? Why not just stop when you stop enjoying/having fun. Serious question btw.
For the same reason I like to finish novels and movies. It gives me some sense of satisfaction and it allows me to discuss, and judge, its merits in detail with other people. Of course, this doesn't mean that I'm compelled to finish every game I ever start.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: demi on August 22, 2012, 11:12:29 AM
Whats this deal with "finishing" games? Why not just stop when you stop enjoying/having fun. Serious question btw.

Mostly because it eats the ever loving fuck out of me.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Stoney Mason on August 22, 2012, 11:18:49 AM
I feel like I wasted my money if I don't at least attempt to play through a game that I bought. Even Steam's dirt cheap games.

I lost that along time ago.

At least a shitty movie is like 2 hours at its longest. I barely end up playing any of the games I buy on Steam.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 22, 2012, 10:44:02 PM
Whats this deal with "finishing" games? Why not just stop when you stop enjoying/having fun. Serious question btw.

1) Because I feel like it! :maf
2) I don't like the idea of wasting money, even if it is a cheap steam game I got for a dollar.  Noodling around for a half hour and then moving onto something else is wasting money to me
3) A lot of the games I bought seem really good and I want to finish them

Now I just draw the line at seeing the ending credits and not getting all of the Steam achievements if there are any.  I suppose if it was a game I can't stand, then I would up and quit but I made sure that I bought games I knew I wanted to play, which is why I avoided those publisher bundles.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on August 23, 2012, 09:28:10 PM
Beat Still Life replay. I couldn't really recommend it unless you're a big point and click adventure fan.

I uninstalled Just Cause 2. It's a good game, but I feel like I've done everything I could ever see in the game. I just don't enjoy exploring the island, traveling is a chore, every time I want to do a new mission or go to a new area on the island, I have to drive for what seems to be an eternity. I love open world games, I but HATE how they have transformed into bloated games with overly big maps for the sake of size these days. Skyrim, Arkham City, Saints Row 2/3, and Red Dead Redemption are much better examples of great open world games and are a lot more fun to play.

I'd rather wait and just get Sleeping Dogs.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 25, 2012, 07:52:27 AM
Rayman Origins is pretty good.  I've played all of the Rayman games except for the shitty Raving Rabbids games.  I still put Rayman 2 at the top, which was a fantastic platformer that was my favorite for quite some time.

This is a game like Dirt 2 where I got it beforehand but was on sale on the Steam sale anyway.  The deal was that if you preordered Origins, you got Rayman 2 for free.  Now I really liked Rayman 2 and was probably my favorite platformer when I got it for the Dreamcast.  However Rayman 2 doesn't really work without some tweaking and I spent the better part of a day trying to get that shit to work.  I was never able to unfuck the graphics so I uninstalled it and gave up.  PSN has Rayman 2 for PS2 for $10, which I might spring on.  I bet it holds up well.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 30, 2012, 12:06:42 AM
Rayman Origins isn't just pretty good, it's probably the best platformer I've played since Mario Galaxy.

Great graphics, great level design, interesting music, and a lot of challenge without resorting to platformer fuckery like cheap deaths.

I'm at the last world and have a little more than four hours on the Steam clock.  I hope to get this baby wrapped up by the weekend.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 01, 2012, 09:24:30 PM
I finished Rayman Origins.

I really liked platformers and really liked the old Rayman games.  I got the original on the PC ages ago and played that quite a bit.  Rayman 2 was one of my favorite Dreamcast games.  Rayman 3 was merely okay and the Rabbids games have been pure crap.  Dirty Frenchman Michel Ancel decided to take a chance and go back to 2D for this game.  From what I understand, it was originally supposed to be episodic content but they threw it all together in a package and sold it for every platform under the sun.  While platformers are thriving in the indie scene, the platformer genre is kind of like the racing genre: everyone is moving away from it and it happens to be one of my favorite kinds of games.

This game is fantastic and as I said on a previous post, this is the best platformer I've played this generation since Mario Galaxy.  The graphics are crisp and fluid, the soundtrack is great (I wanted to buy the soundtrack but apparently the only version out there is something with just 12 tracks on it...wtf), the controls are tight, and the gameplay is varied.  This is old skool platforming at its best so there will be several instances in the game where you need to be precise in what you do because the game is very unforgiving, especially in the latter stages.  Fortunately the game gives you infinite lives because some areas are definitely going to be trial and error experiences.  However, unlike many flawed platformers, you are at fault if you fuck up.  That is where a lot of the challenge and fun comes in, knowing that you can beat this, you just need to practice and hope that you pull it of your ass and make it through the stage.

This game was $15 on the sale but let's face it, next summer sale, it will probably be $3.  You can't go wrong with this game at any price.  When I got it, it came with a free copy of Rayman 2.  After spending hours trying to get it to run, it won't.  So I got the PS2 version via PSN so I'm going to play that sometime.  I'm excited to see what is in store for Rayman Legends.

Time on the steam clock: 9.9 hours
Indie Cred: None - This game was originally planned to have episodic content, which definitely scores it some indie cred but incredulously, Ubisoft sold out and charged full price for this game!
Buy?  Yes!

Next game will be Ben There, Dan That!.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 02, 2012, 08:53:12 AM
I finished Ben There, Dan That!.

I disliked the old LucasArts and Tim Schafer games for its obnoxious fourth wall busting humor and ridiculous game progression sequences.  I played this game because it is the prequel to the highly lauded (by gamers' opinions I trust) Time Gentlemen, Please!  Ben There, Dan That is an adventure game much in the vein of the old point and click adventure games, and has various homages to those games.  The game is about two Brits wanting to watch Magnum PI and getting into all kinds of trouble to watch it.  Video game humor rarely works well with me but I did crack a few smiles in the game.  I wound up just trying to click and grab everything and wound up progressing through the game with little trouble as to what to do next.  It's pretty simple for a noob adventure game person like myself.  I went through this game probably not much more than an hour and definitely not more than two.  It's a nice fun game to play on a boring Sunday afternoon.  This game was included with Time Gentlemen, Please for maybe two bucks at the most during the sale.  I recommend getting these games during the next sale if you haven't already.

Time on the steam clock: No clock but my estimate is less than two hours
Indie Cred: Very High - I'm sure that these developers' monocles would pop right out if they knew someone in Middle America was playing this so yes, definitely
Buy?  I believe it is a pay what you want game so why not.

Next game will be Bulletstorm.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 02, 2012, 10:32:35 PM
I put a couple of hours into Bulletstorm.  I'm not a huge fan of FPS but I am liking this game quite a bit.  The profanity, the leash where you can grab enemies and send them right into some electrified fencing for bonus points is pretty sweet.  It's a little bro but most FPS games this generation have so whatever.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 08, 2012, 05:19:29 PM
I finished Bulletstorm.

I finished the single player campaign.  For a person like myself who rolls their eyes at the cheesy yet straight faced brofare found in Gears of War and Modern Warfare, this game is quite a pleasant change.  The game is definitely a dudebro title but it seems aware of that fact and pokes fun at itself.  You play as Grayson Hunt, a steroid jacked Hugh Jackman who causes nothing but trouble.  The game is mostly his foul mouthed path to redemption through seven acts of decimated urban landscape.  Lots of sparks, lots of explosions, one of my favorite things to do is to use the leash and pull shit, including enemies and kick them into open circuits and cacti.  Lots of interesting ways to kill a wide variety of mutated freaks and the game rewards you for doing those interesting things.  Since the enemies are bullet sponges and you get minimal points just sinking bullets into these clowns, you are much better off using a leash, grabbing an enemy, and kicking it off the ledge instead.  The environments aren't that bad and try to be a little colorful to avoid the brown and gray color palettes that its brethren seem to depend upon.

Not much online activity going on with this game and I paid $10 for it.  At 7.2 hours on the steam clock, it violates my tight ass rule about getting at least $1 per hour of enjoyment.  To be honest, I expect this game to be a couple bucks at the next Steam sale.  This game is quite a bit of fun but Steam sales are about fun games for dirt fucking cheap so I advise everyone who is interested in the game to wait for a couple more sales until you can get it for almost nothing.  For a person who isn't a fan of FPS games, this is a nice breath of fresh air.  Naturally, the game did not make back its budget and Bulletstorm 2 is shitcanned, which is a shame.

Time on the steam clock: 7.2 hours
Indie Cred: None - This is a dudebro FPS with minimal amounts of irony, can't get any less indie than that
Buy?  Wait until it is $5 or less in the next sale

Next game will be Wizorb.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Himu on September 08, 2012, 05:24:14 PM
I'm waiting until I get a better rig to finish my steam backlog. Though I may finish stuff like Bioshock.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 08, 2012, 05:27:10 PM
I went all out on my rig early this year.  Set me back about $2500.  I play all of my games on the highest settings and it doesn't skip a beat.

I will say that this goal has brought me back into playing a lot more games.  From about 2008 to two months ago, I played maybe an hour or two of games a week and there were times when I didn't play anything for months.  The only time I would play something is when the next Musou game came out.  I'm fortunate to have purchased a lot of good games for this sale, which is rekindling my interest in gaming in general.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 08, 2012, 07:10:54 PM
Initial Wizorb thoughts: I beat the second set of stages so far.  It's a Breakout game through and through, which means it can be fun but can be aggravating if you're trying to hit a hard to reach block to clear a stage.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 08, 2012, 10:00:52 PM
Wanted to play Wizorb again and I lost my save for whatever reason, in spite of double checking before you exit.  The game is acting really choppy as well.  I will play through again and if I lose the save again, I will move on to play something else.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: demi on September 08, 2012, 10:03:40 PM
I bought Wizorb on iOS... havent played it yet lol
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 09, 2012, 08:03:21 AM
Wanted to play Wizorb again and I lost my save for whatever reason, in spite of double checking before you exit.  The game is acting really choppy as well.  I will play through again and if I lose the save again, I will move on to play something else.

I restarted my computer and both the save appeared and the choppiness went away.  So I was able to clear the third stage.  There are five total so I'm hoping to get this game knocked out by the end of the day.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 09, 2012, 08:27:07 PM
I finished Wizorb.

I finished the main game and didn't bother to grind for some of the other Steam achievements.  This game is another take on Breakout.  For those who don't know what Breakout is, you move a ball along in a stage and you break blocks with it.  There is a paddle at the bottom that keeps the ball moving.  You can use the paddle to alter the speed and direction of the ball.  Some blocks require multiple hits and others you can't break, which serve as obstructions for the stage design.  Wizorb is an 8 bit fantasy take on Breakout.  You progress through 5 worlds containing 12 stages each.  Then there are secret levels to free some characters that you will need for the final battle.  You start off in a destroyed town with everyone having their hands out wanting some money from you.  You get the money from playing through the stages.  By donating money once you get enough money, the next time you revisit the town, the building or house or what have you will be restored.  You can get all of these buildings, houses, and people taken care of pretty early in the game.

The game is pure breakout, which means the game can range from very fun to extremely frustrating.  The creators of this game didn't spare much of the latter as during the final stages, you will be spending minutes hoping that the ball you hit will finally break that hard to reach block.  The game itself isn't necessary hard but the speed of the ball can make it a challenge.  Then trying to capture jewels, coins, hearts, etc. while making sure you don't lose a life is the tricky part.  There will be times where you will have to let a coin or a jewel (ruby?) fall uncollected.

I had stability issues with the game.  As you can see from the previous post, I had to reboot my computer twice to get it to recognize a save and to eliminate this inexplicable choppiness going on.  Also the Steam listing doesn't list all of the achievements I got either.  To be honest, this game isn't that compelling enough to replay to get those achievements.  Maybe another time and by another time, I mean never.  Having played many freeware Breakout clones when I was a kid, Wizorb definitely isn't the best take on the formula but if the price is right, it's worth a play. 

Time on the steam clock: 4.5 hours
Indie Cred: High - While 8 bit indie games are a bit passé, you could probably still have a :smug expression when you say "Oh, I'm just playing a game called Wizorb.  You probably haven't heard of it."
Buy?  Wait until it is grouped together with a bunch of other indie games for a couple of dollars

Next game will be Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 10, 2012, 11:27:23 PM
I played a couple races of NFS: HP.  I remember playing this game a while ago (maybe I gamefly'd it on the 360) and not really liking it too much.  Also for whatever reason I can't seem to get the product key to have it work online.  May need to do some digging to find it but at the same time, if I can play the game as is except for online shit, I may just skip that part altogether.  May be the first game since Half Life 2 that I skip without finishing the game but we'll see.  I have all settings maxed out and still runs great.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: pilonv1 on September 10, 2012, 11:45:43 PM
Hurry up and get to Tropico 4 so I can talk about it as well
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 11, 2012, 09:30:31 PM
Hurry up and get to Tropico 4 so I can talk about it as well

I alternate between an indie game and a "hollywood" game.  Once I beat NFS:HP, I was going to play Time Gentlemen, Please! and then I will get to Tropico 4.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: pilonv1 on September 12, 2012, 04:39:15 AM
Can't wait!
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 14, 2012, 03:24:51 PM
I am just not feeling Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.  Like at all.  And I usually love NFS games.  I may play this at another time.  Moving on to Time Gentlemen, Please!
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 16, 2012, 06:58:21 PM
I have 1.7 hours into Time Gentlemen, Please! and it seems alright.  I wound up missing an item and couldn't go back to where I could get it through.  Grimacing, I loaded up a previous save to go and get it.  Ok, that was my mistake.  Then I continue on and then hit Shift + Tab and the game starts getting all wonky.  It rapidly scrolled through the dialogue and then it loads up the items but will not register my mouse after clicking and hitting keys I couldn't get it work.  Then I realized I had to load up my save...again.  I realized I lost about 20 minutes worth of work and I thought, "You know, fuck this game, I'm going to play something else."

I won't be returning back to the game.  My plan is to Youtube the remaining game if I so care.

Having said that, it is an improvement of leaps and bounds over Ben There, Dan That.  It's a pretty decent adventure game but it also has the trappings of an adventure game where you have to combine a bunch of objects to make something usable to solve a puzzle.  I think this game is pretty well put together and adventure game fans should definitely check it out.  I just don't want to have to constantly load up old saves because I accidentally hit the wrong key not related to the game.

On to Tropico 4!

Edit: I also struck NFS: HP and Half Life 2 also.  I may get around to some of these games at a later time but given my huge backlog of games, I don't feel like plowing through games I dislike playing for the time being.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on September 21, 2012, 08:19:57 AM
Work has ravaging me like how I ravage BlackMage's mom.  Sorry for the lack of updates.  I've been noodling around Tropico 4 a bit.  I used to play a lot of Sim City 2000 back in the day so I'm starting fresh here.  I like what the game has to offer, I just need to find a couple of spare hours to play the game.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: pilonv1 on September 21, 2012, 09:38:50 AM
I'm 11/20 stages through the main campaign. I usually never play campaigns in these sorts of games. But they're just long enough to build up a decent island yet not too long to get boring. And they keep it relatively interesting with the restrictions on each mission.
Title: Re: T EXP works his way through the 2012 Steam Summer Sale backlog
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on November 02, 2012, 08:07:21 AM
Sorry for the lack of updates.  Work has kicked my ass throughout the month of October and now things are starting to wind down.  That and I played some Borderlands 2.

I'm going to set Tropico 4 aside to play a game I've played through and beaten twice before (once on 360, once on PS3), Red Faction Guerrilla, to start me off again.  I will return to Tropico 4, Half Life 2, and Time Gentlemen Please eventually.