Until Dawn (PS4)

Date Purchased:  April 7, 2018
Date Completed: September 5, 2018
Price: (Free PS+)

A PS Plus game that's been on my radar for some time, it's not my typical game, I have very little experience with adventure games.  I liked it.  The story was "good enough" to keep me coming back, the voice acting was spot on (crucial to a game like this), but the graphics stuttered quite a bit which is odd considering it's not really rendering a whole lot.  It looks nice, but the frame drops are noticeable.  I was doing pretty good but lost a couple characters in a scramble for finding the right button which I felt to be a little "weak" considering the game should weigh heavier on your decisions than your reflexes.  Oh well.  It's meant to be played multiple times, but I won't.  It was good for a once through.  Recommend.

Reddit post with comments.

Double Dragon (NES)

Date Purchased: September 16, 2018
Date Completed: September 23, 2018
Price: Free (NSO)

This game came free with Nintendo's new online service, I played and finished it many many years ago, but had a fun time taking it to the streets again.  The game features some fun leveling and the combat was still surprisingly fun.  I couldn't have finished it without save states, it's a wonder I did it back in the 90's.  Recommend.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4)

Date Purchased: August 20, 2018
Date Completed: September 20, 2018
Price: $15.99 (PSN)

Uncharted: Lost Legacy is an Uncharted Ass Uncharted game.  Chloe takes Nathan's place as the wise cracking protagonist, and Nadine is along for the ride but is much less fun than Sully.  The game plays very similar to the other games in the series, however one of the middle stages changes things up and makes the game far less linear.  This is the strongest part of the game.  Uncharted 4 had a few open area's as well, but not as vast as this, and with far fewer objectives.  The game looks phenomenal as it's using the gorgeous Uncharted 4 engine. The sound is fine, the characters are just slightly less charismatic.  If you're a fan of Uncharted gameplay this one's worth a look and comes with the full multiplayer suite.  Recommend.

Reddit post with comments.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III (PS4)

Date Purchased: June 11, 2018
Date Completed: September 13, 2018
Price: Free (PS+)

I was pretty excited to see this become free during Sony's E3 presentation, it's one of the few COD titles I haven't played.  I hadn't heard the greatest things about this one, and it turns out the critics/podcasters were right. The game looks and sounds nice, the shooting is fine, the mechanics are fine, but the story is all over the place dealing with mind control, the human spirit, the ability to think freely, and the influence of machines on our own critical thinking.  It's a mess.  Why can't it just be about a terrorist takedown like the games of old?  I don't need bioshock in my COD.  I didn't mess with the multi as that's not really my jam.  Pass.

Zuma's Revenge (Xbox 360)

Date Purchased: September 5, 2018

Date Completed: September 6, 2018

Price: Free (EA Access)

What I could not do in the original Zuma on Xbox (beat every level) I did in 2 sittings.  I'm quite familar with the game and its gameplay, match the balls into groups of 3, earn powerups etc.  It was a nice trip back in time.  Recommend.

Celeste (Switch)

Date Purchased: June 20, 2018
Date Completed: August 1, 2018
Price: $24.51 (eShop)

This game had been on my radar for quite some time and needing a new Switch game I picked it up for full retail after tiring of waiting for a sale.  It's a heck of a game.  Incredibly challenging, it's been compared to games like Super Meat Boy (which was too hard for this old man).  I managed to finish this game without using the assist mode, and while I know that's not the greatest of achievements, I found it difficult enough that I don't have much desire to go and 100% it.  I'm done with it at this point.  The game took me almost 11.5 hours, I died 2221 times collecting 43 of 175 strawberries.  I was relieved to see the credits roll.  The game has a nice graphical style to it, with soothing music to help ease the frustrations.  The story is admirable for this kind of game.  Recommend.

Edit July 18, 2021.  I played through this again on PC and died 1239 times and only 26 Strawberries.  That's almost 1000 less deaths for 17 less strawberries. Wow.  I think it controls better with an Xbox Game Pad.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch)

Date Purchased: March 4, 2018
Date Completed: June 6, 2018
Price: $29.99 USD (Best Buy USA)

I bought this game apprehensively after hearing a lot of positive things about it, I knew it was outside my wheelhouse, but being a pretty big fan of Mario games, I thought I'd give it a chance.  I'm glad I did.  I've never played XCOM and have never considered myself a fan of strategy games, this might change my mind however.  I really enjoyed the aesthetic, the bright colorful characters, I think this is the best Mario and co. have ever looked and that's including the recent Super Mario Odyssey.  The game play was very satisfying, although I could have done without the puzzles between battles as they seemed like nothing more than a way to stretch out the game.  My switch says I put 35 hours in and even though I finished the story, there's still a lot I could do.  XCOM is a free game on PlayStation this month, and where I normally would have dismissed it immediately, Mario + Rabbids may have opened up a new genre for me.  Recommend.

Reddit post with comments.