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Here, you'll find up to 20 of the most recent posts from the people I follow. Only public results gleaned from the last 200 overall posts to HG Blogs will be displayed. If you see no results below, that means I'm not following a lot of people, or the people I'm following haven't been active in a long while, or they simply aren't sharing their posts.


Games Consumed 2024
Posted February 11, 2024 by EmP

Star Wars Unleashed.

Force powers are ridiculous overkill, which makes up for the bland lightsaber combat in spades. Lot of imagination in the alien worlds and set pieces, worlds apart for the dull mess modern Star Wars has become.

Kuon.

Just the 20 years post-release. Kuon is clumsy mechanically, but is an aesthetically excellent horror. It's subtle and clever in how it creeps you out. As an experience, it's great. As a game, it's bumpy.

Dreamweb.

Dreamweb's gameplay never quite reaches the potential it sets up for itself. A regular guy starts hearing voices that he has to kill seven evil people to save the world. Is he a savior for doing so, or just a psychopath? DW plays around the edges of the concept, but never truly commits.

Helltown

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1 comment


You win this time, but I'll be back!
Posted January 29, 2024 by JoeTheDestroyer

Just letting everyone know I've got a lot going on in my life right now, so you're probably not going to see me super often over the next few weeks while I figure myself out.

But I shall return.🫡

2 comments


Games I've Been Playing in 2024
Posted January 15, 2024 by JoeTheDestroyer

Mega Man X4 (PlayStation)
Finished and reviewed. I restarted the game recently to see if I could finish it with Zero, and my mission was a success. This one is the best since X2. Sadly, the next two games are downhill. I'm not sure about the last two, but I haven't heard much good about them (although X8 does have a positive review on this site, so there's hope).

Mega Man X5 (PlayStation)
Finished and reviewed. Meh. Too many eggs in one basket, and level designs range from good to crap. It woud've been a better game if it weren't all over the place...

Mega Man X6 (PlayStation)

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Games I Played This Year That Kicked Ass: 2023 List
Posted December 30, 2023 by JoeTheDestroyer

BEST IN SHOW AND EPIC


I've decided to start doing something different with my GIPTYTKA topics: introducing a “best in show” award (yeah, as if this is a dog show for video games) and an “epic” award that's not exactly a “second place,” but highlights a game that I found great that should still receive attention. Going back over the previous years' topics, here's what I've selected:

BIS 2022: Bayonetta 2
Epic 2022: Rise of the Third Power
BIS 2021: Mad Father Remake
Epic 2021: Wild Arms 3
BIS 2020: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Epic 2020: Ara Fell
BIS 2019: Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn
Epic 2019: Phantasy Star IV

This year's Epic and Best in Show will be presented after the list.


The Jury's Out

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Games Consumed 2023 vol. 3
Posted December 24, 2023 by EmP

For the most part, my gaming habits is simply to attack the backlog I've accumulated over years, no longer buying games I think I'll get around to and focusing on actually playing those games in the past I'll assume I'll get around to. I've tried to write about them a little because I want to try and find a way where I can still write a bit in enough moderation to not be in constant pain. 2010 Gary would call me a pussy. I may do this more next year, I may do this less. I don't know what the future holds. However, what I do have is three lists talking about the games I've played this year and, to test if anyone still reads the things I write, I propose this. The first person to post a game they would like to see me review in these lists, I will attempt to do so. First come, first se

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7 comments


Anyone into Trophy Hunting?
Posted November 02, 2023 by wolfqueen001

Over the last three years or so I've gotten into trophy hunting. To that effect, I found a great cheese strategy for getting the 100x hit combo in Spider-Man 2018 Remastered for PS5. I'm linking my YouTube video here for anyone interested. As far as I know, I haven't seen anyone use this strategy. Only downside is it requires the DLC expansions, so if not playing the Remastered version for ps5, you'll have to buy them.

Check it out! ^-^

https://youtu.be/9f5bCVMND8I?si=QiCcEvmmLBfXUy5W

6 comments


How is AlphaMurderthon coming along?
Posted November 01, 2023 by JoeTheDestroyer

Here's where I'm at right now:



Some notes:

-1000 Heads Among the Trees replaced 2Dark for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I just don't feel like playing 2Dark. Not that I will never get around to it, but it just... I don't know... 1000 Heads is also unique enough that I felt it belong with this group of games.

-Downfall is somewhat of a placeholder that may be kicked out if I'm able to finish Dead Space 2 before next October. Currently, I only have about nine more reviews to hit, which means I'll have to play through nine more games.

-Football Game is another placeholder, but one that I feel fits here. Fran Bow, The Forest, and Final Doom remain potential usurpers.

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Games Consumed 2023 vol. 2
Posted October 07, 2023 by EmP

BERSERK and the Band of the Hawk

It's fine for what it is. Most of the time, the Warriors template works because Guts mowing down endless cannon-fodder fits, but it's such a toned-down retell of the forever manga.

Griffith remains an encourageable rascal.

Forspoken

Never -- NEVER -- has my pathological need to play famously shit games burnt me as hard as this did. Its reputation, dear friends, is richly deserved.

I Made a Game With Zombies In It

Those glorious bastards; they released this cornerstone of the excellent XBLI scene on Steam and have done it for free. Finding this carving a new playerbase has made me very happy.

Lost Door

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1 comment


OctJOEber 2023 update 2
Posted September 04, 2023 by JoeTheDestroyer

Previously confirmed:
Absence (PC)
Blood Breed (Switch)
CALENDULA (PC)
The Note (PC)
Warships on the Halloween Night (PC)

And now:

Bloodwash (PC) - Part walking simulator, part '80s splatter movie throwback, all awesome. Who's murdering people at the 24-hour laundromat? Why it's... a naked masked person...

Doom II (Clasic) (Switch) - Do I really need to tell you what this is about? I'll at least mention that it comes with the original Doom II release, plus Master Levels in one handy package.

Garten of Banban (PC) - A first-person dealy where you inspect a sinister kindergarten to discover that you've wasted time playing a fraction of a full game, and you now need to buy all of the other portions separately to get any answers.

[read the full post...]

3 comments


OctJOEber 2023
Posted August 01, 2023 by JoeTheDestroyer

Yes, I'm still eventually doing AlphaMurderthon.

Yes, I'm doing a separate OctJOEber this year.

No, I didn't do squat last year because I was busy with work. Unlike the previous year, I actually have some stuff played and reviewed and I will post it here come October. Here's what to expect so far:

Absence (PC)- You wake up in a bathroom in the middle of the woods and somehow end up in a sewer running away from a pre-made asset monster. The horror!

Blood Breed (Switch)- A marriage of PlayStation-era survival-horror and '80s VHS films where you outrun a masked killer, avoid his sadistic traps, and bump off the occasional minotaur.

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2 comments


Games Consumed: 2023
Posted July 09, 2023 by EmP

11th Hour

7th Guest was a better realised haunted mansion game, but 11th Hour is more self aware. Better written, better acted and (occasionally) purposefully funny.

Not a particularly good port.

7th Guest

The B-Movie horror point and click game. Weird live action actors and bizarre puzzles made this a game I adored back when it was released, but the steam ‘remastered’ is not great. It’s just a port of the mobile port. Why does this keep happening?

Batman Arkham Origins

Last Xmas seemed like a good time to play the Xmas Batman. It might be the black sheep of the Arkhams but it's still a lot of fun with some stand out ideas. The crime scene examinations, for example, are great.

Batman: Arkham Origins - Cold, Cold Heart

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7 comments


I'm Still Alive, 2/15/23
Posted February 15, 2023 by JoeTheDestroyer

I'm still here, I'm still writing. However, work is kicking my ass pretty soundly. I was able to get my crew's population up, only for it to dwindle again, which has led to the occasional 12- to 14-hour days and not a lot of energy for anything but light gaming and sleeping. And sometimes reading.

Where reading is concerned, I got through a handful of books recently:

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1 comment


The latest in my really infrequent blogs
Posted February 09, 2023 by overdrive

Things I'm playing at the moment. In alphabetical order.

Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection: So, when PlayStation Now and Plus merged, one of Sony's selling points was that Ubisoft was moving a huge portion of their library over to it. Included in this eventually was virtually the entire AC series. The first game never came over and Valhalla was there initially, but got removed. Hopefully, the rest of its 3950720394 games that all have come out in roughly a decade remain there for the foreseeable future because I'm really digging the experience.

[read the full post...]

2 comments


Jerec's games of Q4 2022
Posted January 01, 2023 by jerec

COMPLETED

Man, only completed two games in this quarter, and then became unfocused and kept adding games...

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4)

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4 comments


Games I Played This Year That Kicked Ass 2022
Posted December 30, 2022 by JoeTheDestroyer

It's that time again: The Year in Review! I played a lot of great stuff this year, with the occasional spots of meh-ness. Honestly, it felt like a long year. I'm looking back on this list and thinking, "Man, that was this year?" Honestly, Gato Roboto and Football Game feel like two years ago at least.


2021 OMISSION


Gorogoa (PC)

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2 comments


2022's Halloween haul
Posted October 01, 2022 by JoeTheDestroyer

I am a notorious physical horror movie hoarder. I call myself a collector because that sounds better. Every year, I hit movie sections at pretty much any store that carries movies and isn't grossly overpriced, while also ordering a bunch from websites like Arrow Video, Vinegar Syndrome, Kino Lorber, and Scream Factory. This year's haul is tremendous and will probably take me until next October to fully polish off. What did I land this time around?

After Midnight
Annabelle Comes Home
The Asphyx
Baba Yaga ('70s giallo)
The Battery
The Black Belly of the Tarantula
The Blob ('80s)
Body Melt
Body Parts
The Cabin in the Woods
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
Cannibals
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Cinderella (South Korean)
The Cloverfield Paradox
The Convent

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3 comments


Jerec's games of Q3
Posted September 30, 2022 by jerec

It's hard to believe that three months has gone by since my last update. In that time, I bought a PlayStation 5. I now have all the current gaming systems (for the first time in about a decade, as I skipped the Xbox One last gen).

FINISHED

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch)

I started this game on release date, and pretty much played nothing else for 125 hours until this game was beaten. This was an absolutely incredible game. I love the characters, the journey they take together, and the way the circumstances of the world are revealed was just amazing. Eunie is the best character. Loved the battle system, the music. I did leave a few side quests unfinished, but I'll be dropping back into this later when the Expansion Pass is finished.

[read the full post...]

1 comment


I'm not dead, just busy.
Posted September 21, 2022 by JoeTheDestroyer

Yes, I'm still alive.

Yes, work has been a lot.

Yes, I'm still playing games. It's just been difficult to balance work, playing, family, horror movies, and writing of late while also getting sleep.

No, I haven't touched that swarm game I'm supposed to review. I will eventually, though.

Yes, I've finished Rise of the Third Power, and it is awesome and will be reviewed soon.

Upcoming reviews:
Crowd Evolution! (Android)
Rise of the Third Power (PC)
Valdis Story: Abyssal City (PC; rewrite)
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (PS2; rewrite)
Ys I & II Chronicles+ (PC)


An update on gaming
Posted September 09, 2022 by overdrive

I do suck at things like blogging.

Elden Ring continues to be the late-spring, all-summer project. Up to about 170 hours into its world and still loving it -- even if the voices in my head are telling me to get to the end of it, damnit! Took advantage of the patch 1.06 addition of an NPC to invade in order to get to Mohgwyn Palace without doing online invasions or finding the teleporter in the Consecrated Snowfield. There, I'm close to the fight with Mohg and have done everything in that blood-covered place other than this one blood lake area with a bunch of those damn giant bird monsters. Main reason I didn't go there was because after beating a bunch of enemies, I found out this place is level-grinding heaven and I didn't want to risk losing all my runes.

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3 comments


Jerec's Games of Q2
Posted July 01, 2022 by jerec

I noticed with my March update that it was very similar to my February update, and I didn't finish any games. And also at that point, I think I was about 75% of the blog posts on the front page. I decided dropping back to every three months might be better. Game progress is still fairly slow, but that's to be expected.

FINISHED

Muv Luv Unlimited (Vita)

I cleared this sometime in early April. Progress through the primary route was erratic, but once I got to a certain point I just kept going. Fortunately for this one, the other endings really only diverged late in the story so it didn't take much time to wrap everything up. I've got another Muv Luv VN but I think it'll be a while before I tackle that. I have to keep to my one VN at a time rule.

[read the full post...]

2 comments

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