Ok, I've started SOMA. I think I'm a bit over a quarter of the way through. As has become custom, I am playing a long with my partner watching so I don't get too scared.
But, I do think this has been quite a bit less scary than both Amnesia Collection and Amnesia Rebirth if I'm honest. The baddies in it don't seem to as scary so far at least.
But, they are completely heathenous. I haven't seen quite such a heathenous set of villains since The Lord of Dust in Metal Gear Survive which is easily the most heathenous villain in video game history IMO. I mean, good grief!
(On a side note, Amnesia Rebirth did something weird to some it's baddies narrative wise that kind of humanised them a bit which made them less scary.)
Anyway, I am enjoying the game so far. I like the narrative and the protagonist. That's a bit more than I could say for the Amnesia games, I'm definitely more invested in this than I was in the Collection and a bit more invested in this than I was in Rebirth (maybe because of the setting?) Both SOMA and Rebirth are significant steps up from Amnesia Collection.
That said, I feel like I've "called" some of the twists quite early. Maybe they are clearly signposted, maybe I'm completely wrong but I do have some suspicions about where the story is going to go. I won't say what I think here and I'd hope nobody spoils it for me by confirming or denying my theories or just telling me what happens 😂
Overall, the game is good so far and I look forward to playing some more!
(and actually @LtSarge , I have never played this game before, I'm not sure if it was a Plus game or not. I might be thinking of something different that has a similar name. Maybe Absolver? AbSOlVER - SOMA? Who knows lol)
Finally made a start with Dark Descent and I’m struggling to gel with it. The environments so far are so bland and repetitive, I found a key to a cellar and it was almost exactly the same area I had been in 5 minutes previously and with almost nothing in it but the next corridor to walk down. The atmosphere somewhat lifts the experience but I’m not finding the story particularly compelling so far.
I feel awful being so negative about something.
We’re playing The Plucky Squire this month, join us!
The reason I send this is because it allows you to pace yourself and know roughly where you are in the game, which I think will help with the feelings you are having without actually looking at the guide itself.
It helped me because I kind of worked out the rough range of time frames that each area could last which gave me some respite. So if I didn't like an area I'd know "it's almost over, just push through".
Also, just hold L2 while walking to Run lol. There isn't much penalty for running through the game (unless there's a monster around, even then if you get caught you just respawn and in most instances the monster will despawn clearing your route)
I don't think I found the story particularly enthralling or even easy to understand in The Dark Descent but completing each area kind of gave me just enough of a feeling of satisfaction to allow me to continue.
@AgentCooper also, no need to feel awful lol. Some games are just crap for some people. I wouldn't say The Dark Descent is one that's really worth sticking with despite that but it might be worth approaching it with a less invested mindset for a little while and then it might hook you enough for you to see it through.
@ralphdibny Thanks for the help and kind advice but I’m going to walk away from this one. I can’t bring myself to just push through these days as my gaming time is so limited. I’m still intrigued by what The Chinese Room achieved with their entry so I’ll most likely check that out. Thanks again friend 👍
We’re playing The Plucky Squire this month, join us!
In fact, I think I’ll remove my involvement entirely as I’d love to be contributing more than I am but it just isn’t going to happen and also the admin duties over on PSQ take up time too. Sorry gang!
Please remove me from the tag list please @Balta666 thank you so much. Keep up the good work 👍
We’re playing The Plucky Squire this month, join us!
I have a complicated suggestion for a game either next month or the month after. Might need somebody else to check if it's possible though.
Alice Madness Returns is on ea play available through game pass ultimate. But if you go to the MS Store, you should be able to download American McGee's Alice as DLC for it for free, which is the first game in the series.
Can somebody else check if this is the case please? Ive already claimed American McGee's Alice as DLC and I can't remember if it was straightforward or not.
If it is then I'd like to stick a vote in for that, American McGee's Alice (please confirm it's possible to even claim it before adding it to the list)
The reason I choose this game is because I tried giving it a go back when Madness Returns came out and while I absolutely loved Madness Returns, it was a straightforward platforming romp that was good for somebody who just acquired a PS3 after being strictly Nintendo for a couple of generations; I just found American McGee's Alice to be too dated and too hard to play on console (it's a conversion of the original PC version).
But it's probably the sort of game that would be good to play as part of the Game Club because of that. Especially in terms of egging eachother on and helping eachother out.
@ralphdibny I have checked during the lunch break and can confirm it is available for free download. I will add the vote (and do a last reminder for some votes)
@ralphdibny just saw that Amenesia the Bunker had a fairly big update. As you have been fully immersed in the series it may well be a good chance to give it a go also
I haven’t participated in this group in a while but I did finish Cocoon last week. I think you will all enjoy it. I’m interested to hear all your thoughts.
@Balta666 I was having a look at that article, sounds like the updates make the game scarier and a bit more like survival horror so I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing! I was thinking that I should have played it earlier before the update went live!
@Balta666 I didn't vote for Cocoon because I thought I would have played it already! But I got delayed and now almost certainly will after Spider-man 2, happy to change/give it my vote. Would be nice to take part, it's been a while!
I ended up playing some games leaving Gamepass instead - Signalis, Legend of Tian Ding & Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion. Signalis can probably be safely taken off the list now it's left GP
@Balta666 Obviously all left Game Pass now which is shame but...
I REALLY enjoyed Turnip Boy. It's very short - took me 3 or 4 hours - and simple but it has good writing and a lot of charm. I can't describe it in words to do it justice, just have a look at a video to see if it's your kinda thing. It doesn't do anything particular new or incredible, but what it does it does really well. Strongly recommended & looking forward to the sequel.
I also liked Tian Ding. It's a bit like a saturday morning cartoon wrapped up in a comic book aesthetic with an Asian twist. It's both developed and set in Taiwan which gave it a unique style I liked. Hard to describe the genre. It is a quasi-metroidvania crossed with a beat-em-up. It's a bit janky in places but I had a good time for about 8 hours. More cautiously recommended.
They were both perfect palate cleansers after spending 200 hours in Starfield, was nice to play games that respected my time!
Signalis, the most reputed of the bunch, I struggled with a lot more. It's got heavy MGS1 x Resident Evil 1 vibes but it also has it's own aesthetic going on. I LOVED the atmosphere and style of it but HATED the gameplay. It has some seriously obtuse game design especially inventory management - running back and forth to make space CONSTANTLY. But perhaps I had PTSD from Starfield and it taking longer to sell all my loot than to acquire it. Running back and forth between many retailers on different planets just to sell my loot...
I also really didn't like the storytelling. It FELT like it was stringing you along for a big reveal, but then it never came... left me blue-balled. I don't mind artistic games that leave the interpretation up to you, I liked Scorn despite all it's flaws, but that never felt like there was going to be big pay-off, unlike here.
Many call Signalis a masterpiece, and I can understand why it IS pretty unique, but I can't recommend it. But you might feel differently
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