Topic: Pure Xbox Game Club - On Indefinite Hiatus

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I finished SOMA the other day. I will just share some brief thoughts on it.

Overall, I very much enjoyed it. There was one fairly tedious part in the middle of the game (Theta Labs Maintenance) but that was the only part that I didn't enjoy too much. I would say that I played it over 3-4 play sessions and I did find that I had to encourage myself to play it initially but once I got into it, I was enjoying it.

The game is definitely less scary than all of the Amnesia games but I think it does have a more interesting story. Maybe because it examines the "self" in a more prominent fashion so it appeals to more selfish people (like myself 🤪). It is also purely sci fi rather than the Sci-Fantasy of the Amnesia games.

Throughout the game you have to make a few decisions. I know nobody else played this game but I will give a brief overview of how I made my decisions in case anybody picks it up (or @LtSarge pops by to this thread for a cup of tea 😀). Largely, I killed everyone I saw, I deleted all of the brain scans including of myself and I killed my previous body when I woke up in my new one. Honestly, with the world within the game and the lack of awareness that the characters showed regarding their real world state, all of these killings seemed like mercy kills. This is to the point that when I was discussing killing in the game with my partner as we played through, I consistently used the word "euthanise". Like, "I just euthanised that robot" etc.

At a couple points during the game, you have the opportunity to take part in a questionnaire regarding how you feel about your situation, the goal you are trying to achieve and what that goal will be like once it is achieved. You answer this questionnaire about half way through the game and the same questionnaire in a sequence after the credits roll and you've completed the game. My answers to the first one were rather negative and definitely condemned the horrid nature of what life had become and what would become, as well as expressing disgust and discomfort at my part in it. However, weirdly, my answers in the final questionnaire were way more positive, I was happy. I am not sure if the fact the game was over and the fact my character (or a version of my character at least) actually succeeded in their mission affected this or whether I truly had changed my mind with regards to the questions asked. Its food for thought anyway.

Overall, regarding both the questionnaire and the euthanasia, there seems to be a few schools of thought on it. I did look up what other player's did and it seems like some people played like I did and some played it completely differently. Some reasons aligned with my own and some reasoning was completely different but totally understandable. I'd love to hear what @LtSarge (and any one else who has played it before) thought when they played this game.

Overall, the choices didn't matter to the outcome. Unlike Amnesia, SOMA only has one ending but the journey you take to that ending, while mechanically the same, can be vastly emotionally different between two playthroughs. As an aside, for whoever is interested, this is an easy 1000GS that you seem to get entirely just through playing to completion.

Anyway, top game. I enjoyed it a lot!

Rating = SSG for SO-MA, so good

We also played through Amnesia: The Bunker this weekend. This can actually be one of the shortest games by the developers Frictional Games. HLTB lists it as 5 hours and while I did put in a bit more than that my end game stats said I beat it in roughly 3 hours and 20 minutes. (I guess it doesn't record the time you waste after a save if you die, which I did, a lot.)

The Bunker is 100% the most "game-like" experience out of Frictional's back catalogue. So those who don't gel with walking sims may get more out of this one. There are definitely a few ways to approach it but the available gameplay loop that I employed basically revolved around the concept of being tethered to a particular place by a metaphorical elastic band, collecting resources, returning and then exploring further out on my next trip. I don't think this is a spoiler to say but there is a basically a safe-room that contains a generator that you can keep topped up with fuel to keep the lights on around the titular bunker. It is also your save point and your item store so apart from a few instances, if you die, you return to this room.

While I say that is how you play the game, looking around online, it seems like you can play in other ways and use the resources for different things. I used fuel exclusively to keep the generator running which seems like the most basic approach and tethered me to the safe-room but it can also be used to make molotov cocktails, burn corpses, burn rats and just burn the floor to create a barrier between you and the monster. I have seen some say that the generator is basically useless on higher difficulties which implies that the gameplay can be radically changed based on both player behaviour and how the game difficulty scales. I would say that that is quite an achievement on behalf of Frictional Games, to have actually created a single player linear narrative that can be approached with more than one gameplay style using different game mechanics.

Also, Amnesia: The Bunker is easily the hardest Frictional/Amnesia game. I died more in this game than I did in The Dark Descent, Justine, Machine for Pigs, SOMA and Rebirth combined. I think this is because of the randomness of each "run". I use the word "run" to describe the time between leaving the safe room to accomplish your short term goals and returning to the safe room. The monster's location is almost always random barring a few scripted moments. There are also things that sometimes you have to do (and sometimes you don't) that will attract the monster, namely blowing wooden doors open with grenades and winding up your torch near a monster hole. There are places to hide, sometimes a big cupboard, sometimes under a table but most of the time I ended up hot footing it all the way back to the safe room, that is if the monster didn't kill me (which it did, a lot). But that goes to show how small the game's map size is, I think there is only one area that I dreaded the idea of returning to (and thankfully I didn't have to) and that was the maze of boxes and storage shelves in the Arsenal area.

The link to the overarching story of the Amnesia series is tenuous at best. It only really comes into play briefly toward the end of the game. This game could honestly have existed on its own without that link and it would have still been great. I would say that brief area you visit toward the end of the game (as well as its associated lore) would probably be a bit confusing if you hadn't played a previous Amnesia game but it is so vaguely described and short that you will probably be a bit more like wtf rather than thinking it has spoiled the game or anything.

Overall this is a wicked game, it changes enough about the Amnesia formula to appeal to the non-fans as well as playing up the best parts of the formula to appease existing fans of the series.

Rating: BUWTB for Bunk up with The Bunker

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With November it comes to the club Cocoon. It is a game from the developers of Limbo and Inside and it has a metacritic score of 88 (for the ones that enjoy the stats ).
On top of gamepass it can played Xbox one, PS4/5, Switch and Steam.

Please use spoiler tags when discussing spoilerish moments of the game. You do so by typing your spoiler between spoiler tags like this: [spoiler]insert message here[ /spoiler] and removing the space between [ and /

Some HLTB Stats:
Main Story - 4.5 Hours
Main + Extras - 5 Hours
Completionist - 5 Hours

Tag list, please tag me and let me know if you want to be added or removed. I think I've picked up everyone who joined this month but please just post and tag me @Balta666 to let me know if I've missed you or if you want to join!
Also please let me know if you change your username, I might not notice and you won't get the notification (equally let me know if you have changed your username to get away from the notifications and I will delete you off the tag list 😆)
@Tothington91 @MAC26 @vidjagames @Justifier @Tjuz @nessisonett @crippyd @Krzzystuff @sib @LeanerFasterStronger @cracked_seal @Mr-Fuggles777 @Mundaney @KilloWertz @antifyre @Magabro @themightyant @ZeD @K1LLEGAL @Balta666 @Bmartin001 @R1spam @lookupmore @Lavalera @frabbit @FraserG @WCB @TooBarFoo @SeriousSatan @xMightyMatt14x @BaldBelper78 @TuckNorris85 @Grail_Quest @Jsb5150 @Mamabear @liljazzy2 @Dydreamr @XFinest_KnightX @Elufachi @Amical @Supermutant @revluke @Akropolon @olskoolSEGA @HarmanSmith @Dr_Devious04 @EliteSlayer @GamingFan4Lyf @Pepa27 @MaxC @NintendoByNature @ralphdibny @Captain_Chozo @HelloCraig @BlackMayge @kyleforrester87 @RDDMarston @Utena-mobile @oliverp @OldManLopan

Ok so now, votes for next month.

• Tag me in a post with your vote(s). (Just hit reply on one of my posts or write @Balta666)
• Write your votes in bold (put the text in between asterisks) and try and keep it separate from any paragraphs.
• One line will do, "My vote is such and such a game(s)"
• Feel free to make the post longer but try and keep the actual vote separate from the main body of the text and at the top of the post next to my tag @Balta666
• Vote for as many games as you like!
  The votes reset every month and start from Zero. Feel free to suggest new games and I will add them to the list and count your vote toward it!
  American McGee's Alice - 1 (Rdb)
  As Dusks Falls - 1 (Tma)
  Broken Age -
  Chicory: A Colourful Tale -
  Doom 3 -
  Dordogne -
  Cassete Beasts -
  Contrast -
  Dead Space Remake - 4 (Tma, Nbn, Bb78, R1s)
  Fe -
  Genesis Noir -
  Ghostwire: Tokyo - 1 (Olp)
  Hypnospace Outlaw -
  Inside -
  Jusant - 3 (Blt, R1s Nbn)
  Like a Dragon the Man who Erased his Name - 1 (Olp)
  Maquette -
  Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood -
  McPixel 3 -
  Planet of Lana - 1 (R1s)
  Quake 2 - (Oml)
  Remnant -
  Screamride –
  Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath -
  Solar Ash -
  Sunset Overdrive - 3 (Hc, Nbn, Oml)
  The Evil Within 2 -
  Tunic -
  Unravel - 1 (Blt)
  Wo Long: Fallen Destiny -

If you have another game you'd like added to the list then let me know and I will add it with a vote from you!

For other tips on formatting texts in the forum's see the link below:
https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/help/tips_for_formatting_...

I will link to this post in my signature so you can just click on my signature down below to get back to this post and see the list of games and current votes!

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So I finally played Psychonauts a mere 18 years after release and 2 years after y'all played it here. I really enjoyed going back and reading all your responses to it. I hope you don't mind I necroed this and tagged some of you in it 2+ years later. Sorry, not sorry

This is one of those games I wished I played nearer release. Plenty to love, but judged by todays standards the gameplay, camera and more were, more often than not, frustrating.

So what did I love? There is so much unique creativity in this game, and it makes me a little sad that there is little else like it today. Visually thanks to the upgrade on XSX it still looks great even now, only the pre-rendered cutscenes look kinda 'bad'. But there is more creativity in those blurry textures than most games today. I love the oddball Frankenstein / Nightmare before Christmas stylings of the characters, they really stand out when compared to the cookie cutter stuff we get nowadays.

I also enjoyed the artistic style and the wide variety in all the levels, especially those inside people minds which allowed them to really go wild and zany. It just felt so unique, fresh and vibrant compared to our serious and grounded worlds in most games nowadays. @LtSarge @ralphdibny your references to Destroy all Humans, Kingdom Hearts, Toy Story 2 and more all rang true here.

The writing is utterly fantastic too, so much humour, clever scenarios and carefully handling of delicate subjects. All this goofy, childish and vibrant aesthetic was a perfect cover to hide deeper meanings.

I adored the underlying theme of mental health and it's impact on us all. I thought they handled this deftly and with care. Though I completely agree with @nessisonett that it got dark fast. There were some moments that by todays standards I wonder would even be allowed, or the censors missed. This is a kids summer camp remember and two children tried to commit suicide by jumping off a roof. When you restore one of the children's brains and ask her why she jumped off the roof she responds "because the poison didn't work" in an offhand, vaguely humorous way. It isn't at all preachy about all this and I suspect this could even fly under the radar for many, but I thought it dealt with some seriously deep issues with charm, love and care. Excellent work Tim Schafer & Double Fine!

I loved all the symbolism of it all, again linked to mental health. The collectibles were figments of our imagination, emotional baggage, mental cobwebs, memory vaults etc. The sketchbook like collectibles showing pivotal moment of the characters lives that moulded them into what they are today all super dark, but again handled carefully. Often it was the unsaid thing that was most powerful. I was glad there weren't achievements, it irked me at first, but I might have been compelled to collect them ALL and would have had a worse experience for it. Addiction and compulsion eh? But there were nice rewards related to levelling up, so I collected some. Smart design.

So what didn't I like? I wish I had read @LtSarge notes before playing it because I had exactly the same issue with the Milkman level, where you had to find disguises. I got completely stuck, had no idea you could attack parked cars to open the boot to find the item you need... because they never told you. Even the smelling salts item, which bought the professor our of your ear to give you hints was no help. I eventually had to look up a guide. This hearkened back to the days when it wasn't always obvious what to do. I always complain when games hold us by the hand too much nowadays, but frankly this game reminded me that the opposite was often worse. Several times I got frustrated and had to look up a solution online. Objectively that is bad game design.

The gameplay was similarly frustrating, cumbersome platforming, too many insta-fails, clumsy camera, bosses often cheap, and the last level was just annoyingly hard trying to figure out where to go and with limited time. I can't understate how much these gameplay frustrations impacted my playthrough. I've actually been playing it for several weeks, but didn't want to play long stints because it was so annoying in places. I would have given up on a lesser game, but there was enough I loved that I wanted to finish it. But by the end I just wanted it to end.

Final thoughts: There is so much to love in terms of artistry, creative design, that Double Fine humour and more but playing it today is a struggle in places. The gameplay design just feels very antiquated and rough by todays standards. It was a game I wanted to love, and did at times, but struggled with at other times... my own mental journey on this one was a rollercoaster. I imagine my view would have been almost all full of praise had I played it 18 years ago, but playing it now I feel very mixed.

My Score: 6.5 / 10. A wonderfully creative game seriously hampered by gameplay that hasn't aged well

P.S. Looking forward to Psychonauts 2... eventually... I did just watch the intro cinematic of that and was confused that Raz said they already rescued Lili's father, which was the cliff hanger from this game... but I forgot about Rhombus of Ruin. Doh!