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Put In Stars and Time on the shelf for now, it's not bad but I'm just not in the mood for it right now. Started up Terra Nil which is actually pretty interesting but at least so far a little all over the place
 
I've just finished playing Wolfenstein: The New Order, an FPS Action game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game has a relatively tight campaign of 16 missions, with two timelines, collectively making for about a 15~20 hour playtime to 100% across both timelines.

Our meat headed hero with a penchant for violence and hatred of Nazis is back, and more geared than ever before. Wolfenstein: The New Order sees the return of franchise protagonist, William J. (BJ) Blazkowicz, an American soldier fighting against an alternate universe version of Nazi Germany. Following the events of Wolfenstein: Old Blood, the game opens with BJ putting pressure on the remaining Nazi forces, who are rapidly gaining the technological advantage in the war. For those unfamiliar to the Wolfenstein universe, in this alternate reality, the Nazis stole ancient technology from a secret Jewish society of scientists, Da'at Yichud, which they utilized to gain an overwhelming technological supremacy during the events of WWII. Raise the curtain on Wolfenstein: The New Order, and BJ has cornered series antagonist, Deathshead, the mad Nazi scientist credited with realizing the stolen technology of the Da'at Yichud. Unfortunately, for BJ, the tables are turned on him and he's forced to make a terrible choice.

The narrative of Wolfenstein: The New Order follows BJ's journey as he awakens in a mental institution, 14 years following the fateful events of the game's opening. Without his unbridled capacity for Nazi extermination, the scales of war rapidly tipped in the Nazi's favor, allowing them to rise to power as a force capable of world domination. During his time in the Asylum, he's attended to by a young nurse, Anya Oliwa, whom he shortly saves after awakening from a vegetative state. Under normal conditions, one might anticipate months of physical therapy to recover from full body paralysis for 14 years; however, through sheer willpower, BJ seemingly has retained all of his fine motor skills and muscle mass. It's these moments when the writers throw all logic out the window when the writing shines, as Wolfenstein: The New Order relishes in being an over-the top action game. Where Wolfenstein: The New Order falls short are the sequences intended to elicit different reactions from the character, particularly around BJ's choice at the beginning of the game, and his relationship with Anya.

At the beginning of Wolfenstein: The New Order, BJ makes what seems like an impossible choice; however, as I played both timelines simultaneously, it became clear that my choice was of very little consequence to the story. Every mission plays out exactly the same, with subtle changes to a few dialogues, and a handful of upgrades which are timeline specific. It became clear that certain assets were designed to be so similar aesthetically, that it didn't really matter which was present in a timeline. There are also side characters (one per timeline) who are unique to each; however, the interactions with these characters are limited. Within only a few chapters, I seriously questioned the design decision of even having to make a choice, as BJ's journey is identical no matter how the game begins.

Wolfenstein: The New Order utilizes a relatively small rogue's gallery of characters who support BJ on his mission against Deathshead. However, perhaps intentionally, these characters are caricatures whose entire dialogue consist of rattling off tropes. While this does lend itself a certain charm to the B movie style action adventure of Wolfenstein, it also makes their relationships wholly uninteresting. There are several moments in the story where BJ expresses concern for his comrades, which I found myself unable to empathize with as the player.

Putting aside the characters and narrative, most will come to this game for the gameplay, which is decently well designed for an FPS. BJ gains access to a wide arsenal of weapons ranging from knives, to laser rifles, to shot guns, which he can easily swap between to suit the enemies he's facing. Ammo, health, and armor are abundant resources, which promote a fast and aggressive gameplay style. However, what Wolfenstein: The New Order does quite well is provide the player with a range of options to approach combat encounters. Surprisingly, Wolfenstein: The New Order has a heavy stealth component, which can allow BJ to clear out an enemy zone, before it escalates due to an alarm. However, when fights do break out, BJ can utilize a fairly dynamic cover system, which lets him alternate his first person perspective in every direction. On Uber, many enemies hit significantly harder, so utilizing cover can be an effective way of reducing weaker enemies, before focusing attention on stronger foes. Many missions are very tightly written, which lend themselves to a more arcade-like playthrough, and can be finished in 10~20 mins. One point of friction were the cutscenes which often had no option to skip, making replaying the missions on the alternate timelines significantly less enjoyable.

While Wolfenstein: The New Order would not be at the top of my list for general recommendations to others, it's a very competently designed FPS action game, which is sometimes all one is seeking in a game. I found myself largely driven by a desire to participate in the shooting, rather than wanting to see where the story goes. Having now played Wolfenstein: Old Blood, and Wolfenstein: The New Order, I'm interested to play the next game in this franchise, to see how the gameplay further evolves.

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OK. Was not expecting this - I bought Lords of the Fallen 2.0 - holy mother - wow. This is a super fun game. Only 5 hours in and it is ranking for me in the souls-like category.
 
OK. Was not expecting this - I bought Lords of the Fallen 2.0 - holy mother - wow. This is a super fun game. Only 5 hours in and it is ranking for me in the souls-like category.
I remember bouncing off it at launch, but now that they've put so much additional work into it, I'm definitely thinking about giving it a second try.
 
Until now my 2025 was a bit slow. Finished MH Wilds as it was my most waited game of the year. Put over 100 hours into it already and now I will jump on it again everytime they drop new monsters and seasonal events.

Replayed the OG FF7 and did a better comment about it on a previous page here. What I also did after that was buying a bluray of Advent Children, the complete edition. Good graphics and action moments even if the story is very simple. The design of the characters in this movie still unmatched!! Im hoping that the next remake game give us those outfits at the end.

Also replayed Katana Zero a few days ago since it was announced that the dlc is still coming (and still free!!). Its similar to hotline miami but you play a samurai killing dudes in one hit, parrying bullets and slowing time. Very engaging and fun to master. The soundtrack is absurd!!

For the rest of my 2025 Im slowly playing my way into BG3 and Neo TWEWY. Planning to get DS2, Ratatan, To a T, Rematch and Ninja Gaiden 4 on their launch too.
 
I remember bouncing off it at launch, but now that they've put so much additional work into it, I'm definitely thinking about giving it a second try.
Its good, I wouldnt put it in the category of great like Bloodborne or Sekiro but its comparable to the dark souls games. Zooming around killing stuff and bosses with a friend is big plus point
 
Mostly flipping between Forza Horizon 5 and Expedition 33. Might get some Oblivion Remaster and AC Shadows time in as well
 
i'm 3/4 of the way through terra nil and i think i'm going to drop it. It's like, a 7.5/10. Great concept, but the execution really fucking sucks, often times i'm finding I have to restart a 1-hour map because the new gimmick isn't explained well and by the time you unlock the next stage of the map you found out your planning hard locked you out of being able to progress. a shame because I went in expecting a 9/10 game
 
After completing Act 1 in Expedition 33, I gave it a day break so I could try out Towerborne and after playing it for 9 hours straight (level 25, ace level 11), I almost don't want to go back to Expedition 33 even though I will tomorrow. Towerborne is the beat em up that I have been waiting for and been hyped for it since it's 2023 reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase. So freaking good. I know what I will be playing after Expedition 33 while im waiting on Doom: The Dark Ages.
 
Just wrapped up platinums 65 and 66 - Visions of Mana and Thimbleweed Park, respectively. Visions of Mana was one that I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. At first, it seemed kind of generic and lacking in depth when it comes to the combat, but I ended up being satisfied with it once I got deeper into the game and unlocked more mechanics. The story was nothing to write home about, but traversal and combat made up for it.

Thimbleweed Park is a point and click adventure game that harkens back to LucasFilm Games classics like Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle. People often rag on trophies/achievements for the way they've hacked people's minds to seek that rush of dopamine that comes with getting the occasional reward while playing games, and I'll admit even I find it less and less compelling to play games on platforms that don't have a trophy system, such as the Switch and retro consoles. However, I think trophies also have the benefit of getting me to play games I otherwise wouldn't have played. Thimbleweed Park is the 6th point and click adventure game I've platinumed and I just can't see myself enjoying and playing games like this to completion without trophies. Perhaps that's not a good thing, depending on how you look at it, but nonetheless I am glad that I've gotten to appreciate an older genre like this over the years. Putting that tangent aside, Thimbleweed Park is a decent game and I'd say it's great for beginners because it doesn't feature a ton of the moon logic this genre is famous for. It also has a casual mode that strips it down and cuts out a fair bit of puzzles, as well as some characters and location, and it simplifies the core puzzles necessary to complete the game. The story hooks you with mystery and intrigue from the beginning, although I'd say ultimately the story is lacking because you don't get a satisfying payoff. It's worth checking out, whether you're new to the genre or a veteran.
 
Just wrapped up platinums 65 and 66 - Visions of Mana and Thimbleweed Park, respectively. Visions of Mana was one that I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. At first, it seemed kind of generic and lacking in depth when it comes to the combat, but I ended up being satisfied with it once I got deeper into the game and unlocked more mechanics. The story was nothing to write home about, but traversal and combat made up for it.

Thimbleweed Park is a point and click adventure game that harkens back to LucasFilm Games classics like Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle. People often rag on trophies/achievements for the way they've hacked people's minds to seek that rush of dopamine that comes with getting the occasional reward while playing games, and I'll admit even I find it less and less compelling to play games on platforms that don't have a trophy system, such as the Switch and retro consoles. However, I think trophies also have the benefit of getting me to play games I otherwise wouldn't have played. Thimbleweed Park is the 6th point and click adventure game I've platinumed and I just can't see myself enjoying and playing games like this to completion without trophies. Perhaps that's not a good thing, depending on how you look at it, but nonetheless I am glad that I've gotten to appreciate an older genre like this over the years. Putting that tangent aside, Thimbleweed Park is a decent game and I'd say it's great for beginners because it doesn't feature a ton of the moon logic this genre is famous for. It also has a casual mode that strips it down and cuts out a fair bit of puzzles, as well as some characters and location, and it simplifies the core puzzles necessary to complete the game. The story hooks you with mystery and intrigue from the beginning, although I'd say ultimately the story is lacking because you don't get a satisfying payoff. It's worth checking out, whether you're new to the genre or a veteran.
Thimbleweed Park seems interesting. I hadn't heard of this game, but it's going on the Wishlist.

What are some of the other point and click games you've played?
 
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