Author: CtrlAltNoob

PS Plus 2019 – Top 10 Games

I was a bit late to make this video but it was the first list type video that I made and I would like to continue over the years!

Disclaimer – these are my own personal picks that may or may not differ to everyone elses. There were a lot of good games in 2019 to choose from.

10. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – The Handsome Collection contains two games. ‘Borderlands 2’ and ‘Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel’. Not being a FPS fan but being a Tales from the Borderlands fan, this was a great game for me. I would never have bought it but it was fun and interesting to get to explore the universe of Borderlands for myself.

9. The Last of Us Remastered – I have to admit, I am not as big of a fan of this game as everyone else seems to be. I had already watched a Let’s Play of it as it felt too much like horror to me, and for some reason the story/characters didn’t click with me. You have to admit though, it is a milestone in gaming history and it is such an important game that it is nice to get it on PS Plus. Especially for the people who maybe didn’t buy the remaster but wanted to replay before the sequel.

8. Hitman – I already had a few levels on my account that have been given away for free over the years. Still, the full game is a very welcome addition to my collection. The variety in missions and the vast amount of approaches you can take makes this game quite special. This version also works in the Hitman 2 game which is a bonus. You can download the base of Hitman 2 for free from the PS Plus store, then download the Hitman 1 chapters from within there to get the most recent versoin.

7. Nioh – I am not at all the type of person to play a Souls type game. I have tried at least 4 times now. There was something about this one though that made me enjoy the time I spent with it. I enjoyed the setting of the opening level, and I feel like a lot of people may have skipped over this game, which made me pleased that more people will try it now.

6. For Honor – For Honor is yet another game that I would never normally play. I am not a combat person. However, there was something about the steep learning curve of the combat, combined with the really cool online multiplayer modes that gave me so. much. fun.

5. Titanfall 2 – As I mentioned before, I am not an FPS fan. However, if there is any FPS that I can see myself finishing it is this one. It subverted my expectations and made for a really cool and varied experience.

4. Batman: Arkham Knight – I have only played a couple of hours of this game. I am a total Marvel fan girl that has never been able to get away with Batman. And even though I enjoyed playing Spider-Man PS4, but I think this game is better. As soon as I have played the previous installments I will most certainly be back to play this game.

3. Overcooked – The perfect couch co-op game. I have ranted and raved about how much I love overcooked so I won’t go on for too long here, but if you have family members that don’t really game but you want to have a laugh (or a fight), you should 100% make them play Overcooked. It has been the staple for our Christmas for the last 2 years and we never get bored.

2. Detroit: Become Human – I already bought this game at launch, completed it and also made a Let’s Play. But despite that, I was happy for other people getting to play it through PS Plus. David Cage gets a lot of shit, and yes some of the themes may be heavy handed, but if you go into this experience with no spoilers and make your own decisions, there are so many possibilities and in my opinion it is totally worth your time.

1. What Remains of Edith Finch – Edith Finch takes my top spot. It is the only game this year that I didn’t already own that I went on to complete. It is a short game that you can finish in one sitting, and it’s the type of experience that will keep you thinking for days. If you think of ‘walking simulator’ as a derogatory term I really urge you to play this. It’s a great game.

TLDR: The 10 minute video version –

Video of my Top 10 Picks from the whole of 2019 PS Plus!

PS Plus – 2019

Sadly I don’t have monthly blogs for PS Plus of 2019. I do, however, have a lot of content on Youtube. There are videos of every single game as well as Round Ups of every month. Then I did a longer video as a summary of the whole year.

For reference, I am going to list all of the PS Plus 2019 free games below!

January

Steep
Portal Knights
Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion

February

For Honor
Hitman
Rogue Aces

March

The Witness
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

April

The Surge
Conan Exiles

May

What Remains of Edith Finch
Overcooked

June

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Sonic Mania

July

Detroit: Become Human
Horizon Chase Turbo

August

Sniper Elite 4
Wipeout: Omega Collection

September

Darksiders 3
Batman: Arkham Knight

October

The Last of Us Remastered
MLB The Show 19

November

Nioh
Outast 2

December

Titanfall 2
Monster Energy Supercross

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Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition 2020 – Top Game Picks

I tried something a little different this time. Since I have now played so many of these demos, I thought it would be helpful for anyone new to the festival to have a guide to know where to start.

So this time I have made a more comprehensive quickfire guide of games that I think are worth your time.

Here is a list of all of the games. If you would like to see more of what they are about, my video at the bottom of the page covers all 18 of these games in under 5 minutes!

Port Valley – The (not so) classic Point & Click adventure where perspective changes everything! Witness Port Valley’s Election Day from 3 points of view and find out what’s really going on in this bizarre town.

One Helluva Day – An egocentric businessman is desperate to save his company from collapse. However, he is forced to save the whole city from an impending disaster.

Lord Winklebottom Investigates – It’s the 1920s and the world’s foremost detective is about to embark on his most challenging case yet. Thankfully, in this world that’s not quite like our own, there’s nobody better to crack the case than the great detective and gentleman giraffe, Lord Winklebottom.

Backbone – Backbone is a noir roleplaying detective adventure. You are raccoon private eye Howard Lotor, a second-class citizen of dystopian Vancouver, BC inhabited by animals. Interrogate a diverse cast of characters, collect evidence, and choose which leads to follow.

Roki – Röki is an adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore – a dark, contemporary fairy tale underpinned by a touching narrative, an alluring art style, ancient puzzles and atmospheric exploration.

Hazel Sky – Hazel Sky is a heartfelt adventure about a young engineer facing his destiny and his desires. Fix ramshackle flying machines and jump, climb, swing, and slide through a beautiful, mysterious world.

Omno – A single player journey of discovery through an ancient world of wonders. Full of puzzles, secrets and obstacles to overcome, where the power of a lost civilisation will carry you through forests, deserts and tundras – even to the clouds.

Travellers Rest – You are an innkeeper, on a journey to transform a run-down inn into a bustling social space. Brew your own beer, run a farm, explore the world, and build relationships with your customers to create your own fantasy tavern!

Cartel Tycoon – Cartel Tycoon is a story-driven business sim inspired by the ‘80s narco trade. Expand and conquer, stave off rival cartels and authority attention, earn people’s loyalty and try to overcome the doomed fate of a drug lord with too much power.

The Final Earth 2 – The Final Earth 2 is a vertical sci-fi city builder. Earth is unlivable, so you decide to create a space colony. Gather resources, then build and research your way to a better future! Grow your city from an exploration ship to a huge metropolis, full of advanced technology. What will you build?

Grounded – The world is a vast, beautiful and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunk to the size of an ant. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard?

The Survivalists – A living world full of surprises, secrets and danger awaits in The Survivalists, an adventure-filled survival sandbox set in The Escapists universe. Explore, build, craft and even train monkeys with up to three friends in a desperate bid to survive. Have you got what it takes to be a Survivalist?

Superliminal – Perception is reality. In this mind-bending first-person puzzler, you explore a surreal dream world and solve impossible puzzles using the ambiguity of depth and perspective.

Moncage – Moncage is an adventure puzzle game, where the player will explore a lonely world trapped in a mysterious cubic device. Each face of this cubic device will display a different scene. The player will navigate through the island and the factory by finding the connections among the scenes.

Love – A Puzzlebox Filled with Stories – Every life has a story. Every story has regret. But what if you could change the past? LOVE is a puzzle game about finding the things we’ve lost in ourselves and the people who help us find them.

Summer in Mara – Take care of your own island and explore the ocean in this farming adventure. Summer in Mara mix farming, crafting and exploring mechanic in a tropical archipelago with a colorful style and strong narrative.

Jessika – Jessika committed suicide, and it’s up to you to find out why she did what she did by prying into her digital past. What at first seems to be a job like any other quickly develops into a dark drama with twists and turns.

NUTS – A single-player surveillance mystery set in a remote forest – record the squirrels, report your findings… and uncover the secret that the curious creatures are hiding.

My top game picks from the Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition 2020. 18 games in under 5 minutes!

Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition 2020

The Steam Game Festival has well and truly grown, as shown at the Summer Edition 2020. Now containing hundreds of demos, the event has become something that everyone should mark on their calendar. With the event now spanning over 7 days, not only indie games are being showcased but AA and even some AAA titles.

I tried a good mixture this time, and after counting the games I already tried I put together a playlist of 40 demos! As usual, some were better than others but there are certainly some that should not be missed!

Full playlist of the Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition 2020, this time featuring 40 demos!

LudoNarraCon 2020 – 6 Indie Narrative Games to Watch out for

For my highlight video of the LudoNarraCon 2020 I only included the games that I played for the first time during this festival. Meaning, I didn’t want to repeat games from my Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020 video. Instead, I hand picked my top 6 experiences from the new demos I played.

Here are my top games in Alphabetical Order! For more info on why they were great, what they are about and to see some game play, the video below will have you covered!

Backbone – Backbone is a noir roleplaying detective adventure. You are raccoon private eye Howard Lotor, a second-class citizen of dystopian Vancouver, BC inhabited by animals. Interrogate a diverse cast of characters, collect evidence, and choose which leads to follow.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page – Lost Words is a 2D narrative adventure game where players move words to solve puzzles. The game features a story written by Rhianna Pratchett and ties the narrative into the gameplay in an unusual way, by having the player running on and interacting with words to solve puzzles.

Over the Alps – Postcards written in invisible ink reveal a secret history… Travel back in time in the debut game from Stave Studios, OVER THE ALPS. Stay undercover, evade the police, and race across 1939 Switzerland in this Hitchcockian World War Two spy thriller.

Ring of Fire – Scour police records. Antagonize your suspects. Comb through a disturbing crime scene. You’ll stop at nothing to expose the truth. Ring of Fire is a search-based detective noir puzzler with a mature narrative set in the hyper-stylized streets of New London.

Still There – Every day is the same on the faraway Bento space-lighthouse – until a mysterious radio message breaks through. Evade the past, welcome oblivion, make the perfect Italian coffee. Still There is a psychological adventure game about grief, technical puzzles, wacky AIs and dark humour. How far is far enough?

Tangle Tower – Unravel a thrilling mystery by exploring a strange and twisted mansion, discovering curious clues, interrogating peculiar suspects and solving unique puzzles. Will you be able to uncover the secrets of Tangle Tower?

Video of my Top 6 Games from the LudoNarraCon 2020!

LudoNarraCon 2020

After covering the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020 I was looking forward to the Summer Edition. Little did I know that the LudoNarraCon 2020 was just around the corner. Basically, it is the same type of event as the Steam Game Festival, except this one is solely focused on narrative games. It’s like it was made for me! Naturally, I went on to play 15 more demos.

Since a few of the Steam Game Festival demos were available again, I added them to the playlist too, bringing the total up to 19! Really enjoyed covering this festival, and once again found some more gems that I want to keep an eye on.

Full playlist of the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020, featuring 20 demos!

Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020 – Top 10 Demos

Of the 20 demos that I tried I during the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020 I managed to narrow it down to my top 10! All here for different reasons, I am confident there are some gems. I am going to be keeping my eye on them all to see how they do during their release and beyond.

In no particular order these are my top picks!

Lord Winklebottom Investigates – It’s the 1920s and the world’s foremost detective is about to embark on his most challenging case yet. Thankfully, in this world that’s not quite like our own, there’s nobody better to crack the case than the great detective and gentleman giraffe, Lord Winklebottom.

Moncage – Moncage is an adventure puzzle game, where the player will explore a lonely world trapped in a mysterious cubic device. Each face of this cubic device will display a different scene. The player will navigate through the island and the factory by finding the connections among the scenes.

Liberated – Enter an action-adventure game inside a living, hand-drawn comic book. Uncover an alarmingly current cyberpunk reality where human rights are dying away. Take up arms and solve puzzles in a noir rain-soaked city that’s desperate for justice.

Coffee Talk – Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator about listening to fantasy-inspired modern peoples’ problems, and helping them by serving up a warm drink or two.

Roki – Röki is an adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore – a dark, contemporary fairy tale underpinned by a touching narrative, an alluring art style, ancient puzzles and atmospheric exploration.

A Space for the Unbound – A slice-of-life adventure game with beautiful pixelart set in the late 90s rural Indonesia that tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers

Hazel Sky – Hazel Sky is a heartfelt adventure about a young engineer facing his destiny and his desires. Fix ramshackle flying machines and jump, climb, swing, and slide through a beautiful, mysterious world.

Superliminal – Perception is reality. In this mind-bending first-person puzzler, you explore a surreal dream world and solve impossible puzzles using the ambiguity of depth and perspective.

Embr – Embr is a frantic firefighting game set in a hyper-capitalist reality where traditional emergency services are a thing of the past. Scale buildings, smash windows, fight fires and save lives either alone or with up to four players. Embr is the last stand in a world ablaze.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale – You’re a dog wielding a magic brush! Use painting powers to explore, solve puzzles and make friends in this top-town adventure game. From creators on Wandersong + Celeste.

If you want to know more information, you can find out why these games stoof out in my video below, as well as see some game play!

Video of my Top 10 Demos from the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020!

Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020

The first Steam Game Festival that got my attention was the Winter Edition 2019, where around 8 game demos were available to try for a couple of days. I didn’t make any content about them at the time but I tried 4 of them – Spiritfarer and The Drifter being stand outs – and had a really great time. I loved the whole idea of showcasing some games that you may otherwise not see and was delighted to see the Festival return bigger and better in the Spring.

For the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020 I decided to make some videos. If I remember correctly there were around 40 demos available for 4 days. I played as many as I could, recording the experience, and then made a highlight video of my favorite experiences. I managed to play 20, which are all available to view in the playlist below.

Even though the festival is long over, that doesn’t change my opinion of how much attention some of these games deserve!

Full playlist of the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition 2020, featuring 20 demos!

Top 10 Images of 2019

Screenshots from my gaming year.

Top 10 screenshots from Other years

More Video Game Photography

Can you name any of the games?

Review – Heavy Rain – PS3

Heavy Rain is an interactive drama game in which your decisions affect the outcome. The story is about the Origami Killer, A serial killer who targets young boys and always leaves them with an origami figure in their hand and an orchid on their chest. The story unfolds as you play from the point of view of four different people. Ethan Mars – a troubled dad. Scott Shelby – an asthmatic private detective. Norman Jayden – a drug addicted FBI profiler. And Madison Paige – an insomniac photographer.

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The screenshot feature didn’t exist on PS3

The game starts with a normal day in the life of Ethan to allow you to get used to the controls and then things start to heat up from there. It was so engaging, I really grew to care about the characters and was rooting for a happy ending! Some parts were intense, some parts were emotional and some parts were bad ass! I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

I strongly suggest playing this game through without reading anymore information than that. Don’t look up the best outcome, don’t read any spoilers, I wouldn’t even google the name. I googled a couple of things while I was playing and I’m so pleased I didn’t accidentally spoil it for myself. Use your instincts, make your own decisions and see how it ends for you.

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I played with a regular DS3, the game does have some motion control sections

The game is a set story, you are free to do what you want within reason but whatever you do, the story will keep flowing. You can’t choose the character you are playing, you will play the character whos story you are focused on at that time. You can walk around, hear the characters thoughts and interact with the environment if there is a prompt to do so. It is very much like an interactive movie. The camera angles are set, you can’t manually move them but you can alternate between different views to see different areas of the room you are in. This did remind me a tad bit of the original Resident Evil.

There are three difficulty settings. I thought mine was on moderate but when I had a look it was on hard so I have no idea, you can always go into options and change it if it’s too hard/easy for you. You must stay alert throughout the game. It is played with prompts that appear on-screen telling you what to press and how to press it. Sometimes it’s fast, sometimes it’s slow, some times it’s tap it and sometimes it’s hold it. Sometimes you will get options of what to ask or how to reply to someone in a conversation. Read them as fast as possible and choose one because if you aren’t quick enough the game will sometimes choose for you. Speed and accuracy aren’t my best skills when playing games so I spent most of the fights screaming and hitting the wrong buttons but it is all part of the fun. There was one particular part that I really struggled with the controls, crawling through some tunnels and could I get him to go in the direction I wanted? Could I heck. That was the biggest flaw in the game for me.

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You can tell how new I was to gaming, the thing I am describing above is QTE’s

The music was brilliant, it really set the tone. It got the emotions going at some points and the adrenaline going at others. It was so on point, brilliant. The game wasn’t too long either and kept me hooked the entire time. It took me three good sessions to complete, but once you’ve finished you will probably want to play through again while making different choices than the first time. You can also chapter select to play them out differently and extend the game even further. As far as I know there are 18 endings to find and once you’ve unlocked them all you will win a trophy.

I bought my game second-hand, the box was the normal version but the disk was actually the Move version. I panicked a bit at first as I don’t have a Move controller but once the game had installed (which took a LONG time) I found that it gives you the option between the move and the standard controller.

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Overall, it’s different, it’s haunting, it’s unique and I hope they make many more like it, in the same structure but with different, equally great stories to tell. I love it when a game makes you think long after you stop playing and I am still thinking about it so it has definitely stuck a chord with me somehow!

Only read on if you have completed the game.. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

Continue reading “Review – Heavy Rain – PS3”