Moot_Geeza wrote:

Wariospeedwagon wrote:

You need to do the subquests to unlock the final batch of levels.

The Odyssey stages?

31. Ruiner
18th August 2018 - 20th August 2018
A very stylised cyberpunk isometric top down shooter and a jolly good one too.  You play as 'Puppy', a silent, masked man released from captivity by your handler and tasked with finding and releasing your brother.  A thin premise that solely exists to facilitate the mindless violence that ensues as you battle through several areas of a dystopian district, wreaking death with a variety of weapons at your disposal.  A plethora of bosses hinder your path, these can vary in difficulty which is where the frustration can kick in as you learn their attacks and what strategy is required to finish them.  You have a decent moveset though, and you are able to level up and unlock differing perks.  I finished the campaign on normal which was a stern challenge, I started straight on with new game+ which is set to very hard but you keep your level and perks.  I plan to go back and finish NG+ and also try my hand at the speed run.  Highly recommended game. 8.5

32. Call of Duty: WWII
15th August 2018 - 25th August 2018
A very slick and well produced CoD campaign, great looking cut scenes.  A fairly typical outing for the franchise; a bombastic, predictable shooting gallery, throw in a tank section, a plane section, some of WWII's 'greatest hits' scenarios and try and wrap it up in pathos to justify it all.  Not a bad campaign however, just typical of the series.  Multiplayer is again fairly typical, although they've ripped the social hub straight from Destiny and given it a WWII makeover.  War mode is new to the series and is an answer to Battlefield's Operations mode.  As it is objective based it is actually quite fun to play but it lives and dies on the strength of your team you get stuck with so a little luck is required here to be gifted team mates that actually PTFO.  There are a few other quirks to the leveling system this year, netcode can vary wildly and killcams really can highlight this.  I will probably prestige once and play the campaign again on Veteran, maybe squeeze in a few Zombies games and I think that will do. 7

33. Titanfall 2
11th September 2017 - 27th August 2018
As with CoD, another slick, well produced and good looking campaign, although this campaign now differs from the first by not being an online affair.  It suffered from my point of view by my starting of it last year and then not really sticking with it before finishing it recently.  I do plan to go back and do another run through on Master as it deserves this attention.  Probably deserved to sell more than it did although I do believe EA shafted it by releasing it within a congested window, however it improved technically and graphically on the first greatly, albeit with the initial impact of the first now lost.  I dipped into the multiplayer which was again very slick, although I do wonder if the purity of the first game was lost somewhat, the titans also felt a bit more fragile and throwaway than the hulking war machines they were in the first. 8

34. Halo 4
13th December 2015 - 29th August 2018
Nigh on three years it's taken me to go back, it was the level Shutdown that did it for me, zapped all enthusiasm I had for this game.  If memory serves me correctly until this level I was doing OK, the level or two before might have been when the rot started to set in, when battling the Forerunners really does begin to bog you down.  Shutdown just killed it for me, and I turned it off.  Tempted back by the news of MCC hitting Game Pass and of the 4k update, I decided to crush this bug that had crawled up my arse.  Loaded up Shutdown, and after some initial teeth gnashing and some fresh tactics, I beat it and pushed through till the end.  Bad enemies the Forerunners, a real grind to go up against, plus the game just makes you feel so vulnerable (on Heroic), too much sniping, hiding, waiting for shields to recharge to be any fun.  Not horrendous but not a highlight, looks cracking though.  Done.  6.5

35. InnerSpace
1st September 2018 - 2nd September 2018
You play Dennis Quaid, a naval pilot miniaturised and mistakenly (and hilariously) injected into the body of gorky, unassuming store clerk, Martin Short, while a pre annoying Meg Ryan hangs around waiting to turn into a bitch in years to come- oh no wait, that's Innerspace... this is InnerSpace, where you play Dennis Qua-.  Whilst maybe not the game of the film, this does share some similiarities to the film.  You are a small craft, able to fly through the air or submerge under water, your goal to release the demi gods imprisoned within the Inverse, an outside in inside out world.  Part puzzler and part exploration, you explore various regions of the Inverse and must unlock the demi god for each area before assisting with its release.  At several times during this game, I felt like a miniaturised Dennis Quaid, navigating the arteries and cavities of a befuddled Martin Short, the sometimes fiddly controls and camera bouncing me from pillar to post.  Beautiful in parts, confusing in others, this was a game with a message, possibly ecological, but it was pleasant and worth the 12 hours I spent with it. 7.5

Gremill wrote:

The Witcher 3 - 214 hours. Pretty much my favourite game on Xbox and in my top 3 of all time. Absolutely loved it - incredibly detailed world full of amusing and b-movie acted characters (which added to my enjoyment) in a game slyly aware of the ridiculousness of its own genre. Great quests, great graphics, great soundtrack, easy to play and therefore very relaxing just spending time in the world. Really, really loved it. That’s the main story and all of it’s side quests and treasure hunts done - into Blood & Wine and Hearts of Stone next. 10/10