You may have noticed I have skipped a month in this series. September was a pretty busy month for me where I wasn't home all that much so I didn't really have a lot of time to play a ton of games. Although I had enjoyed the amount of travel I'd done in September, I was ready for a much more relaxed October which it was for the most part, so that meant I got to spend more time playing my Xbox again. This is what I've been playing this month:
THE WALKING DEAD: THE FINAL SEASON
(Episode Two) (500/1000)
After the cliffhanger ending of the previous episode, I was highly anticipating the next one. Carrying on from the aftermath of the previous episode, it begins with helping AJ redeem himself to the others. It also explores a potential love interest for Clementine and also being reunited with an old, familiar face from Season One and ending with a big fight scene and a loss or two. That's all I spoil for now haha!
I particularly liked how you got interact with some of the other characters we were originally introduced to a lot more in this episode and I liked the different scenes for the potential love interests as they were equally sweet in different ways. There is a stargazing scene which is super pretty and you get to connect up constellations which is a refreshing change of pace, it reminded me of Animal Crossing and I also liked how there's a hidden Easter egg in this scene which shows an old friend from previous seasons.
Again, I find myself really not connecting to AJ's character what so ever. He really annoys me haha! I feel like we are supposed to connect to him the same way we all did to Clem and find their relationship heartwarming the way we did with Lee and Clem but I really can't connect with it at all. Young Clem was frigging adorable whereas AJ is a bit of a little shit and does my head in most of the time haha! I don't think these next episodes will change my mind either but I'll still enjoy the story regardless.
Achievements wise, they are the same as the previous episode where some go along with the story and others you have to actively seek out as they can be missable. It is also recommended to have two game slots saved as some achievements are missable depending on which way you play the story so rather than having to replay the entire episode over again, this is ideal for completing the episode's achievements.
I feel like this episode was a bit of a slow burner with the big intense, dramas happening towards the very end, so you were left playing through the episode and thinking 'ok when is the interesting parts going to kick in soon' or at least I felt that way. I hope it is now paving the way for a more action packed final two episodes.
With the announcement of TellTale shutting down, I wonder how the next episodes will work. I do hope they will finish the game as I'd like to have the closure and also so it isn't a waste of money paying for an unfinished game.
LIFE IS STRANGE 2
(Episode One) (190/1000)
I am hooked already! Ever since I played The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit and saw the trailer for this game, I could not wait for the new LIS2 game to come out and it did not disappoint. The first episode is about 3 hours long but it is really gripping from the start and you really warm to Sean and Daniel instantly. It is an episodic graphic adventure game which is similar to the first game. This time we are introduced to a new story, new characters, new powers, new locations and new additions to choices and gameplay, some of your actions in the game will influence the type of person you younger brother becomes (no pressure). I personally really like that they have gone down this route of having brand new characters and story.
I know Max and Chloe have become iconic from the previous game but I think bringing them back into it would have just ruined the game for me. So far I think I actually prefer Sean and Daniel's characters more from the get-go (don't come for me LIS fans!). Maybe it is due to the how quickly the game builds their characters from the very start, we get to know their family, friends, relationships, interests, personality and social lives as soon as you begin so you instantly connect to them and I find them both really likeable and endearing. So when shit eventually hits the fan, you really empathise with them. As well as the main characters, I also was a fan of Brody, he is a guy who we befriend during the first episode who is one of the kind people we meet and helps us out and I hope he comes back into the game at some point. He also looks the double of both Seth Rogan and Johnn Chiodini from Eurogamer Youtube channel haha!
Beware of a few spoilers here, but I find it a refreshing route to take having the supporting character being the one with powers as opposed to the main character like the first game. I think this will be explored more in further episodes, I'd particularly enjoy puzzle solving that involves you having to help instruct Daniel to use his powers to help Sean.
I also liked the teaser at the end of the episode showing it being winter which means it may tie into Captain Spirit and we get to meet Chris from that game. It also implies that Daniel will start to hone in on his powers and learn to control them, a mechanic again I think will play an important part to this story as it is played.
I also enjoy the new element of sketching certain places in your surroundings (like how Max took photographs in LIS), as someone who used to love to draw and studied art, I enjoy this new feature and try to find all of the sketching spots and will continue throughout the game where I can. Doing one drawing is also an achievement in the different episodes. Speaking of achievements, they are similar to the first one where you get them for completing the episode and for finding the collectables in the game which are souvenirs you can find and pick up during the game.
Also with the addition of Mushroom the dog being brought on the journey adds another layer to the game. As you already feel this huge responsibility of being on the run and trying not to be caught, then having to fend for yourself, while also having to provide for your little brother and THEN the game adds a dog into the mix which I'm all for but you can't help but feel like the struggle will be real trying to look after it.
Will we end up in a situation where we are hiding and then the dog barks and gives us away? Will we be faced with a tough choice where something bad happens to the dog? Those are classic LIS and as much as I love dogs and how we got to play fetch with Mushroom on the beach and everything was all cute and peaceful for a minute. I can't help but feel this cute little dog will pull at our heart strings at some point in the game. I could be wrong and maybe the dog will help us with clues and puzzle solving and it will be a great asset to the game which I'm hoping will be the case.
And finally the game gives us a little Easter egg when Brody offers us a ride. We stop off and have a heart to heart overlooking a small town, which depending on how you played the first game will either show a small lively town with a lighthouse (well my version did because of my choices in LIS to save the town) or a small destroyed town (version I watched on Youtube that saved Chloe). We stop off at Arcadia Bay! The location of the previous game and as you drive off it shows a plaque that says you are now leaving Arcadia Bay (my version) or says to all the lives lost in the storm (save Chloe version). I appreciate DontNod giving us a small nod to the previous game.
Overall I've really enjoyed this episode and I'm so excited to see what the next episode brings. One of the things I find really fun about the build up around this game is reading all the fan theories. I'm curious to see if many of them actually come true. I shall keep you posted. It hasn't been announced yet of the date for the next episode but I'm highly looking forward to it. I've got a good feeling about this game.
CASTAWAY PARADISE
(1000/1000)
For all the Animal Crossing* lovers out there, this is a game for you! After playing more story based games, I was in the mood to begin playing something more light hearted. I first heard of this game through watching Vixella's Youtube channel which at the time was an app (I think), fast forward a few years down the line and I found the game on the Xbox online store for around £8 (I think it has gone up since then) which is cheaper than most. It think the price reflects the game as it's a small game in the sense that the island is pretty small compared to the likes of Animal Crossing's towns and it's pretty easy to play and quick to complete. It is a life simulation game, where you are washed up on an island after a big storm and you complete quests for the fellow islanders, help rebuild the islander's homes, museum and your new home, decorate your home and customise your character, you can grow crops and you can collect fish, bugs and shells to donate to the museum. There's no story line to follow after being washed up on the island and completing the tutorial so you can free roam and play it at whatever pace you like in this very cute and colourful game.
Achievement wise, they are easy enough to get. Although there's a few that take a little more time such as dusting a certain amount of cobwebs and finding new shells to donate as they only show up once a day and only so many appear in one time so it's completely random what you get every day and you sometimes get duplicates for a while until new ones show up, but that's very minor to the game. Overall I enjoyed a relaxing change of pace and being able to play something with similarities to Animal Crossing on my Xbox.
That's all for this month. I'm currently beginning to play Red Dead Redemption 1* after my brother has been trying to convince me to play it for months and after seeing all the hype around the 2nd one, I've finally caved and decided to give it a go. I'm surprisingly myself at how much I'm enjoying it so far but will report back next month with my overall thoughts. I've also recently bought Paw Patrol: On A Roll*. Don't judge me. I know it's a show for kids but I like cute games and its got dogs in it so I will be playing it and enjoying the adorableness. It'll be a relaxing change of pace from RDR1 I'm sure. Also I am highly anticipating the release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy*!! FINALLY!! I can't bloody wait to play this! I'm ready to hibernate until the new year playing that game.
Thanks for reading! & as always let me know:
What have you been playing this month? Have you played any of these games?
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I need to try life is Strange 2! I just finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider xo
ReplyDeleteIt's so good Becca! I'd definitely recommend it if you're into those style of games, I just hope they release the next episode soon, I get far too impatient :'D haha! Oh cool! That looked amazing what I've seen online, what did you think of it? xx
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