... Well, fuck.

Whatever, fuck it. I've already made up my mind... shit, I am not looking forward to this anymore.

I would recommend setting up the second save slot as your practice run on regular Nightmare and once you feel confident with a certain chapter, you then move on to your third save and do it again on Ultra-Nightmare, repeat that process all the way up to Final Sin (the first 3 chapters will be the hardest since you don't have all the fancy gear / upgrades yet). It's a real blessing you don't have to do the entire game in one session like in Wolfenstein 2 and there are no long unskippable cutscenes either.

I'm a good chunk into my 100% playthrough now, I've reached Taras Nabad. Nightmare difficulty has made me rethink my earlier opinion of this game not being as good as DOOM 2016.

I think i might go for an Ultra-Nightmare completion too. The extra lives might make it a lot easier than something like Wolfenstein's Mein Leben.

FYI, Ultra-Nightmare is exactly the same as regular Nightmare, with the only difference being permadeath (the game creates a hardsave at the end of each chapter, which is permanently deleted upon death), therefore Extra Lives mode is not applicable on that setting.

Use the chainsaw when low on ammo. This was something I never knew until someone told me.

The game explicitly teleports you to some sort of tutorial arena where it explains what the chainsaw does, how did you miss that lol

Amazing FPS, it easily ranks as one of the best in the genre, right up there with the original F.E.A.R., beating it on Ultra Nightmare has been quite the experience and while it does at first seem like a much harder version of the 2016 reboot, it's actually a lot easier once it clicks and because of having more options in general. Have yet to start playing the DLCs, I've heard mixed takes on them.

Damn, The Angel of Darkness being included is crazy, though that game requires a lot more effort than high-res textures, I've completed the original after installing all the necessary patches and it has still been quite a jankfest. The fact that it still had the same tank controls in a completely different non-gridbased environment also didn't help.

From the gameplay standpoint, remakes absolutely count as new games, especially Resident Evil games are drastically different from the original counterparts and so is the most recent Silent Hill 2 remake. I suppose you could add a barebones remaster as a replay since it's literally just upscaled graphics, but both the gameplay and the story remain 1:1 the same. I personally still log them as new completions, as long as there is anything new or different at all.

I double-checked the rules and I think I'm allowed to guess again.

I knew this game looked familiar but couldn't quite pinpoint it, but I had an epiphany and remembered that this is actually AI: The Somnium Files.

That it is indeed!

Is it Zero Time Dilemma?

nope

Gone Home

I really liked Inside, it's pretty much Limbo with more than 2 colors, better pacing and less frustrating set-pieces, not too long and very well worth at least one playthrough. Resident Evil 7 is an odd one, I did beat it once on PC but never really felt compelled to come back and do it all over for achievements and what not: it might have something to do with the poor enemy variety, BB-tier guns and just the overall change in tone compared to previous games, though the Texas Chainsaw Massacre angle was quite amusing and the graphics were insane without being too heavy on the system thanks to Capcoms first introduction of their RE engine. Death's Door isn't really my type of game, but what I've seen of it so far might push me to give it a whirl, it's just low priority right now.

Looks like Deception IV Blood Ties/ The Nightmare Princess to me.

A game I would have finished if it wasn't for a couple of extremely annoying stages in the middle.

Bingo

Your image didn't post.

fixed

That's definitely the Unreal Engine 3 and I would have been suprised if it really was Turning Point since I don't remember seeing that location in it so I suppose it's got to be Damnation? Haven't really played it but I do remember seeing the screenshots and being turned off by the same drab color palette lol

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty?

Anger Foot?

Correct!

Hint 2: melee attacks are mandatory in this game

Wild guess but is it Roblox? 😂

Nope, that's way off 😅

Hint: all regular enemies in this game die in 1 hit

Alien Rage?

A highly productive month with barely any stinkers or replays!

AI: The Somnium Files - 38h / 100%
American Arcadia - 7h / 100%
Anger Foot - 19h / 100% - BEST
Deadlight: Director's Cut - 10h35m / 100% (2 playthroughs)
Gone Home - 3h45m / 100% (2 playthroughs)
Resident Evil 2 (1998) - 2h5m (Claire A) - REPLAY
The Chant: The Gloom Below DLC - 4h
The Pedestrian - 5h25m / 100%
Twin Mirror - 13h25m / 100% (3 playthroughs) - WORST
VLADiK BRUTAL - 12h10m / 100%
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - 15h25m / 100% (2 playthroughs)

AI: The Somnium Files is a mystery detective visual-novel-type adventure developed by Spike Chunsoft who are also known for the Danganronpa series which is more or less similar to this game. It's quite a girthy title in terms of length, but every line of dialogue is voiced and you have the option to either stick with the original Japanese VO or have a go at the English dub, which is serviceable at best as it's often the case with anime-anything. The story is broken down into multiple routes, all of which can be accessed via the flowchart option, but you are technically forced to go through them all if you want to view the true ending anyway. There is quite a bit of mystery and the biggest twist is, well, twisted enough to consider it as such, but the writing just comes off as weird and tactless at times: you've got the gritty stuff and then you've got the over-the-top "japaneseness", there are so many scenes where it's supposed to be an emotional setup, only to have one of the characters crack a sex joke, I'm all for innuendos and the like but the awkward timing really ruins the vibe. Aside from the questionable remarks at inappropriate times, there are possibly all QoL features one could think of that I wish most VNs would have by default: you've got characters dossiers and all the other trivia neatly listed in a separate menu, the flowchart not only allows you to quickly jump from one route to the other but it also grants accesst to every single checkpoint, if you've missed something specific. Cutscenes can be sped-up and an autosave is created upon every scene switch, manual saving is available at all times except during some cinematics. The first-person exploration aspect where you can scan the environment for clues and additional commentary as well as the somnium segments are the reason it's not just another VN where you simply hold down the spacebar, the somnium levels in particular are the most creative and fun bits in the game since you're constantly left wondering what the next one is going to be like. I've played the whole thing on the Deck from start to finish as I thought it was made perfectly for such a handheld, it's ran at clean 60fps but it's advised to launch the game via desktop mode to avoid any unnecessary crashes. If the aforementioned issue in the narrative department doesn't bother you, it can easily be recommended.

American Arcadia is an interesting genre mashup developed by the Spanish studio Out of the Blue, a title as well crafted as their previous work Call of the Sea which I've already covered. The game is quite unique for how it blends 2D platforming with 3D first-person segments, all of that wrapped around a Truman Show-inspired setting with a solid voice cast, a really catchy theme song that is also an integral part of the story, a striking color palette and some decent puzzles. The overall presentation is terrific, though the real highlights take place during the final 2 chapters where things truly kick off. The artstyle is very reminiscent of Virginia and the platforming shows bits and pieces of Limbo, especially with how trial & error based some of the levels are. You'll come across the usual UE4 shader compilation stutters, but aside from that, the game performs relatively clean and ends on a satisfying note without becoming a drag. Sadly AA flew sort of under the radar and has not been met with satisfying sales figures despite receiving nothing but praise (I too never knew of its existence until Humble included it in one of the Choice lineups). But this masterpiece is most certainly worth your time and money.

Anger Foot is a hidden gem developed by the South African studio Free Lives and is by far the most fun I've had in August, the first time I've learned about that game was during one of the demo fests on Steam, I believe it was one of the very first demos I came across and I knew since then it'd turn out a hit. Mixing the chaotic nature of Hotline Miami and the fast-paced gameplay from Post Void, it comes with distinct pleasing-to-the-eye visuals, smooth and responsive controls, a kickass and dynamic gabber soundtrack, a not overly bloated campaign and hilarious over the top humor with lots of creative puns in an amusingly twisted setting. It's basically very similar to Fight Knight, except that almost all of your actions are performed using your feet. The game's got a very speedrun-ish feel to it due to how fast you get from point A to point B and how short each level really is, though you won't get through the whole thing as quick if you aim for completing all challenges and unlocking all shoe modifiers, some of which greatly alter the mechanics. There is a tiny problem in terms of balancing in how you unlock the most powerful shoe after beating the first boss, but it doesn't completely break the game: if anything, it makes it even more cathartic to blast through. Some challenges can be quite tough compared to something as straight forward as "score 15 headshots" and there are performance issues (devs are looking into it as we speak), but I ultimately found it hard to put down and never even noticed how quick these 19 hours have passed. A certified banger!

Deadlight: Director's Cut is a short 2D platformer with survival horror elements developed by the Spanish studio Tequila Works (Rime, Gylt, the original release took place in 2012, 4 years later a survival mode has been added and the game has been "repackaged" as the definitive Director's Cut version. I've played it back on 360 when it used to be an XBLA exclusive and thought it was impressive, it's wearing the The Walking Dead influence proudly on its sleeve and combines it with Limbo's cinematic presentation, the fittingly grim artstyle of the cutscenes drive the rather simplistic plot forward and the environments are richly detailed. The many collectibles scattered around each level aren't just that but also contain additional lore, the voice acting is competent and the difficulty is mostly fine, even on Nightmare. The game does come with a fair share of bugs though: sometimes mid-level checkpoints are not saved and you have to redo the entire level if you quit (the longest level is somewhere around 10 minutes), your character can fall through the floor if you reload a chekpoint at a not so convenient time and the platforming feels rather clunky at first, but works as intended if you give it a little time. Nothing super amazing, but I've enjoyed it for what it offered.

Gone Home is one of the pioneer walking sims developed by Fullbright (Tacoma, BioShock 2: Minerva's Den DLC) and released in 2013. This is one of those games where it really pays off going in blind: all I knew is that it was about exploring a gigantic house, nothing else. The game emphasizes environmental storytelling and the execution is superb: if you are into searching for clues through someone elses belongings, it can be a riveting experience. What really stood out to me is the ominous atmosphere and how it felt like playing a horror game: that's something you won't get a taste of if you properly inform yourself. There are no jumpscares, but the sense of being watched is looming around every corner, much like in The Painscreek Killings. There is quite a few things you can interact with and sometimes it's accompanied by commentary that further unravels the story, the voice acting is pretty good, an FOV slider along with some additional modifiers make for a very accessible title and the dev commentary mode adds extra insight on how the whole project came about with neat little secrets. I do think the asking price is a bit too much, but it often appears on sale so if you're into exploration at your own pace and a narrative told by what surrounds you, definitely pick it up.

The original Resident Evil 2.... a no-brainer annual replay and a timeless classic! It warms my heart knowing that some indie developers are still experimenting with the good ol' PS1 survival horror aesthetics (Crow Country, Alisa), but there can only be one OG. It is admittedly my least favorite from the original trilogy (yes, go ahead and grab the pitchforks), but this is mostly related to nostalgia since I've played them in the 3>1>2 order, also being one of the reasons why OG 3 is my all-time favorite. The RE2 mod community is massive and the amount of content at this point is enough to release an extra 3-4 fullfledged entries, you'll probably see some of the better total conversions on my next completion lists. But I've decided to only do redo the canon route for now (Claire A, Leon B). Leon B was going to be included, but I've tried to beat it without saving and foolishly died close to the end. With the Seamless HD textures applied, the pre-rendered backgrounds are refreshingly high-res to gawk at and makes it worth the revisit. The biggest problem with vanilla RE2 is how it's too easy on Normal but daunting on the Sourcenext PC-exclusive Hard mode that I've already cleared years ago, all routes with no saving and highest ranking possible. For a relaxing nostalgia trip, Normal is more than fine and I'm sure the other mods will step up their game in that regard. It's been rereleased recently on GOG with some tweaks and minor improvements, though you won't see anything new if you already have the Sourcenext port installed, but it too comes with full mod support.

The Gloom Below is the only (and thankfully free) DLC for the Canadian AA survival horror adventure The Chant released in 2022. If I wasn't an achievement whore, I probably would have retired it: this very DLC was Brass Token's chance to revamp everything that was wrong with the base game, yet they've made everything even worse instead! Continuing from one of the 3 endings in the main game, The Gloom Below sets out to expand on the already confusing lore of The Chant's universe... by barely explaining anything and turning the game into a string of arenas with massive balancing issues and crappy roguelite elements. I pretty much never pick the easiest difficulty on my first playthrough, haven't done so even once in at least 10 years... but this DLC made me and I could give less fucks. What I really despised about the main game is how everything is essentially running on a timer: stay in one arena for too long and you'll start panicking without being able to defend yourself, the durability of your entire arsenal is far too low, but at least most encounters supplied you with enough resources to BARELY get by. That is not the case in TGB: same shit but you have 3 times the amount of enemies, fuck all to work with and what you obtain is too weak against the enemy type the game throws at you (this is why the RNG bullshit doesn't work here). With the exception of the first and last cutscenes as well as a bunch of lore documents and 2 new weapons, there is nothing new to see here and the environments are much more copypaste / boring to traverse. I never label replays or DLCs as BEST or WORST, but TGB has certainly been the lowest point in August.

The Pedestrian is a 2D puzzle platformer developed by Skookum Arts and released in 2020, so far being the only project said developers have worked on. One might say there is no real story being presented here, but some cracks of clarity start to show towards the final level so it's not entirely without a message, if anything it takes a somewhat unorthodox approach of getting the point across but in an admittedly clever and original fashion game design-wise. Some of the later puzzles can be real brainteasers at first sight, but they can all be solved with a little bit of patience and it effectively understands when to dial down on difficulty for a brief moment and when to pick up the pace. The environments are colorful, the music is relaxing and it does not at all overstay its welcome. Playing it with a controller can be cumbersome and the absense of a simple puzzle reset button can be jarring, but everything else is top tier stuff, especially the satisfying ending: an easy recommendation, once again thanks to Humble for introducing me to more hidden gems.

Twin Mirror is probably DON'TNOD's worst creation yet, an interactive movie so awfully dull it pains me to even write about it. Its strongest quality is the beautiful environments reminiscent of Alan Wake since all the events also take place in a small rural surrounded-by-woods town, the main menu theme is alright and the mind palace mechanic did have potential (very similar to the memory replay segments in Remember Me). But since this is a game that is largely carried by its story and characters, this is where everything falls apart. The writing goes nowhere over the course of the entire playthrough, the characters have either expressionless or uncanny faces and not a single person is memorable in any shape or form, there is barely any music, twists or heights and the cutscenes can't be skipped on subsequent playthroughs which makes achievement hunting extremely unbearable. There's multiple endings, but as you might have guessed it, none of them felt satisfying and to label the story as rushed effort would be an understatement. After Remember Me, Life is Strange and Vampyr, this sure has been a massive downgrade in quality: avoid at all cost.

VLADiK BRUTAL is the most recent Half-like stitched together by one single person and a project I've heard of years ago, it really caught me off guard when I actually saw it on the Steam store for a measly 10 bucks, but after doing some research and considering the possibility that this might be a lot better than one could have imagined I caved and picked it up: lo and behold, this is yet another certified banger! I quickly rediscovered my love for slavjank shooters and VB is exactly that, in all of its glory. It's extremely on the nose with the Half-Life / S.T.A.L.K.E.R. / Metro 2033 stuff, but it's so pleasantly trashy that I can't help but embrace it. Every single weapon here is actually fun to use and with the exception of the crowbar in the beginning, you'll be using all of your firepower: the regular and sawed off shotguns are oh-so-satisfying! The soundtrack is dynamic and fits the action perfectly, the ammo drop system encourages you to be more aggressive and hide less, the post-Soviet environments are illustrated extremely well and the atmosphere, in particular during the calm moments where you get to breathe in the surroundings, is phenomenal. The loading times are fast and the overall length is just right for the asking price, more than that in fact. I've written down a bunch of complaints, but at the time of me writing this paragraph, it's already been patched and fixed, everything except the primitive cannon-fodder AI behavior and the bosses being too easy. Here's to a successful Half-Pife!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is one of the very few movie-licensed action-adventures that came out as genuinely fun to play, though I've already had no doubts since it's been developed by Raven Software, a team that used to pump out one banger after another up until they've been sent to slave their asses off for CoD. It comes from an era of edgy muddy-looking UE3 games with a very recognizable color palette, bloom overload and just straight up unhinged levels of brutality: the wonderful characteristics of the 360/PS3 generation. The fighting mechanics here are not hard to learn or to master, but it perfectly encapsulates Wolverine as a character and what it would be like if you were able to control him, basically rip and tear done right! And it's not just a good time: the whole thing is actually better than the movie it's based on! It does start to get repetitive real quick due to same-ish level assets and a few mini-bosses too many, the cutscenes are not skippable and there are no subtitles. But since it's not an overly long game and some spectacular boss fights along with light platforming are thrown in the mix, I'd say it's a well-rounded package and worth at least 1 playthrough. Since Hard mode wasn't unlocked from the start I had to run through once more (sadly you don't keep your upgrades from the first playthrough), but after deleting the Movies folder and thus "disabling" every cutscene in the game except the ingame-engine ones, I got through it in one session with no issues and had just as much of a blast. This game is what Insomniac should use as a template for the upcoming Wolverine title and greatly improve on its drawbacks.