-0.5 AC Shadows DLC
-0.5 AC Odyssey: The Fate of Atlantis (already have on PS4 but the price of it took me over the promo limit on the Ubi store to get 50% off)
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Lol think I’m not miles from finishing Sherlock Chapter One so fingers crossed I can get back to zero!
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When we’re saying expansion passes count as -0.5 per DLC, does that happen when the expansion pass is bought or when the DLC comes out?
Just thinking about The Outer Worlds 2 early access which I’ll need to buy (probably just the GP upgrade, so +/- 0 for TOW2 itself) so I can play it while I’ve got annual leave - will it count as -1 right away or next year when the DLC actually arrives?
Hoping I can get up to the giddy heights 
of +1 or even +2 by the time TOW2 is out so I should be OK either way…
It would count when it’s bought.
I think there’s a lot of us who’ll get a -1 around the same time, I know I am 
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Cheers - hoping I’ll knock a few off by then anyway.
Realised my biggest gaming time of the year is my December annual leave from 12th Dec till 4th Jan, when the challenge is mostly stopped lol, but it’s OK as I’ll most likely still be playing TOW2 as I generally 100% Obsidian games 
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Heh, that’s unfortunate. But yeah, try to fit in some GP-games that doesn’t count in that time slot is probably optimal
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+1 Thimbleweed Park
Started this one a few times and I loved the humor but just wasn’t in the mood or something. Started over and finally played through, it has a great story and I really enjoyed it. Especially loved the jabs at Sierra Online and Lucas Film getting referred to as Mucas Flem.
+1 Minecraft Dungeons
Finally after a long time of grinding to get higher levels and gear went and completed the base game on Apocalypse and finished my achievements for that. I love this game and would love to see another one.
+1 Urban Flow
A puzzle game controlling traffic lights and directing traffic and trying to prevent crashes. Some of the levels were really easy and I’d get them first try, and some I’ve played dozens of times trying to get three stars. Have completed all the main levels and snow flow and several of the Endless, along with a few of the well named challenge levels. Timing and keeping track of everything can get really hard, but this was pretty fun. Has some annoying achievements like playing for a long time with no crashes and for 6 hours in endless mode.
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Mon… no, Tuesday! Oops. Well here’s the updated leaderboard:
The Leaderboard:
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@Knottian 28
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@SilentJay76 18.5
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@Zip 18
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@MasterLeePhD 15.5
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@profjjj 9
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.@ Mort 7.5
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@vrinn 4
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.@ AbhorredGunt 0
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@Widey85 -1
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-1 Silent Hill f
Total = 4
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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided +1
Another game I started in 2017 and never finished. Most of my time back then was probably devoured by PUBG. I enjoyed Mankind Divided, but not as much as Human Revolution or the original. Not sure why - maybe the location just didn’t grab me.
There’s a lot of waffling, and I found myself skipping some of the dialogue, if I’m being honest. Also, the game just ends when you think you’re only at the halfway point.
Gameplay-wise, though, it’s superb! Crazy that, out of all the games I could be playing, the original remaster randomly gets announced.
Oh! Having DLC like consumable items permanently disappear from your inventory once used is a joke.
DLC
System Rift +0.5
A Criminal Past +0.5
Breach +0.5
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+1 Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
+0.5 M for Mystery DLC
+0.5 Mycroft’s Pride DLC
Not counting the other smaller DLCs, but completed everything - took just under 40 hours including the treasure hunts and coin collection.
Really, really enjoyed it, annoyed at myself for leaving it in my backlog for over a year before trying it - love the banter with Jon, the deduction and puzzle solving and the incredibly fast loading.
The open world might not be quite as lively or fleshed out as a AAA game, but it’s a solid, really well made game with a great story, pretty enough graphics and clever mechanics.
It’s a bargain on sales or Cdkeys / Loaded nowadays so definitely recommend it - I’ve already got most of the other Sherlock games but this is the first I’ve stuck with and I’m very tempted to jump into them, even though I’m trying to clear the decks ready for The Outer Worlds 2…
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This is one of those games that I’ve wanted to finish, and wanted to love as much as its predecessor. Your review makes me even less excited to beat it, but I’ll get to it one of these days. What happened to Eidos over the years has been nothing short of a tragedy - they’ve made some of my favorites over the years.
On another note, I finally started going through the rest of the DS Castlevania titles in the Dominus Collection (I loved Aria and Dawn of Sorrow, but missed out on the two remaining DS games). Order of Ecclesia might just have become my new favorite though… you’re able to rescue cats throughout your journey 
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Time for another update! Very intense competition in places 2-4 atm! Thumbs up also to @Widey85 who clawed their way back into the light this week
The Leaderboard:
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Oh boy, am I about to have a lot more gaming time 
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Thanks! 
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Haven’t checked in here for a while. I basically haven’t played anything at all since early September, due to mental health issues and vacation. Tried to get into South Park: The Stick of Truth before my trip, but couldn’t manage more than about 30 minutes a day. I just felt completely drained. It’s surprising how much more “exhausting” gaming is versus just watching TV.
Anyway, I had a nice vacation on the German coast, visited some family, increased my meds in the meantime, and ready to get back into it. Started with about an hour of South Park last night. So hopefully getting back on track.
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Glad that you’re feeling better!
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+.5 - Mass Effect Legendary Edition: Mass Effect 1: Bring Down the Sky DLC - I remember when this DLC was released, very early days for console DLC and I recall plenty of complaints about the size of it compared to the cost. As packaged in the Legendary Edition, those concerns don’t come into play but I would argue it’s still largely a superfluous addition - given the gravity of the DLC’s scenario (no pun intended), it’s a shame it’s so small, has no impact on the greater story, and offers no major worthwhile rewards. 5/10
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+1 - Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and Lion King: Aladdin - I owned the original SNES version back in the 90s, and I feel like this was a classic example of that small window in the 90s where licensed games were being made well, and by competent teams. This game is still just as solid a platformer as it was then and the cave of wonder escape is still rage-inducing
8/10
Total = 29.5
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+1 The Suicide of Rachel Foster
When I upgraded my PC finally last year, I went back and claimed loads of games I’d got through Humble Choice, and this was one.
The premise is interesting and despite being quite spooky / atmospheric in places (I’m not much of a jump scares / horror fan and I coped) it was more of a look around and investigate things game.
The voice acting is good and it managed to surprise me in places - just to confirm, it’s set decades after the events so it has the benefit of distance to avoid being something too harrowing to get through.
The warning at the start mentions themes of grooming and abuse so I was expecting an emotional game which handled it all very sensitively - the initial letter from the protagonist’s mother describing both the father and Rachel in vindictive terms was a little jarring (given the latter is a victim) but is unfortunately an emotional response that can occur in these circumstances so it did seem they may be going for realism and the horrible impact such situations have on the innocent, both the victim and the families and community.
It did seem like that was the case for much of the game, but unfortunately while the climax is satisfying the ending feels forced, and without giving too much away they use a supernatural / mystical explanation (that admittedly could be pure wishful thinking and further manipulation) that sidelines the grooming and predatory nature of her father.
Since finishing I looked online and discovered the ending is quite controversial for that reason - there is an argument they respect the player’s intelligence that you can see the manipulative behaviour and the cycle of trauma and are meant to be left feeling uncomfortable and unhappy, but it doesn’t feel like that’s the whole explanation and they just haven’t done the story and victims of similar incidents justice.
Overall, it’s thought provoking, intriguing and disturbing - but I can’t really recommend it as it doesn’t really treat the subject matter with the seriousness it deserves - the voice actors try their best and the trauma is evident, but there’s too much explaining away behaviour without it being challenged to the point you’d sometimes think the victim was an adult in their 30s not a child of 16 escaping a tyrannical strict father who needs support not seduction.
So with regret (unless someone has created a mod which corrects the ending and provides context and appropriate responses) I’d say avoid despite I’d imagine the best intentions of those involved tackling difficult subjects.
Sorry for the bleak review!
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