Pat's Dank Gaming Gulag of Wonder

[Pat]

Hello and welcome to my (as the title says) Dank Gaming Gulag of Wonder!

Thought it would be fun to log a bit more of my in-depth thoughts about what I play, and not just the typical single-player campaigns that I log on my profile. I'll basically be updating periodically whenever I complete a game or just have general thoughts.

I haven't streamed in a while, but I'm considering getting back into it. Check out some of my VODs at twitch.tv/kylostrawberry

I mostly play:

>Console games
>Single-player campaigns
>Horror, Survival Horror
>New AAA releases
>Indie PC titles

Let me know if you have any questions

CURRENTLY PLAYING:
Golf With Your Friends, Series X
Halo 3 (MCC), Series X
Call of Duty: Cold War (MP), Series X
Kona, Series X
SMITE, Series X

ON DECK:
Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Series X
Left 4 Dead 2, Series X
Half-Life 2, Series X
Psychonauts, PS5
The Last Of Us Remastered, PS5
Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Xbox 360

10 MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED:
Layers of Fear, PS5 (2h 32m) - 6.5/10
Detroit: Become Human, PS5 (9h 50m) - 8.75/10
Resident Evil VIII: Maiden, PS5 (23m) - 7/10
Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, Series X (9h 33m) - 8.75/10
Astro's Playroom, PS5 (1h 20m) - 7.5/10
F.E.A.R., Xbox 360 (8h 27m) - 7.8/10
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Series X (4h 29m) - 6/10
Catherine, Series X (10h 37m) - 9/10
Halo 2: Anniversary, Series X (4h 57m) - 8.75/10
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, Xbox 360 (12h 46m) - 6.5/10

TOP 5 PLAYED THIS YEAR:
1. Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005), Series X - 9/10
2. Catherine (2011), Series X - 9/10
3. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (2017), Series X - 8.75/10
4. Detroit: Become Human (2018), PS5 - 8.75/10
5. Perfect Dark (2010 Re-Release), Series X - 9.5/10

 

[Pat]

First entry on WS!

> Completed F.E.A.R. in 8h 27m.

7.8/10

A really fun game that didn't age super well.

F.E.A.R. is a really creative FPS that bears the motifs that we come to expect from Monolith games, who might be my new favorite developer. While the story can be a bit confusing, the best part of the game is the creative gameplay that really switches up the AI and take a more methodical approach to firefights rather than just running in and shooting everything.

As I said before, the story can be a bit confusing, and with no subtitles it can be really hard to understand some of the transmissions or character dialogue. But in the end, you get a pretty good idea of what's happening. Curious to see where the second game leads.

There are some really tense moments that catch you off guard, but I was never really that scared by the game. Yeah, it'll flash some pictures at you, but it was never too intense to play like Condemned was.

There are also some frame rate issues with the Xbox 360 version. Occasionally during just normal progression you see frame skips below 30 FPS, which I just don't think is acceptable. While I gave this an 8 in terms of what will be counted, I think it's kinda generous considering those graphical issues.

But still, I'd recommend F.E.A.R. It's a solid game with an interesting story and a really "break the mold" type FPS. Check it out if you haven't, but I'd recommend PC so you can use headphones and not have frame issues.

> Started Resident Evil VII: Biohazard and am about an hour through. Pretty interesting game that I can tell is trying to work like PT. Curious to see where it goes.

> Unretired Astro's Playroom. Finished two of the worlds, but just wanted to finish it to see what else it had. Cute little game.

> Friend expressed interest in playing through Halo 3 again so I'm co-opping it with him.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

FEAR is a pretty good series from what I've seen. I'm glad ya took my suggestion to make this here. I'm sure Grim will get a nice kick out of this thread.

 

[Chris]

Pat putting in work

KIF encouraging others to put in work

 

[Pat]

> Finished Astro's Playroom in 1h 20m.

7.5/10

A fun, quirky little game that shows off exactly what the new Dualsense controller and the enhanced hardware of the PS5 can do. It's a very barebones game with easy platforming but is really a cool little trinket that also goes through the history of Playstation. Don't pass this up if/when you do get a PS5.

> I am about 3 hours through Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, and as someone how likes atmospheric horror, this thing doesn't really scare the pants off of me, but boy, it is tense almost the entire time. Even if no enemies are spawning or you've cleared a level's boss, you still hear the creaks and bustles of the old house, feeling like someone is there with you. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a tiny bit scared from the sound of my own footsteps. I've heard this game can fall off near the end though, so we'll see if it keeps it's muster all the way through.

 

[Pat]

> I am nearly six hours through Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. I don't think the game is the scariest thing in the world, but it scares me specifically because I have a deep phobia of insects with stingers, which are feature prominently in a specific part of the game. Not only that, but RE7 employs what I call "soft" jump scares. These jump scares are scary looking enemies appearing out of nowhere, advancing toward you. This plays on your adrenaline and quick decision making to intensify you, and it's effective. However, it's not scary, per se. The game doesn't creep me out, but merely just plays with my adrenaline the entire time which does make for a pretty tense and stressful gameplay experience.

RE7 is the only campaign game I'm playing right now, so that's all the updates for now!

 

[Pat]

> Finished Resident Evil VII: Biohazard in 9h 33m.

8.75/10.

Holy cow, what a game.

RE7 is one of the best survival horror games ever made, and makes a very concerted effort to bring something new to the genre. With so many references to older horror movies, hardcore horror fans will have a great time with this.

Combat works well. I didn't have to conserve ammo a huge amount, but it's definitely something you have to be aware of. Walking through doors and in general moving about the map is intense. The game pumps in random creaks and house noises that make you double take whenever you hear them. Really well designed.

While the game isn't necessarily scary per se, it is indeed intense. Personally, I have a strong phobia of insects with stingers, which are featured prominently in a specific part of the game. Again, I don't find it "scary," I wasn't creeped out or anything, there are just moments that make you hold your breath and brace for impact.

The story itself is quite interesting, with a good payoff towards the end. Don't want to spoil anything, but I'd recommend sticking it out if you start it. If you've got Xbox Game Pass, this game should be required reading. Highly recommend.

> Finished Resident Evil Village: Maiden Demo in 23m.

7/10

Hard to give a 20 minute game anymore than a 7, but I really enjoyed what I played. The demo was a little buggy with some frame rate issues, it nearly crashed my PS5. However, there is certainly a spine-chilling moment or two in this demo.

One thing that I hope isn't in the full game is the ridiculously way too loud noise that plays when you pick up an item. It was almost like picking up an item was a jump scare itself.

Super excited to see the full version.

 

[Pat]

> Started Kona, a first person puzzle game for Series X that has started off rather meh. About 21m through it and it just feels like a worse version of Call of the Sea. You walk around exploring environments while simultaneously battling the elements and starting fires to keep warm. I might finish it, but we'll see.

> Started Detroit: Become Human on PS5 and love it so far. I am 3h 26m through it. I'm a huge fan of the Until Dawn genre of free-roam, choice-based, relationship building games. The thing I like about Detroit is it seems a little bit more forgiving when it comes to certain choices. One bad choice or missed button doesn't immediately kill a character. Still, I love the story and the automation/machine learning issues are really quite interesting. I have to wonder if Andrew Yang simply just played this game and decided to run for president.

 

[Pat]

> Finished Detroit: Become Human in 9h 50m.

8.75/10

Detroit is a pretty huge game that expands upon the idea Until Dawn brought to life in a more linear, choice based game. I honestly think, while I like Until Dawn's story a little bit better, Detroit's gameplay is the best of the genre because the QTE don't have MAJOR consequences if you miss one or two, and one bad decision doesn't ultimately cost you the good ending.

All of the characters in this game are really detailed. There's tons of character development, and I feel like I know each character's motivations and reasoning for their actions by the end of the game, which is a sign of great storytelling and writing.

Not only those things, but it's a great commentary not just on automation, but how the working class really are just slaves to their jobs, much like the androids of the game, with their owners representing the wealthy that keep them there.

A really solid game that I highly recommend to anyone with a Playstation.

 

[Pat]

> Finished Layers of Fear in 2h 32m.

6.5/10

While Layers of Fear demonstrates a really interesting premise, you can tell the game is not as polished as some of Bloober's other stuff. I personally enjoyed Blair Witch quite a bit more than this one, just because there are little things they got right that time.

In Layers of Fear, there is a bit of a choppy frame rate. The game is capped at 30 FPS, at least on the console version, and I feel the experience would have been much more immersive if 60 FPS was supported.

Images on the screen can really strain your eyes. Lots of flashing, fast moving, and bright colored images. Not only that, but a decent portion of the game is super dark (meaning you can't see a damn thing) which make you have to look really closely to try and figure out where you're supposed to go.

However, Layers of Fear does a great job in making jump scares actually meaningful. While I typically hate jump scares, these ones are built for a reason and don't seem cheap in the slightest. Even though the player cannot actually die in the game, the jump scares still retain their value which is pretty impressive.

The story is pretty interesting. Not top of the line, but interesting.

I think the best part about Layers of Fear is its sound design. Excellent soundtrack as well as environmental noises that keep you on your toes.

Overall, if you have the time, I'd recommend Layers of Fear. It's a decent game, but if you're a gamer strapped for time, I'd pick Blair Witch over this one.

 

[Chris]

I'll comment more one day when you play a game I've actually played but these are good reads, keep them up

 

[Pat]

Haven't update in a while, but I'll say what I'm playing mostly.

-PGA 2K21 on Series X
-COD: Cold War on Series X
-Left 4 Dead 2 on Series X
-Condemned 2: Bloodshot on Xbox 360

There's still a lot that I want to play, but man it can be hard to start a game, especially when you know it'll take 11 hours to complete.