[Poll inside] Monthly in a Month #39: The Pride II: The Sequel Edition

What achievement I'll need for the game The Wild Eight for the story to be considered done? On console it has a ending achievement but on Steam I don't see it?

Is the game TIS-100 eligible? I don't see an ending achievement, but on the other hand, there's this.

If I play Lara Croft GO for the challenge, is there an end achievement I am aiming for?

Was thinking about joining this month, but I was having too much fun with Ghostwire, haha.
And I'd probably prefer the hybrid bi-annual since there'd be more chances for games I'd be interested in, and it's been the main reason I check the discussions each month, but the 2 month cycle seems much more wanted, and if people aren't giving too many options to work with, it shouldn't be as big of a deal that way too, lol.

I'm here to kill CHAOS.

Games:

SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE from June 2022 (achievements) - "less is MORE"

The core gameplay is still slick and enjoyable, but the move to make most levels into a roguelite affair feels like the wrong one. Additionally, the story feels bare and numerous gameplay additions, like the minibosses, are frustrating to deal with. For a game whose tagline revolves around the word “more,” it is an unfortunate irony that it does not really deliver.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number from October 2016 (achievements) - “1-800-CLEARED”

I put off Hotline Miami 2 for a long time because I was concerned about the increased difficulty, but felt after Mind Control Delete the iron was hot. Overall, Wrong Number wasn't as difficult as I had feared, but still has some annoying fights in later levels. And when you can chain together a good combo, it's an adrenaline rush to be sure.

Still trying to figure out how I feel about the story, but it is interesting how unapologetic the developers were about giving the game and almost every character a bad ending, and how rare that still is for a fictional story to do so.

And, of course, the soundtrack slaps.

Ryse: Son of Rome from February 2017 (achievements) - “Veni, Vidi, Vici”

Crytek did good work making Ryse feel cinematic and worthy of showing off the Xbox One's abilities, but the combat never really clicked with me. Then again, this type of action (character action?) has never really clicked with me to begin with.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl from March 2022 (achievements) - “Everything is Connected”

Not much to say here. It's a solid enough platform fighter for local play, but wouldn't go out of my way to play it going forward.

The Invisible Hand from May 2023 (achievements) - "The Invisible Hand"

I can safely say this game taught me I shouldn't be a day trader or do risky investing on my own.

As for the game itself, some of the financial debauchery you can get away with is amusing, but the gameplay doesn't really feel like it's fleshed out enough to be something I would come back to.

John Wick Hex from October 2021 (achievements) - “Birthright”

After a couple games that really made me feel like John Wick killing people at a breakneck pace, we get to the actual John Wick game. At first, I wasn't sold on the idea of a tactical game for the John Wick mythos, but after playing it, I can understand how the game is meant to make you feel like the Baba Yaga. Despite that, I do wish there were more options with melee weapons and especially environmental kills, and some of the later missions could be grating with their difficulty.

For the poll, I initially voted “no change,” but the more I think about it, I like the idea of a hybrid schedule with some challenges suited to long games and some suited to short ones. However you run the monthlies/bimonthlies, they are appreciated.

Was there a month with lower number of entries? 🤔😥