What are you currently playing?

[Bartholen]

Are. You. FUCKING. Kidding. Me???????

I've ragged on Halo 1 a lot on this thread, but wanted to make an earnest effort to finish it today. Turns out I can't. I won't. I refuse. This is just unacceptably bad. Dreadful, atrocious, beyond even what low expectations I had. I could take the repetitiveness, the samey levels, the lack of variety, the repetitiveness, the lack of weapons and enemies, the reused assets, the nonsensical level transitions, the constant backtracking, the drawn out gameplay and the repetitiveness. But I will NOT take this fucking final vehicle section that somehow manages to fuck up literally driving in a straight line. I was literal steps away from finally being done with this dreck, and then one projectile kills me, and sends me allllll the way back to the beginning of this absolute diarrhea blast of a final encounter, which was preceded by another equally but differently frustrating encounter. I'm done. Fuck this game.

How on earth did this drivel manage to become one of the biggest games of the PS2 generation? Stupid question, of course it was because of the multiplayer. Even by the standards of its time it's bad for reasons I've already brought up plenty of times. It doesn't even work properly: multiple times checkpoints have just failed to trigger, and the game just straight up lies to and misleads you. The warthog legitimately has probably the worst handling of any vehicle I've ever seen in videogames, putting even the Mako in the original Mass Effect to shame with its lube-coated tires and zero sense of weight or momentum. The plot is simultaneously both simple as sin and impenetrable. The assault rifle is so pathetic I feel I'd be doing more damage with a squirt gun. This game does one of the worst jobs of guiding the player I've ever seen.

Being an old codger on this site I can remember the olden days of endless "Halo sux!!!!11" and "Halo is overrated!!!!" threads. I think I understand them now. It's not just overrated, and not just bad as one of the most significant games ever: it's flat out terrible all on its own. Yuck.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Are. You. FUCKING. Kidding. Me???????

I've ragged on Halo 1 a lot on this thread, but wanted to make an earnest effort to finish it today. Turns out I can't. I won't. I refuse. This is just unacceptably bad. Dreadful, atrocious, beyond even what low expectations I had. I could take the repetitiveness, the samey levels, the lack of variety, the repetitiveness, the lack of weapons and enemies, the reused assets, the nonsensical level transitions, the constant backtracking, the drawn out gameplay and the repetitiveness. But I will NOT take this fucking final vehicle section that somehow manages to fuck up literally driving in a straight line. I was literal steps away from finally being done with this dreck, and then one projectile kills me, and sends me allllll the way back to the beginning of this absolute diarrhea blast of a final encounter, which was preceded by another equally but differently frustrating encounter. I'm done. Fuck this game.

How on earth did this drivel manage to become one of the biggest games of the PS2 generation? Stupid question, of course it was because of the multiplayer. Even by the standards of its time it's bad for reasons I've already brought up plenty of times. It doesn't even work properly: multiple times checkpoints have just failed to trigger, and the game just straight up lies to and misleads you. The warthog legitimately has probably the worst handling of any vehicle I've ever seen in videogames, putting even the Mako in the original Mass Effect to shame with its lube-coated tires and zero sense of weight or momentum. The plot is simultaneously both simple as sin and impenetrable. The assault rifle is so pathetic I feel I'd be doing more damage with a squirt gun. This game does one of the worst jobs of guiding the player I've ever seen.

Being an old codger on this site I can remember the olden days of endless "Halo sux!!!!11" and "Halo is overrated!!!!" threads. I think I understand them now. It's not just overrated, and not just bad as one of the most significant games ever: it's flat out terrible all on its own. Yuck.

Hah... well that's interesting.
I don't like FPS at all but I got GamePass and saw all the Halos so I figured I'd see what the hullabaloo is about and naturally started with the first. Quit half-way through when there is area where I had to cross a bridge and all I had was a little pew pew and they had like armies and tanks and robots and I noped out of there. I just figured it's me- I suck at shooters, and I don't like 'em, and that's just my taste. Interesting to see this reaction from someone else.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I just started Loop Hero (it was part of this Steam bundle with Inscryption and Death's Door).
It's one of those super low-tech computer games so I installed it on my "work" laptop. The setup is that your character literally just walks around in a looping path and fights every enemy on the path. The games does all the fighting. The player is the manager. You place enemies and boons on and around the path with the intention of building up your character, finding resources to build your base, and staying alive. Expeditions end when you decide to quit and take everything home or "die."

It's cute. Seems like one of those games to play while listening to music/podcast or sitting through a boring work Zoom meeting. I was thinking about buying one of Yahtzee's audio books and listening to it and I can do this at the same time. And/or continue struggling with Inscryption.

Meanwhile bake in my Sekiro replay, last night I got up to the Idol next to Lady Butterfly. I didn't have the stomach to face her so perhaps I'll give that a shot today, or check out Death's Door.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Are. You. FUCKING. Kidding. Me???????

I've ragged on Halo 1 a lot on this thread, but wanted to make an earnest effort to finish it today. Turns out I can't. I won't. I refuse. This is just unacceptably bad. Dreadful, atrocious, beyond even what low expectations I had. I could take the repetitiveness, the samey levels, the lack of variety, the repetitiveness, the lack of weapons and enemies, the reused assets, the nonsensical level transitions, the constant backtracking, the drawn out gameplay and the repetitiveness. But I will NOT take this fucking final vehicle section that somehow manages to fuck up literally driving in a straight line. I was literal steps away from finally being done with this dreck, and then one projectile kills me, and sends me allllll the way back to the beginning of this absolute diarrhea blast of a final encounter, which was preceded by another equally but differently frustrating encounter. I'm done. Fuck this game.

How on earth did this drivel manage to become one of the biggest games of the PS2 generation? Stupid question, of course it was because of the multiplayer. Even by the standards of its time it's bad for reasons I've already brought up plenty of times. It doesn't even work properly: multiple times checkpoints have just failed to trigger, and the game just straight up lies to and misleads you. The warthog legitimately has probably the worst handling of any vehicle I've ever seen in videogames, putting even the Mako in the original Mass Effect to shame with its lube-coated tires and zero sense of weight or momentum. The plot is simultaneously both simple as sin and impenetrable. The assault rifle is so pathetic I feel I'd be doing more damage with a squirt gun. This game does one of the worst jobs of guiding the player I've ever seen.

Being an old codger on this site I can remember the olden days of endless "Halo sux!!!!11" and "Halo is overrated!!!!" threads. I think I understand them now. It's not just overrated, and not just bad as one of the most significant games ever: it's flat out terrible all on its own. Yuck.

IIRC multiplayer started with Halo 2, but yeah…it was kinda all Microsoft had so they had to make it a big deal, and pretty much everyone in the review field ignored or overlooked its flaws because it was “different enough” from whatever else was on console at the time.

Hah... well that's interesting.
I don't like FPS at all but I got GamePass and saw all the Halos so I figured I'd see what the hullabaloo is about and naturally started with the first. Quit half-way through when there is area where I had to cross a bridge and all I had was a little pew pew and they had like armies and tanks and robots and I noped out of there. I just figured it's me- I suck at shooters, and I don't like 'em, and that's just my taste. Interesting to see this reaction from someone else.

I barely remember the game other than yeah it was a new take on fps for console, but the repetition, wonky warthog handling and uneven progression left me with a very “meh” feeling by the time I finished it. I seem to recall that bridge area as there were probably a bunch of those annoying flying drone type enemies and the asshats on the space scooters doing drive by’s in a couple other large scale fights that just felt sloppy. I was ready for the game to be done by then, before the Flood stage and all the grey bases they copied and pasted through the back end of it.

Personally Killzone 2 actually felt like a Halo killer for me. Hell even that old game Black from Criterion was. I also hate when console shooters are patronizing to the point they rely on aim assist. If the aiming mechanics are bad enough to need that, then a return to the drawing board is in order.

 

[Bartholen]

Hah... well that's interesting.
I don't like FPS at all but I got GamePass and saw all the Halos so I figured I'd see what the hullabaloo is about and naturally started with the first. Quit half-way through when there is area where I had to cross a bridge and all I had was a little pew pew and they had like armies and tanks and robots and I noped out of there. I just figured it's me- I suck at shooters, and I don't like 'em, and that's just my taste. Interesting to see this reaction from someone else.

The best thing I can say about Halo 1 is that at its core it's a fairly solid FPS. The AI is actually pretty good, the combat arenas are often quite large and open-ended, the core combat mechanics are fine and it requires quick and tactical thinking. It's just about everything else that's the problem. Which is why I'm going to move on to Halo 2, because I want to see how/if it improves with the second iteration.

 

[laggyteabag]

Are. You. FUCKING. Kidding. Me???????

I've ragged on Halo 1 a lot on this thread, but wanted to make an earnest effort to finish it today. Turns out I can't. I won't. I refuse. This is just unacceptably bad. Dreadful, atrocious, beyond even what low expectations I had. I could take the repetitiveness, the samey levels, the lack of variety, the repetitiveness, the lack of weapons and enemies, the reused assets, the nonsensical level transitions, the constant backtracking, the drawn out gameplay and the repetitiveness. But I will NOT take this fucking final vehicle section that somehow manages to fuck up literally driving in a straight line. I was literal steps away from finally being done with this dreck, and then one projectile kills me, and sends me allllll the way back to the beginning of this absolute diarrhea blast of a final encounter, which was preceded by another equally but differently frustrating encounter. I'm done. Fuck this game.

How on earth did this drivel manage to become one of the biggest games of the PS2 generation? Stupid question, of course it was because of the multiplayer. Even by the standards of its time it's bad for reasons I've already brought up plenty of times. It doesn't even work properly: multiple times checkpoints have just failed to trigger, and the game just straight up lies to and misleads you. The warthog legitimately has probably the worst handling of any vehicle I've ever seen in videogames, putting even the Mako in the original Mass Effect to shame with its lube-coated tires and zero sense of weight or momentum. The plot is simultaneously both simple as sin and impenetrable. The assault rifle is so pathetic I feel I'd be doing more damage with a squirt gun. This game does one of the worst jobs of guiding the player I've ever seen.

Being an old codger on this site I can remember the olden days of endless "Halo sux!!!!11" and "Halo is overrated!!!!" threads. I think I understand them now. It's not just overrated, and not just bad as one of the most significant games ever: it's flat out terrible all on its own. Yuck.

The best thing I can say about Halo 1 is that at its core it's a fairly solid FPS. The AI is actually pretty good, the combat arenas are often quite large and open-ended, the core combat mechanics are fine and it requires quick and tactical thinking. It's just about everything else that's the problem. Which is why I'm going to move on to Halo 2, because I want to see how/if it improves with the second iteration.

I recently re-evaluated how I felt about Halo CE after I replayed it this year, and have effectively come to the same conclusion as you have.

As you say, I feel like the actual mechanics of the game have aged quite well, and I love how ambitious the game is, with some much wider levels than was the norm at the time, as well as implementing vehicle gameplay. But a lot of the more linear level design has aged so poorly, that it can be really frustratingly boring to play, for quite a considerable amount of time. The second half of the game is specially bad, because you spend most of your time retreading the same identical hallways from the first half of the game, but with a vastly inferior enemy.

Halo 2 is where I feel like Halo really starts, at least in terms of gameplay consistency with the rest of the franchise. So if you don't get along with Halo 2, then the series probably isn't for you.

 

[Kyrian007]

Alan Wake Remastered (PS4) - I beat the game and all of the dlc on X360 back in 2017. The game's shooting has aged fine and kept basic. It's one of the better shooters from Generation 7, because it acts more like a traditional old-school 3rd person shooter and not the cover shooter most games were doing around the time. AW does have over the shoulder elements, albeit the camera is further out and not zoomed in on Alan's shoulder. The game has passion, and Remedy are clearly big fans of Stephen King horror and the Twilight Zone. I know certain people and critics have made fun of them for this, but at least Remedy are honest about their influence, and where it proud. They have honest passion, and I will take that over something that is fake, shallow, or tries to be something that it is not.

The game does have a formula where mostly every episode you start happens during the day first for some down time, but night comes in and there is where the action-suspense-horror starts. Use flashlight to weaken enemies, shoot with gun, use flare for a get-the-fuck-off-me maneuver, some light "puzzle elements", and some creepy atmosphere.Alan Wake came out first, the light elements reminds me of Shadows of the Damned. Another 3rd person shooter where the it's light vs. darkness, and the light is your life line and best friend. Though Shadows has advantages of featuring more enemy variety, upgrade-able weapons, and actual bosses. Also, it's more of an action-horror game that is a grindhouse fest. Nothing against AW, but when you look up what they had to cut out, it's a bit sad they could not get all they wanted. Rough production cycle and all. Shadows had a rough production too, but got it way worse with EA's involvement, but Suda and Grasshopper were able turn out a decent and fun game. Wake's advantage over Shadows are skippable cut-scenes and better written characters. The characters in Shadows aren't bad, but other than some minor revelations with a certain love interest, no one really develops. Everything ends the same as it began.

The PS4 version is working fine, and I appreciate the frame rate boost, but I had a weird glitch where the V-Sync numbers show up at the bottom right screen for some reason during the middle of the first chapter. Quitting the application, and starting the game again got rid of it. So far it has not popped back up again, but I'll keep an eye out on it. The load times are still a bit too long for a remaster too.

Question: What was with some of the male protagonist fashion sense in 2009-2010? This seemed to be the trend of guy wears suit jacket over hoodie. First Alan Wake, then Makoto Naegi. Really weird; the first is in his 30s, and the latter is 16. I have a feeling it's not just coincidence.

​

I need to get back to Alan Wake. I played through the first couple of chapters a few years ago and then for whatever reason got sidetracked and never got back to it. As far as the hoodie look... The first time I remember seeing that look was in Kevin Smith's 1999 film Dogma. It was a hoodie paired with either a greatcoat or a pea coat. Sports coat or suitcoat is I guess kind of an evoloution of that look... maybe? I thought it was cool looking and still rock that look occasionally to this day, weather permitting.

 

[BrawlMan]

The first time I remember seeing that look was in Kevin Smith's 1999 film Dogma. It was a hoodie paired with either a greatcoat or a pea coat. Sports coat or suitcoat is I guess kind of an evolution of that look... maybe? I thought it was cool looking and still rock that look occasionally to this day, weather permitting.

Right, Alan Rickman's character, The Metatron. It's just weird that the designers of both games decided pick a fashion choice/proto-fashion from then, 10 years ago, for their main character.

I need to get back to Alan Wake. I played through the first couple of chapters a few years ago and then for whatever reason got sidetracked and never got back to it.

Yes, you should; especially now that Alan Wake II is official. You played the PC version or 360? The game is not long, and is a standard 8-12 hours on your first run.

 

[laggyteabag]

I travelled over New Years Eve, so it was just me and my Switch.

I played a lot of Enter the Gungeon, which is a fun little twin-stick shooter roguelike, with all sorts of weird and wonderful guns. Its pretty fun, but I feel like the 3rd or 4th floor were substantial difficulty spike, which almost immediately ended a lot of my runs. But, it fits quite nicely into my collection of Switch roguelikes that I will continually revisit.

I also played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I played it on my PC back when it first came out, following glowing praise from TotalBiscuit. I thought it was okay. I thought maybe I would feel differently about it, now that I have grown up a bit - I still thought it was okay. The story didn't really pull me in, and I thought it was a bit cliche. I didn't really get along too well with the controls, when you are controlling both brothers at the same time, and they are both constantly moving around on screen; i'd constantly forget which stick controlled which.

Lastly, I played a game called Pikiniku, which is this cute 2D platformer. It was quite funny at times, but unfortunately the simplistic mechanics couldn't really hold the game up for as long as the game was. But, it was 99p on sale, and the co-op mode is a fun distraction.

Otherwise, I have been playing Inscryption, which I feel is really cool, but to its own detriment. It is one of those games where it isn't quite as it seems, and the game changes itself around a lot, at one point going from a 3D roguelike horror card game, to a 2D SNES-styled deckbuilder, before returning to a 3D roguelike, that plays quite differently than before. But, whilst these things are cool, it lacks focus, and I feel like this is really detrimental to the overall experience.

I was really gripped by the first act of the game, but it has somewhat lost me now that the game has moved on to other settings/gameplay styles. I just wish that it really fleshed out the first act of the game, though I doubt it wouldn't be quite so cool/special if it had.

Finally, im also playing I Expect You To Die on my Quest 2. Its a spy-themed escape room game. Its quite camp and cheesy, but I was quite surprised by how short the levels are, and how few of them there are. I don't really expect this to have a crazy amount of replayability (whilst the level's solutions are still in mind), but I think it would be something that would be fun to show around to guests.

Nothing has really blown me away so far. Not sure what I will play next. Any recommendations?

 

[BrawlMan]

Nothing has really blown me away so far. Not sure what I will play next. Any recommendations?

• Miles Morales
• Shadow Complex: Remastered
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

 

[EvilRoy]

How long did it take you to reach Act 2? I have started this game and I managed after 5 attempts to beat the 2nd boss, then lost, and having to start over is really disheartening. Granted I didn't stick with Slay the Spire and maybe I just don't have the patience for this CCG stuff, or I'm an idiot or something.

I'm not entirely sure, it's been a little while since I played. Steam says I played the game for 12.7 hours so I would estimate that I spent something like 6 or 7 hours on Act 1 overall. Definitely the first act is the hardest, especially since stuff gets unlocked progressively, so at 5 attempts you may not have fully opened the game up.

I can understand getting frustrated if rougelites aren't your bag, but honestly the best approach here is to just bang your face off that brick wall as hard and fast as you can. Don't agonize over decisions, just work to maximize the good that comes out of the rng. I bet I died around 30 times, assuming I'm playing 15mins or so per run. Won twice.

Main thing to keep in mind is that rougelites have progression, so there is stuff you can be getting to make the game easier. Stand up from the table and rummage around in the guys shit - not everything can be immediately solved, but a few things can and once you get a couple cards and an item the game difficulty drops like a stone. I won't pretend I'm some kind and of escape room master, the tile puzzles pissed me off a lot, but you can just guess and check them to death.

 

[BrawlMan]

Alan Wake Remastered again. Damn, I forgot how long Episode 2 is. Nearly took me an hour and thirty. I noticed this version is a lot more harder than 360 version. The Remastered version is based off the PC version, which both are harder than the original version. I remember people complaining that the 360 version was too easy on Normal mode, but I have no idea what these people were talking about. While I did not die that often (about 3 times total) on my first run, the game was not a walk in the park. Who are these people? Seriously, just play on a harder mode. Okay, the hardest difficulty is locked and can only be completed after beating Normal, but at least Nightmare is still an option. Remastered is not that much more difficult, but I noticed enemies do more damage, and ammo is slightly lower. Taking a break for now.

Before playing, there was another patch update, 1.04. There was a bug that made completing Episode 2 impossible because the lift would clip through the stairs. It's never specified which versions had this happen in. So much for a Remaster if you end up having a glitch that was never in the original version. I did not encounter it, but I am watching out for anything else.

Alan Wake Remastered Update 1.04 Patch Notes (Official) - January 4, 2022

Alan Wake Remastered update 1.04 (January 4, 2021) released on PS4, PS5, and Xbox. Read Alan Wake Remastered 1.04 patch notes.

updatecrazy.com

 

[NerfedFalcon]

I've finished the first half of Genealogy of the Holy War now. Six chapters, 18 castles, about 270 turns in total. My impression of the game hasn't changed that much, though it has gotten slightly better. It's still got great writing and graphics, and it's still got a glacial pace and thinks 'let's put another blob of enemies here' is level design. But it does occasionally pose an interesting strategic challenge that isn't just that the enemy is a lot stronger than you are, and getting to see how your decisions in the first generation affect the kids in the second is worth sticking around for - though after several 10-turn route marches to get to where the game is actually happening, I wouldn't blame anyone for giving up on it a lot sooner than I have.

 

[BrawlMan]

Alan Wake again. Episode 3 is even longer! I am definitely stopping for the night. This episode where they introduce the lamer "enemy" types that are just possessed objects. They're not fun to fight and can be tedious to kill at times. Honestly, I wish Remedy did not even bother with these and gone for more animals possessed by darkness. Way more intimidating and more interesting to fight. The birds get repetitive real fast and it shows what concept they could not get in to the game due to production trouble and time constraints. I am currently on Episode 4 now.

 

[Fallen Soldier]

Alan Wake again. Episode 3 is even longer! I am definitely stopping for the night. This episode where they introduce the lamer "enemy" types that are just possessed objects. They're not fun to fight and can be tedious to kill at times. Honestly, I wish Remedy did not even bother with these and gone for more animals possessed by darkness. Way more intimidating and more interesting to fight. The birds get repetitive real fast and it shows what concept they could not get in to the game due to production trouble and time constraints.

How’s the game so far? I’m not keeping up with your posts about it so lol.

 

[Dalisclock]

Alan Wake again. Episode 3 is even longer! I am definitely stopping for the night. This episode where they introduce the lamer "enemy" types that are just possessed objects. They're not fun to fight and can be tedious to kill at times. Honestly, I wish Remedy did not even bother with these and gone for more animals possessed by darkness. Way more intimidating and more interesting to fight. The birds get repetitive real fast and it shows what concept they could not get in to the game due to production trouble and time constraints.

'

Alan Wake is one of those games I like in theory and even a fair bit of it in practice, but after playing it I was sufficiently done with it and had no urge to ever play it again. I'm not sure why, it just got tedious at times.

 

[Fallen Soldier]

'

Alan Wake is one of those games I like in theory and even a fair bit of it in practice, but after playing it I was sufficiently done with it and had no urge to ever play it again. I'm not sure why, it just got tedious at times.

It’s honestly the story, characters and atmosphere that makes it good. I liked the combat well enough though.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Abzu

A walking swimming simulator from one or two of the people who brought you Journey, which I haven't played, but feels a little bit like a Team Ico game if you remove the gameplay and any of the specificity of the story (Abzu makes something like Ico or Shadow of the Colossus feel almost overwritten). There's no life or stamina or oxygen to manage, no time limit, nothing attacks you and there's almost nothing to interact with. You swim around reefs and underwater coves to a soundtrack soaring with majesty while hanging to fish, if you feel like it, and pushing the occasional button. And that's your lot. A very chill experience that comes with a Medidate button whenever you feel like staring at a pretty screensaver.

 

[Dalisclock]

Abzu

A walking swimming simulator from one or two of the people who brought you Journey, which I haven't played, but feels a little bit like a Team Ico game if you remove the gameplay and any of the specificity of the story (Abzu makes something like Ico or Shadow of the Colossus feel almost overwritten). There's no life or stamina or oxygen to manage, no time limit, nothing attacks you and there's almost nothing to interact with. You swim around reefs and underwater coves to a soundtrack soaring with majesty while hanging to fish, if you feel like it, and pushing the occasional button. And that's your lot. A very chill experience that comes with a Medidate button whenever you feel like staring at a pretty screensaver.

Yeah, Abzu feels like it's vaguely alluding to Sumerian myth(both the title and some of the ruins), but it's very, very sparse and dreamy with some weird sci-fi and ecological themes in there to boot. I really do enjoy it but it's very, very open to interpretation.

 

[BrawlMan]

How’s the game so far? I’m not keeping up with your posts about it so lol.

It's about as good as I remember, but these episodes go on for a long time. Like I mentioned early, I played and beat game on 360 back in 2017. The DLC too, which was free. My problem with some of the episodes is the pacing. In middle of episode 3, when it goes to daylight, you have to drive to the mines. While easy and straight forward, it should have just been a cut-scene. The only reason the driving is there for a collectible and to hear the radio station, if you choose to do so. That said, I still like the game, and find it better than Quantum Break, but man I hope Remedy learn from their past mistakes and improve the sequel. Better and more robust movement, more weapons, and smoother control. Give Alan a better jump. That is a thing noticed with the developers past games, other than Control. They're jumping sucks and barely goes over most surfaces.

Alan Wake is one of those games I like in theory and even a fair bit of it in practice, but after playing it I was sufficiently done with it and had no urge to ever play it again. I'm not sure why, it just got tedious at times.

It's the pacing towards 2/3 in and late game. By that point, you'll see everything the game has to offer and there are not much surprises left, other than the DLC. It's why I am playing it again. It's one of those games you are either never gonna touch again or only gonna play once in a blue moon. I got the PS4 version for free, and was interested. Shadows of the Damned has a similar issue, but worse, because you can't skip cut-scenes. I played that game twice. Once on Normal, and once on Hard, to get the achievements. What sucks for Shadows is that achievements/trophies don't do stack unlocks. Let's say if you beat the game on Hard, it won't unlock the achievements for Normal nor Easy like most games do. After my second playthrough, I was done with Shadows, but still keep in my collection, if I ever wanna play on a whim. Another problem is that there is no new game+; it does hurt the replay value.

It’s honestly the story, characters and atmosphere that makes it good. I liked the combat well enough though.

Exactly why I enjoyed it. Though games Shadows of the Damned or Evil Within 1 & 2 have the better combat and shooting.