Daerphen


Challenge me! Monthly Edition


And here comes Round #3. This month we are not starting late like the previous. Since we currently have our monthly theme with all those lovely game series, we like to ask pickers to select at least 1 game from a series. There is still time to complete your challenged games from the previous round.

There is one change to this round. Please don't ask a specific person to challenge you. We have seen this trend in the last round a lot and would like to see, how it goes without.

The main goal of this is of course to motivate you to reduce your backlog and help you pick some games to do just that. And you can help others do the same!
If you've used the Steam group forums at all, you may have also seen a suggestion about profile badges, including participation badges for themes. We thought for this additional and hopefully regular) event, we will give out two permanent badges that basically level up the more you participate, one for finishing challenges (up to 2 per month) and one for issuing challenges/picking for others. Since badges are still quite a ways off, we'll keep an internal spreadsheet for now, so if we ever implement that, your "progress" won't be lost ;)

This round will last until October 15th.


Post your application for this month’s challenge as a reply here. Please before doing so, read the corresponding section below. Also, if you decide to pick games for others, read the corresponding section before you do so. If you encounter any problem with the games that were picked for you (either technical or if you think they don’t follow the guidelines) and can’t solve it with your picker, please leave a message as a reply of the first comment.


Applicants’ guidelines

  • Please make sure your games are sorted by completion before applying.
  • If you so desire and you have at least 5 unplayed SG wins, the 5 games can be picked out of your SG wins (instead of only 2/5). Just note it in your application comment.
  • Note in your post if you're ok playing multiplayer only games.
  • Same for Early Access (I know some people want to wait for release).
  • When you finish one (or more) of the games picked for you, please post an update by replying to your picker's comment.
  • If the game has achievements, you can link to either the Steam or Astats page corresponding to your progress.
  • If the game doesn't have achievements, please post a screenshot showing your completion.
  • Finally, if you have completed all the games that were assigned to you but want another go at it, feel free to post another application.

Pickers’ guidelines

  • You can pick for/challenge up to 2 fellow assassins, please refrain to pick more so everybody who wants get a chance at it.
  • You can pick for anybody who has applied and hasn't been given a list yet, unless they specified otherwise (see next point). It is recommended to signal with a "reserved" comment that you're currently picking for that person. This way it'll avoid the situation where you spend time picking games just to come back to somebody's comment 2 minutes prior.
  • Please use the following criteria when picking a list for somebody.
  • Length-wise: at least 2 short games (under 10h to beat) and 2 medium (under 15-20h). You can use HLTB to check the time, or more conveniently the Enhanced Steam browser extension (it shows the HLTB time directly on the game's steam page). That rule can be overridden by the bottom (i.e. pick 5 short games) but not the other way around, as not everybody has the same time to dedicate to gaming.
  • Pick two SG wins unless the person specified SG wins only, in which case pick only in the applicant's SG wins list.
  • Quality-wise: at least 3 of the 5 games should have a positive (or above) rating. You can use this site to quickly sort games in a user's library by ratings (thanks to JaffaCaffa for the suggestion).
  • Please, respect the applicant's choice regarding multiplayer-only and Early access games, as well as other requests (exclusion of certain genre etc.).
  • Please use the code below to post your comment, it's already formatted, you just have to copy/paste & complete the data.

For Pickers. Just copy paste and complete the data :)

* [GAME#1](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#1-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#1-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#2](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#2-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#2-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#3](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#3-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#3-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#4](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#4-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#4-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#5](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#5-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#5-HLTBTIME

FAQ

Do I have to participate in this event?
No, this is an event to help you reduce your backlog. If you already have a plan and don't want anyone to pick games for you, you're free to ignore it.

What happens if I don’t participate in the event?
Absolutely nothing.

What happens if I play all the games picked for me this month?
Still nothing. (You might get a shiny profile badge at some later date. And you can come back for another batch.)

What if I don’t have time to play 5 games?
Don’t worry, one is enough, we’re just asking the pickers to select 5 to give the player a little choice.

One of the game picked for me won’t run on my computer for X or Y reason, what do I do?
If this happens, please notify the picker by replying his comment and ask them to pick a replacement. If the original picker don’t give you an answer within 24h, don’t panic, just leave a comment and we’ll pick one for you. Meanwhile, you could try one of the other picked games if you haven't played them all yet.

I played all 5 games that were picked for me and I want more!
If you have completed all 5 games and reported your completion to the original comment, you can make a new request for another list.

When picking for other people, can I only pick “never played” games?
Not necessarily, you can also pick games that seem to have been abandoned but haven’t been categorized as “won’t play”. No beaten or completed games, or games being currently played obviously.

Why are there so many rules for picking the games? I can’t be bothered!
We’re trying to make this enjoyable for everyone so if you decide to pick games for others, please read and follow the rules. I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for the pickers too, but if it’s bothering you too much, remember you don’t need to pick games for others to join the challenge.

I’m new here, can I join the challenge?
Yes of course (and welcome to BLAEO). Please just be sure to have your games sorted by progress before signing up for the challenge, to make it easier for your picker.

Daerphen

Reply here, if there is a problem to this event.

kiseli

Not a problem, just something i noticed :)

First you say

Please don’t ask a specific person to challenge you

And then in Pickers’ guidelines

If the person has specified somebody particular to pick game for them

So i believe 2nd one is there due to c/p from previous month’s rules :)

Daerphen

haha, yes. I deleted the according line from the applicant guideline, but not from the pickers. Thanks for pointing out

Joe

Daerphen, I have to ask about the new rule change of not allowing people to choose who is picking their games. I’m sorry but I do not see the need for this at all? Considering the feedback from the previous event about restrictive rules and now you’re introducing more restrictions here too, when the Challenge Me has been running perfectly fine without them, seems bizarre and unnecessary. Why should it matter who is picking the games? I don’t believe there has been a problem in previous events with people not having their games picked for them? As long as people are following the “Pickers’ guidelines” then what’s the issue? I’m sure you have a perfect explanation which I’d be happy to hear! This is meant to be after all, as you say, just motivation to play games in our backlogs based off other peoples’ recommendations, why be restrictive of that?

Daerphen

would like to see, how it goes without

We just want to find out how it works without. This is not a restriction in my opinion. It is just meant so that everybody has the same possibilities who challenged whom. In the last round there were I think 5 people, who wanted to be challenged by the same person.

Edit: Oh and I forgot, we had a few situations where Person A picked for B and B picked for A. The intention of a challenge is, that a random person challenges you with games, you might have forgotten or are a bit outside your comfort zone. With “forcing” the randomness by not allowing the choose your picker we think there might be a bigger chance, you discover new nice games in your library.
Like always, we are not perfect. But when we keep the rules always the same, we never know if it would work better with slightly adapted rules.

Joe

Haha come on you can’t be serious! How is this not a restriction, you’re preventing people from choosing games for their friends. I’m only making a big deal of this as I love the Challenge Me, it’s a great idea and I’ve taken part in all of them so far, so it just comes as a huge shock when I saw your new rule, and I’m not convinced there is a good reason for it. “Just to see what happens” is not a reason, what’s there to find out? I don’t think there is any difference between a random person choosing or a friend choosing, it’s not like we’re picking games for ourselves, they may have a better sense of likes and dislikes but I think the choices are just personal recommendations from the chooser, not deliberately chosen games to fit with the person’s comfort zone. And more importantly it should not matter, that new game discovery is there either way. Please be reasonable, there is no need for this change.

Also “Person A picked for B and B picked for A” is just called being polite… and thankfully people are still doing that.

Daerphen

there is a huge difference between friends choosing and someone total unrelated. If I know you for a long time, I know exactly what you are playing and will likely choose similar games. Maybe your friends are different.
And why is it so important to know before you get challenged by whom you get challenged?

Joe

I actually think the opposite is true, if I know someone only plays certain games then I’d be more likely to give them something else to try as long as it was something I enjoyed, which from the sounds of what you’ve said is exactly what you’re after. But anyway, in my case from the three times I’ve had someone challenge me, only one of them being a friend, I got a wide range of genres from all of them that introduced me to some great games, there was no difference between them and I’m sure that example would apply to everyone that has taken part.

Are you really asking that question? It’s just a nice thing to do? People ask for game recommendations all the time? If you have someone in mind who you want to see what games they enjoyed and would recommend then why should that be restricted? I believe people choose games as recommendations, they want to see if someone else likes the game as much as they did, so it does not matter if you know them or not.

I had a look at last month to see how “bad” it was and only found one person that got asked 3 times (not 5, the other 2 were her own choices). Yes there were cases where people were asking for someone in particular, maybe that provides an indication that it’s perfectly normal and something people like doing, why change that?

Daerphen

wow, I didn’t know that it such a big problem for you, that we ask perhaps only this time, that you don’t chose your picker. Is it so false of us to experiment with the rules for the challenge me? I guess you can still find a way to chose your picker, just not officially. Perhaps I had it wrong in my mind, looks like I am still right with the number 5, just in a different combination.

Perhaps you find it more reasonable with this point of view: As you can read in the main post, we want to implement those badges anytime in the future. Now there will probably be a badge for picking or taking a challenge. Now imagine everyone is writing “Please let xyz pick for me”. Can you image how hard it is for someone, who don’t have close friends in here, but want to pick for someone. But since all posts are reserved there is no chance to pick for someone?

If you have someone in mind who you want to see what games they enjoyed and would recommend then why should that be restricted?

Well, if you want a recommendation from someone, just ask them. If you want a recommendation from me, there is no need to wait for the next challenge me, I can always browse your list if you want. I am sure a lot of others would do the same.

mandrill

Well, if you want a recommendation from someone, just ask them.

That. And I really don’t see the reason to get so worked up about the whole thing.

Joe

Haha yes I’m surprised as well, I usually try to avoid getting involved in these things but like I say I like this challenge. I’ve already seen a few people have to find other ways to get their games chosen from someone so it’s equally surprising I’m the only one to raise this complaint with you. Experimenting just for the sake of it when the challenge has been running perfectly fine previously is always going to raise questions… and this one in particular just seems a step too far in my opinion.

Yes I can understand the scenario and I agree that would suck… but has that been a problem? No. It’s not like everyone has been asking for someone specific, and it’s not like everyone has been having difficulty getting games chosen for them. There is no need for this change.

That’s a fair point but surely that’s the whole idea of this challenge, to get recommendations from people. So why should the challenge exist if we can just ask for game suggestions from someone? Yeah… lol. I like blaeo and taking part in the monthly themes when I can, it has a great community and I love writing posts here, there’s no need to exclude people who want to take part and have someone they know choose for them.

Daerphen

Experimenting just for the sake of it when the challenge has been running perfectly fine previously is always going to raise questions

Have you seen me pick for someone in the last round? Perhaps you might guess why not. Why do you want to exclude people from the event who want to take part, but do not have the time to get challenged themselves. They could pick games for others to get the badge, but sadly all the posts, where no game is selected yet have a reservation for a specific picker.

I am sure I am probably not the only one, so this is a perfect opportunity to test a slightly different situation, where everyone has the same chances to pick for someone else. At least according to the rule set. I can’t and wouldn’t want to influence behind-the-back workarounds. I am no spy.

Joe

I’m sorry to hear that but relieved you’re not a spy :)

Blue Ϟ Lightning

well that was a ride

Daerphen

Of course I am up for a challenge. I prefer no Multiplayer/Early Access. You can try to pick more than 2 SG wins. But if you see a very awesome non-sg-win game, please free to select that

bron99
  • 12 Labours of Hercules II: The Cretan Bull - HLTB Time: Completionist - 9½ Hours (personally it took me 15 hours, but i’m slow :D)
  • 35MM - HLTB Time: Completionist - 6½ Hours (after you finish it, you definitely need to tell me whether it’s worth getting, have it on my wishlist for like forever :D)
  • Chip - HLTB Time: Completionist - 10½ Hours (great puzzle game, though it has one annoying achievement “Super King” “Unlocked for being first in the leaderboard, requires at least 4 friends.”. I had to delete one of my friend for a while, as i couldn’t beat his score XD :D It took me 15 hours, but as i said ealier i’m slow :D)
  • Colin McRae Rally - HLTB Time: Completionist - 11½ Hours (great game, though it hasn’t aged well. Still it’s super fun to play :D Need to finish it myself :P Remember playing it as a kid, such beautiful times <3)
  • Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box - HLTB Time: Main + Extra - 22½ Hours (i guess you might have played this game already on origin, if so we can change it :D If not, it’s an amazing game, that surely you will enjoy :D I loved it back then in 2009, it’s old, but gold :D)

Picked 3 sg wins and one game from the series (Hercules ftw!). Hope you’re going to enjoy them <3

Changed one game as requested, cause of more variety :D. So colin is out and replaced with this amazing game.

  • Bad Rats Show - HLTB Time: Completionist - 4½ Hours (A sequel to the best game ever made, what could possibly go wrong ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ?)
Daerphen

Bad Rats Show is done. The worst game in the list finished, now on to some nicer games :D
35mm completed. Very nice walking simulator by only one person. Needed 3 playthroughs for all achievements.
12 Labours of Hercules II completed.

MouseWithBeer

I would like to get challenged too. No multiplayer only, no horror and shorter games please. Other than that I got no other preferences. Now excuse me while I disappear to finish my last unfinished game from the previous challenge.

bron99
  • Defy Gravity Extended - HLTB Time: Completionist - 3½ Hours (fun game, though quite hard, at least for me XD, need to finish it myself :D)
  • Rage Parking Simulator 2016 - HLTB Time: Completionist - 2 Hours (It’s a fun game, at least it was for me :D I even gained 3 stars on all levels :D)
  • Lovely Planet - HLTB Time: Completionist 21½ Hours (you can complete the game in around 5 hours, though it will take much time if you’re going for 100% achievements. Great game, i loved it <3)
  • HunieCam Studio - HLTB Time: Main + Extra 5½ Hours ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
  • The Last Hope - No HLTB time, though i finished it in around 2 hours, this game is sooooo bad that you just need to experience it yourself :D

Picked 2 sg wins and one game from the series (RPS2016 :D) Hope you’re going to enjoy them <3

MouseWithBeer

Thank you for picking for me ^^

# Game Achievements Playtime
1 Defy Gravity
100% (8 of 8) about 5 hours
2 Rage Parking Simulator 2016
100% (466 of 466) about 5 hours
3 Lovely Planet
50% (7 of 14) about 6 hours
4 HunieCam Studio Won on SteamGifts
63% (10 of 16) about 7 hours
5 The Last Hope Won on SteamGifts
100% (10 of 10) about 3 hours

Defy Gravity: My thoughts on it, Achievements
Rage Parking Simulator 2016:My thoughts on it, Achievements
Lovely Planet: Achievements
HunieCam Studio:My thoughts on it, Achievements
The Last Hope:My thoughts on it, Achievements

Minamimoto

I’d like to get challenged too! No multiplayer please, everything else is fine.

kiseli

Since you have only 2 SG wins, one played a little and other MP only games selected are from other “never played” games.
I must say you have some cool games in “won’t play” :)

  • Poker Night at the Inventory - HLTB Time: 2 Hours Main Story. For current monthly theme, game from the series :) Was thinking about Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but not sure how much you like horror games.
  • Blades of Time - HLTB Time: 10 hours - RPG Hack&Slah game
  • Sword of Asumi - HLTB Time: 2 hours - Cool VN game, played it myself recently
  • Machinarium - HLTB Time: 5 Hours - On my wishlist, so had to add it :D
  • Q.U.B.E - HLTB Time: 9 Hours - First person puzzle, link itself won’t work since game is removed from store.
  • Volume - HLTB Time: 7 Hours
Minamimoto

Thank you for the list! Although I just recently played the director’s cut of QUBE like… a few month ago? So I probably don’t want to play it again. I’m pretty excited for Machinarium tho! :)
Yes, I know! But I watch LPs if the story interests me but don’t want to play the game myself. So it’s not that bad as it looks like? :’D

kiseli

How about Volume instead of QUBE? It is on my ABC list, so plan on playing it sometimes soon :)

Minamimoto

Sounds good, I’ll add it!

bron99

I want the badges ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Preferably, sg wins, with achievements (no broken ones, so i can hundo them :D), that i can run on my potato laptop (I5-3317U, 12gb ram, Nvidia GeForce GT 635M, Windows 7 - 64-bit version). You can also pick games that won’t run on my laptop, gonna play them on my father’s pc then. Whoever gonna pick the games, thank you in advance <3
FUN FACT: This challenge ends on my b-day <3

Narayan

Since you have 2506 SG wins, I didn’t even bother looking at “regular” games ;)

Those should be varied enough :)
Also, that’s not a potato laptop :P If it runs like a potato - get the software side in order ;) :P

bron99

Well my processor is kinda fried, since i was using my laptop nearly every day for those damn clicker games! After it broke, i deceided to stop that, i’ve managed to get it working again, but it isn’t as powerful as before. Anyway thank you for those amazing picks :D Created a list, so you can check my progress easily :D Love ya <3

lmxn

Challenge me please! I can’t play horror or first person games though D: Also no multiplayer. Thanks (:

LastM
  • A Story About My Uncle - HLTB Time: 3 Hours - I had to pick a short game and a SG win according to the guidelines. I never actually played this. I hope it’s good.
  • Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders - HLTB Time: 6½ Hours - This game is based on one of my favorite books. The game isn’t that good, but the story is still great. You’ll have a lot of fun with it, especially if you don’t know how it ends.
    * Portal 2 - HLTB Time: 8½ Hours. SG win. It’s portal. I played this a hundred years ago on console. It’s a masterpiece, just like the first. Don’t forget to try coop!
  • Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller - 15 Hours - I know, another long game, but this game is also amazing. Despite a few bugs here and there, the story and the characters are so good that this game deserves to be played! Even though it says 15h, I finished it in 13, so not that bad. xD
  • The Longest Journey - HLTB Time: 17 Hours - With Zelda: Ocarina of Time, this game is my all time favorite. It’s an amazing journey. Everyone should give this game a chance! It’s also part of an amazing series. :)
    *Grim Fandando Remastered - HLTB Time: 11 Hours - Some puzzles make no sense, but it’s still a very good game. A bit long, but I had to pick a SG win and your Sg wins are all quite long
    *Abyss Odyssey - HLTB Time: 4 Hours - It’s short, it’s a SG win and it’s not First person. I guess it follows all the guidelines! xD

If you want me to change something because you can run or because I chose too many long games, let me know! :)

lmxn

That’s a nice list you chose, thanks! (:

Unfortunately I have to say no to A Story About My Uncle and Portal 2. Sorry :/ Both are first person games and I get terrible nausea from those. I tried the first Portal and couldn’t take it after 30 minutes… I still want to play them someday, but not sure how D:

I’m looking forward to the other games though! Especially The Longest Journey (: And I needed the extra motivation to play ABC Murders - never read this one, but I loved And Then There Were None.

LastM

Sorry. I’ll swap them.

edit: I swapped the games! Btw, sorry I must have missed that “I can’t play … first person games” part. Oops xD

lmxn

Love the reasoning behind Abyss Odyssey :D

(Thanks again!)

Blue Ϟ Lightning

Aaaaaaa I’m still halfway through my last game from my previous challenge me.

Well i would love to be challenged and probably shouldn’t request before I finish my previous but…

No restrictions but I’m starting school again and would prefer shorter games so I can complete all 5.
CHalenge me anyone!

LastM
  • ABZU - HLTB Time: 2 Hours - Just play it. Be prepared to press f12. A lot. xD
  • Maize - HLTB Time: 3½ Hours - Also part of your ABC plan. It’s short and really funny!
  • INSIDE - HLTB Time: 3½ Hours - It’s also short, very good and part of your ABC challenge. 3 birds with one stone. I’m on a roll!
  • Jotun Valhalla Edition - HLTB Time: 5 Hours. ABC + short + good = 👌
  • Beholder - HLTB Time: 5½ Hours - It’s short, it’s good, what else could you want from a game, right?

Have fun! o/

Blue Ϟ Lightning

Thanku >_< I’ll be sure to try and finish them all

Blue Ϟ Lightning

Done INSIDE…that was a ride…
Finished Jotun
Finished abzu
Finished Maize
finished basically everything

Kaleith

Looking for a challenge, no multiplayer only or long games please ^_^
Fish around in this list or this one if you need some guidance, thank you

lmxn

These are either games I’ve played and enjoyed or are interested in (:

  • Mainlining - HLTB Time: 5 Hours
    (SG win) Never played this, but it looks really interesting. (:

  • Contrast - HLTB Time: 3½ Hours
    (SG win) Switching in and out of the shadows made for some interesting puzzles, but none that are too hard or frustrating. Also liked the jazz soundtrack and overall atmosphere of the game. Took me about 6 hours but I like exploring every corner and getting all achievements.

  • Machinarium - HLTB Time: 5 Hours
    I love this game!! Played it wayyy before I was on Steam (by uh… torrenting it) Amazing art and soundtrack too. <3 I remember the puzzles being kinda challenging though, and took me forever to solve them but it was a ton of fun. :D

  • fault - milestone two side:above - HLTB Time: 5 Hours
    Another one I really enjoyed (: The story continues directly from the cliffhanger in milestone one, and only gets better from there. Can’t wait for the prequel and side:below! (If you’re going for achievements there’s still the stare at CG for 2 hours one - slightly amusing but pointless)

  • The Lion’s Song - HLTB Time: 4 Hours This is high on my wishlist! Really curious how you’ll find it.

  • Stray Cat Crossing - HLTB Time: 2½ Hours
    Creepy yet cute, somewhat like in Fran Bow. (Warning: there are jumpscares, but some are kinda predictable.) The third act is particularly tedious and a chase sequence felt out of place and wasn’t fun, but play it for the story and atmosphere.

I hope you’ll have fun with these games! Let me know if you wish to change any of them (:

Kaleith

I see they’re all within my reach as far as gaming time goes so I’ll try to beat a few, thank you for picking for me ^o^
Edit: I don’t own the lion’s song, the first episode is just free so I added it to the list to check it out, maybe change that one :p

lmxn

Replaced it with Stray Cat Crossing (:

Kaleith

Beaten/Completed:

  • Mainlining - surprisingly not terrible despite the meme-y references, it was unlike other hacking games I played in the past due to the fact you’re “on the law side” trying to solve cases by finding evidence and culprits. I’m still not sure if I’d recommend it to anyone other than genre enthusiasts though.
  • Machinarium - the presentation steals the show, the animations were just too cute. Nice variety of puzzles too

Unplayed: the other 3 :/

EvilBlackSheep

Challenge me! As usual, no multiplayer or EA please. I’d rather go for a majority of shorter games but a longer one is ok. Thanks for taking time to pick for me :D

Forsaken

Oh wow, you’ve got some excellent games! I admit the final list would look a lot different if you wanted longer games because I would definitely add the likes of Dishonored, Dreamfall Chapters, The Talos Principle and LA Noire. If you ever find the time definitely give those games some love because they are absolutely fantastic! :)

All the games I picked have been played and 100%ed by me. I can definitely stand by them. I really hope you will find the time for Shadow Tactics because it’s pretty much like a masterpiece. I’ve enjoyed all of these games, some A LOT more than the others. I hope you enjoy them too and if you don’t, I sincerely apologise in advance :( Have fun! :D

Game Time
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun 25 hours
The Turing Test 5 hours
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes 8 hours
Gunpoint 6 hours
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller 14 hours
EvilBlackSheep

Great list, thanks for it. I’m looking forward to trying those :D

EvilBlackSheep

Progress Tracker

Game Cheevos Status
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun 0/44 Unplayed
The Turing Test 15/15 Completed
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes 0/29 Unplayed
Gunpoint 33/42 Beaten
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller 0/59 Unplayed
LastM

I still need to finish one last game from the previous challenge, but I’ll throw my hat in the ring as well!
Only Sg wins and please no multiplayer, EA or unfinished episodic games. Thanks!
pick from here - white only. :)

ninglor03

reserved

ninglor03

As usual I try to pick games I liked/want to play/find appealing!

* [Life is Strange: Before the Storm](http://store.steampowered.com/app/554620/) - HLTB Time: 3-4h - MUST! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO IGNORE THIS ONE! O.O * [Romopolis](http://store.steampowered.com/app/471170/) - HLTB Time: also unknown (man, that's starting to become a habit or what?) it took me about 12h plus/minus idling a bit ;)

Hope you like it and enjoy them :)
If something bothers you, poke me and I’ll try to fix it asap!
Keep me posted happy

LastM

Could you please change Life is Strange? As I said above, I don’t like to play unfinished episodic games because I don’t like 3 months breaks between episodes. I have the memory span of a goldfish, so I prefer to wait for it to be completed and play it all in one go. Else I might forget important plot-related stuff. I’ve been waiting at least 2 years to play Kentucky Route Zero. xD
Thanks for picking for me! I’ll get to it asap! :)

ninglor03

Oh right. I didn’t realize it was an episodic release. Sry. I even know what you’ll have to play instead! :]

LastM

Thanks for swapping it and the other picks as well! :D

ninglor03

Your welcome! Have loads of fun with them :)

LastM

Gonna be updating this post as I beat my games this month:

  • Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - beaten - no achievements/proof - Game was terrible, but I deserved it! xD On a seriously note, the hint system is terrible, some hidden objects are closer to pixel hunt than actual hidden object. Btw, whoever degisned those “find the differences between 2 photos” deserve 2 slaps in the face for making me go throught them! :P
  • CATS! - “beaten” - no achievements/proof - This game is a joke. The only thing that reminds a cat in this game is the title. The game itself is just a pile of garbage that should never be played by anyone. I’m not even sure how this got on steam in the first place. It seems to have bought some fake reviews, according to the discussion. Well, I manage to reach world after getting stuck 1000x. I’m not even touching endless mode. God help us all get rid of “games” like this.
  • Dead But Alive! Southern England - beaten - no achievements/proof - Decent game. It’s a mix of Visual Novel and zombie survival simulator. Story is just a big cliché. Single father that is trying to reconnect/save daughter. I’ve seen this story a hundred times. It’s decently written though.
  • Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals - beaten - no achievements/proof - This game is actually quite decent. A bit short. With a decent guide, it’s possible to beat the game in an hour and a half. It’s based on a story called The Nikopol Trilogy which is set in 2023 Paris under fascist rule following a nuclear war. Overall, it’s a decent old game that still holds up well.
  • Shelter 2 - beaten - 8/26 - This game is quite short and cute. A bit repetitive since you spend most of the time running around and chasing your preys. Most of the achievements are about colleting a gazillion rocks, sticks, feathers, etc. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

ps: Achievements in Shelter 2 might look weird, but they unlock all at once when you close the game. -.-

ninglor03

Yes, you did deserve it. Now that is off the table, you never ever again deserve anything like it again! :)
Uhm. But….. where are the CATS????? :(

LastM

It’s only a terribly drawn “human” character with a tail. That’s their “cat”. :x
Thanks for being so merciful, but I won too many shitty games before I started caring about them, so I still have/deserve to play a lot of terrible games to atone for my SG sins. xD

ninglor03

I don’t even know what to say to that O.O
Yeah, but I’m not responsible for your SG sins, so you can punish yourself with playing them on your own free will :D

ninglor03

Hey, I had time to collect rocks and feathers and all that crab :D

LastM

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done! \o/

ninglor03

Yay! Bounce around happily

ninglor03

Ok. I’m probably super slow this month, but I still am totally behind this thing, so I’m signing up.

As always: I don’t care about steam’s thoughts on games, instead pick something you like/want to play/find interesting. Also if you pick a game from a series, start with the lowest I haven’t played.
No MP/MMO. Uh, yeah, that’s about it.
You might wanna skip the wins, since I have nearly non left :)

Thank you in advance! bounce

kiseli

Reserved, need to return the favor :P

ninglor03

Meow happy

kiseli

No need to brag about the wins :P

So here is the list :)

  • The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition - HLTB Time: 6 - Must play Point&Click adventure, greatest of all time :D And since it is first in the series good for monthly :P You might even play the sequel ^_^
  • Beyond Eyes - HLTB Time: 2 Hours - Heard good things about it from several people :)
  • Pillars of Eternity - HLTB Time: 37 Hours - I know it is “very” long, but will be the only one long instead of 2 as per rules. It is on my wishlist and i am looking forward to playing it one day. When i am sure i have the time :D
  • Swordbreaker The Game - HLTB Time: 3 Hours - I played this game, loved the drawing stile. Story was cool and weird :)
  • Sword of Asumi - HLTB Time: 2 Hours - You challenged me to play it, liked the story even though i am not into VN genre. So i guess you will like it too :)

Wanted to give you Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic or Deus Ex, both great series. But not sure if motion sickness would be a problem. So i any game is the problem let me know :)

ninglor03

That was not about bragging mumble ;)

Oh, yes! Perfect reason to finally play it! Although I’m pretty sure it will not take that long, considering I kinda know it from back then :D
Awesome! Was looking forward to it! bounce
That sure seems like a longer one. But I shall manage :D
Very nice, I’m excited about it :)
Very reasonable to pick it :D

Thank you for picking them. Also thank you for thinking about my motion sickness :)
I would still try any, one never really knows which triggers it and which doesn’t ;)
I’ll keep you posted! happy

kiseli

Glad you like them :)

And as i said to you on the steam, you have plenty of great unplayed series so picking one from them would be hard. So i went with other short series and long game :P

ninglor03

Monkey Island - mission completed! - Screens
Beyond Eyes - 100%
Sword of Asumi - 100%
Swordbreaker The Game - 100%

kiseli

Yay :D

ninglor03

Another one down! :)

kiseli

Nice progress :)

ninglor03

Sword of Asumi - killed :)

kiseli

Great :)
I didn’t complete it, just beaten it once. Didn’t want to spoil story with other ending, but will do that sometime later :D

ninglor03

Oh no! Only the big one left!

ninglor03

Can you believe it? Although I am super late, I did it! I have beaten Pillars of Eternity! (35%)

RileyHisbert

If someone could challenge me I’d love it :) However, I’m going to say no super long games and no games from my ABC challenge. School is killing me, it’s why I didn’t finish all of mine from last month :,)

JaffaCaffa

Hope this list is good! You don’t have many won steamgift games without hours played. I tried picking shorter games but if they’re too short / you’d like something changed just lemme know! Hope you have fun and good luck with school. :D

RileyHisbert

These look great, hopefully I can get started today :D

RileyHisbert

Finished Home :) Well, one ending

Deleted

This comment was deleted over 7 years ago.

bloudeuedd

I tried getting challenged when it was first introduced in April, and altough I did play those games I wasn’t fast enough. So I’m gonna try again. This month I have some studying to do and what’s better to go alongside than gaming. That’s why I ask for the games to be more on the short side. One can be longer, but it would be nice for the others to be atleast moderate in length. And I’d like to keep early access for when they get released in full and no multiplayer please. Thanks in advance.

EvilBlackSheep

Lots of great games to pick from, I hope you like some of those.

bloudeuedd

Great, some of these are acually some of those that I’ve been meaning to start for some time now. Thank you! Can’t wait to get started tomorrow when I get back home. :D
Should I play the original Borderlands before Tales from the Borderlands or it doesn’t matter for the story?
I’ll tackle Lost Grimoires (because I can continue with the sequel afterwards for the monthly) and The Banner Saga first.

EvilBlackSheep

Do you have any knowledge of the borderlands universe? I don’t think it’s necessary to have played the original series, it’s set up after the second game but it’s working as a stand alone story too. Worst case scenario you might miss some references but I think you’d still enjoy the game. If you prefer, I can replace it by The wolf among us which I loved as much and doesn’t need any pre-requisite. Let me know.

bloudeuedd

If the story is a standalone and features different characters I think it’s ok. Just wasn’t sure. Thank you. :)

bloudeuedd

Progress: 4/5
Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom - completed.
The Banner Saga - beaten.
Maize - beaten.
Undertale - beaten.

GiseIIe

Challenge me! Again, I am asking for:
2 SG wins (no crusader kings II please, I’m leaving it for last because that would take all of my free time) + 3 visual novels

MouseWithBeer

You challenged me last time, now it is my turn >:D btw I just finished the last one today ^^

If you would like anything replaced let me know ^^

GiseIIe

Challenge accepted!

Yep, the pigeon visual novels are never over.

GiseIIe

Current progress: 5/5 finished!

post 1 and post 2, finished!

GiseIIe

I just found out that Memoria is a sort of sequel of The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav, and apparently it continues the story after its ending. Since it’s another of my SG wins, is it okay if I play The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav instead of Memoria?

MouseWithBeer

I had no idea, sorry! Of course it is alright :)

CleaningSimp twitter

Challenge me please!:)
No multiplayer-only games, no never-ending, and no horror.
Currently working hard on my SG wins, so I don’t mind if you pick 3 out of them, up to you. c:

EvilBlackSheep

So many great games to pick from, it was hard to pick ONLY five :p

  • The Banner Saga - HLTB Time: 10 h (So good, and part of a series so would fit towards the monthly theme)
  • Book of Demons - HLTB Time: 6 h (Still in EA but it looks like it’s finished. If the EA is a problem, let me know and I’ll swap it for something else)
  • Thea The Awakening - HLTB Time: 10 h (Was suggest to me by Last.M in the play your SG wins monthly and I got so hooked up on it last week end)
  • Evoland 2 - HLTB Time: 17 h (Another recent great play, I really loved it. Also bonus for the monthly theme)
  • Lego Batman 3 - HLTB Time: 10h (For a bit of variety. Haven’t played this one but the 2 previous were a lot of fun)

I hope you find something you like in the selection, if you need anything replaced let me know ;) I was also gonna include Fallout 4 from your SG wins but I wasn’t sure if you had time for such a long one. I still recommend it though (Don’t mind the recent negative reviews, it’s to punish bethesda for the paid mods implementations, which i recommend you stay away from. If you need free mods rec before you start playing, hit me up on steam and I’ll gladly help you).

CleaningSimp twitter

Yay, sheepy, thank you for the picks!:3

The Banner Saga is a game I’ve challenged a couple of people with in events, because I like its look very much. I keep telling myself “Well, you should probably play it yourself you know…”. Book of Demons was #1 on my wishlist before I won it! Thea is another game that I always thought looked incredible but that it had a stupid looking store banner xD. Evoland 2 looks nice, I actually played the 1st one recently, and enjoyed it. Apparently the 2nd one is much long but much better, with a relevant story ( as opposed to the first one). And Batman is Batman:).

As for Fallout 4, I put it in “yellow” and unfinished, which is kind of cheating as I have 0 minute on it, but it was hoping that people wouldn’t pick it in events ^^. I’m errr… waiting for more… sexy (almost lewd) mods, if that makes sense >.>.

Again. Thank you for the super lovely picks c:.


Current progress: 2/5

# Game Achievements Playtime
1 The Banner Saga
0% (0 of 39) 0 minutes
2 Book of Demons ⌚ Most recent finishes 🎁 Won on SteamGifts
39% (68 of 175) about 9 hours
3 Thea: The Awakening ⌚ Most recent finishes 💖 Favorite Games
16% (5 of 31) about 17 hours
4 Evoland 2
0% (0 of 38) 0 minutes
5 LEGO® Batman™ 3: Beyond Gotham 🎁 Won on SteamGifts
0% (0 of 70) 0 minutes

(Edit: I’m having a bit of a hard time with my University classes. I haven’t had time to play much, I hope to finish at least one or two though!)

Games beaten:

Book of Demons
Thea: The Awakening

EvilBlackSheep

Hehe makes sense for Fallout, I wasn’t sure why it was in orange yet no time on it :p

As for Thea, another proof that I love the game : I finished it last week end yet I spent the whole day on it today. XD

CleaningSimp twitter

Okay! Challenge over for me, I have to study now:)

First, I beat Book of Demons. It was a pretty good game. A unique twist on dungeon crawling. The thing holding it back was its lack of story.

Secondly, I beat Thea: The Awakening. Oh. My. God. It. Was. So. Good. The best game I’ve played in a little while. It was awesome! It took me like 17 hours to finish my game, but I didn’t care xD.

It was perfect for me. I like crafting and fighting and cards, looting, this game has all of it. But I don’t like bad guys running at me, I get stressed out. So turn based is better, but those games are often grindy. Thea was just perfect. Managing a town while exploring the lands. Nothing out there to get me - I could do my own things and fight when I wanted to fight. It was just perfect.

Thank you for the challenge Sheepy, sorry I couldn’t finish the other 3:).

EvilBlackSheep

Hey, no need to be sorry, I didn’t beat all the ones picked for me either. I’m SO happy you liked Thea!! I had really the same reaction after LastM picked it for me and i got to play it. I loved exploring, and crafting and all those stuff and i got totally sucked into it last month too. I’m really glad you loved it too.

Good luck with the study!!

escollo

Well, pick me. No MP-only. Also I would prefer only SG wins

CleaningSimp twitter

Here you are, SG wins only:). Let me know if there’s any issue with a game.

escollo

Thanks! Good games. One Finger Death Punch even was on my wishlist. And Valkyria is game that I always wanted to play, but never had time for it

CleaningSimp twitter

Have fun and good luck in the event ^^

escollo

One Finger Death Punch - beaten - I don’t even try to get all cheevos, ‘cause it’s too hard
The Journey Down: Chapter One - completed - nice one, but too short. I hope another episodes are longer

escollo

DmC: Devil May Cry - beaten - I like it a lot more than previous games in the series but still it’s impossible for me to get all achievs

JaffaCaffa

Hmm I wasn’t gonna join (I know I’ll be spending most of my gaming time playing OW next month whoops) but I don’t wanna feel left out. I’d like to play at least one challenge game this month! Feel free to challenge me with any games (including from lists like ABC/Need to Play or abandoned games etc…really anything goes!). Just preferably nothing super duper long. Thanks in advance. :D

escollo

Cave Story+ - HLTB Time: 6 Hours
Darksiders Warmastered Edition - HLTB Time: 17½ Hours
Layers of Fear - HLTB Time: 3 Hours
The Flame in the Flood - HLTB Time: 11 Hours
Titan Souls - HLTB Time: 3 Hours

JaffaCaffa

Thanks a bunch, I’ll probably start off with Layers of Fear in time for Halloween. (p.s. I love your avatar pic!)

Beat Layers of Fear + Inheritance DLC
Was a bit bummed out about my ending (during the main playthrough), but still enjoyed the game. Felt like I had more control during the DLC which was nice. Was definitely atmospheric and scary, I yelled a lot. haha Loved the paintings and especially the child bits. Recommend!

Currently playing Titan Souls but honestly not enjoying it. I’ve played for 2 hours in the past but was so bad, just kept dying (and spending a lot of time walking back to the bosses). Finally started getting the hang of it, previously only beat 2 bosses but this time beat another 5!!! in less than an hour. That said, I’m still really not liking it. The game mechanics aren’t fun, so much walking back to the same spot, feels tedious. :/ Which is a shame, as this one had been on my wishlist and really thought I’d like it. I might still keep at it and try to beat it, I’m not positive. Feel like I should while I’m in the groove but meh…

escollo

I have the full picture of avatar in my profile

Kap

I’m late, I’m late! D:
(Yeah, I was still finishing up a game for the last Challenge Me!) :3

If anyone pops in here and reads this… challenge me? Anything goes. :D

Daerphen
  • Type:Rider - HLTB Time: 2.5h - I liked it a lot. Totally recommended, if you want to expand your knowledge about fonts. But be warned, getting 100% of achievements is quite hard.
  • Omerta - City of Gangsters - HLTB Time: 16h - Need to finish it myself, played it a bit and I liked it. Actually I don’t know why I dropped it.
  • Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® - HLTB Time: 12h - Fits the current theme and is my first game on steam. If you are into stealth games this is a very nice game. But be warned, it is rather old, so don’t expect 4k graphics. And it might be not so funny, if you are used to the newer Splinter Cell games.
  • Viking: Battle for Asgard - HLTB Time: 13h - Can’t tell you much about the game, but I would like the Viking setting ;)
  • Call of Juarez® Gunslinger - HLTB Time: 5h - This game is a real gem. I had so much fun with it that I didn’t care how many times I had to play it to get all achievements. From all the games I picked for you this would be my Top#1 recommendation. Also fits the current theme.
Kap

Sweet. Thanks so much for picking for me, Daerphen! :D

Kap

Thanks again for picking for me! I was only able to complete Viking and Splinter Cell since I’m a bit on the slow side (the HLTB times were 13 and 12h, but they took me 25 and 21h, respectively), but I had fun with both of ‘em. :)

MouseWithBeer

I will only be done with my challenge tomorrow (its 3 and half in the morning, I am too tried to finish it), but since I don’t think all that many people check this thread I am posting this in advance hoping to get another challenge. Same as my previous one:
No multiplayer only, no horror and shorter games please. Other than that I got no other preferences.

Kap

I’ll pick for you, Mouse :) (But if you’re reading this tonight, go to bed! They’ll be waiting for you in the morning.) :P

MouseWithBeer

I am reading this tonight as it is only 23:50 and since my sleeping schedule is really screwed up I am not gonna go to bed for the next 4 hours at least :P
Thank you for deciding to pick for me! I am really curious what to see what I am going to be playing :D

Kap

Ah, I was hoping that you wouldn’t stay up, anxiously awaiting my picks, because I had to run out and take care of something before, so I was just leaving that note for you as a placeholder. :3 In any case, I tried to give you a variety of genres, and in accordance with the rules (at least 2 SG wins, at least 2 with positive ratings or higher, etc.) and your own requests (no multiplayer-only or horror, and shorter games), I present you with…

If time is short and you can only squeeze in one of those, go with Bastion. Always go with Bastion! :D

MouseWithBeer

Oh I was busy playing something else anyways so no worries there :) And yes, I am still awake :D
Could just just replace The Vanishing of Ethan Carter please? I played the Redux version for a bit with my boyfriend and that game gave both of us motion sickness :/ Not really in the mood for throwing up as you can imagine. Everything else is great, thank you!

Kap

No worries. How about we substitute that one with…

MouseWithBeer

Sounds good to me! I am gonna start working on it and make chart for the games tomorrow :)
Thank you again for picking! ^^

MouseWithBeer
# Game Achievements Playtime
1 Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes
79% (23 of 29) about 11 hours
2 Bastion
0% (0 of 24) about 2 hours
3 The Swapper
0% (0 of 10) about 1 hour
4 Bardbarian Won on SteamGifts
77% (17 of 22) about 11 hours
5 The Flame in the Flood Won on SteamGifts
0% (0 of 36) about 1 hour

Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes: Achievements
Bardbarian: Achievements

MouseWithBeer

Just as a quick update:
I am sad to say I have only beaten 2 out of 5 games :( The past few weeks turned out to be very busy and then 2 days ago I killed my keyboard and the one I am using as a spare one right now I can barely type on, let alone game. So now that I actually have time I can’t play the other 3 games since all seem to be keyboard controlled :/

I will still try to play the other 3 one day when I get my keyboard situation fixed up, and once again thank you for picking!

Kap

No worries, Mouse. I love the Challenge Me! concept, and if anyone can beat all of the games that were picked, that’s awesome, but I’d never expect that of someone. Most of us have lives outside of gaming, and none of us are immune to unforeseen keyboard mishaps. ;) Besides, you still bumped 2 games off your backlog, and that’s great! :)

MouseWithBeer

Yea, 2 games are better then 0 :) I just wanted to explain myself since I have finished all 5 games in all previous “challenge me” :)

LastM

I’ve finished my challenge. Might as well throw my hat in the ring again. :)
Sg wins only and please no unfinished episodic games/EA/multiplayer. Extra points if you include a game from my ABC challenge. :D
link for easy picking

escollo

Aero’s Quest - HLTB: meh
Coin Crypt - HLTB: 5 hours
Double Dragon Neon - HLTB: 3½ hours
Layers of Fear - HLTB: 3 hours
POSTAL 2 - HLTB: 7 hours

LastM

Thanks! I’ll be editing this post throughout the month with info about those games! :)

Edit:
Aero’s Quest - HLTB: meh
Coin Crypt - HLTB: 5 hours
Double Dragon Neon - HLTB: 3½ hours
Layers of Fear - HLTB: 3 hours
POSTAL 2 - HLTB: 7 hours

leonidas56

please challenge me! i prefer no mupltiplayer games and no early acces games but if you think they are good you are welcome to include them

JaffaCaffa

Hope this list works for you, lemme know if you’d like me to swap anything out. Have fun. :D

stef

I’d like to be challenged! I failed last time but I have more free time on my hands now.

I’m okay with multiplayer and early access games. I’m not interested in playing HOG or point and click games though.

skanda
stef

thanks!
I’m waiting for all the life is strange episodes to come out first, but the other ones are fair game :)

stef

I beat Hustle Cat!

Most of those hours were when I accidently left it running. Took me about 6 or 7 hours to get all the routes. It was actually very cute and well written! I really enjoyed it.