![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
January 2020 report
Hello everyone! I hope you had a great start of the New year. :)
I have played and completed many games during January. Even some older ones that were sitting in my library for some time already. I can only hope that this trend will continue in the next month as well. ;)
I have got inspired by others posts again (Mskotor, Trilled Meow…) and decided for some addons. X) On my reviews I will be showing off the year I got the game and then the year when I have beaten or completed it. In some cases it’s very horrifying sight. XD
My Mass Effect challenge is almost done! ME3 got beaten yet again, now I will continue with Andromeda. I am already pretty far there, but I am not sure how long it will take as there is still a lot of to explore.
But I am already thinking of another challenge. I wanted to jump on Dragon Age right away, but I am no longer sure… there is Bioshock too, or Thief. Hmm, maybe I should do some poll? o.O
_____
Please excuse me if you find any mistakes, after I post my report I usually find many of them, but I really read the post few times before I send it out. X) Feel free to point them out to me. ;)
Enough of small talks and now to the actual assassinations! Good luck in a new month and have a great time everyone!
![Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/368080/header.jpg?t=1572348054)
The story follows young prince Enzo Kori-Odan who is to become king of a peaceful little country Zama, although he is doubting his skills in the first place. On his coronation day he is also marrying his beloved Erine. Future looks bright and full of happiness, what could go wrong? Everything.
Zama founds itself under attack in an attempt of coup d'état and despite great effort from Enzo in defending his people he is defeated. Nama, teacher and master of Enzo, saves the newlywed young couple from the worst case scenario. The king and his queen who stood by his side are then exiled. Both of them are for the first time away from Zama and are confronted with harsh unforgiving reality. The difference between Zama and other countries surprise them. World and people around them are full of misery, cruelty, hate and so on. They have to become more powerful to be able to come back home victorious. Their travels across the land will test them, put them on the edge of their strength, to see if they can become truthful King and Queen of Zama.
This game is truly a gem! It has beautiful graphics and very good soundtrack. There are no voices, just few words, screams and so voiced, but that works well and the characters can capture you even without it! They are all well written and especially our main characters undergo deep development. This game isn’t just about taking back your throne and beating everyone on your way to it. It’s about desilusion, crushing weight of responsibility, trust in yourself and the others, the meaning of life… The lore of the world is very interesting and complex, apparently based upon African (also bit of native American) culture and mythology! You have access to journal so you can check it whenever you need to (it also offers insights about enemies and allies).
Important part of the game is relationship between Enzo and Erine. It’s so perfect! As they are both confronted with unexpected reality they are also confronting each other. Their dreams, desires, expectations, it all collide and they have to find the compromise and strength to support the other one in the time of needs.
Fight is mandatory here and it’s really fun! At your disposal is martial art combined with “magic” skill. This all evolve with you, so you are offered vast variety of possibilities. It’s fun to open combos and ultimate skills. Boss fights prove to be a challenge, but luckily you have Erine by your side. ;)
My biggest problem was with controls. I understand that controller is suggested for this game, but keyboard is also supported, so one would expect tutorial screen to offer keyboard settings. No, every time something new to learn showed up there was controller setting. That confused me, as I really didn’t know what LB+X mean on my keyboard. I had to remember controller settings and be able to assign them to what I was pushing of keyboard. How to revive I have learned during my penultimate battle… not that I needed it so often though. X)
Also there were problems with intro sometimes. I didn’t even know that I missed some of them, as screen went simply black for a moment and then I was back in game. But! You have your intro in your journal, so you can view them afterwards! If your intro don’t work and you want to see them, game will crush. But after that restart you are safe to go, the intro works again even in game! :)
Other thing was, that sometimes the movement is bit of clunky, especially when you try to open little tiny chest and you just can’t strike the right pose. But after some struggling I was able to persuade it. ;)
I have enjoyed Aurion so much! Developer mentioned trilogy, so I hope that we will get sequels one day, as there is room for that. ;) I can’t recommend this game enough!
![Heart's Medicine - Time to Heal](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/494230/header.jpg?t=1578654335)
I think that time management games shouldn’t have such story as this one. Really, when you cry you can’t concentrate on stitching, serving the right pills or physiotherapy. No really, the severity of the story surprised me… one wouldn’t have expected this.
As for the gameplay. It’s great! Long time ago I have played Emily (Tea Garden series), which is from the same developers, and I have loved it! So I have decided to try this one and wow, it’s great! So many innovative things there (for me at least). The minigames are really fun to do, but few were sooooo frustrating, luckily even with some mistakes you can get full set of stars!! X)
![12 Labours of Hercules III: Girl Power](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/360650/header.jpg?t=1482753681)
I don’t know why, but I have not enjoyed this one as much as the first two games. The levels were very long and slow, I felt like I was still in one place. Before the levels had great pace, but now it felt like you are in the last stage right from the beginning and that was tiresome. Also there were no special boss levels… I always waited for them, so that was a little let down. But the puzzles were very cute at least.
It’s an okay time management game, but I should have probably taken longer pause between them or next time I shouldn’t play it with something like Heart’s medicine as that was superb!
![The Journey Down: Chapter Three](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/579760/header.jpg?t=1572865676)
Great conclusion to our Journey with Bwana, Kito and Lina!
Story is briskly heading to its grandioze end, old and new characters are making their appearance, funny moments are waiting for you behind almost every corner… third Journey offers great humorous experience, the same as those two before it.
I have really enjoyed Journey Down! Second game is still the best for me though, as the Noir setting was very well done. ;) Also the soundtrack for the whole series is great and catchy!
![Costume Quest](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/115100/header.jpg?t=1572564031)
This trick or treating was fun! Beside the graphic design, which suited the game very well, I liked our witty characters and fighting system, which offered nice variety of possibilities for your tactic and play style. Also it was nice to look at. ;)
I will probably pick up the sequel, as I had fun although they say that some aspects I enjoyed got changed… we will see.
![Trine Enchanted Edition](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/35700/header.jpg?t=1578647549)
Almost an artistic game with beautiful graphics and soundtrack. One could just stand still, watch the screen and be content.
Great fun in co-op! Although getting the hardcore achievement in Tower of Sarek without any deaths was pretty challenging, as I have in the heat of an action almost eaten my soulmate alive. XD
![7 Wonders: Magical Mystery Tour](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/275830/header.jpg?t=1447360236)
I really like this Matching game! Great design with good gameplay - you have shuffle, many skills at your disposal, both keeps the game at good pace. You also open two bonus levels which offers different kind of matching and that was a pleasant surprise.
There are in-game achievements and I still miss three, so until then it’s just beaten. Also it’s great excuse for me to continue playing this as I am really enjoying it. :) Need to win another one soon. XD
![Hand of Fate](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/266510/header.jpg?t=1569039313)
I wasn’t sure what exactly I should expect from this game, but it was great! I like how it’s almost a text adventure game, because the stories are pretty good and I am curious how they will unfold. I was afraid that I would be losing my temper quickly if I pick the wrong card, but I am enjoying it instead! X) Also, the last battle I have done again and again until I came victorious and that’s completely unlike me as I tend to rage quit games easily.
Will try to play some more and open other achievements. :)
![Nihilumbra](https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/252670/header.jpg?t=1562414960)
Interesting game about small part of Void which is trying free itself. It combines platformer with logical puzzles, on the harder setting the levels became quite a challenge. I am just at the beginning and got stuck already. X) Platformer part is little bit clunky as you can't control the power of your jump. It doesn't matter how much you push the button you will still jump with the same force. It can be a problem to jump over small pits, you have to step furthest away from them and hope it's the right range.
The narration is good and nicely done upon screen background so it stays with you, neat idea.
![Mass Effect 3](https://i.imgur.com/fcWeVqH.jpg)
There was written enough about Mass Effect so I will just share some of my observations. ;)
Again we have some new elements in the game. Exploring and scanning the worlds is a little bit different, quicker I would say, but that is understandable as there is no time for taking a stroll. ;) I missed some good hacking though, Shepard made everything alone this time. Greatly improved was system of talking with your crew, as now you started deeper conversation only when they had something to say actually otherwise they said just little remarks. Also I love so much how the crew is reacting and talking to each other! It’s great walking around Normandy and listening to their talks! <3
I liked how you are forced to use different squadmates through the story, it helps me to play with other characters too than just with the two I set at the beginning. Garrus was always with me though. ;)
Fights were pretty good. Standing against Banshee is still hard, but this is my first playthrough when I actually didn’t died to them during London battle. ;)
Normandy forever! <3
Added one from Aurion and two from Mass Effect, can’t help it. ;)
Big thank you for my wins! :)
Other addition to my backlog.-
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
0 minutes playtime
0 of 72 achievements
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Whispers of a Machine
0 minutes playtime
0 of 25 achievements
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Two Point Hospital
0 minutes playtime
0 of 39 achievements
-
Graveyard Keeper
0 minutes playtime
0 of 83 achievements
-
DiRT Rally 2.0
0 minutes playtime
0 of 71 achievements
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Them's Fightin' Herds
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
-
Mages of Mystralia
0 minutes playtime
0 of 30 achievements
-
Niche - a genetics survival game
0 minutes playtime
0 of 31 achievements
-
Evergarden
0 minutes playtime
0 of 21 achievements
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MagiCat
0 minutes playtime
0 of 24 achievements
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Machinarium
0 minutes playtime
0 of 12 achievements
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Feather
0 minutes playtime
0 of 1 achievements
-
Paperbark
0 minutes playtime
0 of 25 achievements
-
FRAMED Collection
0 minutes playtime
0 of 18 achievements
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Armello
0 minutes playtime
0 of 50 achievements
-
Hand of Fate 2
0 minutes playtime
0 of 99 achievements
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The Stillness of the Wind
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
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Euro Truck Simulator 2
0 minutes playtime
0 of 75 achievements
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Rising Dusk
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
- So for the purpose of this list, only games marked as completed counts - until said otherwise.
- Games can be played in whichever order.
- Unfinished games will be restarted or continued.
Assassinated 6 of 29
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16bit Trader
0 minutes playtime
0 of 16 achievements
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Agarest: Generations of War
66 hours playtime
9 of 50 achievements
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Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
0 minutes playtime
0 of 12 achievements
-
Cooking Academy Fire and Knives
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
-
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
-
Eventide: Slavic Fable
4 hours playtime
25 of 25 achievements
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Fortune Summoners: Secret of the Elemental Stone
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
-
Glass Masquerade
8 hours playtime
32 of 32 achievements
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Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds
0 minutes playtime
0 of 36 achievements
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Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms
0 minutes playtime
0 of 36 achievements
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Chaos on Deponia
0 minutes playtime
0 of 34 achievements
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Inquisitor
15 hours playtime
no achievements
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J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars
14 hours playtime
25 of 40 achievements
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KHOLAT
10 hours playtime
20 of 20 achievements
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Loren The Amazon Princess
0 minutes playtime
0 of 40 achievements
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Merchants of Kaidan
36.7 hours playtime
22 of 22 achievements
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Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor
1 minute playtime
no achievements
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Overlord: Raising Hell
6 hours playtime
no achievements
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Postmortem: one must die (Extended Cut)
20 minutes playtime
no achievements
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Quest for Infamy
0 minutes playtime
0 of 59 achievements
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Remothered: Tormented Fathers
0 minutes playtime
0 of 10 achievements
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Sins Of The Demon RPG
15 hours playtime
9 of 9 achievements
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Tempest
15 hours playtime
1 of 24 achievements
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Unium
5 hours playtime
9 of 22 achievements
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Velvet Assassin
27 hours playtime
no achievements
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Weird Park Trilogy
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
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XCOM: Enemy Unknown
37 hours playtime
35 of 85 achievements
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Yomawari: Night Alone
0 minutes playtime
0 of 27 achievements
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ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal
0 minutes playtime
no achievements
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/71cbf14fc36c9b88b270960789289a4ffa44c264.jpg)
MASS EFFECT! \o/ <3
Yeah, it’s still waiting for me sigh
Insanity isn’t that hard once in the end. I expected way worse things. And yes, shore leave is SO good! <3
Don’t think I’ll manage to get there that soon though. Way too much happening. Both RL as gaming wise. Way too many very long games lined up atm. Oh well. It’s not going anyway any time soon :]
Have a great time! \o/
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
Yaaaaaaaay! <3
Don’t worry, it wont run away. You can come back to it whenever you wish to. ;)
Yeah, I did the first one on insanity and it surprised me that it wasn’t that hard. But it showed on Pinnacle station. XD I just fear the London battle as it’s pretty hard itself and can’t imagine more powerful Banshees there. XD
You too have a great time! <3
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/71cbf14fc36c9b88b270960789289a4ffa44c264.jpg)
I always thought the London battle was SO tough… and then I played it on insanity and was like: what, that’s it? Weird, isn’t it?
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/78c664d09ecb0e704c73cadceffc0eb913161a2e.jpg)
ME my all time favourite trilogy :D
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/f8f773520646a415b16f106dfeb4a713daaf876b.jpg)
I’m still yet to look at a mass effect game
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
Blasphemy! O_O
Go look at it right now! XD
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/f8f773520646a415b16f106dfeb4a713daaf876b.jpg)
someone gift it to me and I will. I dont think my youtubers have done the game
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/be05ca94ddab7288d821ce7ca2626952126fc83b.jpg)
I have to admit I enjoyed Hand of Fate more than Slay the Spire.
BTW if you are eager to play Hand of Fate 2 but don’t have the DLC yet, there’s a weeklong deal on it right now for ~75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/9952/Hand_of_Fate_2_and_DLC/
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
I was really surprised by how much I am enjoying the Hand of fate! I thought that it wasn’t my kind of a game. ;) Don’t know about Slay the Spire, didn’t picked my interest enough for now. :)
Thanks for the heads up! I will consider picking them although it will get me some time until I start playing the second game. X)
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/25de265ae870159b9a7f28b537424c52501f087a.jpg)
Wow, lots of progress– thank you for the write-up!
I really enjoyed The Journey Down series– we still quote it from time to time (“Bwana, you’re an idiot!”). And yay Costume Quest! I played it with my kids when they were 4 (CQ) and 5 (CQ2) and they loved it…called it “the trick-or-treat game.” I liked CQ2 even better than the first, though they were pretty close to each other.
I have never played a Mass Effect game (*blush*) but that’s really only because I have a hard time with long, rich, RPGs…as much as I love them. It’s hard to get a block of time to play a game (except games I play with the kids) and I end up getting bogged down or forgetting what I was doing because it’s been 10 days since I played. I have ME and ME2 on Steam though…maybe someday if I win the lottery and can quit my job. Maybe I can find an invincibility mod and just play through for the story. I kinda suck at fps anyway.
As for your ABC plan, I really enjoyed Brothers and Glass Masquerade, How did you like J.U.L.I.A. and Velvet Assassin? I might play the former for the monthly theme. I backed it on Kickstarter way back in the day.
Anyway, thanks again for the write-up, and happy gaming!
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
Thank you for reading it. :3
I wonder if they have some plans for another games as there are for sure possibilities. ;)
Okay, I will definitively get Costume Quest 2. XD I had so much fun with it.
I can understand that. Those games are horrible time eaters. ;D Especially when you are searching for everything, reading everything, star gazing and so on. X) As I have played through almost all of the difficulty choices (I miss insanity in ME2 and ME3), I think that playing on easy and normal offers balanced experience even for someone who is not adept in shooters. In ME3 you can choose story mode, which cuts most of the fights to zero… I think. ;)
Yeah, Brothers, I should make some time for them already! I liked J.U.L.I.A. very much! I have played it in one session, so it really captivated me. I have made review for it after completing it, you can check it for more info, if you want. I have only 7 reviews so you will find it easily. ;D I was thinking on playing it again for the monthly as I miss some achievements from the DLC they made, so I can only recommend it to you!
I am big fan of stealth games and Velvet Assassin was pretty good! I think it aged well, worked without any problems. Just the end frustrated me a little… my report from August have more info on that. ;)
Thank you again! You too enjoy your games. :D
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/25de265ae870159b9a7f28b537424c52501f087a.jpg)
Wow, 14 hours of J.U.L.I.A. in one session? Or maybe there was some idling before your play session. Thank you for the link to your reviews– mostly games I have either played (Syberia I & II) or have in my backlog (all others except Slime Rancher). Upvoted times seven!
Yeah, playing ME1 and ME2 would probably be on Easy for that reason. I most likely won’t be playing ME3 because it’s only on Origin.
Thanks for linking your Velvet Assassin report– so that I could realize I got it confused with Venetica! But I also have Velvet in my backlog so it was nice to read about it as well. ;)
Have a great month of gaming!
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
No idling before it, but after completing the story I was redoing some parts for achievements that didn’t required the DLC, so it was more likely about 11-12 hours. ;D
Thank you. :3
I think that you don’t need to play it on hard right away, I was upping my difficulty with my playthroughs until I ended on insanity. ;) Hmm, I think that after playing ME1 and ME2 you will want to play the third one! XD Seriously, it would be shame to miss it. ;)
And with EA coming back to Steam, who knows, maybe ME3 will pop up there too. :)
Haha, happens. :D I remember wanting Venetica very much… and now it just sits in my backlog, shame on me. XD
You too! :3
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/176e5c43ca16a6748dc735ba5327b7e92db53eca.jpg)
Oh wow still stuck on Hollow Knight huh.
I finished CQ last year and I didn’t enjoyed it as much as you did but still had some fun with it xd I found the Christmas DLC to be pretty tedious tho, but it looks like it serves as a prequel to CQ2 :P I guess I’ll find out once I play!
And if you plan to play ZanZarah beware the game doesn’t work perfectly on modern systems. When I played it, everytime I opened inventory the game would lock to a single FPS XD And you have to often click, hold and move things there so it was a pain in the ass.
And impressive progress for just a month! I also see you got Alien: Isolation picked for PoP, have fun with it, it’s one of my fav horrors and a treat for movie fans :)
![](https://avatars.steamstatic.com/fa36c3ba29b0d6fb87cb97b9dc1b190520d90c40.jpg)
Heh, not leaving Hollow Knight until I ultimately complete it! XD Not much of progress this month though. ;)
You are right that the DLC was more tedious then the main game, also they took away my Vampire costume. XD
Thanks for the heads up with ZanZarah, can’t wait for that torture. XD
Thanks! I have really outdid myself. ;D
I love Alien (movie) from my childhood! Have to say that the game is pretty amazing! I am just going around and “look, look, that’s completely out of the movie and this too”. :D They have captured the feeling from the movie pretty well. I have met him yesterday for the first time, cutie. <3 But hell, I am so scared, always running back to my save point. XD
The memories, nothing can replace the ME trilogy.
A side note about the achievements, ME3 really had an interesting idea about the multiplayer ones they all have (or) option to finish them in single player
For example:Tour of Duty - Finish all multiplayer maps or all N7 missions in single-player.
I wish all Single-player games that has mp achievos would have such a thing, not that the MP in ME3 was bad .. I actually loved it and put hundreds of hours into it.
Oh yes, I have those. ;) But not all of them are like that. Like upgrade your weapon to 10th level, in game you can improve it only to 5th level; then create or import your character to multiplayer and two more which I don’t remember.
Edit: And yes, I liked how the achievements could be opened in two ways. That would be awesome in Tomb Raider as it has many multiplayer achievements which I wont open.
Best memories! <3
Weird!!! those 2 actually are single player and you said this is your fifth playthrough
The import one can be done if you import your shepard from ME2 or ME3 (sort of like NG+)
And the level 10 weapon is a Single player achievement too, if you import ME3 save your level weapons can be upgraded again so a level 5 weapon from the previous playthrough will be upgraded to level 10 ( those 5 extra upgrades you purchase them from the kiosk in the lowest deck where Vega and Cortez are)
Believe me I know, not a single ME3 achievement is mp only.
Yes, it’s my fifth playthrough, but I have always imported characters from the first two games. I thought that “Import ME3 character” means importing it to the multiplayer… I have tried it now and it worked. XD
So you say I will open even the 10th level weapon and the highest level readiness in each theater of war? As I always have only 50%, I thought that also is meant only for multiplayer.
Thank you for your input! Looks like I will open all achievements next time. :D
Level 10 weapons yes but non of us mentioned the “Galactic readiness rate” before .
It is not needed for any achievement, if you want to increase it over 50% you will have to actively (it decays over time, but not beyond the 50%) play MP or that little game called Galaxy at War from the N7 HQ web site
There was also a smart phone game called Mass Effect Infiltrator that also increase the rating, I never played it before though and not sure if it is still working or not.
I didn’t mentioned it coz it was one which I didn’t remember exactly, but if you say that every achievement can be obtained playing through singleplayer…
Defender - Attain the highest level of readiness in each theater of war. Check my achievements here
Nice work, and yeah defender will require the 100% I guess I forgot that one it was an early unlock for me.. still as I said Galaxy at War mini game on the website can do it.
You have 5 squads and 5 theaters, each theater has 3 missions: 1 hour - 2.80% / 3 hours - 2.98% / 5 hours - 3.17%
Just deploy 1 squad in each theater and after the time of the missions you choose go collect them and deploy them again, if you can run the 1 hour mission*5 squads a few times should get you easy to 100% ( you will just need to remember or set an alarm to remind you)