Let's get ready for a new round of Challenge Me! To support the monthly theme, let's pick at least one coop ready game. If you want to help your fellow assassin, you could even pick a coop game you also have in your library and willing to play together.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Pick exactly 5 games
- 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.
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.
Challenge me!
(Please no Early Access games or Mutliplayer only games.)
Reserved Finished :3
| Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride | 4h |
| Mirror’s Edge | 7h |
| Uplink | 7-15h |
| R.U.S.E | 15h |
| The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | 30-80h |
The I-have-played-all-picks-too edition :D
Mirror’s Edge is a unique parkour runner with great visual Style.
Grim Legends a quality HOG title.
Uplink a hacking simulator with intriguing story.
R.U.S.E an RTS with rare focus on overhead tactic&strategy over quick reaction and high command rate.
Oblivion has a fantastic soundtrack and many interesting quest-lines.
Ruse also fits for the monthly theme, it’s playable in co-op against ai, which is how I spend most game-time in it. ^^
Was considering to choose Talos, a favorite of mine, but that was already started, so I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to try it again.
There are also many many other great possible picks like:
Vampire: The Masquerade, The Talos Principle, Witchers, Dying Light, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Wasteland 2, Watch_Dogs, Borderlands, Bully, Fable, Fallout, FTL, Age of Empires III, Max Payne(s), Mount & Blade, Ori and the Blind Forest, Not Tonight, , Papo & Yo, Project Zomboid, Civilization IV
Thanks for picking stuff you’ve already played!
Not sure how I managed to play the second and third game in the Grim Legends series, but not the first one. :D Should probably start by fixing that! And then probably continue with Uplink.
Only finished Grim Legends on time. Still want to try the other ones out as well, but they’ll have to wait a bit.
Thanks again for picking and for including an extra list of other possible picks! :) It’ll come in handy when I’m unsure about what games to play next. (Playing Ori at the moment.)
Ok. let´s give this a try, Challenge me!
Some people recommended me to come here. Today I´m going to finish my actual game and probably the goverment extends the quarantine period again. Please no I won,t play or multiplayer only games and preferably short games. Depending of the game I will need help, because my friends does not have the same games, in the 90% of the cases.
(A small hint: you have 238 uncategorized games, best to sort them through so picking will be easier ^^)
- 80 Days - HLTB Time: 3h (up to 29h) - since I’m not sure if you’re a completionist and how I should handle unfinished games, I picked this one. If that’s not fine, let me know :)
- Life is Strange / Life is Strange: Before the Storm - HLTB Time: 14 - 18h
- D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die - HLTB Time: 4 - 19h - sadly there was never a second part D:
- The Walking Dead - HLTB Time: 13h
- Nephise Begins - HLTB Time: 30 min
Ok, I only picked games I played - and apart from Nephise Begins, I can totally recommend them!
Since I’m not that keen of mp/coop games…
Well, if you wanted one, I’d say: How to Survive. So if you want a coop game and you dislike something I picked, we could swap that :D
You have Thief and it’s unplayed and I can’t put it on your list with good conscience, since I’d play it all over again and do everything and it would be too long and… Dx
Hope you enjoy the games!
Have fun playing! \o/
I did not remember that I have Nephise Beigns xD. Ok, good games selection. I am completionist but it depends of the free time xd. Just 1 thing, can I change Life is Strange for Life is Strange Before the Storm? Because this is the prequel of Life is Strange and I have it unfinished. If not, I am ok with the list. Thank you!
Well, I’d normally agree, but it’s not quite right. Life is Strange is the first game. While Before the Storm plays before it, it makes more sense since you already know the ppl from LiS, but if you want to play it that way, sure! Go for it! \o/
I’m happy you approve otherwise of the choices :D
1st victim, Nephise begins, https://steamcommunity.com/id/Aiori/stats/appid/628950/achievements
Woho! \o/
I finished my 1st rush at 80 days, it´s more interesting than I thought. I don´t know if I will get all the achievments before the next 15th, but I will finish it more times.
I get that. I have a lot of hours in it as well, since I wanted to complete it. I liked it, although it gets annoying at some point, when you try to get that one last achievements and you just can’t seem to make it xD
Have some more fun with it :)
I´ve beaten D4 (74% achievements), what a good and interesting ending for a game without continuation. Now I understand why people is asking for a 2nd season…since years ago. Next target is finish Walking Dead. I am on Chapter 3
Yeah, I’d still like to see a part two. But guess that won’t happen. Glad you enjoyed it \o/
Haven’t applied for this for couple of months and I wasn’t always succesful in tackling the list that has been given to me. But still, I would like to apply, I think I’ll have some more time and motivation for this now, asking not to include multiplayer only and early access. Thank you.
I tried to pick a variety of genre, I hope you find something you like in it. They’re all games I loved playing :)
- Batman Arkham City - HLTB Time: 12h
- Lego LotR - HLTB Time: 10h - with coop inside if you so desire. Plus Lego games are relaxing.
- Battle Chef Brigade - HLTB Time: 8h
- Fran Bow - HLTB Time: 7h
- Old Man’s Journey - HLTB Time: 1h - It’s really short but I found it beautiful and quite relaxing, I hope you’ll like it if you give it a try
Great, thank you for taking the time to go through my list, they seem like really nice picks. If you don’t mind, I would like to swap Batman Arkham Origins with Arkham City, because maybe I should finish the prequel first (I tried it once but didn’t get far into the game so I think it would still qualify)? Except if you think that Origins is much better and I don’t need to play Arkham City before it. :)
But but but Arkham Origins is the prequel - “Batman: Arkham Origins is the next installment in the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise. Developed by WB Games Montréal, the game features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, the first two critically acclaimed games of the franchise.”
I am confused!
So it’s better to play Origins first?
I just assumed because: follow-up to the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City and is the third main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. So I guess Origins is the prequel storywise, but was released later. Now I don’t know which one should I play first. :/
It seems to be fine to either play them the way they were released (Asylum - City - Origins) or storywise (Origins - Asylum - City). Might as well listen to Sheep when she says that Arkham City was better so swap anyway. :D (I’ve only played about half of Origins, but finished all the other ones.)
Actually Arkham City was better so swap away! I just didn’t see it in your uplayed list so I assumed you either didn’t have it or had played it :)
Enjoy :)
Done with Battle Chef Brigade, Old Man’s Journey and almost with Batman Arkham City. Still have two to go but I’m really pleased with these picks.
I’m so glad you’re having fun and liked the games :D
I’ll always at least try to finish one title picked so pick away. :D
Please choose shorter titles.
No multiplayer games.
Fine with early access.
No horror which overly uses jumpscares. I’m bad at horror so please pick light ones.
For easier picking, look at To Play and ABC plan lists. :3
As always, thanks for digging through my huge backlog. x3
I ‘ll pick something for you.
- Mahjong Solitaire - HLTB Time: 32min
- Angelica Weaver: Catch Me When You Can - HLTB Time: 3 1/2-4h, played it and liked it, nice HOG
- GRIS - HLTB Time: 3 1/2-6h, never played it, but heard only good things about it
- Call of Duty®: WWII - HLTB Time: 6 1/2-20 1/2h, played it and like it, also has coop so fits monthly theme
- Tomb Raider - HLTB Time: 11 1/2-20 1/2h, played it and loved it
If you need anything changed just say so :)
Thanks for picking! :3
Figured I’ll post a update since I probably won’t be finishing any more games. I finished Mahjong Solitaire and Angelica Weaver, currently playing GRIS.
I went into Mahjong Solitaire knowing I probably won’t like it and yep. But at least it’s short.
Angelica Weaver is such a surprise. I was getting tired of HOGs after finishing Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride, but it turns out I just haven’t played better HOGs yet. I love the story and setting and how the gameplay ties into the story. Thanks for picking this. :D
GRIS I kinda played for a bit(until the third world) and dropped for a while now. Idk, it’s just…..a bit boring to me? Yeah it’s very pretty and soothing, but because of the slow movement speed and sparseness of interesting objects the art didn’t really help much. My favorite so far is the forest level since you have a companion and that made the journey exciting. I’ll definitely finish the game, it just requires a certain mood set to go back to.
Full review on my profile if you’re interested. :)
Yeah Angelica Weaver is definitely one of the better HOGs out there, so I am glad you like it. Sorry that the Mahjong Solitaire and GRIS are not better experiences for you.
I don’t normally like it when people tell me what to do or play. However, I will give this a shot. Relatively free game on what to pick, so long as it isn’t in my “Won’t Play” or “Completed” categories. Would you kindly challenge me?
- Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition - HLTB Time: Main Story 23 Hours
- Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa’s Rampage - HLTB Time: Main Story 2 Hours [I absolutely love playing Viscera, and while I understand not everyone might (you played the ‘main’ game for 8 hours and dropped it. Naughty, naughty!), maybe you can give it another chance? I also kind of chose it because it’s short.]
- Saints Row: Gat out of Hell - HLTB Time: Main Story 4 Hours [The shortest and most streamlined of the Saints Row games. I actually prefer this one over the main series. It packs a punch with everything that made 3 and 4 great without overstaying its welcome. Good stuff!]
- Crypt of the NecroDancer - HLTB Time: Main Story 14½ Hours [A rhythm based “chess-like” game with a healthy dash of roguelike. One of those games that does everything right but it can drive you away with how difficult it is. When it clicks, though, you fall in love.]
- Pneuma: Breath of Life - HLTB Time: Main Story 2½ Hours [A hard beast to catalog. It hits a sweet point between hard puzzles, beautiful environments and a sort of relaxing atmosphere.]
If you want me to change any of those let me know.
Is it fine if I do the original Deus Ex first? I don’t like starting in the middle of the series, even if it doesn’t require it for storytelling. Rest assured, once I start a series, I am committed to finishing it. Otherwise I accept your challenge! >:)
Completely fine! Truth be told I shamefully dropped the first Deus ex halfway through, and I didn’t want to recommend games that I couldn’t fully give it my stamp of approval, otherwise I probably would have included it.
Alright, now that I finished the final challenge, I shall post my results. I have the achievement stats linked to title of game for proof.
Title
Time
Status
Review
Pic if no Achievements
Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa’s Rampage
Time 4.6h
It’s funny you challenged me this game as I had just recently reinstalled the original just before I saw your challenge. I did certainly drop it only because despite it being a good break from the norm it did start feeling like an actual job and I just needed a break. I suppose this challenge was the coal in my stocking that I deserved for dropping the original. Still, it was nice to be back, particularly with a version that is short and sweet. Though it was a bit of a pain in the ass to get the don’t break Christmas items achievements with the whole dynamite coming out of the water bucket vendor and the easily breakable ornaments. Still it was a jolly good time to clean up the workshop.
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell
7.2h
(not likely to complete)
Certainly in the same vein of the rest of the serious at it continues to grow exponentially sillier or more chaotic. I definitely appreciated it’s relative shortness as it can get quite stale, particularly noticing it when I was attempting to complete it. I wouldn’t go as far to say it was my favorite of the series, but definitely an enjoyable ride… plus you get to play as Gat.
An interesting and visually beautiful puzzle game indeed. Confusing at first, but when I figured out the puzzles were almost entirely perceptive and movement based I was able to comfortable solve away. Relatively relaxing and enjoyable, though I am a little bit mixed about the narration.
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edtion
20h
A combination of stealth and combat with cybernetic powers that reminded me a lot of System Shock. Though I would much rather play System Shock, I still enjoyed the general gameplay and aesthetic of it. I did however find a fair share of issues in regards to how easy it is to get lost, unclear directions, and a relatively useless tranquilizer crossbow
(Probably will not be able to complete, but will certainly play all the routes)
What a great soundtrack and interesting twist to a rhythm game. Unfortunately I am not great at keeping rhythm so I certainly struggled to gain mastery over it. My only qualm with the game thus far is that it does require you to die a bit in order to learn enemy patterns as well as floor traps. Not terrible, just not preferable. As well being able to play as different characters that have diverse enough styles is something I liked and wish we saw more in present games. Looking forward to replaying this a few times over. Keep singing merchant, keep singing.
Damn! You knew you had a month to finish, right? Regarding Crypt, playing the individual zones is supposed to be a practice mode, but since it’s an option withing the game I will consider it finished. Well, congratulations on besting my challenge! Hopefully you liked the format and will be more inclined to receive game suggestions in the future.
Yeah, well… I like to get things done. I figured since I got through the story for Cadence (I now assume she has a continued story through the all levels mode?) and saw the credits that it would count as beaten. Will still play the heck out of Crypt either way. Certainly will have to request a challenge again every now and then, to help mix things up at the very least. Thanks again for your challenge. ^_^
Impressive!
Thank you. ^_^
I want to try it this time too and am really curious what pearls you will pick out of this huge pile of shame :D
Just three wishes:
- No multiplayer only games
- No games which require a controller to play
- No games which have high system requirements
Thanks in advance :)
- Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game - HLTB Time: Main Story 16½ Hours [An absolute classic! Probably needs no introduction, one of the best isometric rpgs ever.]
- Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition - HLTB Time: 2 Hours - 2½ Hours [Another classic. I chose this one because it’s short and it shows how creative games used to be in spite of the limitations of the time.]
- STAR WARS™ - Dark Forces - HLTB Time: Main Story 9 Hours [Just outright great entertainment. A doom clone that manages to add it’s own uniqueness to the genre. Also I always liked the star wars universe. How can you go wrong?]
- Shadowrun Returns - HLTB Time: Main Story 12 Hours [I recently replayed this one, and while it falls in the shadow of its descendants, it’s still great and a good introduction to series, and you’ll be hard pressed to find this mishmash of genres anywhere else.]
- Rogue Legacy - HLTB Time: Main Story 16½ Hours [A great mix of the metroidvania and roguelike genres.]
If you want me to change any of those let me know.
EDIT: Changed one so there would be 2 sg wins.
Thanks a lot for your choices! That’s a nice mix of games. :)
I remember I tried Fallout once for a short time but kept dying at the beginning :D But I’ll definitely give it another try now ;)
Have a great weekend and please stay save
first done :) Another World achievements End screenshot
Nice work! How did you like it?
It was really cool! I never played it back when it came out but I would’ve loved it back then too. There were a few areas which I had to try 50 times or more and thought “I can’t do it” but in the end I got them all =)
Shadowrun Returns and Rogue Legacy done :)
Shadowrun Returns was an interesting game. I played it on easy difficulty as I’m not good at tactical stuff. It was just confusing that the choice of the dialog options didn’t seem to have an impact on the story (except maybe of the last choice regarding the fate of a certain person)
Rogue Legacy was really fun. I liked how the handicaps had an impact on the game with for example black and white filters, poorer visibility or upside-down view
So far I am very happy with your selection, so thank you again! The remaining two I will keep for May :)
Yeah, sadly shadowrun returns is extremely linear. There are a few options for different outcomes in the later games, but they are mostly small and towards the end. Also, speaking of difficulty, SR is the easiest, so you would have done alright on higher difficulties. The other two are a bit more involved, but fall into classic rpg mistakes like “higher difficulty” meaning 40% less chance to hit. Despite that I highly encourage you to play the other two if you liked the first one. Kudos for a successful month!
And last two done too :)
Star Wars Dark Forces:
Yes definitely a very good Doom clone and funnily both were banned here in Germany 😂🙄
Fallout:
Couldn’t get the Steam overlay to work with Fallout but I found a solution to add the .exe as a non Steam game to Steam which worked :) Screenshot
After reading some guides and getting used to the controls this was a really good game and I see why people loved it so much :)
Thanks again for your selection of games which I wouldn’t have considered in the near future and which gave me so much fun =) I will definitely take part again in the next event and see what gems are still hidden in my backlog :)
Have a great time and stay safe!
Glad you liked them, kudos on a flawless Challenge Me month!
Last month I got 3.5/5, let’s see if I can do better this time around.
- Jet Set Radio - HLTB Time: 6h 40m (Great Soundtrack, chill gameplay, and all about going with the flow.)
- Quake III: Arena - HLTB Time: 6h 15m (The arena shooter that set Unreal Tournament into motion, weird characters and fast paced combat make it a thrill.)
- Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance - HLTB Time: 17h 22m (Easily my favorite RTS as it is fast paced, relatively simple, and has cool mechs.)
- The Wolf Among Us - HLTB Time:8h 29m (An interesting narrative that transforms fairy tale characters into the modern world. Mystery, Death, and Betrayel in this Noir themed point and click TTG game)
- Tomb Raider I - HLTB Time:15h 26m (Truly a classic and the series behind it’s reboot. I always like to start with the first and so I urge you to as well. Prepare for puzzles, platforming, combat, and polygons.)
I bequeath thee a challenge. Let me know if you prefer to adjust.
I accept thy challenge, kind backlog warrior!
Finished Quake III. Man, what a pain in the ass! It’s one of those that was certainly made for multiplayer.
True enough, but thought it might provide a healthy challenge. Congrats Tourney winner. :3
Finished Jet Set Radio and The Wolf Among us. Supreme Commander: FA is feels too much like high level play is required to enjoy it. I’m the kind of masochist that at least tries to play everything on hard, so I spent 7 hours on finishing the first mission on that difficulty. After that I cave in and switched to normal for the second mission, but it still felt like a slog so it goes shamefully into the dropped zone for now. Maybe I’ll pick it up again after trying the first game. Tomb Raider I got put off by the controls. I like it but I’m not in a headstate right now to wrestle with camera angles and antiquated mechanics, but will definitely finish it eventually.
I understand the state of mind one has when they must play on the harder difficulties despite the pain it may give them. Certainly Supreme Commander might not be for everyone, but in this way you know this now. No fault with not wanting to deal with older controls/mechanics, I too am suffering that issue with a game at the moment.
All in all quite a success, 3 out of 5 games. ^_^ Hope you were able to enjoy the challenge this month.
I did, thank you! I loved Jet Set Radio’s style and I imagine it must feel pretty rewarding to 100%, I’ll get right on that when the dust settles, and I liked Wolf Among us enough to download the entire comic run (although I read the tone is different). I loved the characters and while the story is full of cliches and it introduces the “mastermind” right at the very end I still enjoyed the ride. Telltale might give you the illusion of a choice, but there’s no illusion when it comes to their writing quality. Also they teased a second season a couple years back? Might be something to look forward to.
kinda failed last month, (2/5)
but in the intrest of prrogress challenge me! :3
Please treat unfinished the same as unstarted and don’t pick anything I’ve already been picked before (challenge me list).
thank you
you picked it cause I like magic? :3
Errrr, yes, let’s go with that…