August: Challenge me!
Crushed by the weight of your backlog and need someone’s helping hand to know where to start making a dent? Join this month’s theme and a fellow assassin will narrow your choice down to 5 games.
If you want to choose games for other assassins, please take the time to read the “Picker’s guidelines”. Feel free to add your thoughts on why you picked those particular games.
Have fun!
Applicants’ guidelines:
- Please make sure your games are sorted by completion before applying.
- If you don’t want to play Early Access or multiplayer only games, then mention that in your post.
- You don’t have to finish all five games. When you finish one (or more) of the games picked for you, please post an update by replying to your picker’s comment.
- 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 so everybody who wants get a chance to do it. You can choose games for more assassins if you see that they’ve not had anyone else choose for over 24 hours. It is recommended to post a “reserved” comment once you start picking games for someone. This is to avoid someone else posting a list of games while you’re taking the time to pick them yourself. Please use the following criteria when picking a list for somebody:
- Pick exactly 5 games.
- Length: at least 2 short games (under 10h to beat) and 2 medium (under 15-20h). You can use HLTB to check the time. 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 amount of free time to dedicate to gaming.
- Quality: at least 3 of the 5 games should have a positive (or above) rating.
Please use the code below to post your selection. It’s already formatted, you just have to 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
Theme song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHA-UChmpWg
FAQ
Do I have to participate in this month’s theme?
No, as with every theme, these are merely suggestions for anyone who is unsure about what to play next. If you already have a battle plan for your backlog and/or don’t like this month’s theme, you’re free to ignore it.
What happens if I don’t participate in the monthly theme?
Nothing.
What happens if I play all of my unfinished games this month?
Your backlog will be a much smaller place.
I don’t have any unfinished games!
Really? well that makes one of us… I salute you.
I already finished my entry can I play another?
Go ahead - the goal is to reduce your unfinished games list. The more you can play the better.
Oh yes, I finally have some more free time again, so challenge me, please! Can be anything of the unfinished/never played categories :)
- Assassins Creed 2 - HLTB Time: 19 -27 hrs
- Bioshock 2 - HLTB Time: 11 -14
- Portal 2 - HLTB Time: 8 -13 hrs
- Purring Quest - HLTB Time: 1 -3 hrs
- Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons - HLTB Time: 3 hrs
If you want anything repicked let me know! I’ve played all of these games so I tried to give a variety of genres.
Thanks so much for the picks, stef! Looks very good to me, the only thing is that I would switch bioshock infinite for bioshock 2… I like (aka am kind of dogmatic about) playing series in order^^
No problem! All of the Bioshock games are great, have fun!
Purring Quest is done! 4 more to go! :D
I’m terrible at Challenge Me type scenarios, but I’ll give it a shot. I have limited game time, so apologies in advance if I don’t get to or otherwise ignore any of your suggestions. You can take a look at the Itching to play and Farmable lists as a good starting point. I won’t be able to play any long games (as much as I might want to!).
- Oxenfree - HLTB Time: 5 hrs (13 completionist)
- Her Story - HLTB Time: 3 hrs (4 completionist)
- A Plague Tale: Innocence - HLTB Time: 12 hrs (16 completionist)
- Lake - HLTB Time: (8 hrs completionist)
- INSIDE - HLTB Time: 4 hrs (5 hrs completionist)
no worries if you cant get to the games, I’m not always able to either. I picked shorter games but if you want me to repick let me know! Especially Plague Tale because that one is longer but the sequel is coming out so I picked it. Have fun!
Thanks, Stef! You rock! All great game choices and I feel I should definitely be able to get at least one of these done. :D
(Although for me you have to almost double HLTB times, depending on the genre, lol, especially since I always seek to complete if at all possible)
I probably won’t do Downfall since I never did finish The Cat Lady. (despite my avatar)
[Edit: Results:]
| Name | Achievements obtained | HLTB Time | Playtime this month | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 10/10 | 8h | 11h48m | completed |
| Her Story | 13/13 | 4h | 7h38m | completed |
| Total | 23/23 | 12h | 19h26m | 2 completed |
No problem! I’m not a completionist but I am slow at most games so I know what you mean. I added the completionist time from HLTB and changed the game Downfall to Lake!
Aw, thanks for swapping in a new game. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Nice! Lake sounds like my type of game, I added it to my wishlist. Good luck on the next one!
And…completed one more game just under the wire: Her Story. TBH, I liked it, but not as much as I thought I would. I remember how much hype it got when it came out– so ground-breaking. And also I seemed to recall a fundamental spoiler about the game (the whole split personality thing). I thought the actress was amazing and the game was clever, but it didn’t quite have the, “listen to one video and learn something that you can use as a keyword to unlock more of the story” feel that I wanted. It had some of that, but not as much as I wanted. It devolved near the end to just dreaming up almost random keywords and hoping it unlocked a previously-unseen video. But it was still lots of fun and I’m glad I played it. So thank you for the suggestion!
[Edit: Oh, and it took me more than 7.5 hours, instead of the 4h from HLTB. I consistently take longer than any HLTB value.] :)
Yeah I also didn’t love Her Story but I played it years ago. It is interesting though. Congrats on getting another game done!
Wait Challenge me for monthly? :confused: :D
Anyway…
Please pick something from my Shortlist or my Short list please.
ooh i want to help picking games!
since you also did PAGYWOSG, i took the liberty to list the categories for this month’s event :)
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion - HLTB Time: 3h - Tag 2D
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - HLTB Time: 4h - Tag Casual
- Donut County - HLTB Time: 2.5h - Tag Cute
- Love Is Dead - HLTB Time: 14h (fyi it took me 9h to 100% it) - Tag Cute
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps - HLTB Time: 17.5h - Tag 2D
Looks great, thanks a lot <3
No problem, hope you’ll enjoy them as much as i did :)
Ah almost forgot to post here :)
| Name | Achievements obtained | Playtime | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion | 37/37 | 3.6h | finished | Loved it! Little Turnip is sooo adorable :D |
| Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | 12/12 | 3.8h | finished | Great game :) I loved the way you control both brothers at the same time. |
| Donut County | 20/20 | 3.2h | finished | A weird game, but the good kind of weird :D Only downside is that it would have been a good fit for the “games with racoons” category for next month PAGYWOSG :P |
| Love Is Dead | 23/35 | 13.9h | finished | I love puzzle games so this was an easy game to enjoy =) But looks like I was slow then :D |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | 15/37 | 16.0h | finished | 💙💙💙 |
| TOTAL: | 107 | 40.5h | 5 |
Whoa, you finished them all already? That’s nice. How are the games?
Challenge me!
Maybe reserved, do you have a list or should I pick from anything never played?
No lists, just not EA or multiplayer-only games.
Someone on this website says I only play short games but I managed to pick a couple that are over 10 hours!
- Tales from the Borderlands - HLTB Time: 10.5 hours
You liked the humor in GOTG so this game’s should be up your alley, somehow it’s probably the best telltale game I’ve played - Papo & Yo - HLTB Time: 4 hours
I remember being positively surprised by it, strong storytelling and presentation (it does look dated but it does quite a lot with what it has). I remember some clunkiness in the gameplay but nothing too bad - SteamWorld Heist - HLTB Time: 12.5 hours
Unusual turn-based strategy with a sidescroller-like view and where you aim your shots, a bit like Worms. Causing chaos half a map away after a trick shot is really fun, I played this on the Nintendo 3DS and loved every single moment of it. Hoping to see a sequel announcement at gamescom later this month 👀 - Ittle Dew - HLTB Time: 3 hours
The gameplay is straight out of zelda but with a dash of puns and references. Maybe the weakest of my picks but some variety is good, right? I’m really doubting the 3 hours estimate from HLTB, I’m pretty sure it was closer to 5 for me. - The Sexy Brutale - HLTB Time: 6 hours
Unfortunate name that probably did it a disservice when it comes to meeting a wide audience. Really interesting core game mechanics, clunky at times but I think it’s worth at least trying
Thanks for the thoughtful recommendations!
Finished SteamWorld Heist (15.4h, 17/47 achievements). Nice game mechanics, glad I played it even though it felt a bit same-old by the end of it.
Finished Tales from the Borderlands (11.1h, 35/35 achievements). Definitely had a Guardians vibe but without the weak gameplay. :3
Finished The Sexy Brutale (5 h, 14/18 achievements). Surprisingly good! But now Tib keeps saying I should play the groundhog day Zelda.
FWIW, I recommend Papo & Yo. I played it with my kids (pretty small at the time, maybe 5yo). They were too young to understand the actual plot of the game…
I’ll join! I have lists on my profile called PoP Short, PoP Medium, etc. Games I’ve started are fine.
Okay, I’ll take a stab at this. I’ve only selected games I’ve beaten and games you’ve never played. While I picked 5 games in accordance with the instructions, I’ve also included a bunch of “honorable mentions” that are all games I’ve beaten and would recommend– feel free to swap in any of them if they appeal more than my selections. In a few cases, I’ve linked my Steam review. Overall reviews range from 87% to 93%.
- A Story About My Uncle - HLTB Time: 3 hours (my review)
- Eliza - HLTB Time: 5.5 hours (my review)
- Driftmoon - HLTB Time: 9h
- Tell Me Why - HLTB Time: 9.5h
- The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut - HLTB Time: 35.5 hours
Honorable mentions:
Short: Rollers of the Realm, An Assassin in Orlandes, Chronology, A Case of Distrust, Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York
Medium: Dust: An Elysian Tail, The Book of Unwritten Tales, LEGO The Hobbit, Munin, The Walking Dead: Season Two
Long: Legend of Grimrock, Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director’s Cut (techincally I haven’t beaten this; I just beat DX:HR and its Missing Link DLC)
Thanks, great list! I think for a long game, I would lean toward finishing what I started and play The Witcher instead. Maybe then I could finally play the new Witcher games haha.
Updated!
Beat Driftmoon. It was alright, especially considering the small team that made it.
Beat/Completed: 1/5
Great! It’s a cute little game, but one of the reasons I remember it fondly is that I played it with my kids when they were like 3 or 4. We called it “the boy who picks mushrooms”. :D
Challenge me I’m felling confident :)
Please no EA, MP Only and endeless games.
You can use my PoP lists sorted by game time. Games with playtime time already are ok to chose. If you dont see a game you would like to suggest on those lists feel free to look at my global list.
Thanks
- A Plague Tale: Innocence - HLTB Time: 10-12 hours - Great story-rich adventure game with decent gameplay.
- Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition - HLTB Time: 11-15 hours - The beginning of an amazing game series and one of my favourite games of all time.
- Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons - HLTB Time: 3-4 hours - Innovative single player co-op concept.
- Carto - HLTB Time: 5-6 hours - The only game on this list that I haven’t played but have been interested in since release because of its overwhelmingly positive reviews, unique look and interesting game mechanics.
- Go Home Dinosaurs! - HLTB Time: 6-8 hours - Tbh this doesn’t look that great based on the screenshots but it’s actually a really well made tower defense game.
Let me know if anything needs to be fixed, for example you seemingly have 15 hours in Arkham Asylum already (but no achievements) so I’m not sure if you’ve actually played it before or not.
Thank you skanda for those great picks. Arkham asyum is idel time so all good. Lets see if i can make some progress on those picks :)
I’m on vacation right now with lots of free time so I’m ready to be challenged!
I made a list here to make it easier!
Haven’t played any of them but I hope I selected a good mix of different genres :) Have fun and let me know if I should switch anything.
looks good, thank you!
This comment was deleted over 2 years ago.