The Binding of Isaac

[Todinho]

Well I recommend the youtube channel VaatiVidya:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe0DNp ... VaTundyr9w he does a very cool series called prepare to cry where he tells the stories of the NPC's in the souls series it's really cool and he also does some videos explaning things like the endings and all I think it's really interesting. Now the Game Theory channel usually doesnt do this type of episode but they did a few of them including the FNAF,Earthbound,Chrono Trigger,Super Smash brother(which I found really interesting surprisingly) and Super Mario Galaxy.

[dezm0nd]

Announced on April 1st... this ain't no joke, son!

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015- ... nd-new-3ds

[dezm0nd]

It seems the original BoI has been updated? With new content? I am confused.

[James]

I'm dusting off this old thread, because I picked up the Afterbirth DLC on PC yesterday. And, nine hours later, I'm incredibly glad that I did!

Between the new Challenges (some of which are inspired), Daily Challenges and mechanical tweaks, I'm really impressed. I love that the health bar flashes yellow when defeating one part of a multi-part boss, for example. And the Guardian Challenge... I don't want to spoil it, but my jaw dropped when I realised what it entailed.

I haven't unlocked that many new items yet as I'm starting from scratch on PC (I played Rebirth on PS4). You can import your Rebirth save file if you have one on PC, though I understand that some of the character clearance criteria have changed (so don't expect to see all of the icons on the left-hand side of the character screen if you do).

I just wanted to say that the improvements/changes made in Rebirth have continued apace in Afterbirth. I can't recommend it highly enough to fans of Isaac.

[Sean]

I really hope Nicalis can find a way to get Afterbirth working on Vita. I just can't imagine playing BoI on anything but that machine, and, I'm dying to play it!

[Alex79]

Pretty much the exact comment I was about to post! I just don't see how it can be that difficult given the games that thing can already run. But then, I know quite literally nothing about game development.

[James]

Likewise, I have no idea what the limitations would be. I know that the initial load times were a little long on Vita, and that I saw some slowdown/hitching when moving through doors and some slowdown in the largest rooms. It was a fantastic version, all things considered, with very little to negatively impact the gameplay, but I wonder if Rebirth was at the very limit of what the Vita could handle.

Worth saying again though, I have no practical knowledge/understanding of what technical constraint would prevent Afterbirth running on Vita.

[Flabyo]

Paying to put it through certification and knowing it might not make that money back?

[dezm0nd]

Afterbirth for consoles has been submitted for cert and due out this month, apparently!

[dezm0nd]

http://www.destructoid.com/the-binding- ... 6613.phtml

Afterbirth coming to consoles on May 10th!

[dezm0nd]

The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth is now out on PS4 and Xbox One. I'm impressed!

[Stanshall]

Mega bump because I am completely gripped by the Switch version of Afterbirth Plus. It's an exemplary portable game for me and this is the definitive console version. I'll never be playing on PC so this will be my Isaac endgame, as far as I can expect. I really like the option to use either twin sticks, or cursor/face buttons (which I'm very used to from the 3DS), or some combination of the above (again, I'm left analogue, right face buttons a la 3DS). I love snapping off the Joy Con and playing it on the coffee table. It looks great on the TV. I've just beaten Mom for the first time on this file at the tenth attempt (I am pretty rubbish at it, as I say) and I'm just looking forward to unlocking everything now and getting some mad runs going. I fully expect I'll put in as much time with this as Zelda, if not five times as much.

[ratsoalbion]

I still play Afterbirth on PS4 most days. Still in the process of putting together the two polaroids.

[Stanshall]

Well, I am well and truly absorbed by this at the moment. Every other run, I'm seeing something new. I've still only got one piece of the Polaroid (I think that's what it is based on Leon's post above) and in the grand scheme of things, I've probably done about five percent of what there is to do but I'm really enjoying it a lot. I just beat Isaac for the first time, I think, by pinning him in the corner with Mom's Knife.

I also just finished my first Boss Rush, unlocked something, and then went on to defeat Mom's Heart with the Bible, which unlocked something else. I'm pumping most of my cash into the shop and levelling that up, blowing up arcades and the like, unlocked a few items related to that kind of thing. It's such great fun when you get some cool synergy and a load of items, and I've been lucky with a couple of Dice rooms too which have left me grossly overpowered, three way poisonous, wiggly worm brimstone and a little entourage of assorted freakish pals. Great OP feeling.

It's a game which is endless fun at the moment, always something quite different, though I'm struggling to say anything meaningful about it!

[James]

Really glad you're enjoying it so much, Stanshall. It's one of my favourite games, and I can't wait to play it (again) on Switch. I did hear some rumblings about lag when certain item combos are in effect, which certainly happened on Vita, but hopefully they are few and far between.

I've gone a fair way towards "full" completion several times now (PC Wrath Of The Lamb/Rebirth/Afterbirth/+ and PS4/Vita Rebirth), but stopped playing back in January so I could start from scratch with the Switch release. Of those I've played, Vita was my preferred platform solely due to the ability to play in bed (or wherever), but there was no Afterbirth(+) on there, sadly.

After what feels like a long wait, we finally got some news about a European Switch release yesterday. Still no date, or confirmation on whether we'll get the same extras (stickers and manual) as the first run NA physical editions, but we now have a release window.

[James]

Oh, and the response to yesterday's announcement was, predictably, the usual entitled nonsense; lots of screaming about wanting to know the date now, and why isn't it already out yet, etc. Like Headup Games had any say in when Nicalis and they thrashed out the publishing deal.

But then Tyrone decided to Tweet "What's wrong with game media in one headline" which kinda tempered my sympathy, certainly for Nicalis.

It really shouldn't be news to him that people are unhappy with the way Isaac's release has been handled, on Switch and back on 3DS, if memory serves. Some of those people work in the games media, and they might want to point out when entire regions are left without news about a game release. Surprise!

[Stanshall]

Really glad you're enjoying it so much, Stanshall. It's one of my favourite games, and I can't wait to play it (again) on Switch. I did hear some rumblings about lag when certain item combos are in effect, which certainly happened on Vita, but hopefully they are few and far between.

I've gone a fair way towards "full" completion several times now (PC Wrath Of The Lamb/Rebirth/Afterbirth/+ and PS4/Vita Rebirth), but stopped playing back in January so I could start from scratch with the Switch release. Of those I've played, Vita was my preferred platform solely due to the ability to play in bed (or wherever), but there was no Afterbirth(+) on there, sadly.

After what feels like a long wait, we finally got some news about a European Switch release yesterday. Still no date, or confirmation on whether we'll get the same extras (stickers and manual) as the first run NA physical editions, but we now have a release window.

I have experienced lag once, with the flame/candle item. It was a bit odd as there were so many other mad things happening on screen but every time a flame shot out, it would grind a little bit. I've got that item subsequently and it's been perfectly fine so maybe some particular synergy. I also had the sporadic poop with tears item, which is fantastic for exploring every nook and cranny, but seemed to be linked to the flame frame issues. In any case, other than that, it's been flawless for me in fifty hours or so. I'm not very experienced with the game elsewhere though, nor am I especially sensitive to frame drops, etc. Slightly controversial, perhaps, but I quite like chugging, it almost adds to the chaos, like slow motion. Could be the worst defence of technical flaws which has ever been written but yep, my guilty pleasure, reminds me of the Amiga days.

[James]

I know what you mean. Slowdown (particularly in Isaac) kinda adds to the feeling that some crazy stuff is going on!

[Alex79]

Yeah a certain amount of slowdown on some games makes them feel more authentic, I'm not sure I'd enjoy the likes of Metal Slug and such without the little quirks like that.

[Stanshall]

Glad I'm not the only one. Stuff like the beam effect (?) in Resogun almost seems like a nod to the slowdown thrills. It's like, OK, this is what you came for. Bzzzz.