Games Completed 2023
Re: Games Completed 2023
I'd happily take it without co-op!
Re: Games Completed 2023
Yeah definitely. I get the feeling they didn't want you to miss much by just playing the story. Which ends up shooting them in the foot because players get bored and stop doing them, when they put some pretty big story info and character moments in the final sidequests. That bloat pushes me away from a lot of the big AAA games. I'm not a fan of the meta humour or lampshading either. You designed the game this way!Jobobonobo wrote: ↑August 18th, 2023, 12:01 pm I have heard a lot of complaints about sidequests in FFXVI. Doing the same thing over and over for comparatively little reward is just something that does nothing for me these days. I liked how older RPGs did side quests. For example in FFVII, side quests involved traveling to new locales in order to recruit optional party members and fighting really tough bosses that rewarded you with crazy weapons and summons. That is a million times better than grind the same area over and over for hours until you get a super rare item that the NPC wants. To me few but meaningful side quests will always be more compelling content than hundreds of mindless fetch quests.
Its funny, I just listened to the Cane and Rinse on Nier and they mentioned that the constant quips Grimoire Weiss makes about the player doing these meaningless side quests seemed like the developer itself laughing at you for wasting your time. And while that can be an amusing bit of meta humour, I would honestly just prefer if they had better side content instead.
BG3 does look good, think I'm going to wait and see how I feel about it. I'd be playing on PS5 so I'll have to wait for that at least.Tolkientaters wrote: ↑August 18th, 2023, 1:04 pm If you guys want some really solid side material Baldur's Gate 3 is perfect, none of the optional quest feel low effort or copy paste, they all feel really unique and they're really well presented.
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Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1016
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
(Jan) Death's Door - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Series X.
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Series X.
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
Re: Games Completed 2023
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
When people talk about RPGs on the SNES they talk about Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Breath Of Fire and Dragon Quest, but there are so many other, underappreciated gems out there for 16-bit systems. This, I have discovered, through the Evercade.
Dragon View is a SNES game included on the Piko Interactive collection for Evercade, and is an action RPG well worthy of discussion. The game largely takes place on a 2D 'side on' view, with combat and town exploration looking like Golden Axe or similar. The combat is deep, with magic, weapons, upgrades and armour. There is a whole world to explore with towns, temples, secrets and hidden caves etc, full of enemies to level up your character and find hidden treasure, massive bosses, and the story is good too.
The overworld is viewed in first person in a pseudo-3D style with random encounters between the 2D sections and the whole game is fantastic from start to finish. Play it on Evercade, play it on emulation, play it on original hardware if you can find a copy, but it's a game that is worth a look. I know nobody is going to go and seek it out, but you're missing out! This has been such a great game!
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
I quite liked the first Super Bomberman so I figured, why not try out the sequel. Gameplay is a little bit more complicated with all switches needing to be hit in every level as well as every enemy defeated. Lots of little changes and mechanics included in this such as red pads that will explode an entire section of the level if you place a bomb on it, magnets that can take your bomb away from you and platforms you need to bomb so they sink into the floor allowing you to cross and springy pads among others. They really added a lot of mechanics that change how you tackle the levels and make for a more varied experience overall. Bosses are now split into two parts, the evil bomber and then the massive robot they pilot. The evil bombers were annoying in the first Super Bomberman as they seemed to always hide away from your blasts but if you play it smart here, they can use their own bombs against them making it more a game of survival than an actual battle. Overall, this is more streamlined with more varied mechanics in each level which just makes for a more well rounded experience than the first game. Highly recommended whether you are a fan of Bomberman or like me, new to the series.
Aug 21: Super Bomberman 3
Having liked 2 so much, I just went straight onto 3 and I have to say this perfects the formula. Now each world is just 4 levels and a boss and things are streamlined even further. Now you only need to hit all switches to finish the level and the boss just consists of the evil bomber morphing into some wacky monster. Again the obstacles in each stage add to the peril quite a bit with volcanoes, conveyor belts, robots that shoot missiles at you and enemies that can jump over barriers as well as much more. All of these things keep the game fresh and the developers stuffed many things into less levels which adds to the refinement of the gameplay. Lastly, the other big improvement are the addition of kangaroos which you can ride. As well as serving as an extra hit they also allow you extra abilities such as dashing and laying lines of bombs on the ground. The kangaroos definitely made bosses a lot of fun and I always made sure to hold onto one as long as I could. The first two games were good but 3 really has converted me to being a Bomberman fan. What an adorable and fun series!
Re: Games Completed 2023
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
Originally released only in Taiwan, this Megadrive game is a hack and slash brawler, along the same lines as Golden Axe but set in ancient Japan. I do like a good old-fashioned brawler, but unfortunately this was as generic as they come. Piko actually put it out as a physical release a while back on Megadrive cart at around £60. Whilst I love the fact games are still coming out for old systems, I'd have been mighty disappointed to pay that much for this! Repetition is a staple of the genre, but even so, this got boring quickly. It looks reasonably nice, but it's not one I'd recommend.
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
This months 'free game'. It's a platformer that handles nicely but beaten in under half an hour. It's very unfair in places with how inconsistent it is. Sometimes enemies drop off the edge of ledges, sometimes they don't. Sometimes you can jump up from underneath a platform, sometimes you just bang your head and fall to your death - bizarre and a lack of attention to detail. Still, it was fun enough for 24 minutes.
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Angry_Kurt
- Member
- Posts: 395
- Joined: May 1st, 2020, 2:53 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
Resident Evil 4 remake.
Lived up to the hype, I’m not one for horror games normally but this was fantastic. What stood out to me the most was the excellent pacing which was spot on throughout my 16 hours with it. It has some incredibly tense but rewarding sections which I’ll remember forever and Leon is one of gaming all time greatest protagonists. Above all though, it’s just damn fun to play. My new GOTY 10/10
Lived up to the hype, I’m not one for horror games normally but this was fantastic. What stood out to me the most was the excellent pacing which was spot on throughout my 16 hours with it. It has some incredibly tense but rewarding sections which I’ll remember forever and Leon is one of gaming all time greatest protagonists. Above all though, it’s just damn fun to play. My new GOTY 10/10
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
For some reason I felt the urge to play through this again. Still a pretty fun old school FPS with some fantastic environments. Mechanics are quick and fluid, with a good meaty punch to it, and a nice variety of weapons. The sword in particular is pretty fun and unique thanks to the different special moves you can do with it. It plays well on a controller, although I think the aim assist is a little bit too strong. I generally appreciate good aim assist, and while it does the job here, it does feel a bit too intrusive at times. It is totally possible to make a game like this with aim assist that feels natural and subtle. But I suppose this is better than having an insufficient aim assist.
Although the aesthetic does have a lot of great elements to it, it doesn't always deliver the most interesting scenes however. Near the start and end of the game there a bunch of really fantastic looking places to explore. Japanese palaces, gardens, and temples, that sort of thing. But for a large stretch in the middle there's a whole lot of grey industrial areas that are pretty bland and get pretty monotonous.
The story is not particularly interesting, and it's not told very well either. The whole background to why the events of the game are happening are told through brief flashbacks that don't have much context to them when they are shown to you. The tone is pretty crass too. It tries to be humorous, and usually fails. I guess it is pretty insensitive as well too. There's probably a lot more criticism one could go in to on that front.
Re: Games Completed 2023
AUG - Return To Monkey Island (Android)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
I'd been wanting to play this since it came out but was holding off for a sale on Switch, so was delighted when it came to Android for only £8. I played through it on my tablet and thoroughly enjoyed it. Easier than the other games in the series, I didn't look up a single hint, but the games characters and story, and the setting, it was just a massive burst of nostalgia. I can't imagine anyone who wasn't around for the old games getting much out of it, but I really thought it was perfect for what it was. Also, I liked the art style, not sure why Gilbert got any shit at all over that. Lovely game.
Re: Games Completed 2023
AUG - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA on Switch)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
AUG - Return To Monkey Island (Android)
Thoughts in the thread for the show.
Summary: an enjoyable platform RPG-lite that slightly overstays it's welcome.
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
Wow August has been a mad crazy month for me finishing games! Rare for me to knock so many out in one month. Will give my full thoughts for the show later this year but nice introduction to the series. Not a big fan of certain things like the old school knockback when you get hit but overall this is a solid action platformer. Also looks and sounds great.
Re: Games Completed 2023
SEP - The Room Two (Android)Alex79 wrote: ↑January 14th, 2023, 12:34 amJAN - Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur's Story (Xbox)
JAN - The Witcher 2 (Xbox)
JAN - Ori And The Blind Forest (Switch)
JAN - Shinobi III (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Sonic Spinball (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Super Fantasy Zone - 1cc (Megadrive on Switch)
JAN - Death's Door (Switch)
JAN - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES on Switch)
JAN - Final Fight (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - The King Of Dragons (Arcade on Switch)
JAN - Yakuza 3 (Xbox)
FEB - Goldeneye 007 (N64 on Switch)
FEB - Starfox (SNES on Switch)
FEB - Mafia 2: Remastered (Xbox)
FEB - As Dusk Falls (Xbox)
MAR - Grand Theft Auto 3: Definitive Edition (Switch)
MAR - The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on Switch)
MAR - Pentiment (Xbox)
APR - Resident Evil 4 (Switch)
APR - Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox)
MAY - Dishonored 2 (Xbox)
JUN - Shock Troopers (Arcade on Switch)
JUN - Dizzy The Adventurer (NES on Evercade)
JUN - World Of Goo (Android)
JUN - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
JUN - Mega Man 2 (NES on Evercade)
JUN - The Room (Android)
JUN - Portal 2 (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Paranormal (Switch)
JUN - Pinball FX3: Earth Defense (Switch)
JUL - F1 2021: Braking Point (Xbox)
JUL - Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)
JUL - Borderlands: GOTY Edition (Switch)
JUL - Holedown (Android)
AUG - Sea Of Thieves: Monkey Island Chapter 1 (Xbox)
AUG - Magic & Legend: Time Knights (Evercade)
AUG - Quake (Switch)
AUG - Dragon View (SNES on Evercade)
AUG - Water Margin (Megadrive on Evercade)
AUG - Doodle World: Redrawn (Evercade)
AUG - Return To Monkey Island (Android)
AUG - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA on Switch)
Originally played these games on my phone but they're more fun on a larger tablet. This builds on the first game and is a really great puzzle box game. Not much more to say about it, but I do like these games.
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seansthomas
- Member
- Posts: 858
- Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am
Re: Games Completed 2023
Jan 13th - Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
Feb 7th - Hi-fi Rush (Xbox Series S)
Feb 10th - Goldeneye (Xbox Series S / Switch)
Feb 20th - Halo: Combat Evolved / The Master Chief Collection (Xbox Series S)
Feb 25th - Bayonetta 3 (Switch)
Apr 10th - Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)
Apr 30th - Dishonored + The Knife of Dunwall / The Brigmore Witches (Xbox Series S)
May 1st - Tron Identity (Switch)
May 10th - Elden Ring: NG+ (Xbox Series S)
Aug 5th - Streets of Rage 4 (Switch)
Aug 7th - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
Sep 11th - Astrobot's Playroom (PS5)
Finally decided to bite the bullet and get a PS5 now it's available for just over £400 with two controllers, despite not being massively fussed (on paper at least) by a lot of the exclusives to date. It's a lovely machine though; runs quiet, loads so much faster and with a better interface than PS4. I can see myself using it loads.
And what a delight this game was! I'd heard good things about Astrobot's past endeavours, but this was my first foray into that world.
Proper Nintendo vibes going on, eh?
Charming. Funny. Great music. Top in jokes. Slick platforming. Inventive level design. Ingenious mechanics.
And the way it shows off the controller is quite something. I came away thinking it's probably the best controller of all time. Some of the sensations it conveys is staggering. When that PS2 tray extended, it genuinely took me back to loading up a game with my friends and waiting for that delayed opening.
Tying it all into the history of Playstation is a delight too. And very moreish. It made me want to do it all and I might go for the Platinum, something I NEVER do, because I just don't feel done with the game yet.
I could happily have taken another 20 hours of it.
Best pack in game ever? It's up there...
Feb 7th - Hi-fi Rush (Xbox Series S)
Feb 10th - Goldeneye (Xbox Series S / Switch)
Feb 20th - Halo: Combat Evolved / The Master Chief Collection (Xbox Series S)
Feb 25th - Bayonetta 3 (Switch)
Apr 10th - Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)
Apr 30th - Dishonored + The Knife of Dunwall / The Brigmore Witches (Xbox Series S)
May 1st - Tron Identity (Switch)
May 10th - Elden Ring: NG+ (Xbox Series S)
Aug 5th - Streets of Rage 4 (Switch)
Aug 7th - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
Sep 11th - Astrobot's Playroom (PS5)
Finally decided to bite the bullet and get a PS5 now it's available for just over £400 with two controllers, despite not being massively fussed (on paper at least) by a lot of the exclusives to date. It's a lovely machine though; runs quiet, loads so much faster and with a better interface than PS4. I can see myself using it loads.
And what a delight this game was! I'd heard good things about Astrobot's past endeavours, but this was my first foray into that world.
Proper Nintendo vibes going on, eh?
Charming. Funny. Great music. Top in jokes. Slick platforming. Inventive level design. Ingenious mechanics.
And the way it shows off the controller is quite something. I came away thinking it's probably the best controller of all time. Some of the sensations it conveys is staggering. When that PS2 tray extended, it genuinely took me back to loading up a game with my friends and waiting for that delayed opening.
Tying it all into the history of Playstation is a delight too. And very moreish. It made me want to do it all and I might go for the Platinum, something I NEVER do, because I just don't feel done with the game yet.
I could happily have taken another 20 hours of it.
Best pack in game ever? It's up there...
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Indiana747
- Member
- Posts: 1016
- Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
(Jan) Death's Door - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Xbox 360
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Sept) Vampire Survivors(1000GS) - Series X.
(Jan) Warhammer: Chaosbane SE - Series X.
(Feb) Evil West - Series X.
(Mar) God of War Ragnarok - PS5.
(Mar) Dead Space(2023) - Series X.
(Apr) Ben 10: Power Trip - Series X.
(Apr) Resident Evil 4(2023) - Series X.
(May) Ghostwire Tokyo - Series X.
(May) Ravenlok - Series X.
(May) Turrican - PS4.
(May) Spec Ops: The Line - Xbox 360
(July) Shadow Warrior 3 - Series X.
(July) Planet of Lana - Series X.
(July) Horizon Forbidden West - PS5.
(July) Bramble: The Mountain King - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars 2 - Series X.
(Aug) Remnant II - Series X.
(Aug) Halo Wars: Definitive Edition - Series X.
(Sept) Vampire Survivors(1000GS) - Series X.
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
This was a cute little side game in Super Mario 3D World so it was nice to see it get expanded into its own title. For the most part it was not too difficult with its puzzles but admittedly some of the gems were pretty tricky to figure out. I even had to consult a walkthrough for one level where I could not even figure out how to finish the level (Up 'n' Down Desert) but when I saw the solution I kicked myself for not thinking about the solution form more than 3 seconds. In my eyes, having a solution that is obvious in hindsight which makes you look like an idiot is the mark of a good puzzle so have to give Captain Toad its dues there. Also some levels could definitely be on the challenging side such as the one where you have to dash through the insides of a volcano but getting all the gems for that one was particularly satisfying as you have to dash onto platforms that you then control by blowing into the mic. Timing that took many attempts but it was great when I finally got it down. The side content where you go through Odyssey levels was also a nice teaser for the game as I still have not played it. It was a pity though that the only boss outside of Wingo was the dragon. Would have been great to see more variety there. Overall, this is a pleasant little spin off and a nice way for Toad to get his own game.
Re: Games Completed 2023
I played this on WiiU and loved it, would love to see a sequel some day.
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
Yeah, missed out on the Wii U so I played the 3DS version. Since it had a Switch port as well, maybe a sequel could be possible. Very cute and enjoyable game though. Enjoyed it a lot more than the last Mario spin off I played (Luigi's Mansion 2).
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
Lovely little DS title where you need to herd souls into the afterlife by capturing them in a bubble and then using your mighty breath, blow them around hazard filled levels with various puzzles to solve. Levels are typically not too long and each world has a unique gimmick for you to deal with such as sticky walls, switches which require large bubbles to push them, mixing of gases to shift the weight of bubbles, etc. As well as saving souls you also have to collect fruit to unlock the final world. You only need 50 of these fruit to enter the final world and with three in each level, it is easy to have amassed 50 by the time you have the other worlds finished.
This is a cozy little title with cute art direction, minimalist music and a run time that never outlasts its welcome. I feel the developers explore a lot of interesting mechanics across the 40 or so levels and make the game feel fresh throughout its playtime. If you have a DS, then this is one I would recommend if you can get it cheap*.
*Or sail the seven seas to access it
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
This ended up being a really good time, and was pretty expansive for a handheld spin-off. My final thoughts ended up not being too different from what I talked about earlier, but there were some things that my opinions evolved on.
The system of having a lot of different fighting styles to choose from was really good. It gives the game a lot of variety, and provides a sense of growth both in terms of each style improving as you use them, and overall in the long term as you gradually unlock better styles as the game goes on. All the enemies you fight also use this pool of styles too, so it adds a lot of variety on that end of the equation as well. Each style on its own might not be super deep, but there’s definitely a lot to dig in to when it comes to exploring everything you have access to and learning what works best for different situations.
Some of the issues I had earlier on with the combat did seem to iron out over time. Although you start weak it’s not long until you’re able to hold your own, and the parry did end up being pretty helpful when using a style that was suited to it. Although it did always seem like something you couldn’t really use on reaction, and instead just predicting when you think an enemy is likely to attack before it happens.
Other problems did emerge over time however. Nothing that bad, but just some road bumps here and there. Occasionally there would be moments when the enemy AI decides that you don’t get to play the game for a while, being able to shut down everything you try and not giving you an opening. As if it will just randomly read your inputs in some fights. Sometimes it happens with bosses, which I can somewhat overlook since they are supposed to be a challenge. But other times it would happen in normal random battles, which felt pretty out of place.
And I can’t help but feel that perhaps I was missing a layer to the combat mechanics too. Every time you level up a style it tells you that you’ve unlocked a new combo or such, but I was never quite sure what it was referring to. I assume it just meant extending your basic punch and kick combos, but sometimes it seemed like they weren’t any different when I was supposed to have unlocked new attacks. I also discovered later on in the game that you can get unique attacks by tapping back on the stick at the same time as hitting an attack button. Something which I don’t remember the game ever explicitly mentioning. I couldn’t find any hint of a combo list hiding in the menus anywhere either. So I wonder if perhaps there’s more to this system that I never worked out.
Another curious thing is that I never managed to unlock every single fighting style, or even fully master every style I did unlock. This is despite me playing the game pretty thoroughly. I don’t think there’s any large part I could have missed in terms of gaining XP. So it makes me wonder if this was intentional, like you’re supposed to have to choose what styles you want to focus on the most, or if getting everything is meant to require a NG+ run. I still felt like I got a lot out of the system either way, and I did manage to master what I assume were supposed to be powerful endgame styles.
The story is pretty good, and still has that authentic RGG feel. It has a good sense of personal growth for the main character, Tatsuya. Starting from a point of just being an aimless thug to developing a personal philosophy and finding a proper reason to fight. The plot is interesting too, starting off with Tatsuya being coerced in to fighting in an underground fighting tournament run by the Tojo Clan, only for it to spiral out in to a juicy conspiracy within the organisation. It hits a lot of the same notes that you would expect from a game in this franchise, despite having a smaller scale than most of the other games in it.
The game has a nice presentation as well, despite the clear limitations it had to deal with. Kamurocho looks good in this pre-rendered form. It does look somewhat blurry when upscaled on to a TV screen, but honestly even like that I thought it looked pretty good. It also gives the game a unique feel to most of the other games in the series, and makes it something of a nostalgic throwback to the PS2 originals. In that sense it’s comparable to the PSP God of War games, which I am rather fond of, in that it’s like this game is from some alternate reality where they kept making this series on the PS2 instead of jumping to the PS3. The cutscenes are also presented in this simple but attractive sketchy comic book style. They are also rather low resolution, and have very basic animation, but the actual artwork is really good, and have a stylistic and dynamic feel to them. It’s very similar to how MGS Peace Walker did it, to bring another example of a PS2 successor that impresses on the PSP. The voice acting in these scenes is also top notch, just as good as anything in the main games.
There’s also the issue of what to call this game. For this post I decided to leave the main title untranslated, mostly because that is what this translation patch does. After playing the game I think I can work out why too. I suspect the term “kurohyou” is a pun. While it supposedly translates to “black panther”, seemingly referring to Tatsuya in his black tracksuit, when you hear characters say what sounds like the word in dialogue, it is subtitled as “mad dragon”, which is his moniker used in the fighting arena. That title is also later spoken in English too. And speaking of this translation patch, I have to give that praise too. Team K4L did a really good job with this. There’s a few small issues, like spelling and grammar, and some formatting weirdness when it comes to fitting long words in menus or trying to fit subtitles within the timing meant for Japanese, but overall it’s really good. Dialogue comes across as very natural, easily understandable, and fitting for each individual character. It does a good job of reflecting the tone of the official localisations of the rest of the series. They also updated it a couple of times after the initial release, where among other issues they fixed the incorrect button prompt on the parry tutorial that I mentioned before. They are supposedly going to do another big update at some point to add in all the hostess dialogue that was missing in this initial release too.
Re: Games Completed 2023
- Spoiler: show
Really fascinating game. Definitely as well written as people say. I loved the psychological aspect to it and how it breaks down the experience of the world into different psychological phenomenons, ‘shivers’, ‘inland empire’ etc. It’s such a multilayered and intriguing way to tie in your character’s choices with their experiences. It’s a fascinating gameplay system as it ties into real dimensions of how we experience the world.
I also loved the freedom you get to explore this game’s small but densely packed island. I think I experienced the story in the most roundabout way possible because of my need to poke my head in every corner before I move forward. I love that it let me do that too, allowing me to stumble back on things I missed long before, while also locking some off. I liked how the people of the world and its history all inform each other, told through conversation, investigation and inference.
The story it tells is frequently gripping, an excellent murder mystery with depth, sadness and heart. I loved how it made my story feel like my own, and how my choices shaped my character as much as I attempted to shape my choices. Which ended up being a very intelligent, slightly deluded wannabe-communist ‘sorry cop’ with no authority or empathy, trying his best to kick the habit and do honest police work. There were some very satisfying payoffs, and enjoyment to not really knowing or caring what I missed along the way.
There were aspects of the game that I didn’t like. The humour was hit and miss. I’m glad they embraced it as I did frequently laugh out loud, but other times it irritated me. Same with the characters, some I really liked, others felt like grating caricatures. At times I got a bit fed up schlepping around this island while everybody called me a sadsack loser or waffled on at me. Sometimes the game feels a little bit too much like being hungover. As time went on I found myself skipping past some of the goofier options and less interesting trains of thought. I did appreciate that the game let me do that though. It made the more sincere and heartfelt moments worth it, as I felt glad that I pursued them.