seansthomas wrote: February 20th, 2019, 11:31 pm
20th February - Night in the woods
I am so confused about what to make of this one?
By the end of it, I had really grown to like the characters a great deal and some of the writing and art design of the town did a great job of capturing life in a small community as a 20 something. Playing guitar with mates, eating pizza, beginning to realise the stresses of adulthood via your parents, etc. all rang true. And the 3 or so songs you can play in this game are bloody brilliant, staying with me days afterwards and breaking up the game hugely. Will have to see if they made it into a Sound of Play I missed...
Maybe it's because 5 of the last 6 games I've completed have been indie titles where I had little to no impact on the gameplay, rather a rudimentary function to perform at set times, but I found myself just wanting it to end halfway through and pining for a shorter 3 hour experience.
Then the story went somewhere I was not expecting and I sorta dug it at the time, but now it's over I'm left with a feeling of confusion about what it was trying to achieve and if it went a bit M. Night Shamalaman.
So yeah... it had moments of replicating those slacker movies I grew up with that I adored. Equally I'm not sure how much of a game it even is for the most part. It was incredibly well written and I grew to love it's characters, but I grew tired of their company. And I took loads of screen shots of scenes I enjoyed, but found it fairly dull and laboured for the most part.
Yet, despite all that, I'd totally recommend it to someone as the things it does well, it does really well. Just think it'll likely appeal to fans of things like Stranger Things, Brick, Juno and most Wes Anderson films - and those type of things just ain't my bag...
Nice summary, I'd agree with almost all of that. Whereas I didn't particularly enjoy the moment-to-moment gameplay, and was a bit disgruntled with it overall, I still find myself thinking back to the game pretty often! It had an impact on me with the characters and background/social aspects, even though I never want to see it again.
Thanks.
Yeah, the social aspects that are hinted at throughout regarding loss of work for the parents, changing dynamic of the town centre, etc were really interesting. Started to get to the bottom of that far more than many other games I've played, mainly JRPGs, where you just have to do some fishing to restore a town to its former splendour.
Jan 16 - Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4)
Jan 20 - FTL: Faster Than Light (PC) (Easy)
Jan 25 - Final Fantasy VIII (PSVita - PS1 Classic)
Jan 27 - Puzzle Bobble (Switch) (Difficulty Level 4 - One credit)
Feb 3 - Metal Slug 3 (PS4 - PS2 anthology version on Easy)
Feb 8 - Puzzle Bobble 2 (Switch)(Vs Computer mode - Normal)
Feb 12 - Puzzle Bobble 2 (Switch)(Puzzle mode - One credit)
Feb 20 - Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (3DS - DS cart)
More puzzles! The train journey was a good way of having different locations and helped the game feel a little different from Curious Village even if the game settles down in the final town for the second half. The plot is ok with a somewhat OTT explanation for events at the end, which I'm starting to feel is standard for the series.
All in all good puzzling fun for my commute with very nice presentation. Some of the wording threw me in some puzzles though(unintentionally, there are also other puzzles that rely on the wording of the puzzle of course).
Feb 21 - Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch) (World of Light)
Done. I'm not great at Smash or fighting games. I have it more for the museum and fanservice (not that type of fanserivce ) aspects. Fun, though. Final bosses of this mode can piss off though.
I 100%'d Valkyria Chronicles 4 plus most DLCs yesterday.
Not much to say here that I didn't already say when I played the first one a few months ago. Core mechanics are still rock solid, map / mission design is still varied and maintains a really high average level of quality throughout the whole game, art style is still enchanting, and story is still surprisingly good. As far as sequels go, this one plays it really safe and sticks to what works - for the better I'd say.
The new grenadier class shakes up the moment-to-moment gameplay quite a bit and can be a tiny bit unbalanced and frustrating to deal with at times, but they're a net positive overall.
Post-game content is very substantial, which is always a plus for me.
The story goes to some very interesting places, especially in the second half. I dunno what it is about japanese war stories of this particular ilk that manages to push so many of my buttons, but I found it entertaining and genuinely thought-provoking at times. Really good stuff. I can only wish that more of the popular conversation within the "gamingsphere" revolved around some of this game's themes and characters instead of countless articles about the latest patch notes, but hey.
The game does have a few issues. Most notably, the comparatively low production values and re-used assets hint at a more modest development budget this time around, and I could have done without the rare bit of fan-service. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons by a metric ton and I think that, looking back on everything, this is probably my favorite game of 2018. Even surpassing the GoW reboot which I think suffers from more fundamental design flaws than this one.
Unsurprisingly, it looks like nobody bought it. Which is a rather bad omen as far as the future of the franchise is concerned. But even if this turns out to be the last one, we will always have at least two all-time great VC games in a thoroughly underserved genre. Can't complain too much.
Final playtime 97:2X:XX - Cane'd & Rinse'd that one.
Jan – Streets of Rage 2 - Sega Mega Drive Classics (Switch)
Jan - Detroit: Become Human - (PS4 Pro)
Feb - Quarantine Circular (Switch)
Feb - Yoku's Island Express (Switch)
Best described as a game where pinball meets Metroidvania, Yoku’s Island Express is a beautiful 2D adventure that requires exploration, puzzle solving and some nifty trigger skills to bounce the titular beetle around an island rich in jungles, caves and frosty peaks. It’s a carefully constructed, well thought-out world populated by quirky characters and brought to life in a lovely painterly aesthetic that makes it pleasure to spend time in.
Developer Villa Gorilla has also created an interesting mythology and narrative that gives your progress a bit more weight and purpose than you might expect, while the excellent musical score does a great job of creating atmosphere, morphing between compositions as you move throughout the island’s diverse environments.
I played it through on Switch but the game is also available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC for not much money, and I’d really encourage people to give it a go!
Beat Bowser for the third time in Super Mario 64. I get it, know why people love this, I know why it changed the world and all of that, but it's not for me. It actually made question if I should try a Hat in Time or the future 3d Mario games. I mean, if I can't fall in love with the best...or Donkey Kong 64, or Banjo, or Jax...
Actually, playing Mario RIGHT after Symphony of the Night cemented that it is a personal preference. I could have explored Dracula's 2d castle forever, but I was ready to leave Bower's after the second night.
I know Mario Sunshine is love it or hate it, but is there a chance I'd get into Mario Galaxy? Does that do anything to the 3d platformer that would get me on board?
As much as I still love it, I would say that there are elements of Super Mario 64 which have aged. Less so Galaxy, although the Wiimote/nunchuck control mandate is an off-putter for many. In fact I would suggest that - although I still personally prefer Galaxy - Odyssey is a much easier game to get into in 2019.
Don't forget some people preferred Banjo-Kazooie even back in 1998 (and still do), so that's an affordable option on 360 or Xbox One.
Certainly not everyone who loves 3D platformers loves Mario though. Even if many ‘critics’ (myself included) feel they are 'the best', some folks prefer the less inertia-ridden and surreal likes of Ratchet & Clank.
As with all (sub) genres, there are a lot of different looks. feels and approaches. Just because something has the greatest respect and/or review scores doesn't mean it's the one that will gel with your personal tastes.
Have you got PSVR? Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a doozy.
Edit: Apologies, re-read the above. Perhaps it’s just not your genre.
Not really, "completed", but I've given up on Kingdom Hearts 3 and AC Odyssey. I just don't care in the slightest about finishing either.
EB Games had a trade deal on yesterday, so I got $50 for KH3 and $42 for ACO... Considering I only paid $50 brand new for each of them, I think that's a fair value.
Probably going to look at getting a Switch in the next couple of months - any rumours of price drops of hardware revisions floating around?
There is a rumour of a hardware revision, yeah. Depending on whether you plan to mod your console, however, you may want to seek out an old model before the new ones hit the market.
duskvstweak wrote: February 22nd, 2019, 3:31 pm
Beat Bowser for the third time in Super Mario 64. I get it, know why people love this, I know why it changed the world and all of that, but it's not for me. It actually made question if I should try a Hat in Time or the future 3d Mario games. I mean, if I can't fall in love with the best...or Donkey Kong 64, or Banjo, or Jax...
Actually, playing Mario RIGHT after Symphony of the Night cemented that it is a personal preference. I could have explored Dracula's 2d castle forever, but I was ready to leave Bower's after the second night.
I know Mario Sunshine is love it or hate it, but is there a chance I'd get into Mario Galaxy? Does that do anything to the 3d platformer that would get me on board?
Have you tried Psyschonauts? It's on PS4 and is great.
Mario 64 is, for me, in the ‘important for the development of the industry, but you don’t have to play it in 2019 unless you’re a game designer’ bucket along with Ocarina of Time.
January:
Tale of Tales Collection
Virginia
Gravity Rush 2
Nier Automata
Feb:
Wolfenstein 2
Prey (2006)
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Super Ghouls and Ghosts
22nd Feb
Aladdin SNES and Mega drive
Continuing my old school platformer playthroughs. Really interesting playing these back to back for the first time without any nostalgia influencing my impressions. I know it’s not a competition but there was a winner
Thanks for the suggestions. I forgot I have Psyschonauts on Steam, so I'll check that out. And, really, I was just bummed I couldn't get that magic feeling everyone talks about with Mario 64, but it's not like I don't have that with plenty of other games. And, if I do get PSVR, I'll definitely try Astro Bot Rescue Mission, I've heard nothing but great things.
Would I would say is that, while I think Psychonauts is an interesting, funny and clever game, I also think it plays pretty terribly as a 3D platformer.
ratsoalbion wrote: February 22nd, 2019, 9:34 pm
Would I would say is that, while I think Psychonauts is an interesting, funny and clever game, I also think it plays pretty terribly as a 3D platformer.
I would second this, but I played Psychonauts a good 5 years after it came out... No idea if maybe it felt "good" as a platformer in its day.
I really think that Double Fine *in general* is really overrated. The humour and writing is cute, but I wouldn't say it's great? Like my first LucasArts game was Monkey Island Special Edition in 2010ish - and I thought some of the writing in that game was bloody brilliant. But Double Fine has just never lived up to that standard, in my view.
I only played Psychonauts for the first time a few years ago, and I thought it controlled pretty well. Not sure exactly how well I would rate it as a platformer. Stuff like Mario Odyssey is obviously leagues better. But in terms of how Raz handles and the abilities you get, it's a joy to control. I like the game in general with its interesting aesthetic and world, fun characters, and clever design ideas. Some of the levels were pretty badly designed though, especially that last on. So awful, I never finished the game. But in spite of that I'm looking forward to the sequel.
As for Double Fine in general, I like them, but it's true their games are often very flawed. They always have some really fun and original ideas, and some amusing and witty writing. But when it comes to following through and making the most out of those ideas, they usually fall pretty short. The impression I get from them is that they are a studio that cares more about the process of making games than they do the final product. And honestly I think that's fine. Their results are usually interesting, if not amazing, and it's good to have a studio in the industry that approaches things that way. It's a studio for developers, more than it is a studio for customers.
23/1/19 Baner Saga ios.
31/1/19 Life is Strange session 2 Episode 2
24/2/19 Marvals Spider-man
Spider-man can sit alongside the Arkham games as one of the best superhero adaptations. Like the Arkham games the gameplay Sits brilliantly with what you expect spider-man to do. The story and writing has clearly been created by people who really understand the feel of the comics. One big stand out if making the villains motivations more 3 dimensional than they have been protayed in other media in the past.
I know some people thought that the game becomes a collettathon but I think they are unlocked at a good pace and on the whole in context with the world/story (except for them pigeons)
My attempt last week to finally get the 2 loop clear was destroyed by the second to last boss duo of Astaroth and Nebiroth, who proved to be a steep wall to climb when needing to use the goddess bracelet.
But now... YATTA!
Feels good to have finally persisted with this one and having cleared both loops for the proper ending.
) aspects. Fun, though. Final bosses of this mode can piss off though.
