Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 16,436
- 30,496
I've played bloodstained just a little bit, so not enough to have an educated opinion on it. Miriam appears in Blasphemous, so you know the devs are fans.
The last few games you beat and rate them IV
- Thread starter Ceremony
- Start date
- Status
I've played bloodstained just a little bit, so not enough to have an educated opinion on it. Miriam appears in Blasphemous, so you know the devs are fans.
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
The art design was great. I just think if it wasn't so tedious every time you died, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I mainly played it because I had it in my library for years and I just saw recently that they're making a sequel so I wanted to finally give it a shot. I might try the sequel anyway. It did come out like 9 years ago so I'm sure there will be some pretty big changes in the sequel.
ItsFineImFine
Registered User
- Aug 11, 2019
- 3,723
- 2,383
Beat The Saboteur (PS3, 2013 I think) - 6/10
My motivation tbh was to start beating PS3 games I have which still have some value so I can use the money to buy the cheaper Series S and just be a casual gamer on that.
This one felt like a bit too much of going through the motions and makes me less optimistic about going through some of my other open world games which have "good reviews". Tbh the story has not interested me in most of them outside the Arkham ones and even in this one I started skipping some of the cheesy cutscenes. The differernce though is that in games like Assassin's Creed, the first Infamous, RDR, and Arkham, the open world stuff is just more interesting and fun and varied compared to here where it feels too grind-ish. I've also realized that video games are far more fun when you can go around and blow stuff up rather than having to be stealthy unless the stealth includes being Batman and being able to glide and hang off gargoyles. Climbing on top or getting down from rooftops in this game was a chore.
This is the game that was famous for having black and white areas which turn colour as you beat missions but tbh I thought it was a bad gimmick. The black/white made it hard to see a lot of things and forced you to turn up the gamma and just made missions unnecessarily slower.
My motivation tbh was to start beating PS3 games I have which still have some value so I can use the money to buy the cheaper Series S and just be a casual gamer on that.
This one felt like a bit too much of going through the motions and makes me less optimistic about going through some of my other open world games which have "good reviews". Tbh the story has not interested me in most of them outside the Arkham ones and even in this one I started skipping some of the cheesy cutscenes. The differernce though is that in games like Assassin's Creed, the first Infamous, RDR, and Arkham, the open world stuff is just more interesting and fun and varied compared to here where it feels too grind-ish. I've also realized that video games are far more fun when you can go around and blow stuff up rather than having to be stealthy unless the stealth includes being Batman and being able to glide and hang off gargoyles. Climbing on top or getting down from rooftops in this game was a chore.
This is the game that was famous for having black and white areas which turn colour as you beat missions but tbh I thought it was a bad gimmick. The black/white made it hard to see a lot of things and forced you to turn up the gamma and just made missions unnecessarily slower.
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 16,436
- 30,496
I've been sick for the last 3 days, so I've had a lot of time to play on my laptop in bed lol. After finishing Blasphemous, I downloaded Bastion for 2.5$. Finished it in 4 hours. Man, it was good. Supergiant are really brilliant game makers. Im not sure whether I'd rate it an 8.5 or a 9. They played with the underlying theme of bereavement so well in their storytelling that I'd probably go with a 9, but it's not a deep or long game.
Now, I'm not sure what I'll play. I have some RPGs in my backlog, but they're tough to pick up and just put an hour or so. I bought Ori for 10 bucks, so maybe that, but I'd like to buy and finish blind forest first. I still have salt and sanctuary as well. I heard hyperlight drifter and unsighted were really good pixel art games. I even thought about playing an indie shooter after watching Cultist gameplay. Something like old school doom, but with updated mechanics would be awesome.
Now, I'm not sure what I'll play. I have some RPGs in my backlog, but they're tough to pick up and just put an hour or so. I bought Ori for 10 bucks, so maybe that, but I'd like to buy and finish blind forest first. I still have salt and sanctuary as well. I heard hyperlight drifter and unsighted were really good pixel art games. I even thought about playing an indie shooter after watching Cultist gameplay. Something like old school doom, but with updated mechanics would be awesome.
Ceremony
How I choose to feel is how I am
- Jun 8, 2012
- 114,266
- 17,295
In the Annapurna Interactive Deluxe Limited Edition, Telling Lies is introduced with a word from its creator:
Telling Lies is a FMV game which tells the story of David, an FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate an environmental activist group who are planning to disrupt the construction of a gas pipeline. Rather than a linear, choice-driven narrative however you instead piece together the story by watching video clips of video calls and recordings, allowing the story to build up gradually.
I've played one FMV in my life. Erica, earlier this year. It was nonsense from a creative perspective, and while it looked nice it was a bit shallow. In Telling Lies the format is used in an almost meta fashion, where you control someone searching through an archive of video recordings of David and all the people he interacts with over the course of the story. You search for videos by typing in words. If the word is spoken in a video, it shows up. Through watching new videos you learn and think of more words to search for.
This structureless structure has benefits and drawbacks. If you just search for characters' names as they're spoken you almost get the story in chronological order - all the videos are timestamped so you can get a general idea of when things are happening. One name will progress to others as new characters are introduced and it's almost exciting listening out for a new name, knowing you're going to learn something new when you next search. On the other hand, there are 169 videos you can search for so you're almost certainly going to miss some of them, and see some of them in an order that can be disorientating. There's one strand of the story which I think I saw out of sequence earlier than I should have and I had trouble seeing where it fitted in with everything else. It can also be difficult if you see video calls out of sequence. Seeing one half of a conversation then having to wait a few hours to find the other half can be quite jarring when you realise what it is you're watching.
I didn't know what to expect going into this game. I was open-minded enough to the FMV format but I didn't realise it was going to come with some assembly required. It just works though. You really do get a buzz from finding the right word to bring up new videos you haven't seen. You do genuinely care about the things going on in David's life and the women whose lives he ruins. The acting from each character is natural and engaging. You don't ever really think you're watching staged recordings. It's also interesting how much detail goes into some of the shots. As much as you need to follow the dialogue to uncover the story, there are always visual cues in the background to look out for too. Even though you're only ever seeing what a phone or a camera can record, nothing you see feels constrained. The result is something which really does keep your attention for the couple of hours you'll spend with it.
The biggest problem with the meta format is the apparent lack of instruction. You view the videos on a computer desktop which is fine. There are files you can click on which explain what RETINA, the software you're using to view the videos, is. It also explains where it came from, and why there's an apparent rush against the clock to view videos. The identity of the person viewing the videos isn't revealed until the end and I found it a very flimsy premise once I realised what was going on. For the first three or four in-game hours I was too engrossed in searching for videos, once I started struggling to find new ones I wondered what the point was. Did I need to find out something specific? Was I going to fail if I didn't? The game isn't very clear on the actual purpose of what you're doing and this spoiled my initial playthrough slightly, putting me under an unspecified - and as it turned out non-existent - stress to finish it. You don't, as it happens. Once the in-game clock reaches 5:37 it stops, you can keep watching videos as much as you want. If you finish the game you can restart at this end point and keep searching for any videos you missed.
I think in a world where interactive drama exists in video games, Telling Lies does something different. You don't need to guess how David Cage thinks humans react to words or actions to progress a story the way you'd like to. Here you have one story which you have to uncover and piece together yourself, but presented in such a way as to make this actually engaging. The writing and performances of all the cast help a lot and I can't give enough credit to them, but the non-linear way you interact with the story is ultimately the game's real strength. The story itself isn't that remarkable, but the people and the way you consume it are.
tfwnogf
Registered User
- Dec 15, 2013
- 2,055
- 3,429
Cuphead
Recently came back to this one. Gave up on it awhile ago so I started a new file. Got past the part I struggled with before and beat the game, getting all the A ranks afterward. I really enjoy the detail of the bosses and the controls are tight and responsive. I took a crack at Expert mode but I don't know if I'll bother. Might grab the dlc at some point. If you like 2d games give this a try, it's hard as shit but rewarding. Hardest boss imo is the Robot.
8/10
The Messenger
Starts out as a fun platformer with quirky dialogue and overall satisfying controls. The game turns into something else after (I won't spoil) and I didn't enjoy it as much. The platforming became a chore, reminding me of a less polished Celeste and the whole Attack/press Jump button thing which is the main gimmick I found to be tedious and a little hard on the hands after awhile. I think I got it on sale for 5 bucks, well worth the price but a tad disappointing later on.
6.5/10
Nioh 2
This has to be one of the hardest games I've ever played. I never played the first one so learning the controls takes time. Some days I think this is the coolest combat system and one of the best games I've gotten to play ever, other days I think it is a little too frustrating and unforgiving for its own good. I think the Git Gud mantra is even more important here than souls. Souls almost feels primitive after playing this. I'm going to try and beat it. I heard the DLC is top notch but even more difficult so I'll see how that goes.
8.5/10
Recently came back to this one. Gave up on it awhile ago so I started a new file. Got past the part I struggled with before and beat the game, getting all the A ranks afterward. I really enjoy the detail of the bosses and the controls are tight and responsive. I took a crack at Expert mode but I don't know if I'll bother. Might grab the dlc at some point. If you like 2d games give this a try, it's hard as shit but rewarding. Hardest boss imo is the Robot.
8/10
The Messenger
Starts out as a fun platformer with quirky dialogue and overall satisfying controls. The game turns into something else after (I won't spoil) and I didn't enjoy it as much. The platforming became a chore, reminding me of a less polished Celeste and the whole Attack/press Jump button thing which is the main gimmick I found to be tedious and a little hard on the hands after awhile. I think I got it on sale for 5 bucks, well worth the price but a tad disappointing later on.
6.5/10
Nioh 2
This has to be one of the hardest games I've ever played. I never played the first one so learning the controls takes time. Some days I think this is the coolest combat system and one of the best games I've gotten to play ever, other days I think it is a little too frustrating and unforgiving for its own good. I think the Git Gud mantra is even more important here than souls. Souls almost feels primitive after playing this. I'm going to try and beat it. I heard the DLC is top notch but even more difficult so I'll see how that goes.
8.5/10
Unholy Diver
Registered User
Immortals: Fenyx Rising 8/10
Fun action adventure game with some rpg stuff, set on a Greek island, featuring some of the gods and monsters of Greek mythology. Some fun gameplay and humor, and a nice art style to differentiate it from other ubisoft titles. finished the main questline and most of the side quests in about 29hrs , but not all the collecting stuff that you find on ubisoft game maps.
Fun action adventure game with some rpg stuff, set on a Greek island, featuring some of the gods and monsters of Greek mythology. Some fun gameplay and humor, and a nice art style to differentiate it from other ubisoft titles. finished the main questline and most of the side quests in about 29hrs , but not all the collecting stuff that you find on ubisoft game maps.
Jovavic
Concept of a Plan
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 16,436
- 30,496
Disco Elysium - 9.5/10.
Brilliant RPG. Probably the best I've played since Divinity: Original Sin 2. It's one of best games I've ever played actually. The writing is on another level compared to other games and RPGs. Every character is fleshed out. I'm not even sure how I would describe the experience, but it's something in between a cRPG with D&D mechanics and a point and click adventure. I fully recommend it to anyone who likes a great story and RPGs.
The only thing I'm disapointed in is that I didn't want to give ZA/UM any money. They fired basically the three most important people that created the game, included the lead writer and developer. They disagreed with the suits who wanted to monetize the franchise further, which is not surprising considering the themes that are brought up in DE.
In any case, they clearly put a lot of care in their work.
Brilliant RPG. Probably the best I've played since Divinity: Original Sin 2. It's one of best games I've ever played actually. The writing is on another level compared to other games and RPGs. Every character is fleshed out. I'm not even sure how I would describe the experience, but it's something in between a cRPG with D&D mechanics and a point and click adventure. I fully recommend it to anyone who likes a great story and RPGs.
The only thing I'm disapointed in is that I didn't want to give ZA/UM any money. They fired basically the three most important people that created the game, included the lead writer and developer. They disagreed with the suits who wanted to monetize the franchise further, which is not surprising considering the themes that are brought up in DE.
In any case, they clearly put a lot of care in their work.
The Nemesis
Semper Tyrannus
After having seen my attempt to finally play through all the Zelda games sidetracked early in the year I finally just finished The Wind Waker.
I'm not going to anoint it my favorite or even second favorite Zelda game (that's still A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time) but this was very enjoyable. The sailing around got to be a bit much, and there were a few bosses that I thought were kind of awkward and annoying to fight rather than fun and creative (mostly because they required quick switches between weapons or because the game was inconsistent about whether or not your target lock would persist through scripted boss actions or not) but the art style grew on me and I thought this one had a good cast of characters and story.
If I could I'd call it an 8.75/10 but I don't want to get into giving out quarter points and splitting hairs that much, so let's just round it up to 9/10 which still puts it I believe in 3rd place for all the games I've played so far.
Next up will either be Twilight Princess or Spirit Tracks (I finished Phantom Hourglass years ago and just about wrecked my DS screen having to scratch and scribble all over it. So I don't really want to go back to it right now.)
In the interim I also re-played and finished Final Fantasy IX for like the 4th time. It's still probably my favorite Final Fantasy. Not as broody or self-serious as VII or VIII and even though I know the sorta-chibi art style isn't for everyone I thought its bright, colorful nature and fun cast of characters was engaging even if several of them don't really get proper attention in the story (Freya, for example, stops being important by like midway through the 2nd disc once you've done the Burmecia/Cleyra story arc). Also Necron is 100% BS ass-pull nonsense that's only barely foreshadowed by the fact that the nature of fate/destiny/life/death is one of the major running themes of the story. But that always seemed to be in relation to the characters themselves, so getting through the big climactic battle vs the most active antagonist left at the end and then going "surprise! Now fight the literal personification of a sort of nihilistic embodiment of death!" was a total cop-out move.
Still I'd give it a strong 8/10 just because I love the story, cliche as it is.
Also started and then stopped Dragon Quest VI. I think I might've been like 1/3rd of the way through the game, which was the entire problem because it was taking fooooorrrreeeeevvvverrrrrr. So I just moved on and sorta barely started DQ VII (the 3ds remake so I don't have to deal with all the hallways-on-rails and endless padding from the PS1 original)
Yes, all my game choices are old. I have a huge backlog of games I've acquired over the years and never played/beaten. So while I'm trying my best to only buy maybe 2-4 new games a year I'm mostly focusing on clearing out all the old stuff that never got a fair shake.
I'm not going to anoint it my favorite or even second favorite Zelda game (that's still A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time) but this was very enjoyable. The sailing around got to be a bit much, and there were a few bosses that I thought were kind of awkward and annoying to fight rather than fun and creative (mostly because they required quick switches between weapons or because the game was inconsistent about whether or not your target lock would persist through scripted boss actions or not) but the art style grew on me and I thought this one had a good cast of characters and story.
If I could I'd call it an 8.75/10 but I don't want to get into giving out quarter points and splitting hairs that much, so let's just round it up to 9/10 which still puts it I believe in 3rd place for all the games I've played so far.
Next up will either be Twilight Princess or Spirit Tracks (I finished Phantom Hourglass years ago and just about wrecked my DS screen having to scratch and scribble all over it. So I don't really want to go back to it right now.)
In the interim I also re-played and finished Final Fantasy IX for like the 4th time. It's still probably my favorite Final Fantasy. Not as broody or self-serious as VII or VIII and even though I know the sorta-chibi art style isn't for everyone I thought its bright, colorful nature and fun cast of characters was engaging even if several of them don't really get proper attention in the story (Freya, for example, stops being important by like midway through the 2nd disc once you've done the Burmecia/Cleyra story arc). Also Necron is 100% BS ass-pull nonsense that's only barely foreshadowed by the fact that the nature of fate/destiny/life/death is one of the major running themes of the story. But that always seemed to be in relation to the characters themselves, so getting through the big climactic battle vs the most active antagonist left at the end and then going "surprise! Now fight the literal personification of a sort of nihilistic embodiment of death!" was a total cop-out move.
Still I'd give it a strong 8/10 just because I love the story, cliche as it is.
Also started and then stopped Dragon Quest VI. I think I might've been like 1/3rd of the way through the game, which was the entire problem because it was taking fooooorrrreeeeevvvverrrrrr. So I just moved on and sorta barely started DQ VII (the 3ds remake so I don't have to deal with all the hallways-on-rails and endless padding from the PS1 original)
Yes, all my game choices are old. I have a huge backlog of games I've acquired over the years and never played/beaten. So while I'm trying my best to only buy maybe 2-4 new games a year I'm mostly focusing on clearing out all the old stuff that never got a fair shake.
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Pumpkin Jack - 7.5/10
This is a fun casual 3D action platformer to get you into the Halloween spirit. It's not necessarily mind blowing but everything feels great and very fluid. Everything works with no flaws. If you're looking for something more in line with early 2000s 3D platformers, this is definitely for you. It's very linear so there's not too much exploration but there's a good amount of humor to keep you going along with the tight mechanics. It's just a very enjoyable experience all the way through. It is pretty short, Steam has me at 5.3 hours for 100%ing it but I enjoyed every minute of those 5.3 hours!
This is a fun casual 3D action platformer to get you into the Halloween spirit. It's not necessarily mind blowing but everything feels great and very fluid. Everything works with no flaws. If you're looking for something more in line with early 2000s 3D platformers, this is definitely for you. It's very linear so there's not too much exploration but there's a good amount of humor to keep you going along with the tight mechanics. It's just a very enjoyable experience all the way through. It is pretty short, Steam has me at 5.3 hours for 100%ing it but I enjoyed every minute of those 5.3 hours!
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
F.E.A.R. - 7.5/10
F.E.A.R. has aged very well. It mixes horror and shooter elements nicely but after the first hour or so, focuses more on the shooter side until about the last half hour. There's always the element of horror but it's not very spooky/scary outside of the start and end of the game. That being said, the shooting is solid and the AI actually feels very smart, smarter than most AI in modern games today. If anything, it makes me realize how bad modern AI has become. I do wish they focused more on the horror side but the game was still enjoyable all the way through.
As for the expansions, I didn't play Perseus Mandate, the idea didn't really appeal to me and I haven't heard many good things anyway. I did try Extraction Point but it appears to be broken on modern machines, shame. There's no widescreen support so you have to edit the config files, which isn't a big deal. But I get no sound at all from the game. I tried multiple fixes online, none of them worked. Reading into it, there seem to be other problems with Extraction Point beyond the audio bugs so maybe it's a blessing in disguise that my issues were right from the first minute of the game rather than a later mission refusing to load which also seems to be a problem...
F.E.A.R. has aged very well. It mixes horror and shooter elements nicely but after the first hour or so, focuses more on the shooter side until about the last half hour. There's always the element of horror but it's not very spooky/scary outside of the start and end of the game. That being said, the shooting is solid and the AI actually feels very smart, smarter than most AI in modern games today. If anything, it makes me realize how bad modern AI has become. I do wish they focused more on the horror side but the game was still enjoyable all the way through.
As for the expansions, I didn't play Perseus Mandate, the idea didn't really appeal to me and I haven't heard many good things anyway. I did try Extraction Point but it appears to be broken on modern machines, shame. There's no widescreen support so you have to edit the config files, which isn't a big deal. But I get no sound at all from the game. I tried multiple fixes online, none of them worked. Reading into it, there seem to be other problems with Extraction Point beyond the audio bugs so maybe it's a blessing in disguise that my issues were right from the first minute of the game rather than a later mission refusing to load which also seems to be a problem...
Shareefruck
Registered User
Tunic - 4.0 (Flawless)
Just fully finished Tunic and thoroughly loved it. Basically the Hollow Knight = Metroid + Soulsborne Venn Diagram but w/ Link's Awakening-era Zelda instead, and w/ the strengths/weaknesses reversed, where the Souls-y boss fights aren't nearly as strong/fun (they're good in a slow methodical way), but the map design is absolutely masterful (a weak-point in Hollow Knight, IMO). Things like landmarking, secret item/hidden path placement, and the way things loop back/funnel w/o hand-holding/sectioning off is really well done. That, combined with the brilliant usage of the manual (by far the star of the game) I think nails that feeling of cryptic mystery, discovery, experimentation, and community collaboration better than any indie game that comes to mind. Feels like the lore is still not set in stone and tiny things are still being discovered.
Not the biggest Zelda fan, but there's a magic to the early ones that I don't think any of the numerous copycats have successfully replicated, and I think I actually prefer the way Tunic nails it over Zelda games themselves. Death's Door draws comparisons, but I think it's inferior.
There are potential frustrations with its deliberately obtuse crypticness that can be a deal-breaker for some, but I found that tasteful restraint a positive, personally. Trying to think of nitpicks.... maybe little things like: consumables not coming back after deaths (not sure if true but seemed that way), magic never replenishing on boss fights, an abrupt ending that just gives you a nugget and ends, and one of the puzzles needed for completion being a bit too absurdly convoluted to not use a guide for...... but I also found these things to be kind of cool choices as well.
Also great music, art direction, and just feels more fully realized/polished than most games of this ilk. The sequence breaking exploits are really clever too. Getting into the ballpark of my favorite indies, which I did not expect going in.
Favorite Indie Games
1. Kentucky Route Zero - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
2. Disco Elysium - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
3. Celeste - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
4. Into the Breach - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
5. Downwell - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
6. Inside - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
7. Hollow Knight - 4.5 (Brilliant)
8. Tunic - 4.0 (Flawless)
9. Faster Than Light - 3.5 (Great)
10. Cyber Shadow - 3.0 (Very Good)
11. Umihara Kawase - 3.0 (Very Good)
12. Baba is You - 3.0 (Very Good)
13. Hyper Light Drifter - 2.5 (Good)
14. Bomb Chicken - 2.5 (Good)
15. Hades - 2.5 (Good)
16. Limbo - 2.5 (Good)
17. Journey - 2.5 (Good)
18. Cuphead - 2.0 (Positive)
19. Katana Zero - 2.0 (Positive)
20. Undertale - 2.0 (Positive)
Need to play: Outer Wilds, Sifu
Just fully finished Tunic and thoroughly loved it. Basically the Hollow Knight = Metroid + Soulsborne Venn Diagram but w/ Link's Awakening-era Zelda instead, and w/ the strengths/weaknesses reversed, where the Souls-y boss fights aren't nearly as strong/fun (they're good in a slow methodical way), but the map design is absolutely masterful (a weak-point in Hollow Knight, IMO). Things like landmarking, secret item/hidden path placement, and the way things loop back/funnel w/o hand-holding/sectioning off is really well done. That, combined with the brilliant usage of the manual (by far the star of the game) I think nails that feeling of cryptic mystery, discovery, experimentation, and community collaboration better than any indie game that comes to mind. Feels like the lore is still not set in stone and tiny things are still being discovered.
Not the biggest Zelda fan, but there's a magic to the early ones that I don't think any of the numerous copycats have successfully replicated, and I think I actually prefer the way Tunic nails it over Zelda games themselves. Death's Door draws comparisons, but I think it's inferior.
There are potential frustrations with its deliberately obtuse crypticness that can be a deal-breaker for some, but I found that tasteful restraint a positive, personally. Trying to think of nitpicks.... maybe little things like: consumables not coming back after deaths (not sure if true but seemed that way), magic never replenishing on boss fights, an abrupt ending that just gives you a nugget and ends, and one of the puzzles needed for completion being a bit too absurdly convoluted to not use a guide for...... but I also found these things to be kind of cool choices as well.
Also great music, art direction, and just feels more fully realized/polished than most games of this ilk. The sequence breaking exploits are really clever too. Getting into the ballpark of my favorite indies, which I did not expect going in.
Favorite Indie Games
1. Kentucky Route Zero - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
2. Disco Elysium - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
3. Celeste - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
4. Into the Breach - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
5. Downwell - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
6. Inside - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
7. Hollow Knight - 4.5 (Brilliant)
8. Tunic - 4.0 (Flawless)
9. Faster Than Light - 3.5 (Great)
10. Cyber Shadow - 3.0 (Very Good)
11. Umihara Kawase - 3.0 (Very Good)
12. Baba is You - 3.0 (Very Good)
13. Hyper Light Drifter - 2.5 (Good)
14. Bomb Chicken - 2.5 (Good)
15. Hades - 2.5 (Good)
16. Limbo - 2.5 (Good)
17. Journey - 2.5 (Good)
18. Cuphead - 2.0 (Positive)
19. Katana Zero - 2.0 (Positive)
20. Undertale - 2.0 (Positive)
Need to play: Outer Wilds, Sifu
Last edited:
Soedy
All Hail Cale
The Witcher 2 - 8 / 10
Okay, I know, why people love the Witcher games now. I wasn't sure if I liked 3 as I started it twice now and didn't get far. Before spending 10 bucks, I got The Witcher 2 cheap. I played it with various QoL and graphic mods. It looked pretty good.
Story was ok, gameplay was fun but something always got me hooked. Having played a lot of Assassins Creed, etc. in the past, this game is different. You suddenly have a "Quest failed" because of a mistake you made and no way to reverse it (without reloading ofcourse). Awesome. I was super underleveled for a lot of the game because I barely made any side quests. I was super confused in the beginning with the magic, the talent trees, where to go, etc.
Next time Witcher 3 is on sale, I am going for it!
Okay, I know, why people love the Witcher games now. I wasn't sure if I liked 3 as I started it twice now and didn't get far. Before spending 10 bucks, I got The Witcher 2 cheap. I played it with various QoL and graphic mods. It looked pretty good.
Story was ok, gameplay was fun but something always got me hooked. Having played a lot of Assassins Creed, etc. in the past, this game is different. You suddenly have a "Quest failed" because of a mistake you made and no way to reverse it (without reloading ofcourse). Awesome. I was super underleveled for a lot of the game because I barely made any side quests. I was super confused in the beginning with the magic, the talent trees, where to go, etc.
Next time Witcher 3 is on sale, I am going for it!
I played it for the first time a few months ago, myself. I, too, was confused by the magic system, even though it's pretty much unchanged since the first Witcher. I never learned it in that game and didn't bother to learn it in the sequel. It's one of my gripes with the series, that the spells have random names and icons that you need to learn. Why not just give them more descriptive names and icons like every other RPG? I also couldn't figure out how to use some items, so I didn't bother with them, either. Some things in the Witcher games (at least the first two) are just needlessly confusing compared to other RPGs and I'm too old and lazy these days to tolerate learning anything new in games.
pistolpete11
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2013
- 11,955
- 10,944
FYI they are releasing a next gen/PC patch for the Witcher 3 supposedly sometime Q4 2022. It will be free for anyone who already owns it. If it does go on sale, jump on it, but maybe wait for the patch to actually play it. I've never played it and bought it on sale for like $8 a while back, but I'm waiting for the patch.
Soedy
All Hail Cale
At this point, I don't wait for the next gen update which was scheduled to release in Q1 2021 I believe
pistolpete11
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2013
- 11,955
- 10,944
Fair enough, but there hasn't been any further announced delays and we are already....(checking watch).....in Q4 2022!?!?!At this point, I don't wait for the next gen update which was scheduled to release in Q1 2021 I believe
Soedy
All Hail Cale
Yep. Game won't be on sale until november anyway, so let's hope for a release soon.
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 16,436
- 30,496
You sold me on Disco Elysium, which ended up being one of my favorite games ever and now you've sold me on Tunic. Its going to be my next buy when it goes on sale.
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Fez - 7.5/10
I remember when I first heard of Fez it was touted as one of the best puzzle/platformers out there. It's really more of a platformer with light puzzle elements. I really enjoyed the puzzle elements but I wish they took more advantage of them. It felt like more of an exploration game.
That being said, it was still an enjoyable exploration game. It was cool spinning the world in a 3D perspective to traverse it in 2D. It reminded me a bit of Carl Sagan's Flat Land theory about a possible fourth dimension. The puzzles themselves didn't really feel mind bending but trying to traverse the world was. The world map was really confusing to read. Fortunately each "level" is very small and can be traversed in just a couple minutes each.
My one major complaint is the jumping. Jumping feels weird, there's a strange momentum that feels slow. Sometimes when you climb onto a platform, you have to give your character a second to get situation before he jumps. If you try to jump immediately, it just won't work and you'll run off the platform. If you fall from a tall height, you'll die an instantly respawn where you fell from. Generally speaking, when you run into those cases where you accidentally run off a platform instead of jumping, it'll be from a height great enough to die and respawn but it still makes it feel a bit tedious.
This is still an enjoyable, albeit more casual, "puzzle/platformer." Indie titles like this always age gracefully, don't let the release date fool you. This will still be worth your time for a long time to come.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - 5/10
I didn't technically beat this one but I've played it for a few hours, got to chapter 9 of 20, and give up at this point....
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is just, OK? It's nothing special. It's strictly a platformer but the platforming isn't very fun. There's a lot of frustratingly difficult sections with how the mechanics work. One button controls both attacking and rolling. You'll roll if you attack while moving. This can be very frustrating because you'll inadvertently roll when you want to attack and you might roll off a platform as a result, falling to your death. Some of the checkpoints seem really oddly placed throughout.
Furthermore, there are hidden coins throughout each stage. It's fine to look for these for an added challenge but the game forces you to look for these in order to progress. There are "pay walls" where you spend the coins to open them up, allowing you to proceed further in the world. This may force you to replay stages you already completed and go exploring looking for them.
Overall, it's OK but I don't necessarily want to recommend a game that's just OK. There are a lot of good or great games out there, I'd prefer to recommend those. This isn't necessarily bad, it's just not good either.
I remember when I first heard of Fez it was touted as one of the best puzzle/platformers out there. It's really more of a platformer with light puzzle elements. I really enjoyed the puzzle elements but I wish they took more advantage of them. It felt like more of an exploration game.
That being said, it was still an enjoyable exploration game. It was cool spinning the world in a 3D perspective to traverse it in 2D. It reminded me a bit of Carl Sagan's Flat Land theory about a possible fourth dimension. The puzzles themselves didn't really feel mind bending but trying to traverse the world was. The world map was really confusing to read. Fortunately each "level" is very small and can be traversed in just a couple minutes each.
My one major complaint is the jumping. Jumping feels weird, there's a strange momentum that feels slow. Sometimes when you climb onto a platform, you have to give your character a second to get situation before he jumps. If you try to jump immediately, it just won't work and you'll run off the platform. If you fall from a tall height, you'll die an instantly respawn where you fell from. Generally speaking, when you run into those cases where you accidentally run off a platform instead of jumping, it'll be from a height great enough to die and respawn but it still makes it feel a bit tedious.
This is still an enjoyable, albeit more casual, "puzzle/platformer." Indie titles like this always age gracefully, don't let the release date fool you. This will still be worth your time for a long time to come.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - 5/10
I didn't technically beat this one but I've played it for a few hours, got to chapter 9 of 20, and give up at this point....
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is just, OK? It's nothing special. It's strictly a platformer but the platforming isn't very fun. There's a lot of frustratingly difficult sections with how the mechanics work. One button controls both attacking and rolling. You'll roll if you attack while moving. This can be very frustrating because you'll inadvertently roll when you want to attack and you might roll off a platform as a result, falling to your death. Some of the checkpoints seem really oddly placed throughout.
Furthermore, there are hidden coins throughout each stage. It's fine to look for these for an added challenge but the game forces you to look for these in order to progress. There are "pay walls" where you spend the coins to open them up, allowing you to proceed further in the world. This may force you to replay stages you already completed and go exploring looking for them.
Overall, it's OK but I don't necessarily want to recommend a game that's just OK. There are a lot of good or great games out there, I'd prefer to recommend those. This isn't necessarily bad, it's just not good either.
Shareefruck
Registered User
Good to hear. Although just to be clear, I don't feel half as strongly about recommending Tunic to people as I am Disco Elysium, I'm kind of still in post-playthrough buzz mode/not sure it'll last, and the praise it gets doesn't seem to be nearly as unanimous. I can be pretty confident that at least the map/manual will have some novelty for people, and nothing about it is bad, but I can see some people possibly feeling underwhelmed to some extent as well.
The map/discovery loop just wins me over pretty hard.
Last edited:
pistolpete11
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2013
- 11,955
- 10,944
Demon's Souls (PS5) - 7.5/10
The weakest of the FromSoft games I've played (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring), but a good game in its own right.
Bluepoint did a great job with the remake. I never played the original, so I don't know what they've changed, but the game looks and feels as good as any of the other From games. I don't like the art direction as much as the others, though. It's kind of weird. I'm used to the exploration in From games being pretty manageable and then banging my head against a wall when it comes to the boss. I wouldn't say it's the exact opposite for Demon's Souls because I never found any of it to be THAT hard, but the bosses were pretty easy and some of the areas were hard to navigate. The bosses were pretty easy. Don't know that it took me more than 2-3 tries against any of them and I one-shotted more bosses in this game than any of the other games I've played combined. The areas could be tough, though, with the tight corridors and the gravity.
One of my biggest complaints, like Bloodborne and Elden Ring, is not knowing which level is reasonable to be. I kept spending my souls while I could expecting there to be a difficulty spike, but the spike never really came. Was I too OP or was it just supposed to be easier? Who knows. That's one of the reasons I liked Sekiro so much. The challenge was managed because you can only level up so much until you progress further into the game. The world tendency stuff was obtuse. I like when devs try new stuff, but I'm glad they abandoned that. Equipment and item carry limits are also lame. I don't think it really adds anything to the game other than staring at menu screens more. At least they got rid of the item capacity, but unfortunately they brought back the equipment burden for Elden Ring (and I'm guessing for the Dark Souls games, too). Luckily, the bosses were easy because the run backs to the bosses would have been brutal. It's not like Bloodborne where you could easily just run by everything. Lastly, the trophies are kind of lame. I've platinumed the others, but I'm not sure I'll bother with Demon's Souls. After I beat it, I looked it up online and it seems like there is a bunch of stuff online, beating bosses certain ways, manipulating world tendency, etc. The others were basically picking up a few items that I might have missed on my initial playthrough. Maybe if I decide to play and platinum the Dark Souls games and Demon's Souls is the only one I didn't platinum, I'll come back to it.
Overall, I'm glad I played it. I'd consider Sekiro and Bloodborne my 2 favorite games, so it was cool to see where this 'Soulsborne' genre all started.
The weakest of the FromSoft games I've played (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring), but a good game in its own right.
Bluepoint did a great job with the remake. I never played the original, so I don't know what they've changed, but the game looks and feels as good as any of the other From games. I don't like the art direction as much as the others, though. It's kind of weird. I'm used to the exploration in From games being pretty manageable and then banging my head against a wall when it comes to the boss. I wouldn't say it's the exact opposite for Demon's Souls because I never found any of it to be THAT hard, but the bosses were pretty easy and some of the areas were hard to navigate. The bosses were pretty easy. Don't know that it took me more than 2-3 tries against any of them and I one-shotted more bosses in this game than any of the other games I've played combined. The areas could be tough, though, with the tight corridors and the gravity.
One of my biggest complaints, like Bloodborne and Elden Ring, is not knowing which level is reasonable to be. I kept spending my souls while I could expecting there to be a difficulty spike, but the spike never really came. Was I too OP or was it just supposed to be easier? Who knows. That's one of the reasons I liked Sekiro so much. The challenge was managed because you can only level up so much until you progress further into the game. The world tendency stuff was obtuse. I like when devs try new stuff, but I'm glad they abandoned that. Equipment and item carry limits are also lame. I don't think it really adds anything to the game other than staring at menu screens more. At least they got rid of the item capacity, but unfortunately they brought back the equipment burden for Elden Ring (and I'm guessing for the Dark Souls games, too). Luckily, the bosses were easy because the run backs to the bosses would have been brutal. It's not like Bloodborne where you could easily just run by everything. Lastly, the trophies are kind of lame. I've platinumed the others, but I'm not sure I'll bother with Demon's Souls. After I beat it, I looked it up online and it seems like there is a bunch of stuff online, beating bosses certain ways, manipulating world tendency, etc. The others were basically picking up a few items that I might have missed on my initial playthrough. Maybe if I decide to play and platinum the Dark Souls games and Demon's Souls is the only one I didn't platinum, I'll come back to it.
Overall, I'm glad I played it. I'd consider Sekiro and Bloodborne my 2 favorite games, so it was cool to see where this 'Soulsborne' genre all started.
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