Messages

1

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: April 10, 2024, 12:24:11 pm »

Well, it happened again.
Once more I come back to a game I gave up on only to get into it. In the past it’s happened with Tekken, Soul Blade, Metal Gear Solid, Ico, Blasphemous, and many more.

Dragon Age Inquisition is one of the first games I bought for my PS4 (I very much enjoyed Dragon Age Origins, but only rented DAII and didn’t like it much). Anyway, I played through the first mission, left the first town, played a few minutes after that, and said “I’m done”. After maybe an hour I was so bored I didn’t touch the game for 4 years.

Finally started it up again a few days ago, not expecting much. After the first couple battles I’m like, hey, not bad. After a couple more I’m like, OK, I GET this now. It’s kinda like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, but with a bit more direct control. The interface actually reminds me of Dragon’s Dogma. I can use the tactical view to survey enemies or just pause and think when things get hairy. Already way past my previous quitting point, and I’m loving it. Using completion of side quests to build the Inquisition’s reputation is ingenious, because it makes the side quests feel important to the main quest, rather than random stuff you do out of kindness.

One major complaint: having to use an app and hand out your personal information just to import the data from the previous games is INCREDIBLY stupid. What happens in the future when the app doesn’t exist anymore? Too bad, you’re stuck with the default world state every time.

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General / Re: Games with great stories.

« on: March 28, 2024, 10:13:13 pm »

Some of my favorite game stories:

- The Last of Us (haven’t played part 2, but the story in part 1 is SO well done)
- Bioshock, especially the first one and Infinite (I ADORE Infinite)
- Metal Gear Solid 3 (the series story can be extremely convoluted, but I think MGS3’s works very well)
- Mass Effect (not necessarily very deep, but it’s a very detailed universe)
- Final Fantasy X IMO has the best story of any FF

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: March 28, 2024, 05:59:43 pm »

5. Afterimage (PS4)

Holy crap. Took me over 40 hours to get the good ending in this game. Not because it’s difficult (frankly, it’s on the easy side), but because it’s just so HUGE. By far the biggest world of any Metroidvania I’ve played.

Plus, it has 10 (!!!) endings. And to get the one, canon “good” ending, there’s so many steps I never would have figured it out without looking it up.
Anyway, here’s a rundown for the MV enthusiasts out there:

Pros:
- Absolutely GORGEOUS visuals
- HUGE explorable map
- Tight controls
- Fun combat
- Cool variety of weapons, each with their own advantages and special abilities
- A ton of secrets, things to do, and quests to complete
- Music is good, if unmemorable

Cons:
- Map might be TOO big, game takes too long to complete
- English translation is very iffy. Script desperately needs another pass by a native English speaker
- Story is very hard to follow, partly due to the translation issues mentioned above
- Voice acting is hit-or-miss. Some names and terms aren’t pronounced the same way consistently between characters
- Almost NO guidance (some might consider that a good thing, but IMO a map this big necessitates more guidance)
- Some powers and abilities are barely explained, or not explained at all (for example, the ability to heal yourself through prayer, or how to upgrade weapons)

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: February 19, 2024, 07:29:05 pm »

21. The Last Faith

My second platinum trophy for the year. I look at this game with mixed feelings. Maybe after the dust settles, I'll have a different view point. But for now, this game is...not what I was hoping for. I might have been spoiled by Blasphemous 2. Or, it just wasn't as good. Or both. I'm not sure. In terms of music, graphics, and atmosphere? Tens across the board. Everything else? It would range from 4 to 6. I am so goddamn sick of the Souls-like story telling. Why is it so hard to just tell me what's going on instead of beating around the bush and having NPCs act as puzzle pieces? The boss fights were also a major disappointment. It's not because they were too hard. It was because most of them required you to be in the air to land a hit. Eryk can't attack more than once in the air. So it's a constant dance of jump, attack, jump, attack, jump, attack. And to add insult to injury, you're given a ton of really cool weapons, spells, and firearms that do jack-crap against anything in the air. Of course, boss' HP is spongey and bloated, but that's par for the course. I'll have more to say when I get a review written. But as of now, this was an upset that I paid way too much money for since it's digital only. Lessons learned.

I’m kind of in the same boat. I finished Blasphemous 2 and it was excellent, then got The Last Faith, and it’s just OK. Only a few hours in but lost motivation to play it. I’ll get back to it eventually.
The Metroidvania I ended up getting more invested in is Afterimage. If you haven’t tried it, you might want to give it a chance. It’s not perfect, and is VERY exploration-heavy, but it looks beautiful, the combat is fluid, and the control is almost as good as SOTN.

5

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: February 02, 2024, 03:09:09 pm »

1. Lies of P (PS4) 1/31/24

Finally beat my first game this year, and whew, was it a doozy.
My very first Soulslike, the aesthetics grabbed me so I bought it on sale just to try the genre….

and I LOVED it.

Couldn’t stop playing. I knew it was supposed to be f’in hard, and it was. But considering it was my first jab at the genre, I didn’t have nearly as much trouble as I anticipated; I’ve seen online comments from people who said they died 100+ times on one boss, and I never came close to that (my most was maybe 20-30 tries on the Nameless Puppet…a few bosses took 5 attempts or fewer). I did make sure to take full advantage of what was available, like throwables and the specter, but I’m not ashamed 
I actually had more trouble with some mid-bosses than the main bosses (that Mad Clown Puppet can GO TO HELL and DIE SLOWLY).
The blade/handle weapon customization system seems so simple, and yet is honestly ingenious in its depth. Wanna stick a giant ax made of puppet limbs to a tiny dagger handle? GO FOR IT 

Now, is it the greatest game I’ve ever played? No. But it’s a solid good time, and it’s got me looking at other games in the Soulslike genre to see what might be good. I got my eyes on Bloodborne and Seikiro.

8/10

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: December 27, 2023, 09:26:46 am »

Despite not completing my first game last year until February, I ended up blowing past 52. I was almost there in September, so I took it easy the rest of the year. Knocked off a portion of my backlog too, as well as discovering a new appreciation for games I had given up on, like Persona 5 and Hollow Knight. New year is currently also starting slow, with me being addicted to Lies of P, my first Soulslike. We’ll see what happens.

Current backlog:
Persona 5
Tales of Arise
Final Fantasy X-2 Remaster
Panzer Dragoon Remake
Sonic Mania
Salt & Sanctuary
The Last Faith
Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen
Dragon Age Inquisition
Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game
Ginga Force
Nier Automata

Currently playing:
Batman Arkham Knight Remaster
Bloodborne
Dragon Age Inquisition
Ginga Force

Playing next:
?

1. Lies of P (PS4) 1/31/24
2. Batman: Arkham Asylum (via PS4 Batman Arkham Collection) 2/13/24
3. Batman: Arkham City (via PS4 Batman Arkham Collection) 3/1/24
4. Super Street Fighter II (arcade, via PS4 SF Anniversary Collection) 3/24/24
5. Afterimage (PS4) 3/27/24
6. Street Fighter Alpha 2 (arcade, via PS4 SF Anniversary Collection) 3/28/24
7. Samurai Shodown 2019 (PS4) 3/29/24
8. Natsuki Chronicles (PS4) 3/31/24

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: November 20, 2023, 03:10:01 pm »

57. Blasphemous II (PS4)

I rarely buy a game anymore that’s not marked down, but I couldn’t wait for this one. Blasphemous is among my personal top Metroidvanias ever.

Overall thoughts:
Combat is MUCH improved over the first game. The 3 weapons offer much more variety and options for defeating bosses. I ended up using Veridicto (the big incense burner) most of the time due to its power and range. The rosary sword was useful against certain opponents. The sword & dagger were near useless, just too weak to justify using them.

The pixel art is still gorgeous. I miss the awesome pixel cutscenes, but I saw a making-of video where the Game Kitchen says they were expensive and time-consuming to make, so they went with the animation instead. However, IMO, the story, music, and overall atmosphere are much stronger in the first game. In this one, the bosses are not given quite as much backstory, thus making them less interesting. For example, basically all the backstory given to Orospina, whose design I find fascinating, is “she’s a demented murderer.”

Toughest boss by far was Eviterno. Took me maybe 15-20 tries to beat him, with judicious use of the time-stopping spell. In contrast, the final boss was far too easy. Endings seemed a bit short, and ZERO New Game+….very weird when the first game had 3 different new game options and multiple colors to unlock.

Definitely not saying this one is bad, far from it. I’m actually going to start another playthrough. I just think I prefer the first one.

8

General / Re: Warning!!! (do not toss or sell your OG Xbox Consoles)

« on: October 14, 2023, 11:45:59 am »

Welp, one thing I can say about my OG XBOX is that mine still seems to work just fine. In contrast, my first X360 RROD’d after about a year, and the replacement they sent me lasted maybe 2 more years before the disc drive stopped working. Cheap POS. Clearly they don’t make ‘em like they used to.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: October 09, 2023, 06:22:00 pm »

54. Lords of Thunder (Coregrafx Mini)

4 years ago, I had never heard of this game.
Then I started watching Shmup Junkie’s YouTube videos and of all the shmups he spotlighted, it was the one that grabbed me the most, and was the main reason I decided to get a TG16/Coregrafx/PC Engine Mini.

I was not disappointed.
It quickly became my favorite shmup of all time. To quote something I read somewhere, it’s perhaps the most metal game ever made. I love the presentation, the music, and the kick-ass armors that can decimate enemies when fully powered. Getting your ass handed to you in a level? Try a different armor; some work better in certain levels. Since getting hit takes away gun power in addition to life bars, your skill directly impacts how easy the level can be. Your reward for better play is an easier time due to higher weapon power, along with an easier time with bosses. The overall difficulty is spot on for me, hard enough to destroy you but can be mastered with practice. I just wish I had known about this game back in high school (though I doubt I could have convinced my parents to get me a Turbo Duo, since I already had SNES and Genesis).

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: October 02, 2023, 02:19:56 pm »

Well, I made it to 52! And with 3 months to spare. Didn’t even complete my first game until February.

50. Hollow Knight (PS4)
Bought this a couple years ago because I love Metroidvanias and players seemed to worship it. Got almost to the end…and up and quit due to sheer boredom. Too dark, too difficult, took too long to get anywhere.
Decided to give it another shot a few weeks ago, and enjoyed it a heck of a lot more. Definitely helped that I focused on upgrading my Nail as soon as possible, which mitigated some frustration at the tougher bosses. Is it the be-all-end-all of Metroidvanias as many claim? In my opinion, no. Still good, but not among my personal favorites in the genre.

Speaking of which, I’m attempting to wait patiently for Blasphemous 2 to release on PS4, it’s just hard 

52. Cho Aniki (Coregrafx Mini)
Definitely not the game I expected to reach 52 with 
Obviously lives up to its reputation as a really, REALLY weird shmup. Technically speaking, it has some issues and it’s honestly not a very good game. In places, usually after beating a mid-boss, a new background just suddenly pops up around you with no transition, which looks clumsily done. Many on-screen actions lack sound effects, including when some enemies fire at you. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if you’re actually damaging a boss, because there’s no effect or flash to indicate a hit. Clearly this game is only known for its eccentricity rather than actually being good.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: July 28, 2023, 03:49:10 pm »

42. Eschatos (PS4, on Easy)

OK, let me tell you a story about my history with scrolling shmups (might have told it here before, but whatever).

I was never really into shmups growing up. The only one I really liked was Axelay on SNES. Didn’t like Stinger (NES) all that much, Gradius on Game Boy was OK, Gradius Interstellar Assault (GB) was actually really good, Gradius III (SNES) was alright, Super R-Type (SNES) was far too hard to be any fun, Twin Cobra (NES) wasn’t bad. Overall I had very little interest in the genre for decades. Eventually I just ignored them when I saw them on store shelves. I did rent Einhander on PS1 once and was unimpressed.

Then I got my Coregrafx Mini two Christmases ago and that all changed. Lords of Thunder, Soldier Blade, Blazing Lazers, and Spriggan showed me what a shmup COULD be…crazy screen-filling power-ups, fast action, cool pixel art…it awakened a passion I didn’t know I had. Since then I’ve been educating myself on all the shmups I never paid attention to and I’ve learned a lot.

So a few weeks ago I saw a video by Shmup Junkie where he basically drools all over this game called Eschatos. Never heard of it before, but seemed neat and was highly recommended by a number of YouTubers. Saw it was $10 off on PSN so I took a chance on it. DAMN, this game is fun. It might be the most “fair” shmup I’ve ever played; 99% of the time, when I die I know for sure it was my own lack of skill at fault (rather than feeling like the game put me in an overwhelming unwinnable situation). The game gives you everything you need right off the bat (straight shot, spread shot, rechargeable shield) and there are no power-ups to lose whenever you die, eliminating the frustration of having to power back up after every death. Simple but ingenious design, especially the shield which is a GODSEND for an amateur like me. I beat it on Easy, currently still trying on Normal. Did it overtake Lords of Thunder as my favorite shmup ever? No, but it’s right up there.

Currently educating myself on the NeoGeo shmups available on PSN, many of which look really good (Prehistoric Isle 2, Blazing Star, etc). Tried buying Ghost Pilots, but that game turned out to be the opposite of Eschatos: your plane is too slow and weak (speed CANNOT be increased by any means), power-ups are too hard to obtain and don’t help much even when you get them, enemies outmaneuver you at every point…VERY frustrating. NOT a good shmup.

12

General / Re: Anyone else suck at finishing RPGs?

« on: July 17, 2023, 10:07:47 am »

I love RPGs, but whether I finish them really depends on how invested I am.

For example, on one end of the spectrum, I have Dragon Quest XI. That game had me so invested I spent 120+ hours doing every quest I could, and I felt like I could play another 120 with these characters and not get bored.

Final Fantasy VIII, OTOH, I quit very early on. Boring characters, weird Junction system, dumb story, etc. Eventually came back to beat it years later but I had to force myself through it. GOD this game is so dumb. And it has maybe the most ridiculously contrived moment in any game I’ve ever played.

Final Fantasy IX is a weird bird for me…I love the characters and music, plot is ok, though Kuja is kind of a weak villain. Yet, more than once I’ve quit in the same spot: always on Disc 3 during what I call “The Great Kuja Chase”, where you’re constantly chasing Kuja from one location to another in what feels like blatant padding. This part is so incredibly boring it just completely sucks any interest out. Like FFVIII, one time I forced myself through this part and the rest of the game is ok.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: July 03, 2023, 12:22:54 pm »

39. Mega Man 3

I took a small break from Final Fantasy XVI to play one of my favorites. It took some time to get the muscle memory back, but it happened around the halfway point. I played it as part of the Legacy Collection on Switch so I took advantage of save states. There's still a sense of accomplishment one gets after finishing not only these boss robots, but the resurrected ones from Mega Man 2. Always a good time going through classic blue bomber!

That’s what I’ve been doing too 
I got the first Legacy Collection last year and played through all six games. Got Legacy Collection 2 earlier this year and finished 7, 9, and 10 (haven’t bothered with 8 yet since I don’t like it very much). Then went back and finished MM5 again, since it’s one of my favorites. Currently working on MM6.

Nice! MM6 is the one I played the most growing up. Up to that point, all of my friends would lend me a Mega Man game and I'd lend them something else on NES in return. MM6, however, was a Christmas gift so I naturally played the hell out of it. That might be the next one I get into since it's been so long.

For some reason, I still remember when I bought MM6 at retail; maybe because it was likely my last NES game I bought new during that era. It was at Babbage’s at my local mall, and I remember I actually felt kind of weird buying it because we were far into the 16-bit era by then (it came out March ‘94, and I had my SNES for 2 1/2 years by that point). I just saw the box on the shelf, with that bright art of MM using his Jet Adapter, and I figured, hey, I love the series, so why not.

I’m glad I did, it’s definitely a worthy addition to the series that doesn’t get as much love as it should. I still remember the magazine reviews at the time LAMBASTED it for being “old” and “just more of the same thing”. BOOOOO!!

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: July 01, 2023, 07:19:29 pm »

39. Mega Man 3

I took a small break from Final Fantasy XVI to play one of my favorites. It took some time to get the muscle memory back, but it happened around the halfway point. I played it as part of the Legacy Collection on Switch so I took advantage of save states. There's still a sense of accomplishment one gets after finishing not only these boss robots, but the resurrected ones from Mega Man 2. Always a good time going through classic blue bomber!

That’s what I’ve been doing too 
I got the first Legacy Collection last year and played through all six games. Got Legacy Collection 2 earlier this year and finished 7, 9, and 10 (haven’t bothered with 8 yet since I don’t like it very much). Then went back and finished MM5 again, since it’s one of my favorites. Currently working on MM6.

15

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: June 23, 2023, 02:48:35 pm »

Got back to my Genesis Mini 2 and after playing a few other games, started up Shining Force CD again and once again could not stop.

Seriously, I wish I had paid attention to the Shining Force games back during the 16-bit era (I remember seeing them on shelves but never gave them any thought). They’re super addicting and I think I like them better than the Fire Emblem series.

When I think about it, I think it’s because of the whole “permadeath” thing. Fire Emblem is fun, but gets especially stressful at the later levels when a single mistake can get a character killed forever. More than once I spent a long time on a level just to make one stupid move and lose an important team member…extremely frustrating. With Shining Force, I know all I have to do is get to the next opportunity to resurrect them. Takes out a lot of the frustration and stress, and makes it much more enjoyable.