Messages

1

General / Re: Have your favorite games changed over time, or mostly stayed the same?

« on: March 16, 2025, 07:40:08 pm »

Yes, my favorite games have changed a bit. Obviously, there’s a few that are untouchable because their enjoyment factor has lasted over the years (Q*Bert, TMNT arcade, Shadow of the Colossus). But occasionally a newer game has had such a profound impact on me that it immediately replaces something in my personal top 10…for example, Bioshock Infinite was mind-blowing for me and supplanted Chrono Cross, while Dragon Quest XI became maybe my second favorite RPG ever and replaced Vampire Savior (Saturn).

However, recently I’ve questioned my adoration for certain favorite games I’ve replayed. I played through the Chrono Cross remaster and it wasn’t quite as good as I remember. I always said Batman Arkham Asylum was my favorite of the 4, but after playing the remasters I’m rethinking if I still like it better or Arkham City.

Planning to get the Final Fantasy VI pixel remaster but I haven’t played it for years so I’m curious if it will remain my favorite RPG. I replayed Zelda Link to the Past and Super Metroid, and they did hold up very well.

2

General / Re: New Gaming Genre for Metroidvanias?

« on: February 13, 2025, 11:51:01 pm »

At this point I'm not sure what there's more of... Metal sub-genres, or Video game sub-genres.

Honestly trying to say a game that's "soul's like" and "Metroidvania" is it's own genre sounds just about as ridiculous as "Pirate Metal" being it's own genre.

I agree whole heartedly with this and other comments.  Glad someone finally said this. 


I mean at what point does the genre lose all meaning? If theirs gotta be entire threads arguing what is and what isnt metroidvania then it means 1 of 2 things. Either the genre is not well defined or isnt necessary at all to begin with.  Im gonna go with both.

 Metroidvania doesnt exist because those games arent original in genre nor unique in it.   And the definitions gamers use to describe what a Metroidvania even is always changes.  I mean now fps and 3rd person adventure games?  GTA vice city is a metroidvania.  I disregard the entire sub genre.

I don't understand why you are so dead-set against subgenres.  I don't see any issue having a term or category that represents a specific style or type of gameplay.  No different that calling different kinds of sports games "sports sims" vs "arcade sports".  Yeah they both revolve around sports, but they also have very different intents and design philosophies behind them.  And yeah, I'd say Pirate Metal is a thing.  Alestorm and Amon Amarth are both metal bands, but they are stylistically and thematically very different from each other.

Not sure another instance ive ever displayed distain over a sub genre on here.

Tldr - Metroid is not unique enough to define a genre. And metroidvania is a poorly defined concept that people fight over all the time. Mostly because its unnecessary.

Long - Not to mention metroidvania isnt a sub genre. Its a sub-sub genre. I love sub genres so long as they are well defined and practical and "metroidvania" is quite frankly niether. Which is why anywhere its mentioned people sit around and argue of what it even is.  When 90 percent of what people talk about with a sub genre is defining what it even is. It doesn't need to exist. Because its just a terrible poorlly defined faux category.  The little nuances people come up with to seperate metroid from anything else are for 1. Not even original to metroid.  And 2. Not warranting a classification in itself.

For example.  3rd person shooter is a sub genre.  Shooter is a genre.  Metroid prime is a first person shooter. Thats its sub genre.  "Metroidvania" is a sub-sub genre and is about as vague as can be.  Doom is more like metroid prime then Super Metroid. And I can draw 50 more similarities to Mega Man with Metroid than I can to castlevania itself. 

What has been defined to me as metroidvania is

"You unlock upgrades that allow access to areas previously unavailable and there is one singular map that requires backtracking as part of the story and gameplay"

But of course this defintion changes depending on who you talk to. Because again. The genre is not well defined and is made up as we go. But if we do adhere to this.


Ok so like

1. Pretty much every top down Zelda game and every LTTP clone ever made.  (Singular map with web like rooms that require keys to access doors and special weapons to beat specific bosses. Also predates Metroid)

2. Grand theft auto vice city (singular map.  Must complete missions and aquire suits to access missions which eventually unlock starfish island and previous inaccessible parts of the map which you cant access unless you aquire not only special weapons, cars, tanks, or even suits)

3. God of War 2018

4. Elden Ring

5. Elder Scrolls and Fable franchises

6. Mega Man - plays similar to Metroid. Linear. Move backwards through corridor levels. Aquire suits to access new levels. Need powers to beat certain bosses. Side scroller cannon shooter)

7. Gris (gotta backtrack to aquire orbs that open constelation path ways and you cant proceed without doing such. You also earn new colors through exploration. Beating the game is impossible without building these star paths.

8. Super Mario 64 (the levels are interconnected to the main room which is toadstool castle. Making it technically one giant level design. In which to access rooms. You must collect stars. And often times need to obtain the flying ability to even get said stars. Metal mario ability to access others)


The problem isnt with sub genres. Its with this sub genre. For example you have Batman Arkham Knight as a metroidvania.  Control?  I mean why not TOTK and Infamous?  The first time I seen a forum call Control a metroidvania I had known it went too far.  It lost all meaning that day. At least before it was delegated to basically side scrolling 2D platformers.  I just wish it was called "metroid elements" rather than making a whole genre. That I could grasp.


Metroid prime is about as much a metroidvania as Call Of Duty Zombies.


I do agree on certain genres being awesome to classify. For example JRPG vs RPG. Nu metal vs metal.  So I do enjoy classifying things. It's one of my favorite things. Even with sites like this.  I enjoy categories. I just want it to be clear. Metroidvania is never clear to me.

Yeah, there seems to be different definitions of what constitutes a Metroidvania, and IMO it seems to have changed over time.

Originally, I understood a Metroidvania as a literal combination of Metroid and SotN: a game that plays like Metroid (side-scroller with the power ups unlocking new areas and backtracking) but includes RPG, stat-building elements like SotN.
But later the definition seemed to start encompassing only games with Metroid elements and no SotN RPG-esque stat-building, which IMO made the Metroidvania label misleading. Many games with that label are not a combination, they’re just Metroid-likes.

Bottom line is, a subgenre shouldn’t be so loosely-defined and open to interpretation.

Figured like this was a good place to roll around with this list that I've been thinking about: All Metroidvanias I've played, ranked:

• Hollow Knight
• Blasphemous II
• Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
• Control
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Metroid Prime Remastered
• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
• Metroid Dread
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
• Super Metroid
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Blasphemous
• The Messenger
• Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
• Guacamelee
• Metroid Prime (Original)
• Caslevania: Harmony of Dissonance
• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
• Gato Roboto
• Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
• Yoku's Island Express
• Metroid

This gives me a good list of games I should try, thanks.

If I was going to rank the ones I’ve played it might go something like:

Super Metroid
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Blasphemous 2
Blasphemous
Batman Arkham Asylum
Metroid Zero Mission
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
Metroid Prime
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
Metroid Fusion
Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
Metroid Prime 2
Hollow Knight
Timespinner
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
Blaster Master
Shantae: Risky’s Revenge
Axiom Verge
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Iconoclasts
Metroid
Metroid II:Return of Samus
Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest

No rating because not enough play time to judge:
Salt and Sanctuary
The Last Faith

3

General / Re: Overrated/Underrated

« on: December 17, 2024, 11:44:16 am »

Overrated: Halo (the entire series)
IMO, it only became popular because of the multiplayer. I never play multiplayer, and as a single-player game, Halo is boring as f***. Had to force myself to finish the first game, then rented Halo 2 and quit after 5 minutes because I could tell it was more of the same.

Underrated: Vice Project Doom
It’s criminal how few people seem to know about this game. One of very few NES games to combine multiple genres (action, shooting, driving) and make them all FUN (I’m looking at you, Bayou Billy). And it has Ninja Gaiden-style cutscenes to boot.

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General / Re: How do you prefer your Sonic games? 2D or 3D?

« on: September 10, 2024, 03:44:13 pm »

2D by a mile.
Back when the Dreamcast came out I remember trying Sonic Adventure, and I couldn’t get into it. None of the 3D Sonic games since then has appealed to me.

I give Sega credit, though, for their attempts at trying something different, like 3D Blast and the 3D games. IMO that kind of gameplay just works better in 2D.

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General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: June 03, 2024, 01:49:46 pm »

I have a physical copy of Dragon Quest XI S which I beat 3 years ago, becoming maybe my second-favorite RPG of all time. However, my PS4 DVD-ROM drive failed soon after, and I have been relegated to downloaded games only since then. Fixing the drive is extremely difficult to do myself, apparently requiring soldering ability and switching out chips. Taking it to a repair shop would cost $160 and up, and even refurbished PS4s are still going for $300+. So I just don’t think it’s worth the money to fix it or replace it.

I’ve been able to re-buy most of my physical PS4 games digitally for great prices by waiting for sales, but DQXI never went below $40 regularly and $23.99 on sale. Finally my patience ran out to play this masterpiece again so I gave in to the current $23.99 PSN sale price. Then I tried to complete either Dragon Age Inquisition or Batman Arkham Knight before starting it (I dislike having too many games in progress at once) but it was taking too long and I just couldn’t wait.

Aaaaaaahhhhhh. It’s like seeing an old friend after years apart. How I missed you, Cobblestone Tor. Time for me to lose another 140+ hours to this game while I cherish every second.

Out of curiosity, with your experience playing both physically and digitally now,  do you find yourself leaning towards one format over the other for future purchases?

That is an excellent question, and one I’ve actually been pondering myself.

On the one side, I do feel like I prefer owning something physical to represent my games.
However, as blasphemous as it sounds, I think I’ve concluded the advantages of digital far outweigh the disadvantages:
- No shelf space required, helpful for my cluttered man cave
- No chance of the DVD-ROM drive failing, which has now happened to my PS4 and my XBOX 360.
- If you’re worried about the hard drive failing, games can be backed up, or re-downloaded if necessary
- Shop-at-home convenience
- If you’re patient, PSN offers some excellent sales, usually much cheaper than buying used games

I am currently experiencing a shortage of disc space (the PS4’s hard drive and an external are both almost full). But, as much as I hate to admit, I think I might stick with digital from now on, especially with all the potential problems inherent to disc-based games (disc rot, scratches, complex drives with many moving parts that can fail, etc)

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General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: May 28, 2024, 10:34:10 pm »

I have a physical copy of Dragon Quest XI S which I beat 3 years ago, becoming maybe my second-favorite RPG of all time. However, my PS4 DVD-ROM drive failed soon after, and I have been relegated to downloaded games only since then. Fixing the drive is extremely difficult to do myself, apparently requiring soldering ability and switching out chips. Taking it to a repair shop would cost $160 and up, and even refurbished PS4s are still going for $300+. So I just don’t think it’s worth the money to fix it or replace it.

I’ve been able to re-buy most of my physical PS4 games digitally for great prices by waiting for sales, but DQXI never went below $40 regularly and $23.99 on sale. Finally my patience ran out to play this masterpiece again so I gave in to the current $23.99 PSN sale price. Then I tried to complete either Dragon Age Inquisition or Batman Arkham Knight before starting it (I dislike having too many games in progress at once) but it was taking too long and I just couldn’t wait.

Aaaaaaahhhhhh. It’s like seeing an old friend after years apart. How I missed you, Cobblestone Tor. Time for me to lose another 140+ hours to this game while I cherish every second.

7

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

9

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.

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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:
Dragon Quest XI S
Batman Arkham Knight Remaster
Dragon Age Inquisition
Ginga Force

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
9. Streets of Rage 4 (PS4) 5/24/24
10. P.O.W. (Arcade, via PS4 SNK 40th Anniversary Collection) 6/20/24
11. P.O.W. (NES, via PS4 SNK 40th Anniversary Collection) 7/8/24
12. Sengoku 3 (Neo Geo, played on PS4) 7/17/24
13. Golden Axe II (Genesis Mini 2) 8/3/24
14. Shadow Dancer (Genesis Mini 2) 8/3/24
15. Eschatos (PS4) 8/6/24

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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.

14

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.

15

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).