#I beat that game ONCE on the 3DS and have tried replaying it on the same low difficulty but still nooope | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

andersqueuetea · 1 year ago

Text

Every year I typically do a review of all the video games I play throughout the year and I post it on Twitter. As I'm not particularly active on Twitter, I figured I'd start this little blog to post things like this so that I can share them with anyone who might find it interesting! 2023 was a big year for me-- I'll make a post about how my 2023 has been overall and everything that's happened and everything that I feel I've accomplished later on, but, in general, I beat my thread of video games from last year by more than double.

In 2022 I listed a total of 20 games, though it didn't seem to include everything I tried. This year I was able to play 50 different video games that I would love to talk about this year. I'm also splitting them into four different categories: Unfinished, Group Games, Replays, and New Titles. Let's get into it.

Unfinished Games

This includes three games that I either gave up on or haven't completely finished yet.

#50 Digimon World 2

I first played Digimon World 2 as a child alongside my older brother, Jake, on the Playstation. We were both Digimon fans, having rented the original Digimon World video game from our local blockbuster but never getting particularly far. Unlike the original Digimon World game, this title is a dungeon crawler similar to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series that follows Akira, a boy who lives in Digital City on Directory Content, and is tasked with joining one of three guard teams (Vaccine, Data, and Virus types) and gaining a partner Digimon.

The player and their partner then take their tank, a Digi-Beetle and travel the dungeons beating and recruiting other Digimon to their party while beating bosses and liberating parts of Directory Continent.

I played this game on my Steam Deck and joined the Gold Hawks team with the Vaccine Digimon so that my partner Digimon was Patamon, a favorite of my childhood. I was increasingly frustrated by the lack of explanation of the various mechanics in game and how difficult it was to find any early game recruitable vaccine Digimon, making it so that I was stuck with a party of one from the get-go. Eventually I put the game away and, while I'm sure I may pick it up again in the future, the experience was clunky and slow, even down to the slow dialogue and walking animations.

#49 Banjo-Kazooie

Flame me. Bully me. I get it. First off, let me tell you: this game is great. The concept, the silly plot, the goofy characters-- I understand why this is such a popular game and why people have so much nostalgia about these characters and their world! The music is amazing, the worlds are unique, and the dialogue is catchy. The problem with this and, genuinely, why I didn't complete it, is that the collectathon aspect was more of a hassle than anything else due to the clunky 1996 controls and lack of quality of life upgrades that they could have brought to the Nintendo Switch Online version.

I enjoyed portions and the genuine inspiration that this took from other early 3D platformers, but the controls, the hitboxes, the punishing failures... it made it unenjoyable for me to attempt complete once I realized that I would need to go back and collect and additional number of hidden collectables to be able to open the next door.

#48 Pokemon Emerald (Randomizer)

As we'll note as we get further down the list, I've been replaying some of the Pokemon games that I've enjoyed in the past. However, as I decided to start Pokemon Emerald through my Steam Deck, I opted to play a randomized version of the game to spice things up a little. Unlike the first two games on our list, this is unfinished because I hadn't quite made enough progress to complete it-- I'm still working through the game.

The third installment of the core generation 3 Pokemon games, Emerald takes place on the continent of Hoenn after moving with the protagonist's family to Littleroot Town from Johto. My protagonist, a boy named Dersy, gains his first partner Pokemon, a Totodile, from Professor Birch, and sets on his trainer journey, meeting Birch's assistant, May and immediately battling her Beldum in an infuriating fight when you only have a Totodile who knows two moves.

As of now, I've found a fun and interesting party as I move past Slateport for the first time: Pharaoh the Ampharos, Zelda the Typhlosion (shoutouts to Muttski), Kaya the Kyogre, Fleshlight the Weepinbell (sorry), A-aron the Lairon, and Menace the Salamence.

Emerald is a slow play. It's taken me a while to get anywhere, primarily because I only play on my Steam Deck in bed when I have a little down time.

Group Games

I've played quite a few games with friends this year that didn't have specific 'endings' so I couldn't quite say that I beat them. Still, I wanted to talk about them here! There are 12 games on this portion of the list, starting with...

#47 Project Playtime

A spin-off of the horror game Poppy Playtime, this prequel was developed and published by Mob Entertainment as a co-op free-to-play horror set in a toy factory.

I didn't get much playtime on this as the game was still in early access and didn't always run as intended, but it allows six playes to try and solve puzzles and collect toy pieces to fix their train and escape while being hunted by a player controlling a monster.

The game has potential and, if asked to play it again, I definitely would! Unfortunately, last time friends wanted to play the launcher was busted.

#46 Borderlands 2

Another fan favorite that I've only played one time, Borderlands 2 is something that I've been discussing playing with my friend Emma for years and years.

Finally, in 2023, we got a group together to play a little bit. I believe I played as a Gunzerker and, while I'm not a great FPS gamer by any means, I did have some fun with this game being dragged along to various missions by friends who knew much more about what they were doing.

Unfortunately, my experience was ruined by an outside issue and I don't, at this time, think I'm ready to play Borderlands 2 anytime soon.

#45 Phasmophobia

I'll be the first to admit that I have very bad FOMO. I don't like missing out when friends play games and, therefore, I, a scaredy-cat, purchased and played Phasmophobia.

I am, additionally, very bad at Phasmophobia and am often dead the entire time.

Still, dead Ders loves to take random items from the map and drop them in the truck for everyone who's still alive!

When Phasmo went through it's big truck update I found myself extremely frustrated-- I didn't understand how to buy and load items into the truck and every time we tried to play it was one issue after another.

In the end I uninstalled the game and, while I'll probably reinstall if people want to play, the update really ruined a lot of the enjoyment for me.

#44 The Anacrusis

Space Left for Dead with aliens instead of zombies! I jumped right on this funky little game as a Lance main, as you know I love a nondescript basic-ass white guy.

Again, FPS games aren't my thing, but this was really fun co-op horde combat! Though only one friend of mine actually owns the game, leaving us with a tougher time getting games together, the game is still very fun and exciting!

This year they added the versus mode, allowing teams to play alternatively as survivors and alien hoards and... as someone unfamiliar with this playstyle... I hated this. It was really difficult as the alien to do anything and, since my friend has so much more experience in this format, I felt like I was completely helpless to do anything.

I hope that more friends will get this game so that we can play together, especially now that it's out of early access.

#43 Among Us

Innersloth's Among Us became a household name during the pandemic and dominated my life every evening for at least eight to ten months, spawning the discord server in which I spend most of my time.

I only played Among Us once or twice this year, most importantly on my friend Emma's birthday where we played a few rounds to celebrate and hang out.

The game is good and fun. I have no interest in playing with randoms-- just not my thing, and while I love playing with friends... after a while I find myself becoming so comfortable with everyone's play-styles that the game just becomes repetitive. A great game for every once in a while.

#42 Party Animals

All the ragdoll physics applied to cute little animal critters? A great soundtrack? This game is totally fun, however, I didn't play it too much. Much like Among Us, this is the kind of game that I'd rather just play with friends in customs-- a group of us in a voice call beating the crap out of each other and laughing while doing so.

The games are fun-- reminiscent of Fall Guys and American Ninja Warrior in a way and the customization that you can find through every character is wonderful. Hopefully this game stays in the repertoire going forward.

#41 Dead by Daylight

To say that this was a bad year for Dead by Daylight was an understatement.

I first played DBD in 2021 after the Among Us craze died down and I found myself experiencing FOMO as my friends played DBD in our discord and I discovered a hot blond basic white-man, Felix Richter, was a playable character.

Eventually I purchased the game and have clocked over 2,000 hours in it.

At the end of 2022 they released a killer by the name of The Knight who was the first draft of an extremely boring playstyle that the devs doubled down on in May of 2023 with their first killer release of the year.

Adriana Imai, The Skull Merchant, is one of the biggest mistakes that BHVR has made-- the 'chess merchant' style of gameplay, which can extend the length of games so much that the killer can hold them hostage for 45+ minutes at a time was so boring and disrespectful that BHVR attempted to rework the killer to combat this... only to make it comparably worse. Between the Knight's release, the Skull Merchant, and the various perk reworks and glitches that BHVR gaslit the community into pretending didn't exist, I stopped playing DBD for a while.

Every once in a while I would log in to play, to experience the new killer and survivor, The Singularity and Gabriel Soma, or to see if the addition of Nicolas Cage could really save the game for me but... unfortunately... no. Ellen Ripley and The Xenomorph were the next releases and the first releases since I bought the game that I didn't purchase, followed by Chucky from the Child's Play series who, I will admit, is a very fun and well balanced addition to the game.

I log in to play every once in a while, when friends want to play and I'm feeling particularly good, but other than that... DBD's lack of integrity regarding their own issues has made the game a big disappointment for me.

#40 Fallout 76

A new game to me, this was gifted to me by my friend PJ. I've played a Fallout game once before for roughly two hours and, honestly, Fallout 76 has been a fun, silly, buggy experience.

First problem: I messed up my character's nose and now he looks silly. Yes, I know I can fix it. No, I do not plan on fixing it.

Exploring in this game is fun! There are so many little funny moments that the devs put in, a solid community that has seemed really nice, and a heavy difficulty that makes me feel like I'm actively accomplishing things when I survive.

I particularly like it when I see another player and I use the wave emoji at them and they wave back!

I'm not a big bug person, so those kinda freak me out, but in general the world that they've created is horrifyingly beautiful.

#39 Fortnite

Never thought I would play Fortnite, however, when DBD took a turn for a worst a group of us defected to zero-build Fortnite and... it's fun! Not something I love to play all the time, but the goofy aesthetics, the variety of characters and emotes, it's easy to see why people get excited about something so silly!

To be able to make the Demogorgon from Stranger Things ride around in a little dinosaur is fun as heck. The changes in the game, updates, game modes, and maps are all interesting and provide a varied experience.

It's not a forever game for me, but that's fine. I still enjoy it, especially when playing with my friend Yellow!

#38 Lethal Company

This game is fun, scary, and stressful! I love pressing 1 and 2 to point and dance-- honestly, makes the game so much fun. Yes, I know that's silly. :)

Since they added arachnophobia mode I feel a lot better playing this! I'm still inexperienced, but I love playing this with friends. The monsters are so varied and intense, the different planets and weathers make it so new and exciting, and the procedural generation of each type of map is a welcome surprise. The different types of scraps are a joy-- the horror of finding a little toy robot.... the fear of hearing a little girl say "hey!"

Overall, this game is a great asset. A great, great asset.

#37 Deceive Inc.

I spent a lot of time this year playing Deceive Inc. after discovering the game while watching Otzdarva stream it one day.

You take the role of a spy trying to steal a package from a villainous lair by unlocking three vault terminals and extracting while surviving against a plethora of other agents who all have abilities much like yours.

The characters are fun, the NPCs are great, the gameplay is stacked. The community has been SO kind and the devs are some of the best devs ever! I took some time off due to my anxiety with FPS games and my stress overload, but this game will always have an amazing place in my heart and I still watch it almost every day!

I'm actively watching it now.

The little nods to spy culture... the additions of skins like Yu-Mi's Sailor Moon inspired skin, the integrity of the maps, the little "dossiers" about each of the characters and NPCs... this game and their amazing dev team deserve so much more respect and love. I wish more of my friends enjoyed playing this game with me.

#36 Labyrinthine

Capping off our group games for the year is Labyrinthine.

I love this game so much and am always up to play it.

The case files mode with the cosmetic hunting on top of the content they release frequently, the events, the monsters, the maps... it's so fun. The jump scares are great and the little puzzles can be super fun to figure out.

I still haven't finished the story chapters, but I really would like to! The toughest part of this game has just been convincing my friends to play with me, as it's not a solo game.

Replays

I replayed eight games that I've played previously this year-- some for the first time, others frequently.

#35 Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

I'm a big Final Fantasy fan! I last played the original Final Fantasy XII in 2012 while I was dating a wonderful man who encouraged me to finish it!

Let me be clear-- I still enjoyed this game... I liked a lot of the concepts that they put in and I loved visiting Ivalice. As you'll notice, I replayed a LOT of Ivalice games this year.

The characters are boring. The plot was completely inconsequential to everything. The battle system was so silly that, during the final boss battle, I didn't actually have to press a single button.

Why is it that they set this game in FFTA style Ivalice yet every character in your party is a hume save for Fran? Where's the variety? Even the job classes added in the TZA version just felt... like an afterthought.

There was a lot of exploration that could be done, the license board was... interesting... and the monster variety was mostly great! Overally, the game was.... fine... I'd be fine waiting another 11 years to replay it again.

#34 Pokemon: Special Pikachu Edition

The original third core game, Pokemon Yellow was loosely based on the popularity of the Pokemon Anime, updating the sprites, adding Jessie and James from Team Rocket, and giving you a partner Pikachi who followed you around the entire game and refused to evolve.

I love Pokemon, so why is this so low? Specifically, because it's generation one. The QOL things that I've come to love and expect from Pokemon weren't present here and it showed. The game, in general is a fun and nostalgic experience where I get the chance to relive my childhood and bide my time for other new releases.

My team, as the champion, included my Pikachu, who I nicknamed Mimikyu, a Victreebel, an Aerodactyl, a Nidoking, a Mr. Mime, and a Gyarados.

#33 Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Join Cloud Strife, but lamer, as he-- wait.... shit... I mean Squall Leonhart, right? Join Squall Leonhart... a teenage student at assassin school who graduates and leads a team of mercenaries, including his former teacher who got fired and is in love with him, a guy who loves hot dogs, a cowboy with no relevance to the plot, and a quirky girl as they meet Rinoa Heartilly, a resistance leader who is essentially rebelling against her father while she harasses and embarrasses Squall.

Other plot points include all the characters other than Rinoa remembering that they actually grew up in an orphanage together and just forgot it because they continued to use the Guardian Forces which make them lose their memories... only to continue using Guardian Forces for the rest of the game. Can't forget the mess of sorceresses, Squall falling in love with Rinoa somehow??? Uhm.... some space? They go to space.

It's not a secret that I think this game is overrated. It adds some cool things-- Moombas, gunblades, and Edea, to name a few. The junction system is overcomplicated and broken and plot is swiss cheese.

Will I play it again? Absolutely.

#32 Pokemon Gold Version

Technically, you can argue that I didn't finish this. I completed the eight gym badges and the elite four and... I did go ahead and do the eight Kanto badges but... I didn't fight Red. The credits rolled, so I count it complete.

The Johto region is one of my favorite regions-- I've been dreaming of a Legends Ho-oh game featuring the Burnt Tower and the Legendary Beasts from before they all burned, but we'll see what we get!

My team for this run included Ho-oh, Gloom, Feraligatr, Ampharos, Sudowoodo, and Dragonite. The difficulty spikes in this game can be a little frustrating and it still has some rough QOL moments, but man... I still love this game so much!

#31 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

As a big Final Fantasy Tactics fan, I remember my excitement as I played through this GBA game during my childhood and was all too excited to pick it up again this year!

We meet Marche, a new boy in the town of St. Ivalice, who befriends the pink haired Ritz and quiet boy Mewt during a snowball fight and invites them over to look at an old book with Marche's sick younger brother, Doned.

The next morning, Marche wakes up in the mystical country of Ivalice and is greeted by Montblanc, a moogle who takes him under his wing and allows Marche to help lead his clan. Mewt is no longer teased and is, instead, the prince of Ivalice alongside his mother, Remedi, who is dead in the real world, while his father, Cid, is the head judgemaster. Doned is no longer sick and Ritz has found a clan of her own.

Marche takes it upon himself and his clan to destroy the crystals keeping Ivalice together and return them to their true homes in St. Ivalice, much to the chagrin of Mewt, Doned, and Ritz.

The game features turn based tactical combat and a job system as well as Nu Mou, Moogle, Hume, Bangaa, and Viera.

My biggest issue with this game is the grind and the fact that, unlike FFT, there aren't any named characters who join your party, something I'll discuss more fully in a few more games.

#30 Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!

A remake of Pokemon Special Pikachu Edition including integration with Pokemon Go, mega evolutions, Alolan forms, and the dark, steel and fairy types, this game is technically set in an alternate world after Pokemon Red and Blue, since the characters Red, Blue, and Green all exist and are successful in their own ways.

The protagonist, Chase or Elaine canonically, is given an Eevee who does not enjoy its Pokeball and serves as your companion throughout the game, even going as far as to learn non-move HMs. The partner Eevee can also learn a ton of new attacks and has a different BST than other Eevees.

Instead of battling wild pokemon, you catch them in a form more similar to Pokemon Go, simply tossing Pokeballs and going for streaks to level up your Pokemon. It's a silly and fun remaster that proves a solid entry point for new and younger gamers who are hoping to get involved in Pokemon and for older games who may want to introduce new friends into this series.

I specifically didn't want to use my Eevee, so my final team included Dewgong, Exeggutor, Zapdos, Ninetales, Rhydon, and Haunter.

#29 Final Fantasy Tactics

Honesty time: I was obsessed with this game in sixth grade and I played it constantly.

The complicated plot only grew better as I grew older and became an astrology boi.

We meet Ramza Beoluve, son of a noble, his commoner best friend, Delita, and more as we travel through a complex socio-political vortex caused by the 50 Year War against Ordalia. Delita learns a harsh lesson as his sister, a commoner, is murdered during an uprising as a political statement, a church takes a terrible plot to try to control the country, and a group hopes to resurrect their demonic leader all while we meet a cast of unique and powerful characters on top of our own base characters who circle through a job system.

What makes this better than FFTA to me is the characters-- not only do we have Ramza, but we get Mustadio, Agrias, Rafa, Malak, Orlando, Meliadoul, Beowulf, Reis, Construct 8, Byblos, and even Cloud Strife, all with unique powers and abilities alongside our minor characters. Personally, I had a self insert who I trained in every mage class until I stopped using him in favor of others!

#28 Final Fantasy IX: Remastered

My favorite Final Fantasy, my first Final Fantasy, and my favorite replay of the year.

I replay FF9 every few years and I always love it. Vivi is my favorite character in the series and I'm also a humongous fan of Garnet's story. Zidane is a good character, though he obviously has some flaws that are pretty cringe. I can easily accept that characters like Amarant, Freya, and Quina definitely were forgotten and fall into obscurity as the game progresses, the game's overarching message of identity and family has always drawn me in.

We first meet Zidane, an orphan taken in by the traveling group of thieves and thespians, the Tantalus, as he and his crew partake in a plot to kidnap Princess Garnet during a production of I Want to be Your Canary, performed by them. Meanwhile, a young black mage named Vivi at also planning to attend the premiere after the death of his adoptive father.

Throughout the story we meet amazing characters, whimsical locales, and are asked difficult questions about what it means to be alive, what it means to be family, how to cope with grief and loss, and are given the best mini-game in all of Final Fantasy: Chocobo Hot'n'Cold (shout outs to Emma).

I want this game to get a proper remake. Even writing about the game takes me back to a place where I would watch awful AMVs on YouTube and read articles explaining the confusing and disjointed ending (which, yes, I agree is messy).

I also thank this game for bringing me to Twitch, which has been where I've met to many friends, primarily due to me wanting to watch a Final Fantasy IX speedrun.

New Titles

These may not be new games to you, but they might be! This is the countdown of the 27 new games that I played this year-- the list you've likely been waiting for if you care at all or the list that you skipped to!

#27 Final Fantasy II: Pixel Remaster

Last year this game was the last on my list. I didn't finish it and I didn't like it and I was constantly frustrated trying to play it.

I tried it again this year and... yeah... this is a flop for me. Bad character design, bad level up mechanic, confusing key words system... I followed a guide. Why? Because I specifically wanted to finish all the mainline Final Fantasy games.

Leon's villain arch and role reversal... not great. I just... maybe this one wasn't for me.

#26 Final Fantasy III: Pixel Remaster

Y'know what? Maybe this one wasn't for me either.

We are onion knights with no actual personality or anything, but that's not that much of a change from the personalities we found in FF2.

The job system was fun and interesting and some of the characters, including the fake Warriors of Light, were very cute... but overall, the game just didn't have that much to offer in terms of a compelling story and interesting mechanics.

#25 Cave Crawler

Cave Crawler is a short narrative mystery horror game in which you pilot a drone into a cave and try to uncover the mystery of some terrible incidents.

This game was gifted to me by my friend Blitzer and didn't take me too long to beat. It was creepy, interesting, and definitely made me sit on the edge of my seat.

#24 Final Fantasy V: Pixel Remaster

There's a plot point in which the antagonist fakes his death and travels through dimensions while disguised as a splinter and there's a turtle who loves pizza. The game is silly and slightly frustrating in that sense, but the characters are mostly good (Faris is wonderful) and the job system is really fun!

As is my issue with many other older FF games, there's a lack of direction and a semblance of penalty for over exploring and getting lost. It's a cute time, but like many of its predecessors, I don't see myself revisiting them anything soon.

The great news? With this, I finished all the mainline FF games that aren't 11 and 14! Well... kind of... stay tuned.

#23 Star Ocean: The Second Story R

I loved Star Ocean: Til' the End of Time. I read a preview article about it in Game Informer as a kid and fell in love with the blue haired protagonist and waited for years for the game to come out.

When this game was remade and released, I decided to give it a try! I was... mildly happy with it. I ran a Claude campaign and found that I was pretty frustrated at first that the mage characters, who were the only other characters in my party, wouldn't auto attack after they ran out of MP. Eventually, the game picked up. I missed out on SO many party characters because I wasn't feeling encouraged to recruit or anything... it seemed like it would all come organically in the course of the game when I saw them in cut scenes but... no.

I know that there's a NG+ and... maybe I'll do that? Probably not. :(

#21 Gotham Knights

My older brother bought the preorder deluxe edition and I ended up getting this for ~80% of a few weeks later after it bombed.

Jake loved the Arkham games and was right to be disappointed by this mess.

I am a huge Nightwing fan, so I played Nightwing and... on top of the glitches and the crashes, the game was just... overly repetitive. The different suits and equipment were overly complex for what they were, the night watches were repetitive and boring, and when I finally felt like moving on through the main story...? Well... the main story was fine. But it was short! They expected players to spend tens of hours exploring the city and taking down hoards of bad guys who... never did anything different. So disappointing... I hope they learned their lesson when it comes to Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League but...

#20 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

A beautiful and short narrative puzzle game in which you control both brothers in a journey to find medicine. The gameplay was fun and rewarding and the scenery was wonderful but... man... that last third? I get what they were going for but... it was just disappointing.

Apparently there's a cap on the number of pictures I can post here, so please chill a bit while I write up numbers 19-1!

#andersQT #video games

4 notes · View notes

glowstickspinalfluid · 28 days ago

Text

i guess i should've expected getting into a decades-old series like the legend of zelda would've left me lost in the lore and different eras of game development philosophies, but also i got into it when i was like 10 at the time so this isn't my fault.

a little before the switch/botw came out, i got a fun little zelda-like 3ds game (ever oasis) i absolutely loved to death and replayed constantly. my brother around the same time got oot for his 3ds, and absolutely loved and replayed that. he tried to get me to play it, they were so similar and he thought i would like it, but i Did Not Like the graphics or controls and never got further than the great deku tree and wasn't interested in playing the game any further.

then the switch and botw came out, and my brother got those and would make me come watch him play. this was supremely cool for both of us, but i never really played botw myself.

a few years later, i heard ever oasis actually referred to as a zelda-like for the first time and was like ? yeah sure i can try zelda games again now that i have more eye-hand coordination. so i tried botw again and it. sure was an experience.

i still haven't beaten botw. i loved having an open world to explore and the fun little side quests and shrines, but the main plot? i didn't learn how to target enemies until a few months ago from typing this. i got sidetracked, i could never tell if i was prepared enough to progress further because i was cheesing, running away from, and heal stalling everything, and knew if anything required any actual skill i was cooked. it just was sort of exhausting to play, and i had seen most of it through my brother's playthrough. not as much fun as i expected, but still cool.

then totk came out, and i got caught in the hype. i had a few games i could trade out for a discount on it at gamestop, and my brother just got his first job and was super exited to get it. i wouldn't have played if my brother hadn't gotten it and let me play. but totk truly was an experience.

the music and the exploration and the lead up to the dungeons, the layers to explore, the geoglyphs, it was all very cool. but it did wear on me. the world was so big, nothing i did felt very much like progression and i got lost and felt like i was losing important beats because i kept doing things out of order, the fuse system, everything that required building things but i couldn't tell what i was supposed to build or if i was supposed to build anything at all, just so many open ends everywhere, so many things to do all at once, "oh my god why would zelda do that" "demon king? secret stone?" well i would LOVE to tell you why but everything has to be able to be done in any order except for the way i do it, apparently??

and i haven't beat totk either. just keep spelunking. the caves and wells in here are just delightful, especially with ascend. the lore is immaculate, i just wish it was delivered a little differently. maybe totk could've been the zelda movie? idk, it's not worth dwelling on. go watch the skitty video on totk

and then i saw the eow trailer. i'm not exactly the toy art style's biggest fan, but playable zelda? a focus on using wisdom as your main tool instead of the courage to go running into a monster camp with a bunch of weapons that can break on you at any moment? it's being developed by grezzo, the same guys that made my beloved ever oasis, my first zelda-like and one of my favorite games ever? 👀 maybe i will check it out?

(i was planning on getting on release day but then there was an entire cat 5 hurricane decimating towns half an hour away from me. and then i was busy. and then it was time to try and think of stuff my family could get me for christmas. so it took a bit to get it, but i can avoid spoilers easy-peasy.)

so i check it out. it's fun and cute and silly, each of the stories in the regions are fun and resonate, the smaller world helps me keep track of where i am and why, who's who and what i need to help them with and why, but it still feels like exploring the entire time. and it is exactly what i wanted this whole time. it's been like 7 years and i finally got more of exactly what i wanted when i placed my faith in my brothers taste in games forever ago and was burned by getting the shit scared out of me by the gohma boss fight in oot.

and then i go to look at what other people have been saying about eow, because i've had to avoid doing that, and people are like "omg!!! what an amazing return to formula!!!" or "i love a return to the old formula, but i think this game sucks for other reasons!!!" and "why is eow so small and short? i want my sweeping landscapes alongside the traditional dungeons :/"

and. grips your shoulders. this is what the ENTIRE series is like? the entire loz series is all i want in a game. the dungeons, the fun item collecting, the neatly tied stories are what the ENTIRE SERIES IS LIKE. EXEPT THE TWO IVE ACTUALLY PLAYED. IVE BEEN LIED TO FOR SO LONG. maybe eow and ever oasis are just good because grezzo can cook. BUT THAT STILL MEANS THERES A WHOLE SERIES OF GAMES OF DUNGEONS AND MUSIC AND STORY THAT IVE IGNORED UNDER FALSE PRETENSES

i'm devastated. i have to mod my 3ds i have to go to the vault. i have to steal my brother's copy of oot 3ds to try again. how much have i missed out on because all i know is a rebellion against a time i wasn't alive to see. this is what people mean when time is a flat circle. this is why history repeats itself. no shit i didn't like botw/totk that much, it's building off of the backs of games that i mostly can't even play without dropping a few thousand bucks or pirating them. its meant to appeal to new players, sure, but it's also meant to give fresh new stuff to people who have played EVERY OTHER ZELDA GAME. it's probably building off the backs of earlier games with similar open world concepts that i also wouldn't have had the chance the play!!!!! because botw was one of my first video games that wasn't just a collection of mini games!!!!! what the fuck

i need an appropriate reaction image give me a minute

#just sorta talking #more like ranting #is this what it feels like to want to make a video essay #i'm going insane just thinking about this all alone #tloz

1 note · View note

computerkit · 1 year ago

Text

i played toree & toree 2 a few days ago and i did not like either all too much i think. for reference they are small short indie 3d platformer games. thoughts below read more, it kinda long!

toree 3D, i liked the environments, like i thought they looked good, but i wouldnt say it was particularly 'fun'.. being toree is not very fun to me, you are not too fast and the jumps are always a little shorter than you're expecting them to be. i didn't feel i had incentive to replay or do better on levels, either ... there IS a ranking mechanic but its so strict that i actually thought it was just a joke where you could only get a "C" no matter how well you did.. and the level design, well, i am no expert, but i feel like maybe in its quest to emulate old stuff it is dropping in stuff that is accurate but not really fun or the stuff that anyone particularly liked about these old games. like the elevators, which you just get on and wait until they drop you off at the next elevator, and if you fall off then you have to do the elevators again.. i also remember a lot of 'struggling not to accidentally fall off ledges', which, i guess is not inherently bad, but i dont really come to games for the feeling of 'i have to be careful or else'.. pairing the slippery ice section with skinny bridges and an attempted short time incentive felt like a cruel joke!!! there's also this creepy element which i feel really neutrally toward. i don't know, it doesn't go hard enough on it for me to have anything to say about it. i like that sort of thing sometimes but felt sort of artificial(?) and aimless. like dev had the idea to make a cute 3d platformer thats kind of creepy sometimes and then just went for it without really thinking about it or how to make it fit

i think the dev realized some of this stuff, cause toree 2 is a lot better. i still don't know that i'd say i 'like' it or 'have fun' playing it, but it could just be that it is too short for me to have warmed up to it, considering a lot of my enjoyment of things is actually based off of familiarity. there is a lot more "going fast", and consequently it doesnt feel crappy to be and move around as toree anymore. the ways you interact with the environment are a lot more to do with speed and height and a lot less to do with waiting or being careful now, which i thought was just better, although it could just be that it aligns more with my personal tastes. the ranking system was noticeably less strict, which made me consider trying to get better times on the levels, and the checkpoint + timing system was changed to be a bit more player friendly (maybe too much?). the dev must've thought the creepy stuff was maybe unnecessary too - it is much less prominent in toree 2. the identity of the whole game actually feels a lot different as a result of all this stuff, so it shows developer is learning and making choices. but i would say. that it feels. maybe too easy? in comparison to the first one? i dont know, it's hard to get good ranks, but you can typically do ok by just kinda blasting through stuff, which is fun but feels unearned i guess. maybe it could do by being a bit more like toree 1 in this regard - not player unfriendly but a little more challenging. i guess my sweet spot for difficulty was maybe the car levels in toree 1. However. this criticism. does NOT. Apply. To the final boss. initially i was pleased that it decided to add a final boss at all because, like i mentioned before, i thought toree 3d's ending was anticlimactic - but the final boss is actually just exponentially harder than literally anything else in the game. i havent even beat it yet. i tried for so long man. once "oh cool they are doing a boss this time" wore off there was simply no fun to be had in that fight. some of the attacks feel impossible to avoid and i think it goes on much too long. i think you have to get lucky in order to beat it, or maybe just be better than i am. either way, it's stopped me from playing any more of it.

i wouldnt say either of them are bad... but it obvious to me that the dev is learning. this means these first 2 games are flawed, but on the flipside, it means the dev is actively looking for ways to make the next one better... i played toree jolly jam, which released this year and is (basically) a single level. i liked the art more, and i thought it was definitely more fun and with a better atmosphere / feeling than either toree 1 or 2. in fact, just writing this i am somewhat feeling the urge to play it, which did not happen with the other games. toree does a little squash and stretch when jumping now, and there's a new dash / jump-to-object mechanic, both of which i'm not really sure if i like or not but i'm glad to see the dev experimenting. the camera is better too - i think it is obvious the dev took a look at and really thought about every aspect of this game in this installment. i feel this especially with my favorite change - you don't have to hold down shift to run anymore. that was something you had to do in toree 1 & 2 and i didn't really question it until jolly jam took away the run feature and made toree have 1 consistent speed and i realized 1) that i had not stopped running for the entire duration of both games and 2) that my hand was sore as hell. so. thank you for quality of life. genuinely made it inherently so much better to play just because its not Painful anymore LOL

i thought it was still a bit too easy as well (although yeah, again, i didnt get above a C hahaha - easy to start hard to master?) but i thought its clear that jolly jam is more focused on Cozy Speedy Good Times than it is Hardcore Platforming Challenge so that is not really problem i think. and the secrets were cute too. that 1 level makes me a lot more excited for toree saturn (the upcoming installment) than anything in toree 1 or 2 has, so if anyone reading this is considering playing toree, i'd say to just play jolly jam. it's free, too! although, the other games are 1 dollar each, and it's not christmas anymore either... hm.. hating on one dollar games.. am i being a grinch right now???

well thats it. this is all just because i got toree 1 & 2 through an itch.io bundle and cant leave a steam review but i like to beam my thoughts into the brains of the public

#toree 3d #toree 2 #toree #toree jolly jam #toree saturn #review #<- type thing #chatterkit

1 note · View note

galvatronsthighs · 5 years ago

Text

I’ve only played two minutes of RE:Revelations 2 so far and I’ve already proved myself to be super inaccurate with a gun and prone to panicked waving when an enemy runs at me.

Given the game and how the two-three enemies I have already encountered have already ran at me I can see this game going poorly for me for a while hahaha

This is all on casual too so it even auto aims a bit for me as well.

#is this why i can't get past the Scagdead boss fight in the first Revelations for a second time?#I beat that game ONCE on the 3DS and have tried replaying it on the same low difficulty but still nooope

1 note · View note

rottenappleheart · 4 years ago

Text

I finished “Heaven’s Vault,” that archaeology/alien translation game that everyone was so excited about before it came out, and then I never heard of again. I think I know why.

Short version: it seems as though it was made by people who were very good at the worldbuilding/linguistics parts, and not very good at making a video game.

Long version: I did enjoy the game, eventually. Beat it in just under 20 hours, feeling fairly good that I hadn’t missed anything major and had done everything I could find to do before the end. I also see now that there’s a New Game+ which gives the opportunity to spin things out again in a different manner, with more information, and this really neat article (spoilers ahoy) talks about how the mere concept of a NG+ is part of the worldbuilding (the Loop religion centers around the idea that everything that has happened will happen again.)

The learning curve was very steep at the beginning, because of the aforementioned gameplay problems getting in the way of the “meat” of the game. Some low points:

The controls are extremely janky and remained frustrating throughout. I had to turn the mouse sensitivity to its very lowest setting to avoid spinning like a top, and the restricted camera angles often send you walking off in a direction you never meant, leaping back and forth through doorways when you just wanted to enter (or exit) a room, etc.

The mandatory and constant “sailing” minigame, while beautiful, is aggravating and not as fun as I assume the developers thought it would be, given how much you have to do it. Whereas Wind Waker’s equally mandatory and equally constant sailing is a feature of the game, here it was mostly a lengthy interruption between the snippets of actual content. Except that bits of the story are also spun out in conversations between Aliya and the robot Six on these sailing interludes, so you’re encouraged not to skip them, the few times you are even given that option.

The graphics are... odd and awkward, unfortunately. The developers tried a very neat thing with (beautiful and detailed) 3D rendered environments, populated by (also beautiful, but jarringly animated) 2D hand-drawn characters. Who don’t have feet, but kind of fade into invisibility just below the knees, so as to avoid rendering walking animations, I guess. It’s very strange. There’s also no “collision sensor,” so your 2D player character is constantly clipping through other 2D NPCs, which sometimes interrupt everything you’re doing for a 15 second animated scene where they greet you, then walk away. There’s no way to avoid this. And when that happens, it overrides and cancels any ambient but plot-relevant discussion you were having with Six, which was deeply frustrating.

Speaking of which - there are a lot of strange, time-consuming transitions. Walking out of one section of the Elboreth marketplace into another takes another 10 second scene triggered by you entering a doorway, just to show you walking through a side alley. Every single time. When you show artifacts to a colleague, he will walk all the way to the other side of his office and walk all the way back before offering the same dialogue as every time before. Realistic, to grant him time to check his data? Yes. Extremely frustrating as an element of gameplay? Also yes.

Also, my game glitched multiple times, everything slowing to an infinite limbo as a triggering event failed to trigger, requiring a full reset. Any interaction with Oroi, for whatever reason, had a 33% chance of glitching.

All of this adds up to a game that creaks and clunks, and is deeply frustrating to play. These are all things which seem fueled by bad design/poor planning, and it takes away from the GOOD parts of the game. Namely:

It’s really beautiful (once you get over the 2D/3D intersection.) The music is lovely, and all the designs are top notch. I really enjoyed spending time in these various worlds and discovering their history. (Actually WALKING through the worlds, less enjoyable, but...)

The development of the story and the character interactions is mostly��organic and nuanced. Like a Bioware game (I’m sorry to reference them but it’s the easiest comparison), your responses to different plot events and side characters, and the order in which you discover things (or even what conclusions you draw! there isn’t necessarily a single right answer!) shapes the narrative. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes obvious when the NPCs have run out of interactions for you... such as when you take a twenty-minute sail to revisit your home planet, suffer through endless clipping issues and mandatory transitions, only for your contacts there to have zero dialogue options. (Whoops, this was supposed to be the “good” section.)

The translations, which are the heart of the game, become really fun after the first few. Initially, you have ZERO information when you are given your first line of text to interpret, and have to guess blindly. In a little bit, you are given more information to determine whether that first guess was right or wrong. It’s a little frustrating, but I think what the developers were going for is that Aliya is already roughly familiar with Ancient script, and whatever initial guess she makes is about 50/50 correct. Each new line of text you uncover builds on the glyphs you already know. It became very fun to make more educated guesses - ah, I recognize the symbol we identified as “Gods,” so maybe combined with this other symbol, it might be “Prayer” or “Temple” - something related. Or when you start breaking down the “me/you/we/my/your/our” glyphs, it all makes SENSE. That was the fun part I eventually couldn’t get enough of - parsing out what Ancient meant, and piecing together the story behind the Nebula.

I genuinely did gasp when I figured out A Big Thing about the world story.

I really love stories about robots. Long-suffering, mildly sarcastic robots who are trying very hard to keep you alive while you do stupid things like climb down cliffs they can’t follow. I am very glad I was warned about the risk of losing Six forever and could avoid that particular path, because I think the last third of the game would have been a real bummer without Six as a companion.

Do I recommend it? Yes... mostly. Yes, with the caveats above about how clunky and frustrating the gameplay is. I probably will replay it in a while, taking advantage of the NG+, but not right away - I need to play something less inherently frustrating.

I wish there were more games like this, but I also wish it had been better developed, so that the good parts of it could really shine.

#heaven's vault

29 notes · View notes

scottymcgeesterwrites · 4 years ago

Text

Final Fantasy V Review

Year: 1992

Original Platform: Super Nintendo

Also available on: PlayStation One (Final Fantasy Anthology), Game Boy Advance, Steam (updated graphics)

Version I Played: Game Boy Advance

Synopsis:

Bartz is a drifter, riding across the world with his chocobo – Boko. One day, the wind seems to fall. Lenna’s father, the king of Tycoon, goes off to make sure the Wind Crystal is all right, but doesn’t return. Meanwhile, a meteorite falls. Lenna and Bartz check it out separately, where they find each other and a man named Galuf with amnesia. Together they figure out that the world is falling apart – the crystals that drive wind, fire, earth and water are dying out. They stumble upon a pirate hideout led by Faris, and together they seek to restore the world and uncover the mysterious forces behind the destruction of the crystals.

Background:

Once again, this Final Fantasy game was originally unreleased outside of Japan. Unlike II and III, the developers thought that the game was a different tone than the others and the vast job system would be too complicated for Western audiences. The West didn’t experience Final Fantasy V until 1999 with Playstation One’s Final Fantasy Anthology; a compilation of both V and VI. One notable change from the Japanese version is the name Bartz. The original name for Bartz in the Japanese release was translated as Butz, but because Americans are immature and laugh at such a name, they changed it in the localization to Bartz.

Gameplay:

Holy capitalism, Batman – so many jobs!

Not only that, but each job has abilities that you can mix and match! Every time you level up a job, you earn a new ability for that job. You can switch those abilities across jobs.

The possibilities are seemingly endless!

The gameplay is the most fun I had with customization in a while in any video game RPG. The best part is that the Job System is so rewarding by the time you reach the third act of the game. It gives you such a variety that it allows you to approach battles from many different angles. There’s no one way to be a badass and deal destructive damage.

It’s so much fun that once a year, Final Fantasy V gamers join in “Final Fantasy Five Four Job Fiesta”. It’s a challenge where you are randomly assigned four jobs in the game and have to finish the game ONLY with those four jobs. I’ve joined in the challenge myself and it’s a great way to come together with Final Fantasy players.

I had fun unlocking the legendary weapons and hunting down the most powerful summons - this time naturally without looking anything up. I find it interesting to say that I had legit fun hunting down all the extras. Sometimes in other Final Fantasy games I get weary over hunting for some extra, higher powered spells and summons. I sometimes even wonder if I should bother going after them. The vast Job System in Final Fantasy V keeps you occupied for the entire game and more. I finished the game and there are still some jobs that I haven't even touched. Luckily, the Game Boy Advance version adds some extra dungeons after you complete the game.

Graphics:

The sprites in this game look a bit rough around the edges. They also come off as too small in my opinion. The same is said of the Game Boy Advance version. Regardless, it now looks like an actual SNES game. Unlike Final Fantasy IV, it has more color, structure, and doesn’t look faded.

Something irked me though about the sounds. I never have anything bad to say about the sound effects, but for some reason, in this game, the battle sound effects were meek. Even when someone had a sword, the attack sounded puny.

The PlayStation One version has an FMV sequence that look awkward and ugly as fuck, just like the FMV sequence for the PlayStation One version of Final Fantasy IV. As much as I love Yoshitaka Amano, trying to transplant his style into 3D is not a good idea.

Story:

The story transcends that of Final Fantasy IV. Where Final Fantasy IV can feel weak or simple at times, Final Fantasy V delivers a strong, emotionally charged storyline.

It starts simple. Once again, the world is in danger because the crystals are in danger – but this time because humans are misusing their power and breaking them. So this is a rare Final Fantasy game without any evil empires or rebellions.

Out of all the Final Fantasy games, I had heard the least about what happens in V. Heck – I knew more about II before going into it, mostly because of what people said about the Star Wars parallels. It’s been a long time since I went into a Final Fantasy game completely blind. I kept it that way and was very pleasantly surprised.

I can see what the developers meant by a “change in tone.” Final Fantasy V is probably the funniest of them all. It’s not campy – just humorous. Galuf loves to share puns. Bartz can be a klutz. The characters bicker a lot during their journey. One part actually made me genuinely laugh out loud when you are in a certain underground place searching for clues:

Despite the lighter tone, each character has a pretty sensitive, delicate backstory. I cared for Bartz’s personal history with his parents. I worried about whether Lenna’s father would die or not. I wondered what Galuf forgot and who Faris really was. There are dashes of tropes here but none of them stand out too much. You have to remember that tropes themselves are not inherently bad – what matters is how you utilize them. There’s no hokey romantic subplot thrown in either, which is extremely rare in a JRPG.

It was so rewarding to go into it blind because there was even a shocking death. I thought maybe they would be all right in the end through some Disney cop out.

No. That person is dead. Dead as a door nail. Never coming back. I also enjoyed the bit where they tried to revive said dead person with spells and phoenix downs. They finally imply that there can be a point where someone can go beyond and it’s too late to bring them back.

The henchman Gilgamesh is very memorable and lovable, probably the most memorable character of the entire game. He serves as great comic relief while not being at all annoying. I kept hoping he would show up.

My only real complaint, if I’m ever forced to say anything bad, is that Boko wasn’t really an asset in the story, at least not as much as I assumed he would be.

The story is unfortunately very overlooked. I can understand that maybe at the time American and other Western gamers may have found the third act strange – especially after learning about the villain Exdeath’s true nature. Compared to the other Final Fantasy backstories, it’s a little out there, and something tells me it relates to Japanese mythology. But today? You’d be sorry to miss out on it.

Music:

Final Fantasy V’s main theme is somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy IV’s main theme. They have this melodic soaring feel with a continuous beat. “The Four Warriors of Dawn” in Final Fantasy V is reminiscent of “Red Wings” in IV. Meanwhile, the biggest and most interesting display is “Battle with Gilgamesh”. (sometimes titled “Clash/Battle on the Big Bridge”). The piece opens up with some intense drumming. While the later orchestrations and adaptations of “Battle with Gilgamesh” are pretty good, nothing seems to capture the tempo and umph of the original.

“Dear Friends” is probably the most endearing tune in the soundtrack. It’s played at the end and gives a really bittersweet feel. The Distant Worlds concert version is extremely bittersweet. It has a sweet, gentle guitar, and it reminds me of how Uematsu said one of his inspirations was Simon and Garfunkel. “Dear Friends” definitely has that folk tune.

Exdeath’s theme song gives a heavy rock vibe. That heavy rock vibe was last heard in the opening segment of the final boss fight in Final Fantasy IV. The rest of the score has a lot of drumming incorporated, partially due to the fact that pirates are involved in most of the plot. Ultimately, this Final Fantasy score broke out all of Uematsu’s classic and hard rock inspirations – and it’s fucking awesome.

Notable Theme:

“Battle with Gilgamesh”

I have replayed this song over a thousand times by now.

youtube

Verdict:

Definite must-play. It’s the most underrated Final Fantasy game. The Kob System can be overwhelming, especially if you have never played a Final Fantasy game before. I wouldn’t suggest playing this for beginners – more after you get your hands wet.

Direct Sequel?

Yes. And No.

While not a video game, Final Fantasy V did receive an anime sequel titled Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals. It’s technically the first sequel to a Final Fantasy game. The anime is set 200 years in the future, with the heroes of the original game having become legend. Critical reception of the miniseries was mixed.

#final fantasy #final fantasy v #square enix #super nintendo #nintendo #underrated video games #video games #onvideogames #fantasy #rpg #jrpg #rpg game #video game rpg #chocobo #four job fiesta #final fantasy five four job fiesta

21 notes · View notes

baconpal · 5 years ago

Text

Bravely Default and BD2

Here it is, the partially prompted bravely default rant/retrospective/whatever the fuck!

With the announcement and demo of bravely default 2 out now for a bigger market than the original game ever had, I feel that as a massive fan of the original I should put some amount of effort into explaining what the appeal of the original is, why bravely second missed a lot of the appeal, and why bravely default 2 has been very, very worrying so far.

If you care about any of that, come on in and I'll try to actually avoid spoilers this time and make this a more legitimate recommendation of a game than usual.

THE APPEAL OF BRAVELY DEFAULT The games obviously have a beautiful art style, especially when it comes to the backgrounds. Every city is like a painting, a beautifully composed shot that you see from just one direction to give you one very strong impression. While the overworld and dungeons are fully 3d and do not have as strong of an artistic impact, they are still very competent and have good colors and cohesive elements. The character design, including the job outfits, the monsters, and all the villains are just top notch. Simple, evocative designs that make the most of the 3DS' limited hardware and build upon the teams skill in making handheld games look good. (its the same team that did the ff3 remake and 4 heroes of light, which looks absolutely kino on original DS) The music is also consistently excellent, with great use of motifing, a full and varied orchestra, and many good slow paced tracks for most of the non-combat segments. Shit like "Conflict's Chime" being the main battle theme, "Infiltrating Hostile Territory" being a common dungeon theme, and "That person's name is" as the rival boss themes makes even the seemingly repetitive songs a constant joy to listen to.

The story is pretty decent, it's not the best part of the game, and there are definitely some aspects of the story some people loathe, but the characters (specifically ringabel fuckin love him) are pretty good and the make for an enjoyable experience. The side material like D's journal are really well done and integrate into the main narrative well for how tucked away and ignored it is.

The gameplay and systems are also some of the best of any RPG I've played, and I've played far too many. The job system from ff3 and 5 is brought to an even greater depth with the addition of universal job abilities, allowing any character of any job make use of another jobs features to create an endless depth to strategy. The way various jobs can mingle together, and how no job is completely perfect on its own makes for very compelling team composition and unit design. The extensive amount of jobs helps as well for replay value and for assuring that no easy winning strategy is found by all players.

The BP system makes battles take on a very unique pacing as the player and enemies can choose to save up turns or blow them all at once to make more complicated strategies possible, or to make the most of an enemies vulnerabilities. This powerful option gives the player a meaningful way to capitalize on their knowledge of the game, while also allowing them to make truly detrimental mistakes. That may sound not good if you're a fucking baby, but nobody wants an RPG you cant lose, but losing because you fucked up is much better than losing because the enemies are just stronger than you or anything to that effect.

But the single greatest part of bravely defaults, which creates the games wonderful balance and unique design philosophy, is that the player is expected to hit the level cap long before finishing the game. Reaching level 99 should occur somewhere just after the middle of the game, at the point where the player has access to almost every job and has encountered almost every type of threat. Reaching level 99 brings with it a certain security, the implication that from then on, all enemies will also be level 99, and that any failure to defeat an enemy will be a result of a bad strategy or the players own mistakes. The game is not easy, and is certainly intended for veteran final fantasy players used to the games with job systems and changing up your entire party to combat a single encounter. Leveling up is not a slow grind part of the game, as you have a lot of control over the speed and frequency of battles, and it is not difficult to keep up with the games level curve.

The other layer to this unique design is that the game expects you to "cheat", or use strategies that would be overpowered and frowned upon in most other games. Bravely default easily expects you to know or discover strategies such as: applying a status to all enemies and killing every enemy with that status using another spell, cycling a counter move over and over to have a nearly invincible party member, applying a healing attribute to a self-damaging character to get huge damage at little cost, casting reflect and dangerous spells on your own party to bounce them at the enemy, or duplicating a move that does maximum damage 15 times in a row. The game builds all of its encounters with the knowledge that your team will be the maximum level and that you will be using the most vile tactics you can come up with, and the game will do the same. Bosses and even common enemies will employ equally vile tactics using the exact same moves that you have access to, meaning you can learn from your enemies or quickly grasp the enemies strategy through your own experiences. One of the late game dungeons is entirely optional, but involves several fights against parties of 4 just like your, using the same jobs and skills you have gained during the game as a perfect test of your ability to develop counter-strategies, instead of relying on your own overpowered tactics. This type of design is really not something you find in many games due to the prominence of grinding or the lack testing strategies, and it is the most true appeal of bravely default to me.

BRAVELY SECOND EXISTS I GUESS So bravely second, a direct sequel to bravely default, definitely is a video game. It uses the original game as a base to generate more content, but completely misses the appeal of the original, and the new content added makes the experience even less focused. Overall, it's still a fairly alright RPG, but it fails to follow up on bravely default in a meaningful way or to provide as compelling of a gameplay experience. Here's some of the things it fucked up.

The game reuses almost everything the original game had, including the same music, world map, and most of the original's towns and dungeons, while adding a few of it's own. Going through areas you've been before never feels good, and the new areas lack the quality or brevity of the original game, leading to uninteresting areas that overstay their welcome, despite being the only break from repetitively reused content.

This extends to the classes but in an even worse sense. One important trait of the original jobs is that they were not perfect by themselves. While every job provided some useful abilities to be shared with other classes, or provided a good base with which to make a character, no class was without flaws. The new classes in bravely second are a lot of the opposite, they are closed loops that think of everything they could have to make a good standalone character. The 4 starter classes you get in bravely second are all brand new, and there's almost no reason to use any class besides those 4 as they are just insanely good. The priest and magician specifically augment magic in a way that makes spells infinity scalable into the end game, completely trampling on any other magic classes territory without needing the extra effort of grinding a new class out. Many of the new job concepts are actually really interesting, like going back in time to return to a healthier state, or a class that changes the stats and attributes of all units in a battle, allowing for all new kinds of strategies; but these classes lack any opportunity to be used to their full potential since they don't mesh well with other jobs and are limited by their self-centered design.

Another completely missed aspect of the original is the level curve discussed before. Bravely second only really requires you get somewhere in the ballpark of level 60-70 to comfortably beat the final boss, and getting too leveled up is really hard to avoid if you are plan to try out various jobs.

Second also fails to account for how many incredibly strong strategies the player can come up with, and even introduces some of its own strategies that it has no way to counteract, such as halfsies (the first skill the first class gets) pretty much splitting the game in two by tripling the value of items like phoenix downs, and allowing for fool-proof strategies by making 1 character focus entirely on defense, effectively making the party unkillable. Essentially, if you play second after having played the original (like any sane person would) then you will absolutely destroy the game with no sense of satisfaction.

The story is also a large step down, enough to become an annoyance, as the writing style changes to a strange romantic comedy situation with, for lack of a better term please forgive my sin, anime writing, but like bad anime writing, ya know the kind of shit that makes people write off all anime cus a lot of it is awkward and unpleasant to listen to. The story tries to mess with some big concepts like "what if new game + was a real thing???" and time travel and shit like that but it doesn't mesh with the tone the rest of the game has and that tone doesn't mesh with the world or art style and it's just a mess.

BRAVELY DEFAULT 2 SEEMS KINDA POOPIE SO FAR So unfortunately, the big appeal of bravely default being part of it's end game makes it hard to judge how 2 is gonna go given we only have a demo of the beginning, but given that the original team behind bravely default has slowly been stripped out of the series as it goes on, the outlook is bleek.

Most immediately obvious is that the artstyle has made a horrible transition from handheld to console, somehow even worse than pokemon. The areas are all fully 3d and lack the style or compositional excellence of bravely default, and the outside environment look like asset store products. The small proportioned characters with simple features to be readable on a small screen have been replaced with identically proportioned characters with excessive detail and ugly features, and look horrible up close on a big screen. Only the negatives of the art style have made it over, and everything good has been made unsavory. The character and enemy design overall is much worse as a result, everything is messy, unclear, and clashes with everything else. It's an absolutely shocking downgrade.

The characters themselves are overly hammy and feel like shallow attempts to have a similar party dynamic to the original without having identical character types, and the writing as a whole doesn't seem to have improved from second, which was already quite a step down from the original.

The gameplay also has not done anything different or interesting yet, and seems to be selling itself to people haven't heard of or gotten enough of the BP system. Enemies being on the overworld as opposed to random encounters shows they have dropped the player agency over encounter frequency, which is dumb. The battles lack any of the flow the original had, especially when using the battle speed option, as the camera does not present everything very well and changes position often as a result. Overall, I have not enjoyed the bravely default 2 demo and feel it shows nothing but a continued decline in the series that likely should have just been a single game. With the release date being set for sometime this year, I feel there is no chance any amount of player feedback could save the game or even begin to pull it in the right direction, as it seems to be fundamentally flawed with an inescapable feeling of shovelware.

SO WHAT? Basically, all I wanted to say here is that the original bravely default is a very unique experience I think every RPG fan should give a good chance (and just do all the optional stuff during the "repetitive" part of the game, it's where all the best content is you bozo) and that the sequels are NOT the same experience. I guess it's kind of mean to just say "hey don't buy or like this new thing cus its not like the old thing" but people should know why there's a bravely default 2 in the first place, and should fight for what made the original great. I worry that BD goes down the same sad path that FF did, becoming a completely hollow, middling series that strayed so far from it's home that a whole new series had to be made to give the fans of the old style a place to go.

Thanks for reading, and hope you got something out of it.

#bravely default #bravely series #bravely default 2 #juvenile rant #vote now for the next rant! including things such as The Great Ace Attorney and why it's kino #or why i think arms is a really well designed game even tho i'm fucking shit at it #very exciting topics indeed #or ya know whatever other shit you think i have a lot to say about

46 notes · View notes

za3k · 4 years ago

Text

2020 Videogames

In 2020 I’m newly retired, so I’ve had free time. I think it’s fun to do reviews, so without further ado here’s every video game I played in 2020!

I recommend:

(4/5) Among Us – Very fun. It’s only fun with voice chat with friends, so I’ve only gotten to play once or twice. I’ve been watching it more than playing it. Also free to play for mobile gamers–I’m tired of the “everyone buys a copy” model of group gameplay.

(4/5) Brogue. Brogue is an ascii-art roguelike. It’s great, and it has a nice difficulty ramp. It’s a good “quick break” game. I play it in preference to other roguelikes partly because I haven’t done it to death yet, and partly because I don’t need a numpad?

(4/5) Cook Serve Delicious 3. One of the more fun games I played this year. You get really into it, but I had trouble relaxing and paying attention to the real world when I played too much, haha. I own but haven’t played the first two–I gather this is pretty much just a refinement.

(4/5) Green Hell. Price tag is a bit high for the number of hours I got out of it, but I haven’t finished the story. Great graphics, and the BEST map design I’ve seen in a 3D game in a long time. It feels like a real place, with reasonable geography instead of copy-pasted tiles. I love that as you walk along, you can just spot a cultivated area from the rest of the jungle–it feels more like it’s treating me like an adult than most survival games. Everything still gets highlighted if you can pick it up. I played the survival mode, which was okay but gets old quickly. I started the story mode–I think it would be fine, but it has some LONG unskippable scenes at the start, including a very hand-holdy tutorial, that I think they should have cut. I did start getting into the story and was having fun, but I stopped. I might finish the game some time.

(4/5) Hyperrogue. One of my recent favorites. The dev has made a fair number of highly experimental games, most of which are a total miss with me, but this one is fun. I do wish the early game wasn’t quite as repetitive. Failing another solution, I might actually want this not to be permadeath, or to have a save feature? I bought it on steam to support the dev and get achievements, but it’s also available a version or two behind free, which is how I tried it. Constantly getting updates and new worlds.

(4/5) Minecraft – Compact Claustrophobia modpack. Fun idea, nice variety. After one expansion felt a little samey, and it was hard to start with two people. I’d consider finishing this pack.

(4/5) Overcooked 2. Overcooked 2 is just more levels for Overcooked. The foods in the second game is more fun, and it has better controls and less bugs. If you’re considering playing Overcooked, I recommend just starting with the second game, despite very fun levels in the first. I especially appreciate that the second game didn’t just re-use foods from the first.

(4/5) Please Don’t Press Anything. A unique little game where you try to get all the endings. I had a lot of fun with this one, but it could have used some kind of built-in hints like Reventure. Also, it had a lot of red herrings. Got it for $2, which it was well worth.

(5/5) Reventure. Probably the best game new to me this year. It’s a short game where you try to get each of about 100 endings. The art and writing are cute and funny. The level design is INCREDIBLE. One thing I found interesting is the early prototype–if I had played it, I would NOT have imagined it would someday be any fun at all, let alone as amazing as it is. As a game designer I found that interesting! I did 100% complete this one–there’s a nice in-game hint system, but there were still 1-3 “huh” puzzles, especially in the post-game content, one of which I had to look up. It’s still getting updates so I’m hoping those will be swapped for something else.

(5/5) Rimworld. Dwarf fortress, but with good cute graphics, set in the Firefly universe. Only has 1-10 pawns instead of hundreds of dwarves. Basically Dwarf Fortress but with a good UI. I wish you could do a little more in Rimworld, but it’s a fantastic, relaxing game.

(5/5) Slay the Spire. Probably the game I played most this year. A deckbuilding adventure through a series of RPG fights. A bit luck-based, but relaxing and fun. I like that you can play fast or slow. Very, very well-designed UI–you can really learn how things work. My favorite part is that because it’s singleplayer, it’s really designed to let you build a game-breaking deck. That’s how it should be!

(4/5) Stationeers. I had a lot of fun with this one. It’s similar to Space Engineers but… fun. It has better UI by a mile too, even if it’s not perfect. I lost steam after playing with friends and then going back to being alone, as I often do for base-building games. Looks like you can genuinely make some complicated stuff using simple parts. Mining might not be ideal.

(5/5) Spy Party. One of my favorite games. Very fun, and an incredibly high skill ceiling. There’s finally starting to be enough people to play a game with straners sometimes. Bad support for “hot seat”–I want to play with beginners in person, and it got even harder with the introduction of an ELO equivalent and removing the manual switch to use “beginner” gameplay.

(4/5) Telling Lies. A storytelling game. The core mechanic is that you can use a search engine for any phrase, and it will show the top 5 survellance footage results for that. The game internally has transcripts of every video. I didn’t really finish the game, but I had a lot of fun with it. The game was well-made. I felt the video acting didn’t really add a huge amount, and they could have done a text version, but I understand it wouldn’t have had any popular appeal. The acting was decent. There’s some uncomfortable content, on purpose.

(4/5) Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS). Delightful. Very silly, not what you’d expect from the name. What everyone should have been doing with physics engines since they were invented. Imagine that when a caveman attacks, the club moves on its own and the caveman just gets ragdolled along, glued to it. Also the caveman and club have googley eyes. Don’t try to win or it will stop being fun. Learn how to turn on slo-mo and move the camera.

(4/5) We Were Here Together. Lots of fun. I believe the second game out of three. Still some crashes and UI issues. MUCH better puzzles and the grpahics are gorgeous. They need to fix the crashes or improve the autosave, we ended up replaying a lot of both games from crashes. It’s possible I should be recommending the third game but I haven’t played it yet.

The Rest

(3/5) 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel. More fun that it sounds. If you play to mess around and win by accident, it’s pretty good. Definitely play with a second human player, though.

(1.5/5) 7 billion humans. Better than the original, still not fun. Soulless game about a soulless, beige corporation. Just play Zachtronics instead. If you’re on a phone and want to engage your brain, play Euclidea.

(3/5) A Dark Room. Idle game.

(1/5) Amazing Cultivation Simulator. A big disappointment. Bad english voice acting which can’t be turned off, and a long, unskippable tutorial. I didn’t get to actual gameplay. I like Rimworld and cultivation novels so I had high hopes.

(3/5) ADOM (Steam version) – Fun like the original, which I would give 5/5. Developed some major issues on Linux, but I appreciate that there’s a graphical version available, one of my friends will play it now.

(4/5) agar.io – Good, but used to be better. Too difficult to get into games now. Very fun and addictive gameplay.

(3/5) Amorous – Furry dating sim. All of the hot characters are background art you can’t interact with, and the characters you can actually talk to are a bunch of sulky nerds who for some reason came to a nightclub. I think it was free, though.

(0/5) Apis. Alpha game, AFAIK I was the first player. Pretty much no fun right now (to the point of not really being a game yet), but it could potentially become fun if the author puts in work.

(4/5) Autonauts. I played a ton of Autonauts this year, almost finished it, which is rare for me. My main complaint is that it’s fundamentally supposed to be a game about programming robots, but I can’t actually make them do more than about 3 things, even as a professional programmer. Add more programming! It can be optional, that’s fine. They’re adding some kind of tower defense waves instead, which is bullshit. Not recommended because it’s not for everyone.

(3/5) A-Z Inc. Points for having the guts to have a simple game. At first this looked like just the bones of Swarm Simulator, but the more you look at the UI and the ascension system, the worse it actually is. I would regularly reset because I found out an ascension “perk” actually made me worse off.

(5/5) Beat Saber. Great game, and my favorite way to stay in shape early this year. Oculus VR only, if you have VR you already have this game so no need to recommend. Not QUITE worth getting a VR set just to play it at current prices.

(1/5) Big Tall Small. Good idea, but no fun to play. Needed better controls and level design, maybe some art.

(0.5/5) Blush Blush. Boring.

(3/5) Business Shark. I had too much fun with this simple game. All you do is just eat a bunch of office workers.

(3/5) chess.com. Turns out I like chess while I’m high?

(3/5) Circle Empires Rivals. Decent, more fun than the singleplayer original. It shouldn’t really have been a separate game from Circle Empires, and I’m annoyed I couldn’t get it DRM-free like the original.

(3/5) Cross Virus. By Dan-box. Really interesting puzzle mechanics.

(4/5) Cultist Simulator. Really fun to learn how to play–I love games that drop you in with no explanation. Great art and writing, I wish I could have gotten their tarot deck. Probably the best gameplay “ambience” I’ve seen–getting a card that’s labeled “fleeting sense of radiance” that disappears in 5 seconds? Great. Also the core stats are very well thought out for “feel” and real-life accuracy–dread (depression) conquers fascination (mania), etc. It has a few gameplay gotchas, but they’re not too big–layout issues, inability to go back to skipped text, or to put your game in an unwinnable state early on). Unfortunately it’s a “roguelike”, and it’s much too slow-paced and doesn’t have enough replay value, so it becomes a horrible, un-fun grind when you want to actually win. I probably missed the 100% ending but I won’t be going back to get it. I have no idea who would want to play this repeatedly. I’m looking forward to the next game from the same studio though! I recommend playing a friend’s copy instead of buying.

(2/5) Darkest Dungeon. It was fine but I don’t really remember it.

(2/5) Dicey Dungeons. Okay deck-building roguelike gameplay (with an inventory instead of a deck). Really frustrating, unskippably slow difficulty curve at the start. I played it some more this year and liked it better because I had a savegame. I appreciate having several character classes, but they should unlock every difficulty from the start.

(2/5) Diner Bros. Basically just a worse Overcooked. I didn’t like the controls, and it felt too repetitive with only one diner.

(2/5) Don’t Eat My Mind You Stupid Monster. Okay art and idea, the gameplay wasn’t too fun for me.

(2/5) Don’t Starve – I’ve played Don’t Stave maybe 8 different times, and it’s never really gripped me, I always put it back down. It’s slow, a bit grindy, and there’s no bigger goal–all you can do is live.

(3/5) Don’t Starve Together – Confusingly, Don’t Starve Together can be played alone. It’s Don’t Starve, plus a couple of the expansions. This really could be much more clearly explained.

(1/5) Elemental Abyss – A deck-builder, but this time it’s grid-based tactics. Really not all that fun. Just play Into the Abyss instead or something.

(1/5) Else Heart.Break() – I was excited that this might be a version of “Hack N’ Slash” from doublefine that actually delivered and let you goof around with the world. I gave it up in the first ten minutes, because the writing and characters drove me crazy, without getting to hacking the world.

(2/5) Everything is Garbage. Pretty good for a game jam game. Not a bad use of 10 minutes. I do think it’s probably possible to make the game unwinnable, and the ending is just nothing.

(1/5) Evolve. Idle game, not all that fun. I take issue with the mechanic in Sharks, Kittens, and this where buying your 15th fence takes 10^15 wood for some reason.

(4/5) Exapunks. Zachtronics has really been killing it lately, with Exapunks and Opus Magnum. WONDERFUL art and characters during story portions, and much better writing. The gameplay is a little more varied than in TIS-100 or the little I played of ShenZen I/O. My main complaint about Zachtronics games continues to be, that I don’t want to be given a series of resource-limited puzzles (do X, but without using more than 10 programming instructions). Exapunks is the first game where it becomes harder to do something /at all/, rather than with a particular amount of resources, but it’s still not there for me. Like ShenZen, they really go for a variety of hardware, too. Can’t recommend this because it’s really only for programmers.

(1/5) Exception. Programming game written by some money machine mobile games company. Awful.

(4/5) Factorio. Factorio’s great, but for me it doesn’t have that much replay value, even with mods. I do like their recent updates, which included adding blueprints from the start of the game, improving belt sorting, and adding a research queue. We changed movement speed, made things visually always day, and adding a small number of personal construction robots from the start this run. I’m sure if you’d like factorio you’ve played it already.

(3/5) Fall Guys – I got this because it was decently fun to watch. Unfortunately, it’s slightly less fun to play. Overall, there’s WAY too much matchmaking waiting considering the number of players, and the skill ceiling is very low on most of the games, some of which are essentially luck (I’m looking at you, team games).

(3/5) Forager – Decent game. A little too much guesswork in picking upgrades–was probably a bit more fun on my second play because of that. Overall, nice graphics and a cute map, but the gameplay could use a bit of work.

(3/5) Getting Over It – Funny idea, executed well. Pretty sure my friends and I have only gotten through 10% of the game, and all hit about the same wall (the first tunnel)

(3/5) Guild of Dungeoneering – Pretty decent gameplay. I feel like it’s a bit too hard for me, but that’s fine. Overall I think it could use a little more cute/fun art, I never quite felt that motivated.

(1/5) Hardspace: Shipbreakers. Okay, I seriously didn’t get to play this one, but I had GAMEBREAKING issues with my controller, which is a microsoft X-box controller for PC–THE development controller.

(2/5) Helltaker. All right art, meh gameplay. But eh, it’s free!

(3/5) Hot Lava. Decent gameplay. Somehow felt like the place that made this had sucked the souls out of all the devs first–no one cared about the story or characters. It’s a game where the floor is made out of lava, with a saturday morning cartoon open, so that was a really an issue. Admirable lack of bugs, though. I’m a completionist so I played the first world a lot to get all the medals, and didn’t try the later ones.

(3/5) House Flipper – Weird, but I had fun. I wish the gameplay was a little more unified–it felt like a bunch of glued-together minigames.

(2/5) Hydroneer. Utterly uninspiring. I couldn’t care about making progress at all, looked like a terrible grind to no benefit.

(1/5) io. Tiny game, I got it on Steam, also available on phone. Basically a free web flash game, but for money. Not good enough to pay the $1 I paid. Just a bit of a time-killer.

(3/5) Islanders – All you do is place buildings and get points. Not particularly challenging, but relaxing. Overall I liked it.

(3/5) Jackbox – I played this online with a streamer. Jackbox has always felt a little bit soulless money grab to me, but it’s still all right. I like that I can play without having a copy–we need more games using this purchase model.

(3/5) Life is Feudal – Soul-crushingly depressing and grindy, which I knew going in. I thought it was… okay, but I really want an offline play mode (Yes, I know there’s an unsupported single-player game, but it’s buggier and costs money). UI was pretty buggy, and I think hunting might literally be impossible.

(2/5) Minecraft – Antimatter Chemistry. Not particularly fun.

(3/5) Minecraft – ComputerCraft. I played a pack with just ComputerCraft and really nothing else. Was a little slow, would have been more fun with more of an audience. I love the ComputerCraft mod, I just didn’t have a great experience playing my pack I made.

(3/5) Minecraft – Foolcraft 3. Fun, a bit buggy. Honestly I can’t remember it too well.

(1/5) Minecraft – Manufactio. Looked potentially fun, but huge bugs and performance issues, couldn’t play.

(4/5) Minecraft – Tekkit. Tekkit remains one of my favorite Minecraft modpacks.

(3/5) Minecraft – Valhelsia 2. I remember this being fun, but I can’t remember details as much as I’d like. I think it was mostly based around being the latest version of minecraft?

(4/5) Minecraft – Volcano Block. Interesting, designed around some weird mods I hadn’t used. I could have used more storage management or bulk dirt/blocks early in the game–felt quite cramped. Probably got a third of the way through the pack. I got novelty value out of it, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed it if I had ever used the plant mod before–it’s a very fixed, linear progression.

(5/5) Minit. This is a weird, small game. I actually had a lot of fun with it. Then I 100% completed it, which was less fun but I still had a good time overall.

(3/5) Monster Box. By Dan-box. One of two Dan-box games I played a lot of. Just visually appealing, the gameplay isn’t amazing. Also, Dan-box does some great programming–this is a game written in 1990 or so, and it can render hundreds of arrows in the air smoothly in a background tab.

(3/5) Monster Train. A relatively fun deckbuilding card game. It can’t run well on my computer, which is UNACCEPTABLE–this is a card game with 2D graphics. My MICROWAVE should run this shit in 2020. Ignoring that, the gameplay style (summon monsters, MTG style) just isn’t my cup of tea.

(2/5) Moonlighter. Felt like it was missing some inspiration, just didn’t have a sense of “fun”. The art was nice. The credits list is surprisingly long.

(2/5) Muse Dash. All right, a basic rhythm game. Not enough variety to the game play, and everything was based around perfect or near-perfect gameplay, which makes things less fun for me.

(3/5) NES games – various. Dr Mario, Ice Climbers. Basically, I got some Chinese handheld “gameboy” that has all the NES games preloaded on it. Overall it was a great purchase.

(2/5) Noita. “The Powder Game” by Dan-Box, as a procedurally generated platformer with guns. Lets you design your own battle spells. Despite the description, you really still can’t screw around as much as I’d like. I also had major performance issues

(3/5) Observation. I haven’t played this one as much as I’d like, I feel like it may get better. Storytelling, 3D game from the point of view of the AI computer on a space station. I think I might have read a book it’s based on, unfortunately.

(2/5) One Step From Eden. This is a deck-building combat tactics game. I thought it was turn-based, but it’s actually realtime. I think if it was turn-based I would have liked it. The characters were a bit uninspired.

(1/5) Orbt XL. Very dull. I paid $0.50 for it, it was worth that.

(4/5) Opus Magnum. Another great game from Zachtronics, along with Exapunks they’re really ramping up. This is the third execution of the same basic concept. I’d like to see Zachtronics treading new ground more as far as gameplay–that said, it is much improved compared to the first two iterations. The art, writing, and story were stellar on the other hand.

(3/5) Out of Space. Fun idea, you clean a spaceship. It’s never that challenging, and it has mechanics such that it gets easier the more you clean, rather than harder. Good but not enough replay value. Fun with friends the first few times. The controls are a little wonky.

(1/5) Outpost (tower defense game). I hate all tower defense.

(3/5) Overcooked. Overcooked is a ton of fun.

(4/5) Powder Game – Dan-box. I played this in reaction to not liking Noita. It’s fairly old at this point. Just a fun little toy.

(1/5) Prime Mover – Very cool art, the gameplay put me to sleep immediately. A “circuit builder” game but somehow missing any challenge or consistency.

(2/5) Quest for Glory I. Older, from 1989. Didn’t really play this much, I couldn’t get into the writing, and the pseudo-photography art was a little jarring.

(4/5) Raft. I played this in beta for free on itch.io, and had a lot of fun. Not enough changed that it was really worth a replay, but it has improved, and I got to play with a second player. Not a hard game, which I think was a good thing. The late game they’ve expanded, but it doesn’t really add much. The original was fun and so was this.

(3/5) Satisfactory. I honestly don’t know how I like this one–I didn’t get too far into it.

(4/5) Scrap Mechanic. I got this on a recommendation from a player who played in creative. I only tried the survival mode–that mode is not well designed, and their focuses for survival are totally wrong. I like the core game, you can actually build stuff. If I play again, I’ll try the creative mode, I think.

(3.5/5) Shapez.io. A weird, abstracted simplification of Factorio. If I hadn’t played factorio and half a dozen copies, I imagine this would have been fun, but it’s just more of the same. Too much waiting–blueprints are too far into the game, too.

(2.5/5) Simmiland. Okay, but short. Used cards for no reason. For a paid game, I wanted more gameplay out of it?

(0.5/5) Snakeybus. The most disappointing game I remember this year. Someone made “Snake” in 3D. There are a million game modes and worlds to play in. I didn’t find anything I tried much fun.

(1/5) Soda Dungeon. A “mobile” (read: not fun) style idle game. Patterned after money-grab games, although I don’t remember if paid progress was actually an option. I think so.

(4/5) Spelunky. The only procedurally generated platformer I’ve ever seen work. Genuinely very fun.

(4/5) Spelunky 2. Fun, more of an upgrade of new content than a new game. Better multiplayer. My computer can’t run later levels at full speed.

(1/5) Stick Ranger 2. Dan-box. Not much fun.

(3/5) Superliminal. Fun game. A bit short for the pricetag.

(3/5) Tabletop Simulator – Aether’s End: Legacy. Interesting, a “campaign” (series of challenge bosses and pre-written encounters) deckbuilding RPG. I like the whole “campaign RPG boardgame” idea. This would have worked better with paper, there were some rough edges in both the game instructions and the port to Tabletop Simulator.

(4/5) Tabletop Simulator – The Captain is Dead. Very fun. I’d love to play with more than 2 people. Tabletop simulator was so-so for this one.

(2/5) Tabletop Simulator – Tiny Epic Mechs. You give your mech a list of instructions, and it does them in order. Arena fight. Fun, but I think I could whip up something at least as good.

(3/5) The Council. One of the only 3D games I finished. It’s a story game, where you investigate what’s going on and make various choices. It’s set in revolutionary france, at the Secret World Council that determines the fate of the world. It had a weak ending, with less choice elements than the rest of the game so far, which was a weird decision. Also, it has an EXCRUTIATINGLY bad opening scene, which was also weird. The middle 95% of the game I enjoyed, although the ending went on a little long. The level of background knowledge expected of the player swung wildly–they seemed to expect me to know who revolutionary French generals were with no explanation, but not Daedalus and the Minotaur. The acting was generally enjoyable–there’s a lot of lying going on in the game and it’s conveyed well. The pricetag is too high to recommend.

(0/5) The Grandma’s Recipe (Unus Annus). This game is unplayably bad–it’s just a random pixel hunt. Maybe it would be fun if you had watched the video it’s based on.

(3/5) The Room. Pretty fun! I think this is really designed for a touchscreen, but I managed to play it on my PC. Played it stoned, which I think helps with popular puzzle games–it has nice visuals but it’s a little too easy.

(3/5) This Call May Be Recorded. Goofy experimental game.

(4/5) TIS-100. Zachtronics. A programming game. I finally got done with the first set of puzzles and into the second this year. I had fun, definitely not for everyone.

(3/5) Trine. I played this 2-player. I think the difficulty was much better 2-player, but it doesn’t manage 2 players getting separated well. Sadly we skipped the story, which seemed like simple nice low-fantasy. Could have used goofier puzzles, it took itself a little too seriously and the levels were a bit same-y.

(2/5) Unrailed. Co-op railroad building game. It was okay but there wasn’t base-building. Overall not my thing. I’d say I would prefer something like Overcooked if it’s going to be timed? Graphics reminded me of autonauts.

(2/5) Vampire Night Shift. Art game. Gameplay could have used a bit of polish. Short but interesting.

(4/5) Wayward. To date, the best survival crafting system I’ve seen. You can use any pointy object and stick-like object, together with glue or twine, to make an arrow. The UI is not great, and there’s a very counter-intuitive difficulty system. You need to do a little too much tutorial reading, and it could use more goals. Overall very fun. Under constant development, so how it plays a given week is a crapshoot. The steam version finally works for me (last time I played it was worse than the free online alpha, now it’s the same or better). I recomend playing the free online version unless you want to support the author.

(1/5) We Need to Go Deeper. Multiplayer exploration game in a sub, with sidescrolling battle. Somehow incredibly unfun, together with high pricetag. Aesthetics reminded me of Don’t Starve somehow.

(2/5) We Were Here. Okay 2-player puzzle game. Crashed frequently, and there were some “huh” puzzles and UI. Free.

(3/5) Yes, your grace. Gorgeous pixel art graphics. The story is supposed to be very player-dependent, but I started getting the feeling that it wasn’t. I didn’t quite finish the game but I think I was well past halfway. Hard to resume after a save, you forget things. I got the feeling I wouldn’t replay it, which is a shame because it’s fun to see how things go differently in a second play with something like this.

These are not all new to me, and very few came out in 2020. I removed any games I don’t remember and couldn’t google (a fair number, I play a lot of game jam games) as well as any with pornographic content.

2020 Videogames was originally published on Optimal Prime

#games #review #reviews #videogames #yearly review #cross-posted-from-blog

2 notes · View notes

gamesception · 5 years ago

Text

Sception’s Switch Port Wish List:

Dragon Age, first game only. Fun game, even on console. Best of the series easily - the second game’s rushed dev time forced so many cut corners that there’s hardly a game left over, and the third game is so bloated with tedium that every time I try to play it my eyes glass over and I slip into a boredom coma before I can get a quarter of the way into it. But the first game? Way better on PC with mods and keyboard/mouse controls, but even so I’d jump at the chance to play it again on switch. Chances of it happening? Low. EA doesn’t want to remind people of when Bioware made good games, and they aren’t interested in releasing anything on the switch that isn’t an exploitative microtransaction store.

Mass Effect Trilogy: First game was good, second game was better, and, yeah, ok, the series didn’t finish on the best foot, the third game suffering from tone problems and a final ending that just flat out sucked, but Mass Effect 3 has a several key moments that stand out as among the best in the overall series, and while the ending is kind of bad, at least the series *has* an ending - something Dragon Age fans will probably never get to see. Chances of it happening? Again, low, for the same reason as Dragon Age.

Arkham Asylum. Just Asylum, not the rest. City’s not bad, but the loss of focus costs the experience more than the larger world and better boss encounters can win back, imo. The rest of the series, though? Bleh. Chance of it happening? I don’t know. Bunch of Warner Bros games on switch, of varying port quality. Asylum was developed by Rocksteady, not sure if that would introduce rights issues. Better chance of this than of most other games on this list.

FF6. Sure, Square has ported over PS and PS2 titles, but what about earlier ones? FF6 is the best game in the series, imo. Sure, it’s way too easy, like most JRPGs are, but the engaging story with a huge ensemble cast of likable characters is amazing. I’ve never seen a game with so many playable characters where I liked all of them this much, and the couple of multi-party dungeons reward you for spending time building up all of them. You also don’t frequently see this kind of story heavy jrpg game with a real ensemble cast, with no obvious ‘main character’, letting the player engage with whichever characters they like rather than forcing you into the shoes of a Chrono or a Cloud or some other default Hero, characters who are sometimes good but rarely the most interesting or engaging member of their respective games’ playable casts. So yeah, FF6 is great, but good portable versions aren’t easy to come by. The GBA version is amazing, but good luck getting your hands on it. The mobile port is trash. Phone emulators have to deal with awkward phone controls. A switch port - whether of the original snes version, or the PS1 port with additional pre-rendered video bits, or the GBA version with it’s not-terrible extra postgame dungeon and bosses, would be great. Chance of it happening? Frankly, I’m confused why it hasn’t happened already. Square has ported a bunch of old final fantasy games to switch, I have no idea why they cut those games off at the PS1 era. I would say the chances should be good that FF6 will come to switch, but it’s such an obvious port that the fact that it hasn’t happened already implies to me that there’s maybe some behind the scenes bullshit ruling it out. And if it does come over, it might be a port of the ios version, which would be terrible.

FFTactics. I will buy this on any platform it’s released on. But if we could get a port of the PSP version, with post game multiplayer dungeons intact? Maybe with online multiplayer support - the turn based nature of the game letting it bypass some of the lousiness of switch online? Please. Chance of it happening? Again, I’m confused why it hasn’t happened already. FF7, 8, and 9 are ported over, but not Tactics? As with FF6, it seems like an obvious and very likely port, except that it’s so obvious and so likely that the fact it hasn’t happened already maybe implies that there’s something specifically preventing it from happening. At least if they do port the ios version it wouldn’t be a tragedy here, though I would still lament the lack of the post game content from the PSP version.

Fallout 3 / New Vegas. Really Loved 3, and loved New Vegas too, though I never did get around to finishing it. Would love to see these games on the switch, provided Bethesda didn’t use the opportunity to stuff them full of microtransactions. New Vegas, despite bugs and some cut corners, remains probably the best 3d fallout game, and 3, despite the not-undeserved hate it gets for its main story, is still probably the most fun I’ve had just randomly exploring a world in a bethesda game. Chance of it happening? You’d think the chances would be ok, Bethesda’s had a bunch of games ported to switch - Skyrim, Doom, Wolvenstein, etc. That said, Fallout 3′s reputation among the Fallout fan community has plummeted in the last few years so Bethesda might not think a port would be worthwhile. And as they’re still trying to push 76, I can’t imagine their eager to remind people that their Fallout games weren’t always the hottest of garbage. So... better odds here than of Mass Effect or Dragon Age, but I’m not holding my breath. As for New Vegas, I doubt Bethesda has any interest in reminding people that the best Fallout game to be released since they picked up the license was developed by someone else.

Morrowind - Still probably the greatest Bethesda game, though I understand it was already showing the trend towards streamlining and loss of depth coming off of Daggerfall that would eventually lead us to the likes of 76 and Blades. But yeah, another classic I never got around to beating, that it would probably take a switch port to get me to try again. Chance of it happening? Some but not great, largely for similar reasons to Fallout 3. Skyrim sold quite well on Switch, IIRC, so you’d think other Elder Scrolls ports would have been a natural choice, but years later and nothing but Blades means it probably isn’t going to happen.

Mother Series, especially Earthbound - which like tactics I’ll buy and replay on any platform it’s released on - and Mother 3, which seems fantastic, but the only time I’ve tried it I didn’t make it very far due to the SNES emulator I had at the time ruining the rhythm based combat minigame. So yeah, an official port would be great. Chance of it happening? Actually good for once, for the first time on this list. As with FF6/Tactics I’m kind of surprised that it hasn’t happened already, but Nintendo being Nintendo I’m more inclined to blame that on them either just not getting around to it yet or trying to hold off on a cult classic to use it to spike excitement in a dull release window later down the line.

Demon’s Souls - Great game. Sadly my play through was killed by a hacking incident, but yeah, a classic, laid down the souls game fundamentals while pulling of some aspects better than any of the games that followed it. And a remake has officially been announced for release on PS5, would be a great opportunity to release a port of the original to the Switch market... Chance of it happening? Unfortunately, Sony owns the rights, so I just don’t see it happening... not unless Sony really plans to abandon the mobile market and instead push interaction with switch. They did include that “would you be interested in PS4 remote play on other devices - including Switch” question in a survey a while back. Still doesn’t strike me as likely, though.

Dark Souls 2 - like Fallout 3, Dark Souls 2 has become the black sheep of its series in fandom eyes. Not entirely without reason, but there’s some interesting and novel design choices that get overlooked and unappreciated as a result. I’ve never made time to play it myself, despite it sitting in my Steam library never downloaded, but would absolutely play it on the switch. Chance of it happening? Without the fan crowd clamoring for a re-release, an updated port seems unlikely.

#dragon age #mass effect #arkham asylum #ff6 #fftactics #fallout 3 #new vegas #morrowind #mother #demons' souls #dark souls 2

1 note · View note

fibrielsolaer · 5 years ago

Text

Majora’s Mask (N64)

Hello people of Tumblr! Let’s talk about the most divisive Zelda game.

James Rolfe semi-reviewed Majora’s Mask as part of Angry Video Game Nerd, tying the game’s themes into both a Twilight Zone reference (as per masks) and the New Year ball drop (as per moonfall):

youtube

I DIDN’T LIKE WUT HE SAID HARUMPH. >:o[

The Nerd is, of course, a fictional character that James has to put on an act for, and I’ve found that this act is much more obvious and stiff than usual. The Nerd normally tries to balance criticism with praise, but the transition in this one comes across as especially jarring and abrupt.

(OOTA = Ocarina of Time Also = James / The Nerd complains about something that applies to OoT also, or doesn’t notice / appreciate something that he ought to as an OoT veteran)

───────────────────────────────────

Graphics

For some strange reason, The Nerd begins by complaining about the graphics - possibly a reference to the Game Grumps playthrough of Majora’s Mask. Arin Hanson did not wait 5 seconds before blurting out “THIS GAME LOOKS LIKE SHIT“ in a tone that made it obvious he was simply trying to stir drama.

OOTA: Despite pointing out that Majora’s Mask reuses the engine and some other assets, James / the Nerd doesn’t include or compare to OoT while criticizing the derived graphics of Majora’s Mask.

Of course, Majora’s Mask is designed to take advantage of the N64′s surreal, creepy graphics and create a disturbing, uncanny world. I would say that “bad graphics” tend to work in the favor of such games, if handled properly. Just look at Puppet Combo.

One must keep in mind, and James would absolutely be familiar with this, that older games up to around the GameCube era were still played on CRT televisions. The color choices and jagged edges of the N64 were less obvious due to the color balancing and blurriness of these old TVs. As such, today’s better monitors actually make these particular games look worse.

While the console overall has definitely not aged well visually, Majora’s Mask is one of the most graphically intensive games on the N64. If I recall correctly, the scene where the Woodfall Temple rises from the swamp is the most graphically demanding scene in any N64 game.

The Nerd asserts that, in contrast to early 3D, certain 2D styles such as Link to the Past still look good by today’s standards. This is never going to be an objective statement - not only because of the strong bias most people have in favor of or against particular graphical media, but also due to the high emotional investment longtime Zelda players have in both LttP and OoT, which tend to jockey for the title of Best Zelda. (Link’s Awakening is usually a close third place.)

I personally find LttP’s color palette appealing, but many sprites are incoherent or anatomically malformed, and its Escher-esque viewing angle with every wall slanting away from you is absurd. This is underscored in A Link Between Worlds, which is in full 3D but copies the viewing angle by hilariously tilting everything.

───────────────────────────────────

Cosmic Checkpoints

The central criticism of Majora’s Mask, which the Nerd for some strange reason prioritizes after the graphics, has always been an example of Time Limit Syndrome.

Time Limit Syndrome is the phenomenon where perceiving a time limit will make many players freak out and possibly make them quit playing the game permanently. This is true even if the time limit turns out to do absolutely nothing when it expires. After all, they don’t know that ahead of time.

I usually hear complaints about Majora’s Mask’s time system from people who quit within 5 minutes due to Time Limit Syndrome... but James / The Nerd has beaten the final boss and really ought to know better.

As James / The Nerd implies, Majora’s Mask does not expect you to beat the game within a single three-day cycle. Indeed, you are forced to “fail” the first cycle in order to teach you the underlying mechanic of resetting the clock and instill in you the idea that you do not have to “beat the time limit”.

Majora’s Mask runs on a cosmic checkpoint system.

At any millisecond you can simply play the Song of Time to return to the Dawn of the First Day and keep every “checkpoint” you’ve met up to that point; “checkpoints” are things like acquired items and learned Songs.

For instance, as soon as you have the Sonata of Awakening, you can enter the Woodfall Temple. You can and should smack the Owl Statue closest to that temple, then immediately reset to a new cycle and enter the temple fresh on the First Day, skipping the long-ass Metal Gear Solid segment you did to get that song.

The Nerd’s implication that you’re “losing progress” when you use the Song of Time thus makes no sense. It’s not any different than leaving a room in a dungeon and seeing that the puzzle in it has reset when you come back in. You don’t need to do that puzzle again if you already got the key item you get for completing it, thus you have not lost any progress. The proper term is replay value, since you have the option at any point of doing any part of the game over again, with any power-ups or self-prescribed inhibitions you like, without starting a new game. Why criticize Majora’s Mask for the #1 reason people love Super Mario World?

When you use the Song of Time to return to the Dawn of the First Day, you save the game. This is the only way to make a “permanent” save in the N64 version of the game (as compared to the 3DS remake); the other methods let you make a temporary save if you’re interrupted or have something else to do, which is deleted when you load it back up.

If you do let the timer run out by itself, then you get an amazingly horrific game over scene (as featured in the above video), and your current 3-day cycle is lost as you must reload the previous First Day save. The reason the N64 game will not let you override your permanent save mid-cycle is, undoubtedly, so that you do not somehow save a scenario where you will repeatedly game over without any chance to use the Song of Time (however unlikely that may be.) In addition, you can always count on your hard saves being at the start of everybody’s schedule, and you will not need to remember where in the middle of some convoluted three-day quest you were.

Personally, I would have made it so that the timer running out just forced the Song of Time effect. The only “good reason” I can think of to do otherwise is because Majora’s Mask is a very unsettling game and the anxiety of Time Limit Syndrome may actually be intentional as part of the mood... but I would prioritize consistent and intuitive gameplay over an inconsistent and unpredictable audience response.

───────────────────────────────────

Time & Dungeons

Majora’s Mask does have a few frustrating consequences of its time system.

Minor annoyances include quests and rewards that only trigger at a very specific time (ghosts at night, The Other Link, etc.)

Moderate annoyances include quests that are not only that specific, but you have to trigger them first by doing something else specific at an earlier time, or intentionally fail another quest. (the Kafei & Anju quests that are not the Couple’s Mask quest)

Major annoyances include questlines that take place over all three days and which you have to completely restart if you mess up at any step and which sometimes have more than one ending (Couple’s Mask quest)

... but the dungeons semi-resetting is not a problem.

You should be smart and warp back as soon as you can access the dungeon, so that you can enter it at the very start of a new cycle. All you need is the Song that opens it and the Owl Statue closest to it (usually right in front of the dungeon entrance.)

Half of the dungeon is only there to block off the dungeon item. Once you get that, if you need to reset, you can skip half the dungeon next time because you’ve already got the dungeon item. You only need to get the Big Key and go fight the boss.

If you’ve ever challenged the boss, even if you had to quit the fight and reset, you can skip the entire dungeon and teleport right to the boss again on all subsequent cycles. (The boss will also call you out for holding its remains, if applicable.)

You only need to gather the fairies once per dungeon, since you keep all of the unlocked items across cycles.

It’s really quite forgiving except that it does not make it overt exactly where your checkpoints are. In fact, before James made this video and I looked it up, I didn’t know for the last 15+ years that merely challenging the boss let you skip the dungeon on subsequent cycles.

───────────────────────────────────

But Why Tho

The entire 3-day nonsense is a necessity because of the illusion of life.

Similarly to Harvest Moon, major NPCs are scheduled to be in particular places at particular times of the three days. However, unlike Harvest Moon, this schedule is extremely specific for applicable characters. If you slow down time with the Inverted Song of Time, you will actually see these affected NPCs moving proportionately more slowly, because even their path from one place to another, and their exact departure and arrival times, are aligned to the time schedule. Doing certain things will also alter NPC schedules accordingly.

This, of course, helps deepen the characters and make them look more life-like in a game that is all about exploring them emotionally and learning about their fears, hardships, and heartbreaks. Link earns every single Mask in the game by healing somebody, even if he does not use the Song of Healing per se. If he gets every single last one, then he has the ultimate power of love and kindness that off-handedly obliterates the malice and hatred of Majora.

This level of detail would not be feasible, or at least not very intuitive, with a very long schedule, so the game takes place over the same three days repeated indefinitely.

───────────────────────────────────

Comparisons

The Nerd compares Majora’s Mask to Breath of the Wild in other places in the video, but does not do so when it would not be favorable to the latter; specifically, his criticism of the Majora’s Mask banker and his/her talkiness applies ten times over to the Great Fairies in Breath of the Wild, who not only give their entire explanation of how they work every time you leave and return to them again, but also forcibly close the upgrade window when you run out of items you have materials for, without letting you look them over to see what you need to farm for.

You need to use the BotW Great Fairies all the time, but you only need to use the MM bank rarely. You can just deposit money into it once per cycle and ignore it otherwise, since you refill your ammo just by cutting bushes and never need to purchase any... unlike Breath of the Wild.

To deposit or withdraw all your Rupees at once, just enter 999 as the number. It will change it to however many you actually have. The reason you’ve given 5 Rupees in hand is (probably) because otherwise you might lose them when you had 995 or more Rupees in the bank, if indeed you can stand to grind Rupees for that long.

OOTA: The banker is the Termina counterpart of OoT’s beggar, and reuses the animation.

───────────────────────────────────

Around this point, the “sequence breaking” in the editing becomes apparent. Like a videogamedunkey skit, random bits of the game are strewn into the video out of order.

This comes back to bite the review because the Nerd acts like he’s just gotten to a part of the game that has to be completed before what was shown earlier in the video (hence why I call it “sequence breaking”). This breaks the illusion of sincerity; the suspension of disbelief as to the video being scripted is lost and it starts to look a bit more doctored to color the perception of the game.

OOTA: The Nerd does not recognize obvious counterparts to or parodies of characters like the Organ Grinder / Guru Guru, and acts like he’s never encountered an N64 ReDead before.

OOTA: The swim sound is the same sound as in Ocarina of Time. Talk about fishing for complaints.

I disagree harshly with the statement that “all everybody talks about [in regards to Majora’s Mask] are the good things”. I’ve almost only ever heard people complain about the time system and how it’s “Not Really Zelda”.

The particular glitch shown - Zora Link rapidly colliding with the wall - must be intentionally invoked. That glitch occurs if you use the speed-swim against very specific spots of very specific walls... fittingly, any of the corners in the infamous whirlpool room work. All you have to do is let go of the buttons and it will stop. It’s kind of like sailing Mario under the log with a Green Shell in Lethal Lava Land, except Mario always dies (in the most hilarious way) when you do that and Link is only briefly inconvenienced (in the most hilarious way).

OOTA: Most of Majora’s Mask’s more common glitches are the same as in Ocarina of Time due to reusing the engine. Infinite Sword Glitch and Bombchu Hover are both still around, for instance.

The one glitch that is the most problematic is that sometimes, when you reset in the middle of a dungeon, the doors will lock but the Small Keys will not go back into their chests. You then have to keep resetting until it resets correctly, which should be the very next reset.

───────────────────────────────────

Wart / Arrghus

Majora’s Mask may be the only Zelda game with two minibosses in every dungeon - one for the dungeon item, one for the Big Key.

That eyeball boss is Wart, the first of the two Great Bay Temple minibosses, who guards the Ice Arrows. It’s Arrghus from Link to the Past, who was always called ワート WART in Japanese. In the 3DS version, its name in several other languages is the same as Arrghus’s.

Wart is the most annoying enemy in the entire game. He’s a fucker and I hate him. The worst thing about Wart is that the only way to make his long-ass battle faster is to completely destroy your N64. You do this by shooting an arrow into his eye when it’s open, causing every single mini-eyeball to fall off of him, dropping your frame rate into the gutter. (It gets even worse when you start hitting them with the sword.)

You fight Wart again in the Secret Temple (which is basically a boss gauntlet.)

Fuck Wart.

And fuck the second Great Bay miniboss, the gecko in the blob.

───────────────────────────────────

Bits and Bobs

Sometimes the game’s camera cuts (such as when night falls and the game pauses to announce it) interrupt the gameplay. I don’t remember whether the camera angle you had before the cut effects the camera angle after the cut.

While not strictly required, the Bunny Hood literally only makes you run much faster, and makes the skeleton captain sequence (and 90% of the game) much easier. Always use the Bunny Hood when you don’t need any other mask.

OOTA: You should always be tapping the Lens of Truth on and off to use way less magic. (Basically zero, if you tap it rapidly enough.)

The Goron Race is one of the most frustrating parts of the game, and you need to complete it by the 2nd Day or else you can’t get the Gilded Sword. To get the most amount of time possible to complete it:

Confront Ghot at least once

Save a lot of Rupees in the bank

Get the Powder Keg certification

Start a new cycle

Buy a Powder Keg

Use Fire Arrow to ready forge and turn in sword for Razor Sword

Defeat Ghot (necessary for races to start)

Use bought Powder Keg to blow up boulder (shoot it with an arrow to detonate it)

Complete race as soon as possible for Gold Dust

Get Razor Sword

Turn Razor Sword right back in

Get Gilded Sword

Nintendo has never had good control sticks; the N64 and the Joycon alike both have shitty sticks that experience drift or misalign after a few months of use. This is probably why James is unable to roll Goron Link straight forward, or stay on the pipes, despite the N64′s analog stick locking into an octagon to ensure the 8 main directions are easy to hit.

You have to hit the trees with the Hookhot, but the stupid turtle wobbles around, so the trees are hard to hit. I’m not sure how the game determines whether the Hookshot connected or not. Is it checked on fire? Is it checked on arrival? No idea.

The reason the Ice Arrows are not working is because James is shooting too close to the wall. The ice platform would then clip through it. The game could move the platform to be further from the wall but decides to just not form any platform at all. I remember being pretty pissed off with it myself.

───────────────────────────────────

Video ending

The Nerd doesn’t have to do the entire dungeon over again, because he already has the Ice Arrows. He only has to get to and fight that stupid blob gecko again for the Big Key and then get back to the boss.

OOTA: Why would you walk into the giant exit light before you got the Heart Container. Hell, so far as I know, this is Every Zelda Game Also since all of them let you forget to pick up the Heart Container...

Majora’s a bastard. If you get every mask in the game and turn them all in to him, he will for some unfathomable reason give you the Fierce Deity Mask and let you completely whoop his ass with it. The Fierce Deity Mask makes the battle into an utter joke. In the N64 version you can only use it in boss rooms, unless you use a glitch. The 3DS version also lets you use it when fishing (which itself is not in the N64 version.)

───────────────────────────────────

In summary

Majora’s Mask is definitely beloved more for its themes and characters than for its gameplay. It has some of the most beautiful music in all of Zelda, most notably the Song of Healing, and its advanced special effects and cinematography are top-tier by the standards of the N64. It is chock-full of bittersweet, heavy-hitting content and is a major source of inspiration for future "serious subject” indie games and creepypastas - not just BEN DROWNED and Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion, but in general.

The gameplay is, for the most part, a weird Ocarina of Time mod. The mask forms play differently, and there are extra mechanics introduced by some songs such as the Elegy of Emptiness, but overall you solve puzzles and fight battles with the same “strategy” as in OoT.

MM has always been very divisive because of the time system, which the game does not adequately explain to most players, and which is particularly frustrating in regards to specific parts of the game such as the Gilded Sword or the Couple’s Mask quest. The Bomber’s Notebook helps keep track of some aspects (and is expanded in the 3DS version), but many players simply find the detailed scheduling and the sequence of events too much crap to keep track of and too many repeated chores in the event of failures and many resets, and do not develop a recognition - let alone appreciation - of when they have reached a checkpoint in the main game and can reset to a new cycle without losing anything, or how to gauge whether they have the time left to take on a new task whimsically rather than through planning.

When I first started playing I hated it, but over time I began to be okay with the structure around the time cycle, albeit a bit bored or frustrated when I had to repeat day 1+2 because I screwed up a quest on day 3.

There are so many cool moments in Majora’s Mask that, for me at least, it supercedes the frustrating parts of the quests that cover all 3 days, and some of the just plain annoying parts that are not strictly relevant to the time system.

How the dogs react to each form of Link

Any time you use the Song of Healing

Mummy-Dad and the Well

When you realize who the Skull Kid is

When you realize what happened to the Butler’s son

The full ending with 100% completion

I’ve often said that Earthbound is “a lousy game but a great experience”.

I suppose it’s not out of the park to say Majora’s Mask is in the same boat.

#zelda #majora's mask #legend of zelda #loz #lozmm #loz majora's mask #avgn #angry video game nerd

8 notes · View notes

rewind-reviews · 5 years ago

Text

So I Just Played... A Hat In Time

So I just played A Hat in Time and I have somethings to say. I love collectathons when I was a kid with my trusty PS1 and N64 I would always be playing some of the best in the genre. I loved Super Mario 64, Spyro, Gex 3D, Ape Escape, Banjo Kazooie and I played them all to death. Running around and grabbing everything I laid my eyes on and watching that all-important number slowly go up until I reach my final goal was amazing to me as a kid seeing these wide-open worlds with seemingly endless adventures right on my path was the best way to spend my time.

When I first heard of A Hat in Time it sent back feelings that I hadn't felt since I was a kid and just had to play it. I bought it as soon as I could played it through then ignored it for a few years almost forgetting I own it. It wasn't until a reader asked me to have another look that I installed it and set out on my hourglass collecting adventure once again.

I have mixed feelings about this game there is so much that I love about it but there are a few things that just make me want to grow a moustache and start wearing red.

You play as a little girl called Hat girl and she is on her way home utilizing her own personal spaceship. Everything is going fine until the mafia...thats right the mafia try to charge her for passing through the space above mafia town. He ends up punching through the window and causing all of the fuel to fly out of the ship leaving Hat girl with no choice but to get them all back. This story is perfect for a game like this, it gives you an objective introduces the types of characters you are going to meet and just sets you on your way no convoluted back story, no in your face lore just a simple premise and the promise of adventure.

If you have played collectathons in the past you know exactly what to expect you have to grab the games most important collectables in this case Time Pieces which are the hourglasses that fuel Hat girls ship and Yarn these are used to make some more hats with different abilities that range from showing you your objective to letting you sprint all the way to showing you platforms you couldn't use before to straight-up slowing down time!! The Hats really help the game shine making every time piece its own mini-puzzle so most of them don't feel boring to go for. the best example of these are in the games time rifts, time rifts are one-off areas that are solely a platforming challenge each one tests your abilities with your hats and just general movement these were some of my favourite parts of the game they are small simple and quick to complete but are so satisfying to get through.

Throughout your quest, you go to a few different worlds each one filled with its own unique stories, personalities and themes. The first world is Mafia town a dockside town that's in the grips of and being run by an "evil" mafia who only really care about themselves. Mafia town is a great intro level it teaches you everything you need to know with minimal threats but I feel as a result does start to feel a bit stale pretty quickly plus going back to get that last time piece just feels cheap it I don't mind backtracking but come on its the first world just put it somewhere more interesting. Thankfully most of the other worlds are a bit more interesting it could be the haunted Subcon Forest that's inhabited by an evil ghost called the Snatcher, A movie studio where two rival birds are competing to make the best movie in Dead Bird Studios, Or a mysterious set of mountain towns way up in the sky filled with evil cats and quiet giant goats in the Alpine Skyline. So after replaying this game it turns out I only really enjoy half of the worlds those being the Subcon Forest and Dead Bird Studios. I feel Mafia Town is fine but Alpine Skyline is just the worst. First off the world is "free roam" which would be fine but you still have to do set objectives to beat the world the game just doesn't tell you where they are. It's also super easy to get lost here because everything looks the same, there are basically no landmarks to help show you where to go you just have to guess and hope you get lucky, getting from the start of the world to where you need to go also takes forever and requires almost no player input most of my time travelling in this stage I just used to stretch while I waited for Hat girl to get where I told her to.

It's not all bad though getting around is almost always a great time because of how this game controls. You have access to a few different moves from the word go, you can obviously jump but can extend it with a double jump and at any time you can dash which can be strung together to move faster. I mostly used the dash to either get some extra distance on a risky jump or again to get around a little faster and my god does this game control like a dream, Hat girl almost always goes where you want her plus the controls make it so easy to pull off seemingly impossible jumps like they are nothing. The only thing that really made me want to tear my hair out is the camera. Most of the time its totally fine and shows you everything you needed to but it like to get stuck on walls and refuse to move, there were a few times throughout playing where I had to just take total leaps of faith and hope that I hit my target because I literally couldn't see it no matter what I tried it also makes trying to find some of the more hidden things way harder than it needs to be.

The graphics are also pretty nice I wouldn't say they are anything to write home about but they most definitely fit the theme the game is going for Mafia town feels like its bustling with activity while the Subcon forest feels creepy and evil while also making you want to explore deeper. Again the only issue I have is the Alpine Skyline the main reason being it all looks the same!!

Overall A Hat in Time is a great game and its a fun time from start to finish it had me smiling the entire time and I would recommend it to anyone just watch out for the birds with sunglasses they will boop you into oblivion with a smile on their evil evil faces.

I want to say thanks to Mousieex for recommending this game to me and tuning into my stream. If you have a game you want me to play feel free to message me or drop it into my suggestion box on my twitch page: https://www.twitch.tv/rewind_review

5 notes · View notes

glapplebloom · 6 years ago

Photo

Next week, I am going to be updating once more. But until then, inspired by this video, I’ve decided to repost something I did in the past.

Like him, I had the idea of a Sega Smash Brothers for the longest time. But while he made his suggestion based on characters, I went a different direction...

There are two things I love a lot when it comes to Entertainment: Fighting and Crossovers. Nintendo had the idea of pitting 8 of their characters together for a mindless fighting game. What was originally supposed to be a one note Japan only game became one of their big titles. And since then, everyone tried to achieve that success.

Yet one company who has made numerous ideas that are similar to Nintendo's have yet to make their own clone of Smash Brothers. That company is Sega. I had this idea since I was a kid playing their Genesis and it continues evolving as I get older. And while Sega has released numerous crossovers under the Sega All Stars License, they have yet to make a Sega Fights (that’s my name for the idea. If they did this, they would probably call it Sonic and Sega All Stars Clash).

=======Game Play=======

While the idea is Smash Brothers, I would go a different route for game play. Specifically, like Power Stone or Ehrgeiz: A 3D environment with free movement. You'll be able to pick up weapons and like Power Stone, if you collect 3 (this will be adjustable) emeralds, you'll be able to activate your All-Star Power. The goal will be to drain your opponents five (this will be adjustable) life bars before they drain yours. It'll be 1-4 players like Power Stone 2.

Unlike Power Stone, the All-Star Power will be divided into three categories:

Attack - When activated, you will be put in a cut scene similar to that of SF4 where you'll do a good amount of damage when it is complete. It'll be more damaging than the others, but it has to be connected in a close range. (Ex. Akira's will be a series of combos, possibly with an assist helping him)

Power - When activated, you will be able to move faster and do more damage. This will only last about 5-10 seconds (it'll depend on balance). If used properly, it could be the most damaging of the three. But it can be blocked and avoided still. (Ex. Sonic goes Super Sonic)

Game - When activated, everyone will compete in a mini game based off the game the character is from. To do more damage, you must successfully complete the mini game while your opponents fail to do so. If they can complete the mini game, they can reduce the damage from this (and not get knocked out if they are low on health). While this can hit everyone and can not be blocked, it is the weakest of the three All-Star Powers damage wise. (Ex. You must do one of Ulala's dance routines successfully)

Controls: (Using 360's Controller)

A: Jump

X: Attack | Pick Up/Throw Item (like a throwable box) | Pick Up/Use Weapon (like a Gun)

B: Attack | Smash/Kick Item (like throwable box) | Throw Current Weapon (like the Gun)

Y: Special Attacks (Can be used in three ways: Standing Still/Moving/Jumping)

L/RB: Blocking

L/RT: Rotate between opponents.

X+Y or B+Y: Grab | Activate All Star Power

You can make simple combos with pressing X or B repeatedly, or have a more complex combo mixing the two and finishing with Y (it'll be different per character).

Stages will be multiple layered and have numerous hazards. If you fall off the stage, you will return with reduced health (possibly 50% worth of a full bar).

=======Characters=======

I won't go into specifics because that could change anytime, I will go over how they would be selected.

Like Sonic Generations, 9 characters will be selected per era. 4 eras will be selected and they are: Genesis, Arcade, Dreamcast, and Modern. Of the 9: they will be three from the Sonic series (or Virtua Fighter in Arcade's Case), 4 of the more popular series and two from the more obscure ones. When you start the game, only 3 per Era (1 Sonic, 2 Popular) will be selectable from the start with the others needing to be unlocked.

Each System this will be released on (360/PS3/WiiU) will have three exclusive characters per system. If get permission, the three characters will be based off licenses associated with the System (Example: Sony will use Sly, Ratchet, and Jax). If not, then three characters who made their claim on said system (Example: Monster Hunter character on PS3).

There will be five bosses, one per Era and one exclusive for this game.

Modern: Egg Breaker from Shadow the Hedgehog. He'll fight similar to that game, except weapons will not be spammable and after five consecutive hits he will be dazed for an easy combo.

Dreamcast: Gouji Rokakku from Jet Set Radio. The arena will be set like the final boss of the game. You must destroy his capsule but he sends members of the Golden Rhinos to attack you. They have half a life bar worth of health each and can be targeted.

Arcade: Dual from Virtua Fighter. She can use moves from every selectable character (three random in total to reduce memory), including All-Star Power.

Genesis: Warhead from Vectorman. It starts off in a mini game where you are lifted via a tornado. You must avoid the stuff sent your way before facing Warhead. If you get hit, you lose health. When the mini game is over you'll be put on a roof with Warhead on the sides. After five consecutive hits he will be dazed for an easy combo.

There will be 4 stages per era with the bosses stages available when you beat them.

=======Game Modes=======

Story: (1 to 2 players)

Like the story mode in Mortal Kombat, this will be a series of fights that are connected via cut scenes. Unlike MK9, instead of forcing you to be one character, you can select any of the three starting characters in the Era the chapter is based on.

So there are 4 chapters per era, telling the story of that group's involvement with the story. In the 5th chapter, where the story concludes, you can select among all available fighters including the system exclusive ones.

If you pick 1 player, you fight in 1 on 1 battles. If you pick 2 players, you fight in 2 on 2 battles.

Arcade: (1 to 3 players)

Basically similar to the arcade mode in most other fighting games. Unlike other Arcade modes, you can select how you run the arcade. For example, you can do 1 on 1, 2 on 2, 1 on 1 on 1 or even 3 on 1. When in handicap matches, the stats on the 2 or 3 have their attack and health reduced by half.

Verses: (1 to 4 players)

Same as Verses in other fighting games. Like the Arcade, can select specific types of matches. You can also adjust how much health your character has and select any stage.

Survival: (1 to 4 players)

In Normal Survivor, it is the same as Survivals in other fighting games. You compete in a series of fights until you lose all your health. Like arcade, you can select specific types of matches. Each opponent will only have one health bar and will be replaced by a different fighter when their health is depleted.

In Player Survivor, one player is designated the Survivor while the other player(s) are designated as Challenger(s). The Challenger(s) goal is to defeat the Survivor as quick as they can. If the character they are loses, they get another character. When the Survivor is defeated, a new player is designated as the Survivor. After every player plays Survivor, the winner is the one who defeated the most Challengers.

Practice: (1 to 4 players)

Same as practice modes in other fighting games. Can practice in teams or solo. Also spawn any weapon available.

Online: (1 to 3 players)

All game modes above can be played online with a buddy or two sharing your game. You can also view replays people have uploaded or watch currently running games.

=======DLC=======

The only DLC I would wish is for balancing issues. But knowing Sega, they would try to include DLC characters and stages.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That's my dream game. As you can see, I left a lot of stuff out for the sake of freedom. I would be happy if Sega releases any sort of fighting crossover game but if its like this I would be in Heaven.

#flashbackfriday

2 notes · View notes

romulogamedev · 6 years ago

Text

Telecube Nightmare - Level Design Workflow

Telecube is a platform game that the main character not walking. You have to teleport the main character to find the exit of the levels. The first version was made in the Game Maker's Toolkit Jam 2018

A new and bigger version (so big it is not done yet), Telecube Nightmare, is going to release soon in Steam Store. Today I going to share my level design process for this game.

The beat chart

After the mechanics, environments, and enemies were chosen, I like to create a beat chart to help organize my thoughts for the levels,.

The beat chart helps me identify gaps and group elements. It is a useful tool that helps you to develop the content of GDD (Game Design Document), and also provides a map of the structure of the game. This is very important when looking at the progression of the project.

When comparing two or more rows (or columns) of the beat chart, certain patterns begin to emerge about introducing new enemies, mechanics, and abilities. Then it becomes easier to identify gaps in design and begin to change elements of place, filling holes and changing levels with many elements.

Introducing many new enemies or mechanics at once is dangerous. I like to introduce elements in a reasonable way. As a general rule, in this game, I tried to present mechanics and enemies in isolation, with at most two other mechanics and enemies already introduced at the same time. Then I advance to the levels sketches.

Levels sketches

I drew 30 different levels. The game is divided into 6 worlds with 5 levels each. Each world has a main idea of mechanics to be explored, such as movable platforms, walls that block the teleport, light on the mouse pointer that reveals the scene around you, among others. The stages are short but provide replay and exploration through hidden collectible items.

The game has the intention of presenting light and pleasant challenges (I want to believe that ) and only become more challenging for those players who want to complete all the achievements.

As Telecube Nightmare will be released as early access on Steam, I have the opportunity to improve the levels before the official launch. I will observe the players' performance in the gameplay done by the community and also analyze the data sent by the analytics system of the game.

Making levels in Unity 3D

The next step is making the level into the game engine.

The game is being made in the Unity 3D engine. Unity has become a good tool for making 2D games. In addition, support for tilesets and tilemaps has been added, which streamlines the process for setting up the levels.

The tileset image consists of several sprites or tiles in the same image that will be used to compose the environment. After the tileset configuration, I use the tilemap of unity to paint the scenario with the sprites already properly configurable.

Other elements like characters and items are placed separately. Finally, I test each level thoroughly, in order to verify the difficult, progression and search for bugs. However, user testing will reveal new problems that we will correct in the future.

The image above shows the structure of the first 20 levels. For now, this is it, there will be new posts. Don't forget to buy Telecube Nightmare. Have a magical day!

#game #cute #game design #level design #steam

2 notes · View notes

selie1412-blog · 6 years ago

Photo

Lets see how many Waluigi fans I can trigger with this post. Super Smash Bros Ultimate will be my first video game review. I believe everyone of there internet is familiar with this game series by now. If not, then what rock have you been living under for the past 20ish years.

The review will be split into two parts. First the review for the storyline, and then the review for the multiplayer section. It will become obvious as you continue reading. I sure hope you do so...

Spoilers of the story mode will be shown below. Proceed with caution.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate:

With an arsenal of 76 fighters to choose from and various assist trophies, cough Waluigi cough, from many different games and pokemon to also join in the battle the possibility for this game seems endless. Although, then Mr. Sakurai of course had to go above and beyond literally everyone’s expectations to add the spirits section which includes characters from countless other games, adding approximately 1200 new characters to the game. (I know that there is more than this, but the last hundreds is just spirits of all the fighters so I was not counting them.)

Summary:

The World of Light story mode for Smash Ultimate takes place when a new villain, Galeem, eliminates all the fighters and brainwashes them into serving its needs - basically turning them into his puppets. This all goes along to its plans except for the precious start child, Kirby, Mr. Sakurai’s beloved creation (well other then the entire Smash series). Kirby is then faced to *read in Morgan Freeman's voice* save the entire world! Then after beating Galeem for the first time a new villian emerges from the darkness, Dharkon, who seems to hold an impressive grudge again Galeem. The two seem to be in a constant battle with the recovered fighters only watching from the sidelines as their battle takes place.

For the multiplayer section of the game the format of it has changed drastically from Smash 3 and Smash 4 respectively Smash 3Ds and Smash Wii U. The rule section is now a mandatory passage into the game and the stage selection now comes before the character selection. The rules also can not be changed once you select them unless you back out all the from the match to change them. Multiple other features have also been implemented such as smashdown and a tournament mode. Spirits can also be used in multiplayer battle as well between friends.

Review:

I have to give some kudos (Shinichi AUGGGG!!! Sorry little fangirl episode. I apologize for the interruption.) to the story line overall. The plot was something unique and unexpected, and oddly entertaining considering the sheer lack of cutscenes and lore to go along with it. Being able to come up with a interesting storyline like it has after the Subspace Emissary is quite impressive. When watching through the Smash Directs waiting for the game to release I absolutely knew that there was going to be a new story mode to go along with this game, but I was unsure on what exactly it was going to be because the Subspace Emissary seems almost perfect. The World of Light appears to be a battle of good and evil where one can not appear without the other, yet can not survive without each other. I believe MatPat's description of the lore can be one possible interpretation of the story mode, but I also believe that there are others as well. In creating my review of this integration I did use The Game Theory’s theory for some inspiration and guidance, so I will be drawing off of that as a source.

Galeem and Dharkon physically seem to represent light and darkness respectively, so it would be obvious that they would be enamines. Then why do they both encapture all of the fighters who are supposed to be on the good side. Why would they both do so. Well the short and simple answer of that is that, as the cut senses show that is not the point. In the aspect of Galeem and Dharakon the fighters are meaningless, they have no value. Going back to the origin of it all, the fighters are supposed to simply represent a child playing with them and bringing them to life. In a matter of light and darkness the person playing or controlling the figure decides on how that they will behave. By the fighters being abducted by Galeem and Dharkon itis a simple change of hands. I mean even Master hand, general of Galeem, and then Crazy Hand, general of Dharkon, can easily represent order and discord. Each are traits of it varios counterparts. We, the player, are simply spectators watching a match between rivals of sorts. Each side has a general, 3 captains, various amounts of sargents (being the abducted characters), and then plentiful amounts of pawns (being the Spirits themselves). This battle we witness between the two is an war between light and darkness.

The ending of story more is only obtained through defeating both Galeem and Dharkon at the same time. This is the true ending which will set all the spirits free. If only defecting a single one then the other will destroy the world. Each which is called the bad ending. This true ending then meaning that light can not exist without darkness and then darkness can not exist without light. If simply darkness exists then the world will be thrown into chaos and discord while is only light exists then nothing would get done and everything will cease to exist. A balance is needed for harmony to happen. Throughout the final map of the game as spirits were defeated Galeem and Dharkon constantly fought for power to overtake the other. The player, not shown, represent this balancing act. The act of calming and defeating both of the large giants restored order to the world, adn allowed life to continue. Quoting Kingdom Heart, (Its a good game series lay off!) “ The closer you get to the Light, The Greater Your Shadow Becomes.” In order to maintain a balance as light grows the darkness should also grow. As the balancer in the game you are returning balance to the world that was taken out of balance when Galeem first tried to overtake Dharkon by taking all of the fighters into its own ‘hand’, and then when it was taken out by the balancer the shift in powers went over to Dharkon who’s power rose. Think of it as a see-saw, as one side rises the other sinks, but if you then release the side the rose it will then sink and the other side will rise.

(Wow! That was a lot of writing just on the lore, lol. I congratulate all who actually read through that.)

The playthrough of the story mode itself I was sadly a bit disappointed int. With The Subspace Emissary you could play multiplayer and there was even some playforming that characters could travers. I was sad when both of those features were taken out of the game. The graphics of the story mode itself was impressive though. I could see the real dedication to each aspect of the map, and how they tried to fit each portal area to a certain theme to a game. Like there was a Monster Hunter area, Bowser's Castle, Legend of Zelda, and a Castlevania. The avatar of every single character was impressive as well. I mean creating all of the sprites especially fro this one small thing was no small feat, so that trait I appreciated. I know the big theme for Smash Ultimate is, “Got to go fast” as quoted from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, but sometimes its a little nice to stop and smell the roses. Like in the story mode! I would honestly sacrifice about half of the spirit battles in spirit mode to have some fun platform levels of some sort. Even if it was just put in as minigames I would be happy. Like Hit the Target or Find the Exit from melee, or maybe even just reskining some of the platform levels from Subspace with a HD addition to it and throwing it into World of Light. Any of that would be amazing! I believe that added a lot of fun to the overall story mode itself, and it was one of the main reasons that made me actually want to replay and beat the story mode multiple times because it was something a bit different from the rest of the game. It made the story mode very unique, and it made it stand out.

As for the multiple player section there was a number of new additions and fighting formats that actually improved the overall experience and gameplay of it, but there was also some aspect that made me frustrated at. My favorite aspects by far was the implications of the smash down and tournament sections. The have finally added a tournament section, and that makes me soooooo happy! I no longer have to make homemade tournament charts!!! T^T The shashdown is also very helpful to play with people who are really only good with one person, and that one person can pretty much wipe you out no matter what you do. It adds a lot of fairness to the game which succeeds in making it a lot more fun for the people out there who are good at a lot of characters, but not really good at just one (I actually sit in between these people. I have 3 mains who I like to fight as a lot, but I am decent at pretty much everyone else in the game. Well except for Mr. Game and Watch and Olimar. My mains by the way are: Mewtwo, Ganondorf, and Lucas.)

My main drawback with the multiplayer section of the game is actually how the rule selection is set up. For tradition Smash mode you have to go through the process of first choosing your rules for the match, picking you stage, and then choosing you fighter. This is path you always have to go down when entering in the smash mode after exiting the game. if you finish a match it just takes you back to the stage selection section. The problem exists when you finish a match, but you realize you made a mistake in the rule creation. In order to fix it you first have to back all the way out of the match, then open up the select rules tab that you specifically created for this match set, then edit what you want, finally save it, and then back out after selecting it and proceeding onto the rest of the match. Now this would not be as much as a problem if you were able to set a rule tab as default, so you could enterally skip that one step and continue onto the match. Also, if you were allowed to edit the rules while inside the match selecting process such as when you are choosing you stage because you forgot to turn off the stage morph or stage hazards or you start selecting you character and realize that the match is still on time and not on stock. If these features were implemented then the rule section would only need to be opened when it was needed to create a new set of rules. I am not saying that I dislike the aspect of creating a custom set of rules to use for match because I think that is a very nice user friendly option for the players, but I do think that it need a little more work to be better. This is a new feature that just needs a few bugs worked out, and the it would be perfect.

For the fighters and the battles themselves, I have stated previously that the theme of Smash Ultimate is, “Gotta Go Fast,” so that is what everything is. The speed of all the characters have improved - making all the heavy characters now usable competitively - as well as the final smashes. This speed change has really made the game itself into the fastest, most adgil, and adaptive are the best. So it is no surprise that Sonic, Mewtwo, and Inkling has all made it into the top tiers for being if not the fastest, most adgil, and adaptive characters in the game respectively. The final smashes on most of the characters have changed in one way or another, some for the better and some for the worse. There is now a feature also to do diagonal air doges as well which helps out considerable for air movement and combat. Also the idea of perfect shielding has been improved, so it grants the player a chance attack the opponent when their defences are down a bit. There is not really much else to say in this area.

I am not going to touch on the classic mode much or the all-star mode much because they are pretty much the same as the previous game. Classic mode you fight about 6 battles with the last being either Master Hand or both Master Hand and Crazy hand at varying levels of difficulty. All-star mode is continuous matches with short breaks in between which goes on until you fight and defect every single smash fighter. I will only say this, which I have already stated before, I missed the small platforming levels inside Classic mode. It added something different to the overall flow which was a nice change of pace and mixed up the game some.

Overall Smash Ultimate is an amazing game that has blown not only mine but everyone elses socks off. From the vast amount of characters included to the thoughtful and in depth storyline, and all of the new features that it includes. I sincerely believe that Mr. Sakurai has outdone himself, and is in need of a well needed vacation. He has done an amazing job at trying his best at making every fan and every series present in this game feel loved. With all of that though I will be honored to give Super Smash Bros Ultimate an astounding score of a 9/10. Splitting each part up into its various categories the World of Light Story mode receives a not too shabby 8.5/10. This is because of the lack of platforming areas (tear) and for the lack of official lore or true story line which has left a lot of fans trying to actually deceivers what it means, me included (given my own interruption above). Then with the multiplayer section receiving an impressive 9.5/10. Only docking off points for the wonky rules section which could possibly be fixed in a later update.

Once again thank you very much for reading my update. If you actually succeeded in reading all of it. I apologize it was a bit long this time around, but there was a lot of content I had to cover. If you have any further comments or additions I may have missed please put them in the comments below or simply PM me. Again, I will state this every time, if anyone has any requests for anything they wish for me to review in the future please once again post them in the comments below or PM,

Finally, if anyone is interested you are welcome to join my discord server where we will talking about various anime, manga, video games, and other sources of media. I have posted the link below! :)

https://discord.gg/tvBR8Jn

2 notes · View notes

keegames · 7 years ago

Text

AAA Value vs. Focused Design, or The 3D Sonic Problem

I’ll not mince words: I’m a Sonic fan. Ever since I borrowed the Sonic & Knuckles Collection for our old PCs, I’ve loved what the hedgehog has brought to gaming. As it stands, however, Sonic has had a rocky history with his 3D games. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Unleashed, Colors, Generations, Lost World… even the best of these games have had glaring flaws, and the worst have been some of the most infamously bad games in gaming history. Still, you can always catch me anticipating the next adventure from the blue blur, as even his worst games provide ample material to analyze.

While I could write entire chapters on what works and what doesn’t in nearly all of these games from a design standpoint, I’ll instead cut to the chase and focus on the core problem that has plagued Sonic ever since his jump to 3D in 1999 (and, perhaps, even longer than that). Many of the series’s issues can be connected to a trend that goes far beyond Sonic or even SEGA.

Size, Replayability, and Value

When you look at modern big-budget single-player-only video games, one thing you might notice is that they’re all HUGE. Maybe they’re a 100-hour RPG, or maybe they’re a massive open world with tons of collectibles or side quests. Maybe they’re both! Whatever the case, single-player games have gotten bigger over the years. There always has to be more to do. This isn’t new, of course. Ever since the 16-bit era, the “game you can beat in an afternoon” has fallen by the wayside. It’s not shocking; games are expensive, after all. Games like Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past offered hours upon hours of gameplay before you would ever see the credits. The switch of games to 3D continued this trend; first time players will spend an incredibly long time getting the 70 Power Stars needed to reach Super Mario 64’s ending, much less nabbing all 120.

This transition to “bigger games” was, necessarily, a rejection of arcade design. Arcade games have to let more players play them in a short period of time, which is why many of them are difficult to learn or play, and also short to complete once learned. Arcade games derive their replay value from being difficult to master. This is also where the concept of “high scores” comes from; what better way to make players want to play again than clearly numerically rating their performance? Console games, however, did not have such design goals. Once a player purchased a console game, there was no more money involved, and a single copy was generally played for a long time by one or a few people. Innovations like the ability to save progress were also introduced to the design space, and data space became larger. Developers could now make every hour of a player’s time with the game different content, rather than expecting them to play the same thing over and over again.

However, with what was gained, something was, too, lost. The idea of playing the same content to improve your performance was lessened in importance. Scoring systems became irrelevant, and eventually disappeared altogether from many games. Many games nowadays don’t give any importance to a player’s performance at all beyond the basic level needed to complete the game. Gaming as a whole has a decidedly different mindset, thanks to this transition.

A Team Lost In Time

So, how does all this relate to Sonic? Let’s look at the original Sonic the Hedgehog, released in 1991. Sonic the Hedgehog has no save system, and it has 18 levels, each of which takes between 2 and 4 minutes to complete once a player can do so without dying. Super Mario World, a game with 72 levels with similar lengths of time taken to beat them, was released earlier. Sonic levels, however, offer something different. Most Super Mario World levels offer either a single path or a path that branches in a single spot, with the second path reached by performing a specific task. Many of Sonic the Hedgehog’s levels, however, have many different paths stacked on top of each other. Reaching them tends to require careful understanding of both the levels and of Sonic’s unique physics. Green Hill Zone, specifically, was designed with lots of ways to complete it, because the designers knew that it would be played every single time a player turned on the game. The series continued to build on its formula in its sequels, and even though a save feature was added in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the game didn’t come close to the size of some of the bigger games of the time without “locking on” with Sonic & Knuckles, which essentially combined two games into one continuous experience.

After the Genesis, Sonic Team took a break from Sonic, but their two Saturn games help our perspective on the current situation of the franchise. NiGHTS into Dreams… and Burning Rangers were both very short games in a gaming landscape increasingly intolerant of short games. In order to give those games replay value, Sonic Team introduced an innovation that would enter the Sonic series with Sonic Adventure 2: a grading system. Both games expected you to go back to them and improve at each individual stage until you could get an A rank on them all. While both of these games are cult classics, neither gained large popularity. So, with the Dreamcast, Sonic Team finally made the jump into modern game design.

Sonic Adventure was, for the time, a big game. With six separate stories, fully voiced, lengthy cutscenes, hub worlds, minigames, and a virtual pet system, Sonic Adventure had all the trappings of a modern console game. However, it wasn’t all good. The characters that weren’t Sonic tended to just use shorter versions of his levels for the most part, and much of their gameplay was half-baked. While the game’s sequel technically had every character’s every level be unique, many of them reused assets, and the flawed non-Sonic gameplay continued to put a damper on the game. As the Sonic series continued, the 3D games tried various ways to make them proper modern games in length, all of which ended up flawed. Even Sonic Colors, which had a singular gameplay style and was generally well-received, ended up reusing lots of level geometry with small alterations and additions in the form of easily repeatable objects like boxes and platforms. I think that Sonic Team could make a short 3D Sonic game where the replay value is focused on the ranking system and it would be of high-quality, but their need to live up to modern console game design standards inevitably hurts everything they produce.

It’s Not Their Fault (Entirely)

While there are definitely questionable decisions going into every 3D Sonic game, the crux of the matter is that the need for “big” games is killing the concept of shorter games that beg to be replayed, at least at the budget and price point of modern AAA video games. The concept of “content” is valued to an insane degree, and I think that that might be hurting the variety of games that get made. We’ve created a culture where seeing the credits or reaching “100% complete” is the end of a player’s experience with a single-player game, no matter what. A player is only expected to go back to a game until all of its content is exhausted, at which point it’s tossed aside for the next game. The drive of the industry towards “bigger and better” has conditioned consumers towards treating games as singular experiences. Consumers then feed this treatment back into the industry, demanding that games be bigger in a single playthrough instead of deeper in multiple. It’s possible that these desires have even contributed to the terrible working conditions in the gaming industry, where people have to work awful crunch hours to put together the gigantic AAA games that gamers and publishers demand.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of mastering something. A short game that encourages its players to master it causes said players to learn said game inside and out. It lets them get closer to the game, and to its developers. There’s an experience in plumbing the depths of a game that you don’t get from just playing once. I think it’s a worthwhile feeling for developers to chase, and it’s something that gets lost in our 80-hour open world single-completionist AAA game mindset.

Maybe I’m unusual. Maybe replaying a single-player game to get better at it is an extremely niche desire. Maybe nobody else would see a $60 value in a short, polished action game with scoring and gameplay systems meant to encourage replaying for the many hours that other games take to complete once. But if the market’s there, then it might be really helpful for developers, publishers, and consumers alike to let these ideas into their hearts. The hard-working folks in the industry might be able to have more time to themselves, publishers might have to spend less, and consumers might develop deeper attachments to their games.

And maybe, just maybe, Sonic Team would be able to put out an unequivocally great 3D Sonic game.

#game design #video games #sonic the hedgehog #video game design #gaming

14 notes · View notes