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Post by stuz359 on Sept 11, 2023 20:39:21 GMT
FFXVI - 8/10 Lots to like and dislike about the game but in the end I thought it was a strong entry in the series and probably the best since X. I wish they added a bit more customisation with your character and all the fetch quests needed binning but lots to like still, the story was generally decent, Cidolfus and Gav were great characters, the battle system is fantastic if a little repetitive and it looks absolutely stunning at times. Bring on XVII! Finished on Saturday night (exciting life). I'd go 9/10 just because I think it's the first FF that I haven't had to grind in, like, at all. I did all the side quests/hunts as they came so never felt under levelled. I think I died once when I came across a hunt target that was about ten levels above me. As you mention, the combat is a bit samey, but looks spectacular. You're not saving anything or holding back, you can just launch your most insane attacks at low level enemies and you start to feel sorry for them after a while. I think the story was great, I liked the characters, but I think I would have liked a bit more epilogue stuff. I think that the stiffness/woodenness of some (well, most) of the facial animation was a bit disappointing but understandable considering the amount of dialogue in the game. Anyway, off the back of this, I decided to try a new run of FF XV. Playing in back compat mode on PS5. I previously played it on the PC, but thought I'd check it out on PS5. Big mistake. Did it always run like a dog? I mean, it never hits 30FPS let alone anything above and the frame pacing just doesn't deliver a consistent experience. Apart from other glaring visual issues (I've been spoiled now) I don't think that I can continue with it. On PC, playing on a 1070, the picture is just so much better at 1080p and the framerate is more in the 60fps range with far superior shadows and LOD distance. A shame SE haven't patched it properly because it is actually a lovely looking game.
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Duffman5
Junior Member
big cook, little cook welcome to our cafe
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Post by Duffman5 on Sept 12, 2023 5:31:50 GMT
FFXVI - 8/10 Lots to like and dislike about the game but in the end I thought it was a strong entry in the series and probably the best since X. I wish they added a bit more customisation with your character and all the fetch quests needed binning but lots to like still, the story was generally decent, Cidolfus and Gav were great characters, the battle system is fantastic if a little repetitive and it looks absolutely stunning at times. Bring on XVII! Finished on Saturday night (exciting life). I'd go 9/10 just because I think it's the first FF that I haven't had to grind in, like, at all. I did all the side quests/hunts as they came so never felt under levelled. I think I died once when I came across a hunt target that was about ten levels above me. As you mention, the combat is a bit samey, but looks spectacular. You're not saving anything or holding back, you can just launch your most insane attacks at low level enemies and you start to feel sorry for them after a while. I think the story was great, I liked the characters, but I think I would have liked a bit more epilogue stuff. I think that the stiffness/woodenness of some (well, most) of the facial animation was a bit disappointing but understandable considering the amount of dialogue in the game. Anyway, off the back of this, I decided to try a new run of FF XV. Playing in back compat mode on PS5. I previously played it on the PC, but thought I'd check it out on PS5. Big mistake. Did it always run like a dog? I mean, it never hits 30FPS let alone anything above and the frame pacing just doesn't deliver a consistent experience. Apart from other glaring visual issues (I've been spoiled now) I don't think that I can continue with it. On PC, playing on a 1070, the picture is just so much better at 1080p and the framerate is more in the 60fps range with far superior shadows and LOD distance. A shame SE haven't patched it properly because it is actually a lovely looking game. Looking forward to getting this...once it hits £30 (I'm tight!) although I'm almost certain I will buy and then it will hit PS+ I enjoyed the demo, not a FF player, only ever playing FF15 but the fact this has real time combat is enough for me to want to play.
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hicksy
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I'm good for some but I'm not for everyone
Posts: 1,549
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Post by hicksy on Sept 12, 2023 5:58:13 GMT
FF XVI on poss-perma-hold for me…. Starfield, Cyberpunk & BG3 has outranked it so likely pick it back up in 2025 assuming there’s an rpg lull by then! It is impressive but the core gameplay unfortunately is very repetitive imo and not really hooking me like Starfield combat does…
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Post by Rubicon on Sept 12, 2023 8:43:18 GMT
27. F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch (PC Game Pass)
This was mentioned in the abandoned thread a couple of months back so I thought I'd give it a look.
It's a Metroidvania so comes with the caveat of lots of backtracking which I don't mind. Visually the game looks good and the voice acting put me in mind of a dubbed 70s martial arts film but is OK.
Its the combat where the game falls down and feels cumbersome and clunky. You'll be using the same basic combos throughout the entire game with anything more advanced leaving you exposed as heavier enemies can shrug off your attacks and still hit you. There is no real synergy between the different weapons and abilities you collect so I never veered from the opening punch/health flask as it seemed the most effective. None of this is helped by the fact there is no move list to glance at if your were wanting to try out a move and instead need to find a save point.
There are a few sections where the game turns to a platformer (and maybe what it should have been to begin with) which is where it works the best but the longer it went on the more irritated I was getting and was glad when it ended.
4/10
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dogbot
Full Member
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Post by dogbot on Sept 12, 2023 14:23:52 GMT
Disco Elysium First things first, I'd never even have heard of this if it wasn't for this place. I should probably read more. Well, that was fun. I really enjoyed it, the art style is beautiful, lovely narration, good story and a different sort of pace from most modern games, which was really nice... but I get the feeling I missed a lot and messed up quite a few bits more, despite trying to play it as a fairly straight good guy. And so, I'm left with a certain sense of loss, rather than of completion as I think it's set up to ensure you miss some things. Part of me wants to go back and have a less liberal, more gin soaked playthrough. But Baldur's Gate is calling. Solid 7.5/10, though. 7.5!!!!!!!!!! Ban pls Ok, ok. 8.5, just for you. I'm still pissed that you can't finish the shootout without someone dying.
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Post by Wizzard_Ook on Sept 12, 2023 16:09:34 GMT
The Witcher 3
Great. I originally brought this at launch and its only on the third attempt that I actually finished it. And I enjoyed it. Glad the mood struck to me to re-pick it up and start again. In hindsight it's not actually that long - playtime clocked in at 51 hours - I mainly kept to main missions and did all the main side missions that game up - which is a nice length for these types of games, and I feel a little foolish for dropping it at Kaer Morhen last time round.
Even being 8 years old (not me, the game - bloody hell time flies), it still stands up really well as an open world game. It looks great, but its atmosphere, characters, and writing are top notch, all combining to really pull the game along. You can make the game as wide or linear as you want. The set up is is terrific, the atmosphere of the game world really draws you in, making it feel like a world that is lived in. Over time it adds places, characters and lore, and layer by layer it draws you in deeper and deeper into the game. What is rare for a game, is that it actually repays you for all the time you spend exploring and talking - the game makes great effort to revisit these places and people, and I enjoyed the last act of the game where it ties up loose ends. Your time isn't wasted.
Combat is probably its weakest element - I don't really mind how it feels or plays out - it just that it gives you a lot of options like oils and signs to use but to be honest, you don't really have to use them. Ok signs are helpful, but you feel like it is something that could be in-depth but it's just pretty much hack n slash. Which is fine, it never really gets old and it's fun seeing limbs going everywhere - and I guess it never bogs the game down in any absurd difficulty spikes - it keeps the game moving along.
Like real life, I mucked up my romance options and ended up with no one. So hooray.
But yeah, good stuff. Great game. First time I blitzed the end of a game in aaagggess. Done the last 10 hours or so in the last two days. Rare I finish a game these days, so all though you feel like you're rushing the end game against your own better judgement, it's good to feel that need to finish something you're enjoying. Tempted to pick up a steam deck to play the previous two as well.
4.5/5
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cubby
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doesn't get subtext
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Post by cubby on Sept 12, 2023 18:23:35 GMT
So you were a slag like me then.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Sept 13, 2023 14:48:17 GMT
Infra (32 hours; The player takes the role of an infrastructure engineer running around in a variety of environments to determine the state of things, make photos of various problems and try to not get killed by the decrepit architecture before moving on to the next big environment.)
That took a while. Lots of puzzling in a variety of often extensive environments. Lots of walking back and forth, missing things and occasionally checking a walkthrough. It's a pretty impressive effort even if the signposting and the puzzles weren't always great. But just the sheer amount of architecture and all the details and easter eggs hidden everyhwere, even that alone must already have been an incredible amount of work.
It reminds me a of some other games like Black Mesa that obviously had a lot of ambition behind them, but also seem a bit too large for their own good. I got a bit frustrated once Part 3 started and the constant running around to find what actually matters and how to interact with everything, always takes a while. Sometimes yet another closed door or conveniently blocked passage just started to get on my nerves. Part of the issue is that it's not always clear what can be done and what needs to be done to move on. There seem to be a good amount of optional actions that can be taken, so that is just another aspect of the game that can lead to confusion.
Overall though it's a really impressive effort.
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Post by Samildanach on Sept 17, 2023 11:02:48 GMT
Time for more shmups...
Raiga Strato Fighter (Arcade) Feb '91 Great recent re-release in the Arcade Archives line that I couldn't pass up. A horizontal space shooter that is very approachable, as even someone with limited shmup skills would at least get to stage 3 first try. The levels involve an asteroid belt, a big battleship, a creepy bio-base (that has worm things that emit a weird goat noise), a metallic base formed of huge partially breakable columns and a space colony. The bosses are perhaps a little average, mainly coming as nondescript big metallic things with breakable parts, but the whole thing is kept amusing by the great firepower options of your ship and the well designed enemy placement and variation. It is a two loop game with the difficulty getting more significant by the second half of the second loop. I managed to get to 2-2's boss on one life before quickly chain-dying after that, but the 1cc was in the bag so I way happy. I can absolutely recommend this one as a hidden gem 4/5
Desert Breaker (Arcade) May '92 More of an overhead run and gun a la Mercs than a true shmup. Also it seems a bit unfinished with only three bases to assault, some poorly designed bits where you ride a vehicle and a bland final boss tank that feels.. well, not final bossy. I enjoyed it enough to complete one playthrough and it does have some good bits, but there are better games if this ilk to enjoy before one would bother trying to master this one. 2/5
Spriggan Mk2 (PC Engine) May '92 Compile's one and only horizontal shooter and it has nothing of the fun and quality of their other games. The graphics and music are rather pedestrian and the levels themselves rather drag due to the game throwing the same enemy type at you for far too long rather than mixing it up. The player has a big hitbox and will not be able to dodge all incoming shots, so to conpensate you have a life bar, always a sign of sloppy shmup design. As the game progresses you can add extra weapons to your arsenal at the bits between levels, but you never get the awesome maelstrom emitting arsenal of other Compile games. There are lots of cutscenes, often during levels pausing the unfortunately already rather turgid action, but they fortunately can be toggled off. All in all it is definitely the weakest shmup by Compile that I have played and one I won't bother returning to. 2/5
Andro Dunos (Neo Geo/Arcade) May '92 No this is the original, not the recent new one. A very traditional horizontal space shmup almost to a fault. The graphics are clean but a bit generic, the music is...fine. Gameplay is also a bit by the numbers with a ThunderForce-esq switching between weapons, only they all feel just a little limp. Difficulty is fine at first though it does get rather hard by stage 6. Part of this is due to its slightly problematic rank system which pushes the game up in difficulty infinitely every time you collect more than the very basic power ups, all the bonus pickups in a level or even with every use of your ship's power shot. It's a well made enough game despite what I said above, but I put it firmly in the middle of the pack/average camp. 3/5
Tatsujin Ou/Truxton II (Arcade) Jun '92 One of the most visually pleasing shmups of the era, with a fantastic soundtrack to boot, also being pretty much the hardest to complete one loop on a single credit. Although there are only six levels, they are all so long that a single perfect playthrough would take nearly an hour. The memorization, skill and unfortunately luck required to beat it is off the scale. It is notable that none of Toaplan's illustrious devs have till now stopped up to take the 'credit' for enemy placement/level design, since it is often brutally unfair. There are multiple places where the checkpoints are pretty much unrecoverable from unless you are a shmup god, again something that is not the case in their other games. It is a testament to the art direction, music and basic gameplay premise which makes the game still enjoyable despite the fact that most won't see half of it. I managed to 1cc to the second level only and save state spammed my way to the end. Dear God even that was near impossible! 3/5
Rayxanber III (PC Engine) Jun '92 I had really struggled to enjoy the second game in the series since it was so unfairly hard and not in a ridiculous yet oddly compelling way like Tatsujin Ou above. This final entry is a much better balanced game. Instead of defending against attacks by the evil Zoul empire, you are taking the fight to the Empire's heart. Stage 1 has you defending your mother ship as it approaches, before the rest of the game descends deeper and deeper into the Zoul Empire's planet. The graphics are very detailed despite being a bit samey in their browns and reds, but I didn't mind this since it gives a consistent tone to the location. The game may have needed bit longer in the oven however, since there are quite a few sections with detailed foreground and just black backgrounds. Also level 4 seemed a bit low on enemies, so is a slightly dull section before the madness of level 5 which happens to be the only actually difficult level. Stage 6 is just the final boss so it is quite a short game. Anyway althougn it is a little unfinished, I enjoyed it, especially the wonderful unique music that is typical for this series. 3/5
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wunty
Full Member
Pastry Forward
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Post by wunty on Sept 17, 2023 22:41:26 GMT
The Chant
Genuinely bloody well loved this. Looks like the devs just released some free DLC too. Really didn’t expect a great deal after reading a few middling reviews, but it was excellent and very much my type of game. Also, bonus points for the few puzzles not being too obtuse and the relatively brief run time of six hours. Meant it didn’t outstay it’s welcome.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Sept 17, 2023 23:32:17 GMT
Doom 3
Happy I replayed this. I remember enjoying it a lot but I think it has a fairly negative reputation which had informed my opinion of it a bit since
I can understand why people would be disappointed if they look at it as a sequel to Doom 2. Gameplay wise it isn't anything like that - it's Doom as a survival horror game and as that it's really very good
The Doom enemies and weapons are all iconic by this point and they're all here, along with all the satanic imagery, space marines, UAC, Mars, all that. It's Doom. And as much as I love Doom 2016 and Eternal, they still don't have the original Doom gameplay. So I think 3 is as legitimate a Doom game as any
It doesn't play like your typical id shooter. The weapons are tuned so you don't feel too powerful, weapon switching is slow, so is reloading, you move slow, can't run for long and if you want to use that shotgun, you're going to have to get right up close. This means, for me at least, I'm moving through the game cautiously, making sure to reload after every encounter, keeping the Plasma Gun handy in case of an ambush (and you will get jumped often) and learning exactly how many taps of the L and R buttons I need to switch to other weapons without having to think about it
The game uses monster closets and spawns enemies out of thin air whenever it feels like it or you have the audacity to pick up some ammo or health. This gives it an old school feel for me and is another thing that makes it feel like Doom. Over the course of the game you start to get a feel for what tricks the game is going pull. You know you're going to get punished for picking up that ammo, you hear enemies spawning and know to look behind you, notice the gaps in the walls the skelespiders are going to crawl out from. There's a real connection with the people who made the game and the player. They've set all these traps for you. It's sometihng you don't really get with modern shooters. You can argue the monster closets don't make any sense in universe or are cheap but I love em
Absolutely love the environmental design. It's all so claustrophobic, like you're walking through dark industrial caves. Even without all the demons it would be creepy being there. Then later on when you finally get near the surface and some windows, you get the orange light from Mars and it just feels great. All the gore and evil shenanigans that start to encroach on the facility towards the end, and Hell itself, are similarly brilliant. The art direction is so on point (as it is with all id's stuff)
Sound design is also excellent. There's some really tense sections with all sorts of creepy noises around you and although the game probably will throw something at you, it doesn't always. There were a few times when I'd just stand still looking in different directions or backing up because I got spooked by something. The audio logs are also great. Love finding and listening to them
It all culminates at the dig site and a really strong build up to the finale that gave me serious Hellraiser vibes. Candles everywhere, brick walls shifting around you as you pass through, mangled bodies writhing on the walls. Just evil
It's a good game
Also, as an aside, the PDA you find in a secret area before the final boss reads quite a bit differently after all that's come out about development crunch since. A lot of the messages talk about late nights, working weekends and not seeing their families
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Post by Danno on Sept 17, 2023 23:34:33 GMT
Lovely write up, very tempted
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Post by Aunt Alison on Sept 17, 2023 23:36:04 GMT
It is a bit of a wanky review, but I really enjoyed it, man. Hyped
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wunty
Full Member
Pastry Forward
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Post by wunty on Sept 18, 2023 6:31:39 GMT
It’s always been my favourite Doom
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Post by dfunked on Sept 18, 2023 10:03:20 GMT
Starfield - 8/10 I very nearly gave it up during those absolutely abysmal opening few hours, but ended up glad that I stuck with it. Very few bugs encountered which was a pleasant surprise for a Bethesda game at launch, mostly just NPCs acting a bit weird or my companion's head disappearing, although I realise I was probably just luckier than some. The story is actually pretty good when it gets going (utterly lazy opening aside), with a couple of cracking missions towards the end the NASA base on earth was a great reveal and the entanglement one was quite creative, although the latter overstayed it's welcome I can totally see why someone else would give it lower score, but for me it scratched an itch perfectly despite the inevitable jank, outdated mechanics and creaking engine. Started NG+ and I can't decide if I'll carry on with that, load an older save or just call it a day for now.
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harrypalmer
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GREAT ASS
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Post by harrypalmer on Sept 18, 2023 10:42:17 GMT
NORCO (Steam deck) - 9/10
Pixel-art point and click similar in tone to Disco Elysium. Set during or shortly after the climate emergency, there's weird shit going on, and you're embroiled in a classic noir who-dun-what.
It looks stunning, and the music slaps! It's relatively linear and logical for a point n click but there are moments of frustration. I found the ending really emotional so it's definitely worth sticking with, and it's only about 5 hrs long.
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Post by rhaegyr on Sept 18, 2023 11:00:12 GMT
NORCO (Steam deck) - 9/10 Pixel-art point and click similar in tone to Disco Elysium. Set during or shortly after the climate emergency, there's weird shit going on, and you're embroiled in a classic noir who-dun-what. It looks stunning, and the music slaps! It's relatively linear and logical for a point n click but there are moments of frustration. I found the ending really emotional so it's definitely worth sticking with, and it's only about 5 hrs long. Currently playing this, only about 30 mins in, good to hear a positive write-up (and that it's fairly short).
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Sept 18, 2023 13:57:51 GMT
Weird West (28 hours; top-down immersive sim, the player switches between five different characters and travels in a fairly big world while advancing the story, potentially lots of side content):
I don't know where to start, but overall I liked it well enough. Mostly due to the story, atmosphere and simulation. I didn't experiment that much, but there are clearly a lot of things that matter to how things play out in various situations. Molotovs setting the landscape ablaze, rolling to extinguish the burning character, knocking down things accidentally alerting enemies at a reasonable distance, being able to lockpick or break down or burn doors, lightning being an actual thing, NPCs turning lamps back on or going to sleep during the night, various decisions having fairly impactful consequences from one character journey to the next... there are really a lot of moving pieces.
The soundtrack was the main reason why this one has a good amount of atmosphere in my opinion. At least for me it worked quite well. The various sound cues when interacting with menus or getting messages, finishing missions and so on, seemed a little reminiscent of Dishonored and it contributed to the overall good feel of the game as well.
The story has a mystery woven throughout the individual stories of the five characters, but they still are part of a different narrative context each time so that it doesn't feel forced. There are occasional encounters and recurring characters that keep reminding you of the overall story though. Ind the end everything was wrapped up neatly in a way that wasn't surprising, but made sense and there are also a number of short ending slides.
The open world was fascinating in terms of how much there was. I'm sure that many of them are merely bandits to bounty hunt or somewhat randomly generated towns, but I also ran into some side locations that do a good amount of world building and they seemed completely optional.
The controls aren't great. It's fine for stealth and basic interaction, but trying to throw something in a certain direction and distance was almost impossible to do quickly during combat. There are also bullet sponges quite often and especially early on it's quite easy to die. (Edit: Forgot to say that part of the problem is that each character has a few exclusive skills, so getting used to that in the few hours you spend with them, can be difficult.)
I also had some pretty random performance troubles, so that didn't help my enjoyment, but it's still another good game that I'd recommend.
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Post by privatefloyd on Sept 18, 2023 17:30:23 GMT
Sea of Stars
Took a punt on this on the switch having had a quick vacay to South Africa.
Really really got its hooks into me. Great story, great combat and some of the artwork was stunning. One scene in particular at a pivotal point in the plot was amazing.
An easy 9/10 for me. 28 hours through to completion with a couple of side quests left to do.
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Tomo
Junior Member
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Post by Tomo on Sept 18, 2023 17:32:57 GMT
I started Norco a few months back and it's definitely an interesting game but found I really needed to be in the mood for it. It's a lot weirder than Disco, which is saying something, and doesn't have the same level of comedy, but the writing is still good nonetheless. I'll get back to it eventually.
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malek86
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Pomegranate Deseeder
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Post by malek86 on Sept 18, 2023 20:37:37 GMT
Teslagrad 2 (PC)
Whereas the first game was overly physics-based, often to the detriment of the game flow, this sequel tries to fix the issue by focusing more on fast traversal skills. It doesn't quite manage, since the controls are still pretty fiddly, but it's an improvement. This time around the story is more confusing, and the cards that explain it are pretty well hidden... together with the usual lack of fast travel (there is a traversal skill that lets you move between areas pretty quickly, but it still relies on you knowing the way around), it doesn't encourage you to explore much past the main path.
It does look nice, and special mention to the soundtrack too, which is pretty impressive. Worth playing just for some of that nordish folk-style music.
7/10
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Post by Nanocrystal on Sept 20, 2023 6:24:28 GMT
Returnal (PS5)
Just unlocked the "secret" ending. This was excellent. The combat is tight as a drum, the movement is super responsive and the guns feel great with excellent feedback (particularly audio and controller rumble). Initially I found the game very difficult as I'm not generally a fan of fast paced combat or bullet hell games, and I was almost put off by the rogue-lite nature of losing everything when you die. However, the progress you make is perfectly balanced, what little you do get to keep makes a big difference. But the most important thing that rolls over is your ability to play the game - your muscle memory, your knowledge of which guns, traits, power ups and consumables you prefer, your spatial awareness of the various maps, and your understanding of the enemies and their behaviour. By the end I was actually finding the game maybe a bit too easy if anything. The story was suprisingly well told and poignant, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more of a positive resolution at the end. Shout out also to the art design which was wonderful throughout.
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Ulythium
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Lily-livered
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Post by Ulythium on Sept 22, 2023 22:28:58 GMT
Persona 5 Strikers.
My initial impression of this game was, "What if Persona, but Dynasty Warriors?"... and while that's a tad simplistic, it's also pretty accurate.
In fairness to Atlus and Omega Force, though, this is a really good amalgamation of the two franchises.
The hack and slash combat seemed kind of one-dimensional at first, but it actually has a surprising amount of depth, courtesy of the elements borrowed from Persona; indeed, I (perhaps heretically) preferred it to P5's turn-based system by quite some distance.
At approximately 40 hours in length, it's a fair bit longer than your average Dynasty Warriors game, and a *hell* of a lot shorter than Persona 5 - the Persona aspects keep you invested in the story, while the Warriors aspects keep dungeon exploration exciting throughout.
Although the writing, acting, music, art style, etc. are all awesome, as you'd expect, I didn't like the narrative quite as much as that of Royal.
The lack of social sim elements, while understandable in such a stripped-down game, was kind of disappointing - all those hours spent wooing Ann in P5R, and now she only likes me as a friend. I have real life for that, Atlus!
Also, as this is very much a Persona game with Warriors-esque combat (rather than the other way around), boss fights tend to be too long and attritional. It's less of a tedious ballache to chip away at a tanky enemy's massive HP bar in real-time than when you're picking attacks from a menu while trying to stay awake, but I still could've done with fewer protracted fights.
Even so, I had a very good time indeed with this, and can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who might be interested.
8/10.
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Post by dfunked on Sept 23, 2023 9:30:59 GMT
I bounced off the combat in that pretty hard, and the presentation felt a bit too Aldi P5 at times (the menus for example just didn't have that slickness) I should really give it a proper chance though as I barely scratched the surface.
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Ulythium
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Lily-livered
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Post by Ulythium on Sept 23, 2023 10:14:43 GMT
dfunkedHow far in did you get, out of interest? I thought the first few hours were a bit of a slog, although I'm not sure whether that was because I'd finished Persona 5 Royal about eight days before starting Strikers and felt a bit P5'd out. The story doesn't really get underway until the gang hits the road. Combat-wise, it starts out pretty button-mashy and struggled to keep my interest at first; however, I eventually found a rhythm and started to have fun. All the P5 elements included (Personas, Baton Passes, One Mores, All-Out Attacks, Showtimes, etc.) really helped in that regard, and it became much less of a 'mash square to win' simulator as a result.
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lukasz
New Member
Meat popsicle
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Post by lukasz on Sept 23, 2023 11:50:39 GMT
I did world conquer in Empire total war. steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3039878369I got the game on release, even preordered it in box and everything. Played for some time but really only in 2013 I sat down and completed the whole 100 years. Did that as India. every few years I would come back to the game play 20min only to gave up. but always wanted to replay it. so finally did. Managed world conquer with Poland. Last few hours was just autoresolve most battles only did those difficult ones where AI would make me lose terribly or quick tiny ones where AI loses soldiers for some reason. Great "epic" game. 3 different theaters of war. battles on the sea (although they are super slow), nice explosions when a shell lands perfectly in the enemy formation. So now I can try shogun 1 again.
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Post by dfunked on Sept 23, 2023 13:45:47 GMT
Ulythium probably only a couple of hours in in fairness, so not really giving it a proper chance. Can't even remember where the story got to. Think I'll give it a go next.
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apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,502
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Post by apollo on Sept 24, 2023 12:18:00 GMT
Starfield - 6/10
Strange game as its very average quest design but I kept on playing. (ingame timer says over 2 days) I think having on gamepass is the reason I kept playing. I was not expecting a more shallow fallout 4 style quest design. At the core there is a building blocks of great game but like F4 there is fake sense of doing what you want. it would be nice to say wipe out one faction and if that means it fails the rest of the missions for eg CF, thats fine if it means I can take over as leader. The shooting a is a lot better and good thing as its more of FPS than RPG at times. Bland dialogue, meh faction quests and companions, fallnout new vegas craps on this game in all 3 things. I know modders will fix anything (including ugly npcs) but the studio keeps making the fans do it.
It does stuff well like ship building, combat, loot and building stuff (better than the crap in fallout 4 = which felt like a hack/bad fan mod) Everytime the studio makes a new game, it seems to be a step back in RPG stuff, makes you wonder what Elder scrolls 6 will be like
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richardiox
Junior Member
Semi proficient
Posts: 1,591
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Post by richardiox on Sept 24, 2023 12:43:16 GMT
Elder Scrolls 6 will have entirely linear level/stage progression in the vein of Super Mario Bros. World 1-1: Tutorial. To mitigate the fans predictable frustration they will try to keep the load times under 30seconds.
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Post by dangerousdave on Sept 24, 2023 21:53:11 GMT
Resident Evil: Village (Series X)
This is the first time I have finished the game myself, but I did ‘help’ my partner with some of the scarier or trickier bits of her playthrough when it first came out.
Coming straight from the remake of Resident Evil 4, this did feel a lot more rigid to play. A big part of that was my choice of camera angle. The £15 over the shoulder camera works very well, but the game is still designed with first person in mind, so the environments are far more cramped. Movement feels stiffer, because the animation looks stiff, and you’re still expected to look up or down at interactive objects, as if you were still playing in first person.
The game clearly takes a lot of influence from RE4, what with the Village, Castle, mines and travelling merchant, but the silliness is dialed up much further. The story is completely naff. Chris has no reason to be secretive. Ethan’s continued shock at everything happening around him, especially after the events of RE7, is really annoying. The villains, at least the ladies, are all one dimensional. Cackling nut bags with an obsessive anger.
In regards to the gameplay though, it’s solid. Nothing compares to the house in 7, but the game doesn’t drop off a cliff like that one, either. At no point did the game feel like it was dragging and I enjoyed hunting out all the treasures and cooking the meals.
The combat is quite flat compared to the remakes of 2 and 4 though. Until I got quite far in with the weapon upgrades, I was just counting off the number of shots it would take to down the weaker enemies, which I could pull into narrow corridors and pick off one by one. I also defeated a couple of tougher enemies very quickly, seemingly avoiding what I imagine was meant to be a tense game of hide and seek. Overall, this is probably the easiest game in the series, on the standard difficulty at least. I think I died just twice in this one, compared to around 20 in RE4.
Not sure how I’d rate it on an EG scale. Perhaps 3/5? I prefer it to 7 and 5, but it’s definitely not as strong as the original 4, Revelations, or the remakes of 2 and 4.
Now I have to choose between the remake of RE 3 or the Seperate Ways DLC of 4.
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