Tuffty
Junior Member
Posts: 3,427
Member is Online
|
Post by Tuffty on Jan 10, 2024 10:27:17 GMT
Dicey Dungeons - 9/10
Looking for a phone game to wittle away some of my time at, I was directed towards Dicey Dungeons and yeah this might be one of the best phone games ever. To put it simply, it's a roguelite with turn based combat using dice rolls. You pick a class which has their own unique abilities and progress through fights on a simple grid map. They have equipment and abilities to use which is determined by dice rolls. Some abilities are just as straightforward as rolling the dice and whatever number you get becomes the damage you do to the enemy, but some other abilities require you to roll a specific number, or an odd or even, or big damage abilities require a total point value to commit dice values too. To help with this, each class can allow you to manipulate dice rolls to some degree, the Fighter for example allows you to reroll dice 3 times per turn or the Thief can use an enemy ability. There's 6 classes in all, one of which I haven't unlocked yet, but they all have different playstyles. The Robot for example is about building up the total of your dice rolls to reach a target value and upon reaching it you get more actions to commit per turn, otherwise going over it will cause you to lose the turn. The roguelite elements come into play with acquiring different equipment, shops, enemies, status effects etc. Each campaign takes about 30-60 mins give or take which you can quit and come back to at any point. It's pretty easy to grasp and becomes very addictive very quickly. Beating the first dungeon as any character will then unlock the ability to replay an episode with different caveats that's unique to each class e.g. your max HP is dropped each time you level up, but you have a weapon that can heal you with each attack.
I really have enjoyed playing this game immensely. Haven't even mentioned the charming artstyle and the soundtrack is really fantastic too. There's not much else to this game, it's not the deepest roguelite ever but what it does do is very polished and fun to play. It's available on consoles and PC as well, but it's the perfect game to have on your phone I find. It's £4 and is a complete game, no gacha or ads involved, it's easy and fun to just pick up and play a camapign for 30 mins. Also includes a whole bunch of additional content as DLC as well so it's pretty content heavy.
|
|
wunty
Full Member
Pastry Forward
Posts: 6,404
|
Post by wunty on Jan 11, 2024 10:35:27 GMT
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Finally finished this off last night. Easily my least favourite of the Amnesias and you can tell it was a Chinese Room game. I happen to love EGttR but I don't think they were a good fit for an Amnesia game. The lack of decent puzzles, lack of monster encounters barring about three, the infinite fuel lantern and the slower pace really hurt it, and it was just so dark all the time. I know that's an odd thing to levy at an Amnesia game but in the other games there was a more pronounced difference between the light and the darkness. This is just dim and dark the entire time because the ambient light is so weak and your lantern is so weak. It's dark for the sake of it.
That said I liked the story and the resolution, and the general atmosphere was suitably grim. Overall though I can't say it was a particularly satisfying experience.
Sausages / 100
|
|
|
Post by harrypalmer on Jan 11, 2024 10:47:01 GMT
Mmm sausages.
Doom (1993) - 10/10
Newsflash: Doom is a really good game!
I was too scared to play it back in the day, my 10 year old brain couldn't deal with it. Which is quite cute to imagine now as god knows what my son will be playing at that age (probably Doom).
But anyway, it holds up amazingly well - it's a purely great game. The sound, music and level design are god tier. It's fun and difficult and still feels really fresh. Praise be.
|
|
|
Post by dfunked on Jan 11, 2024 11:04:09 GMT
I've tried to get into it on Xbox a few times recently but it just doesn't click on a controller now despite playing the SNES version back in the day.
Masters of Doom is well worth a read if you want a bit of history behind the development. It's a surprisingly wild ride for a book about two game developers!
|
|
|
Post by harrypalmer on Jan 11, 2024 11:18:56 GMT
|
|
|
Post by simple on Jan 11, 2024 11:43:21 GMT
I’ll second Masters of Doom being a really good read.
Doom is one of those games that just distils the purity of its experience like few others. Its such a rare thing, Tetris, Pacman, maybe a Super Mario game? Just every single part of it clicks in perfect harmony.
|
|
rhaegyr
Junior Member
Posts: 3,393
Member is Online
|
Post by rhaegyr on Jan 11, 2024 11:57:54 GMT
Super Mario World for sure.
|
|
apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,497
Member is Online
|
Post by apollo on Jan 11, 2024 11:59:14 GMT
Mechwarrior 5 (gamepass)
Shame its not a really good game as when it works well, flattening buildings and wiping out mechs its good but the problem is the lack of type of missions and of course they pad out the game with XP level gating for lot of Act 2 missions. Been told the PC ver has loads of mods to improve the game but it shouldn't be down to modders to fix your game
Its quite fun getting new mechs and adding new weapons - building your fleet of mercs. The friendly AI is dumb as rocks and will often walk in front of you when shooting and they moan about friendly fire. Also the lack of presentation is another factor, its barebones, don't need FMV cutscenes but what is on offer here is basic as fuck
6/10
|
|
|
Post by Aunt Alison on Jan 11, 2024 12:45:47 GMT
Doom plays great with a controller. Haven't had any problems with it wuntyI really like A Machine for Pigs - it's the only Amnesia game I really like. I've never liked the sanity or light mechanics in A Dark Descent and the puzzles aren't exactly interesting. AMfP just has a great atmosphere and story and I feel like I can just enjoy it without constantly looking for tinder boxes and oil or worrying about a meter I didn't get on with Rebirth - just couldn't stand the writing. Hate it when there's characters in something and all they do is go on and on about how much they love each other, as if it's all they ever talk about. The woman comes across more like her husband's mother or carer than wife as well. It doesn't sound like he could do anything without her constant reassurance Also really don't like how they deal with death in their games by progressing you forward. That's not how that should work, even AMfP does it. Found it confusing and it means you miss parts of the game if you die. Always feel like they're desperately afraid of people becoming frustrated for even a second SOMA is easily their best game (still has a weird death mechanic). Haven't played The Bunker (yet, maybe) (Think I needed to get some of that off my chest)
|
|
|
Post by simple on Jan 11, 2024 12:56:28 GMT
I played the shit out of PS1 Doom but looking back on it triangle feels like an mad choice for a default fire button.
On modern standardised button mapping it works great for me.
|
|
wunty
Full Member
Pastry Forward
Posts: 6,404
|
Post by wunty on Jan 11, 2024 13:03:11 GMT
Doom plays great with a controller. Haven't had any problems with it wunty I really like A Machine for Pigs - it's the only Amnesia game I really like. I've never liked the sanity or light mechanics in A Dark Descent and the puzzles aren't exactly interesting. AMfP just has a great atmosphere and story and I feel like I can just enjoy it without constantly looking for tinder boxes and oil or worrying about a meter I didn't get on with Rebirth - just couldn't stand the writing. Hate it when there's characters in something and all they do is go on and on about how much they love each other, as if it's all they ever talk about. The woman comes across more like her husband's mother or carer than wife as well. It doesn't sound like he could do anything without her constant reassurance Also really don't like how they deal with death in their games by progressing you forward. That's not how that should work, even AMfP does it. Found it confusing and it means you miss parts of the game if you die. Always feel like they're desperately afraid of people becoming frustrated for even a second SOMA is easily their best game (still has a weird death mechanic). Haven't played The Bunker (yet, maybe) (Think I needed to get some of that off my chest) See it was the matches / tinderbox stuff I missed. I do think the stroy in AMfP is a strong point, I just didn't quite gel with the rest of it.
Don't mind the dying mechanics due to having much more limited game time and I'd just rather get through games now, but a few years back it would have irked me.
That said. If you want to be punished for death and to have no sanity mechanics, play The Bunker. When I say punished, I mean punished. Run out of fuel? Tough shit. Lost 20 minutes progress from the save room? Tough shit. It's brilliant.
Agree on Soma though. Not just their best game, but one of the best games ever.
|
|
|
Post by theguy on Jan 11, 2024 16:05:18 GMT
Lair of the Clockwork God
You control both a platformer character and a point and click character. One refuses to jump, the other refuses to interact, but you tackle levels together. It's filled with meta jokes on videogames and humour that's actually quite funny in general which is impressive in itself. A lot of games that try to be funny miss the mark, especially with meta jokes. So I was definitely entertained in that regard.
But as for the gameplay itself. It's a mixed bag. The platforming is quite mediocre, rote and often joyless. There's not much to say on it. The point and click stuff fares better, some puzzles are quite good, but I felt other weren't exactly the logical route. They weren't too obtuse or deliberately nonsensical, you can get there. I don't know, maybe I was just shit at it, but I often didn't feel the satisfaction of having things coming together like you do in other point and clicks. I just didn't enjoy it much, sometimes I felt more I was solving things just because I'm supposed to rather than because it was engaging to.
Had some issues other issues like with the art where sometimes it didn't feel all that obvious what can and can't be interacted with and what's important. I'm not expecting great big shiny markers, but it's just not really fun being stuck on a puzzle because what you assumed were background beer kegs were actually explosive barrels to interact with. (Explosive barrels should always be red in games, everyone knows that. Yes they said danger on them but I sit away and with the pixel art could not read it. No it's not my fault. It's the game. Shut up.) Also with some solutions being outside the box and the humour, it's a little annoying discerning what's actually a hint and what's just a joke. Juggling the characters is a pain too sometimes despite tools to help with it.
So yeah, funny game, ok gameplay. I had higher hopes with the concept.
|
|
|
Post by pierrepressure on Jan 11, 2024 16:15:52 GMT
I played the shit out of PS1 Doom but looking back on it triangle feels like an mad choice for a default fire button. On modern standardised button mapping it works great for me. PS1 Doom player here too. I don't even remember triangle being fire, though it might be that I was far less inclined to notice stuff like that back then as I'd barely played a FPS before.
|
|
Ulythium
Full Member
Lily-livered
Posts: 6,785
Member is Online
|
Post by Ulythium on Jan 11, 2024 22:53:34 GMT
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Received wisdom - or at least, the 'wisdom' I somehow received prior to playing Wo Long - is that it's Team Ninja's answer to Sekiro.
My initial reaction upon playing it for the first time was, "It's Nioh 3 in all but name, and not as good as 1 or 2."
Each of these pithy little summaries is both true and false, in roughly equal measure.
Yes, Wo Long is quite Sekiro-esque - it's a third-person melee action game with a heavy emphasis on parrying enemy attacks, and compared to the devs' previous work, it's a fairly stripped-down affair. However, it leans much more heavily on its RPG aspects than Sekiro does, and its combat system is more 'arcadey' than Sekiro's. (It's also considerably easier, which can be good or bad depending upon one's point of view.)
Yes, Wo Long could probably have been marketed as Nioh 3, had Koei Tecmo felt so inclined, and I doubt anyone would've complained all that much; however, I rescind my assertion that it's "not as good" as its predecessors, as I feel it's better in one key regard (combat), and slightly worse in all others (level design, narrative, enemy variety, etc.).
If Team Ninja get the chance to make Wo Long 2, I think it could be something very special indeed, and I hope the somewhat tepid reaction to this game didn't scupper the chances of a sequel.
In any event, I'm looking forward immensely to Rise of the Ronin - perhaps that'll be the point at which the studio's output* goes from 'Very Good' to 'Great.'
For now, though, I'm going to give Wo Long the same score as Nioh and Nioh 2...
8/10.
* Disclaimer: I haven't (yet) played Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Part of me is tempted to embrace the insanity and KILL CHAOS, while the rest of me takes one look at the goofy-ass game and wants to run a mile in the opposite direction.
|
|
|
Post by Aunt Alison on Jan 11, 2024 23:35:48 GMT
Is it more goofy than Devil May Cry?
|
|
Ulythium
Full Member
Lily-livered
Posts: 6,785
Member is Online
|
Post by Ulythium on Jan 12, 2024 0:22:03 GMT
It looks about *as* goofy as Devil May Cry, but without the knowing wink that suggests the devs are in on the joke.
Maybe as goofy as DMC2, I suppose, dour and humourless as that game was.
|
|
|
Post by Nanocrystal on Jan 12, 2024 3:10:29 GMT
Dicey Dungeons - 9/10 Looking for a phone game to wittle away some of my time at, I was directed towards Dicey Dungeons and yeah this might be one of the best phone games ever. To put it simply, it's a roguelite with turn based combat using dice rolls. You pick a class which has their own unique abilities and progress through fights on a simple grid map. They have equipment and abilities to use which is determined by dice rolls. Some abilities are just as straightforward as rolling the dice and whatever number you get becomes the damage you do to the enemy, but some other abilities require you to roll a specific number, or an odd or even, or big damage abilities require a total point value to commit dice values too. To help with this, each class can allow you to manipulate dice rolls to some degree, the Fighter for example allows you to reroll dice 3 times per turn or the Thief can use an enemy ability. There's 6 classes in all, one of which I haven't unlocked yet, but they all have different playstyles. The Robot for example is about building up the total of your dice rolls to reach a target value and upon reaching it you get more actions to commit per turn, otherwise going over it will cause you to lose the turn. The roguelite elements come into play with acquiring different equipment, shops, enemies, status effects etc. Each campaign takes about 30-60 mins give or take which you can quit and come back to at any point. It's pretty easy to grasp and becomes very addictive very quickly. Beating the first dungeon as any character will then unlock the ability to replay an episode with different caveats that's unique to each class e.g. your max HP is dropped each time you level up, but you have a weapon that can heal you with each attack. I really have enjoyed playing this game immensely. Haven't even mentioned the charming artstyle and the soundtrack is really fantastic too. There's not much else to this game, it's not the deepest roguelite ever but what it does do is very polished and fun to play. It's available on consoles and PC as well, but it's the perfect game to have on your phone I find. It's £4 and is a complete game, no gacha or ads involved, it's easy and fun to just pick up and play a camapign for 30 mins. Also includes a whole bunch of additional content as DLC as well so it's pretty content heavy. Second this, been playing it on Switch and it's a delight. Think I paid about $4 for it, an absolute steal.
|
|
malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,170
|
Post by malek86 on Jan 12, 2024 16:19:56 GMT
Lair of the Clockwork God
You control both a platformer character and a point and click character. One refuses to jump, the other refuses to interact, but you tackle levels together. It's filled with meta jokes on videogames and humour that's actually quite funny in general which is impressive in itself. A lot of games that try to be funny miss the mark, especially with meta jokes. So I was definitely entertained in that regard. But as for the gameplay itself. It's a mixed bag. The platforming is quite mediocre, rote and often joyless. There's not much to say on it. The point and click stuff fares better, some puzzles are quite good, but I felt other weren't exactly the logical route. They weren't too obtuse or deliberately nonsensical, you can get there. I don't know, maybe I was just shit at it, but I often didn't feel the satisfaction of having things coming together like you do in other point and clicks. I just didn't enjoy it much, sometimes I felt more I was solving things just because I'm supposed to rather than because it was engaging to. Had some issues other issues like with the art where sometimes it didn't feel all that obvious what can and can't be interacted with and what's important. I'm not expecting great big shiny markers, but it's just not really fun being stuck on a puzzle because what you assumed were background beer kegs were actually explosive barrels to interact with. (Explosive barrels should always be red in games, everyone knows that. Yes they said danger on them but I sit away and with the pixel art could not read it. No it's not my fault. It's the game. Shut up.) Also with some solutions being outside the box and the humour, it's a little annoying discerning what's actually a hint and what's just a joke. Juggling the characters is a pain too sometimes despite tools to help with it. So yeah, funny game, ok gameplay. I had higher hopes with the concept. I love LotCG. Mostly because I think its humor and jokes are good enough that they make up for the rest of the game being relatively average (if not worse, thinking about the platform sections). It's one of those games that just manages to be consistently funny, and somehow does so while making it look like the easiest thing in the world. That said, the point and click bits are pretty decent too. I like for example how there isn't really a default answer to anything - any combination of items you try, Ben will have a specific response to it.
|
|
|
Post by theguy on Jan 13, 2024 12:37:40 GMT
I love LotCG. Mostly because I think its humor and jokes are good enough that they make up for the rest of the game being relatively average (if not worse, thinking about the platform sections). It's one of those games that just manages to be consistently funny, and somehow does so while making it look like the easiest thing in the world. That said, the point and click bits are pretty decent too. I like for example how there isn't really a default answer to anything - any combination of items you try, Ben will have a specific response to it. That was the thing for me though. It felt often like I was doing the gameplay bits more just to get to the funny writing bits than having fun with the gameplay itself. There is a lot of effort in it, I think I must have tried pissing on every character just to see the responses. There were bits that I quite liked to be fait, just a lot I felt nothing or negatively towards.
|
|
apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,497
Member is Online
|
Post by apollo on Jan 13, 2024 15:06:56 GMT
star trek resurgence
Its like a star trek telltale game (sure its ex telltale staff or at least some of them) You can tell the people that made it, like the show TNG era and not the awful STD/bad robot era of the show. The only downside of the game is, its action parts are awful, its like a ps2 era shovelware game when you have to shoot from cover, its really shit. If you fail (as the controls are crap) you can re-do the scene with no fail mode, it feels like they added it as its shoddy. Also runs a bit crap even on series x. Its like the gameplay has not evolved since the TWD games. Few of the main characters look decent, some of the NPC look bad and very shiny faces like 360 era game
The story is decent apart although the crystal weapon that can take over anyone and any tech felt like lazy way to do like a borg idea I would love to see a game like this (but better) based on The Orville or another one with this crew
7/10
|
|
malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,170
|
Post by malek86 on Jan 14, 2024 8:50:58 GMT
Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight (Saturn)
Good old Symphony of the Night. This is the japanese Saturn version, translated and patched for performance improvements. It's still good, of course. But I hadn't played in a while, and its design faults kinda show. Biggest problem is that, while the first half is great, the inverted castle really sucks. The levels were very obviously not made for that kind of traversal, so there are tons of platforms that are juuuust an inch too high even with double jump, forcing you to move around in bat form almost all the time. Tons of annoying enemies too... even if by that point you probably won't die much. So they are just annoying, not dangerous. And would it have killed them to just reuse the original music for each area?
The Saturn version isn't too different from the PS1 aside from a boss fight with Maria and some annoying new areas. Best thing is that you get to dash with Alucard once you reach the inverted castle... shame that, as I said, you need to transform into a bat almost all the time anwyay.
So... a classic to be sure, but only half of it. The patch improves load times and adds a translation, but the Saturn version is missing some graphical effects, and the new areas aren't great, so I'm not sure about this being the definitive version of the game.
7/10
|
|
Tomo
Junior Member
Posts: 3,256
|
Post by Tomo on Jan 14, 2024 10:36:12 GMT
I've got Dicey Dungeons and played it bit but found it bit slight and underwhelming tbh. That saiddd, as a mobile game I could see it being a good fit.
On a related note - what are yous guys favourite mobile game recommendations? I mean good by gaming standards, not just 'good for mobile'. Every year or so I have a look and can never really tell.
|
|
richardiox
Junior Member
Semi proficient
Posts: 1,588
Member is Online
|
Post by richardiox on Jan 14, 2024 11:43:50 GMT
I've got Dicey Dungeons and played it bit but found it bit slight and underwhelming tbh. That saiddd, as a mobile game I could see it being a good fit. On a related note - what are yous guys favourite mobile game recommendations? I mean good by gaming standards, not just 'good for mobile'. Every year or so I have a look and can never really tell. I've racked up an ungodly amount of hours on the mobile version of Vampire Survivors. It's free too.
|
|
malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,170
|
Post by malek86 on Jan 14, 2024 11:52:40 GMT
I've got Dicey Dungeons and played it bit but found it bit slight and underwhelming tbh. That saiddd, as a mobile game I could see it being a good fit. On a related note - what are yous guys favourite mobile game recommendations? I mean good by gaming standards, not just 'good for mobile'. Every year or so I have a look and can never really tell. It depends on what you like, I guess? Last year I really enjoyed Candies and Curses, which is basically a single screen roguelite action platformer. When you get into the heat of things, it's good fun. It's F2P, but has some permanent upgrades that cost money (usually for doubling the amount of xp you get), and I guess that's better than consumables or energy systems. Anyway... I have some wallet money burning a hole in my Google-made pocket, and it expires in a couple months. I'd also like some suggestions. Possibly something action-y that you can play in portrait mode.
|
|
Tomo
Junior Member
Posts: 3,256
|
Post by Tomo on Jan 14, 2024 12:01:54 GMT
It's less about genre on mobile for me, as I'm open to most, and more about games that actually suit the device. I quickly get annoyed by games on mobile where the controls don't quite work. So, in the past I've had some success with Reigns, Game Dev Tycoon and Framed.
Yeah, I'd say portrait is mandatory for me and I tend to dislike games with onscreen joysticks.
Fussy -_-
|
|
|
Post by dfunked on Jan 14, 2024 12:19:40 GMT
Yeah, anything with on screen sticks can get in the bin immediately. Apart from Vampire Survivors, which isn't too bad given its nature. I enjoyed Bloons 6 TD recently as it's nice and easy to pick up and have a quick blast, but there's a little bit of hidden depth to it (at least until you find a combo that just destroys everything on screen)
|
|
richardiox
Junior Member
Semi proficient
Posts: 1,588
Member is Online
|
Post by richardiox on Jan 14, 2024 13:23:19 GMT
Vamp Survivors doesn't have an onscreen joystick and it's best in portrait mode.
|
|
|
Post by Mark1412 on Jan 14, 2024 13:54:40 GMT
Finished Spiderman 2 today. Wasn't a huge fan of the others, always felt like the Spiderman(?) were punching with paper fists, but this one felt much better once a certain unlock happened midway through. Really liked it and was massively impressed with the scale and detail of New York. For a game where you theoretically spend no time wandering around slowly at ground level, the detail was exceptional. Traversal great, good story too. So buggy though, which is weird for a Sony exclusive and too much busywork. No thanks, plant gene splicing, bee drones and hooking up electrical pylons. A strong 8/10.
|
|
Tuffty
Junior Member
Posts: 3,427
Member is Online
|
Post by Tuffty on Jan 14, 2024 17:05:07 GMT
Robocop Rogue City - 8/10
This game had no right to be this good. All the preview footage beforehand made it seem fairly slow and tanky and let's be clear, it absolutely is. But when playing it you realise you're living out a different kind of power fantasy. You're not a lone soldier fighting to survive, hiding behind cover. You're Robocop. You're the boss that other game protaganists would be fighting to survive against. You're the person that the most despicable criminals fear. With your Auto 9 sidearm and with infinite ammo, if it seems unfair then well...it is. Your reward for it is hyper gore and destruction on an impressive level, parts of the scenery goes flying and enemy body parts just explode in a way that I can only describe as juicy.
Outside of combat, you're exploring certain areas of Detroit with a handful of side quests in each chapter being the main distraction. These are all pretty decent and charming, having fun with the setting like tasking Robocop to handle petty crimes or passing a get well soon card amongst the officers. The story and surrounding cast actually all ended up being pretty good. Some of the delivery can feel constrained by the budget, but I was surprised how invested I was by it. There is even some room for dialog options and decision making leading to some variance when it comes to the ending.
This is a game where I was glad to have played it despite some negative opinions floating around based on previews. If anything, I'm glad to have played so I can have the excuse of talking in Robocops voice.
|
|
malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,170
|
Post by malek86 on Jan 17, 2024 20:40:19 GMT
Karateka 2012 (PC)
Remake of the classic 8-bits game, this one is pretty different. Consider it almost like a rhythm game, but not quite. You block depending on musical cues, and if you manage to block every hit, you can attack safely. Just like in the original, you recover health over time, but can also recharge completely every few fights by finding flower items.
It's all very low budget-looking, and not nearly as hard as the original if you just want to beat it. In fact, I managed on my first run. But there's an interesting mechanic at play. You get three lives to clear the game, but on each life you play as an increasingly stronger character (the true love, the monk, and the brute). However, the stronger your character, the worse the ending will be. So yeah, I managed to clear the game on my first run, but only as the third character (the brute), so that got me the worst ending.
The game itself is quite hard as the true love (I only got as far as the second boss), and relatively easy as the monk (though the final boss still defeated me). Can't say much about the brute, but he did get me past the final boss with ease, so...
Anyway, getting the best ending should be quite difficult. Shame the game was quite repetitive... not terrible, but repetitive. Even in its meager 40 minutes run time, it got tired quickly. So I'm not sure I want to replay it.
5/10
It's so short though, the right thing to do would be to not count it as a finished game until I can manage with the best ending, or at least the normal one.
|
|