Lurker > Solioxrz362

got a decent few since last time I posted

OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood - Hard arcadey skateboarding game, finally finished all hard levels after years of not touching the game because it was too hard.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 - hell yeah tony hawk, fantastic remake and great choice putting in gameplay elements from future games into this one

WWE 2K Battlegrounds - eh, not very good. boring game imo

Rez Infinite - Cool game but really short and lacking in replay value since the 5 levels are exactly the same every time you play it. Need to do Area X still, but I beat the main game.

Tricky Towers - It has been years since I played this back when it was free on PS+, and I was only missing the very last trial to beat it. Took me a couple hours, but I finally got it. Probably one of the best PS+ games I ever got, largely because it's just so much fun, doesn't get old quickly, and is easy to pick up and play.


---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Underleveled posted...

Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Man, I remember when this game was all the rage on Board 8. I didn't have a PS2 at the time though. I bought one used in 2010 and when I was thinking of games to get, my brother, who had played it at a friend's house, said, "get the one where you roll shit into a ball." And I was like "Oh yeah, I forgot that one existed!" So I bought it. Well, that summer was a pretty bad summer for me so I didn't get through it (my brother did though). Then I tried again in 2019 when it was selected for the Game of the Month club, and again, I didn't get through it. Can't exactly remember what happened then. But I always did enjoy the game.

So today I popped it in expecting to play through it in a few days and... did it in a day. Kinda says something about how hooked you can get on it. It really is very fun, although it can be pretty frustrating when you get stuck or pushed around and really can't get out. It's pretty wild seeing your ball at like 20% of expectations with minutes to go, and then finishing with almost 200% of expectations. It's just insane how quickly it ramps up at the end. That last level was pretty fantastic, especially with the main theme playing. It was like, here we go, one last hurrah! The final minutes when I was literally rolling up fucking clouds just felt so great.

I admit that the controls could be a bit clunky at times, but I'm wondering now if that's just my controller. I'm using a Logitec wireless controller because it's the only PS2 controller I have right now that works. I always thought it worked fine in the past though.

And the game is... funny. Not laugh out loud funny (although there were a few lines that did actually make me laugh audibly, like the one where the King said he threw the Prince's present away because he was bored). I will admit that it took me until the end of the game to realize that whenever the King said "we" he was referring to himself. But the writing was amusing and it was just silly to see everything get rolled up, and people and animals reacting to it.

This is really just a feel-good game, which is what I needed right about now. I will very likely play more games from this series in the future.

nice

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Almost forgot this one:

Katamari Damacy REROLL (PC)

It's still awesome. Katamari Damacy will never lose its charm, and despite how silly and simple the game is, it's very fun to play through again.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

I've never played the original Final Fantasy VII, so this was my first foray into it. Pretty good! Obviously it feels very incomplete with tons of unresolved plot lines, but the combat and visuals were insanely good, and the characters were pretty good too.

I give it an 8/10 and I look forward to playing the rest of the complete remake when that finally happens. Also, I'll probably go play the original soon.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Simoun posted...

Nioh: Complete Edition

Did not expect the game to be this long. I don't think I've ever played a more frustrating game that I just kept playing anyway. I was expecting something Dark Soulsy yeah, but there was so much theorycrafting that ultimately it had me mentally stressed as I had to keep track of so many little mechanics the game was tossing my way. I also didn't like the mission based structure of it and would have preferred a consistent persistent world like in DS.

Also, definitely don't play it for the garbage story. It would've been fine but I wish the game was more about yokai hunting rather than the historical reliving of the Sengoku era all over again. It was kind of like enjoying Jojo 1 and 2 then suddenly everyone has a Stand now and you start acquiring them like Megaman powerups. It is a Capcom game after all. Still, this game is pretty much a spiritual successor to not only the Onimusha series (which I just beat recently) but Genji as well.

I *might* go on and play the sequel but I think I'm gonna take a rest from here for awhile.

The sequel is a lot of the same, BUT it's better at everything. The story in the first game is garbage, but great in the second game. The gameplay keeps all the same mechanics, but you get more weapons to play with and a new mechanic where you turn into a Yokai.

I thought the original was like a 7 and the sequel was a 9 despite being largely the same in structure. So take that as you will. I recommend you give the second game a fair shot but definitely give it a while to wash the bad taste of the first game out of your mouth.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Worms is a ton of fun, and so are WWE games.

Though IMO, WWF No Mercy set the standard for a wrestling video game!

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

KCF0107 posted...

I think that was a game that I gave you. Sorry that you weren't a fan.

Yeah, I got it from you. No worries! I'm really glad I got to try it. Even if a game isn't great, I'm always grateful for the opportunity to see for myself on games I'm interested in. So thanks again for that + Republique (which I'll get around to eventually, but maybe not soon).

It wasn't bad or anything, just that I've played a lot of better games and I was hoping for a bit more. If it's below a 5 then I didn't enjoy it. But I did enjoy parts of Enslaved.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (PC)

Disappointing, tbqh. It was good enough to play through the whole thing, but considering I liked Heavenly Sword quite a bit, I was hoping for a bit more. Gameplay wasn't bad, but not very engaging either, and the ending was weak. But it does look good with some good voice acting and the story was enough to make it work until the last scene. The game has unique characters and a good world, but suffers from a lackluster script that leads to weaker character development. It feels forced at times. And Pigsy is bad comic relief.

It's a very mixed bag.

5.5/10

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

KCF0107 posted...

Titanfall 2 (XB1)

People kept telling me that this was one of the best FPS campaigns out there. As a result, I found the first half to be disappointing before the game showed a lot more promise in the second half, especially with some level-specific items like the arc tool and time-whatever. It wouldn't make my Top 25 FPS campaigns, but I can understand why someone else would hold it in very high regard.

The multiplayer though is where the game shines. It has a ton of modes, and all that I tried were a lot of fun (Last Titan Standing my favorite). It also had a lot of loadout customization options available at the start. It's how I quickly realized I liked the Spitfire/Charge Rifle combo, which is funny because I never touch the latter in Apex Legends.

For me, I didn't think it was the best FPS single player I've ever played, but I appreciated how it felt fresh and fun. It's a little different than the standard FPS campaign, but not too different as to feel unfamiliar. The simple and solid story tied it all together.

The multiplayer definitely is a ton of fun.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Castle Crashers was a lot of fun

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Waluigi1 posted...

Isn't Ulti basically just a Karen himself?

He's something bad, that's for sure.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

colliding posted...

so... I'm blaming you board 8 (tentatively)

I've played maybe an hour of this and I dig the general idea/aesthetic of it but I also think this might be the most boring beginning to a video game I've ever played. the talking gun thing was kind of funny but other than that this is like a black hole of personality. who is this girl? why should I care about her? the idea of a 3rd person shooter set entirely inside an office building is a hard sell for me unless this game introduces a unique mechanic soon (I saw "levitate" in the control options, so maybe that'll be lead to some wacky gravity rush inspired antics).

I'll probably play this for another hour or two more, but unless there's a significant reveal about this main character by then I'll dropping it

focus more on the building and what's in it instead of the main character

the characters are mostly fine, but the reason the game is good is not the characters. it's the setting and the mystery of it.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Had a similar experience with playing Halo on Blood Gulch during class, but in middle school lol

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Waluigi1 posted...

How many tries until you all beat Hades for the first time?

I got my first clear on my 10th try, but beat that fight on the first time I got there.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

lurking on this topic

nice to see soulcalibur on it already

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

D'Angelo - Untitled (How Does It Feel)

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

I'll have to skip on this.

Have fun though!

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Checking in since I am addicted now too

I've cleared 6 heat with the Spear so far, could probably go significantly higher since I haven't failed a clear in a long time.

Fastest clear was 20 minutes with the fists, had a build where the uppercut did bonkers damage

Going for the epilogue now

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Control is very very good. Already played it, but might revisit for the DLC if I can just get that through PS+

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Hades (PC)

Wow wow wow, was not expecting to like this game so much. I knew it'd be good but I didn't know how good. It's very, very good.

It never gets old, thanks to the great amount of fun builds you can get. The joy of jumping a few mobs and melting them in a couple seconds simply never gets old when you can do it in so many different ways. The story is solid too, and I think playing through the first clear is some of my favorite gaming I've ever done. I think 10 clears to get the credits was a tad bit extra, considering I was basically clearing the game just to be rewarded with a couple minutes of story for most of those, but this is basically my only complaint about the game.

9.5/10, super fantastic game.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

FromSoft would probably be high on my list for most overrated too, but I haven't played Sekiro yet and that looks like I'd enjoy it more than the others they've put out.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

For me,

Favorite: Naughty Dog
Least favorite: Supermassive
Most overrated: Rockstar

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Still very excited for this game to finally come out of beta


---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

so it's a game that aged poorly is what I'm hearing

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Just tried it out now, and it doesn't seem very good to me, but apparently it was the bomb dot com back when it came out.

Is this another example of a game aging poorly or am I missing something

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Undertale (PC)

I know, I know. Forbidden word on this board. I did a neutral run without using a guide, then I did a True Pacifist run. Watched a Genocide run just because I've seen the bad time simulator and I know it takes some grinding, and I didn't want to go through either of those things.

It's pretty great. I feel like it is very slightly overrated, but it's definitely one of the best indie games I've ever played, and undoubtedly the most impressive, especially considering how it was largely made by just one person.

The gameplay is the part that will stand the test of time for me. It's unique and novel but still intuitive, married to the story, gives you freedom of choice, and manages to make an RPG fun thanks to the freshness of each character's encounter and their individual personalities.

Most of the rest of the game is strong too too: most characters are great, the plot is good, the music is pretty good (although I've never paid a ton of attention to the music in a video game, as long as it's not bad or jarring), the visual style is consistent and never gets in the way, etc. However, I thought the game wasted my time once or twice, most notably when I had to read all of Alphys's social media updates in a misguided attempt by the game to reinforce its humor and atmosphere, and it almost feels like a game you'd need a guide for to get the best ending without playing it all the way through 3 times. I could see many people killing monsters on the first playthrough, not giving Undyne water on the second playthrough, and then finally getting True Pacifist on the 3rd or 4th try.

It's somewhere around an 8.5/10 to a 9/10 for me.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

What Remains of Edith Finch

This game will stick with me for a long time. I love the marriage of gameplay and story in the flashbacks. I love the beautiful and creative ways of portraying each flashback. I especially love the stories of Lewis, Calvin, Sam, and Gregory. While I think I'm most impressed by Lewis's, I have to say Gregory's was incredibly hard to do in good taste and in the right tone, but the devs nailed it perfectly.

It's getting better the more I think about it.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Watch Dogs Legion

7/10

Generally enjoyable, good enough plotline. The gimmick of having no main playable character and EVERYONE being playable hurts it a bit though. Cutscenes end up suffering because characters sound like they're responding to a different line than what was actually said sometimes (pre-recorded generic lines played back bc I suppose it wasn't in the budget to have each voice actor record the exact same script for every mission). Also, you'll hear repeated lines with some frequency.

Gameplay in general seems like it's taken a slight step back from the earlier WD games. Some components of hacking are less prominent compared to WD2, gunplay and driving feel worse, etc. But it's still competent gameplay, and I like the new usage of drones.

I've been to London so it was kinda cool visiting the game's versions of the Tower, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, etc

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Return of the Obra Dinn (PC)

Unique and good, but significantly overrated. Hard to see some of the smaller details due to the graphics style, which can end up causing you to describe deaths wrong or not looking for some things. It starts off very slow because you have to watch so many memories before you get to start deducing who many of the people are.

I give it a 6.5/10.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

turbopuns3 posted...

Los Lonely Boys - Heaven

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Corrik7 posted...

People on Twitter saying they should have actually stormed Area 51 if this is all it took to get into the Capitol Building. lmfao

I saw this, thought it was hilarious

We gotta see them aliens

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

If you need to drop soda but you frequently feel the desire to drink it after going purely to water, you should try incorporating unsweet tea and club soda. These are both 0 calorie or near-0 calorie alternatives.

I quit soda altogether when I had braces as a teenager. At first, drinking only water became pretty bland, but I started drinking unsweet tea and that did the trick to satisfy the taste need. I never have the desire to drink soda anymore (as long as I don't have any of my favorite soda in the fridge, which was orange soda).

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Ghost of Tsushima

made a topic about my thoughts

it's good

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

UltimaterializerX posted...

I live 30 minutes from Philadelphia and knew full well what was coming.

wow I live like 15 minutes from Dallas and I can't predict everything that happens in that city, you must be a genius or a fortune teller or something

can you tell me what'll happen in Philadelphia tomorrow at 3pm?

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

I suppose this could also come down to whether 1-10 is a relative scale (like if 5 is set as the mean of a normal distribution) or a measurement with set criteria.

Just depends on how you use that system

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Snake5555555555 posted...

I mean it SHOULD be 5. I guess the problem is what we perceive as an average game. An average game is one I picture that works, you can play it start to finish with minimal issues, but it's rather unremarkable in its gameplay, graphics, characters, what have you. When I see a game given a 7 I tend to think more that it has great ideas and stands out in some way but there are just a few things that ultimately drag it down, which doesn't seem average to me.

Is that really average, or is that just a mediocre game? To me, the difference is between a measurement of quality (the score) and a statistic (the "average" score, ie mean or median score).

By your definition of 7, I'd still say 7 is the average because that definition sounds like the most common kind of game (that's technically a mode, I know, but still).

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

The argument is old: why do reviewers never use the lower range of review scores? Why are games often graded from the 5-10 range instead of 1-10?

As a kid I thought 5 meant an average game, but now I think 5 just means your game is mediocre, and 7 really is more like an average game. Most games nowadays are good games, so it makes sense that a 7 is average, while all the best games are 8-10 and passable games are 5 or 6. Then any game you hate is between 1-4 depending on how bad it is (4 would be like nearly passable but just too flawed, and then 1 is total garbage).

What does B8 think

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Waluigi1 posted...

Oh I meant based on your praise and calling it a must play game, I expected a higher score lol. Like a 9 or at least 8.5. I mean 8 is a good score though, don't get me wrong.

I see. Nah, the small issues add up. I wouldn't call Ghost of Tsushima a must-play. But if someone asked me, "Should I play this game?" 8 is where I start to say, "Yeah definitely, it's worth your time."

If a game is a 9, it has to have a lot less of those small annoyances like the stance reminders and repetitive side missions. Almost every moment of the game has to feel meaningful or fun, and there may be issues but they're minor and infrequent. Basically, 10 is what I would consider the gold standard, 9 is approaching that, and 8 is recommendable but noticeably below the top echelon.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Waluigi1 posted...

I did not expect that score based on your write-up. Huh.

I put a lot of weight on these three bits:

Solioxrz362 posted...

Super strong foundation for a game to sit on. Strong story, strong atmosphere/setting, strong combat system, strong production, solid characters. But there's a lot of small gripes I have.

Something I liked about the narrative is that it seemed to be asking the same questions to both Jin and the player, and even better, these were questions that you got to answer in your gameplay. What kind of battle do you want to fight? What kind of warrior are you becoming? There's one moment where the plot breaks this illusion by forcing you to kill some Mongols in a certain way (at the end of Act II), but otherwise, I like how the game slow-burns this dilemma and doesn't fully force you into one side or the other. You have the option to face opponents head on with standoffs, or you can go assassinate everyone if you want. Pretty cool.

Too many main characters do dumb shit for the purpose of letting the plot happen. Not Jin though! He's smart! I love it. Why don't more main characters act intelligently? When Jin kills Ryuzo, I thought so many other games would've kept Ryuzo alive just so he could backstab you later. I'm glad that didn't happen, and Jin made the right choice.

It does a ton of things right (often the most important things) and a few things wrong. It's just easier to go into detail about all the things I didn't like, so I wrote about them a lot lol

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

redrocket posted...

So you never played the game on hard... err sorry, LETHAL mode.

I didn't, you're right, because of this:

RikkuAlmighty posted...

ultimately you could tell the game was not designed with it in mind.

I knew before even trying it that it was a gimmick mode. I did gear the game up to hard mode because I'm going for the NG+ trophy, but it's still pretty easy.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Aecioo posted...

Good game that ill forget all about in six months

You thought it was forgettable? I thought it was the opposite.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Got the platinum earlier today, here's all my random thoughts with a rating at the end!

• It's gorgeous. Never play this in the black & white Kurosawa Mode because the vibrant colors are what make this game so easy on the eyes. Grass and trees flowing in the wind are beautiful.
• Super strong foundation for a game to sit on. Strong story, strong atmosphere/setting, strong combat system, strong production, solid characters. But there's a lot of small gripes I have.
• Is this game too easy or what? Ghost weapons + slow-mo with the bow trivialize most fights, and it's not hard to keep a consistent stock of things. You can quickly upgrade your health and resolve to never have to worry about running out of health (plus healing is instant). And the parry window is MASSIVE, and you can mash L1 to get parries. I don't mind games being a bit on the easier side (I prefer it to a game being too hard), but you have too many overpowered tools.
• What's up with the game stopping to remind you to fight in the proper stance? It's never a good idea to stop gameplay entirely to tell someone they're playing the game wrong then force them to play it right. That sucks.
• I really liked the side mission lines that were tied to the supporting characters. These were mostly pretty good and made the supporting cast way more interesting. I wish open world games did side missions like this more often.
• I wish open world games would STOP doing super repetitive one-off side missions, and Ghost of Tsushima isn't innocent with these either. So many missions that amount to "The Mongols killed my family/stole something/destroyed something, can you please go kill them for me my lord?" Get rid of these filler missions. Bad gaming trend.
• I bet this game has low replay value. Suffers from Rockstar Syndrome where missions are too focused on following someone, talking, and riding your horse. The story missions that have big battlefield showdowns or long stealth sections are the best.
• Something I liked about the narrative is that it seemed to be asking the same questions to both Jin and the player, and even better, these were questions that you got to answer in your gameplay. What kind of battle do you want to fight? What kind of warrior are you becoming? There's one moment where the plot breaks this illusion by forcing you to kill some Mongols in a certain way (at the end of Act II), but otherwise, I like how the game slow-burns this dilemma and doesn't fully force you into one side or the other. You have the option to face opponents head on with standoffs, or you can go assassinate everyone if you want. Pretty cool.
• What I REALLY liked about the execution of the above point is that early on, it seems like Jin doesn't really want to become "The Ghost" in the sense that he doesn't fight like a samurai, but over time, this is placed on Jin. For me, I noticed myself fighting more like The Ghost as the game went on, yet rarely was I ever forced to! This kind of clash between agency and plot is rare but it is so satisfying when done right!
• Too many main characters do dumb shit for the purpose of letting the plot happen. Not Jin though! He's smart! I love it. Why don't more main characters act intelligently? When Jin kills Ryuzo, I thought so many other games would've kept Ryuzo alive just so he could backstab you later. I'm glad that didn't happen, and Jin made the right choice.
• So many of the open-world activities were really cool and unique until I had to do them a million times for the platinum. Haikus never got old, but I started loathing Fox Dens.
• This is a game that could be pretty close to perfect with small changes and some editing of the open-world content/side missions. Sadly, open-world games either don't have enough content to fill their world up or they have way too much pointless content. Just a flaw of the genre I guess.
• This is also a very accessible game. I haven't heard anyone say they didn't like it, and I can see why. It's super digestible. Not very hard, open world, simple combat, epic story, beautiful visuals. It checks all the boxes for that mainstream appeal.

TL;DR 8/10. Ghost of Tsushima will probably stick with me longer than most other games do because I love a lot of things it tries, specifically with the strengths of the story and the strong combat system. But I wish it was less bloated with the side content and didn't copy Rockstar mission structure. I recommend it to everyone.

Out of the GotY candidates from The Game Awards, I still have to play Hades, Doom Eternal, and FF7 Remake. Thankfully I have all three of these so I'll get to compare which one I think really deserved the award. Gonna be hard to top TLOU2 though.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

An addendum:

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

This was a very nice shooter. Just finished it yesterday, so it's going on the list.

I did have two major complaints about this game. First, the story takes a bit of a detour near the end that felt really out of place and didn't give any enjoyable gameplay to go along with it. In a movie, it would've been a deleted scene, and I think it should've been like that in this game too. It would've been a fun little bit to play through if it hadn't been in the main story slowing things down before the final assault on Nazis. Second, aiming down your sight is nearly useless except that it enables aim assist. You can't see anything when your sight is aimed down due to the size of the iron sights and the massive muzzle flash. I had more accuracy playing it almost entirely without ADS.

The rest of the game was fantastic. The graphics are gorgeous, as environments look super realistic, metal surfaces shine and shimmer, wooden boxes splinter upon being smashed, and disintegrating things with the laser weapons creates a dazzling light show. Very clean gunplay, dual wielding was fun, the weapons weren't too interesting but they were fun enough, and a competent story to go along. Killing Nazis and blowing stuff up makes for a good time as long as the game is built right. You often had flexibility in how you wanted to play - playing cover based was a bit safer usually, but you had room to run and gun and rush between zones if desired. Also plenty of opportunities for stealth, and enemies lose track of you after you're spotted if you're careful enough. The game's difficulty was pretty harsh, but it was always easy enough to retry, and usually I was dying cause I got caught out in the open which is on me.

I give it an 8/10, and would probably rank it right around or slightly below Watch Dogs 2.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

Paratroopa1 posted...

Does competitively mean like, for money, or just that I signed up for something that I'm fairly good at and tried really hard to win

Signing up and trying hard to win sounds pretty competitive to me, so I think it counts

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

As in, you entered tournaments for it or played it seriously in an online ranked mode.

If yes, what game?

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

That glitch didn't ever happen to me, but sorry to hear about it. Hopefully it doesn't persist too long.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

The gameplay is solid, but the Old House itself and the story are the reasons you'll enjoy it. Great game.

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

KCF truly is the Santa we needed this year

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

bump for the evening crowd

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain

BetrayedTangy posted...

Pro Choice, but Anti Abortion

KingButz posted...

Abortion should be legal

These two posts sum up how I feel perfectly

---

Got a brand new blues that I can't explain