Board 8 > June Game of the Month Club ft. RiME, Beginner's Guide, Earthbound, and Lolo

(+) Yeah! (+)

Getting close to finishing Lolo. Probably the only one Ill do this month.
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Cody has beaten RiME.

A very beautiful game. The first couple hours didn't really click with me, but by the end I really liked it. Gameplay itself was fine, but the music and art stood out for me.

As for the story, I really liked the ending. I read the game as moreso the child was experiencing what we played through as the father moved through the stages of grief. I didn't see the twist of the child being the one who had died, and I was really moved by the ending. I think the message and theme of the stages of grief are represented well enough through the different levels, and they work better in my opinion if you imagine the child as being himself throughout the game, while the emotions are matched by the father off screen. At the end, the child has accepted death and moved on from the purgatory of the island, while the father has accepted it and by finally going back to the child's room and begun the process of moving on with his life.
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darkx, has beaten Rime

Uhm, did I get a bad ending or something?!?

I'll be reading through previous spoiler tags to see what's up. But the game was beautiful, but yeah it has some pretty big problems.
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Nominations:
-Degrees of Separation
-Kirby's Return to Dream Land
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I will get started on Earthbound tonight. I've played this many times over the years but never finished it. Not for lack of enjoyment (not even close) but just due to other distractions. Now's my chance.

In the meantime...

Rime...

I really had to be told (by you guys) exactly what that ending was. I figured that the kid really was on an island and the dad assumed he was gone and I got a bad ending where he didn't make it back home, hence the name of the achievement at the end when he jumped into the abyss called "No hope left" or something like that. I figured I needed to get all the collectibles or something, and I didn't even come close. The "it was all a dream" thing DID briefly pass through my mind but the five stages of grief thing didn't even remotely register, and looking back on the game's events I certainly don't see it (maybe the bird represents anger? but that's all I can think of).

Another big criticism I have with the game is the final section which is pretty much just walking around with a few navigational puzzles. Gameplay-wise it felt like a really anticlimactic ending and I really didn't believe it was the end. I thought for sure there had to be another section left.

Honestly though I did enjoy the game overall, especially the graphics, environment, and music. But some parts were very tedious and I don't know that I'm itching to play it again, at least not anytime soon.
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playing Mother games on father's day - how ironic.

probably done with trying to get the sword of kings, so I'll go ahead and kill the boss and at least try to wrap up the last two sanctuaries tonight.
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Id like to nominate Citizens of Earth and Castlevania Symphony of the Night
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Symphony of the Night has been done before, but I can accept Citizens of Earth
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Okay. Thanks for accepting the one!
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Since I am not 100% sure that you realize this, I want to reiterate that you can always choose a different game for the second (or swap from Citizens of Earth to something else). It isn't like you get one chance at nominating.
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too busy playing cadence to play lolo.... must push through
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Lolo beated

Nominate:
Star Fox 2
Star Fox Zero
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Okay, in the home stretch now.

will try to wrap everything up tonight.
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Earthbound beaten

lol, I got the "nagging you for playing too long" call from Ness' dad right at the start of the stinger.
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Nominate Super Mario Maker 2 (I actually did this at the start of the topic but it was apparently missed.)
and
Nominate Final Fantasy VII (Since it's blatantly clear the remake won't apply, way too different, might as well get it done).
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I did miss it, but is Super Mario Maker actually a game that people can declare they have beaten?
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KCF0107 posted...

I did miss it, but is Super Mario Maker actually a game that people can declare they have beaten?

It actually has a story mode this time (also it's the sequel)
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Change my Cadence of Hyrule nomination to Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night

"Ended up playing it. Good, but not nearly as replayable as I was hoping it'd be." part 2.
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I want to play Earthbound, but I don't know if I'll have time to finish it.

In the meantime, nominate Splatoon 2, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!
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Monthly Progress
RiME - KCF, Ark, Cody, darkx
Beginner's Guide - Wigs, Cody
Earthbound - Crispy
Lolo - Unicorn, Lolo, Paul

Nominations
Ark - Trials of Mana, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Cody - Splatoon 2, Marvel's Spider-Man, Spyro 2
darkx - Degrees of Separation, Kirby's Return to Dreamland
KCF - The Council, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Lolo - Super Mario Maker 2, Final Fantasy VII
Paul - Star Fox 2, Star Fox Zero
Unicorn - Citizens of Earth

Drawing will be between the 24th-26th unless noted otherwise
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Oh, I should do my monthly nomination. I think I'll shift it over to Metroid Fusion however.
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Lolo beated

fun little puzzle game. they got pretty brutal by the end and i found myself on some of the last levels looking up a hint, maybe just the first couple moves of a puzzle on what the right way to start is. good NES game.
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I think I'll just nominate Lost Sphear cuz Mario maker 2 and Bloodstained I def want to play and besides Lost Sphear there won't be much else
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Didn't take advantage of the free Epic Store deal?

You can get RiME on not just XB1 but Windows 10 Game Pass. Also, it is available for $15 on US PSN (I think $10 if you have PS+):

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP2346-CUSA05796_00-RIMEGAME01NA0001
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Hm, tempting.
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Nominate: Sonic Mania, Rayman Legends, Full Throttle
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Monthly Progress
RiME - KCF, Ark, Cody, darkx
Beginner's Guide - Wigs, Cody
Earthbound - Crispy
Lolo - Unicorn, Lolo, Paul, Wigs

Nominations
Ark - Trials of Mana, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Cody - Splatoon 2, Marvel's Spider-Man, Spyro 2
Crispy - Sonic Mania, Rayman Legends, Full Throttle
darkx - Degrees of Separation, Kirby's Return to Dreamland
KCF - The Council, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Lolo - Super Mario Maker 2, Final Fantasy VII
Paul - Star Fox 2, Star Fox Zero
Unicorn - Citizens of Earth
Wickle - Metroid Fusion
Wigs - Lost Sphear

Drawing will be between the 24th-26th
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Decided to start up Earthbound last night. I don't know if I can finish it in a week, but I'm enjoying it so far. I've got Paula in my party now, which is farther than I made it last time I started.
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Gameking has beaten Rime.

The ending was really solid, and it did a good job with the themes it was exploring. I had originally assumed the child was going to end up being the father dealing with the loss of his childhood, but the direction it took was a nice surprise.. After finishing it, I ended up reading an interview with the creator that really added to the experience as a whole.

Aside from that, I believe I'm on floor 9 of Lolo. Having a good time with it. It's a pretty solid puzzle game.
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Drawing will not be tomorrow but Tuesday or Wednesday. I may wait to see Steam sales as I might want to switch my Yonder nom with my #2 game from 2017.
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Nominate Catlevania: Rondo of Blood
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Gameking has beaten Adventures of Lolo.

Nominate: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, and What Remains of Edith Finch.
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I might draw within the hour
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Nominations and changes are locked in. I will draw momentarily.
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And your July Games of the Month are...

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PSP/Wii/TG-16)
Degrees of Separation (PC/XB1/Switch/PS4)
Full Throttle (PC/PS4/Vita/iOS)

Congrats to MZero, darkx, and Crispy for having their games selected!
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1. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
2. Degrees of Separation
3. Full Throttle
4. Spider-Man (2018)
5. Trials of Mana
6. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
7. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
8. Sonic Mania
9. Virtue's Last Reward
10. Metroid Fusion
11. Splatoon 2
12. Citizens of Earth
13. What Remains of Edith Finch
14. Star Fox Zero
15. Lost Sphear
16. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
17. Council, The
18. Final Fantasy VII
19. Kirby's Return to Dreamland
20. Super Mario Maker 2
21. Star Fox 2
22. Rayman Legends
23. Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
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Since Degrees and Full Throttle are available on Steam, they are both currently on sale for the next two weeks due to the annual Summer Sale:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/809880/Degrees_of_Separation/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/228360/Full_Throttle_Remastered/

If you are unable or unwilling to pay the $2.25 USD for Full Throttle, I believe that I have a Steam key for it lying around.
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I'll always play Rondo of Blood. Probably skipping the other two.
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Degrees of Separation is also on sale on PSN for PS+ Members.

$8.09 Canadian so probably cheaper for America.
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Looking at Full Throttle, I DON'T believe I am INTERESTED in PLAYING this VIDEO GAME.

Degrees looks nice, but not gonna have the free spending money to get it at its price. Rondo of Blood is a Castlevania I don't have access to so just another month of doing my own thing.
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Yeah, I expect a significant decrease in GotM activity in July.
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Also it looks like Rondo of Blood is available on PSN, but only in a double pack along with Symphony of the Night.
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I do have Full Throttle on Steam, so I may try that next month.
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Full throttle was free on gog a while back, iirc.
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Also, RiME and The Beginner's Guide are available for roughly $5 USD on Steam.
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Great_Paul posted...

Also it looks like Rondo of Blood is available on PSN, but only in a double pack along with Symphony of the Night.

Yep, so it's available on PS4 as well
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Sweet, one of mine got picked!

I got Degrees when it was on sale on the eShop; was almost gonna begin it at one point this month but I was like, nah, let's see if it gets picked.
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Mostly unprompted, but I wanted to discuss how I view games featured in GotM as the person running this. I mentally categorize every nomination into one of several categories: Headliner, Supplemental Wild Card, and Unknown Discovery. I am a huge proponent of variety, so I always hope that the drawing gives me one of each.

Headliner

I always look forward for a game to get people to look at the topic. These games are either widely acclaimed, likely to be owned by many B8ers, and/or are topical in some way. Sometimes the headliner is the most played game, sometimes it isn't. More often than not, it is the most discussed game. Games like Super Mario World, God of War, and Fallout: New Vegas I would consider to be headliners, but it isn't limited to AAA games. I would say the same to Celeste, VVVVVV, and Undertale.

Supplemental Wild Card

These may not be known by all of B8, but a sizeable people do know about them and ownership might be at a decent level. These have some boom or bust potential in terms of discussion and activity. Several indie games and maybe less heralded games from popular series/franchises fit the bill. Games I would classify under this umbrella would be Outland, Mirror's Edge, 999, and New Super Mario Bros. While I overall prefer multi-platform games that are digitally available across all categories, this the category I desire to meet both prerequisites the most.

Unknown Discovery

Discovery of games is one of the cornerstones of this project, so I like seeing these games that hardly anyone is aware of nominated and win. I especially like it during the months were lots of sales go on (June/July/November/December), as there might actually be a chance that someone other than the nominator purchases, plays, and best of all, discusses the game. We once had a 15 or so year old obscure horror game win, and someone actually went out and bought and subsequently beat it! Of course, I have been on the opposite side several times, which is always a little heart-breaking, but that's how things go sometimes.
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Whenever we don't have a headliner, and the other games are iffy for multiple reasons (availability concerns for Rondo of Blood, Point-and-Click Adventure for Full Throttle, etc...), like this upcoming month, I always get a little nervous that the expected drop in activity might cause future activity to drop. Some people get in because a certain game is featured and then become active for a long time until relatively weak month comes along. Then they never show up again.
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Rondo's emulatable, at least, if any one really wants to. I think Dracula X would count as a remake, too, so it's also available on SNES/Wii U/3DS XL, if people don't mind playing a game that sucks!
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