Exhuminator wrote:dsheinem wrote:nerds
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Games Beaten 2017
Re: Games Beaten 2017
old, hipster, nerds!
Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended...so the world might be mended.
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2017
Games Beaten in 2017 So Far - 50
* denotes a replay
January (10 Games Beaten)
February (12 Games Beaten)
March (6 Games Beaten)
April (9 Games Beaten)
May (13 Games Beaten)
50. Farpoint - PlayStation 4 - May 27
With virtual reality still in its infancy, it's hard to find a VR game that is truly compelling and actually works. There are several arcade style VR games - EVE Gunjack and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood for example - and there are some multiplayer VR games - RIGS and Starblood Arena - but single player games with a truly interesting and captivating narrative and gameplay experience built specifically for VR are still an uncommon thing. Impulse Gear's offering in Farpoint, however, might be one of the first to break ground in that particular sector of the VR arena.
The basic premise of Farpoint is that you're a shuttle pilot working on a space station observing an anomalous singularity somewhere in space. As you're about to start ferrying two scientists, that singularity suddenly erupts with activity, pulling in the space station, the scientists, and your shuttle inside. When you awaken having crash landed on an alien world, you discover that the singularity was actually a semi-stable wormhole leading to some unknown corner of the universe. The game consists of your character and his journey to pick up the trail of the scientists who would have made planetfall just before you and hopefully find a way off the planet and back to Earth.
The game is a first person shooter, and while it's not mandatory to have the badass PlayStation Move Aim Controller made specifically for Farpoint, I thought it looked hella cool, so I ordered the bundle, and it DEFINITELY enhances the immersion of the game. You lift the gun to aim down the sights as if you would a real gun, and your movements are (almost) perfectly mirrored on screen. It's as close as I've ever gotten to forgetting that I'm in a game. I truly does feel like you're on that alien planet fighting hostile giant spiders (as if anything could be worse), robots, and - eventually - alien foot soldiers.
You have a variety of weapons from which to choose, but you start with the trusty assault rifle. The assault rifle works like the weapons in the original Mass Effect in that the ammo is infinite but it overheats if fired too much. The assault rifle also has a secondary fire that launches a guided rocket. You can also pick up a shotgun with a secondary grenade launcher, a sniper rifle, a plasma rifle with an energy shield, and an energy "spike" gun that's basically a rifle version of the Needler from Halo. With the exception of the assault rifle and the spike gun, the others have to be reloaded manually when a magazine is spent, but the ammo is unlimited. The spike gun, like the assault rifle, automatically reloads when not being fired. The energy for the plasma rifle's shield recharges over time when depleted, but you have to find ammo for the assault rifle's rocket launcher and the shotgun's grenade launcher, and both are extremely scarce.
The game's visuals are fantastic considering the relatively poor resolution of the PSVR headset, and you can tell that the game would look stunning if the headset were more advanced. The use of 3D audio and the ambient sounds of the world add a level of immersion that, even among other VR games, I had never felt before. While I'm definitely singing its praises and will continue to, however, it's not a perfect game. The enemy spawns in particular feel a bit...uninspired. Whereas in most modern shooters enemies are spawn before you should be able to see them and move around in a relatively realistic way, enemies spawn either from the ground or from behind a ridge (depending on if the enemy is a giant spider or robot/alien), giving it a very obviously scripted and rather arcade-y rail shooter feel. It doesn't totally break immersion or anything, but it would have been nice if the game were a little less linear and had some more organic-feeling enemies.
While I'm tempted to say that the story is the highlight of the game, the gameplay really does steal the show. The story is really interesting and, while rather predictable in places, certainly kept me interested and wanting to know what was going to happen next. The gameplay, however....oh man, the gameplay. Never before I have felt like I was actually THERE, but I felt like I was on that planet all alone with just my rifle and a swarm of giant alien spiders that was trying to eat me. There were a few little problems that are disappointingly typical of anything that uses PlayStation Move - the calibration would randomly go a bit wonky and put my elbow in the middle of my chest, I'd have my face stuck inside a table during a cut scene, etc - but I blame that more on the nature of PlayStation Move and the PlayStation Camera than on the game itself. The only thing mechanically that really bugged me was that there was no way to zoom when aiming with the sniper rifle. It was a powerful ass rifle like it should be, and it was extremely accurate when you were aimed at an enemy, but between the lack of any zoom and the low resolution of the PlayStation VR headset, it could get difficult to aim at any distance, and a rifle with a low rate of fire and a three round magazine isn't very useful in close quarters combat. It obviously didn't break the game, and it was still my favorite non-shotgun weapon (because my favorite weapon will ALWAYS be a shotgun), but it was definitely an irksome design choice.
Farpoint, while not perfect, is without the doubt the most immersive and most fun VR game that I've played to date. The environments are gorgeous, the enemies are totally hateable, and the combat feels absolutely incredible. The sound design is subdued for the most part, but it definitely adds to the immersion of the game. If you want a VR first person shooter with a solid single player and a scifi setting, then Farpoint is EXACTLY the game you're looking. This one's definitely highly recommended.
* denotes a replay
January (10 Games Beaten)
February (12 Games Beaten)
March (6 Games Beaten)
April (9 Games Beaten)
May (13 Games Beaten)
50. Farpoint - PlayStation 4 - May 27
With virtual reality still in its infancy, it's hard to find a VR game that is truly compelling and actually works. There are several arcade style VR games - EVE Gunjack and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood for example - and there are some multiplayer VR games - RIGS and Starblood Arena - but single player games with a truly interesting and captivating narrative and gameplay experience built specifically for VR are still an uncommon thing. Impulse Gear's offering in Farpoint, however, might be one of the first to break ground in that particular sector of the VR arena.
The basic premise of Farpoint is that you're a shuttle pilot working on a space station observing an anomalous singularity somewhere in space. As you're about to start ferrying two scientists, that singularity suddenly erupts with activity, pulling in the space station, the scientists, and your shuttle inside. When you awaken having crash landed on an alien world, you discover that the singularity was actually a semi-stable wormhole leading to some unknown corner of the universe. The game consists of your character and his journey to pick up the trail of the scientists who would have made planetfall just before you and hopefully find a way off the planet and back to Earth.
The game is a first person shooter, and while it's not mandatory to have the badass PlayStation Move Aim Controller made specifically for Farpoint, I thought it looked hella cool, so I ordered the bundle, and it DEFINITELY enhances the immersion of the game. You lift the gun to aim down the sights as if you would a real gun, and your movements are (almost) perfectly mirrored on screen. It's as close as I've ever gotten to forgetting that I'm in a game. I truly does feel like you're on that alien planet fighting hostile giant spiders (as if anything could be worse), robots, and - eventually - alien foot soldiers.
You have a variety of weapons from which to choose, but you start with the trusty assault rifle. The assault rifle works like the weapons in the original Mass Effect in that the ammo is infinite but it overheats if fired too much. The assault rifle also has a secondary fire that launches a guided rocket. You can also pick up a shotgun with a secondary grenade launcher, a sniper rifle, a plasma rifle with an energy shield, and an energy "spike" gun that's basically a rifle version of the Needler from Halo. With the exception of the assault rifle and the spike gun, the others have to be reloaded manually when a magazine is spent, but the ammo is unlimited. The spike gun, like the assault rifle, automatically reloads when not being fired. The energy for the plasma rifle's shield recharges over time when depleted, but you have to find ammo for the assault rifle's rocket launcher and the shotgun's grenade launcher, and both are extremely scarce.
The game's visuals are fantastic considering the relatively poor resolution of the PSVR headset, and you can tell that the game would look stunning if the headset were more advanced. The use of 3D audio and the ambient sounds of the world add a level of immersion that, even among other VR games, I had never felt before. While I'm definitely singing its praises and will continue to, however, it's not a perfect game. The enemy spawns in particular feel a bit...uninspired. Whereas in most modern shooters enemies are spawn before you should be able to see them and move around in a relatively realistic way, enemies spawn either from the ground or from behind a ridge (depending on if the enemy is a giant spider or robot/alien), giving it a very obviously scripted and rather arcade-y rail shooter feel. It doesn't totally break immersion or anything, but it would have been nice if the game were a little less linear and had some more organic-feeling enemies.
While I'm tempted to say that the story is the highlight of the game, the gameplay really does steal the show. The story is really interesting and, while rather predictable in places, certainly kept me interested and wanting to know what was going to happen next. The gameplay, however....oh man, the gameplay. Never before I have felt like I was actually THERE, but I felt like I was on that planet all alone with just my rifle and a swarm of giant alien spiders that was trying to eat me. There were a few little problems that are disappointingly typical of anything that uses PlayStation Move - the calibration would randomly go a bit wonky and put my elbow in the middle of my chest, I'd have my face stuck inside a table during a cut scene, etc - but I blame that more on the nature of PlayStation Move and the PlayStation Camera than on the game itself. The only thing mechanically that really bugged me was that there was no way to zoom when aiming with the sniper rifle. It was a powerful ass rifle like it should be, and it was extremely accurate when you were aimed at an enemy, but between the lack of any zoom and the low resolution of the PlayStation VR headset, it could get difficult to aim at any distance, and a rifle with a low rate of fire and a three round magazine isn't very useful in close quarters combat. It obviously didn't break the game, and it was still my favorite non-shotgun weapon (because my favorite weapon will ALWAYS be a shotgun), but it was definitely an irksome design choice.
Farpoint, while not perfect, is without the doubt the most immersive and most fun VR game that I've played to date. The environments are gorgeous, the enemies are totally hateable, and the combat feels absolutely incredible. The sound design is subdued for the most part, but it definitely adds to the immersion of the game. If you want a VR first person shooter with a solid single player and a scifi setting, then Farpoint is EXACTLY the game you're looking. This one's definitely highly recommended.
Patron Saint of Bitch Mode
Re: Games Beaten 2017
ElkinFencer10 wrote:Farpoint, while not perfect, is without the doubt the most immersive and most fun VR game that I've played to date. The environments are gorgeous, the enemies are totally hateable, and the combat feels absolutely incredible. The sound design is subdued for the most part, but it definitely adds to the immersion of the game. If you want a VR first person shooter with a solid single player and a scifi setting, then Farpoint is EXACTLY the game you're looking. This one's definitely highly recommended.
I plan to play through this sometime this week - the new Star Trek, too. Glad it sounds good.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
It would be interesting to hear what you guys think of the current state of VR.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
1. Pokémon Moon - 3DS
2. Tony Hawk's Underground - GCN
3. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising - PC
4. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Retribution - PC
5. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness - PSP
6. X-Wing: Imperial Pursuit - PC
7. Star Wars Republic Commando - PC
8. X-Wing: B-Wing - PC
9. Blazing Lazers - TG-16
10. Tales of Xillia 2 - PS3
11. Shining Force CD: Shining Force Gaiden - Sega CD
12. MUSHA - Genesis
13. Sonic CD - Sega CD
14. Final Fantasy Legend III - GB
15. Tales of Zestiria - PS3
16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
17. Horizon Zero Dawn - PS4
18. Tales of Berseria - PS4
19. Battlefield 1 - PC
20. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil - PC
21. Mass Effect Andromeda - PC
22. Starflight 2 - PC
23. Armored Hunter Gunhound EX - PC
24. Space Megaforce - SNES
25. Persona 5 - PS4
26. Torment: Tides of Numenera - PC
27. Cosmic Star Heroine - PC
28. Prey - PC
29. Strafe - PC
30. Mystic Origins - NES
Mystic Origins is the playable beta for Mystic Searchers; a new NES game that was funded on Kickstarter. Origins is set before the events of Searchers and is intended to present as many of the mechanics as possible to be both a good demo and a good beta for finding bugs. It takes about an hour to get through if you're coming in completely fresh and explore a bit (there's several parts of the map that are completely unnecessary to finish the game).
The game is an action RPG that takes cues from Zelda 2 and Crystalis. It's got the same mostly overhead viewpoint of Crystalis and the combat is not too dissimilar, in terms of you being pretty mobile compared to Zelda 1. There is no charge attack; instead you have the ability to attack in eight directions and spin your character to sweep through during the second your weapon stays out; this can be useful for clearing a row of bushes or a group of enemies closing in. The game features a jump button and the game makes heavy use of it with pits, flying enemies, and being able to jump over enemies to avoid them.
Origins also gives you access to one spell and one song. The spell functions as a ranged attack as well as a puzzle solving tool. The song is played OoT ocarina style, with select being used as a half step modifier and in this case it is used to get through a magic gate. There appear to be 10 songs in all. The game also has an inventory and relic system similar to Crystalis.
Finally, the game has a leveling system like Zelda 2, with attack, defense, and speed being able to be upgraded from level 1. You only gain a single level and it's not clear if the end game will let you choose like Zelda 2 or if it's just an indicator of which stat increased this level.
I'm looking forward to the final product; so far it seems to be a solid little title. Oh, did I mention my copy of the beta was one of the limited physical runs they did and the final product had a physical option for backers? That's right; this game plays on hardware.
2. Tony Hawk's Underground - GCN
3. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising - PC
4. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Retribution - PC
5. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness - PSP
6. X-Wing: Imperial Pursuit - PC
7. Star Wars Republic Commando - PC
8. X-Wing: B-Wing - PC
9. Blazing Lazers - TG-16
10. Tales of Xillia 2 - PS3
11. Shining Force CD: Shining Force Gaiden - Sega CD
12. MUSHA - Genesis
13. Sonic CD - Sega CD
14. Final Fantasy Legend III - GB
15. Tales of Zestiria - PS3
16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
17. Horizon Zero Dawn - PS4
18. Tales of Berseria - PS4
19. Battlefield 1 - PC
20. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil - PC
21. Mass Effect Andromeda - PC
22. Starflight 2 - PC
23. Armored Hunter Gunhound EX - PC
24. Space Megaforce - SNES
25. Persona 5 - PS4
26. Torment: Tides of Numenera - PC
27. Cosmic Star Heroine - PC
28. Prey - PC
29. Strafe - PC
30. Mystic Origins - NES
Mystic Origins is the playable beta for Mystic Searchers; a new NES game that was funded on Kickstarter. Origins is set before the events of Searchers and is intended to present as many of the mechanics as possible to be both a good demo and a good beta for finding bugs. It takes about an hour to get through if you're coming in completely fresh and explore a bit (there's several parts of the map that are completely unnecessary to finish the game).
The game is an action RPG that takes cues from Zelda 2 and Crystalis. It's got the same mostly overhead viewpoint of Crystalis and the combat is not too dissimilar, in terms of you being pretty mobile compared to Zelda 1. There is no charge attack; instead you have the ability to attack in eight directions and spin your character to sweep through during the second your weapon stays out; this can be useful for clearing a row of bushes or a group of enemies closing in. The game features a jump button and the game makes heavy use of it with pits, flying enemies, and being able to jump over enemies to avoid them.
Origins also gives you access to one spell and one song. The spell functions as a ranged attack as well as a puzzle solving tool. The song is played OoT ocarina style, with select being used as a half step modifier and in this case it is used to get through a magic gate. There appear to be 10 songs in all. The game also has an inventory and relic system similar to Crystalis.
Finally, the game has a leveling system like Zelda 2, with attack, defense, and speed being able to be upgraded from level 1. You only gain a single level and it's not clear if the end game will let you choose like Zelda 2 or if it's just an indicator of which stat increased this level.
I'm looking forward to the final product; so far it seems to be a solid little title. Oh, did I mention my copy of the beta was one of the limited physical runs they did and the final product had a physical option for backers? That's right; this game plays on hardware.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
1. Pokémon Moon - 3DS
2. Tony Hawk's Underground - GCN
3. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising - PC
4. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Retribution - PC
5. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness - PSP
6. X-Wing: Imperial Pursuit - PC
7. Star Wars Republic Commando - PC
8. X-Wing: B-Wing - PC
9. Blazing Lazers - TG-16
10. Tales of Xillia 2 - PS3
11. Shining Force CD: Shining Force Gaiden - Sega CD
12. MUSHA - Genesis
13. Sonic CD - Sega CD
14. Final Fantasy Legend III - GB
15. Tales of Zestiria - PS3
16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
17. Horizon Zero Dawn - PS4
18. Tales of Berseria - PS4
19. Battlefield 1 - PC
20. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil - PC
21. Mass Effect Andromeda - PC
22. Starflight 2 - PC
23. Armored Hunter Gunhound EX - PC
24. Space Megaforce - SNES
25. Persona 5 - PS4
26. Torment: Tides of Numenera - PC
27. Cosmic Star Heroine - PC
28. Prey - PC
29. Strafe - PC
30. Mystic Origins - NES
31. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - 3DS
The latest FE entry on the 3DS is a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, the weird title on the Famicom that followed the trend of the time of second entries into what would become beloved series being weird and having most of what they introduce be immediately pulled out in the third game. The game hews extremely close to the original in terms of general gameplay; moreso than the DS remakes of FE1 & 3. The real improvements are in the story presentation and a handful of tangential mechanics that don't do much to change the core.
Gaiden was different from the original FE and most subsequent FEs in several ways. There was no weapon durability and you had an overworld map you would use to travel from battle to battle. This would eventually be seen again in Sacred Stones and Awakening. Additionally, magic users learned a variety of spells at level up points and spells cost HP to use. This made them much closer to the casters in Shining Force (which was still a few years from being made). All of these elements are retained in Echoes. Additionally, unlike the FE1 & 3 remakes the weapon triangle has NOT been backported (it was first introduced in FE4). This is probably a good thing, in retrospect, as enemy weapon usage is pretty lopsided and it would end up feeling gimmicky rather than adding additional tactical depth.
The new stuff added, besides the vastly improved story presentation, are supports, forging, and the turnwheel. Supports are the easiest to cover; they grow similarly to previous FE games but the conversations are more to be an additional way for the story to be presented. You have no limits to the number of characters you can A rank with, but there are also not many candidates for any given character. You do still get the standard hit/evade/crit bonuses from being near your support, but in a change supports are built and affect you in a two square radius. Supports are also not necessary to have characters marry; the couples are all predetermined like in the original and the only way to stop it is to kill off one of them.
Forging appears again, but here it's vastly toned down compared to other games. The best way to think of it here is to facilitate equipment upgrading in a world without breaking weapons. You have the ability to spend money on either ranking up a weapon (Iron Spear -> Iron Spear +1) or to level up a weapon to the next tier (Iron Spear +1 -> Steel Spear). Since higher tier weapons weigh more it can make more sense to instead rank up a lower tier weapon to still get a damage boost. It's up to you depending on your army composition.
Finally, the turnwheel is the latest anti-frustration feature that they've been toying around with. While casual mode still exists the turnwheel is more of a nod to the fact that sometimes the AI just decides to be an asshole. The turnwheel lets you rewind time action by action as far as you want to go, but it has a limited number of uses per battle. All random numbers involved are rerolled, but level ups are still set in stone (my assumption is that the start of the battle includes generating a bunch of random numbers for any level ups and then pops those one by one as needed). This can be used to reroll that miss on a 90% hit or to redo a turn when you realized you forgot to check enemy ranges before moving your army. It's limited enough that it doesn't feel like it diminishes the challenge much; it mostly serves as a way to keep you from having to restart the entire battle (and several later battles take a long time if you're trying to do them deathless due to the chokes involved).
All in all it's a fantastic remake and it's great to see that it made its way west. Now we need Intelligent Systems to remake the SNES FE games and we'll be in business.
2. Tony Hawk's Underground - GCN
3. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising - PC
4. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Retribution - PC
5. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness - PSP
6. X-Wing: Imperial Pursuit - PC
7. Star Wars Republic Commando - PC
8. X-Wing: B-Wing - PC
9. Blazing Lazers - TG-16
10. Tales of Xillia 2 - PS3
11. Shining Force CD: Shining Force Gaiden - Sega CD
12. MUSHA - Genesis
13. Sonic CD - Sega CD
14. Final Fantasy Legend III - GB
15. Tales of Zestiria - PS3
16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
17. Horizon Zero Dawn - PS4
18. Tales of Berseria - PS4
19. Battlefield 1 - PC
20. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil - PC
21. Mass Effect Andromeda - PC
22. Starflight 2 - PC
23. Armored Hunter Gunhound EX - PC
24. Space Megaforce - SNES
25. Persona 5 - PS4
26. Torment: Tides of Numenera - PC
27. Cosmic Star Heroine - PC
28. Prey - PC
29. Strafe - PC
30. Mystic Origins - NES
31. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - 3DS
The latest FE entry on the 3DS is a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, the weird title on the Famicom that followed the trend of the time of second entries into what would become beloved series being weird and having most of what they introduce be immediately pulled out in the third game. The game hews extremely close to the original in terms of general gameplay; moreso than the DS remakes of FE1 & 3. The real improvements are in the story presentation and a handful of tangential mechanics that don't do much to change the core.
Gaiden was different from the original FE and most subsequent FEs in several ways. There was no weapon durability and you had an overworld map you would use to travel from battle to battle. This would eventually be seen again in Sacred Stones and Awakening. Additionally, magic users learned a variety of spells at level up points and spells cost HP to use. This made them much closer to the casters in Shining Force (which was still a few years from being made). All of these elements are retained in Echoes. Additionally, unlike the FE1 & 3 remakes the weapon triangle has NOT been backported (it was first introduced in FE4). This is probably a good thing, in retrospect, as enemy weapon usage is pretty lopsided and it would end up feeling gimmicky rather than adding additional tactical depth.
The new stuff added, besides the vastly improved story presentation, are supports, forging, and the turnwheel. Supports are the easiest to cover; they grow similarly to previous FE games but the conversations are more to be an additional way for the story to be presented. You have no limits to the number of characters you can A rank with, but there are also not many candidates for any given character. You do still get the standard hit/evade/crit bonuses from being near your support, but in a change supports are built and affect you in a two square radius. Supports are also not necessary to have characters marry; the couples are all predetermined like in the original and the only way to stop it is to kill off one of them.
Forging appears again, but here it's vastly toned down compared to other games. The best way to think of it here is to facilitate equipment upgrading in a world without breaking weapons. You have the ability to spend money on either ranking up a weapon (Iron Spear -> Iron Spear +1) or to level up a weapon to the next tier (Iron Spear +1 -> Steel Spear). Since higher tier weapons weigh more it can make more sense to instead rank up a lower tier weapon to still get a damage boost. It's up to you depending on your army composition.
Finally, the turnwheel is the latest anti-frustration feature that they've been toying around with. While casual mode still exists the turnwheel is more of a nod to the fact that sometimes the AI just decides to be an asshole. The turnwheel lets you rewind time action by action as far as you want to go, but it has a limited number of uses per battle. All random numbers involved are rerolled, but level ups are still set in stone (my assumption is that the start of the battle includes generating a bunch of random numbers for any level ups and then pops those one by one as needed). This can be used to reroll that miss on a 90% hit or to redo a turn when you realized you forgot to check enemy ranges before moving your army. It's limited enough that it doesn't feel like it diminishes the challenge much; it mostly serves as a way to keep you from having to restart the entire battle (and several later battles take a long time if you're trying to do them deathless due to the chokes involved).
All in all it's a fantastic remake and it's great to see that it made its way west. Now we need Intelligent Systems to remake the SNES FE games and we'll be in business.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
-
Exhuminator
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- Posts: 11573
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:24 am
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2017
MrPopo wrote:The turnwheel lets you rewind time action by action as far as you want to go, but it has a limited number of uses per battle.
Reminds me of Tactics Ogre PSP's Wheel of Fortune system, which allows you to rewind battle anytime you want up to 50 turns.
PLAY KING'S FIELD.
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PartridgeSenpai
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- Posts: 3062
- Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 9:27 am
- Location: Northern Japan
Re: Games Beaten 2017
Partridge Senpai's 2017 Beaten Games:
1. Tales of Hearts R (Vita)
2. UPPERS (Vita)
3. Volume (Vita)
4. Overlord: Minions (DS)
5. Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)
6. Overlord II (PS3)
7. Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii)
8. La-Mulana (Remake) (PC)
9. Infamous: Second Son (PS4)
10. htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary (Vita)
11. Blood Bowl (360)
12. Dead to Rights: Retribution (360)
13. Bioshock Infinite (360)
14. Bioshock Infinite: Burial At Sea Part 1 (360)
15. Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Part 2 (360)
16. Singularity (360)
17. Seifuku Densetsu Pretty Fighter X (Saturn)
18. Ultraman: Hikari No Kyojin Densetsu (Saturn)
19. Donkey Kong 64 (N64) (repeat)
20. Song of the Deep (PS4)
21. Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 (GCN)
22. Banjo-Tooie (N64) (repeat)
23. Wario Land (VB)
24. Yakuza HD Edition (PS3)
25. Yakuza 2 HD Edition (PS3)
26. Vanquish (PS3)
27. Watchdogs 2 (PS4)
28. Pikmin (Wii)
29. Pikmin 3 (Wii U)
30. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)
31. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
32. Tales of Innocence R (Vita)
33. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
34. Boing! Docomodake DS (DS)
35. Kirby Triple Deluxe (3DS)
36. Magicka 2: Learn to Spell... AGAIN! (PS4) (repeat)
Spent the weekend with some friends at my sister's place. We had some down time, and I'd brought the PS4 for Jackbox games, so I sat down and played some Magicka. Our friends thought it was pretty cool, so the three of us went through the first half of the game on normal, then the second half on hard, and then the first half on hard to round off the whole hard-mode experience
This was the first time I'd played Magicka 2 multiplayer, and it really holds up to the single player experience. 4-player mode has some pretty ludicrous amounts of enemies at times, it felt, but so does 3-player mode (just not to quite the same extent). 2-players felt the most player-tilted in terms of number of enemies Vs. how strong you as two separate entities are, but that may just be down to which levels we 2/3/4-playered respectively (depending on who was awake at the time ).
Hard mode REALLY don't fuck around. You can get through normal mode fairly comfortably without regarding mechanics like shields or weapon enchantments too heavily, but DAMN do you really gotta think with everything you have on hard mode. The game REALLY wants to kill you, and it tells you exactly how it's gonna do it (you can see exactly what modifiers hard mode and BANANAS!? (very hard) mode impact on the game. I also feel like some encounters have more enemies in them, but that may just be my imagination. Still loads of fun though. It really forces you to think strategically, and not just go in beams-blazing. I cannot imagine doing hard-mode in single player with how damn hard some of the hard-mode bosses are. BANANAS!? mode is like literally twice as difficult as hard mode, so I cannot imagine playing through that in any capacity ever XP
As a side note, perhaps it's just nastolgia talking, but I still liked the jokes in Magicka 1 better than this one. Magicka 2's main story is a little better nuanced (for what that's worth), but Magicka 1's story campaign modes really beat it out in terms of flavor (I don't think there have been any mission DLC's for Magicka 2 ;_;).
Verdict: Still Very Recommended. It's a fantastic game to play with people who are familiar with gaming. If you have an evening with the lads, this is a great one to crack out to see just how coordinated you are at action games.
1. Tales of Hearts R (Vita)
2. UPPERS (Vita)
3. Volume (Vita)
4. Overlord: Minions (DS)
5. Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)
6. Overlord II (PS3)
7. Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii)
8. La-Mulana (Remake) (PC)
9. Infamous: Second Son (PS4)
10. htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary (Vita)
11. Blood Bowl (360)
12. Dead to Rights: Retribution (360)
13. Bioshock Infinite (360)
14. Bioshock Infinite: Burial At Sea Part 1 (360)
15. Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Part 2 (360)
16. Singularity (360)
17. Seifuku Densetsu Pretty Fighter X (Saturn)
18. Ultraman: Hikari No Kyojin Densetsu (Saturn)
19. Donkey Kong 64 (N64) (repeat)
20. Song of the Deep (PS4)
21. Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 (GCN)
22. Banjo-Tooie (N64) (repeat)
23. Wario Land (VB)
24. Yakuza HD Edition (PS3)
25. Yakuza 2 HD Edition (PS3)
26. Vanquish (PS3)
27. Watchdogs 2 (PS4)
28. Pikmin (Wii)
29. Pikmin 3 (Wii U)
30. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)
31. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
32. Tales of Innocence R (Vita)
33. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
34. Boing! Docomodake DS (DS)
35. Kirby Triple Deluxe (3DS)
36. Magicka 2: Learn to Spell... AGAIN! (PS4) (repeat)
Spent the weekend with some friends at my sister's place. We had some down time, and I'd brought the PS4 for Jackbox games, so I sat down and played some Magicka. Our friends thought it was pretty cool, so the three of us went through the first half of the game on normal, then the second half on hard, and then the first half on hard to round off the whole hard-mode experience
This was the first time I'd played Magicka 2 multiplayer, and it really holds up to the single player experience. 4-player mode has some pretty ludicrous amounts of enemies at times, it felt, but so does 3-player mode (just not to quite the same extent). 2-players felt the most player-tilted in terms of number of enemies Vs. how strong you as two separate entities are, but that may just be down to which levels we 2/3/4-playered respectively (depending on who was awake at the time
). Hard mode REALLY don't fuck around. You can get through normal mode fairly comfortably without regarding mechanics like shields or weapon enchantments too heavily, but DAMN do you really gotta think with everything you have on hard mode. The game REALLY wants to kill you, and it tells you exactly how it's gonna do it (you can see exactly what modifiers hard mode and BANANAS!? (very hard) mode impact on the game. I also feel like some encounters have more enemies in them, but that may just be my imagination. Still loads of fun though. It really forces you to think strategically, and not just go in beams-blazing. I cannot imagine doing hard-mode in single player with how damn hard some of the hard-mode bosses are. BANANAS!? mode is like literally twice as difficult as hard mode, so I cannot imagine playing through that in any capacity ever XP
As a side note, perhaps it's just nastolgia talking, but I still liked the jokes in Magicka 1 better than this one. Magicka 2's main story is a little better nuanced (for what that's worth), but Magicka 1's story campaign modes really beat it out in terms of flavor (I don't think there have been any mission DLC's for Magicka 2 ;_;).
Verdict: Still Very Recommended. It's a fantastic game to play with people who are familiar with gaming. If you have an evening with the lads, this is a great one to crack out to see just how coordinated you are at action games.
I identify everyone via avatar, so if you change your avatar, I genuinely might completely forget who you are. -- Me
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2017
Xeogred wrote:It would be interesting to hear what you guys think of the current state of VR.
It's definitely still in its infancy as a widely available gaming medium, but I think it's doing well, all things considered. It's just got to get through the growing pains that every new technology goes through before we figure out what works and what doesn't.
Games Beaten in 2017 So Far - 51
* denotes a replay
January (10 Games Beaten)
February (12 Games Beaten)
March (6 Games Beaten)
April (9 Games Beaten)
May (14 Games Beaten)
51. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Xbox 360 - May 29
I'd been putting off playing this game for quite a while. I kept meaning to - I'd enjoyed the story in the first game, and I've heard the third game's praises sung non-stop for like a year and a half - but I knew I'd want to keep playing once I started, so I was waiting for a long weekend. Well, what better time to start a mid-length RPG than Memorial Day weekend? Luckily for me, I seriously had my shit together with gaming as I managed to put in about 30 hours and clear the game in two days.
The Witcher 2 picks up the story of Geralt of Rivia a few months after the conclusion of the first game. Still without the memory of his past, Geralt investigates the mysterious assassination of two of the Northern Kingdoms' monarchs and rumors that witchers may be involved. Graphically, the game looks pretty much like its predecessor did, but thankfully, the combat feels much more fluid and natural in the sequel. It's not perfect, mind you; the commands to lock on to enemies and draw your weapon still felt a bit sluggish, and the combat mechanics didn't feel quite as polished as they could have been, but it felt significantly more intuitive and responsive to me than the first game. Granted, I played the first game on PC and the second on Xbox 360, so there's a little bit of apples-to-oranges here, I suppose, but regardless, I felt much more comfortable and confident in the combat this go around.
One thing that I did notice is that there seemed to be a lot less non-humanoid monster slaying in this game than in the first one. You still kill a lot of rotfiends and nekkers (try saying that in frustration with a deep Southern accent; makes for some awkward misunderstanding), but those are bipedal and generally humanoid looking. There isn't nearly as much "beast" killing as there was in the first one. I'm not saying that's either good or bad, necessarily, but it definitely felt just a little less "fantasy" than the first one without the flocks of wyverns to kill (although there were, thankfully, plenty of harpies to massacre).
My one big complaint with this game is the amount of bugs I encountered, especially given that the game's age has passed the half-decade mark. Most of the bugs weren't game breaking, but there was some noticeable screen tearing from time to time, a fair amount of texture pop-in, and extremely finicky button command prompt triggers. I did, however, encounter two or three instances where a major quest flag failed to trigger, forcing me to reload an older save, and four or five instances of side quests being bugged and rendered impossible to complete. The minor bugs, I can ignore and live with, but quest-breaking bugs and main quest flags that don't trigger aren't minor. It's also worth noting that I was playing with the game installed on my 360's hard drive; I shudder to think the frequency and type of graphical glitches I'd have encountered without installing.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Witcher 2. The story definitely kept me hooked, although I found it a little less intriguing than that of the first game, and the characters were decently well developed. Graphically, it looks just fine for an Xbox 360 title, although it certainly doesn't push the system's limits, and the texture pop-in was disappointing. The bugs, however, are definitely an issue worth noting, and from my wiki perusing, it seems as though most of the game's quests have known bugs in one situation or another. Despite all that, however, I finished feeling satisfied and excited to fire up the third game once summer break begins, especially since I have the GOTY edition with all of the DLC.
Patron Saint of Bitch Mode
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PartridgeSenpai
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- Location: Northern Japan
Re: Games Beaten 2017
Xeogred wrote:It would be interesting to hear what you guys think of the current state of VR.
Although I do not own any high-end VR, my opinion of the current state is definitely underwhelming. I have yet to see anything that has convinced me as a gamer that VR adds anything actually meaningful to the gaming experience. For example, how does it compare to how two sets of shoulder buttons change a gaming experience? On top of that, I have yet to see anything meaningful enough to warrant biting the bullet of that price tag. I haven't been convinced that it's just motion controls 2.0, where it's a big fad that doesn't really add anything and will be nothing but a interesting footnote for gaming.
The real potential for VR, I've thought, is a virtual monitor. You don't need any big fancy monitor if you can just VR a giant screen television right in front of you. Maybe you can already do that, tbh. It's not that I see VR as a whole as a waste of time and effort and people should feel dumb for liking it, but it's that I am very skeptical as a consumer that VR as a central aspect of the gaming experience will ever add enough to warrant the high pricepoint.
I identify everyone via avatar, so if you change your avatar, I genuinely might completely forget who you are. -- Me