noiseredux wrote:dsheinem wrote:
I explained already that my lack of interest is not limited to character models, thought that is a part of it.
Well it just seemed like your issues were:
1. character models
2. stray reviews (that focused on character models)
3. losing something in each port
So I felt like maybe the character models were the biggest issue is all.
Double Dragon Neon is not quite the same genre, as iirc it doesn't have the D&D style heavy RPG elements. Games that are a little closer - Guardian Heroes, Castle Crashers, etc. - they all score in the low 80s on Metacritic as well.
Yeah I wasn't sure what to compare it to. Was just thinking 2D beatemup, but you're right - the RPG elements lump it in somewhere else.
The other big difference is that all these other games we're talking about are $10-$15...
Both the Polygon and Escapist reviews say a lot more about the game than simply their thoughts on character models. I think people are fixating on those parts of the reviews in the same way that they accuse the reviewers of fixating on the characters in their articles...
The Polygon review spends equal space discussing the aesthetic and the length, for example:
The change of pace offered by the side content was appreciated given how repetitive Dragon's Crown's core structure often is. The game forces repeat visits through many of the same stages. As there are only around nine levels (with one branching path each by mid-game) stretched over 25+ hours, I was stuck replaying the same areas dozens of times. The game incentivizes continued play with a hard mode that unlocks after beating the final boss on normal difficulty, and a whole new quest to kill another ancient evil opens up. But again, the contents of the stages — and the bosses themselves — are the same, just more difficult. But as frustrating as the grind became, Vanillaware's aesthetic decisions were much more alienating.
The Escapist review mentions motivation problems:
The guild also prescribes quests that direct you through the game, though the information is provided in character and somewhat cryptically, at times telling you what to do but not where or in what manner. The overwhelming majority of quests will simply involve the clearing of a stage and the monsters therein, however sometimes you'll need to meet an unknown criterion as well, which can become frustrating if it causes you to repeat the same area until stumbling upon the answer. For example, as it turns out assisted dragon suicide isn't quite as laudable as actually doing the deed yourself.
Equipped with a predictably convoluted royal plot and tenuous reasons for venturing out of town, you'll set out on your search for the Dragon's Crown: The crown, a relic said to control dragons, is missing along with the king, leaving the political kingdom in a state of turmoil and you, random joe-shmoe from the street, to help figure things out. Frankly the story is extremely forgettable, feeling like the flimsy excuse for violence that it is.
I can't see myself spending all the hours with a dull, repetitive story and dropping $40-$50 to experience a new game in a genre that is grounded in shorter, arcade-style play...
