Thirith on 18/9/2023 at 06:37
It may mainly be Stockholm Syndrome, but I'm finding Assassin's Creed Valhalla more engaging than I expected. One thing that's pretty interesting is how the various cultures and personalities clash in the game; as is always the case with Ubisoft storytelling, there are more humdrum moments than good ones, but there *are* good bits and smart ideas. Also, there are moments where the environment really shines: when you're gliding down a river in your longboat at sunrise or sunset, or when you discover a place where the 9th century present (which, for us, is already ancient history) overlaps with even older places, so you've got this historical palimpsest of cultures and styles.
I will grow bored of this, but right now I'm not regretting that I started playing it. And it's the kind of game you can take a break from and come back to, or drop entirely once you've got the bits from it that you enjoy. Which is all damning the game with faint praise - but there are moments when I very much like what Valhalla does. I just wish they had a better grasp of what works best and did a more focused version of these games instead... but that's not what Ubisoft open worlds do.
@demagogue: You don't have VR, do you? I absolutely loved/dreaded Subnautica in VR, and there's now a mod that apparently improves the game in VR considerably.
nicked on 18/9/2023 at 07:16
Subnautica is one of those rare games that I wish I could selectively wipe from my memory and experience fresh. The sense of wonder and terror was unparalleled. It didn't hit as hard in the sequel because it's largely just more of the same, and I fear any future installments would be diminishing returns. It could potentially make a hell of a coop game though.
WingedKagouti on 18/9/2023 at 09:38
Quote Posted by nicked
Subnautica is one of those rare games that I wish I could selectively wipe from my memory and experience fresh. The sense of wonder and terror was unparalleled. It didn't hit as hard in the sequel because it's largely just more of the same, and I fear any future installments would be diminishing returns. It could potentially make a hell of a coop game though.
The sound design in Below Zero is a large part of what I feel makes the game less scary, you can almost constantly hear many creatures from far away. In the first game you could generally only hear a select few creatures (most notably Reefbacks and Reapers) from outside visual distance. In Below Zero you quickly get conditioned to ignoring the noises as it feels like even Brute Sharks (the first carnivore you're likely to encounter) constantly make noises. Al-an could also be a factor, since having a companion removes some of the isolation present in the first game.
nicked on 18/9/2023 at 11:27
Yeah it definitely wasn't as frightening, but I think it would always have lost something intrinsically by simply being more of the same. And the icy surface world stuff was nowhere near as compelling.
Komag on 19/9/2023 at 18:48
Agreed on all points regarding Subnautica and its sequel. I might just have to replay the original (again) in VR if I ever get a setup.
Sulphur on 21/9/2023 at 14:12
I've been prodding at Chants of Sennaar and I want to say that while you can lay down some critique at its mechanics being oversimplified or spread too thinly, I think its use of language as a puzzle with its limited verbal palettes and multiple languages hits the sweet spot of challenge and dopamine rush, and as an exercise in deciphering glyphs it is just delicious. The ligne claire Moebius-inspired art doesn't hurt either, but I'm far more enthralled by working out just what the Babylonian eff people are trying to tell me. YMMV, of course, but my more measured overall take is: it's pretty dang good.
Thirith on 21/9/2023 at 14:44
Have you played Heaven's Vault, and how does this compare?
Sulphur on 21/9/2023 at 15:37
I've only played a bit of Heaven's Vault, and from my brief time with it I'd say HV has a bit more of what one could call 'starting problems': ponderous, leaden, and not many very compelling motivations to begin, let alone see things through. The core language deciphering is similar, but HV is a bit broader in terms of scope and doesn't have as many hand-holdy checkpoints, so that's either a pro or a con depending on which side of the fence you land on. Sennaar is pretty much immediately accessible and more puzzle-y in comparison, but I think that makes it feel (relatively) punchier and easier/more fun to engage with. The demo's still around, and it's a good starting point to see how you'll fare with the rest of it.
Thirith on 21/9/2023 at 16:04
Cool, thanks. I liked Heaven's Vault much less than I'd hoped, not least because its translation gameplay was too vague and fuzzy. Having something a bit more gamefied, at least to begin with, something more structured, making it clearer whether you were on the right path or not, would've helped a lot IMO. This one sounds intriguing - I think I'll go and check out that demo!
Sulphur on 21/9/2023 at 16:47
Cheers. It's definitely more gameified, but conversely, a bit less cerebral and/or articulate? I don't mind that trade-off, I think there's place for both. Heaven's Vault's navigation, on the other hand... oof.
In other news, Ghost of Tsushima definitely has the jammiest sunsets I've ever seen. That might sound odd, but when you play the game, the moment the sun furls itself into the crook of a distant mountainside or languorously droops into the ocean, the entire place hushes into a flood of proper fucking marmalade -- with overtones of maple syrup. Graphically it's pretty nice, but oddly ropey in places like facial animation, and seems weirdly sparse in terms of how packed its simulacrum of Tsushima's villages and forests is, regardless of how nicely the wind whips waves into a bay in the distance. And, in spite of the 7+ skill trees, 4 stances, combos, armour, and gear systems, with stealth-lite tactics and Sekiro-lite dodging/parrying, and a story about forgoing honour in the face of ruthless enemies, it all somehow feels about as thin as the shoji paper in an old Japanese house. That's kinda impressive, if you think about it. Fortunately, it's also very moreish in the way stuffing your face with handfuls of caramel popcorn can be, even if you're going to regret doing too much of that in the end.
