Sulphur on 9/10/2024 at 13:31
It's weird that I have such mixed feelings about Jedi Survivor.
On the one hand, it's a Star Wars game that feels bland and rote, with combat that's exactly in the worst place it could be: it controls somewhere between God of War's heft and tactility, and Sekiro's razor-sharp precision, meaning it's the worst of both worlds. It's not physical enough, and it's not precise enough, leaving every encounter without the complete dopamine burst you get from cleaving enemies at either end of that spectrum. This is a problem because at least 65% of the game is spent squarely on sabering people and things.
On the other hand, the exploration and environments are magnificently done. These places feel sprawling yet intimate, and part of it is because of how you're made to thread through them and engage with Cal's moveset to really push into the unlit corners of the map to your next goal. The architecture starts to feel intricately connected with each shortcut unlocked, like the bits in Dark Souls where your mental map of an area suddenly snaps pieces into place with that jolt of enlightenment as you kick a ladder down. The platforming is sort of fussy at times, but more often than not it's the right kind of demanding, and more importantly, once Cal starts getting his repertoire of moves expanded, it feels good.
Graphically, it employs some of the nicest use of coloured lighting I've seen in anything since forever. Polygon density is high, effects work is great, characters are nice enough: it looks like an evolution from JFO into next-gen. It also feels liable to fall apart at any minute, because they pushed UE4 so hard that every time you rotate the camera, bits of geometry flash white at the edges, and in some areas there's screen tearing when performance isn't quite at 60 FPS (this is on the PS5).
As for the story... it exists, I suppose. I'm still fairly early in, so it wouldn't be too fair to judge it yet. So far it's transparently something that functions for Cal to ping around maps and revisit old friends primarily than placing any importance on a greater narrative theme, and the antagonist seems a bit random. But we'll see. It's still a 7.5/10 for me so far, but with qualifications now.
Tomi on 9/10/2024 at 19:53
While I found Jedi Fallen Order barely mediocre as a game, there was something about the characters and the locations in particular that gave me really strong Star Wars vibes. I think no other game has managed to capture that Star Wars feeling as well as it did, and that alone made the game worth playing for me. I've been looking forward to playing Jedi Survivor for a while now, but if it's just "more of the same", it'll be a disappointing.
Meanwhile I'm having my space adventures in Mass Effect (Legendary Edition) instead. It's a nice game, but I also got to say that it isn't quite as spectacular as I expected it to be. The story makes it all worth it, I suppose, but the whole morality system and any consequences of my actions have all felt a bit too black and white so far. The NPCs aren't particularly interesting either, and you'd think that my crew members for example would have at least something new to say every now and then. The combat is pretty typical BioWare combat - it's way too chaotic, the AI is terrible, it's badly balanced, and not challenging at all. My character is an Adept (sci-fi mage) and even on the Veteran difficulty I've managed just fine with my pistol and my Throw skill. Hopefully ME2 and ME3 are better in this regard.
The planetary exploration is something that I should love, but I find it just dull. Why are the vehicle controls relative to the camera and not the vehicle itself, like in just about every other game where you drive a vehicle? It's okay most of the time (because the camera automatically stays behind the vehicle), but whenever I have to drive in narrow spaces or make quick turns, it's just horrible. The whole planetary exploration is clearly just pointless filler content anyway, and it's a shame, because it has potential to be something more. I've often spent a good amount of time trying to climb to the highest mountaintop on a map mainly because I like the challenge, only to find that there's absolutely nothing of interest at the top. All this could be fun and interesting, but they've somehow managed to make it extremely boring.
I'm glad that I decided to give Mass Effect a try at last, but I don't think it has aged particularly well.
Malf on 10/10/2024 at 08:27
Tomi, regarding comparing Fallen Order to Survivor, Fallen order feels more Soulslite, while Survivor feels more Ubi-open-worlder after a while. It still has the same Soulslite elements, but they're less pronounced, especially after the opening few sections. I think because the world is more open and because the bonfire equivalents are more available and closer together, it feels easier to recover from dying or quickly get back to places you need to explore next.
Mind you, those opinions are possibly tainted by time and distance, as I haven't played either recently.
Tomi on 10/10/2024 at 08:42
Aaand I'm done with Mass Effect 1 already! :D Great story, somewhat shoddy gameplay - I think that sums up my Mass Effect experience so far. I'm tempted to jump into ME2 already, but I think I'll play some other games in the meantime. ME1 was much shorter than I expected, even though I did all the side quests that I could find, but that's only a good thing if I want to get through this trilogy. And there's a fourth game too, right?
Subjective Effect on 10/10/2024 at 08:49
I'm sure you all, like I, remember the days when gfx were a big deal for games. But shots like that say to me that we've reached peak graphical ability. Every one of those pictures is kind of amazing, even just the damn shadows. I'm now so impressed with graphical ability that I'm totally unimpressed by graphics as a draw for a game; it's all gameplay now because everything looks so lush, or quirky or just cool AF.
Sulphur on 10/10/2024 at 08:50
Survivor has an even stronger sense of place than Fallen Order thanks to how they flesh out the locations. But it's very much in the vein of 'more of the same but bigger' in terms of sequel philosophy, so take that for what you will.
RE:ME1, it's definitely an interesting beginning with some big flaws. Few people liked the Mako, and fewer liked the ridiculous inventory management. ME2 trims away the rough edges and also sands down the RPG aspect (slightly unfortunately, IMO) into what people described as 'guns 'n conversation' from that point on, I'd say it's very much good to get into if you want more of that universe in a tight package with better combat. The main story thread is quite underwhelming, but the companion stories are where it's at, they're markedly better than a lot of ME1's side quests. The Shadowbroker DLC is also very, very good, and a high benchmark that few other DLCs in the series manage to achieve (I'd say only Citadel from ME3 manages to do that, but for quite different reasons).
As for Andromeda... well, it's not as bad as people made it out to be, but it's not as good as the overcorrections in opinions make it out to be, either. It's mostly all right, but it patterns itself after Dragon Age: Inquisition in terms of mechanics, and both make a habit of giving you dry, arid locations to waste your time in a perfunctory crafting loop and empty side errands. The story's quite mid-tier and doesn't hit the highs of anything from ME1 to 3, but it doesn't hit the lows either, and the combat's the best in the series.
Sulphur on 10/10/2024 at 09:14
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
I'm sure you all, like I, remember the days when gfx were a big deal for games. But shots like that say to me that we've reached peak graphical ability. Every one of those pictures is kind of amazing, even just the damn shadows.
I'm sure Eva is well chuffed to hear that!
Jason Moyer on 10/10/2024 at 10:34
I haven't gotten an erection for a videogame since Mass Effect 2, IMO things have gone backwards.
Renault on 11/10/2024 at 04:06
Happy Birthday, Doom2. 30 freakin' years.
PigLick on 11/10/2024 at 10:55
I liked the mako, apparently there was inspiration from the old game Starflight, which I absolutely love. (the sega genesis version)
