Yakoob on 3/10/2021 at 23:43
I just gave Tunic demo a try after so much hype it has had for years and.... that's gonna be a pass for me. Too much souls-like, not enough adventure-y. There was one combat encounter towards the end of the demo that was super frustrating when you get swarmed by 3 sword/shield dues and need to defeat them with very limited stamina. it was so easy to get trapped in the "endless hit loop" when they surrounded you. I finally managed to beat it by just button mashing instead of trying to be strategic -_-
Doesnt help the game has the "respawn at nearest checkpoint / all enemies respawn too" mechanic that means you can easily get stuck on a loop of replaying the same segment over and over. I know it's basically a de-facto standard for most adventure/combat games these days, but I've never been a fan of forcing me to replay entire gameplay segments just because I messed up ONE thing.
Also no healing items (except ONE single-use item that heals pathetic 25% of health), so if you mess up your first encounter you might as well kill yourself instead of trying to progess further
demagogue on 4/10/2021 at 06:30
Quote Posted by Yakoob
Doesnt help the game has the "respawn at nearest checkpoint / all enemies respawn too" mechanic that means you can easily get stuck on a loop of replaying the same segment over and over. I know it's basically a de-facto standard for most adventure/combat games these days, but I've never been a fan of forcing me to replay entire gameplay segments just because I messed up ONE thing.
I have the impression that the commercial logic of this is that Steam reviews are considered more credible as a person's hours-played number goes up. Or for that matter, the hours-played counts as its own kind of positive review that can even trump a negative review if it's high enough. And replaying entire sequences is a good way to explode the number of hours played. Once people are invested in a scene & have a sunk cost, you can expect them to sink even more time into just finishing it off.
That is to say it's more about exploiting a cognitive bias to get more sales than good game design.
faetal on 8/10/2021 at 08:21
I'm playing the early access Rogue Legacy 2.
S'good.
Doesn't feel like EA so far either.
Briareos H on 10/10/2021 at 13:14
So Metroid Dread, eh?
I think I'm about about 75% through and it's not perfect but I love it. It has a lot going for it:
* Genuinely awesome moments that contribute to the impression of a space epic.
* Bosses that feel like bosses.
* Super tight combat and fluid movement.
* Often very beautiful, clean style.
* Upgrades that feel like upgrades (mostly).
* Sound design is terrific.
* Great map.
The list of negatives isn't empty, it has some major yet subjective flaws:
* I wished the game would let you breathe at least at some point, the story pushes you forward constantly. I may have finally found some downtime to explore, but that's with most of the game behind me. O
* The die & retry stealthy and unpredictable gameplay of the E.M.M.I. sections isn't going to be for everyone. They break the narration in an original way and really feel like their own separate puzzle game but I can see some people being put off. You die all the time.
* The environments are very nicely done but some would benefit from standing out more from each other.
* All the buttons all the time.
I'll reserve judgement until I'm done but it truly feels like a new game in the Metroid series, with some interesting although ultimately frustrating additions.
Aja on 12/10/2021 at 20:37
I'm only a couple hours in, but I pretty much agree with you. This is Mario Odyssey of 2D platformers: it has that Nintendo quality of which moving your character is fun in and of itself. The sound design is terrific although I haven't heard any really memorable music yet. My biggest complaint is, as you say, the environments don't have the dramatic distinction of Super Metroid. How long have you been playing to get to 75%? I've heard it's a short game, so I've been taking my time, trying to savour it. But with that wonderful movement it almost feels like it could be a platform for future Metroid adventures, maybe DLC.
Jashin on 15/10/2021 at 19:10
[video=youtube;NnDCRmLDakw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnDCRmLDakw[/video]
The meta layer might turn away some people, but man the first part of the game has "IT."
I've finished the game already and I'm getting it on release. There's a demo on steam for all to try.
henke on 17/10/2021 at 16:50
The Good Life
Being a big Deadly Premonition fan I backed the KS of this, what seems like ages ago now. I played the first 7 hours of it this weekend and I'm sad to report that it's not very good. You play as a reporter sent to a small English town to uncover a mystery and work off your 30 000$ debt. It's kinda a life-sim, and it's got surprisingly deep systems. Lots of things to do and interact with. Runs well too, on the technical side it's more robust than either Deadly Premonitions. And the life sim stuff is fun enough in a grindy kinda way, where you're constantly improving equipment, learning new things, and working off your debt. Watching numbers go up, whee! The photo app is perhaps the best part of the game, where you're tasked with snapping shots matching trending hashtags and uploading them to earn money and online-fame. Sadly, for a Sweary game, the characters and story are the weakest part. No, not just weak, annoying. And there's A LOT of it. So much it eventually had me mashing the skip-dialogue button just to get back to the somewhat-enjoyable parts of the game. But yeah, I don't know if I can be bothered staying with this much further. It's just not very good. :(
Recompile
If you're in the market for a TRON metrodvania, this is it! Blasted through this thing last week. It's a mixed bag. The platforming and combat is kinda clunky but has its moments. The occasional puzzles are very simple. But the story, delivered in text-logs, had me gripped throughout. For some reason I like stories about AIs. The world-design is pretty cool too and I enjoyed exploring. And of course it looks amazing. Yeah, this is a good one! :thumb:
PGA TOUR 2K21
This was in the latest PS+. I like golfing games, but haven't really played a "proper" one in ages. Delighted by this. Just put on some tunes and play a few holes. FOOOOOOOORE! :eek::eek::cheeky::thumb:
God Of War
Decided to give this another shot after giving up on it halfway through last time. I don't like spectacle fighters, I think I've mentioned that. I still don't like spectacle fighters, but I turned down the difficulty to Easy so I can just hack and slash my way through without having to get bogged down by the combat so much, and focus on the story. I like the characters, aside from the comedy-relief dwarves. I just got to this fight against a valkyrie tho, and she's whooping my ass. Dunno if I wanna play any more. :erg:
Starker on 17/10/2021 at 18:08
Quote Posted by henke
The Good LifeBeing a big Deadly Premonition fan I backed the KS of this, what seems like ages ago now.
It was only 3 years ago. Bummer, though, especially after DP2. Oh well, let's hope Hotel Barcelona turns out any good. Or, y'know, at all.
WingedKagouti on 17/10/2021 at 23:10
Quote Posted by henke
God Of WarDecided to give this another shot after giving up on it halfway through last time. I don't like spectacle fighters, I think I've mentioned that. I still don't like spectacle fighters, but I turned down the difficulty to Easy so I can just hack and slash my way through without having to get bogged down by the combat so much, and focus on the story. I like the characters, aside from the comedy-relief dwarves. I just got to this fight against a valkyrie tho, and she's whooping my ass. Dunno if I wanna play any more. :erg:
Sounds like you'd get more out of a Let's Play of the game. At least if you can find someone who explores the story the same way you'd want to.
Thirith on 18/10/2021 at 07:41
If I remember correctly, the valkyries are optional enemies (unless there's one that you need to fight?). I think I got my ass kicked by the first one and then went and completed much of the main storyline, so when I returned to her I was far better equipped and skilled up. It was still not an easy fight (though I played at Normal, IIRC), but it wasn't as frustratingly difficult.