Apparently Nintendo decided to update all their games, which dominates a good portion of the news. I have been playing the same games for hundreds of hours, so once again it's just Matt who has new games to talk about.
For the third part we tackle the subject of Sony in our legally binding publisher rankings for the current console generation.
News - 00:42 to 27:22
What We Played - 27:23 to 43:43
Sony - 43:44 to 2:40:35
Specific Game Timestamps
The Pedestrian - 28:40 to 28:51
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - 28:52 to 30:57
Bound - 30:58 to 33:55
Until Dawn - 33:56 to 38:43
Lenna's Inception - 38:44 to 40:57
Top Run - 40:58 to 43:43
Showing posts with label Sony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sony. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2020
Friday, December 8, 2017
Game Time - November 2017
During the entire month of November I didn't really play a whole lot. I kind of just lounged around and let the Holiday season wash over me. I don't even really know what I did other than watch a whole lot of Adventure Time.
That doesn't mean I didn't play games, it just means I didn't finish any... It's game time!
Battle Chef Brigade
Years ago I saw a pre-release video of Battle Chef Brigade and it immediately caught my eye. It's an interesting mix of an action RPG and a match three puzzle game couched inside a fantasy Iron Chef. If what I just said sounds crazy, it's because it is. You play as Mina, a chef. She has run away from home to enter the tournament to become a member of the battle chef brigade. In the game world chefs are apparently super powerful and protect the land.
In order to join the brigade she must win a series of matches without losing three times. The game has you start your day by doing odd jobs for your teachers around town. This doubles as a way to get money and learn advanced game mechanics. You can do fun puzzles where you need to create specific patterns in the match three game, fight enemies, and make orders ads fast as possible in a busy restaurant. When you're all set you can find a fellow chef and challenge them to a battle. You than travel to a battleground and start the cool chef fight.
Initially you're introduced to the judge for the event and they let you know what element they like the best and what the main ingredient of your dish should be. There are three elements earth, water, and fire. The more you have of the specific element the judge requests the higher you'll score. The buzzer goes off and then you need to get cooking! You have to run outside and kill monsters to collect their parts, which are made up on colored orbs. You need to drop the parts into your cooking pot and then match them. When you match three of a kind they fuse together into an upgraded flavor gem and you can repeat the process. Before the timer runs out you bring the dish to the judge and are scored accordingly. It has been a lot of fun the few matches I've played so far. It has a lot of charm, and I'm excited to see where the story and mechanics go.
Pokemon Ultra Moon
It's a well known fact that I love the Pokemon franchise. Despite that I can't bring myself to defend the newest duo of Pokemon releases. I have personally enjoyed my time with it so far, but it's hard to justify it as a purchase for people who played Sun and Moon last year. Game Freak billed this as an all new adventure with an alternate story, which is only a half truth. While there are new aspects to the story it is still largely the same as before. They made tweaks to the pacing so that things get going quicker, but a majority of the changes take place near and at the end of the game. I do think that it's a better overall package, but it just takes a while to see any of it.
Sadly I can't comment on any of the new story aspects other than the Ultra Recon Squad showing up every so often. When I last played the game I stopped right before getting to the wholly new story section dealing with the legendary Pokemon Necrozma. There is also additional content after the game is over where you fight against a new and improved Team Rocket which I am looking forward to.
In terms of gameplay it's pretty much identical. You fight with Pokemon in turn based battles. You capture Pokemon, level them up, and see them evolve. It's the classic gameplay that we all know and love from the franchise, but I hope that next time they can change it up even more. Sun and Moon were a nice departure from the previous games and tried a bunch of new things. Personally I hope that for future iterations they take the changes even farther. While I adore Pokemon I don't know how much longer they can get away with the current formula.
.hack//G.U. Last Recode
.hack//G.U. originally came out in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. I came into the three part franchise during its second outing in 2007. I played the second and third volumes a ton, and enjoyed them quite a bit. However, that was back then. The graphics were decent then, and the repetitive combat mechanics and melodramatic anime acting did it for me then. Now we're in 2017 and the games have been re-released in a collection on the PS4. What sets this collection apart from others of its type is that it adds a ton of cool features in addition to the improved graphics. On top of all that they created an all new volume 4, which I definitely have not played yet. It is really cool that this franchise has been revived in 2017, but I just am not having a good time playing it.
The combat is simple active combat. You run into a group of enemies and mach a button to kill them. As the games go on you receive more weapons to add variety, but in the opening hours there's little to no variety. You play as Haseo, who is a player in the MMO known as the world who is trying to find out what happened to his friend Shino. She was attacked by a mysterious character called Tri-Edge and was never seen again. Haseo learns he has special powers as all good anime protagonists do, and he goes on a journey while honing his skills.
Even in 2017 the concept of playing a video game about being inside a video game is pretty novel. It still freaks me out that you can "log off" the game and retire to a PC desktop to read email and download sick wallpapers. I still like .hack, but I just don't want to play through it again. I already saw the story once, and the combat actually puts me to sleep. I played three sessions of it and almost fell asleep each time. It would be hard to recommend it to someone who has no nostalgia for it, but it's really cool for fans that Namco put this collection out.
Tis the Season
Pretty much all I've been doing since the 1st of December is playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The Switch finally has the hot JRPG action I have been craving. Sometimes I feel like if I go too long without playing one I will wither and die. So far I like it a lot, but it certainly has its fair share of problems.
The Director's Cut of Night in the Woods comes out Tuesday and I'm totally going to play through that again, because I love it so much. Other than that I don't really have a whole lot of video gaming plans. I'm just going to chill for the Christmas season and get really stressed out at work! See you next time!
That doesn't mean I didn't play games, it just means I didn't finish any... It's game time!
Battle Chef Brigade
Years ago I saw a pre-release video of Battle Chef Brigade and it immediately caught my eye. It's an interesting mix of an action RPG and a match three puzzle game couched inside a fantasy Iron Chef. If what I just said sounds crazy, it's because it is. You play as Mina, a chef. She has run away from home to enter the tournament to become a member of the battle chef brigade. In the game world chefs are apparently super powerful and protect the land.
In order to join the brigade she must win a series of matches without losing three times. The game has you start your day by doing odd jobs for your teachers around town. This doubles as a way to get money and learn advanced game mechanics. You can do fun puzzles where you need to create specific patterns in the match three game, fight enemies, and make orders ads fast as possible in a busy restaurant. When you're all set you can find a fellow chef and challenge them to a battle. You than travel to a battleground and start the cool chef fight.
 |
| If only it was this easy to cook in real life. |
Initially you're introduced to the judge for the event and they let you know what element they like the best and what the main ingredient of your dish should be. There are three elements earth, water, and fire. The more you have of the specific element the judge requests the higher you'll score. The buzzer goes off and then you need to get cooking! You have to run outside and kill monsters to collect their parts, which are made up on colored orbs. You need to drop the parts into your cooking pot and then match them. When you match three of a kind they fuse together into an upgraded flavor gem and you can repeat the process. Before the timer runs out you bring the dish to the judge and are scored accordingly. It has been a lot of fun the few matches I've played so far. It has a lot of charm, and I'm excited to see where the story and mechanics go.
Pokemon Ultra Moon
It's a well known fact that I love the Pokemon franchise. Despite that I can't bring myself to defend the newest duo of Pokemon releases. I have personally enjoyed my time with it so far, but it's hard to justify it as a purchase for people who played Sun and Moon last year. Game Freak billed this as an all new adventure with an alternate story, which is only a half truth. While there are new aspects to the story it is still largely the same as before. They made tweaks to the pacing so that things get going quicker, but a majority of the changes take place near and at the end of the game. I do think that it's a better overall package, but it just takes a while to see any of it.
 |
| The games bring back Team Rocket, but not until very late in the story. |
Sadly I can't comment on any of the new story aspects other than the Ultra Recon Squad showing up every so often. When I last played the game I stopped right before getting to the wholly new story section dealing with the legendary Pokemon Necrozma. There is also additional content after the game is over where you fight against a new and improved Team Rocket which I am looking forward to.
In terms of gameplay it's pretty much identical. You fight with Pokemon in turn based battles. You capture Pokemon, level them up, and see them evolve. It's the classic gameplay that we all know and love from the franchise, but I hope that next time they can change it up even more. Sun and Moon were a nice departure from the previous games and tried a bunch of new things. Personally I hope that for future iterations they take the changes even farther. While I adore Pokemon I don't know how much longer they can get away with the current formula.
.hack//G.U. Last Recode
.hack//G.U. originally came out in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. I came into the three part franchise during its second outing in 2007. I played the second and third volumes a ton, and enjoyed them quite a bit. However, that was back then. The graphics were decent then, and the repetitive combat mechanics and melodramatic anime acting did it for me then. Now we're in 2017 and the games have been re-released in a collection on the PS4. What sets this collection apart from others of its type is that it adds a ton of cool features in addition to the improved graphics. On top of all that they created an all new volume 4, which I definitely have not played yet. It is really cool that this franchise has been revived in 2017, but I just am not having a good time playing it.
The combat is simple active combat. You run into a group of enemies and mach a button to kill them. As the games go on you receive more weapons to add variety, but in the opening hours there's little to no variety. You play as Haseo, who is a player in the MMO known as the world who is trying to find out what happened to his friend Shino. She was attacked by a mysterious character called Tri-Edge and was never seen again. Haseo learns he has special powers as all good anime protagonists do, and he goes on a journey while honing his skills.
 |
| Haseo is back and edgier than ever! |
Even in 2017 the concept of playing a video game about being inside a video game is pretty novel. It still freaks me out that you can "log off" the game and retire to a PC desktop to read email and download sick wallpapers. I still like .hack, but I just don't want to play through it again. I already saw the story once, and the combat actually puts me to sleep. I played three sessions of it and almost fell asleep each time. It would be hard to recommend it to someone who has no nostalgia for it, but it's really cool for fans that Namco put this collection out.
Tis the Season
Pretty much all I've been doing since the 1st of December is playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The Switch finally has the hot JRPG action I have been craving. Sometimes I feel like if I go too long without playing one I will wither and die. So far I like it a lot, but it certainly has its fair share of problems.
The Director's Cut of Night in the Woods comes out Tuesday and I'm totally going to play through that again, because I love it so much. Other than that I don't really have a whole lot of video gaming plans. I'm just going to chill for the Christmas season and get really stressed out at work! See you next time!
Monday, February 6, 2017
Game Time - January 2017
2016 was a pretty good year for video games, but 2017 is going to be off the chain! Most of the time January is a slow month in terms of releases. Usually I would use the two months to catch up on my backlog, or go back to games I had missed from the previous year. This year I didn't get a lot of time to do that, because the releases are coming fast and furious already!
To kick off the new year I went on a trip to a fighting game tournament. Due to being on a plane I busted out my Vita and tried to see if I could finish Danganronpa 2. I started it when it came out years ago, but for some reason or another I didn't get very far. Upon returning from the trip I played it to completion. I don't think it's as good as the original, but it's still a decent product.
Halfway through the month, the new games started to flow. Gravity Rush 2 was the first one I picked up. It's a lot like the original, but better in almost every facet. The jump to PS4 did the game justice and it's doubly cool because now it will reach a wider audience. Sadly I have not finished it yet, because there is so much content and I have a problem where I need to complete every sidequest.
Yakuza 0 came out shortly after and it's just what you'd expect. It's a Yakuza game, but set in the 80's. All the goofy side missions and deathly serious Yakuza drama are back! I've had very little time to play it so far, but I have enjoyed myself so far. I set it aside to play Digimon World: Next Order, but that's a story for next month!
I've been buried in games, and I need to talk about them. However, this month I am going to try and keep each game to around three paragraphs. While I normally try and talk about each game for around sic or seven that can get a bit too wordy. I think I'll enjoy writing these a lot more when they're shorter, but we'll see!
Danganronpa 2
The original Danganronpa wasn't even on my radar when it released a few years ago. Mainly because I didn't know what it was. The cover had the franchise mascot Monokuma on the cover art. So seeing a weird looking anime bear I wrote it off as a bad game and didn't look up anything about it. Somehow I stumbled across video of it and ordered it immediately. It's a visual novel, so there's a lot of text. However, you can walk around the map freely as opposed to moving through menus. The concept is that children are being held captive in an area and if they want to leave their captor says they must kill each other. So inevitably murders occur and then you have to have a trial in order to figure out who the murderer was. This is where it turns into a more frantic version of Ace Attorney with a bunch of weird mini-games.
The first game takes place in a school, while the second takes place on an island. Danganronpa 2 is a direct sequel. At first it doesn't seem like it, but by the end there's so much about the first game they assume you know I don't know if you'd understand anything without playing it. To me, that's a bummer because I really didn't like the overarching plot of the first game. So when it carried all of that baggage over I was a bit bummed out. The part about Danganronpa I like is getting to know all of the characters and seeing their interactions. The class trials are great too. Solving the murders feels good, with the exception of a few frustrating mini-games. So when the plot dealing with the world outside the murders comes in I can't help but roll my eyes. The last chapter of Danganronpa 2 gets so far up its own ass that half the dialogue is intelligible to the average human.
If the last chapter of the game didn't exist I would recommend it to anyone wholeheartedly. However, now I have to tell people about it with the caveat that the plot falls apart at the end. I absolutely love the core of the franchise, and am glad that it is continuing into a third game. What gives me hope about the third game is that it drops all of the plot from the first two games and is a completely different things. There is still going to be kids murdering each other, and I honestly hope that's all.
Gravity Rush 2
As you may have seen I beat the original Gravity Rush in December. Gravity Rush 2 is obviously a direct sequel that takes place shortly after the events of the original. The gravity controlling girl Kat and her police officer friend Syd were caught in a gravity storm and taken far away from their home in Hecksville. Initially you don't have control over gravity, but after a lengthy intro sequence Kat is able to do almost everything she was before. I've seen a lot of people criticizing the opening, but I personally didn't really mind it. Walking around the mining town without gravity powers makes them feel all the more special when you do get them back. As the game goes on you receive two more styles that change how your powers work. I only got the lunar style, which allows you to jump ridiculously high and fly at ridiculous speeds. It's a fun addition.
The remaster of the original looked fine, but having 2 be developed from the ground up on the PS4 did a lot for it. Now there is much more to the world, and a whole lot more people roaming around on the streets. The new town introduced early in the game feels very lively, and looks beautiful. As with the remaster you no longer have to control anything with the gyro in the controller. You can still move the camera that way, but it would often make me spin out of control. I turned all gyro off as soon as I could in the menu.
With that said I think that the game feels better as a whole. Now that it isn't designed around a Vita specific feature it's much better off. The game seems better as a whole outside of control as well. It characterizes all of the characters worlds better than the original, and actually tackles classism in a tactful manner. I've already played it for a long time, and I don't think I've even halfway. Whether or not the game can continue to hold my attention until the end remains to be seen. The developer said that this game would end Kat's story and as of right now I don't have any idea how they can do that. I guess a lot more has to happen in the story still. I just hope they don't cram it all in very poorly at the end. Video games tend to do that.
Yakuza 0
Yakuza has always been a niche franchise and I don't really know why. Yes, it's very Japanese, but it has a lot of things that popular western developed games have. It's one of the earliest open world franchises I can think of. I mean, sure, the world is just a sub-section of a city, but it's still open. It took me until Yakuza 3 to get on the train, but ever since then I've been singing the praises of Yakuza everywhere I can. So I find it very odd that now that this entry is being widely praised here in the U.S. Perhaps it's because it's a prequel? I guess coming into a franchise five or six entries deep is a bit daunting, but the gameplay stays largely the same between them all. Regardless of how it happened I'm not complaining, because maybe now we won't have to wait years for each new entry to be localized.
So now you're saying what is Yakuza all about? Well, it's about Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. They're tough guys who take no guff and have tattoos that cover most of their body. You play as Kazuma Kiryu in all of them, however in Yakuza 0 you also play as Majima Goro (Another series regular). Yakuza is essentially the evolution of old school beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage. You get into a fight and just beat the living hell out of your opponents. You can grab weapons and your opponents with them, or just throw a flurry of blows and grapples. Eventually your character have blue flames emanating off them, which allows you to push triangle for a heat action. These actions are brutal finishers that do a ton of damage. They're all over the top and a pleasure to see every time. The combat has been largely the same for a majority of the franchise so its refreshing to see Kiryu get some different styles to use. It seems that there are four styles and I've gotten one that allows me to punch people so many times they can no longer block. It's awesome.
I'm only around 2 hours in, but this feels like some Yakuza ass Yakuza. I have seen a lot of melodrama, and even a few men take off their shirts before challenging me to a fight. It's all happened before, but it's still fun. The fact that it's set before all the other games during an economic boom is Japan is really cool. Everyone has a ton of money and is trying to make their mark on the city. So far everything has been pretty tame by Yakuza standards, but I'm sure it'll ramp up as I get farther in. I guess what I'm saying is that you should really check out Yakuza. There's never been a better time to get in on the action.
All I can see are Digimon
On the last day of January Digimon World: Next Order came out and It's pretty much all I've been playing since then. Something about it grabbed me in a way that I could not shake off. Following its release I had two days off and I completely destroyed my sleep schedule by staying up until 7 AM two consecutive days. So next month you can look forward to me spouting off all about what a wonderful game it is.
Other than that the only other game due out in February is Horizon Zero Dawn, the much lauded robot animal hunting game from Guerilla games. It's nice to see them making something that isn't Killzone for once, especially something that looks really cool.
I'm sure something else will pop up for me to talk about, but I'll have to wait and see. I've had a fun time chatting, but it's time for me to get back to Digimon now...
To kick off the new year I went on a trip to a fighting game tournament. Due to being on a plane I busted out my Vita and tried to see if I could finish Danganronpa 2. I started it when it came out years ago, but for some reason or another I didn't get very far. Upon returning from the trip I played it to completion. I don't think it's as good as the original, but it's still a decent product.
Halfway through the month, the new games started to flow. Gravity Rush 2 was the first one I picked up. It's a lot like the original, but better in almost every facet. The jump to PS4 did the game justice and it's doubly cool because now it will reach a wider audience. Sadly I have not finished it yet, because there is so much content and I have a problem where I need to complete every sidequest.
Yakuza 0 came out shortly after and it's just what you'd expect. It's a Yakuza game, but set in the 80's. All the goofy side missions and deathly serious Yakuza drama are back! I've had very little time to play it so far, but I have enjoyed myself so far. I set it aside to play Digimon World: Next Order, but that's a story for next month!
I've been buried in games, and I need to talk about them. However, this month I am going to try and keep each game to around three paragraphs. While I normally try and talk about each game for around sic or seven that can get a bit too wordy. I think I'll enjoy writing these a lot more when they're shorter, but we'll see!
Danganronpa 2
The original Danganronpa wasn't even on my radar when it released a few years ago. Mainly because I didn't know what it was. The cover had the franchise mascot Monokuma on the cover art. So seeing a weird looking anime bear I wrote it off as a bad game and didn't look up anything about it. Somehow I stumbled across video of it and ordered it immediately. It's a visual novel, so there's a lot of text. However, you can walk around the map freely as opposed to moving through menus. The concept is that children are being held captive in an area and if they want to leave their captor says they must kill each other. So inevitably murders occur and then you have to have a trial in order to figure out who the murderer was. This is where it turns into a more frantic version of Ace Attorney with a bunch of weird mini-games.
The first game takes place in a school, while the second takes place on an island. Danganronpa 2 is a direct sequel. At first it doesn't seem like it, but by the end there's so much about the first game they assume you know I don't know if you'd understand anything without playing it. To me, that's a bummer because I really didn't like the overarching plot of the first game. So when it carried all of that baggage over I was a bit bummed out. The part about Danganronpa I like is getting to know all of the characters and seeing their interactions. The class trials are great too. Solving the murders feels good, with the exception of a few frustrating mini-games. So when the plot dealing with the world outside the murders comes in I can't help but roll my eyes. The last chapter of Danganronpa 2 gets so far up its own ass that half the dialogue is intelligible to the average human.
 |
| Who's going to get murdered!? |
If the last chapter of the game didn't exist I would recommend it to anyone wholeheartedly. However, now I have to tell people about it with the caveat that the plot falls apart at the end. I absolutely love the core of the franchise, and am glad that it is continuing into a third game. What gives me hope about the third game is that it drops all of the plot from the first two games and is a completely different things. There is still going to be kids murdering each other, and I honestly hope that's all.
Gravity Rush 2
As you may have seen I beat the original Gravity Rush in December. Gravity Rush 2 is obviously a direct sequel that takes place shortly after the events of the original. The gravity controlling girl Kat and her police officer friend Syd were caught in a gravity storm and taken far away from their home in Hecksville. Initially you don't have control over gravity, but after a lengthy intro sequence Kat is able to do almost everything she was before. I've seen a lot of people criticizing the opening, but I personally didn't really mind it. Walking around the mining town without gravity powers makes them feel all the more special when you do get them back. As the game goes on you receive two more styles that change how your powers work. I only got the lunar style, which allows you to jump ridiculously high and fly at ridiculous speeds. It's a fun addition.
 |
| Lunar Style lets you go stupidly fast. |
The remaster of the original looked fine, but having 2 be developed from the ground up on the PS4 did a lot for it. Now there is much more to the world, and a whole lot more people roaming around on the streets. The new town introduced early in the game feels very lively, and looks beautiful. As with the remaster you no longer have to control anything with the gyro in the controller. You can still move the camera that way, but it would often make me spin out of control. I turned all gyro off as soon as I could in the menu.
With that said I think that the game feels better as a whole. Now that it isn't designed around a Vita specific feature it's much better off. The game seems better as a whole outside of control as well. It characterizes all of the characters worlds better than the original, and actually tackles classism in a tactful manner. I've already played it for a long time, and I don't think I've even halfway. Whether or not the game can continue to hold my attention until the end remains to be seen. The developer said that this game would end Kat's story and as of right now I don't have any idea how they can do that. I guess a lot more has to happen in the story still. I just hope they don't cram it all in very poorly at the end. Video games tend to do that.
Yakuza 0
Yakuza has always been a niche franchise and I don't really know why. Yes, it's very Japanese, but it has a lot of things that popular western developed games have. It's one of the earliest open world franchises I can think of. I mean, sure, the world is just a sub-section of a city, but it's still open. It took me until Yakuza 3 to get on the train, but ever since then I've been singing the praises of Yakuza everywhere I can. So I find it very odd that now that this entry is being widely praised here in the U.S. Perhaps it's because it's a prequel? I guess coming into a franchise five or six entries deep is a bit daunting, but the gameplay stays largely the same between them all. Regardless of how it happened I'm not complaining, because maybe now we won't have to wait years for each new entry to be localized.
 |
| I was going to pass on Yakuza 0 until I say this image. No joke. |
So now you're saying what is Yakuza all about? Well, it's about Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. They're tough guys who take no guff and have tattoos that cover most of their body. You play as Kazuma Kiryu in all of them, however in Yakuza 0 you also play as Majima Goro (Another series regular). Yakuza is essentially the evolution of old school beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage. You get into a fight and just beat the living hell out of your opponents. You can grab weapons and your opponents with them, or just throw a flurry of blows and grapples. Eventually your character have blue flames emanating off them, which allows you to push triangle for a heat action. These actions are brutal finishers that do a ton of damage. They're all over the top and a pleasure to see every time. The combat has been largely the same for a majority of the franchise so its refreshing to see Kiryu get some different styles to use. It seems that there are four styles and I've gotten one that allows me to punch people so many times they can no longer block. It's awesome.
I'm only around 2 hours in, but this feels like some Yakuza ass Yakuza. I have seen a lot of melodrama, and even a few men take off their shirts before challenging me to a fight. It's all happened before, but it's still fun. The fact that it's set before all the other games during an economic boom is Japan is really cool. Everyone has a ton of money and is trying to make their mark on the city. So far everything has been pretty tame by Yakuza standards, but I'm sure it'll ramp up as I get farther in. I guess what I'm saying is that you should really check out Yakuza. There's never been a better time to get in on the action.
All I can see are Digimon
On the last day of January Digimon World: Next Order came out and It's pretty much all I've been playing since then. Something about it grabbed me in a way that I could not shake off. Following its release I had two days off and I completely destroyed my sleep schedule by staying up until 7 AM two consecutive days. So next month you can look forward to me spouting off all about what a wonderful game it is.
Other than that the only other game due out in February is Horizon Zero Dawn, the much lauded robot animal hunting game from Guerilla games. It's nice to see them making something that isn't Killzone for once, especially something that looks really cool.
I'm sure something else will pop up for me to talk about, but I'll have to wait and see. I've had a fun time chatting, but it's time for me to get back to Digimon now...
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Game Time - December 2016
Just when you thought 2016 was behind you, here I come with the December edition of Game Time. I honestly meant to do this a few weeks ago, (when it was still 2016) however I got caught up in some other shenanigans. I then went on a trip for five days, and got myself a sweet cold! So for the past week I've either been gone or in bed. That's not a great excuse because I should have been done sooner, but that's the one I'm going with! In 2017 I'm going to try and be more on top of my blog posts!
Normally I use December as a month to finish up smaller games I missed out on earlier in the year. I did a bit of that, but for Christmas I also have myself the gift of an MMO addiction... I decided it would be a good idea to get Final Fantasy XIV on the steam sale and try that out. Now I'm deep down the MMO hole!
The short game I finished was SUPERHOT, and boy did I enjoy the hell out of that game. It's about two hours long, but those two hours were ridiculous and awesome. At some point I also bought Gravity Rush Remastered on a PSN sale and have been chipping away at that.
Let's talk about all of these video games! It's game time!
Final Fantasy XIV
I tend to not play MMO's because I have can get addicted to things very easily. I've gone pretty deep in the past, so I tend to stay away from the genre. It also helps that I generally move from game to game very quickly. I don't generally have a lot of time to stick with one thing for the amount of time an MMO requires. However, I have a few friends who really like FFXIV, and they had been wanting me to try it out. The cost of the game and expansion were $20 during the Steam winter sale, so I took the plunge.
At first I was really not enjoying the game. The story was so slow, and boring that I almost stopped playing. The thing that kept me going was the fact that leveling up makes me feel good. After playing for around ten or so hours the "real story" starts and the story actually got interesting. I started to do cool and challenging missions, and began to have a great time. I've played for around 30 hours and am currently at level 28 on my main job.
If FFXIV was a traditional MMO in every sense I may have dropped it already. It does have the usual combat. The main attack is an auto attack, so you click on an enemy and your character starts to go ham. The real "challenge" comes from using your skills and managing their cooldowns. I chose a Pugilist, so I use my fists to attack. I chose the class, because you have to pay attention and use the skills in a certain order to get damage buffs. That way I don't just zone out forever while I play.
Where FFXIV differs from other games in the genre is that you can have every class at once if you want to. They all start at level 1, and can go up to level 60 if you have the expansion. Currently my highest level job is a pugilist, but I have also leveled up the rogue job to level 12. This means that at any time I can change to a rogue and use a completely different set or armor, weapons, and skills. The benefit to doing this is that each job gets specific skills and perks that carry over to other classes. It's a really interesting system that reminds me a bit of Bravely Default.
I guess I don't really have a lot to say about this game. I'm enjoying my time with it, but outside of my addictive personality and the job system there isn't a whole lot of unique stuff going on. I just wanted to give the game a shot, because I've been on a bit of a Final Fantasy binge lately. I'm going to keep playing it, but I don't know for how long. I want to try finishing the content in the game currently, but that's a crazy amount of time I could spend playing newer games. I just have a weird compulsion to do everything in MMO's even though most quests are absolutely worthless and don't give you good rewards.
SUPERHOT
You may be thinking the title should be Super Hot, but you're wrong. It's SUPERHOT, and boy is it something to behold. I initially saw someone try out the browser game that the SUPERHOT Team put out to show their initial idea. The game revolves around a simple concept that doesn't sound cool, but when you're experiencing it in practice it's one of the coolest things I've ever done. It's a first person shooter where time moves when you move, and moves very slowly when you stand still. This allows you to pull off amazing feats that never really get old.
Initially I thought that the browser game was a cool tech demo that wouldn't really be able to become something more. I was proven wrong on every level. The setup for the story is that you meet someone in a chatroom and they hook you up with SUPERHOT.EXE. It's a cool new game that everyone's playing. You boot it up to be greeted by white environments filled with red polygonal men who are trying to kill you. Depending on the level you may start with a gun, or nothing. If you have a gun, then you can shoot your foes until you run out of bullets. The best option when you run out of bullets is to throw your empty gun, which will cause your enemy to reel and throw their gun into the air, which you can then catch and use. That description probably doesn't sound very exciting, but imagine pulling off that string in slow motion, and feeling like a badass. Then when you've cleared the stage your character inexplicably chucks whatever they're holding and the words SUPER, then HOT, accompanied by chanting of said words will happen until you click to start the next stage. It's awesome.
Outside of guns you can also pick up objects in the environment to throw, or punch your enemies to death. A bullet will kill an enemy in one shot causing them to shatter. Throwing objects will cause them to drop their gun for you take take, the same goes for throwing your gun at them. There are various points where you will also get a sword, which can be thrown for one hit kills, or used to kill enemies by swinging until it breaks. In my opinion the sword, and other melee weapons like the baseball bat are the most fun to use.
When I use the words first person shooter to describe SUPERHOT I'm only using them to describe what you're doing. You're shooting people in first person. Despite that fact it actually plays more like a puzzle game due to the time mechanics. The fact that you can essentially pause time means that you can think your way out of most scenarios. If you're skillful enough you can dodge bullets, or even shoot them out of the air with your own. If you get hit and die, then you can start the level over almost instantaneously. Each level offers a completely new challenge.
While the story is over in about two hours, it felt like no time at all because I was having so much fun. Once it's over you unlock challenges like katana only runs, and things of that sort. There is also an endless mode which you can use to test your skills. The story is interesting and will sometimes have you quitting the game to chat with the person who gave you the game, and then going back in. It takes some pretty weird turns, but it just adds to the game's extreme sense of style. Overall SUPERHOT is an experience I would recommend to anyone.
Gravity Rush Remastered
Gravity Rush is one of the Vita only games that I was interested in playing. When I got one I tried to play the game for a few hours, but had to put it down. I loved the characters and the world, but using the gyroscope to control the main character Kat's gravity power was not something I wanted to do at all. Lucky for me the game was re-released on the PS4, but I almost let that pass me by as well. The only reason I'm playing it now, so far after its release is that Gravity Rush 2 comes out in a few short weeks and it looks amazing. In order to be ready for it I decided it was time to play through the original.
Gravity rush follows the amnesiac Kat who finds herself in the unfamiliar town of Hecksville with her gravity controlling cat Dusty. The central crux of the game is using gravity powers to traverse the world and destroy floating enemies called the Nevi. I really enjoy the gameplay now that I don't have to move the Vita around like a moron. On the PS4 you can just push R1 to activate Kat's abilities and then aim a reticle with the right stick to get you where you need to go. You're traversing a lot of floating islands and going to high areas, while upside down. It's like a super intense version of Mario Galaxy. There are often times where I forget if I'm actually on the ground or not so I have to look at Kat's scarf for reference.
Throughout the world there are crystals you can collect that are used as the currency for upgrading your abilities. These crystals can also be gained by completing challenged like racing through checkpoints, or defeating a ton of enemies. It seems like none of the upgrades are necessary to complete the game, but they sure make things a lot more fun. You can upgrade things like your falling speed, kick attack, and gravity meter. It's always good to be able to use your powers for longer.
The thing that strikes me about Gravity Rush the most is the world and its characters. The models and the world of Hecksville look beautiful. There are a lot of bright colors. Each district of the city has its own style, so the visuals change greatly over the course of the game. As a character Kat is very charming. Despite the fact that she's lost her memory she is very witty and genuinely funny. A lot of games recently get a little too heavy on the Internet humor and memes, but Gravity Rush is able to be funny in its own right.
I am about 3/4's of the way through now and the story is really heating up. New characters have introduced themselves and I actually don't really know where the story is going to end up, but I'm happy to go along for the ride. There's something about Gravity Rush that's super endearing to me, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Yes, the world and characters are great, but there's something about the package as a whole that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside while I'm playing it. I look forward to the second game!
2017
We're a few weeks into 2017 now, and I have yet to do any serious gaming, Like I said I've been on a trip for the majority of it and now I have a stupid cold. As we speak I'm hacking up a lung and it's very unpleasant.
In two weeks I will start my 2017 gaming binge by diving into Gravity Rush 2, and Yakuza Zero. I am super excited for all the games coming out this year. The Nintendo Switch is going to be detailed tomorrow night, and I'm getting super hype about it. I set my money aside as soon as the NX was announced, and the rumors are that it'll be cheaper than the $500 I put aside for it. If that's true it means I'll be able to get more games at launch than I anticipated!
Man, this year is going to rule and I seriously cannot wait!
Normally I use December as a month to finish up smaller games I missed out on earlier in the year. I did a bit of that, but for Christmas I also have myself the gift of an MMO addiction... I decided it would be a good idea to get Final Fantasy XIV on the steam sale and try that out. Now I'm deep down the MMO hole!
The short game I finished was SUPERHOT, and boy did I enjoy the hell out of that game. It's about two hours long, but those two hours were ridiculous and awesome. At some point I also bought Gravity Rush Remastered on a PSN sale and have been chipping away at that.
Let's talk about all of these video games! It's game time!
Final Fantasy XIV
I tend to not play MMO's because I have can get addicted to things very easily. I've gone pretty deep in the past, so I tend to stay away from the genre. It also helps that I generally move from game to game very quickly. I don't generally have a lot of time to stick with one thing for the amount of time an MMO requires. However, I have a few friends who really like FFXIV, and they had been wanting me to try it out. The cost of the game and expansion were $20 during the Steam winter sale, so I took the plunge.
At first I was really not enjoying the game. The story was so slow, and boring that I almost stopped playing. The thing that kept me going was the fact that leveling up makes me feel good. After playing for around ten or so hours the "real story" starts and the story actually got interesting. I started to do cool and challenging missions, and began to have a great time. I've played for around 30 hours and am currently at level 28 on my main job.
 |
| It's me, Manny Manatron! |
If FFXIV was a traditional MMO in every sense I may have dropped it already. It does have the usual combat. The main attack is an auto attack, so you click on an enemy and your character starts to go ham. The real "challenge" comes from using your skills and managing their cooldowns. I chose a Pugilist, so I use my fists to attack. I chose the class, because you have to pay attention and use the skills in a certain order to get damage buffs. That way I don't just zone out forever while I play.
Where FFXIV differs from other games in the genre is that you can have every class at once if you want to. They all start at level 1, and can go up to level 60 if you have the expansion. Currently my highest level job is a pugilist, but I have also leveled up the rogue job to level 12. This means that at any time I can change to a rogue and use a completely different set or armor, weapons, and skills. The benefit to doing this is that each job gets specific skills and perks that carry over to other classes. It's a really interesting system that reminds me a bit of Bravely Default.
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| It looks and plays like an MMO |
I guess I don't really have a lot to say about this game. I'm enjoying my time with it, but outside of my addictive personality and the job system there isn't a whole lot of unique stuff going on. I just wanted to give the game a shot, because I've been on a bit of a Final Fantasy binge lately. I'm going to keep playing it, but I don't know for how long. I want to try finishing the content in the game currently, but that's a crazy amount of time I could spend playing newer games. I just have a weird compulsion to do everything in MMO's even though most quests are absolutely worthless and don't give you good rewards.
SUPERHOT
You may be thinking the title should be Super Hot, but you're wrong. It's SUPERHOT, and boy is it something to behold. I initially saw someone try out the browser game that the SUPERHOT Team put out to show their initial idea. The game revolves around a simple concept that doesn't sound cool, but when you're experiencing it in practice it's one of the coolest things I've ever done. It's a first person shooter where time moves when you move, and moves very slowly when you stand still. This allows you to pull off amazing feats that never really get old.
Initially I thought that the browser game was a cool tech demo that wouldn't really be able to become something more. I was proven wrong on every level. The setup for the story is that you meet someone in a chatroom and they hook you up with SUPERHOT.EXE. It's a cool new game that everyone's playing. You boot it up to be greeted by white environments filled with red polygonal men who are trying to kill you. Depending on the level you may start with a gun, or nothing. If you have a gun, then you can shoot your foes until you run out of bullets. The best option when you run out of bullets is to throw your empty gun, which will cause your enemy to reel and throw their gun into the air, which you can then catch and use. That description probably doesn't sound very exciting, but imagine pulling off that string in slow motion, and feeling like a badass. Then when you've cleared the stage your character inexplicably chucks whatever they're holding and the words SUPER, then HOT, accompanied by chanting of said words will happen until you click to start the next stage. It's awesome.
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| Shoot your enemies. |
Outside of guns you can also pick up objects in the environment to throw, or punch your enemies to death. A bullet will kill an enemy in one shot causing them to shatter. Throwing objects will cause them to drop their gun for you take take, the same goes for throwing your gun at them. There are various points where you will also get a sword, which can be thrown for one hit kills, or used to kill enemies by swinging until it breaks. In my opinion the sword, and other melee weapons like the baseball bat are the most fun to use.
When I use the words first person shooter to describe SUPERHOT I'm only using them to describe what you're doing. You're shooting people in first person. Despite that fact it actually plays more like a puzzle game due to the time mechanics. The fact that you can essentially pause time means that you can think your way out of most scenarios. If you're skillful enough you can dodge bullets, or even shoot them out of the air with your own. If you get hit and die, then you can start the level over almost instantaneously. Each level offers a completely new challenge.
 |
| Melee weapons are my favorite. |
While the story is over in about two hours, it felt like no time at all because I was having so much fun. Once it's over you unlock challenges like katana only runs, and things of that sort. There is also an endless mode which you can use to test your skills. The story is interesting and will sometimes have you quitting the game to chat with the person who gave you the game, and then going back in. It takes some pretty weird turns, but it just adds to the game's extreme sense of style. Overall SUPERHOT is an experience I would recommend to anyone.
Gravity Rush Remastered
Gravity Rush is one of the Vita only games that I was interested in playing. When I got one I tried to play the game for a few hours, but had to put it down. I loved the characters and the world, but using the gyroscope to control the main character Kat's gravity power was not something I wanted to do at all. Lucky for me the game was re-released on the PS4, but I almost let that pass me by as well. The only reason I'm playing it now, so far after its release is that Gravity Rush 2 comes out in a few short weeks and it looks amazing. In order to be ready for it I decided it was time to play through the original.
Gravity rush follows the amnesiac Kat who finds herself in the unfamiliar town of Hecksville with her gravity controlling cat Dusty. The central crux of the game is using gravity powers to traverse the world and destroy floating enemies called the Nevi. I really enjoy the gameplay now that I don't have to move the Vita around like a moron. On the PS4 you can just push R1 to activate Kat's abilities and then aim a reticle with the right stick to get you where you need to go. You're traversing a lot of floating islands and going to high areas, while upside down. It's like a super intense version of Mario Galaxy. There are often times where I forget if I'm actually on the ground or not so I have to look at Kat's scarf for reference.
 |
| The gravity powers are fun to use. |
Throughout the world there are crystals you can collect that are used as the currency for upgrading your abilities. These crystals can also be gained by completing challenged like racing through checkpoints, or defeating a ton of enemies. It seems like none of the upgrades are necessary to complete the game, but they sure make things a lot more fun. You can upgrade things like your falling speed, kick attack, and gravity meter. It's always good to be able to use your powers for longer.
The thing that strikes me about Gravity Rush the most is the world and its characters. The models and the world of Hecksville look beautiful. There are a lot of bright colors. Each district of the city has its own style, so the visuals change greatly over the course of the game. As a character Kat is very charming. Despite the fact that she's lost her memory she is very witty and genuinely funny. A lot of games recently get a little too heavy on the Internet humor and memes, but Gravity Rush is able to be funny in its own right.
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| For a remaster of a Vita game, this looks incredible. |
I am about 3/4's of the way through now and the story is really heating up. New characters have introduced themselves and I actually don't really know where the story is going to end up, but I'm happy to go along for the ride. There's something about Gravity Rush that's super endearing to me, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Yes, the world and characters are great, but there's something about the package as a whole that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside while I'm playing it. I look forward to the second game!
2017
We're a few weeks into 2017 now, and I have yet to do any serious gaming, Like I said I've been on a trip for the majority of it and now I have a stupid cold. As we speak I'm hacking up a lung and it's very unpleasant.
In two weeks I will start my 2017 gaming binge by diving into Gravity Rush 2, and Yakuza Zero. I am super excited for all the games coming out this year. The Nintendo Switch is going to be detailed tomorrow night, and I'm getting super hype about it. I set my money aside as soon as the NX was announced, and the rumors are that it'll be cheaper than the $500 I put aside for it. If that's true it means I'll be able to get more games at launch than I anticipated!
Man, this year is going to rule and I seriously cannot wait!
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Podcast Episode 16 - Uncharted 4
Another month has passed, which means it's time for another podcast! This time my rambling is all about Uncharted 4, and the franchise in general.
I talk about why I liked the final entry in the franchise, and how it did a lot of things better than its predecessors.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Memorable Melodies: Nate's Theme from Uncharted
Song: Nate's Theme
Game: Uncharted
Composer: Greg Edmonson
Uncharted 4: A Theif's End came out yesterday. As of writing this a day later I am almost at the end of the game. I can see the plot lines wrapping up and bringing the exciting franchise to a close. Naughty Dog claims that this is Nathan Drake's final outing. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen. Personally, I hope that Uncharted 4 brings an end to the series. It's been an amazing ride, but I think that the franchise has run its course.
Since I'm nearing the end of the final chapter I've been thinking back on the series as a whole. I played the original Uncharted long after it came out on a tiny CRT in my college dorm room. In just a few short sittings I played the game to completion. The characters and the wild adventure they were on pulled me in immediately. I couldn't stop playing. Somehow this same feeling has managed to grab hold of me during each Uncharted game. It's why I've almost completed the new one and it's only been out for a day!
This franchise is the closest that video games have ever come to blockbuster movies. Nathan Drake sets out on grand adventures where he climbs and shoots his way to lost civilizations and buried treasure. The visuals and action set pieces are unparalleled. Everything is so grand that I can't help but be enthralled by it.
That's why I've chosen Nate's theme for this week's Memorable Melody. It reminds me of all the adventures that I've been on with Nathan Drake throughout the franchise. Whenever I hear it I can't help but feel a sense of grandeur. It makes me want to go on an adventure.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Game Time - September 2015
September was a month of many releases, but I focused my time on three very good ones.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain kicked off the month of the 1st. Honestly this is where I spent almost all of my gaming time for the month. I completed the story, and then proceeded to do every single side mission available in the game. When all was said and done I clocked in close to 70 hours, which is pretty crazy.
Then on the 11th Super Mario Maker came out. Initially I was going back and forth on my decision to buy it. In the end I decided that Mario was the first video game I ever played and I needed to buy it even if I wouldn't play it much. Just as I suspected I haven't played it a whole bunch, but it's still a super cool game.
At the very tail end of the month on the 29th the spectacular rhythm game Persona 4: Dancing All Night graced the Vita with its presence Do you like Persona 4? Do you like dope jams and hot remixes? If so, then this is the game for you! It has all of those things!
This month was action packed. and October is even more action packed! I need to mentally prep myself, so it's time to get all my thoughts on these games so I can fill my head with brand new thoughts! It's Game Time!
Super Mario Maker
I tend to not get much play time out of games that are based around me as a player creating content, and Super Mario Maker is no different. That doesn't mean it's a good game, it just means that it isn't necessarily for me. Sure I can play other people's levels, but that only gives me so much satisfaction. I say Super Mario Maker isn't exactly a game for me, but it is amazing. I think Nintendo has done an amazing thing with this game, and I hope they continue down this path.
People make Super Mario ROM hacks all the time on the Internet. People have gotten so good at Mario that they need something else much harder to conquer. That's something that has been made much easier with the tools available in Super Mario Maker. You can use physics sets, mechanics, and backgrounds from original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Each plays a bit differently, and obviously looks different. What's amazing is that Nintendo didn't really skimp on the tools. There are so many options for you to make a level, and they're super intuitive. In fact, I'd say this game is the first proper use of the Wii-U's touch pad.
When making a level you start with a blank slate that's laid out in front of you in a grid. Each thing you can place takes up one square. You just tap the thing you want to put in the level and drag it to where you want it. It's that simple. Anyone could theoretically make a Super Mario Maker level and that's super cool. It's even better that it has everything you know and love, but the ability to make it ten times more crazy. Take a Bullet Bill launcher for example. They're simple enough. All they do is shoot in a straight line. If you pick one up and shake it around though things get super crazy. The launcher then turns red, and the Bullet Bills home in on the player. That's nuts! You can do this kind of thing for many of the place-able blocks in the game. It adds a cool new element while keeping everything long time players are used to.
My issue with the game comes down to the fact that even though it's easy to make a level a lot of the levels in the game aren't good. Very few people are out there making cool levels that could be in an actual Mario Game. Most levels have so much shit in them you just have to pray that the randomness of the level is on your side and you can actually make it through. Then there are the levels that are actually cool, but they're so hard that you have to try them 800 times before you fully understand what to do. I just want to chill and see cool designs. I don't want to have to rage every single level I'm playing. Once again this is just a fault for me. I know tons of people out there like the impossible challenge, but that's not what I come to a lot of games for, especially Mario. It's even more frustrating to me that the game has become so prolific on Twitch. Whenever I watch anyone play it's them playing the same level for hours on end, which just really sucks.
I actually think the game is a masterpiece. The creation tools are very deep, yet so simple to pick up. Even if I don't see a lot of levels I like, there are tons of new ones being created every day. Most of them are super cool and complex and they'll only get better as time does on.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is ridiculous in almost every way. It cost $80 million dollars to make and even then, the final mission was cut from the game. The cost and time it took to make it paid off though, because it is unlike anything to come before it, and may be one of the greatest action games ever made. I don't say this kind of thing lightly, and I sincerely mean it. The Phantom Pain comes together in a way that I never would have expected. It plays well, tells an interesting story, and has more emergent gameplay than almost any other video game. The options for how you can approach every situation are almost limitless. In most games you think of a cool thing to try, and then it doesn't work. In the Phantom Pain I had almost no situations like that. If you can think of something to try, it almost always will work.
At first I didn't know what to make of this game. It has Metal Gear in the title, but it doesn't necessarily feel like a Metal Gear game at first. Metal Gear Solid has always been a third person stealth game, which is loaded to the brim with super long cutscenes and a severely convoluted plot. People often criticize the franchise for having more of the player watching than actually playing. The Phantom Pain takes a different approach in that it's almost all gameplay. Cinematics happen very few and far between. Near the end they happen much more frequently, but you have to play a lot of the game to get to that point. I personally had no problem with that.
It's odd, because recently I've been hating most open world games. They have bad quest writing with little rewards, or nothing to actually do in the open world. The Witcher 3 made me rejoice when it had meaningful quests, and in the Phantom Pain there's a lot to do and it's all fun. Seriously, I did all 157 side missions. 157! That's a whole lot of Metal Gear. Most of the side missions involve just killing people, or extracting certain things, but you can approach it in so many ways that it's incredible. For example in most stealth games, previous Metal Gear games included, once you got caught sneaking around you were screwed. That is no longer the case. If you want to go ham and mow down everyone in your patch that's totally viable. If you want to try to hang around and beat everyone with your fists, that works too. Why not call in a supply drop of a jeep and ride off into the sunset? The world is your oyster. It makes even mundane mission tasks, because you never know what's going to happen.
The way the open world works is bananas as well. Everything is intertwined in a way that I never thought possible in an open world game. It actually reacts to your play style. So if you always go for head shots, then enemies will eventually be wearing way more helmets. To then counteract that you can send your recruited soldiers to cut off the helmet supply chain. I just think that it's crazy that other enemies in the world are aware of your actions. If you attack an outpost and someone escapes, then they will alert other bases in the area. Those bases will then ready themselves for Big Boss, just in case he comes. There are also supply routes between each outpost, so if someone drives through and sees everyone dead, they'll turn around and alert others. It's super intricate.
The basic gameplay of The Phantom Pain feels better than its predecessors. In comparison, it feels like a modern game should. It has tight and intuitive controls. This makes it fun to do everything. It's just fun to go around in the world and cause trouble. It's even better to put people to sleep and then balloon them away to your base. Seriously, when you put soldiers to sleep you can Fulton them away to Mother Base, where their stats will then contribute to your base and make it so you can develop more tools to use in the open world. It's essentially like Pokemon, but with tons of soldiers. This mechanic was in the PSP game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker as well, but it's implemented better here.
I can't praise this game enough. I came into the game expecting to not like it. I'm one of the crazy people who really liked watching the insanity play out in cutscenes of the previous games. It took me a while to adjust to the new style of the game, but in the end I think it paid off. The game is actually much better than it would have been as a cinematic fest. Essentially all the out of control silliness was transplanted from the cutscenes to the gameplay itself, and that's really cool. The Phantom Pain is definitely a game I think will be on a lot of people's game of the year list, mine included.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
I like Persona, and I like rhythm games, so I had to get Persona 4: Dancing All night. The game consists of Persona 4 characters dancing to the smooth sounds of remixed Persona 4 music. I love Persona 4 music, so to hear it remixed was kind of cool. The issue I have with it is that it all kind of devolves into dubstep, which gets tiring after a while. The gameplay is fun and engaging enough to make up for that though.
When playing a song a character will be dancing around on the screen. In a frame around them in a circle there are 6 button prompts. On the left there is up, left, and down on the d-pad. On the right side there is triangle, circle, and x. Circles will start to fly out of the center of the screen, and you have to push the corresponding button of wherever it goes to. Most of the time you'll just be pushing the button in time with the beat, but sometimes you'll have to hold the button, or push two at the same time. There is also another mechanic that has circles emanate from the center of the screen. The game wants you to flick one of the analog sticks when it reaches the circle all of the button prompts are displayed on. This means that you have to take your hands off of the buttons to flick a stick, which is terrible. It's a good thing the game lets you turn on the ability to push L or R instead. It feels much more natural that way, and I don't get why it isn't the default. It doesn't necessarily matter though, because those button presses are optional/ You only need them to get a higher score. Man, saying all of that makes me sound like a crazy person.
The rhythm game part is why most people will come to the game, but there is also a story mode. I could not stand it. I beat it in about 6 hours, and got very little enjoyment out of it. It's more or less a visual novel with no interaction. Games like Phoenix Wright and Danganronpa give players meaningful choice, or have them interact with the game in some way. Like in Phoenix Wright you collect evidence and present it at the right time. In P4D you literally read and make choices that don't matter one iota. Eventually you'll get a break from the text and be allowed to play the actual game. What sucks is that it's super well written, but there's so much text it feels like a slog.
Rise took a break from being an idol in Persona 4, but this game marks her return to the spotlight. She asked the protagonist Yu, and the rest of the investigation team to be her backup dancers for her special return performance. They agree, and begin to practice dancing. It's all a little too wordy to explain, but they end up getting wrapped up in another mysterious world filled with shadows. In the world they are not allowed to use acts of aggression, so to defeat their enemies they have to dance super hard, so that the enemies understand their emotions. I'm not even kidding. It sounds stupid, and that's because it pretty much is. I'm not lying when I say it's all well written, it's just that I don't really want to read for an hour before I actually get to play the rhythm game I paid for.
Persona 4 became extremely popular, which can easily be seen by the fact that it was spun off into a fighting game franchise and a freaking dancing themed rhythm game. I never would have imagined that the series could have reached such a critical mass. I think that the developers tried a little too hard with the story though. Sure, Persona is lauded for its great story telling and characters, but do we really need that in a rhythm game? This is the 4th game featuring these characters. I already know them, so why can't I get enjoyment out of playing 30+ remixes and watching their sweet dance animations? It all just feels a little forced and unnecessary, which is a shame, because the core gameplay is so good. It's easy enough to pick up, but super hard to master. As all rhythm games should be!
The Time Has Come
There's a time every fall when a game I want so bad it hurts gets released. That is happening this coming Tuesday. Finally, Disgaea 5 will be making its way to the U.S. I can finally experience the magical grind fest that makes me feel so good on the PS4. Strategy RPGs are my jam, and Disgaea combines that with my love of grinding. The combination is quite deadly for me, because I get in just a bit too deep. My addiction to the game will be strong, but this time I get to share it with the world! That's right, I will be streaming my playthrough of Disgaea 5, and I couldn't be more excited about it.
What's even crazier is that Rock Band 4 comes out the same day. It's the year 2015, and plastic instruments are making their glorious return!
You know it's going to be a good month when my two greatest loves in video games come out on the same day! I am so ready to immerse myself in a strategy RPG and a rhythm game at the same time. Get ready to hear all about both games in the next edition of Game Time.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain kicked off the month of the 1st. Honestly this is where I spent almost all of my gaming time for the month. I completed the story, and then proceeded to do every single side mission available in the game. When all was said and done I clocked in close to 70 hours, which is pretty crazy.
Then on the 11th Super Mario Maker came out. Initially I was going back and forth on my decision to buy it. In the end I decided that Mario was the first video game I ever played and I needed to buy it even if I wouldn't play it much. Just as I suspected I haven't played it a whole bunch, but it's still a super cool game.
At the very tail end of the month on the 29th the spectacular rhythm game Persona 4: Dancing All Night graced the Vita with its presence Do you like Persona 4? Do you like dope jams and hot remixes? If so, then this is the game for you! It has all of those things!
This month was action packed. and October is even more action packed! I need to mentally prep myself, so it's time to get all my thoughts on these games so I can fill my head with brand new thoughts! It's Game Time!
Super Mario Maker
I tend to not get much play time out of games that are based around me as a player creating content, and Super Mario Maker is no different. That doesn't mean it's a good game, it just means that it isn't necessarily for me. Sure I can play other people's levels, but that only gives me so much satisfaction. I say Super Mario Maker isn't exactly a game for me, but it is amazing. I think Nintendo has done an amazing thing with this game, and I hope they continue down this path.
People make Super Mario ROM hacks all the time on the Internet. People have gotten so good at Mario that they need something else much harder to conquer. That's something that has been made much easier with the tools available in Super Mario Maker. You can use physics sets, mechanics, and backgrounds from original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Each plays a bit differently, and obviously looks different. What's amazing is that Nintendo didn't really skimp on the tools. There are so many options for you to make a level, and they're super intuitive. In fact, I'd say this game is the first proper use of the Wii-U's touch pad.
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| Oh god! So many Wigglers! |
When making a level you start with a blank slate that's laid out in front of you in a grid. Each thing you can place takes up one square. You just tap the thing you want to put in the level and drag it to where you want it. It's that simple. Anyone could theoretically make a Super Mario Maker level and that's super cool. It's even better that it has everything you know and love, but the ability to make it ten times more crazy. Take a Bullet Bill launcher for example. They're simple enough. All they do is shoot in a straight line. If you pick one up and shake it around though things get super crazy. The launcher then turns red, and the Bullet Bills home in on the player. That's nuts! You can do this kind of thing for many of the place-able blocks in the game. It adds a cool new element while keeping everything long time players are used to.
My issue with the game comes down to the fact that even though it's easy to make a level a lot of the levels in the game aren't good. Very few people are out there making cool levels that could be in an actual Mario Game. Most levels have so much shit in them you just have to pray that the randomness of the level is on your side and you can actually make it through. Then there are the levels that are actually cool, but they're so hard that you have to try them 800 times before you fully understand what to do. I just want to chill and see cool designs. I don't want to have to rage every single level I'm playing. Once again this is just a fault for me. I know tons of people out there like the impossible challenge, but that's not what I come to a lot of games for, especially Mario. It's even more frustrating to me that the game has become so prolific on Twitch. Whenever I watch anyone play it's them playing the same level for hours on end, which just really sucks.
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| Most people don't understand that sometimes less is more... |
I actually think the game is a masterpiece. The creation tools are very deep, yet so simple to pick up. Even if I don't see a lot of levels I like, there are tons of new ones being created every day. Most of them are super cool and complex and they'll only get better as time does on.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is ridiculous in almost every way. It cost $80 million dollars to make and even then, the final mission was cut from the game. The cost and time it took to make it paid off though, because it is unlike anything to come before it, and may be one of the greatest action games ever made. I don't say this kind of thing lightly, and I sincerely mean it. The Phantom Pain comes together in a way that I never would have expected. It plays well, tells an interesting story, and has more emergent gameplay than almost any other video game. The options for how you can approach every situation are almost limitless. In most games you think of a cool thing to try, and then it doesn't work. In the Phantom Pain I had almost no situations like that. If you can think of something to try, it almost always will work.
At first I didn't know what to make of this game. It has Metal Gear in the title, but it doesn't necessarily feel like a Metal Gear game at first. Metal Gear Solid has always been a third person stealth game, which is loaded to the brim with super long cutscenes and a severely convoluted plot. People often criticize the franchise for having more of the player watching than actually playing. The Phantom Pain takes a different approach in that it's almost all gameplay. Cinematics happen very few and far between. Near the end they happen much more frequently, but you have to play a lot of the game to get to that point. I personally had no problem with that.
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| You can Fulton sheep. YOU CAN FULTON SHEEP! |
It's odd, because recently I've been hating most open world games. They have bad quest writing with little rewards, or nothing to actually do in the open world. The Witcher 3 made me rejoice when it had meaningful quests, and in the Phantom Pain there's a lot to do and it's all fun. Seriously, I did all 157 side missions. 157! That's a whole lot of Metal Gear. Most of the side missions involve just killing people, or extracting certain things, but you can approach it in so many ways that it's incredible. For example in most stealth games, previous Metal Gear games included, once you got caught sneaking around you were screwed. That is no longer the case. If you want to go ham and mow down everyone in your patch that's totally viable. If you want to try to hang around and beat everyone with your fists, that works too. Why not call in a supply drop of a jeep and ride off into the sunset? The world is your oyster. It makes even mundane mission tasks, because you never know what's going to happen.
The way the open world works is bananas as well. Everything is intertwined in a way that I never thought possible in an open world game. It actually reacts to your play style. So if you always go for head shots, then enemies will eventually be wearing way more helmets. To then counteract that you can send your recruited soldiers to cut off the helmet supply chain. I just think that it's crazy that other enemies in the world are aware of your actions. If you attack an outpost and someone escapes, then they will alert other bases in the area. Those bases will then ready themselves for Big Boss, just in case he comes. There are also supply routes between each outpost, so if someone drives through and sees everyone dead, they'll turn around and alert others. It's super intricate.
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| The Phantom Pain enters the pantheon of games that let you pass time by smoking! |
The basic gameplay of The Phantom Pain feels better than its predecessors. In comparison, it feels like a modern game should. It has tight and intuitive controls. This makes it fun to do everything. It's just fun to go around in the world and cause trouble. It's even better to put people to sleep and then balloon them away to your base. Seriously, when you put soldiers to sleep you can Fulton them away to Mother Base, where their stats will then contribute to your base and make it so you can develop more tools to use in the open world. It's essentially like Pokemon, but with tons of soldiers. This mechanic was in the PSP game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker as well, but it's implemented better here.
I can't praise this game enough. I came into the game expecting to not like it. I'm one of the crazy people who really liked watching the insanity play out in cutscenes of the previous games. It took me a while to adjust to the new style of the game, but in the end I think it paid off. The game is actually much better than it would have been as a cinematic fest. Essentially all the out of control silliness was transplanted from the cutscenes to the gameplay itself, and that's really cool. The Phantom Pain is definitely a game I think will be on a lot of people's game of the year list, mine included.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
I like Persona, and I like rhythm games, so I had to get Persona 4: Dancing All night. The game consists of Persona 4 characters dancing to the smooth sounds of remixed Persona 4 music. I love Persona 4 music, so to hear it remixed was kind of cool. The issue I have with it is that it all kind of devolves into dubstep, which gets tiring after a while. The gameplay is fun and engaging enough to make up for that though.
When playing a song a character will be dancing around on the screen. In a frame around them in a circle there are 6 button prompts. On the left there is up, left, and down on the d-pad. On the right side there is triangle, circle, and x. Circles will start to fly out of the center of the screen, and you have to push the corresponding button of wherever it goes to. Most of the time you'll just be pushing the button in time with the beat, but sometimes you'll have to hold the button, or push two at the same time. There is also another mechanic that has circles emanate from the center of the screen. The game wants you to flick one of the analog sticks when it reaches the circle all of the button prompts are displayed on. This means that you have to take your hands off of the buttons to flick a stick, which is terrible. It's a good thing the game lets you turn on the ability to push L or R instead. It feels much more natural that way, and I don't get why it isn't the default. It doesn't necessarily matter though, because those button presses are optional/ You only need them to get a higher score. Man, saying all of that makes me sound like a crazy person.
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| P4D is pretty much the embodiment of fan service. |
The rhythm game part is why most people will come to the game, but there is also a story mode. I could not stand it. I beat it in about 6 hours, and got very little enjoyment out of it. It's more or less a visual novel with no interaction. Games like Phoenix Wright and Danganronpa give players meaningful choice, or have them interact with the game in some way. Like in Phoenix Wright you collect evidence and present it at the right time. In P4D you literally read and make choices that don't matter one iota. Eventually you'll get a break from the text and be allowed to play the actual game. What sucks is that it's super well written, but there's so much text it feels like a slog.
Rise took a break from being an idol in Persona 4, but this game marks her return to the spotlight. She asked the protagonist Yu, and the rest of the investigation team to be her backup dancers for her special return performance. They agree, and begin to practice dancing. It's all a little too wordy to explain, but they end up getting wrapped up in another mysterious world filled with shadows. In the world they are not allowed to use acts of aggression, so to defeat their enemies they have to dance super hard, so that the enemies understand their emotions. I'm not even kidding. It sounds stupid, and that's because it pretty much is. I'm not lying when I say it's all well written, it's just that I don't really want to read for an hour before I actually get to play the rhythm game I paid for.
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| You get to read text like this for around 6 hours. |
Persona 4 became extremely popular, which can easily be seen by the fact that it was spun off into a fighting game franchise and a freaking dancing themed rhythm game. I never would have imagined that the series could have reached such a critical mass. I think that the developers tried a little too hard with the story though. Sure, Persona is lauded for its great story telling and characters, but do we really need that in a rhythm game? This is the 4th game featuring these characters. I already know them, so why can't I get enjoyment out of playing 30+ remixes and watching their sweet dance animations? It all just feels a little forced and unnecessary, which is a shame, because the core gameplay is so good. It's easy enough to pick up, but super hard to master. As all rhythm games should be!
The Time Has Come
There's a time every fall when a game I want so bad it hurts gets released. That is happening this coming Tuesday. Finally, Disgaea 5 will be making its way to the U.S. I can finally experience the magical grind fest that makes me feel so good on the PS4. Strategy RPGs are my jam, and Disgaea combines that with my love of grinding. The combination is quite deadly for me, because I get in just a bit too deep. My addiction to the game will be strong, but this time I get to share it with the world! That's right, I will be streaming my playthrough of Disgaea 5, and I couldn't be more excited about it.
What's even crazier is that Rock Band 4 comes out the same day. It's the year 2015, and plastic instruments are making their glorious return!
You know it's going to be a good month when my two greatest loves in video games come out on the same day! I am so ready to immerse myself in a strategy RPG and a rhythm game at the same time. Get ready to hear all about both games in the next edition of Game Time.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Game Time With Manny Episode 7 - E3 2015
E3 2015 is happening right now, but the press conferences are over. Most of the news comes from those press conferences, and boy is there a lot of news. I decided that instead of typing up a ten million word post I would dedicate the 7th episode of the podcast to letting you all know what happened.
This episode clocks in at just under 2 hours, because I talk a whole lot! I hope you enjoy!
This episode clocks in at just under 2 hours, because I talk a whole lot! I hope you enjoy!
Monday, June 9, 2014
The thing I'm most excited about from E3 2014
E3 is a very exciting time of year for me and all video game fans. We get to see exactly what we have to look forward to in the coming months. I could recap everything that E3 has to offer so far, but there are tons of video game websites much more well equipped to do that than I am. The reason I'm writing this is to tell you about what I'm the most excited about from this year's E3. To me it doesn't even matter what else happens this year, because nothing else will affect me as much as a single game announcement did.
Normally I get excited for game announcements, but this time I lost my shit completely and I'm not even embarrassed to admit it. One of my favorite games of all time is Grim Fandango. Back in 1998 when Lucasarts was still around and at its peak Tim Schafer gave the world an amazing story about the land of the dead.
Adam Boyes got on stage and announced that Double Fine (Tim Schafer's Studio) and Disney (They own all the Lucasarts properties now) have gotten together and are going to release a remastered version of Grim Fandango which will debut on PS4. Tim has gotten on twitter since then to say that it will be coming to other platforms, which is awesome.
You might wonder why I'm so excited for a game that was released in 1998. The answer is that Grim Fandango has played a large part in my life. It's one of the driving factors behind my interest in video games and their stories. It's one of the few games that I can honestly say I will never forget. I've played it to completion at least once a year since it's initial release. I remember every puzzle by heart, and can recite almost all of the dialogue. I realize that this makes me sound like a crazy person and I'm willing to accept that.
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| "Sorry for the wait, Mr. Flores. I'm here to take you now." |
What's weird is that I'm not even necessarily excited to play this new version myself. I'm excited that other people get to play this amazing game. It's an old PC game, which is hard to find. On top of that it can't even run on newer versions of windows without a special program. Now people will have the opportunity to see this awesome game without having to jump through hoops in order to do so.
The fact that I'm getting excited about new Grim Fandango information in 2014 is surreal. I don't even know what to think about this whole thing. All that matters is that Grim Fandango is being re-released and I could not be happier about it.
Note: Yes, I realize that the quote underneath the second screenshot should be Manny yelling at Glottis about his company car. However, I don't care.
Note: Yes, I realize that the quote underneath the second screenshot should be Manny yelling at Glottis about his company car. However, I don't care.
-Manny
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
E3 2013: Sony Press Conference
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| The future of the PlayStation |
Sony didn't exactly do very well at the beginning of the current console generation. They had grand ideas that ended up falling quite short. They put a lot of stock into the cell processor, but it ended up making the console harder to develop for and much more expensive to produce. The $599 price reveal is quite an infamous moment in terms of E3 press conferences. That's all in the past though. A few months ago Sony announced the PS4 at a special event and talked about it's tech specs and showed a whole lot of video games. They started quite a buzz in the gaming community. People have been backing them recently. Especially after the announcement that the Xbox one would not support used games and would require an almost constant internet connection.
Sony stayed silent about their policies for used games and online connectivity until last night at their press conference. Sony pinpointed the weakness in Microsoft and struck with everything they had. In an honestly surprising move the PS4 will fully support used games. There is also no required online connection, so you can play your games offline all you want. When these two features of the console were announced there was quite a bit of cheering from the crowd. During those cheers Jack Tretton started talking about PlayStation Plus and slipped in that you'll need it to play online multiplayer with the PS4. I'm actually glad that plus is required, because it means that maybe the online play won't totally suck on the PS4.
In another blow to Microsoft's body Sony announced that the PS4 will launch this holiday season for $399. The price seems crazy cheap compared to the Xbox One, but the One comes with Kinect while the PS4 does not come with the fancy new PlayStation Eye. The price point, being able to play used games, the fact that indie developers can self publish, and no necessary online connection are leading people to crown Sony the victor of this upcoming console generation already. I don't necessarily agree with that, but things do look very good for Sony right now.
Sony showed quite a few games at their conference as well. They live demoed Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (Which froze), Watch Dogs, and Destiny. All three look very good. I wasn't convinced on Assassin's Creed 4, but before the demo froze it looked awesome. I was surprised by how good Destiny looked as well. It may be a first person shooter, but it has RPG elements and I love me some RPG elements.
Sony also showed off quite a few trailers. These are just a few of them.
- Transistor
- Infamous: Second Son
- Drive Club
- Batman Arkham Origins
- The Last of Us
- Beyond Two Souls
They showed off tons of indie games that will be coming to PS4, which all seemed pretty cool. The trailers and gameplay demos got me really excited for what's coming during the next gen. None of it really surprised me though, except for two games I have yet to mention. There are few video games that will make me jump up out of my seat and yell with excitement. Sony showed two of those last night.
I have been waiting since 2006 for Final Fantasy Versus XIII to be released. At this point I was just looking for any new about it's existence. There were a few CG trailers and one gameplay trailer floating around. The last real news about the project was from 2010. That all changed last night. Sony showed a video of the game's producer Tetsuya Nomura telling fans he was busy, but they should enjoy the trailer for Versus XIII.
I lost my composure during the trailer. It was amazing. The CG scenes were beautiful, but the gameplay looked even cooler to me. The main character Noctis was jumping around cutting fools with his sword. His movement was super fast, which was aided by his teleportation. When the trailer ended it was revealed that the game had been changed to Final Fantasy XV and it would appear on the PS4. I thought that by now the prospect of this game wouldn't excite me anymore, but as a die hard Final Fantasy fan I was proven wrong.
On top of that ridiculous reveal they also decided to show a brief teaser for Kingdom Hearts 3. I guess Square Enix just wanted to let fans know that it's finally in development. While it may be Kingdom Hearts 3, it's actually the tenth game in the series. This will be the end of the trilogy and it should be a great game.
Even though it was reveled today that both of these titles will also be released on the Xbox One as well, Sony still got the initial reveals. It takes a lot to make me freak out with excitement these days, but Final Fantasy XV did just that. Sony had a lot of great news at their conference and it makes me very excited to purchase the PS4. In fact I pre-ordered it from Amazon moments after the price was announced. Sony is certainly off to a better start this gen than they were last time around. Let's hope they can make good on what they've promised.
-Manny
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