All the way through?

General and high profile video game topics.
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velcrozombie
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Re: All the way through?

Postby velcrozombie » January 29th, 2020, 9:56 pm

Finished The Castlevania Adventure (originally an early Gameboy release) from the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. The sluggishness of this game is legendary - despite being only four levels, the speedrun for the game is currently twice as long as that of the original NES Castlevania. I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say that the responsiveness of this game is just a step above my old Tiger handheld games - and the graphics aren't far behind. The main reason I took up the challenge to defeat this monstrosity was because I sunk many hours into it as a kid and could never get through a spot halfway through the third level (which largely consists of one six-minute autoscroller from hell that, mercifully, has a checkpoint at the midway point) fast enough to avoid becoming wall meat. I conquered that stage (and avenged my 8-year-old self) to be confronted with a long fight to Dracula filled with precise jumps over instant-death spikes and recycled boss characters used as cannon fodder. Even the slugfest with the big man himself is a two-parter on platforms over more spikes. Stage itself took 60+ attempts, with maybe 25 ending at Dracula. I briefly sampled the sequel (also in the collection) and the improvement was night and day next to this plodding dung-heap.

Dogman
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Re: All the way through?

Postby Dogman » February 5th, 2020, 6:42 pm

Just completed Tomb Raider on PS1, nabbing every secret. I basically see this a cinematic platformer in 3D in regard to the controls and the pin-precision jumps you have to do...

The lonely atmosphere and the beasts/traps that lurk around every corner feels foreboding, and I love the exploration and puzzle solving. Every level feels unique and offers something new. For those factors alone I'd give this game an A... when this game is good it's REALLY good, despite it's age!

However, there's a big initial learning curve with a lot of trial and error with the camera and controls in the beginning of the game when judging distance for jumps (die enough until you figure out how to consistently not to), and even in the later stages too when trying dodge out of the way of enemies/traps in a timely fashion; Lara just doesn't react fast enough sometimes. I unintentionally jump or go a certain way I don't intend to as well thanks to the lock-on auto-aim when using weapons...

Just for these frustrating moments described above I'd have to bump an otherwise "A" down to a "B+". Overall it's quite the adventure!

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: All the way through?

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 9th, 2020, 11:13 am

I definitely want to go back and replay Tomb Raider like you did. However, I wonder if I've been spoiled by all the new platformers where you automatically grab everything and the game saves constantly.

TheEagleXIII
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Re: All the way through?

Postby TheEagleXIII » February 9th, 2020, 3:10 pm

Last year was the first time I ever played the original Tomb Raider and I loved it. I was (and still am) a huge TR fan and had 2, 3, TLR and Chronicles on PS1 back in the day, but I was under the delusion back then that the newest versions of games were superior, so picking it up, even cheap never interested me. Stupid reasoning, I know :lol:

I read loads since how many still consider it the best of the original PS1 TR's and was pleasantly surprised just how right that was. Things like the checkpoint saves used to put me off, especially after my experience with TR3's save crystals, but it was never a problem at all. If anything the save points made so much sense, they were placed pretty much in the perfect areas and although I had to replay some bits a few times it wasn't ever the chore I expected it to be. For a 20+ year old game, I got totally immersed in it and completing it felt super rewarding and fun (I didn't 100% it, though ;) ).

It is hard to argue against it being the best Tomb Raider. Although I completed TR2 afterwards (first time too) and, personally, I think the 2nd just, just edges it for me. The first kinda felt a bit like a 'My First Tomb Riader' experience – whilst I didn't feel like it held my hand... it didn't feel difficult to know where to go and what to do. But, back in the day it was a totally new and unique game, so it makes sense the game was designed with a little more restriction on the exploration side of the latter games - it was still a great adventure.

I was going to play through all 5 sequentially. But I've been trying since the middle of last year to get through Tomb Raider 3 and it just isn't enjoyable at all - I thought being older now that I'd find the game a bit easier but it's such a chore. I haven't returned to it for months now, but I might just skip to TLR.

Ozzybear
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Re: All the way through?

Postby Ozzybear » February 10th, 2020, 9:21 am

I just finished the first Darksiders on ps4, now that I've finished all 3, im ready to get genesis !

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Retro STrife
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Re: All the way through?

Postby Retro STrife » February 10th, 2020, 10:17 am

Just finished "Guacamelee!" I think it's available to download on all major systems, but I played the PS4 version. It's a light-hearted Metroidvania title, with a good sense of humor, where you play as a Mexican wrestler fighting through the world of the living and the dead to rescue your girlfriend. If you miss beat-em ups, you might enjoy this -- it definitely has a nice melee fighting system with various moves and combos. I had fun with it for around the first 5-7 hours, but then I was growing tired of it. It's a pretty good game, and it got good reviews (87 rating on Metacritic), but to me it doesn't do enough to stand out from other games in the genre. That said, there are people out there that say Guacamelee is better than Axiom Verge and Hollow Knight.. so to each their own. Unfortunately I haven't played those two games yet, so I can't weigh in on my choice.

Ozzybear
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Re: All the way through?

Postby Ozzybear » March 9th, 2020, 5:14 am

Just finished Darksiders Genesis on ps4 . I love how this one was done in more of a diablo style. Though it still has some quirks, if they were to do another like this with all the horsemen, I think it could be great ,! Hopefully they do just that! Part 3 and Genesis are prob my favs of the series, but they have all been great!
Might be time for Zombie Army 4 now lol!

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velcrozombie
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Re: All the way through?

Postby velcrozombie » March 19th, 2020, 10:19 am

I bought the Limbo/Inside bundle on sale a few days ago and I just completed Limbo last night. I originally played through the game probably about 8-9 years ago and I only intended to play through the opening puzzles (I wanted to revisit the giant spider section since I always considered it the highlight of the game) but I found myself surprisingly captivated and ended up burning through three-fourths of the game in just a couple of hours. Game still looks and sounds great and it effectively maintains an atmosphere of melancholy and dread throughout. A few of the puzzles are still frustrating (especially some of the anti-gravity stuff) but not so much that I had to take a break - although I do remember one that took me 2-3 hours on my first playthrough that I solved in 5 minutes this time around. I do think the game was a bit overhyped when it came out (it's certainly not of the level of the Portal games, for instance) but it's worth a look on sale today - you can often get it in the $2-5 range (I paid $8.99 for it bundled with Inside). I've heard that Inside is basically a much better version of the same style of game (not sure what to call it - cinematic puzzle platformer?).

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Retro STrife
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Re: All the way through?

Postby Retro STrife » March 19th, 2020, 11:17 am

velcrozombie wrote:I bought the Limbo/Inside bundle on sale a few days ago and I just completed Limbo last night. . . . . I do think the game was a bit overhyped when it came out (it's certainly not of the level of the Portal games, for instance) but it's worth a look on sale today - you can often get it in the $2-5 range (I paid $8.99 for it bundled with Inside). I've heard that Inside is basically a much better version of the same style of game (not sure what to call it - cinematic puzzle platformer?).


Both are very well designed games, but I didn't have enough fun with either and didn't think there was enough payoff at the end. Like, if you have this great artistic vision you need to pay it off at the end, with an ending that really makes you think, and neither game does that. Both are two of the most overrated indie games I've ever played. I try to play all the indie games that get monster review scores like Limbo and Inside did, and they're two of the most undeserving that I've tried. I don't think they're bad games though - just not sure why they got so much hype.

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velcrozombie
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Re: All the way through?

Postby velcrozombie » March 24th, 2020, 12:22 pm

Retro STrife wrote:
velcrozombie wrote:I bought the Limbo/Inside bundle on sale a few days ago and I just completed Limbo last night. . . . . I do think the game was a bit overhyped when it came out (it's certainly not of the level of the Portal games, for instance) but it's worth a look on sale today - you can often get it in the $2-5 range (I paid $8.99 for it bundled with Inside). I've heard that Inside is basically a much better version of the same style of game (not sure what to call it - cinematic puzzle platformer?).


Both are very well designed games, but I didn't have enough fun with either and didn't think there was enough payoff at the end. Like, if you have this great artistic vision you need to pay it off at the end, with an ending that really makes you think, and neither game does that. Both are two of the most overrated indie games I've ever played. I try to play all the indie games that get monster review scores like Limbo and Inside did, and they're two of the most undeserving that I've tried. I don't think they're bad games though - just not sure why they got so much hype.


While I did say that I thought the game was overhyped, what I probably should have said is that I can understand why someone would have found the game to be overhyped. I can't say personally that I didn't get what I wanted because when I play a game (unless it's from a series like Castlevania where I have some degree of history involved) I just try to let the game be was it is, not what I expect it to be. I got a moody, visually-striking puzzle-platforming game with cinematic presentation and the constant threat of a gory end...and I was fine with that. That I played through it twice (something I'm rarely able to do with anything outside my top 20 or 30 favorite games) may just mean that I connect with the style (and admittedly I like games that have short sections that have to be done repeatedly until you get them just right, with Cuphead being another recent example). It may just be the cynic in me or that I have been promised the moon so many times already, but I have difficulty believing that a game is going to blow my mind with some sort of artistic revelation. My guess is the game is a deathdream in the vein of Jacob's Ladder with a dying young boy struggling through the haunted, chaotic jumble of his memories to reach his sibling in the afterlife - if there's more to it than that then I'd be interested in hearing other theories, but if that's all there is then I can't really say I'm disappointed.
Last edited by velcrozombie on March 24th, 2020, 1:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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