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chazumaru 1295th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Random GAMES! Thread #25: TGS is my BFF" , posted Thu 21 Aug 20:46:
>>#24 (140 replies)
I wanted to write "Makuhari can't possibly be this cute!" but the thread title was too long... Who among you will join TGS business days this year? Prof? Ktallguy? Exodus? I am in Japan the week before but I might stay for TGS.
The Japanese publishers have already started their PR campaigns in preparation for the event.
Capcom will mainly focus on Daigyakuten Saiban and Monster Hunter 4G. They will also host Marvelous titles. No sign of Deep Down (maybe at Sony?).
Sega's booth will host Gotoku 6 (to be fully revealed next week) and probably Miku as usual, but more importantly, they will probably host the grand return of Atlus at TGS. I expect to see Persona 5 playable at the event, among other things. Others have even grander expectations... Although those people might be on drugs, considering the entire contents of that article.
Sony claims they'll focus on PS4 (which clearly needs a boost in Japan), which is sad considering this is the only event that should not snob the PS Vita. Yoshida has tried to lower expectations regarding the appearance of The Last Guardian. Bloodborne's playable demo is a given. What about Gravity Daze 2? Will it be for Vita? or PS3? or PS4? Or maybe all of the above? We'll know the answer in advance thanks to a pre-TGS show on September 1st.
Squeni will most likely focus on that Kingdom Hearts 2 remake coming out right after TGS, as well as Bravely Second and Final Fantasy Explorers. I am sure they'll have events for FF14 and DQX as well. Probably one or two more surprises if you behave. None of them will start with "Final" and finish with "XV".
Bandai Namco is probably too busy working on Smash Bros. to have anything significant to show but I am sure they accidently programmed yet another Tales Of game in their sleep.
Konami will show MGS and (I guess) Winning Eleven. I am not even sure Konami is aware that Konami is part of the event. Koei Tecmo will reveal Kantai Collection Musou. Or if they don't, they should. Arc System Works will be there with GGXrd and some weird eShop games as usual. GungHo and Nouveau riche SNK Playmore, which you might know for their popular Metal Slug Defense F2P smartphone game, will only welcome you in the business area.
More importantly, it seems Level 5 is once again skipping the show... Are they planning to revive Level 5 Vision? In 2013, their absence was understood as a sign of tough times for the company but in just a year, the Yōkai-possessed tables have turned and the absence of the possibly two most important retail partners in the Japanese market this year (Nintendo/Pokemon and Level Five) is quite a big blow for the event.
Also, there will be a lot of Swedish people, for some reason.
Même Narumi est épatée !
[this message was edited by chazumaru on Thu 21 Aug 20:49] | | Replies: |
chazumaru 1298th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Armed Blue Azure Striker Gunvolt" , posted Sun 24 Aug 08:24:
I finished Gunvolt today. Getting the "true" ending took me about 10 hours (roughly 90 minutes after getting the first ending), but the game strongly encourages the player to replay stages, so rushing through it should take roughly half as long. Finding how to get the true ending is not too hard if you pay attention (and remember to use the "talk" command in the main menu).
I enjoyed the game and might play it a bit more, since it encourages score attack. That being said, the only Rockman/Mega Man I really care about is the original series, so I am not sure what the fans of X/Zero/ZX (who seemed the most enthusiastic before the release) will think of Gunvolt.
What's similar: action game with a lot of shooting, several similar enemies, some moves are reminiscent of X/Zero (such as wall-bouncing and dashing), one specific weapon charges like the Buster weapon, each Boss has a "theme"/element, there is a Boss Rush (or close enough) near the end, and the hero progressively gains new powers.
What's (quite) different: most importantly, you don't gain the Bosses' powers as you beat them. Instead, you get new skills (special commands such as a heal spell or a huge sword to deal massive damage) by gaining experience levels and, provided I understood correctly, you do get new types of weapons by beating Bosses, but it's the number of Bosses beaten that matters, not which ones you beat. This change gives the game a very different vibe from Mega Man. After the (very basic) tutorial stage, you are free to choose between six stages in the order you want so I was trying to figure out a proper "route", such as water guy → fire guy → wood guy, but there is no such logic in the game. That doesn't mean the game is free from any optimization: some stages and Boss Fights get much easier if you have the right weapon (the underground stage gets much easier if you can hit crawling enemies) or if you have unlocked a specific skill (the water level gets much easier with the double/triple jump). I have to say this is less elegant than the traditional method.
You get new and/or improved move sets (double jump, air dash, faster energy recovery etc.) by getting new equipment at a shop in the main menu. To buy this equipment, not only are you required to farm enough credits, you also need to farm specific materials (and some are pretty rare). There are two ways to get this loot. First way: each time you finish a stage, you will be offered to pick at random "x" items among a choice of 15. The "x" number is determined by your final score for the level (influenced by your skills in the level as well as your final time) + how many gold medals you found in the level. To give you an idea, the maximum number of items I was able to pick after completing a stage was 10, out of 15.
The second way to get loot is to complete quests, which are basically a more convoluted "achievement" system. After completing a stage a first time, you'll unlock new quests which are specific to that stage: finish the stage under a certain time, reach a certain rank, beat the mid-stage Boss under 30 seconds, find the secret shortcut etc. Each quest comes with a specific reward (identified beforehand) and can be only claimed once. This quest system forces the player to replay the stages several times, for several reasons. You can only activate three quests at a time, so if you get a "S" score before unlocking and activating the "get a S score" quest, tough luck, you'll have to do it again. Some quests will only become available after you beat previous quests. And some quests directly contradict each other as well, which means you cannot complete them both in the same attempt. You are therefore encouraged to play the same stages again and again.
Fortunately, the stages leave room for a lot of optimization on how to kill enemies or avoid traps more efficiently, and a handful of quests do a nice job highlighting how to improve your overall score/time. The farming/quest game mechanic reminded me of how Dragon's Crown cleverly tackled the problem with making old school brawlers replayable beyond one or two runs. But Inti Creates could have done a much better job with the whole interface, by making it easier to equip/unequip quests, or by making it easier to track down which power-ups in the shop you already own, or by making it easier to track down where you collected materials. As a developer, if you go for the farming route, you can't make it a hassle as much as this game does.
The other part which is probably gonna cause a lot of disputes between players is the narration. The game is full of dialogues, which are almost always voiced(!) and quite boldly superimposed on the action, taking advantage of the console's 3D screen. Now, in terms of user comfort, this choice is rather perplexing since the screen's HUD is already a bit too busy and the dialogues cover half the screen (you can switch those off with a button at any time, fortunately). I suspect there were better ways of using a console with two separate screens to display such quasi-cutscenes interrupting the action, and (of course) the story is quite mindless and filled with needless twists, but nevertheless, the amount of effort put into that aspect is quite remarkable. It reminds me of Freedom Planet, that recent Sonic-inspired game on Steam awkwardly jazzed up with a saturday morning cartoon's intrigue, for better or for worse.
Overall, I enjoyed Gunvolt because it revolves around two cool ideas which are very well implemented: the target lock-on and electric power. Each shot on an enemy (or certain background elements) will lock them up, and depending on your weapon, you can lock enemies a different number of times (you can lock the same enemy up to three times). Once an enemy/item is locked-on, you can use electric energy to damage them (or interact with them in case they are immune to electric damage). This leads to many cool ideas in the game, which I won't spoil here. The electric energy is not infinite and some other moves also make use of it (such as double jumps). This forces the player to carefully manage their electric reserve to avoid overheating, and has a direct impact on how much damage you will take from hits. All this is very well designed and balance. It also suits the idea of playing the stages several times; getting a good score will largely depend on how well you use your locks and how little you waste electric energy. This game should really have been titled Lockman, huhuhu.
If you buy the game early in Japan, you'll get another game for free, Mighty Gunvolt. I think this will be the case worldwide. As the name implies - provided you are a Capcom fan - Mighty Gunvolt is closer to a NES/Famicom game and actually very close to those mini-games hidden in ZX Advent (I think?). To be honest, it's quite meh. Very short, not very inspired. But it's free! And cute. And your first opportunity to play as Mighty Beck from Mighty N°9. So there.
Même Narumi est épatée !
[this message was edited by chazumaru on Sun 24 Aug 08:37] |
Pollyanna 3684th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(4):Ryu Ga Gotoku Zero" , posted Tue 26 Aug 16:22
Someone got the Fez guy.
Whenever I said I was "gonna get him," I had something like a surprise Palma de Tigre in mind, not hacking. This is an ugly story with no heroes. However the "villainous" "players" that he so despises would've come out looking quite bad for what they did if he didn't insist on being an ass in his response. Or perhaps I should be thanking him for saving me the trouble of feeling sympathy for him, especially after his "You don't deserve Fez 2."
TGS Stuff TGS used to be my favorite time of the year. With the current state of the Japanese market, it's getting pretty depressing, though. We've been waiting long enough on Persona 5, so I'm expecting good things...soon.
quote: Capcom will mainly focus on Daigyakuten Saiban and Monster Hunter 4G. They will also host Marvelous titles. No sign of Deep Down (maybe at Sony?).
I'm kind of worried about Capcom. For a big company that just expanded, they've had a pretty weak showing lately. Maybe developing their new engine put them into a Konami-esque hibernation. Their "big" mobile plans didn't seem to pan out, either.
quote: Bandai Namco is probably too busy working on Smash Bros. to have anything significant to show but I am sure they accidently programmed yet another Tales Of game in their sleep.
There is a missing Tales game. It was announced for PSP. A high quality-ish 3D one. Maybe it wasn't as far along as it looked, but I would've expected it to pop up on 3DS or Vita, instead of the 3DS crossover game.
quote: Nouveau riche SNK Playmore, which you might know for their popular Metal Slug Defense F2P smartphone game, will only welcome you in the business area.
Hahahah! I mean, good for their success, but they're really making me laugh right now. It's like "we're totally ready to make a new KOF, we just need people to make it. Uh...can you make games? 'Cause, like, we'll totally hire you." It reminds me of a really awful Kickstarter that's like "we're going to have a TOTALLY AWESOME artist (TBA) to do the character designs and a sick-ass composer (also TBA). Get excited!"
quote: What about Gravity Daze 2? Will it be for Vita? or PS3? or PS4? Or maybe all of the above?
I assumed a PS4 (maybe PS3) re-release of the first game along with a more official announcement of the sequel (eventually). Since the story obviously didn't tie up in the first game and the install base on the Vita is only so big, I'd guess, if they're confident enough to continue with the series, that they'd try to deliver it to more people with a "deluxe edition" that can get you caught up on the story.
I have a hard time divorcing the gameplay from the Vita tilt controls, but maybe the PS4 controller has really responsive tilt as well? Speaking of which, is Locoroco dead!? Give me a Vita one I can actually tilt, instead of just hitting the shoulder buttons and tilting the console anyway, like a five-year-old playing Mario on NES for the first time and making the controller "jump" with him.
Also, thanks for the Gunvolt impressions. I'm waiting for the US one, but I had pretty much decided I'd get it, unless it was somehow blatantly awful. I'm sure there's a discussion in my brain about the nature of ringing more play time out of games these days through grinding/collecting methods and if that just dilutes the experience, but I don't have the energy to find it right now.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Pollyanna 3688th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):3DS Direct! Sony Direct! FFExplo Direct" , posted Sat 30 Aug 07:08
quote: deep down is alive and still not capitalized in any sense of the term. The Beta Test is now moved to 2015. Watching the new in-game sequences, I more often thought of Ryse and PlayStation Home than Dark Souls or Diablo but, at least, the video showed really cool lighting effects. Let's hope that helps for the next Biohazard game.
I didn't exactly study the previous footage, but it looks like they've reworked the battle system a bit in a positive way. Watching it, I really wanted some sort of dodge/parry system or something. The characters have a good weight, but it seems to be lacking that extra something. Maybe I'm judging too soon, though the big delays do seem to indicate that the original was probably as bland as it looked.
The FTP aspect of it does worry me, though. I can't imagine what kind of paywall they could provide that would both be hugely profitable for them and not frustrating for players. (And this is coming from someone who has no qualms with paying plenty on a FTP game they like)
quote: One Piece Musou 3
Excluding the embarrassing story, the only thing I didn't like about Kaizoku Musou 2 was its crippling technical issues, so the announcement of a PS4 version is hugely exciting for me.
quote:
Final Fantasy Explorers.
I can't tell if this game has a lot of positive buzz, or if Square is just trying really hard to promote it, but it looks boring as hell. To make an analogy, it's like Monster Hunter is Street Street Fighter and this is some half-assed licensed game where the license happens to be Final Fantasy and the developer is capable of better. Maybe I'm wrong, but right now...just...ugh.
quote: new 3DS
I literally just bought a 3DS to replace my XL, because the resolution thing really did bother me that much. Now, thanks to region locking, I would "need" to buy 2 more 3DS systems!? Well, I'm not blaming Nintendo, as I certainly want the new system, but I do wonder how well it will catch on as what is essentially a "new" system (in that it will have exclusive games). Are there enough people who haven't purchased 3DS systems and enough people who are willing to buy another one to make for strong enough hardware sales? If it was worth doing, then wouldn't they make big-name games "New 3DS exclusive?" to justify the decision? Wouldn't it look bad if the big titles didn't utilize the superior technology? It seems like a risky move.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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sfried 839th Post
PSN: My3DSFriendCode XBL: isdownbellow Wii: 279306128909
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(3):3DS Direct! Sony Direct! FFExplo Direct" , posted Sat 30 Aug 11:33
quote: I literally just bought a 3DS to replace my XL, because the resolution thing really did bother me that much. Now, thanks to region locking, I would "need" to buy 2 more 3DS systems!? Well, I'm not blaming Nintendo, as I certainly want the new system, but I do wonder how well it will catch on as what is essentially a "new" system (in that it will have exclusive games). Are there enough people who haven't purchased 3DS systems and enough people who are willing to buy another one to make for strong enough hardware sales? If it was worth doing, then wouldn't they make big-name games "New 3DS exclusive?" to justify the decision? Wouldn't it look bad if the big titles didn't utilize the superior technology? It seems like a risky move.
I actually was about to consider upgrading to an XL...but then came this announcements, and aside from the improved features (improved screen, battery life, C-stick and whatnot),the fact that it's retail for just about the same price as a brand new 3DS is something (was going to get a refurb at around $130).
Did you miss the Xenoblade announcement? It's exclusive to the New3DS, and yes, seems like more titles are on the way that will use New3DS added features...
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Iggy 9794th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(3):3DS Direct! Sony Direct! FFExplo Direct" , posted Sat 30 Aug 20:53
I hate the new 3DS, sorry, I mean the New 3DS, because for years I've been making fun of people who buy a new smartphone whenever a slightly different version comes out, thinking "they are the reason why the environment is so fucked up", and now I'm put in their shoes. The biggest draw for me of the new model is the added ram, which will mean navigating the OS will be faster and more convenient. I might even start using Miiverse! Also, the LL has ugly buttons, while the small one has the faceplates and the SFC buttons, so I think I might downgrade the screensize, even if it means Smash will be harder to read. However, I've been using my WiiU much more recently, and since there's no 3DS game that appeal to me after Smash, I'll have to ponder whether playing whatever DLC are left in Theatrism, Smash and Picross when I go to the toilets is worth a new console. People are reading too much into the "exclusive games" thing. Sure, Xenoblade is bigger than any exclusive title on DSi, but I find it difficult to believe the trend will go any farther than that. But then, people are reading too much into everything.
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Pollyanna 3690th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(5):3DS Direct! Sony Direct! FFExplo Direct" , posted Mon 1 Sep 17:16
quote: Here is the link for the Sony conference. Once again, a tough time slot for Americans.
Wheee! That was fun. There weren't a lot of huge surprises to flip out about, but it was a good collection of E3 stuff plus some smaller Japanese titles. I like how they've cemented the PS4 as an all-around gaming system, where titles in every budget range can (theoretically) thrive. Obviously, this was a show to Japanese people who aren't buying the Vita and PS4 and not to the global fans who knew about most of this stuff already, but in that respect, I think they did fairly well. The Japanese market may be a lost cause, but I think they did the best job they could at convincing people that the PS4 is something worthwhile (as much of the rest of the world seems to believe).
A few pluses... +PS4/Vita cross platform is great for me and doesn't cripple the games as much as PSP/Vita cross platform. Also, the less I'm "forced" to play my PS3, the better. +Related to the above point, having Persona 5 on PS4 is a big plus for me. Very excited. +Dragon Quest Heroes is very colorful! Seeing all of the monsters crammed on the screen was kind of enjoyable and they have quite a few popular characters to draw from. I like the Metal Slime PS4, too. +Custom themes for both systems are great.
Minuses... -With all these PS4/Vita cross games, the Vita TV becomes less useful. I wonder if games will stop supporting it, since it requires a little more programming for non-touchscreen setup. -I wonder if a number of titles are also PS3 games (and they didn't mention it), keeping players in their comfort zone and not encouraging them to get a PS4 or Vita as much. -I was really nervous watching the Ubisoft guy because I was just waiting for his Japanese to completely collapse on itself (good job on his part, though, even with some stumbling). -That creepy "cute girl study session simulator" -I have no excuse to get a pink Vita.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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chazumaru 1314th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Mon 1 Sep 21:41:
Hmm, a last surprise? What could that be? Ah, "Square-Enix"! I see they end with FF15 after all... I am a bit surprised to be honest. Hmm? That music is familiar. That's not FF15. That's not FF at all! But I know this melod- Holy shit! That's Dragon Quest's music! Ah! as I expected, after all, DQX is expanding to Playstation devices... And Nintendo wouldn't care so much at this point, good move from Sony. I thought SQEX would wait for after the 3DS version is released, though. What a weird tim- Wait, who is this guy, why does he have a name!? Wait, this girl has a name too! WHATTHEF- Factually, this is not DQX's engine! This is not DQX! OHMYGODNOWAY ITSDRAGONQUESTELEVENICANTBELIEVEITHOLYSH- IT'S VERY ACTION-BASED THOUGH WOW DRASTIC NEW DIRECTION HERE! NEW ENGINE TOO HOLY CRAP BUT WHO DEVELOPS IT? AND THE FORMER GAMES' HEROES ARE ALso included wait that's a bit fishy... Oh... I think see where this is going... It suddenly makes more sense if its just... "Omega Force", yeah... Right... So it's just Dragon Quest Musou Heroes... OK then.
Même Narumi est épatée !
[this message was edited by chazumaru on Mon 1 Sep 21:42] |
Pollyanna 3691th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Tue 2 Sep 08:07
I forgot another minus: I still won't be able to convince people that the Vita has games on it. Seriously! The Vita has a lot of games! Maybe not games that you want, but plenty of them all the same! I'm not saying people should necessarily buy a Vita, but the perception that there's nothing to play on it is way off.
quote: Ah! as I expected, after all, DQX is expanding to Playstation devices...
This was my thought as well, though my soaring excitement that PS4 was seeing an actual new DQ game was half a second at best. I was more like: *Ugh, stupid offshoot game. *Ugh, Square-Enix is trying to make a musou game. *Oh. It's an actual musou game. *Well, okay.
I can't even imagine what the world where DQXI is a PS4 exclusive would look like.
quote: This reminds me of the fake Kinect demo of Milo, the boy who lived inside your television. Who thinks this sort of thing is a good idea? I wish developers would realize that VR stalker simulators are never going to start being entertaining and will never stop being weird.
My first thought, partially thanks to Harada's Idol Master shirt, is that they should go ahead and be even more shameless offering tons of DLC costumes and accessories at completely absurd prices. Then the same gross otaku with more money than sense that buy 6 of the same console to display faceplates for all the girls from whatever can single-handedly fund the next Tekken with their microtransaction spending sprees while the rest of us stay the fuck away.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Pollyanna 3692th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(4):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Thu 4 Sep 06:40
quote: It looks like the new One Piece Musou is going to feature the time skip material. There is hardly any information available about the game but there is already a shot of Luffy blubbering away. Glad to see that Kaizoku Musou's tradition of making all the characters cry all the time is alive and well.
The last game was all time skip. It had the pre-time skip versions of the characters, but they were more like extras. Although I don't think there was a lot of crying in the (game original) story, it certainly made me cry as a One Piece fan. Really awful.
quote: Gunvolt
I got through a significant portion of this(I think?) and while I don't explicitly disagree with anything Chaz said, I dislike the game. The concept is good and the way that your powers are used in different ways each level is good...and it looks nice...and I like that they bothered to give the bosses human forms before you fight them, but everything else is not to my liking.
The game is quite easy, which in theory works well, because you won't likely get stuck if you're just hammering through, you can grind if you do get stuck and you can accept challenges if you want more from it. In practice, though, I felt an unhappy mix of the enemies either just being nuisances or things I ram into and don't give a damn if they hit me. The level designs are fine if you enjoy time/score attack sort of things, as you can dissect them in ways to figure out how to "improve your game," but from a strict "one or two times through" viewpoint, they're bland. Every level left me feeling bored at least once. Repeating them eventually left me feeling like "this is okay, but there are 5 other games I could be playing that are legitimately fun."
This could totally be me, but I also had a tough time discerning some boss mechanics. In Megaman, you tend to get screwed over by everything once, then you figure out what to do and it's just a process of getting it right. In this game, I was confused by several boss attacks, then just hammered through like a brute, creating a cycle of irritation followed by empty victory. Maybe I just didn't have the right moves. So is that a plus for being able "to play the game how I like?" in that I could hammer through without the "proper" method?
I don't think it's a bad game, but it's one that's very poorly suited to me. People who enjoy score attack stuff and completionist stuff, will quite possibly have a wonderful time with it. I dislike both, so it's a bad match in my case. So, for some players, my negative impression may be an endorsement.
One warning, though a tremendous amount of dialogue and essentially all of the voice acting was completely removed from the English version. While I can't say how much worse(?) the game is for it, this kind of localization is really repulsive to me.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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karasu 1431th Post
PSN: robotchris XBL: robotchris Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(5):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Thu 4 Sep 07:44:
quote:
Gunvolt I don't think it's a bad game, but it's one that's very poorly suited to me. People who enjoy score attack stuff and completionist stuff, will quite possibly have a wonderful time with it. I dislike both, so it's a bad match in my case. So, for some players, my negative impression may be an endorsement.
Based on Chaz's review and implicit recommendation I bought it, and while I can't say I hate it, I certainly wish it could have been more well thought out.
First my favorite bit: the UI design (like in the X, Z, and ZX series), is IMPECCABLE. I want to learn from it, it's so good. Full, pixel-perfect 2D looks fantastic on the 3DS's display too.
Now for the bad: I'll agree with you Polly on all of your criticisms, but the thing that bugged me the very most is the lack of challenge. I really enjoyed the Z games back in the GBA era because I felt they didn't abandon the searing difficulty of the old NES era games, that the base clearing requirement was really daunting, and the 'expert' clear in at least a few games netted you a particularly good award.
Gunvolt, on the other hand, is dead easy, and if you can't beat the easy default (I discovered this but screwing up in the underwater level), they play the 'Mario' card and make you essentially a super version of yourself.
That's fine, since even the laughably easy Goku Makaimura a few years back was panned by critics and player for its difficulty. I get it: people want babied-down games that they can be guaranteed to beat instead of a challenge that they have to learn and overcome. BUT when I made some mistakes and ended up in 'super' mode I only had the option to quit the game and relaunch it if I wanted to try again, which was a real waste of time.
I mean, it might get better as I go along, but apparently halfway through the game It's not looking hopeful. I don't regret buying it, but I still wish it had been a little more difficult, or at least given me the difficulty of making it more difficult. Oh well! At least it's still got that gorgeous UI (conversation segments aside)!
As for Mighty Gunvolt, I downloaded it since it's a free thing and all, but... I'm personally astounded by reviews mentioning something along the lines of "Wow! Beck controls a lot like Megaman! Even his animations, especially his jump animation, look a lot like Megaman!" I want to tell those folks... well, nevermind, hahaha!
[EDIT]: Haha, no no, my comments may seem like I've hated it, but I haven't: it's just I wish it had been better. Also, I read EVERYTHING. Fair warning.
www.secret-arts.com
[this message was edited by karasu on Thu 4 Sep 08:11] |
Pollyanna 3693th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(5):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Thu 4 Sep 11:11
Letting the dust settle and seeing how many cross-platform titles Sony really showed, I realize I looked at things wrong. They're doing a very poor job of motivating Japanese people to purchase the PS4, but they're doing a good job of throwing a bone to those who did purchase the system. There was a lot "Play it on PS4! Or...not. I mean, you don't really need one." I applaud Nippon-1's boldness with Disgaea 5. They were an early adopter for PS3 as well, as I think Disgaea 3 was my first game for the system.
quote: Xbox One is launching this Thursday in Japan. Godspeed. They didn't even bother with bribing Famitsu for good scores, or reviving Famitsu Xbox. I wonder if local games are region-free.
They said "no region lock," but it might have been "No. I mean, wait, does PS4 have region lock?" I like my XBone pretty well, but I just...I want to hide in a hole right now. You reminding me that it's launching in Japan is like...I scheduled some sort of mouth surgery six months ago, forgot about and now someone's like "Hey, your surgery's this week!" I mean, they're coming from a system that had Japanese titles on it that were not released in Japan and what is their plan, exactly? I think any sales numbers whatsoever would be impressive.
quote: [edit] Oh my, I am surrounded by angry consumers. And I had purposefully made my post way too long to prevent anyone from listening to me!
I was set on buying the game as soon as it was announced, though I do wish I had gotten the Japanese version. I might have passed on it if you said it was awful, but you gave a very fair assessment. It really made me want to play Megaman 9 again, though.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Pollyanna 3694th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(7):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Thu 4 Sep 20:51
quote: I take it I'm the only one who wants to get the New3DS?
I'm going to quote myself from earlier in this topic:
quote: I certainly want the new system
Everything about it is an improvement, unless we find it's made out of some kind of cheap plastic or there's something weird about the screen.
That reminds me, do they still sell the original Vita? I would be unhappy if I was stuck with the newer one.
quote: Speaking of toxic relationships, I wanted to check DQ10 (3DS version) on eShop last night but the game cannot be purchased on eShop. Huh? If you buy the game at retail, the box is empty. It just provides you with a code to donwload a client (from the eShop), but you cannot do that directly from the eShop. Weird. And of course the retail version (with the empty box) is out of stock in many stores now. The only reasonable explanation I have is that Squenix wanted to physically limit the number of users who could access the server day one.
Can you even play it, though? Didn't you have some trouble registering for an account or something before? Either way, maybe they're trying to avoid the tragedy they had with FFXIV's relaunch. Personally, I don't think that's such bad press, because it lets people know that the game is hot and lots of people will be on to play with you, but in DQ's case, maybe the fact that they're using new technology ("streaming the game," I mean) is making them cautious.
quote: You'll get American SuperNES buttons, AND YOU'LL LIKE IT.
That's why we don't get it in America yet. It's going to take them at least 6 months to engineer those buttons.
Also, I've seen nothing but excitement and positivity towards the Amiibo. I guess they were a really good idea!
quote: The relationship between Xbox and Japan is a strange case of a console starting worse each generation. The first Xbox had a better debut than Dreamcast (or PS3)!
Wow, I had no idea about the original Xbox! I feel like they put forward a reasonable effort on the 360. I mean, I ordered a Japanese system, so that says something. I have no clue what they're thinking with the XBone, though. Ugh, I wish I had it, but there was a quote in an article, right next to one of their empty launch "parties" that was like "we're very optimistic for the future!" PLEASE ELABORATE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR PLAN.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Ishmael 4960th Post
PSN: Ishmael26b XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(8):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Thu 4 Sep 23:56
The Bone Eater cabinet lights up and blows wind in your face? Nuts, now I have to get back to Japan just so I can play Silent Scope!
I won't, however, be going there to buy an Xbox One.
quote: The console is out, not that many people would know.
『XBOX ONE』ではなくて、 『XBOX 一人』であった。
While the sight of MS tossing the XB1 out onto the Japanese market with a wet thud is neither here nor there I always feel sorry for the store employees in these sorts of situations. Someone had to put up that big Xbox tent and place those rubber cones on the street to cordon off that five person crowd. What a way to make a living.
quote: The last game was all time skip. It had the pre-time skip versions of the characters, but they were more like extras. Although I don't think there was a lot of crying in the (game original) story, it certainly made me cry as a One Piece fan. Really awful.
Poorly worded on my part. What I meant was that it looks like the third game is going to be a manga re-telling like the first game but will now feature the more recent story beats. Hopefully this adherence to the manga won't interfere with the gameplay. The second game only had a "plot" in that the characters would recite dialogue between rounds but it gave me the ability to drive Buggy around the screen. Recreating the original story is nice but being able to control a living clown car is a new way to experience One Piece.
When I mentioned the crying I was also referring to the first game. In its attempt to hit all the emotional highlights during cut scenes the game seemed to feature nothing but crying characters. Nami cried, Chopper cried, the boat cried... everyone was an emotional wreck. The characters in One Piece wear their feelings on their sleeve but when taken as a lump like that my reaction was "Damn guys, get it together."
quote: I take it I'm the only one who wants to get the New3DS? I've heald on to my original for so long, and the upgrade...doesn't seem like a bad idea at all. Esepcially unlike the DSi compared to the DSLite, nothing seems to have been downgraded at all (i.e. It still plays old DS games, has a bigger screan for New3DS non-XL/LL and has better battery life along with improved specs).
It's nice looking but do I need it? I don't mean do I need it to play games that are incompatible with the vanilla 3DS but do I need it? Is this upgrade going to make me so thrilled to be a 3DS owner that I will have multiple versions of the console? Will I weep with emotion like a One Piece character when I try out those new buttons? At this point I don't know. While I'm currently satisfied with my 3DS I'm not certain that's enough to justify double dipping.
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chazumaru 1328th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(10):30 seconds in emoticons" , posted Fri 12 Sep 10:55:
It's pre-TGS Famitsu hype, usually my favourite Famitsu because it dishes more scoops than the TGS week's Famitsu and it's the one I buy when I am in Japan. And this year did not betray the tradition! Unfortunately, we are in 2014 and "big scoops" in Famitsu means the new game from the Valkyria Chronicles team is a free-to-play-but-pay-or-else RPG for clevermobiles.
Main topic is Capcom, unsurprisingly. No new announcement, but interesting Takushu interview on the reason behind Holmes (he is a good way to make Naruhodo Sr the tsukkomi/foil of the investigation's antics). The defense of Watson as a pigtailed 8 years old is less convincing. Deep Down looks beautiful, if a bit empty. The episodic nature of BH Revelations 2 explains the lack of a 3DS version but it's a strange choice. I guess they want to test the waters with the "TellTales" business model. Claire reminds me of Gillian Anderson in the screenshots and renders they shared.
In other news, there is a cute Hack & Slash intentionally designed to look like a SFC title on 3DS, by the guys behind the 3DS port of Steel Empire. D4 is still coming out on XBO in 2014. Strange that Microsoft did not make it a retail title in Japan. The 80s versions of the Gotoku Zero characters are pretty cool as expected. Another Taiko is coming to Wii U, which means there will be a Wii U game at TGS. Disappointed there is no review of Destiny, because that would have been hilarious within the context of the "no reviews allowed" policy for the web. First time I see the magazine's new design (is it new?).
There is also a 100 pages-long booklet for that Duck Hunt spin-off 4 players fighting game coming out this weekend that a few people seem to be excited about for some reason.
Même Narumi est épatée !
[this message was edited by chazumaru on Fri 12 Sep 10:57] |
Pollyanna 3699th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6): Smashing time" , posted Sat 13 Sep 19:16:
quote: My morning in Kyoto. I am glad I woke up early. I did not know the Streetpass mini-game was a clone of Monster Strike! Brilliant!
I didn't know there was a Streetpass game, even with so many people talking about the game all the time!
Once again, despite the region-lock, I'm grateful that you can use non-Japanese credit cards on the online 3DS store. I was going to wait for the US release, but almost instant gratification Smash Bros was too tempting.
Nicest surprise thus far is Magicant, which features the Flying Men coming out of their house and kicking your ass. If you beat them, a little grave appears, just like in Mother. I couldn't believe it. I nearly flipped out. ALSO THIS.
Rosalina is my favorite of the new characters, but Zelda still feels the best to me. Since the game has somewhat of a fondness for redundant characters and Zelda doesn't have a Hilda color, I still have some hope that my number 1 clone pick might show up someday.
EDIT: I remember thinking that Palutena looked "insane" in her trailer, but in the game, she's a bit odd. Only one of her specials does direct damage. Other than that, it's a reflect, a counter and a non-offensive teleport. Also, her forward smash has very poor recovery. I was looking forward to her the most, but I think I'd like to see what more competent players can do with her, since some of her virtues are a little less obvious.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
[this message was edited by Pollyanna on Sun 14 Sep 09:13] |
Iggy 9800th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(9): Smashing time" , posted Sun 14 Sep 18:22
Itoken has done a surprisingly low amount of tunes for this game, but his Mute City is fantastic so it's OK. The Zuntata guy's Kappei no uta is funny. And oh god Shimamura Yoko's Tetris, what is happening there. A bit disappointed by Koshiro Yuzo's things, but you can't win every time. The remixes of Rockman are good (it would have been shameful if they hadn't) but we've had so many on the internet for the last 10 years that the excitement is gone.
I like all the newcomers (especially Koopa Jr and Duck Hunt) except for Palutena. I feel like they did her 12 alternate moves first, and then picked the worst ones in her default version. I hope the inevitable DLC has a clone in the form of Medusa, and she gets all the cool moves (if only because she should have been in the game instead, if Palutena didn't cheat by having her name in the game's title in Japan)(also, when does the Metroid becomes playable?)(And Ness's Mother?)
For the single player unlock, it's mostly the simple mode (which I assume is called Classic in English?). The one where you select your next opponent out of 2 or 3, giant ones, metal ones, etc, and you get a figurine after beating the Master hand. Some have special requirements (finish with Koopa in difficulty 6, finish with Link in difficulty 5, etc). Also, Wario is when you finish the 100 opponent kumite.
I'm stuck at the first panel of unlockables because I cannot find 3 costumes for my Miis. I'm sure by the time I get them I'll have unlocked almost all of the 2nd and part of the 3rd.
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Pollyanna 3699th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(8): Smashing time" , posted Sun 14 Sep 19:23
I said to a friend that perhaps the best part about having Smash Bros is no longer needing to anticipate Smash Bros. However, now everyone is just talking about DLC and I'm getting wrapped up in that, too. I think DLC and Nintendo get along surprisingly well, though, as they rarely do sequels on the same system and their titles sell well for years. Their ambitious Mario Kart DLC plans are probably adding to the "DLC talk frenzy."
quote: It's times LIKE THESE where I wish they released an OST compilation already.
I actually plugged my 3DS into the auxiliary audio slot in my car to listen to the soundtrack when I went out earlier. In retrospect, if I was going that far, I probably should've just ripped the songs from Youtube.
I don't want to split hairs on the Brawl soundtrack being better or not, but I do miss the Uematsu Brawl theme when I start the game up. That song came to embody "Smash Bros" to me, so I find myself humming it when I want to play, even if it's not in the game.
I was sad that the boss theme from Dream Team didn't make it in (or rather, I prefer it to the song that did make it), but Shimomura's version of the Tetris theme has an eerily similar feel.
For the sake of conversation, my favorite non-arranged inclusions are the Wii Punch Out theme and Dark Pit's theme.
quote: I like all the newcomers (especially Koopa Jr and Duck Hunt) except for Palutena. I feel like they did her 12 alternate moves first, and then picked the worst ones in her default version. I hope the inevitable DLC has a clone in the form of Medusa, and she gets all the cool moves
Ahhhh! I didn't think of that! But now it's weird, because it seems like they should've made all the "clone" characters have the non-default moves. I can only assume they passed on that in the name of balance (meaning, they didn't have time to test and make their deadline). I would have rather waited for Lucina, Dark Pit and gotten more interesting versions along with like...Hilda and Medusa. Again, I'm sure it was just a matter of what they had time for, but having clones and "officially" unused move sets is going to drive me crazy forever thanks to you pointing that out.
quote: I'm stuck at the first panel of unlockables because I cannot find 3 costumes for my Miis. I'm sure by the time I get them I'll have unlocked almost all of the 2nd and part of the 3rd.
In the process of unlocking all of the characters and levels, I got Zelda's "hat" (by using Zelda) and that's it. Depending on how the two versions of the game connect, I may "have" to buy the US 3DS version, so I'm a little iffy on obsessively unlocking everything right now.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Iggy 9802th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):Re(10): Smashing time" , posted Mon 15 Sep 04:17
quote: Are there any thoughts as to why Nintendo didn't make a new console? It feels like they want the advantages of more hardware guts and more buttons while also being uncertain that the market can support -or even really wants- a new dedicated handheld. Splitting the difference like this feels like it's going to create more compromises than anything else.
It's the same situation as with the DSi, except more visible. A few select games were DSi only, but none as huge as Xenoblade. A few games were enhanced on DSi, but nothing as radically as Smash "preventing the console from doing anything else while playing the game". What I'm getting at is... why were there a DSi in the first place? (Also, I would hope it's almost the same price or even cheaper to produce an enhanced New 3DS in 2015 than digging for the already old and outdated parts of the 3DS?) It also gives them some breathing time to think whether there will still be room on the market for a dedicated handheld gaming console in the next 5 years.
Something about Smash Wii's Uematsu theme: I'm so glad we got rid of it. Smash, at its core, is a child in his room playing with its toys. The latin choir felt like a totally different game, the kind of Uematsu game where everyone wears superfluous belts and too many zippers on their leather negligee. It was really gross. Playing THRSMRHM where all final boss fight themes past FF7 use some choir made it even worse. I cannot remember any other song from the Wii game, and when you think of how packed it was with good tunes, it's sad. I blame the overtly loud and pompous theme.
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sfried 844th Post
PSN: My3DSFriendCode XBL: isdownbellow Wii: 279306128909
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(3):Re(10): Smashing time" , posted Mon 15 Sep 09:29
quote: Something about Smash Wii's Uematsu theme: I'm so glad we got rid of it. Smash, at its core, is a child in his room playing with its toys. The latin choir felt like a totally different game, the kind of Uematsu game where everyone wears superfluous belts and too many zippers on their leather negligee. It was really gross. Playing THRSMRHM where all final boss fight themes past FF7 use some choir made it even worse.
Great, now you made me imagine a Kirby hat designed by Tetsuya Nomura, with typical visual-kei like hair and many belts buckles and zippers.
I always felt Smash and its music had a certain amount of whimsy in it, but it was never afraid to go serious in much the same way a Kirby game would unexpectedly turn dark, if not a bit wicked (Dreamland 3's iris-popping Zero). This Smash seems to have alot more Soul Edge/Calibur in it, heck even
Spoiler (Highlight to view) - Master Hand transforms into some ominous shadow that takes various forms
End of Spoiler
. I actually feel there's enough variation from the theme tune, unlike Brawl's single theme, and the very fact the tune calls back to the character select screen of the original 64 game feels like its a game that has come a very long way.
As for New3DS, something tells me they might go for a combined console/handheld device next, and that New3DS is an experimental platform to support their NintendOS or whatever it is they're conjuring up. In the meantime, I'm picking it up as a way tominally complete Snake Eater 3D and maybe even finish KHDDD with it.
Smash Brawl did have one track that sticks: Final Destination.
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Loona 787th Post
PSN: IkariLoona XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(3):Re(10): Smashing time" , posted Mon 15 Sep 20:39:
quote: Something about Smash Wii's Uematsu theme: I'm so glad we got rid of it. Smash, at its core, is a child in his room playing with its toys. The latin choir felt like a totally different game, the kind of Uematsu game where everyone wears superfluous belts and too many zippers on their leather negligee. It was really gross.
I rather like Audi Famam Illius for the lyrics - it's all about being in awe of great heroes and villains and the priviledge of being in their presence, which works pretty well for a crossover covering series with decades of history behind them - it's classically-loaded fanboyism. Sadly its actual opening animation couldn't match the concept as well as Melee did, and that one managed to cover the "just playing with toys" angle too while at it. I've loved a lot of character reveal videos, but either I've been unaware of an equivalent game-wide presentation for the game, or hopefully they're putting one together and saving it for the Wii U version... Nothing I've read about the 3DS version points to an equivalent to Subspace Emissary to give us some interesting non-character-reveal cross-series iteractions, which is a bit sad IMO, although I recall Sakurai mentioning something about avoiding that because it'll just end up on Youtube... :/
As for overly orchestral music, I have no history with Pokemon, but when i heard this I couldn't help but think that that was way more grandiose than the series needed or deserved... yet it worked and I found myself liking it.
quote: Playing THRSMRHM where all final boss fight themes past FF7 use some choir made it even worse.
Can I acquaint you with FFXI boss themes that have no voices in them?
Rise of the Zilart final boss Treasures of Aht Urghan final boss Wings of the Goddess final boss A Crystalline Prophecy final boss A Moogle Kupo d'Etat final boss A Shantotto Ascension final boss Abyssea final boss
FFXI's music is a bit of a pet topic for me...
...!!
[this message was edited by Loona on Tue 16 Sep 00:10] |
Loona 787th Post
PSN: IkariLoona XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(5):Re(10): Smashing time" , posted Tue 16 Sep 00:39
quote: Can I acquaint you with FFXI boss themes that have no voices in them? Haha, now I understand why the FFXI players are angry with that game: none of the boss themes that the players seem to like (or no boss music at all, I'm not sure) has made it in any form... (Same for FF14, that game really has poor representation all around).
You mean Theatrythm? Well, it does cover Memoria de la Stona (recurring in the main story, associated with the opening CG), Ronfaure (mandatory Uematsu track, but musically FFXI is really Mizuta and Tanioka's baby) and Awakening (music for the final boss in the initial release, which I did not list since it has debatable voice work).
My actual favorite tracks in the game are rarely boss ones though. Curtain Call has Voyager (one of my favorites in the entire game), Vana'diel March (a bit of a lighter theme song to the game, in a way - title screen amterial in earlier versions), the Selbina track (a bit of a surprise, although related to a location that was once more important to the players than it is for the game lore - a town near a classic levelling area) and the the Ragnarok/Alexander track, in the very least. Not a bad representation, considering the huge potential list. Looking into the DLC track list for the original Theathrythm and Curtain Call, and recalling what they used for Dissidia, it's mostly reasonable (the Tavnazian Archipelago track is there, so between that and Voyager, no real complaints), but the game that big is hard to ever do justice to.
FFXIV was preetty much robbed in terms of character representation though... Y'shtolla has about 3 other counterparts they could have used AND they left out Hildibrand.
...!!
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Iggy 9804th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6):Re(10): Smashing time" , posted Tue 16 Sep 01:42
quote: Not a bad representation, considering the huge potential list.
Ah, you're the first FFXI player I read who seems satisfied (or at least not up in arms) about the music list. Good for you! I suppose with a track list so huge AND a fanbase so invested in the game, it's difficult to please everybody. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU STILL HAVEN'T ADDED THE SAVANNA THEME FROM FF6 WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU SQEX.
Hem. Back on topic: I always liked bigger and fatter characters in Smash, but (at least on Wii), they were all absolutely terrible. It feels weird to play with Koopa and Ganondorf and actually manage to win matches semi-consistently. Koopa especially feels very nice. I'm still not sure what the exact differences between Pit and Black Pit are, but the more I play with them, the more I feel like BraPi is exactly the same as Pit, except very slightly better on almost all the moves. The differences are extremely subtle, but all in all I get consistently better results with him than with the original, to the point that I'm not sure what to do with the original anymore. Maybe it would have been better to do like Dr Mario and simply give Black Pit the original movelist of Pit from the Wii game?
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karasu 1433th Post
PSN: robotchris XBL: robotchris Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(2):Less than Smashing time" , posted Thu 18 Sep 08:34
quote: so is there anything in RE6 that makes it worth fiddling with? Everything I said in this thread still stands.
In short, the game simply doesn't take the player into account very well. It's a jumbled, misguided disaster, but it does let you have some fun between poorly-planned set pieces and it's certainly full of amazing monsters. It deserves its bad reputation, but its high points make it worthwhile, I think.
Oh! Since I just last week managed to get my copy of the game into my PS3 finally, I have some fresh thoughts on it too. I agree with everything Polly had to say, with just a few additions: I hated RE5, but I can still acknowledge that it was a well-made game with an actual design aesthetic, just like I grudgingly enjoyed RE4, since it was a fun, well made game, even though it was a step away from some of my favorite elements of the series. RE6, on the other hand, gives you a tremendous amount of stuff to do but (to me at least) it was never fun, never had the tight design of RE4 and 5, and just seems... I dunno... cheap I guess is the best word. If the price is super low, I'd say go for it, although like me you might be able to find a physical copy for something ludicrous like $8.99.
Coincidentally I've been playing Resident Evil Revelations this week, finally. I picked it up in large part because of the strong recommendations of it that everyone had here, and because RE6 was leaving a really bad taste in my mouth. It's VERY much an old-school style RE game, even having 'classic' as a control scheme you can choose (and which duplicates the old timey tank controls from days of yore). For me, there's something that ends up feeling very right about a Resident Evil game that takes place in a fairly confined space, and the luxury liner setting of Revelations is like a big floating forest mansion like in the first game.
Now if RE:R is on sale too, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. It keeps just enough of the old games' methods to feel right but gives the player plenty of more modern feeling trimmings.
www.secret-arts.com
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Spoon 2685th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(7):Less than Smashing time" , posted Fri 19 Sep 18:14
quote: YOU DO!!!! Well, actually, yeah, you can wait, since it's only the first two episodes, anyway. A friend described it as Deadly Premonition plus Gyakuten Saiban with crazy action sequences and that's actually pretty accurate. I was impressed.
Oh yeah, just from the trailer alone it feels very, very Deadly Premonition, except that the annoying and plentiful combat of Deadly Premonition has been replaced with QTEs that will either end quickly enough, or as SWERY says, you'll have 10 tries to beat.
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Pollyanna 3702th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(8):Less than Smashing time" , posted Sat 20 Sep 08:31
quote: Oh yeah, just from the trailer alone it feels very, very Deadly Premonition, except that the annoying and plentiful combat of Deadly Premonition has been replaced with QTEs that will either end quickly enough, or as SWERY says, you'll have 10 tries to beat.
I would both ruin my creditability and the creditability of the game if I said that the QTE segments were the best part, but they certainly are fabulously choreographed. Also, they don't stop if you miss a cue, they just keep rolling, no matter how many comical stumbles you make. Actually, the results tend to be equally hilarious if you hit things correctly and they're even more silly if you're playing with Kinect. I don't mean this in a "it's so bad it's good" sort of way. I genuinely feel like these are some of the most creative and amusing action sequences I've ever seen in a video game.
Another great thing is that you maintain "damage" if you don't heal yourself, so if you do poorly in one action sequence, you can continue the game limping and covered in blood. This isn't sloppily applied, either, as each level of damage (of 10) has a different look. This works strangely well with the main character, who already feels like he's disabled because it's so difficult to do even mundane things in a world where you don't know what might actually be a hallucination.
Deadly Premonition was so derivative of Twin Peaks that I feared that Swery couldn't make lightning strike twice, but so far this is even better. You still have some Twin Peaks in there (a slow talking strangely helpful giant that may or may not be real, for example), but everything that made DP a winner is here in abundance.
It's silly to say "it's worth buying the system for this game" when I've only played a portion of it and it's just one game anyway, but I can say that I'm very glad I have an XBone and I feel sorry for people who won't get to experience this. It has so many fascinating mysteries, that even when I'm not playing it, I can't get it out of my head.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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nobinobita 1359th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(9):Less than Smashing time" , posted Sat 20 Sep 09:02
quote: Oh yeah, just from the trailer alone it feels very, very Deadly Premonition, except that the annoying and plentiful combat of Deadly Premonition has been replaced with QTEs that will either end quickly enough, or as SWERY says, you'll have 10 tries to beat. I would both ruin my creditability and the creditability of the game if I said that the QTE segments were the best part, but they certainly are fabulously choreographed. Also, they don't stop if you miss a cue, they just keep rolling, no matter how many comical stumbles you make. Actually, the results tend to be equally hilarious if you hit things correctly and they're even more silly if you're playing with Kinect. I don't mean this in a "it's so bad it's good" sort of way. I genuinely feel like these are some of the most creative and amusing action sequences I've ever seen in a video game.
Another great thing is that you maintain "damage" if you don't heal yourself, so if you do poorly in one action sequence, you can continue the game limping and covered in blood. This isn't sloppily applied, either, as each level of damage (of 10) has a different look. This works strangely well with the main character, who already feels like he's disabled because it's so difficult to do even mundane things in a world where you don't know what might actually be a hallucination.
Deadly Premonition was so derivative of Twin Peaks that I feared that Swery couldn't make lightning strike twice, but so far this is even
-- Message too long, Autoquote has been Snipped --
Dang, this sounds great! I've never wanted an Xbox One until I read this post.
www.art-eater.com
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Iggy 9805th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "What a horrible night to not play Bayo 2" , posted Sat 20 Sep 21:25
OK. First run finished tonight. For context, I finished Bayo 1 in Infinite Climax, and I didn't like W101 at all. Each person who says "Kamiya / Platinum only makes great games" makes me do my "not sure if serious" face. And I'm someone who finds MvC3 very clear and easy to read, so I don't think I'm the problem.
Spoiler-free section for people who still don't know if they should buy it (the answer is "yes you should", by the way): The game is very similar to the first one, and better on most accounts. Similar length, much prettier and colorful, same type of dialogues (depends on the taste, but I burst out laughing several times, and again now while remembering some amazing one-liners sharp like a whip bite). Everyone who avoided to learn that Nintendo doesn't have anything against PG17 can calm down if they chose to pay attention this time: characters swear more than in 1, and the game almost starts with a poorly-lit full-frontal nudity, like if it was making a statement, then putting it out of the way so we can focus on what really matters: gameplay. There's much less copy and paste than in the first, enemies are more varied, have great new patterns, and all have AMAZING designs. The weapons I have unlocked are all new, even though they share the same inspirations as those from the first one. The stupid QTE "you have 1/4 of a second to press a button or you die and you have to start the boss fight again with a point penalty cheers Fortitudo" are GONE. There's still those cheap cutscenes where no one moves and the voice actors shout to make it feel like something is happening. It didn't bother me in 1, but I know cranky people will probably complain about it so there, have it. The water, blue patterns and time esthetics are amazing. Like with every Nintendo home console since the GC, every water thing looks half a generation above the rest. I'd like to think Mario Sunshine died so that Bayo 2 could live, and I'll run with that from now on, thank you very much. No noticeable slowdown, tearing or whatever. The game just runs amazingly. And looks beautiful. And controls fabulously.
Mild spoilers about things and systems seen in the trailers, but don't read it if you're in total media blackout.
Spoiler (Highlight to view) - Again: it is VERY pretty. I love the enemies, and the angel/demon difference works with their looks and with their animation as well: demons are impish, aggressive monsters, while the angels are big armored crusaders. You can almost hear the designers overthinking every detail, because they take for granted that no less should be expected from this game. The new basic enemies (the centaurs) are great, look and move great, and feel great. All the enemy animations are extremely readable and clear, TAKE NOTES W101. I played in normal, finished on the first run in about 9 hours. I'm a very peculiar person about my sleep, but the ride was just too amazing to interrupt, and I went to bed at 6AM. It felt like Bio Hazard 2 again, except I'm old and it will take weeks before I recover from that. Eh. It was worth it. I'll try in hard tonight. With the new Umbran Climax system, it's far too early to say whether the game is easier than before (we'll see what Infinite Climax will bring on the table), but one sure is certain: Bayo feels ten millions times more powerful than before. Since the Umbran mode is no longer automatically activated against bosses, you need to balance your use of it throughout the level, especially since certain combinations of enemies can be much more annoying than some bosses. I suppose at high level, the balance will be found around when to use it, when to refrain from using it, and where to farm magic if applicable. At first glance at least, my fears about the system are at rest for now. But more importantly, it raises the aura of Bayo herself to a new level. She's no longer the super powerful badass that summoned stuff from time to time at the end of the fight: she's now the super powerful badass and her horrifying posse of infernal abominations full of teeth and violence destroying everything on her way and more. There are still stuff to buy to level-up (Rodin's shop is almost identical), but she's not the same character as she was at the beginning of 1. She is "the witch who killed the allmighty mothergod at the end of the previous game". And yes, it feels like it from the very first second, thank you.
End of Spoiler
Real spoilers
Spoiler (Highlight to view) - OK, let's be honest: the scenario stinks. Everything was closed in the first one, with an amazing anti-patriarchal theme that gave "Utena 500 years later" vibes. This script feels like the direct to video sequel, with the enemy of the day "hahaha actually I was the bad guy behind the bad guy of the previous one", and everyone pretends to take him seriously but we all know no one will remember him next week. At the end, there's even an almost Tales-like moment where someone (don't worry, not Bayo herself) says something like "You are wrong, I believe mankind is capable of chose light within chaos and that's why we won't lose". The final boss is ugly and lame, and the climax anticlimatic. That really, really sucks. However, the problem is only in the last two verses (out of... 16? 18?), when the scenarists suddenly woke up "oh shit we need to finish the damn thing!". With all its problems, the scenario has one supreme elegance: even though it retcons a lot of what happened in Bayo 1, it doesn't go the Valkyrie Profile 2 route and manage to keep the first game intact: "OK, things might not have happened exactly as you thought they did, but more or less, everything in 1 did happened, it happened mostly for the reasons you thought it did, and mostly nothing changes". So even if the ending of 2 is lame, it doesn't leave a sour taste: it was the occasion to see our friends again, they all look healthy and happy, they keep taunting each other as often as they can, if a 3 happens and a super bad guy who was manipulating the bad guy of 2 arrives, they will shrug, kick his ass, and go buy a new pair of shoes at the store before it closes. That's why we love them.
More importantly, I really love the new Bayo. She doesn't evolve anymore: she was done evolving at the end of 1, and 2 merely shows the result. And the result is: she's more powerful, more badass, SO MUCH prettier, and also much more mature. In an industry where "mature" means "male teenage power fantasy", Bayo is one of the very rare actually mature characters, in the plain sense of the term. Here, she has a precise quest, but she doesn't have any more skeletons in the closet, no fears, no mysteries, she's like these teenage heroes who go on an adventure with their friends and will defeat everything with the power of friendship, except she's an adult. And there is a world of difference between a teenager with his buddies who swore they'll stay BFF forever, and an adult who chose her path in life, and then chose some reliable and sincere friends to come along with her on the way. The game almost feels like a buddy movie, even though you mostly control Bayo alone for the whole duration. But all the other characters keep jumping in and out, they are all lovable (especially Madama Butterfly, the big winner of the game for me, I wanted to fistbump with her every time she was on screen) and I was as happy to see them as I was happy to see Bayo happy to see them. Since the chances of a Bayo 3 are infinitely slim at the moment, this game is like a long good-bye to a deeply lovable character, and she's ok. She's not a tortured, angsty hero, and nobody gave her the Donte treatment. If someone ever does a 3, please, for the love of god, don't make an origin story on "how did Bayo become who she is". WE KNOW ALREADY. SHUT UP. Do a story about the bad guy who stole all the foie gras on the very day when Bayo wakes up and thinks "Hum, I really feel like foie gras today". Mayhem ensues. THE END. Hire Jennifer Saunders if you need help. Also, having such a main character makes the annoying little brat much less of a burden. He is the typical teenage hero "you can't understand me, I have a terrible secret and I'm an amnesiac, life is hard girl", but her reactions always recenter the action away from him and on the main narrative, so he's never too much of an issue and I almost didn't feel like slapping the angst out of my TV screen. He's no Cereza, but by the end of the game, I almost felt like I wouldn't mind playing him if he is unlockable in the game.
I am so happy this game exists. Final thing: at the beginning, during the usual Kon-Satoshi type opening of most Platinum games, the list starts with SEGA. Then, NINTENDO. Then Platinum and the rest. Yes, it's thanks to them, both of them, that this game exists. Who could have thought. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
End of Spoiler
Conclusion: the game is at the same time fantastic AND manages to leave Bayo 1 intact without ruining it or making it obsolete. It's a flawless achievement on almost all accounts. Buy this console and this game. Now. No need to thank me.
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Pollyanna 3704th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):What a horrible night to not play Bayo" , posted Sun 21 Sep 06:14
quote: Conclusion: the game is at the same time fantastic AND manages to leave Bayo 1 intact without ruining it or making it obsolete.
This is fantastic to hear, of course, but I have a question about something that's a personal pet peeve of mine. How many segments does the game have that take you away from the primary system? Obvious examples of this are the game turning into a flight simulator or dancing game for 20 minutes, but less obvious examples are levels where you don't have access to your powers or have to focus on a gameplay element (searching for items, solving puzzles) that is not the norm.
I find things like this to stop me from replaying games. Like "okay, that was fun once, but you're nuts if you think I'm gonna suffer through that on hard." Bayonetta was a fairly moderate offender in this category (enough to limit me to 2 playthroughs), but Wonderful 101 was just awful.
I didn't want to start a conversation about " why I didn't like W101 after all," but now that it has come up, I'll spill it. Although I didn't have the same issues that you had with the game, and I thought, at its core, it was brilliant, the game did everything in its power to keep you away from its (in my opinion) excellent core system. From the perspective of a visual narrative, most of the levels were interesting and unique ("Remember when we did this? Then this? And this?"), but it made the gameplay experience really choppy and frustrating for me. Like "when do I get to play the real game again?" constantly.
I know that many players don't have a huge problem with this sort of thing, but I have a high sensitivity to it, so I thought I would ask.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Iggy 9806th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(3):What a horrible night to not play Bayo" , posted Sun 21 Sep 20:54
quote: This is fantastic to hear, of course, but I have a question about something that's a personal pet peeve of mine. How many segments does the game have that take you away from the primary system?
If you're talking of the likes of the infamous bike and shooting sections of Bayo 1, there is one in the game, unfortunately. It's about half of the length of the previous one, fortunately, but it does overstays its welcome (which says a lot about the previous ones). There are also two small segments that I remember that could fit your definition, but they are around 30 seconds long, so they shouldn't be a problem (one is "run away from the big monster destroying the platform behind you, and the other is one of the best moments of the game for me, it should have been part of the ending).
However, both games have the same type of areas where you could just run to the next fight, or visit a nice, Italian-looking city with silhouettes of human beings where you can destroy everything for a little bit of money. It's not mandatory, but there are three weapons that can only be completed by finding all the pieces of the record (like in 1), so you will have to stop killing monsters for a moment and look for hidden things at least the first time (or the second if you missed a broken piece the first time). There are some 1/4 hearts and half pearls hidden that way too. Depends how serious you are about 100%ing the game (and for all the times I finished Bayo 1, there always was one 1/4 heart that I never found. I swear I've done all the halfheim, looked at all the places in the wiki, even got the ones in the biking minigame... I just don't know).
Another thing I hoped they would stopped doing, but unfortunately conserved: hidden verses and halfheim or whatever it's called. If you want a perfect mark at the end of the level, you still have to walk around to see if you can find a hidden portal or trigger a surprise extra encounter here. It gets especially annoying when you're aiming for Pure Platinum and you have to remember "OK, after the third fight I have to backtrack, get platinum at the hidden fight, then search the left side for the hidden portal, then go back..." Why can't we have all that arranged in a nice linear sequence! Like it's not hard enough to get a Pure Platinum trophy already! (Of course, if you don't care for the Pure Platinum, this is of little consequence to you).
Ah, something convenient: crows carrying tears of blood and hidden portals are now properly listed on a level-per-level basis, so if you want to get them all, at least you're not forced to check a wiki to know the ones you've missed.
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chazumaru 1335th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "It's raining Yukichi" , posted Thu 2 Oct 06:43
Speaking of Nintendo costumes, I forgot who wanted Princess Hilda in Smash (Iggy? Polly?) but the great dragon Shenron misheard your wish...
The RGG Zero trailers ("story" & "game") from TGS are now available on Youtube: お客様は神様…ですから 金あるところに女あり!
Thinking of all the recent controversies in North America surrounding the depiction of women in video games, that insane last quote ("And of course, where there is money, there'll be women as well!") made my day and became the running gag of this TGS.
I have to say, I was skeptical of their choice to go for a 1988 prequel but they really ran all the way with the idea "back when Japan had money" and as a result, the game seems much more interesting that RGG5 or even RGG Isshin (two episodes that were evolutions of ideas already seen in earlier entries).
Also, according to the sample near me, their idea really struck a chord with the thirty-something Japanese men who were already the fan base for the franchise, but also grew up during the Bubble and were promised "that" Japan when they were young. I think this episode will be a much bigger hit than Isshin.
Même Narumi est épatée !
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Maese 754th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Tekken 7-11" , posted Fri 3 Oct 17:16
Maybe it would be better to post this on the Fighting Games thread, but I didn't want to disrupt the interesting discussion about newcomer-friendly systems there.
So, I dropped by the Tekken 7 loketest in Sugamo (Tokyo) today and, while the event was pretty crowded, I found the game very underwhelming. Nothing new under the sun, but in case anybody is interested I'll try to summarize:
● Graphics are a bit shinier, but visually the game feels too much similar to previous installments. Nothing revolutionary nor particularly next-gen. To the untrained eye, it could have been a new revision of Tekken 6, or Tag Tournament, or whatever.
● Game mechanics remain similar too: pretty much the same combos and juggles as always.
● Characters now have one (maybe more?) special super combo attack, similar to Soul Edge/Calibur's critical edge: the camera angle changes so you can appreciate the pummeling better. However, I didn't find any special bar nor super meter anywhere, so the way to unleash this attack remains a mystery to me. Perhaps it is not even a novelty and it was already present in previous Tekken games! Haven't been following the saga lately, so I wouldn't know :P
● Some stages have two (maybe more?) levels, you can access to them by breaking the floors or walls, à la Dead or Alive.
● As expected, the game is classic 1vs1, no wacky tag teams this time.
● Two new characters were shown: One scantily clad lady whose name I don't even remember, and Claudio, a guy that looks as if he's just escaped from Tetsuya Nomura's scrap book. Nothing special to report about their fighting styles. In fact, I didn't have much chance to see them in action, as everybody and their mother stuck to the old guard and most matches were Asuka vs. Asuka. Other than that, the roster included the usual suspects: Asuka, Paul, Law, Dragunov. Alissa, the Mishimas... No room for surprises there.
● Net play: not sure if this feature was present in previous arcade Tekkens, but players from Tokyo were matched against players in Osaka and the matches seemed smooth enough.
All in all I was naive enough to be expecting some kind of revolution, and what I got was another ration of the same meat and potatoes, hence my lukewarm reaction. I should have known better, but for some reason I was hoping for a truly next gen fighter, a game that would redefine the pillars of the genre on the same way SFII or Virtua Fighter did back on its day. Yeah, I should stop adding vodka drops on my morning coffee...
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Just a Person 1589th Post
Red Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Member
| "Re(1):Tekken 7-11" , posted Sat 4 Oct 00:59
quote: ● Two new characters were shown: One scantily clad lady whose name I don't even remember, and Claudio, a guy that looks as if he's just escaped from Tetsuya Nomura's scrap book. Nothing special to report about their fighting styles. In fact, I didn't have much chance to see them in action, as everybody and their mother stuck to the old guard and most matches were Asuka vs. Asuka. Other than that, the roster included the usual suspects: Asuka, Paul, Law, Dragunov. Alissa, the Mishimas... No room for surprises there.
Well, I'd say Jin's absence so far is quite a surprise, considering that he's sorta the "Tekken's Ryu". Even though he'll likely be revealed later.
I wonder if at least one of the Capoeira fighters will return (I hope so!) - and, in this case, which one will return. Christie has the fanservice working in her favor, but Eddy is really popular in Brazil and he was more relevant in terms of plot in Tekken 6 (although he barely had a plot in Tekken 4 and 5). We can't compare the gameplay of each one, since Eddy and Christie fight EXACTLY the same (which I always considered something kinda lazy from the game developers).
I can be any person in the world... maybe I'm this person right in front of you... maybe I'm not.
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chazumaru 1338th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Bloodborne! Bloodborne! BLOODBORNE!" , posted Sat 4 Oct 19:18
BLOODBORNE!
"They're grrrrrrrreat!" I love Bloodborne. Who doesn't love Bloodborne? Someone who doesn't have access to the Alpha Test, that's who. Or someone who gave up because From Software screwed everyone for half an hour and was forced to extend the demo until 23:30 (Japan time).
I had already played that demo at TGS, but only for 15 minutes. Hilarious in retrospect that they would tease "we'll give a T-shirt to the first 100 visitors who complete the demo" when I could not even reach the last Boss after three hours yesterday. Who the hell got that T-shirt?
My main takeaway from this alpha test: the weapons are great. The four (fixed) builds you could try in the demo are all very different and interesting.
If you have played the DS series in the past, it's pretty simple: it's pretty much the same game, except the developers really improved/widened the possibilities of two features: the two-handed stance (previously activated with △) and the crossbow (huh!?).
Here is how the controls have changed: 口 is still used for regular items. △ is now used specifically to consume healing potions. R1 and R2 are still the same (light/heavy attack). L1 is used for the weapon's transformation, heavily promoted in the game's promotion so far. L2 is more or less the "special action" button, depending on how you transformed you weapon and what you hold in your hand.
The most important change is L1. As emphasized in the interviews and promotional videos, you can transform your scythe a bit in a similar way to MH's switch axe. But the scythe is only available in one of the four builds, so it does not seem to be the main or only weapon in the game, as you might have feared. Even better: all the weapons in the demo can "transform" with L1, but they all transform slightly differently. In fact, it would maybe be more accurate to talk about two different weapon stances.
For example, the "big hammer" build's regular stance is to hold the hammer with two hand and swing it around. But the alternate stance has the character reveal a rapier-like sword hidden inside the hammer's massive shaft. When you hold the sword, you are much faster and more importantly, you hold the hammer with one hand, allowing your left hand to hold a torch or a gun. With the two-handed hammer stance, L2 becomes a special heavy attack using the hammer. With the rapier stance, L2 allows you to shoot with the gun or wave the torch.
The gun is in fact an evolution of the crossbow. It works very similarly: the ammunitions are expendable and limited (with a maximum of 20 ammos in the gun), you can't aim precise body parts (beyond "locking" enemies), and you can use it to provide limited/finishing hits to an enemy (around 20HP damage), attract their attention, lure them towards you etc. The big difference is that the gun does a much better job at interrupting enemies' attack animations. In that way, it can be used like the L2 counter of the light shields in Souls (but with a limited number of uses). There are different guns, impacting their spread, accuracy and range, but they all used the same ammo in the demo.
The most interesting build by far, in my book, was the fourth one, a crow-masked character inspired by Venitian doctors. His(?) main gun reaches very far and his main weapon is a saber similar to a falschion or scimitar, which splits in two when you press L1 and transforms into (yet again MH-inspired) twin blades.
Interesting for two reasons. First, instead of carrying a heavy weapons with two hands, this build's alternative stance is actually a double weapon stance similar to Dark Souls 2's new feature. Secondly, instead of being the heavier, stronger stance, this alternate stance is actually faster and less powerful than the regular stance allowing you to use a gun.
The main benefit from this stance is that you combo extremely fast. In this game, as you may have heard, you can regain life if you attack enemies right after they hit you. There is a system similar to Vampire's "white" HP, a loss of life that will take time to confirm. During that confirmation window, if you manage to hit back and drench the blood of your enemies, you'll get life back. And the more you combo, the more life you get. The twin blades stances is so fast, so cost-effective in stamina and so good at chaining enemies when you spam the attack button that I would almost always regain my entire life. To be honest, I almost thought it was poorly balanced in favor of the player because with that build, I basically never needed to heal with △: I would either have my full life or die quickly because of repeated enemy attacks or a one hit kill. The only exception would be enemies with a gun. They can shoot from a long distance, their weapons are extremely powerful (one hit takes away 35-45% of your HP) and, since they are far from you, you might not have any close enemy to drain life back. The other side of the coin is that such enemies always dropped three bullets when you killed them in the demo. As a result, I never ran out of ammo.
As the developers explained during E3, the L1 "transformation" button can be used in the middle of attacks/combo, in which case it will perform a special move as it transforms. Depending on your weapon and the stance your are switching to, this will lead to very different move: counter, finishing stabs... Usually very effective stuff that you want to incorporate in your repertoire. I don't want to oversell the feature but it really makes you think through how you will approach the next group of enemies, i.e. what the choreography will be.
That's actually quite important because BB throws many more enemies at you than DS would in the same room. I'd like to say "here is the power of the PS4!" but, considering how much the framerate suffers in those situations, let's not send flowers to Mark Cerny just yet... It really makes you feel "wow I can't wait for the PC version" except this time, there won't be any PC version. It's still an alpha test so let's hope it gets fixed by the time of release.
Anyhow. You have more enemies, let's say a real crowd of displeased villagers (who will curse at you and blame you! Having humanoid enemies talk to the player is an awesome addition to the atmosphere). "Crowd control" is now even more important than in the Souls games. Those crowds are less static than before. Some groups will have patrol patterns, and those patrol patterns will change depending on defined scripts (ex. once you reach a certain area, a bell will ring and patterns will change). You'll have to be careful and take away enemies in separate bulks, lure and isolate enemies with a gunshot or a thrown stone, pay attention to patrols to avoid getting attacked from different sides etc. This is really cool. Note that the A.I. remains as stupid as before. The ragdoll is back as well.
The overall atmosphere is amazing, my only complain being the constant re-use of assets (doors, destructible backgrounds etc.). At one point, I was going towards a strong enemy when I saw shadows behaving strangely. I first assumed a bug related to the shadows casted by dead trees close to me, but when I turned around... Nearby, I also encountered my favorite enemies so far, a murder* of zombified giant crow corpses that keep attacking you pathetically with their giant beaks as if they were perfectly fine, 'tis but a scratch! What an amazing game.
Amazing, yes. That being said, three issues so far: 1. The aforementioned balance issue with the life drain move (I might regret complaining about that when the final build comes). 2. The message system is exactly the same as before, which is a bit disappointing, and it's more cluttered. Meh. 3. The enemy lock-on feature (R3) is completely messed up and buggy. Let's reaaaaaally hope this is because of the alpha status.
I am counting the hours until the last alpha session on Sunday.
Même Narumi est épatée !
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Toxico 5927th Post
PSN: Toxic-Baron XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(5):Tekken 7-11" , posted Tue 7 Oct 02:04
quote:
Considering how crazy the Tekken world is I wouldn't be surprised if the characters only changed their clothes on an annual basis. Seriously though, I wish something had been done to show that this was a new game. Tekken isn't a series that radically changes its art style from game to game so I wish they had included some other sort of visual cue to let players know this is a new title. As it is most of the characters look like they could have been ported over straight from Tekken Revolution. I've heard that the game only has 60% of the visual bells and whistles running so maybe everything will look more distinct with a fresh coat of paint?
About Tekken being "relevant", somehow; the game has this "tag" of being incredibly complex and deep, for that reason a lot of players are dragged in; people that want to "aim higher" end up in that game. In asia at least, 3~4 years ago Tekken was pretty much the most played fighting game (even though it isn't played that much in some countries, it's popularity in others is enough to make up for that). Of course from an arcade perspective, fighting games are hardly the most played games (there it is music games, racing games or whatever and more importantly; Gundam VS games; it's a separate "rank" of things that don't use "normal cabinets", and make more money than normal cabinets); so it's not like it was some kind of heavenly revelation or something (but gave me enough reason to tease the hell out of Bald Blue and SF2^2, so it's all good with the world).
Now, the thing is that, since the game is considered complex, new players to the game usually need a year or two of experience from "entry point" to "being able to give some sort of fight". For that reason Namco can't possibly play russian roulette with their steady fan base and make them feel "new", they need to make them feel like "hey, look, all of those 1000 monthly credits you lost a month worth of experience that you used to spend are still good! You don't need to put that effort ever again, you are ready to go!", proof of that is that people were already "good" at 7 at during the second day (some of the MC were even mentioning, after getting their asses handed down to them due to using a new character, that "the game isn't even out now, you can't play like that!!").
The beta test had roughly a 5 hours waiting line to play like 5 battles (unless you got yourself buried on your first match, then it's back to the cigarete).
さっきの感じならあと100発はもつ‥‥と思うぜ Update 24 as of 03/04/12. // 104 personajes traducidos
Now sponsoring : video game analogies (ES) Last update : Chapter 25 as of 31/08/12
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Maou 2685th Post
PSN: zonepharaoh XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6):Tekken 7-11" , posted Tue 7 Oct 09:36
quote: Namco can't possibly play russian roulette with their steady fan base and make them feel "new", they need to make them feel like "hey, look, all of those 1000 monthly credits you lost a month worth of experience that you used to spend are still good! you can't play like that!!").
Ironically enough, and to this point, that's exactly what they did to poor Soul Calibur--never as beloved or important in the arcades as it was on home systems--with the third entry, which tore most of the accumulated and easy-to-transfer knowledge between 1 and 2 to shreds. I sure didn't stick around! So maybe there's something to this theory. That said, they could at least give people some new clothes.
...which brings me to Just a Person's comment about the weirdness of Tekken. Tekken's world and weirdness seem sadly phoned-in to me now. 14 years later, and we're still seeing Roger and Mokujin from 2 and 3 as the "weird" characters? It's more like a...memory of when the series was weird. I still remember how every new unlocked Tekken 3 character for the home edition seemed to top the last. None of this matters that much to how Tekken plays, I suppose, but there must be some happy medium between this and the Soul Calibur 3 approach.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は...
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Spoon 2692th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(7):Tekken 7-11" , posted Tue 7 Oct 09:54
quote: Phoned in weirdness
It's worth thinking about how much weirdness is introduced on a per-game basis. Kuma and Yoshimitsu were in T1. Roger was in T2. Dr. B, Gon, Ogre/True Ogre, and Mokujin were in T3. T4 had.... Combot spanking Lee, I guess. I think there was a drought of weird characters in T4 and T5, though the console cutscenes were still goofy as hell.
If anything, T6 marked an uptick in weirdness!
Alisa in T6, who had chainsaws come out of her hands and would hand you her head for her throw.
(Roger Jr. was introduced in T5, which is amazingly 10 years old now.) Roger Jr.'s story in T6 is amazing, even if it's only like a sentence long: Roger's mom DIVORCES Roger, and they join Tekken due to the economic pressures of life as a single mother+child. I'm not even kidding.
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Loona 795th Post
PSN: IkariLoona XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(8):Tekken 7-11" , posted Tue 7 Oct 16:55
quote: Phoned in weirdness
It's worth thinking about how much weirdness is introduced on a per-game basis. Kuma and Yoshimitsu were in T1. Roger was in T2. Dr. B, Gon, Ogre/True Ogre, and Mokujin were in T3. T4 had.... Combot spanking Lee, I guess. I think there was a drought of weird characters in T4 and T5, though the console cutscenes were still goofy as hell.
If anything, T6 marked an uptick in weirdness!
Alisa in T6, who had chainsaws come out of her hands and would hand you her head for her throw.
(Roger Jr. was introduced in T5, which is amazingly 10 years old now.) Roger Jr.'s story in T6 is amazing, even if it's only like a sentence long: Roger's mom DIVORCES Roger, and they join Tekken due to the economic pressures of life as a single mother+child. I'm not even kidding.
That's why Tekken worked so well in a mishmash like Namco X Capcom - in that one, Dr Bomb from the mostly-silly Bravoman was working for Heihachi, and the divorce between DigDug's Taizo Hori and Baraduke's Masuyo Tobi was a plot point.
Yet Tekken also carries around some mostly-serious sub-plots, like Steve being Nina's kid, but fails to follow up on them significantly unless the character in question is a Mishima.
It's like it's trying to have its cake of seriousness and feast on its sillyness, so it goes at it with a straw, never quite succeeding at either.
...!!
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Ishmael 4987th Post
PSN: Ishmael26b XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(8):Tekken 7-11" , posted Wed 8 Oct 01:42
quote: It's worth thinking about how much weirdness is introduced on a per-game basis. Kuma and Yoshimitsu were in T1. Roger was in T2. Dr. B, Gon, Ogre/True Ogre, and Mokujin were in T3. T4 had.... Combot spanking Lee, I guess. I think there was a drought of weird characters in T4 and T5, though the console cutscenes were still goofy as hell.
Have outlandish characters become so accepted in Tekken that they are now the new normal? It says something when Alisa can throw her head at people and no one bats an eye. Even if the characters aren't thrilling 'em like they used to the storylines continue to astound. Tekken 4 was all about Heihachi's fundoshi while the main plot of T5 concerned Heihachi laying in a ditch for several weeks while Kuma ran the zaibatsu. Oh, and Xiaoyu successfully funded the building of a time machine but nobody in the game was all that impressed for some reason. But what I most enjoy about Tekken is that in addition to the main storyline it has a parallel story running that is feels like it is straight out of an 1980's action comedy manga. Asuka and Lili have daily schoolyard battles, Xiaoyu rides to class on her panda, a cute robot girl is flying around, Miharu pops up for the occasional bit of fanservice and there's a narcoleptic teenage vampire with modulating breast size who may or may not be part of canon. At some point Tekken turned into Justice Gakuen.
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karasu 1442th Post
PSN: robotchris XBL: robotchris Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(3):Ex-Squenix Minaba and Idol Master" , posted Tue 14 Oct 04:20
quote: What was it about Bayo2 that you felt made it control more smoothly than Bayo1? Was there something added to the mix that you felt improved the way it handled or is it a case of everything feeling more polished because of the practice the programmers had from making the original game? I'm curious since for me the first Bayo game had the most solid controls of any Platinum game I've tried. At the moment I'm playing MGR and it does is make me want to play Bayonetta instead.
Wellllll, I was probably being a little hyperbolic in my comments, and a beer or two may or may not have been involved in the entire business of playing the demo the first few times and then posting. What can I say? It was a celebration! So I'm not sure! It's funny: I feel as though I'm better suited to talk intelligently about Bayonetta than most other games, since I've played it more than just about anything short of a fighting game of the 90's. As I was playing through it again for the first time in a bit, I realized I could recall specific set pieces very clear, right down to musical cues that happen at different points. So when I'm playing the demo, I'm just grinning and grinning, and I'm dazzled by the entire production. So I'm not completely sure I'm being objective to start with.
So I've played it through a few dozen times since I wrote that post, on some level I want to stand my comment about the controls. The huge size of the thing aside, the Wii U tablet has some nice feeling controls itself. So maybe that's it, versus my X360 and PS3 controllers that have gotten a lot more broken in.
In any event, the timing for Witch Time seems a little more forgiving. It was easier for me to pull off combos that include a pause-- this was my biggest hangup about the first game. The twirl-the-stick and hold down a button to fire your guns all around also seems to come out much more easily.
Regarding MGR, what can I say? it's the closest to Bayonetta of Platinum's other games, and it was a real blast, but I feel like the systems they put together weren't quite up to Bayonetta standards. I liked that it was a shorter game because it lent itself well to replays. BUT, there was a real "rinse and repeat" feel to playing it after a while, even given the different weapons. In Bayonetta there are tons of choices for how to play through the game. The funniest part is that MGS is a series that's pretty well known for being open-ended.
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Spoon 2694th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(5):Ex-Squenix Minaba and Idol Master" , posted Thu 16 Oct 06:04
quote: MGR etc
Bayonetta is also a really quite long game. If it feels like it all "comes together" I think that has more to do with it having a whole lot more times and chances to do so. Not counting all the challenge arenas in Bayonetta, I think my play time on first run for Bayonetta was double that of MGR. Bayonetta certainly feels like a more open, freeform game than MGR. But MGR still manages to maintain a surprisingly MGS feel in spite of being a very obviously Platinum/we're-the-guys-who-made-DMC-and-don't-you-forget-it game.
The analogy I have of the ZANTETSU mode is this: In MGS, you are mostly running around sneaking from a detached camera view, but from time to time you drop into first person/over the shoulder view to shoot somebody in the head or look at magazines at things with binocs/whatever.
In MGR, you are mostly running around cutting people from a detached camera view, but from time to time you drop into over the shoulder view cut somebody in the head/arm/whatever.
I actually didn't realize I could cut people by swiping the right analogue stick until I had played for a good few hours: I just thought it could be used to adjust the angle! So because I spent all that time cutting people in ZANTETSU mode with the usual slash button, internally it didn't feel suddenly weird to me. It's a really, really tiny edge case-y thing, but it's surprising what a cognitive shift it is.
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Pollyanna 3707th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(1):Evil Within" , posted Fri 17 Oct 08:29
quote: Hey, anybody here pick up the Evil Within? I'm deliberately holding off with Bayo 2 so imminent, but I was considering it for sometime later. Reviews are all over the place in regard to it, from people suggesting it's needlessly hard to people saying to it's amazing and terrifying and everything a Resident Evil 4 fan could want, to one review that said it felt like a ten year old dinosaur of a game. I'm curious to hear Cafe-folks' impressions.
It's okay so far. I'm playing on PS4 and have only put in about 6 hours, so my opinion may change. It does feel a bit like RE4 in a lot of ways, or rather, if Mikami had stayed on RE, RE5 might have had this sort of feel. I would say the relative challenge is a positive element, as it makes the enemies more frightening than they normally would be. Personally, I really enjoy counting every bullet in a survival horror game and fighting the urge to just unload on enemies when they jump out at me.
Some bullet points...
Good: -The lighting and graphic filters look great. -The stealth elements are well implemented and add a nice sense of tension. -The game plays with reality in a way that sometimes makes it unpredictable. -Spider Lady is the hottest game babe of 2014. -You have a lot of tools at your disposal and you interact with the environment in meaningful ways both in and out of combat. Combat itself can be fairly strategic. -Lighting things on fire with matches was a great idea. Very simple and well implemented. -The save room/home base is cool in both concept and execution. -So far, "partner characters" have been either harmless or explicitly helpful.
Bad: -Things can get pretty sloppy sometimes, especially in intense combat situations, but this is nothing new for old RE fans. I have run into a lot of situations that seem cool in concept but just don't play out very nicely. -I don't like the sound design, particularly in terms of enemy noises. They don't replicate actual distance/position whatsoever. Enemies that are far away and to your side will sometimes sound like they're right on top of you, thanks to some stupid audio filter thing. Maybe there's a surround sound setting I'm missing, but in comparison to Last of Us where you can fairly accurately gauge where something is by its sound, this is both frustrating and kind of poor. -The story and characters are both kind of "meh" and don't live up to the potential of the concept. -The script has a real problem with repeating words. The characters don't talk enough about the clearly insane situation they're in and the things they do say often aren't the least bit believable. Sadly, it's not quite bad enough to be funny, but there's not a huge amount of dialogue to get in the way at least. -The crossbow bolts are a little over-the-top, but on the upside, they're creative in their use and limited in number. -Most of the game just isn't very scary.
This is a very mild spoiler, but there's one thing that's kind of neat in the game...a few chapters in you start dealing with invisible enemies. This really screws with my head tremendously. Even though they only appear in certain segments, you don't know which segments, because they're fucking invisible. You can guess where they are by them stepping in water, or on broken glass, or by pushing away any number of items lying around the area, but encounters with them are always intense and fearing that they may show up is a constant cause of anxiety.
Altogether, it feels like an okay RE4 successor and a tribute to modern horror films in general. If you're hungry for a classic survival horror type game and your expectations are only moderate, I would recommend the game. It hasn't really lit my fire as of yet, but I wouldn't advise against playing it.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Gojira 3069th Post
PSN: Gojira_X XBL: Gojiraaa Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6):Smashing Korra" , posted Fri 24 Oct 09:59:
quote: Korra
The review outfits are slamming the game, but I think they are reviewing it as if it were a $60 game rather than a $15 game. There is a bunch of negativity about the usage of the Korra story elements, mainly, that there isn't much of it at all.
In terms of divisiveness it has that similarity to God Hand, and it directly inheriting elements from Bayonetta and MGR (just look at what Korra does after doing a bunch of dodges in rapid succession!) means it will surely have some of that comparison. Heck, the fact that they needed to kick the thing out fast is even a valid point of comparison.
The reviews have been absolutely brutal, and I half understand why, because they have to review on every aspect (there is admittedly little in the way of story fanservice here which is important to fans of the series), but what I don't understand is how they can dismiss how fun it is by default anyway. Is it because I never played MGR that I enjoy the seamlessness of the fighting engine, or should I be finding it disgustingly shallow by comparison?
The levels are a bit stark, but they still manage to put hidden things in there to find that aren't just thrown in after the fact; some sections of the levels are literally devoted to hidden stuff and even have scripted sequences built around them. Even the Naga sections have hidden paths to find, and although the payoff is little more than a chance for a faster finish time the fact they're in there at all is something I highly respect in my games.
Having to unlock bending seems like a pain until you realize how easy it makes the game afterwards (especially once you're able to charge up chi and reap all the benefits that fighting with full chi gives). Avatar mode ends up being so ridiculously overpowered you don't even get it until right before the final boss, but not before
Spoiler (Highlight to view) - getting to use it to take out your frustration on every pain in the ass you'd experienced up to that point, a well-placed feeling that I really enjoyed.
End of Spoiler
Consumable items don't regenerate when you die but that makes sense to me because the AI is simple enough that you should only be using items to learn their patterns anyway, and that knowledge is something you get to keep even if you have to retry. And there are very few different consumable items and they're all fairly cheap to boot so I don't even know how that became an issue. The more expensive stuff you get to keep permanently.
Yeah I don't know, I'm just rambling now. I don't know how I can find a game with a metacritic rating of forty-something so much fun. Maybe I'm the crazy one.
[this message was edited by Gojira on Fri 24 Oct 10:10] |
karasu 1446th Post
PSN: robotchris XBL: robotchris Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(7):Smashing Korra" , posted Sat 25 Oct 06:47
quote: Korra
The review outfits are slamming the game, but I think they are reviewing it as if it were a $60 game rather than a $15 game. There is a bunch of negativity about the usage of the Korra story elements, mainly, that there isn't much of it at all.
I've found myself in a bit of a strange place regarding Korra since I'm not even close to a fan of the show, having never seen anything from the franchise at all. But, I've got that urge to at least try something if it's made by Platinum, since even in their most minimal efforts I've at least found SOMETHING to like.
And I think that gets to the problem with reviews of the game-- all of these sites have this sometimes unreasonably high expectation for Platinum games, and when you place that side by side with a franchise like this, where there are so many outspoken fans, it was bound to disappoint somebody.
But really, 15 bucks? I've spent $20 on games before having no expectation of anything beyond their being at least a diversion for a few days, so this is a no brainer for me. And Gojira, hearing you praise it makes me even more hopeful that it will be a good buy. But, having Bayonetta 2 thrust into my hands today unfortunately makes it unlikely that I'll be playing anything else for a bit, argh!
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GekigangerV 1890th Post
PSN: gekijmo XBL: gekijmo5 Wii: n/a
Gold Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Bayonetta 2" , posted Mon 27 Oct 06:12
Got Bayonetta 2 on Friday and beat it this morning and I have to say I have not had this much fun with a video game in quite some time.
I didn't rush through it, but I was surprised to see that I already beat the game with in a few days. I was in no way great at the original game, but I found the sequel to be much easier than the first. I probably used healing items 3 or 4 times total in my first playthrough and I didn't even die until the post-game content. I was playing on the "2nd Climax" mode, which I assume was the normal mode. If you really want a challenge I would suggest probably starting out on "3rd Climax."
I noticed several things were also streamlined from the original game: Muspelheim portals aren't as well hidden as Alfheim portals (and are MUCH easier), Witch's Tombs are ALL OVER, but again not as well hidden, they got rid of those instant fail QTEs, no more Angel Attack and it feels like Halos are a bit more abundant. The stages themselves felt really short at times, too.
Gameplay is amazing and the weapons offer a wide variety of attacks to play around with. The new feature of "Umbran Climax" is a real blast to activate. Every attack and weapon gains a great new wicked weave animation to it that makes you feel so powerful. The mech suit that they showed off is okay. It has a very limited move set, it even becomes unlockable later in the game for regular levels(at the cost of magic meter), I just don't want to spend the halos on it yet.
Rodin is selling the same techniques as the first game. I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't one or two Nintendo specific techniques (not tied to the special outfits that is). Like a Mario head stomp or something to that effect. Also a lot of the same accessories as the first game too, but they added some new ones as well.
Tag Climax is the online co-op/versus mode where you compete to get the best score in a set of 6 verses. I have all but 3 of the verses unlocked, but the ones I do have are a ton of fun. I only played one online match so far, but was really impressed with the connection. No lag, no drop in framerate. It is amazing that the game ran as smoothly as it did.
As for the plot for Bayonetta 2, well I have to say I didn't entirely understand it
Spoiler (Highlight to view) - Okay, Bayonetta's wicked weave goes out of control killing Jeanne so Bayonetta needs to go to hell to retrieve Jeanne's soul. To do that she needed to go to that mountain to access the Gates of Hell. However the plan of Loptr doesn't entirely seem to make much sense to me. He needs to take the sovereign power Loki posses and the eyes of the world to become Aesir again. So did he MEAN to have Gomorrah kill Jeanne to lure Bayonetta to the mountain or was that a stroke of luck? Did he even need Bayonetta alive to retrieve the left eye? Loki being there at the same time seemed to be due to some subconscious need, but once again was that just luck? Also Balder was from the past right? The ending made it clear that absorbing Loptr's soul made him the person he became in Bayonetta 1, but did Loptr bring him back so he had someone powerful enough to bring him Loki? Of course the game ends with them flashing the Bayonetta 1 logo which gives us this weird Prequel/Sequel theme in the end. Time travel sucks.
End of Spoiler
I haven't even touched the Wii U version of the first game, but I think I will have to now that I know that Norio Wakamoto plays the main villain in it and there is a Japanese language option.
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iggy 9813th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(1):Bayonetta 2" , posted Mon 27 Oct 19:50
As for the difficulty, I think it goes like that: in 1___________ in 2 Very Easy ____1 Easy____________2 Normal ___________________3 Hard Inf.Climax ____ Inf.Climax
The new Inf.Climax lets you use the witch time, but the new enemy placement makes it much harder than it sounds. I think it's a better balance than the first "we couldn't make it harder, so we'll take abilities away from you". Also, enemy start changing even in 3, which is good.
As for the plot... yeah, nah. The only thing I kinda like is
Spoiler (Highlight to view) - that it explains the white hair that help Bayo finish the final boss in Bayo 1. I assumed it was Jeanne's since it's white, but it didn't make sense that it summons a god from light AND dark. But it actually was Daddy helping his daughter! Makes more sense! Also, I liked that Balder had a closure, while keeping the plot of Bayo 1 intact. It was a fascinating milestone to have Bayonetta destroy the patriarchy almost literally in the first one. Having Balder not evil might have jinxed that, but it just turns out that instead of being her father alone, the patriarch she kills in the first game is an ancient being that has rippled onto her through generations, ultimately through her father, and against his will. Eh, I'll take that. It's still a feminist reading, and it casts out any stupid misandry/rad.fem. interpretation out of Bayo1, which is always a plus.
End of Spoiler
Also, the characters you can unlock in tag climax are very, very good and fun to play as. I ended up playing that mode almost exclusively.
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Pollyanna 3710th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(1):UNDEAD (sub-) THREAD 2014" , posted Tue 28 Oct 21:28
quote: So it's time to play/talk about Dracula/CV. I could ramble on as usual about the unparalleled audio design of the SFC outing's transition from the moody prologue into Simon's theme as you battle Dracula, or about how the Pearl Dance in Count Orlok's chamber in Nocturne is the finest piece of music in the game, but instead I'm just going to ask you for your favorite mix of Vampire Killer. Nothing gets me into a Halloween-y mood like the nutty rock-and-roll beats of the version in Chronicle release of Dracula X68000.
That is my favorite version of Vampire Killer! I don't even know if there's a second place. My personal favorite from SoTN is Wood Carving Partita, though.
My favorite Castlevania song from a game I didn't like is Leon's theme.
Maybe it was something subconscious as I wasn't even thinking of Halloween, but I woke up the other day and immediately thought "isn't it about time I play Rondo of Blood again?" I have a very short list of games that I can always go back and play, and Rondo of Blood is at the top. Castlevania hits me with a wave of melancholy, these days, though. Even listening to the music as I type this is bringing a tear to my eye. I don't like thinking about "the good old days." I'm always looking forward...but the realization that there is likely no proper Castlevania in that future makes me a bit sad.
Although I don't have any particular fondness for most of the portable games (excluding Ecclesia), every time I got one I would end up playing uncharacteristically long sessions until the sun rose and I thought "I really do love Castlevania, don't I?"
On perhaps a less bittersweet note, I still appreciate Harmony of Despair as an emergency Castlevania injection sometimes. I think I ended up getting all of the DLC in the end. How good and evil of them to offer so much music.
I am undressed from 80’s style and recreated with modern sexy and beautiful style that amaze you and feel never been experienced world before.
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Maou 2692th Post
PSN: zonepharaoh XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(3):UNDEAD (sub-) THREAD 2014" , posted Wed 29 Oct 00:38:
quote: Circle of the Moon And yes, the SFC version the best. That's my only reason to re-buy the game every time it's available, since I actually don't like the game.
But then, the SFC ("IV") version of Vampire Killer is quite weak, though its comical trumpets remind me of the comical number of times I had to hear them after getting slaughtered constantly by the maddening tower in the next scene where a saw chases you vertically. So I assume you mean the prologue and Simon's theme are the best. Then again, you are managing to enjoy Circle, so...! I do like that it revived the marvelous Sinking Old Sanctuary theme from Vampire Killer (the game).
PS: Polly, I knew you were a rock and roll vampire hunter. Together with redhead Simon, the whole thing feels like (gorgeous, deviant) heresy.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は...
[this message was edited by Maou on Wed 29 Oct 01:02] |
karasu 1449th Post
PSN: robotchris XBL: robotchris Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(1):UNDEAD (sub-) THREAD 2014" , posted Wed 29 Oct 00:55:
quote: IT IS HALLOWEEN WEEK
"Once every 100 years 365 days, when Christ's power is at its weakest, the Dark Lord Dracula [thread] is revived by the prayers of wicked humans the Madman's Cafe."
So it's time to play/talk about Dracula/CV. I could ramble on as usual about the unparalleled audio design of the SFC outing's transition from the moody prologue into Simon's theme as you battle Dracula, or about how the Pearl Dance in Count Orlok's chamber in Nocturne is the finest piece of music in the game, but instead I'm just going to ask you for your favorite mix of Vampire Killer. Nothing gets me into a Halloween-y mood like the nutty rock-and-roll beats of the version in Chronicle release of Dracula X68000.
Sometimes I think that Castlevania is the thread that holds the Cafe together, more so even than something like King of Fighters or World Heroes! As such I'm thrilled that Our Dark Lord and Master Maou has suggested such an amazing discussion! Not that I wasn't primed to discuss such a thing at a moment's notice anyway!
My favorite version of Vampire Killer is the one from the always-sublime SuperFami Dracula X OST. Although it was a close call with the Bloodlines version, which is quite good too! BUT! I think one of my favorite tracks ever is the Loading music from Castlevania Chronicle (specifically the CM-64 version). Really though that whole OST is amazing!
It brings on intense melancholy to think about the series, at this fantastic time of year especially, since the most recent game left such a miserable taste in my mouth, and made me suspect that we may never get a new 2D entry in the series, or a decent 3D entry, for that matter. I thought sure we were primed for some manner of expanded re-release/remake of Bloodlines, or perhaps even Simon's Quest for a while there-- and honestly given the care that's been taken with some of the remakes that actually were made, it's one series that I feel like would benefit from getting such a treatment. But really I think it's just that I want any kind of new Castlevania, even if it's just a rehash of an old one.
Hmm, that actually makes me feel guilty for panning the fact that the portable games endlessly copied sprites from SoTN a few years back. Ah well.
Really though I guess we should all be happy that like the Dark Lord Himself (and here I refer to Dracula, not Maou) Castlevania lives on endlessly in the never-ending flood of Metroidvanias saturating Kickstarter at any given moment, to the point that I'm surprised the style of game hasn't been given its own sub category under Games!
EDIT: Aw, Maou surely you don't mean that the SFC Dracula X Vampire Killer is bad... do you? SURELY you mean IV's version... right?
EDIT EDIT: Polly, that version of Wood Carving Partitia blew my mind! That makes me want to play SoTN for the 80th time!
EDIT EDIT EDIT: Avatar appropriately updated et c.
[this message was edited by karasu on Wed 29 Oct 01:09] |
Maou 2694th Post
PSN: zonepharaoh XBL: n/a Wii: n/a
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(5):UNDEAD (sub-) THREAD 2014" , posted Wed 29 Oct 03:33:
quote: Oh, god! Yes, of course, you are right. That's embarrassing. I'll curl back into the corner and think about what I've done (by maybe forcing myself to play the game until the end
Don't worry, your prescribed penance is simple: you must simply play the inane version of Vampire Killer on a thirty minute loop or get to it in the game, whichever comes first. If you do get to the end, you are rewarded with the best Dracula battle, based solely on it being a medley of the prologue and Simon's theme, which you were talking about in the first place!
I'm not sure you can complete any penance for Circle other than playing the next GBA entry, which is excitingly worse in different ways.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は...
[this message was edited by Maou on Wed 29 Oct 13:22] |
karasu 1449th Post
PSN: robotchris XBL: robotchris Wii: n/a
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(6):UNDEAD (sub-) THREAD 2014" , posted Wed 29 Oct 07:32
quote:
Fear not, your prescribed penance is simple: you must simply play the inane version of Vampire Killer on a thirty minute loop or get to it in the game, whichever comes first. If you do get to the end, you are rewarded with the best Dracula battle, based solely on it being a medley of the prologue and Simon's theme, which you were talking about in the first place!
I'm not sure you can complete any penance for Circle other than playing the next GBA entry, which is excitingly worse in different ways.
Oh, I see, you DID mean VI. I thought the world had gone mad when for a moment I thought you meant that SFC DracX's music was terrible!
(As a brief non-Castlevania aside, I just happened upon this fine article about a device I've always loved. I think many of you feel the same way, so enjoy.)
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