Forums

Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

Posts 661 to 680 of 3,212

mookysam

@Ralizah Poor Alpha Dream. 😢 I think Nintendo said something like that around Sticker Star's release as they wanted the Mario and Luigi series to be distinct. Fair enough, I guess, but that seemingly extended to story, characters, writing. Basically aything that fans of TTYD and even Super Paper Mario would have stuck around for. I definitely need to see more of The Origami King before deciding on a purchase!

Obviously Nintendo isn't known for their RPGs in the way Square-Enix are, but their resistance to having multiple RPG series on the go is a little strange. It's not just Paper Mario that has suffered, either. One franchise I would particularly love to see return is Baten Kaitos. I guess we've also seen the same thing with Nintendo's Tactical RPGs and the doubling down on Fire Emblem. A lot of that is sheer economics, but it's definitely limited the first party catalogue.

With the narrative elements I wonder if Game Freak came to the same conclusion after Black and White, because the stories in every Pokémon game since have been dreadful. Aside from battle systems and stat building, narrative is the single most important aspect of an RPG.

Excellent Days Gone review @Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy! The bike does look great and I'm impressed with how pretty the game looks. That aside I'm actually not sure how much I'd enjoy the game as I think the story elements might irritate me. It being bland isn't an automatic strike necessarily, but when there are so many other games it's not exactly standing out. Looking forward to your Divinity Original Sin review (complete with lots of talking animal screenshots).

Black Lives Matter
Trans rights are human rights

RogerRoger

@Ralizah Cracking review of Paper Mario back there (although I'm more grateful for you popping up "Fossil Falls" from Super Mario Odyssey beneath it; absolutely 100% my kinda jam, and contributed so much to my enjoyment of what I found to be an otherwise-average game).

I've played the first forty minutes of The Thousand-Year Door and struggled, largely because of my unfamiliarity with the Mario franchise and my equal unease towards turn-based combat. It did subvert my expectations in terms of story and setting, however, and I did find it more charming than I'd expected to; hearing you describe it as an "Indiana Jones" style adventure makes me curious as to what I'd have made of it, had I continued (as I love such yarns). Your overall positivity towards the game has me determined to be less dismissive, should I ever return. A very enjoyable read, thank you!

***

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Excellent write-up of Days Gone. Your new approach worked really well; I loved how you walked us through your approach to the game, and addressed concerns that it was unfairly targeted by professional critics. By the end, I found myself agreeing with your arguments, despite never having played the game (have you ever considered a job in politics...?). Reminds me of my recent musings about Spider-Man, and how "safe" design choices live or die by their execution; whereas that game had a compelling lead tying his supporting cast together, I'm sorry to hear Starkiller (...wait, Deacon is Starkiller? How did I not know that?!) couldn't manage the same.

Downbeat conclusions aside, well done for trying something a little different from your normal fare, and for seeing it through to its end. You did better than I with Resident Evil, so much respect from me!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

HallowMoonshadow

Thanks for the praise @mookysam! That picture showing the bike was... Halfway through the game I think. The start screen having a nifty little feature of showing your bike... You can't really see it but it's sporting the Concrete Genie decal amongst all the other bells and whistles I had at that point.

mookysam wrote:

Looking forward to your Divinity Original Sin review (complete with lots of talking animal screenshots).

I think you saw all the ones I took already mooky! I might have to go back into it briefly to get a few more screenshotties so I'll see if I can rustle up something up! 😅


RogerRoger wrote:

Your new approach worked really well

RogerRoger wrote:

By the end, I found myself agreeing with your arguments, despite never having played the game (have you ever considered a job in politics...?).

Oh my... I'm glad you think so highly of it @RogerRoger! 😰

Guess those months of writer's block I had for writing these reviews really paid off huh?

Watch as the reviews for the games I'm more passionate about don't come out half as good 😂

Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
.
.
.

"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"

RogerRoger

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Well, sometimes it can be more fun (or at least, satisfying) to write scathing reviews. A lot of the humour in your piece came from moments where you had no choice but to be critical and, on a completely unrelated topic, I could really go for some fondue.

Glad the block seems to have lifted, and best of luck with those forthcoming reviews!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@RogerRoger Why didn't I see this reply?

Sorry for the lateness.

TTYD, like most RPGs, takes an hour or so to really get going. Although I found it far more immediately engaging than the N64 Paper Mario, which begins like... every other Mario game in existence! The turn-based battling is fairly accessible and rudimentary, I think. I imagine, for a lot of people, the addition to timed button inputs will help people feel like they're active participants and less like they're just browsing through menus.

RE: Mario Odyssey, how far did you get? It took me a weirdly long time to really get into that game. When I initially beat the story campaign, I felt oddly... empty. Totally unlike the magical experience I had with Super Mario Galaxy. The amount and quality of post-game content is pretty stunning, though, and after having played 30+ hours past the initial credits, I'd probably consider it one of the best 3D Mario games (behind Galaxy and Sunshine, anyway). For whatever reason, Nintendo decided to hide the best Kingdom and the most engaging challenges until after the credits. The bump up in difficulty in those post-game Kingdoms is significant, and really tested my mastery of the game, which I think is what I really needed to truly appreciate the complex set of platforming movements Mario has access to in this game.

RE: fondue, I actually had some for my birthday a few weeks ago! My family usually takes me out to a restaurant to celebrate, but with things being... how they are... they decided to just make a fondue with dough-rolled sausages to dunk, and it turned out great.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

RogerRoger

@Ralizah Well, first up, many happy (if belated) returns!

I'll give credit where it's due, Thousand-Year Door is one of the most memorable Mario games I've sampled in recent years, if not the most memorable. Its glorious presentation has stuck with me, and would've likely done most of the heavy lifting had I continued. Haven't tried any of the other Paper Mario games, though, so I couldn't see the huge improvement you mention.

I beat Bowser in Super Mario Odyssey. Can't recall if we hung around for any of the post-credits content (although, hearing you praise it so, I think I'd remember if we had). What was the hidden Kingdom? Do you think the increased difficulty would be accessible, returning to it over two years later?

And no need to apologise; replies are never expected, not by me.

You can totally apologise for making me want fondue even more now, though!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@RogerRoger

You unlock the Mushroom Kingdom, which is set around Princess Peach's castle in the style of Super Mario 64, almost immediately after beating the so-called "final boss" (there's so much stuff to do after beating Bowser that it barely feels like a mid-game speedbump now). It's a very pretty and fun kingdom that's filled with great secrets.

Additionally, you can unlock The Dark Side of the Moon and The Darker Side of the Moon, both of which feature some of the hardest challenges in the game.

Almost every previous kingdom in the game also enjoys a massive infusion of content via new challenges and new moons to find.

I'm not sure how accessible this new content would be. I think it'd depend on how long it takes your muscle memory to return, how much you struggle with platforming in general, and how difficult you found the content in the main game campaign.

For me, someone who craves challenge and variety, it was a godsend. I do think Odyssey is probably one of the most difficult Mario games to 100%, but it's quite fun, and none of the challenges are stupidly infuriating for the wrong reasons like the Lily Pad/Pachinko levels in Super Mario Sunshine.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

nessisonett

@Ralizah Oh lord, I have so many awful memories of pachinko and the lily pads. I do think Odyssey’s jump rope and volleyball were truly annoying as well though!

Plumbing’s just Lego innit. Water Lego.

Trans rights are human rights.

mookysam

Mario Odyssey is excellent, but is a little bloated at times. I still dip into it now and then for little replays simply because it makes me smile. The "story" moons are rather excellent and New Donk City is an absolute marvel. I hope that future games incorporate more urban levels.

Seeing the Super Mario 64 Mushroom Kingdom in HD glory was pretty amazing @Ralizah. It made me so giddy with nostalgia! I wasn't expecting it to be in the game at all.

@nessisonett Ugh jump rope drove me up the wall. Not sure what Nintendo were thinking with that one.

Edited on by mookysam

Black Lives Matter
Trans rights are human rights

Ralizah

@nessisonett I didn't mind them, and actually got extremely good at the jump rope (my score went hundreds of points higher than what was necessary to collect the moon).

If that 3D Mario Collection is a real thing, I hope Nintendo makes some adjustments to 64 and Sunshine.

@mookysam I don't even like SM64, and I was still impressed with Peach's Castle. Beautiful environment. I thought Odyssey's story moons and initial low difficulty were disappointing, but I realize now that the post-game is the portion of the game designed with series vets in mind.

I also think the game is more satisfying when you realize it's probably a closer relative to Banjo-Kazooie than it is to Mario 64.

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

Rudy_Manchego

Ok so a difficult impressions thread for me. I just finished playing through Sea of Solitude on PS4. The game is an indie game from a small european studio but had the backing of EA as one of their EA Originals label so not a direct EA game, but like A Way Out and Unravel.

The issue is that I did not really like this game and it is quite rare for me to feel that. I often feel that a game is OK but as someone who likes to think they read up about games, I don't tend to play too many obvious stinkers. To be clear it isn't a stinker but your mileage will vary based on your experiences and interpretation.

I was first interested in Sea of Solitude after the emotional presentation at E3. The game looked, and still does look, gorgeous with some quite interesting imagery. This is a small, 3-4 hour game of emotional storytelling with light platform and swimming mechanics. The story revolves around biographical elements of its lead designed (from what I have read) and is about depression and family trauma.

First, the good. It is quite a beautiful game and has an artstyle that works. It is an independent game and looks stunning and has some very clever and economical reuse of assets that are quite seamless. The music is also quite good. There is some vivid imagery and moments which I think do stick in the memory. It is polished and I had no issues with how it ran etc or any glitches. It's a solid product.

My problem with the game though, is that I felt very much that it was not very original. I am a big indie game fan and I am Ok with games that are light on gameplay but higher on storytelling elements or presentation. I know a lot of gamers aren't and that's cool - my point is that my expectations in terms of limited gameplay are in line with games of this genre. In this case, the actual story and metaphors etc. are just things we've seen in many many other games. From Journey to Night In The Woods, to Gris etc. there are a glut of games that tackle serious emotional topics on mental health and use visual and gameplay metaphors. Unfortunately, this felt very familiar to a lot of those games. I knew exactly what each of the mental health subplots would be before they happened and 100% predicted the end of the game at the very start. Narratively, I see it all coming.

The gameplay, or lack thereof would be fine but without a compelling narrative, it exposes that there is not much to do. You explore a little, you swim, you can't really get lost and the objective is simple. There is at best very mild puzzling element to some areas but nothing that you won't know what to do from the outset. Some gameplay points border on mildly frustrating as well - not in difficulty, just in the you'll fail for no real reason. Now this isn't something different from something like Gris where the platforming is very basic but the overal presentation and art sweeps your forward. Here it just makes it seem more of a slog.

Lastly, I didn't like the dialog or voice acting. The voice acting is actually done by members of the development team and it isn't bad - and, I would suggest pretty good since in my version, they are speaking English as a non native language. However, it would take a really good actor to get across the dialog in a way that doesn't sound very video gamey and unnatural.

Overall it is a shame as I wanted to like this game. I would caveat that I have read reviews and metacritic has a user score of 6.4% and some people really resonated with the story and it is clear the makers worked very hard and crafted their vision. I just felt I had seen it before and didn't feel that moved by the story. Very much down to personal taste.

Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot

PSN: Rudy_Manchego | Twitter:

Ralizah

@Rudy_Manchego I feel like the people making games such as Gris, Journey, this, etc. would probably prefer to make short movies instead, but feel like indie games are the only avenue for their creativity that they're competent to produce. Gameplay is almost never anything more than a formality. I'd prefer no gameplay at all to half-hearted gameplay, personally.

Good write-up, though.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

Rudy_Manchego

@Ralizah Yeah I can see the argument. I like some walking sims, for example and I know they don’t gel well with all gamers since their interaction is limited. I do feel that really good games can use their limitations as their strength. For example, What Remains of Edith Finch probably wouldn’t work as a short film or something - it plays with game genres and exploration in a way that isn’t possible in other media. A Night In The Woods is technically a platformer but it is closer to a walking Sim/or visual novel but what’s there is so good it holds together. With Sea of Solitude though, you are right - this feels like a student film project or a random animated short. It didn’t do anything to use gaming as more than a way to get the message across.

Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot

PSN: Rudy_Manchego | Twitter:

Ralizah

@Rudy_Manchego While I hated WRoEF, I'll admit there are some things it did that wouldn't be able to be fully replicated in an animation or short film, such as the vignette in the fish factory, which I thought was clever.

I'm not opposed to walking sims in concept. Gone Home, I thought, was an interesting experience in emergent narrative techniques, and P.T. uses the limited interactivity as a tool to disempower and terrify the player. Actual visual novels generally don't feature gameplay at all beyond making choices, so I struggle to even consider those games (they're more like digital choose-your-own-adventure novels, unless we're talking about kinetic novels, which don't feature choices or routes, in which case I'd say they're like digital light novels). But, unfortunately, it's so easy for people who don't care about gaming, gameplay, or entertaining the player to slap together a rudimentary "walking sim" as a sort of interactive art show or student film.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

RogerRoger

@Ralizah After saying it wasn't a big deal, I'm now going to do what you did; sorry for the delay in replying to your reply, particularly since you were answering a question I had.

Thanks for confirming that it was indeed the Mushroom Kingdom, as I had a feeling it might've been. After boosting my brain's processing power, I recalled playing a brief snippet of it, but I also recall that Super Mario Odyssey was one of several games we'd purchased in a bundle, so we were keen to move on after defeating what had appeared to be the final boss. Did you have to rescue Yoshi from a rooftop, perchance? If so, I'm thinking of the right game.

I'm usually quite challenge-averse, but I found Odyssey to be accessible throughout (and perhaps a little too accessible during its story) so it's something I think I'd be quite keen to return to someday. Like you, the jump-rope minigame you've gone on to discuss is one I found average-to-easy, so that's a good indicator that I'd enjoy the post-game content as much as you. Thanks!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@RogerRoger You're thinking of the right game.

I'm sure the thinking was that casual players would drop out after the credits, so they wanted to make the story campaign as accessible as possible to new players and load the post-game with the challenging stuff, but I found that this contributed to making the game's story campaign feel a bit forgettable.

I also feel like the laid back vibe of the post-game jives with the collect-a-thon structure of the game more. You can poke around more and just have fun finding new challenges instead of worrying about "beating the game."

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

RogerRoger

@Ralizah Ah, thanks for confirming!

I think I agree with you, despite being a somewhat casual passer-by. My memories from Odyssey come in disparate chunks; gorgeous music accompanying a T-Rex encounter, the concert in the city, a world which shamelessly ripped off Sonic Colours, and Bowser in a snazzy top hat. There's very little consistency to these fragments, and their chronological sequence is tough to nail down.

Something more laid-back, more accessible and less pressured to proceed, sounds much more like my kinda Sunday afternoon. When my partner is bored of Animal Crossing (that's if he ever gets bored of it; still getting daily updates about what's for sale in both shops) I might suggest a return.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@RogerRoger The weirdness and variety is one of Odyssey's appeals. It's refreshing after playing something like NSMB, which is entirely lacking in the creativity this game exalts in.

What bit ripped off Sonic Colors, btw?

RE Animal Crossing... 150 hours in, I think I'm pretty bored with it now. Haven't even bothered checking out the new marriage event yet.

It's not something I'll ever stop playing so long as I own the system, though.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

RogerRoger

@Ralizah It's the Wooded Kingdom. Looks awfully familiar...

Yeah, now that Animal Crossing has become a live-service legacy game for many, I think it'll stick around on many people's consoles for periodic curiosity. My partner isn't any description of "gamer" and so I think he's latched onto it for lockdown coping purposes, more than anything.

I had a similar experience with Hitman 2 last year, whereby I knew it was being updated all the time, but would only surrender to it when my mood was right. Not every event will appeal.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Please login or sign up to reply to this topic