@JohnnyShoulder I actually enjoyed Andromeda overall. Despite a few odd expressions and some 'dialogue' that sounded emotionless and literally reading off a script rather than voice 'acting'. Of course this isn't a massive part of the game and most was 'ok' (not the best admittedly). It seemed to impact the 'humans' but speaking to the alien races seemed better.
I agree that the 'scanning' can get tedious - having a cut scene just to move your ship from one planet to the next, then a cut scene to get into Orbit before you can scan for the 'thing' (if there was one) that's there and repeat for all in that little section to get 100% did drag on a bit.
I don't know how far into the game you are but I thought the environments you actually get to land on and do things weren't too bad overall with one in particular a standout visually - I won't say more in case you aren't that far yet. Much of it really felt like Mass Effect to me - particularly the Ark Hyperion (like the Citadel) and Tempest - also the Nomad is a lot more fun to drive and get about. I also enjoyed the combat more too because of the more 3 dimensional more open environments. The previous games were much more 'corridor' linear battles where you are battling the enemy in front of you to progress along that linear path. Here, the combat is much more free-form and not necessarily all on the same plane either. Weapons can be quite fun to use too and more so as you progress and craft some of your own.
I actually completed everything - all side quests, all scans, everything on each planet etc etc - 100% completion. All this was before numerous patches to 'improve' the eyes etc. You can see that at some point, they moved from Unreal to Frostbite 3 which wasn't so familiar to the developers (was it forced on them by EA?) and whilst it did suffer a lot of staff changes too, the biggest problem was more 'polish'. In typical EA style, they delayed it as much as they were willing to - which is always in the same financial year. It was going to release when it did regardless of whether it was 'fit' to release or not. It was clear that work was needed on the facial animations before it released but instead of giving Bioware another 6-8 months, which would have pushed the release into the next financial year, to polish and fix some of the glaring visual issues. EA has done the same before (Battlefield: Hardline for example) and then wonder why these games 'disappoint' because they don't sell as many copies as they expected - not that ME:A wasn't profitable as they were happy to state to their Shareholders, but sales were still well below projected targets.
I think it makes much more sense to give the developers more time to get a game up to standard, fit for release - which in turn could sell better than projected because its not having memes made mocking the game, not getting 'mediocre' reviews, not having a 'negative' reputation that will put people off - not just those that would be sat on the fence, but even the fans of the franchise. The one big thing that Sony (as a publisher with numerous Studios - like EA) have done very well this generation is give their Developers time to get the game up to a very high standard for release (maybe not so much with Driveclub and Days Gone) which has paid off in both critical acclaim/awards as well as Sales too. ME:A was released on more platforms and the fourth game in a beloved franchise yet Horizon: Zero Dawn sold significantly better. The Witcher 3 may be the third in the franchise but it was a change in its structure and for many gamers, this was their first time with the franchise. it certainly wasn't as well known as Mass Effect but that's sold 20m. I know it had some minor performance issues but it shows you what can happen if you get the majority right at launch.
I get more concerned when EA delay a game until 'March' because that signifies that the game has until then to get everything right or at least a small day 1 patch to bring the game up to a reasonable state because the game had to be sent off weeks before to make the physical edition. If you look at the games that have been delayed from EA, that's games like ME:A, BF:Hardline and most recently Anthem, it says everything.
As I said, I played ME:A to its conclusion and its not worth full price - even after the patches - but its also not the worst game ever. You almost have to forget that its 'Mass Effect' and approach it more from the perspective that its a game heavily influenced by the trilogy. Now that it is greatly reduced in price, I think it offers a 'decent' campaign with decent combat and some impressive environments to spend time in. Its a 6.5/10 game at full price but if you are a BIG Mass Effect fan expecting a 10/10 'next gen' and worthy entry into the franchise, then that score could well drop an extra point or two. Its like expecting an Xbox One X and getting an Xbox One S all-digital edition...
A pessimist is just an optimist with experience!
Why can't life be like gaming? Why can't I restart from an earlier checkpoint??
Feel free to add me but please send a message so I know where you know me from...
I think I'm nearing the end of Tales of Zestiria. The last big story event I cleared was the fight against that dragon at the battlefield and now the party is all jazzed up about preparing for the "final battle", so we'll see.
Quite a bit of sidequests have opened up, so I'm focusing on those for now. Beat both the Medusa type bosses in the village of Forton, then I dealt with the art dealer who had those kids killed, so I wrapped up those side arcs I believe.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
After last week, I think I'm gonna have to wait until I give Splinter Cell: Blacklist a try. Now that all the DLC is out, I've returned to LEGO DC Super-Villains instead.
Given that one of the core game's biggest draws was the stunning voice cast, I'm a little disappointed that each DLC chapter is only narrated by Lobo (perhaps my least-favourite DC character of all time). I was really looking forward to the level based on Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, particularly since Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill had already done sterling service as the voices of Batman and the Joker respectively, so to have zero new dialogue from them and only a painfully-stereotypical voice-over to keep me company definitely took the edge off.
Thankfully, my mood is in exactly the right place for some more LEGO gameplay, so I don't mind as much as I perhaps should (nor am I gonna grumble too much about the ridiculously-short DLC levels themselves; no wonder they gave some of them two parts). The charm is still holding strong; I think it helps to play LEGO games with a long break between "clearing the story" and "tidying up the map" as it prevents it all from feeling too stale. I just sat there for a good ten minutes earlier, watching all the idle animations for some of the new DLC characters, with a stupid grin on my face. Probably wouldn't have done that after the twenty-something hours it took me to reach the story's credits.
Depending on how my week goes, I may push for the platinum. I'm probably another good ten, maybe twelve hours away from getting 100% but it makes for a nice change of pace. It was either this or Shenmue, but at least the kid-friendly cartoon pace of LEGO DC Super-Villains isn't in danger of whipping me up into a coma.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Currently playing Red Dead Redemption 2 which I picked up during the Days of Play sale. It’s been a bit slow to get going but I’m impressed by the visuals and overall production value. I hope things will pick up once I get to the meat and potatoes of the game and it isn’t just an interactive movie. Also playing NBA 2K19 and will start MK 11 which I also got last week.
It'll be interesting to see where you land on the whole RDR2 thing. For every "best game ever" there's been an increasing number of gamers who've stepped up and said "slow, boring, kinda depressing" and for those of us who've yet to play it, but who could potentially consider doing so in future, it's painting a clearer picture beyond the launch hype.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@klky Yeah, things do pick up, pace-wise, but never reach a very fast pace. The game is fairly slow and methodical in how it’s constructed, but the open world is so unique and interactive that it’s nothing near an interactive movie. In fact, most people veer from the story for dozens of hours doing random things in the world like hunting, robbing, exploring, doing side quests, etc. It’s a long haul, but we’ll worth it if you can make the long slow journey to the ending.
Most people who enjoy it have embraced the pace of the game. Just consign yourself to the moseying cowboy pace of the game and take your time soaking up the expertly crafted world.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@RogerRoger If RDR2 gets too boring, I'll simply stop and move on to something else. There are far too many good titles to be playing something you don't fully enjoy. Admittedly, I can be quite impatient with open world games if they don't draw me in almost immediately which is why I'm more reluctant to pick those up. Even with all the hype surrounding RDR2, it is only now during the Days of Play sale that I decided to try it out. Same reason I still haven't pulled the trigger on Horizon Zero Dawn!
@Th3solution Thanks for the feedback and advice. I'll see how it goes! The whole Western theme isn't necessarily my thing, but because it's a Rockstar title (and was discounted during DOP), I decided to give it a try.
@klky Yeah, I know a lot of people don’t like the “keep playing it because eventually it gets really good” advice that comes with so many of these types of games, but I have to say, the story is top shelf once it gets going. And Rockstar has made the most detailed world I’ve ever experienced in gaming. No other game gets close, really. The world really feels alive.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Borderlands 2 has taken over my life once again. It's okay when either me or my wife gets addicted to a game, because the other can pick up the slack with the housework etc, but when we both get hooked it's a wonder anything gets done. I had to blast the ironing today, it was getting overwhelming. So that's my rock and roll life.
In other news, I managed to sneak in a quick go on Sekiro. I beat Lady Butterfly on the first attempt. I'm back! (hopefully)
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@JohnnyShoulder In two minds whether to play the Pre-Sequel again. I also had a break halfway through, I wasn't really feeling it, but when I came back to it I had a whale of a time.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 One of the things wrong with taking such a long break is I have no idea what is going on in terms of the story. And playing as Claptrap takes a bit longer getting used to than playing as a 'normal' character.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
I started playing Horizon Zero Dawn last night, and played more today. It's pretty solid so far, though I'm only just past the proving. Might fire up Yakuza 0, but since CTR comes out tomorrow, I might hold off on it.
Also decided to give up on Metal Gear Solid V. I tried to push though, but that difficulty in Chapter 2 is too much. I got to Extreme Cloaked In Silence and I was fed up with it. I even looked up the rest of the missions in advance, and yeah, I'd rather not bother. As a longtime Metal Gear fan, it hurts to quit at the last real Metal Gear game we'll get, but it hurt to play Chapter 2 more.
"We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real 'greatness' is what you do with the hand you're dealt." -Victor Sullivan "Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing." -Solid Snake
@DerMeister Yakuza 0 is endless. I stopped playing a year ago, I think. I'll just restart it when I have a few months where it's the only game I'll be playing.
Horizon is a lot of fun, by the way: it dramatically improves after all of the cinematic stuff in the beginning. I'm only 29 hours in, but I think it's in the running for best exclusive on the system that I've played so far.
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