@LobsterJohnson Yes, we’re still working our way through Bioshock, I’m attempting to keep it going even though Kratos is gone. This week’s section is from Arcadia to Hephaestus, or however much you can get done in the meantime!
@ralphdibny Fort Frolic was a good one, definitely an interesting level plus there’s different ways it can go. I managed to finish this week’s section but by the way, there’s a wee bit after Hephaestus that takes maybe about 10 minutes so might as well do that too.
I got a big fright earlier in Bioshock. It looked like there was a gigantic Big Daddy, significantly taller than my character. That was scary for a moment, until I realised that my character was just crouching.
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Ha, ha! No problem on the NieR discordance. Don’t be embarrassed; We can’t all be in sync all the time. 😄. I was just bringing it up as an example of another time when I was genuinely affected by a game’s narrative whereas others were not. BioShock has a similar legacy of being a deep and ponderous philosophical jaunt for some, while others find it a bit pretentious. What did you think of the story in Infinite, specifically?
As for the Bloodstained final boss, I thought the first phase was pretty good against Dominique and she was fun to fight, then the Bael phase was a little ho-hum, it was an interesting change to negate the invert use which was so effective against a lot of bosses, but otherwise it was slightly anticlimactic. I still burned through a lot of food and potions. I have no shame. 😂
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
...Is there any particular reason of why you think you enjoyed Bloodstained so much more compared to other games in the 'vania style genre you've tried?
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy It’s a good question, and one that I’ve pondered myself. My enjoyment has made me curious enough to at least consider playing other well-rated games in the genre, which is something I would not have thought possible. Games like Hollow Knight, Axiom Verge, and Iconoclasts are at least a long shot consideration to try now that I’ve had a couple good ‘vania experiences (Dead Cells being the other this year). Perhaps the best course would be to revisit some of the games in the genre that had previously turned me off to it (Guacamelee, Castlevania SoTN) and see if they are more enjoyable for me now. The thought of doing that gives me a sense of dread though. So that emotional response is probably telling.
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Which leads me to ask myself why I did enjoy Bloodstained so much despite clearly being beat down by previous attempts at these style of games?
First, I think the community engagement was helpful. The ability to read and share thoughts, experiences, and helpful hints really served me well; as well as the overall feeling of community, connection to a group, and emotional support to get through it. Peer pressure is a powerful influence! 😅
Secondly, I think I liked the aesthetic. I’m not as enamored with retro 2D graphics as a lot of other hardcore gamers are, and a pretty game can carry me a long way toward sticking with it. Bloodstained, although 2D, has really nice visuals and plays quite smoothly. It doesn’t look retro.
Third, I think the variety of shard powers and the feeling of constantly having new abilities to try out was helpful in keeping me captivated. Honestly, there was really too much in the way of abilities, but I didn’t get overwhelmed by them because I just experimented with new shards at my own pace and had my favorites that I stuck with.
And fourth (and perhaps most significantly), I didn’t shy away from using good ol’ google to look up videos, walkthroughs, hints, and strategies. My main gripe with ‘vania style games is the convoluted and confusing nature of the map layout and the “read the developers mind” aspect of finding the next place to progress and open up the map. I never would have reached the good ending without help. It’s just so ridiculously complex to get where you need to go. So I felt no remorse to use some guides (along with advice from this forum) and that made my experience much less stressful, and therefore more enjoyable. For example, when I played Guacamelee a couple years ago, I was lost as to where to go next within the first few hours and I felt like I was just wasting time wandering back over the same screens over and over looking for an exit. It was not fun at all. In the case of Bloodstained, at the first feeling of being lost I looked up online where to go next so as to keep things moving along. It’s a tactic I first grew accustomed to when I played Bloodborne where I just swallowed my pride to look up videos of boss fights and tips quickly after losing a couple times and I’ve continued to employ that strategy of not torturing myself trying to “figure it out” on my own. Life is too short for that! 😄
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Regardless, I’m taking a break from the 2D Metroidvanias for a while and we’ll see if this creates a new interest moving forward.
(Sorry for the long-winded answer! 😂)
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Just got to Olympus heights in bioshock, think I'm Gona call it a day as I believe I'm at the checkpoint and it's such a hot day that I need to go and put my head in the freezer
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Hollow Knight or Iconoclasts would be great for Game Club just because of their nature but I think it would probably be a few games down the line, we just played a Metroidvania after all!
@JohnnyShoulder@nessisonett@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Yeah I might give Iconoclasts a whirl; I do have the game in my library due to PS Plus. I agree that it might be good for several months down the road though since we just did a Metroidvania.
I also recently bought Doom 2016 and Resident Evil 2 on the cheap with the fantastic sale. A total of $25 for both games. Both were bandied around as probably future games; no pressure to include them though, I have been meaning to play them anyways, so I’ll do it on my own if need be. I’m keeping my eye out for DMC 5 for a cheap price. I’m less interested in it but I’m intrigued enough to participate if I find it for $20 or less.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
It’s the weekend so that means we’re onto the next section of Bioshock! If you’re not at Olympus Heights yet, don’t worry but if you’re there already then you can get going again. By all accounts, we’re in the final stretch so I reckon we should aim to finish the game in the next couple of weeks. I’ll check where everyone is next weekend but we should be in for a smooth path through to the credits!
I beat the game today! My feelings are pretty mixed to be honest. The gameplay’s serviceable but hasn’t aged particularly well imo, other games have done it better since and that’s ok. The final boss is pretty silly as well, but I won’t get into that just now for the people still playing. The story just isn’t my kinda thing, I’d heard so much talk of how complex and iconic it is, with all these philosophical themes but it’s as simple as they get. It’s literally a Far Cry game. If they’d released it as Far Cry 6 then nobody would bat an eyelid. It’s not all negative though, I did mostly enjoy the general gameplay loop and the survival elements, especially on hard difficulty. Big Daddies were great, a proper challenge each chapter that were completely optional. I’m not going to bother playing the second one, I’ve played Infinite and hated it so clearly this series just isn’t for me. At least I gave it a go!
@nessisonett It’s too bad you didn’t get along with the series, but good job keeping with it to the end. I think the setting of Rapture is particularly brilliant, even if the gameplay is pedestrian and the narrative and thematic elements are subject to personal taste. It’s perfectly fine to not like the game; at least you can say you tried it, since it’s oft described as one of the greatest games of the recent generation.
@Th3solution Rapture was a great setting in theory, to be honest. I loved the stylings of the time period and looking out the windows never got old. It’s just a sign of the time it came out that the environments felt a bit samey after a while. If it was a game from this gen then I think they could have done more with the concept but that’s hardly the fault of the game.
Ok I've finished it, glad it's done! I think I got the good ending. Had a poke around in the museum from the main menu afterward. Quite cool that they made it like an interactive thing, makes sense since they have the character models made already. I think some of the early designs look quite cool and scary.
What are people's thoughts for the next game to play?
@ralphdibny It was supposed to be Devil May Cry 5 from Kratos’ original vote. Honestly, I’m not sure how much interest there is in that one so once everybody finishes Bioshock, we can do a mass tag and we can work out what people want to play.
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