@Thrillho That sounds fair; streamlining because it's actually a good idea, not because you're lazy and just wanna cut down on features. Will keep that in mind, cheers!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
And I didn't know whether the bigger images were a bit too big but I will take your point on board.
... well I feel like a bit of a clod now... I didn't consider it was intentional... Or consider doing it myself for my reviews i get those pics as big and pretty as I can š
And yeah Ā£15 is a steal... I'll be sure to get it sooner rather then later!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"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"
So, onto the next review with bigger images! (but less of them..)
Observation
First off, a little context. I played this in one sitting in one of my pre-night shift gaming all nighters. I previously did this with Hellblade and thought I'd have another go at completing a shortish story focused game in one sitting. This is quite cool to be able to do but may be responsible for some of the feelings I had towards the game, particularly as I'd been awake for almost 24hrs as I completed the game.
And shoutout to @johncalmc whose review I read again after completing the game (and who has much better pictures than me).
Completion: Finished the whole thing in about 7-8hrs. About 50% trophy completion as they are mostly story based but almost all are secret trophies and I didn't do the random tasks for some.
Security Cam: The Game
Story: This is definitely the strength of the game and I can't talk about story without really talking gameplay as well.
The USP of the game is that instead of playing as a human character, you play as SAM (Systems, Administration, and Maintenance) the AI for the ship you're on. So instead of having a physical body to control, you control the security camera network for the ship which allows you to jump from room to room and scan/interact with items in the rooms. Later on in the game, you get given control of a spherical robot that allows you to move around the ship as well.
The game kicks off with Dr Emma Fisher rebooting you and trying to make sense of what the heck is going on as the rest of the crew are no longer contactable and the ship's systems have gone kaput. Oh, and you're now orbiting Saturn rather than Earth and apparently that was something you did for reasons you don't remember. Good work SAM.
From here, you get into increasing problems and things go rather loopy. But in a rather interesting way that can't really be discussed without spoiling things too much.
The gameplay is mostly jumping from room to room to solve problems of varying levels. Some of which are fairly straightforward, some of which take a bit more thinking (more on this later).
Stuff what I liked: So, the story is cool. The game also looks great for the most part. The security cam effect is done really well with image stuttering and all sorts rather than just giving you a plain screen. The lighting is really atmospheric too and the views when you leave the ship for the few moments spent outside are really special.
The relationship between Emma and SAM also build really well to the point where you do feel like you care what is happening to you in a way that made me think of the bond you make with Trico in The Last Guardian but with a character not so prone to the mental farts that Trico suffered from.
Not a great day at the office for Dr. Fisher
Everything else: Oh boy, this could take a while.
Seeing as the game is essentially one puzzle after another, you spend a lot of your time doing the same few tasks over and over. While I get that unlocking doors is a bit of a routine thing for an AI system to be doing, having to use the same method to do this throughout the game gets a bit repetitive. Probably 80% of the puzzles revolve around the same couple of game mechanics.
But at least it's clear what you're supposed to be doing. There are plenty of times when you have no idea what it is you're actually supposed to do or how to actually do it and there's no way to get any help other thank asking Emma to repeat what it is she wants you to do. A high end AI system would probably realise the communication module is in their own subsystems but how are you supposed to know this when you've never used it before?
Certain tasks are also a pain in the derriere and I specifically noted one that requires you to find co-ordinates on a map that looks like a monochromatic Jackson Pollock painting being particularly frustrating and John also mentions the exact same moment in his review.
And this is all assuming you even got to the location of the puzzle in the first place. Movement in the game is really clumsy when you're controlling the sphere and I spent most of my time bouncing off the walls of corridors (not helped by the mood lighting). If there was a security bot floating past, they'd probably have breathalysed me.
Don't expect the terrible waypoints to help direct you around, if you even have a map to work of at all. One late part of the game had me flying/bumping backwards and forwards for ages trying to find where to go before turning to YouTube for the answer. All of this isn't helped by the fact that in zero gravity you can't even rely on up being up to help you get your bearings for where you're going.
More security cam gameplay pics! I should have remembered to get a bit more variety really..
Overall: The story and idea behind the game here are really different and I'm glad I did give the game a go but the annoyances just became too much for me in the end. Had I taken a break from the game, then the urge to jettison SAM into deep space (bouncing off the airlock as he goes) may have faded. Towards the end though I just turned to a guide to get me over the finish line as my poor sleep deprived AI module/brain had had enough.
The payoff for the story was just about worth it. Most reviews don't seem to be so down on the game as I was though but it's been a while since I've got so exasperated with a game.
@Thrillho Interesting. I hadn't heard about this at all. But I could easily see it being something I'd be tempted to get when it goes on sale. Space (accurate depictions, at least) and A.I. are both things I actively enjoy in my science fiction. Thanks for the write-up!
@Thrillho Nice review - I have this on my list of games to try as I love this kind of genre. I think 7-8 hours, for me, is more of a two or three sittings sized game so I wonder if that would change my opinion.
If you want a shorter narrative space game then I highly recommend Tacoma. I really enjoyed playing that through.
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
@Thrillho Excellent, thanks for your review! I was hoping somebody would play this before temptation got the better of me. It's the kinda game I'd wanna play quickly, too, so whilst I'm sorry you got so frustrated and tired, I'm selfishly grateful you replicated the conditions I'd likely be playing in.
Still, it's gotta be better than The Station, so maybe I might bite if and when the price is right.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Iāve been busy and I havenāt much to add to the discussion but I wanted to give props to @Ralizah and @Thrillho for their wonderfully organized thoughts. Good work guys. Keep āem coming. These reviews are some of my favorite things to read on Push Square.
āWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.ā
Pretty good review @Thrillho (Feel free to add more & smaller pictures if you wish though! Don't change your style on my account! š )
It's something I probably wouldn't even give a second look at glancing through the ps store... Like the others have said it sounds pretty intriguing though even if the wind was knocked out your sails a bit by the end of it!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"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"
Remasters often find themselves in a tricky position. Any goodwill from the memory of their original release is usually eroded by the superiority of similar games which have hit the market in their absence, leaving them looking outdated and outdone. Burnout Paradise, however, revs back on to the scene and finds it pretty much as it left it - while the PS4 is full to the brim with great games, the arcade racer genre has been strangely neglected in recent years. Even so, can a PS3 game (and an early one at that) really be expected to compete in this day and age, sporting little more than a new paint job and a fresh set of trims?
Burnout veterans who missed this instalment first time around may or may not be aware of the big change which this entry brought to the franchise - the open world. The setting is Paradise City (hope you like Guns 'n' Roses, you'll be hearing them a lot) and this will be your playground in which to cause motorised mayhem for the next fifteen hours, or thereabouts. As you cruise around in one of three vehicle types - stunt (all-rounder), speed (fast but flimsy) or aggression (bulky but slow) - you can trigger an event by pulling up at a junction, and these can be tackled in any order, thus effectively plotting your own route through the campaign. Progress is straightforward: unlike in real life, getting points on your licence is a good thing, with one point awarded for each successfully completed event. Enough points and you move up a rank. Simple.
There's a decent variety of event types on offer to help you earn these points. To begin with, there's regular 'Race' mode, although instead of being tied to a set course you are given a start and a finish point, with the route entirely up to you. 'Road Rage' mode is classic Burnout, which means racing takes second place to smashing seven bells out of your fellow motorists as you attempt to wreck other drivers by any means possible as you commit numerous violations of the Highway Code. 'Stunt Run' is exactly what it sounds like - pick a route with lots of ramps and jumps and throw your car about for maximum points, with the multiplier rising the longer you go without crashing. 'Marked Man' sees you drive from A to B while being harried and harassed by hired goons in sinister nondescript black cars, intent on taking you down; get to the finish in one piece and the win is yours. 'Burning Route' is effectively a time trial, while the much-loved crash mode returns, going under the moniker of 'Showtime', with the ability to trigger it anywhere you like.
While the variety of events is to be applauded, the open world can occasionally make them tough to navigate. The game does a poor job of explaining things, it has to be said - for example, this reviewer only discovered the option to retry events nine hours in, tucked away in the menus (admittedly this may say more about me than about the game itself). It's not until you've learned the layout a bit and tried a few races that you get a firm grasp on things, and you can expect plenty of pausing to check the map every ten seconds while you work out the best way to win a race, after realising the junction you need has just flashed past. You are guided through your early hours with the game by DJ Atomika, the resident Paradise City disc jockey on the frankly irresponsibly-titled Crash FM, who dishes out advice between tunes with varying degrees of usefulness as you zoom around town. Despite the occasional handy tip, his 40-something-masquerading-as-one-of-the-kids schtick may see you leaving your car in one of the city's multi-storey car parks, in the vague hope that some in-game chavs decide to make off with the radio. The soundtrack mostly comprises American rock, with the odd surprise (Adam Ant, really?) and will soon get old, but hey - that's what Spotify's for, right?
What doesn't get old, however, is the art of successfully carrying out a takedown. For those entirely new to the series, this involves ramming your opponent into the nearest wall/fence/bus and watching, in glorious slow motion, as they rapidly become a heap of crumpled metal, their windscreen disintegrating along with their no-claims bonus. The feeling never gets old and is a thrill which is unmatched on the PS4, with arguably the collisions of Codemasters' Onrush being the only thing to come close. When Burnout Paradise clicks, it really clicks, and is capable of hitting the highs which Burnout 3: Takedown reached all those years ago.
A range of collectibles offer some longevity. There are billboards and fences to crash through, although the overwhelming number of these destructibles can make them difficult to keep track of. The stunt jumps are better, with Paradise City's town planners showing an alarming lack of safety awareness by leaving some seriously big ramps blocked off by nothing more than a few cones, allowing you to embrace your inner Steve McQueen. Such leaps of faith are almost as fun to get wrong as they are to successfully pull off, given the automotive carnage which ensues upon a badly-timed landing. Better still, these jumps can be worked into the aforementioned 'Stunt Runs', meaning there are some ridiculous points totals to be had for those with no regard for their own safety, and they reach new levels of ridiculous on Big Surf Island, the original game's DLC pack which is included here, adding some value.
The online portion of the game is solid, without offering much of a reason to stick around for long. Various challenges can be triggered by the lobby's host, such as driving into oncoming traffic for a certain distance or smashing some billboards, while actual full-on races and road rages can get entertainingly chaotic.
To return to that initial question, then; Criterion's open world smash-em-up can indeed compete with the best the PS4 has to offer, although whether this is down to the game itself or the relative lack of competition is a question which hangs awkwardly in the air throughout your time with it. Such concerns fail to matter when the game is at its best, and there are hours upon hours of fun to be had here, but if Burnout Paradise does indeed take the title of 'best PS4 arcade racer', then it does so by default.
Score 8/10
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Ralizah@RogerRoger@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy The premise of the game is neat enough and I like to give games a go that have something original about them. There were a few pieces written about the game, including on this site, which led me to put it on my PSN wishlist. I was waiting for a price drop but it filled the criteria to be able to blitz it in one (long!) sitting so I took a punt.
And @Rudy_Manchego I don't make a habit of 8hr sessions normally! I just find I can concentrate more on a game I know I can finish when playing for one stretch like that, rather than playing 8hrs of Yakuza and feeling like I've not achieved anything substantial.
@Th3solution thanks for your kind words and you'll be pleased to hear I've got one more review to write to get up to speed with my recent completions!
@Gremio108 Ha, I enjoyed that read. Racing game do seem like a bit of a neglected genre for this generation; I don't think I actually own a single one. I'm not a huge fan of high tech simulation racers and Need For Speed Underground remains one of my favourite racers as it was just fun, and this game sounds like it fits that criteria (also, what a shame that newer NFS games sound like total pap).
@Gremio108 Awesomesauce. Thanks for the enjoyable read, especially about a game I've been playing very recently (and should get back to at some stage)! Couldn't agree more with your conclusions.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
... I think the only racing games I've played in my life are Circuit Breakers, Micro Machines V3, Crash Team Racing (Original and remake) and Gran Turismo 5.
Should probably try another if only to add it to my belt... Probably my least played genre for no good reason really š
I don't enjoy racing games other than Mario Kart, really. I've tried other kart racers, but the physics and items and tracks and whatnot never really feel right to me.
Realistic racing games are, imo, the most boring type of game outside of sports or flight simulators.
With that said, I do enjoy the Driver series. But those aren't racing games.
I loved the first game and picked this up in a PSN sale a while ago and it felt like a good change of style after finishing YK2 (yes, I went rogue and did my review for Observation before this).
The game doesn't shy away from bright colours. Or chickens.
Completion: 93% trophy completion with just the trophy for replaying the game on hard (I hate those trophies). 100% for each of the DLC packs.
Roughly 10hrs to finish my first run through the game and another 6hrs to do everything to achieve the good ending and complete the DLC.
A nice looking game and Juan looks suave in his Diablo suit
Story: Right, bear with me on this one. The game is a little out there with it's story and you'll have to take my word for it when I say it all makes sense when you're playing it.
The game picks up straight from the end of the first game. Well, it actually throws you into the final boss fight from the first game and continues from there (the boss fight is made much easier and the trophy I Remember That Being Harder pings up once you finish the easy fight).
Skip forward a few years and Juan is then off to fight the good fight to prevent the "Mexiverse" from collapsing as the evil luchador Salvador looks to obtain the secret relics required to access the Sacred Guacamole and become all powerful. Alongside the main storyline, you will also discover the secrets behind the Chicken Illuminati.
Yeah, it's a little weird.
Oh yeah, you can also transform into a chicken. As you do.
Gameplay: For those who don't know the games, the Guacamelee games are Metroidvania style with a good mix of platforming challenges and combat. New moves are acquired along the way which are used in combat and to open up new areas. These moves are pretty much all the same ones you got in the first game so it's just like putting on a pair of comfy Mexican socks as it all feels so familiar.
One thing I really appreciated here is that the in game maps colour code the walls that require special moves to get through so you can easily go back to them once you acquire the required move. However, there is a paucity of fast travel points so there is still a lot of backtracking involved to get to these areas.
One of the classic moves makes an early reappearance
Some of these areas have niche little tasks with one memorable one seeing you recreate the famous car smashing bonus round from Street Fighter, much to the dismay of the cars owner. The "dankest timeline" also throws up some well known memes with their own Mexican twist.
The game balances platforming and combat about right with good puzzle areas too which require using all your abilities to navigate. These never felt unfair and weren't so obtuse that you couldn't see what you are supposed to be doing; it's just your own failings as a gamer and a human being that stop you from doing them. The mechanic to swap between the living and dead worlds also returns and is used frequently in these sorts of platforming sections.
The combat itself is quite simplistic but very satisfying as you try to rack up big combos using basic attacks and grapples. The enemy types is varied enough to keep things interesting and the boss fights are also good fun but the final fight was a little easy for my liking.
The dankest of Mexican memes
DLC: The two packs that came with the complete edition include the "Enemigos" pack which allows you to play as some of the main baddies from the game. These are essentially just skins as they all have the same base moves as Juan but with some perks/flaws, such as giving more damage in the dead world but taking more in the living world for one character.
The second pack gives you access to the Proving Grounds which is the kind of thing I love and hate in equal measure. This gives you multiple bonus levels focused around combat of varying difficulty which all have their own unique twist, such as fighting on a treadmill without allowing enemies to fall off the end. These were all good fun and a reasonable challenge without being as tough as some of the levels on Rayman Legends or the infamous Path of Pain in Hollow Knight.
Obviously I got gold in all of them (eventually).
Who doesn't enjoy a Dark Souls reference?
Overall: I had great fun revisiting the world of Guacamelee. The game never takes itself too seriously and just about refrains from going over the top with the silliness. The good mix of platforming and combat makes this the sort of game I love.
While Hollow Knight is the Metroidvania game that has set the bar for these games, Guacamelee doesn't set out to be the same game and is possibly all the more fun for it.
Bonus video of one of the platforming sections that looks so much easier than it was.
@Thrillho I get where you are coming from. I feel a lot better about my gaming session if I feel I have achieved something in it, even if it is an arbitrary story mission or some target like finishing an objective.
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
@Thrillho I really liked this game but it was also borderline in that any more frustrations and it might have pushed me over the edge. The stupid Jackson Pollock painting puzzle was ridiculous, and trying to find anything without a waypoint was torturous. Part of the issue is that nothing is explained to you in terms of puzzle solving, but you're the A.I. for the ship so you should know everything. You shouldn't be spending forty minutes randomly clicking black blobs on a computer screen wondering if this is the specific black blob you're supposed to be clicking on.
@Thrillho Yeah, racers have been a little neglected on PS4, at least the kind you're talking about. The kind where you can boot it up and just have some fun, without worrying about your tyre pressure. I love Dirt Rally but by the time I actually got the car out onto the track, I was exhausted. No pun intended.
@RogerRoger Cheers. I'm almost done with it, except I'll never really be done because it's such an easy game to dig out for a quick blast. And I've not really explored the jumps of Big Surf Island yet. I've only got one trophy left for the platinum, but it's that irritating 'meet up with seven other online players in the stadium' nonsense.
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy If you've never played any other Burnout games then you'll probably enjoy it all the more. Definitely give it a go if you get chance.
@Ralizah If another Driver came out tomorrow, I think I'd buy it. It was just such a satisfying game to play.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Thrillho@Gremio108 Great reviews, guys! Both are game genres that I donāt typically play much but the games seem to be top shelf both. The first Guacamelee just kinda frustrated me with the Metroidvania confusion and so I never finished it. My brain just wasnāt clicking with it. And I havenāt played a racing game for a while (except OnRush if that counts) but after watching āFord v Ferrariā the other night I got a little bit of that racing game itch again.
āWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.ā
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