@RogerRoger You're welcome. Like I said then, I doubt I'll ever play it given the issues mentioned, but it's my own fault. There are several games that I likely would have loved back then that I unfortunately never played that have aged really poorly. Like several other games, it will always be on my PS3's hard drive if I ever change my mind though.
The original Assassin's Creed is another perfect example. Even with the free 4K/60 "remaster" they put out for it on Xbox back when the Xbox One X came out, I still failed to play that much of it because some of the gameplay elements kill the game for me. I wouldn't have known any better back then, so I likely would have ignored issues I'd have with it today.
PSN ID/Xbox Live Gamertag: KilloWertz
Switch Friend Code: SW-6448-2688-7386
@KilloWertz Having played the original Assassin's Creed game when it came out, I still found it a but dull to play. The second game was such a huge improvement. It would be difficult going back to the first game having played some of the subsequent games in the series.
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.
@JohnnyShoulder I still haven't played most of the old Assassin's Creed games, although I do plan on remedying that someday (just like with some other series). I have the Ezio Collection installed. I'm not sure how many of the open world AC games I had played at the time, but playing any of them probably didn't help with issues with the original. It was quite annoying not being able to walk around much at all without getting spotted and then not being able to run away as smoothly as you could in the new games.
The only pre-Origins game I've played is Syndicate. I love that game just as much as Origins and Valhalla (Odyssey being the high point of the series for me), but I know I have a lot of work to do. I know I will likely never finish the original, but it will be interesting to see how many of the others I do end up playing.
PSN ID/Xbox Live Gamertag: KilloWertz
Switch Friend Code: SW-6448-2688-7386
@JohnnyShoulder@KilloWertz Yeah, I couldn’t make it through the original Assassin’s Creed. The animus parts were really dull and the gameplay parts weren’t much better. Loved the Ezio games though and the rest of the Desmond arc in AC3. For whatever reason I didn’t get along with AC4 and that’s where I jumped off until Origins. Still need to get around to Odyssey one of these days.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Clear a good 150 hours if you plan on doing everything Odyssey has to offer. It's mostly all worth it though (a bit of the DLC is forgettable, but The Fate of Atlantis is fantastic).
PSN ID/Xbox Live Gamertag: KilloWertz
Switch Friend Code: SW-6448-2688-7386
Odyssey is the only AC game I genuinely love. Kassandra awoke something in me. The loot and light RPG systems go such a long way to keeping things interesting, as does the forgiving ability based combat and range of weapons. The story, world, range of mission types/world activities and historical details are just insane. But yeah, it is like a 100 hour long experience, so not for the faint of heart. Although I put similar hours into Valhalla, but that felt like an absolute slog despite the similar length.
@Pizzamorg How much focus is there on naval battles and/or “naval stealth”? That’s another concern for me because I was one of the few who really didn’t get along with AC4 and a big part of that was due to too much ship stuff. I didn’t mind it in AC3, but when it became it’s own focus for traversal it was tiring.
It’s kind of like swimming and doing underwater activities in games. It’s okay if it’s a slight diversion, but if I have to sway about and fight the water controls too often then I’d just rather not.
@Pizzamorg How much focus is there on naval battles and/or “naval stealth”? That’s another concern for me because I was one of the few who really didn’t get along with AC4 and a big part of that was due to too much ship stuff. I didn’t mind it in AC3, but when it became it’s own focus for traversal it was tiring.
It’s kind of like swimming and doing underwater activities in games. It’s okay if it’s a slight diversion, but if I have to sway about and fight the water controls too often then I’d just rather not.
I’ll be honest, I actually don’t really remember. You do need to use your boat to push out into the world, both to progress the game but there there are also islands dotted around with really cool stuff on them, but are really there for you to discover rather than being part of the game’s core.
I think there were at least two bosses I faced in the sea (but I don’t remember if they were main or side), plus random encounters on the sea with enemy boats, but it made up a small part of my overall experience but I don’t have much memory of wall to wall sea combat, just using it as a means of transportation.
@Th3solution Fair enough as any game of that length is a pretty big commitment. I didn't mind it obviously, but I can understand as no matter how much you love a game, after that many hours burnout is only natural.
Anyways, I played it on the Xbox One X. I do plan on replaying it again sometime next year on the PS5 though. It's not a true PS5 version, but the patch did add 60 FPS. The resolution is the same as it was on the PS4 Pro, but I am really looking forward to playing it at 60 FPS. It was a good looking game at the time, so it's not like a lack of a resolution boost is a huge deal (it ran at 1620p on the PS4 Pro). If Origins is any indication, as I replayed that on the PS5 last year, load times will be much faster than last gen as expected.
PSN ID/Xbox Live Gamertag: KilloWertz
Switch Friend Code: SW-6448-2688-7386
@Th3solution I'm in a similar boat to you, and have held off from playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey. I don't think it is entirely down to how long the game is, as that kind of stuff doesn't bother me as much. But I have completed a few open world games which I wanted to play before, so may so how feel about it in the not too distant future.
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.
While Iam not personally a fan of Assassin's Creed nor have I played many of the games but I find it cool to see the community rally behind the game. Hope you guys have fun with the games!
Not least feels it good to the see that people are enjoying more games then certain ohter titels (which seems to have taken over so much of the market)…
Wolfenstein Old Blood. A very cool and intensive shooter with some very interesting stealth elements. Can very much recommend it. I think its a game that must be experienced before any judgement can be made about it so yeah can really recommend to give the game a chance (you will probably not regret it). I would say its unique some interesting ways.. I think that Machine Games did such a good job with this one.
Just finished Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon on Wii U after about 32 hours of playtime. I honestly really liked this game! There's something about its simplicity compared to the other FE titles that made it so appealing to me. I've been basically playing it nonstop for almost a week now. It's so addicting!
I feel like this game has finally made the series click with me. I first played Fire Emblem (2003) and it was quite challenging, but maybe it was because it was my first game in the series. Then I played Shadows of Valentia and I enjoyed that game a lot. Next I played The Sacred Stones and I really liked that game as well. Shadow Dragon was something else though. The simplicity and my previous experience of the series made me enjoy it more than the other three games. I'd rank the games as following: 1) Shadows of Valentia, 2) The Sacred Stones 3) Shadow Dragon and 4) 2003.
There's also a lot of things Shadow Dragon does that makes it stand out compared to the GBA titles. For starters, there are actual save points on the map, which is a fantastic feature! Imagine playing for an hour only to lose a character towards the end and you'll have to restart the entire map. Now that won't happen anymore. Second, you can reclass characters! So if you want more cavaliers, you can reclass other units to cavaliers. That's so cool! There are also other neat features such as being able merge weapons that have low uses left so that they won't break during a map and forge weapons to increase their stats such as attack power. All of these features feel so natural that it makes me wonder why it took the developers this long to add them to the series.
In terms of the story, it's rather lacking. Even though there is a lot of lore, there's not much happening throughout the maps. Instead, it's the gameplay that takes the front seat and it's so much fun that I didn't care about the story. Although it was cool to finally experience the game that Marth stars in. But overall, it's a rather forgettable game, which is probably why most people don't talk about it so much even though the gameplay is really good.
All in all, this is a fantastic FE game and I would highly recommend people who are new to the series to start out with either this game or The Sacred Stones. As I mentioned before, FE (2003) felt too challenging for me but Shadow Dragon feels just about right and it's not that long either. Granted, it took me 32 hours to finish it but that's because I did a lot of grinding in order to max out my units at level 20 before promoting them. It should take around 20 hours for a regular playthrough.
I've now played through all the older FE games that are available to me and I can finally start up the 3DS titles (except for Shadows of Valentia that is). So up next will be Fire Emblem Awakening. I'm really looking forward to playing the game that basically saved this series.
On a side note, I didn't talk that much about what FE is all about but that's because I already did so in my review of The Sacred Stones years ago. If you're interested in reading it, here's a link: https://www.pushsquare.com/forums/retro_and_other_gaming/user...
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (PS5)
In this entry of the long running action JRPG, Adventurer Adol & his travelling buddy Dogi arrive at the gates of the "Prison City" Balduq (in the nation of Gilia, but occupied by the invading Romun Empire). Seeing as how Adol always finds himself in the center of all sorts of shenanigans, the Romun authorities deem him dangerous and lock him away in the towering prison. With a bit of wit (& some help) he manages to escape the facility, but not before a mysterious figure shows up and inflicts him with the "Monstrum" curse, giving him supernatural abilities at the cost of not being able to leave the city's walls. Not only that, but he (and a small group of others cursed) are tasked with protecting the city from legions of invisible (to ordinary people) monsters called Lemuries. In order to seek out the truth of the curse (& to see if it can be broken) he must explore the city & all roads seem to lead back to the prison!
Combat:
Across the adventure Adol will be joined by 5 other party members (though you can only have 3 active at a time), with each one having an attack style effective against "soft", "armored", or "flying" enemies (meaning you'll generally want one type of each amongst your currently active party), which encourages you to swap out the character you're directly in control of often (some enemies, including most bosses, are neutral type & aren't weak nor resistant to any attack styles). Furthermore, if you dodge or block just as an enemy attacks you'll engage a Flash Dodge (slows down time) or Flash Guard (temp attack boost). It's overall not much different than the last several entries in the series, but it's still one of the most fun & slick action JRPG battle systems in the business.
While most of your time will be spent doing sidequests, battling monsters in the overworld, dungeon crawling & your other typical RPG stuff, events that stick out here are Grimwald Nox & Grimwald Eos challenges (the only seeming difference between the two being that Nox are mandatory, Eos are optional). They come in two varieties and either see you protecting a giant blue crystal from waves of Lemuries or trying to destroy a bunch of red crystals under a strict time limit. These are unique in that all party members, even ones who aren't in your active party (heck, even when they haven't even yet joined you elsewhere) are active as AI allies (you can only swap between directly controlling the three in your active party like normal though). At the "Dandelion" (your home base) you can expend resources to build & enhance traps/decoys that are automatically installed across Grimwald maps that help you keep the enemy waves at bay during these battles. You can also replay these challenges to aim for a better ranking (you're scored at the end, which dictates which rewards you earn upon completion). These are essentially like the "Raid Battles" from Ys VIII, but they all happen at telegraphed, set points, which I liked.
While there are healing items (no magic system though), you'll automatically regenerate health if you stand still for a bit (this initially only applies outside of dungeons, however you obtain an item very early on that does away with that restriction) and only the character you're currently controlling takes damage (meaning you can swap to someone else with more health if you're low on health), so take advantage of these features when you can to save items (and while you can save at any time from the menu, there are also the traditional save spots before boss rooms & such that will auto heal you).
Exploration:
Once things get going most chapters have a similar gameplay loop. You'll start out completing sidequests & battling monsters around town in order to build your Nox gauge, which summons a Grimwald Nox once it reaches 100. Once you complete the Nox a barrier comes down allowing you to explore a new district of the city or field area just outside town (if you filled the Nox gauge high enough, a Grimwald Eos will appear afterwards as well, which unlock an optional area upon completion). Story events in the new area will lead to the chapter's dungeon (during the first 2/3rd's of the game, a new party member will join you around this part as well). Each chapter ends with a little epilogue where you'll play as a surprise character still inside the prison, providing some big narrative twists.
The city itself has an open world quality to it (especially once the barriers start coming down) with lots of shops (places to buy/enhance weapons/equipment, medicine, and more), as well as treasure chests, collectable "azure petals", and graffiti to find. Monsters don't wander around town, instead there will be these little Grimwald portals all over the place that will summon a few if you touch them (the world & people around you will freeze in time whenever you're in one of these fights). While monsters in dungeons & field areas have a set level, the Lemuries that appear in town are scaled up each chapter.
Most sidequests DO expire, however as they are the most effective way to build the Nox gauge in order to progress the story, you'd have to go well out of your way to miss one. They can be pretty deep/important too, as you'll gain extra allies who'll hang around the Dandelion (they provide buffs during Nox/Eos events, and open up special shops inside the Dandelion that mitigate your reliance on running around all over town).
In previous games you would collect "Sacramentals" that are party wide equips (some of them were mandatory for working through dungeons, like being able to breathe underwater, giving them a Zelda like quality, while others offered QOL effects like increased EXP earned), but these are largely replaced by "Gifts" here. Essentially, each Monstrum has a unique Gift, and it can be used (no matter who you're playing as) once they join your party. Same idea though in that the dungeon/boss of a chapter will be built around the utilization of your newest party member's Gift (examples: White Cat can run up walls. Feral Hawk can glide. Doll gives you a sixth sense that allows you to see enemies/collectables through terrain, see invisible platforms, see otherwise invisible weak points on certain bosses, etc.) Gifts also make exploring the city a lot easier as well, and in some cases let you reach areas/rooms otherwise inaccessible. The game still has Sacramentals for the QOL features though (such as the aforementioned one that lets you idle heal in dungeons).
You're very much rewarded for thoroughly exploring the world, as there are characters who will reward you with goodies for filling up your map, finding "Landmarks" (scenic locations in the game world), finding azure petals, reading all the graffiti, and more. Most of these characters hang out at the Dandelion, but there are a few elsewhere in town.
Visuals:
Graphically it's nothing mind-blowing (it's a mid budget title originally designed for PS4 & Switch), but it looks nice due to the art direction, and it runs at a rock solid 60 fps on PS5.
Now, the pallette can look a little grey as it largely takes place within & beneath the boundaries of a city/prison/fortress (which I know was a disappointment for some coming off the vibrant tropical island locale of Ys VIII), however there are still a few areas where they manage to inject a bit more color, and I still thought that the main dungeons were distinct enough to feel unique (especially the spooky atmosphere of the catacombs). If you're worried about it being grimdark though, don't be. The vibe isn't any darker than your typical JRPG and there are plenty of colorful cast members & costumes (as an aside, all the DLC costumes from it's original release are part of the standard purchase on PS5).
Story:
The narrative has some very cool twists with plot points I was eager to find out more about (especially that surprise character I mentioned in the prison segments), but at the end of the day it ends up being pretty standard JRPG stuff (power of friendship, felling a "god", & all that). Still, at least it was very interesting to get there.
If you wonder why I've been referring to characters by names like "White Cat" & "Feral Hawk", it's because their Monstrum moniker is different from their regular name, and finding out who they are in their daily lives is in spoiler territory (some of them you meet long before they're revealed as a Monstrum, though in most of those cases it's easy to figure out).
As an aside, I kinda find it amusing how they don't even try with their (broader) world building & come up with names for their fantasy countries like Romn (Rome), Garman (Germany), Ispani (Spain), and I kid you not Afroca. Heck, a big part of this game's specific background lore is inspired by Joan of Arc in Britain & France's Hundred Years War, with Saint Rosvita's role in Britai & Gilia's (Gaul?)... Hundred Years War, lol.
Conclusion:
Maybe a bit of a step back from Ys VIII (largely in terms of locale variety), however it's still a very solid JRPG and I think there are a few things I think it does even better (I like that environmental exploration abilities are just natural upgrades & not tied to Sacramentals, freeing up Sacramental slots for QOL effects like extra item/gold drops & the like, and that the Grimwald Nox battles were at set points & don't interrupt you exploring like VIII's Raid Battles could sometimes do).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@RR529 I enjoyed your review. I look forward to playing Ys IX at some point in the future after loving Ys VIII earlier this year. I'm probably going to play Memories of Celceta first since Lacrimosa of Dana was my first Ys game I've ever played, but again, I look forward to playing Monstrum Nox as well.
PSN ID/Xbox Live Gamertag: KilloWertz
Switch Friend Code: SW-6448-2688-7386
@RR529 Thanks for the review m8. I finished the PS4 version 2 weeks back and I agree fully with what you have written about the game. It isn't as good as Ys 8 but for me that was mostly since the start felt kinda slow and it took a while before the story and action got rolling. One day i hope to play Memories of Calcetta and Ys origins too, I should have them somewhere in my backlog (or library as i prefer to call it).
One big nitpick I forgot to include is that for whatever reason enlarging the minimap is mapped to pressing in on the L stick (which is used for movement), so during hectic fights I was constantly getting half a screen of map, lol (luckily you can see through it so it wasn't debilitating, but it was an annoyance).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@RR529 That's annoying. Is there a way to disable that? If I remember correctly, I thought you could disable being able to do that in Ys VIII with the L stick bringing up the map over the screen. Unless I'm remembering it wrong and that was another game. I was doing that constantly in the game and disabled it because it's almost impossible not to accidentally press it in at times.
PSN ID/Xbox Live Gamertag: KilloWertz
Switch Friend Code: SW-6448-2688-7386
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