Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

@RogerRoger fantastic review for TSS, your love of the star wars IP oozes from it 😀. I will confess to having never played a lego game! Ive always enjoyed the star wars and I'm hopeful that this game might be the thing that tempts my daughter into the star wars universe, as she loves lego but gets freaked by the star wars movies. Experiencing that story for the first time via the medium of lego probably isn't ideal but hey ho! Did you get the chance to checkout any coop? Thanks again for the amazing review and detail.

@HallowMoonshadow Honestly, my expectations are so low now that any substantial improvement will be welcome. Yeah, I could understand the thought-hearing thing if it was actually integrated into the audio design as a way to immerse you in the setting or something, but, as it stands, the mechanic seems to not serve much of a purpose.

I'll say this: when I first read your impression on the demo, I thought it might have been a little needlessly harsh, but with experience of the original game under my belt now, I'm inclined to say it was probably appropriately harsh.

Nevertheless, owing to an amazing $15 deal a few months ago, I'm now the proud owner of a copy of a physical copy of the Nintendo Switch, so I'll be getting to it eventually.

So harsh it took me a good fifteen minutes to find my impressions piece of Neo @Ralizah and re-read what I'd wrote all those months ago.

I apparently thought the music was even worse then what I recall having "scorched" it from memory (which I really don't remember) and the pins were tied to certain buttons/inputs so I kept forgetting what button correlated to what attack

... All I can really say is good luck. You'll likely need it

@HallowMoonshadow If you still have tab up (or know the page number), let me know. I think I'm going to add an incomplete impressions/demo impressions section to the directory. I also want to add my partial write-up on Monster Hunter Stories 2 to it.

Page 97 it was on @Ralizah... Just a few posts after the bugsnax review 😄

@Ralizah Sounds like a plan. The added humour and slight unpredictability of the LEGO formula makes things feel fresher than they probably are, for sure, so I can see how it'd be an even better experience for folks who haven't watched Star Wars in a while. It'd be a nostalgia overload.

The LEGO Group are very cautious about adapting "adult" properties, and have only started selling sets based on things like Bond, Stranger Things and a bunch of 90s sitcoms because LEGO has become popular with grown-ups in recent years, to a degree it never has been before. There's an argument that it might only be a matter of time before we get LEGO James Bond: The Video Game but, at the current pace, you and I might have to wait 'til the tail ends of our lifetimes.

Yeah, isn't it just? The key for me is that, when I start to get frustrated by my backlog, I step away from it entirely and don't play anything for a couple of days, maybe even a week.

Which is how I end up spinning my wheels on a few games, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles being a prime example of this. I really, really want to get back to it, but I also need to do so at a time when I know I'll be able to give it the attention and focus it richly deserves. Apologies for the fact that, at this point, we've probably spent more time discussing my delay than we have the actual game!

Thanks for the reassurance about The Stanley Parable, as well. I'm really excited for it!

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@Sorteddan Hey, I'm just beyond grateful that you enjoyed reading my ramble back there! You're very kind, thank you! Since it only takes fifteen hours (or thereabouts) to play through the trilogy of trilogies, you could always rinse the story and then leave the rest to be an occasional distraction. I'm still enjoying myself after forty-four hours now, but I also still have ten planets to 100% and I haven't even touched the level replays yet. As varied as they've tried to make everything, it still has moments of feeling very, very samey. If you ever did wanna give it a shot, I'd advise mixing up mission types as much as possible!

Hmm, yes. KOTOR and I don't get along. It's the only Star Wars game I've abandoned halfway through and, although I have always intended to go back and give it a second shot, news of the remake has me thinking I'll just wait to see whether it's a worthy substitute. Or maybe the Old Republic stuff just isn't for me, as I always think it comes across like bad fan fiction.

I realise what I've just written there is somewhat blasphemous, so I apologise profusely! I'm assuming you'll be pre-ordering the remake right away, yes? I really do hope it looks good to you!

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@R1spam My thanks, I'm real flattered, and I'm glad I was able to convey how much Star Wars means to me (because yeah, it's a lot)! LEGO games aren't for everybody, and past entries have been insultingly simple at times, so it's cool that this latest one has something I'd describe as "actual gameplay" to a fellow gamer. I can totally see how it'd be the perfect way to bridge a generation gap! Your daughter might not get every joke if she's unfamiliar with the source material, but there's nothing you wouldn't be able to explain, and the whole story is still there. I'm sure there'd be plenty of fun to be had with the gameplay, even if you do nothing beyond wandering around some of the planets, solving a few puzzles!

Alas, I live alone, so haven't had the need to test the splitscreen co-op mode, but a quick glance around the internet shows that it seems to work well, albeit with a minor graphical downgrade to ensure stability. There are quite a few videos of folks playing splitscreen with the Switch version and heck, if that hardware can handle it, then the PS5 should have no problems!

@Sorteddan I'm with you on "KOTOR" - without a doubt my favourite "Star Wars" game. In fact, when it released on the OG Xbox it just about kept my fandom for that franchise afloat in the wake of the disappointment of "The Phantom Menace". I'm awaiting the remake with a certain amount of trepidation!

@LN78
Maybe we should just skip it and live with the nostalgia for the original untarnished?!

@Sorteddan You're probably right. I think we'll end up with something not too dissimilar to the "FFVII" remake - the same story beats but with a much heavier action element. The thing is they'll never be able to recreate the twist ending because,well,everyone already knows what it is! It did totally blow me away on my first playthrough!

@RogerRoger it's probably the switch version I'll go for so we can play away from the tv and joy cons tend to be easier on smaller hands. Your right, seems to be completely fine even in handheld mode. I'm trying to tell myself I've got tons of games and can wait for a couple of patches and a sale but the call of the dark side (otherwise known as simply games.com) is strong!

Assassin's Creed: Origins - Impressions

Just finished Assassin's Creed: Origins on PS4 after 53 hours of playtime and it was an absolutely phenomenal game. I did pretty much everything in the game, such as doing all the question marks on the map, uncovering all areas, doing most of the side quests and so on. It's actually a much shorter game than I thought considering I did almost everything and yet it only took a little over 50 hours, while it took me over 80 hours to do most things in Odyssey and even then there were so many things I could've also done. In fact, if you just go through the story then it's a fairly short experience. You still have to do things like completing side quests, outposts and so on in order to level up accordingly with the story missions but I guess you could finish the game in 20-30 hours, which is very short for the open world type of AC game.

The story is honestly not that long and I was surprised to see that I had only uncovered half of the map when I was done with it. It's kinda misleading actually, most of the areas in the game are just desert areas with nothing to do in them. Anyway, I thought the game was more like a typical Assassin's Creed experience than Odyssey. I mean, it is called "Origins" so naturally they would explain how the Creed came to be. Odyssey takes place before Origins which is why it doesn't feel as much as an AC experience. But at least Origins had all the things that characterises an AC game, such as hidden blade, a group of assassins, the assassin hood, templars and of course a strong emphasis on stealth and assassinating targets. Not to mention the supernatural element which is present in all AC titles. So in one way, Origins is very much an unmitigated AC experience.

That said, the gameplay can feel a bit repetitive with too much familiar content and not enough variety. Sadly, the story missions don't feel any different than the side quests and while these things didn't bother me personally since I love Ubisoft games, a lot of people would probably get sick of them very fast. One difference I noticed between Origins and Odyssey is that enemies don't actually scale with you as you level up in Origins. So for instance, you could go to an area where enemies are around your level, and in another they are much stronger than you. This was never the case in Odyssey and I understand now why people didn't like Origins as much because you are basically "forced" to do side content in order to level up and keep up with the story. However, I do feel like this is something that's common with all RPGs so I don't really see it as an issue other than it restricts the open world aspect. It's not like you can play through the game again and have a different experience by taking other paths, because you have to follow a certain path so that you can level up properly. Odyssey on the other hand lets you go wherever you want right from the start because enemy levels scale with you so it promoted more freedom. Anyway, point is that I was not bothered by the structure of Origins as I still enjoyed the game a lot.

It's definitely nice to have finished this game now as it was one of those that I played for around 20 hours and lost my save file for years ago. Absolutely phenomenal experience and I highly recommend it to people who know what they're getting into based on my aforementioned impressions. I still have the two fairly meaty expansions left to do but I might do them later on as I take a break from the game for now.

@LtSarge The overwhelming size of modern Assassin's Creed games is one of the aspects that've kept me away from them, so it's good to hear Origins doesn't outstay its welcome as much as suspected, and that it's a decent entry point to the series. That makes me more likely to check it out someday. I've always loved Egypt anyway (thanks to Lara) so the setting certainly appeals more than the others.

Glad you enjoyed the game so much, and that you were finally able to go back and complete it after having lost your save file before! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

@RogerRoger Yeah, I totally understand that. I've come to realise recently that while I'd rather spend my time completing as many games from my backlog as possible, it's still nice to play a long game once in a while that can completely absorb you into its world. I played through Mass Effect Andromeda a couple of months ago and that was a very long game as well, but it felt nice getting lost into it and playing it for hours on end. Just like with AC: Origins. And just like with you, I love Egypt as a setting and exploring it thousands of years ago was really cool. Seeing how the Egyptians worshiped their gods, how they took care of bodies after people died, learning more about the fauna of Egypt and simply exploring landmarks such as the Giza pyramids and sphinx as well as cities like Alexandria is just so cool. Not to mention meeting historical characters such as Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. It was a very cool experience, I think you'd enjoy it a lot!

I do think Origins is a good entry point as it's easily the shortest and smallest game when compared to Odyssey and Valhalla. I do have to say though that Odyssey it the better choice in terms of immersion because the level of freedom is just unprecedented for the series. But if you are the type that want to try out these games and don't care that much about the open world aspect then Origins is a good start for sure.

But yeah, it's so weird that I've come to play a lot of long games in recent time. Although it makes me more confident that I'll be able to finally play through MGS5 to completion this time around. Finishing that game would definitely be a huge accomplishment for me.

@LtSarge Origins is the Egyptian one, right? Have you tried the Discovery Tour mode? While I usually prefer my games to be... well, games, I think there's a lot of potential in video games for virtual tourism possibilities that aren't really being explored atm.

Regarding level scaling in open worlds, I can see it both ways. It can be an organic way to encourage players to explore some areas before others and give some structure to an experience. However, I've always felt like it was a bit antithetical to the point of big open worlds where you can supposedly go anywhere. I think, in my case, I'd prefer the level scaling solution you mention in Odyssey, but it really just depends on the game.

If I was gonna jump into the series, would this be a good entry to do it with? Or would I be missing out on tons of lore and whatnot from previous games? I actually really like Egypt as a setting. Far more than the settings of other games in this series.

Losing your save file for a game is always frustrating, so it's good to hear you now have a sense of personal achievement regarding this game.

@Ralizah That's right and no, I haven't tried it out yet but I'm guessing it just takes you to landmarks around the map and gives you information about them. Not really my cup of tea because I want to experience them throughout my playthrough but it's nice for those who want to "feel" like they've gone back in time and are visiting these places without needing to spend hours playing the game in order to get there. It's another reason why I love Assassin's Creed so much because it's one of the few franchises that actually visits different historical settings. I genuinely can't wait to explore Scandinavia and England during the Viking era in Valhalla.

So if you start with Origins, I think the only thing that would make it a poor first entry is the modern day story since it takes place after the events of the previous games. Some stuff would be spoiled for you but other than that, these sections are short, few and far between compared to the huge emphasis they had in previous games. In terms of the historical story in Egypt, it's a good starting point since it basically tells you how the Assassin Brotherhood came to be. I also thought they explained some things very well both in the main game and the DLCs in terms of why Assassins do certain things. For example, in the first DLC, there's a mission that shows you why the Assassins have learned to never hurt innocents, which is a reoccurring thing in all games, and that was explained during that specific mission, which I thought was really cool. So I think the game does a good job of teaching new players about the series. But yeah, chronologically speaking in terms of the historical settings, this game takes place way before almost all entries except for Odyssey so it would probably work well as an entry point.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the "Ubisoft formula" of collecting a bunch of useless collectibles was scrapped in Origins. There are still question marks around the map but it doesn't feel as cluttered this time around and the rewards are better, e.g. XP, weapons, skill points and so on. I also mentioned that this game is much shorter than the other open world AC titles like Odyssey and Valhalla, so that could be an appealing thing for you as well. Exploring Ancient Egypt is really cool as well, like seeing all the landmarks and also learning about what the political situation was like back then. I wasn't actually aware of the extent of Greek and Roman influence back then, so I learned a lot of history that way too.

@LtSarge Yeah, as much as I adore MGSV, I understand that many find it quite a big ask, especially towards its less-than-ideal endgame. I really do hope your newfound interest in "long plays" helps you see it through, and that you enjoy the experience! Would obviously be interested in your thoughts, as and when.

And thanks for the specific recommendation. Assassin's Creed is the last of the really big "I reckon I'd like this, so why haven't I tried it?" names in modern gaming, so it might only be a matter of time.

@LtSarge Thanks for the detailed reply. Honestly, the modern day soap opera connecting the games is probably the biggest thing keeping me from trying the series, since I don't like jumping into the middle of an ongoing storyline, but also have no desire to play the older games. It sounds like it's not too much of a focus in this entry, though, by the way you describe it.

@RogerRoger

I do this periodically. Actually, I just realized I'm doing it right now, which is what prompted me to make this post. Sometimes for up to half a month at a time, but usually less. Although it has nothing to do with frustration. I can be enjoying a game just fine, a breaker in my brain will trip, and I just stop wanting to play anything for a while.

It's like I came with a pre-programmed behavioral setting that allows me to avoid the "burn out" people describe in this hobby.

@Ralizah That used to happen to me, those natural breaks, but lately I've stopped having them in favour of hitting more than a couple of walls. I hope you don't experience the same shift as I have someday, and that your brain's breaker keeps on tripping!

🧟The Last of Us Part II🧟

Introduction — (Ugh, not another The Last of Us Part II review…)

— “May she guide you.”

The Last of Us Part II is a game that is very difficult to review. In fact, I’ve written and then rewritten this review several times over. Each time I feel like the review either rehashed dozens of discussions already had about the game or it didn’t really convey my thoughts accurately enough.

For starters, I would refer the reader to the two already existing user reviews on this thread, which are both well-written and thoroughly detailed.
Read Rudy_Manchego's Review
Read WillHar270's Review
I’m attempting not to overlap too much with those reviews unless it’s necessary to convey my thoughts without veering into confusion. If you want some concrete details of gameplay or overall construction of The Last of Us Part II, those prior entries are likely a better starting point.

But… if you’ve read reviews about the game before and want a fresh take on it, or if you’re like me and enjoy re-living a game you’ve played through the eyes and thoughts of another person, then read on.

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The Conundrum of TLoU2 - Why is reviewing this so hard?

—“We are imperfect beings, and thus we make ourselves imperfect in her eyes.”

The difficulty in reviewing this game lies not in trying to solidify judgement on how good it is, as I can clearly state […spoiler alert] the game for me is a masterpiece. The hard part of giving this review is in the expressing these impressions in a way that truly conveys the impact the game had on me, and more difficultly, all the while doing it without spoilers. I also don’t want to be too redundant with a lot of the comments I’ve shared on the game’s yonder thread.

So this review will be a little different. And I think that’s fine because this is an older game. I’ll briefly comment on the virtues of the game and some of its history, but the real meat of the review will be my own observations and telling the impact the game has had on me, personally. And I’ll touch on what the game means to the industry at large. And you’ll get a slightly hamstrung version because I’ll have to speak in generalities so as to avoid spoilers.

So without further ado —

The Technical Quality - How does it look?

—“When you’re lost in the darkness, look for light.”

The game is gorgeous. Jaw-dropping at times. And it runs smoothly without bugs or shortcomings. The only downside from a technical standpoint is the long initial load times. But after the initial boot, there aren’t any more loads during gameplay.

I played on PS5 with the latest patch, and was able to take advantage of the 60fps, but even without that, it’s just a phenomenal achievement. I think this aspect of the game is indisputable, so I won’t dwell on it.

The Gameplay - How does it play?

—“Only through fear do we find our true strength.”

The original The Last of Us was a hallmark game, but one common complaint was the gameplay and combat to some was boring. The heavy emphasis on survival, stealth, and mundane puzzles seemed to get in the way of the epic tale of Joel and Ellie’s traversal across the post-apocalyptic U.S. Those who wanted a little more action in their games should be pleased to know Part II has raised the stakes on action combat and more intricate gameplay mechanics. The game feels familiar, but most definitely expands on the first.

Combat encounters are now more diverse. There is still plenty of emphasis on stealth, but there is also more cover shooting, by virtue of a lot of combat being versus human enemies this time around. There is even the occasional arena with both human and infected enemies together, so strategizing them to kill each other can be done on occasion. There is much more environmental complexity to battlefields and often a combat scenario can be approached in many different ways and with many different weapons. Much more variety this time around.

Recharted - Hello, have we met before?

—“If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance… I’d do it all over again.”

And this brings me to one persevering observation: It’s pretty clear that this game has the DNA of Uncharted all over it.

First of all, sometimes combat feels like Drake has made a visit to the apocalypse. Some set pieces have the classic room full of waist high cover and ammo scattered around the area. Many times I felt like I was playing a juiced up version of Uncharted during these episodes.

Secondly, it seems clear to me that Lost Legacy was a stopgap between what ND wanted to try for TLoU2, with the emphasis on more open areas of exploration; the small hubs of Lost Legacy feel like the testing grounds for areas like downtown Seattle. Both games also experimented with playing as alternate protagonists, leaving Nate and Joel behind, to focus on side characters of the respective series.

Third of all, I do know through reading Druckmann’s interviews that there are several sequences in TLoU2 that are ripped straight from the cutting room floor of Uncharted 4. Specifically, the snowball fight and playing fetch with the dog — both were sequences cut from Uncharted 4. So clearly there was a lot of cross-pollination going on between the two franchises.

And finally, the elephant in the room is the nagging feeling that the Naughty Dog team is responding to narrative criticisms of Uncharted. Repeatedly during my playthrough I kept thinking that this game is the developer’s counter strike to the “ludonarrative dissonance” complaint about Nathan Drake’s escapades. Yes, Nate — the lovable mass murderer who jokes around and goofily shrugs off his high jinks as he systematically executes hundreds of nameless NPCs with reckless abandon. And yes, all in the pursuit of a little treasure. In response, TLoU2 attempts to have every death mean something. In the course of killing NPCs in their adventures, Joel and Ellie are to have consequences and answer for what seemed to be trivial killings they’ve done, or rather, that the player has done during the time playing as the protagonists. An obvious repeated attempt was made for almost every slain NPC to have an identity, a name, and be valued by someone.

Clearly this was the endeavor. Whether Neil Druckmann and Co. were purposely reacting with a game design to hush the critics of Uncharted’s famous dissonance or whether it just seems coincidental that the game took this heavy emphasis, I’m not certain.

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The Purpose of a Game - But is it fun?

—“May your survival be long. May your death be swift.”

If you ask the average gamer why they participate in this hobby, a large majority will likely say something about it being fun. TLoU2 turned that concept on its ear.

In the months leading up to TLoU2’s release, Druckmann famously made the statement that a game didn’t have to be “fun” to be “engaging.” He said the forthcoming TLoU2 would be an uncomfortable experience, but a worthwhile one. Before having this paradigm shift, Naughty Dog had questionnaires for early focus testers for TLoU2 which asked about how “fun” certain sections were and responses were confounding. They eventually decided to completely remove the word “fun” from their analytics.

Some of the problem is that “fun” is difficult to quantify. When psychologists have tried to empirically define “fun” we end up with a smorgasbord of ideas. One I like by Marc LeBlanc breaks down gaming “fun” as relating to one of eight basic principles: sensory pleasure, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discovery, expression, and submission. As a roadmap you can see how each of those granular aspects of enjoyment breeds a different genre of gaming.

The problem with focusing on “fun” as the only method of creating a players experience is well defined by Dustin DiTommaso who says “Fun is too diluted of a concept. It doesn’t distinguish the unique psychological experience of gameplay that leads to sustained engagement.” I think I agree with this statement and TLoU2 is a prime example of this principle.

And to be clear, I would respond that TLoU2 certainly feels fun at times. But the fun aspects of puzzling out encounters, exploring beautiful wastelands, and role playing as a fictional character are really secondary. The primary impact of the game is much more.

An Emotional Rollercoaster - How does it make you feel?

—“When you’re lost in the darkness, look for light.”

I wrote on an early post while playing the game that I was amazed how many emotions the game elicits. As soon as you feel a certain way about a situation or a character, the game subverts those emotions and makes you feel differently. Some players don’t like that manipulation and will push back against the design choices, but I chose to embrace them, or at least try to. Notably, I think this is part of LeBlanc’s idea of “submission” in the sense that enjoyment can be had it just “going along for the ride” even if it’s not what you would normally want to do. Other games have tried to have uncomfortable aspects, but usually they are shrouded in some morality choice system whereby taking the “evil route” will give you a new experience. In TLoU2 however, there’s no choice involved (unless you choose to turn off the game) and you’ll be dragged through the muck of horrible decisions made by characters which you’ll be forced to participate in.

Usually I’m not a fan of forced morality (or amorality), or of agitational manipulation for some “greater goal.” And I understand how some players would feel TLoU2 tries to preach or demean player bias. However, I honestly felt like the game accomplished it’s goal of making me question life choices.

When a Game Is More Than a Game - How did it affect me?

—“I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that, but I’d like to try”

When I look back on my favorite games, they all have one thing in common — they made me feel something. Some raw emotion or carnal sensation. And even better — hopefully the game has me come away from it looking at the world in a different way.

The life lessons from TLoU2 are not anything novel or earth-shattering. It’s a story of suffering and violence begetting violence… A story teaching to not prejudge another until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes… and that holding a grudge only harms the bearer of the animosity… and that redemption comes from learning from one’s mistakes… and that righteousness is in the eye of the beholder… Etc, etc, etc…

Honestly, these are lessons that I feel our world is in dire need of. And simply reading about them has little impact. I would propose that to play a game and glean from it something life altering is much more effectual than hearing or reading a sermon.

With TLoU2, like so many things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. Some will come away bleak, discouraged, or melancholy. However, in the end, I found hope. Sure, I felt the pain, the anguish of so much death and destruction. But in the horror of humanity’s darkest sides, I saw possibilities. I saw deliverance. Perhaps it’s the eternal optimist in me, but I think I came out on the other side a better person.

And I think that’s where I have finally come to peace with this gut-wrenching tale. It’s a bonafide gaming masterpiece, yes. But it’s sometimes more. It’s a bold and daring plunge into the human psyche. It won’t resonate with everyone, and it certainly needs to be approached in the right mindset. But I couldn’t help but come away keenly impressed with what I experienced. I reckon it will be a long time until I have another gaming experience that makes me ponder life as much as this one did.

And yet, in some ways I liked the first game better. And in many ways I hesitate to universally recommend this game. Nevertheless, like it’s predecessor, it struck a note with me that will resonate for years to come.

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9 fungal spores out of 10

@Th3solution Absolutely beautiful review,Sol. Couldn't disagree with you more in terms of the story (the game is an incredible technical achievement, there's no doubt about that) but you've sure got a way with words. Outstanding.