@Gremio108 Thanks! Yeah, you'd definitely need a couple days to binge all five episodes, or a week of regular gaming time to clear them. Longer if you stop and look at everything.
@mookysam More thanks, and good to know I'm not the only one who was blown away by the Diaz brothers and the handling of their characters. There were a couple times when I found myself having to backtrack some lessons for Daniel, and convince him not to copy what I'd made Sean do, absolutely. It's a game written for its engine, not a branching story then made to work in-game. And you're right, anybody has the right to raise an issue or ask a question, especially through fiction. I just fear that sometimes, certain people asking certain things at certain times can make a situation worse. If you asked me something about myself and I said "no, sorry, you've gotten that wrong there" then it's between us, but if you didn't ask and instead went and made a multi-million-dollar game about that misconception, I'd probably be a little less polite! With great exposure comes great responsibility, and all that.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
... I don't actually have a whole lot to say as besides Until Dawn (Or watching Detroit: Become Human) I haven't actually experienced any of these types of games! š
No Life Is Strange 1 or Before the Storm or even any of the telltale-y ones. Never even played a demo for them. I'm generally not a fan of the episodic release format (and in my eyes they seriously took the mick with how long the other 4 episodes for this took to release and it's not something I'd want to reward as such)
I could give Captain Spirit or maybe the first episode of the first LiS a whirl though (mainly as they're free) and see what I think though it doesn't particularly sound like my cup of tea (Or at least I need to be in the right mood for it) but I owe you and this review to give them a chance at least!
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I didn't think the first Life Is Strange would be my cuppa either, bit once I played it I loved it. I bought the special edition once all the episodes which came with a CD of the soundtrack and some other bits and bobs.
I played the Captain Spirit demo and was totally bored by it and found the boy annoying, so I think I've moved on from those type of games.
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.
@DonJorginho Tough call. Death Stranding is more recent, and I know a couple folks (myself included) are holding off until we've heard thoughts from more regular gamers, but Horizon is so glorious it'd be fun to praise the heck out of it. I'd read either!
***
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Thanks, and that's kind of you to say, but you don't owe me (or my review) anything! If this kinda game isn't your brew, then that's okay. We don't all have to like the same stuff; goodness only knows I've never purchased a Call of Duty or FIFA game, despite their high praise and sales numbers! Besides, if you do start a full five-episode season, it's a chunky undertaking to see the whole thing through, which you might feel obligated to do even if you're not having fun (although of course, as @JohnnyShoulder rightly says, you might end up surprising yourself).
@JohnnyShoulder In retrospect, Captain Spirit was a bizarre choice of freequel material. There were many other elements I'd have personally chosen to promote the game with, but hey.
@Gremio108 Sorry to hear you're cursed with such a, er... curse. Must take you forever!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger The main thing that put me off was playing as a teenage girl. But the more I heard all the positive feedback and that there was more to it then just glancing at it, the more I got tempted to play it.
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 Did you play Before the Storm? In many ways itās even better, although even more teenage girl-y. It took an episode or two to warm up to Chloeās new voice actress and to the different mechanics due to Chloe being the center of attention, but by the end I may have liked it even more than the first.
@DonJorginho I would echo Rog and say Iām more interested in a detailed review of Death Stranding since I havenāt played it yet, but I have such a love for HZD that I would enjoy reading your thoughts and to see a new perspective for discussion. Ralizah played HZD last year and had a wonderful review and discussion not too long ago, but Iām sure there is plenty more to say about it!
āWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.ā
Oh.. and @RogerRoger as a follow up to my comment the other day, wouldnāt you know LiS2 got put on sale again already. š¤ so itās down to $20 again until the first week of Feb. I am pretty tempted to snatch it up, but Iām wondering its being in back-to-back PSN sales is a sign that it will be permanently reduced in price soon. Ah well, I have 2 weeks to think about it. I havenāt had much gaming time lately anyways.
āWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.ā
@Th3solution "And I donāt necessarily want to feel like Iām being preached to from an outside party that doesnāt have first hand knowledge of the situation. I would never dare tell someone in the UK how to feel about Brexit, for example."
I found this an interesting comment (short disclaimer: I'm not American myself) and I understand the sentiment, but it made me think. You point this out as a potential drawback for the game, but don't we see stuff like this in games all the time: France, Hong Kong, Egypt, India, England, just to name a few countries I visited in the last few years, from the perspective of an outsider. And all of them were depictions that were... well, unjust at times.
@JohnnyShoulder I was the same, with regards the first season. It took some serious arm-twisting (and it being free on PS Plus, I think) for me to bite.
@Th3solution Given your concerns about its content, I'd respectfully suggest that you'd be better off waiting for the day it's either a tenner, or free on PS Plus. Not just for financial reasons, although for backlog and time reasons then sure, don't add to your struggles. But I reckon that playing it right now, at the peak of whatever the heck is happening to society (both globally and in your country), is bound to elicit a strong reaction and I can't guarantee that it'd be a good strong reaction. The more distance you put between it and the 2016 election talking points it attempts to personify will hopefully help you view it as a come-as-you-are fictional soap opera, rather than as a reinforcement of the divisive 24-hour news cycle.
Of course, don't let me tell you what to do, and I apologise if this advice sounds patronising or misplaced in any way. It's merely a conversational suggestion.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna, the Golden Country (Switch) - Prequel to the main XC2 game that's large enough in scope that it was released as a standalone package.
Pros:
It retains the satisfyingly complex combat mechanics of the main game, and thanks to further refinements & little changes (such as the fact you have a set party) it's better than it's ever been.
I love how Torna (the new, main explorable Titan/continent) is designed. It still has large areas to explore with lots to find, but it's segmented into regions in a way that makes it easier to digest, and I assume makes it easier for the system to handle compared to the main game (it's still technically one large area you can explore with no loading screens, but it's designed in such a way that you can only see parts of the other regions, if at all, from the region you're currently in). Though it also features one of the Titans from the main game (Gormott) that you're able to nearly fully explore as well.
Speaking of exploration & progress, it's much better handled here as well. While it still has Unique Monsters (optional bosses that wander the fields and are usually much stronger than the other monsters in the area), it seems like they're placed in a way where you have to be looking for a fight, or going out of your way exploring, to encounter them (unlike the main game with that level 80 King Kong wannabe that terrorizes you in the opening hours). Also thanks to the set party, obtaining the right field skills to pass certain obstacles isn't much of an issue, while it could be obnoxious in the main game.
You're required to knock off a certain amount of the game's sidequests (completing them endears your party to the Tornan people, building your Community Level, and at certain points story quests will be locked off until you're Community Level is high enough), and while I understand that this could be a turnoff for some, as it's clearly a padding attempt in part, I loved it in practice. Now, not all the sidequests are standout, however you'll be meeting with the same faces throughout your adventure, endearing you to the game's populous, and it does make the ending mean more, IMO.
The story here can be quite melancholy & bittersweet, and while I personally prefer the more upbeat & hopeful tone of the main game, I can certainly understand why it's so for a prequel, and I can't deny it's really good & will pull at your heartstrings.
I really like the Japanese flair of the Tornan culture, and the world design itself is quite lovely, with a suitably massive sense of scale in parts. The desert region of Torna looks gorgeous, and this is coming from someone who generally dislikes desert areas.
Mixed:
It's not a fault per se, but in some areas it does presume you've played the main game, particularly in terms of lore. Some things in this regard it doesn't really bother to explain (such as what exactly the Aegis' are), or some things that were a mystery in the main game until near the end, are more openly discussed/shown.
Like the first game it does seem to push the system. Nothing terrible mind you, but when you first turn it on it will take a few seconds for the world's textures to load up. No issues beyond that though (the resolution may dip in portable mode like the main game, though as I've played it TV only I can't confirm. I've heard it's an improvement over the main game in this area from others, though).
Overall I thought it was fantastic, and the fact that I can't point to something I actively disliked is a huge testament to that. Sure, I loved the thrill of obtaining new rare Blades in the main game (and do miss it here), but I don't miss the gatcha mechanics and legions of common Blades that came with it, and can't deny Torna is the mechanically better game because of the set party.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@RR529 Torna still gets a bit fuzzy in portable mode. Just not to the absurd extent XC2 did, when it dropped to 390p or whatever at times. It's probably about on par with DQXI S at its worst visually when undocked.
I'm one of those people who wished Torna got a bit darker during the main campaign. The game kind of glosses over the most devastating character deaths.
Overall, though, I really loved it, and consider it to be my single favorite Xenoblade game.
@RogerRoger Thanks for your well-intentioned suggestions and donāt spend a second worrying about any elicited offense, because there is none. And I think I probably overstated my concern in the beginning about being troubled by the game. Your sensitive warning at the preface of your review brought out the desired contemplation in me, and I appreciate your willingness to look at things from multiple angles and try to put yourself in the shoes of another gamer from a different country or background. I absolutely respect you and your opinions, and over our shared Push Square time Iāve never seen you to be condescending, judgmental, or patronizing. Quite the opposite actually. I count you as a person of high integrity and with neighborly intent (as I do most of the community here) and always respect and welcome your opinions.
As much a function of my backlog woes as anything else, I think I agree with your advice to hold off for now. I really do plan to play the game eventually though, opportunity permitting. Similar to the first game, a PS Plus offering of it would be a welcome addition to my library.
After contemplating my concerns and initial posted reaction, I feel I need to explain my thoughts more but Iāll take them to chit-chat, if youāre interested to continue to follow my train of thought.
āWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.ā
@Th3solution You're a true gentleman. Best of luck with that backlog!
@RR529 Glad I'm not the only one who frequently dislikes desert regions in games. It's rare I find one that I actually enjoy spending time in. Nevertheless, great to read such positive thoughts!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
The core gameplay is refined, slick, and is as fun as it ever has been. I can confirm it's probably the easiest game in the series however (this is usually seen as a negative amongst the fanbase from what I've seen, though as I've never played the series for it's challenge this aspect never bothered me).
I generally really liked the Gummi Ship segments. Previously these were rail shooter segments between worlds, but now it's been fleshed out into more of a space exploration theme, and is one of the few aspects of the game that I think is a genuine improvement across the board.
From a graphical/aesthetic aspect, everything looks fantastic, and is put to good use with some great looking setpieces during the climax.
After years of spinoffs it feels so good to have Donald & Goofy back by your side. I know it seems silly, but it goes a long way to making it feel "proper", lol.
Mixed:
World design is a very mixed bag. First up the Disney worlds. The Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, & Big Hero 6 worlds are genuinely great (I especially loved the mecha & ship segments of the former two), Hercules is okay, Monsters Inc is a fun ride but literally a hallway in terms of design, Tangled is a hallway too (and a bit less interesting), and Frozen is just blah. Oh, then there's the Winnie the Pooh world which has been trimmed down to just one little area, that you clear by playing a few different variants of a match three puzzle game...
Continuing on with the worlds, and focusing on the original worlds, there's Twilight Town, which is okay but trimmed down in size compared to past appearances, and some late game worlds which essentially exist for boss fights, so there's not much (if any) exploration involved (even if a couple look lovely).
In a truly bonkers moment (even by it's own brand of weirdness) is how they try to shoehorn in the Kingdom Hearts mobile title. Without giving away story elements, there's a segment where the Android & iOS usernames of hundreds of people who've played the mobile game will grace your screen in quickfire succession. The segment itself, while it makes no sense, is kinda fun though.
Negative:
For something they've spent so much time on, it feels like they just didn't know how to tie up the story threads, so they just really didn't try. The game basically climaxes with a series of boss fights where you fight Organization members often 2-3 at a time, and they maybe each get a 3-5 minute cutscene wrapping up their story (even including characters you basically know nothing about). It even seems like they can't quite be clear on whether or not Sora's adventure came to a definitive close (and they came SOOO close, too) and they end it all with a new revelation & mystery.
Outside of the ever present Moogles, and a few easter eggs/nods, it feels fully divorced from Final Fantasy (outside of a brief narration mention of Cloud & Auron in the Hercules world, FF characters are nowhere to be seen).
In all I'm really torn up over it all in the end. I can't deny that I had a huge smile on my face at points, and it was technically on point, but it had bewildering story choices, and in areas felt like it could have been so much more.
@RogerRoger, thanks! I totally recommend both XC2 & Torna if you have a Switch!
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
The Last Guardian is a tricky game to review.
It can either be considered way ahead of its time, or way behind the times. On one hand, it can be an example of video games as art, or on the other hand, it can be relegated as a source of immense irritation.
After playing it over the last few weeks and now finally completing it, I can confidently say that it has been one of the most frustrating game experiences in recent years and also one of the more satisfying. It sounds like Iām describing Bloodborne or Dark Souls, but the frustration and subsequent satisfaction elicited by TLG is of a different flavor entirely. The game is not difficult because of purposely challenging combat or the need for perfect timing or skill. Itās not frustrating because of complex skill trees, heavy amounts of confusing lore to memorize, or endless required fetch quests, collectathons, or grinding. It has no empty side quests with forgettable NPCs or empty dialog choices that go nowhere. No, it steers clear of all the gaming tropes that we gamers like to whine about.
In my opinion, the source of annoyance experienced in the game is two fold ā poorly tuned game mechanics and the infamous Trico AI, with the latter being the real point of debate.
What makes this game special?
Out of curiosity and also as an attempt to avoid repetition in this review, I took time to go back and read Sammyās original review of the game, posted back in 2016. Itās an excellent read, and mentions most of my thoughts in a much more well-written package than I could produce. Reading the comments section beneath the article, however, it is clear how divisive and passionate people are about this game.
And since I had come up with some of the same criticisms that had been voiced not only by Sammy (who loved the game and gave it a 9/10, by the way) but also other users in the comments section, it made me think a lot about it ā Some people feel the Trico AI is endearing, artistic, groundbreaking, and innovative. Some think it is a sign of poor programming, a broken scheme, and haughty design. Detractors say the game just flat out isnāt āfun.ā Supporters of the game would counter, do games have to be āfunā to be worthwhile? And the debate rages on and on...
Iāll table that debate for a while and just say, the game does a great job at eliciting emotional response and reflecting a beautiful and endearing relationship between the two main characters.
So it begs the question: Could I have grown to adore Trico and the Boy and love their relationship if the AI was more obedient, the mechanics more traditional, and the gameplay smoother?
Chew on that question for a while and weāll come back to it after I discuss some of the gameās high and low points.
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The Highs
The game is beautiful. The sense of scale and feeling of mystery is trademark Fumito Ueda. Few games can convey the sense of wonder and awe that his games do, and itās front and center in this game. Sure ā the color palate is a little bland, and the aesthetic is mostly copy and paste from Ico, but hey, if it aināt broke, donāt fix it.
Still screenshots of Trico donāt do it justice, with its coat of thousands of feathers independently moving in the wind. The way it cocks its head and flares its nostrils as it sniffs curiously around makes it feel more lifelike that the unnamed co-protagonist, The Boy.
The Boy is another of Uedaās mysterious young heroes. Waking up somewhere, not knowing how he got there and where heās from. Dialogue and sound in general is sparse. The language is a fabricated mishmash of an Asian sounding dialect with an American Indian tribal twist. It fits perfectly into that world. And I must say that one of the most adorable things Iāve ever heard from a video game is when the boy talks to Trico, especially during some of the poignant and emotional parts. Itās absolutely precious and at times, downright heartbreaking to hear him call out when they are separated for a time.
I loved how Trico would whine when confused or injured, growl when uncomfortable or threatened, or preen with pride after a well placed jump. Whether you agree or not on the other aspects of this game, you have to admit that Trico the cat-dog-bird creation is one of the most, is not the most āaliveā feeling animal in all of video gaming.
>> As an interesting aside, I was fascinated that Ueda states that the surprisingly warm reaction of gamers to Agro, the horse, and his connection with his owner, Wander, in Shadow of the Colossus was the motivation for his making Trico and wanting to produce a game where the core concept revolves around the relationship of a human and a creature.
The setting is a breathtaking creation as well. The relatively linear set pieces and level design are wonderfully crafted and intricately planned. Each area is ingeniously manufactured to mesh with the puzzles and the journey through the large castle-like ruins.
The puzzles are pretty challenging, but great care was obviously put into creating them and making each area have unique twists on the gameplay that really stretched my mind at times. There were several times when I would be certain that I have looked in every nook and cranny trying to find a way to progress, only to have the āAha!ā moment when it clicked as to what needed to be done to progress.
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The Lows
First, Iāll start with the control and input. Platforming is finicky and imprecise at times. The boy handles pretty loosey-goosey and many a death was due to missing a jump. Iām not sure if this was intentional, but I canāt see why it would have been. I think itās just broken game design. The Boy is hard to maneuver and it feels very ālast genā in this department. I felt like I was playing a PS2 platformer at times, bumping into things, falling over, being unable to land a jump because of poor control, dying in combat because the camera was unwieldy, etc. In particular, combat is extremely frustrating and poorly responsive.
And mostly as a result of Trico being so huge, camera issues abound, especially in tight places, which happen a lot. Tricoās mass can block the view and take up the whole screen. Couple this with a combat scenario or a need for a precise jump or a good view to solve a puzzle and you can see how it might cause a controller to be tossed through a TV screen.
As a consequence of Uedaās philosophy of ādesign by subtractionā where he systematically actually removes elements of his games that donāt contribute to the core theme, the gameplay comes across as confusing and the instructions are fairly minimalist. In the early hours, the game doesnāt signpost where youāre supposed to go like other games do, which leads to significant frustration. Other basic principles of the game world are either not explained, or are introduced so cryptically that you have to figure it out on your own. Like the fact that the stained glass eye panels are repellants to Trico, or that Trico will need to be petted to calm it down at times in order to progress. These āfigure it out yourselfā times are fine since they are clearly part of what the game intends for you to learn on your own, even if I found them a bit more frustrating than they needed to be. But something like the exact commands to control Trico, once you learn them, needed to be spelled out better. In contrast, the game gave me prompts about which button to use to jump (fully with a little picture of a controller in the corner of the screen with the button I needed to press highlighted), and reminded me of this button many times all the way into the late game, long after I knew how to do that simple task, but it never told me, for example, that I can make Trico heel and sit by pressing X with the R1 command button. I had to find that out through a walkthrough when I got stuck because making Trico sit is a necessary part of one of the puzzles.
In general, the game just doesnāt teach many of its mechanics very well, leaving you to suss out how to play and progress on your own. Later on I started to notice the more subtle hints and clues in the environment (blue butterflies, white glowing foot tiles, a hanging chain, etc) that pointed me, but I would have preferred these things to be more overt, especially in the early hours.
Even the respawn after death / button mashing mechanic is never explained and I thought my game was glitched when I waited like 5 minutes to respawn and it never happened. I rage quit as a result and had to find out through trial and error later on.
Walkthroughs were helpful. I didnāt have to use a walkthrough with either Ico or Shadow of the Colossus but for this game it saved me from quitting it, and as a result missing out on the beautiful end game experiences. Iāve used walkthroughs in plenty of other games, for example they got me through Bloodborne, which was one of my favorites this generation, so using a walkthrough didnāt ruin it for me, and actually enhanced my enjoyment. But it seems like the kind of game that is supposed to be enjoyed without having to search the internet for help.
A quick word on the trophy list, which I found to be fairly annoying. By the end I had 50% completion, which is about average for completing a game for me, but nearly all the trophies involved doing pretty trivial tasks and there were no āautomaticā trophies except one for completing the game. Itās a minor thing, but I thought Iād mention it.
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The Conclusion
Eventually, through the use of guides on the web in conjunction with my own repeating experiences, I got to recognize the positioning and behavior of Trico. I started to feel how it behaves before it jumps, how it tended to look toward areas of interest, and it became easier to predict where it was going. I eventually learned through experience that it was best to only give Trico one command at a time and wait for it to perform that before expecting it to do anything else. In the beginning I would give a command to āgo over thereā and ājumpā when I need it to make a path for me, and it would just stare at me and whine and look around. Over time, I realized it couldnāt interpret multiple sequential input commands all at once. Then the game started to get easier.
By the end, I began to appreciate the advice I got about Trico being like a pet and the game is better when you just accept it doesnāt do what you want all the time. That being said, I stand by my criticism that this sometimes results in game breaking (or at least game halting) problems where you are unable to progress because of the random animal AI. Times when youāve figured out a puzzle, but your animal companion wonāt let you complete it and so youāre stuck for a while, banging your head against a wall. These parts became few and far between to non-existent toward the end, which tells me it was more that I was playing the game āwrongā in the early hours when I had to reload checkpoints many times to get Trico to do what I needed him to do so we could progress. Unfortunately, āyou never get a second chance to make a first impression,ā so I donāt think Iāll ever play the game again to see if I could enjoy the early hours better on a second run. It was just too tainted by my own irritation early on. Which is too bad, because by the last act, I was smitten by the delightful relationship of the boy and his creature, and amazed at the magical world the game gave me. It was a privilege to have seen it and ended up a pleasant experience.
Itās one of those times though when what makes for a good experience does not always make a good game. Mechanical flaws hold it back from being truly transcendent.
And this brings me back to the original question: If the gameplay, design, AI, and control had been different, would I have still enjoyed the core relationship at the end?
Uedaās clear goal was to make a game where you appreciate the connection of Beast and Boy. He absolutely accomplished this, so who am I to judge his methods? I do feel like a few elements could have been better and still not detracted from the goal, but who knows? My hope is that his next game will give us a portion of the answer to that question and that he irons out some of the game design āflawsā yet still is able to accomplish his artistic vision.
Oh... for those who prefer a bite-sized numerical summary, Iām thinking about a 7.5 out of 10. š
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