Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

@Octane don’t give me that crap. I’ll get there. I cleared Baldurs Gate this year. You can’t pi$$ on my parade.

This morning I ran through Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: Jackal Assault VR Experience, a free VR game available for PSVR.

Gameplay:

• An aerial dogfighting game, it puts you in the cockpit of a "Jackal" (kinda looks like an F-22 Raptor given a bit of a sci-fi touch up, as this is set in space), and consists of exactly one mission.
• Controls are simple if you've played anything similar (left stick controls speed, right stick direction, LT fires missiles which can lock on to multiple targets, and RT fires your machine gun cannons).
• As mentioned before it consists of one mission. After being launched out of the hangar there's a brief tutorial segment where you'll follow an AI companion through a highlighted path to get to grips with the controls & blow up some debris to get to grips with your weapons systems, however soon dozens of enemy bogeys arrive on the scene & you're able to freely fly around and have to take out as many as you can. At some point you're tasked with taking out a large enemy carrier by shooting it's weak points, and the mission ends.
• There's not much more to it than that (it is free, after all), though it does record how many kills you get, so you can try to top your previous record on future playthroughs (you can skip the tutorial section after the first go around, too).

Audio/Visuals:

• Despite having my PSVR for nearly a year, this was actually my first full "cockpit" experience, and it was fantastic. The interior of the Jackal & the objects in the area are immaculately detailed, and I didn't notice any fuzziness (even with far off objects) either.
• Getting ready to launch from the hangar gave me that same kind of anticipation you get whenever a roller coaster is making it's ascent (especially that first time), and the dogfighting action is absolutely exhilarating in VR in a way that it just isn't in a traditional gaming experience.

Conclusion:

• It is unfortunately short (it can be breezed through in 10-15 minutes), but it's great during that time & a real showcase of what can be when a larger studio puts it's weight behind a VR project, and the asking price of free makes it a must own for anyone with a PSVR.

@Thrillho, thanks for taking the time to read through my lengthy reviews! I'll admit I'm prone to skipping some myself from time to time, so it's no biggie if you don't have the time or simply aren't interested.

@Octane Control is one of one of many games that sounds like I’d enjoy it but I’d only get it if I had a lull in games to play and it happened to be on sale at the time.

It does sound like a mixed bag as it’s been GOTY for lots of people but it just hasn’t clicked at all for some people.

@RR529 ha, no problems. I just know that it takes me time to put my thoughts together and it’s other peoples’ responses and thoughts that make it worthwhile. The Yooka-Laylee game is now on my wish list so your review did it’s job!

The one above makes me wish I had PSVR to try out the few missions Ace Combat came with as cockpit/driver’s seat experiences would feel like the best VR experiences as you don’t have to worry about personal locomotion, just focusing on what you’re doing. It is just a shame so few studios have committed to VR projects but it’s completely understandable why.

@Thrillho It depends on what you're into I guess. At its base, it's a solid game for sure. But whether it's a 7 or 9 depends on you so to say. I really liked the theming and lore, I'm a sucker for that stuff, so that helped obviously.

NieR: Automata is... interesting huh?

I haven't really put up a decent view regarding my feelings so far on this at the moment... Sooooo here I go with a little impressions piece 😂

The game is never as eclectic as the opening/demo suggests. Whilst there are a few bullet-y hell sections throughout the game a lot of your time is spent in the small-ish (and a bit weirdly done?) open world, on foot with the hacky slashy spectacle fightery-lite combat.

The opening is obviously meant to more of a showcase of what to expect over your time with the title... But it does feel a bit like an over excited puppy with too many toys to play with as it erratically jumps from one thing to the next.

Thankfully the combat is fairly satisfying though.

If you're the type of person who hates being judged in games like DMC because you can't pull a stinger, turn it into an aerial juggle, switch to your guns and keep them airborne for a bit before then changing weapons to an electrical bat guitar and pull off that ridiculous electrical bat storm attack and keep up that sweet SSSTYLISH rank... Well lucky you NieR doesn't have a grading system at all and isn't as complex as either.

NieR Automata's combat is still rather tight though with it's combo's despite not needing more then the light or heavy attack being pressed (Maybe a jump or dash too) and chaining them button presses up.

The four different weapon types add some nice variety to the mix with you being able to switch through two different weapon sets on the fly (Though I am occasionally wanting for a little more complexity... Not to mention a weapon as ridiculous the Nevan Bat guitar from DMC 3 would be pretty nice...)

There is your Pod too of course which allows for additional damage to be dealt to enemies via it's guns (The other pods are a bit rubbish though compared to your default one I think) and the various pod programs you can have give an extra bit of versatility with things such as a laser, physical shield or a scanner among others.

The evade button is rather generous with it's timing I found too and once I got used to it being mapped to R2 instead of your more expected O it's been quite the boon and found myself getting hit a whole bunch less then something like Bayo or DMC.

Plus there's the plug in chips.

2b being an android means that she can enhance herself with various upgrades and there is a nice variety with your typical attack up, health up, increase the item drop upgrade options but also things like time slowing down after you perfectly evade, not getting hit for six seconds which'll then start healing you etc that you can use to make your time with the title much easier (Or harder if you're that kind of person and take things off of 2b like the minimap and number values etc)

Speaking of 2b. I like her.

Wasn't too sure that I would.

Stotic characters are a bit hit & miss with me personally (Take Lightning from FF XIII for example of a complete misfire to me) but 2b's pretty good I find.

I like her voice actress' peformance and she shows a good range of emotion over the course of the title so far. Also her operator 6O is utterly adorable and I love the little interactions between them.

9S? Uhhhhh... I guess he's ok? He's... growing on me as I explore the game more. Nothing wrong with his vocal performance of course but more his characterisation at the moment with some of his snarky lines making me roll my eyes. Though again I think I'm warming up to the character as a whole as I progress.

He also keeps ruining my screenshots with his incessant moving!

In fact most of the english vocal work is pretty darn solid and so far I can't fault any of it. Even the machines sound pretty good too. Laura Bailey is also adorable as Pascal... just had to add that. Though more could be voiced overall as I was a bit suprised by how it did go silent at some points with just text despite them speaking a line ago.

The soundtrack is wonderful and feels completely and utterly unique. The fact that a majority of it is sang in some made up language (Chaos language it's called in fact through looking it up, made for the original NieR's soundtrack) only adds to it's distinct sound and I love how dynamic the music is in this game too.

It reminds me a bit of Dark Souls soundtrack in a way in that it elevates most of the encouters (Like the fight with Simone, the opera robot which is still my favourite boss fight so far. I love everything about it) as just listening to the music by itself doesn't quite do it justice to me, I need the gameplay and the visuals to complete the experience.

The usage of different camera angles is good though throughout the game so far and makes the game feel more visually interesting. Not to say the art direction is bad, it's fairly solid, there's not much you can do with broken down cities 10,000 or so years in the future though... but there is still some nice set pieces and visuals across it so far.

I'd say the story and it's themetic elements are where the game is lacking for me though. I can't say much on that as I'm still playing the game and due to the nature of NieR: Automata and it's design there's a number of things that really tie into spoilers and I'm trying to make this as accessible and spoiler tag free as I can...

But so far the philisophical leanings feel pretty shallow to me. I mean congratulations 2b is called 2B (and machines have feelings and may wonder about their predicament)... Pretty weak and very standard stuff for Sci-Fi (Good Sci-Fi is riddled with moral and philisophical quandries after all)

I know I know I'm not all the way through it yet but after hearing the views on the story I am fairly underwhelmed in that regard so far.

Not that I haven't enjoyed the story beats as I've gone through the game but taking a step back and looking at it's story so far as a whole it's... way less clever then it thinks it is.

Still I have plenty to go through so maybe I'll be as estatic as everyone else by the time it ends.

At the moment it's a good title, but not quite reaching greatness. Not yet anyway though I'm enjoying myself with the title none the less! 😊

It gets more interesting as it goes on in this regard, but the whole game absolutely has this vibe like it was written by an intelligent teenager who just took a Philosophy 101 class. The overtly on-the-nose Nietzsche references, in particular, did me in a number of times.

I did enjoy the robot parodies of Sartre and de Beauvoir, though. Especially once you understand the significance of the mirroring behavior of the robots in terms of the game's larger thematic thrust.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Your talk of the opera boss has just reminded me of the robot version of Romeo and Juliet which was possibly my favourite moment of the game

I'm not the biggest philosophy buff @Ralizah so I kinda only recognised Sartre by name alone 😅

I know I'm probably being a bit harsher on the story so far but it's the only thing about NieR: Automata that I don't get the praise for just yet (and the rest I really get and like) so I just hope it sticks whatever landing it's going for... 😁

I... don't think I've done that quest yet @Thrillho I didn't know my time as 2b was finishing so soon so I didn't actually do many quests first time around. Luckily I can seem to do what I missed as 9S... Gonna make sure I do them, just got back to the alien ship! 😅

I quite like the scientist robot quest even if it just requires paying him a whole heap of money lol

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy The weakest element for me was the open world. Nothing was interactive, and it was just a needlessly huge, blasted wasteland.

There was a lot to like about NieR: Automata (and a lot I was underwhelmed by), but it's a difficult game to discuss due to the way the experience changes over time. As a general rule: when you think you're done... you're not.

I don't think your impressions were too harsh. It's good to critical of the media we consume, and your overview (for the point you're at in the game, anyway) was pleasantly thorough.

Recently completed the Last Guardian (PS4).

Better wake up Trico, we have a long way to go.

Gameplay:

• A platform puzzle adventure, you play as a young boy who wakes up to find yourself trapped together with an injured mythical beast called a Trico, and the only way to escape your predicament is to work together to scale a mysterious impossibly tall tower.
• The boy is able to fit into tight spaces & climb surfaces too small for Trico to grab, so whenever the beast hits an obstacle or can't continue for some other reason, it's up to you to go off and find a way for him to progress (usually by way of accessing a switch or bringing him back some sort of item, after engaging in the brand of platforming that often shows up in big budget PS exclusives like God of War or Uncharted). The boy is otherwise pretty helpless (whenever grabbed by an enemy, you must mash all buttons in order to break free), however at times you have access to a magical shield that lets you call forth lighting from Trico's tail to blast away distant obstacles & enemies, temporarily disable enemies from moving, and access special switches.
  
  An example of the type of platforming you'll be doing a lot of (note the ivy you'll have to climb once you reach the tower).
• You'll rely a lot on Trico to progress, as by and large he's the only one able to dispatch enemies, you need to ride him as he jumps to ever higher areas of the tower, and climb him to reach foot holds out of your reach. Eventually you'll get the ability to give him directions (you can point out a high place you need to get to, or direct him to a heavy switch only he can activate), though he (purposefully) has the mannerisms of a cat and oftentimes won't pay attention, at least not at first.
• Apparently Trico's affection for you (and how long it takes him to obey your orders) are affected by the amount of glowing barrels you feed him (some you run across as you progress, and are even mandatory, while others are just off the beaten path) and things like how quickly you tend to him when injured (you can pull out spears that enemies plunge into him), though there's no in-game meter showing you how much affection he has (in fact, the game is devoid of many gamey elements, such as any sort of HUD depicting life & the like).

Audio/Visuals:

• The game has a beautiful, almost haunting, atmosphere. With the theme of nature overtaking ancient ruins with some cell shading on the human characters, mixed with more realistic environmental texturing & game design, it kinda makes me think of what a cross of BotW & GoW (2018) would look like
  
  
  A couple screens of indoor areas. While the outdoor landscapes often remind me of BotW, the indoor areas have a vibe all their own, such as the top one that looks like a hallway Kratos himself may have to venture into.
• The attention to detail, particularly the immaculate plumage & animations of Trico, is absolutely stunning. However it comes at a price, as the framerate can be very rough in spots, and absolutely tanked a couple times (at least on base PS4). It tends to be a bigger issue in outdoor areas, but luckily, due to the general slower nature of the game, it doesn't kill the game.
  
  This visual splendor comes with a catch.

Story:

• While there's not a whole lot of dialogue & only a few cutscenes (the boy usually just narrates here & there, and sometimes it's just a tip if you're taking awhile on a puzzle), the relationship between Trico & the boy develops meaningfully via the beast's actions, as he behaves more & more like a domesticated pet, fiercely lunging into danger whenever the boy is in danger, and acting like a lost puppy whenever you have to separate from him for any length of time. There's some really emotionally powerful moments, particularly late game.
• I also feel confidant in saying there's quite a bit of environmental storytelling going on when it comes to the design of the tower and what it's history & ultimate purpose may be, but I still have a lot of unanswered questions, even after the credits rolled.

Conclusion:

• Dealing with Trico may have been just as frustrating as it was brilliant, and it does have some noticeable performance issues that can't be ignored, but there's just something special about this game. It's that kind of experience that absolutely grips you and doesn't let go (making you play into the wee hours of the morning before you notice), and while I can't in good conscious put it on the same pedestal as GoW or Spider-Man in terms of PS exclusives, I still say it's a must try at the very least, especially with how often it goes on sale.
  
  The sun sets on an unforgettable adventure.

@RR529 Nice write-up. Yeah, I've heard of the framerate issues this game has on the base hardware. At this point, I might as well wait to get a PS5 before playing this.

Fumito Ueda (the lead designer) is particularly good at building emotional relationships with a minimum of explicit dialogue or storytelling. I believe he designed this game AROUND the relationship with an animal after noting how many people grew attached to the horse in Shadow of the Colossus.

It IS a very nice looking game. The consistent aesthetic in Ueda's games is one of beautiful loneliness and disrepair. I have no doubt his games influenced the tone and atmosphere of Breath of the Wild.

Pretty screenshots, too. I really like that one with the boy and the creature at the very end. It's striking.

Well I finished Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night last night, except I didn't because there are multiple endings and I hadn't explored enough to get the 'true' ending which I ended up googling and needs a lot more exploration/items and bosses. Which I don't mind to a certain extent because I think I sort of stumbled on the ending and was aware my map completion was pretty limited and I had more to look at but at the same time, possibly my fault but it has somewhat affected my feeling about the game.

Overall, I think the game is very solid. It wears its Castlevania on its sleeve, doesn't take itself too seriously and has some fun locations and design. I like the mix of weapons (though being me, I have pretty much settled on my favourite load out). I do like the fact that you can have different builds and invest in different weapons/abilities and very quickly swap the load out to match your environment and enemies. This meant that you can experiement with the different abilities.

The story is over the top and campy but serves the game well and I quite liked the silly dialogue. Playing on the Nntendo Switch with the latest patch, I can see I am still probably graphically playing the inferior experience but it is playable. However, there are still apparent glitches and some unacceptable slowdown in places - oddly, more to do with levels/areas than the action on screen.

I'm also unsure about the difficulty curve, and this could be me of course, but I found the early sections and bosses tough but the later ones quite easy as I poured resources into certain upgrades. After the first 2-3, I walked through each boss on normal difficulty with no issues and didn't really need to pay much attention to their moveset etc. because I could pretty much just bash them and get away with it. Again, it was only normal difficulty and I maybe had farmed too much possibly.

That ending though has soured it a bit. I can probably blame myself for not paying enough attention but being able to get to an ending when you get a worse experience and should really explore more is an odd design choice. Looking it up, I've missed several boss encounters and huge areas because the game let me proceed after a boss in one direction when I should have tried opening a new area. If you like the genre, I recommend it (defo on PC/XB1 or PS4 - it is also on gamepass I think). I think it was worth the purchase and the time but just recommend looking up the end requirements!

@RR529 Great write up.
Another game I really want to revisit!

@Rudy_Manchego Also a great write up - I've only ever heard good things about B:ROTN. It's on the list.

@RR529 That echoes a lot of my feelings with the game and I really liked how the game explains so little to you so you feel like you’re discovering it all so organically.

And I completely agree with the sentiment that more people should try it with it being on sale so much.

I weirdly don't mind that at all @Ralizah aside from the backtracking being a bit much at times for some of these side quests

You're telling me 😅

My first draft was harsher and overall my impressions of the story and how it's told are actaully harsher at the moment but as I decided to make that impression piece as spoiler free (and spoiler tag free) as possible... I couldn't really go into detail of how I'm really in two minds of going through the game again as 9S. I'm at the sea machine again so hopefully the narrative does start branching off now...

@KratosMD Poor Rikiya... I can't believe with all the stuff that happened to the other Okinawa yakuza, he's the one they had to bump off..

Like I said in my thoughts, I do wonder how the Tojo clan gets through so many patriarchs and families

I agree though that I thought it had the best story since Y0 but I did find the twee-ness of the orphanage got a bit much after a while.

@Thrillho @KratosMD Whenever I see those black bars of doom when you’re talking about Yakuza 3 I get out of there as quickly as possible 😂😂 I’m only on Chapter 9 so I need to hurry and finish!

@nessisonett Get on with it!

This morning I ran through the Kingdom Hearts VR Experience, another free piece of software for PSVR.

Gameplay:

• There are six worlds to choose from (technically 5 worlds, in the form of Destiny Islands, Twilight Town, Castle Oblivion, Olympus Colosseum, the World That Never Was, and then a Gummi Ship segment), and in each one a cutscene (seemingly in engine from the game it's from) plays out with you in a "Sora's eye-view" (though there's one from Roxas' perspective) of the proceedings. These are all talking affairs, and once everyone has said their piece you are treated to a light show, with various cutscenes from across the series projected onto surrounding surfaces, with various magical lights flashing all over the place all to the tune of some of the series' music.
• As you can imagine there's not a lot of actual interactivity. The one scenario that bucks this trend is Olympus Colosseum. There is no cutscene to experience here as it jumps straight into the light show portion (with you standing in the middle of the first KH era colosseum), with you having the ability to swat away the occasional Heartless with the tap of the "X" button, their defeat adding to the showy display of lights.
• Once you've experienced all worlds (this shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes, tops) you earn the ability to experience the light show portion of them without having to sit through it's accompanying cutscene first.
• Other than that it features a "Collection", which is just a VR Jiminy's Journal mode. You're able to read character descriptions out of the Journal as it floats in front of you, with the character models standing in front of you (though there's no interactivity, as you can't even rotate them). All character models (and journal entries) are pulled from a character's first appearance (the Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy entries are all based on the original KH, for example).

Audio/Visuals:

• While the first scenario is ripped straight out of KHIII, all the others are from the PS2 era games. While a bit of a shock at first, I think it all looks pretty good in the end.
• The light shows are pretty neat looking, and the series has good music, so there's that.

Story:

• While it doesn't have a story of it's own, the cutscenes you experience are pulled from other games (some of these are early game moments, while two of them are actually final boss encounters), so if you care at all about the story and haven't played through the main series yet, just keep that in mind.

Conclusion: While it is a bit of a treat to see some of these characters up close & personal for the first time (if a bit awkward at times, as it seems like they took a few existing cutscenes and slapped a 360° camera on top of Sora's head), and the light show portions can be pretty, it seems ultimately pointless. It is free, so I can't complain, but it feels a bit thrown together, and I can't help but think they could have done something pretty cool with the series in VR if they just put in a bit more effort. The Gummi Ship would easily make a decent cockpit experience with some light gun action added in, and VR would have been the perfect way to add in the theme park ride experiences of Disney (rather than how they're implemented in KHIII proper).