I've been playing a lot more Persona 4 Golden, reaching the second main dungeon. It's brilliant so far. The major characters are great, it's got that top-notch Persona soundtrack, and I'm enjoying the mystery with the overall story.
It's one of those games where I can lose track of time with it, and can end up playing for hours.
Tomb Raider 3 just… isn’t particularly good? I dunno, I had my issues with 2 but this one cranks up the BS, is far too hard and yet isn’t all that interesting. I just finished Nevada and the Area 51 level was one massive maze with too many keys that you had to backtrack in order to use. In terms of level design, they’re such a far cry from the tombs in the first game or levels like Venice and the monastery from 2. In those levels you could basically see where you were supposed to go and the fun was finding the route in order to get there.
I've gone back to Monster Hunter Rise in anticipation of the release of the Sunbreak expansion in a month or so. They've added a ton of endgame content compared to when I originally dropped it, so there's plenty to do.
@nessisonett Ouch. Sorry to hear that TR3 is living up to its reputation. I'd always known it was considered the hardest, most obtuse of the classics, but I at least figured it was fair and well-designed, and that its brutality was justified and rewarding. Are you using your save states? I sincerely hope so, and hope that they're helping to take the edge off.
Because a substantial amount of save-scumming was the only way I managed to get through The Last Revelation (turns out I got more gaming time than expected over the weekend, so I ended up completing it). What you're describing applies to certain sections of its endgame, although the balance is a lot better, and frustrating set-pieces are often followed with simpler areas. The game's overall difficulty curve is steady enough, and I had plenty of resources to make Lara's life easier in the face of larger threats, but I wasn't enjoying myself half as much as before. Scaling the side of the Great Pyramid was a lowlight, which is a shame, as I loved the premise and atmosphere. Took me forty-odd minutes of trial and error, literally having to learn which sloping blocks were a pixel too steep by flinging poor Lara onto them and then watching her slide to her doom. Thank goodness the game offers unlimited saves across multiple slots!
But, although its infamous ending was a laughably damp squib, I'm curious enough to give Chronicles another shot, to see just how rough the VCI Headquarters really are. I don't have my old save, so I'm having to blast through Rome and Russia again, but that's no problem, because those levels are a pleasant stroll in the park compared to what I've just had to endure. I might lean on a guide to quickly get through Ireland, but taking a short break halfway through The Last Revelation seems to have helped preserve my tolerance, so I reckon I might give it a shot on my own first.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
To be perfectly honest I really can't recall when I actually got this.
All I do remember is that the other Shadow Hearts games (especially Koudelka) were rather expensive at the time and this was rather cheap at £10-£15 for a new sealed copy so... I got this 😅
And yeah... This is the last Shadow Hearts game and a spinoff title from SH 1 and Covenant focusing on a new set of characters in America.
It's the black sheep of the series and oft considered for "killing" it with Aruze shutting down Nautilus not long after this.
... Never mind that Aruze was in the pachinko biz, only really wanted SNK's licences for Pachinko and didn't care about game development giving Nautilus only a year and a bit to make this (with 40% of it's development being apparently done in only 2 months)
But I digress.
This game is really wacky from what I remember (Mainly due to it's bizarre cast) and losing most of the horror tone the other games in the series were known for.
I only played an hour or so last night but... I'm enjoying it so far. The combat system in Shadow Hearts is really quite fun. Especially with the combo and double system once you get giving you some tactical choices in the turn based battles 😄
I'll be playing this on the side of YS VIII every now and again to spice things up juuuust a little.
@RogerRoger Even using save states in a similar manner to being able to save anywhere in Tomb Raider 2, it’s doing my head in! The traps are brutal, relying on trial and error which is totally incompatible with the save system. Sorry to see The Last Revelation didn’t blow you away this time, I’m intrigued to see where the series goes after 3. Also, if I remember right then you played the PSP version of Legend or Anniversary a while back and I was wondering if they were worth picking up? I have the PS2 versions anyway but I do prefer portable versions and I saw them going quite cheap.
@nessisonett Yeah, there were times when I realised I'd need to reload a save I'd made thirty seconds ago, and it was quicker and easier to watch Lara die than go through the convoluted inventory (which is somehow worse in The Last Revelation and Chronicles, despite it being touted as an improvement). I should stress that, whilst TLR does indeed have such moments, they're nowhere near as prevalent as I understand they are in TR3. Everything up until Cairo (so that's the first two-thirds of the entire game, give or take) is fair, fun and therefore fantastic. It's just a shame the difficulty isn't better balanced.
Are you talking about the digital versions of the PSP games? Because I've got the physical UMDs, which I obviously had to play on original hardware. I can't say if the performance of the digital versions would be helped by the more powerful PS Vita (especially an, er... "enhanced" one like yours).
But to answer your question, in my experience, Legend on PSP is very poorly optimised, to the point where some sections become almost unplayable. The controls are fine, but the visuals are muddy and the framerate is a slideshow. On the other hand, and perhaps as a response to criticism, the PSP version of Anniversary is a delight, with a silky-smooth framerate and crisp presentation, at least in its early stages (it's another of my incomplete save files). Both games are entirely feature-complete when compared to their PS2 counterparts, which is impressive in and of itself.
If they really are that cheap, then I'd consider Anniversary at the very least, but be cautious of Legend.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@HallowMoonshadow I feel like they pulled an Evil Dead with that series, and the IP became increasingly comedic going from Koudelka, which, from what I've heard, is practically a survival horror game.
It's definitely a series I plan to explore sooner than later. Especially with how acclaimed Shadow Hearts: Covenant is.
@RogerRoger Hmm, seeing as I already have Legend and Anniversary on PS2 then I might just stick with those versions! It’s just a little bit more hassle seeing as I’ll have to dig out my PS2 or bother ripping it to my laptop or PS3.
@nessisonett There's always the Tomb Raider HD Trilogy on PS3, which contains some improved Xbox360 ports of Legend and Anniversary alongside Underworld, all on one disc (somehow). I mean, you'd still be double-dipping, but the convenience is great and the presentation is the best possible, outside of playing the PC versions on an overpowered rig. Still doesn't address your preference for handheld, not unless you can get PS3 Remote Play working on your PS Vita (and I'm not sure the trilogy is compatible anyway) but it's an option if you run into any trouble with your PS2 copies.
Oh, and avoid the PS2 version of Underworld at all costs. [shudder]
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
I mean from what I've seen/heard of the other titles you're not wrong at all with that Evil Dead comparison @Ralizah.
I just watched a playthrough of Koudelka and it is very much a survival horror game... with grid based jrpg random encounters.
It has a rather interesting development from what I can gather with most the team being ex square employees and a slight differences of opinion on what it was supposed to be?
Koudelka also has some surprisingly good voice acting for the PS1. Then Shadow Hearts 1 was dubbed by 4 Kids voice actors for some reason
I'm not familiar with Shadow Hearts 1 or Covenant all that much to be honest aside from knowing the main character Yuri, 1 having bad VA throughout & Covenant being highly regarded.
As for Ys VIII? I've posted about it 3/4 times now in the ps4 game thread.
Long story short I've really enjoyed it 😄
I'm in chapter 4 & I just made it to the ruins and I was switched to Dana to plant a tree to help Adol out.
My only gripes so far are the plot has been, like the other Falcom games I've played, a slow burn & Chapter 2 with the whole Kiergaard, nameless ripper thing coming out of nowhere and getting resolved as quickly as it was brought up.
@HallowMoonshadow Oh no! That stinks. I have my PS2 in storage somewhere and I have no idea if it still works.
Are you going to try to crack it open and fix it? If it’s simply the ribbon out of line, maybe it’s a simple DIY job. 😄
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
I have this condition and well... This video explains it best
... Ok so maybe that might be a slight exaggeration at how bad I am
But I REALLY wouldn't trust myself to do something as careful and delicate as that with klutzy fingers like mine. I'd probably end up breaking the entire thing.
I was getting in the mood for a whole retro/turn based jrpg binge too. I was gonna finally replay P3, P4, Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 and all sorts. Now that's completely out the window 😦
@HallowMoonshadow Oh no, that’s a real shame! I’m fairly unlucky with these things too, although my sausage fingers mean that while I’ve fixed a few controllers and consoles, I usually electrocute myself at the same time 😂
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