[SilverEars]

Resident Evil 4 remaster is out and I see a lot of great visual designs in this game that Fromsoftware put into their game. It has the same vibe in world I find in Dark Souls and Bloodborne. For a 2005 game, it was such a great production. Such an amazing looking game for it's time. I know Dark Souls came out in 2011, and graphics wasn't better even at that time (although how expansive the environment was, was impressive).


So basically, FromSoft's Souls games are a mix of Resident Evil, Zelda (locking on combat came from Ocarina of Time), and Western D&D influences (Big swords/weapons from Berserk Manga). Level designs are obviously Metroidvania in 3D form (bonfires are basically save points you find in metroidvanias). Multiple paths, and key system is Metroidvania, but it's much easier to get lost because 3D multiplies the amount of path possilities. 2D metroidvania limits it, so it's not as bad.

If we think of Souls games as metroidvanias, it's not so difficult. Games used to be of such difficulty back in the days. It's just that today, games got much easier (people got too used to easy games).

 

[SilverEars]

Finished up The Surge 2.

Fun game, but toward the end, the game was less interesting than how it started out. Still, it's a very engaging game. I would recommend it to those into Souls-like and metrovanias. Due to the battery charge heal system, the final boss battle became button mashing and watching the battery charge for heals in between button mashing. But, there are bosses that take some strategies.

Started on Remnant from the Ashes, and it's another fun souls-like. It's like Dark Souls, but with guns. I feel like this game is the next evolution of 1st person shooters, as it takes it to another level in terms of gameplay. It's challenging enough to be engaging if you play on hard mode.

It seems 3rd person perspective is the next evolution of games due to providing greater varieties of gameplay mechanics. It's necessary for combat mechanics, to be able to see the actions of the player's character in 3rd perspective. So that you can see the character's interaction relative to the enemy such as dodge, etc..

So gaming is evolving nicely due to souls games evolving the 3d game mechanics.

To get a good idea of the game, this guy's new player's guide is great. I like his approach to new player's guides.

 

[anjaudiofile]

Since we have an excellent long standing anime thread going, I thought we could really use a general videogame thread. In this thread you can rate the games you are currently playing, and responding to what others have already said. Also discussing games you are looking forward to is fine as well. Please try to refrain from discussing new and upcoming hardware, games only.

Currently playing:
Shin Megami Tensei - Digital Devil Saga - PS2 - A dark roleplaying game from good 'ol Atlus. Trying to get through this one soon as the sequel is being released sometime this week

So far so good. I'm about 20 hours into it, probably another 60 to go. I was initially a little disappointed after finding that a lot of the monsters from Nocturne have been recycled in this game however there does seem to be enough depth and an interesting storyline to keep me from losing interest. Rather than recruiting monsters like in nocturne (a hellish version of pokemon

) you are people that transform into monsters, whos duty is to devour other tribes of people that can tranform into monsters to reach the nebulous "Nirvana" as other strange mysteries unfold. As usual another excellent RPG from Atlus, with more glorious artwork by Kazuma Kaneko. So far 4.25/5 (not quite as good as Nocturne)

Forza - XBOX - I'm sure everyone knows that this is Xbox's version of Gran Turismo. I finally picked it up since it had dropped to $30 and have put a decent amount of time on it in the last week or so. Up to ~23% done in career however it seems that it is starting to become repetitive already, and the fact that it features the same tracks that were in Gran Turismo is certainly not helping. I'm currently trying to get through the heavyweight challenge and the Ferrari is exhibiting some annoying handling. So far 3/5

Just got, and have played briefly but not long enough for reviews: Midway Classics #3, Lunar for DS, and Capcom Classics.

Kingdom Come Deliverance - 5/5
If you are a PC gamer, this is quite a unique experience. I have never played such an immersive game. Everything that happens, I just find myself saying, "Ya that totally makes sense" or "that's exactly how it would happen". It has a fantastic story to accompany it's top tier game design. You can find it on sale for for around $13, and at that price, it is incredible value. Easily over 100 hours of content.

 

[SilverEars]

Since I'm into Resident Evil 1,2, and 3, (and maybe 4), I decided to check out other games Shinji Mikami produced after he left Capcom.

The one I checked out is The Evil Within. I played maybe an hr of it, and I disliked it. It was basically what RE4 was transitioning into. Just an interactive movie type ordeal. I'm into games with actually depth to gameplay. I don't see any point of games with no gameplay. Shinji Mikami made crappy games after leaving Capcom.

Also, Resident Evil Village. Another interactive movie. I really dislike what Resident Evil has turned into. Characters suck. Uninteresting and all that high res graphics with no real gameply.

Played some Halo Infinite. Same 'O crap from the first Halo. Just improved graphics.

Also, SiFu. Not my type of game. I've been reading around and people loosely say it's like Sekiro. No, just no. Combat is not even close. This game doesn't feel like there is skills to the combat on the level of Sekiro. it feels like another button masher.

But, Remnant from the Ashes is a terrifically made game. It's an underrated gem for sure. It's has feel of the original Fallout games with some Dark Souls elements, but with guns. I never would have expected a shooter to be this much fun! Because 1st person shooters are pretty bland these days. It's overdone with the same old mechanics. It's such BS that boring old Halo has such high reviews. Games like this should be pushed more.

The problem must have been that this game had no marketting. It was under the radar. Why would I want to play another same 'O Halo over this?

 

[waxler]

My non-generic taste.

Playing:

Medieval dynasty: 4/5. Fun for as long as it takes. But too short, not enough content, and too easy. But man, I love building my own village and making money.
Green hell: 4/5. A survival game that's kind of hard until you figure out what plants you need to heal from wounds and snake bites . Great graphics and a nice relaxing game with a couple of scary situations.

 

[SilverEars]

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

This game seemed too cutesy for me initially, and didn't take it seriously until I saw Youtube SoulsBorne players put out videos of their gameplay of boss fights. The controls are definitely like Dark Souls, but not as well tuned combat. Looks like a kids game, but combat like Dark Souls? Very deceptive appearance.

I like this soundtrack from it.

 

[SilverEars]

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

This game seemed too cutesy for me initially, and didn't take it seriously until I saw Youtube SoulsBorne players put out videos of their gameplay of boss fights. The controls are definitely like Dark Souls, but not as well tuned combat. Looks like a kids game, but combat like Dark Souls? Very deceptive appearance.

I like this soundtrack from it.

This game is definitely more fun and engaging than the most recent Zelda, which was a snooze fest. The enemies are challenging enough to keep interest up and also the puzzles are different and kinda fresh. I really didn't expect this from a game that looks like a cheap Disney cartoon (The girl looked like Mulan which turned me off). I see why there was hype with this game. Very well made for an Indie developer's first attempt.

I wish they didn't design the girl to look like Mulan or something. Some originality would have been a better draw. The gameplay is quite nice. I just dislike the cliche Disney character design.

Two types of cliche character designs annoy me. The weeby anime looking characters or the cliche Disney looking crap. Some originality please.

 

[SilverEars]

I'm quite surprised how much depth is in the combat in this game. The special abilities seem quite practical and useful, and they are made in a way so that there are various solution for combat difficulties.

The combat seems to be designed to be satisfying when using useful abilities. I find that's an important element for good combat design. If Zelda followed Dark Souls combat, this is what Zelda's combat could have evolved to. BOTW's combat doesn't have such level of depth, and 70% of the game is boring puzzle shrines and if there is some combat, same enemies placed in different spots (they fake open world it by dropping repetitious enemies in the open world). Kena on the other hand, they have designed specific enemy challenges through the progression of the game. It's much more novel than BOTW, and it feels like there was effort put into level designs.

 

[SilverEars]

Finished up Kena. What a game! Great world bosses. So much more fun than any 3D Zelda game I've played. I would highly recommend this one, but for those looking for good boss challenges as the game is pretty challenging combat wise.

Personally, Kena feels like Metroid in 3D. It had that kind of addiction in it's gameplay for me. Although, Metroid isn't as challenging as Kena. The difficulty curve follows similar to Metroid. And I feel that Souls-like follows such formula as well. The beginning is more difficult than as you progress and improve your character. Looking back, Dark Souls was kinda following Metroid formula. This formula really works to cause a bond to the game. I think it's a mental game.

The difficulty of Kena eases off after beating the first world boss, Corrupt Taro. Corrupt Taro is a high difficulty spike early on. It's Kena's 'rite of passage' like Iudex Gundyr from DS3. Souls-likes generally have a 'rite of passage' boss, which is a high difficulty spike boss placed early on that you have to get over to progress to find out the rest of the game. It's about testing the perseverance of the player. I think it mirrors life such as getting through military basic training or for the next levels, Ranger, Seals, or Spec ops training. Perseverance.

I guess it could be argued Ornstein and Smough is 'rite of passage' in DS1. It is the turning point for difficulty. But, with DS3, early on Iudex Gundyr is a big barrier for progression, especially for a newbie. It's barrier to break that newbie-ness.

Tried Phychonauts 2. Eventhough it seems like a pleasant game for those looking for the cartoony goofy fun that the fun doesn't get challenging, it's nothing special beyond it's shell of gimmicks. It just feels like another 3D platformers with item grabbing, fighting minions with upgrades. It's boring with gimmicky gameplay mechanics that is nothing special.

Got on Ender Lillies and I like the visuals of the game and Metroidvania feel is pretty good to be engaging. It's probably not as well made as Hollow Knight, but I'm just drawn to it more. Something about Hollow Knight I didn't feel engaged to it as this game.

 

[SilverEars]

Got on Ender Lillies and I like the visuals of the game and Metroidvania feel is pretty good to be engaging. It's probably not as well made as Hollow Knight, but I'm just drawn to it more. Something about Hollow Knight I didn't feel engaged to it as this game.

After playing further into the game, the game gets repetitive and there some thing I dislike about the game. I think the bosses have too much hp (for no good reasons). The bosses arn't all that well designed. Hollow Knight has better designed bosses.

The game doesn't feel like it's designed all that well. Level designs feel like simple enemy placements. Hollow Knight has much better thought out level designs. The game starts to get dull after awhile due to levels feeling the same everywhere.

The different combat skills doesn't feel all that useful, and just feels like they were just tacked on without much thoughts for practicality.

I think this game is over-rated based on the ratings out there. Hollow Knight is a much better made game, and it seems like this game copies design elements from Hollow Knight. I'd just play Hollow Knight and skip this one.

 

[SilverEars]

After playing further into the game, the game gets repetitive and there some thing I dislike about the game. I think the bosses have too much hp (for no good reasons). The bosses arn't all that well designed. Hollow Knight has better designed bosses.

The game doesn't feel like it's designed all that well. Level designs feel like simple enemy placements. Hollow Knight has much better thought out level designs. The game starts to get dull after awhile due to levels feeling the same everywhere.

The different combat skills doesn't feel all that useful, and just feels like they were just tacked on without much thoughts for practicality.

I think this game is over-rated based on the ratings out there. Hollow Knight is a much better made game, and it seems like this game copies design elements from Hollow Knight. I'd just play Hollow Knight and skip this one.

Prejudged this game too early. As I progressed to the later stages, I've realized I've been playing this game all wrong.

My game experience wasn't great due to missing out on a lot of skills (spirits), skills upgrade items, and relics. I didn't know each rectangle on the map changes color depending on if you found everything in that area represented by the rectangle. Everytime I beat a world boss, and got a new ability to access previous inaccessible areas, I should have back tracked to places I've been that I've not completed.

Unfortunately, my game experience was bad due to not doing this. Backtraacking and finding all the helpful items makes the progresions easier.

There are lots of secrets in this areas. Invisible walls, or grounds you have to break to find items. The important upgrades more secret, which makes the game easier with these upgrades.

So, I think this game is a fantastic metroidvania, and can stand on it's own alongside Hollow Knight. It does borrow a lot from Hollow Knight, but this one feels more Castlevania in comparison. The world becomes more interesting as you progress. I'm really enjoying it 2/3 way through now that I discovered all I've mentioned above.

Also, I should have tried out other two weapons I've obtained from bosses early on. The bigger brute weapons break enemy poise quicker and stuns them. This seems usesful for certain enemies and bosses.

When you collect all these skills, it's fun to mix them up to fight the bosses. If you backtracks you can obtain all these skills to choose which ones to use on a boss to do massive damages that will take them out quicker. Without them, boss hp feels like a huge pool. It's not like Dark Souls that the only primary weapon matters, the skills helps with boss fight like shown in this video. This is how the designers intended us to play, and this is what make this game stand out on it's own from Hollow Knight, and feels more like SOTN, which I like.


Upgrading isn't easy. The best upgrades are hidden. Check this one out. This one is insane, but it's the most useful upgrade in the game


Ok, comparison to Hollow Knight, Ender LIlies (EL) combat is more fun, especially with the skills. Hollow Knight has better designed bosses and much better lore (and story progression). Just strictly gameplay, I like Ender Lilies more. I think Hollow Knight's sound is better done, but I like the visuals of EL more. Also HK has better world designs.

I find that EL Relics (version of HK charms) is much more practical and useful than HK's. I find majority of Charms not great.

I like EL due to the special skills you can combo to beat bosses. I like this system because it gives you options to take out the bosses quicker with special skills. Hollow Knight is more about the grind with upgraded weapons. I like the system where we are given the tools, and we figure out what works best among many, in which EL does.

I think both games takes ideas from Darks Souls. I like the way EL does it.

 

[Terriero]

Imo hollow knight is the best Metroidvania out there. I just started it for another playthrough.

The graphics, music and gameplay are top notch imo.
It's certainly one of my most favourite games of all time.

Only the difficulty can be ridiculous, especially in late game.

When I was watching internal Steam videos about how to defeat "ultra" final bosses (re-revisited ones in "some other gods world" or something similar) in Hollow Knight and it seemed to be "so easy" to defeat them, I though to myself that I was a very bad player... But I'm not alone... I defeated all normal bosses inside the game, even the last one, but were impossible to me to defeat the "better versions" of the ones I defeated. Also I couldn't complete the last round at the fool's coliseum.

I loved the game but ended desesperately because of that (98 % of progress).

 

[ThanatosVI]

When I was watching internal Steam videos about how to defeat "ultra" final bosses (re-revisited ones in "some other gods world" or something similar) in Hollow Knight and it seemed to be "so easy" to defeat them, I though to myself that I was a very bad player... But I'm not alone... I defeated all normal bosses inside the game, even the last one, but were impossible to me to defeat the "better versions" of the ones I defeated. Also I couldn't complete the last round at the fool's coliseum.

I loved the game but ended desesperately because of that (98 % of progress).

The progress of the game actually goes to 112% since they added more content with the free dlc.

I also struggled a lot in the beginning. It took me 6h of trying one certain Boss until I defeated him for the first time.
Few weeks later I was basically speed running the Boss among others...

Guess practice is key in games like these

 

[SilverEars]

When I was watching internal Steam videos about how to defeat "ultra" final bosses (re-revisited ones in "some other gods world" or something similar) in Hollow Knight and it seemed to be "so easy" to defeat them, I though to myself that I was a very bad player... But I'm not alone... I defeated all normal bosses inside the game, even the last one, but were impossible to me to defeat the "better versions" of the ones I defeated. Also I couldn't complete the last round at the fool's coliseum.

I loved the game but ended desesperately because of that (98 % of progress).

Yeah, I haven't completed all the 'dream' bosses. I decided to call it quits. lol Dream version of Failed Champion did it for me.

 

[SilverEars]

If you played Hollow Knight, you may get a chuckle out of this