VeganElduderino
Member
Nope i can't do it , videogames is like pussy or crack(i don't do crack) , i need them , i just keep buying them lol i bought 2 today and probably won't finish them lol
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No new games in 2021, unfinished backlog only
- Thread starter DunDunDunpachi
- Start date
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Soodanim
Member
No, it’s like unlocking more levels in a game you thought you finished unless you think it’s significantly different and warrants being classed as a new game. What’s the DLC?
Perrott
Member
Oh shit! I nearly forgot to do an update on the games I beat in March.
(PS3) Batman: Arkham Origins - Mar. 3rd
(PS4) SUPERHOT - Mar. 3rd
(PS4) Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Mar. 12th
(PS3) LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues - Mar. 14th
(PS3) God of War: Ascension - Mar. 20th
(PS4) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Mar. 22th
And this is how my "currently playing" list looks like nowadays:
(PC) Final Fantasy 7
(PS4) Frostpunk
(PC) Highway Blossoms
(PC) Kentucky Route Zero
(PS3) Syberia
(PS4) The Sexy Brutale
(PS4) Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
(PS3) Batman: Arkham Origins - Mar. 3rd
(PS4) SUPERHOT - Mar. 3rd
(PS4) Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Mar. 12th
(PS3) LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues - Mar. 14th
(PS3) God of War: Ascension - Mar. 20th
(PS4) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Mar. 22th
And this is how my "currently playing" list looks like nowadays:
(PC) Final Fantasy 7
(PS4) Frostpunk
(PC) Highway Blossoms
(PC) Kentucky Route Zero
(PS3) Syberia
(PS4) The Sexy Brutale
(PS4) Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
JANUARY
(PS3) Catherine - Jan. 10th
(PS3) Demon's Souls - Jan. 13th
(PS3) Max Payne 3 - Jan. 14th
(PS4) Wreckfest - Jan. 18th
(PS3) Silent Hill - Jan. 19th
(PC) Tangram Deluxe - Jan. 22nd
(PC) Into the Bridge - Jan. 23rd
FEBRUARY
(PC) A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build - Feb. 9th
(PC) Diablo 2 - Feb. 11th
(PS3) Catherine - Jan. 10th
(PS3) Demon's Souls - Jan. 13th
(PS3) Max Payne 3 - Jan. 14th
(PS4) Wreckfest - Jan. 18th
(PS3) Silent Hill - Jan. 19th
(PC) Tangram Deluxe - Jan. 22nd
(PC) Into the Bridge - Jan. 23rd
FEBRUARY
(PC) A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build - Feb. 9th
(PC) Diablo 2 - Feb. 11th
Last edited:
Aurelius
Member
Rise & Fall and Gathering Storm for Civ6.
Ascend
Member
I spent some time breeding Pokemon for a competitive team in Pokemon Sword after I finished the campaign and the post-game story. I wanted an eeveelution team, so I bred a bunch of Eevee, and mostly got what I wanted. I didn't get around to training them yet.
I also always wanted a competitive Milotic. I spent a bunch of time breeding the perfect Feebas (which evolves into Milotic). I managed to get two of them with perfect IVs and perfect nature. And then I found out, the only way to evolve it is to trade it >_< There was an alternative in the past, but this has been removed apparently... There goes my perfect Milotic that generally trolls everyone in competitive battles xD (I test my Pokémon first in Pokemon Showdown before breeding them).
If there is one thing I hate about Pokemon is that it makes you dependent on other people to do certain basic stuff. I don't personally know anyone else that plays Pokemon in my area, and I can't risk trading my perfectly bred Feebas for some other one online that doesn't have the IVs and nature that I want. So... This is a dead end for now.
I'll stick with capturing a few more Pokemon in the DLC, and then I'll consider this game complete.
I also always wanted a competitive Milotic. I spent a bunch of time breeding the perfect Feebas (which evolves into Milotic). I managed to get two of them with perfect IVs and perfect nature. And then I found out, the only way to evolve it is to trade it >_< There was an alternative in the past, but this has been removed apparently... There goes my perfect Milotic that generally trolls everyone in competitive battles xD (I test my Pokémon first in Pokemon Showdown before breeding them).
If there is one thing I hate about Pokemon is that it makes you dependent on other people to do certain basic stuff. I don't personally know anyone else that plays Pokemon in my area, and I can't risk trading my perfectly bred Feebas for some other one online that doesn't have the IVs and nature that I want. So... This is a dead end for now.
I'll stick with capturing a few more Pokemon in the DLC, and then I'll consider this game complete.
Mr Hyde
Member
Latest games to be crossed out from the backlog is
Ratchet and clank
Abzu
The Wolf Among Us (Platinum)
Ghost of Tsushima (Platinum)
Couldn't resist the freebies from Sony. I counted my backlog and what's left, and it's currently 22 games left to complete. It should be doable by the end of the year, should I not do any crazy purchase sprees.
Ratchet and clank
Abzu
The Wolf Among Us (Platinum)
Ghost of Tsushima (Platinum)
Couldn't resist the freebies from Sony. I counted my backlog and what's left, and it's currently 22 games left to complete. It should be doable by the end of the year, should I not do any crazy purchase sprees.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
I actually had a lot of fun with this game back when I played it. Platforming is fun, weapons range from fun to GREAT, and the general vibe is awesome. Voice acting was also pretty good (save one or two characters). To me, this is almost the definition of a straight up fun video game.
That final boss though.. fuck that, I had to get the RYNO. I mean, I could've killed him with non-RYNO weapons, but I remember at the time, my frustration was growing
Mr Hyde
Member
Yeah, Ratchet was great. First time I dabbled with the franchise. It was fun and lighthearted, and a great change of pace to all the moody and grim "adult" games Sony usually puts out
I got a new game + too that awaits. Challenge mode. Gonna be fun. Probably grabbing the platinum too while I'm at it.
DelireMan7
Member
I am now around 60 hours in Hollow Knight. I could go and challenge the final boss but I continue to do some side content (just discovered the pantheons).
I did the Coliseum of Fools and the third trial broke me mentally... After something around 10h, I beat it but it was a though ride (this "no ground" and so no healing sequence was my nightmare).
I'll do a longer "review" of the game later when I am done with it but long story short : Hollow Knight is a masterpiece. Beautiful world and setting, cryptic story telling, adorable, endearing and some hilarious NPCs/quests, atmospheric soundtrack, top notch gameplay, challenging and enjoyable fights (this Lord Mantis fight is a perfection for me. Probably the best boss fight I have experienced in gaming). Some much harder challenges in side content borderline unfair sometimes if your want more.
I did the Coliseum of Fools and the third trial broke me mentally... After something around 10h, I beat it but it was a though ride (this "no ground" and so no healing sequence was my nightmare).
I'll do a longer "review" of the game later when I am done with it but long story short : Hollow Knight is a masterpiece. Beautiful world and setting, cryptic story telling, adorable, endearing and some hilarious NPCs/quests, atmospheric soundtrack, top notch gameplay, challenging and enjoyable fights (this Lord Mantis fight is a perfection for me. Probably the best boss fight I have experienced in gaming). Some much harder challenges in side content borderline unfair sometimes if your want more.
TheGodfather07
Member
i want to get to ghost of tsushima, FFVIII remake and resident evil 3 remake as my next 3 but im still wroking through death stranding. i was curious about the game and got it on sale. i was actually enjoying it but now im getting kind of frustrated at chapter 6. does anyone know how close i am to the end? i want to see it through but i dunno. im losing enjoyment and its starting to even piss me off! these damn mountain areas man...
Phase
Member
InfiniteCombo
Banned
The original Genesis one, or the remake? (I own the remake on PC, it's in my backlog. Well, I guess I also technically own the Genesis version via the Genesis Mini...)
SpiceRacz
Member
Original on Genesis. Loved World of Illusion as a kid, but Castle is better. I also played, but didn't finish Quackshot a while back. I miss when licensed Disney games were actually good.
Kazza
Member
Both versions are great! I replayed the Megadrive version on the mini (hadn't played it since the 90s) and I thought it still held up really well. Although I don't think a remake was necessary, that game turned out great too. It made enough changes to be worthwhile playing, while still staying true to the original.
Don't sleep on the 8-bit Master System/Game Gear Disney games if you enjoy the 16 bit ones. They are pretty much of a similar quality gameplay-wise (and I think the graphics have a nice simplicity to them too).
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Original Post
+1. Current backlog completed count: 13.
Scramble; on PC (Steam), via Konami's Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection.
No, the date on that is not wrong. In some ways, it most definitely feels like a 1981 game; in some others, it doesn't and I can say that it's slightly ahead of its time.
Gameplay:
There are two main offensive actions: A regular shot (the standard kind, in which you spam the action button for each shot); and a bomb, which drops 2 bombs at a time at what I can only call the most fucking awkward arc/angle ever (in a downward direction). After firing bombs, there's a bit of a timeout you need to wait (about 2-3 ish seconds) before you can use the bombs again. Bombs are key, because there are a lot of things you need to shoot below you.
When you destroy items either with your standard shot or with a bomb, you get points. (It is an arcade game, after all). You can destroy enemy ships before they take off upwards; you can destroy rocks(?), and, most importantly of all, you can destroy fuel. This is pretty key and you need to do it for survival; your ship has a fuel gauge which runs out with time, and "destroying" fuel deposits on the ground is your way of restocking your fuel supply.
The game is actually really short; there is just a single level, with 6 different sections (I guess they count as 6 separate "mini-levels" since, when you die -- oh, and you'll die, a lot -- the game puts you at the beginning of whatever section you're in.)
Pros:
+ This game looks fantastic. It's a 1981 game, and it looks really, really good.
+ The game in general controls really well. Very responsive controls. Additionally, this Arcade Classics Collection gives you an option to "auto-fire" by holding the button (instead of spamming the button; in a traditional way, when you went to the arcade each button press corresponded to a shot). I didn't use this option, I played with "traditional" controls.
+ Music is on point
Cons:
- Your ship moves slow. I mean, fine, it's a 1981 game, but it takes some getting used to moving such a slow ship
- As I mentioned in the gameplay section above, the bombs have what so far is the most awkward angle of any weapon I've ever used in a video game. There's probably some method of having finer control to the arc, but I doubt it (and it's not like I could experiment much with shit coming my way every which way). This wouldn't be a big issue if bombs weren't absolutely crucial to this game. In some shoot-em-ups, bombs are just an optional higher-powered item. Here, they are a requirement; the levels are actually designed around them.
- This being an arcade game from 1981, there is some serious amounts of high-grade royal bullshit in the levels. A couple of examples below:
In Section 3, you've got these super fast fireballs coming at you, which wouldn't be an issue except for the slow movement I mentioned (note the fuel tanks on the ground). This picture actually doesn't do it justice; there are a lot more fireballs coming your way, it's just that I captured the screenshot in a "quieter" moment. (Otherwise I'd die more than I already did)
In Section 5, you have to do a lot of dodging -- with your very slow ship (so in the picture below, given my position, you have to very quickly zoom forward, hang left as much as possible so that the screen is pushing you, shoot the fuel tanks QUICKLY because the next section is tricky as well, etc...):
Finally, when you get to "base" you have to defeat any of the several Base Leader ships that just hang out on the ground (not pictured here). Awwww, how cute with their "Konami" logos
Anyway, after you defeat the Base Leader, you just keep going until you run out of fuel and die. Yet you get this message:
]
Do I recommend people play it? I enjoyed my time with it, but in general... nah, you can probably skip it, unless you are trying to check out what arcade companies were doing back in 1981 as a historical curiosity.
Will I play this game again? Sure, maybe someday. Maybe I'll try to 1CC it, I don't know. (Although that would probably be a rage-inducing activity, LOL). I'm just happy that, for the time being, I "completed my duties" (even if I had to use a couple of save-states due to the royal amounts of BS this game throws at you).
Cheers!
+1. Current backlog completed count: 13.
Scramble; on PC (Steam), via Konami's Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection.
No, the date on that is not wrong. In some ways, it most definitely feels like a 1981 game; in some others, it doesn't and I can say that it's slightly ahead of its time.
Gameplay:
There are two main offensive actions: A regular shot (the standard kind, in which you spam the action button for each shot); and a bomb, which drops 2 bombs at a time at what I can only call the most fucking awkward arc/angle ever
(in a downward direction). After firing bombs, there's a bit of a timeout you need to wait (about 2-3 ish seconds) before you can use the bombs again. Bombs are key, because there are a lot of things you need to shoot below you.When you destroy items either with your standard shot or with a bomb, you get points. (It is an arcade game, after all). You can destroy enemy ships before they take off upwards; you can destroy rocks(?), and, most importantly of all, you can destroy fuel. This is pretty key and you need to do it for survival; your ship has a fuel gauge which runs out with time, and "destroying" fuel deposits on the ground is your way of restocking your fuel supply.
The game is actually really short; there is just a single level, with 6 different sections (I guess they count as 6 separate "mini-levels" since, when you die -- oh, and you'll die, a lot -- the game puts you at the beginning of whatever section you're in.)
Pros:
+ This game looks fantastic. It's a 1981 game, and it looks really, really good.
+ The game in general controls really well. Very responsive controls. Additionally, this Arcade Classics Collection gives you an option to "auto-fire" by holding the button (instead of spamming the button; in a traditional way, when you went to the arcade each button press corresponded to a shot). I didn't use this option, I played with "traditional" controls.
+ Music is on point
Cons:
- Your ship moves slow. I mean, fine, it's a 1981 game, but it takes some getting used to moving such a slow ship
- As I mentioned in the gameplay section above, the bombs have what so far is the most awkward angle of any weapon I've ever used in a video game. There's probably some method of having finer control to the arc, but I doubt it (and it's not like I could experiment much with shit coming my way every which way). This wouldn't be a big issue if bombs weren't absolutely crucial to this game. In some shoot-em-ups, bombs are just an optional higher-powered item. Here, they are a requirement; the levels are actually designed around them.
- This being an arcade game from 1981, there is some serious amounts of high-grade royal bullshit in the levels. A couple of examples below:
In Section 3, you've got these super fast fireballs coming at you, which wouldn't be an issue except for the slow movement I mentioned (note the fuel tanks on the ground). This picture actually doesn't do it justice; there are a lot more fireballs coming your way, it's just that I captured the screenshot in a "quieter" moment. (Otherwise I'd die more than I already did)
In Section 5, you have to do a lot of dodging -- with your very slow ship (so in the picture below, given my position, you have to very quickly zoom forward, hang left as much as possible so that the screen is pushing you, shoot the fuel tanks QUICKLY because the next section is tricky as well, etc...):
Finally, when you get to "base" you have to defeat any of the several Base Leader ships that just hang out on the ground (not pictured here). Awwww, how cute with their "Konami" logos
Anyway, after you defeat the Base Leader, you just keep going until you run out of fuel and die. Yet you get this message:
Do I recommend people play it? I enjoyed my time with it, but in general... nah, you can probably skip it, unless you are trying to check out what arcade companies were doing back in 1981 as a historical curiosity.
Will I play this game again? Sure, maybe someday. Maybe I'll try to 1CC it, I don't know. (Although that would probably be a rage-inducing activity, LOL). I'm just happy that, for the time being, I "completed my duties" (even if I had to use a couple of save-states due to the royal amounts of BS this game throws at you).
Cheers!
Last edited:
Ryuji Goda
Member
Finished Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (PS4). Really enjoyed it. I didn't care about the story but the boat mechanics and the combat was really cool. Also, what is up with the constand tailing of persons and eavesdropping. I hated those missions. Overall; a good game. I'd give it a 7/10.
Started Killzone Shadow Fall (PS4). So far it looks great but plays like a super basic fps.
Started Killzone Shadow Fall (PS4). So far it looks great but plays like a super basic fps.
Last edited:
Kazza
Member
I had a lot of fun with that game a couple of years back, but that was because I tried to ignore the main story and just do the piratey things. I hated it when they forced you to "play" those boring modern day office sections.
I especially enjoyed the whole ship combat (although the framerate was absolutely atrocious on my PS3!).
Ryuji Goda
Member
Oh yeah, I totally forgot about those modern day missions. wtf was that?
InfiniteCombo
Banned
What that was, it was a lame attempt at keeping a modern-day story after the conclusion of the modern day arc in Assassin's Creed III. And to be honest, the modern day sections of AC have not felt the same since the end of AC3.
Just like you, I had a lot of fun with 4. I 100%'d it when I played it. I also didn't care about the story much, except for some of the characters, and of course Blackbeard was awesome (as I expected him to be).
The ship battles were awesome. A few that were pretty amazing for me were the optional "Legendary Ship" battles; there are 4 of them, one each on one corner of the map.
That gameplay loop hooked me so much that I also really enjoyed Assassin's Creed: Rogue (from a gameplay perspective I call it, "Assassins Creed 4, Part 2" LMAO...)
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Original Post
+1. Current backlog completed count: 13.
Scramble; on PC (Steam), via Konami's Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection.
No, the date on that is not wrong. In some ways, it most definitely feels like a 1981 game; in some others, it doesn't and I can say that it's slightly ahead of its time.
Gameplay:
There are two main offensive actions: A regular shot (the standard kind, in which you spam the action button for each shot); and a bomb, which drops 2 bombs at a time at what I can only call the most fucking awkward arc/angle ever
When you destroy items either with your standard shot or with a bomb, you get points. (It is an arcade game, after all). You can destroy enemy ships before they take off upwards; you can destroy rocks(?), and, most importantly of all, you can destroy fuel. This is pretty key and you need to do it for survival; your ship has a fuel gauge which runs out with time, and "destroying" fuel deposits on the ground is your way of restocking your fuel supply.
The game is actually really short; there is just a single level, with 6 different sections (I guess they count as 6 separate "mini-levels" since, when you die -- oh, and you'll die, a lot -- the game puts you at the beginning of whatever section you're in.)
Pros:
+ This game looks fantastic. It's a 1981 game, and it looks really, really good.
+ The game in general controls really well. Very responsive controls. Additionally, this Arcade Classics Collection gives you an option to "auto-fire" by holding the button (instead of spamming the button; in a traditional way, when you went to the arcade each button press corresponded to a shot). I didn't use this option, I played with "traditional" controls.
+ Music is on point
Cons:
- Your ship moves slow. I mean, fine, it's a 1981 game, but it takes some getting used to moving such a slow ship
- As I mentioned in the gameplay section above, the bombs have what so far is the most awkward angle of any weapon I've ever used in a video game. There's probably some method of having finer control to the arc, but I doubt it (and it's not like I could experiment much with shit coming my way every which way). This wouldn't be a big issue if bombs weren't absolutely crucial to this game. In some shoot-em-ups, bombs are just an optional higher-powered item. Here, they are a requirement; the levels are actually designed around them.
- This being an arcade game from 1981, there is some serious amounts of high-grade royal bullshit in the levels. A couple of examples below:
In Section 3, you've got these super fast fireballs coming at you, which wouldn't be an issue except for the slow movement I mentioned (note the fuel tanks on the ground). This picture actually doesn't do it justice; there are a lot more fireballs coming your way, it's just that I captured the screenshot in a "quieter" moment. (Otherwise I'd die more than I already did)
In Section 5, you have to do a lot of dodging -- with your very slow ship (so in the picture below, given my position, you have to very quickly zoom forward, hang left as much as possible so that the screen is pushing you, shoot the fuel tanks QUICKLY because the next section is tricky as well, etc...):
Finally, when you get to "base" you have to defeat any of the several Base Leader ships that just hang out on the ground (not pictured here). Awwww, how cute with their "Konami" logos
Anyway, after you defeat the Base Leader, you just keep going until you run out of fuel and die. Yet you get this message:
]
Do I recommend people play it? I enjoyed my time with it, but in general... nah, you can probably skip it, unless you are trying to check out what arcade companies were doing back in 1981 as a historical curiosity.
Will I play this game again? Sure, maybe someday. Maybe I'll try to 1CC it, I don't know. (Although that would probably be a rage-inducing activity, LOL). I'm just happy that, for the time being, I "completed my duties" (even if I had to use a couple of save-states due to the royal amounts of BS this game throws at you).
Cheers!
Update: Completed one whole loop with a single credit. I'll count that as "1CC" even though this seems to be one of those games that keeps "going on forever" to try to get a high score. So I played one whole loop, and even part of a second loop, before I thought, "OK, I've had enough of this."
Everything from my original post about this game still stands.
Ryuji Goda
Member
Oh that's right! Rogue. I really want to play that too, but it's 30 on PS4 and also, I don't want to buy new games haha.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
So many good sales this last week I couldn't help myself. I got Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, Onimusha: Warlords, Kenshi, Grandia HD Remaster, Vanquish, and Shenmue 1 and 2.
Anyone else splurge a bit lately?
Nope. I've held steady. I have way too much stuff in my backlog
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Original Post
+1. Current backlog completed count: 14.
TwinBee; on PC (Steam), via Konami's Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection. Since this game technically has no "end condition" I just played it for long enough to be satisfied with it and move on.
Gameplay:
A vertical auto-scrolling shooter. Definitely interesting. Your spaceship (the titular "TwinBee") can shoot regular bullets; it also has two arms, each arm which can throw bombs. You can get weapon upgrade via "bells" that you unlock by revealing them, by shooting the floating clouds. The bells have a color scheme where the default color (yellow) gets you some points, but by shooting it, you can change it to a color that can get you a nice weapon upgrade. The colors are red (shield), green (clone ships that accompany you), white (enhanced shot), and blue (speed boost).
Enemies (and there are LOTS of them) can hurt you by shooting you either at your core (in which case you die from that one shot), or by hitting you on either of your arms, in which case you lose that arm. If you lose both arms, an airborne "ambulance" comes to restore your arms. You progress through levels; unlike Scramble (see a few posts above), each level has an "end boss"; and also unlike Scramble, there's no victory/end condition; the game just plays forever, with the goal to get as high of a score as possible.
Yeah, I think I covered everything....
Pros:
+ Nice graphics. This game looks nice (see pictures below). Your spaceship looks nice.
+ Soundtrack. Music is awesome
+ Controls. Tight, responsive controls feel pretty good. No complaints there.
Cons:
- Bell upgrade is not reliable, seems random. Something they could have done was make it such that a certain number of shots to the bell would guarantee the bell to upgrade to a certain color. As it stands, the bell color upgrade scheme seems to be RNG -- and a heavily unfavorable RNG, at that.
- Of every video game I have ever played (so far), this has, by far, the most bullshit AI. I've Platinum'd Uncharted games in Crushing difficulty; I've beaten SNK fighting game bosses; I've beaten Resident Evil games in speedrun-time, without using any healing items; etc etc. Yet this fucking game, wow. Enemies come at you from EVERYWHERE. They are much faster than you, they flood the screen with bullets, and sometimes they "rush" you with quick movements that are difficult to avoid. Actually, about that... I've played Ikaruga briefly, and the sense that I get is that it's a "bullet hell" game, but still fair. This game is anything but. The "1985" date is showing; this game was clearly designed to extract as many quarters from the player as possible.
The way I see it, this is the fatal flaw of the main gameplay loop: While you're avoiding the flood of enemies on screen (who, again, massively outnumber you, are faster than you, and can collectively shoot more bullets than you), you're trying to shoot the bells to get them to be a favorable color; but just when you get the bell to be a color you want, if you shoot it again, it will become yellow again. (And remember from above; yellow bells don't give any upgrades.) And the thing is, whether you want to or not, you WILL shoot the bells again -- you have to constantly shoot to survive, because you're trying to kill the enemies on the screen. What this eventually results in is you dying -- a lot.
I still did decently well, all things considered. But, as far as single player gameplay, will I ever play this game again? That's a solid NO.
Anyway, some pictures:
(Below: Standard action shot; the titular TwinBee is right above the water)
(Below: You can see the bell in the middle-ish of the picture)
(Below: The Japanese love of baseball makes its way to video games again. There's literally a powerup in which a baseball -- shown below -- bounces around and kills enemies)
(Below: A slightly bigger picture to show more of the detail)
+1. Current backlog completed count: 14.
TwinBee; on PC (Steam), via Konami's Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection. Since this game technically has no "end condition" I just played it for long enough to be satisfied with it and move on.
Gameplay:
A vertical auto-scrolling shooter. Definitely interesting. Your spaceship (the titular "TwinBee") can shoot regular bullets; it also has two arms, each arm which can throw bombs. You can get weapon upgrade via "bells" that you unlock by revealing them, by shooting the floating clouds. The bells have a color scheme where the default color (yellow) gets you some points, but by shooting it, you can change it to a color that can get you a nice weapon upgrade. The colors are red (shield), green (clone ships that accompany you), white (enhanced shot), and blue (speed boost).
Enemies (and there are LOTS of them) can hurt you by shooting you either at your core (in which case you die from that one shot), or by hitting you on either of your arms, in which case you lose that arm. If you lose both arms, an airborne "ambulance" comes to restore your arms. You progress through levels; unlike Scramble (see a few posts above), each level has an "end boss"; and also unlike Scramble, there's no victory/end condition; the game just plays forever, with the goal to get as high of a score as possible.
Yeah, I think I covered everything....
Pros:
+ Nice graphics. This game looks nice (see pictures below). Your spaceship looks nice.
+ Soundtrack. Music is awesome
+ Controls. Tight, responsive controls feel pretty good. No complaints there.
Cons:
- Bell upgrade is not reliable, seems random. Something they could have done was make it such that a certain number of shots to the bell would guarantee the bell to upgrade to a certain color. As it stands, the bell color upgrade scheme seems to be RNG -- and a heavily unfavorable RNG, at that.
- Of every video game I have ever played (so far), this has, by far, the most bullshit AI. I've Platinum'd Uncharted games in Crushing difficulty; I've beaten SNK fighting game bosses; I've beaten Resident Evil games in speedrun-time, without using any healing items; etc etc. Yet this fucking game, wow. Enemies come at you from EVERYWHERE. They are much faster than you, they flood the screen with bullets, and sometimes they "rush" you with quick movements that are difficult to avoid. Actually, about that... I've played Ikaruga briefly, and the sense that I get is that it's a "bullet hell" game, but still fair. This game is anything but. The "1985" date is showing; this game was clearly designed to extract as many quarters from the player as possible.
The way I see it, this is the fatal flaw of the main gameplay loop: While you're avoiding the flood of enemies on screen (who, again, massively outnumber you, are faster than you, and can collectively shoot more bullets than you), you're trying to shoot the bells to get them to be a favorable color; but just when you get the bell to be a color you want, if you shoot it again, it will become yellow again. (And remember from above; yellow bells don't give any upgrades.) And the thing is, whether you want to or not, you WILL shoot the bells again -- you have to constantly shoot to survive, because you're trying to kill the enemies on the screen. What this eventually results in is you dying -- a lot.
I still did decently well, all things considered. But, as far as single player gameplay, will I ever play this game again? That's a solid NO.
Anyway, some pictures:
(Below: Standard action shot; the titular TwinBee is right above the water)
(Below: You can see the bell in the middle-ish of the picture)
(Below: The Japanese love of baseball makes its way to video games again. There's literally a powerup in which a baseball -- shown below -- bounces around and kills enemies)
(Below: A slightly bigger picture to show more of the detail)
DelireMan7
Member
My challenge :
No 2021 games . I can buy older games as my backlog is limited to 1 genre and I might want to change genre during the year according to my mood.
Physical Backlog :
Well this game is a true masterpiece.
The presentation, artstyle and atmosphere are so great. It has this sadness/melancholic feeling all along. The story is extremely cryptic and has a minimalistic approach, so you don't really understand fully what's going on but it's just the things I like (very "Souls like"). You received tidbits of information here and there by examining some object or talking to NPCs.
And speaking about NPCs, there are so great. Again it has a very "Souls like" approach of NPCs and their quest. You came across a NPC during the exploration, she/he will tell you something kind of cryptic then move to a next location and you will meet her/him again (or not) during your exploration. They (NPCs and their quest)are generally really great. Some are endearing, some are melancholic/sad, some are hilarious (I laughed to tears at the end of one of them)... Also from what I have see, there is different outcomes possible to some quest depending on your action.
Then the exploration... It's a "metroidvania" game. So you randomly explore to uncover the map, you will be block at one point and comeback later once you find the good ability... The map is MASSIVE ! I didn't expect it to be that big. I felt lost for quite a bit but it felt so good ! That feeling when you have so many paths to explore or suddenly discovering an hidden area... An advice : use the map and markers !! I didn't to much at the beginning and it leads to me to reexplore areas I already did to find so important stuff. So each time you are blocked or see something interesting, put a marker on your map !
Then the gameplay ! PER-FECT ! You start with the abilities to heal, strike and jump... then at the end your kind of a god due to so number of abilities you unlock.
Boss fight are challenging but nothing overwhelming (for the main story I mean). But most importantly, bosses have (for most) really clean patterns to identify which make finding the appropriate countermeasures to each of its patterns satisfying but you should still remain focus because the pace is often fast.
Also there is the best boss fight I have experienced in gaming : The Lord Mantis. The whole scenery, the fight itself and the music... Perfection ! Really !
There is also some platforming section, which I had to adapt quite a bit at the beginning because I don't like that, but there is no so much. Actually at the end, I enjoyed it : there is an optional place call "The White palace" which is filled with some challenging platforming sections, I could do it without much problem and I really enjoyed it mainly because it was more like "puzzle solving" ("How should I pass this section") rather than straight platforming.
To finish on challenge, there is some really challenging stuff in sidecontent (platforming, arena combat, hidden bosses and boss rush).
EDIT : Completely forgot to speak about charms. Through your journey you will find charms to equip. Each charm require some slot to equip them (1 to 4 slots depending on the charm). Of course you begin with almost no slot and you have to find additional ones. Charm will have various effect like increase your damage, increase your healing ability, summon some minions to help you... There are up to 40 charms ! You can create "build" thanks to this system and I love experimenting with it. Also there some "secret" combo between charms. And finally some NPC will react differently if you have specific charms equip and several quest has to be resolve with charms.
Finally the music. I listened the soundtrack several times already. Just so good. The melancholic piano of Dirmouth, the charming and motivating Greenpath, the breathtaking and epic Hornet and Lord Mantis theme, the hearthbreaking Sealed vessel theme... There is so many awesome tracks... One of the best OST I've heard.
Hollow Knight gave me strong "Souls" vibes. It's what I would call a true '"Souls like" game (even so I am not a fan of this name) compare to all the Nioh, The surge, etc..., which reduce "Souls" to challenge and some gameplay mechanics. Hollow Knight captured what I love in the "Soulsborne".
In my "Best game of all time" ranking, Dark Souls and Bloodborne sat at the top without any serious contestants for a long time. Hollow Knight just took a sit next to them like it was nothing !
What to play next :
I'll continue a bit Hollow Knight to finish the 2 remaining pantheons (at least one, the last one is basically a 50 bosses boss rush which I am not sure I can do) for the Platinum.
I wanted to play Bloodborne for a while but I need something more casual and shorter after Hollow Knight.
I have finally catch up with the One Piece manga and I have started the anime, so I want to stay in the pirates universe so I'll go for Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (Started the 25th of April).
No 2021 games . I can buy older games as my backlog is limited to 1 genre and I might want to change genre during the year according to my mood.
Physical Backlog :
Lunar Silver Star Harmony (PSP)Done !- The Legend of Heroes : Trails in the Sky (PSP)
- Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
- Odin Sphere (PS2)
- Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear (PS4)
- Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (PS4)
- Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal (PS4)
- Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (PS3)
Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube)Done !- Zelda Ocarina of time (N64)
Hollow Knight (PS4)Done !- [Replay] Final Fantasy X and X-2 (PS2)
- [Replay] At least one SoulsBorne (PS3/4)
- [2021] Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
- [2021] Project X Zone (3DS)
- [2021] Radiant Historia : Perfect Chronology (3DS)
- Rayman Origins (PS3) (started in Spring 2020, main story finished 5th of January 2021, coop with my 4 years old daughter, her first video game)
- Lunar : Silver Star Harmony (PSP) (Started 1st of January, finished 17th of January, 25h56m)
- Baten Kaitos : Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) (Started 19th of January, Finished the 13th of March, around 67h)
- Hollow Knight (PS4) (Started 26th of February, Close to platinum the 23rd of April, around 83h)
Well this game is a true masterpiece.
The presentation, artstyle and atmosphere are so great. It has this sadness/melancholic feeling all along. The story is extremely cryptic and has a minimalistic approach, so you don't really understand fully what's going on but it's just the things I like (very "Souls like"). You received tidbits of information here and there by examining some object or talking to NPCs.
And speaking about NPCs, there are so great. Again it has a very "Souls like" approach of NPCs and their quest. You came across a NPC during the exploration, she/he will tell you something kind of cryptic then move to a next location and you will meet her/him again (or not) during your exploration. They (NPCs and their quest)are generally really great. Some are endearing, some are melancholic/sad, some are hilarious (I laughed to tears at the end of one of them)... Also from what I have see, there is different outcomes possible to some quest depending on your action.
Then the exploration... It's a "metroidvania" game. So you randomly explore to uncover the map, you will be block at one point and comeback later once you find the good ability... The map is MASSIVE ! I didn't expect it to be that big. I felt lost for quite a bit but it felt so good ! That feeling when you have so many paths to explore or suddenly discovering an hidden area... An advice : use the map and markers !! I didn't to much at the beginning and it leads to me to reexplore areas I already did to find so important stuff. So each time you are blocked or see something interesting, put a marker on your map !
Then the gameplay ! PER-FECT ! You start with the abilities to heal, strike and jump... then at the end your kind of a god due to so number of abilities you unlock.
Boss fight are challenging but nothing overwhelming (for the main story I mean). But most importantly, bosses have (for most) really clean patterns to identify which make finding the appropriate countermeasures to each of its patterns satisfying but you should still remain focus because the pace is often fast.
Also there is the best boss fight I have experienced in gaming : The Lord Mantis. The whole scenery, the fight itself and the music... Perfection ! Really !
There is also some platforming section, which I had to adapt quite a bit at the beginning because I don't like that, but there is no so much. Actually at the end, I enjoyed it : there is an optional place call "The White palace" which is filled with some challenging platforming sections, I could do it without much problem and I really enjoyed it mainly because it was more like "puzzle solving" ("How should I pass this section") rather than straight platforming.
To finish on challenge, there is some really challenging stuff in sidecontent (platforming, arena combat, hidden bosses and boss rush).
EDIT : Completely forgot to speak about charms. Through your journey you will find charms to equip. Each charm require some slot to equip them (1 to 4 slots depending on the charm). Of course you begin with almost no slot and you have to find additional ones. Charm will have various effect like increase your damage, increase your healing ability, summon some minions to help you... There are up to 40 charms ! You can create "build" thanks to this system and I love experimenting with it. Also there some "secret" combo between charms. And finally some NPC will react differently if you have specific charms equip and several quest has to be resolve with charms.
Finally the music. I listened the soundtrack several times already. Just so good. The melancholic piano of Dirmouth, the charming and motivating Greenpath, the breathtaking and epic Hornet and Lord Mantis theme, the hearthbreaking Sealed vessel theme... There is so many awesome tracks... One of the best OST I've heard.
Hollow Knight gave me strong "Souls" vibes. It's what I would call a true '"Souls like" game (even so I am not a fan of this name) compare to all the Nioh, The surge, etc..., which reduce "Souls" to challenge and some gameplay mechanics. Hollow Knight captured what I love in the "Soulsborne".
In my "Best game of all time" ranking, Dark Souls and Bloodborne sat at the top without any serious contestants for a long time. Hollow Knight just took a sit next to them like it was nothing !
What to play next :
I'll continue a bit Hollow Knight to finish the 2 remaining pantheons (at least one, the last one is basically a 50 bosses boss rush which I am not sure I can do) for the Platinum.
I wanted to play Bloodborne for a while but I need something more casual and shorter after Hollow Knight.
I have finally catch up with the One Piece manga and I have started the anime, so I want to stay in the pirates universe so I'll go for Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag (Started the 25th of April).
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InfiniteCombo
Banned
Uhhhh.... I'm gonna keep my expectations in check. But dude, your posts are getting me REALLY hyped for when I get around to Hollow Knight. Your posts have been a ringing endorsement of the game.
Fantastic post by the way! Amazing, well written thoughts.
Soodanim
Member
I’ve finished nearly everything in HK and his post makes me want to play it again. I think I might appreciate the game more a second time, as there were moments the first time round where I got frustrated to the point of no enjoyment. But it’s important to understand that it was purely of my own doing, as I have this thing where I default to going quickly in 2D games. Often too quickly. That means rushing bosses and being appropriately punished.
Banjo64
cumsessed
Not posted in this thread for a while but over the past 2 months I’ve mopped up platinum trophies on Ratchet and Clank PS4, Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn. Obviously all good games, never in doubt.
Trying to platinum every major PS4 exclusive that I had an interest in. Still got The Last Guardian and Gravity Rush 2 to go but I’m not sure if I have the appetite right now.
Any other trophy hunters in here?
Reading the above posts make me want to revisit Hollow Knight on my Xbox. I gave up after an hour. To be fair, I did the same with Demon’s Souls, but when I went back to it and it clicked, and then went on to play DaS 1-3 and Bloodborne, it cemented From Software as my favourite developer of the last 20 years (since Rareware basically).
Trying to platinum every major PS4 exclusive that I had an interest in. Still got The Last Guardian and Gravity Rush 2 to go but I’m not sure if I have the appetite right now.
Any other trophy hunters in here?
Reading the above posts make me want to revisit Hollow Knight on my Xbox. I gave up after an hour. To be fair, I did the same with Demon’s Souls, but when I went back to it and it clicked, and then went on to play DaS 1-3 and Bloodborne, it cemented From Software as my favourite developer of the last 20 years (since Rareware basically).
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DelireMan7
Member
Haha. Yes I might overpraising the game but it pushes all the right buttons for me and that didn't happen since Dark Souls few years ago. I didn't think I would find another game like this.
I can't recommend enough to try it.
I will definitely make others runs in future.
Also I can related to frustrating moment. Especially the third trials of the Coliseum of fools... it drives me crazy.
Also lately pushing too hard on the Pantheon made me rage a lot a destroyed my fun. That's why I wanted to move a bit from it. But I just went back to the 4th Pantheon with a clear mind and I almost beat it. I'll continue with this mindset (take my time and appreciate each fight)
Krizalidx11
Banned
Got back to FF XIII-2 on PC with HD mods for 4k, man it looks sharp and sexy
Bakkus
Member
Killer7 was finished today, and man, what a crazy messed up experience that was. The gameplay is mediocre at best, and most of the "puzzles" are a complete joke, but everything else is just so good. The artstyle, the music, the crazy ass story and dialogue is just top tier. I'm honestly lost on what to give this in rating, but it's definitely something you should not leave this life before experiencing for yourself.
Aurelius
Member
Finished Yakuza 2 Kiwami. It was epic. Although the final fight was a bit underwhelming because I hoarded too many health items and weapons (like I do in every other Yakuza game).
So, starting with Yakuza 1 on PS2 in 2006, I have now played every game in the Kiryu Kazuma Saga (0-6).
So, starting with Yakuza 1 on PS2 in 2006, I have now played every game in the Kiryu Kazuma Saga (0-6).
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Phase
Member
23. Vanquish (PC) - 5hrs
How would I describe this game? It's pure action. Not bad but not great, with a few unnecessary quicktime events sprinkled amongst a lot of shooting galleries and some boss fights. The shooting and movement does feel good, especially with high fps on pc. Was there a story? Don't ask me. I was just shooting bad guys.
Soodanim
Member
I stopped playing without beating the Troupe boss, and when I returned that was all I had to do. But I had to learn the whole game again because it had been so long, so it took a while. Jumped straight in the deep end with that one.
I also did some of the Pantheon after that, after failing to find it then looking up the location. I haven’t got to the end, but I’m not sure I’d want to put the time and effort into a 50 boss rush, seems like one for the dedicated. I did do the Trial of Fools, but this seems like a different kettle of fish.
I’m looking forward to the sequel, I hope it lives up to expectations.
DelireMan7
Member
I loved the Grimm troupe bosses. I did it a bit early, I think, and he gave me a rough time but I really enjoyed it.
The trials of Fools drove me crazy. Wasted 10h on it. The no floor section was a nightmare.
Pantheons are interesting. Did the first 3. The third one really drove me insane due to one fight (Zote).
I like the fourth one, most of the fights are interesting. The final boss of it kick my ass (double damage, fast pace and LOT of HP) but the fight is really enjoyable. Hope I’ll succeed eventually.
The last pantheon (50 boss) sounds impossible to me too. Especially than there is harder version of bosses in it, as well as alternate arena (like “no floor” on a certain boss).
I am now also hyped for Silksong but I don’t check much detail. I want to keep the discovery feeling I had with the first game.
Soodanim
Member
It sounds more like something to do as the end of a continuous journey as a final test/challenge, not something to revisit casually. I have no plans to finish the whole thing, but I may go back for the odd boss or two on occasion.
I hear you with Silksong, I know I’m going to get it so I don’t need any details or trailers. Why keep looking when the decision’s already made?
Almost let my Humble Bundle sub go through again, NOPE! Paused for another month. Yakuza 0 finished, Little Nightmares finished, played some retro games, Gunstar Heroes finished! Quick question though, what's the stance on other people buying games? My misses wants to buy "It Takes Two", that should be OK for me to play right?
SpiceRacz
Member
I've been on a TG16 kick the past few days, hopping in and out of stuff. I did finish Lords of Thunder and Rondo of Blood. Rondo of Blood in particular blew me away. Super Castlevania 4 is my favorite of all the classic vania games, but I think Rondo of Blood has overtaken it. It's superior in every aspect imo. Game is gorgeous (it's more vibrant and colorful compared to SC4), controls perfectly (less weighty than SC4), and it seems like the difficulty is turned down a notch compared to the other Castlevania games, making it more accessible. I didn't play with Maria at all after I finished the game. I probably will go back and try to find alternate routes. The only area where I'd say this game maybe doesn't match up is SC4's moodier, more gothic soundtrack. Otherwise, I'd say Rondo is a damn near perfect game. Glad I finally played and beat it.
edit: Lords of Thunder is really fucking good too.
edit: Lords of Thunder is really fucking good too.
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Ryuji Goda
Member
Just finished Re2 (PS1) with Leon. What a great game.
Next up is Re2 with Claire.
Next up is Re2 with Claire.
- Status