- Aug 24, 2011
- 27,725
- 12,320
The last few games you beat and rate them 5
- Thread starter Ceremony
- Start date
SimGrindcore
Registered User
Hi-Fi Rush (7.5/10)
Loved the setting and look of the game. Ran amazingly on my PC (solid 144 fps at 1440p with everything high). The combat is fun, but a bit repetitive. Really loved the world this game created, the main character is a bit one-not but the side characters and villains shine. The game likely has a ton of replayability for those who really want a challenge, and to get a ton of accomplishments. I'm likely done with it, but maybe go back at some point. I do love how a sizable AAA studio known for Survival Horror style games was able to create something so off-brand. I did like the occasional switches to 2D platforming like Nier Automata (but not quite as in-depth). Some of the battles where you were only allowed to parry/dodge drove me a bit nuts, but the fun is in the challenge right. Curious to see if this leads to other AAA X-Box/Bethesda studios putting out smaller AA indie style titles that are more niche but don't need massive hype to sell but are solid additions to a subscription service like gamepass.
Loved the setting and look of the game. Ran amazingly on my PC (solid 144 fps at 1440p with everything high). The combat is fun, but a bit repetitive. Really loved the world this game created, the main character is a bit one-not but the side characters and villains shine. The game likely has a ton of replayability for those who really want a challenge, and to get a ton of accomplishments. I'm likely done with it, but maybe go back at some point. I do love how a sizable AAA studio known for Survival Horror style games was able to create something so off-brand. I did like the occasional switches to 2D platforming like Nier Automata (but not quite as in-depth). Some of the battles where you were only allowed to parry/dodge drove me a bit nuts, but the fun is in the challenge right. Curious to see if this leads to other AAA X-Box/Bethesda studios putting out smaller AA indie style titles that are more niche but don't need massive hype to sell but are solid additions to a subscription service like gamepass.
Mikeaveli
Registered User
Persona 5 Royal (PC) - 9.5/10
Mostly the same masterpiece I played back in 2017. Still probably the best presentation I've seen in a video game (music, art direction, UI, character designs, etc.) and this time it runs at a smooth 120 FPS at high resolutions. I really only have two complaints with this game. One, the anti-aliasing solution used is not effective at all. There is very obvious aliasing in nearly every scene and it's distracting. My other issue is the new content. I don't feel it was as well integrated into the original story as Persona 4 Golden's new content was. Also I think the game was already long enough as it was, adding another 15+ hours to a 100 hour game is a bit much. Overall though I loved playing through this one again.
3 FES with mods on PC is up next.
Mostly the same masterpiece I played back in 2017. Still probably the best presentation I've seen in a video game (music, art direction, UI, character designs, etc.) and this time it runs at a smooth 120 FPS at high resolutions. I really only have two complaints with this game. One, the anti-aliasing solution used is not effective at all. There is very obvious aliasing in nearly every scene and it's distracting. My other issue is the new content. I don't feel it was as well integrated into the original story as Persona 4 Golden's new content was. Also I think the game was already long enough as it was, adding another 15+ hours to a 100 hour game is a bit much. Overall though I loved playing through this one again.
3 FES with mods on PC is up next.
pistolpete11
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2013
- 11,594
- 10,402
Nioh 2 - 7.5/10
It's hard not to just compare everything to the FromSoft games I've played (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Demon's Souls).
Combat : I'd put it behind Bloodborne, Sekiro, probably Elden Ring, and on on par with Demon's Souls. Which is still great IMO. It's a lot to take in at the start, but one you get going, it's very good.
Art Design : Waaaaay behind FromSoft. Everything just felt like the same burned out village.
Level Design : Bloodborne is by far the best. Not knowing where you are and then opening a shortcut and realizing you were back at the beginning of the level or even the beginning of the game was so cool. In Nioh 2, you could tell which shortcuts you were going to open from the beginning of the level. Having to select your level from a menu screen is also kind of lame compared to the interconnectedness of Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
Boss Design : Kind of torn. The FromSoft bosses were sometimes too hard. But on the other hand, that makes them more memorable. I'm not great at video games, but I 1-shotted a number of bosses in Nioh 2 and only a few of them took me 5 or more tries. Just makes them feel a little bit more disposable.
Difficulty : The bosses were for sure easier, but I feel the world itself might have been more difficult. I guess there's a case for having a little more balance there, but I'd still prefer the difficult bosses. Overall, I think it was easier than FromSoft with the exception of Demon's Souls.
Weapons : Nioh 2 has way too many. Not too many types or styles. Just too many. I mostly used an ax. I couldn't tell you how many Demon's Axes I picked up. I'd rather upgrade my ax than have to find a newer, higher level axe. It was also annoying to spend time at the blacksmith disassembling, forging, tempering, etc. just to have that stuff be outdated in a level or 2. I gave up on the blacksmith stuff very early on and just used the best stuff I found in the world. Very little problem beating the game.
Story : I've never been one for the vagueness of the FromSoft stories. But I don't feel like the story added much in Nioh 2. There's not much to the characters. It's just this guys trying to do that, so go stop him.
Other : The amount of stuff I picked up in FromSoft games is absurd. Nioh 2 takes that to 11. Loot should be a reward. It felt like a chore in Nioh 2, especially since they limit how much you can carry. I guess Demon's Souls did, too, but at least in the remake you could send it to storage in middle of a mission.
This probably sounds more negative than I intend. I liked it. Nioh 2 did a great job with the most important part IMO (the combat) but there's areas for improvement in a lot of other spots. I think that stuff is probably easier to fix than having shitty combat, though, so I have my eye on Wo Long. Won't be a Day 1 purchase for me, but on my wishlist. For me, I think it just highlights how great FromSoft is.
It's hard not to just compare everything to the FromSoft games I've played (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Demon's Souls).
Combat : I'd put it behind Bloodborne, Sekiro, probably Elden Ring, and on on par with Demon's Souls. Which is still great IMO. It's a lot to take in at the start, but one you get going, it's very good.
Art Design : Waaaaay behind FromSoft. Everything just felt like the same burned out village.
Level Design : Bloodborne is by far the best. Not knowing where you are and then opening a shortcut and realizing you were back at the beginning of the level or even the beginning of the game was so cool. In Nioh 2, you could tell which shortcuts you were going to open from the beginning of the level. Having to select your level from a menu screen is also kind of lame compared to the interconnectedness of Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
Boss Design : Kind of torn. The FromSoft bosses were sometimes too hard. But on the other hand, that makes them more memorable. I'm not great at video games, but I 1-shotted a number of bosses in Nioh 2 and only a few of them took me 5 or more tries. Just makes them feel a little bit more disposable.
Difficulty : The bosses were for sure easier, but I feel the world itself might have been more difficult. I guess there's a case for having a little more balance there, but I'd still prefer the difficult bosses. Overall, I think it was easier than FromSoft with the exception of Demon's Souls.
Weapons : Nioh 2 has way too many. Not too many types or styles. Just too many. I mostly used an ax. I couldn't tell you how many Demon's Axes I picked up. I'd rather upgrade my ax than have to find a newer, higher level axe. It was also annoying to spend time at the blacksmith disassembling, forging, tempering, etc. just to have that stuff be outdated in a level or 2. I gave up on the blacksmith stuff very early on and just used the best stuff I found in the world. Very little problem beating the game.
Story : I've never been one for the vagueness of the FromSoft stories. But I don't feel like the story added much in Nioh 2. There's not much to the characters. It's just this guys trying to do that, so go stop him.
Other : The amount of stuff I picked up in FromSoft games is absurd. Nioh 2 takes that to 11. Loot should be a reward. It felt like a chore in Nioh 2, especially since they limit how much you can carry. I guess Demon's Souls did, too, but at least in the remake you could send it to storage in middle of a mission.
This probably sounds more negative than I intend. I liked it. Nioh 2 did a great job with the most important part IMO (the combat) but there's areas for improvement in a lot of other spots. I think that stuff is probably easier to fix than having shitty combat, though, so I have my eye on Wo Long. Won't be a Day 1 purchase for me, but on my wishlist. For me, I think it just highlights how great FromSoft is.
Hi Fi Rush - 9/10
What a pleasant surprise this game was. I have no rhythm but it still works if you aren't exactly perfect. Loved the art style and the story. The combos get really fun as the game goes on, but the best part was the boss battles. Had a great time with all of them. Game also doesn’t overstay its welcome. Think I finished it in about 10 hours.
What a pleasant surprise this game was. I have no rhythm but it still works if you aren't exactly perfect. Loved the art style and the story. The combos get really fun as the game goes on, but the best part was the boss battles. Had a great time with all of them. Game also doesn’t overstay its welcome. Think I finished it in about 10 hours.
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Monument Valley - 7/10
Monument Valley is a casual and relaxing puzzle game filled with optical illusions in the style of MC Escher paintings. The Steam version has a the base game, a longer DLC named Forbidden Shores and a single level DLC called Ida's Dream. The base game is rather straightforward and not very challenging at all. The DLC does require some thinking but also aren't too challenging. The game is more about the fun of the artwork and solving the puzzles by turning them around depending on your perspective. None of it is overly difficult and you can 100% the game in about 2 hours but it's still an enjoyable experience for what it is all the way through.
Monument Valley is a casual and relaxing puzzle game filled with optical illusions in the style of MC Escher paintings. The Steam version has a the base game, a longer DLC named Forbidden Shores and a single level DLC called Ida's Dream. The base game is rather straightforward and not very challenging at all. The DLC does require some thinking but also aren't too challenging. The game is more about the fun of the artwork and solving the puzzles by turning them around depending on your perspective. None of it is overly difficult and you can 100% the game in about 2 hours but it's still an enjoyable experience for what it is all the way through.
Ceremony
blahem
- Jun 8, 2012
- 113,398
- 15,926
Quite early in my time with Hades I thought of a very clever way of describing it. While I don't write down anything about a game for its review when I'm playing it, I probably should. In this case it's only one line and I know what it was, but in the six weeks or so I spent playing it my opinion of the game changed a lot between my quip and the finish. What at the time seemed like an intelligent reference for an intelligent game now seems hollow, considering how long it took me to achieve what ultimately didn't feel like much. Either way this tortured intro will no doubt take all the charm out of my clever summation, so maybe it's appropriate after all.
Hades is the sort of thing you'd get if Kafka wrote the Odyssey and it was made into a video game. You play as Zagreus, son of Hades and heir apparent to the Underworld. Only it turns out the Underworld is an eternity of admin and filing and never leaving and never dying and doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over I stopped typing that after my first mistake and one day the young Zagreus decides he's had enough, picks up a big sword and leaves his bedroom to go and fight his way out of Hades and to the surface. What follows is a roguelike perspective on Greek mythology with vivid environments, rounded and complex characters, and comprehensively great voice acting.
Once you leave your father's domain you're faced with a series of rooms and an assortment of increasingly tough enemies. You'll get so far and then you'll probably reach an enemy that you can't overcome. You'll die, you'll return to Hades and he'll laugh at you. Then you go and try again, with the rooms changing each time under the guise of "underworld escape attempt deterrent." This means each gameplay sequence is technically different in a way which ties into the actual setting of the game, which is an effective ay of creating depth. Rather than try and brute force your way through a particular enemy or room, you have enough of a sense of variety to force you to change your strategy.
As you go through the various rooms you collect rewards once you've defeated all the enemies. The Olympian gods pop up, give an extremely charismatic speech in support of you escaping the Underworld and joining them, then they give you a choice of powers to affect your attacks or other gameplay modifiers. There's no real subtle way of saying this but each god is brilliant. Even though you only see the text and hear the audio to go with one of a couple of still images, there's an incredible sense of depth to every character in the game. And not just because you can end up reading dozens of them for each person. Even with just a cursory knowledge of Greek mythology you just instantly buy into every character you talk to. You want to know more about them, you just want to hear them talk more because it's so enjoyable. Even the ones who don't like you, like the boss fights at the end of each stage of the Underworld. Every character in the game is great, without exception. Patroclus and Thanatos are a bit miserable but they've every right to be.
During your returns to your bedroom you can use rewards found in your escape attempts to upgrade various things - you can unlock powers which affect your rewards or health, and you can unlock bonus resources to use when you're out on a run too. Despite not really paying attention to it when it was released I feel like I knew a lot about Hades already - its story and gameplay were centred around this sense of repetition and gradual strengthening. The story and gameplay balance each other out enough that to get to the 'end' - which is ten successful escape attempts - you'll feel a genuine sense of character and statistical development which all just feels natural. The game probably gets a solid twenty to thirty hours out of this, and for a small(ish) indie developed roguelike that's commendable. It's been a while since I've played a game where I think "Oh I'll just put this on and oh look it's several hours later," so I enjoyed that sense of childlike obsession again.
One thing I need to add here is to say that if you're struggling to make progress in your escape attempts you can turn on God Mode. God Mode increases your damage resistance by 2% every time you die, so even this feels as natural as the rest of your gradual development and strengthening as you keep playing. The problem is I don't see how you can play without this turned on. I'm going to complain later about how long it took me to finish Hades and I'd probably still be playing it now if I hadn't used this mode. It's got nothing to do with my playstyle or the weapons or upgrades, the game is just very punishing. Once you've finished the game a few times and are used to everything, if you turn God Mod off you realise just how significant the difference it made was and if anything that just makes it worse. That's when you really wonder how you're supposed to play without it. There's a Hell Mode too where everything gets harder if you're a complete masochist, but as it is I don't think it's a good thing if you can spend as long as I did with a game and feel like you needed to make it easier to actually finish it.
In addition to the various godly boons and upgrades there are (eventually) six different weapons you can use, and four different powers you can give each of those. After escaping to the surface once you can also add modifiers to your runs such as time limits or giving enemies new powers. Based on everything I've said the gameplay possibility is endless and you'll never tire of interacting with the various characters as you find them. It's at this point I have to say though that it... doesn't.
When you start and as you're uncovering the story, it's great. You enjoy just about every aspect of what you're seeing and it's fine. At some point though you realise that there are only four areas, and actually the enemies are quite limited. The layout of the rooms themselves don't make a difference, they all look the same anyway. Asphodel is filled with magma that gets in the way. Elysium is full of annoying respawning guys with shields. Styx is filled with those stupid poisoned rats. And unless you're using the gun or the bow and arrow the most effective combat method is to aim at whatever you want to die and press triangle, square and circle at the same time. Calling the late-game of Hades a button masher almost feels generous, but I would on occasion feel some pain in my hand when I'd been spending too long spamming all the buttons at once. I'm not old, shut up.
Although my journey to the platinum trophy went well beyond what most normal people would experience with this game, for once I can say my complaints were almost completely within the game's natural length. There's an epilogue some time after the end and it takes a while to get there. That's when all the problems come to the fore. The gameplay is what it is. The characters are all still interesting but when you want your conversations to reach a certain point to trigger an event, you realise they just won't shut up. Being able to romance some of them is of scant benefit, but I will commend the writing for taking something as established as Greek mythology and doing something human with it. You just get fed up listening to it outside of the gameplay which you're not invested in anymore, and the environments which have all blended into one.
Before you notice that though, the environments are great. The 2.5D sort of top down isometric rougelike stuff is great when it's done well, and Supergiant is a studio which does this about as well as anyone. The visuals are bold and detailed. The sound is vivid and brutal. The various boons and powers all add visual variety, and as I mentioned the depictions of each god... every character even, are just perfect. Even when you're button mashing you do still notice how good the game looks.
I don't think it's fair for me to judge this game based on my experience with the last 50% of my time with it. It's not fair, but that's probably going to be my lasting impression. It took me about a month and a half of pretty regular playing to finish everything and for at least those last two weeks I just wanted it done. After I'd finished everything else trophy-related I was speedrunning as quickly as possible to get it done. Does this qualify as actual commentary on the game's quality or content? I'm not sure. I've never really been into measuring a game's worth by how long you can spend with it, but I think I've realised there is definitely an upper limit to that.
Unholy Diver
Registered User
Atomic Heart - 7/10
The Russian bastard child of the Bioshock series
The game did some good things, it looked good, had an interesting setting/story in an alternate history Soviet Union, it was "free" on Game Pass
As far as the bad or less good things, the autosave could have autosaved a bit more often. There were a few times that I got stuck on the environment and had to reload an autosave, seemingly from going too fast and getting ahead of the game at a few points. For being set in the 1950's USSR few if any characters had a Russian accent. The ending didn't do it for me
Overall, it was an OK game, a decent effort from a new (?) developer. I probably had my hopes up too high from the trailers
The Russian bastard child of the Bioshock series
The game did some good things, it looked good, had an interesting setting/story in an alternate history Soviet Union, it was "free" on Game Pass
As far as the bad or less good things, the autosave could have autosaved a bit more often. There were a few times that I got stuck on the environment and had to reload an autosave, seemingly from going too fast and getting ahead of the game at a few points. For being set in the 1950's USSR few if any characters had a Russian accent. The ending didn't do it for me
Overall, it was an OK game, a decent effort from a new (?) developer. I probably had my hopes up too high from the trailers
robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
- 23,630
- 15,767
Thinking I will wait for this one to go on sale. Looks intriguing but not full price for me.
Unholy Diver
Registered User
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Monument Valley 2 - 7.5/10
Monument Valley 2 is a great sequel to the original. The gameplay is the same with the same beautiful artwork. The puzzles are a bit more challenging although still not very challenging. It's a rather casual adventure of a puzzle game that will likely take you 2 hours but it's fun going through the worlds as you bend reality. If you enjoyed the first Monument Valley and want more, pick this one up for sure.
Monument Valley 2 is a great sequel to the original. The gameplay is the same with the same beautiful artwork. The puzzles are a bit more challenging although still not very challenging. It's a rather casual adventure of a puzzle game that will likely take you 2 hours but it's fun going through the worlds as you bend reality. If you enjoyed the first Monument Valley and want more, pick this one up for sure.
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Dorformantik - 9/10
Dorfromantik is a great puzzle game with the looks of a city builder. It's very casual but also allows for a lot of in depth strategy. It can be played as seriously as you'd like to play it! The aesthetics and music are both very charming and relaxing. It's as if time stops while you think to just place down one more tile, just one more tile, just one more tile, and before you know it 4 hours have gone by. It's an amazingly chill game that definitely deserves all the praise it has received!
Dorfromantik is a great puzzle game with the looks of a city builder. It's very casual but also allows for a lot of in depth strategy. It can be played as seriously as you'd like to play it! The aesthetics and music are both very charming and relaxing. It's as if time stops while you think to just place down one more tile, just one more tile, just one more tile, and before you know it 4 hours have gone by. It's an amazingly chill game that definitely deserves all the praise it has received!
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Atomic Heart - 7/10
Atomic Heart is a solid first title for a new development studio. It definitely has its flaws but it shows some potential for what's to possibly come. The story isn't particularly amazing but it's interesting enough. The game looks beautiful though and it has some great music! The combat is a lot of fun as well. You can mix and match the abilities, melee, and guns to fight enemies off as you see fit. That being said, enemies are INCREDIBLY spongy. I ended up dropping the difficulty to easy and it felt like what I expected normal to feel like. The game isn't overly difficult, it's moreso that enemies just take an absolute beating before they finally kill and it gets frustrating even at normal difficulty.
The bosses were pretty fun. They were more plentiful earlier and then the later bosses didn't really feel much different than the earlier bosses. The only one that really dragged was the one that you can only deal damage with melee attacks and you run into it more than once!
The open world had its pros and cons. There was a lot to loot in the world and you can find new recipes but really going in depth and searching optional facilities. You could also just hold the loot button and it'll grab everything from cabinets or boxes instead of pressing the loot button on each individual chest which was a nice quality of life change from typical games. My main problem with the open world is there are so many enemies everywhere! Like I said earlier, they're really spongy. You'll find yourself just sprinting through areas or getting in a car instead of actually fighting because you'll never take them all out. Furthermore, you can't take them all out because repair drones will come in and fix them up faster than you can kill them all! It makes looting open areas a pain. If you're looking for exploration, just head straight to a facility and loot inside.
The puzzles were surprisingly fun. Door locks all had unique puzzles. The timing puzzle was pretty meh but I liked the puzzle where you have to have the colored lights line up with the locks. The pacing was done nicely to break up all the content so you didn't feel too bored between too much combat, too much exploration, too much puzzle solving, etc. It felt very balanced.
That being said, there's still more to go before this feels like a great game. First, the main character's voice lines are just terrible. "Crispy critters!" What kind of catch phrase is that? He usually says some stupid stuff. The combat while interesting can be tough, especially at higher difficulty. There's a scanner system where you can learn more about enemies including their strengths and weaknesses. The problem is that the enemies will move so quickly that if your cursor goes off them briefly, you have to scan it again. This makes it very tough to learn what enemies are weak to what ammo type. You'll find yourself wasting time with ammo that's weak against an enemy because it's too frustrating to know what to actually use.
The storage system also sucks. You can't carry much. The game does a terrible job at telling you that you have a storage system too. It took me 2-3 hours before I realized I was running out of meds so quickly without getting more because it was going straight to my storage... By the time I figured it out, Half my inventory was useless while I had a lot of good stuff in my storage. The game is so unrealistic with tons of looting, let me just carry everything instead of doing inventory maintenance.
I would have liked to have more time to explore the open world as well. The stealth system just plain sucks. You kill an enemy and a repair drone comes in to repair it. There's really no sense in going slow and exploring all the nooks and crannies. Just rush to the facilities and play it like an FPS from there...
Overall, the game was rather enjoyable. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would but it was still fun. I'd say grab it on a sale. I wouldn't mind looking into the next game this dev team puts out though, hopefully they learn from some of their mistakes and improves from there!
Atomic Heart is a solid first title for a new development studio. It definitely has its flaws but it shows some potential for what's to possibly come. The story isn't particularly amazing but it's interesting enough. The game looks beautiful though and it has some great music! The combat is a lot of fun as well. You can mix and match the abilities, melee, and guns to fight enemies off as you see fit. That being said, enemies are INCREDIBLY spongy. I ended up dropping the difficulty to easy and it felt like what I expected normal to feel like. The game isn't overly difficult, it's moreso that enemies just take an absolute beating before they finally kill and it gets frustrating even at normal difficulty.
The bosses were pretty fun. They were more plentiful earlier and then the later bosses didn't really feel much different than the earlier bosses. The only one that really dragged was the one that you can only deal damage with melee attacks and you run into it more than once!
The open world had its pros and cons. There was a lot to loot in the world and you can find new recipes but really going in depth and searching optional facilities. You could also just hold the loot button and it'll grab everything from cabinets or boxes instead of pressing the loot button on each individual chest which was a nice quality of life change from typical games. My main problem with the open world is there are so many enemies everywhere! Like I said earlier, they're really spongy. You'll find yourself just sprinting through areas or getting in a car instead of actually fighting because you'll never take them all out. Furthermore, you can't take them all out because repair drones will come in and fix them up faster than you can kill them all! It makes looting open areas a pain. If you're looking for exploration, just head straight to a facility and loot inside.
The puzzles were surprisingly fun. Door locks all had unique puzzles. The timing puzzle was pretty meh but I liked the puzzle where you have to have the colored lights line up with the locks. The pacing was done nicely to break up all the content so you didn't feel too bored between too much combat, too much exploration, too much puzzle solving, etc. It felt very balanced.
That being said, there's still more to go before this feels like a great game. First, the main character's voice lines are just terrible. "Crispy critters!" What kind of catch phrase is that? He usually says some stupid stuff. The combat while interesting can be tough, especially at higher difficulty. There's a scanner system where you can learn more about enemies including their strengths and weaknesses. The problem is that the enemies will move so quickly that if your cursor goes off them briefly, you have to scan it again. This makes it very tough to learn what enemies are weak to what ammo type. You'll find yourself wasting time with ammo that's weak against an enemy because it's too frustrating to know what to actually use.
The storage system also sucks. You can't carry much. The game does a terrible job at telling you that you have a storage system too. It took me 2-3 hours before I realized I was running out of meds so quickly without getting more because it was going straight to my storage... By the time I figured it out, Half my inventory was useless while I had a lot of good stuff in my storage. The game is so unrealistic with tons of looting, let me just carry everything instead of doing inventory maintenance.
I would have liked to have more time to explore the open world as well. The stealth system just plain sucks. You kill an enemy and a repair drone comes in to repair it. There's really no sense in going slow and exploring all the nooks and crannies. Just rush to the facilities and play it like an FPS from there...
Overall, the game was rather enjoyable. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would but it was still fun. I'd say grab it on a sale. I wouldn't mind looking into the next game this dev team puts out though, hopefully they learn from some of their mistakes and improves from there!
pistolpete11
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2013
- 11,594
- 10,402
Dark Souls 3 - 8.5/10
It's everything I love and everything I don't like about FromSoft games. To compare it to the others I've played (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Demon's Souls), I'd say it's Elden Ring with Bloodborne level design which is a big improvement as far as I'm concerned. I think most of my complaints about Elden Ring can be traced back to being open world. I very much prefer the levels and skill checks.
In terms of difficulty, I'd say only Demon's Souls was easier, but I'm not sure how much of that is the game and how much of it is me getting better at the style of games.
I will say, after playing ER, DeS, and now DS3 in a row in terms of FromSoft games, I'm getting kind of tired of the knight/dragon/skeleton aesthetic. Maybe it would be different if I mixed in Bloodborne and Sekiro instead of playing those first. Either way, I hope their next Soulslike game tries something new like Bloodborne and Sekiro did.
It's everything I love and everything I don't like about FromSoft games. To compare it to the others I've played (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Demon's Souls), I'd say it's Elden Ring with Bloodborne level design which is a big improvement as far as I'm concerned. I think most of my complaints about Elden Ring can be traced back to being open world. I very much prefer the levels and skill checks.
In terms of difficulty, I'd say only Demon's Souls was easier, but I'm not sure how much of that is the game and how much of it is me getting better at the style of games.
I will say, after playing ER, DeS, and now DS3 in a row in terms of FromSoft games, I'm getting kind of tired of the knight/dragon/skeleton aesthetic. Maybe it would be different if I mixed in Bloodborne and Sekiro instead of playing those first. Either way, I hope their next Soulslike game tries something new like Bloodborne and Sekiro did.
Halo Infinite (Campaign on PC)- 8/10
The game was fun, I can't speak on the multiplayer since I don't really play online shooters and haven't even tested it out. I thought the gun play and variety of weapons was great and the combat was engaging. The biggest knocks on it are, it seems to be an open world just because every other game is an open world which I don't think is a great reason to make an open world. The world feels empty, no settlements, no anything outside of just going from base to base or map icon. The other complaint is, I haven't beaten a Halo game since Combat Evolved, so at many times the story made no sense and didn't feel self-contained. Compared to say Uncharted 4 which I beat before the other 3, and the story felt self contained and understandable or playing RDR2 (I know a prequel) before going back and beating RDR1. Now, I feel this could also happen with people who jump in at Horizon: Forbidden West after not being Zero Dawn. Seemed every cutscene was just a hologram of people talking, you got the jist of what had previously happened but didn't get you exactly engaged in the story or the protagonist's journey. One other complaint was I delayed playing this a couple months because when I first started playing it, it would freeze during the occasional cutscene, but whatever was causing that seemed to be fixed (and it's the only game that's done that to be repeatedly on my PC).
As far as story-based non-RPG shooters of the past 6 or 7 years, I found Wolfenstein much more enjoyable, and pure gameplay I would put Doom Eternal higher which just doesn't bother with a story outside of loose tea-leaves and drops you right in the action. As far the X-Box exclusives I'm now playing, I'd put it behind Sunset Overdrive and Psychonauts 2 (I guess not exclusive but published by MS) of what I sampled from their back catalog.
The game was fun, I can't speak on the multiplayer since I don't really play online shooters and haven't even tested it out. I thought the gun play and variety of weapons was great and the combat was engaging. The biggest knocks on it are, it seems to be an open world just because every other game is an open world which I don't think is a great reason to make an open world. The world feels empty, no settlements, no anything outside of just going from base to base or map icon. The other complaint is, I haven't beaten a Halo game since Combat Evolved, so at many times the story made no sense and didn't feel self-contained. Compared to say Uncharted 4 which I beat before the other 3, and the story felt self contained and understandable or playing RDR2 (I know a prequel) before going back and beating RDR1. Now, I feel this could also happen with people who jump in at Horizon: Forbidden West after not being Zero Dawn. Seemed every cutscene was just a hologram of people talking, you got the jist of what had previously happened but didn't get you exactly engaged in the story or the protagonist's journey. One other complaint was I delayed playing this a couple months because when I first started playing it, it would freeze during the occasional cutscene, but whatever was causing that seemed to be fixed (and it's the only game that's done that to be repeatedly on my PC).
As far as story-based non-RPG shooters of the past 6 or 7 years, I found Wolfenstein much more enjoyable, and pure gameplay I would put Doom Eternal higher which just doesn't bother with a story outside of loose tea-leaves and drops you right in the action. As far the X-Box exclusives I'm now playing, I'd put it behind Sunset Overdrive and Psychonauts 2 (I guess not exclusive but published by MS) of what I sampled from their back catalog.
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Supposedly 343 cut some parts and cutscenes out of the story, so they can expand it further and more properly in DLCs since they were running out of time and delayed the game for like a year or whatever it was beforehand. Since 343 got sort of neutered, I am not sure what the plan is anymore...
Ceremony
blahem
- Jun 8, 2012
- 113,398
- 15,926
Hitman is a game in which you play as a hitman. Don't you love something that gets straight to the point? You are Agent 47, a catastrophically bald man with a barcode on the back of his head who works for an organisation called the ICA. He gets jobs to go to places and take out targets. Oh for life to be so simple.
Unlike previous Hitman games the missions aren't based solely around the structure of a story. The game was released episodically, with the first training area made available with other locations following (I think) every month. Thanks to the wonders of modern gaming I'm coming to the game well after Hitman 3's release, so I don't need to worry about waiting for my fill of follicly challenged murdering.
I think in previous reviews of Hitman games (I'm pretty sure I've played all of them up until this point, I suppose aside from the other one called 'Hitman' because I started at 2) I've mentioned my somewhat tenuous grasp on stealth games. I'll usually start off for the first couple of levels trying to play in what I assume to be the "proper" manner. Then something bad will happen and I'll give up. Out come the guns. This Hitman ultimately gets around this quite well by the virtue of only having seven distinct locations with targets in them, with a focus on repetition and exploration.
I'm sure in one of those previous Hitman write-ups I opined that it seemed strange that you were rewarded for trial and error. In real life you wouldn't be able to try several times to take out a target. You wouldn't be able to do what you can do here, hide in a bin and wait for them to do a lap of a building and come round again to your location. It all felt a bit unnatural to me. Luckily, the people creating this Hitman seem to have found away around this. You have targets, you have objectives, you have the assorted environmental and situational means of luring and killing them, but you also have a Challenge system which tracks your completion of these. This simple choice incentivises exploration and multiple playthroughs, and the concept is much more engaging as a result.
If you're a complete dunce like me, there are now 'Opportunities' where the game effectively signposts you through special kill methods. What's that? You're over-hearing someone say that the ultra-famous model at this fashion show looks just like 47? Well, wouldn't it be nice if you were directed straight to where that model is? This can almost feel like cheating. Or insulting. Somehow though, it works. It's ultimately still satisfying to follow a convoluted yet daring method through to its conclusion. These Opportunities are only some of the scripted assassination methods, so there are still ways you can take out your targets without being led by the hand.
Gameplay is straightforward third person action stealth. You can take cover, you can decide on your gear before you start a level. You can unlock more gear by completing Challenges for each area. You can interact with the environment to lure people around, then you can knock them out and steal their outfit to get around more easily. Control of the stealth and shooting is fine, although trying to aim for headshots with your pistol can be frustrating. If you're forced into shooting multiple people in a room - and I always felt like a failure when I did have to shoot - then there's enough leeway for you to retake control of a situation and still feel like a cool assassin. Agent 47 also has "Instinct", where you press a button and he enters x-ray vision, showing you where people and targets are. This helps, although now that I think about it I don't think it's explained how he can do this. I know how because I've played previous Hitmans, but does this follow on? Is it canonical? Will new players think he's actually just magic? Either way, get ready to press R1 in the next third person game you play and be disappointed when you remember you don't have that feature.
Speaking of carrying the gameplay outside of the game, you know when you've become immersed in a game over weeks and you start seeing it around you when you're out? Hitman has this. Walk into a supermarket and you'll feel this compulsion to hunch over the tomatoes, trying to blend in while looking at your surroundings. That solitary employee there who's just turned a corner, you could chase after them, knock them out and put on their uniform. You could drag their body and hide it in a freezer. Is this the sort of thing people who think video games are a bad influence are afraid of? If so they should give it a try anyway because it's really cool.
The different levels are all brilliantly made. They're large, detailed and absolutely filled with things to interact with. People, rooms, outfits, objects, vantage points, everything. I don't think even the most obsessive Hitman fan could have exhausted every detail in the month between each level's release. I still enjoyed some areas more than others, so here's a brief rundown of each:
Paris - A big house with two targets in it. Various ways of getting to each floor. A great introduction.
Sapienza - A big house with one target in it, another underground and then a seaside town added on the side not really doing much. Looked pretty, but getting to the two targets could feel convoluted and Opportunity-reliant.
Marrakesh - One target is a military general in an abandoned school. The other is a wanted criminal in a foreign embassy. I'll leave you to guess how easy it is to access those. Made better by one kill method where you killed them both with an APC cannon.
Bangkok - A big hotel with one target on the top floor and another wandering around outside. I'd say there was some social commentary at play, but they were both rich arseholes. Strangely uneven.
Colorado - Four targets inside a militia compound. Especially annoying because there were several levels of militia disguise which limited your movements through different areas, but they all looked the same to me.
Hokkaido - A nice nod to the end of Blood Money (I think) with a ninja costume and somewhere in the remote Japanese mountains. Contained, but not constrained.
I really can't overstate the sheer volume of gameplay available in each location. In addition to the base story targets, the game's structure allows for a near unlimited amount of mission objectives. Each location comes with Escalation contracts where you go through five stages with an initial single target escalates into multiple, or in certain ways, or other modifiers. Some of these are a bit outlandish, but they show how effective the level design is that there's so much Hitmanning you can do. There are other unlockable missions I didn't have access to, so I really think there are hundreds of hours in this. That's before you even get to the online custom contract creation, where you can create your own missions or play ones other people have set up. If Hitman is your favourite series, then I think this game must have been perfect for you. The menu layout is quite confusing but that's about as far as I can go for criticism.
I mentioned the story earlier. Story might be too strong. At the end of each level you get a minute of cutscene suggesting a conspiracy of some sort. I don't know, I don't care. It honestly feels a bit at odds with the game's structure with the distinct locations. I'm happy just turning up and killing people, I don't really need it linked together. There are bonus missions too in the Sapienza location which really do exist outside of the story and this just backs up my point. Trying to frame the locations feels like a token gesture that doesn't add anything. Since there have been two subsequent Hitman games following this I'm going to guess or hope that the story develops but here, it's not doing much.
On a technical level I have to thank IO Interactive for making this game. The open levels with hundreds of people and interactive objects made my PS4 Pro's fan blow so loud I opened the top and properly cleaned it for the first time since I bought it in 2017. One of the screws on the power supply was stripped so I couldn't access the heatsink properly so it took a solid hour and a half of cotton buds, cable ties and tweezers trying to pull out the layer of dust. Since then, and with the dust cover I bought for it when I'm not playing, it's been completely silent. I even turned on HDR (which I couldn't use before because of the noise) and in its default unlocked framerate state, still no noise. Absolute bliss. I can't tell you how much more enjoyable this makes playing games. If you're not as fortunate as me, a 30fps mode is available. I do not recommend it.
I've had this in my backlog for a while through PS+ and I'm glad I got around to it. Hitman as a character and series is something that's been around gaming for a while, and I think this is the best format it can exist in. From what I remember of the PS2 games they were quite rigid and structured. I'm not sure if linear is the word, maybe constrained. This 2016 reboot reinvented the formula while still retaining everything that made it so popular, and it really doesn't put a foot wrong anywhere.
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Neon White - 9.5/10
Not bad for a dead guy, huh?
Neon White has quickly become one of my all time favorites. Speed running done perfectly. It's more of a first person platformer than a shooter but does require some quick aim to get top times. You collect cards that can be used as guns or discarded for certain abilities like jumps, stomps, etc to help you beat stages as quickly as possible. Most stages can be beaten in about 30 seconds but you'll be playing it over and over and over to unlock the ace medals. There are also collectible gifts to find on each stage that are never that hard to figure out.
The story is pretty interesting although the dialogue can often times be pretty dumb. Admittedly, I never really watched anime so I don't know if this is just in line with standard anime stuff or not. I mostly laughed at some of the dumb dialogue myself. The aesthetic is awesome though as is the music.
The game is just a ton of fun. If you don't like the dialogue, fast forward through all of it and enjoy some top notch game play. It's 100% worth your time.
Not bad for a dead guy, huh?
Neon White has quickly become one of my all time favorites. Speed running done perfectly. It's more of a first person platformer than a shooter but does require some quick aim to get top times. You collect cards that can be used as guns or discarded for certain abilities like jumps, stomps, etc to help you beat stages as quickly as possible. Most stages can be beaten in about 30 seconds but you'll be playing it over and over and over to unlock the ace medals. There are also collectible gifts to find on each stage that are never that hard to figure out.
The story is pretty interesting although the dialogue can often times be pretty dumb. Admittedly, I never really watched anime so I don't know if this is just in line with standard anime stuff or not. I mostly laughed at some of the dumb dialogue myself. The aesthetic is awesome though as is the music.
The game is just a ton of fun. If you don't like the dialogue, fast forward through all of it and enjoy some top notch game play. It's 100% worth your time.
Frankie Blueberries
Allergic to draft picks
- Jan 27, 2016
- 9,292
- 10,831
What’s your ranking of the games you’ve played?
I’ve got Bloodborne and Demon Souls in my backlog. I played about an hour of both and shelved them; I think I’m just burnt out on the formula/genre after having played through Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and DS3 in recent years.
pistolpete11
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2013
- 11,594
- 10,402
1. Sekiro
2. Bloodborne
somewhat of a gap
3. Dark Souls 3
4. Elden Ring
5. Demon's Souls
I'd say just wait until you're in the mood and give Bloodborne another go. I'm actually in the middle of replaying it now. I wanted to see if my ranking is reminiscing on my first playthrough or if I just think it is that good. It of course loses a lot once you know where things are or how to approach certain enemies, but I think it's more the latter.
Unholy Diver
Registered User
The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD 9/10
Only the 3rd Zelda game I've completed, after the original on the nes, and Breath of the wild, I thought it was a great chapter of the franchise, some interesting characters and baddies, my only complaint was that the camera could be a bit wonky
Only the 3rd Zelda game I've completed, after the original on the nes, and Breath of the wild, I thought it was a great chapter of the franchise, some interesting characters and baddies, my only complaint was that the camera could be a bit wonky
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 15,378
- 27,542
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - 9.5/10.
I've actually been holding off finishing the game for the last month, because I didn't want the journey to end. It's now in my top three favorite RPGs along with Divinity Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 2.
The game is very long (140 hours), but it's probably one of the deepest I've ever played. I can't say enough about the amount of different builds and the quality of the mythic paths. The story is a power fantasy, but it's right up my alley with mortals and the forces of the Abyss going into a head to head. The demons are particularly well written and the main antagonist reminds me of Jon Irenicus, likely my favorite villain of any video game. I would say the reason I'm not giving it a 9.75 or a 10 is due to the crusade mechanics being unfinished. That said, I think it adds scale to the story that wouldn't quite be there without having full armies and commanders going to war with the demons. It's also a very hard game with one particularly annoying dungeon created by CohhCarnage.
It's a must play for any cRPG/Black Isle/Larian fan.
I've actually been holding off finishing the game for the last month, because I didn't want the journey to end. It's now in my top three favorite RPGs along with Divinity Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 2.
The game is very long (140 hours), but it's probably one of the deepest I've ever played. I can't say enough about the amount of different builds and the quality of the mythic paths. The story is a power fantasy, but it's right up my alley with mortals and the forces of the Abyss going into a head to head. The demons are particularly well written and the main antagonist reminds me of Jon Irenicus, likely my favorite villain of any video game. I would say the reason I'm not giving it a 9.75 or a 10 is due to the crusade mechanics being unfinished. That said, I think it adds scale to the story that wouldn't quite be there without having full armies and commanders going to war with the demons. It's also a very hard game with one particularly annoying dungeon created by CohhCarnage.
It's a must play for any cRPG/Black Isle/Larian fan.
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 15,378
- 27,542
I think the difficulty is tied to which one you play first and the experience you gain. I played Dark Souls 3 first and thought Bloodborne was a breeze. Orphan of Kos, I think I beat on my second or third try, even though everyone was hyping that boss as one of the hardest in Fromsofts library. I think I would have had a hard time without the 50 or so hours I put in DS3 though.
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