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[Bakkus]

After wanting this game for years and years, I finally got an NTSC copy of the cult classic Panzer Dragoon Saga a few weeks ago. A few days ago, I finished it and damn, this game is close to a masterpiece. Especially when accounting for the time and system it was made for. The battle system is insanely fun and unique as it's a turn based action RPG hybrid of sorts (you have to play it to understand) and rewards you with more experience points if you do battles faster and take little to no damage trough a ranking system. This system is way ahead of it's time, and it's sad that no other turn based RPG took inspiration from this. The music and aesthetics of the game are incredible and do an amazing job at creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The story and characters are also pretty good, but also a bit anime tropeish at times, but not to an annoying level, far from it.

If there are some criticisms to be said, it's that the graphics and level design is as expected very barebones, but that's excuseable as this is a 3D game on the Saturn. The battle system while great might also be a bit too good for it's own good as it's pretty easy to cheese it making the game pretty easy most of the time. Maybe I was also a bit overleveled, but I did also all the sidequests, which probably wasn't something they thought most people would do at a time where Gamefaqs was at it's baby stages and YouTube was a long way from being a thing.

Man, if this game ever gets a remake and it's done faithfully, it would probably be among the best games ever made. It's not quite there as it stands, but also not that far off either.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

After wanting this game for years and years, I finally got an NTSC copy of the cult classic Panzer Dragoon Saga a few weeks ago. A few days ago, I finished it and damn, this game is close to a masterpiece. Especially when accounting for the time and system it was made for. The battle system is insanely fun and unique as it's a turn based action RPG hybrid of sorts (you have to play it to understand) and rewards you with more experience points if you do battles faster and take little to no damage trough a ranking system. This system is way ahead of it's time, and it's sad that no other turn based RPG took inspiration from this. The music and aesthetics of the game are incredible and do an amazing job at creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The story and characters are also pretty good, but also a bit anime tropeish at times, but not to an annoying level, far from it.

If there are some criticisms to be said, it's that the graphics and level design is as expected very barebones, but that's excuseable as this is a 3D game on the Saturn. The battle system while great might also be a bit too good for it's own good as it's pretty easy to cheese it making the game pretty easy most of the time. Maybe I was also a bit overleveled, but I did also all the sidequests, which probably wasn't something they thought most people would do at a time where Gamefaqs was at it's baby stages and YouTube was a long way from being a thing.

Man, if this game ever gets a remake and it's done faithfully, it would probably be among the best games ever made. It's not quite there as it stands, but also not that far off either.

Oh man, did you have to sell your car and your home to get a hold of that copy?

 

[Bakkus]

Oh man, did you have to sell your car and your home to get a hold of that copy?

Haha, it was really expensive, but fortunately, I've saved up a lot of money over the years!

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Haha, it was really expensive, but fortunately, I've saved up a lot of money over the years!

I'm not one to talk, my copy of Radiant Silvergun was NOT cheap -- but still reasonable because I traded stuff in and Radiant Silvergun hadn't yet reached its ridiculous heights. And even at its ridiculous heights now, it's still anywhere between 1/3 to maybe 1/2 cheaper than an NTSC CIB copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, man! Sounds like it lives up to the hype.

 

[Bakkus]

I'm not one to talk, my copy of Radiant Silvergun was NOT cheap -- but still reasonable because I traded stuff in and Radiant Silvergun hadn't yet reached its ridiculous heights. And even at its ridiculous heights now, it's still anywhere between 1/3 to maybe 1/2 cheaper than an NTSC CIB copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, man! Sounds like it lives up to the hype.

That's another game I'm probably gonna get eventually because while I'm not the biggest fan of the genre, I absolutely love Treasure! Isn't it also on XBLA? Unless it's been delisted?

Since I posted that, I've also played another Saturn game only on Steam; NiGHTS Into Dreams. It was meh. Had some neat ideas and felt really original, but I found the base gameplay to be pretty repetitive and most of the boss battles at the end of each stage are really bad. Often, it's incomprehensible how you are supposed to defeat them and there is a timer, so if you run out of time, you have to do the entire level over again. I know this kind of stuff was still common for the time it was made, but we've come a long way in QoL features since, so this feels archaic and really annoying today. Not only that, it's a Sonic Team game, so you bet your ass there's the thing called rankings after a completed stage, and you need to have good rankings in every level in order to access the final level. Fuck that, I'm never going back to this.

 

[VidKid369]

Glad to have you back bud. And don't feel bad, we all have plenty of this going on IRL.

Thanks, dude!! I was all kinds of messed up around the new year cause I didn't know what to do, usually I play LUNAR: SSSC for Christmas to refresh but I didn't this year. I was just watching a whole bunch of Survivor until I realized what was more important for me to do.

 

[Y0ssarian]

So Toukiden: Age of Demons is a monster hunter clone. Instead of prehistoric monsters there are oni (demons), and instead of hunters there are Slayers. It is set in a feudal Japan eraz and you get these spirits called mitami, which grant you abilities to use during combat such as buffs, healing, etc. A rerelease was made, like the Ultimate versions of Monster Hunter, called Toukiden Kiwami. It adds at least double the amount of missions, more Oni, higher difficulty and a few new weapons. I have been playing Toukiden Kiwami and I have beaten the Age of Demons part of the story mode.

I have been playing Monster Hunter since 3U, and at it's best, Toukiden Kiwami feels like playing Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (my personal favourite) with a better story, and better characters. Toukiden is made by the same people that created Dynasty Warriors, and proves that they are more than capable of making more than musou games.

I started with dual daggers, then went on sword, before finally moving onto the unga bunga club. The gameplay when using the club feels just like using the greatsword from MH. The daggers and sword felt a bit too much like a hack and slash, which is fine, if that's how you enjoy these games. I wanted something a bit more methodical. In your missions you are joined by the most competent AI I have seen in a game. I brought along Nagi (healing), Hayatori (traps and status ailments) and Hatsuho (speed/dps), and they destroy oni. I get the feeling they would be just fine killing oni even if the player character wasn't there, they're that good. The story has arcs for all the characters and it is well done. Better than you'd expect for a hunting game. I also have Toukiden 2, which had an open world a year before Monster Hunter World came out.

I went on the subreddit to find people who still play this game multiplayer, and I will be taking it online later.

 

[jufonuk]

Still plowing through BoTW really love this game. I keep coming back to it and can play it for a few hours at a time and still make progress.

it may be the biggest game I have played in terms of actual hours put into the game. after this I may play a much shorter game.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Still plowing through BoTW really love this game. I keep coming back to it and can play it for a few hours at a time and still make progress.

it may be the biggest game I have played in terms of actual hours put into the game. after this I may play a much shorter game.

Yup, the point of playing games in the backlog is to enjoy them.

I'm still playing through Bayonetta. Although I only have a couple of chapters left to go in Hard Mode. Not sure if I'm gonna play the ultra hard mode (called "Non Stop Infinite Climax" or something) , but playing without Witch Time sounds both extremely fun, and something that could potentially lead to me raging

After playing Bayonetta I realize that I really, really enjoy this kind of game (action combat) and may seek similar games in the future (e.g., Metal Gear Rising, Devil May Cry series, etc).

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

I finished Wave Race 64 after decades.
Its a good game with really good water physics.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I finished Wave Race 64 after decades.
Its a good game with really good water physics.

If this game gets a remaster I'll be all over it.

 

[SpiceRacz]

I finished Chrono Trigger last night. All side quests completed except Lucca's. I wanted to finish this one again since I lost my last save file like 6 years ago. Not a lot to say. I've shared my thoughts on here several times. To me, it's a near perfect game. It condenses and streamlines the RPG formula into a game that I think has aged better than it's contemporaries. It's an epic RPG with all the fat trimmed off.

Not sure what to play next. I'm thinking I need a break from RPGs and I'll jump into either Blasphemous or Shadow of The Tomb Raider.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I finished Chrono Trigger last night. All side quests completed except Lucca's. I wanted to finish this one again since I lost my last save file like 6 years ago. Not a lot to say. I've shared my thoughts on here several times. To me, it's a near perfect game. It condenses and streamlines the RPG formula into a game that I think has aged better than it's contemporaries. It's an epic RPG with all the fat trimmed off.

Not sure what to play next. I'm thinking I need a break from RPGs and I'll jump into either Blasphemous or Shadow of The Tomb Raider.

Oh man, I'm so looking forward to my playthrough. Historically I haven't been into JRPGs but I got a hold of a copy of Chrono Trigger when I was buying retro games, before the ballooned to their current ridiculous prices.

 

[VidKid369]

Beat Dragon Quest 8. Epic journey/adventure. Just glad it's over. Moving on to something new... maybe Suikoden V?

 

[Y0ssarian]

Beat Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity. I had more fun with this than BotW. Favourite characters were Link, Zelda, Mipha, Urbosa and King Rhoam. Stopped noticing the performance issues about an hour into the game - it's not that bad. Very nice little game, there are like a million subquests to do after. Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition had like 500 hours or gameplay, wonder if this is the same. The only thing I did not like was the Divine Beasts AT-AT simulator missions

 

[LegionX]

Well... I said I was going to try to be more active in here this year.. and here's my first post since the end of January.... woops!!

So January was one of my most productive months ever with 6 games... so I followed that up in February with.... one game!

7. Mafia III Definitive Edition (PS4)

So after playing the first 2 games last year I was looking forward to finishing up the trilogy.... yet.... I found the main campaign of this game to be rather lacking unfortunately... The mechanics and all of that were still good... but the story and missions really seemed to drop off... After the first 2 games being so story based and cinematic, this one felt WAY more like a paint by numbers open world game... The first 2 would have you doing missions with others and banter etc in the car drive and during missions at time, to make it feel like a strong story, this one regressed more to watching cut scenes and then leaving you alone to do things.... It also makes you repeat the same thing over and over (Gaining control over many many territories which then allows you to go after the "big boss" of that area). Looking in to it, I see now that the team that created this one wasn't involved in the first 2 games (they made the remake of the first game, but didn't create it originally). After completing the main game I played the DLC campaigns which were contained in the Definitive Edition... Now these campaigns showed promise, it's as if the devs responded to feedback relevant to my thoughts as these brought back the more involved storys and having NPCs along for the ride at times etc. All up I think it was something like 30 hours it took to get through it (potentially more as the PS5 seems pretty inaccurate for me with logging time). I know last year that teams next game got cancelled, so I don't know if there will be a Mafia 4... but from the DLC results, I think they could do it justice with what they've learnt....

I'll post about March soon hopefully.. and get close to caught back up perhaps!

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

Guys, another old game finished, Super Mario World, which was a game I was due to finish years ago (at the era of the snes, I only had a cartridge that the internal battery did not work, so I did not have enough time to try to save the game).
I know I've been late for decades, but the game is really good and I personally found some phases very difficult.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Guys, another old game finished, Super Mario World, which was a game I was due to finish years ago (at the era of the snes, I only had a cartridge that the internal battery did not work, so I did not have enough time to try to save the game).
I know I've been late for decades, but the game is really good and I personally found some phases very difficult.

One of the greatest games ever, of course.

Is that your playthrough on the video?

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Well... I said I was going to try to be more active in here this year.. and here's my first post since the end of January.... woops!!

So January was one of my most productive months ever with 6 games... so I followed that up in February with.... one game!

7. Mafia III Definitive Edition (PS4)

So after playing the first 2 games last year I was looking forward to finishing up the trilogy.... yet.... I found the main campaign of this game to be rather lacking unfortunately... The mechanics and all of that were still good... but the story and missions really seemed to drop off... After the first 2 games being so story based and cinematic, this one felt WAY more like a paint by numbers open world game... The first 2 would have you doing missions with others and banter etc in the car drive and during missions at time, to make it feel like a strong story, this one regressed more to watching cut scenes and then leaving you alone to do things.... It also makes you repeat the same thing over and over (Gaining control over many many territories which then allows you to go after the "big boss" of that area). Looking in to it, I see now that the team that created this one wasn't involved in the first 2 games (they made the remake of the first game, but didn't create it originally). After completing the main game I played the DLC campaigns which were contained in the Definitive Edition... Now these campaigns showed promise, it's as if the devs responded to feedback relevant to my thoughts as these brought back the more involved storys and having NPCs along for the ride at times etc. All up I think it was something like 30 hours it took to get through it (potentially more as the PS5 seems pretty inaccurate for me with logging time). I know last year that teams next game got cancelled, so I don't know if there will be a Mafia 4... but from the DLC results, I think they could do it justice with what they've learnt....

I'll post about March soon hopefully.. and get close to caught back up perhaps!

Nah you're fine. In this thread we post as much as we can.

Man, I've only read mixed reviews about Mafia 3, which is a pity, because the setting looks awesome (late 60s black America; city seems like a New Orleans-type place).

 

[LegionX]

Nah you're fine. In this thread we post as much as we can.

Man, I've only read mixed reviews about Mafia 3, which is a pity, because the setting looks awesome (late 60s black America; city seems like a New Orleans-type place).

It is indeed a pity! The story is pretty decent still, but the problem is it's stretched out too long, with way too much busy work in between.... I mean, the whole idea of fully taking over parts of a city/map is not exactly a new concept... but the difference is in other games that's an optional thing for people wanting more to do... in this case it's required to progress to the next story bit... and because you can do a number of these areas in a different order, they plot isn't really super tight.... It all depends on the kind of player you are as to if you enjoy it.... those that always max out everything in an open world anyways will enjoy it, but those looking for a tighter fully story driven experience like the first 2 games may struggle

 

[Evil Calvin]

After wanting this game for years and years, I finally got an NTSC copy of the cult classic Panzer Dragoon Saga a few weeks ago. A few days ago, I finished it and damn, this game is close to a masterpiece. Especially when accounting for the time and system it was made for. The battle system is insanely fun and unique as it's a turn based action RPG hybrid of sorts (you have to play it to understand) and rewards you with more experience points if you do battles faster and take little to no damage trough a ranking system. This system is way ahead of it's time, and it's sad that no other turn based RPG took inspiration from this. The music and aesthetics of the game are incredible and do an amazing job at creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The story and characters are also pretty good, but also a bit anime tropeish at times, but not to an annoying level, far from it.

If there are some criticisms to be said, it's that the graphics and level design is as expected very barebones, but that's excuseable as this is a 3D game on the Saturn. The battle system while great might also be a bit too good for it's own good as it's pretty easy to cheese it making the game pretty easy most of the time. Maybe I was also a bit overleveled, but I did also all the sidequests, which probably wasn't something they thought most people would do at a time where Gamefaqs was at it's baby stages and YouTube was a long way from being a thing.

Man, if this game ever gets a remake and it's done faithfully, it would probably be among the best games ever made. It's not quite there as it stands, but also not that far off either.

Yes great game. Music is great and the Japanese voice-overs add to the flavor. Morphing your dragon is cool, and yes! the battle system is great (similar in Panzer Dragoon Orta if I remember). But rough around the edges visually. Unfortunately they lost the source code so no remake is possible unless they flat-out remade it 100%. I think at that point it might lose some of it's charm. But I hope they try.

 

[DelireMan7]

My challenge :
No 2022 games (or as low as possible). I can buy older games. If I buy a game, I play it immediately avoid growing my backlog.

Physical Backlog* :

• The Legend of Heroes : Trails in the Sky (PSP)
• Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
• Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear (PS4)
• Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (PS4)
• Baldur's Gate 2 : Throne of Bhaal (PS4)
• Zelda Ocarina of time (N64)
• Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
• Project X Zone (3DS) Ongoing !
• Brigandine : The legend of Runersia (Switch)
• The Mark of Kri (PS2)
• Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2 : Record Breaker (3DS)
• Demon's Souls (PS5) Done !
• Divinity : Original Sin (PS4/5)
• [2022] The legend of Zelda : Twilight Princess (Wii)

*doesn't include PSplus free games

I added 2 games to my backlog.
Divinity : Original Sin, I bought it last year to do a coop run with a friend online. We like it but couldn't play it regularly enough to appreciate it so we stop it. But I really liked it so I want to do it solo at one point.
Went to a small "Retro gaming event" and I saw Twilight Princess and this game always intrigued me so I took it.

Games completed :

1. Demon's Souls (PS5) (Started the 13th of December , finished the 3rd of January, 25h20)
2. [Replay] Sekiro : Shadows Die Twice (PS5) (Started the 6th of January, finished the 1st of February, NG/NG+/NG++ done in 91h40)
3. [2022] Elden Ring (PS5) (Started the 25h of February, finished the 22nd of April, 190 hours)

Wow ! Just Wow !

After a long wait, it's finally here and blows up all my expectations. It's a massive (I mean MASSIVE) game with TONS of content. I did a meticulous exploration of the map and many time it looked like the game would never end (because there is always something hidden to explore). I was a bit fatigued toward the end but I still couldn't stop exploring.

Very strong Breath of the Wild vibes on the exploration with little indications of the open world. And you're always rewarded if you explore.
They choose a "Zeldaesque" approach where every single bosses will drop you something when defeated (A weapons, a spell, a spirit, a weapon art, a talisman...). This played a huge part on my thirst for exploration. I was always curious of which boss I will find at the end of this catacombs/cave and what it will drop me.

On the gameplay, very similar to Souls but with 2 differences : adaptability and flexibility.
You can modulate your build basically at anytime to adapt to the difficulty you encounter.
You can change the "Ash of War" (basically weapons art and they can be really game changing) of your weapons, summons different spirits to help, craft useful items (my favorite is Sleep pot that allows you to put to slumber enemies and bosses).
Talismans ("Rings" from previous Souls game) come in different size, shape and effect that allow you to change your build on the fly (I especially like the addition of Talisman that increase your stat, allowing more flexibility in testing weapons or spells even if you don't have the required stats).
Same can be said on spells, there is a TON of them and as Spell slot is not bound to a stat anymore (you find them by exploring, solving puzzle or defeating some bosses), you can easily have several of them at your disposal even if you're not a pure spellcaster.
Pieces of armors can also have different effect now (for example I used for the majority of the time, a chest piece that increase my jump attack damage).
So you get the idea : the game offers you a lot of options and wants you to use them. Is it a good thing ? A bad Thing ? I would say a bit of both. I personally prefer the Dark Souls approach where I stick to a build for the whole game. Here it's a bit more complex to do it and it's just a bit less my style.

Last point on gameplay : the mount feels really good to summon and unsummon. It's really reactive so you can use it in combat to close or take distance from bosses/enemies. But the horseback combat is too clunky for me. Also your mount has a double jump and the game encourages you to use it for exploration.

Which brings me to level design : Fromsoft demonstrate again their mastery of it (especially in the main dungeons) !
The open world felt "real" and has a lot of hidden stuff that requires careful exploration and the use of the new jump function and the double jump the mount.
I also liked how some quests are intertwined with one and others. But the open world can make some really tricky to follow (Some took 130+ hours from start to finish with huge gap, like 80 hours, of not seeing the NPC in question)
Then the main dungeons are stunning in level design : for the most part you'll always having several ways to explore and again a lot of verticality that exploit the jump. A lot of shorcut and secrets to find. You can spend several hours exploring these main "dungeons".
Also there are several "surprise" locations which are huge and really nice but I don't want to say more. Just to give you an idea, after the 100 hours mark, I still got some "WTF" moments when discovery new hidden areas.
There is a ton of minor side cave/catacombs/mine to explore. Their design is quickly repetitive but it didn't bother me. I always wanted to explore them to see what the boss will drop.

Then the art design... Really amazing once again. There are some many beautiful views you have in this game.
They also went crazy on enemies design and there is a lot of variety on this side. Enough to fill your most disturbed nightmares.
Toward end game, you can feel some repetition in some boss design but it was fine for me.

A small word on bosses. I saw many complaints on bosses being too aggressive with very little opening... Well I can't deny it. Some bosses just attack forever and let you very little space to breath. It's fine for me as long it's not too chaotic. Unfortunately quite some bosses can be ultra chaotic with WTF moves you can't follow. But again, the game is design with the adaptability in mind and you can always find ways to beat it. But for a conservative Soulsborne player focused on melee combat (such as might self), it can be a bit harsh sometimes.
Also, due to the openness of the world, you can 99% of the time come back later if you're stuck on a boss. For a very, very, VERY long time almost nothing is mandatory to progress the story (but you will think it is) so you have to keep that in mind.

In the end, Elden Ring is a true masterpiece with a beautiful and meticulous crafted world, amazing and disturbed enemy design and beautiful art direction. Does it surpass the previous Soulsborne for me ? No ! I still prefer the more contained experience of Dark Souls and the more "rigid" philosophy when it comes to build adaptability.

What to play next :
Most probably a second character on Elden Ring (Started 23rd of April). This time with less exploration and bigger focus on some quests to get the lore.

I also consider going through the 3 Baldur's Gate titles of my backlog. During my Elden Ring playthrough, I had some big urge to play them.

Still playing Project X Zone here and there. Almost 30 hours in, around mid point of the game. Still the same : entertaining on small session but really repetitive with no depth

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

One of the greatest games ever, of course.

Is that your playthrough on the video?

Yes, its me, I've made a lot of mistakes.

 

[Y0ssarian]

.

 

[Bakkus]

I've finished 2 games since I last posted in this thread. Both through Steam. First is the modern 2D platformer Celeste. This game was mostly a really good and fun experience. The best part is chapter 8 which is the post game chapter. That level is an absolute masterpiece in design. If the rest of the game was as good then this would arguably be one of my favorite games. Sadly, some of the chapters beforehand are nowhere near as good. All chapters have this problem of trying to explore but you end up reaching a point of no return and have to replay the level to go the other branching path. This is my absolute most annoying recurring part of any video game since so many games have this problem in spades. Here it's also annoying because all worlds have many collectibles. Some are even required to play the great chapter 8. There are also several segments that overstay their welcome and a story that gets really annoying and the protagonist often feels like an avatar for the main developer in her preachy personal issues. But if you can look past all of that then this game is a great platformer with lots off cool ideas and probably the best controls out of any platformer I've played. The physics are pretty much perfect. Oh yeah, there's also a DLC chapter. I gave up on that really fast. Insanely hard.

I also played a really old game; The original 1993 Doom in the form of the expansion released a few years later in The Ultimate Doom. I've never played a single game in this series, so I figured I'd start with the father of the genre (ignoring the much more primitive Wolfenstein 3D). This game left a really good first impression. How fast you could travel around the course maps were insane and the shooting felt really good. The weapon combat felt so smooth, the shotgun was the one I used the most out of all the weapons. The game is divided into 3 chapters, but this was a weird move as it didn't feel very cohesive. The game kind of told you you had finished the game in some capacity every time you finished one of them even though you obviously don't until you've finished the 3rd. Why do you get the end credits every time? You also lose all weapons you've collected if you die and go back to your crappy hand pistol. Fortunately you can save scum your way out of this. The game started to feel a bit repetitive after the first of the 3 chapters, so I didn't have as much fun with 2 & 3 as I did with the first since the same enemies appear over and over again. The level design also relies too heavily on all these enemy hord traps you have to memorize, that and portals, switch activations and colored keys. All of this can get confusing and overwhelming, especially at the end. Nonetheless I'm glad to finally have played it. Oh yeah, this game also has a brutally hard extra level which I bailed out of after the first part lol.

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

I just played donkey kong country from the Super Nintendo. Very good game, with stunning graphics for the season and with a very good soundtrack.
I loved the phases you could use rambi (Rhino) and jump ing and sticking everyone.

 

[SpiceRacz]

I just played donkey kong country from the Super Nintendo. Very good game, with stunning graphics for the season and with a very good soundtrack.
I loved the phases you could use rambi (Rhino) and jump ing and sticking everyone.

Is that your first time playing it?

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

Is that your first time playing it?

Not first time, the last time I actually played was at the launch in 1994, had a vague memory of some bosses and such. But a lot had already forgotten.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Not first time, the last time I actually played was at the launch in 1994, had a vague memory of some bosses and such. But a lot had already forgotten.

It's damn good as far as platformers go. I think it holds up well visually too. And of course, the music is timeless. DKC2 is even better imo.

 

[Shifty1897]

So I beat Bloodborne last night, after 7 years and two total restarts from new games. It was probably the hardest game I've ever beaten. Help me pick my next game from my backlog:

• Metroid Dread (Switch)
• Resident Evil 7 (PS5)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)
• Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank 2016 (PS5)
• Xenoblade Chronicles DE (Switch)

 

[SpiceRacz]

So I beat Bloodborne last night, after 7 years and two total restarts from new games. It was probably the hardest game I've ever beaten. Help me pick my next game from my backlog:

• Metroid Dread (Switch)
• Resident Evil 7 (PS5)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)
• Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank 2016 (PS5)
• Xenoblade Chronicles DE (Switch)

Resident Evil 7 gets my vote. Then play Village.

 

[Y0ssarian]

Help me pick my next game from my backlog:

• Metroid Dread (Switch)
• Resident Evil 7 (PS5)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)
• Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank 2016 (PS5)
• Xenoblade Chronicles DE (Switch)

Xenoblade

 

[DelireMan7]

So I beat Bloodborne last night, after 7 years and two total restarts from new games. It was probably the hardest game I've ever beaten. Help me pick my next game from my backlog:

• Metroid Dread (Switch)
• Resident Evil 7 (PS5)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)
• Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank 2016 (PS5)
• Xenoblade Chronicles DE (Switch)

Replay Bloodborne

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

I wanted to remember the songs and the beautiful sprites that this game had at the time of release. The game is still fun, has infinite continues for those who do not want to start the game from scratch when dying.

I didn't play the Gameboy Advanced version to know the differences and know which version is better.

Just know that I prefer this game to the second The Mysterious Circus that despite allowing 2 simultaneous players, for me does not have the same level design fun and the songs are also not so remarkable.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Well... Bayonetta was quite something.

Went from absolutely hating it/almost quitting, to...

.... this.

(I went back to Normal to see how quickly I could get "Pure Platinum" chapter trophies; I was doing pretty well, but as you can see I stopped at the end of Chapter 4 because I realized I needed to move on with my life.)

Some camera issues and other annoyances are still very real factors, but suffice to say this has become one of my favorite video games of all time. An absolute home run, Platinum.... on the very first try with this series. Wow.

Started Dark Souls Remastered yesterday. Beat the first boss and moved on to whatever the place is called when you leave the Undead Asylum. I have to say, coming from Bayonetta, Dark Souls has spectacularly shitty combat. I should go to the main gaming thread with this opinion, just to watch the Soulsbourne fanatics try to eat me alive

 

[Y0ssarian]

Started Dark Souls Remastered...

... has spectacularly shitty combat. I should go to the main gaming thread with this opinion, just to watch the Soulsbourne fanatics try to eat me alive

I'm impressed your progress with Bayo

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Punished Miku got temp banned for saying Elden Ring was shit. I'm impressed your progress with Bayo

I'm sure Dark Souls 1 is not the best the series has to offer. Because if it is, it's very... underwhelming.

Not sure all the circumstances around Miku's ban, but I can make an easy, demonstrable case that at least compared to Bayonetta, combat in Dark Souls 1 sucks ass. Maybe it gets better as the game progresses, but right now... Ooof

 

[Y0ssarian]

I'm sure Dark Souls 1 is not the best the series has to offer. Because if it is, it's very... underwhelming.

Um. Well it gets more polished I suppose. You could put a Dark Souls 3 screenshot up and call it Elden Ring and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Not sure all the circumstances around Miku's ban, but I can make an easy, demonstrable case that at least compared to Bayonetta, combat in Dark Souls 1 sucks ass. Maybe it gets better as the game progresses, but right now... Ooof

Yeah i agree. You could say the same about Ninja Gaiden Black, MGR:R, Devil May Cry 3-5, maybe God of War 3 i think

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Um. Well it gets more polished I suppose. You could put a Dark Souls 3 screenshot up and call it Elden Ring and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Yeah i agree. You could say the same about Ninja Gaiden Black, MGR:R, Devil May Cry 3-5, maybe God of War 3 i think

On your second point, Bayonetta made me realize that not only I'm I decently good at, but really enjoy, games of that type. I looked into it and apparently these are "character action" games. My only real experience with a game from that actual genre in the past was when I played Devil May Cry 4 back on PS3. I enjoyed it but (at least at the time) I had no fucking clue what I was doing

I'll shut up about Bayo now, but I'll leave with this: if they fixed up the camera issues, some enemy balance issues (fuck you Gracious and Glorious) and boss issues (seriously, fuck you Jeanne) then it would be an indisputably flawless 10/10 game. As it stands, I'll borrow a term I first heard from a buddy in real life. This game is a "flawed masterpiece."

 

[Y0ssarian]

On your second point, Bayonetta made me realize that not only I'm I decently good at, but really enjoy, games of that type. I looked into it and apparently these are "character action" games. My only real experience with a game from that actual genre in the past was when I played Devil May Cry 4 back on PS3. I enjoyed it but (at least at the time) I had no fucking clue what I was doing

Shit homie you need to get onto Ninja Gaiden Black/Sigma and Devil May Cry 3 and/or 5 asap

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Shit homie you need to get onto Ninja Gaiden Black/Sigma and Devil May Cry 3 and/or 5 asap

If I hadn't made the backlog pledge I would've been all over DMC5 in a fucking second. Game looks so good, I can't wait to get my hands on it next year.

How's that Ninja Gaiden trilogy they recently released? I'd love to be able to play those games on PC, but if for some reason that rerelease is massively inferior to the Xbox/whatever platform originals, then I've got some thinkin' to do....

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I wanted to remember the songs and the beautiful sprites that this game had at the time of release. The game is still fun, has infinite continues for those who do not want to start the game from scratch when dying.

I didn't play the Gameboy Advanced version to know the differences and know which version is better.

Just know that I prefer this game to the second The Mysterious Circus that despite allowing 2 simultaneous players, for me does not have the same level design fun and the songs are also not so remarkable.

My man!

I absolutely love this game. It's in my backlog -- I never completed it as a kid, so as an adult I bought a CIB copy of the game for my Super Famicom.

It gets knocked on because it's "short," but like you said, the graphics and the music are absolutely top notch. Now, I have to admit the platforming is probably not the best (from what I can remember), but it's still pretty good.

 

[Y0ssarian]

If I hadn't made the backlog pledge I would've been all over DMC5 in a fucking second. Game looks so good, I can't wait to get my hands on it next year.

How's that Ninja Gaiden trilogy they recently released? I'd love to be able to play those games on PC, but if for some reason that rerelease is massively inferior to the Xbox/whatever platform originals, then I've got some thinkin' to do....

Ninja Gaiden Sigma - 9.5/10
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 - 8/10
Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge - 6.5/10

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

I finished Super Mario 64 after decades and it's awesome to see how smooth the gameplay is, the level design holds attention, the songs stick to the head and even with old graphics the game doesn't look bad. This is one of those classics games that leaving the graphics aside is really good game even in today stardands, awesome game.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

I finished Super Mario 64 after decades and it's awesome to see how smooth the gameplay is, the level design holds attention, the songs stick to the head and even with old graphics the game doesn't look bad. This is one of those classics games that leaving the graphics aside is really good game even in today stardands, awesome game.

The Mario 64 "slide" theme was slightly rearranged for 3D World (I think in THAT game, it plays when you ride that dinosaur named... Plessie or something).

The Mario 64 original is better.

 

[Y0ssarian]

Finished Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. One of the best jrpgs and best Dragon Quest games I have played. Can't really talk about why that is so without spoiling the plot.

I'm starting Secret of Mana (Collection of Mana) next

 

[Y0ssarian]

I beat Sonic Advance 2. I liked it. 8 stages, the first four are really easy, 5-6 are savage, 7 is eh and 8 is a boss rush + final boss. I was tearing my hair out at the boss rush until I realised Cream the Rabbit has an attack where she throws her Chao buddy (Cheese) at the enemy. Completely destroyed the boss rush and eggman final boss after that. It feels like cheating tbh. I'm going to replay it as Sonic and unlock the rest of the characters. There is a nice bonus if you beat the game with all characters.

There are some great stages in this game. There are some typical platformer levels like forest, ice, crater, music, but a couple of interesting ones like Sky Canyon (savage level), Techno Base (futuristic and digital) & Egg Utopia (you can manipulate gravity).

Not my favourite Sonic game, but far far from the worst. I did not collect all the chaos emeralds and play as super Sonic. I'm not that good/dedicated.

 

[LegionX]

OK.. late once again.... but after a single game in Feb, in March I bumped that up to... 2 games! except those 2 games total were less than half the hours to complete compared to Februarys... so... still rubbish....

8. Penumbra Overture (PC)

I've always been curious to try the Amnesia series, but as I was about to start the first game, noticed I had the developers previous trilogy of games already in my list.. so have started there... Like the Amnesia games that followed, this is a first person horror type game, however one difference is there is (very very basic) combat in the game, so you aren't completely at the mercy of the enemies if you get caught.. but you certainly don't want to tackle more than one at a time. The game is quite basic, with only a couple of enemy types so it doesn't take long for any level of fear to evaporate, but it was interesting following the story by coming across logs etc of people that came before you... They made 3 games in the Penumbra series so I haven't had an end to the story yet, but it was interesting enough that I plan to continue on with it

9. Aperture Desk Job (PC)

Technically this one should be counted as one of my backlog failures of the year as it only came out this year... however... it's a free 30min experience that was mostly made to introduce the Steam Deck (though works fine on a regular PC as long as you have a controller). The only reason I downloaded and played it is because it's set in the Portal universe... and I'll take anything they throw me from that!. The gameplay is super limited, but it was just nice to be back in that world for even the briefest of moments

 

[SpiceRacz]

I beat Sonic Advance 2. I liked it. 8 stages, the first four are really easy, 5-6 are savage, 7 is eh and 8 is a boss rush + final boss. I was tearing my hair out at the boss rush until I realised Cream the Rabbit has an attack where she throws her Chao buddy (Cheese) at the enemy. Completely destroyed the boss rush and eggman final boss after that. It feels like cheating tbh. I'm going to replay it as Sonic and unlock the rest of the characters. There is a nice bonus if you beat the game with all characters.

There are some great stages in this game. There are some typical platformer levels like forest, ice, crater, music, but a couple of interesting ones like Sky Canyon (savage level), Techno Base (futuristic and digital) & Egg Utopia (you can manipulate gravity).

Not my favourite Sonic game, but far far from the worst. I did not collect all the chaos emeralds and play as super Sonic. I'm not that good/dedicated.

I played through all 3 last year. My only issue is with the screen size though where you'll be forced to make blind jumps. Other than that, all 3 are great Sonic games. My main takeaway from Sonic Advance 2 though is that Techno Base is the worst Sonic 2D level in the series. It's ugly as hell visually and just really poorly designed.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Wait, I'm I going crazy? What happened to Rodya Raskolnikov? He was one of the more active users in this thread but I don't see him here....