After nearly two years, I have returned to this game, and I felt like writing about it. BACKGROUND:
I got this game because a bunch of friends expressed interest in playing it co-op. It ended up being a blast, as we ended up having multiple play sessions that would stretch to 3AM. We haven't played it as much because life got in the way, but recently, we felt compelled to go back to it, and we're having just as much fun as we were three years ago. PLOT: If there's a plot (I'm pretty sure there is), it's not told in this version of the game. Don't Starve Together is a purely multiplayer experience. You likely have to check out vanilla Don't Starve to get the gist of the story. PRESENTATION: The first thing that grabbed my attention about its game was its Tim Burton-esque art style. They emulated the iconic style well with all sorts of creepy designs for characters and monsters, and it gives the game a striking gothic vibe. This extends to the game's eerie soundtrack, though Don't Starve tends to lean more towards ambient sounds than full background music. GAMEPLAY: Don't Starve is a survival game in the same vein as Minecraft, where the objective is to survive as long as possible by gathering resources, crafting items, killing enemies, and repeating the cycle. It's a time-tested gameplay loop, and it works quite well here. There are three stats you have to keep track of: hunger, health, and sanity. Health is self-explanatory: avoid sources of damage and you'll be fine. Hunger is rather simple as well, as all you have to do is eat, but you need to find a way to cook food to restore a significant amount; otherwise, your health will slowly drain at zero hunger. Sanity is by far the trickiest, as it drains over time when it gets dark and due to various other factors, and restoring it isn't easy. If your sanity drops low enough, you'll start hallucinating shadow creatures, who will eventually attack you. Although there are only three stats you need to manage, doing so is significantly harder than it looks. That's because there are a ridiculous amount of ways you can die in this game, each draining one of the three stats significantly. Getting hit by enemies obviously damages your health, but it can lower your sanity, too. You also have to contend with all sorts of outside factors like the weather (excess heat, cold, and even wetness can kill you), accidentally eating something bad (pro tip: don't eat raw mushrooms), and darkness (hanging around at night without a fire is instant death). On the subject of enemies, there are numerous creatures in this world that will whip your ass if you aren't prepared. There are also a multitude of bosses that will smite you if you so much as look in their general direction. What's interesting is that a lot of them will fight one another, and watching that carnage unfold is always entertaining. In order to avoid all these death scenarios, you'll need to craft a whole bunch of things. You have your standard tools, various survival items (like traps for catching rabbits, or campfires), refined materials (like turning grass into rope), helpful garb (like backpacks that increase your inventory space), and weapons. Things get interesting when stuff like the Science Machine and the Alchemy Engine come into play; structures like these allow you to craft a wider variety of items when you stand next to them (e.g. you need to stand next to a Science Machine to make a shovel). There are a fuckton of crafting recipes, some crossing the realm of magic and requiring some rare items. The materials you need to make the shit you need vary greatly in source; some are easy to come by (like logs), others require a bit of effort (like enemy drops), a few are rather uncommon (moon rocks, ice), and others are rarer still (gems and the like). Regardless of rarity, gathering resources will take some significant doing, as you'll have to explore a good amount of the map to find shit. On top of that, your hunger and sanity are decreasing steadily as you explore, so you constantly have to weigh using resources to survive in the short term (e.g. spending a bit of wood to have a fire for the night) or saving materials so you can get some helpful items down the line. It's extra tough when you consider the randomness of the generated worlds; my friends and I have had some rough runs where we didn't find the mobs we needed for winter survival items. When you die, you become a ghost that can't do much of anything. Normally, there's no going back from this, but there are ways to resurrect yourself. Even if you make it back, however, surviving long enough to get all your shit back is a tall order. Speaking from experience, it is extremely easy to get stuck in a death loop if you resurrect yourself at a bad time. Another thing you must take into account is the character you play as. Don't Starve has a decent roster of characters you can choose from, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to survival. For example, Wigfrid excels in combat but can only eat meat, while Willow (the character I play) has access to a lighter and regains sanity by standing next to fire. There's plenty of room for various play styles, and it's highly encouraged that people playing together have a diverse roster. Overall, Don't Starve is a punishingly hard survival game. With the myriad of ways you can die, very little ways to restore progress, the mercurial nature of the game's RNG, and the fact that the game doesn't teach you shit, it's an extremely difficult game to get into. If all this sounds like too much, you might not get much enjoyment out of it. However, there are a lot of online guides that can see you through if you want to really try and succeed. Though you can play this version solo if you want, Don't Starve Together is meant to be played with others, so you'll want to join player servers or set up servers on your own to play with other people. You can customize all sorts of settings so you can get the experience you want, like stuff that can mitigate difficulty (like a free resurrection at the spawn point), different play modes (like a competitive mode where PvP is enabled), and other miscellaneous settings (like a password for private servers). This game also has cosmetic items that allow you to change your character's clothing and hairstyle. You mostly get these items from gift boxes that drop at random as you play. The stuff you get from said boxes is also random. It's neat that you can change up your look, but like similar mechanics, it's up to chance if you get what you want. What's awesome about this game is how it regularly gets free and paid updates that add all sorts of new mechanics. Since the last time I've played, they've added an overwhelming amount of new items and characters that I now have to think about on top of all the things I forgot. VERDICT: Don't Starve Together is a harrowing survival game experience that sets itself apart with nigh unforgiving difficulty, a distinct visual style, and various unique mechanics and systems. I always have a blast playing this with my friends, and if you like survival games and can stomach the challenge, you may enjoy playing this with your friends, too. Check out Don't Starve Together on Steam. The amazing thing about this game is buying it here will give you an extra copy that you can gift to a friend, so just find someone who's willing to play this with you and send it their way. Don't Starve Together on Steam (steampowered.com) If you'd rather play this game solo, you can get the regular Don't Starve game. I'll link the Steam store page below, but Don't Starve is also available on PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Wii U, and Switch. Don't Starve on Steam (steampowered.com) - end -
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Hopping back into the Master Chief Collection again for today. This time, we're taking a bit of a detour. BACKGROUND:
I've heard the name "ODST" before but I have never understood if it was some sort of spinoff or a prequel or... something. Guess I'll find out for sure today. PLOT: ODST takes place between Halo 2 (at the same time when Master Chief and co. chase after the High Charity) and Halo 3 (when the Covenant find the artifact connected to the Ark). The game focuses on a team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (that's what the acronym stands for), a special class of UNSC soldiers who drop in from space to the surface of a planet. For most of the story, you'll be seeing the perspective of the unnamed Rookie, who, along with his teammates Buck, Dutch, Mickey, Romeo, and Dare, fight through the African city of New Mombasa, which has been invaded by the Covenant. I thought this new direction was super interesting. This game has you exploring a series of events that happened concurrently with the main games with brand new characters and encountering bits of lore that expand the game's universe. I liked learning about the ODSTs and discovering the Engineers, and I enjoyed how you explored more of New Mombasa (which was a key location in both Halo 2 and 3). The characters, while not all that fleshed out, had enough going for them that I was interested in watching them do stuff. I'd say the main exception is the Rookie himself, who is your standard silent protagonist. PRESENTATION: Graphically, ODST is more or less similar to Halo 3, so I won't repeat myself here. I will say that the faces look extra rough in this one. The game is also a departure from the mainline titles in that its soundtrack is quite different from what you'd expect from a Halo game. None of the main motifs and themes of previous Halo games show up here; instead, the soundtrack leans a bit more into jazz. It wasn't at all what I expected from the music, but I still thought it was great. GAMEPLAY: ODST is still very much an FPS like any other Halo game, and for the most part, a lot of the gameplay elements are straight out of Halo 3. However, this game makes a number of changes that sets it apart from the other titles. The first thing you'll notice is that you're no longer playing Master Chief, and instead assume the role of the ODSTs. Unlike Master Chief (who is practically a super soldier), the ODSTs are more or less regular humans, so their abilities are understandably reduced. Things like fall damage are now a hurdle you have to deal with, and you also don't have access to mechanics like dual wielding. Instead of energy shields, you'll have to manage stamina. Every time you get hit, you lose stamina, and if you keep getting hit while having low stamina, your health will start to go down. In order to regain stamina, you need to take cover and wait, and to recover health, you'll need to find health kits strewn about. It's not that different from Master Chief's shields conceptually, but the game goes out of the way to make the distinction with all sorts of subtle details (like the character's grunting or heavy breathing when their stamina is low). The ODSTs also come equipped with what's known as a VISR, which outlines important objects with different colors (e.g. enemy is red, items are blue, interactables are yellow). Along with a compass, quest markers, and even a helper function that marks where you should go, the game is leagues better in terms of making sure you can find your way around. Weapons, enemies, and vehicles are all taken from the previous games, so there isn't much I can add there. The most I can say is that the Beam Rifle (which was absent in Halo 3) makes a return, which I was excited about because it's one of my favorite weapons. The campaign's structure is pretty interesting, as it has you alternate between the perspectives of the Rookie and the other ODSTs. As the Rookie, you'll be exploring an open area of New Mombasa, looking for clues as to the whereabouts of your teammates. Once you find one of those clues, the next chapter of the campaign has you play as the other ODSTs, showing you what happened before the Rookie arrived on the scene. I liked the approach of you piecing together the events as you explore, and the exploration itself is fun (even if the areas aren't large). The sections where you play as the other ODSTs feel more like traditional Halo, with plenty of shooting, as well as the occasional vehicle section. VERDICT: Halo 3: ODST isn't breaking any new ground in terms of gameplay, but its completely different setting and characters help make it its own experience. And despite only a few changes, the shooter gameplay still feels great, and the different campaign structure further helps give the game its own identity. It's a little on the short side, but I had a fun time playing through it. - end - It's not often that I get to play a game Day 1 of release. BACKGROUND:
I don't remember exactly when I first saw the trailer for this, but I was quite interested in the game because a) it looks like an homage to the original Ninja Gaiden, and b) it's published (but not developed) by Yacht Club Games. Thanks to Game Pass PC being a brilliant service that somehow had this game right on release, I was able to play this almost immediately after it came out. PLOT: The game is set in the futuristic Mekacity, which has been taken over by Dr. Progen and his army of synthetic warriors. It falls to Shadow, the last ninja of his clan to stop the doctor before it's too late. The plot itself is standard stuff, but I did find the mixture of the mysticism of the ninja clan and the sci-fi machinery to be a fun hybrid. The world-building establishes some interesting ideas (like the use of "Essence" and fusing it to machines), but you have to go out of your way to read text to get a sense of what's going on. PRESENTATION: This game is very much a love letter to the NES era, with faithful 8-bit pixel art and chiptune music (which, by the way, is pretty great). For the most part, the game looks and sounds like a lot of the games from the '80s, but there are some subtle flourishes that remind you that this is a game that came out in 2021. One thing I loved about this game are the occasional cutscenes that feel like they were taken straight out of Ninja Gaiden. These aren't fully animated, but they boast some impressive-looking pixel art. GAMEPLAY: Cyber Shadow is an NES era throwback in terms of gameplay, too. It's a 2D action platformer that's in the vein of Ninja Gaiden: run, jump, and slash your way through the game's levels. Even the controls are ripped straight out of the '80s: you only use two buttons and the D-Pad. That means some of the inputs are button combinations (like the classic up-attack input you may have encountered in Castlevania), and while I appreciate the throwback, it's a control scheme that shows its age and lends itself to some unfortunate wrong inputs. Other than that, the game's controls feel great. Movement feels precise overall, the hitboxes mostly make sense (sometimes), and the behavior of enemies and objects are more or less consistent. I will say that the knockback is also from the NES era and is pretty unforgiving. Expect deaths caused by an enemy knocking you back into a pit. The game's structure is linear, but the levels are laid out such that a few of them connect into each other. There are more than a few optional areas that have rewards in them, as well as some old-school-style secrets (like Castlevania "wall chicken" and secret areas accessed in the same way you would Mario's warp zones). It's certainly no Metroidvania, but I did get plenty of enjoyment scouring the areas. The levels themselves are pretty tough, with a lot of the difficulty coming from the devious enemy placement around tricky platforming sections. There are a wide variety of enemies that do a ton of damage and will piss you off one way or another, but if you can manage to find your way around them (easier said than done), most of them are pretty easy to dispatch. In terms of platforming itself, there's not much in the way of unique movement mechanics, and the level mechanics you have to navigate around aren't anything new (moving platforms, insta-death spikes, crushers... that kind of thing). There are a good amount of bosses in this game, and they're all pretty formidable (especially since most of them have two health bars). They're far from unbeatable, however, as a lot of their attack patterns are predictable and they have mostly consistent behavior. A few fights blindside you with multiple phases (which can be rough, since dying makes you start from the first phase), but for the most part, I enjoyed most of the boss fights in this game. Although this game very much takes most of its design cues from Ninja Gaiden, Cyber Shadow is a tiny bit more forgiving than the game it's inspired by. There's no real penalty for death (no game overs or anything like that), there are a good amount of checkpoints (although some of them are spaced out way too far, especially in later levels), and the enemies only respawn if you reenter a room (games like Ninja Gaiden and Ghosts 'n Goblins are notorious for respawning enemies on a timer). That said, the game itself is still challenging on its own. Throughout your journey, you'll collect a bunch of crystals that serve as the game's currency. These are used at the many checkpoints, and you spend them to unlock special features, like HP and SP refreshes when you step on that checkpoint, and even generating power-ups for you to use. It's a neat use for money that helps mitigate the difficulty should you need it, but other than that, it serves no purpose. Speaking of power-ups, you can collect a small variety of them in your journey. These range from offensive power-ups (like the game's take on the iconic windmill shuriken from Ninja Gaiden), defensive power-ups (like a Leaf Shield-style barrier), or something else entirely (a drone that replenishes your SP). A lot of these power-ups are incredibly fun to use and do a lot to make things easier, and it's balanced in an interesting way. Technically, these power-ups have unlimited uses, but if you get hit, they lose a charge. If you get hit three times, the power-up breaks and you lose it. Since a lot of these are super helpful, having them gives you extra incentive to be cautious when playing. Along with these power-ups, you'll also acquire an assortment of permanent upgrades. These range from attacks like the shuriken (these attacks are the ones that expend SP), mobility upgrades like the wall jump and dash (which also gives you a cool dash-slash), passive buffs like a charge slash, and even a projectile parry (which I really liked, but was kind of a pain to execute because of its control bindings). Some of the upgrades are more useful than others, and a few kind of have untapped potential (the downward strike could've been implemented in more platforming sections, for instance), but I thought they were all interesting overall. These permanent upgrades kind of gave me some Mega Man/Metroid vibes in the sense that you slowly expanded your arsenal as you progressed, which isn't really something that exists in the original Ninja Gaiden (thereby giving this game a notable difference). In addition to all that, you can also pick up HP and SP upgrades that add more to your bar. Many of these are found in the optional areas I mentioned, and as long as you pay attention to any branching paths, you're bound to run into a lot of them with little trouble. These upgrades do make things a bit easier in that you can take more hits and throw out more special attacks, so I think they're worth going out of your way for. VERDICT: Although Cyber Shadow feels like Ninja Gaiden in a lot of ways, it does plenty of things that make it stand out as a good game in its own right. It's still quite the challenge with its level designs, but there are changes that reduce the difficulty a little bit, and while I wish they could have done more with the platforming, going through the levels felt good. The combat is solid, too, with a good variety of fun abilities and power-ups to play around with and some thrilling boss fights. I can't say that I was too invested in the story, and I thought certain choices in the gameplay were best left in the retro era the game is an homage to, I still like this game a lot. If you're looking for a tough action platformer, Cyber Shadow is one to check out. I will say that it's a rather short game, so if you feel like its current asking price is a bit much, you may be better served waiting for a sale. Given that this game literally just came out at the time of writing, you may have to wait a bit for that to happen. Here's Cyber Shadow's Steam page: Cyber Shadow on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I think I've passed the 30 mark in my quest to play as many Game Pass games as I can within three months. Not bad considering I don't exactly have all the free time I want. BACKGROUND:
Yooka-Laylee was kind of a big deal when it first arrived on the scene, as it was a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie (a beloved N64 classic) developed by former Rare employees. I never got around to playing the first game (I'll get that on Switch), but I really wanted to get into this new series. As such, I decided to check out the second game on Game Pass PC. PLOT: The dynamic duo of Yooka (the chameleon) and Laylee (the bat) face off against the nefarious Capital B as the latter attempts to enslave the bees of the Royal Stingdom using his Hive Mind staff. With the help of Queen Phoebee, Yooka and Laylee find their way to the Impossible Lair to fight Capital B, but Capital B uses the Hive Mind to enslave the Beettalion, an army of bees that grant invincibility. In order to stand a chance, the duo must assemble a brand new Beettalion by finding bees around the game's world, then return to the Impossible Lair to defeat Capital B once and for all. It's a pretty basic plot, but I do like that the endgame is presented to you right at the beginning. There's something neat about seeing (or in this case, actually experiencing) the final area of a game, kinda like how you see the castle when you first start Dragon Quest I. I also enjoyed the game's zany humor (especially Laylee's constant shit-talking), but it's not a style of humor that's for everyone. PRESENTATION: Yooka-Laylee has a wonderfully colorful, cartoony design that immediately grabbed my attention the first time I saw it. Everything from the character designs and the level aesthetics hearkens back to the N64 days the original was meant to be an homage to; lots of goofy-looking characters, and distinct, inspired settings for levels. Unlike its predecessor, though, Impossible Lair is more of a 2.5D game, meaning that its perspective is locked in 2D but it still boasts polished 3D models and background elements. The game's soundtrack is just as delightful as the visuals, as many of them have an upbeat and relaxing vibe to them that made playing through levels pleasant. I found out that David Wise (composer for the Donkey Kong Country games) and Grant Kirkhope (former Rare composer who had a hand in the OSTs for the likes of Banjo-Kazooie) were involved in composing this game's soundtrack, and I'm not surprised that the music turned out as amazing as it did considering their involvement. GAMEPLAY: Impossible Lair is kind of a game of two halves, but primarily, it's a 2D platformer that plays a lot like Donkey Kong Country. There are a few dozen levels you can play through, and the objective is simply to get to the end and collect the bee. Mechanically, Yooka-Laylee has straightforward controls. You have your basic run and jump, a tail whip that acts as your standing attack, a forward roll that damages enemies DK-style and also speeds you up, a Dixie Kong-style twirl that extends your jump distance a tiny bit, and a ground pound. It's not a lot, and it's nothing you haven't seen before, but all these abilities flow well together, and the game provides more than enough level mechanics that take advantage of all these basic abilities. Getting hit doesn't spell instant death in this game; instead, Laylee flies about when you take a hit, and you have a short window to catch her before she flies away. If you catch her (which, annoyingly, is a bit harder to do than it sounds), you're fine, but if you don't, Yooka will have to brave the rest of the level alone; not only does this mean that the next hit kills you, but you're also stripped of certain abilities (like the twirl and the ground pound). There are ways to get Laylee back even if you don't catch her, but the penalty for death isn't that bad since you only lose money (there are no lives in this game) and there are a good amount of checkpoints. What makes this game really interesting is that the final level (AKA the Impossible Lair) is accessible at any time, even at the very beginning. Theoretically, you can beat the game in less than an hour if you beat the Impossible Lair straight out of the tutorial. Unfortunately, the level lives up to its name, and is pretty fucking hard. I've played a lot of infuriatingly difficult platformers, and the Impossible Lair is up there as one of the more punishing levels I've played. There is very little room for error, and I have the dozens of failed attempts to prove it. This is where the other game's levels come in. As I mentioned, the end of every level has you collect a bee in the end. This bee is part of the new Beettalion you're assembling, and for every bee you collect, that's one free hit you can take when attempting the Impossible Lair. It's a really neat approach that incentivizes you to play as many of the game's levels as you can, because the reward actually means a great deal in the endgame. I've attempted the Impossible Lair a few times with a couple of bees and those extra hits make quite a difference. However, the bees are finite, which means if you go down to zero bees, you're in danger. You still have to be careful to a degree playing through the Impossible Lair, but the bees give you a margin of error. The main issue with the Impossible Lair (at least in my view) is related to the overall difficulty of the other levels. Though some of the regular levels can be a bit tricky, none of them feature the caliber of tough platforming you need to get good at to beat the last level, and they're also more lenient with their checkpoints and their lack of game overs. Nothing in the rest of the game really prepares you for the Impossible Lair, and I can easily see the harrowing experience ruining an otherwise fun time for other players, even with the bees. If you're a true glutton for punishment, there's a toggle to play the Impossible Lair without any bees. Basically, you have to get everything right in one go. Unless you're like me and are used to difficult platformers slowly chipping away at your sanity and your free time, I strongly advise against trying to beat the game this way. The game's 20 regular levels are all well done, with all sorts of neat (albeit not that innovative) mechanics that make each individual level unique, collectibles known as TWIT coins that are well-hidden and satisfying to find, and even secret exits that get you extra bees. What's awesome about this game is that each level has a remixed version that uses the same layout, but introduces a brand new mechanic that completely changes how it plays. You're pretty much getting twice the levels, and it's great. In between levels, you explore the overworld, which is kind of its own game. It has a top-down perspective (though the y-axis still works and you can jump), and the idea is to explore the areas and solve puzzles to unlock more of the world, among other things. Most of the puzzles are simple yet clever, and some of these puzzles are the key to unlocking the remixed versions of the levels (which I thought was really cool and creative). As far as world maps go, this is probably one of the most interesting out there, as it's more than just a glorified level select and is actually its own experience. I found myself spending more time trying to unlock everything in the overworld than I did playing the actual levels, which I think speaks to how well they did in making it interesting. In addition to solving the overworld's various puzzles, the TWIT coins you collect in the game's levels are spent in the overworld to open gates (which block off new areas), as well as purchase useful bonuses. There are also Pagies you can talk to, which take you to brief challenge levels where you have to kill all the specified enemies. Doing so alters the overworld layout, allowing you to reach previously inaccessible points or solve brand new puzzles. I like that there's a bit of variety to expanding the world, but the gates that require TWIT coins may feel like a bit of a grind for players who don't really like replaying levels. As I like finding all the secrets, this is not an issue to me at all. The overworld is also where you find Tonics, which serve as the game's modifiers. Once you find a Tonic, you must spend Quills (the game's currency, collected by playing through the levels) to unlock them for use. The effects of the Tonics vary, but they fall into one of three categories: cosmetic (i.e. it merely alters the game's visuals), helpful (like passive buffs that improve your forward roll or a secret detector), or make the game more challenging (like the game's view becoming upside down, or inverted controls). Some of the Tonics affect the Quill Multiplier, which determines the percentage of Quills you collect after beating a level. Cosmetic Tonics don't alter the multiplier, but the helpful ones lower it and the challenge-based one raise it. Most of the Tonics are worthwhile, but you may have to go out of your way to grind Quills depending on how many of the Tonics you want. VERDICT: I really enjoyed Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. The fact that you can play the last level anytime is such a novel concept, and there's plenty of incentive to play the game's 40 other levels despite that being the case (other than the fact those levels are all fun). Plus, the overworld was an unexpected highlight, featuring a bit of the exploration and puzzle-solving that I enjoy from 3D platformers. It's not the most innovative platformer out there in terms of mechanics, and its otherwise interesting Tonic system does require a bit of grinding, but I still had a blast playing through this game. I highly recommend this game if you're in the mood for a light-hearted platformer romp, but I must warn you that the Impossible Lair is no joke. I suggest enjoying the rest of the game before tackling the last level; not only will you stand a better chance at beating it down the line, the rest of the game is pretty enjoyable. That said, I don't think they did the best job of scaling the difficulty of the regular levels such that you're prepared for the Impossible Lair, and I can see it still being frustrating even for players who have a lot of bees (especially if they're not as experienced with platformers). Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is on Steam. Here's the link: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on Steam (steampowered.com) Listen to the game's wonderful soundtrack on Spotify: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Original Game Soundtrack) - Album by Various Artists | Spotify - end - Halfway through the Master Chief Collection! BACKGROUND:
Again, refer to the Halo 1 blog entry for my background on the Halo series. PLOT: Halo 3 picks up right where the last game left off, as Master Chief returns to Earth to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating the other Halos. In Halo 2, the existence of something known as the Ark was revealed, and it does exactly what the Prophet wants. It quickly becomes a race between the Covenant and the UNSC to get to the Ark, but things get complicated when the Gravemind (who was also introduced in Halo 2) gets involved. Joining Master Chief is the Arbiter and his band of Elites, who were cast out by the rest of the Covenant in the previous game. Now aware of the lies of the Covenant doctrines, they help the humans in their fight to stop the Prophet as well as the Gravemind. I really liked this alliance; it's a bit more nuanced than the typical "aliens bad, humans good" narrative that the first game was, plus I liked how the Arbiter and Master Chief gradually grew to respect one another. My only gripe is that the Arbiter is just along for the ride in this one, as opposed to his more prominent role in Halo 2. Compared to Halo 2, Halo 3 is a more straightforward plot, focusing solely on the race to the Ark (as opposed to doing a lot of world-building). It's easier to follow overall, and unlike Halo 2, it actually has a definitive (and satisfying) ending. The only real thing that strikes me as odd is the abruptness of some character deaths, the game's penchant for cutting into weird "hallucination" sequences, and the strange influx of truces followed immediately by double crosses. There isn't much to say about the characters, apart from the Master Chief-Arbiter alliance I previously mentioned. Cortana isn't as prominent in this one as she was previously, and Gravemind is still too enigmatic a character for me to get into. Also, Guilty Spark (who has been around since Halo 1) really overstays his welcome at this point (at least for me); something about the character just didn't click with me. PRESENTATION: There's no remastered version of Halo 3's graphics, so you get the original look, except upscaled to 1080p60. Compared to the previous two games, this game aged a bit better (and the upscaled resolution helps with that), but stuff like the faces still look dated. The music is still great, and all the renditions of the Halo main theme in here are fantastic. All I'll add is that Halo 3's OST has done more than enough to cement its place as one of my favorite video game soundtracks ever. I will mention that the HUD for this game is much more improved than that of the previous games. I didn't mention the HUD in the blog entries for Halo 1 and 2 (mostly because they weren't that notable), but Halo 3's HUD is larger and much easier to read. GAMEPLAY: Again, Halo 3 retains the first person shooter gameplay of the first two games, but adds a bunch of new stuff and changes to keep things fresh. Apart from what I'll say below, there isn't much in the way of significant overhauls (apart from completely new level designs, of course). As expected, you have a bunch of new weapons to try out, like the Spiker, the Mauler, and the really fun Gravity Hammer. Older weapons have been altered slightly as well, like how the Needler can't be dual-wielded anymore. In addition to that, there are new grenade types too, like incendiary grenades. Another cool thing you can do is detach mounted turrets and wield them as two-handed weapons, which is fun (though you move slower when doing this). I liked a lot of the new features (especially the unga bunga nature of the Gravity Hammer), and I'd go out of my way to use them despite being accustomed to the older weapons. Another new thing you can use is equipment. These are like power-ups you can pick up, and they all have various effects. The Bubble Shield, for example, deploys a shield you can stand in, while an Auto Turret sets down... an automatic turret (makes sense). You can only carry one piece of equipment at a time, however. I thought this was a cool addition, as these items really come in handy in a pinch. New vehicles also join the fray, like the Hornet (which is essentially the human equivalent of the Banshee), the Chopper (the Brute version of the Ghost), anti-tank Wraiths, and more. There are still a good amount of dedicated vehicle sections in some of the levels, and they're still a ton of fun (especially with the new vehicles). Most of the enemies are from previous games, but there are a few new ones, plus alterations to some existing ones. In place of the Elites, you'll be mostly fighting Brutes, which is a change that reflects the story developments of the last game. A quality-of-life change I really appreciated is the game making more use of quest markers during gameplay. I mentioned having trouble finding my way around in the first game, and that issue is practically nonexistent here. VERDICT: Halo 3 doesn't do much to change the series formula established at the point of its release, but its tried-and-true FPS gameplay still feels really good, and the small updates and new levels are enough to keep things fresh. The story, albeit basic, is decent and actually has a conclusion; plus, it caps off the original trilogy in an interesting way. Though I quite like the first two games, I think this is my favorite Halo game so far. - end - In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn't have started my morning playing this game, because now I'm sad. BACKGROUND:
I don't really know much of anything about this game. I just heard the title mentioned a few times somewhere and ended up remembering it. It happened to be on Game Pass, so I might as well check it out. PLOT: The game follows the perspective of Edith Finch, who visits the ancestral Finch home on an island off the coast of Washington state. She returns here after many years because her late mother gave her a key to the house, and she's here to find answers about her family history. The Finches have an extraordinarily unfortunate curse that has spanned at least five generations; each member of the family dies in unusual, tragic ways. Edith explores the house to learn about each member's death, then she writes about it in her journal. Every time Edith finds something that reveals information about a family member's death, the game then shifts to the perspective of that family member, showing the moments leading up to their demise. It's sort of like an anthology of short stories, with the connecting thread being Edith's journey to discover them all. As you can probably tell, this game is rather somber, as you see the Finch family go through tragedy over tragedy. Not only do you learn about each member's death, you'll also piece together how the surviving members dealt with that loss. It's of course pretty sad, but there are a few brief moments where you see joy or solace from the characters. There are also unsettling moments, shocking moments, and even funny moments in some of the stories. Overall, it's a deeply emotional ride that really makes you ponder about mortality and how fleeting life is. And despite knowing how every story ends, I still found myself glued to the screen, curious to see how things played out, and eager to know more about these characters. While there is certainly a lot of narration and exposition from Edith, the game does go for the "show, don't tell" approach a lot when telling its many stories. Elements in the background like the belongings in a specific family member's room tell you more than enough about who they were and what they were like before they died, and the individual stories themselves leave a lot of what actually happened up to interpretation. Some of their perspectives are straight up surreal, making you question if the stories these people left behind actually happened. Despite this, you can actually kind of piece together the truth (well, some of it, at least) just by looking around or by observing context clues. Despite the obvious focus on the other Finch family members, you do get to learn a great deal about Edith herself. As you go along, you'll learn about her life when she used to live at the house, her relationship with the family members she got to spend time with, and even a big twist about herself that reveals the true nature of why she's writing her journal. The last bit in particular made the ending incredibly poignant. PRESENTATION: The game looks great and leans more toward a realistic art style. There's an impressive amount of detail to the environment, which is most evident when you examine all the clutter in the abandoned Finch house. In some of the shifts in perspective, the game takes on different art styles (like the flipbook art in Milton's story, or the comic book aesthetic of Barbara's), which I found wonderful. Apart from that, there isn't much to say about the visuals. The music captures the melancholy of the story quite well, with most of the tracks having a somber vibe to them. Along with the music, you're accompanied by Edith's occasional narration (which also appears in text form in your surroundings as you progress). GAMEPLAY: What Remains of Edith Finch is played in a first person perspective. You play as Edith and as her, you will explore the Finch house and uncover the family's history of untimely deaths. The main objective of the game is to explore the house and find each family member's bedroom. Once there, they will each have an item you can interact with that triggers the respective character's individual story, and you'll play through that story in its entirety before returning to Edith's perspective to continue scouring the house for the other stories. Although the house is Resident Evil levels of contrived with its 7 million secret passageways and bizarre opening mechanisms, the game takes you through it in a linear fashion, and there isn't much in the way of puzzles (unless you count looking around for the few interactables in a room as puzzles). The interactables are simple themselves; just press the interact button on them and move your mouse/right stick if necessary. Some of these have unintuitive controls (like using your movement keys to zoom in with a camera; that one really threw me for a loop), but for the most part, it's quite easy to figure out. Apart from that, you're pretty much just walking around. If you're looking for something more engaging, you won't find it here, but I don't think it's fair to hold that against this game given its focus is more on the story. The individual stories themselves are where the game mixes things up. While almost all of them control exactly the same as Edith (move around an area in first person), some of them have neat mini-game elements. For example, one of the stories has you taking pictures Pokemon Snap-style, while another has you try and juggle two tasks at once. These slight changes in gameplay also add to the characters whose final moments you're reliving; it shows you their state of mind in gameplay form, albeit in a surreal fashion. It makes each experience that much more memorable. VERDICT: What Remains of Edith Finch is a one-of-a-kind experience that perfectly demonstrates how video games can be an effective storytelling medium. Though its gameplay is simple, the few mechanics are more than enough to make its bittersweet narrative more impactful, and the individual stories of the Finch family were all memorable despite being quite brief in length. Despite only experiencing their last moments, I still felt like I got to know these characters, and outside elements like stuff in the house did plenty to fill in quite a few gaps and flesh out the stories. I really loved this game and all the stories it told, and it left such a strong impression that I doubt I'd ever forget about it. If you want a purely story-driven game, this is one to get. If I had heard of its premise prior to checking out this game, I think I would have gotten it sooner, and if you find yourself similarly interested by the game's narrative, I highly recommend checking it out. I will say that its base price is a bit much considering how short the game is (I think I beat it 100% in around two hours), but other than that, I feel like this is one of those games you absolutely have to check out at least once. Here's the Steam link for the game: What Remains of Edith Finch on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - Well. That took a while. BACKGROUND:
My experience with the Final Fantasy series is mostly limited to FFVII (which I talked about here) and the occasional spinoff (like Dissidia). As far as mainline games go, I don't really know much. Game Pass PC has a couple of FF titles available (and I hope I have enough time to play through all of them), but I decided to start with XV first as it's the latest and because during the time I was writing this, it was scheduled to leave the Game Pass catalog in two weeks. PLOT: FFXV is set in the world of Eos, divided into four major nations: Niflheim, Lucis, Accordo, and Tenebrae. The empire of Niflheim is the most dominant of the four, having control over almost all the other nations apart from Lucis, with whom they are currently at war with. Eos itself still has the sci-fi and fantasy elements that I recognize from other Final Fantasy games, but the world itself feels quite like our own, almost to an unnerving degree. People have phones, the cars look like old cars in real life, there are '50s-style diners, highways, and most of the cities take inspiration from real-life locales (albeit with more outlandish architecture). I found the juxtaposition of freaky demon monsters, magic spells, giant airships, and mechs alongside what looks like your average American interstate to be quite novel in terms of setting. Some of the more mystical elements of the setting aren't 100% explained (like the gods of Eos, or the origin of the nocturnal daemons that roam the night), and require you to seek out in-game lore dumps for yourself. I thought the world-building was pretty interesting, but it takes a considerable amount of effort to piece together what the fuck is going on. From what I gathered, fully understanding everything about FFXV also requires seeking out DLC content, other games, and even other media. It's a bit much for most people (I wouldn't fault anyone for not bothering and deciding to just read a wiki or whatever), but if you're anything like me and enjoy needlessly complex world-building, it may be worth seeking all these extra things out. The story begins in earnest when Noctis, prince of Lucis, travels with his pals Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto to Altissia in order to marry Lunafreya, Oracle of Tenebrae. What starts out as four lads going on a road trip immediately turns sour as they hear the news of the Imperial attack on Crown City (the capital of Lucis) that occurred in their absence. Joined by his friends, Noctis must now journey around the world to gather enough strength to take on the empire of Niflheim, avenge his people, and claim his birthright as king. I thought the story was good overall, but found that it jumped around and glossed over things a bunch. Early on, it's established that Noctis must collect the Royal Arms (the weapons of the past kings of Lucis) in order to grow stronger, but that's established in a way that made me go "well, I guess that's what we're doing now." Same goes for his quest to receive the blessings of the gods of Eos (though that was usually offset by awesome cutscenes). Other things go without explanation or are just simply dropped, like the explanation behind one of the characters leaving for one chapter (though it appears that and other questions are answered in DLC content), the stakes escalating all of a sudden, or the nature of the villain. What I think is the best aspect of the game's story is its main cast: Noctis and his friends. Some of the other characters outside of that group are just as memorable and have meaningful interactions with Noctis and co. (the most notable of which is Noctis's relationship with Lunafreya), but it's the dynamic between the four lads that really got me invested. They all have wildly different personalities, they make small talk and joke around; sometimes they'd bicker and get angry at one another, but they stand by each other no matter what. Even seemingly mundane moments (like when they're just driving down the highway) feel meaningful due to their conversations and banter. The four truly feel like friends who've known each other forever, and as somebody who is fortunate enough to have friendships like that, it was compelling to see such a bond be tested by all the harrowing events brought upon by the main plot. PRESENTATION: The visuals of this game are impressive, leaning as close to realism not only in the design of its locations, but with the appearances of character models and the details in the environment. Some of the game's more fantastical elements look incredible in this style, like the gods and many of the regular enemies. FFXV goes all out with the visuals when the cinematic cutscenes kick in. Some of the cutscenes depict a mind-blowing action sequence, and scenes like that really added to the epic feel of certain story moments. The most notable examples of this are the animations for the summons; seeing a "realistic" Leviathan in HD fucking obliterate an entire city was quite the spectacle. My only gripe with visuals is the occasional camera weirdness that occurs during gameplay. Certain things cause the angle to change abruptly, and that can lead to some annoying moments when I can't see what's happening. The music is equally fantastic, with beautiful orchestral tracks that range from somber, to cheerful, and epic. Some of the tracks have vocals, and a few even go into different genres (which is most evident with the tracks you can play on the car radio). I think my favorite track is still Apocalypsis Aquarius (the theme of the Leviathan fight); that track made an already epic fight even more legendary. As an added bonus, you can access a small assortment of tracks from past Square Enix titles on the car radio. I may or may not have have some FFVII tracks on repeat while on the road. COMBAT & PROGRESSION: FFXV is an action RPG, more in line with later FF titles as opposed to the more "traditional" turn-based or active time battle systems. You primarily control Noctis and do so in real-time encounters; you're able to move him around in real time, and you have to manually press buttons to hit your basic attacks. If you're used to the more turn-based affairs, this might be a bit much at first, but it's not as technically demanding as something like Monster Hunter or Dark Souls, where you really have to think about when to attack and where to position yourself. You still have to think about those things in this game, to be fair (especially during boss fights), but you can usually get by most regular battles just hitting buttons. As you control Noctis, the rest of your party (AKA his three friends) perform their actions automatically. There isn't really a reliable way to issue commands to them (e.g. "move here", "target this enemy", "retreat"), so I found it difficult to properly take advantage of their unique skill sets. The only thing you can really do to control their actions directly is command them to use special Techniques, which are special attacks/moves that use your Tech Bar (a green bar that fills up in battle). I wish you could control their behavior much better, but despite the lack of such methods, they were still pretty helpful in most battles. You can even pull off combo attacks with them automatically if they happen to be nearby when you perform certain things (like successfully hitting a backstab attack), but those tend to be hard to set up given how the AI just kinda does what it wants. While I did say that most battles can be beaten by hitting buttons, the combat does offer some amount of depth. In addition to basic attacks and movement, Noctis can dodge attacks when you hold the Defend button. A successful dodge expends your MP, so you can't exactly just hold the button down forever. For certain enemy attacks, holding down Defend will cause Noctis to block the attack, giving him a window to parry. That window is annoyingly small sometimes, but if you get it, it'll give you a pretty good advantage in the fight. If you have the patience, you can take advantage of Defend to scope out and completely evade enemy attack patterns (you will have to for a bunch of the boss fights given how rough they can be), but in my experience, an aggressive offense usually suffices as a good defense. Perhaps the coolest move Noctis is able to pull off is called the Warp-Strike. This move allows Noctis to close the distance between him and an enemy by hurling his weapon at it and immediately teleporting to where the weapon landed. Not only is it an awesome maneuver that lets you rush down enemies, it can be used on Point-Warp points, which allow you to suspend yourself from a height to recover some HP and MP. These Point-Warps are also used in some really cool set pieces (like a battle that has you warp between imperial airships). The way this game handles damage is... interesting, to say the least. If your HP hits zero, you're not actually dead yet; a second gray bar gradually decreases and you're left in a Danger state (where you can't do anything apart from using items). This gray bar denotes your maximum HP; if you happen to heal yourself, your max HP caps out at wherever the gray bar stopped the moment you healed. If you get your ass kicked again, the same thing happens, and your max HP goes lower and lower each time. If you get hit while in Danger, that gray bar decreases even more, and if your max HP hits zero, you're officially dead (meaning you have to use a Phoenix Down to revive yourself at that point). I found that this mechanic makes the game simultaneously lenient and frustrating; sure, I still have a bit of a fighting chance if I hit zero HP, but if I don't act quickly (which can happen extremely easily when you're facing an enemy that attacks a lot or you're surrounded), the ass-beating I receive snowballs and I'll find myself with only a sliver of max HP. One way to get out of the Danger state is for your allies to come over to your position and "revive" you. It's a crapshoot whether or not you're revived quickly depending on how the AI feels, so I found myself relying on items more to restore myself. You can do the same to allies in Danger, which is thankfully more consistent since you're in control. There are also a bunch of other mechanics, like enemy vulnerability, and cross chains/chain attacks, but those seem to just happen at complete random that I question their addition. The ability to summon the likes of Bahamut and Ramuh also return, but you can only do so in specific moments; it's kind of a shame since summons are a ton of fun, but the summon animations themselves are badass, so I can kind of let it slide. You will face all manner of enemies, each with their own resistances/weaknesses, all sorts of annoying attacks/status effects that will mess you up, and unique drops when you kill them (which can be used for spell crafting, among other things). The trouble with them is usually managing their numbers (you get swarmed a lot in this game), or in the case of tougher enemies/bosses, you'll have to actually learn their attack patterns in order to learn when to dodge and when to attack. On the subject of bosses, there are a whole bunch in this game, and they are rather formidable. A few of the fights do have scripted sequences that trivialize the challenge, but that's OK because those sequences are badass-looking spectacles and make you feel absolutely unstoppable. The highlight for me is still the Leviathan fight (which was easy, but looked fucking epic all throughout), but other fights like the fight with Cerberus, the encounter with Ifrit and the gauntlet of The Fierce, The Rogue, and The Mystic stick out in my memory as quite challenging. If all this sounds intimidating and you just wanna enjoy the story, fret not, as you can scale down the difficulty to Easy anytime. The most notable feature when in this mode is a free resurrection every time you die. If you ever hit a point where you just can't beat a boss, don't be ashamed to turn this one on; I did this for one particularly frustrating boss, and despite the free revives, I still had to make the effort to actually fight the boss. However, it's important to note that Easy mode isn't available for some fights, but from what I can tell, the fights you can't set to Easy all seem to be optional challenges. In terms of equipment, each character can equip a couple of weapons they can switch to mid-battle, as well as accessories that give various passive buffs. Your three friends can only equip two weapons at a time, and those weapon types are fixed (for example, Ignis's primary is daggers, and his secondary can only be lances). Noctis is slightly different in that he can equip four weapons in total, and he has no weapon restrictions. At some point, Noctis will be able to wield the Royal Arms, which are super powerful weapons only he can use. You can kick serious ass with them, but using the Royal Arms slowly drains your health, adding a bit of risk/reward dynamic. In addition, you'll be able to unleash Armiger, which is like a powered-up state where Noctis can fly and attack with all of the Royal Arms simultaneously. You have to charge up a separate meter to use Armiger, and it doesn't last very long, but it feels awesome to trigger it (especially in the scripted sequences). Spells work a bit different in this one. Everyone can equip spells, but the catch is that you have to craft spells through the Elemancy menu. You'll need to acquire elemental energy in the overworld, and that's what you use to craft spells. There sadly isn't that much in the way of variety here (you can only get ice, fire, and lightning energy), but Elemancy allows you to mix things up by allowing you to add items while crafting. For example, you can add a Potion in addition to a bunch of Fire energy, which turns it into Healcast (which is just Fire, but it heals the caster). It's a cool mechanic on paper, but the fact that you just get 31 flavors of Fire/Blizzard/Thunder + passive kinda makes it not interesting (though the tradeoff is that you don't have to think about too many elemental weaknesses/resistances). To make things more perplexing, your spells are AoE attacks that also hit your allies, so more often than not, you'll be accidentally fucking over your allies in the process of casting. I ended up not using spells because of all this, other than that one time I wanted to try out Stopcast and accidentally froze my entire party. Overall, I thought they tried some neat things with the combat, but certain approaches to some mechanics just didn't click with me. There are moments when I actually feel like I'm using skill to deftly dodge enemies and attack during an opening, but there are just as many moments when I'm just mindlessly mashing attack/dodge yet I still win. Level progression is also a bit different. You still earn XP per usual after winning battles and completing quests, but you need to go to a rest point for it to actually count; in short, if you want to level up, you have to actually make it to a rest point (or the end of a story chapter). It's not that big a deal in practice, but it feels like an unnecessary hurdle. When leveling up or performing certain tasks, you earn something called AP. These are spent in the Ascension menu, which has a bunch of skill trees that give you all sorts of helpful buffs that give you an edge in combat. It takes some doing to earn AP, but the buffs are mostly worth the trouble. One of the most notable things you can unlock in the skill tree is the ability to actively control the three other party members; the mechanic itself is great (as they all have their own unique combat abilities), but I wish it were a core mechanic as opposed to a technically optional unlock. Noctis and co. also have skills outside of all this that level up over time. For example, Noctis has a Fishing skill that levels up the more he fishes. Gladiolus has the Survival skill, allowing him to get better quality random drops after battles the higher the level. Ignis has Cooking, which improves every time he cooks meals (more on that later), and Prompto has Photography, which doesn't influence much other than contextualize the game's neat photo mode. They might not mean much in the grand scheme, but I like that these are here; they add to the personality of each character. EXPLORATION: FFXV has a decently large open world that you can explore at your leisure during certain points in the story, as well as during the post-game. Exploration is a bit cumbersome given the abundance of natural barriers everywhere and the fact that large portions of the map are just boring highways, but other than that, it feels nice to walk around and see a bunch of interesting locales. There are a good amount of optional areas to find, too, if you look hard enough. Exploration is made more fun with the Regalia, which is the car Noctis and friends drive around in. You can choose to drive the car yourself or have Ignis drive the car, and navigation is mostly easy thanks to helpful quest markers. Steering isn't an issue as the game does its best to course correct you (except for one specific section of the game), so you're mostly free to take in the sights, listen to some tunes, and enjoy the ride. You do have to refuel occasionally at gas stations, but there are a bunch around the world, so you likely won't be in too much trouble. On the map, you'll find all sorts of key locations like shops, diners, parking spots, lodging, campsites, and resource gathering areas. Shops are self-explanatory; you can buy stuff and you can sell stuff. Diners are where you buy stat-boosting meals, acquire information, and participate in hunts (side quests that give you some extra cash). Lodging and campsites are where you rest up and cash in your earned XP; the difference is that lodging usually has XP multipliers, and campsites are the only place where Ignis can cook meals using the materials you've gathered (including enemy drops). Resource gathering areas are also self-explanatory; these resources are used for cooking meals, for crafting, or you can just sell them. Parking spots serve as fast travel points in addition to being the places where you can park the Regalia. I mentioned side quests already, and yes, there are a whole bunch you can do. These range from killing enemies, fetch quests, optional dungeons, and even things like photo ops or fishing quests. They're completely optional, of course, but doing them helps if you need some XP or money. Some of the side quests also give you unique rewards, like upgraded weapons, or even a few extra Royal Arms for Noctis to wield. Yes, there are chocobos in this one, and you can ride them around instead of walking if you want. OTHER THINGS: There are likely a bunch of other things you can do that I just skipped out on, like changing the car's appearance. If you're worried about not having much to do in this game, don't be, because there seems like there's a lot. And even if you beat the story or otherwise end up at points where you can't explore certain areas, there's a feature that allows you to go back to past chapters and explore at your leisure. One thing I found super odd is how the game handles saving. The game has autosave during certain story moments and when stopping at rest points, but also has a separate checkpoint system that doesn't count as a save file. There's also a manual save, but you can't use it in dungeons or during missions (AKA the places where saving would be most helpful). As somebody who doesn't have the time to play this twelve hours straight and has to stop at regular intervals, the inconsistent handling of saves meant I had to go out of my way to find rest points or straight up clear a portion of a quest just so I can save. It's not that big a deal overall (at least I don't think it would be for most players), but it is certainly something that gave me trouble since I have stuff to do during the day and can't just sink my time into the game. As mentioned, this game has a bunch of DLC expansions. They appear to be focused on the other main characters, so it's worth checking out if you want to learn more about the rest of the cast. I don't have the time or money to play everything, unfortunately, so I'll just have to live vicariously through gameplay videos and story summaries online. There's also a somewhat helpful tutorial mode that you can play through to get a hang of things, if that's a thing you're concerned about. I must warn of the abundance of quick-time events in battles. If you don't like quick-time events, this is not gonna be a fun time for you. This doesn't really mean anything, but the product placements in this game kinda weirded me out. There's something rather peculiar about seeing Coleman outdoor gear (which is a thing in real life) in a game where a giant fucking water serpent pops out of the ocean and destroys what is essentially Venice, Italy. I will say that the fact that one of the side quests is pretty much just a huge ad for Nissin Cup Noodles is hilarious to me. VERDICT: I have my gripes with FFXV, like how it handles some aspects of its story and combat, but overall, I walked away from the experience feeling mostly positive about it. Despite my issues, the battles looked cool, the main characters were fantastic, there were a ton of impressive visuals, the music is amazing, and exploration felt nice (especially in the car). Even if some elements of the game ended up not being my cup of tea, I still had a fun time with this Final Fantasy title. If you're new to Final Fantasy, I'm not sure this is the one you want to start with. I think VI or VII are your best bets when it comes to that, but FF games aren't connected in terms of story, so there really isn't any consequence to starting with XV (other than missing out on the turn-based combat Final Fantasy is more renowned for). Otherwise, I think this is worth checking out if you're into JRPGs with real-time combat and like open world exploration. I'll say that the story will take some figuring out and the combat could easily get stale, so if either of those things are concerning to you, you may want to think twice. You don't have to take my word for it, as this game has a free demo you can play. Here's the Steam page that also lets you download the demo, should you wish to try it: FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION on Steam (steampowered.com) Plus, here's the OST on Spotify, because Square Enix is nice like that: FINAL FANTASY XV Original Soundtrack - Album by Yoko Shimomura | Spotify - end - I play all manner of serious, story-driven games, games that require a lot of brainpower and strategy, and games that require skilled execution on my part. But sometimes, I'm just in the mood for a simple game that's all fun and nothing more. BACKGROUND:
I recall watching a bit of this game on a stream and getting some serious Katamari vibes, so I was immediately interested. Never really got around to buying it, but luckily, it showed up on Game Pass PC one day. PLOT: Mira is an employee for a donut shop in Donut County, working alongside BK, who is a raccoon. Lately, BK has been obsessed with a mobile app trying to earn points to acquire a quadcopter. This app allows him to schedule donut deliveries to the many residents of Donut County. Unfortunately, the app isn't delivering donuts; it's sending holes to the locations that consumes everything in its path, destroying homes and businesses, as well as trapping people underground. This is probably up there as one of the most ridiculous stories I've ever seen, and I mean that in the best way possible. The premise is absurd at the start, but the way it escalates in absurdity is hilarious. Though most of the narrative is humorous in nature and not meant to be taken seriously, there's a bit of heart to the characters as well. Each of the game's levels sees you follow the hole's destruction from the perspective of each of the characters, and most of the dialogue is everyone berating BK for his irresponsible behavior. A lot of this back-and-forth is amusing due to BK's constant denial and all the random shit the others say. PRESENTATION: The art style is quite simple in terms of its designs (not much detail to most things, flat colors throughout), but the overall aesthetic is pleasant-looking with its bright but not too flashy palette, and the simplistic characters have a certain charm to them. The music is mostly on the chill side, complementing the game's stress-free gameplay. I'd say it's perfect background music for work. GAMEPLAY: In Donut County, you move a hole around the stage, and your goal is to consume all the objects in the area. The hole's size starts out relatively small (so you can only consume objects that are slightly smaller), but as you take in more objects, the hole grows in size, allowing you to consume larger objects. If you've played Katamari before, it's the same principle; accumulate more objects to get bigger objects (except in this case, you're not trying to roll a big-ass ball). For the most part, this is all the gameplay is, but some levels have basic puzzle-solving aspects to them depending on what objects you consume. For example, consuming something with fire causes hot air to rise out of the hole, allowing you to cause a hot air balloon to rise. There are various other examples, like using a drinking bird to clear out water from the hole, but they all tend to be quite simple to figure out. Overall, these puzzles lead to entertaining moments, and add a lot of personality to the game's solid variety of levels. At some point, you unlock the Catapult mechanic, which launches certain objects out of the hole when you press a button/click the mouse. It's only useful in a handful of puzzles, but it's certainly an amusing way to progress through levels. Watching the carnage slowly unfold as the hole gets larger is easily the most entertaining thing about this game. There is something oddly satisfying starting out from eating up random litter to consuming entire buildings. Again, it's the same as Katamari in this sense. There's also something called the Trashopedia that tracks all the objects you've consumed, but it's just amusing flavor text and doesn't really impact gameplay meaningfully. VERDICT: Donut County is one of those games where there isn't much to do and it takes just a few hours to beat, but the core mechanic is simple yet satisfying, and the overall premise is hilariously absurd that I didn't mind how short it was. It scratched that Katamari itch for me where I just chill out and watch something get ridiculously massive with little effort on my part. I'm not sure its length justifies its current price, but if you're willing to pay for what's pretty much a therapeutic game you can chill out and have a laugh with, I highly recommend this. The game is available on the following platforms: - end - I've been putting this off for more than a month, but I think I've played enough of this game to finally be able to talk about it. BACKGROUND:
I'm generally averse to online multiplayer shooters not named Splatoon, but given enough insistence from friends, I'll join in. That's what happened to me with CS:GO, and what happened to me here with Valorant; I'm only here because I have people to play with. PLOT: Valorant is almost exclusively focused on the competitive aspect, so a lot of the story is left for you to piece together through in-game text or outside media. The gist of it is that there are these Agents from all around the world with unique backgrounds coming together to face an as-yet-unknown larger threat. Once again, I find a similar issue in this game that I had with Overwatch, in that despite the characters being quite diverse and interesting individuals, there isn't really a strong narrative to carry them through. I think they're taking the Fortnite/Spellbreak approach where they gradually build on the story per update, which is fine (and a novel approach, mind), but isn't personally satisfying to me as a storytelling approach. PRESENTATION: The game's visuals look pretty nice, with a good amount of detail in the models and textures, plus incredibly distinct character designs that rival even that of Overwatch. The style overall reminds me a bit of Fortnite, which is a bit cartoony, but Valorant leans more towards realism with its character models and location designs. As this is a shooter, there isn't much in the way of music, and a lot of the focus is in the overall sound design in gameplay. They did a great job with this, as even with shitty headphones, you can really tell the relative distance of sound effects and have a good idea of which side they're coming from. These tend to be important elements in competitive shooters, so it's good that they got it right. GAMEPLAY: Valorant is a competitive first person shooter where you play in teams of five. I like to describe its core gameplay as the love-child of CS:GO and Overwatch. Allow me to elaborate. In Valorant's main mode, teams are assigned to be either attackers or defenders. The attackers are tasked with planting a bomb (AKA spike) in one of the map's designated plant sides, while the defenders are trying to prevent this (either by eliminating the opposing team or defusing the spike in time before it explodes). During each round, each player spends credits (which you earn between rounds) in the Buy Phase to purchase weapons and armor. First team to reach 13 points wins. If you've played any iteration of Counter Strike before, this should sound awfully familiar. The Overwatch part comes in with the Agents. Before every match, you get to select one of a handful of unique characters. Each of them have three special abilities, as well as an ultimate that charges over time (or charged with Ultimate orbs found around the map). Some characters have mobility-based abilities (like Jett and her dashes), others control space (Brimstone and his smoke), others provide support (Sage with her healing), and more. There are a lot of different ability sets that fit all sorts of play styles, so you're bound to find one that suits you. What makes some of these abilities tricky is that you have to buy them during the Buy Phase, which adds an interesting wrinkle to your finance management. Although the judicious use of character abilities is very important, there's still plenty of emphasis put into the gunplay. Things like controlling your spray, aiming for the head, and holding still to maintain accuracy (all of which I am terrible at doing) are just as critical to success as a well-positioned smoke or properly set traps. The game has plenty of training modes for you to hone your shooting skills, meaning you won't have to go far to make an effort to improve yourself. In terms of weapons, your loadout will have space for a primary weapon, a sidearm, and your knife. There are only a handful of primary weapon types, each with only a couple of variants, but they're all different enough that you're bound to find at least one weapon type that suits you. From what I can tell, the metagame favors certain weapons for their damage output, but you can get away with using other things if you have the skill. You also have to take into account the price of each weapon, so depending on your cash situation, you can't always go for your main rifle. There are only a handful of stages, but the layouts are all pretty unique and provide more than enough variety for your approaches. They all have multiple plant sites and plenty of branching paths and openings to watch out for, which means there's a lot to think about whether you're attacking or defending. Stage knowledge is super important here, as proper callouts of specific locations (something I also fail at) can spell the difference between victory and defeat. Thankfully, there's a way to mark crucial locations such that your teammates can see. There are a handful of modes you can play. You have Unrated and Competitive, which have the standard ruleset (one being your casual mode, and the other ranked play). Spike Rush is a quicker paced version of the normal rules, except it's only a Best of 7, there's no Buy Phase (loadouts are random), and there are special modifiers and power-ups you can activate. Of course, there's your Deathmatch, which has no abilities and is purely for practicing gunplay. There's also the Range, which is where you can access all of the game's various practice modes., as well as a Custom mode where you can set up private matches. As you can see, there's not a lot of purely single player experiences, so if you don't like online multiplayer games, there isn't much you can do here. As far as the actual modes go, there isn't a lot, but there's a good enough balance of short burst game modes I can play during a break, and the main modes are satisfying in terms of length. Outside of all this, you have a Battle Pass mechanic, which is an optional purchase that gives you neat stuff whenever you earn XP. Most of what you earn is purely cosmetic, like weapon skins and avatar customization. Alternatively, you can spend real money to purchase some of the game's premium currency, which you can then use in the in-game shop. As far as microtransactions go, this is largely inconsequential in terms of the game at large, and there are not loot boxes, so I don't care. The game also has something called Contracts, which work sort of like Battle Passes, but you don't have to purchase them to activate them. Each Contract corresponds to one of the game's characters, and earning XP while one of them is active gets you character-specific cosmetic items, Most importantly, this is how you unlock the rest of the Agents for use in gameplay; the base roster selection is good, but you'll likely find the others more enticing to play if you've tried them out on the Range. I was concerned that you'd have to pay money to unlock characters, but it's good that you can unlock them just by playing (even if it does take a while). New players get free unlocks if they earn enough XP, making jumping in a bit easier. From what I can tell, this game gets pretty frequent updates. At the time of this writing, a new Agent had just come out, so I do expect that this game will get bigger and bigger as time goes on. VERDICT: As somebody who's generally bad at and avoids competitive shooters, Valorant is one such game that I ended up liking a lot more than its contemporaries. It has the character and ability-based gameplay I enjoyed from Overwatch mixed in with a straightforward objective-based core mode that is easy to understand. Even with my below average skill, I was able to slowly improve my gunplay, learn maps and basic strategies, and figure out the best uses for abilities, which are things I tend to have trouble with in other similar shooters (either because the barrier of entry is too high or there are too many good players online). While it helps that I have friends to play this with that make the overall experience a hundred times more fun (and not to mention more positive, given their patience with my incompetence at this genre), this is one of the very few online shooters where I feel a tiny bit comfortable playing by myself, which is quite a rare occurrence. Despite a lack of a focused story mode for its otherwise interesting cast, and the usual swath of assholes online (many of which have come at me personally since I'm not very good at the game), I still like this game a lot (though not enough to play religiously or constantly subject myself to shitheads in solo queues). If you're itching for a new competitive shooter to play, this is definitely one of the rising stars to check out. I think it offers enough depth in terms of strategy and loadouts, plus a good amount of variety with how team compositions shape up and how individual rounds can go. If you're more of a single player kind of person, you may not enjoy this game as much unless you happen to like going solo in online multiplayer. Personally, this is a type of game I would only play with friends on the account that it's team-based and people online can be massive douchebags. Now, you don't have to take my word for it, as Valorant is free-to-play. Download it here and see if it's for you: VALORANT: Riot Games’ competitive 5v5 character-based tactical shooter (playvalorant.com) - end - Now, onto game 2 of 6 of the Master Chief Collection. BACKGROUND:
There's isn't really anything more to add that I haven't already said in the Halo 1 blog post. The only thing that comes to mind is that I'm aware of how significant this game was in revolutionizing online multiplayer. PLOT: Set after the events of the first game, Halo 2 kicks off when a Covenant fleet shows up on Earth. Master Chief is sent to deal with the situation, and after a tough series of battles, follows the remaining ship in the fleet through slipspace (this game's equivalent of hyperspace jumps). What they find on the other side is... another Halo. Because of course there's more than one. What makes this game interesting is that you see two perspectives of this one story. In Halo 2, you're introduced to a disgraced Covenant Elite who is anointed the Arbiter (a special rank of Elite) by the leaders of the Covenant. The Arbiter is deployed on various missions, such as investigating the ruins of the first Halo to stop a rebellious Elite faction, and going to the second Halo to find its Index (AKA the key that activates the ring's primary function). Though I very much liked seeing the Arbiter's perspective and learning more about the Covenant's inner workings, it does distract a bit from the human side of things. I didn't really mind that I didn't get to spend as much time as Master Chief, but I could see how this game could have been a bit of a letdown for people who liked Halo 1 and wanted more Master Chief. Also, the Covenant side has a surprising amount of bickering amongst its various factions, and it could possibly come off as Star Wars prequel trilogy levels of politics for some players. In addition to expanding on the Covenant's lore, the game also does a bit more world-building in terms of the Halo ringworlds themselves, clarifying things established in the first game and adding brand new elements to their origin (like the fact that there's more than one). Though I thought all these new developments were interesting, there were some things that I found very odd (like the Gravemind; without giving away what exactly that is, I thought that shit came completely out of left field and felt out of place next to everything else in the story). Overall, I liked the story despite any weird pacing issues caused by the whole "two perspectives" angle and all the weird reveals, but one thing that irked me was the rather abrupt cliffhanger ending. It didn't feel satisfying at all. In terms of characters, I'd say Cortana is still the one with the most personality (even if you don't get to hear her as much compared to the first game), but Master Chief stands out to me in this game. He's still a man of few words here, but now his few words are badass one-liners. Third place goes to the Arbiter, whose journey as a Covenant outcast was an interesting viewpoint to see. Everyone else is kind of whatever. PRESENTATION: As with Halo 1 Anniversary, the version of Halo 2 in the Master Chief Collection allows you to switch between the original graphics and a remastered look. I'll say that the remastered visuals of this one looked better than Halo 1's; their remaster of this game didn't look as cluttered in terms of the textures and such. The music is as great as ever, retaining much of the same style as the first game, but also adding tracks that lean into other genres (like rock/metal). GAMEPLAY: Halo 2 pretty much has the same first person shooter action as its predecessor, but with a few key changes and entirely different levels. All the other mechanics are more or less the same (or have been altered only slightly). First, your arsenal has been expanded greatly. Most of the weapons from the first game make a return, but you get a bunch of new weapons to play around with along with that. These include (but are not limited to): the Covenant Carbine, the Brute Shot (which functions like a grenade launcher), the Sentinel Beam, (a continuous beam attack), the Beam Rifle (a plasma sniper rifle, essentially), and the iconic Energy Sword. In addition, most weapons now have a zoom-in function, and you can also dual wield certain one-handed weapons (which is a ton of fun). I enjoyed the added variety, but I enjoyed slicing motherfuckers in half with the Energy Sword even more. Some new vehicles have also been added for you to pilot, like the Spectre (the Covenant equivalent of the Warthog) and the Wraith (which was in the first game, but you couldn't drive it). Vehicles from the previous game have also had their functionalities expanded, like the Ghost having a boost. The biggest change by far is the brand new ability to hijack vehicles controlled by the enemy; it's quite satisfying to throw a bitch out of a Ghost and then immediately run them over afterwards. Not only does the story show you the Arbiter's side of things, but certain levels allow you to play as the Arbiter, too. There's no mechanical difference to playing the Arbiter, but he does get an innate active camouflage ability, which is neat. Most of the enemies are returning from the first game, but there are a bunch of new ones, like the Brutes, the Honor Guards, and various annoying bastards that fly around. They have access to the same weapons as you (which can prove to be problematic in some situations), and if you're not careful, they can hijack your vehicle if you let them get too close. Aside from that, there isn't much to add. VERDICT: Halo 2 is a solid follow-up to the original, with small but meaningful expansions of the mechanics and a story that further builds upon the game's universe. I wouldn't call it particularly innovative, and there were some plot elements that I found peculiar, but I still had a fun time going through the campaign and trying out all the new weapons. Also, the sword is sick as fuck, so that's immediate bonus points. Once again, here's the Master Chief Collection on Steam: Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I'm a little over one-third of the way of my free Game Pass PC sub, and I've played a ton of games in that month. Believe it or not, however, I'm just getting started. BACKGROUND:
Most of what I know about this game is based on competitive gameplay videos I've seen online. I grew up liking Power Rangers and enjoy watching tag fighters, so the game made for a fun watch for me. Since it's on Game Pass, I thought I'd take the opportunity to try the game out for myself and see if it's worth buying to keep. PLOT: This game has a short story mode based on the Shattered Grid storyline of the Power Rangers comics. The gist is that an alternate version of Tommy Oliver (the Green Ranger from the original Power Rangers series) becomes evil, takes the name Lord Drakkon, and starts traveling across dimensions to kill as many versions of Power Rangers as possible to take their morphers (and add to his own power). The surviving Rangers band together to try and put a stop to this. It may come off as a story that takes itself a bit too seriously (Power Rangers is usually a campy, kid-friendly series), and it requires quite a bit of prerequisite knowledge of multiple Power Rangers series, but I personally thought the concept was interesting. As somebody who's read a bit of Shattered Grid and is a fan of any Ranger crossover stories, you'd think I'd like the story mode, but it doesn't really present the story in a satisfying manner. All of the fights that you go through seem arbitrary, you don't take the time to get to know any of the characters, the overall pacing feels rushed, and the few dialogue interactions there are leaves a lot to be desired. I think I would have liked this more if they took the time to set the pieces and build the characters and world instead of cramming everything into a two-hour romp. PRESENTATION: Honestly, this game isn't much to write home about in terms of presentation. The graphics look OK at best and don't really boast a distinct art style, and the music, despite having hints of the original Power Rangers theme song, isn't all that remarkable. GAMEPLAY: As established, Battle for the Grid is a tag team fighting game, in the same vein as Marvel vs. Capcom. If you've played MvC before, you'll feel right at home here. Mechanically, Battle for the Grid is a bit simpler than Marvel vs. Capcom. You still face off in 3v3 bouts, but the inputs are simplified (light/medium/heavy, plus a dedicated special button), you don't have to do motions for moves (most moves are just direction + button), assists are simplified, the inputs for some advanced tech (like push blocking) are easy to execute, and supers have a dedicated button. Despite the simplicity, there's a lot of freedom when it comes to chaining together moves, and you can definitely pull off some nasty touch-of-death combos if you know what you're doing. As far as fighting games go, I feel like this one's easy to pick up even for casuals. There are a few mechanics that do set this game apart from other tag fighters. In addition to the super move, you can also spend meter to perform an EX special, which is a special move with armor that you can combo into or use to beat out an opponent's attacks. You can also perform a Swap Strike that forces a character change if it connects. Tagging also works slightly differently in this game, as there is no dedicated active switch button; you have to press the assist button twice, which usually means the incoming character performs an assist before tagging in. The most drastic difference in terms of mechanics is that you're able to use the Megazord in battle. There are a few choices when it comes to the Megazord, and once you fill up its dedicated meter, you can activate it to unleash devastating attacks. It seems overpowered to call in a giant fucking robot in a fistfight, but it's surprisingly far from oppressive (there's a fair bit of warning and you can block most of the Megazord attacks). I didn't really care for this mechanic, though I did like that you can use it as a block counter; that seemed more useful to me than the comeback mechanic it was intended to be. Though the game has since gotten a couple of DLC characters, the base roster is... disappointing. There are only a handful to choose from, which means you don't get much variety when it comes to building teams. Also, despite having literally 25+ years of Ranger series to pull from, majority of the picks are from the original series. They do have a few villains, as well as Ranger representatives from Zeo, Time Force, and SPD, but as a fan of Power Rangers, they definitely could have done a lot more. I mean, they go to Corinth (the setting of Power Rangers RPM) in the story mode, but there isn't a single RPM Ranger on the roster, which is perplexing to me. If you're mostly a single player person, I'm afraid there isn't much to do other than story and arcade. It seems that most of the replay value is tied to multiplayer, so if that's more your scene, you're in luck. VERDICT: Though most aspects of Battle of the Grid didn't do anything for me or left me wanting more, the core gameplay itself actually feels really good. It's a lot easier to get into than most other tag fighters, yet still retains the depth you'd normally expect from other games like it. Even if the story and roster aren't much, I still enjoyed playing the actual game, and could actually string together decent combos with little trouble. If you're itching for an easy-to-learn tag fighter but don't like Marvel Infinite, this might actually scratch your itch. Otherwise, I'm not sure I could recommend this on the account of its shallow single player and unremarkable roster. Here's the game on Steam: Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - A new update for Ritual of the Night dropped just days after I beat it. Let's take a look. BACKGROUND:
I was greeted one morning with a new trailer for Bloodstained's latest content update. One of the additions was an extra area for the main game, but the one that caught my eye is a brand new Classic Mode. In case you haven't read it yet, here are my thoughts on the main game. WHAT'S NEW: Classic Mode is Ritual of the Night's take on classic Castlevania. Though it retains the main game's art style, everything else is straight out of Castlevania 1. The UI elements are almost 1:1 with the original Castlevania, down to the boss life bar and the semi-pointless score counter. The music, while fully original, is chiptune, which is reminiscent of the NES days. Even stuff like the opening cinematic (which has Miriam do a take on the iconic "Simon stands in front of the castle gates" scene) and the stage transitions (which look almost exactly the same as the stage map in Castlevania 1) are straight out of the classics. If you think the homages end there, think again, because the gameplay itself is pretty much just Castlevania 1 with a brand new coat of paint. The platforming is just as tough as classic Castlevania: fixed jump arc, punishing knockback, pain-in-the-ass stairs, and a slow-ass whip. If you've never played the original Castlevania before, you will hate how this game controls. There are five stages in total, each split into sections and each culminating in a boss. The level design is just as much of a nightmate as Castlevania 1, with tricky jumps and calculated enemy placement. The enemies themselves are from Bloodstained, but a lot of their behaviors mirror that of classic Castlevania foes (e.g. there are clear analogues to Axe Armors and Medusa heads). Coupled with the old-school controls, they did not hold back in terms of difficulty. Like in classic Castlevania, you can acquire sub-weapons that use weapon energy (denoted in this game by blue roses as opposed to hearts), and all the weapons are equivalents of those in the originals. You have your dagger, a bone that functions like the axe, holy water, a Shard that stops time, and a boomerang. Again, if you've played Castlevania 1, this will be familiar to you. Classic Mode does add a few things in terms of movement options. You have access to your backstep from the main game, a midair backflip that you can use to get up to higher places (but will more likely get you killed), and the slide (which isn't all that useful). I can see specific situations where these can be helpful, but since I've played Castlevania 1 before, I didn't find much use for them. And just like the games of old, you can find secrets by breaking sections of a level. Yes, you have wall chicken (sort of). VERDICT: Bloodstained's Classic Mode is a faithful homage to classic Castlevania, but it does little new apart from a few extraneous movement options, retaining Ritual of the Night's art style, and somewhat different level designs and aesthetics. It's a good way to experience the rage-inducing games of old for free if you own Ritual of the Night, but I would just recommend actually playing Castlevania 1 if you want the definitive experience. Or if you want something that plays like classic Castlevania but still feels fresh in terms of gameplay, look no further to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. - end - I meant to play this earlier, but an installation snafu made the game not run on my machine. I figured out what was wrong, so I can now get to it. BACKGROUND:
The original Battletoads is rather infamous for being one of the most infuriatingly difficult games of the NES era. Even as someone who wasn't around during that time period, I have heard plenty about the game and have seen plenty of videos on it. I don't think I've ever played it though, even back in my emulating days. I had forgotten that they had made a reboot of the game recently, so I was rather surprised to see it among the games offered on Game Pass. I thought I'd check it out now, but I have to make a mental note to also play the original. PLOT: The Battletoads are back after 26 years! But it turns out they've been living in a fantasy simulation during that entire time, and they've escaped to find that they're no longer the famous heroes they were in the '90s. In an attempt to reclaim their former glory, they seek out their old nemesis the Dark Queen, but instead of fighting, they find themselves teaming up to take on the entity responsible for trapping the toads in the simulation: the aliens known as the Topians. Overall, the story is your typical Saturday morning cartoon silliness. There's not really a strong narrative, compelling themes, or deep characterization; it's just three toads getting into wacky hijinks (which is fine by me, but I tuned out most of what was happening). The game tries to be meta at certain points by taking jabs at the obscurity of Battletoads, but I don't really feel that it comes across as funny. The comedy overall is OK; there were some genuinely hilarious jokes, but I can see some of the attempts at humor coming across as trying too hard, being a tad juvenile, or simply non sequitur nonsense. PRESENTATION: Right out the gate, the visuals of this game caught my eye. It's this vibrant, cartoony art style that reminds me of cartoons like Mighty Magiswords, Teen Titans GO, and other similar animated series that have simplistic designs but over-the-top animations. It's a little much for my taste, but I think the art style looks solid regardless. I don't think it's an art style everyone would like, though (especially if you're not really into cartoons with similar aesthetics). The music goes for a rock vibe with lots of intense guitar riffs to match the action. They go in pretty hard on some of the tracks, which I enjoyed. Other than that, I would say the soundtrack is decent overall. GAMEPLAY: The "main" portions of Battletoads are your usual side-scrolling beat-'em-up. It's pretty much like any other title in the genre; move forward, beat the shit out of enemies, repeat. Mechanically, it isn't anything special (you do get neat combos and there's a bit of strategy when breaking enemy block and dodging attacks), but it feels good to play, so I'm not at all upset at the somewhat standard gameplay. The only thing that's really unique in this aspect of gameplay are the tongue moves, which have a bunch of interesting uses. If you were looking for something more complex, I'm afraid you might find this game a tad shallow. Structurally, Battletoads is less of a full beat-'em-up and more of a mishmash of minigames that span different genres. You have silly quick-time event minigames, obstacle courses inspired by Turbo Tunnel (by far the most infamous level in the original), straightforward 2D puzzle platformer sections, shoot-'em-ups set in space, "hacking" minigames, and even rock-paper-scissors. This game keeps you on your toes by switching things up mostly every section, so if you're looking for variety, this game might be up your alley. On the other hand, if you wanted a more straightforward experience, the constant changing may be too jarring for you. I will say that as amusing as most of the minigames are, the game doesn't pace them all that well. Sometimes, you're just thrown into a completely different minigame without so much as a warning; other times, you're made to repeat a few specific minigames more than once. Some minigames go by too quick, while others feel rather dragged out. It felt really jarring to play the game through in one sitting because of this inconsistency. In terms of difficulty, you're able to set the game to one of three difficulties. I played on the game's equivalent of normal, and from what I can tell, it doesn't really capture the difficulty of the original. There were a few sections that required me to retry a few times, but on normal, none of them were rage-inducing. The game is also pretty lenient with checkpoints, so there's room for error. If you crave the difficulty of the original, the equivalent of hard may be more your scene. Otherwise, normal will be manageable for most players. Some of the levels have optional collectibles you can go for if you're a completionist type. The game makes it easy for you to get them with a convenient stage select. You can also try and improve your high score or your clear time, but there doesn't seem to be much point in doing so. VERDICT: Although the combat wasn't that remarkable and the minigames weren't paced well, I still found some enjoyment out of playing through Battletoads. The various gameplay modes amused me one way or another, and as much as the story didn't hold my interest, I can still appreciate some of the humor they were going for (even if some of the attempts fall flat). I think this is worth checking out if you're into minigame compilation-style titles, though the story and humor may not be to your liking. I cannot speak to how this game holds up as a successor to the original, as I have yet to play the NES Battletoads. From what I can tell, people seem divided on whether or not this game captures what made the original special. Perhaps I'll update this post with my insight whenever I get around to playing that. Like many beat-'em-ups, this game can be played co-op with three players. If you can find two other people to play with, this may be even more fun. Check out the game on Steam: Battletoads on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I've put this off long enough. It's time for me to run through every game in Halo's Master Chief Collection. BACKGROUND:
Halo has been a big name since the 2000s, so I know quite a bit of it despite never having owned an Xbox in my life. It's easily one of the most recognizable shooters ever, right up there with Call of Duty, Doom, and the like. However, that's only part of why I've always wanted to check it out. Halo is one of, if not the all-time favorite game series of one of my closest friends, and he's always gone out of his way to sell me on it. Thankfully, the Master Chief Collection is on Game Pass, which means I get to play nearly every mainline Halo game. In other words, expect more Halo-centric blog posts. PLOT: Halo is set in a futuristic sci-fi setting, with space travel, aliens, and all that good shit. In this universe, a group of aliens known as the Covenant have declared war on humanity, and the UNSC (a human military force) is taking the fight to them. The game begins on the Pillar of Autumn, a UNSC vessel traveling through space. The crew discovers a strange ring-shaped space station/planetoid, but before they can figure anything out, the Covenant pursue and initiate an attack. With the ship in critical danger, Captain Keyes orders Master Chief, a Spartan (AKA a super soldier in badass armor), woken from cryostasis. He entrusts Master Chief with the protection of Cortana (the ship's AI), who must not fall into the hands of the enemy. And before you ask, yes, it's the same name as your Windows 10 digital assistant; this is where they got the name from. Master Chief escapes the Pillar of Autumn and crash-lands on the ringworld, which the Covenant called "Halo" (there's your explanation for the game's name). With Cortana's help, Master Chief explores Halo and aids surviving UNSC Marines, fights against the Covenant, and discovers the truth behind what Halo really is. The story starts out as your usual "humans vs. aliens" plot, but the mystery of Halo (and the eventual reveal of what it's really for) more than makes up for it, I feel. Though some elements of the world-building weren't really fleshed out, I liked the universe they've set up here, and I think there'll be opportunities to answer my questions when I play the rest of the Halo games. Out of the few characters in this game, Cortana is strangely the one who stands out as the AI with a ton of personality. Everyone else is pretty cut and dry, while Master Chief is a man of few words. PRESENTATION: I'm playing the Anniversary version of Halo: Combat Evolved, which has a built-in toggle that allows you to switch between the visuals as they were on the original Xbox and a remastered version. The original visuals obviously look a bit dated, but I think there's still a certain simplistic charm to them despite the clearly less detailed textures and models. The remastered visuals, while certainly polished, feels a bit busy when it comes to its background designs. Regardless of which you choose, the cinematic cutscenes are quite exciting to watch. The game has some pretty neat designs, from the iconic Spartan armor donned by Master Chief, the striking purple vehicles of the Covenant, and cool-looking weapons like the Needler. I kinda wish the humans had cooler-looking vehicles and ships, but the ones they do have still look good. Plus, the weapon/vehicle designs of the humans and the Covenant being strikingly different made for an interesting contrast. One thing that really surprised me about this game was the music. Though you usually play through the levels with mostly ambient sounds to keep you company, the moments when the music kicks in feel incredible. Some of the tracks are these epic-sounding orchestral tracks that go all in on the violins, while others have an otherworldly vibe to them thanks to some Gregorian chant-style vocals. They did a good job of timing the music to when shit's about to go down in game, which made listening to them all the more satisfying. GAMEPLAY: Halo, as you may already know, is a first person shooter where you blast the shit out of aliens. If you've played an FPS before, you'll understand this game immediately. But what makes it different from the rest? First, the way the game handles health is a bit different compared to most shooters. You have a health bar that, unlike games like Call of Duty, doesn't regenerate; any damage you take remains until you die or find a health kit. To even the odds, though, Master Chief has shields on top of his regular health that do regenerate. It's quite important to manage your shields, because if they go down, you're down to regular health, and you will not last very long if you keep getting hit (because not only does it hurt, but shields can only regenerate after a few seconds, provided you're not currently being damaged). It's an interesting hybrid of the typical FPS regen trope and how HP usually works in most other games. Halo is also a bit different in that you can only have two weapons on you at any given time (as opposed to having access to every weapon via something like a weapon wheel). You can find weapons occasionally strewn about the level, but your main source of new weapons will be from the corpses of your foes. Depending on your ammo situation, you may find yourself scavenging for weapons just to get through, or you may find it strategically advantageous to mix and match different weapon types to deal with specific situations. Either way, you'll have to really think about what you keep in your inventory as you play. Speaking of the weapons themselves, there are a good variety to choose from. You have a bunch of straightforward ones, like the assault rifle, the rocket launcher, a sniper rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol (that somehow has a zoom function). On top of that, you have a small assortment of fun sci-fi weapons, like the plasma rifle (which doesn't need to be reloaded, but overheats if you hold fire for too long), the plasma pistol (which has a powerful charge shot), and the Needler (which shoots needles that explode if you stick enough of them on enemies). Every weapon has their own specific niche, and I found myself swapping out regularly to take advantage of their strengths, something I ended up really enjoying. There are a small variety of enemies, each having their own behavior and abilities in battle. The Grunts, for example, will eventually start fleeing in terror when you thin their numbers, Jackals roll around and brandish a shield that protects them from some damage, and the Elites also have the same shield mechanics as you, necessitating quick action on your part. Equally important as knowing what you're up against is seeing what weapons they're holding; if you're not careful, you're taking a rocket to the face. In certain sections, you'll be able to drive a number of vehicles, from the Warthog (a jeep with a gun turret), the Ghost (a speeder bike-type thing used by the Covenant), and even the Scorpion (a tank). Controlling the vehicles is a bit tough on keyboard/mouse (the control scheme I went for), but other than that, running people over and blasting them with infinite ammo weapons is highly entertaining. The game's story campaign is split into ten chapters, all of which are pretty lengthy. For the most part, it's fun to explore various locales and face off against an army of Covenant, but I feel the overall level design isn't the most polished. Some of the chapters have you aimlessly wandering around corridors that all look mostly the same, and while I rarely ever got lost for long, it was enough to have me going "OK, am I going the right way?" It also doesn't help that there doesn't appear to be a map, and that quest markers (something that is very much present in the game) are used sparingly. This is really the only thing about the game that I found somewhat frustrating. In terms of the action itself, the game does do a lot to spice up the many firefights you'll find yourself in, but it kind of falls apart in the second half where you're just thrown into very similar-looking rooms having to fend off seemingly endless hordes of tanky enemies. This didn't bother me as much, but there were points where it threatened to push me into "I'm not having fun anymore" territory. VERDICT: Though not perfect, Halo 1 was a fun FPS experience. I enjoyed its interesting universe, cool designs, awesome music, and solid shooter gameplay. I'm glad I finally got a chance to play this classic series, and I look forward to see how the later games expand on the gameplay and story. Given that this game is literally turning 20 years old this year, I think it's fair to say that this is a now a classic. As such, this is something I would call an essential game worth playing at least once, on the account that it's the beginning of a legendary franchise, as well as a big reason behind FPS games taking off on console (that genre wasn't as common outside of PC at the time). It's also quite significant in further popularizing online multiplayer for shooters (at least on the console side), carrying the momentum of such games as Doom and Quake. This game is part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which you can get on Steam here: Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - At this point, you're probably sick of me posting all these Game Pass PC blog entries pretty much every single day. I'm sorry to say that this is far from over. BACKGROUND:
I played the first Guacamelee nearly two years ago and loved it (more on that here). Getting this sequel was a no-brainer to me. Unfortunately, I can only get around to it now, but hey, better late than never. PLOT: Guacamelee 2 goes off of the first game's true ending. Juan and Lupita are now happily married, and now have two kids. The couple live happily ever after until one day, Uay Chivo (the mentor character) shows up warning him of a grave crisis. It turns out the entire multiverse (referred to as the Mexiverse in-game, because... of course) is in danger of destruction due to a villain named Salvador wreaking havoc in the Darkest Timeline (that's literally what it's called). Juan must now don the magical lucha mask once more and travel across timelines to restore the Multiverse. Compared to the first game (which had a somewhat straightforward "rescue the princess" story), Guacamelee 2 just says "fuck it" and goes all in on the absurd. They have a ton of fun with the multiverse shit, creating all sorts of silly timelines and multiple alternate versions of various characters. Other than that, I can't say that this was the most engaging narrative; while the first game's plot was basic and similarly humorous, it had a bit of heart to it, whereas this is just wacky hijinks with not much depth. I didn't find myself caring for the villain at all, for instance. I didn't really mind, but I find it imperative to point out the difference. Like its predecessor, this game goes all out with the humor. There are plenty of cheeky references to other media, puns, meta jokes, hilarious dialogue, and just straight up weird nonsense (like the Chicken Illuminati). I feel like this one leans into the humor a little too hard at times, so I can see it being a bit much for some people. Personally, I was amused by most of the game's shenanigans; there were a few jokes that got a big laugh out of me, and I got a kick out of the bilingual wordplay that was present throughout the game (something I also enjoyed from the first one). PRESENTATION: Guacamelee 2 is mostly identical to the first game when it comes to its presentation. The art style is still the same vibrant and angular aesthetic, the Mexican influence in the aesthetics is still very much present, and the music is still an enjoyable hybrid of mariachi and chiptune. There isn't a lot more I can add that I haven't already said about the first game. GAMEPLAY: As with the first game, Guacamelee 2 is a Metroidvania with beat-'em-up elements to its combat. There's actually very little that's different between the sequel and its predecessor both in terms of core gameplay and mechanics, so rather than repeat what I said in my post on the first game, I'll just briefly go over each element and point out any differences (if they exist). If you want the nitty-gritty, refer to the blog post on the first Guacamelee (which I already linked above for your convenience). Exploration is mostly the same as before, with the main difference being some of the areas you visit. The collectibles are still mostly the same (chests, health upgrades, and stamina upgrades), as well as a special collectible that unlocks the game's true ending if you get them all (something the first game also had). Your platforming abilities are pretty much 1:1 with what's in the first game, which means you have access to the exact same special moves, the double jump, the wall run, the super dash, and Dimension Swap. They all function like they do in the original with no significant alteration. The game adds more level gimmicks for you to navigate around (like a recharge orb that lets you reuse special moves in midair), as well as a brand new ability called the Eagle Hook, which allows you to launch yourself from specified grapple points. Overall, the platforming still feels smooth and flows well, and I feel like this one is a bit more technically demanding than the first game (which I liked, but depending on your skill level at platformers, you may feel differently). The biggest changes in terms of platforming is with the chicken transformation. Like before, you can transform into a chicken to squeeze through small spaces, but now, you have access to more abilities while in this form. The chicken gets some special moves of its own, like a slide and a diagonal midair dash, and these function like your regular special moves in that they break color-coded barriers, and can be used in combat. In addition, you can glide slowly as the chicken, allowing you to control your descent in certain sections. You use the chicken in platforming sections way more than before (there are even dungeons that are platforming challenges exclusively done in chicken form), which I found fun and challenging. Unfortunately, you can't lay exploding eggs anymore. The combat is also mostly unchanged, retaining the beat-'em-up style of the first. You still have your basic combos, uppercut launcher, downward strike, and you can still chain all of those along with your special moves. You also still have grabs, throws, and wrestling moves, as well as the dodge roll. Not much to say here, other than it's still fun to suplex a bitch and get massive combos. Most of the enemies are ones that were in the previous game, but there are a few that are brand new. You'll still have to deal with "unblockable" attacks and color-coded shields, so there's once again not much different mechanically when fighting these bastards. I will note that some enemies require that you use the chicken's special moves to weaken them, which I found quite amusing. Also, some enemies can only be fought in a specific dimension (i.e. you have to switch to the correct dimension with Dimension Swap to damage them), and I can't recall if this was in the first game. I'm going to point it out just in case. Like before, you can acquire gold to spend on passive upgrades. Silver is notably absent, as alternate costumes are now simply found in chests as opposed to something you purchase. Another thing that's oddly missing is the Intenso mechanic of the first game. Its absence didn't really make or break the game, but I found it strange that they removed it. VERDICT: Guacamelee 2 is one of those sequels that doesn't really expand or innovate in its style or mechanics and just gives you more of the same. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing in this case, as both this and its predecessor have solid platforming action, decent Metroidvania exploration, and fun combat. Along with that, this game retains the same great aesthetic and humor that made the original memorable. The second game does do a bunch of things differently, and while those new things don't exactly make it stand out from the first game, they do still spice up the experience somewhat. I had a great time playing through this one, despite it not being a drastic evolution of what came before. I would naturally recommend that people who've never seen this game play the first one over this, but I think you can get away with playing this first since the story is pretty standalone. In general, Guacamelee is worth checking out if you like Metroidvanias, though I will say that the story and humor isn't really for everybody. Check out the game on Steam: Guacamelee! 2 on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - |
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