It took me a considerable amount of restraint to not be distracted by every little sidequest, but I finally got around to beating the story of Lego Marvel Superheroes 2. Does this, in my opinion, match the greatness of the first game? I shall answer that very question in today's blog entry.
BACKGROUND: Lego games published by TT Games have been a constant in my gaming life since they started showing up in the mid-2000s. While I haven't played all of their games, I've picked up a respectable amount of the Lego titles TT Games have published over the years on various consoles (perhaps that's a blog entry for another time). As with the real life sets, the Lego games that immediately pique my interest are those tied to existing licensed IPs (eg. Star Wars, DC, Marvel, etc.). In 2013, TT Games released the first Lego Marvel Superheroes. If memory serves, I bought that game within the first week for the PS3, and I played the absolute shit out of it. That game remains at the Top 3 of my all-time favorite Lego games due to the amazing hub world with tons of shit to find, and the impressive roster of playable characters. Four years later, Lego Marvel 2 comes out. At the time, I didn't own a Switch yet, so I couldn't play it. However, I was intrigued with the premise, impressed with the characters they brought in, and astounded with the robust amount of DLC the devs put out for it post-release (for reference, Lego Marvel 1 had two DLC packs, which is underwhelming). Lego games go on sale periodically, so when this game went 50% off, I went and picked it up. PLOT: The story is rather basic (which is honestly most Lego games): Kang the Conqueror has, for some reason, become the time-traveler version of Brainiac. What this means is that he's gone and collected different areas across time and space and created an amalgamation of them called Chronopolis. Naturally, our intrepid heroes disagree, and the game revolves around undoing Kang's shenanigans. Of course, the appeal of most Lego game narratives isn't in the story itself, but the silliness in which it's told. Sure, the humor's more aimed at kids, but all the cutscenes and dialogue are amusing. Character interactions are silly, there are a lot of memorable movie/comic moments reenacted in a much sillier fashion, there's tons of visual gags... it's all just a fun time. Lego games, in essence, aren't the kind of game you take seriously; they are made for kids, after all. PRESENTATION: It looks like a Lego game. What do you want me to say? The art style, while it has evolved with the times to be more polished, hasn't changed all that much over the years. Go look at a classic Lego game by TT like Lego Star Wars: that's what it looks like, but in HD. This is not meant to be derisive; the aesthetic is part of the charm of these games. My only gripe is that the camera isn't all that great and you can't really move it around. Audio, for the most part, is satisfactory. The soundtrack is solid, but not really a standout. The voice acting is hit or miss, and it doesn't help that the volume goes wonky when there's talking (unsure if this is a problem exclusive to the Switch version, or something that exists across all versions of the game). It's nothing severe, however; these issues didn't really ruin the experience for me. GAMEPLAY: There's a saying that goes: "if you've played one Lego game, you've played them all". For the most part, this is true: most Lego games boil down to the same fundamentals. You control a character, you destroy and kill everything in your path, and you build shit to solve puzzles. Rinse and repeat for each level. If you're an older gamer, you may not see the appeal of this sub-genre, but I think that Lego games are one of the most therapeutic games to play. Nothing about playing Lego games is difficult: combat isn't complex, puzzles aren't hard, and there's virtually no penalty for death. If you're looking for a challenge, these games aren't for you, but if you just want to have a low-stress gaming session, Lego games are perfect. Now, just because Lego games are, at their core, all the same, doesn't mean Lego Marvel 2 (and other Lego games in general) have nothing unique to offer. For one, you have access to a massive roster of Marvel characters, each one with their own abilities that spice up combat and/or solve all sorts of puzzles. Despite not having the X-Men and Fantastic Four (which the first game had), Lego Marvel 2's roster still impressed me. There were plenty of instances where I went, "holy shit, I didn't expect this character to be on here!" If you're a hardcore Marvel fan like I am, I'm sure you'll be equally impressed. Another thing that impressed me about this game was the hub world. In Lego Marvel 1, your hub world was Manhattan, and boy was it massive. Not only was that hub packed to the brim with all sorts of sidequests to find, it was amazing as a Marvel fan to see a lot of key landmarks in the comics all in one place. Lego Marvel 2 manages to surpass that, which I thought was impossible. Chronopolis is a hodgepodge of different locations across both time and space, which means Lego Marvel 2's hub world not only contains Manhattan, but it's got places like Wakanda, Attilan, and even shit like the Old West. You can explore a wider variety of memorable Marvel landmarks (and timelines) than you ever could in the first game, and that blows my mind. If you're anything like me, you're gonna spend a lot of time just wandering around. As is tradition for every Lego game I play, I always go for 100%. As of this writing, I'm not quite there yet (I'm at 61%), but it looks like full completion isn't that much different from previous Lego games. You've got your standard issue collectible minikits (of which there are 10 per story level), unlockable characters and vehicles, side missions, and the unlockable cheats that expedite the completion process. Unique to the Lego Marvel games are the missions where you save Stan Lee (yes) from danger. Saving every instance of Stan Lee is required for completion, and nets you a Golden Brick (another classic Lego game collectible). Overall, nothing too difficult (except the races, which all suck across every Lego game), but it'll take you a while. VERDICT: Lego Marvel 2 manages to live up to (and, in some areas, surpass) the already-amazing first game, and is a worthy entry to the ever-growing pantheon of TT Games's Lego titles. Whether you're a Lego fan, a Marvel fan, both, or you're just looking for an fun, easy game that isn't gonna piss you off (for the most part), Lego Marvel 2 is worth a look. This game is on every current-gen console, as well as on Steam. If you're apprehensive, it goes on sale frequently: https://store.steampowered.com/app/647830/LEGO_Marvel_Super_Heroes_2/ - end -
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What's this? Yet another Switch game review? Before anybody gets the chance to question how I handle my finances, here are my thoughts on West of Loathing.
BACKGROUND: I did not know of this game's existence until it was shown at a Nintendo Direct. Strange as this sounds, the black-and-white, super simple art style immediately stood out to me. I do a bit of research, realize this game's been out on PC for a while, and decided to watch like five minutes of a Let's Play on YouTube. Due to reasons that I will soon elaborate on, I was immediately sold on this game. PLOT: If the name hasn't clued you in, this game is set in the Wild West (or some interpretation of it, at least). Your character, for nebulous reasons, is off to journey to the west, and shenanigans ensue. Not the most compelling of premises, sure, but the true forte of this game is its comedy. It was all the puns, meta jokes, weird visual gags, running gags, and more that completely sold me on this game. Go watch a few minutes of a Let's Play of this game on YouTube and see for yourself. I was laughing all the way through as I played this game. What's more captivating than the protagonist's main quest are the sidequests. There are plenty of these to go around, and some of them have their own interesting stories, featuring some kooky NPCs. Simply getting to the end isn't enough for me during my playthrough, and trying to find all these sidequests is equally, if not more, rewarding. PRESENTATION: The art is simple, as I said before. There's not much to say in that department. Nevertheless, it looks great for what it is, and it allows this game to stand out amongst the crowd of hyper-realistic, or throwback-to-retro-pixel-art games. The music absolutely fits the western theme of the game, and adds a lot of life to the otherwise monochromatic visuals. GAMEPLAY: West of Loathing is an adventure RPG. You explore a surprisingly large world filled to the brim with secrets to find and plenty to do. As you go along, you battle enemies, solve puzzles, and fulfill missions to expand the world and go further west. For a game at this price range and its seemingly minimalistic look, West of Loathing is deceptively robust in terms of content. At the beginning, you can choose one of three classes: a Cow Puncher (specializing in melee combat), a Beanslinger (uses magic), and a Snake Oiler (has potions, and uses ranged combat). Each class has their own unique set of skills, so it's probably best to look those up if you can't decide on what to run. All classes can use melee, guns, and magic, so don't worry about missing out on using other types of attacks. Your character has all sorts of stats, ranging from HP, speed, attacking stats (split into melee, magic, ranged/gun), stats that control how much alcohol/food/potions you can consume in a day, and more. You can equip all sorts of, well, equipment, swap out weapons, and consume aforementioned alcohol/food/potions to manipulate these stats to your liking. You can also control where XP goes when you level up, but you can choose to let the game do it for you. You can even find certain items or unlock certain perks that permanently increase your stats, or give you buffs/make you resistant to certain attack types. Right before you finish up in the tutorial area, you have the option to bring a partner (or as the game calls it, "pardner", because of course) with you on your journey. Each partner has their own set of skills to aid you in battle, and they have their own respective sidequests that make multiple playthroughs more than worth going for, The map is full of locations to explore, and it's easy to move between them because you can just fast travel everywhere. It's absolutely worth combing through every last nook and cranny to find items, quests, and characters. On occasion, you can get random encounters when moving between areas, ranging from battles to picking up random loot. There's also the option to "wander", which allows you to discover previously unexplored areas at random. A lot of items have multiple uses in this game. For example, a crowbar can both be equipped as your melee weapon, or you can use it in the overworld to open certain crates. Some outfits can get you through certain locations, or unlock certain things as well. It's best to just hold on to everything you find, because a good number of them are like Chekhov's guns that'll just catch you by surprise when you finally find the exact situation to use them in. VERDICT: Don't let its look deceive you; West of Loathing is chock-full of content, hilarious from start to finish, and well worth its already-affordable asking price. It's the perfect budget title to throw a couple dollars into. Aside from the Switch, the game is also available on Steam, right over here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/597220/West_of_Loathing/ - end - Another day, another Switch game finished. This time, it's the first Bayonetta on the Switch. Let's skip the pleasantries and get right to it.
BACKGROUND: I'd only heard of Bayonetta when it was announced the second game was a Wii U exclusive. Some time during 2016, I went and picked up Bayonetta 2 on a whim, still knowing next to nothing about the game. Long story short, I was hooked. I really enjoyed playing it, and had intentions to buy the Wii U port of the first game ever since. Unfortunately, I never got around to doing that. Fast forward to late last year, when I hear that both Bayonetta games are coming to the Switch. Now's my chance, I thought, so the moment I had enough funds (and memory on my console), I went and bought it. PLOT: You play as an Umbra Witch named Bayonetta, the sassiest, sexiest, and one of the most ridiculously over-the-top protagonists to ever exist. It is no hyperbole when I say she's one of my favorite video game characters. Everything from her accent, her penchant for being overtly flirty with enemies, and her... peculiar fighting style hooked me from day one. It's hard to really put into words why I enjoy her character unless I go and show you cutscenes for the game. Bayonetta's journey in the first game involves her uncovering the mysteries of her past. While the second game's story wasn't really dependent on events or exposition from the first, playing this filled a lot of gaps in for me in terms of the histories of a lot of characters. The story in a vacuum is really exposition-heavy and dragged down by lore, but the sheer absurdity of the events that unfold and Bayonetta's character more than make up for it. The hilarious gags, amazing supporting characters, and completely bonkers action constantly had me going "this game makes no fucking sense and I love it." It's a fun time, and that's all I can really ask for. PRESENTATION: While the art style isn't anything distinct, this game looks great. Combat is flashy, the locations (while not a lot in terms of variety) look interesting, and the violence is gory. Nothing special, but it gets the job done. Character designs are amazing, in case Bayonetta herself didn't give that away. The demons she summons look terrifying, but the angels (the enemies you fight throughout the game) look... well, let me put it like this: if angels were real and they looked like they do in this game, I'd rather go to hell. The soundtrack is killer and complements both the action and Bayonetta's character. You also get the occasional "this shit is holy" choir music that herald your angel adversaries and signal that shit is about to go down. GAMEPLAY: Bayonetta is a 3D hack-and-slash beat-'em-up in a similar vein to games like Devil May Cry, Dynasty Warriors, or earlier God of War games. Chain combos to beat the shit out of your enemies, don't get hit, press buttons for quick-time events... nothing too hard to comprehend. Do not be fooled, however; you can't get by just mindlessly mashing buttons. Some enemies (especially bosses) require a good amount of situational awareness to take down. At the start of the game, Bayonetta's main weapons are her guns. She wields two with her hands, and another pair – get this – is attached to her high heels. Because of this, you also have the option to shoot enemies as well as go toe-to-toe with them. Eventually, you'll have access to different weapons, allowing you to swap your loadouts for both your hands and feet, leading to all sorts of new combo chains. You can also pick up enemy weapons, but they have a durability and don't last very long In addition to her attacks, Bayonetta has access to Witch Time, which is executed when dodging an attack at the last possible moment. Triggering Witch Time slows down everything except Bayonetta, allowing you to get a couple extra hits in, or escape a precarious situation. She also has Torture Attacks, which, with a full magic meter, basically allow you to execute enemies in ridiculously gory ways. It's fucking horrifying if you think about it. In addition to these, Bayonetta has her Wicked Weaves. She uses her hair to summon demons and shit to cause massive damage. Her hair, by the way, is the source of her power, and it's also her clothes, so when she uses Wicked Weaves, she reveals a lot more skin. In fact, the "ultimate" version of this (which you use on bosses) is called a Climax attack. Yeah. It's... it's that kind of game. Each story chapter (of which there are 16, prologue and epilogue excluded) are separated into "verses". Each verse is basically a fight (or phases of a fight, in the case of bosses). Clearing each verse nets you a rating (pure platinum being the highest; stone being the lowest), and factors like taking damage, combo chains, and clear time affecting these ratings. If you want to complete this game, you need to get good. In between chapters, you can go spend halos (the game's currency) over at Gates of Hell. Here, you can buy new moves/techniques, consumable items, and accessories that give you buffs (and look nice). You'll be picking up tons of halos killing angels, so go spend them when you can. You can also craft some of the consumables, but I found that mechanic to be mostly useless and prefer buying the items from the shop instead. Levels are mostly linear, but there's plenty of nooks and crannies to find collectibles and useful items. While some collectibles are just for lore and not much else, others help you unlock new weapons to use. There's a good amount of hazards, simple puzzles, and platforming to spice things up, so it's not just a boring walk going from verse to verse. There are multiple difficulties, ranging to very easy to something called "infinite Climax". You have to unlock Hard mode and infinite Climax mode by beating Normal and Hard respectively, and yes, you have to get all the good ratings in every verse in every difficulty to 100% this shit. In the Wii U and Switch versions of this game, you have access to touch controls. I personally never tried them, but they seem easier, so hey, there's options. In addition to that, you also have access to exclusive Nintendo-themed outfits for Bayonetta (Peach, Daisy, Samus, and Link, to be specific). They're mostly cosmetic changes, but as a Metroid fan, it's like the best thing ever. VERDICT: Like I said before: this game is fucking ridiculous and I love it. Bayonetta's an amazing character, the combat is exciting, insane shit happens all the time... it's the perfect not-too-difficult, "fuck it, let's have a fun time" kind of game. Well worth picking up, and the same can be said for Bayonetta 2. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go wait for Bayonetta 3. This game is playable on previous gen consoles (PS3, the 360, Wii U) as well as the Switch. It's also on Steam, right over here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/460790/Bayonetta/ - end - After 3 hours of trial and error last night, and a couple more hours this morning to polish everything, I'm proud to present the eighth iteration of my wearable Lego Infinity Gauntlet build. While I give myself some reprieve for working on this longer than usual, I want to talk about how this build got to where it is, starting from the very beginning. My earliest attempt at a wearable Infinity Gauntlet was hardly an attempt at all. Back in 2014, I was working on a gauntlet/glove build for some other project, then I had the silly idea to get some colored 1x1 round plates and incorporate them into the build. While this first attempt is largely something I made as a joke, I still consider it Mk. 1. The beginning of the Infinity Gauntlet build as people know it actually started out back in late 2015. The prototype gauntlet you see above was never intended to be the Infinity Gauntlet; it was actually just something I felt like building that day. I liked the design so much, I snapped a pic and shared it on Instagram. Given that this was more a spontaneous build, I didn't really know what direction to take the design afterward, so I just thought, "fuck it, let's make a super discount Infinity Gauntlet." A couple of days later, Infinity Gauntlet Mk. 3 was born (Mk. 2, in case you're curious, is literally this same build, except the Infinity Gems are regular bricks, which looked dumb as shit). This version was nothing more than the prototype that I bulked up a little bit with some colored bits slapped on to represent the Infinity Gems. I recall being dissatisfied with this build, because not only was it not gold, the pieces I used for the gems weren't the same (I had to do some serious mental gymnastics to make the yellow one even remotely similar to the others). However, during this time, I had next to no gold pieces, so I couldn't improve the build despite really wanting to. Thus, I shelved the idea of an Infinity Gauntlet build, and decided to use the prototype gauntlet as a base for other builds in the meantime. I have a couple of examples here. On the left, I retrofitted the gauntlet with claws as part of my Black Panther build in 2016. Nothing remarkable design-wise, but I put it together mostly to complement the mask (which was the focal point of the project), so it served its purpose. The other build (also from 2016), which I made for my college yearbook creative shot, features the same prototype gauntlet, but expanded to go the length of my entire forearm. This is one of my favorite projects mostly because of the mask build, but how I stumbled across the idea of extending the gauntlet to go to my elbow is one of those unforgettable eureka moments. Let's fast forward to early 2017. At this point, I had access to a more respectable pool of gold pieces. It's not a lot by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly more than what I had two years ago. It was then that I made my first serious attempt at the Infinity Gauntlet. I took the original prototype gauntlet and started incorporating the gold pieces into it. I had a rather peculiar assortment of gold pieces (i.e. they were really hard to retrofit into the prototype gauntlet), so this took a significant amount of trial and error. Nevertheless, Infinity Gauntlet Mk. 4 was born. I will forever remember this iteration of the build, because not only was it the culmination of a dream build I had inside my head, but because BZPower (a Bionicle/Lego fan forum I'm a member of) featured this version of the Infinity Gauntlet on their news page! It was a tremendous honor to have something I made be worthy of a feature piece, and it made me feel like the Infinity Gauntlet is my magnum opus. Despite all this, I knew I could take this build even further. Notice the pieces I used for the fingers in the Mk. 4 version. They look more like claws than fingers, and had no joints to them. I couldn't come up with the design then, so in the meantime, I worked on Mk. 5 of the gauntlet, which wasn't much of anything other than me reworking the gold on the gauntlet. By the tail end of 2017 (a literal day after the first Infinity War trailer dropped), Mk. 6 was born, It was in this iteration where I finally worked in proper fingers. They had points of articulation and everything, but the catch is that they're all for show. At the time, I hadn't figured out a way to attach the gauntlet fingers to my actual fingers, which made the gauntlet rather unwieldy to wear because the fingers would either get in the way or fall off. With the hype for Infinity War at a fever pitch, I went back to the Infinity Gauntlet yet again earlier this April, and after a ton of painstaking, finger-crushing experimentation, I solved the finger dilemma. Granted, there is a very limited range of movement (read: I cannot do the snap, stop asking), but the main boon of figuring out the problem was that it makes the entire gauntlet more wearable (if that makes any sense). After altering the internal structure of the prototype gauntlet I've been using as the base this entire time (something I had never done since I first put it together), Mk. 7 was stable (and comfortable) enough that I can wear it for a good amount of time without any problems. In fact, I wore this version of the gauntlet to a screening of Infinity War, drawing a good amount of attention. I also wore it during Free Comic Book Day last May. Thus, we return to present day. Mk. 8 was a spur-of-the-moment build; I only intended to replace the Space Gem with a translucent blue version of the piece (which looks more fitting as an Infinity Gem), but I ended up completely overhauling the design from the ground up.
If you compare Mk. 4, Mk. 6, and Mk. 7, you'll notice that the main body of the gauntlet is largely unchanged in terms of design. I dismantled all of that and built an entirely new design from scratch, and reduced a substantial amount of bulk from the build. I also removed the unsightly yellow-orange pieces I used in Mk. 7, which really distracted from the gold color scheme. The only elements from previous iterations that remain are the finger designs (all I did was bulk those up), the internal structure, and the pieces I used for the gems. For now, I'm pretty happy with where this build is currently at, and even happier with how far it's come. I'd still love to improve finger articulation, as well as polish the aesthetics a bit more, but that's work for another day. If or when I get more pieces to work with, or I somehow think of a design that might push the build in the direction I want, Mk. 9 will surely come. But for now, Mk. 9 won't be coming for a while. - end - Just like any other weekend, I've been playing a good amount of Splatoon 2. The difference this week is that, instead of playing online matches, I've sunk my time into the first paid DLC of the franchise called Octo Expansion. Was it worth paying for? Well, that's what this blog entry's about.
BACKGROUND:' It's no secret at this point that I love Splatoon. It's one of the most creative concepts for a shooter ever, and is probably in my top three all-time favorite Nintendo IPs. So when news came earlier this year that there would be a whole new campaign released as DLC, I was excited. The single player campaigns of both the first and second game were really fun, so it was a no-brainer for me to pick this up. PLOT: Splatoon likes to keep its lore obscure and esoteric, so it wasn't much of a surprise to me that the DLC continues the trend. However, playing through Octo Expansion does uncover more bits and pieces of that lore. If you like piecing together a narrative with fragments of information, you'll like what Octo Expansion has to offer. As for the whole premise of the campaign, you play as an Octoling (dubbed Agent 8), who wakes up with no memories in a mysterious subway. Without giving too much away, the objective is, simply, to get back to the surface. Some story threads from the first game come into play in this story, so if you've played through Splatoon 1's single player campaign, you're gonna love what's in store. GAMEPLAY: Much like the regular single player campaign, Octo Expansion is essentially a series of missions. You navigate the subway via a train, and each station has its own mission map with a specific objective. What sets this apart from the regular campaign is that a) there's a wider variety of objectives, b) weapon selection is limited, and c) each mission requires a sort of currency to play. Objectives can range from the typical "get to the end", "kill all enemies", to the more outlandish "navigate the stage with the Inkjet", or "destroy this stack of crates to form an image". Some are rather easy, others much less so. If you're not up to beating every mission (of which there are a whopping 80), fear not. You don't have to 100% the campaign to get to the endgame. While some missions lock you to one specific weapon (or, in some cases, nothing at all), many others give you a choice between two or three loadouts. Your choice actually affects how much currency you earn when beating the level. Which brings me to my next point.... There's a currency called CQ points that's used throughout the Octo Expansion campaign. You use these points to enter a mission, and if you fail that mission, you have to pay that amount again. While I never ran out of points during my playthrough, I can only assume running out of points is not a good thing, so be wary when you're on your 15th retry of that really hard mission. Thankfully, if you fail twice in a mission, an "Ask for Help" option appears. Being the stubborn idiot I am, I never used this feature, but hey, it's there. There's probably some sort of penalty for using it, too, so keep that in mind. Beating levels nets you a collectible called "mem cakes". Completing a set of these things unlocks new gear that you can use online. Mem cakes are essentially tiny models of various characters or objects in the Splatoon universe. They're cute-looking, plus each one comes with a funny little poem. Getting to the endgame requires you to gather four macguffins strewn about the subway. Playing through missions will eventually help reveal the locations of these objects to you, so fret not. The endgame is a series of 8 missions, each with their own objective. Some of these objectives are super fun, and the story that unfolds here put a huge smile on my face. The final boss blew my goddamn mind, too. Once you beat the endgame, you can now play as an Octoling online. It's a neat reward for clearing the DLC, and it fulfills a fervent wish many Splatoon fans were asking for since 2015. However, you can still go back and finish the remaining missions. If you clear all 80 missions, you gain access to a secret boss fight that is hard as fuck and will probably piss you off. Conquering that boss nets you a reward that I won't give away, plus it's incredibly satisfying to win (it took me nearly four hours to put that bastard down). VERDICT: Octo Expansion is a wonderful example of what DLC should be. It feels like its own single player game, and rewards you with cool shit to use in the main game, making it well worth shelling out the extra money for. If you own Splatoon 2, this is a must-have. If you don't own Splatoon 2, what the fuck are you doing? You're missing out! - end - You read that title right: Crash Bandicoot, an icon of the PS1 era, is on a Nintendo console. Surreal as it is, the HD remasters of the Crash trilogy are indeed playable on non-Playstation consoles (and PC), and I've just finished playing through every single game. Let's dive in, shall we?
BACKGROUND: Our family owned a PS1 when I was very young, but I actually never got to play any of its defining titles. Spyro? Nope. FFVII? Nope. Crash? Also no. It wasn't until I was much older (and was more interested in video games) that I'd even heard of these games. Needless to say, I missed out. Fast forward to two years ago, when this game was announced. Naturally, my interest was piqued. I've never played the original Crash games, and now here they are remastered. Unfortunately, I can't afford a PS4, so I was stuck watching Let's Plays on YouTube. Fast forward (again) to a couple of months ago, during a Nintendo Direct. While the biggest takeaway from that particular Direct was the confirmation of Smash Bros. on Switch, another particular announcement that made me shit my pants was that this very game was coming out for the Switch, too. I bought this game as soon as I could after release (which was a couple of weeks ago as of this writing). PLOT: Barring a couple of differences here and there, the main premise is largely the same across all three games: Dr. Neo Cortex is being evil, and Crash is out to stop him. Nothing really to write home about, but this isn't one of those story-driven games, so it's not a big deal. PRESENTATION: There's not much to say other than "it's Crash, in HD". While PS1 graphics in general never aged well to begin with, looking at this and comparing it to the originals is like when I get new prescription lenses for my glasses. I'm sure the many people who grew up playing this game were wowed by how far the visuals have come since then. The same can be said for the sound and the music, which, as far as I can tell, are vastly improved. GAMEPLAY: Crash Bandicoot is a 3D platformer, but not in the way that games from the same era (Banjo-Kazooie, Mario 64, Spyro) are 3D platformers. Unlike many of the progenitors of the 3D platformer genre, Crash Bandicoot is less open, opting for tighter, more linear levels like the 2D platforms of old, even going so far as to have straight up side scrolling sections. That said, each game still takes advantage of the fact that it's 3D in some interesting ways, and there's still some sense of exploration to be had. The whole "it's 3D, but it's kinda not" thing may disorient some players, however. The fact that I'm so accustomed to vast open world 3D platformers like Mario Odyssey has screwed me over multiple times playing through the Crash games. Across all three games, the basics are the same: you run, you jump, you have a spin that can destroy boxes and kill enemies, and you have to get to the end (in the case of Crash 2 and 3, you also have to grab a purple crystal before finishing the level). While Crash 2 and 3 add some additional mechanics (slides, crouches, and ground pounds, to name a few), a lot of the variety is found in the levels. There's all sorts of enemies, hazards, and more found across all the levels in each game, and trying to figure out how to get past them (especially when the game starts throwing you a grueling combination of each) is where most of the challenge lies. In Crash 1, you go through levels in a set order via a Mario 3-esque overworld map, while in Crash 2 and 3, there are five "worlds", each with five levels that you can tackle in any order. Every so often, you'll have to face some bosses, who, upon further reflection, are way easier than a lot of the normal levels. While there aren't an exorbitant amount of levels in each game, there is a good amount of variety among them. Along with your normal platforming levels, you've got levels where you have to outrun something (AKA the iconic "boulder" levels), endless runners where you ride various animals, and even levels that are dark and require a light source to get through. In the later games, there's shit like a jetpack level with free range movement, underwater levels, levels where you ride a jetski, Star Fox-ass dogfight levels, and even a racing level that I've since grown to detest. If you're going to play through every game like I did, you need not worry about monotony in terms of level variety. However, the real time-killer of each game (other than the 700 deaths you may rack up across the trilogy) is completing it 100% Each normal level has a collectible clear gem, and getting this gem requires that you destroy every box in that given level. That includes the bonus areas, secret paths, and even the boxes that kill you. Some levels have a second clear gem that requires you to unlock an alternate path in the level (either by finding a colored gem elsewhere or reaching a certain point without dying). In addition to all these clear gems, certain levels have colored gems. These gems are either hard to find or require some great feat to acquire, but if you're going for full completion, you have to go for these. Getting these colored gems unlock alternate paths in other levels (much like the colored blocks in Super Mario World), and often you need these paths unlocked to acquire clear gems in these other levels. Not only do you have to worry about several dozen collectibles, there's also time trials to worry about. Getting the fastest time in a level nets you a relic, and I'm warning you right now: these levels can be tough even without worrying about a time limit. Lastly, each game has a number of secret levels that count toward that completion percentage. Finding them varies from game to game, but the common denominator is that you really have to go off the beaten path to access these levels. If you're looking for even more levels to conquer, however, these secret levels may be worth your while. However, if even the secret levels can't satiate your appetite, the N. Sane trilogy has some free DLC levels: Stormy Ascent (Crash 1), and Future Tense (Crash 3). These levels are serious business, and if you're a glutton for punishment, these are for you. VERDICT: Whether you're looking for a decent platforming challenge or a game with some serious completion requirements, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy may be up your alley. Even if you didn't grow up playing the originals, I'd argue that this is a gaming essential and well worth exploring. The N. Sane Trilogy is available on every current-gen console, as well as on Steam right here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/731490/Crash_Bandicoot_N_Sane_Trilogy/ - end - The MCU's latest addition has just arrived in theaters today, and I'm back from watching it. While it's still fresh on my mind, I'm going to ramble about Ant-Man and The Wasp, free of spoilers.
Like the first movie, I thought this movie was an absolute blast to watch. The lighter, more fun romp is appreciated, given we're all still reeling from the emotional kick in the dick that was Infinity War. The movie has its laughs (read: Luis), cool moments and scenes that use the whole size changing thing in creative ways, and some heartfelt character moments (mostly rooted in the father-daughter relationships we have in both Scott and Cassie, as well as Hank and Hope). While one may argue that it's "more of the same", I don't care; I had a great time and that's all that matters. The main plot of the movie involves the Quantum Realm, which was briefly explored during the first movie. Without giving too much away, it builds on what was hinted at in the first Ant-Man, fleshes out flashbacks and such from said movie, and serves an important role to Ghost, the antagonist of this movie. On the subject of Ghost, I found her a solid antagonist. Thankfully, she wasn't another cookie cutter "I need this tech to be evil or whatever the fuck" villain that Yellowjacket was. Her motivation was clear and not dumb, and her origin actually adds a decent bit of world-building to the greater MCU, with ties to Hank Pym's past, and a nod to a certain Marvel Comics villain. Bill Foster, while less prominent than Ghost, is actually not just "there" (like I assumed he would be), and also provides a sprinkle of additional MCU lore. As a physical threat, Ghost was decently formidable. Her abilities allowed her to go toe-to-toe with the heroes, plus she got to do some cool shit with the phasing. However, a lot of the action is less on the fisticuffs and leans more towards a mix of a heist film and a sci-fi adventure. That said, Wasp got to kick some serious ass, and as a longtime fan of the character, I'm just really happy to finally see her on the big screen. In addition, Ant-Man trying to stay out of trouble from the FBI is fun to watch. My only real gripe is the presence of a third party "villain". Think of Ayesha from Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and how she fit into the plot of that film. He's basically just there to be a nuisance and helps turn a few cogs of the story, but otherwise is unremarkable. There are two after-credits stingers. The mid-credits scene directly ties in to Infinity War, and is notable for the fact that it's an overt cliffhanger. It leaves our characters in an... interesting position, which makes Avengers 4 all the more intriguing. The post-credits scene at the very end is just for laughs and doesn't really build on the MCU's overarching narrative. Ant-Man and The Wasp is another worthy addition to the MCU's ever-growing pantheon of amazing comic book adaptations. Go watch it this weekend and have a good time... unless you live in the UK, in which case you wait a month, which I think is lame. - end - |
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June 2024
Derryck
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