In other words, "replayability" does not mean "sabotage the gameplay and make them play it again," no matter how entertaining a video it makes.
--Patrick
Since I went through each mission saving like crazy, I didn't have too much trouble; just loaded a couple saves earlier and did things differently. It was still a pain in the ass and I was glad to be past it.
Nothing in Valkyria Chronicles made me rage like the end of chapter 3 in Final Fantasy Tactics. First you're dealing with a boss with just the hero, then an even harder boss, and then a mission in which you have to protect an NPC who can be killed by the enemy before you even get a turn, so you have to keep loading unless your speed is high enough, and you're really at the AI's mercy as to whether you'll even get to fight the battle.
That's my bar for bullshit and Valkyria Chronicles never got to that level of bullshit.
Nothing in Valkyria Chronicles made me rage like the end of chapter 3 in Final Fantasy Tactics. First you're dealing with a boss with just the hero, then an even harder boss, and then a mission in which you have to protect an NPC who can be killed by the enemy before you even get a turn, so you have to keep loading unless your speed is high enough, and you're really at the AI's mercy as to whether you'll even get to fight the battle.
That's my bar for bullshit and Valkyria Chronicles never got to that level of bullshit.
fade
Staff member
Valkyria Chronicles is the only game I've ever returned the same day I bought it. It had all this praise online, so I got it. But then I just found it boring and plodding. There were so many needless animations (UI animations, not cutscenes) and such. I know--someone will tell me it gets better, but it didn't hook me or my son. So back it went.
GasBandit
Staff member
... You know, somewhere in that groaningly long and handholding tutorial process, there might have been a good time to mention that YOU CAN SAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MISSION. Would have saved me some frustration earlier on when I was learning the game via getting shot to ribbons trying to worm my way into grenade range. Wouldn't have helped me much on this particular mission though.
You know why I didn't even think to check if you could save in the middle of a mission? Because no real strategy game actually lets you do that - because then you could just cheese the RNG your way to victory. That this game leans on it like a crutch is another strike against it.
Champions Online
Well, not so much played and more just farted around a congregation area and bugged other heroes. Hilarity ensued.
I doubt I'll play it much, but here's Doug the Troll:
Well, not so much played and more just farted around a congregation area and bugged other heroes. Hilarity ensued.
I doubt I'll play it much, but here's Doug the Troll:
Goat Simulator
Finally got this cheap on Steam, at 66% off.
This game is hilarious.
Finally got this cheap on Steam, at 66% off.
This game is hilarious.
Hitting Monster Hunter high rank is like it decided to have a baby with Dark Souls.
I'm afraid to find out if G rank is just plain Dark Souls.
I'm afraid to find out if G rank is just plain Dark Souls.
Evolve is giving out free skins this weekend so the color swap-obsessives can have something to chew on. There's just one problem:
How the hell are you supposed to hide from the hunters looking like that? Even on the rainy maps, good luck keeping your sparkly ass from being spotted across the map.
How the hell are you supposed to hide from the hunters looking like that? Even on the rainy maps, good luck keeping your sparkly ass from being spotted across the map.
fade
Staff member
I'm claiming this as a new band name.
While I can play no instruments any more, I still want to be part of said band. Is that weird?
Valkayria Chronicles: Finished this game last night. Despite some of you haters, this game was well worth the 20 bucks I spent on it. I'll admit, it took a few missions to grow on me, but once it did, I couldn't stop until I was finished. I actually really enjoyed the story and really started digging the combat and strategy. Might go ahead and mess around with some of the expert skirmishes and other DLC that came bundled in. Kinda wish the sequels weren't on PS vita, but what ya gonna do?
Evolve: Still going strong for me, but I've based stopped playing anything but Goliath in an effort to totally master him. I'm currently ranked #76 out of tens of thousands of Goliath players. It's good to be in the top 1%. All my battles are getting more intense, and the hunters are getting extremely difficult to beat. I'm having even more fun now than I was before.
The Binding of Issac: Rebirth: I held out a long time from buying this game because I assumed it wouldn't be all that different from the original. I was wrong. This is a GREAT imagining of the game. It feels smoother, looks better, has cool new enemies, better map design and even cool items and synergies. Well worth the price of admission.
Evolve: Still going strong for me, but I've based stopped playing anything but Goliath in an effort to totally master him. I'm currently ranked #76 out of tens of thousands of Goliath players. It's good to be in the top 1%. All my battles are getting more intense, and the hunters are getting extremely difficult to beat. I'm having even more fun now than I was before.
The Binding of Issac: Rebirth: I held out a long time from buying this game because I assumed it wouldn't be all that different from the original. I was wrong. This is a GREAT imagining of the game. It feels smoother, looks better, has cool new enemies, better map design and even cool items and synergies. Well worth the price of admission.
I'm still playing this occasionally. I've unlocked all the characters and done about half the challenges, but nothing beats straight up regular Issac runs. Last time I played, I had just unlocked Mom's Knife. I've beaten Satan twice, still not up to Mega Satan yet.
I think Gas was the only true hater. The rest of us were sticking up for it. I should really play it again; it's been a few years.
GasBandit
Staff member
Jay brofisted me for lambasting it.
But yes, it's shit, and gobbles more cock than a cannibal turkey.
you seemed to be doing fine with it until that fight, and I don't think one bullshit battle means an entire game sucks. There are lots of games with that one bullshit, cheating, unfair fight.
As for Jay:
I think it was Riddle of the Minotaur. The Hand of Fate was the thing in that game which would grab you and take you to a random part of the maze.
Oh turn based strategy games and their NIFTY numbers that betray you at the worst times. Playing Shadowrun Dragonfall (a big improvement over the original title by Harebrained Schemes) and all I needed to do was 10 damage to one fucking guy. I threw EVERYTHING at him. He had light cover and most of my attacks had a 60+% chance to hit. At least 150 damage worth of attacks. DIDDLY. WE LOST. FUCK.
Also, it drives me fucking crazy that even when I know I'm about to have a fight in Shadowrun, the game always makes me march into a room where a dialog engages, then the enemy gets to go first, EVERY FUCKING TIME, while my party just stands there like shitmouths ready to eat a bunch of bullets and fireballs instead of, oh I dunno, not walking right behind me into an obvious trap.
Also, it drives me fucking crazy that even when I know I'm about to have a fight in Shadowrun, the game always makes me march into a room where a dialog engages, then the enemy gets to go first, EVERY FUCKING TIME, while my party just stands there like shitmouths ready to eat a bunch of bullets and fireballs instead of, oh I dunno, not walking right behind me into an obvious trap.
Are you doing the director's cut or the original version? Director's Cut has more content and fixed some of the RNG-ness.
Also, they have another game in the works: Shadowrun: Hong Kong.
How's the combat? The only thing putting me off from getting it is *some* reviews say the combat is kinda lackluster.
Well, it's a DBZ game, so it's never going to be some sort of deep fighting system like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. It will never be played at EVO or anything, but I'm finding it fun and there are a ton of options to customize your movesets. Like I said in my original post, if you liked the gameplay in Budokai or the Nartuo Shippuden series, you'll like the combat here. It's all the insanely fast anime button-mashy stuff you'd expect.
fade
Staff member
Finished my replay of Arkham Asylum. It seems to be a common game trope that the penultimate fight is harder than the final fight. Definitely true here. The two armored titans are about a billion times harder than Joker.
Now I'm on to replay Arkham City. It's hard to compare the two. There are pluses and minuses.
Now I'm on to replay Arkham City. It's hard to compare the two. There are pluses and minuses.
I have. It's a fun game, definitely going to be challenging, and so far I suck at it (I tend to build too far too fast), but am still having a blast playing it. There's some stuff that's not as intuitive as I'd like (is the circle around an object its area of influence for everything, or just for pollution concerns, when laying down roads you can't cross one road with another, you have to end on the road and then start again for a crossroads, etc.) but I admittedly haven't watched any of the LP's or read any of the instructions other than the tool tips that pop up while you play.
Played Ori and the Blind Forest for about a half hour. Good stuff, music's amazing, visuals are stunning, and it controls like a dream. Can't wait to dig deeper.