Now Playing (Video Games)
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JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Actually, I just got stuck in the first one. Not difficulty-wise, it just lost the momentum for me and the game started to feel a bit too samey. I'm going to finish it and I'm looking forward to both 2 and Infinite, but maybe I'll have me a short pause first.
I get it (giving it a while), but I'm currently on a rush - decied to try out Black Flag as well ('cause, like, ships and pirates and sea life and Caribbean, also the reviews are mostly sweet), so it's installing right now. I was kinda avoiding the franchise at first, because... I don't really know, maybe it felt like a mainstream cash-grab or it felt shallow, but apart from the basic "concept"/"conflict" ("bad" Templars vs. "good" Assassins) and idiotic philosophy ("nothing is true - everyting is permited" - so on one hand they actually managed to put the mantra of the villain of Bartol's Alamut in the mouth of the supposed "heroes", on the other hand I can finally actually kinda play as Ivan from Brothers Karamazov, I guess...) I actually really like it. While the idea of "genetic memory" is complete horseshit, they actually manage to make it cool (like Herbert did, though that series had its own problems) and I love this "historical vacations" that each of the games is. So far nothing beats Origins, which has all the stuff I love, thrilling gameplay and Egypt that looks completely astonishing and the only bad one from those I played was the first one - it kinda feels like a prototype, a demonstration that gets repetitive very soon. We'll see about Flag and Odyssey.
I actually recommended this one in this thread some time ago:
Oh, also finished Alien: Isolation. Which was also amazing. In fact, it was possibly the best investment this side of Witcher 3. Totally retro, completely putting you into the atmosphere of the first (or maybe even third) movie. If you're at least a bit interested in survival horror and/or the film series and/or space horror go for it. I believe you won't regret it. Also, the Working Joes were absolutely memetastic
Looking back at it, it was still one of the stand-out games. Long-ish, but not meandering, with every mission feeling like something slightly new, the fact that there are human enemies, Working Joes and the titular alien makes it more interesting (because each requires specific approach), visually interesting and throw-backish, a bit on the harder side (so it's a challenge), but not necessarily frustrating, the alien's AI and ability to learn felt very cool (for example, once you get the flamethrower you have to be really careful with it - he can learn its range and patiently wait at safe distance while you go through all of your ammo and then attack you when you're empty), the hiding in the lockers and so one is bone-chilling and the motion detector is an awesome addition - just like in the original, it doesn't tell you the difference in levels, so you watch the blip get closer and closer and closer and not actually see anything.
A wonderful game, really.
As for the DLCs, I got Broken Steel, The Pitt and Point Lookout, 'cause those are the only ones that seemed interesting to me. Both Op. Anchorage and Mothership Zeta kinda off-put me with their basic premise - I'm not saying I'm never going to play them, but as for now it's just those three. For New Vegas I'm actually intending to buy all four and got Dead Money, Honest Hearts and Old World Blues - I'm not playing NV yet and everyone says you should play Lonesome Road late in the game and possibly after all of these three so there's time for that.
Also decided to try Plague Tale: Innocence, cause it was on a huge sale and I've been wondering about that one for a long time. But it just finished installing, so no reports on that one yet.
(ooh, and Amnesia is scary af, despite looking pretty old)
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
AC Black Flag is of the few modern games I can play over and over. Being a pirate never gets old lol. Sadly, looking at my after holiday finances I won't be getting it's DLC or Rise of the Tomb Raider's. I decided to go to a concert instead and go into gold hoarding mode the rest of the year.
Fallout: New Vegas is significantly better than Fallout 3, and I played the hell out of Fallout 3. Operation Anchorage is worth it, the in-universe explanation of the start of the nuclear war is quite dryly funny.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
OK, OK, I downloaded both Anchorage and Lonesome Road. Happy? 
Actually, I'm well aware Vegas is generally preferred over 3, but I really don't want to have all Fallouts opened at once (I also have 4 on my Xbox), because I'm already terrible about unfinished games as is.
My current (semi-)open-world/open-ended games that I haven't finished yet are:
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed 2
Assassin's Creed: Origins
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Dishonored 2 (probably gonna have to start this one anew, I've already forgotten most of it. And it's such a good game!)
Dying Light
Fallout 3
GTA V
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
The Outer Worlds
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Witcher 3
and I'm yet to begin Dark Souls, Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided...
And I don't even count the mostly linear games I'm yet to finish.
I'm terrible that way, but on the other hand - it would seem the games are deliberately done like this lately...
Actually, I'm well aware Vegas is generally preferred over 3, but I really don't want to have all Fallouts opened at once (I also have 4 on my Xbox), because I'm already terrible about unfinished games as is.
My current (semi-)open-world/open-ended games that I haven't finished yet are:
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed 2
Assassin's Creed: Origins
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Dishonored 2 (probably gonna have to start this one anew, I've already forgotten most of it. And it's such a good game!)
Dying Light
Fallout 3
GTA V
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
The Outer Worlds
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Witcher 3
and I'm yet to begin Dark Souls, Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided...
And I don't even count the mostly linear games I'm yet to finish.
I'm terrible that way, but on the other hand - it would seem the games are deliberately done like this lately...
Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
Amazing game, whatchu think?
I can't get into it.
Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
I really dig the storytelling. And the bestiary, locations etc... Some quest arcs like the Bloody Baron and Crookback Bog made this game really enjoyable, even if the main story isn't the most intriguing. Expansions are worth trying as well.
Right, but I'm not going to play several hours into a game to get to some quest arcs if the game isn't interesting to me in general.
Although I concede it's less the story than the playstyle. I found it a very awkward game to control at the beginning, reminding me of the early Assassin's Creed games. Much like @Onhell I greatly preferred Black Flag to any of the other AC games. I've also tried to get into Witcher 1 and 2 and not succeeded.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
So I've been told. Apparently the original team, now in a new studio, was tasked by Bethesda to make it. Though some people say it is a tad more linear and more confined than 3. Guess it comes down to preference. I'm still going to play it, just focusing on work finally, so that plus ALL my gaming is taking a backseat.
More...linear than 3? That's crazy, it's completely not. 3 has the same ending regardless, in NV you can literally pick one of three factions to support through the end. Trust me, it's better stem to stern.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
What I meant is there are areas that are COMPLETELY inaccessible unles you are a certain level and the main and side quests have you explore the whole map at some point, while in three.... you can go ANYWHERE, WHENEVER. You can play the main quest and NEVER bump into Riley's Rangers, the Dunwich building, kill all the behemoths, etc.
D
Deleted member 7164
Guest
Metroid : Super Zero Mission for SNES review
Actually, this game combines original Metroid, Super Metroid and Zero Mission into a single game. This is a Zero Mission experience of the planet Zebes, with the Pirate ship, Chozo ruins, etc. It is very tough to play, health is sparse and enemies are strong, and the route is unknown, reeking of original Metroid. Obviously, as a Super Metroid hack it feels a lot like Super Metroid. However Planet Zebes is absolutely huge. It is 50% bigger than in SM, at least.
The bad stuff about this rom hack comes from its insane ambition. It presents the most beautiful world design ever. Yes that's right, this thing is better than SM3 or Zero Mission. Some hacks feature better designs and graphics than originals. But most fail in the category of remarkable rooms. SZM has a shit ton of them. The design is sublime. This will keep you going through this, for me, insanely difficult and yet unbeatable game. You want to see what's next, just like in original Metroids. I think that beating this game at 60% items could last for 7 or 8 hours. I'm now 5 hours into the gameplay and there's a lot more to do after I get around the current showstopper.
This game would require a lot of modifications to be accessible to a broader audience. If the said modifications were to be made, the game would compete for a title of best Metroid game ever. The game will, as usual, cut off routes and force you to find an alternative, but in this huge world, that's a lot of backtracking. And the solution will often be a complicated move. The only thing more complicated than the move, will be figuring out what you need to do. Stuff is hidden. But after you pull out stuff, you'll be rewarded.
For conclusion, the dude made a game that's probably the ultimate new experience a veteran player can get. If you're experienced SM player, but not a veteran or any kind of even a beginner speedrunner, this game will push you to learn and master tricks. Because immediately afterwards the game rewards you with great moments.
As I've mentioned I still haven't beaten the game, and I'm still very very far away from it, not only by brushing up on the technique but progression wise too. More on that in the spoiler below.
You'll be required to perform non-standard tricks like short charging (two step + dash pump) and mockball in the non-trivial settings. The game will not force you to use tricks to traverse rooms and explore. The non-standard ones are used seldom but as progression stoppers.
As a hack, this is a masterpiece. Giving it anything less than full marks would be insulting to the creator, the person that is able to produce a real and fresh Metroid game, ability Nintendo lost about 15 years ago. Rating it as a game, if I would somehow mistake it for an original Nintendo title;
7/10 for casual Metroid players, because of the difficulty curve.
9/10 for any aspiring Super Metroid player and above in skill. The game could be further streamlined a bit, and the music isn't new. Also, this world could be better presented through AM2R engine and not Super Metroid, since it pushes the limits of what SM/SNES can do.
Actually, this game combines original Metroid, Super Metroid and Zero Mission into a single game. This is a Zero Mission experience of the planet Zebes, with the Pirate ship, Chozo ruins, etc. It is very tough to play, health is sparse and enemies are strong, and the route is unknown, reeking of original Metroid. Obviously, as a Super Metroid hack it feels a lot like Super Metroid. However Planet Zebes is absolutely huge. It is 50% bigger than in SM, at least.
The bad stuff about this rom hack comes from its insane ambition. It presents the most beautiful world design ever. Yes that's right, this thing is better than SM3 or Zero Mission. Some hacks feature better designs and graphics than originals. But most fail in the category of remarkable rooms. SZM has a shit ton of them. The design is sublime. This will keep you going through this, for me, insanely difficult and yet unbeatable game. You want to see what's next, just like in original Metroids. I think that beating this game at 60% items could last for 7 or 8 hours. I'm now 5 hours into the gameplay and there's a lot more to do after I get around the current showstopper.
This game would require a lot of modifications to be accessible to a broader audience. If the said modifications were to be made, the game would compete for a title of best Metroid game ever. The game will, as usual, cut off routes and force you to find an alternative, but in this huge world, that's a lot of backtracking. And the solution will often be a complicated move. The only thing more complicated than the move, will be figuring out what you need to do. Stuff is hidden. But after you pull out stuff, you'll be rewarded.
For conclusion, the dude made a game that's probably the ultimate new experience a veteran player can get. If you're experienced SM player, but not a veteran or any kind of even a beginner speedrunner, this game will push you to learn and master tricks. Because immediately afterwards the game rewards you with great moments.
As I've mentioned I still haven't beaten the game, and I'm still very very far away from it, not only by brushing up on the technique but progression wise too. More on that in the spoiler below.
You'll be required to perform non-standard tricks like short charging (two step + dash pump) and mockball in the non-trivial settings. The game will not force you to use tricks to traverse rooms and explore. The non-standard ones are used seldom but as progression stoppers.
As a hack, this is a masterpiece. Giving it anything less than full marks would be insulting to the creator, the person that is able to produce a real and fresh Metroid game, ability Nintendo lost about 15 years ago. Rating it as a game, if I would somehow mistake it for an original Nintendo title;
7/10 for casual Metroid players, because of the difficulty curve.
9/10 for any aspiring Super Metroid player and above in skill. The game could be further streamlined a bit, and the music isn't new. Also, this world could be better presented through AM2R engine and not Super Metroid, since it pushes the limits of what SM/SNES can do.
Where this game completely left me in awe - on the 3rd try in a month, 4 hours into the gameplay. I beat Ridley and teleport into the Pirate Ship from his quarters. I get out of the ship, after a while of course. I get into Chozodia. I can't get nowhere near the Tourian entrance. The route is a single way, cut off by crumble block celing at a point where Chozodia Halls are built in Crateria. To overcome this, I need power bombs. I get back in the ship. Backtracking all the way requires an alternate route and it is tough. I manage to teleport back to Ridley's lair. I manage to find a route through Norfair all the way back to Tourian.
Tourian is a real area. It is not just an endgame segment, it is a big area containing powerups. I managed to progress couple of rooms only to find power bomb barriers. The game obviously wants me to retreive power bombs that are in possession of the Pirates, as they've been mockingly displayed out of your reach on the ship, several times you'd see it somewhere, find a route to it and then nothing's there. Obviously decoys. The huge parts of the ship aren't explorable yet because I lack items. The bombs could be in Chozodia then. I run through accessible Chozodia from outside the ship, and back, nothing is to be found.
The key to this was obviously, locating another exit from the ship. It was contained in a big room full of laser barriers. The way you solve this room routes you. There is no straightforward exit. The easy solve will take you on the "wrong" route, the one I took all the time, and the complicated solve will get you closer to power bombs.
The room is big and you traverse laser barriers and security drones spawning all the time. You see a door, you try to jump in the area leading to it, and a instantly fast silver barrier drops down from the ceiling, on proximity trigger. If you go back a bit, you'll see there's a small area upwards. A sort of a carve in the big room ceiling, it is a shortish straight channel, with a super missile lock in the hole on the other side. There are a couple of ledges below this ceiling tunnel and the laser maze which makes it accessible. There's a Pirate right on the access ledges, there's a Pirate in the straight line, and the security drone spawn is very near.
The Pirates in this ship at this point in game cannot be hurt by anything. They can be only insta-killed by shinespark damage.
So I ran through the Pirate in the channel (they do a lot of damage, but there's obviously no other way around him, right?), unlocked the green lock, and found a crumble block, which dropped me behind the silver ledge. The green lock unlocked a lower door that leads you back into the room, since the silver ledge closed. But now the way forward is open. We enter a room where crumble blocks drop us down to a sort of a mini boss fight where two jumping Pirates attack you in a room and you need to escape morphed through a hole. Everything seems correct.
But this solve of the laser room will get you on the lower exit of the ship, wandering around Chozodia needing power bombs.
How you enter the next room from the laser room dictates the way forward. If you walk through the door, you get it wrong. If you shinespark through the door, you profit.
So how to shinespark through the laser room? Laser maze - short ledges, behind the silver barrer, in front of a door, short ledge with a gap. Floor covered with lasers. The only remotely longish part is the channel in the ceiling, the one I used before. But there's a Pirate in the middle of it. There's a solution for that. That second of immunity after Samus gets hit. So get hit by a security drone, and then run through the Pirate instantly taking no damage. But the shinespark doesn't charge. It did eventually, but only when you setup the security drone recoil perfect so you land pixel perfect, maximizing the run area, and then use every short charge technique you have under your belt.
Samus charges and falls down into the little hole. Jump up and then propel spark straight trough the pirate. Samus hits the wall, the shinespark echo kills that other pirate, which is usually a precision move, and you suddenly realize you found an intended solution. The ceiling is now clear, again the short charge, Samus falls down to the laser maze ledge, shinespark fly left...and the door is closed. Get back up, try to diagonally fire wave beam, the sound of a door opening goes off. Great. Charge, fall, fly again. Door still closed. Obviously intentional trolling. No problem, we can always fire just before launching ourselves, right? The door doesn't open in time, Samus still gets blocked. Ok, some timing required between beam fire and shinespark. Then the beam gets off screen and dissapears. Samus needs to follow the beam which needs to be about half a screen in front of her. Which requires a perfect charge drop from the ceiling, wasting no time landing on those little access ledges, and then traversing ledges in the maze still charged, in the direction closer to the door, jumpspinning + firing beam, and release charge in the last moment.
It sounds like major pain in the ass, and believe me it is, but it is very clever, to conceal a true solution like that, to push the skill of the player. At the same time, when you get it right, Samus feels like a true action hero. You've just outsmarted and outwitted a very hostile ship.
So where's the reward? Samus flies through the door, breaking blocks in the top of the next room, wrecking everything in her path as she forces her way out of the beautifully designed giant ship. There and then, you see the size of this thing. Breaking the hull, Samus lands on the small mountain top containing a E-tank, a very sparse resource in this game, player is rewarded with item too. Down below, is the easily accessible Chozodia, and from here, we can trek atop the hull. But fall down to the planet's surface and it's back to square zero again.
The hull is huge and we can wall jump/shinespark all the way to the top and then fall down from the other side of the ship. Where we find Chozodia again. In the Zero Mission, this is the empty start area of the Pirate Ship segment. In SZM this is another entrance to Chozodia. Power bombs are being teased again.
Here I stopped, the requirement is a speedball, which is a charged mockball, over a climbing slope, that has blocks in air that'll just stop Samus if the jump isn't done perfectly. 1/10 times I managed to pull Samus through the blocks, in the hold-down postition, but I can't seem to time the last phase to morph correctly. I might need a better gamepad and some practice for sure.
I can't wait to perk up and continue this game.
Tourian is a real area. It is not just an endgame segment, it is a big area containing powerups. I managed to progress couple of rooms only to find power bomb barriers. The game obviously wants me to retreive power bombs that are in possession of the Pirates, as they've been mockingly displayed out of your reach on the ship, several times you'd see it somewhere, find a route to it and then nothing's there. Obviously decoys. The huge parts of the ship aren't explorable yet because I lack items. The bombs could be in Chozodia then. I run through accessible Chozodia from outside the ship, and back, nothing is to be found.
The key to this was obviously, locating another exit from the ship. It was contained in a big room full of laser barriers. The way you solve this room routes you. There is no straightforward exit. The easy solve will take you on the "wrong" route, the one I took all the time, and the complicated solve will get you closer to power bombs.
The room is big and you traverse laser barriers and security drones spawning all the time. You see a door, you try to jump in the area leading to it, and a instantly fast silver barrier drops down from the ceiling, on proximity trigger. If you go back a bit, you'll see there's a small area upwards. A sort of a carve in the big room ceiling, it is a shortish straight channel, with a super missile lock in the hole on the other side. There are a couple of ledges below this ceiling tunnel and the laser maze which makes it accessible. There's a Pirate right on the access ledges, there's a Pirate in the straight line, and the security drone spawn is very near.
The Pirates in this ship at this point in game cannot be hurt by anything. They can be only insta-killed by shinespark damage.
So I ran through the Pirate in the channel (they do a lot of damage, but there's obviously no other way around him, right?), unlocked the green lock, and found a crumble block, which dropped me behind the silver ledge. The green lock unlocked a lower door that leads you back into the room, since the silver ledge closed. But now the way forward is open. We enter a room where crumble blocks drop us down to a sort of a mini boss fight where two jumping Pirates attack you in a room and you need to escape morphed through a hole. Everything seems correct.
But this solve of the laser room will get you on the lower exit of the ship, wandering around Chozodia needing power bombs.
How you enter the next room from the laser room dictates the way forward. If you walk through the door, you get it wrong. If you shinespark through the door, you profit.
So how to shinespark through the laser room? Laser maze - short ledges, behind the silver barrer, in front of a door, short ledge with a gap. Floor covered with lasers. The only remotely longish part is the channel in the ceiling, the one I used before. But there's a Pirate in the middle of it. There's a solution for that. That second of immunity after Samus gets hit. So get hit by a security drone, and then run through the Pirate instantly taking no damage. But the shinespark doesn't charge. It did eventually, but only when you setup the security drone recoil perfect so you land pixel perfect, maximizing the run area, and then use every short charge technique you have under your belt.
Samus charges and falls down into the little hole. Jump up and then propel spark straight trough the pirate. Samus hits the wall, the shinespark echo kills that other pirate, which is usually a precision move, and you suddenly realize you found an intended solution. The ceiling is now clear, again the short charge, Samus falls down to the laser maze ledge, shinespark fly left...and the door is closed. Get back up, try to diagonally fire wave beam, the sound of a door opening goes off. Great. Charge, fall, fly again. Door still closed. Obviously intentional trolling. No problem, we can always fire just before launching ourselves, right? The door doesn't open in time, Samus still gets blocked. Ok, some timing required between beam fire and shinespark. Then the beam gets off screen and dissapears. Samus needs to follow the beam which needs to be about half a screen in front of her. Which requires a perfect charge drop from the ceiling, wasting no time landing on those little access ledges, and then traversing ledges in the maze still charged, in the direction closer to the door, jumpspinning + firing beam, and release charge in the last moment.
It sounds like major pain in the ass, and believe me it is, but it is very clever, to conceal a true solution like that, to push the skill of the player. At the same time, when you get it right, Samus feels like a true action hero. You've just outsmarted and outwitted a very hostile ship.
So where's the reward? Samus flies through the door, breaking blocks in the top of the next room, wrecking everything in her path as she forces her way out of the beautifully designed giant ship. There and then, you see the size of this thing. Breaking the hull, Samus lands on the small mountain top containing a E-tank, a very sparse resource in this game, player is rewarded with item too. Down below, is the easily accessible Chozodia, and from here, we can trek atop the hull. But fall down to the planet's surface and it's back to square zero again.
The hull is huge and we can wall jump/shinespark all the way to the top and then fall down from the other side of the ship. Where we find Chozodia again. In the Zero Mission, this is the empty start area of the Pirate Ship segment. In SZM this is another entrance to Chozodia. Power bombs are being teased again.
Here I stopped, the requirement is a speedball, which is a charged mockball, over a climbing slope, that has blocks in air that'll just stop Samus if the jump isn't done perfectly. 1/10 times I managed to pull Samus through the blocks, in the hold-down postition, but I can't seem to time the last phase to morph correctly. I might need a better gamepad and some practice for sure.
I can't wait to perk up and continue this game.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
So decided to fire the Xbox back up and downloaded the free game of the month: Shantae 1/2 Hero Genie. It was a really entertaining, short adventure. It is a great mix of Mega Man rand Zelda with the weapon choices and exploration. The soundtrack is pretty cool. They pull a Double Dragon using the main theme in the first and last mission. The boss battles are similar to Cuphead in scope, but nowhere near as difficult. I recommend it.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
My brother literally lives down the street from me. It takes me 7 minutes WALKING to get to his house. I told him he should come over to play NHL18. He said the wife doesn't want him to leave the house for non-essential activities. I told him... "All this time you've been shitting on me for having an xbox and a supposed video game obssession. If you had one too we could play online, dumbass."
Been thinking about Panzer Corps a lot. It looks really good.