Aneres11

I played this game to death as a kid but even I am struggling a bit with the difficulty. It seems like there are often too many hoards of enemies in a small space so even if you kill them, they take that long to disappear that they just soak up the bullets and you can’t get to the others peppering you! Add to that the fact that there’s so many instances to be instant killed. Room full of computers? Someone’s going to blow them all up with you stood next to it. Having said that, I am loving it. Took me a while to get the controls down but what a joy. Still holds up mostly ok too which is more than can be said for other games this age.

KIRBY AND THE FORGOTTEN LAND Bought this just after Christmas. I tried the demo when the game came out and liked it so thought I’d take the plunge. I’ve never really played a lot of Kirby games in the past. I played the drawing one on DS which I enjoyed, but that’s about it from memory. I enjoyed it, but do feel like the game really started to outstay it’s welcome towards the end. I got really fatigued seeing the same mini bosses (and main bosses) again and again and again and it really took the shine off some of the levels when yet again, I had the same boss thrown my way. The abilities were cool, but I had real issues with the games controls. I thought Kirby’s jump was practically pointless and felt very slow and lethargic. It didn’t really add anything to the game other than let you get back to a ledge if you fell off. But jumping was slow and the abilities Kirby had were often hampered by jumping. The dragon fire one, for example, you activate fire wings and can burst at high speed if you jump and press B. But sometimes I didn’t want to do that. And it often hurtled me off a ledge and knocked chunks off my health. It would have been better as you level the abilities up, to have a different button for the second ‘attack’. The bomb ability another good example. You can’t aim a bomb unless you’re stood still. So if you’re moving even the tiniest bit it’ll just throw a bomb in front. Infuriating. The levels were all pretty good, no complaints on the settings or level design. I liked some of the star levels but often found myself wanting to smash the controller up because of how annoying they were. There’s no way I will be going for a 100% file. I’ve just got to the last boss and done the two lion stages and then lo and behold here we are again with a third boss. Just fucking end already. I think I will give it another go and try to properly finish the game, but I’m pretty much done and feel I’ve seen all I need to. One thing I didn’t love is that the abilities (whilst able to be powered up) didn’t really add any additional game play elements. They just increased the power of Kirby’s attack, which was welcome later on, but I’d have liked to have seen more locked down paths in levels that needed specific improved abilities to open up. Alas never happened, so I often sought out the ability I enjoyed using the most rather than use whatever was available in the level. Sounds like I’m hating on the game, but I did enjoy it. I just found it a bit of a slog towards the end and a little bit devoid of ambition. Onto the next!

I said about the switch showing it's age in the Pokémon thread a few weeks ago and I still stand by that the console is now getting too long in the tooth. I have hardly touched mine in months. None of the games released this year have appealed to me in the slightest. The last good game I played was Metroid Dread which was over a year ago. I think they could have even benefited from a mid life refresh with more power but they've continued to be stubborn. Then again, as others have said, why wouldn't they when it's still selling like it is. These days I generally prefer playing on other consoles.

I think you've bought the wrong game.

Thanks @Hero-of-Time! Will give it a look

From the reviews I've read of S/V (which I do intend to pick up) it seems to suffer in the same way Bayonetta 3 did. So basically, the Switch is now a bit too long in the tooth to allow for fluid performance with the intensive open world or heavy action games. It's 6 years in March. I think a successor is needed ASAP as Gamefreak can't be happy that there are this many performance issues and I wonder whether that's down to them or the hardware. Or a bit of both.

Definitely would at that price 👍🏻

And that's the story wrapped. 22 hours it says. Not bad at all! Overall, I really enjoyed the game. My thoughts I initially posted didn't change too much as I progressed. It really is a mix of ideas thrown into one game and whilst some work nicely, others don't at all and it can cause frustrations whilst playing. The pop in issue which many have called the game out for is a fair criticism. It's not great. One thing I found even more annoying than that, though, was the fact that the games open world went from morning to night similar to BOTW. Whilst it works nicely in Zelda, in Frontiers it was an annoyance as when it was dark it was often difficult to actually see very much. I found the map much easier to explore in the day. Whilst some sections of the map couldn't be unlocked without an action happening specifically at night, it just felt like it was a bit tacked on. The bosses were as ever for a Sonic game - epic. Apart from the final boss, which was a little bit easy? I did level sonics attack and defense up massively before the boss (unintentionally) so perhaps that helped? But it just seemed like either I was overpowered (level 67 out of 99) or the boss was a bit weak. It was the easiest of the bunch put it that way. The story remained a mess throughout. I had no clue what was happening half of the time and I'm not particularly mad about that. I don't play these games for their enriched story, but it would have been nice to be able to follow along easier. The game definitely needs some QoL improvements. Whenever you activate a cyber space shrine (classic levels), there is a cut scene every time which shows sonic placing the cog into the shrine yada yada. It's skippable, in fairness, but you have to hold X down to do so. Its frustrating doing it all the time. This is the same whenever sonic finds a Chaos Emerald. Cut scene showing him unlocking the vault to retrieve it, followed by cut scene of him celebrating pocketing it. Unnecessary. On the actual stages, then. For the most part, good, although lacking variety massively. Just using the same 4 levels from Sonic history to base them on became a little tiring and these levels were really where the controls started to show themselves up. Collecting 5 red coins (or rings) in each level is par for the course with Sonic games now, and always something I've enjoyed. But aside from the odd few levels with multiple paths to take, there's no searching needed as they're often right in front of you. I feel this was a conscious effort from the developer as the times you need to go off the beaten track to get one you realise just how poorly sonics control is. Thankfully, no trophy or achievement attached to the red coins, so can always leave them but I always tried with each level as there's an in game reward for collecting them which does help you progress. Some elements they added in really do not make sense. There's a section late on where a door needs to be opened. How do you open it? Well, you have to play a pinball mini game and get a ridiculously high score in order to unlock the door of course. In another section you have to override a computer. You do that by playing a space shooter style mini game. Just zero sense. Theres things I haven't touched on, like Big and the fishing, but that kinda is what it is. Nothing exciting but often a welcome break from exploring. I'm off to mop up the rest of the trophies. Overall, I think this is a must play for anyone who has enjoyed a 3d sonic game. The open worlds work nicely as there's plenty of exploring to do and some nice platforming sections via springs, rails, loops, you name it. Sometimes, it is jarring when you are belting along at full speed and you hit a spring which throws you into a 2d section and then you have a completely different Sonic who moves like he's wearing iron boots, unless you boost and then he goes flying... You also can't get out of the 2d section until you go through it so if it's an area you've already done you'll often find yourself tutting and just trying to race through it to carry on as you were. When the game gets it right, it's fantastic. And shows there is hope yet for 3d sonic. But I've always known that. There's always been some good amongst some questionable gimmicks. But in this game, you will find yourself rolling your eyes and saying "what the fuck" a lot, or that might have just been me. :D. Either way, I recommend.

Thought it was odd this thread got bumped. Coz there's no way in hell anyone is choosing to buy this game 😂.

Picked this up on PS5 last night and have sunk some time into it since. I love it. But I love every Sonic game, so take what I say with a pinch of salt. 😋. I'm not blinkered, though. I know when a game is bad but this game is just... Experimental. There appears to be a hell of a lot going on to begin with, but as you get to grips with the game, the actual key tasks are fairly straight forward. You are thrust into a new world and the map is blank. As you do things within the world, tasks like hit switches in order or destroy a group of bots, the map fills out and new tasks appear for you to navigate to. Each world has the 7 Chaos Emeralds and you need to collect them to assist you with that world's boss. In addition, each world contains a 'trapped' beloved Sonic hero who you have to help by collecting their specific memory tokens dotted around the world. There are huge, like HUGE, mini bosses within the world's which you can battle, and beating them gives you an item you often need to activate a shrine which will allow you to then play a sonic 'level'. These are a mix of 2d or 3d levels and they're much closer to what we've seen from Sonic games before this one. All in all, the variety is jam packed and some stuff works, and some stuff is a frustrating mess. But I haven't been able to stop playing it. Sonic doesn't control well, at all. I think this is the worst he's 'felt' in a main game in years. It's particularly evident in the 2d levels. The lack of travel when moving left or right after being thrown into the air via a spring is horrible. It feels like he's moving through tar. You can level up Sonics speed, same with his defense and attack powers, but it's odd that he feels this slow. I definitely think that needs work. From previews, I didn't like the look of the open world style game play at all. But it's won me round. There's so much to do, and a lot to collect to progress the story, so it's good that they've filled the map with interesting and experimental game play elements to stop you being bored. Speaking of the story... It's a bit of a mess. It makes little sense (so far) but may become clear nearing the end. Can't wait to spend more time into it.

I will be picking it up on release as per every Sonic game ever. I have enjoyed all of them apart from Colours which weirdly, is the one everyone loves and the one I think is sh*te. I think the open world sections look terrible, but the 'levels' look more traditional. Be interesting to see how it plays.

Hah no way! That's so cool! I really wish the game were harder as the fundamental controls are spot on. It's a great game to play and some of the bonus levels use the tail of the character in really clever ways. Hell, I'd even pay for DLC but it's been out a year (I think) now and no additional content has been seen. If you can pick it up second hand or cheap then I'd say go for it.

Marsupilami Hoobadventure The oddest name for a game, ever. This was another one that was on my radar as a really strong 2d side scroller that had reviewed well. And it didn't disappoint!! Some of these lesser known games that I have played recently have been so good! This game is reallllly simple - hardly any story to speak of, and very short overall. There are only 3 worlds in total, each one having about 8 levels in and a boss fight. Having said that, what is here is solid. I do think they could have done an extra world, and put some effort into making it really challenging, as the difficulty of the game didn't ramp up at all. In comparison to Kaze and the Wild Masks which I played recently, this felt like a game aimed purely at kids. Whilst it definitely is that (I think it's a TV show tie in?), there were one or 2 levels where the challenge was there but it wasn't built upon which is a shame. Still, the game had time trails per level which kept me going back for more and there were also collectibles in each level which weren't always mega obvious. So that allowed additional runs. Overall, good game. Controls nice and tight. Very enjoyable! Life is Strange - True Colours Picked this one up via Game Pass, as I wanted more of a story driven game and this one had been reviewed well. I'd never played a game in this series before, and I read that I didn't really need to have in order to play this. Well, I'm only an hour in... and I don't think it's for me. I am going to knock it on the head as I am just bored playing it. The story (so far) isn't very interesting, I'm not particularly invested in the characters and there seems to be a hell of a lot of filler in between the story cut scenes. Like too many items to interact with which just slows you down actually progressing the story. And half of the items add absolutely nothing to the story or the objective at hand. I definitely don't think I've given this one enough of a chance, but it's supposedly a 10-12 hour game and I don't think I can cope with a game that is this slow for that length of time. At least with other games in this genre that I've played recently (As Dusk Falls, The Quarry), the story is interesting, engaging. This is just boring. It's getting to the point now where I feel like I've played a lot of games I had on my radar and it's starting to dry up! I need to have another proper look at Game Pass and maybe go for a game that wouldn't be one I'd normally choose to play.

Gravity Duck A little cheap game from the Xbox market place. I had £5 credit on my account so bought this, as I wanted something I didn't have to put too much concentration into. The other bonus, is it was recommended as an easy 1000G game and sure enough, within 20 minutes I had the full 1000. The game lasts much much longer than just that though, and I played through it til the end. It's simple enough, jumping changes the gravity so if you jump you will flip and start to run on the ceiling. You collect a golden egg in each level and the aim is simply to collect it and the level finishes. There are around 30 levels per 'world' with some taking seconds and others needing multiple replays until you figure out how to get to the egg. Enemies are added in as you progress which makes things trickier. It was a really solid little game for £4 and the cool 1000g was the cherry on the cake. Alan Wake - Remastered This game was always one that I regretted never playing when it first came out. I remember really wanting it, and have no idea why I never picked it up or got around to playing it. Naturally then, when I heard it was remastered I was chomping at the bit to play it... and then waited like a year after til now to get it. Well, what an absolute crock of sh*t. I don't think I've ever wanted a game to end as much as I have this one. Tedious, boring, non-sensical, cheesy, cumbersome... just some of the words that spring to mind after I finished the main game this afternoon. It is definitely a product of its time. And for that, I forgive that it isn't exactly the most polished experience. However, I always wanted to play it because it looked so far up my street I knew I'd love it. Wrong. The 'story' is garbage. I had absolutely no idea what was actually happening throughout the 6 chapters, other than Alice had gone missing. By the end of the game, it had got so far fetched I had given up trying to make sense of any of it. The game play itself was shocking. It was so painfully obvious what was about to come, namely - the chapter starts in day light, it's then suddenly dark and you have to trek across some forest area whilst 'enemies' and objects taken over by 'darkness' come and attack you. You have a flashlight, which you need to shine at them to dispel the darkness, then you can shoot them to kill them. It is so cumbersome and makes trying to navigate through wave after wave of enemies an absolute ball ache. The only saving grace is that playing it on easy grants more than enough ammunition and batteries for the torch to allow you to get through it. But I lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes at yet another section in the chapter where I had to cross some forest area only to reach a building where the power was out and I had to 'find a generator key' or 'flip the fuse box'. And of course, as you crack on and do those things, you get waves of enemies appearing constantly just to really add to the fun. Speaking of chapters, there were 6 in total and they are utterly pointless. The chapters took about 1.5-2 hours each to complete. So I'd often play at night with the view to blitz a chapter before bed, but they went on for that long that I either ended up going to bed late (this isn't a problem as I am 34 ) or sacking it off halfway through to return to tomorrow. They'd have been better off just not having chapters IMO and just having one longer campaign. It's not as if each one was different as it was just more of the same cut and paste tedium that had gone before. Voice acting - terrible. The narration from the main character was delivered in such a cheesy way, like a bad American soap opera. Barry, Alan's publicist (I think that's his role anyway) sounded like Harry from Home Alone and did nothing but whinge throughout the whole game whenever he was on screen. A bit like what I'm doing now whilst giving my thoughts. Overall, I didn't enjoy this one at all. Had I picked this up 4 months ago when I was not really enjoying gaming, there's no way I'd have finished it. But I am trying my hardest to finish games I start, so I am pretty pleased I managed to get through this despite not really feeling it. Definitely not looking out for Alan Wake 2 whenever that one lands that's for sure! Unless they completely fix a lot of what made this a dud.

Lol that is an absolute piss take. Not only can you still not buy one easily, there's still (FOR ME) no real reason to own one unless you want a better controller. I keep seeing Facebook adverts saying people can go into a queue to buy one and the comments always make me laugh. Can't wait to read them now after this news.