RedShell Posted July 9, 2018 Posted July 9, 2018 (edited) I was browsing the on sale section of the eShop recently and this game caught my eye, did a bit of research and discovered that it's supposed to be like a cross between Metal Slug and Monster Hunter! Anyway, despite it having mixed reviews I decided to give it a try (started playing yesterday) and yeah, really enjoying it so far. It actually does feel a bit like a 2D run and gun version of Monster Hunter! Complete with grinding for materials to forge new weapons and capture missions. Gameplay-wise it's pretty nice (albeit somewhat repetitive) and the pixel art/animation is wonderful. Also (much to my surprise) the game features online co-op, and although it took a while to gather other players, once they had connected it ran perfectly. So yeah, anyone that enjoys either of those games I mentioned above should definitely look into this while it's still on offer, and if you're a fan of both then I'd say it's a no-brainer! Gonna go ahead and mention a few peeps that I reckon might enjoy this: @Hero-of-Time@Glen-i@Dcubed@Ugh first aid@S.C.G@Grazza@Kaepora_Gaebora@Kav@Blade@dazzybee@Mokong@lostmario Not sure if any of you have played it already (I believe the original release was also a PS+ title at some point) but if not, check it out. Also, it would be cool to get some N-E co-op sessions going. Here's the trailer: Edited July 9, 2018 by RedShell 3 2
S.C.G Posted July 9, 2018 Posted July 9, 2018 I'm in the Limited Run loop, so the price isn't so much of an issue as I already have the physical edition pre-ordered. But I am excited to play this title, when I get it in physical form. It looks awesome. 1
RedShell Posted July 9, 2018 Author Posted July 9, 2018 1 hour ago, S.C.G said: I'm in the Limited Run loop, so the price isn't so much of an issue as I already have the physical edition pre-ordered. But I am excited to play this title, when I get it in physical form. It looks awesome. Cool. When does the physical version release?
Hero-of-Time Posted July 9, 2018 Posted July 9, 2018 48 minutes ago, RedShell said: Cool. When does the physical version release? I think that and Flinthook are scheduled for sometime in August. 1
RedShell Posted July 9, 2018 Author Posted July 9, 2018 11 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: I think that and Flinthook are scheduled for sometime in August. That’s another game I quite like the look of and is also currently on sale. Staying on my watch list for now though.
Sméagol Posted July 9, 2018 Posted July 9, 2018 I completely dismissed this, purely based on the cover artwork. I don't think I even watched the trailer. Ehh, it looks like it could be fun. The appeal of online play.. I'd never consider this even if I didn't already dismiss it based on the cover artwork. But still, so many games.. Maybe later.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 10, 2018 Posted July 10, 2018 I snapped it up last night, @RedShell. Its pretty fun. I'm actually finding more challenging than Monster Hunter, which is probably due to the respawning enemies. I had a few games online with a bunch of random players and I don't think we ever finished a mission. I'm pretty sure people were taking on missions that we weren't ready for and as such were getting butchered by enemy fire. I done a bit of grinding for materials but have yet to upgrade my armour or weapons. I still need to get my head around what guns to use and whats the best thing to upgrade but once I do I should have enough materials to make that first step.
RedShell Posted July 10, 2018 Author Posted July 10, 2018 2 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said: I snapped it up last night, @RedShell. Its pretty fun. I'm actually finding more challenging than Monster Hunter, which is probably due to the respawning enemies. I had a few games online with a bunch of random players and I don't think we ever finished a mission. I'm pretty sure people were taking on missions that we weren't ready for and as such were getting butchered by enemy fire. I done a bit of grinding for materials but have yet to upgrade my armour or weapons. I still need to get my head around what guns to use and whats the best thing to upgrade but once I do I should have enough materials to make that first step. Nice one. I'm currently at the 3rd rank (Corporal) and have only just started getting into crafting better stuff, got through Recruit and the majority of Private with the default gear. It looks like the similarities to Monster Hunter also extend to the deeper mechanics though, meaning the enemies that you encounter early on (like soldiers or wild animals in the free hunting area) are weak to fire damage. So yeah, I recommend crafting the Incendiary ammunition type and a compatible gun for it as soon as you can. It's possible to create knives with elemental attack too, I'm rocking an incendiary knife at the moment as it can be very handy when dealing with soldiers behind cover or shields. It's also a good idea to get some Bionic Mods crafted/installed, especially to make gathering items easier. Can't remember if it's available from the start or not, but there's one which guarantees enemies will drop an item, and that mod is great when you're trying to collect specific items or just wanting to stock up on meat and fruit etc... I'm going to be using that particular mod in the hunting area a lot more now I reckon, since unlocking... Spoiler The Chef: And check out my character's "Jill Valentine" cosplay there. BTW, something that I did struggle to get to grips with was during the initial capture missions and how you need to throw the bombs, so just in-case anyone else finds themselves in the same situation, you need to jump and chuck them directly at the dude that's controlling the vehicle. Took me several failed attempts before I finally twigged. Anyway, glad to see more people are checking this game out. 1
Hero-of-Time Posted July 10, 2018 Posted July 10, 2018 I'll have to add you on my Switch so we can hook up. Consider it a great privilege. 2
RedShell Posted July 10, 2018 Author Posted July 10, 2018 7 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said: I'll have to add you on my Switch so we can hook up. Consider it a great privilege. Nintendo's online is so good there's no need!: Seriously though, would be good to play sometime without a random player with a weapon that kills everything in 2 seconds.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 10, 2018 Posted July 10, 2018 1 minute ago, RedShell said: Nintendo's online is so good there's no need!: Seriously though, would be good to play sometime without a random player with a weapon that kills everything in 2 seconds. Or the lobbies are so empty that it's easy enough to find each other. Yeah, the dude was blitzing levels in mere minutes. Still, I netted a few materials in the process. I see that any quests completed online don't seem to count for your own progress.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 10, 2018 Posted July 10, 2018 52 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: I see that any quests completed online don't seem to count for your own progress. I stand corrected. All the quests we were playing online were for the next rank. I just ranked up and a bunch of them were already complete. Sweet. Crazy how much this is like Monster Hunter this is. Cooking for bonuses, grinding mats for weapons, ranking up with special quests, capturing bosses, 4 player online co-op...the list goes on. Oh, sorry about not reviving you @RedShell. I didnt have an adrenaline shot on me. 1
RedShell Posted July 10, 2018 Author Posted July 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said: I stand corrected. All the quests we were playing online were for the next rank. I just ranked up and a bunch of them were already complete. Sweet. Crazy how much this is like Monster Hunter this is. Cooking for bonuses, grinding mats for weapons, ranking up with special quests, capturing bosses, 4 player online co-op...the list goes on. Oh, sorry about not reviving you @RedShell. I didnt have an adrenaline shot on me. No worries. Good news about the quests completing online even if you’re not the host, I too thought that you had to be the person posting the quest in order for it to be marked as complete. I’m actually still a bit confused by the online setup though, like what determines whether you host a game or join someone else’s? When I first enabled online via the little robot it had other players join me, and I was able to choose quests. But earlier on (when we crossed paths) it had me joining an existing game, despite the action (enabling online via the robot) being exactly the same each time. I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway, especially if quests complete for everyone regardless, but would still like to know how it works.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 10, 2018 Posted July 10, 2018 From what I've read, whether you are host or not is completely random. I'm not sure if that's the case when playing in a friend lobby. I reached Corporal rank earlier. I got there by using a toilet gun. No joke. 1
Hero-of-Time Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 Here's a quick look at me sporting my toilet gun. @RedShell turns away, most likely due to the smell. I unlocked the Lieutenant rank before heading off to work this morning. With it came a bunch of new weapons, one of which is a handgun named The Cobretti. Outstanding! 2 1
RedShell Posted July 11, 2018 Author Posted July 11, 2018 5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: Here's a quick look at me sporting my toilet gun. @RedShell turns away, most likely due to the smell. Cheers for the help on those missions last night, sorry I wasn’t online for long but had already been playing quite a while before you appeared. It’s cool splitting up like that to cover different parts of the map and objectives, we were pretty damn efficient on that destroying turrets mission. I guess you’re right about the lobbies being empty though, as I only encountered 1 other player during that entire session.
Dufniall Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 I must say I'm intrigued by this, with Monster Hunter and Metal Slug being two of my favourite series. I'm a bit worried though about the online aspect and already the rooms being so empty. Does this hold up as a single player as well?
Hero-of-Time Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 14 minutes ago, Vileplume2000 said: I must say I'm intrigued by this, with Monster Hunter and Metal Slug being two of my favourite series. I'm a bit worried though about the online aspect and already the rooms being so empty. Does this hold up as a single player as well? I think it does. It's just like Monster Hunter in that it's fine on your own but is much better when playing with others. I was playing the best part of yesterday evening and pretty much always had another player with me. When I fired it up at 5am this morning I was still able to find a game with someone else in. Plus, there is always the option to play with people on your friends list. It's certainly worth a punt for £10 (on sale at the moment ), especially if you enjoy both Metal Slug and Monster Hunter.
drahkon Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 Oh, this has been on PS+ some time ago. Sounds pretty good. Never tried it (I think? Can't remember). Might give this a go on my PS4.
S.C.G Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 Damn, this really sounds even better than I first anticipated judging from how much you're both enjoying the game @RedShell & @Hero of Time It looks like I'll be waiting a few more weeks until I can join you both, if you're still playing by then... https://www.limitedrungames.com/collections/nintendo/products/switch-limited-run-2-mercenary-kings-preorder?variant=7696882925621 The physical (sold out) release is slated for August, so three weeks time, best-cast scenario. Sounds like it's worth the wait though and well worth a spot on my Switch shelf just as I was hoping it would be.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 38 minutes ago, drahkon said: Oh, this has been on PS+ some time ago. Sounds pretty good. Never tried it (I think? Can't remember). Might give this a go on my PS4. I checked if I had it from PS+ before buying it on Switch but I must not have had a subscription going at the time. 13 minutes ago, S.C.G said: Sounds like it's worth the wait though and well worth a spot on my Switch shelf just as I was hoping it would be. But will you actually play it?
drahkon Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 Just now, Hero-of-Time said: I checked if I had it from PS+ before buying it on Switch but I must not have had a subscription going at the time. Just looked it up: the game was on PS+ 4 (!) years ago. Holy shit...time flies
Hero-of-Time Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 3 minutes ago, drahkon said: Just looked it up: the game was on PS+ 4 (!) years ago. Holy shit...time flies Yeah, I think it was part of PS+in the April of that year and I didn't get my PS4 until the July.
RedShell Posted July 11, 2018 Author Posted July 11, 2018 2 hours ago, S.C.G said: It looks like I'll be waiting a few more weeks until I can join you both, if you're still playing by then... Looking at the amount of ranks, missions and items to forge I reckon I will be, yeah. 3 hours ago, Vileplume2000 said: Does this hold up as a single player as well? Very much depends on your tolerance to repetitive gameplay loops I reckon. If you're the type of player that enjoys the process of gathering items to gradually create new gear, then you should enjoy it as a single player experience too though. Speaking of crafting new gear, this morning I obtained what will surely be my weapon of choice for the rest of the game! Say hello to my little friend... the Mother F***ing Cat Gun! Meows with every shot fired! Totally not annoying in any way, shape, or form. Love it! Also, I had no idea that you could deflect enemy bullets with the knife! Which is stupid because the guy that sells them actually mentions it several times, but I just thought it was humorous dialogue rather than an actual gameplay mechanic. That extra long range knife I'm using in the above pic is also particularly great for dealing with those Steven Segal lookalikes on top of that building. 1
Hero-of-Time Posted July 11, 2018 Posted July 11, 2018 You found it! I didn't want to mention the cat gun this morning as I wanted to keep it as a surprise for you. 2
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