Your Gaming Diary 2022

[nekunando]

6 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

You're crawling towards the end of that game, aren't you, @nekunando 

I could probably go into detail now but I'll wait until I've finished it before I share my overall thoughts.

What I will say is that for a game that goes out of its way to be crazy and off the wall, I feel like I'm just going through the motions right now

[drahkon]

CHORVS

A space shooter that starts slow, picks up the pace quickly (and is incredibly awesome then), drags on a bit and ends with one of the worst boss fights in history of everything.
It took me 35 minutes to beat it. And I didn't even die. It's an HP sponge like I've rarely seen...unbelievably tedious.

The gameplay is great overall (the dogfights are so much fun), the story is boring and might as well not exist, it looks pretty and has some sweet sound effects. That final boss takes away a few points, though. I HATED IT!

Still: A cool addition to PS+ which has been delivering non-stop this year  

Edited November 30, 2022 by drahkon

[drahkon]

The Gardens Between

Gameplay falls flat very quickly because there's basically only one gimmick. That makes the puzzles very straightforward and eventually boring. Even for a game as short as this (took me about 90 minutes to get the Platinum) that's not good. 
Has a cute little story, though.

Yeah, wouldn't recommend a purchase, but if you got the chance to play it via a sub it's worth a try.

@darksnowman, there you go  

[WackerJr]

Overboard! (Mobile)

A wonderfully written choose your own adventure story, by the same developers as 80 Days.

I used to really enjoy choose your own adventure books, and the clever twist of this mystery is that you already know you’re the culprit and you’re trying to work out how to get away with it (a “youdunnit” if you will… see what I did there!).

It initially got found out on my first few playthroughs, but as it should be, I could use the experience and things I learned to try different narrative choices, or visit areas in a different order, to eventually succeed.  Or kind of anyway.  Turns out there are a variety of endings, and the game does give new objectives, usually ones I hadn’t realised were even possible, and I did play it longer than intended to try and find these additional endings and the fun writing they usually lead to.

Overall, it may have only been a few hours in total, and I did give up finding all the endings in the end (I found enough), but i enjoyed this.

Edited December 1, 2022 by WackerJr
Image added

[Hero-of-Time]

Finished some indie games over the past couple of days.

What Remains of Edith Finch got a free PS5 upgrade, along with a new trophy list that this time contains a platinum. Looking at my trophies, it's been 5 years since I played it on my PS4 which is more than enough time to warrant another playthrough of this gem.

Even though I remembered some of the stories in the game, it's still a brilliant experience. What happens to each of the family members is so tragic. It's hard to say which one is my favourite of the bunch but I do find the one about Gregory to be the most upsetting. He was just a baby.  

I like how a couple of them are left to interpretation as well. For example, the story about Barbara has a fair few theories flying around on the internet. My own is that...

Spoiler

She was killed by some crazed fans.

There are a lot of walking simulators these days and many aren't done very well and often overstay their welcome. I think Stray is a good example of this, whereas What Remains of Edith Finch tells a compelling story and is the right length for the player to absorb what's going on but also leaves them satisfied at the end.

The Gardens Between is another game that got a PS5 update and trophy list. This is the third time I've played through the game and as such I made very quick work of all the puzzles, most of which I remembered. I'm not as harsh as @drahkon with my thoughts on the game as I've enjoyed each of my playthroughs of it. I quite like the story that is being told and I do enjoy the fast forward/rewind mechanic that is used to solve the puzzles.

Micetopia is a game that has been on my wishlist for a while. I seen it on an indie youtube video a while back and it looked pretty good. It recently went on sale for the stupidly low price of 79p and so I snapped it up. Even at this price I still feel robbed.

The game is a metroidvania but is stupidly short and VERY basic. You play as a mouse who has to explore areas to rescue the villagers who have been kidnapped. I say explore but I use the term very loosely. There are only 2 areas in the game to get through and each of these can be done and dusted in under an hour each. You can also bring up the maps by pressing a button and so there's not much exploration to be had at all. Usually I love a map system in these types of games but that's because there are often loads of hidden secrets and pathways to find. That isn't the case here.

The enemies are also very few but I suppose this makes sense given that there are only a handful of areas. You can dispatch the enemies with a bow or a sword. Once you get the roll ability you can even just roll through the lot of them. Again very basic stuff. 

The game does look charming but that's as far as my praise will go. It feels like the developers had an idea and then just completely ran out of time and shoved it out the door. Still, it was only a couple hours wasted and it was less than a pound so I can't really complain.

 

[nekunando]

 

[Hero-of-Time]

Finished Shantae: Half Genie Hero this morning. The final two Shantae games I needed were finally on sale this week and so I snapped them up and played through this one.

I know this entry gets a lot of flak for being too easy and far more linear than other the other entries but I still find it really enjoyable. I think it was a nice experiment by the team to mix things up a bit.

As always, a speedrun and a speedrun while getting 100% trophies were present here. Because I've played this before on the Wii U I was actually able to pull both of these off on my first run. 

I adore the theme tune for the game.

Seeing as the original game has yet to pop up on PSN (thing was announced in the Summer but still hasn't show up) that just leaves the Seven Sirens to playthrough. I've not played that one yet and so I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like.

 

[drahkon]

42 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Finished Shantae: Half Genie Hero this morning.

Noice.

I played this on my trusty ol' PSVita a few years ago and was kinda meh about it, if I remember correctly. Still a solid game, though  
The only Shantae entry I've played, so far. Might give the others a go eventually.

[nekunando]

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I still need to pick up the DLC for Cuphead. The base game is absolutely amazing and was one of my favourite platinum trophies of 2020. Would you say the difficulty of the DLC is the same as the base game, @nekunando?

[drahkon]

30 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The base game is absolutely amazing and was one of my favourite platinum trophies of 2020.

Excuse me? It's on PS?

[Hero-of-Time]

14 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Excuse me? It's on PS?

Eh?

[drahkon]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Eh?

Cuphead is on PS?
When did that happen?  

[Hero-of-Time]

3 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Cuphead is on PS?
When did that happen?  

Two years ago. You even liked my post when I put a picture of the platinum up back in 2020. I thought you already played it or was that on the Switch?

[drahkon]

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

You even liked my post when I put a picture of the platinum up back in 2020.

And you think I remember every Platinum you get?  

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

 I thought you already played it or was that on the Switch?

It was on Switch.

But I kinda missed/forgot about it on PS. *puts it on wishlist*

[Dufniall]

4 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I still need to pick up the DLC for Cuphead. The base game is absolutely amazing and was one of my favourite platinum trophies of 2020. Would you say the difficulty of the DLC is the same as the base game, @nekunando?

I finished the DLC earlier this year and really loved it. I think the DLC is about the same difficulty, but if you choose Ms. Chalice as a character it kind of works as an easy mode due to her moveset.

Bosses are as creative as ever, and there is some variety with a tower with bosses based on parrying. It doesn't do anything revolutionary different, but it's more Cuphead and that is a very good thing. 

[Glen-i]

2 hours ago, Dufniall said:

I think the DLC is about the same difficulty, but if you choose Ms. Chalice as a character it kind of works as an easy mode due to her moveset.

OK, now I'm intrigued.

How different are we talking with Ms. Chalice? Give me specifics. And theoretically, if I were to buy Cuphead and the DLC, would I be able to play as her in the base game?

[Hero-of-Time]

32 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

OK, now I'm intrigued.

How different are we talking with Ms. Chalice? Give me specifics. And theoretically, if I were to buy Cuphead and the DLC, would I be able to play as her in the base game?

She can be used in the base game. Is the difficulty of the game putting you off because I said this back in 2020.

Quote

I do think the difficulty of the game has been exaggerated somewhat, especially once you unlock the various weapons. Each of the bosses seem to be able to be brought down quite quickly once you figure out which weapon is more suited to your play style. If you are struggling then the shot that locks on to enemies can make things pretty simple. Sure, you won't unlock trophies using such methods, mainly because it's a weaker gun and you'll probably go over the time limit, but if you are just wanting to see the credits then the game is very doable.

The different loadouts really make a difference and help you pick an approach that works best for you.

[Glen-i]

11 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

She can be used in the base game. Is the difficulty of the game putting you off because I said this back in 2020.

Pretty much, yeah. When a game gets an immediate reputation as being very difficult, it puts me off.

I don't have enough money to waste on a game that ends up being too hard for me to enjoy. One of the first things I do when considering a game is check for difficulty options. Cuphead has an Easy mode, but once I found out that playing on it locks you out of the ending, I noped out of buying it.

[Dufniall]

4 hours ago, Glen-i said:

OK, now I'm intrigued.

How different are we talking with Ms. Chalice? Give me specifics. And theoretically, if I were to buy Cuphead and the DLC, would I be able to play as her in the base game?

You can play with her if you equip a cookie to an equipment slot, which are usually used for stuff like extra damage, extra hearts etc. So you lose a slot there, but she has one extra heart compared to Cuphead/Mugman. Further, she has a double jump which is extremely useful, and a dodge roll. So basically a bigger moveset for mobility and dodging.

And I agree with HoT, the game is difficult but not insanely difficult. I've seen your reaction skills in Mario Kart and Smash Bros. so I'm guessing you're fine. Have you finished the final level of Mario 3D World? Because I haven't but I have finished Cuphead. It's all about learning patterns and choosing the right loadout.

[Glen-i]

25 minutes ago, Dufniall said:

And I agree with HoT, the game is difficult but not insanely difficult. I've seen your reaction skills in Mario Kart and Smash Bros. so I'm guessing you're fine. Have you finished the final level of Mario 3D World? Because I haven't but I have finished Cuphead. It's all about learning patterns and choosing the right loadout.

I have actually. I did it with all the characters to boot.

OK, you two have sold me on it. Gonna wish list it and next time it goes on sale, I'll bite.

[drahkon]

Gotta say, as with Yakuza 3 I'm a little disappointed. 
Story was good, characters were interesting, gameplay was solid. I just didn't enjoy having to play as four different main characters  And certain bosses that still block way too much were annoying as ever.

Sadly, Yakuza 5 seems to double down on having to play as several main characters...so I guess I'm waiting a while before starting it.

[nekunando]

14 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I still need to pick up the DLC for Cuphead. The base game is absolutely amazing and was one of my favourite platinum trophies of 2020. Would you say the difficulty of the DLC is the same as the base game, @nekunando?

I would say it's similar.. perhaps maybe even a little easier..? Like the main game, I played through it all on Normal but I've never braved the Expert difficulty.

Honestly..? I might some day. The game is too amazing not to use it as an excuse to return to it some day.

You'd be crazy to skip the game just because people say it is difficult, @Glen-i. It is certainly challenging but in a satisfying way. You'll cry sometimes when you see the progress bar after a defeat and know you were within a bullet or 2 from success but you'll hit retry and be straight back in amongst it all again. It's wonderful 🙂

[Cube]

Sonic Frontiers

 

While the focus on Sonic Frontiers is on the open world - or open zone as Sega call it - I think it’s worth taking a look at the more traditional levels first. The disappointing thing about these are the themes, they take a few level themes from older games (including the much repeated Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone) as a basis for the levels, I would have much preferred if they just used the theme of the current island instead. At the very least, each individual level has its own unique (and really solid) music. 

That said, the levels are still fun to play. They are a bit simple with only a few branching paths and don’t reach the height of Sonic Generations or Colours, but they’re still a ton of fun to play. Some levels focus on specific gimmicks while others are a bit more traditional. With these levels alone, Sonic Frontiers would be a pretty good game.

But, the main bulk of the game is the open zone islands, something that sounded like it could easily go very wrong, especially if they don’t get Sonic’s movement’s right. Luckily, they did a great job. Sonic went where I wanted him to go, and turning was incredibly easy. Running around enemies is extremely easy, which ties into Sonic’s new power where he can draw a shape to hurt enemies or activate objects inside. I do wish that Sonic’s starting speed was much faster. Towards the end of the game (with my speed levelled up to around 25 out of 99), it felt amazing, but this really needed to be the starting point. 

Each island consists of collectables, challenges, levels, story missions and fishing.

The collectibles are “memory tokens”, used to progress the story and unlock little side cutscenes. Most of these are found by completing mini levels on floating platforms (although some are nicely integrated into the world itself). There are a lot more than you need to unlock everything, so they’re more of something to find on the way between everything else and not something you have to painfully track down one by one. The floating platforms that these are made from do have major pop-in issues - although it does seem to be managed in a smart way where parts you need to work out a route to an object are visible. I feel like they could have added a “cyber” animation to these objects to make them seem like they’re being generated by cyberspace instead of just popping in,

Challenges help unlock the map, some are little puzzles, some are timing challenges, some are time trials (which are like mini levels integrated into the world) and some make use of specific powers. They’re fun to discover and do. One kind I did find odd is one where you have to parry objects, as to parry you just need to hold down the button, there’s no timing, but these challenges were definitely designed with timing in mind, so I think they changed the parry system fairly late on in development.

Story missions are…quite bad. They’re a bunch of mini games that involve herding, pinball and a hacking minigame which is a very simple Ikaruga-inspired 2D space shooter. These could have been missing and nobody would care. Fishing is an optional extra and is nice and relaxing, although it seems like way too much effort has gone into the rather detailed fish models - and there are a lot of different fish.

Combat is a lot of fun. With the cyloop opening up enemies for attack and a lot of special moves to perform. There’s also an option to perform these automatically (at the cost of slightly reduced damage) if you prefer to button mash instead. Each enemy also has specific ways to deal with them and their design is a clue as to how to defeat them. In the open zone there are also “guardians” to fight - large bosses which feel like full on bosses from other Sonic games. These are an absolute delight and it’s very surprising that they work well in the open world as they feel like full on set pieces. The final boss of each island is also spectacular - although the final boss is downright awful, nothing more than a quick time event.

There are some parts of the open world that feel like a mini level, parts like long underground tunnels or other small sections. These parts are brilliant, and I really hope the next game focuses more on this - having levels built into the open world itself is a great way to go about expanding on the formula. I really hope Sega builds upon Sonic Frontiers instead of their usual method of ditching something and trying something new.

Overall, I absolutely loved Sonic Frontiers, and while the standard levels aren’t quite Sonic Generations, I do rate this as Sonic’s best 3D game. 
 

[drahkon]

Considering the small dev team, it's a decent open world game. Pretty much everything about it is average, but I had my fun with it  

Hope they make another game which builds on the solid foundation created with Biomutant.