Your 2024 Gaming Diary

[Hero-of-Time]

I finally got around to playing the first Shantae game. I'm now all caught up with the series and ready for the next entry.

It was interesting going back and seeing where the series began. What Wayforward were able to pull off with the GBC was pretty impressive. Some of the animations and sprite were stupidly well done. I loved the little animation of when Shantae is seen walking through a door when in any one of the villages.

One thing that was a little rough was the combat. The upgrades you get didn't really do anything and I went through all the game just pretty much using the standard hair whip attack. In the newer versions of the game the combat is improved, what with you being able to buy items to do more damage or increase the length of your attack. Seeing as this was the first in the series, I'll let them off.

Bit of a bummer that there was no platinum trophy for this one. I think this is the second Shantae game to not have one. It's very weird that some have them and others don't. Yes, I'm gonna hold the lack of platinum against the game.  It was still fun going for 100% of the trophies though. The one where you can't use the warps until you have found every squid was pretty annoying but at least there were no speed running trophies in this one.

[Glen-i]

Shantae is very much in the same group as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. Every game after the first one is definitely better, but I'd still say they're worth playing as a curiosity.

I would never dream of recommending it as the first one someone plays though.

[Jonnas]

A Jonnas NSO Update

As of late, I've been pushing through a game I've really been enjoying. But I am also often tired, and sometimes all I have patience for is

The games I already figured I wouldn't like

ToeJam & Earl is a game I did play occasionally as a kid (at my cousins') and I never understood it. Makes sense, I didn't know English back then. I have since heard about how the whole point of the game is co-op, and how the maps and items are randomly generated (making this the first roguelike to ever grace a console, I believe?). With that in mind, I decided to have a go at it, as an adult... and I don't like it.

Credit where it is due, this kind of off-beat charm was rare back then, and I appreciate how unique the gameplay was for the time. I just don't enjoy actually playing it, it's slow, it's hard to strategise (the items effects are unknown until you open them)... The humour doesn't do much for me either. As a kid, I didn't get it, as an adult, I get that I don't like it.

Mighty Bomb Jack is an NES platformer that I definitely didn't like when I first tried it on the NSO, a few years ago. I wanted to have a different go, see if anything changed... I understand the physics better now, I get that you need to double-tab the jump button to make hops. Other than that, the game is just overcomplicated. Too many mechanics for a game without a tutorial, and it straight up punishes you if you do too well? It also swarms you with enemies, which would be fine if the levels were straight-to-the-finish affairs, but from Level 3 onwards, you need to search for hidden destructible blocks, and I can't do that with the relentless enemies, man. I very much disliked this one.

Stunt Race FX is a SNES marvel, made to showcase the FX chip. The art direction is lovely, these cartoony cars feel more expressive than Pixar's Cars. I also like how the wheels on the monster truck react to walls, surprisingly immersive physics. The real downer is the same as in Starfox: the game itself gives me headaches. I don't usually care for framerates, but the one in this game is so low, it's painful. Furthermore, the draw distance is pitifully low, you can't see entire chunks of track until you get close enough. Interesting experiment that I respect, but I physically can't stand it.

Super Mario Kart is famous. But I famously don't care much for the series. Still, this game deserves a chance, and... sure, the physics are weird to get a grip on, and if it was just that, I'd do the main circuits and call it a day (like with Super Circuit). The issue is that this game is extra annoying, giving you only half a screen to work with, even in singleplayer. I hate it. Only finished Mario Circuit in 50cc and called it a day.

Mario Golf (GBC) is a 2D Golf game, another type of game I don't like. I decided to try this one out in any case, and... over the course of an exhibition match, I started to understand the physics, little by little. Still hate the concept, I was dying of boredom by the 9th hole. Didn't even attempt the RPG mode.

Mario Tennis (GBC) is a 2D Tennis game. I figured the limitations would also make me dislike it, but... I actually liked playing exhibition matches? I didn't fully understand how to shoot or aim, but I was feeling it. Finally, a game where my initial impression was wrong

I decided to step into the RPG mode... and I noped out before an hour went by. There is something I fundamentally dislike about an action game where the physics depend on stats (I want to learn how to shoot properly, not put points into Power and Aim until my racket does it on its own), and it was obvious from moment one: half of the challenges in the training section were literally unwinnable until I leveled up enough. Mix that into an awful lack of tutorial (so many words to describe Tennis terms like I'm familiar already, and not a single peep about what the A and B button actually do) and Camelot's worst tendencies in script-writing (the characters go on and on about inane stuff that doesn't matter), and I'm just left wishing the entire game was just Mario characters with different stats having a grand old time with matches and mini-games.

2 stars, because I still like that exhibition mode.

---------------

Well, that was some negativity. But next time, I'll post about a game I figured I'd like a lot, and I did.

[RedShell]

Just a quick update to my list, before I forget what I've played. Probably have forgotten about a few already.

• Bramble: The Mountain King
• Stray
• Palworld
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (replay)
• No More Heroes III
• Dead Rising

Stuff completed since my last post:

• Metal Slug (replay)
• Prodeus
• Resident Evil 2 Remake (replay) (did a playthrough on Hardcore difficulty)
• Paper Mario
• Castlevania Bloodlines
• Metroid: Zero Mission
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom

Actually, as it's the most recent game I completed and probably something that most people here will be unfamiliar with, I will write a little bit about Tamagotchi Adventure:

Was recently resubbed to Apple Arcade and this was the first game I decided to play, knew nothing about it beforehand, didn't even watch the trailer, so was really surprised when I started playing and discovered what type of game it was...

Basically, if someone had told me that Palworld wouldn't be the most plagiarised game I'd play this year I'd have thought they were absolutely crazy, but well, here we are.

Yep, Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom is essentially Animal Crossing: New Horizons!

It's unbelievable just how blatant it is. I would go ahead and list all of the "copyright infringements" but it'll be much quicker to just mention the stuff that they didn't utilise, which seems to be limited to bug catching and changing seasons (and I won't be at all surprised if those get added soon).
More or less every other aspect of ACNH has been nicked and included in some way in Tamagotchi Adventure.

Needless to say, with it having so much in common with AC, I had a blast with the game. It's also this kind of unusual mix between a full-fledged home console title and a more casual mobile experience, there's an energy system in place that limits how much you can do at a time (although it becomes a non-issue with progress) and it features the daily log-in rewards malarkey as well, but then there's also a large map to uncover and explore, loads of characters, quests, items to collect or craft and a story to get through.

I ended up at almost 40 hours of playtime to complete the story and obtain the maximum size house available. But there was still a lot of stuff left to be done, and I get the feeling they will be adding more content over time. Oh yeah, there was a Pac-Man event going on while I was playing too, which was cool. You'd play rounds of the classic game (recreated with the Tamagotchi characters ) to gradually unlock Pac-Man themed furniture and clothing items.

Anyway, don't know if this game will remain exclusive to Apple Arcade or not, a lot of stuff on there seems to leave and end up on other platforms eventually. But yeah, if that's the case, and anyone is ever in the mood for a relaxing Animal Crossing clone with insanely cute presentation and some quite entertaining offbeat dialogue, then keep an eye out for it.

 

Other games that I've played for a while/are on the backlog/currently playing, which may or may not get completed:

 

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (I actually started this game in 2014 made some decent progress but then forgot about it. Started on a new save earlier this year, made some decent progress but then played everything else on this list instead. Pretty sure I'll never finish it ).
• Forager
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
• Vampyr
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• The New Denpa Men

We'll see if I can get through any of those before my attention no doubt shifts over to Bakeru next month.

 

Edited August 13 by RedShell

[Jonnas]

On 4/2/2024 at 1:55 AM, Jonnas said:

April is upon us, and I know exactly what to play next.

Freedom Planet 2

It's true, I bought the game as soon as it came out on the Switch. But it didn't take me 4 months to finish it, I've just been playing it really sporadically. I've kind of fallen into this bad habit where, if I don't have a full hour in a day to dedicate to a game I like, I just... don't. I end up playing something more simple and/or banal instead (which should explain the NSO list up there... and a couple of the ones before). For the past month, though, I decided to buckle up and actually find time for the game that I know I enjoy.

SO! The first Freedom Planet, by GalaxyTrail, was a notorious Classic Sonic-like from 2014 that started out as a Sonic fangame before it evolved into its own thing. It featured talking animals, three distinct playable characters, fast-paced gameplay, and a saturday morning cartoon story (...with occasional moments of gruesome tonal dissonance). It started out on Kickstarter, and it infamously failed to deliver on two of its stretch goals: adding two extra playable characters (Torque and Spade). They were meant to be free DLC, but the developers claimed they couldn't make them work (whether they meant technical issues with their unique mechanics, or because their moveset didn't gel with pre-existing levels, is unclear).

While that was happening, GalaxyTrail had already announced a sequel. They had a teaser trailer and everything, and they were clearly aiming for the stars. Progress seemed to be going smoothly, the game had a working demo as soon as 2017, aaaand several years went by, and the game only came out in 2022, PC only. Console versions would then take two extra years, only coming out this past April. I have no idea what caused such massive delays (I have to assume they prioritized quality over... everything else), but one thing's for certain: the game came out spectacular.

Starting off with the art style, it very much feels like an improvement over the first game, in every area. They went from the chibi animals from the first game to... taller, more anatomically cohesive animals. Furthermore, many characters were redesigned for the better (Lilac no longer wears all-blue on her purple skin, going with a much better-looking white robe with blue highlights; Neera looks more like a panda; Milla saw a bunch of improvements to her outfit and mannerisms, etc.), and the new characters all look pretty dang cool. The spritework looks a lot more polished overall (no more jagged edges, no more sprites without visible outlines, every sprite in the game actually feels like they follow the same art style, etc.), and the animations have a lot more charm and character to them. Better use of colour overall, too, not just with the characters.

I believe most of these improvements are thanks to Tyson-tan, the main Character Designer for this game, who apparently worked for free because he loved the first game so much. What a mad lad.

Music may not feel like such a strict improvement, as the style feels very different from one game to the other. The main composer, Leilani Wilson, evolved a lot since 2014, and where she before worked on memorable compositions with "gamey" sounds, she's now much more geared towards ambient tunes with more subtle progression. Just compare Dragon Valley (FP1) with Dragon Valley (FP2) to see what I mean.

For the record, I actually like the new soundtrack a lot more. It does a lot of heavy-lifting for worldbuilding, there's a lot of tasteful callbacks to the first game, and it's still super catchy. I just noticed that plenty of folk dislike the new direction, which is unfortunate, because I really dig this soundtrack, including the themes for the world maps and town hubs.

But enough about presentation! The meat of the game is how it plays... it is phenomenal. Which shouldn't be a surprise, the first game was already immensely fun to play, and this game's engine was developed by Christian Whitehead, this was always going to be great.

After so long without visiting the franchise, things did feel weird at first, a bit off. My muscle memory took a while to reawaken. Once I got into the ebb and flow of the game, it was pure fun. I imagine this is how new players will feel as well, learning the ins and outs of their character as the game goes on.

• Lilac's the resident speedster. Sonic's an inspiration for sure, but between a Sparkster-style boost, a fluttering double-jump, and a snazzy divekick, she's got plenty of options on moving fast and far. She's very similar to her FP1 self, her only new move being the ability to cancel her boost midway into a "burst" of energy;
• Carol saw some improvements. Compared to Lilac, she doesn't move as far, but her movement is more accurate, more refined (wall-jumps, multi-directional double jumps), and she's got a knack for dishing damage quickly, like a green Wolverine. Plus, she can still move fast with her motorcycle, which she can bring up fairly reliably. She now has a boomerang projectile, and can even roll like Sonic now, that's fun;
• Milla got significantly revamped. Not a naturally speedy character, she still double-jumps like Yoshi... but she now turns green blocks into ki, using it to fire bullets, strong energy blasts, or reflect enemy projectiles. She sort of feels like a Gunstar Hero that was tweaked to fit into Sonic levels. You can even use her blasts to propel yourself into any direction (either to gain speed, or downwards as a triple jump), but this is a tricky skill to master;
• Neera is our newcomer, and she's easily the slowest character, geared almost entirely for combat. She can fire powerful ice blasts in any direction, and even spread icicles on the ground. For mobility, she's only got a simple double jump and air-dash... or she can freeze enemies to jump off of them. She can also jump off her own ice spikes, but this is not a quick option.

There's one new move that's shared between them: the dodge button. Think of it like an air dodge from Smash (except you can also do it on the ground), it's a nifty move to protect yourself from the occasional laser, or escape from a cluster of enemies. The specifics change slightly from character to character (Lilac can convert it into a dash, Milla also uses it to restore ammo, etc.), but as a universal move, it's very welcome for this kind of game.

At any rate, these 4 feel incredibly distinct, each with a very unique moveset. It's mad that every level in the game works well for each of them.

The levels are fantastic, by the way. In the first game, they felt long because they had 2 acts each, but FP2 does away with that, and each level goes by much quicker. Each of them has a distinct feel (in aesthetics, design, and even story) without relying too much in level-exclusive gimmicks (though those exist as well, of course). There are 25+ levels, and it's legitimately hard to pick a top 5.

One cool feature from this game is that, for certain segments, the camera will seamlessly zoom out from your character, showing a wider view of the level. Tighter spaces remain "zoomed in", whereas open spaces with larger enemies can be "zoomed out". It's really cool, as it gives off a semi-cinematic feel to plenty of set pieces.

(There's an option to keep gameplay "zoomed out" or "zoomed in" at all times, and... I'm not sure how to feel about that. It's handy, and it kinda works as "modular difficulty", but it also feels like something that should be only in the developer's hands. Maybe it's a topic for another day.)

There are plenty of large, bombastic bosses as well. Such a big variety of complex, elaborate designs, that a handful of sidequests are focused on them. In fact, it can be sometimes easy to forget bosses in games, since so many are one-and-done affairs. I commend the developers for actually using their bosses for more than just their story fight.

It's not all about level quality, the structure is also worth talking about. Unlike the first game, this game operates on a hub world (think Super Mario World, or Shovel Knight), which means you can replay any level you want, for whatever reason (better rank, searching for hidden items, speedrun practise, sheer fun, etc.).

It also allows for Town areas! These are great, they're silly little explorable segments where you can talk to silly NPCs, visit shops for items and collectibles, play minigames, do some sidequests (including extra "challenge" levels), and sometimes advance the plot. At first, I thought these would be massive timewasters, but they really don't need to be (even the shops can be accessed without having to enter the town, if you wish), and they're lighthearted fun if you do decide to engage.

And what are the items that can you get from these shops? This is the new modular difficulty system in FP2: the equipment. Before entering any level, you can equip any two items, and a potion of your choice (despite being called "potions", they're not expendable, feel free to use them as often as you'd like). Some items make life easier for you (increasing max health, starting a level with a shield, etc.) but decrease your rank and reward for completing a level, whereas other items increase difficulty (take double damage, start a level with 0 lives, etc.), but they increase your rank and reward for that level. Indeed, the difficulty level you pick at the start of the game only defines your starting equipment, you can alter it at any time.

(By the way, level rankings in this game do NOT take speed into account. This isn't immediately obvious, but rankings only depend on A. Which items you have equipped; and B. How many lives you lost. In other words, clearing levels for Rank and for Speed are entirely different things)

It's a really cool system, truth be told. This isn't just about difficulty, you can use these to customise your gameplay to some extent (like altering speed and jump height), and even come up with specific fun builds (shield-focused builds really change how you approach a level). By the end of the game, I was clamouring for even more variety than what we got.

There's also a "ressuscitation" mechanic here. If you run out of health, you can spend some currency (and a life, I think) to revive on the spot, instead of going back to the last checkpoint. I can see the developers took @Glen-i's criticisms from the first game seriously, finding several ways to make the sequel more forgiving to play. I've noticed that there are way fewer instant-death traps in this game as well (making it shocking during the few times they do happen).

The story is a Saturday morning cartoon. These can be very fun, especially in a colourful game and world such as this, and unlike the first game, there's no sudden tone shifts just to include a beheading or a torture scene (if you haven't played the first Freedom Planet, those are genuine things that happen there. There was also a scene where the girls have a sleepover and joke about boys having cooties, that's how hard the shift was).

Regardless, the game does try to be somewhat mature about things, including themes like discrimination, political propaganda, and even genocide... I wouldn't say it goes too deep into any of them, only enough for the game to never lose its lighthearted feel. There's no "edgy" moments here.

There are more story moments sprinkled into the levels themselves. Large robots tearing down chunks of the stage (such as buildings) as you run through the level, NPCs showing up to help clear obstacles, and even a level where two armies fight each other. This is some good shit.

One thing that kind of hurts the narrative is that each character goes through every stage in the game. This is impressive, gameplay-wise, but story-wise, the characters aren't allowed to have levels, bosses, or story beats just for themselves (in the first game, Pangu Lagoon, Trap Hideout, and Aqua Tunnel worked really well narratively to establish each character's identity, without a single line of dialogue).

But on the other hand, something that helps the narrative is the worldbuilding that the hub and towns provide. NPCs will often comment on events that happen through the story, you can now literally see where the different countries are, and cutscenes don't need to run long, because they can be broken up by towns and world traversal.

And overall, yeah, I liked the story. It's fun, the various characters are likeable, and my main gripes lie more with certain plot points that weren't fully explored, rather than anything particularly egregious with the narrative.

Not everything is rosey, though... only one reptile in the entire game. I counted and double-checked myself. Sorry, @Glen-i, feel free to leave a scathing review on Steam.

As you've seen from my screenshots, my first playthrough was with Lilac, and I spent a good chunk of time collecting items, replaying levels, and learning the ins and outs of the game ("Stage Time" is the combined record across all 25+ stages, whereas "File Time" is the actual time I spent playing). This is absolutely the sort of game that's just fun to explore and replay.

I purposefully avoided collecting every Time Capsule, in order to see "Normal Ending" first. Then, during the postgame, I collected the remaining 4, unlocked the "True Final Level", and got the True Ending. In retrospect, the "Normal Ending" feels more like an "Incomplete Ending", so I should've gone for the True Ending right away.

I'll eventually play the other girls' campaigns, I just need a rest between playthroughs.

So yeah, if my constant praise didn't make it clear, I adored this game. Easy 5 stars, this is the sort of 2D platformer that makes other greats in the genre feel like they're only 4 stars, it's that good.

Edited August 17 by Jonnas

[Glen-i]

9 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

There's also a "ressuscitation" mechanic here. If you run out of health, you can spend some currency (and a life, I think) to revive on the spot, instead of going back to the last checkpoint. I can see the developers took @Glen-i's criticisms from the first game seriously, finding several ways to make the sequel more forgiving to play.

Oh, now this is music to my ears, because it's the big gripe I have with the first game, that's kind of dissuaded me from going with the sequel. Because Freedom Planet is a lot of fun, but the difficulty started to get really frustrating, especially with how long some bosses were.
But the idea of purchasable items to help modulate difficulty, as well as that neat "Spend currency to revive on the spot", as well as everything else you alluded to, is making me want to try it.

28 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

Not everything is rosey, though... only one reptile in the entire game. I counted and double-checked myself. Sorry, @Glen-i, feel free to leave a scathing review on Steam.

Nope, I take it back, worst game ever.

[drahkon]

You don't actually have to complete the game for the Platinum, but I did it anyway.
Not worth it, though. It's a below average twin-stick shooter with roguelike elements.

It did, however, get my trusty PSVita some gaming time again.

[Glen-i]

4 minutes ago, drahkon said:

It did, however, get my trusty PSVita some gaming time again.

What the hell is that!?

[drahkon]

1 minute ago, Glen-i said:

What the hell is that!?

[Glen-i]

5 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Soooo, a concept?

I don't think you can put your life affirmations in the Gaming Diary thread.

[Hero-of-Time]

25 minutes ago, drahkon said:

You don't actually have to complete the game for the Platinum, but I did it anyway.
Not worth it, though. It's a below average twin-stick shooter with roguelike elements.

It did, however, get my trusty PSVita some gaming time again.

I respect the Vita getting some love in 2024. Vita means life!

[Glen-i]

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is an action RPG that released on all modern platforms in 2022. It's a remaster (Not entirely sure of that, the description claims it is, but, well, more on that later) of the PSP game, "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII"

BTW, I played the Steam version, because yes, it's playable in stereoscopic 3D. So no screenshots from my playthrough.

The game takes place before the events of Final Fantasy VII, and follows Zack Fair, a member of SOLDIER. SOLDIER are an elite army force of the totally above board company, Shinra. He's sent on all sorts of missions to help the city of Midgar, but things start to look a bit dodgy when elite SOLDIER members, Angeal, and Genesis, start acting strange.

Right, I wanna go into more details about the plot, but I'm afraid that means spoiling not only Crisis Core, but also Final Fantasy VII itself. So there's your warning.

Spoiler

It's an interesting premise, doing a prequel about a relatively minor NPC from Final Fantasy VII. In the original PlayStation title, Zack does play an important role, but it's purely through an optional flashback that serves to explain Cloud's problem with his identity. Seriously, Zack only shows up in 3 to 4 scenes.

So, Crisis Core, naturally, has to make up a lot of things to expand upon Zack as a character, and as far as he goes, he's fine. But I can't say the same for the rest of the new plot points.

Ah crap, he's gonna quote that bloody book again.

That's Genesis, he's the main antagonist of the game.
I hate him.
I know that makes him sound like a good villain, but he's anything but. No, I hate him because he's a completely dumb character who retroactively makes the plot of the original game weaker by merely existing.

I'd tell you his motivations, but they're stupid, and you deserve better. All he effectively does is show up, read rubbish poetry, and actively retcon FF7 in a sad attempt to make Sephiroth more of a tragic villain.

Yes, according to Crisis Core, Sephiroth didn't burn down Nibelheim because he took the JENOVA revelation incredibly badly. It was all Genesis' fault for egging him on.

A pity too, because apart from that, the Nibelheim event was quite great to play through. There was no need to try and retcon Genesis into it, and it just ruins the original plot doing so.

On the other hand, the finale this game has is done incredibly well.
It's one of those foregone conclusions kind of thing. Zack dies at the end, and to anyone who played FF7, that's not a twist. In the original game, he's gunned down by three Shinra soldiers because of his involvement in the Nibelheim event.

Now, this would be an incredibly lame ending in Crisis Core, because you play as Zack, and you mow down Shinra soldiers like they're nothing throughout the game. So how does this game handle it?

Well, it pits you against thousands of those soldiers with a few helicopters thrown in the mix. No matter how well you do, the game eventually skips ahead until it's just Zack and three grunts left (Nice touch, there). Unfortunately, Zack is near death, and exhausted, so can only pathetically swing his sword clumsily. It's all done through gameplay, and is particularly mean, as right when you eventually get beaten, the game dangles the possibility that you'll get a full heal through a central mechanic, only for the in-game HUD to blink off before it happens.

It's a powerful moment, props have to be given there. Even if it is slightly spoiled by the game busting out a cheesy pop song during the ending... Kinda ruins the tone.

That's kinda my beef with the plot of Crisis Core, it undermines it's serious moments with sudden tonal shifts, or just awkward dialogue, or the character mentioned above. He sucks so much!

There's nothing wrong with being silly. Final Fantasy is no stranger to that, and Crisis Core has loads of incredibly funny moments. But it doesn't know when to dial it back at times.

This is the best summon in the game!

So anyway, the gameplay involves guiding Zack through the various missions Shinra send him on. Battles are all in real time, but what's interesting, and what makes me think that this is more of a remake, is that the way you fight takes cues from Final Fantasy VII Remake. The viewpoint, Zack's basic attacks, even a completely new stance change mechanic that's similar to one that Cloud has in FF7 Remake. Obviously, it's not as radical a change as FF7 Remake itself, but it's a bunch of small tweaks that make Crisis Core feel more modern and fluid.

Something that hasn't changed much is the DMW system. As you battle, a slot machine rolls in the corner of the screen. This slot machine has pictures of characters Zack meets as well as numbers. Lining up three characters/numbers grants Zack buffs and Limit Breaks. Weirdly enough though, this is also how Zack levels up. The slots get more rigged after you reach a hidden EXP point threshold, but it's still bizarre that character growth has a random element to it.

The Buster Sword is so rubbish, an umbrella is just as effective!
No, really. I'm not joking this time. It actually is!

Much like Final Fantasy VII, Zack can equip materia, magical orbs that grant him abilities or passive buffs. Allowing for a degree of customisation, which is always nice. Do wish you could equip more then 6 though.

It's worth remembering that the original Crisis Core was released on a portable console. It's the kind of game that's expected to be played in short bursts on a bus journey, or such. It readily becomes apparent that the game reuses the same few areas multiple times to make up the mission structure. Unfortunately, pretty much every mission is functionally the same, so it gets very repetitive, very quickly.

The sound is fine. Music doesn't really stand up to the standard of Final Fantasy. And does every single fight have to begin with the same "Activating Combat Mode" voice clip? Apparently, that robotic voice had even more clips in the original PSP version, which I can't begin to imagine.

So in the end, Crisis Core is fine, kinda wish I could forget the retcons to FF7 it does, but at least it's not as offensive as Chrono Cross was. So that's something.

Spoiler

Sea of Stars
Chained Echoes
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
Princess Peach Will Star As The Main Character In A Brand New Game
Star Ocean: The Second Story R
Hi-Fi Rush
Sonic Superstars
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line: Premium Digital Deluxe Edition (100%)
1000xRESIST
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch) (100%)
Miitopia (100 flipping per ceeeeent!)
Metroid Zero Mission (100%, Under 2 hours, Normal) 
Chico and the Magic Orchards DX
Super Metroid Redux
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
Densetsu No Stafy
Densetsu No Stafy 2
Densetsu No Stafy 3
Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

 

Edited August 19 by Glen-i

[drahkon]

16 hours ago, drahkon said:

You don't actually have to complete the game for the Platinum, but I did it anyway.

Eh. Pretty boring platformer.

16 hours ago, drahkon said:

It did, however, get my trusty PSVita some gaming time again.

[Hero-of-Time]

4 hours ago, drahkon said:

Eh. Pretty boring platformer.

I quite enjoyed it. I played it a few years ago when I went on a platinum/Ratalaika binge.  

[Dcubed]

@Glen-i Square-Enix seem to have a tendency of retroactively ruining pre-existing stories whenever they decide to put out late spinoffs that act as direct story sequel/prequel games to old titles… Chrono Cross, Crisis Core, FF4: The After Years etc.

Is Neo TWERY the only good direct story sequel/prequel that the Square side of S-E have ever put out? I can’t think of any other significant example, unless we count KH? (Though I don’t know if we can count the story as “good” with how much of a complete mess it is, for better or worse!)

[Hero-of-Time]

Kingdom Hearts had great sequels and a fantastic prequel. Birth by Sleep is regarded by many as the best in the series.

I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy XIII-2 as well. Interesting story (love me some time travel shenanigans) and amazing battle system.

IMO, Neo TWEWY is garbage in comparison to the examples I have given. 

[drahkon]

 

On 8/18/2024 at 4:14 PM, drahkon said:

You don't actually have to complete the game for the Platinum, but I did it anyway.

Space Invaders clone with a few surprises. It was ok.

On 8/18/2024 at 4:14 PM, drahkon said:

It did, however, get my trusty PSVita some gaming time again.

Edited August 19 by drahkon

[Hero-of-Time]

You're clearly copying my 2019 platinum run...

...which means Warlock's Tower is next.

[drahkon]

1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

You're clearly copying my 2019 platinum run...

...which means Warlock's Tower is next.

I think I'm done with those games.

Gonna go with Resogun next, maybe. Or leave it for the NFL season.

[Hero-of-Time]

8 minutes ago, drahkon said:

I think I'm done with those games.

Gonna go with Resogun next, maybe. Or leave it for the NFL season.

Resogun is a fun and challenging platinum, as are most of Housemarque's games.

[drahkon]

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

Resogun is a fun and challenging platinum, as are most of Housemarque's games.

I know. Got the Platinum for the PS4 version ages ago

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, drahkon said:

I know. Got the Platinum for the PS4 version ages ago

Good man. Now go do Matter Fall, Dead Nation and Nex Machina. Man, I love Nex Machina. I still think that's their best game they've put out.

 

[drahkon]

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

Good man. Now go do Matter Fall, Dead Nation and Nex Machina. Man, I love Nex Machina. I still think that's their best game they've put out.

 

Nah.

Played them all, didn't want to get the Platinum for either

[Hero-of-Time]

4 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Nah.

Played them all, didn't want to get the Platinum for either

Dead Nation and Matter Fall I can understand but Nex Machina? I'm surprised by that one. It seems like a game that was right up your street. Fast gameplay, amazing soundtrack and challenging trophy list. 

[drahkon]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Nex Machina? I'm surprised by that one. It seems like a game that was right up your street. Fast gameplay, amazing soundtrack and challenging trophy list. 

Yeah, I loved it but I remember not wanting to go after the Platinum