Games Beaten 2017

Post by **Juan Aguacate** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:30 pm

Xeogred wrote:@Juan: Nice! All 4 One is the side game I might consider. I'm not sure about the others. It would be neat if they all got some PS3 or PS4 collective release, maybe they did? But yeah since that one is still more geared towards co-op, I've kind of held off on it. It didn't feel like I missed anything vital by only playing the main games. I did however play Quest for Booty... I guess that was kind of stand alone and on the side.

Yeah the reason I love Going Commando so much is because it balanced the adventure platforming and action elements perfectly. It still felt like an old school platformer with bigger levels and some exploring. From Up Your Arsenal and on the games got more linear and focused on the action, which is fine since that's still awesome. But Going Commando was a blissful combination and they got everything right on that one. The quality jump between the first and this one was massive. I also got a big kick out of the villain being this polite old guy that Ratchet and Clank trusted when he was constantly trying to kill them haha. Second best villain after Neferious.

Getting the platinums for these is pretty easy. Just a little time consuming with some grinding elements here and there, but yeah. I didn't bother with the first games platinum though. I went the entire game without finding the health upgrades, which seemed really tucked away or something... so having to beat that with 4 health points made Dark Souls look like a joke. I guess it's on me for that making the experience a little sour, but the game also had some issues like no side strafing, the grapple hook was really wonky and killed you a lot, etc. Maybe I'll consider revisiting it again sometime for the challenge run and mopping up the trophies. Ratchet's surfer accent was awful too haha. I still try and recommend it to anyone interested in the series though, just have to brace for some archaic flawed and brutal game design. The charm and character is still there though.

The Groovitron trophy for the remake looks real tedious, lol.

Oh yeah... Tools had no trophies? I remember this one being a little frustrating and the new engine was kind of odd. I liked the remastered first three way more, how they looked and felt. The villain in Tools was pretty lame too, but overall still a great game. Just one of the weaker ones to me.

You're totally right that the remake lacking an arena is a noticeable disappointment. Those are always a huge highlight in the others.

Going Commando was great, a bit harder than a lot of the other ones too. I actually think that game's races are much better than the ones in the first game (and the remake too).

It boggles my mind that the remake has no combat arena. That's a signature part of the series for me.

I actually liked Tools a lot. I think it introduced some fun stuff that they added to the PS4 remake of the first game, like the Groovetron. But yeah, it had no trophy support. Weird now to remember when Playstation games didn't have those. The Groovetron trophy in the PS4 game isn't too bad by the way, just find a list of all the enemies online and make sure to use Groovetron on all of them as you play through challenge mode. In fact, using the Groovetron actually makes the game easier

The very first R&C is really, really rough. So I'm glad it got the remake treatment. Oddly enough though, someone on youtube has a video talking about how massively disappointed he was with it, and what a masterpiece he thought the original game was.

It's a good time to try All 4 One. I don't know how much longer the online community will last since it's already a six year old game. Another cool thing about All 4 One that I didn't mention in my review is that it feels like what a Ratchet and Clank arcade game would be like. God I miss arcades. The drop in, drop out 4 player co-op and the fact that there's no penalty for dying (unless the whole team dies) really gives it that arcade game feel. It's pretty easy for anyone to pick up and play too. I have this awesome vision in my head of this game in an arcade cabinet at a mall somewhere

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:41 pm

Come to think of it, I actually did play some of All 4 One a long time ago. This was before I was a fan though so it didn't resonate with me much. But yeah I remember we had four guys I think and the levels and puzzles were like Rayman Legends styled stuff haha.

I didn't think I'd consider replaying these games since it's a big franchise, but now I'm thinking I probably could run through them all again. Don't have to even think about the trophies and such since that's all covered in most of them haha. My old roommate was obsessed though and would replay them all back to back all the time, I think that'd be some burnout for sure. I'm glad he got me hooked though. He liked to joke that this series is to him what Mega Man is to me, heh.

It could be shocking to myself to see how much I might remember each game individually, since that's how it felt playing the remake. Even though it had the new coat of paint, I easily had a lot of deja vu moments with the levels.

I won't knock on Tools too much for sure though. It's like a strong ~8/10 or something. I think I remember it being one of the hardest ones though, like some of the boss battles were really tough. It's better than Into the Nexus for sure, even though I won't hate on that one either. But the new characters and darker tone was a bit odd... pretty short and forgettable too.

Although Up Your Arsenal kind of starts the more linear trend, I remember the story being awesome in this one and having a lot of Qwark. That's always a huge plus!

A replay of Going Commando > Crack in Time could be awesome though.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:49 pm

Ack wrote:
ElkinFencer10 wrote:
Ack wrote:That makes two people I know who adore Buck Bumble.

Who's the other? WHERE IS MY SOUL MATE?!?

My buddy Fat Brian, who feels Buck Bumble is one of the greatest of the N64's hidden gems.

Tell Fat Brian he's god damn right it is.

Post by **Sarge** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:30 pm

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:
50) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) (8.5) (7/1) (16h53m)
51) Pharaoh Rebirth+ (PC) (8.0) (7/3) (7 hours)
52) Jackal (NES) (9.0) (7/9) (45 minutes)
53) Golden Axe III (NES) (2.5) (7/9) (~45 minutes)
54) Rygar (NES) (7.0) (7/10) (~2 hours)
55) Faxanadu (NES) (8.0) (7/14) (~6 hours)
56) Tekken 3 (PSX) (6.0) (7/24) (~20 minutes)
57) Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) (8.5) (7/30) (38h16m)

Finished off Horizon: Zero Dawn. I borrowed my brother's copy, as I'd been interested in it for a while. It was a really good game, with some caveats.

First, the bow action is satisfying. I especially like that you can buy feats to launch triple-shot arrows. The stealth is pretty fun as well, especially early on when you're underpowered. I used stealth armor for pretty much the whole game, except right at the end when I got the super-duper armor. Which isn't as stealthy, so it's really good but still doesn't quite match my playstyle.

The graphics are "holy cow" good. Like, seriously, the PS4 is pushing out some amazing visuals. Some pop-in textures and stuff, but that's pretty much unavoidable. It was nice to go to a game from Breath of the Wild that didn't have really any draw-distance issues.

But here it comes... I don't think it was as good as BotW. It's a great game, but almost the entire game is contained within the bog-standard open-world framework we've seen from a lot of other games. It's polished to a mirror sheen here, but you have seen this before. If you detest open-world games, well, maybe try this one, because it's one of the best and maybe you've played some crummy ones, but chances are it won't change your mind if you've already played some other good ones.

My closest comparison is a little weird, but it reminded me a bit of a cross between Rise of the Tomb Raider and Dragon Age: Inquisition. The good parts of the latter, of course... and I enjoyed that game quite a bit minus all the stupid shard-hunting. Of course, H:ZD also has a looooot of optional content that tends to fall into a similar category, whether it be gathering various trinkets, collecting data logs, or finding viewpoints... as well as hacking Tallnecks to reveal map areas, Cauldrons to unlock more overrides, and so on. I probably could put double the time into the game, but I'm not. I was starting to burn out when I hit the 25-hour mark, and made the push to the end. This is probably advisable anyway, as much of the side quest stuff is easier to polish off after you've got some of the better equipment.

I think the most compelling thing is the story, which seems like it had a lot of thought put into it. It'll keep you going even if you sour on the side content. I'm not going to spoil anything, but it feels like there are a lot of places they could go from here, especially with the final ending scene. Looking forward to seeing what happens with a sequel, which I would assume we will get.

Anyway, short version: If you love open-world games, then you have to play this. Full stop.

Post by **MrPopo** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:58 pm

That was basically my thoughts on the game. I do feel like the story had some really nice unexpected twists in it, and the standard open world tchotchkes actually had value because they also engaged in some minor world building.

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:12 pm

Sarge, I was instinctively thinking of Horizon (haven't played it yet) when I just ran through Rise of the Tomb Raider, see a few posts back. Seems like others agree haha. You just coming in and beating it yourself now is further tempting me to order it... but that Crash trilogy remaster is tempting me too.

Good write up though and you emphasis what I'm going in and expecting with Horizon, all the open world checkboxes, but with more refinement and thankfully an actually new and interesting world/setting. It's a good thing I dropped Assassin's Creed 20 games ago and have sidestepped a lot of this genre, otherwise I probably wouldn't be very interested in Horizon. But I can take them in moderation and this one looks fresh enough to check out. Also pretty excited to see how it holds up to Ratchet & Clank (PS4) and Rise of the Tomb Raider graphically, since those two looked outstanding even compared to stuff off my PC.

I'm a bit more interested in Yakuza 0 and Nioh personally for some next purchases, but Horizon looks like the next bigger AAA game I think I'll get and will dig.

Post by **Juan Aguacate** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:22 pm

Pretty much how I felt about HZD. I have some other complaints though. I think the game kind of promises an experience where players get to choose how they want to deal with their enemies. I mean, the level system actually gives you three different skill trees. Stealth, explorer, and combat. Yet the further you get in to the game, the more and more it seems to force you into combat, making all those points in stealth feel wasted. By the end of the game, HZD might as well be called Gears of War, with Aloy battling it out against machines and humans using two handed machine guns, rocket launchers, and stationary turrets. All that stuff Ross tells you at the beginning of the game about how dangerous machines are and how they should be respected becomes a joke when Aloy is wearing Mass Effect inspired futuristic armor and taking down massive machines with massive, two handed rocket launchers like she's the goddam Master Chief.

Also, the game leans a bit too heavily on the feminism at times. With Aloy having a rather nasty attitude towards certain male characters for no reason. Not to mention that every single villain set up by the plot is a male figure, and every single hero in the game is female. It's a sign of the times though. Every thing is about feminism now. Female super saiyans in Dragonball Z. Doctor Who being a woman. The Ghostbusters being replaced by an all female cast. Supergirl easily beating up Superman on her show. It makes HZD come across as annoying trendy

And Aloy is Mary Sued like crazy for those of you who know what that means. By the end of the game I felt uninvested in her character, because I had no reason to ever root for her as the game builds her up as this unstoppable character who can do anything. There's hardly ever any sense of real danger or conflict for her by that point. You always know she is going to win in every situation, she even gets cocky about it at times. I actually found it irritating how much she gets praised throughout the game. At one point, her and a group of warriors are fighting to defend a village. After the battle is over, and who knows how many people lost their lives in the process, someone says, "We did it!". Only for someone else to chime in, "No Aloy did it! We just helped". Just to make sure the player is fully aware that every character in this universe not named Aloy is useless and not worthy of getting credit for anything that could be given to Aloy instead.

I hate Mary Sues.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:41 am

That's not necessarily feminism. Feminism is about equality of the sexes, not female superiority; you seem to be confusing misandry with feminism.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:01 am

Games Beaten in 2017 So Far - 72
* denotes a replay

January (10 Games Beaten)

February (12 Games Beaten)

March (6 Games Beaten)

April (9 Games Beaten)

May (14 Games Beaten)

June (10 Games Beaten)

July (11 Game Beaten)

72. Castlevania - NES - July 29

Castlevania is one of Konami's late 1980s NES masterpieces, and it's easy to see how it spawned such a prolific series, even netting itself a recent Netflix series. Even more than 30 years later, the game remains extremely playable and addicting. While the events of the game are different from Stoker's novel, the game's antagonist is clearly inspired by the book's villain. You know, having the exact same name and all.

Castlevania stars the protagonist Simon Belmont on his quest to rid the world of the evil vampire Count Dracula. Dracula had been slain by Simon's great-grandfather, Christopher Belmont, a century prior to the game's events, but every 100 years, faith in God weakens in Transylvania, and Dracula is resurrected by evil men who long for chaos and destruction. Thus it fell to Simon, a member of the Belmont clan and current wielder of the legendary whip Vampire Killer, to fulfill his clan's sacred duty and slay Dracula once again, returning Transylvania to peace.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Castlevania is an action platformer. For most of the game, you're moving in a side scrolling fashion, although there are many staircases to ascend as you make your way to the top of Dracula's castle. During the game's six levels, you'll fight hordes of Dracula's minions as well as five bosses before you face the vampire lord himself. As challenging as most of the bosses can be, with the exception of Frankenstein and Death, I found the levels to be more difficult than the end bosses. The levels are generally well designed, but there are a few parts where enemies leap while you're trying to get across narrow platforms over a death pit can induce controller throwing since you flinch back whenever you're hit. Those parts are obnoxious, but they're fair; the part of the game that would piss me off would be the occasions when enemies would fly through walls or platforms (the latter is common) that are supposed to be solid. I understand that it's a design choice, not a bug, but that sort of thing always pisses me off.

While I generally found the levels more challenging than the bosses for the most part, the bosses provide some real challenge, especially the last three. One of the bosses - Death - is guilty of my OTHER major design pet peeve. In addition to flying around the level and attacking you, he always has four smaller scythes flying around the stage. These scythes can be (and pretty much must be) destroyed, but they respawn quickly. Now the bullshit part that I hate is that when you kill him, his scythes keep flying around for a bit, so even if you kill him, you can still get killed by a scythe and die. I almost broke my controller when that happened to me because he's a hard boss in general.

Castlevania truly is a classic game. It's a damn hard game - even with save states, it's hard until you really memorize some of the enemy placement and boss attack patterns - but it's a damn good game. There are a couple of design choices that I found questionable, and there's a good bit of sprite flicker in parts that gets annoying, but all in all, it's an extremely enjoyable game and a must-play for fans of the NES.

Post by **isiolia** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:07 am

Juan Aguacate wrote:Not to mention that every single villain set up by the plot is a male figure, and every single hero in the game is female.

Ehh, wouldn't quite say that There's a valid point there, but I'd say it's more that male characters run the gamut. All of the big villains, sure, but also plenty of your allies, and everything in between. On the other hand, other than the village elders (that eventually come around), I'd agree, named female characters in HZD are pretty much universally good.

Still, I wouldn't consider it anything more than a minor criticism that may well be fixed in DLC or the inevitable sequel.

racketboy.com

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