VideoGame_Discussion

Kommie wrote:

How is this?

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory via

8.5/10

So I’ve been on a nostalgic kick lately, polishing off some older games in my digital library, and I came across Chaos Theory in my Xbox library and I never managed to finish it back in 2005 for some reason but I’m glad I got around to it 18 years later. Some parts were a little rough around the edges and dated, sure but the old school stealth like gameplay remains constantly strong throughout. Minus some uneven gameplay pacing in the last couple of missions, where the flip the switch from stealth to full blown action that leaves you somewhat unprepared and being a heavily focused stealth game a full on assault is not recommended with some of the more wonky aiming and weapon controls, the game was highly immersive as you strategically plotted on how to coordinate your cunning stealth patterns to navigate each level. Most missions were pretty linear and that’s just fine by me with today’s sandbox open world standard. It was quite rejuvenating to play an older title where there was just a straight line path for the most part from a point A to B to C and D. Also bless Michael Ironside for doing such a great job voicing Sam Fisher. He brought such a dry, menacing tone with black humor to the role. I lived for his interrogations of enemies as you grabbed them and put that knife to their throats. And even though the game gives you a decent amount of weapons and gadgets to play with, from silenced pistols and assault rifles to sticky cameras and shockers and stun grenades mostly I just had a blast sneaking around grabbing fools, questioning them and making them go night night. Overall it was a great game and probably one of the best Splinter Cell titles to date minus some unsteady difficulty spikes here and there but thank the maker for a quick save option. A save scummer I became by the 2nd to last mission and have no shame in using it as some of the level design in those last couple of missions were a bit questionable and left a bit to be desired.

Feeb wrote:

It was... Fine, good I guess. I think I'm just burnt out again for JRPGs for now. I did the same I did for FFXVI and went to easy mode to just rush through and beat it.

Gonna maybe do more Lies of P next and get a better feel for it. Still not crazy about it from what I played

Tomb Raider Underworld PC 8/10 - The last Tomb Raider that focused on challenging puzzles. I've now beaten Tomb Raider 1, 2, 4, Legend, Underworld, reboot, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Haven't beaten 3 (I have progress on a PS1 emulator, stage 8) or 5. Curious about the future of the series as it was bought out by a company from Square Enix.

I remember when the series first came out on PS1 as a teenager before there was Gamefaqs I'd get stuck on a puzzle on 1 or 2 and go to Wal-mart to look at a guide lol. Then I'd get stuck again, damn.

Another game I might be making a post soon about is Primal on PS2 I am about 3/4ths the way through, it's sort of similar to Tomb Raider and there's one part in a cemetery it has a tombstone that says Lara Croft died in 2003 lol.

Primal was a $5 dollar general purchase back in the day. Very enjoyable.

Simon_Belmont wrote:

It's one of the best games on PS2 not to get a reboot or at least a remaster. I don't think it sold very well unfortunately.

justin_credible wrote:
It was my 1st PS2 game - they netted really top notch talent for Jen and Scree. I, too, wish it'd get a remaster! Like, Shadow of the Colossus style: remade from the ground up. But keep the existing voice acting (RIP Andreas Katsulas).

Golf Club Nostalgia on

It looks like beating all 35 holes unlocked an additional story with 35 more holes. But I didn't like the original story enough to want to play more, and the golf aspect is pretty basic, so I'm not going to play through this second half. I saw the credits roll after the first 35 holes, that's good enough for me.

Just finished Primal.

And finally beat Kingdom Hearts 2.5 (PS3) after all these years a few days ago. I've only beaten KH 1 and 2 I'd like to beat 3 and the other games in the series one day.

justin_credible wrote:
I have 358/2 Days and Dream Drop Distance if you are interested

I just finished up Devil May Cry 5 on . I should have had this done at least a week ago, but really this genre of games, while I enjoy them, I also get burnt out easily with them due to the repetitiveness of them and will play through a few levels and then take a break for a few days before continuing.

Fobia St Dinfna Hotel - 7/10

Sonic CD - First time playing, and I breezed through it in three evenings. Seemed easier than Sonics on Genesis, but also I didn't bother trying to win any of the bonus stages or get any good futures.

Trials Fusion

Continuing with PS+ titles, this was one of the first games I downloaded when I got my PS4. I played it for a little bit, then stopped. I needed a change of pace, so I gave it another go. I cruised to gold in every event until the Hard levels were introduced. Then, not so much (though still some golds). There's definitely a "get good" aspect to these levels, but the problem I have with them is, unlike the "easier" levels, there isn't much flow to them. So much starting and stopping, especially if you reset to a checkpoint. Often times there's a ridiculously hard gap in the middle of a track, when the rest of the track is just fine. The other problem I have is with the trick system. The right analog stick is used to engage a trick, and it has to be held for a couple of seconds to fully register the trick, but I found the game was having trouble registering which trick I wanted. That made getting high scores harder than it should've been. I rolled credits on the game, so I consider it beat, but there's obviously so much more to go.

However, that includes the DLC which is longer than the base game. Not to mention Ubisoft's obsession with other currencies at the time. Unlocking stuff doesn't really matter since it has to be purchased with points, but mostly golden acorns. As far as I can tell, the latter are mostly obtained through microtransactions. And the menus are a mess because of it. They're organized well enough, but it's menus within menus, and despite there only being a small handful of rides, they take way too long to load.

I enjoyed this game to a point, and having reached that point, I'm fine with deleting it from my PS+ library.

That opening song, though, hot damn!

Oops, wrong thread.

I beat 007 Everything or Nothing (Gamecube) last night, 2nd best Bond game I think.

I'm playing Dead Space right now and it feels so much better than The Callisto Protocol. Such a shame the latter game wasn't as good as it should've been. Hopefully they remake Dead Space 2 and 3 as well.

justin_credible wrote:

Love it, have beaten it on PS2 many times.
It's THE ONLY Bond game (except for maybe Russia With Love) that makes you FEEL like James Bond.
That free fall in the opening is great, the motorcycle chase on the rooftops is one of my favorite set pieces ever, plus they created a new Bond story and used professional actors and a real recording artist for the theme song.
Willem Dafoe shouldve been a Bond villain ages ago.

Simon_Belmont wrote:

I don't know. I played 'Everything or Nothing' a couple of years ago on Xbox for the first time, and I thought it was okay but spliced up weird since after every mission it went back to the mission select screen. Driving in some of those levels is pretty janky.

DCGX wrote:

It's far from perfect but saying it's the 2nd best Bond game isn't really saying much. Mostly it's Goldeneye and then a bunch of mediocre to average games.

Metacritic agrees https://www.metacritic.com/search/007/

Beat Lies of P last night. I really enjoyed this one. One of the best Souls-likes I've played so far and I really appreciated how linear this game was compared to the actual Souls series. Unlocking shortcuts was frequent, plenty of Stargazers that felt perfectly distanced, and diversions off the beaten path felt concise, fun and rewarding, typically with a quick shortcut or back-track to return you onto the main story avenue.

The final boss is really the only boss that gave me real problems and I probably died 25 times on him, but other than that, most bosses weren't too big of a deal. I even managed to beat a few of them first try which was refreshing for a Souls-like game.

All in all, I really liked this game and I had a long decision making process on whether or not I wanted to run a NG+ and go for the platinum, but ultimately decided that my backlog is too friggen big right now and I should move on. Currently going back to finish Final Fantasy XVI which I'm about 65% done with. I know everyone was raving about this game and loves it, but I really cant seem to get into it. It doesn't grab me nearly as much as XV did (Which I basically was unable to put down until I plat'd it), but I'm too far into it to just drop it. I'll see it through

That NG run is very fast with all the skills. Lots of fun too. It probably takes 2-3 sessions at most. Using the puppet rope jump attack will eliminate most bigger mobs easily.

I’m not exactly sure how the leveling works in NG but it feels like each passed area raises a stagnant limit.as in you need 15k for a long time and it does not increase? Levels come very quickly and you can get op with the upgraded special weapons.

Figured as much, just have too much I want to play right now and don't feel like sidetracking for all the normal weapons and records. If it was just a speedrun play through I'd probably knock it out, but I don't think that is going to be the case

Baldur's Gate 3 - 9.75/10

200 hours of pure bliss! To think that a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy like a decade ago managed to create a game that is probably the best western RPG I've ever played is just...unreal. It's not perfect. No game is. But my issues with it are very minor. The dice-based combat system, for example, is something that takes some getting used to. I wasn't a fan at first because it's annoying when things feel so luck based and you're dealing with a pretty steep learning curve and weird difficulty spikes early on. I was worried that a game that uses the D&D rule set just may not work well in a videogame, but you get used to it and the game balances out nicely. You figure out party composition, make use of the environment, make use of all the advantages on the battlefield, figure out what character builds suit your playstyle etc and things click!

I'd be here all day if I really wanted to detail everything I love about this game. There's just so much the game has going for it: the memorable characters and their stories, the phenomenal writing/storytelling, the insane attention to the detail, the world building, the customization options, the creative, varied and nuanced combat, the stunning graphics, the sheer scale of it all...I could go on. It's overwhelming and mind-blowing and it all comes together to present what I think is the best pure role playing experience I've come across in a videogame. I think of The Witcher 3, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age Origins, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution...the other 4 games that would make up my top 5 western RPGs of all time and I don't think I can put any of them above BG3. It's the standard, not just for cRPGs, but all RPGs moving forward. What a game!

I just finished BG3 recently too (on PC). It’s in the running for my favorite game ever. I’ll definitely be going for another playthrough and trying to platinum it once the price comes down on the PS5 version, and I generally never replay games.

Heavyd814life wrote:

Just beat Ghost of Tsushima. Great 20 hour game that takes nearly 60 to beat. A shame there's so much open world padding because when it's fun it's really fun. I'm working my way through the Iki expansion now. The story is pretty interesting so far.

Jade Empire via

8/10

I haven’t played this one in about 10 years or more and parts of it aged really well whereas others feel highly dated such as some of the combat which felt uneven at times. But I did appreciate the linear more focus based areas where in most cases there was only one main path and even in the major cities the side areas felt tightly wound up which didn’t allow any feeling of being overwhelmed to come into play. But looking back though, this one did feel a bit rushed out as I finished it in under 15 hours and did about half of the side quests. It’s definitely more on the smaller scale of most other BioWare titles but I do oh so very much miss old school BioWare titles such as this where there’s a nice blend of simplicity yet complexity in the gameplay mechanics and the narrative and dialogue is just so intriguing and interesting. Even though Jade Empire is just kinda a glorified tale of Star Wars with an Asian mythological fantasy skin overlay which is fine to me since I felt the story was pretty interesting for the most part. I wonder if we’ll ever get a Jade Empire 2 when they run out of ideas and milking those Dragon Age sequels. Likely not but a boy can dream!

BG3 is just the game that keeps giving... almost 200 hours in, second play through and I have so much stuff I missed and need to create other characters to experience lol.

Also really hoping Ghost of Tsushima comes to PC soon. I just can't pick up my PS5 to restart it after my son deleted my save a few years back just as I was about 100% through it. lol.

Mafia - Definitive Edition

I was in Chicago a couple of weekends ago, and that always peaks my interest in organized crime. Luckily, this was another PS+ game I had sitting around.

Overall, I was really hooked on this game, though being in the mood for it certainly helped. The story is nothing special. In fact, its structure adheres too closely to 'Goodfellas,' but takes a lot longer to tell a lot less. Most important story bits are mentioned in the intermissions, which leaves the story feeling disjointed from mission to mission. There isn't much relationship development, or seeing characters outside the main few and that's a shame. Yes, not everyone's lives are constant action or of importance, and the game is trying to hit more important parts of Tommy's job, but it isn't as smooth as a result.

Gameplay is varied for these types of open worlds. Shooting is fine, driving at high speeds (not that the cars of the time were great at it) can be iffy, and despite the city of Lost Heaven brimming with life, there's little to actually do in it outside of story missions and basic item collection. The game looks great, but there were some visual glitches. Nothing game breaking, but one glitch took me back. I was on the third floor of a building later in the game where I dodged an enemy and it sent me flying up, then back down to the ground floor. I didn't die, but it shouldn't have happened. The music is a high point. Mostly orchestral, but always appropriate to help convey what the characters are going through. This is especially true during the final confrontation. The voicework is also top notch. I'd argue that's what really kept me invested in the game.

Without having played the original, I'd say they did a really good job with this remake. It might not keep attention after the credits roll for too long, but it's still fun to jump back into the 1930s and cruise around for a little bit.

@sinnie Any chance of a cloud save for Tsushima?

Orlandu wrote:

No I hadn't renewed my PS+ due to lack of time to play. But it's fine... I'll enjoy replaying it but just not on PS5. My profile is now password locked btw.

sinnie wrote:

Probably a good idea!

Splinter Cell: Blacklist

8/10

So I was putting off on playing this Splinter Cell game because I wasn’t turned on by the fact that Michael Ironside couldn’t reprise his role as Sam Fisher but I got this on a deep sale at $6 so I said why not as it was the only entry in the series that eluded me for my own personal preference reasons and I’m actually glad I gave it a whirl. It was a great follow up to its predecessor Conviction. Moved very swift and had a great sense of urgency and fluidity to it not seen in most other Splinter Cell games outside of Conviction which may be a make or break for some if you’re a fan of old school Splinter Cell titles that rely solely on stealth. Blacklist does offer stealth, but does blend together some mandatory action sequences. It’s also very fast paced unlike the first 3 SC games. My gripes were just the voice actor for Sam Fisher which sounded like a 35 year old man trapped in a 60 year old’s body and the game is almost too fast paced that makes it almost feel on borderline Call of Duty paces. Other than that the game is a solid 10-12 hour fast paced high octane espionage ride offering some same tropes you’d find in most other games in the series including upgrading gadgets and gear in between missions as well as your HQ to make your journey to exercising the 5th freedom as tactical as possible.

I just finished Arizona Sunshine on
What a freakin' janky mess that was, with glitches and tracking issues galore. I still enjoyed it, but under no circumstances would I recommend paying full price for it. I really hope they have their act together for the sequel on PSVR2.

Just got the true ending to Persona 4 Golden on PC. Persona 5 is one of my top 10 favorite games of all time so I can't rank it over 5, but I still loved it. I need to beat 3. Maybe I'll just wait until Persona 3 Reload is out to play it.

Beat Detective Pikachu Returns. Around 15 hours to beat. There are side quests you can complete and will add some story either in the newspaper or other events but they are opitional. There is some button mashing moments but for the most part the biggest issue with the game is already knowing the case's conclusion by the mid point. Having to deduce it and explain the case in front of some characters reminds me of the stories in old detective books and shows but with more tediousness. Another issue to me was the pacing in the beginning I felt a small connection from the previous game but after the second or non tutorial case I felt the story greatly improved.

Going to play Assassin's Creed Mirage then Sonic Superstars.

Cocoon

Yet another perfect Game Pass game, as this only took me an afternoon to beat and get all the achievements (there aren't many). I'd say this game lives up to its hype. The whole experience is pretty straightforward: solve puzzles to move on using each biome orb by going in and out of them. That's about it, but the puzzles are fun, though the orb switching does get a little tiring near then end. There are also a handful of bosses that are simple, but a nice diversion from the puzzling. Well worth a go.

Got the platinum trophy in Saints Row on PS5. I'll give the murder circus DLC a shot but if I don't like it I'm ready to uninstall this and play something else.

Unlike TalonJedi87 who seems to be able to play rpg after rpg I can't so after Persona 4 Golden I had to beat an easy shooter.

Dead to Rights Reckoning PSP

Game is only about 3 hours long.

My next #1 to beat (which is always subject to change) is Like a Dragon Ishin on PS4.

Haha P4 Golden did take me about 70 hours of my time but since it was on the Switch I was able to play it where ever I wanted. Loved it but not as much as P5 tho. P5 to me is still king of the Persona games. Can’t wait to play P3 Reload too. But no more long rpgs for me tho for a while. Sticking to shorter games for a little while to cleanse the palate. Gonna play the Dead Space remake soon after I finish up House of Ashes Dark Pictures anthology.

TalonJedi87 wrote:

Did you know Supermassive Games the ones behind Dark Pictures Anthology used the first one as a prototype for a Silent Hill game. Konami turned them down so they turned it into Dark Pictures Anthology.

I need to play those, I've only played the first one a little.