VideoGame_Discussion

#9 King's Quest IV -

#9 and 1st for PC. Brought out my new blu tooth keyboard to use with the Legion go. I don't think I've ever beaten most of the King's Quest game, so it's nice to finally be able to say I experienced them.

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#10 King's Quest V -

Also beat King's Quest V. The voice acting sound like it was done by the director and a bunch of friends. It's bad. Which is funny because the next game in the series has really good voice acting. But it was a fine game to play. I love these sorts of games so even less than stellar elements are accepted in some cases! This one I could put away the keyboard since it was point n click. no direction buttons needed!

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Another playthrough in anticipation of Tekken 8, I celebrated my favorite entry in the Tekken franchise and the series' best home release... by playing through the worst part of it.

Number: 4
Full Title: Tekken 5
Platform Played: PlayStation 2
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: PlayStation 2
Original Platforms: PlayStation 2
Applicable Badge: Street Fightin' (2/2)

Wow, that was awful.

Tekken 5 was an incredible home release. Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the franchise, the game dropped with a huge Collector's Edition box with a decent arcade stick; arcade ports of the first three Tekken games (and Starblade, for some awesome reason); pre-rendered and in-engine cutscenes for every character; a Ghost Battle mode that let you level everyone up to Tekken Lord levels; and - most importantly to this discussion - the Devil Within story mode that evolves the Tekken Force formula into a five-level beat 'em up with bosses, puzzles, hidden paths, collectables, and secrets about Jin's origins. I played through it once when the game was released, took my million gold, and never opened it back up again. That's never a good sign when it comes to replays, but here we are...

I'll give The Devil Within for having the best brawler engine of either Tekken Force modes, or even the Scenario Campaign that launched with its successor. Fighting in the other brawlers feels like a mish-mash of competing horizontal planes that you lock on and off of, but The Devil Within is a much more fluid, intuitive 3D environment with natural movement and better handling of multiple targets. Fighting is fun, Devil Jin's attacks are legitimately worth the build-up and the health cost, and Jin plays similarly enough to his fighting counterpart that it doesn't feel like the wheel is being invented.

The levels themselves are a nightmare, though. There's a lot of blind jumping that doesn't mix well with the unlocked camera. It's infinitely easier for you to fall into a bottomless pit than it is for you to push your opponents into one. You encounter a surprising amount of sliding block puzzles, which wouldn't be so awful if they didn't require you to move so damn quickly. Worst of all, there just isn't enough save points. Most of the levels took around an hour to finish, and I only encountered one mid-level save point throughout the entire game. That's too much beat 'em up in a single session for my tastes, especially when a really frustrating boss is standing between me and taking a break.

It sounds like replays are a lot more forgiving. More collectables appear that unlock expensive items in the main game. You can select your level. You can even stay locked in Devil Jin mode without the health drain penalty. All that sounds a lot more palatable than the first run experience. Maybe I'm not done with Devil Jin yet.

Tekken 8 unlocks this evening, so that's going to get most of my attention for the next week or so, depending on how the Retro Talkshop Thread nominations go.

My #9 in Alan Wake 2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eWN3fnCGKnZdk9tF6

Wow what a masterpiece. The best facial animation i've seen and the environments are simply stunning at 4k. The story is smart and mature, the best narration in a game i've ever played. Over the top OST that I'm going to listen to long after playing this game. My only complaints are not enough action and the rhyme puzzles are not to my liking. Playing the first game is a must, but I also recommend playing Control and it's DLC's because they link together in the same universe. 9.5/10

Xbox 360 down! I beat SoulCalibur II (originally Xbox) with Yunsung and Spawn.
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It’s annoying. I wanted to beat Hybrid on XBLA, but after buying it on Microsoft’s website, it was connected to my XBO account—which can’t play that title. So I went through a bunch of effort to download my XBO account to my 360, and then discovered that Hybrid is multiplayer-only. My XBL tier isn’t enough to get online multiplayer, and the game itself is an obscure, 12-year-old shooter. I think I wasted $5.

Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:

TBC I wasn't trying to be mean or anything and I do recall your input on the badge since I was thinking originally of just a light-gun badge but felt that was too narrowly focused and I took your suggestion.
I can see your viewpoint on it being unique, but then I think almost the opposite - if the PS-Portal is considered as an unique controller, then wouldn't playing on the Steam Deck be rationalized for the badge too? Since they're some what similar - sure the Deck has its own OS, is stand alone, but it's just a handheld PC or device - it doesn't get it's own listing separate from . Or I think of folks who play ROMs on dedicated handhelds like the Ayn Odin or Ambernic or Retroid Pocket or even ErickRPG's Legion Go - those devices are simply allowing someone to emulate an old system on a PC/phone adjacent device that IMO is more parallel with the PS-Portal vs. not.

But therein lies part of the issue when counting ROMs/emulation and was partly why my view had been that if you beat a ROM for system-X, you should at least own a copy of system-X - but how the heck would Sarna know that, so who really cares.
Sorry for sticking my nose it, this is Sarna's show and I am fine with that.

No worries. I was just confused what a Portal would be if not a non-traditional controller. I think it’s different from a Steam Deck, because a Steam Deck is a legit PC that you can download and play games on. I think of a Steam Deck as a more portable laptop. You can’t play anything on a Portal unless your PS5 is on, and, when you turn on the Portal, the PS5 recognizes it as a controller and takes control away from your other controllers and gives it to the Portal.

Slickriven wrote:

ErickRPG wrote:

"Never trust a bad guy, Graham."

DemonAlcohol wrote:

What system?

SupremeSarna wrote:

I didn't notice the writing too much. It was just the voice acting. Starting with the Owl. Sheesh was he grating. But I'll have to go back and cringe at the writing too I guess, lol.

SupremeSarna wrote:

Sorry, PC.

#6 down: Young Souls on Amazon Luna. I would like to count this toward the Pile Drivin' badge, as it's a side-scrolling beat 'em up.

Until @Slickriven mentioned it, I hadn't realized that you get free games on Luna that rotate monthly with Amazon Prime. It was really simple to plug in an Xbox Series X controller and play. This didn't outstay its welcome and was fun the whole way through. You get some interesting weapons that you can upgrade (with magic powers like the ability to summon creatures to fight for you), and the art style is neat. I'd recommend it.

@Bleed_DukeBlue Glad I mentioned it - it is interesting that Amazon doesn't promote that Luna perk very much. Heck they don't promote the fee games via legacy Twitch a lot either, unless you hit that page, but maybe I'm wrong on that a little as I don't visit the homepage on Amazon too often since I almost always have a tab open for some product on there and just search for whatever next thing I want to buy vs poking around the main site and seeing any of their ads. I also use an add blocker.

FYI, for those with Prime accts and thinking about playing a game on Luna, they used to state this, but I don't see it on the newer page layout, but those titles generally cycle out each month. So if you're thinking of playing something like Control that's currently available, you'll likely want to be sure and commit to beating it before February gets here... or opt to sign up for the 7 day trial to play it after it cycles out, which could then result in you paying for the Luna+ membership.

@Bleed_DukeBlue Okay, I think I know what to do about the PS Portal--it's effectively a modern Sega Nomad , which has its own console icon. If you can provide a logo for it, I'll add it as a separate console.

9th done, 3rd on
Valdis Story: Abyssal City
Badge: first towards Metroidvania
Alpha: 1 closer with V now complete, 5 left: #/E/J/Q/X

Man this was rough. This has been on some top Metroidvania lists and so it was on my radar/Wishlist and I purchased it recently and jumped in thanks to the V title some... I might have given up on this were it not for this thread, the game was frustrating. I'll give my pros/cons below.

Pros: Art style was solid, music was good, story was interesting enough but not amazing

Cons: Will elaborate on most of these below - Controls were floaty and button choices, while customizable, weren't great, near complete lack of direction/info, too easy for multiple foes to stun-lock you and/or knock you off the platform and down into a prior room where foes respawn and you'll almost always get hit immediately, some sort of BS boss mechanics, bad UI/UX.

* Controls - you could way too easily jump over platforms when not even in icy or windy areas. Had to hold down RT to cast a spell, but you also wanted to hold LT a good bit in hectic fights to block, well when you hit both triggers at once you got a context like menu to change your spells, so instead of hitting RT+down on the dPad, if you hit RT+LT+down you'd open that menu and instantly change the down spell from what you wanted to the next option. Also my LT kept either flaking out or was somehow also triggering an escape from the main menu and that context menu at times - it was a mess.
* Custom buttons - there was no default or reset to in the menu, so if you started to change things you couldn't easily go back to what the game intended.
* No direction - I'm less complaining about a game of this type and more about what things you do collect and what they're for, like I got 4 pieces of armor, ok now what. Had to look that up, or I wanted the double-jump that I presumed was in the game, had to look that up too and you had to visit this optional area, talk to an NPC, then he'd show up at your base and offer some upgrades (including the jump) but you needed to provide things for him, and so I had to look up where those things might be - it was just lacking in really any meaningful flow of organically progressing, even the main tasks gave you almost nothing on where to potentially go next. With the double jump, it was basically optional, and therefore you could attempt to beat the game without it, but good luck there as the final part would've been VERY difficult without it and you really have no way of knowing that.
* Stun lock and statuses like getting frozen in ice or grabbed and held by a big foe all stunk, many couldn't be blocked and if you were in the air and hit you fell and couldn't recover which sucked when trying to climb a tall vertical room only to get knocked a long ways back down.
* Boss mechanics - Most bosses had a red health and blue 'shield' bar but you often didn't have a clue on what to do to take out the shield. - 1 boss had elements in the room you needed to attack, others used this shield bar as a countdown like mechanic until they unleashed a flurry of attacks, it was just crap I didn't care for, I guess the variety was good, I'm just grumpy about this game overall.
* UI/UX - already mentioned the lack of a default button assignment, but in the game you would visit shops and they would say 2 In Stock - leaving me to figure that's how many I owned, since my inventory screen wouldn't open for these screens - nope it was their inventory. I also mentioned the dumb spell context menu, that had a dedicated pause menu, but navigating that was a mess with the dpad b/c down from the 3rd assignment slot often took you to the left where the spells were just laid out instead of the 4th assignment slot. The map had no legend, no overall map, no markers you could put on and it gave a percentage value that was completely tied to visiting all room, not collecting stuff or whatnot. Item assignment was also bad since you didn't get a screen to compare how a new armor piece would alter your stats.

Overall I wanted to like this game but it annoyed me a lot and I nearly HATED it, I WILL NOT play it more after beating the final boss, but it did keep me coming back even after cursing it frequently. With some better explaining, better UI/UX in a few areas and improved controls it could've been a gem.

OP updated!

Fair enough. How do I provide a logo?

SupremeSarna wrote:

Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:

If you can find a logo that looks different from the existing PS ones, just PM me a link. It seems the new images I post from Twitter end up with white backgrounds even when I transparentized them from the start.

Number: 2
Full Title: Double Dragon Advance
Platform Played:
Collection: N/A
Native Platform:
Original Platform:
Applicable Badge: Pile Drivin' (1/2)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails...

I was a big fan of the GBA back when it launched. In fact, I imported it and several of the games before it launched in the US. Somehow this is one that I missed and regretted. Despite this being an embarrassingly bare bones port, I finally got to take it down.

Haha here's me stinking my nose in again, but IS the PS portable really like the ? Nomad is a fully independent system that is basically a portable but really you only need to own a Nomad and some games to use it, that's not true for the portable - it's basically useless without a . Duke might be more correct that is a unique controller vs an independent system.

Lol! Did I win you over to my side @Slickriven ? :)

Slickriven wrote:

What's the rules on beating a game more than once a year? Looking at playing Diablo 4 again but there is another expansion in the fall so I'll def beat it again then. Also, Alan Wake 2's new game + has some more story stuff I want to check out. I'd like those to be counted again. As long as it's not abuse such as playing a 20 minute game 100 times a week.

DemonAlcohol wrote:

Once you declare it beaten, that's it. You can play through it again on another system for a new clear, or play newly-released content for a DLC clear. If you play the exact same game five times, you get the Gamer's Day badge, but not four more clears.

Fiddlesticks!

Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:

HAHAHA... maybe. I'll simply say that I personally think the PS Portable is more akin to a controller vs. a separate system like the
Good luck @SupremeSarna

@DemonAlcohol you could really play Diablo 4 multiple times and even report it, I think Sarna's implying that he simply won't record it in the OP. But isn't really looking to discourage you from playing a game you like more than once.
Sorry @SupremeSarna, I'm injecting myself into this thread a bunch lately... Guess I'm earning that 'past gatekeeper' medal.

Slickriven wrote:

That's correct. Play games as many times as you want! But I'll only record the first time, unless you beat it for more systems.

#11 Shadow of the Colossus -

I've owned this game for so long. Never did I beat the PS2 version. So finally after so many years I finally experienced this whole game. As to whether I'd call it a masterpiece, I don't know. But it's definitely a gem of a game and worthy of it's status as a beloved classic. Game definitely looks beautiful on a large screen. Not all games do I feel my projector makes it any better, but this one, yep. Not just the huge colossi, but the large feel to the open fields. I played Atreyu's Quest from the neverending story soundtrack while I was in an open plain, haha, that was fun.

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I beat Spotto! (originally ). Like all DSiware, this is lost to time unless you bought it on the DSi Shop or the 3DS eShop. So it’ll be the first half of Delisted for me.
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The game is pretty good. You use the stylus to line up and chuck bombs into ghosts’ mouths. Occasionally you get super bombs that, if successful, cause a targeted ghost to release a flurry of bombs in all directions, which then cause their victims to explode into more bombs. There are 50 stages, which I think is a little much. But hey, you get plenty of bang for your buck.

I already beat this in 2022, so I played Pro mode this time. You can’t see a dotted line to show where the bomb will land, so it’s more challenging lining up the perfect shot. Not too hard, though.

I fully support Intelligent Systems to make a remake, expand the series, or get a Spotto cameo in Fire Emblem.

Number: 3
Full Title: Terminator: Resistance - Annihilation Line
Platform Played:
Collection: N/A
Native Platform:
Original Platform:
Applicable Badge: 2nd Amendment (1/2)

https://steamcommunity.com/id/yossydesune/stats/95... (I forgot to take a screenshot, so the Achievements will have to do)

I really enjoyed the base game a couple years back and decided to finally circle back to the DLC. I like how it both stands alone and relates to the main story. Teyon really is a nice testament to how good AA games can be and how IP can be treated with respect.

@SupremeSarna Hey! Sorry to bother you, but I just noticed that my clear of Young Souls is listed under iOS when it should be under Luna. Thanks!

I beat my high scores on Pacmania and Pac-Land both on xbox 1

Before the month ends and I forget, I beat:

Assassins Creed Origins (PS4): I love traveling and checking all the locations. I also dig Bayek as the protagonist. This game is a joy to play, IMO. I wonder if Odyssey feels the same.

The Outer Worlds (PS4): Went back to finish this one in the hardest difficulty. It's crazy how hard some of those enemies can hit you. Adding the hunger, sleep, and thirst elements is also a bit stressful. My opinion remains the same, this is a "we have Fallout at home" game.

Strider (PS4): A quick and fun game, good way to remember the original title that I played on the Genesis. The plot is nothing to write home about, but I was there just to jump and do cool ninja stuff, so I enjoyed it lol

@legendrko25 Are you aiming for badges this year? If so, you'll have to specify that, preferably with the relevant badge you earn each time.

SupremeSarna wrote:

Im trying for badges yes ill post when i beat the games relevant to the badge

#7 down: Centipede (Game Boy) - This (alongside my previous clear of Bust-a-Move) gets me the Quarter Muncher badge. Centipede is an endless arcade game, but I beat 100 levels and it was just the same thing repeating itself over and over for the many levels I played through after 100 levels, so I think I’ve done enough to count it as a clear. This game was just not at all fun. It felt like a chore to play.

#3 Dishonored 2 on 1/31

I can't say I remember the first one ALL too much since I played it 10 years ago and had to watch a recap video, but the sequel is excellent. Be stealthy, be a brute, discover 17 ways to the same goal. You can play how ever you like and the level design is top notch. The Clockwork Mansion might be one of my single favorite levels in gaming. 8/10 easily. I played as Emily in a low chaos, mostly stealthy, and overly thorough approach that took me 18.5 hours to complete. I think I might go New Game+ as Corvo and run through in high chaos mode without supernatural powers (all for trophies). I bet I can clear it in a few hours.

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Dishonored 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. I played it the first time on no powers no kills and you can’t be spotted once by guards. That was the most intense stealth experience I’ve had in a game.

incubus421 wrote:

After three consecutive releases that left me disappointed and nearly three recent playthroughs that reminded me of some sour spots in the franchise, Tekken 8 dropped late last Thursday, and it doesn't suck.

Number: 5
Full Title: Tekken 8
Platform Played: Windows
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Windows
Original Platforms: Windows, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5
Applicable Badge: Street Fightin' (already earned)

Tekken 8's story mode is a longtime fan's dream come true, in the same way that Avengers: Endgame was an excellent payoff for moviegoers that had invested in Marvel's cinematic universe for ten years. After an over-the-top, high energy montage of an entry that highlight's all the game's characters instead of two grumpy MIshimas, the campaign drops brutal fight after brutal fight, seasoned with incredible setpieces, lots of fan service, and enough mysteries to keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll.

In the span of a few hours, on top of the expected high stakes duels between the two surviving Mishimas, you participate in the actual King of Iron Fist Tournament for the first time - with brackets, an over the top stage announcer, and other stadium antics - rather than just letting the tournament be an invisible backdrop for whatever happens over the course of the game. There's also an incredible sequence - hinted at in the intro - where dozens of prominent Tekken fighters all meet face to face on a battlefield and duke it out there, instead of a sterile tournament arena. I ate it up, along with every other throwback the writers seemed to sneak into the story. The use of music, camera angles, and even changing movesets to add impact to a moment was all incredibly well done, even if the overarching story was the overdramatic anime soap opera that we've come to expect from the genre.

None of that would matter if the fighting didn't hold up. I was originally extremely skeptical of Tekken 8's new aesthetic with its Street Fighter-esque, roided-out, hulky characters; the character names painted on screen like graffiti tags; the pile-on of new fighting mechanics and power techniques; and the "OH OH OH OH OH" character select music which seems to have been pulled from a different universe when laid down next to its predecessors. And while I'm still adjusting to exactly how jacked Law looks this time around, the actual fighting engine is a blast. Every punch and every kick lands with an impact that's unprecedented by other games in the series, and the Heat Rush and Rage Arts mechanics are both fairly implemented and impressive to look at. While I played in a few matches online that reverted back to the glitchy shuffle dance of defensive Tekken, most fights embraced new aggressive playstyles, which turned nearly every match into a spectacle.

I've been looking forward to my Tekken play sessions every day. With the main campaign over and both endings unlocked, I've been working my way through the Character Episodes and trying to unlock the last of the achievements. I even dabbled in the online mode for a little bit, which centers around a live multi-room arcade area (with a beach!) that your avatar can roam looking for challenges. With things running great on a Steam Deck, lots of DLC to look forward to, and plenty of customization items to unlock, I can see me revisiting the game a lot in the future.

Tekken 8 will probably be pushed aside for a bit to give me time to dive into next month's Games of the Month, but I'll probably get through a bunch more episodes before the end of the month when Final Fantasy VII Rebirth drops.

#8 down: Adam's Venture: Origins on PS4. I'd like to count this one toward the "You're Winner" badge. It got a 53 on Metacritic, and that's about the best it deserves. It's basically like playing Tomb Raider but with less interesting puzzles, awful controls, and annoying stealth parts you can instantly fail. It was a fairly easy platinum, but apparently only 21% of people got it, and I think that's because a few parts get frustrating, and the game isn't particularly fun. There's no fighting. You can't even jump on things unless they have a white mark on them and you do it just the right way at the right time. You basically just solve puzzles and avoid enemies.

Also, @SupremeSarna, I noticed that you added an entry for my Portal. Could you please move my Mystical Mixing clear from PS4 to there? I beat it entirely on my Portal. Thanks!

January has now passed. I shall now run through a few fun stats from the past month to entertain you:
-We've beaten 96 games so far! Good job, y'all! We'd have beaten more if I weren't being absolutely pounded with intern work right now. @ErickRPG leads the pack with 11.
-We've cleared 48 systems. That's 15.34% of the whole lot. ErickRPG and @TalonJedi87 are tied for first place, with 11.
-We've got four badges earned. Quarter Muncher is a popular one, isn't it?
-I'm adding a new console to the OP: PS Portal. I'll have its icon finished soon. I'm also making a change to the BFFL badge: It will now include games that you play and beat in a group setting, not just ones that have a strict co-op mode. For example, if you and a friend race each other to the end of a single-player game, that would count. You must both be playing for it to meet the criteria, of course--no playing a single-player game while someone else watches, with no active participation.

Thanks @SupremeSarna! Also, sorry to bother you, but it looks like you accidentally moved my Mystical Mixing clear to Luna instead of Portal?

SupremeSarna wrote: