Games General

Chocofreak13 · February 22, 2016, 12:41:42 PM

Got any Steam games to recommend? Steve's well has been running a little dry recently and it makes me sad to see him this bored. :[

(Before anyone suggests it, no GoatSim. He hates it.)

LeaflameSD · February 22, 2016, 01:23:12 PM

Quote from: Chocofreak13 on February 22, 2016, 12:41:42 PM
Got any Steam games to recommend? Steve's well has been running a little dry recently and it makes me sad to see him this bored. :[

Nekopara

Nichi · February 22, 2016, 02:04:25 PM

@Kari: To name off some I have that it doesn't show Steve also having, excluding A Simulation of Goats:

- Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures (Brutally-hard retro platform game, inspired by things AVGN complained about. I didn't like this game that much, but if he's masochistic, he might enjoy it)
- Chip's Challenge 1 & 2 (Needs no introduction)
- Mutant Mudds Deluxe (A retro platform game that feels kinda like the early Wario Land games. Honestly quite good)
- Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 (The closest we will ever get to an OS-tan game besides Nijikaku; honestly a pretty solid RPG and a huge upgrade from the original PS3 version)
- Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds (2D side-scrolling beat-em-up with cute anime girls. I need to play more of it; I played a demo on 360 and liked it)
- Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium (Yes, it is on Steam. It's fucking great, and it's less than $5 last I checked)*
- Undertale (Surprised he doesn't already own it ^^; )

*purely guessing on if he doesn't have that; he does have the base Genesis emulator it shows, but it doesn't tell me what games he has

Chocofreak13 · February 22, 2016, 06:11:08 PM

Thanks. If anyone has any more to recommend, have at it, hoss [/CenkUgyur]. :0

Goujer · February 23, 2016, 08:48:06 AM

Recommendations inbound:
-Dragon's Dogma: Solid open world RPG with great combat and crazy good lore, story and characters, also my favorite game of all time.
-Bioshock: FPS with interesting powerups.
-Burnout Paradise: High octane street racing paradise of super speed and sick tricks.
-Dragonball Xenoverse: Good Dragonball Z game for all the Dragonball fans.
-Fortune Summoners: Decent RPG platformer, good if you like Chantelise and games like that.
-Metal Gear Solid: Good game, good stealth, good combat. May have to emulate.
-Risk of Rain: 2D perma-death survival game with fun game mechanics and fun multiplayer.
-Shantae: Fun 2D platformer, lots to explore and collect with lovable characters.
-Sonic Adventure 1/2: Gotta go fast!
-Space Engineers: Good game for any kid who thought space was cool as a kid.

He is Red on Steam right?

Bella · February 24, 2016, 08:51:03 AM

Quote from: Chocofreak13 on February 22, 2016, 12:41:42 PM
Got any Steam games to recommend? Steve's well has been running a little dry recently and it makes me sad to see him this bored. :[

Kentucky Route 0 — atmospheric, beautiful, good storyline and characters, the game mechanics are pretty simple but it's a point-and-click adventure game so that's a given. I'm not even a big fan of those types of games, but this one is enchanting.

LeaflameSD · February 24, 2016, 10:01:56 AM

seriously, nekopara is a cute visual novel game and its cheap

Chocofreak13 · February 27, 2016, 10:06:41 AM

@Legs: Yes, he is.

@Everyone: Thanks yo. Passed it onto him. :0

Nichi · February 28, 2016, 10:56:23 PM

So, I started Pokémon Blue again, this time on the newly-released 3DS version. Currently up to Mt. Moon, and feel quite proud of taking down Brock with a brute force method (Went in with level 12 Bulbasaur, managed to take down his Geodude by using Leech Seed and spamming Tackle, which allowed me to level up and learn Vine Whip; which took down Onix in one critical blow). My end goal is to have a team ready for the forthcoming Pokémon tournament at Gamestop, which I have some 'mons in mind, but until I get far enough to get to them, I have some nice ones on-hand now.

Heroes come and go, but legends never die
Indigo League Champion, Edward, has returned

Pitkin · March 09, 2016, 04:49:25 AM

I don't know what's gone into us, but Fedora-Tan and I have been playing Guild Wars 2.

Nichi · March 10, 2016, 03:09:34 PM

I haven't played that one before. What's it like?

So, in an effort to play something other than Pokémon, I found myself looking back on the classic games that Rare put out on the N64...or, at least, the 4 platform games they made for it: Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Tooie, and Conker's Bad Fur Day. So, as much as I'd love to gush about Diddy Kong Racing or talk about how it took me 10 years after its release to finally give GoldenEye a shot, let's just focus on the platformers, and what each one does right and wrong -w-;

- Banjo-Kazooie (1998)

The giant gator monument is watching you

After one of the title characters first made his appearance in Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo-Kazooie was released...and for a 7-year-old me that was obsessed over DKR, this game was a pretty big deal, even without knowing its long development history.

The story centers around the evil witch, Gruntilda, kidnapping Banjo's little sister, Tootie; in an effort to use a machine to transfer Tootie's beauty to Gruny. Thus, Banjo and Kazooie, his bird friend, must venture into Gruntilda's Lair to resue Tootie; as they have to deal with the many tricks, traps, and fearsome monsters within, that protect the treasures nessesary for the success of their mission.

Gameplay wise, B-K took what Super Mario 64 did and took it to the next level; starting with the worlds, which are much bigger and more elaborate, while still feeling confined enough that it doesn't become overwhelming. There's also more moves our bear and bird duo can perform; you learn all the basics at the start of the game, while later learning how to do the advanced moves as they're needed (Such as how to fly and other such things).

One thing that does make this game stand out is how much you have to collect compared to Super Mario 64; it being an evolution of that style of platform game that would become known as the "collectathon". While it feels like there are a lot of things to collect, the only two you need to think about going out of your way for are the Jiggies (Golden puzzle pieces, to open new worlds within the lair) and the Musical Notes (Used to open the locked doors in the lair). The empty honey combs are also useful, as they function like the Pieces of Heart from Zelda; collect enough and your health bar will increase by one.

Another stand-out feature comes in the way of the many transformations; when you present Mumbo Jumbo, the self-proclaimed "best shaman in the game", with enough Mumbo Tokens, he'll transform Banjo and Kazooie into different forms, which will allow greater mobility through the level and open up some new opportunities for Jiggies.

One thing I do like about the game is, while it is fairly big, generally you can 100% a level on the first visit if you're skilled enough, and likewise, you can easily skip certain challenges and come back to them later. However, you can't skip too many challenges, sadly, which leads me to one of the common complaints about this game: how much you have to collect; to reach the final boss at minimum, you need 810\900 Notes, and 94\100 Jiggies (Compare and contrast with Super Mario 64, where you only need 70\120 Stars to reach the final Bowser level). As such, while you can skip certain challenges, ultimately you will have to do nearly all of them to reach the final boss.

Another issue I've seen is in regards to the "game show of death" level just before the final boss: Grunty's Furnace Fun. Most of the trivia questions relate to things you saw during the course of the game, with some spaces having you replay an earlier mission with a twist...and then there's the questions about Gruntilda. For a first-time player, you'd have no idea what the correct answers to her questions are, not helped by the fact they're randomized when you first start your file, so what may be true on a friend's playthrough of the game might not be on yours. The secret here is to explore the lair and seek out Gruntilda's good sister, Brentilda; whom will spill the beans on all of Grunty's disgusting secrets, which you will neeed to write down. I'll admit, I had a heads-up on this via the old Nintendo Power promo tape, but for those that didn't, it can make this part of the game very frustrating; especially if they're low on health (A wrong answer causes you to take damage), have run out of Joker cards (Allowing you to skip a space and move on), or a Grunty question comes up on one of the Skull spaces (A wrong answer on one of these spaces is instant death).

Now, if I were to say one of my issues with the game is that you can't replay the fight with Gruntilda; it's actually a pretty good fight, but once you beat her, the only way to fight her again is to play through the entire game once more from the beginning. In fact, if you have a save that's 100% completed, there's absolutely nothing left to do, as you can't even revisit the mini-games and challenges without starting over from the beginning (Compared to, say, SM64; where you can replay your favorite missions as many times as you'd like).

It may have some issues, but B-K is still one of the crown jewels of the N64 library; it's just fun from start to finish, and has impressive visuals for the era and a memorable soundtrack.

- Donkey Kong 64 (1999)

Yes, they included a mini-game about chasing beavers. Got to love Rare for that

DK64 is one of those games that you'll either love or hate; while plenty dislike it for various reasons (It being repetitive, or they expected Donkey Kong Country 4), the game has earned a cult following, because it does a lot of things very well, and is generally a pretty enjoyable game.

This game's story takes place sometime after DKC3; King K. Rool is back, and he's hatched the perfect plan to defeat the Kongs once and for all; he stole DK's hoard of Golden Bananas just to distract him, while also kidnapping all of DK's friends (Dixie and Kiddie being completely absent, and not even acknowledged for that matter), while his crew prepares the Blast-O-Matic; a giant frickin' laser that will destory DK Isles. Thus, it's up to DK to rescue his friends and stop K. Rool once and for all, before his home is destroyed.

One of the stand-out features, and a source of complaints, is how you can play as 5 different Kongs; each with their own abilities and items to collect...meaning you have to go through each world 5 times to collect everything, which can get pretty repetitive after a while. I will admit, I do like this; each Kong is varied enough in their abilities that it keeps things interesting, and their unique abilities lend themselves to some pretty cool challenges to earn the Golden Bananas, even if the ones revolving around Diddy's jetpack can be very annoying, due to the controls.

My bigest complaint is how many of the later Golden Bananas revolve around Bonus Barrels; rather than doing something within the context of the level, it boils down to getting inside a barrel to play a mini-game to earn the Banana. Admittedly, some of these mini-games can actually be kinda fun, but then you get to ones like Big Bug Bash or Beaver Bother (as pictured above), which will infuriate players to no end (The latter of which being paticularly infamous among fans). As such, it feels like they got a bit sloppy toward the end, due to the sheer number of things you have to collect.

However, in spite of the flaws, it did do a lot of things very well. For one, the game has some great atmosphere; some of the music for the levels fits so well and helps to set the mood, and having K-Rool's ship always directly in front of you when you exit DK Isles, in regard to the story, gives a sense of urgency to your mission.

Also, some of the challenges you complete to earn the Golden Bananas are honestly quite fun; like the mine cart rides, the Blast Barrel stages, and that one in Frantic Factory where Chunky fights a giant monster formed of various toys. Honestly, for the number of times I had to play Beaver Bother, there were just as many enjoyable challenges that remind me of why I loved this game so much as a kid, even when it pissed me off.

Probably the biggest crime this game made in the eyes of players is just how much stuff you have to collect; as such, it can feel pretty intimidating, especially with how large the levels can be. However, it's a lot more forgiving than B-K was, in that you don't need near as much to finish the game; in terms of Golden Bananas alone, you only need 100\201 to reach the final level, giving players a lot of leeway in regards to skipping challenges they're not as keen on...so long as one of the challenges they skip is not the Donkey Kong Arcade game, as you have to beat it a second time for the Nintendo Coin, which is a mandatory item to get to the last Boss Key. Which, while you do need all 8 Boss Keys to open the door to Hideout Helm, said keys also unlock new levels, so you'll naturally collect them as you progress through the game.

Another major plus over B-K is how you can also easily replay all of the bosses and many of the mini-games, without needing to start a new file; so if you're really in the mood to face off against Mad Jack once more, or to play through the DK Arcade game casually to see how high of a score you can rack up, you're free to. In fact, there's even a pair of bonus mini-games exclusively available through this menu; one where you play as Rambi the Rhino and have to defeat as many beavers as possible within a time limit, and one where you play as Engarde the Swordfish, and you have to swim through as many rings as you can within a time limit.

In closing, this game feels underrated; I can understand why some didn't like it, but if you're a fan of Banjo-Kazooie and want something bigger, it's well worth giving a shot.

- Banjo-Tooie (2000)

Rare: Masters of mixing the genres

If I could be honest, this is actually my least favorite Banjo game, excluding the ones on GBA; while there are some aspects I do enjoy, and some things improved upon over the first one, those few parts aren't enough to save this game from its flaws.

The story picks up 2 years after the events of the first game; as Gruntilda's sisters, Blobella and Mingella, arrive to finally help their sister escape from the rock she was trapped under. Although she's just a skeleton animated by her magic, Grunty is ready to seek revenge on Banjo; with plans to use the B.O.B. (~~Battery-Operated Boyfriend~~ Big-O-Blaster) her sisters built in order to restore her life by sucking the life out of everything else. As such, Banjo and Kazooie begin another adventure in order to stop Grunty and save the land...and revive Bottles the Mole; since he got killed at the start.

Off the bat, the stakes in this game are higher, and the world you have to explore is also quite bigger; with more characters and some changes to the game's mechanics (Notes you collect are now yours instead of the "Note Score" setup of the first game, and you have to reunite entire Jinjo families to earn a Jiggy from them). There are also plenty of new moves to learn, which you use the Notes as payment to learn them; including one that allows Banjo and Kazooie to split up and go it solo when it's necessary. One other small tweak is how you get health upgrades; rather than just collecting 6 empty honeycombs, you just collect as many as you can get and go find Honey B., whom will let you trade some of your empty ones for a health bar upgrade.

One of the things introduced in this game I did enjoy were the handful of FPS stages in the game, as pictured above; which I found to be quite fun, and a lot like Goldeneye. Honestly, I kinda wished they had appeared more, but then again, I could just play Goldeneye or Perfect Dark if I really want an FPS with that feel to it. Also, the Kickball mini-game was actually pretty fun, and was well-played in multiplayer matches with my sister.

There were also far more bosses this time around; each world had its own unique boss hidden somewhere, given its own special arena and intro just like in DK64. Which, like that game, you can easily replay those bosses and many of the mini-games at any time, without needing to start a new file. That is something I can always get behind; as some of those are quite fun, and allowing the player an easy way to revisit those parts without needing to start a new file makes having a 100% complete save file worth keeping around.

However, this game's biggest drawback is how it's honestly too big for its own good; for as large as the levels are, they tend to feel very empty, without anything really interesting to do. Which, as far as the challenges, my top issue with the game is how many of the later ones are overly complicated and require traveling between multiple levels just to complete it. Also, many of the new moves you learn aren't even that useful; some feel like they're only used for a couple of Jiggies before being completely forgotten, and are impractical to use for anything else. Lastly, at least on the original N64 version, this game feels a bit sluggish at points; mainly in the bigger areas or when there's a lot happening on screen.

Of all of Rare's N64 games, this is one that I have no desire to play again in full; I do have the Xbox Live Arcade version, and did play that one through to completion, but after that, I can't be bothered to sit through it again, aside from maybe revisiting the mini-games that I liked in the Replay mode. Unlike DK64, I didn't find enough good things in B-T to make me want to revisit it.

- Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001)

What better way to send off a console than by cutting its logo in half with a chainsaw?

Initially announced as Twelve Tales: Conker 64 back in '98, this was to be another kid-friendly platform game that spun-off from Diddy Kong Racing, in vein of Banjo-Kazooie before it...but critics were not too thrilled by the early demo, seeing it as just another "kiddie" game for the N64, and the Game Boy Color spin-off, Conker's Pocket Tales, didn't going over well at all. As such, Rare decided they should go in a different direction with it; making it into a more adult game with a crude sense of humor; retitled Conker's Bad Fur Day. This game was critically successful when it came out, but it didn't sell as well as they hoped...but would earn a cult following years later, which caused its price on the used market to rise.

Story-wise, this one is easily the most "out there" of all of Rare's games on N64; the game starts on the night of Conker's 21st bithday, as he gets piss drunk with his friends at the bar...and the next morning, he has a nasty hangover and just wants to get some sleep, but ends up roped into an adventure where all sorts of strange things happen, and even worse is that the evil Panther King seeks to capture Conker and use him as a support for his broken table. Can Conker avoid being captured, and get back home to get some much-needed rest?

One of the things that stands out immediately is that this is easily the best-looking N64 game ever made; it's absolutely stunning how good it looks, as the graphical performance they managed to squeeze out of the N64 without even using the Expansion Pak is mind-blowing. It also seems to run nicely; there is some slowdown, but it doesn't seem to bog itself down quite as badly as Banjo-Tooie. This is also a rarity for N64 games, in that it features full voice acting, and quite good voice acting at that; every character is full of personality and makes the many, many cut-scenes that much more enjoyable.

Another thing is, compared to how much stuff you had to collect in DK64, and how needlessly complicated Banjo-Tooie was, BFD tones it back quite a bit; the only collectable items in the game are wads of cash (The stand-in for Jiggies). Also, rather than needing to learn a myriad of moves, some of which aren't useful beyond earning a handful of Jiggies, this game instead features a unique "Context Sensitive Button"; where you stand on a platform with a giant B on it, and press the B button on your controller, and Conker will immediately have what he needs for the current situation on-hand, which can be anything from a slingshot to toilet paper, depending on what the situation calls for.

Due to the game having fewer collectables than its predecessors, the game is much more linear than those games; as such, the size of each area feels just right, rather than being as gigantic and empty-feeling as Banjo-Tooie. Also, the loose nature of the plot allows them to do some truly random things during the course of the game; like racing against a bunch of cavemen on hoverboards over a river of lava, or fighting a giant, singing poop monster.

Easily this game's strong suit is its writing; its crude humor is not unlike South Park, and often feels like a self-parody of Rare's previous titles. As someone that grew up on those older games, this game proved to be a hilarious romp from start to finish...and surprisingly difficult at points, too.

Unlike the previous games, this is not one for kids; in fact, the game's box makes sure you know this is not for children, with the back stating "Unless you're a fan of violence, foul language, and racy innuendo, you'd best steer clear of this one". Given how many kids back then, such as myself, would recognize Conker from that Racing game that Diddy Kong was also in, it was a good call to make sure people knew that this was not another Banjo-Kazooie. In fact, Nintendo Power didn't even acknowledge this game when it came out; putting a greater emphasis on the other big N64 game from that timeframe: Paper Mario.

The only downfall to this game is just how fragile Conker himself is; fall damage has always been a thing in 3D platform games, but it feels like Conker gets hurt from falls that would have been nothing to a certain honey bear. Also, the game is incredibly unforgiving in the underwater segments; where if you run out of air, you die within 5 seconds on a full health bar (B-K being a bit more forgiving, and DK64 scrapping that entirely by letting you stay underwater as long as nessesary).

Honestly, I can see why people love this game so much; it is easily one of the best N64 games, and one I regret not buying when I could still find it under $10. As it stands, paying for the N64 version is still cheaper than buying an Xbox One just for Rare Replay, just to play this game properly, so there's always that...when I have the disposable income to do that, at least.

Chocofreak13 · March 10, 2016, 10:33:19 PM

Conker looks much more interesting than I first thought. Maybe it IS worth a look.....

Also, agreed on DK64; the sheer expanse at times made it a bit of an overwhelming game to play (even now) especially when they don't explain the significance of the collectibles very well (what did the banana medals do again? how necessary are the crystal coconut powers, even if they're cool? is the Banana Fairy thing SUUUUPER-necessary?). it was totally worth it, though, if only for all the little hidden bits and interesting layouts. Frantic Factory may creep me out but it's a beautifully designed level. :0

Stardew Valley is Love
STARDEW VALLEY IS LIFE

I'm a Mystical Goth Lesbian Now~

Nichi · March 11, 2016, 12:05:56 AM

To break down what everything is for, from direct experience completing DK64 to 101%

DK64 collectibles: Show

Chocofreak13 · March 11, 2016, 12:25:31 AM

Cool to know. :0 Stardew Valley is Love, Stardew Valley is Life~*

Nichi · March 15, 2016, 01:57:44 AM

You know, as I wait for my laundry to finish, so I can go to bed, I find myself thinking back on old game rumors I used to hear about as a kid, and decided to talk about a few of them; ignoring some of the super-obvious ones like Luigi in Super Mario 64.

- Super Smash Bros.: Play as Wario
I remember seeing many rumors for the first SSB back in the day, many of which revolved around completing some challenge as Jigglypuff, but the one that sticks out in my mind to this day was one that claimed to be a secret way to unlock Wario. To do this, you had to play through 1P Mode as Mario in his yellow color scheme, on Very Hard mode, and earning the "Speed Demon" point bonus at the end (Which means beating the game in under 8 minutes); upon completing this task, Mario will transform into Wario whenever you use the yellow costume. Obviously, this was not true; when I was at my peak in SSB, I did give this an honest attempt just for laughs, but while I can say I did beat Very Hard in under 8 minutes, I did not unlock Wario...but he would become a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and at the very least, Wario makes more sense to be a hidden character than Goku or that weird anthro lion that my younger cousin insisted was in SSBM, that was either named "Fat X" or "FedEx".

- Diddy Kong Racing: "A strange ending"
This one I saw pop up a handful of times, and these days, info on this is very scarce, but there was a rumor that beating DKR would result in a "strange ending" in which, after defeating Wizpig, Diddy and friends are seen eating bacon for breakfast. It's not specified in what way you go about beating it; do you have to do the Trophy Race in Future Fun Land, or do you have to beat it on Adventure Two? I've done all of those, due to my love of this game, and sadly, no secret bacon ending...although, given how Wizpig is, of course, a pig, the implications of this fake ending is kinda dark, and feels more like the sort of thing you'd see when Conker had his bad fur day a few years later.

- Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Obtain the Triforce
Ok, remember how I said I was going to skip the ones that were well-known? Well, I wanted to bring this one up, as unlike Luigi in SM64, this urban legend lead to one person coming forward about obtaining it, with seemingly solid evidence to back their claims. They had a rather detailed set of steps you had to complete, that wasn't anything too bizarre or impossible, in order for the owl to show up and teach you a new song, which will take you to a special temple, in which you will receive the Triforce. Not only that, but you also had some very convincing photographic evidence backing this story; which made waves through the Zelda fan community back in the day, that this one mysterious person has made the greatest discovery since the Chris Houlihan Room in A Link to the Past.

However, other people began to attempt this, and found they were not able to recreate what this person spoke of, which created doubts...when someone with a keen eye noticed a small but critical flaw in one of these images, in that Link is holding his sword in his right hand, rather than his left (He's left-handed in most Zelda games, barring Skyward Sword). As soon as that was discovered, this person's story began to crumble; everyone began to realize it was all a sham, and their trust in this person had been broken...all the while, that person took the route of damage control; as they continued to insist that people are just hating because they didn't find it first, and they felt that, direct quote: "Nintendo should give me a free copy of Zelda Gaiden" (That being the working title of Majora's Mask, for the curious). Said person ultimately vanished, and this story ultimately faded into the memories of long-time Zelda fans.

Games General

LeaflameSD

Goujer (she/her)

LeaflameSD

Pitkin