Games General

[LeaflameSD]

yooka-laylee is underwhelming
trust me, i put that shizz down after two hours of play
just doesn't have the charm of its forefathers

[Nichi]

I've heard mixed reviews on it, so I'll probably wait and see if I can find it on sale later on; I'm not really willing to pay full price for it, but I would still like to give it a shot.

I'll admit, I'm more excited for A Hat in Time, which is of a similar concept (Reviving N64-era 3D platform games), but the Kickstarter felt more promising; while Yooka-Laylee only had concept art and seemed to be selling itself mostly on the fact that it's "from the creators of Banjo-Kazooie", A Hat in Time had a functional prototype showing the first level, giving you an idea of what they want to accomplish. Also, I'm listed in the game's credits because I backed them during their Kickstarter campaign, which totally doesn't have any influence on me saying this >w>;

As far as PS4 games I want to play, I have since learned it has a selection of Touhou spin-offs, which have me interested
(Also, there's Disgaea 5...but I'm wrapped up in 2, and don't want to get distracted by another game in the series ^^; )

[LeaflameSD]

ffxv is a great arpg

[Goujer (she/her)]

I want to try Final Backstreet Boys XV but I'm trying to save money for a road trip I have coming up.

I keep forgetting about A Hat in Time until you mention it again. While there is nothing I hate more then characters in a top hat the gameplay looks really solid and I do have high hopes for it as from what I can tell Yooka-Laylee seemed to miss a lot of the points people liked about the old Rare games. I also hear it has co-op maybe I should get it too.

So if Steam is telling me this right, I've put 172.9 hours into the God Eater series 51.5 of which has been in the past two weeks. I'm not much of one to review a game but this game has a big enough spot in my heart that now I have to.

Imagine Monster Hunter but you made it anime, then removed all of the dumb boring stuff. Play as your RWBY OC as you fight a bunch of Things from the movie The Thing with transforming hybrid weapons that take advantage of both elemental weaknesses and damage type weaknesses. The game sets you up in a post apocalyptic world where special oracle cells are replicating and making weird mutant animals that eat everything they touch through there skin. You play as the new monster kill man called a God Eater, with your RWBY weapon called a God Arc you set of to kill them all and only that. Unlike Monster Hunter where you have to chase things around, carve, gather eggs and other BS all you do in God Eater is kill and kill with a little bit of killing in there.

The characters make the game feel the most anime as most of the woman seem eager to bare their chests to the world but if you can look past the slutty outfits many of the characters have pretty deep personalities that even show up in their in-game AIs. The story can be predictable and seems to very cookie cutter anime, but the lore is much more interesting in how these creatures came to be, how humans have survived, what f*cked up sh*t happens to the denizens of this world, why do these monsters/Aragami want us dead? Even if that isn't your cup of tea all the cut scenes are skippable.

I give it a solid 4 out of 5, I plan to keep playing it for a while and there is co-op but I would wait until a sale as it is definitely not worth $50

[Nichi]

Sounds pretty cool :3

So, I picked up Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy recently, and it's honestly been one of the best purchases I've made for my PS4 so far.

Coming directly from the original PS1 version of the first game (Which I did a playthrough of shortly before buying my PS4), the leap in graphical quality is mind-bending; it feels like you're playing a Pixar movie with how detailed everything is, while maintaining the simple charm of the original PS1 versions (The game is compatible with the PS4 Pro, allowing it to run at 4K, or "Fur-K", as they call it in the commercials). The sound is also quite good; with the music and sounds being updated (Still keeping the feel of the original, but being clearer), and the only thing that took some getting used to was how they used a different voice cast from the original PS1 versions (I think I saw someone say it's the same crew that did the voices in Crash Nitro Kart, which I haven't played in years).

Gameplay wise, it's exactly what you'd expect; it's Crash Bandicoot. I finished the first game on it, so here are some of my thoughts:

First off, let me just say that having analog controls at last is a godsend, especially for the boulder chase levels, with the game still offering digital controls via the D-pad, for the levels where that's better suited. Also, they finally updated the save system; rather than before, where you had to find the 3 Tawna tokens and then make it through a bonus stage just to save your progress, now you can save at any time between levels, just like the sequels (Speaking of the bonus stages, if you fail one, you can immediately retry it until you get it right, just like the later games). The game also implements the "dynamic difficulty adjustment" system from the later two, as well; making the game a little more bearable. Also, now if you're going for a level's clear Gem, and you die after a checkpoint, you can keep going and still earn it, like the later games.

However, even with those conveniences, it's no cakewalk; it's still considered the hardest of the trilogy, and was often a very frustrating experience. While you can die mid-level and still get the clear Gem, this does not apply if you're going for a colored Gem; where it still requires you to make a perfect run through a level (All boxes destroyed without dying), as informed to you via the hints on the loading screens. The physics are different enough to throw off veteran players, too; I adjusted to it as the game went on, but there were a few areas where I misjudged a jump based off of my experience with the PS1 version. For those that are truly hardcore and need to go that one step beyond for completing the game, they also include time trials and Relics, like in Crash 3; they're not required here, but exist for those seeking an extra challenge.

Also, for those familiar with the Let's Play community for the original PS1 game or whom lurk The Cutting Room Floor Wiki, you might be aware of a lost level known as Stormy Ascent; a sadistic level that Naughty Dog scrapped because it was deemed "too difficult", that can only be accessed via Gameshark codes. For the remake, Vicarious Visions (The developer of the remake) brought this level back as DLC, just as brutal as before,
with an official trailer that sets the tone. The level features its own Gem and Relic; while I was persistent enough to get the former, I'm not enough of a masochist to try getting the latter. If you think you're good at Crash, give this level a shot.

One last thing to mention is that the game has fairly long load times. Nowhere near as bad as the original PS2 edition of the oft-hated Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, but still noticeable, and feeling slightly longer than the PS1 editions (Like, maybe a second or two longer). At the very least, the load screens will give you hints for the level you're about to play; early levels informing you of game basics, while later ones give you a clue on how to uncover a secret.

I'll share my thoughts on the 2nd game after I finish it.

[LeaflameSD]

i want the new crash really badly
also the ps4 pro can run very few games at native 4k without resorting to tricks like checkerboarding, or dynamic res
you'd really just be getting it for better performance

[Nichi]

Noted. I just have an original model PS4, since it was the cheapest option (The Pro felt excessive, and the Slim was just out of my price range)

EDIT:
So, since I just finished Crash 2 (Although I need a few more Gems to get 100%), I decided to continue my review of the N. Sane Trilogy.

Gameplay wise, the physics feel different; for me, it's not as night-and-day as it was with the first game in the collection versus the PS1 original, but it's enough that it threw me off when I jumped in the first time, with the ice levels being the biggest pain. It's also been a very long time since I did a 100% run of this game on PS1, so details on some of the later levels are a bit hazy, although I was surprised just how many secrets I still remembered clearly (Like one where you'll need to jump onto something you normally want to stay as far away from as possible). Also, the Nitro crates can bounce higher than before; sometimes, this throws me off as sometimes it'll catch me mid-jump.

The game is generally easier than the first, but I did struggle a bit with some levels in the 4th Warp Room; mainly, Diggin' It and Bee-Having, as trying to get the Gems on those levels was a hassle, and I kept burning through my lives (Granted, the game isn't quite as generous with lives as its predecessor)

Relics are also in this game, still an optional side-challenge...but most levels, you'll be lucky if you can get the Sapphire Relic; you don't stand a chance at a Gold until you beat Cortex at the end of the game, which grants you the Running Shoes from Crash 3. I only just beat Cortex, but I plan to try this out and see how many Relics I can get, given that this was my favorite of the trilogy.

One of the biggest changes over the original is that the box counter has been modified; it doesn't just keep tally of the boxes you destroyed, but also shows you how many are in the level, much like Crash 3, which is a nice addition.

Which, I dusted off my PS2 and loaded up my original copy of the 2nd game, to do some comparisons, and noticed a few other changes; one of which is actually quite nice, in that a completed Bonus Stage counts as a checkpoint on the PS4 version, so if I accidentally die, I'm not put back as far as I was on PS1.

There's also a few cut-scenes missing, and some with minor changes (Some bits of Cortex's dialog is obscured due to "poor reception" for the hologram, which masked over info that only applied for the PS1 version).

I'll continue this after I complete Crash 3; which, considering I never got around to finishing the original version, this will be my first time.

[Nichi]

Pardon the double post, but here's my thoughts on Crash 3, after beating Cortex (Although, I skipped a lot; I basically sprinted to the ending, and then I can slowly chip away at 100%).

Of the original trilogy, Crash 3 is the only one I never finished on PS1; in my original playthrough, from about 7 years ago, I got so caught up in trying to get 100%, that I ultimately got burned out on the game with only a few Crystals left before the final boss. Thus, this is my first complete playthrough of the game. In terms of difficulty, it generally feels easier than 1 or 2, although there are some infuriating parts of it, and from what I recall, a the secret levels were tough.

Gameplay wise, they mix things up by having Crash obtain new power-ups each time he defeats a boss; coming directly off from Crash 2, you can immediately feel the difference each one brings. Perhaps, the most gimmicky one is the bazooka (Sometimes called the "Wumpa Launcher"); which you can whip out when standing still to shoot enemies and boxes from afar, which can make some tricky spots seem trivial, especially when you can destroy a Nitro crate from a safe distance.

Perhaps, my least favorite aspect of the game is the motorcycle levels; they're honestly more of a pain than they're worth, as I tried seemingly a hundred times to get the Crystal for Road Crash before I finally succeeded, given how small the margin of error is during the final quarter of the track. Surprisingly, the last of these, Orange Asphalt, wasn't as hard in my opinion. Meanwhile, surprisingly, I did enjoy the jetski levels, in much the same way as the jetpack levels of the 2nd game; generally, if you take your time, you can get through without many problems.

The final boss fight with Cortex, while cool from a visual standpoint (With Aku Aku and Uka Uka dueling as you take on Cortex), was kinda underwhelming; I was expecting something a little more grand for the end of the trilogy...but then again, I've yet to get 100%, so perhaps there's a secret boss I don't know about, tied in with the best ending? (I know I could just spoil it, but I think the mystery is part of the draw to getting there).

All things considered, Crash 3 is good, but I still prefer 2 as far as the original trilogy goes. I'll likely attempt to go for 100% later on, and if there's anything truly notable, I'll report back.

[Hālian He/him]

Because we should always have a general thread for video games.
I just got a PS4 as a late birthday gift from my sister; now open to game recommendations.

[Goujer (she/her)]

Cyberpunk 2077 is fun AF

[Nichi]

I've heard good things about it, especially after they ironed out the bugs from its very rocky launch.

Earlier this year, I did finally beat a Touhou game; specifically, the 7th game (Perfect Cherry Blossom), on normal difficulty as Reimu. I did use continues, so I ended up with the bad ending, but the fact I pulled it off felt good.

[Goujer (she/her)]

Satisfactory is now out and man does it scratch all sorts of itches.
I wish it was my real job to build factory supply chains.

[Hālian He/him]

My most recent games that I've enjoyed are Palworld and Balatro.