cr1s

#380 - Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash MARVELOUS! Obtained all trophies. Difficulty: 3/10 Enjoyment: 6/10 Senran Kagura with swimsuits and water guns. Sounds like a lot of fun, right? Well, I'll be honest: I didn't find this game to be that marvelous. The most fun I had was playing the V Road Challenge and experiencing the Dressing Room (with the PSVR ). I have mixed feelings regarding the game otherwise. On the one hand, turning Senran Kagura into a third-person shooter is an interesting concept, but on the other, it's missing some of the excitement of a game like Estival Versus. Granted, they're not comparable due to them pertaining to different genres, but that's how I feel about it. I think PBS works much better as a multiplayer game because it's just so much fun seeing all the wet chaos between two teams unfold and participating in it. I didn't enjoy the main story this time. It's lacking in substance, with two arcs even featuring the same story, just with a very slight difference. A couple of other things keep the game from being more fun as well: The lack of variety when it comes to the melee attacks. I get it, they wanted to distance themselves from that aspect of the series, but still... All the guns feeling the exact same because... well, they're water guns. It doesn't matter whether you choose the Gatling Gun or the Handgun or the Shower Gun, you won't feel any difference. The plot, on the other hand... oh boy, if you're a fan of plot then you're gonna love this one. The Dressing Room now comes with a twist: you can do a lot of things to the girls in Intimacy mode. I won't say what exactly, you'll have to experience that on your own. And of course, they seized this opportunity to add VR support to that mode. Not to mention the Squirmy Finishes, although I miss seeing the girls' clothes get torn apart like in Estival Versus. Final Verdict: I think PBS is an okay game. It's nice to see developers use spin-offs as an opportunity to try out something new, but while PBS has a nice concept, it just doesn't translate that well to me. And now, for the platinum screenshot. Boy, do I have a very juicy one for you this time :

Weekly Update #12 (September 10-16): Holy fuck, is this Senran Kagura Appreciation Week or what? ... *looks around* Wait, are we live already? *upupu* Oh... *grumbles* Of course Monokuma went live right before I said that. *clears throat* Hello everyone, and welcome to another weekly update! It's that time of the week where I look back on it and see what plot was uncovered, so let's get right on it! Overview: Well, this was an eventful week, to say the least. My eyes gazed upon: Another unhealthy dose of , and A small taste of And Max Payne 3, but who the hell cares about that game? Pfft. I know, I know... You want more, don't you? Well then, let's go into the juicy details! Progress Update: Got the Senran Kagura Estival Versus (Vita) platinum on Thursday and the Senran Kagura Estival Versus (PS4) platinum on Friday. Double the stack, double the plot! Thoughts on the game and its trophies here: Started Max Payne 3 on Saturday and got most of its online multiplayer trophies done. Some of the rest will require a bit of grinding, but they shouldn't be too bad. But yeah, that's another potential sub-1% platinum started. We'll see how this one goes. Started Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash on Saturday and got the main story done so far. Will I get the platinum before the summer's over (i.e. by Thursday)? Stay tuned to find out! The good news is that I have Thursday off from work, so this plan will hopefully work in my favor. Plans For Next Week: Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash (for real this time) Get most of the remaining online multiplayer trophies in Max Payne 3 Seriously, I should go back to StarBlood Arena. Maybe... eventually... End of Summer 2018 and beginning of Fall 2018, so there will be a small recap of this season, as well as an overview of the next season! That's it for- Wait... Hey, Monokuma, is there something you wanna say first? What the hell? Of course I want some! Pretty please, with some cherries on top and a bit of whipped cream? *disappears* Why, you little... ;-; *sigh* That's all, folks! See you next Sunday for another weekly update!

#378 and 379 - Senran Kagura Estival Versus (Vita and PS4 respectively) How I Spent My Summer Vacation Obtained all trophies. Difficulty: 2.5/10 Enjoyment: 7.5/10 No, that's not how I spent my summer "vacation". Not all of it anyway. I know what you're thinking right now... "you played this game because of the fan service". And while that's true, I'm also glad there's more to it than that. This game is pure, mindless hack-and-slash fun with a decent story that occasionally tries too hard to be thought-provoking when it doesn't have to and a whole lot of "plot". But seriously, fan service aside, even without the story and light-hearted moments it would've still been a good hack-and-slash game. Even though you're limited to a few attacks per character, there's still a neat variety of combos to perform, and some characters have awesome "super attacks" (I didn't pay attention to what they're called... ). Additionally, the Creative Finishers definitely live up to their name. It's pretty clear that the developers had a lot of fun making this game (or any other game in this series for that matter), and I sure had a lot of fun playing it. That said, the fun factor does wear out after a while, particularly after you finish the main story since the side missions don't add anything of value IMO and many of them feel like filler. The platinum is pretty easy as you can play on the easiest difficulty. This also means that you can just spam the same attack over and over, but where's the fun in that when there's a lot more to experience? The trophy list is a mixture of story-related trophies, collectible-related trophies, combat-related trophies, and a few miscellaneous trophies. The game features online multiplayer, but there are no trophies attached to it. It took me 30 hours to platinum according to my save file (I admittedly did skip most of the side missions' cutscenes), so it's not really grindy either. And it's not that other grindy either. Platinum Screenshots:

The local co-op trophy is very doable on your own with 2 controllers. Here's how I did it in case you or anyone else is struggling: I've also included tips in my video descriptions that further detail my general strategy. Also, there's an exploit for this trophy that still works as of the latest patch: If either player dies, repeatedly dying until you get a game over and then continuing this way DOES NOT void the trophy, and it works for each level. Commando Mode was by far the hardest mode to me. I tried to do it solo, but got nowhere after hours of trying, so I opted to do it in co-op. It was definitely easier, but that was after having to deal with a few people who didn't know what they were doing and wouldn't follow simple instructions to make things easier before finally finding someone who was fully cooperative. The rest (except for the XP grind, which I just boosted) was a good and fun challenge that I enjoyed doing solo.

#377 - Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (PS4) Desperately Seeking Dingo Collect all trophies Difficulty: 2.5/10 Enjoyment: 8.5/10 (PS3), 9/10 (PS4) Another one of my favorite games. Initially released back in 2003 on the PS2, this game was ported to the PS3 as part of the HD collection in 2012, and here it is now, as a remaster on the PS4. In the second main game of the Zone of the Enders series, you play as Dingo Egret, your everyday miner who discovers Jehuty, which is an Orbital Frame that's vital to the success of the antagonist's plans. Dingo is the dismissive, indifferent, "fuck-everything-I-just-want-my-revenge" kind of character. Many people will find him annoying, but he didn't really bother me. That's not to say I liked his personality, though. I guess I'm kinda "meh" when it comes to him. You will be accompanied by ADA, Jehuty's A.I., throughout your journey to redemption. ADA will interact with you quite often, mostly providing you with intel and occasionally humoring you. Despite the lack of Japanese VA, I actually found the English VA to be decent (especially ADA's, which is spot on), although I admit that it would've been nicer to have Japanese VA as it would've added some more emotion to the story (only if done well, obviously). The story itself is pretty good while it lasts. Yes, the game is very short, but it's a "short but sweet" kind of game that does have some replay value outside of the story thanks to Versus Mode and the Extra Missions.The highlight of this game is definitely its gameplay. Jehuty initially starts off as a standard mecha that's only capable of participating in melee combat and launching missiles, but will gradually gain access to a variety of sub-weapons, mostly after each boss fight, but also in a few other situations. My favorite subweapons are: Gauntlet, which pushes back enemies and breaks their guard; Halberd, a laser-based weapon that can deal a lot of damage when used right; Vector Cannon (even if it takes a lot of time to set up), which transforms Jehuty into a deadly weapon that can deal a huge amount of damage; Homing Missiles, which allow you to damage many enemies at once; and Zero Shift, which allows you to teleport right in front of an enemy for a surprise attack. The game features a variety of mecha enemies with a slight emphasis on animals, such as spiders, leopards, and jackals, each with their own behavior. This allows for a lot of possible combinations when fighting enemies both at close-range and long-range. This is especially needed on higher difficulties, as while you can just hack-and-slash enemies to your heart's content on easier difficulties (which is gratifying and a lot of fun), higher difficulties will require you to plan your moves according to the situation at hand and use most of the subweapons at your disposal. In addition to that, ADA, the awesome soundtrack, and the sublime graphics all complement the gameplay and combine to craft a seamless and unforgettable action-packed experience.Contrary to the ZoE HD collection launch fiasco, the remaster does the game justice as it is. No framerate issues, a higher resolution, enhanced graphics and, easily the best part of this remaster: VR support. Using the PSVR, you can choose to play the entire game in either TPS Mode or Cockpit Mode. TPS Mode is pretty much the same as playing the game without the PSVR, but Cockpit Mode is truly something else. As its name implies, the camera is switched to a first-person view inside the cockpit. The entire HUD is re-arranged to accommodate this change, and everything is now displayed in the cockpit and integrates very well with it and, most importantly, it doesn't feel crammed, nor does it obstruct your view. Your mecha is displayed just above the controls on the right of the screen and whatever action you do is shown there as well. A pretty cool effect, if you ask me. Your "health" is displayed just below it, but you don't even need to look at it as your cockpit will change color depending on it, i.e. from green to yellow to red. And so on and so forth. It's the small things like these that add to the worthwhile VR experience, and I'm glad Konami thought of adding VR support to this already great game. I just wish your character's arms weren't static all the time and would move accordingly, but maybe I'm asking for too much. The platinum trophy is now even easier than the PS3 version's due to the addition of the "Very Easy" difficulty. While regular enemies are easily defeated and barely damage you, bosses will still deal quite a bit of damage, so you still gotta watch out for those. But yeah, the two rescue missions are now overall easier, and I even cleared the Zoradius minigame on my first try this time. Final Verdict: Truly a unique game and an improvement over its predecessor in every department. Well, maybe not length, but it doesn't matter - I still think this is the better game out of the two. And for the record, I don't think the first game is bad - far from it. It's just that when I think "High Speed Robot Action", this game immediately comes to my mind as, unlike the first game, this one actually lives up to that description of the series. So yeah, I'd still recommend the HD collection on PS3 if you're new to the series. If you end up liking the first game more, then more power to you and all that jazz. But if you don't end up liking the first game, don't let that deter you from playing the second game as it runs, plays, and feels different. The good news is that, while the second game is a sequel, playing the first game beforehand is not necessary to understand what's going on and you won't feel lost if you only play the second one. In any case, this is one of those must-play games to me. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for not butchering the remaster, Konami.

Weekly Update #11 (September 3-9): Hello and welcome to another weekly update featuring your host Monokuma @cr1s! Overview: Let's see... This week featured: A bit of , Seriously, how the hell did this even happen? A healthy dose of , *shakes head* And a whole lot of But I know how much you all love details, so let's get down to it! Progress Update: Got the F1 2011 (Vita) platinum on Tuesday. Thoughts on the game and its trophies here: Started Senran Kagura Estival Versus (Vita) on Tuesday. I'm not rushing it as the story is somewhat decent (albeit goofy), and I'm glad there's more to it than blatant fan service. The gameplay is pure fun, even if the level design is repetitive. I've just reached the end of Day Five in Shinobi Girls' Code (aka the story mode). I think I'll get the platinum on Tuesday given that I have that day off from work. And yes, I'll be stacking the PS4 version when I'm done with the Vita version. That one should only take a few hours since most of the trophies can be quickly obtained thanks to the cross-save feature, so I'll just think of it as a "quickie". Started Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (PS4) on Friday and got its platinum on Saturday. Thoughts on the game and its trophies here: Added a new Level Milestone: PSN Level 63! Added the following games to my backlog: Code: Realize ~ Bouquet of Rainbows and Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash. Bouquet of Rainbows is a PS4 bundle that features the 2 Code: Realize VNs that have been localized so far: Guardian of Rebirth and Future Blessings. I loved Guardian of Rebirth and definitely wouldn't mind going through it again, while I hope that Future Blessings will also be as great. In any case, this bundle will be worth it for Guardian of Rebirth at least. And I got Peach Beach Splash for more of that Senran Kagura goodness. Plans For Next Week: Senran Kagura Estival Versus x2 Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash Go back to StarBlood Arena and get some more trophies in it. Watch The Predator when it releases on Thursday here. Wait, what is this doing in my trophy checklist? Dammit Monokuma, stop leaking my other plans! That's it for this week, folks! Stay tuned for another weekly upda- NOW, WAIT A MINUTE! Huh? *raises eyebrow* Whoa. Calm down, Monokuma! It's just a typo. It happens to everyone! Unless it was a deliberate way to provoke you. If that's the case... Nice job, Felicia! What? No, it wasn't! Will you stop hijacking my trophy checklist already? @_@ *disappears* *sigh* Sorry about that, @Honor_Hand (and everyone else). As you may have noticed, Monokuma likes to intervene at the most inopportune moments. >_> Don't listen to anything he says because *whispers* he's just messing with your mind. Also: That's pretty much how it went down: And the rest, as they say, is history. That's also true when it comes to Japanese games in general. Yeah, I used to be one of "those" people, but that prejudice and these misconceptions? It's all in the past now. Welp, that's it for this weekly update. See you next Sunday, everyone!

For those who are wondering about the PS4 version: yes, everything is pretty much the same, so existing trophy guides can be used throughout your platinum run. There are only a couple of things to note: With the addition of the "Very Easy" difficulty, the platinum trophy is now even easier (I'm not sure about the Zoradius minigame, though - I got that done on my first try this time, but I'm not sure if it's actually easier or not ). You'll still need to memorize enemy spawn points and perform well during the two rescue missions (especially if you're going for their SS rank during your first playthrough), but they're overall easier on that difficulty. The in-game "Clear Save" is no more. Once you finish your first playthrough, just start a new game and you'll be able to select which Jehuty to use and whether to enable subweapons. The remaining EX-Mission and VR Icons will appear at their respective spots. No, just English audio. A bit of a shame as I would've loved to have Japanese audio, but oh well. That said, I found the voice acting to be quite decent.

#376 - F1 2011 (Vita) COMPLETE CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING F1 2011 DIFFICULTY: 4/10 ENJOYMENT: 7/10 Not much to say this time. This game was nice enough for a change, although I'd say I prefer MotoGP slightly more when it comes to motorsports games (even though they're not entirely comparable). The Vita version is pretty good, runs well, and has okay graphics, although it sounds a bit off at times in the audio department. Still, kudos to Sumo Digital and Codemasters for putting some effort into it. The Time Trials were my favorite aspect of the game. As I've implied in my above spoiler, most of them are easy to get a gold medal on, but some have very little room for error and will have you trying out various vehicle settings until you find one you're comfortable with. PLATINUM SCREENSHOT: WHY ARE THE TROPHIES YELLING AT ME? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? I BLAME ROB AND HIS SHENANIGANS.

Yeah, a gaming journal would probably be your best bet if you don't feel like spending a lot of time on making and updating a trophy checklist. And it's something I'd definitely be interested in checking out. Let me know how that goes!

Thanks! Yeah, it took a lot of time to write down (especially the backlog parts ), but it was worth it as I'm pleased with the end result (especially now ). The "hard" part is done and I only have to update it weekly/monthly now. Still though, I think you should make one, even if it tak- *looks at your number of played games* Never mind that! But eh, you could make a smaller one and just include anything but your backlog in it. Like your platinums (considering you have less than 100, it'd be manageable - unlike me... no way in hell I'd take the extra time to write down all of mine ), milestones, game series you wanna complete, goals, etc. Things like that. Just personalize it as you see fit. Although if you don't feel like- There you have it. I knew he'd show up eventually. Monokuma's reaction does NOT reflect my own. Not one bit. I tried to play Shinovi Versus on the PC a while ago, but I didn't like the controls there so I stopped shortly after the tutorials. Unfortunately, I can't get it on the Vita due to it not being available in my local PlayStation Store and getting it otherwise being extremely hard where I'm at. I think I'll enjoy Estival Versus on the Vita, though. I sure hope you're still working on Bon Appetit as your 69th platinum you