Popular Post rjkclarke Posted May 2, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 2, 2022 (edited) Oh crap - I left it a heck of a long time between posting again.... Plenty of it I'm not going to bore you with, other parts are Snooker related and the other is review related, as I've gone back and forth on my NieR: Replicant review for an obnoxiously long time. I've just read it back and I think I'm happy enough to post it, so I'll do so after I've written this reply. Be forewarned though it is a pretty long one, and I still don't think I really said all that I wanted to say either. On 26/04/2022 at 1:56 AM, FreshFromThaDeli said: Sheesh! 59 games in common. Ok, I was mistaken I aways forget about that compare feature on this site. I should really get to using it. Driveclub and it's exorbitant amount of DLC's are probably the least exciting thing to wrote about it I would assume. The game is brilliant but the abundance of DLC and the difficulty spikes are just a concoction of terror for me. Having recently played it to 100% completion, I needed a break and only a few weeks later I summoned the courage to take on Driveclub Bikes. Very easy compared to Driveclub base game and it's DLC's might I add. I can't get any more than 60% thanks to the DLC being removed from the PSN but I'll take the 60% complete with 1 DLC completed to 25% with no DLC completed on Driveclub. Seriously, that was a shocking % for a game that has been Platinumed! It's more than you think isn't it ?...... I barely use that compare feature either to be honest, but when you said we didn't probably have many games in common I just had to know haha ? I'm planning to play Resident Evil 4 soon (for trophies, I've played it loads) as I've recently discovered it is one of your favourite games I'm tempted to throw a little tag your way when I write the review about it, but I might spare your poor eyes and not do that. I think when it comes to reviewing Driveclub I'm just going to abandon my usual DLC policy (which is to review every bit of DLC with trophies) and just review the game as a whole. It's been a good few years and remembering every little detail would be impossible, it wouldn't be fun to write as you say, and I sure don't think it'd be fun to read either. It'd be fun to talk about some of the ones with the mad weather effects in though, those ones were super memorable. I'm glad you enjoyed Driveclub too.... @Destructor-8 practically said everything I would have said about the game in his reply to you, but yeah we're all in agreement on that one, hell of a game! I think it might be my favourite racer I've played for the PS4. Gutted for you that you can't get that last 40% on Driveclub Bikes though, it's a shame they got delisted. On 26/04/2022 at 1:16 PM, Destructor-8 said: Oh wow! Congrats! I mentioned it before but this part of the forums is my favourite & your thread here was one of the main reasons why I eventually got around to making mine too. I met so many good people on here & I'm really glad to see everyone get involved in some cool discussions about various things. It's amazing how much easier things can be when others think in similar ways. You have a great thread here so happy to see it keep going. Thanks so much man! I'm so glad you did end up making your own one too! That was an awesome decision. It's definitely my favourite part of the forums too - there's pretty much no toxicity here, not any that I've seen anyway. So as you rightly say it's great to see everyone get involved in plenty of discussions whether in this thread, your thread or any other one it's usually always interesting to read. I'll keep it going for as long as I can, I certainly don't plan to stop anytime soon, I might have to take the odd enforced break here and there if everything gets a bit hectic in all aspects of life, but I'll try and keep it going. On 26/04/2022 at 1:27 PM, The_Kopite said: Yes it is! Couldn't believe it when my wife showed me that, brought back more times than Family Guy! (I'm sure there is a good pun that could have been used here instead but there you go lol) Going with optimism again with the new Futurama eps, hoping they'll be great. Ah, Puyo Puyo Champions, nice! Yes I'm sure you will get the platinum in no time on that. I will expect that to go to 100% platinum in no time at all if you really get into it. It is mad isn't it. It's what the third time it's being brought back now.. I'm sure if it gets cancelled again it'll come back once we're all heads in jars. I did hear John Dimaggio might not be coming back though, so that might be quite the loss. I hope they're good too though. Yes! I'm looking forward to Puyo Puyo Champions although I don't think I'll platinum it quickly, who knows. I've not really played any games the last couple of days, what limited time I've had I've been watching Snooker or writing, but hopefully I can get and do some gaming next week. Get back on the horse so to speak haha? On 26/04/2022 at 1:27 PM, The_Kopite said: You're right about SE, did you see the new statue they are releasing of Terra on Magitek Armour next year? It's around £9000. Yikes! Yeah........ I did, that is pretty obscene..... SO when did you order one Mr Collector? On 26/04/2022 at 1:27 PM, The_Kopite said: FFVIII is a great soundtrack. Not my favourite FF soundtrack but still great. Force Your Way and Ride On are pretty epic! Wow, you have a 2008 iPod?! Aren't they worth loads nowadays? It isn't my favourite one either, that's probably IX, or maybe X. I'm not actually sure now....... But yes, I do have an iPod Classic still. Although if you're familiar with the Triggers Broom gag from Only Fools and Horses my iPod is a little like that, in that I don't know how many parts are actually it's original ones anymore ? Frankenstein's iPod if you will haha. I don't know if they're worth money though. I really like the fact you can put so much music on them, so I've never felt the need to just use my phone as a music player. On 26/04/2022 at 1:27 PM, The_Kopite said: That sounds fair. I'm sure my wife would have Heavy Rain at the top of her list of those games too (neither of us have played Fahrenheit of course) and Heavy Rain was great. I wish all these games would get rid of their stiff controls, especially for the walking. Oh yeah! Those stiff controls are a really good point actually - because weirdly, in some ways Farenheit feels less clunky to control than the other games do. It's like in the latest ones they have to be in the most specific spot to interact with some of the hotspots the game wants you to interact with. Good spot that, because I'd forgotten how rigid some of the walking animations actually feel in those games. On 26/04/2022 at 1:27 PM, The_Kopite said: Well I've just moved over Days Gone from the PS4 to the PS5 as I heard it's massively improved and performs way better in pretty much every way, including the loading times being cut considerably so figured it was worth it. The room on the SSD gets used up pretty quickly so glad we have a 1TB SSD expansion too lol EDIT - Congratulations on the anniversary and 1000 posts in your awesome thread! Told you that noone would think that you were being self-indulgent with your post. Here's to the next 1000! Thanks, so much dude! You did tell me that, but as I spend much of my time doubting myself, I was always going to have to have a few people probably nudge me in the right direction to actually do it! I still think it's mental that it got to the 1000th post one year to the day that the thread started too. I could never have expected that, but it's still kind of cool I guess in a way. You know - I deliberately put off playing Days Gone for that exact reason that I'd heard it plays so much better on PS5, like drastically better. I know quite a few people who have got pretty broad opinions on that game. Some really love it, and others are pretty indifferent to it, or hate it. But there's enough intrigue there for me that I want to find out what the deal is at some point myself. Sounds like that SSD Expansion is going to rather come in handy. On 01/05/2022 at 3:50 PM, Shrooba said: Apologies for being late for this! In a year alone, you've made it this far in. No stopping now, you're in for the long haul! Writing is a very particular art form, one of which I love very much, alongside it's good brother Mr. Music... and terribly enough I seem to have butchered writing as an art form with that awful pun! Jokes aside though, I agree 100% with this side of PSNProfiles offering a unique view unlike the most recent platinum thread. As you said, it's hard to talk about past games there since it's more for recent stuff, but with these threads, you can talk about whatever you want, even beyond trophies. Whether that be particular films, recent gaming accomplishments, or even casual discussions about hobbies and experiences, I believe this subforum is one of the most remarkable places on PSNProfiles. I struggle with procrastinating quite a lot, so I commend you being able to produce reviews so often! The engagement is one of the best things you can do, and that's why I enjoy threads like these, and yours: when you're talking about what you love, it's easy to get involved often, and that in turn leads to a bigger sense of community. It's why I think these checklists thrive so much more than other PSNProfiles threads beyond petty trophy drama or whatever. These threads are about a love for topics and ideas, and it lets people connect. I think you've done a brilliant job connecting people with ideas and games, and movies! I apologize again for being so late to some of the posts, but keep up the great work! Here's to another year! Don't ever feel like you need to apologise mate! I just massively appreciate the fact you stop in at all. I'm always pleased to see whatever interesting take you've got on a game I've played years ago, or recently I can guarantee that you'll always offer an incredibly unique perspective and I really do enjoy that, so if you weren't aware before I hope you are, that I always appreciate your awesome insights! Also, I've been incredibly late for almost everything around these parts lately, so it isn't something I could criticise anyone for at all! Oh I get you on that procrastination thing - it rears its ugly head a whole lot for me too, and then something pops into my head and I feel like I have to get it written down before the idea pops off to the shops to get some milk and a packet of cigarettes and never comes back ?... I just try and get as many reviews out as I can, I do wish I could do more, but as you've probably noticed I have a tendency to get carried away writing lengthy things. You pretty much nailed down everything I love about this side of the forums too, so it's wonderful to read so many people feel pretty much exactly the same way. I have enjoyed pretty much the whole process, whether it's in this thread or in someone else, that involvement and as you said sense of community really does go a long way! Here's to another year indeed! ? Thanks though Shrooba! The kind words, much like everyone elses really do mean a whole lot! All of you awesome folks are why I decided to write that one year anniversary post in the first place, as a thank you to all of you. Speaking of reviews, I guess I'd better go and get that NieR: Replicant review posted up before I pass out. Edited May 5, 2022 by rjkclarke 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted May 2, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 2, 2022 (edited) My Newest Platinum Is Also A Very Special One! Platinum #350 NieR: Replicant (PS4) The Final Verse Congratulations! Thank you for playing! A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 25 April 2022 : 3:10:12 AM Time Taken to Platinum : 2 weeks, 2 days, 3 hours Platinum Rarity - 20.26% Trophy Number - #16,760 At the tail end of 2011, I played the Gestalt version of NieR, it was my fifth platinum, and a game that I fell almost instantly in love with (if it is possible for that with a game haha). Fast forward almost ten and a half years, three hundred and forty odd platinum’s later, and I got to play a completely different version of that story, and I am so sad that it’s come to an end, but equally happy to have been able to experience both versions of this absolutely brilliant story. I think somehow, my top two favourite games of all time, also now happen to be two distinctly different versions of the same story. If you’re reading this in my checklist thread, then you might have heard me mention once or twice that the Gestalt version of NieR, the western release of the original NieR on PS3 is probably my favourite game of all time. One of the very first things I did when I got into Nier’s village was stand next to Devola whilst she was sat at the fountain singing Song of the Ancients (my favourite version of the song too). It was then that I instantly knew that I’d made the right decision, and that this is exactly where I wanted to be! I’m a little worried objectivity might go flying out the window with this one. What I’ll do instead, is focus on some of the differences between the two versions, and how distinctly different they actually feel, and the sort of time I had with the game. After all, I have already reviewed the original Gestalt version of NieR (you can jump to the link I’ve left and read about it there if you wish to) in the past, and I don’t want this to read too much like a re-do of that. So without further ado, let’s get into this a little bit, I’m sure I’ll re-cover a few bits of old ground without meaning to, but I’ll try and keep it to a minimum. Released in April of 2021, NieR: Replicant is an ActionRPG/JRPG, and essentially a remaster of the Japan exclusive version of NieR. You take the role of Nier (or whatever you choose to call him) as you journey across the various lands, fighting hordes of shades, as you fight to save your beloved sister Yonah. I’m fully aware this is the most basic of descriptions, but if you read further on, you’ll see why I’ve deliberately kept it brief. I’d hate to spoil this wonderful experience for anyone, so needs must, on keeping a story synopsis brief. Without getting too deeply into spoiler territory here – there is just something about the story of NieR that has always appealed to me on a fundamental level. There have been so many times over the last decade or so that I have been at a loss for words regarding how absolutely disgusting we can behave as humans on occasion, and I’m sure that isn’t going to change any time soon, however much I wish it would. How does that relate to NieR? Well the thing is, NieR manages to be a shining example of both the best aspects of humanity and the absolute worst, in almost equal measure, and it’s an element of the story that I have always, and will always love. It’s incredibly powerful, and deals with a post apocalyptic world in a way that very few intellectual properties decide to lean into as heavily as perhaps they could. In a way I don’t think it’s unlike humanity might react if an incurable disease ravaged the planet, so I’ve always liked that aspect of how real some parts of it fell, despite also being very unreal. It’s such a brilliant example of how – in the darkest of times, at our most desperate, and the most impossible feeling situations – that we cling desperately to those that we love. In a way everything in NieR, every raw piece of emotion, every action taken, seems so hypersensitive and so amplified, because every individual left in the world is clinging onto something, or someone. There is a lot of power behind that. When confronted with why Facade (this place will be very familiar if you’ve played Automata but not this one) has so many rules you’re met with the response “Rules do not exist to bind you. They exist so you may know your freedoms." I’ve always thought that is such a beautiful sentiment for the world NieR exists within, in fact it almost perfectly encapsulates what I love about it, that you have to find the positives where you can, and however you can. They are there, just every now and then you need something to remind you of that. In that same vein, once you understand the whole story (one that I’d feel criminal for spoiling) some of the actions all of the characters take are shocking, and they lean into something a video game can capture far better than a film ever could, and that is making the player feel guilty for their actions. The protagonist’s sheer one-track mind takes you on a fascinating adventure. I can’t promise you’ll like him all of the time. Yet you can fully understand them too, why he acts the way he does, even if you completely disagree with the course of action. It’s one of the hardest aspects to get your head around, but it is a true testament to Yoko Taro’s ability to tell a compelling story, that you still always want to find out more. The entire universe that NieR resides within, is one that whilst being quite bleak in places, if you’re one of those people who tries to see the best in everything (as I try to) you’ll almost certainly find something within that really speaks to you. Between both the Gestalt and Replicant versions I have played this story well into double figures, and there hasn’t been a single time when I’ve not had an extreme emotional reaction to it. Finding yourself with a big wet face and then immediately being thrust straight into a boss fight is such a strange experience – yet one that you can’t forget easily. Frantically trying to wipe tears out of your eyes, and then compose yourself for a boss fight, only for something in the boss fight dialogue to throat punch you in the feelings once again, then make you laugh five seconds later is bizarre but I absolutely loved it. As I mentioned, I’ve easily played the story of this game in some form, more than ten times at this point, and there are moments that still feel like they are reaching straight into my chest and pulling my beating heart out sometimes. What I love even more about this version though – is that some of those moments feel completely different now, to the point where I could happily just choose a version of the game to play, and still find myself absolutely transfixed by what’s going on, because they really do feel that different. I’m using the word love a whole lot, but it really is the only appropriate one to use. The fact that I can say I have distinctive moments from both the PS3 version and the PS4 version that I love for markedly different reasons, is one of the strongest arguments I can make for why you should play both versions if you get a chance to. Just trust me on this one – NieR’s story is absolutely fantastic, I could write reams and reams about the specifics of it, but why would I, when you could all experience that for yourselves. If you’re a particularly empathic person, like I am, then be prepared for the game to put you through the emotional wringer. I wouldn’t have it any other way though; I’ve cried tears of happiness and sadness in almost equal measure over certain elements of both games. The characters, the world, the places, the music, the twists and the turns all contribute towards such a special experience if you choose to embrace it. I guess that sounded a bit too much like a conclusion above, I didn’t mean it too. Ahem, anyway, where was I? I’ve made mention a few times now – that this is essentially the same story as the Gestalt version, told slightly differently. What I wasn’t quite so prepared for, was how different it feels. For those who aren’t aware of the difference between the two versions – the largest and most noticeable one is the protagonist. Nier (or Geraldine Jimbobson, you can name him whatever you like after all, but most people go with Nier) in the PS3 Gestalt version, he is a Father, and in this PS4 version he is an older Brother. I wasn’t quite prepared for how much that seemingly small context change makes, in genuinely making certain aspects of the game feel entirely different, but I’ll get into that aspect a bit more the further I go in. In the same way that Life is Strange: Before the Storm so brilliantly directly leans into dramatic irony, this is also exactly how repeat playthroughs of NieR feel. You know what’s coming, so those emotionally weighty moments resonate that much more, or if you’ve played the other version, you know what’s coming but it’ll resonate with you in a slightly different way. Hearing Kaine’s angry dialogue about her “mutant body” really caught me off guard when I replayed the first part, when you know almost everything there is to know about the character, that bit can really sting. It’s a fascinating thing, and it’s one I had a lot of fun with chatting with one of my best friends as I was playing it, as he and I were discussing many of the differences and how they really do feel different. This version, NieR: Replicant, was a particularly strange example of that, as I knew what the next story beat was going to be, but I didn’t quite know how different the context change to this version would make that feel. I think the change from Father to Brother, was one of the areas I was most curious about. I’m not a Father (when/if I ever become one, perhaps the Gestalt version will sting even harder) but I am a Brother, so I know all too well how that incredibly strong need to protect your sister can feel. I’ll be honest here – I was a little concerned I’d end up preferring this version of Nier, over the Father version from Gestalt. As it turns out I don’t, I still prefer the Father version – BUT, and this is a big one, hence the capitals. I really love the Brother version of the character too. They might essentially have the same character traits, the same personality, the same beliefs and the same bull-headedness, but they feel poles apart in some areas. One of the most noticeable differences between the two versions of the protagonist is the time jump – for those that are unaware, NieR: Replicant (and Gestalt) is split into two separate parts, with a five year time jump between the two parts. Personally, I think Replicant handles this a smidgeon better than Gestalt does. For one very important reason, you start Replicant as a sixteen year old boy – so the time jump feels far more significant, weightier even, when that five year time skip happens. In Gestalt’s case, you look the exact same, but with what looks like underpants over your face. Don’t get me wrong, those reading in my checklist, you know I love those facepants, but seeing that natural change from boy to man, and how the older version of the Brother makes his entrance, it does a far better job of conveying the passage of time. There are stark differences between the younger and older version of Brother Nier. When he’s a boy, he’s optimistic bright, idealistic and wants to think the best of everyone, seeing him as an adult in the games second half explores that change in a very fascinating way. I can see why the characters in the world they inhabit gravitate towards both versions of Nier and stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Yet this game had me re-evaluating and pondering why the characters would get behind each specific version. Without sounding too enamoured, my hat goes off to Yoko Taro, for both versions of the character feeling as worthy as the other. I’m so glad they do as well – otherwise I feel the game would feel far too much like just re-treading the same ground. It wouldn’t if you hadn’t played the other version of course, but it was a genuine concern for me that I’d just feel like I was doing the same thing. Something I’m a little worried about for this review, I’ve covered the characters themselves quite extensively in my original review, and whilst they’re mostly the same here, they certainly aren’t identical. I’m only going to go into the distinct differences in this version. This could very well be my brain playing a few tricks on me – but I thought in this version, Nier as a character gels better with some characters than he did in the Gestalt version. In that same vein, there are characters he gels better with as the Father version, I know you’re all probably sick of hearing it, but I think it’s fascinating how that works. A lot of it is down to the line delivery by the voice actors I think, but it adds a whole lot to individual scenes. I think from a design perspective Replicant, is actually an improvement over Gestalt. At least when it comes to some of the characters costume and appearance designs. One of the prevailing features of the NieR universe, is that the characters act as if they live in a world where only black and white exists, I don’t literally mean from a colour palette point of view – more that the characters themselves seem to think they live in a world of absolutes, whereas as players we know that isn’t the case. I really appreciate how Nier’s costume palette particularly focuses on blacks, whites and greys as a prominent feature, it feels deliberate, and it’s something I particularly liked. Especially the way the younger version of the character, a less troubled soul wears much lighter clothing. I actually said that one of the weakest areas of NieR: Gestalt is the graphical fidelity; it was a little ropey even for the time. Thankfully this is no longer the case here. This remaster is fantastic, I’ve seen bits and pieces of the original Replicant, and they have done an absolutely tremendous job with this one of cleaning it up, for it to look as beautiful as it possibly can. There are even tiny details that I only noticed in this version of the game, which I never noticed before. For example, I never paid attention to the fact that the younger brother from the Junk Heap has a robotic arm, as in the older version it sort of blended into the scenery – I wish I had noticed that before, because that adds such an ironic little wrinkle to his character. Kaine seems to have had a slight redesign, as she looks visibly quite different in this version, but not in a bad way. I think it’s one of those situations where you’ll like it or you won’t, and that’ll only depend on whether you’ve played the other version. If you’re completely new to the series I don’t think it’ll make a difference – that will just be how Kaine is for you. She looks far more like the Androids in NieR: Automata and as they’re specifically designed in-universe to look like her I really don’t have a problem with that. She does look closer to the original concept art for Kaine, so you can argue this is exactly how Yoko Taro always envisioned the character would look, too. In that same vein, Emil has had a very slight re-design too. He’s less “horrific” to look at now. Not that he ever was particularly, but his appearance is a core part of his character, as was how grotesque he perceived himself. So I’m really undecided on whether the change is a good one or not, it's fairly subtle anyway, it's just small things but noticeable things, like he doesn't have dark circles around his eyes here. I certainly think the new design captures what he looks like in NieR: Automata a little better, and from what I understand from reading various pieces online, Yoko Taro made a deliberate effort to try and make the connections to Automata seem more apparent. Now, I might surprise anyone still reading here, but now I need to discuss something I really didn’t get on with. It must be said though – I need to give some context. If you haven’t read the review I linked (it isn’t a necessity) then it’s basically time to say, that Seafront is one of, if not my favourite location in the game, I love the peaceful tranquillity that it has, that sets it apart from almost any area in the game. It also has to be said, that this will only be relevant if you’ve played the Gestalt version of NieR, as the section I’m about to discuss isn’t in that version, this section is completely new to the PS4 version of Replicant. So don’t be panicked by what I’m about to go into, as if you’re just planning to play the PS4 version this will just be a natural part of the game for you, and almost certainly isn't something that would impede your experience. To say that I didn’t like the new section in Seafront is a bit unfair, because I did, I just didn’t think it was particularly noteworthy. The real problem I had is that I didn’t think it fit in tonally with this game. The whole subplot with Louise and the Postman felt like something from NieR:Automata, to me it just felt like an out of place inclusion. There is quite a gulf of difference between the tone of Replicant and Automata, so it felt like a strange choice. It definitely isn’t bad in any sense of the word; I just didn’t feel it fit. I also think the absolute downpour of loading screens you have to sit through on repeat playthroughs did get a little much. Even with the added revelations that the B, C and D ending playthroughs afford you, I still don’t think it particularly hit the highs that I think it could have. It’s partly my own fault for expecting it to go one very Yoko Taro direction, which it just didn’t go in, and it felt like a wasted opportunity. Still, it was nice to see Seafront expanded a little bit, so I at least appreciated the effort, I just didn’t love the new inclusion the way that I wanted to. The new inclusion that really does work, is the new ending branch that is exclusive to this version. It's something that we've all been able to read about for a long time, had we wanted to. However, the fact it's included in the game and it's playable is absolutely fantastic, it was the last thing that I ever did in the game, and it really did feel like my "final reward" so to speak. I'm dancing around some very vague territory because it's incredibly spoiler heavy, but I absolutely enjoyed how well it links to Automata. It also got me wanting to play a game that I know we'll probably never get, but a guy can dream I suppose. Without fawning over it too much – NieR:Replicant’s soundtrack is fantastic, there was a deliberate intent by composer Keiichi Okabe to keep the feel of the soundtrack relatively the same, but to just enhance it enough that you’d notice the addition, whilst losing none of the feeling it previously had, and I must say that was done to absolutely brilliant effect in this game. Something I must mention though – that I forgot to mention in my review of NieR:Gestalt is just how unsettling the music in Emil’s mansion is. It is absolutely genius and it reminds me so much of Mantis’ Hymn from the original Metal Gear Solid, but with haunting vocals over the top. That Mantis Hymn piece of music scared me so much as a child I didn’t want to go into the dark upstairs part of my house (that’ll teach me for playing that before I’m old enough). The music in Emil’s Mansion builds atmosphere and tension so incredibly well. There is an incredible amount of detail in the sound design in this game. When and where to use specific pieces of music are always important, it’s very deliberate and every single thing seems to have been done with a very clear purpose in mind. I’ve described Emiko Evans vocal range as haunting and ethereal in the past, yet what she brings to Emil’s Mansion, is startlingly creepy. It is absolutely fantastic, and has become one of my favourite pieces of music in the entire game, the thing is I can’t listen to it for too long because it reminds me of that Resident Evil, Spencer Mansion inspired interior of Emil’s Mansion, all of the horrible things that take place there both before and during the events of the story and it just makes me feel uneasy. I think it’s absolutely brilliant that a piece of music can do that though. So if I was giving out points, that’d be getting a full house. Something I was genuinely apprehensive about going into NieR: Replicant was the voice acting. Jamieson Price gives one of my favourite voice performances in any game ever, as the Father version of Nier. He has such range and versatility in that role; he exemplifies the light and the dark aspects of that version of the character so well. The torment, the pain, the internal anguish and the bitterness and anger, all whilst trying to unwaveringly stay strong for his rag-tag group of friends that have become his family. His three words of “DON’T LOOK BACK” when you revisit The Aerie in part two have stayed with me for years and years. Luckily for me, that apprehension (as it often seems to be with me) was not needed. Ray Chase is incredibly good as Adult Brother Nier, he’s very different to Jamieson Price, but I really like that. That scene in the Aerie is less impactful for me in this version, but I could think of plenty of other moments that are more impactful in this version, that weren’t in the Gestalt version (another absolute positive). So, earlier I said I had to frantically wipe tears out of my eyes in the middle of a boss fight right? Well in this game, that was your fault Ray Chase – in the fight in Shadowlords castle with Two People (I won’t say who, if you've played it you know) his absolutely distraught and defeated voice as he exclaims “I don’t want to fight her” never failed to hit me incredibly hard in the old emotions, only for Laura Bailey to make me laugh five seconds later with one of Kaine’s lines. What an absolute rollercoaster of emotions this game can take you on, but it’s one I didn’t want to get off in a hurry I can tell you that much. I mentioned earlier how I thought the change in context, adds a different dynamic to Niers relationship with certain characters, and I think that’s very much the case with Nier’s relationship with The King of Facade. I think they’re far more believable as friends in Replicant. To that same point, I always preferred Devola in the Gestalt version, but in this version I preferred Popola as she seemed to have a more genuine relationship with Nier. I’m not saying that is definitively the case, just how I felt about it, and perceived it. His relationship with Emil also has a slightly different twist in this game. I’m also incredibly pleased that when re-recording dialogue for this game they rewrote a line or two of Emil’s dialogue to make something about his character explicit (for us as the audience at least), instead of just the odd vague allusion and implication. They don’t make a big deal about it (nor should they have done,) they just weave it naturally into a scene or two I won’t say what it is, but I’m so glad they did it. It’s easy to make jokes about Laura Bailey voice acting in practically everything – but then when you hear her in NieR: Replicant you can absolutely see why she is never, and probably will never, be short of work. In the years between recording for Kaine the first time and re-recording years later she has not lost a step, she still has such a brilliant grasp on the character, and as expected gives an absolute powerhouse performance here. Small little things like the re-recording of dialogue go an incredibly long way to making this feel like such a unique experience. Laim O’Brien does a wonderful job as Grimoire Weiss again, but he delivers some lines with a whole lot more gravitas than he had before (he had plenty already) but he really makes that dusty old flying talking book come to life, and when it has as few animations as it does, that is a truly astounding job. He’s a little warmer as a character in this version, and I really enjoyed that ever-so-slightly different take on the character. So then, to the gameplay, we’re almost at the final stretch! Quite simply this is the biggest improvement of the lot. I have an incredibly high tolerance – no, love, for some janky gameplay. The Gestalt version of NieR took that to a whole other level almost, yet there was something incredibly playable and satisfying about it at the same time. Replicant takes that buttery smooth gameplay from NieR: Automata and without sounding deprecating towards Replicant’s combat, regresses it to a point that feels wholly appropriate and in keeping with what the core feel of what the original version was like. As if, what we see in Automata is a natural evolution of this, it’s another fine example of Yoko Taro weaving the series into a slightly more connected tapestry and I love that. On a side not, I’d personally love it if they could find a way to do something similar with Drakengard 3, as more finessed gameplay would do that game wonders. One of my favourite elements to the combat was the weightiness that the weapons had, if a sword is listed as very heavy or even ultra heavy, you can bet money on the fact it will feel slow and lumbering, but absolutely smash some shades to smithereens (try saying that after having your front teeth knocked out). Yet a Spear or a Dagger listed as very light is just as viable as those quick successive movements will slice the enemies up like ribbons. It’s a system that does reward experimentation. You could go and find the most powerful weapons and use those, but I’d definitely recommend having a bit of experimentation and giving many a go at some point if you can. Like in any RPG NieR: Replicant has quite a substantial amount of side-quests involved in it. A lot of them add an incredibly rich amount of flavour to the experience, yet does a terrific job of world building in the process too. I loved Replicant so much that I didn’t want the experience to end, so I did every single quest that was available in the game (you only have to do less than 50% for trophy purposes) it added probably a good fifteen hours onto my playtime, but it felt so worth it! Especially as Replicant contains voiced dialogue for practically every character, so it really does add a lot. Admittedly some of the quests are very obtuse and ultimately feel pointless, but that was the intention. Some of them let you piece together some really interesting parts of the story though, which add some further revelations to characters. Like an implied link between a character from Seafront and the Junk Heap that you’d never ever expect to be there. Yet those quests, pointless or otherwise, makes those fleeting special moments the game gives you on occasion from some of the quests feel all the more impactful, really helping you understand why the characters have such a deep affection for one another, when it would seem that – about all they have left in the world are each other. The trophies are a little bit laborious in places, the legendary flower trophy has you changing your PS4 Timezone to two different Samoan ones (no really, I’m not joking) if you want to get it as quick as possible. I’m not telling you how to play your games, you do you, but I see a lot of guides saying do the Speedrun trophy first, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it (to be fair to the guide writers it is best for trophy efficiency). unfortunately, as a result you miss out a lot by skipping all of Young Nier’s sections. I just made a backup save after the prologue and reloaded that later on, at least that way you can happily watch all of the cutscenes in part one even if you don’t lean into doing side-quests. The item crafting can be a little grind heavy, but you don’t have to upgrade every single weapon like I did, Replicant really does streamline the item gathering experience too, compared to the Gestalt version, so it is a real improvement. Obviously I recommend this one; there isn’t even any point in me putting down the rhetorical question I’ve been throwing out at almost every review for the past year. I think everyone should play at least one of version of this story in their gaming lives. I will always love it (almost turned into Whitney Houston for a moment). I loved my time with this game so much, which is why (amongst other reasons) it’s taken me quite a while to get this review written, and why it’s so long (sorry about that). I just didn’t want to say goodbye to the game just yet. I even spent a good forty minutes at least after I'd gotten the platinum just reading all the weapon stories in the game, just so that I could spend that tiny fraction time in that wonderful game world, that I love so much. I’ve never been more crestfallen after finishing a game, and for me this or the Gestalt version would absolutely be a desert island game for me. I’m glad one of the few times I’ve gone out of my way to make a game a milestone it was one that I ended up loving as much as this. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh boy, that was a long one! I think that might be the longest one I've written so far. Am I truly happy with it? I'm not sure, but trying to dance around spoilers was particularly taxing with this one, there's so much I wanted to discuss but didn't feel like I could, but that's my problem. I bloody loved that game though, it was an absolute blast, I enjoyed practically every single moment of it - and as I said during the review I don't think I've ever been so gutted to have gotten the platinum in a game, to know that, that part of it is over. I loved the whole process, but saying goodbye to the game for now was undeniably hard. I can always play it in the future (and I definitely will) but for now, it's time to say goodbye to that world for a little bit. I'd absolutely recommend that if any of you do ever end up checking the game out that you check out the awesome guide on this site for any problems that might arise. As well as using @Xylobe's awesome spreadsheet to keep track of upgrade materials you might need, because having that on standby is ridiculously helpful, so a big thank you to that one for making my time with the game a whole lot smoother as a result! Let's see if an odd turn of events happen and this time next year during the Snooker World Championship I'm playing a Yoko Taro game too, possibly Voice of the Cards, but it'd certainly be a funny coincidence if it happened. To end up doing that three years in a row. Either way, sorry to your poor eyes with this one if you end up reading all of it. I'll catch you in the next one folks! ? Edited May 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockySanchez666 Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 (edited) Thanx for the mention, Hey mate sorry not spoke in yonks, hows things?, i'm still take ages to finish games btw one day i'll read your reviews throughly and thats the bottom line cos the undisputed champion of the world cos Richard X said so lmao Edited May 2, 2022 by RockySanchez666 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 2, 2022 Author Share Posted May 2, 2022 9 minutes ago, RockySanchez666 said: Thanx for the mention, Hey mate sorry not spoke in yonks, hows things?, i'm still take ages to finish games btw one day i'll read your reviews throughly and thats the bottom line cos the undisputed champion of the world cos Richard X said so lmao My pleasure dude! That really was quite strange when I saw the notification that you'd commented on the thread last year - strange but absolutely awesome! I'm doing alright thanks, hope you are too.... I'll drop you a message on PSN later so we can have a proper catch up, there have been so many times I've meant to message you but kept putting it off, as the time between was getting longer and longer, I felt more and more awkward about it. Something we've both done in the past haha ? I'm sure one of these days you'll go on an a mammoth run where you just crush out loads of the games that you already have almost all of the trophies in. No pressure to read those reviews mate... they are there if you want to, It's a lot of reading at this point, you might need to find a good pair of reading glasses first ?..... ? Even more so since last night, with that NieR: Repliant review I put out being a pretty mammoth one I must say, and I'm pretty sure there are still things I meant to put in that, which I left out ... I'm still planning to drag your arse in here when I end up reviewing some of the WWE games that you and I have played together, because how could I not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 23 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Platinum #350 NieR: Replicant (PS4) Great work as usual, man! Even as a NieR NooB, I can say that the idea of tackling the story from these different perspectives was a fascinating way to go, and just from that alone I can see why these games have affected you so. Especially with all that talk of them addressing both spectrum ends of the human condition. That shit can indeed be quite powerful in the right hands, it takes a lot of work to get it right but when somebody does,? And then add those face pants? Aw man. Fugghetaboutit. Also, you mentioning Mantis' Hymn really struck me; I loved that track so much that during some playthroughs I'd just kick it in the office and listen to it. I consulted YouTube about this Emil's Mansion theme you spoke of and yeah, that's a great comparison! Can definitely see it. I forget that I'm older than you sometimes, I pictured lil Mr. Clarke accidentally running from the Commander's office into the Spencer Mansion and being terrified by both. Poor lil fella! As always, I love how passionately you sell the story here, that alone is a huge selling point. For me personally, I think I'm at a point where I'm more hesitant to add larger games to the backlog, but if I'm ever able to whittle down some of the other big games I'm currently struggling to take down, this one is definitely gonna stick in the memory. Also Laura Bailey 4 lyf? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 Oh damn the review is here! As expected, you loved this version just as much as the old one (what a shock, I know ) and...we pretty much had the same experience To the point where I have nothing extra to add ? On 5/2/2022 at 6:29 AM, rjkclarke said: Now, I might surprise anyone still reading here, but now I need to discuss something I really didn’t get on with. It must be said though – I need to give some context. If you haven’t read the review I linked (it isn’t a necessity) then it’s basically time to say, that Seafront is one of, if not my favourite location in the game, I love the peaceful tranquillity that it has, that sets it apart from almost any area in the game. It also has to be said, that this will only be relevant if you’ve played the Gestalt version of NieR, as the section I’m about to discuss isn’t in that version, this section is completely new to the PS4 version of Replicant. So don’t be panicked by what I’m about to go into, as if you’re just planning to play the PS4 version this will just be a natural part of the game for you, and almost certainly isn't something that would impede your experience. To say that I didn’t like the new section in Seafront is a bit unfair, because I did, I just didn’t think it was particularly noteworthy. The real problem I had is that I didn’t think it fit in tonally with this game. The whole subplot with Louise and the Postman felt like something from NieR:Automata, to me it just felt like an out of place inclusion. There is quite a gulf of difference between the tone of Replicant and Automata, so it felt like a strange choice. It definitely isn’t bad in any sense of the word; I just didn’t feel it fit. I also think the absolute downpour of loading screens you have to sit through on repeat playthroughs did get a little much. Even with the added revelations that the B, C and D ending playthroughs afford you, I still don’t think it particularly hit the highs that I think it could have. It’s partly my own fault for expecting it to go one very Yoko Taro direction, which it just didn’t go in, and it felt like a wasted opportunity. Still, it was nice to see Seafront expanded a little bit, so I at least appreciated the effort, I just didn’t love the new inclusion the way that I wanted to. So that's what was feeling slightly off during my playthrough of the PS4 version...it's such a small thing but yeah it did impact my "Seafront chill experience" a bit. For me, I didn't really have any issue with the character itself (it's part of a short story, it's explained why it was called to that area, the similarities with the Little Mermaid), the only issue I would have is that they added Louise in Seafront, the most peaceful place in the game please let me fish boots and marlins in peace. Maybe if they added an extra stranded beach or an island or something? On 5/2/2022 at 6:29 AM, rjkclarke said: The new inclusion that really does work, is the new ending branch that is exclusive to this version. It's something that we've all been able to read about for a long time, had we wanted to. However, the fact it's included in the game and it's playable is absolutely fantastic, it was the last thing that I ever did in the game, and it really did feel like my "final reward" so to speak. I'm dancing around some very vague territory because it's incredibly spoiler heavy, but I absolutely enjoyed how well it links to Automata. It also got me wanting to play a game that I know we'll probably never get, but a guy can dream I suppose. The name of branch E trophy is e8a898e686b6e382b5e383bce38390e383bc. What I did was putting this code in a hexadecimal to text converter, then translated that text into english. It doesn't get any more Yoko Taro than this, making me translate shit like that I also tried to translate the trophy description but I think that's gibberish. On 5/2/2022 at 6:29 AM, rjkclarke said: Something I must mention though – that I forgot to mention in my review of NieR:Gestalt is just how unsettling the music in Emil’s mansion is. It is absolutely genius and it reminds me so much of Mantis’ Hymn from the original Metal Gear Solid, but with haunting vocals over the top. That Mantis Hymn piece of music scared me so much as a child I didn’t want to go into the dark upstairs part of my house (that’ll teach me for playing that before I’m old enough). The music in Emil’s Mansion builds atmosphere and tension so incredibly well. There is an incredible amount of detail in the sound design in this game. When and where to use specific pieces of music are always important, it’s very deliberate and every single thing seems to have been done with a very clear purpose in mind. THAT FIRSt PLAYTHROUGH! That music, the goddamn paintings, the sounds, the statues... Emil's Mansion was one of the most unsettling places ever. How can one man (Yoko Taro) be so devious goddamnit! On 5/2/2022 at 6:29 AM, rjkclarke said: Something I was genuinely apprehensive about going into NieR: Replicant was the voice acting. Jamieson Price gives one of my favourite voice performances in any game ever, as the Father version of Nier. He has such range and versatility in that role; he exemplifies the light and the dark aspects of that version of the character so well. The torment, the pain, the internal anguish and the bitterness and anger, all whilst trying to unwaveringly stay strong for his rag-tag group of friends that have become his family. His three words of “DON’T LOOK BACK” when you revisit The Aerie in part two have stayed with me for years and years. Luckily for me, that apprehension (as it often seems to be with me) was not needed. Ray Chase is incredibly good as Adult Brother Nier, he’s very different to Jamieson Price, but I really like that. That scene in the Aerie is less impactful for me in this version, but I could think of plenty of other moments that are more impactful in this version, that weren’t in the Gestalt version (another absolute positive). So, earlier I said I had to frantically wipe tears out of my eyes in the middle of a boss fight right? Well in this game, that was your fault Ray Chase – in the fight in Shadowlords castle with Two People (I won’t say who, if you've played it you know) his absolutely distraught and defeated voice as he exclaims “I don’t want to fight her” never failed to hit me incredibly hard in the old emotions, only for Laura Bailey to make me laugh five seconds later with one of Kaine’s lines. What an absolute rollercoaster of emotions this game can take you on, but it’s one I didn’t want to get off in a hurry I can tell you that much. What I found interesting is that no version is superior to the other, like you can't say "Gestalt is way better" or "Replicant is killing it in every aspect", just because of the voices! In some parts Father Nier fits better (the DONT LOOK BACK scene) while Brother Nier conveys his hatred and desperation way better. It's such an interesting thing to play these games in parallel. On 5/2/2022 at 6:29 AM, rjkclarke said: The trophies are a little bit laborious in places, the legendary flower trophy has you changing your PS4 Timezone to two different Samoan ones (no really, I’m not joking) if you want to get it as quick as possible. I’m not telling you how to play your games, you do you, but I see a lot of guides saying do the Speedrun trophy first, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it (to be fair to the guide writers it is best for trophy efficiency). unfortunately, as a result you miss out a lot by skipping all of Young Nier’s sections. I just made a backup save after the prologue and reloaded that later on, at least that way you can happily watch all of the cutscenes in part one even if you don’t lean into doing side-quests. The item crafting can be a little grind heavy, but you don’t have to upgrade every single weapon like I did, Replicant really does streamline the item gathering experience too, compared to the Gestalt version, so it is a real improvement. I only imagine the Sony support scratching their heads thinking "why are so many users teleporting from East Samoa to West Samoa?" , cause we all did that for that stupid flower Damn, now I want to replay this game...the only problem with NieR is that I want more emotional asskicking from other games, which is pretty difficult to find. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 On 5/2/2022 at 3:24 AM, rjkclarke said: It is mad isn't it. It's what the third time it's being brought back now.. I'm sure if it gets cancelled again it'll come back once we're all heads in jars. I did hear John Dimaggio might not be coming back though, so that might be quite the loss. I hope they're good too though. Yes! I'm looking forward to Puyo Puyo Champions although I don't think I'll platinum it quickly, who knows. I've not really played any games the last couple of days, what limited time I've had I've been watching Snooker or writing, but hopefully I can get and do some gaming next week. Get back on the horse so to speak haha? Yeah think it is the third time it is being brought back lol it is crazy. I thought John DiMaggio had agreed to come back along with everyone else? Maybe I imagined that. Hopefully not. You can't do it without the original voice actors. Yes I figured you would have been watching the snooker of course. Saw small parts of it, congrats to Rocket Ronnie on equalling Stephen Hendry's record of 7 World Championships, very impressive. On 5/2/2022 at 3:24 AM, rjkclarke said: Yeah........ I did, that is pretty obscene..... SO when did you order one Mr Collector? Haha yeah I'm a collector but there are limits lol I'll buy it when I win the lottery (which will be never haha) Latest Square Enix news is that they are selling off their western arm of the business (Eidos, Crystal Dynamics etc.) with all the IP's they had like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex etc. for 300 million USD to a Swedish company. That is incredibly cheap considering but hopefully those franchises can get better games in the future (I liked the new Tomb Raider trilogy overall, but Deus Ex was undeservedly dead in the water). Then you think "Well, SE can put that money into sorting out their games division, put more resources into the big FF's etc. and really sort out these poor releases like Chocobo GP and Babylon's Fall of recent times" and then you realise that they are going to put that money into blockchain etc. (FACEPALM) On 5/2/2022 at 3:24 AM, rjkclarke said: It isn't my favourite one either, that's probably IX, or maybe X. I'm not actually sure now....... But yes, I do have an iPod Classic still. Although if you're familiar with the Triggers Broom gag from Only Fools and Horses my iPod is a little like that, in that I don't know how many parts are actually it's original ones anymore ? Frankenstein's iPod if you will haha. I don't know if they're worth money though. I really like the fact you can put so much music on them, so I've never felt the need to just use my phone as a music player. Final Fantasy has so many great songs from each of it's games that it is incredibly hard to pick a favourite soundtrack certainly. IX and X's are both fantastic soundtracks. Haha well I'm not familiar with that gag, but I can imagine how your iPod might look lol Used to have an iPod back in the day myself, nowadays if I want to listen to music I just default to Youtube lol On 5/2/2022 at 3:24 AM, rjkclarke said: Oh yeah! Those stiff controls are a really good point actually - because weirdly, in some ways Farenheit feels less clunky to control than the other games do. It's like in the latest ones they have to be in the most specific spot to interact with some of the hotspots the game wants you to interact with. Good spot that, because I'd forgotten how rigid some of the walking animations actually feel in those games. Now that's pretty interesting considering that was before all these other games. Did David Cage think "Well you know what would make our future games better? Clunky controls! That's what players love to have!" lol Is the Star Wars one they do going to be a battle just to get the character to go in the right direction? Rigid to say the least lol I'll take the old school RE tank controls any day. On 5/2/2022 at 3:24 AM, rjkclarke said: Thanks, so much dude! You did tell me that, but as I spend much of my time doubting myself, I was always going to have to have a few people probably nudge me in the right direction to actually do it! I still think it's mental that it got to the 1000th post one year to the day that the thread started too. I could never have expected that, but it's still kind of cool I guess in a way. You know - I deliberately put off playing Days Gone for that exact reason that I'd heard it plays so much better on PS5, like drastically better. I know quite a few people who have got pretty broad opinions on that game. Some really love it, and others are pretty indifferent to it, or hate it. But there's enough intrigue there for me that I want to find out what the deal is at some point myself. Sounds like that SSD Expansion is going to rather come in handy. Well thankfully enough people did, and you did it and it was all good. ? That is quite an achievement. The challenge now is to get to 2000 posts on the 2 year anniversary haha Yes it most certainly is! Not got loads of room on the console storage already so by the time the other games eventually get installed (whenever the wife gives them to me as presents lol) we will see how much room overall is left. I'm assuming that the console when it realises that there isn't enough room left for a game will default and install on the expansion instead. Yes well if I get to Days Gone then I will try to remember to let you know how it functions, but yes certainly it seems like it sold enough to warrant a sequel but not enough for Sony in order to guarantee one, and the critical and general reception to the game was all over the place. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 3, 2022 Author Share Posted May 3, 2022 9 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Great work as usual, man! Even as a NieR NooB, I can say that the idea of tackling the story from these different perspectives was a fascinating way to go, and just from that alone I can see why these games have affected you so. Especially with all that talk of them addressing both spectrum ends of the human condition. That shit can indeed be quite powerful in the right hands, it takes a lot of work to get it right but when somebody does,? And then add those face pants? Aw man. Fugghetaboutit. Cheers dude! I find it hard to imagine I'll come across a video game story that I enjoyed as fully as this one, but I'm more than open to the idea of it, so I guess I'll have to see what the future holds on that one. It's got so many interesting conceptual ideas in it that could go disastrously wrong if they were being tackled by the wrong person. It's definitely one that I'd always recommend to almost anyone, if possible! 9 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Also, you mentioning Mantis' Hymn really struck me; I loved that track so much that during some playthroughs I'd just kick it in the office and listen to it. I consulted YouTube about this Emil's Mansion theme you spoke of and yeah, that's a great comparison! Can definitely see it. I forget that I'm older than you sometimes, I pictured lil Mr. Clarke accidentally running from the Commander's office into the Spencer Mansion and being terrified by both. Poor lil fella! I really love the Mantis' Hymn track now, but for the longest time it absolutely terrified me. In fact it was only quite a bit later on that I came to the startling realisation of how good those Harry Gregson Williams Metal Gear soundtracks actually are. His absolutely powerhouse career as a composer kind of speaks for itself really. I wasn't joking it literally made me afraid to go upstairs in the dark, as my frightened brain would always play Mantis' creepy dialogue too, then I'd be reminded about how unsettling and ethereal that track and area of the game are. I'm glad you went and checked out the mansion theme - and that you agree too. There's just something about it that gets under your skin, but in the context of the game world it is chilling when you return there after the story events, and it's creepy enough when you go there in the game for the very first time haha. Haha! ? This is one of the times where the seven year age gap between us is a little more noticeable. I think if I'd been playing Metal Gear Solid, when I was 15/16 I would have just loved the track too, instead of making me worried I'd need to buy new underwear every time I had to go upstairs 10 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: As always, I love how passionately you sell the story here, that alone is a huge selling point. For me personally, I think I'm at a point where I'm more hesitant to add larger games to the backlog, but if I'm ever able to whittle down some of the other big games I'm currently struggling to take down, this one is definitely gonna stick in the memory. Also Laura Bailey 4 lyf Thanks again man! Not to go too overbearing fan on you..... BUT, I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!! ? NieR is not actually as long as I probably made it out to be. I took about 74 hours with it, but I did practically everything there was to do in it. Realistically the Platinum is about 50 hours, maybe a fair bit less depending on how much RNG is on your side.... still long I know, but manageable. If you were going to add a larger game to the backlog then I think this should absolutely be one of them. I definitely think it's one you'd have a pretty magnificent time with the game. There's quite a few elements of it that I think you'd enjoy for quite a few of the same reasons I did.... so fingers crossed you play it at some point! 6 hours ago, Copanele said: Oh damn the review is here! As expected, you loved this version just as much as the old one (what a shock, I know ) and...we pretty much had the same experience To the point where I have nothing extra to add So that's what was feeling slightly off during my playthrough of the PS4 version...it's such a small thing but yeah it did impact my "Seafront chill experience" a bit. For me, I didn't really have any issue with the character itself (it's part of a short story, it's explained why it was called to that area, the similarities with the Little Mermaid), the only issue I would have is that they added Louise in Seafront, the most peaceful place in the game please let me fish boots and marlins in peace. Maybe if they added an extra stranded beach or an island or something? You know what though? I surprised myself that I loved this version as much as I did. I expected to really enjoy it, but I thought it'd be like watching a Director's Cut of a movie with like a half hour of extra footage. Instead it's like the game equivalent of the two versions of Christopher Reeve's Superman II.... In that the Richard Donner version and the Theatrical version feel like almost entirely separate things, and I really love that aspect to the two versions of NIeR. I think the character was fine enough. I just created my own problem, by thinking it would play out in a completely different way. It was the fact that she had the red bag, it made me think Yoko Taro was going to go in a very dark direction, he still did, but it wasn't as dark as I expected! I rambled like a clown the, but I hope I made sense ? You're absolutely onto something there, with the extra stranded beach or an island, or just something slightly different.It does disturb the tranquillity of the place, and it's a little bit of a shame. You know what they could have used? There's a bit in the recycled vessel DLC, where you're on a barge thing and you can see Seafront in the background, that might have been a good place to slot in that boss fight. 6 hours ago, Copanele said: The name of branch E trophy is e8a898e686b6e382b5e383bce38390e383bc. What I did was putting this code in a hexadecimal to text converter, then translated that text into english. It doesn't get any more Yoko Taro than this, making me translate shit like that I also tried to translate the trophy description but I think that's gibberish. OH YOU EVIL AWESOME PERSON! You made me do it too..... Oh that's really clever, especially with what the implications of that ending are..... Bloody hell, still even now finding new things to love about this damn awesome game. Thanks Copa! 6 hours ago, Copanele said: THAT FIRSt PLAYTHROUGH! That music, the goddamn paintings, the sounds, the statues... Emil's Mansion was one of the most unsettling places ever. How can one man (Yoko Taro) be so devious goddamnit! I could have written a stupid amount in either of the reviews about locations in NieR, specifically Emil's mansion, but damnit is that place incredibly well designed. It's when the paintings change and even Weiss gets a little antsy that the unsettling-ness gets turned up to eleven......THOUSAND ? 6 hours ago, Copanele said: What I found interesting is that no version is superior to the other, like you can't say "Gestalt is way better" or "Replicant is killing it in every aspect", just because of the voices! In some parts Father Nier fits better (the DONT LOOK BACK scene) while Brother Nier conveys his hatred and desperation way better. It's such an interesting thing to play these games in parallel. I was having that exact discussion with someone else recently, about how neither version you can say is better, and I love that. So I'm really pleased you're in exactly the same boat with that one too! Absolutely! Well said, I think the Brother NieR voice is really amazing in some of those quieter thoughtful moments for the character, that scene where he gets forced out of the room in the Goose fight, and he just quietly says "My friend" as if he's only just realised for the first time, that that really was the act of a friend to do what he did.... It's understated but it's amazing. It's those tiny brilliant attentions to detail that draw me into the world so much. 6 hours ago, Copanele said: I only imagine the Sony support scratching their heads thinking "why are so many users teleporting from East Samoa to West Samoa?" , cause we all did that for that stupid flower Damn, now I want to replay this game...the only problem with NieR is that I want more emotional asskicking from other games, which is pretty difficult to find. I know of at least one person recently who didn't do it by teleporting in and out of East and West Samoa, but they most certainly are in the minority. That trophy is definitely better in the PS3 version.... But the guides that are around do a hell of a good job of explaining how the clock manipulations work, otherwise I'd just shrug my shoulders and call it evil eldritch magic haha ? I know exactly what you mean about wanting more emotional asskicking from games... NieR is so unique in that specific aspect! It's why I put in my status update about it, how I'm not sure I'll ever find a video game I love quite so much ever again.... I almost feel like that South Park episode where Cartman sees the people with arses for faces, and laughs so hard that he thinks he'll never see anything that funny again! Like I said though, I'm looking forward to seeing if something comes along and really speaks to me like that again! 48 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: Yeah think it is the third time it is being brought back lol it is crazy. I thought John DiMaggio had agreed to come back along with everyone else? Maybe I imagined that. Hopefully not. You can't do it without the original voice actors. Yes I figured you would have been watching the snooker of course. Saw small parts of it, congrats to Rocket Ronnie on equalling Stephen Hendry's record of 7 World Championships, very impressive. I think there was a pay dispute or something but that was months and months ago, and it's probably been resolved now. I agree you couldn't really do it without the original voice actors it wouldn't feel like the same show! I have been watching Snooker for pretty much all of the free time I've had, then barely sleeping over the last 2 weeks to try and cram everything else in. Now my big problem is POST SNOOKER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BLUES..... Might have to review a Snooker game as I'm still fully in Snooker mode! I feel a bit sad that it's all over, and I do every year. That final was so emotional, that hug from Ronnie and Judd at the end - and Ronnie's Eurosport interview was something really special. He plays down how much it matters to him, for his own sanity, but those two moments really encapsulated how special it really was. So now there's Two King's of the Crucible. 53 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: Haha yeah I'm a collector but there are limits lol I'll buy it when I win the lottery (which will be never haha) Latest Square Enix news is that they are selling off their western arm of the business (Eidos, Crystal Dynamics etc.) with all the IP's they had like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex etc. for 300 million USD to a Swedish company. That is incredibly cheap considering but hopefully those franchises can get better games in the future (I liked the new Tomb Raider trilogy overall, but Deus Ex was undeservedly dead in the water). Then you think "Well, SE can put that money into sorting out their games division, put more resources into the big FF's etc. and really sort out these poor releases like Chocobo GP and Babylon's Fall of recent times" and then you realise that they are going to put that money into blockchain etc. (FACEPALM) Never say never! That is quite a steal when you think about all those IP's they've just given away, some of my favourite IP's amongst them.... I think that includes Legacy of Kain too, so you know fingers crossed someone at that Swedish company decides to do something with that formant property. I really like the new Tomb Raider trilogy, a lot more than most anyway.... I wish they could persuade Amy Hennig to write a Tomb Raider story, I think she could do something really amazing with that property. So fingers crossed that new Tomb Raider game still happens, even if this Swedish Company is taking over...... I always thought the Jensen Deus Ex games were building towards a full fledged remake of the original Deus Ex, that seemed to be where the story was headed, but I'll personally take anything from that IP if I'm honest..... Most of all though, I just hope the staff from all of those companies can do some new and creative things they might not have gotten to do at Square. 1 hour ago, The_Kopite said: Final Fantasy has so many great songs from each of it's games that it is incredibly hard to pick a favourite soundtrack certainly. IX and X's are both fantastic soundtracks. Haha well I'm not familiar with that gag, but I can imagine how your iPod might look lol Used to have an iPod back in the day myself, nowadays if I want to listen to music I just default to Youtube lol It looks pretty beat up at this point - but I think even if it went wrong, I'd go out of my way to get another one. Having 80GB or more to have as music or podcasts on there is an option I always like to have. YouTube is always a pretty solid option though - although not for me as my phone is about as useful as a music player as a piece of welsh slate would be ? 1 hour ago, The_Kopite said: Now that's pretty interesting considering that was before all these other games. Did David Cage think "Well you know what would make our future games better? Clunky controls! That's what players love to have!" lol Is the Star Wars one they do going to be a battle just to get the character to go in the right direction? Rigid to say the least lol I'll take the old school RE tank controls any day. I honestly think it's the fact that back when he made Farenheit he was very aware he was still making a video game.... He obviously still knows he is, but I think fluid gameplay is less important to him now, .... He's more focused on giving players that "cinematic experience." Instead of a game in the truer sense. Which would be fine, if the stories he tells wouldn't be received absolutely terribly as actual films. Seriously he would be a terrible film-maker - Detroit is an absolute technical masterpiece, and visually the graphical fidelity is as good as anything on PS4.... BUT, some of the shot selections and the way he frames shots in his games (the things he tries so hard to make like films) look so bizarre and off-kilter. You can make a game and still use cinematic techniques, The Witcher 3, and plenty of the Yakuza's prove that, as they have got some really top notch video game cinematography in them. I really must stop digging out David Cage at some point ?..... As you mentioned Resident Evil, I totally forgot to tell you that Emil's Mansion in NieR is heavily inspired by the architecture of the Spencer Mansion.... It's such a brilliant little homage! Even down to some of the camera angles. 1 hour ago, The_Kopite said: Well thankfully enough people did, and you did it and it was all good. That is quite an achievement. The challenge now is to get to 2000 posts on the 2 year anniversary haha Yes it most certainly is! Not got loads of room on the console storage already so by the time the other games eventually get installed (whenever the wife gives them to me as presents lol) we will see how much room overall is left. I'm assuming that the console when it realises that there isn't enough room left for a game will default and install on the expansion instead. Yes well if I get to Days Gone then I will try to remember to let you know how it functions, but yes certainly it seems like it sold enough to warrant a sequel but not enough for Sony in order to guarantee one, and the critical and general reception to the game was all over the place. I'm always going to be one of those self doubting tit's that needs the occasional nudge in the right direction unfortunately haha. I can't imagine 2000 on the 2 Year Anniversary being a thing, but enough strange things have already happened in this thread, so who can say for sure! That's the curse of installing loads of games and then not starting them or finishing them promptly, I know that one all too well ! Yes please, let me know how you find Days Gone when you do, it's one of those games where the reaction is so mixed you almost have to have loads of opinions at the ready to collate together to know whether you'll actually have a good time with it, so I'd love to know! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 2 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I think there was a pay dispute or something but that was months and months ago, and it's probably been resolved now. I agree you couldn't really do it without the original voice actors it wouldn't feel like the same show! I have been watching Snooker for pretty much all of the free time I've had, then barely sleeping over the last 2 weeks to try and cram everything else in. Now my big problem is POST SNOOKER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BLUES..... Might have to review a Snooker game as I'm still fully in Snooker mode! I feel a bit sad that it's all over, and I do every year. That final was so emotional, that hug from Ronnie and Judd at the end - and Ronnie's Eurosport interview was something really special. He plays down how much it matters to him, for his own sanity, but those two moments really encapsulated how special it really was. So now there's Two King's of the Crucible. Absolutely! Hopefully they did sort it out. With live shows, you can (as has happened in the past) recast actors and have varying results, but voice actors I believe are harder to recast even though you don't see them lol I'm probably in the minority here, but I think it can be more detrimental. Haha I knew you'd be doing that. Yeah there are two kings of the Crucible, both fantastic players who are era defining. Hey, if you are in the mood to review a Snooker game to keep up that Snooker momentum, maybe you will start looking at doing a trophy guide too! 3 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Never say never! That is quite a steal when you think about all those IP's they've just given away, some of my favourite IP's amongst them.... I think that includes Legacy of Kain too, so you know fingers crossed someone at that Swedish company decides to do something with that formant property. I really like the new Tomb Raider trilogy, a lot more than most anyway.... I wish they could persuade Amy Hennig to write a Tomb Raider story, I think she could do something really amazing with that property. So fingers crossed that new Tomb Raider game still happens, even if this Swedish Company is taking over...... I always thought the Jensen Deus Ex games were building towards a full fledged remake of the original Deus Ex, that seemed to be where the story was headed, but I'll personally take anything from that IP if I'm honest..... Most of all though, I just hope the staff from all of those companies can do some new and creative things they might not have gotten to do at Square. Haha well I can wish! Yes of course it does! Yeah absolutely so again there the possibility of a new Legacy of Kain game (or at least some kind of remaster or even port with trophies?) should improve you'd have thought. Agree 100% that for the price, getting those studios and IP's is an absolute steal. Yeah she most likely would be able to given her history with the Uncharted series. There are rumours that she is working on the Star Wars game that she had to shelve years ago. If so, that could be exciting. I'd be shocked if they didn't carry on with the newly established modern Tomb Raider series. Tomb Raider is the standout franchise from the ones they have acquired and with others like Deus Ex, if they get the right teams together and let them be creative then the new games could be real heavy hitters! 3 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It looks pretty beat up at this point - but I think even if it went wrong, I'd go out of my way to get another one. Having 80GB or more to have as music or podcasts on there is an option I always like to have. YouTube is always a pretty solid option though - although not for me as my phone is about as useful as a music player as a piece of welsh slate would be I was shocked that Apple still sold iPod's tbh, but then I've never been an Apple kind of guy. Had one iPod and that was it, not even an iPhone lol Would walk right past an Apple store lol Haha sounds like you need to buy a new phone with a new iPod! 3 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I honestly think it's the fact that back when he made Farenheit he was very aware he was still making a video game.... He obviously still knows he is, but I think fluid gameplay is less important to him now, .... He's more focused on giving players that "cinematic experience." Instead of a game in the truer sense. Which would be fine, if the stories he tells wouldn't be received absolutely terribly as actual films. Seriously he would be a terrible film-maker - Detroit is an absolute technical masterpiece, and visually the graphical fidelity is as good as anything on PS4.... BUT, some of the shot selections and the way he frames shots in his games (the things he tries so hard to make like films) look so bizarre and off-kilter. You can make a game and still use cinematic techniques, The Witcher 3, and plenty of the Yakuza's prove that, as they have got some really top notch video game cinematography in them. I really must stop digging out David Cage at some point ..... As you mentioned Resident Evil, I totally forgot to tell you that Emil's Mansion in NieR is heavily inspired by the architecture of the Spencer Mansion.... It's such a brilliant little homage! Even down to some of the camera angles. Yeah, that's a very fair point and makes total sense. Someone in his team needs to tell him that (especially with the next one being Star Wars and the fandom that exists) that his games need to play smoother. It would benefit the story telling rather than being frustrated and that taking you out of the game somewhat. I'll admit, things like cinematography and camera angles aren't something that I will notice that much unless it is really obviously done in a specific and bad way (Here's looking at you Original PS3 Mass Effect games with your focus on the bums lol) but I will take your word for it.You are correct, Detroit is technically extremely good, and was really impressed with it's look and performance on PS4. Haha that gif is funny lol think it'll be a long way away and in the meantime, you'll be digging out David Cage some more lol Ah nice man! Thanks for showing me that. When I first looked at the image, for a split second I thought it was old school RE. Really cool! Like I think SE should do a FF Classics series and make them turn based battles, smaller in scope and 2d like I-VI, Capcom should do a RE Classics type game spinoff with the tank controls and fixed camera angles. Of course it's just a dream but still, think there would be a market for them. 3 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I'm always going to be one of those self doubting tit's that needs the occasional nudge in the right direction unfortunately haha. I can't imagine 2000 on the 2 Year Anniversary being a thing, but enough strange things have already happened in this thread, so who can say for sure! That's the curse of installing loads of games and then not starting them or finishing them promptly, I know that one all too well ! Yes please, let me know how you find Days Gone when you do, it's one of those games where the reaction is so mixed you almost have to have loads of opinions at the ready to collate together to know whether you'll actually have a good time with it, so I'd love to know! Well somehow I missed this last part of your repsonse so sorry for that! lol Haha well you have lots of people here who will happily nudge you in the right direction. It would be funny if it did happen. 1000 for 1 year is a hell of a coincidence. Yes exactly! The wife just bought Cat Quest 2 as she really enjoys the first one (Good game definitely, well worth a play through and a good plat!) and both of those are on PS5 now as she is really enjoying gaming on there so that's one game off the PS4, but there are so many on there as I try to get through the backlog, I'm very glad we put a 2TB HD in there many years ago! The PS5 total space sadly is lower even with the 1TB SSD Expansion we put in, so obviously not wanting to fill it up with PS4 games when they can stay on the PS4 lol trying to be picky about that. Yes, it's one I will try to get too when I can. Firstly I need to platinum RE2R for 250. Sadly I had to go backwards to a previous save in order to go forwards in the game. Needed more health and a better weapon but I've progressed past the boss I was stuck on now so doing that was totally worth it and hopefully the Leon B Standard run under 3 hours will be done very soon. Leaving a Claire B Standard run under 3 hours and then both Leon and Claire's Hardcore runs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 I remember you mentioned my name in this thread, but I didn't have time to really post because on that day I had to go to work. I've been really bad about checking up on other peoples threads, see what they're doing, but you put a lot of effort into this thread. I just want to say thanks. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) 21 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Absolutely! Hopefully they did sort it out. With live shows, you can (as has happened in the past) recast actors and have varying results, but voice actors I believe are harder to recast even though you don't see them lol I'm probably in the minority here, but I think it can be more detrimental. Haha I knew you'd be doing that. Yeah there are two kings of the Crucible, both fantastic players who are era defining. Hey, if you are in the mood to review a Snooker game to keep up that Snooker momentum, maybe you will start looking at doing a trophy guide too! Depends how iconic the voice is I suppose. There are some voices where it'd be incredibly noticeable.... It'd be like someone trying to do John Hurts voice for example, that guy had such a distinctive and interesting voice, but sounding even close to that would be hard for any impersonator, it's such a specific graveliness ? I'm definitely thinking about writing that Snooker game guide, I was planning to play a bit of Snooker 19 again soon, so if I can manage to recorda 147 whilst I'm playing it then that'd be a handy thing on standby for a guide. 21 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yes of course it does! Yeah absolutely so again there the possibility of a new Legacy of Kain game (or at least some kind of remaster or even port with trophies?) should improve you'd have thought. Agree 100% that for the price, getting those studios and IP's is an absolute steal. Yeah she most likely would be able to given her history with the Uncharted series. There are rumours that she is working on the Star Wars game that she had to shelve years ago. If so, that could be exciting. I'd be shocked if they didn't carry on with the newly established modern Tomb Raider series. Tomb Raider is the standout franchise from the ones they have acquired and with others like Deus Ex, if they get the right teams together and let them be creative then the new games could be real heavy hitters! Oh yeah I always forget she wrote some of the Uncharteds too. ?.... I'm not kidding either, I just always think of Amy Hennig as one of the awesome writers behind Legacy of Kain.... So if she wrote Tomb Raider I guess I can expect Lara to become really annoying, talk every 5 seconds and then make all sorts of stupid noises during platforming sections? To be fair those are more of my problems with the Uncharted games she didn't write, so I'm being well unfair with that one! Whatever happens, my fingers are crossed that they make better use of those IP's than Square Enix has, because they're such a wildly inconsistent and frustrating company these days, to be sitting on all of those gold mines and not doing anything with them. 21 hours ago, The_Kopite said: I was shocked that Apple still sold iPod's tbh, but then I've never been an Apple kind of guy. Had one iPod and that was it, not even an iPhone lol Would walk right past an Apple store lol Haha sounds like you need to buy a new phone with a new iPod! I didn't even know they were still selling iPods. The city where I live luckily has a specialised store just for repairing old iPods. Not an official Apple one obviously. I could probably do with a new phone yeah, but then I'm don't really use my phone all that much outside of being a phone anyway, so I guess I'll just wait until it truly dies before getting another one. It does get really hot during phone calls now so it must be on its last legs now 21 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Ah nice man! Thanks for showing me that. When I first looked at the image, for a split second I thought it was old school RE. Really cool! Like I think SE should do a FF Classics series and make them turn based battles, smaller in scope and 2d like I-VI, Capcom should do a RE Classics type game spinoff with the tank controls and fixed camera angles. Of course it's just a dream but still, think there would be a market for them. It is very true to the Spencer Mansion, but not in a let's rip this off kind of way, it's very much a loving homage. Also in true Resident Evil fashion, it also has an underground lab inside of it, so they went the extra mile with that That'd certainly be an interesting idea, but then I worry that those games from Square Enix might sell just as well as some of their modern output, so they might be reluctant to do it. It's a toughie. I like the idea of both, although I'm a bit hesitant to say I'd want a Resident Evil with Tank Controls these days. If it's tweaked controls like the PS4 version of the Resident Evil 1 remake had then I'd be a bit more up for it, but tank controls in 2022, are unfortunately going to turn a lot of people off, but then like you say, there probably is a market for them. 21 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yes exactly! The wife just bought Cat Quest 2 as she really enjoys the first one (Good game definitely, well worth a play through and a good plat!) and both of those are on PS5 now as she is really enjoying gaming on there so that's one game off the PS4 Are you going to play that one together? Cat Quest II has got a pretty big focus on the 2 player aspect, so you might both enjoy that one a whole lot more if you played it together... I really enjoyed Cat Quest II, it isn't a whole lot different to Cat Quest I, but it didn't need to be. I'm well up for a Cat Quest III as well, that series is so much better than it has any right to be ? 21 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yes, it's one I will try to get too when I can. Firstly I need to platinum RE2R for 250. Sadly I had to go backwards to a previous save in order to go forwards in the game. Needed more health and a better weapon but I've progressed past the boss I was stuck on now so doing that was totally worth it and hopefully the Leon B Standard run under 3 hours will be done very soon. Leaving a Claire B Standard run under 3 hours and then both Leon and Claire's Hardcore runs. Nice! You're almost there then.... I've got all that to look forward to when I get to playing it. I'm probably in the minority of people that rather enjoy speedrun trophies though. Good luck with what you've got left, you've got this! I was planning to start Resident Evil 4 soon actually, been putting that one off for what seems like forever, and I haven't played it in a long old time either, so that'll be nice to dive in with that one! 4 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: I remember you mentioned my name in this thread, but I didn't have time to really post because on that day I had to go to work. I've been really bad about checking up on other peoples threads, see what they're doing, but you put a lot of effort into this thread. I just want to say thanks. I did! That was a big thank you post to everyone that has left a comment over the past year, I'm a little worried I left 1 or 2 people out without meaning to, but I tried to get everyone. You were one of the first ones to pop in and leave a comment. Thanks for dropping by and saying that though, I do appreciate it. I've been pretty bad at keeping up with other peoples threads too the last month or so. I'm trying to get back on top of that, hopefully some amazing game doesn't steal my attention away for a good while again. That's when I tend to go radio silent the most in here unfortunately. Edited May 4, 2022 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Thanks for posting the Nier review. Those games and the Yakuza series have always intrigued me. They just seem like the epitome of Japanese developer’s sense of weirdness and decadence. I remember when Nier: Automata came out and I was…puzzled…by the main character’s chose of garb. I can only imagine the eyebrow raises I’d get if I booted one of those up on the couch. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 53 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Thanks for posting the Nier review. Those games and the Yakuza series have always intrigued me. They just seem like the epitome of Japanese developer’s sense of weirdness and decadence. I remember when Nier: Automata came out and I was…puzzled…by the main character’s chose of garb. I can only imagine the eyebrow raises I’d get if I booted one of those up on the couch. Thanks man! You'd get eyebrows raised so high they'd probably be on the very top of your partners head if you fired up NieR: Replicant on your couch, ? considering one of the party characters, Kaine, is basically running around with Two Swords, a nightie and a pair of heels. ..... The NieR/Drakengard, series definitely has you covered on the weirdness AND decadence front. Good spot. Yakuza too to some extent, although they usually keep the weirdness to the side content, but every now and then it creeps into the main game COUGH Yakuza 4 COUGH ? If you ever get the desire to play either Yakuza or the NieR games I'd totally, TOTALLY recommend them, just play it in the middle of the night or something so you don't have to worry about any potentially judgmental looks haha ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 1 hour ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Thanks for posting the Nier review. Those games and the Yakuza series have always intrigued me. They just seem like the epitome of Japanese developer’s sense of weirdness and decadence. I remember when Nier: Automata came out and I was…puzzled…by the main character’s chose of garb. I can only imagine the eyebrow raises I’d get if I booted one of those up on the couch. 3 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: If you ever get the desire to play either Yakuza or the NieR games I'd totally, TOTALLY recommend them, just play it in the middle of the night or something so you don't have to worry about any potentially judgmental looks haha I remember doing the party line (and let's not forget those videos you have to watch) in Yakuza 0 and peekin over my shoulder to make sure my wife wasn't around? felt like I was a kid watching sex scenes on premium channels in the middle of the night all over again! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 12 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: I remember doing the party line (and let's not forget those videos you have to watch) in Yakuza 0 and peekin over my shoulder to make sure my wife wasn't around? felt like I was a kid watching sex scenes on premium channels in the middle of the night all over again! There are an obscene amount of examples I can think of in the Yakuza series alone that I'd be absolutely petrified that someone might walk into the room whilst you're at a particularly odd section. The series is absolutely full of them, which is always hilarious. Yakuza 0 has got plenty of them though.... The two Mr Libido's of the two cities (what a name!) those videos, and that's just in that game. It's definitely unique that's for sure. You never quite know what weird thing you'll encounter next and I kinda love that! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted May 5, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 5, 2022 (edited) Another New LEGO Shaped Platinum Goes Into The Vault! Platinum #351 LEGO DC Super-Villains (PS4) Here's to Mischief Collect all the trophies A Few Trophy Stats Platinum & 100% Earned - 5 May 2022 : 2:05:16 AM Time Taken to Platinum & 100% : 1 week, 2 days, 31 minutes Platinum Rarity - 19.16% 100% Rarity - 9.16% Trophy Number - #16,836 It seems that I never go all that long without adding another LEGO game to my collection – for me, they really scratch that itch of mindless fun. They have always been something I’ve always enjoyed playing, the kind of thing that’s a great “go to” when you don’t want to exert too much mental energy. Released in 2019 and as usual developed by Traveller’s Tales, LEGO DC Super-Villains contains the same mixture of discrete levels mixed with open world activities you’d come to expect from most Lego games at this point, except this time the exclusive gameplay focus is on the extensive DC villain roster, due to the absence of the Justice League the DC villains are forced to take the Hero role, in an interesting twist on the Justice/Crime Syndicate storyline. I think my description undersells it a little though – it’s surprising how much the change from a focus on Heroes to Villains actually a makes a pretty substantial difference in keeping the game fresh, and with how formulaic Lego games have become, I’ll absolutely take what I can get. In an interesting twist, one that I think Lego games perhaps ought to experiment with a little more – much of the plot is focused on your own custom character, taking the form of a silent protagonist. It’s a little comparable to how South Park: The Stick of Truth handles the idea, in that the characters sometimes talk as if you’re not there, yet still acknowledge your silence, so you do very much still feel like an integral part of proceedings. I’ve got to praise the game for this, because if you view it in the context of who the game is aimed at – essentially a younger audience, I think that’s a wonderful idea that they get to see the character they created and made their own, be the focus in the cutscenes. Naturally I created myself, but Evil, complete with stereotypical Villain moustache and Monocle, dubbing myself “The ScruffKing.” Well, you’ve got to embrace the fun, right? Visually, Lego DC Super-Villains is quite an attractive game; it’s colourful, bright, and quite varied too. Seeing some of the Legoified designs of famous DC characters and locations can be a real treat. My personal favourite was getting to fly around the Lego version of Smallville. I think I missed a trick by not putting on some Lifehouse, or at least the Smallville mix I have on Spotify whilst doing the open world activities. As a fan of the show Smallville, I must say I thought there was a missed opportunity not to have at least one of the coffee shops called The Talon, as a nice little Easter egg. But as the show has been off the air longer than most of the games target audience has probably been on the planet, I can definitely forgive that. I genuinely laughed out loud the first time I saw Bizarro, he’s almost a perfect Lego approximation, that and the voice felt so true to the character. As much as it pains me to say it, the audio element of LEGO DC Super-Villains is very much a mixed bag. I don’t think there’s a more appropriate description either. The soundtrack itself is mostly forgettable; it does its job well enough, but apart from one or two ambient pieces of music that are really good quality, it doesn’t stand out at all. Let’s be honest though, does it need to? An enjoyable experience is more of a key focus, and I do feel that was provided. The voice acting was probably the standout part of the games audio; it really is incredibly high quality. Just looking at the cast list is an absolute who is who of top quality voice actors. Many of whom are reprising roles they’ve played before, but subtly different for the change in audience age, and I really appreciated that small detail. I bet you’re feeling a “but” coming right? Yes, unfortunately, the sound design itself is offensively bad. Obviously they have the extensive amount of Lego game sound effects at their disposal, those are mostly all good, but the ways some of them are mixed, poorly layered and often looped are not. Sirens and alarms probably being the biggest offender, they’ll pretty much infinitely loop a really ear piercing, grating sound until you interact with something. I genuinely don’t know if the intention was to annoy the player into interacting with something just to make it stop. It got particularly bad in one of the story levels, where I was searching for collectibles in Free Play, and I had to mute my television, for fear of crumpling into a heap on the floor, putting my hands over my ears and proclaiming “SCARY BAD” like Raymond from Rain Man. There isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking or even new as far as the gameplay goes in LEGO DC Super-Villains. Whether that’s a problem, is, I think at least, probably up to the individual. I certainly wouldn’t argue with anyone who said the games can feel a little stale at times, but it’s not something I’m particularly bothered by. I think one of the upsides to playing the Lego games quite extensively is noticing the gradual – and sometimes, not so gradual quality of life improvements and changes. Sometimes these really do go a long way. An example of this is the flight controls on the flying characters; they’re still a little clunky and imprecise however. In this game they’re a lot crisper and feel so much more reactive. In general I think there’s been a deliberate effort to give the player a more cohesive and fluid experience. The biggest example of this is probably in the open world Free Play. If you’re near a puzzle or an activity you need a character with a specific skill for, just bringing up the character menu will nine times out of ten, often take you to a character with the exact abilities you need. It’s a small thing, but it helps. One of the most notable and best quality of life improvements is with the “Challenges.” In LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 I didn’t get on with these, at all. They felt like such unnecessary content padding. They aren’t marked on your map, and they’re incredibly longwinded. LEGO DC Super-Villains alleviated that problem massively by giving each individual component of a challenge its own “riddle” so you can work out for yourself where you need to go. It’s very much like a simplified version of the Arkham series’ Riddler clues. In that same vein collecting Gold Bricks feels a little lengthier, but many of them involve mini-missions and one-time characters that actually make them feel a little more important and memorable, instead of “just something to collect.” So ultimately I think that’s a good implementation. DLC These DLC sections might be a little light, but they’re ultimately very short, you can usually get all of the trophies in a pack in under an hour, so there’s really only so much I can elaborate on. As usual with DLC sections they’ll read a bit more like my experiences than a full fledged review. Each DLC pack takes place over one discrete and fairly short level. Aquaman Movie Part 1 Usually I’d try and be at least a little familiar with the source material before playing the Lego related version. I wasn’t willing to go out of my way to watch Aquaman just for this DLC, so my only context is this game. This level is essentially one long boss fight – it’s quite well designed though, in that you never stay in one location too long. You’re also given a few different types of gameplay, as it involves puzzles, combat and an auto-scroller section. Aquaman Movie Part 2 I really enjoyed this particular DLC level I think returning to it in Free Play is one of the best examples of seeing how much of a level you can truly miss the first time through. This has a whole section you could quite easily just swim past and ignore. It doesn’t do anything particularly noteworthy; it was just nice to have a reminder of why returning to levels in Free Play can be so satisfying in some of the games. Batman: The Animated Series. This was my favourite of the DLC packs. I think part of that was familiarity. Sometimes half the fun with a Lego game is seeing how they deal with particular pieces of media, and I think they did a terrific job with this one. From what I could tell the colour shading is a little different on the characters and the environments to make it look closer to the animation source material. I have seen Batman: The Animated Series, but it was a long time ago (I was always more of a Superman fan) but one of the things I do vividly remember is the film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I think Traveller’s Tales were aware how memorable that film is for a lot of people, so they decided to make that the focus here. It does a pretty impressive job of capturing the feeling of the film, as well as the characters themselves. I think the subtle way Mark Hamill plays The Joker like the animated series version, instead of the Lego DC Super-Villains version is a fantastic little touch. Shazam Movie Part 1 Another one I’m a little unfamiliar with. I’m familiar with Shazam as a character, but not the film of it. It’s one plenty of people have recommended to me. I always thought Zachary Levi was a brilliant casting choice for the character. The level itself is probably the shortest of all of the DLC packs. It’s short but still quite interesting. It’s set in a toy shop, at Christmas I believe, and the way that’s been represented in Lego form is quite charming. It’s a level that is probably a little too short and simple. It was one of those where I was pretty much left thinking “was that it?” Shazam Movie Part 2 Much like the previous Shazam level, this one is much shorter, yet far more enjoyable from a gameplay perspective I thought. It’s a mixture of some pretty “out there” puzzle solving, with some really funny solutions. It’s also another one where coming back for the Free Play is incredibly enjoyable. It’s just another example of it feeling a little too short. Ultimately though, I think I’d rather feel like that than be disappointed that it was too long, outstaying its welcome. Young Justice Animated Series This was one surprised me the most. I haven’t seen a single piece of media about Young Justice; I’ve never had the interest personally. Yet I really, really had a good time with this one. It’s just good light-hearted fun. It does a great job of conveying the chemistry between the characters. It’s fast paced never really slows down long enough for you to ever lose focus. Oh and it has a GORILLA WEARING A BERET..... That alone makes it noteworthy, I had no idea about that DC character, but that got a genuine laugh out of me when I saw it. Do I recommend LEGO DC Super-Villains? I think so yes, so long as you don’t go into it expecting it to be some revelatory experience, it isn’t doing anything particularly new, but what new things it does do are noticeable. The trophies are all pretty straightforward too. I did encounter a few more bugs and glitches than I usually seem to in a Lego game, but nothing game breaking. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That was probably one of the better games I could have chosen for a nice relaxing time. It required a tiny amount of mental capacity, I could pick it up and put it down any time I got a little bit of free time between whatever else was going on, and me trying to spend as much free time as possible watching the Snooker. It also didn't require any sort of emotional investment, and that was what I was after, I feel like NieR: Replicant stole another piece of my heart, so I didn't want to play anything that might throat punch me in the feelings. I think I'm going to FINALLY get around to starting Bastion later, after putting it off for no other reason than I'm an idiot. Now some boring admin..... ? As I mentioned Vaults in the title of this post, I'm thinking of setting up a Platinum Vault Part 2 on the second Post of the first page.... I'm always super worried that I'm going to bust the word limit open on my first post and won't be able to edit it, so just to put my mind at ease, I'll put everything from Platinum #351 and onwards in that one. I might do the same with the one for 100% games too, I'll just find a way to leave that looking a bit more neat and tidy before I switch over. I am still going to be adding links to all my older game reviews in the original platinum vault when I write the reviews of them, so nothing is really changing. I'm just trying to stop myself from having a problem further down the line. Edited May 9, 2022 by rjkclarke 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Good shit! Sounds like it was just good, mindless fun. Is the new Lego Star Wars game on your radar? That’s funny you are thinking of starting Bastion, I think I snooped your profile the other day and noticed a conspicuous lack of that game. Is Hades lurking in your backlog, too? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Good shit! Sounds like it was just good, mindless fun. Is the new Lego Star Wars game on your radar? That’s funny you are thinking of starting Bastion, I think I snooped your profile the other day and noticed a conspicuous lack of that game. Is Hades lurking in your backlog, too? Exactly, right!....... LEGO DC Super-Villains, Just good mindless fun.... Should have been on the box art really, because it totally is that! You're not wrong. Plus it meant I could write a nice and simple review, it was only all the DLC that made that take a little longer. Yes! Yes! Absolutely, the new Lego Star wars is on my radar, and I hope it's on yours too! it is another one that I'm kind of saving for when I have a PS5 so I guess I'll get to it then. I'm probably one of the few people who is happy about the fact it looks like its REALLY long! Bastion does look like something you'd think I'd have played doesn't it ... It's a big ol' gap that needs filling. I have all of the games by Supergiant on my backlog..... The minute I finished Transistor I was an instant convert, so I'm really looking forward to diving into all the other ones ?... I think I'm going to have a really good time with those. Edited May 6, 2022 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 On 5/4/2022 at 2:42 PM, rjkclarke said: Depends how iconic the voice is I suppose. There are some voices where it'd be incredibly noticeable.... It'd be like someone trying to do John Hurts voice for example, that guy had such a distinctive and interesting voice, but sounding even close to that would be hard for any impersonator, it's such a specific graveliness I'm definitely thinking about writing that Snooker game guide, I was planning to play a bit of Snooker 19 again soon, so if I can manage to recorda 147 whilst I'm playing it then that'd be a handy thing on standby for a guide. Like the Snooker as a sports example. Watched a little bit of it on Eurosport, and it wasn't the same as hearing the voices I was used to on BBC. Yes you are absolutely right. Hey, gives you an excuse to go back and play that Snooker 19 game again! (Not that you need one!) On 5/4/2022 at 2:42 PM, rjkclarke said: Oh yeah I always forget she wrote some of the Uncharteds too. .... I'm not kidding either, I just always think of Amy Hennig as one of the awesome writers behind Legacy of Kain.... So if she wrote Tomb Raider I guess I can expect Lara to become really annoying, talk every 5 seconds and then make all sorts of stupid noises during platforming sections? To be fair those are more of my problems with the Uncharted games she didn't write, so I'm being well unfair with that one! Whatever happens, my fingers are crossed that they make better use of those IP's than Square Enix has, because they're such a wildly inconsistent and frustrating company these days, to be sitting on all of those gold mines and not doing anything with them. lol my mind instantly goes to Uncharted when thinking of Amy Hennig so there you go haha. It's like that for a lot of people with various different famous people - it depends what you know them from first and what was most memorable to you! As a random example, Richard Dean Anderson will always be most known to my wife as MacGvyer, whereas for me he is Jack O'Neil from Stargate SG-1. Hey, stop badmouthing Uncharted! lol nah you are entitled to your opinion obviously lol DRRRRAAAAAKKKKEEEEE!!! NOOOOO!!!!! 100% agree there. Square Enix obviously are one of my favourite companies due to Final Fantasy of course, but at the moment they are all over the place. Releasing as many hits as misses. On 5/4/2022 at 2:42 PM, rjkclarke said: I didn't even know they were still selling iPods. The city where I live luckily has a specialised store just for repairing old iPods. Not an official Apple one obviously. I could probably do with a new phone yeah, but then I'm don't really use my phone all that much outside of being a phone anyway, so I guess I'll just wait until it truly dies before getting another one. It does get really hot during phone calls now so it must be on its last legs now I've never seen a place like that. That is lucky. If any piece of technology is getting hot just from using it's basic functions, then it's definitely on it's last legs. Unless it was designed to be hot of course. On 5/4/2022 at 2:42 PM, rjkclarke said: It is very true to the Spencer Mansion, but not in a let's rip this off kind of way, it's very much a loving homage. Also in true Resident Evil fashion, it also has an underground lab inside of it, so they went the extra mile with that That'd certainly be an interesting idea, but then I worry that those games from Square Enix might sell just as well as some of their modern output, so they might be reluctant to do it. It's a toughie. I like the idea of both, although I'm a bit hesitant to say I'd want a Resident Evil with Tank Controls these days. If it's tweaked controls like the PS4 version of the Resident Evil 1 remake had then I'd be a bit more up for it, but tank controls in 2022, are unfortunately going to turn a lot of people off, but then like you say, there probably is a market for them. Haha yes! Bonus point for the underground lab right there! Considering how Square Enix are at the moment, I think it would be worth a shot for them. Play on a bit of nostalgia if nothing else to try and drive sales. Better than their efforts like Avengers and Babylon's Fall. I am Setsuna was like a classic FF in a fair few ways and really enjoyed that one. Think it did pretty well sales wise too. Of course yes the controls from the RE1 Remake would be better suited to try and act as a middle ground between the original tank controls and what people expect controls to be nowadays. That is fair. On 5/4/2022 at 2:42 PM, rjkclarke said: Are you going to play that one together? Cat Quest II has got a pretty big focus on the 2 player aspect, so you might both enjoy that one a whole lot more if you played it together... I really enjoyed Cat Quest II, it isn't a whole lot different to Cat Quest I, but it didn't need to be. I'm well up for a Cat Quest III as well, that series is so much better than it has any right to be I'm not sure. I would love to, but my wife isn't as much of a gamer as I am but it depends if she fancies doing that. We have played some games together like A Way Out, Trine, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 etc but they can take a while to go through. Also helps if both players get the trophies at the same time which I don't know if Cat Quest II does. Haha that is very true! My wife loves cats so that helps lol On 5/4/2022 at 2:42 PM, rjkclarke said: Nice! You're almost there then.... I've got all that to look forward to when I get to playing it. I'm probably in the minority of people that rather enjoy speedrun trophies though. Good luck with what you've got left, you've got this! I was planning to start Resident Evil 4 soon actually, been putting that one off for what seems like forever, and I haven't played it in a long old time either, so that'll be nice to dive in with that one! Yeah it is just getting the opportunities to play it, so in the mean time I am playing other smaller games I'm able to and setting them up for platinums. My completion percentage is shooting up as a result lol RE4 is a great game. Not my favourite RE but definitely great. There is a super quality gameplay guide on the site done by @suicideyan if you wanted to check that out. The level of detail in it is unreal! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 8, 2022 Author Share Posted May 8, 2022 On 06/05/2022 at 0:30 PM, The_Kopite said: Like the Snooker as a sports example. Watched a little bit of it on Eurosport, and it wasn't the same as hearing the voices I was used to on BBC. Yes you are absolutely right. Hey, gives you an excuse to go back and play that Snooker 19 game again! (Not that you need one!) They do have some really good commentators on Eurosport to be fair, although I agree, you probably wouldn't be familiar with a lot of those voices the first time. I always default to the BBC for the World Championships, they seem to knock it out of the park with the commentary, presenting and punditry team almost every year. I'm thinking of writing the review for WSC Real 11 later, so I wouldn't be too surprised if I stick that up later. it's an interesting Snooker game that one, in that it still does quite a few things better than Snooker 19 does (even though Snooker 19 is still a bloody excellent game). On 06/05/2022 at 0:30 PM, The_Kopite said: lol my mind instantly goes to Uncharted when thinking of Amy Hennig so there you go haha. It's like that for a lot of people with various different famous people - it depends what you know them from first and what was most memorable to you! As a random example, Richard Dean Anderson will always be most known to my wife as MacGvyer, whereas for me he is Jack O'Neil from Stargate SG-1. Hey, stop badmouthing Uncharted! lol nah you are entitled to your opinion obviously lol DRRRRAAAAAKKKKEEEEE!!! NOOOOO!!!!! And I've seen neither of those things - so I instantly think of MacGyver as the guy that Patty and Selma are obsessed with in The Simpsons ? Despite what it might sound like I do actually like the Uncharted series, I just don't particularly like Drake as a lead character all that much. I like the games themselves a whole lot. Even if the whole "cinematic" comparison might not be one that I particularly agree with. On 06/05/2022 at 0:30 PM, The_Kopite said: Considering how Square Enix are at the moment, I think it would be worth a shot for them. Play on a bit of nostalgia if nothing else to try and drive sales. Better than their efforts like Avengers and Babylon's Fall. I am Setsuna was like a classic FF in a fair few ways and really enjoyed that one. Think it did pretty well sales wise too. I think pretty much Square Enix exclusively lives off of nostalgia now, which is a little bit of a shame. They've just sold off some off some of the best IP's they had at their disposal. I'm definitely generalising here, but really these days unless it's Kingdom Hearts related or Final Fantasy/Final Fantasy VII related, things they definitely know sell, they tend to not be pushing the boundaries quite as much as they used to. I get it, they are a business, but I don't have to like it. On 06/05/2022 at 0:30 PM, The_Kopite said: I'm not sure. I would love to, but my wife isn't as much of a gamer as I am but it depends if she fancies doing that. We have played some games together like A Way Out, Trine, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 etc but they can take a while to go through. Also helps if both players get the trophies at the same time which I don't know if Cat Quest II does. Haha that is very true! My wife loves cats so that helps lol I just did a little snooping to find out, and it seems like you can both get the trophies, so if that will sweeten it for both of you it might be worth a go. I had good fun with the game in single player, but I imagine it'd be much more fun to play co-op too. If she's a cat lover then she'll probably have even more reason to enjoy the game haha, this one has CATS AND DOGS, so it kind of has something for Cat and Dog lovers this time around. On 06/05/2022 at 0:30 PM, The_Kopite said: Yeah it is just getting the opportunities to play it, so in the mean time I am playing other smaller games I'm able to and setting them up for platinums. My completion percentage is shooting up as a result lol RE4 is a great game. Not my favourite RE but definitely great. There is a super quality gameplay guide on the site done by @suicideyan if you wanted to check that out. The level of detail in it is unreal! You're only 8% off of your 66% goal now, so hey I mean getting stuck on Resident Evil 2 has paid off in a slightly odd kind of way! Then once you've conquered RE2, you can have your own little platinum rain day, if you're into that kind of thing. Resident Evil 4 is a great game, and it's one I haven't played for quite a long time, so getting to nab a few trophies from it will be a nice little bonus, whilst replaying something I haven't played for a while, I can't complain on that one. I'll have a look at that guide at some point, I'm pretty familiar with the game, but a thorough refresher never hurt anyone so thanks for the heads up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted May 9, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 9, 2022 (edited) Classic Review Platinum #33 WSC Real 2011 (PS3) The Platinum One Get all trophies A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 7 March 2013: 5:32:34 AM Time Taken to Platinum : 1 year, 7 months, 3 weeks Platinum Rarity - 1.68% Trophy Number - #1,978 As I’ve watched a pretty substantial amount of Snooker over the last few weeks, I feel as if now would be a good time to write another review of a cue sports game. On today’s menu, is WSC Real 2011. A game which I still play every now and then, when I feel like playing a Snooker game that isn’t Snooker 19. Released in 2011 (obviously I suppose,) WSC Real 11, or to give it its full title WSC Real 11: World Championship Snooker, is a sports simulation game, developed by Dark Energy Digital. It was also the last fully licensed Snooker game until Snooker 19’s release in 2019. It might be the first Snooker game to appear on my profile, but I have been playing Snooker games on various consoles for as long as I can remember, I even had one on the Commodore 16/Plus 4 (my first ever“games console”,) but as I only had access to a black and white TV when I was very young (my family are weird I guess) playing that one was rather a nightmare. I still feel pretty comfortable saying that the best Snooker game available on the PS3 is either this one, or the one directly before it, World Snooker Championship 2009 – however, this one has trophies, so that’s the one I’m going to be talking about. Perhaps I’ll do WSC 2009, in a Sideshows and Curiosities post at some point in the future. Anyway, let’s get into it a little bit. Snooker was having somewhat of a turbulent time at this games release; it would be fair to say that the sport as a whole was in a little bit of a decline. There were only six ranking events being played a year, which is a miniscule amount, when you consider that there are often twenty plus played in a modern season. It was around this time that any unnecessary expenditure was cut down when Barry Hearn took over managing professional Snooker, this is the reason why I don’t think an official Snooker game was released for quite some time. If you’re a fan of Snooker, like I am – then I feel pretty confident in saying that the years before this games release and Snooker 19, felt like an awfully long wait. As a result of that wait, I ended up playing this game rather often. Almost every time a Snooker event ended I would usually fire this up and play a tournament or two in Career mode, which is no bad thing, as this game is really good, in some fairly substantial areas – some I’d argue are still implemented better in this game than they are in Snooker 19. Something that I find myself saying in the few reviews I’ve written so far about cue sports games – is that what you’re ultimately looking for in a video game based on them, is functionality, and whether or not the physics, the rules themselves, and the general feel are appropriate for what they are trying to represent. WSC Real 11 however, goes far beyond functionality, and gives you a true Snooker experience, one that you can play a variety of ways and still have an incredibly fulfilling time with. The physics, for the time are fantastic – in fact, I could probably think of a ridiculous amount of hyperbolic words to describe it and it still might not do it justice. I know I said “for the time” but until Snooker 19 came around these were some of the most satisfying table and ball physics you could ever hope to find. WSC Real 11 boasts a whole host of quality of life improvements that really go a long way to making the game extremely enjoyable to play. It’s the reason that I’d still to this day recommend people play Snooker Nation on the PS4 as it’s made by the same development staff that made this, using an updated version of the same engine. One of these is the positional aid, a returning feature from as early as WSC: 2007. Very often you hear Snooker commentators talking about players “playing into an area for position” and how that usually gives them options. In WSC Real 11, depending on how light or hard, you choose to hit the cue ball, or how much spin you choose to impart, you’ll get a visual aid showing you an area the cue ball is likely to end up. It’s an excellent feature, which can make break building in this game incredibly satisfying, and precise. Crunching in a long red to get position in the perfect spot around the black ball to crash into the reds and open the frame rarely felt better than in this game. An underrated aspect that I think is worth highlighting is the accessibility this game offers – or at least, the fact that you don’t have to have an abundance of knowledge to “feel good” whilst playing this game. WSC Real 11 has some difficulty features, sure – you can adjust the aiming aid, and even play around with how big, small, existent or non-existent the positional aid is too. Yet outside of one or two trophies pertaining to them, you’re free to experiment with those as much as you like until you find a balance that you’re comfortable with. I’ve always felt that those options go a long way; it means you can always play at a level that you feel comfortable with. It’s one of the aspects that really do make this game viable and dare I say it appealing to both new and veteran players alike. With the above in mind – that ability to organically change the difficulty to suit your play-style means that the career mode is all the more satisfying. An aspect of WSC Real 11 that I don’t think I appreciated until Snooker 19 released is the career mode. WSC Real 11 allows you to create a player, it could be you, or anyone you want it to be, in essence, they are your creation, or you. WSC Real also contains a very small scale 8-Ball Pool career. It’s not half baked either, the developers implemented the ability to play many shots that would only be viable on a Pool table, so it’s absolutely commendable they went the extra mile for that. So with that in mind, the ability to take your own character – one that may even share your own name – through the various highs and lows of career mode can feel incredibly fruitful. The game also allows you to allocate skill points to your character, so the gradual improvement you make during your career mode feels absolutely earned, and it’s an incredibly well implemented feature. It feels like parallel progression, the better you become at the game, the better your player characters skill becomes as a direct result. I played this so much back in the day that I had a Stephen Hendry-esque run of form, where I was practically unbeaten for years in the Career mode, where my World Number 1 position was pretty much unassailable for World Number 2. Suffice to say, I loved this mode, it even went the extra mile in that tournaments with a specific discipline like Pot Black adhered to those specific rules. In Pot Black’s case, 1 Frame matches. Coincidentally these were some of the harder matches to win, as the opponent A.I can be rather brutal. Unlike in Pure Pool the A.I whilst brutal at times is programmed almost completely fairly. Nine times out of ten, they’ll play a shot that makes logical sense – in that same vein, depending on who you’re playing against they’ll likely clean up the table if you miss an important ball. It’s punishing but fair; it puts some real pressure on you as a player to play “the right shot.” Much like in professional play, the difference between winning and losing can sometimes be - just one shot. One element that I really thought was brilliant, with the A.I, was how some of the older tour players were programmed in this game. WSC Real 11 released around the tail end of two of Snookers all time greats careers, in Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, but something I’ve noticed about those two specifically is that more than most players they’d often miss what would seem like a pretty simple ball. It’s something that both players were doing in real life at the time, so to see that happen in the game was an incredibly subtle feature. Visually WSC Real has held up pretty well. In some areas more than others, it must be said. For example, the character models of the top Snooker players of the time look far better than they do in Snooker 19. Some of them bear an uncanny resemblance to their real life counterparts too – yet, the lower ranked players look about as generic as possible. For a game released in 2011, on a very tight budget, where graphics and vibrancy are one of the least important features, I think they did a wonderful job. The arenas look very similar to how they do on Television, as does the way the game cuts between different camera shots when the action is taking place. There was a deliberate intent to mimic how Snooker looks on television and for the most part it absolutely does. From an audio standpoint WSC Real 11 is decent enough. That sounds like I’m underwhelmed by it, when that isn’t really the case. It just doesn’t have many elements to it. The sound of the balls colliding feels great, as does the sound of a ball walloping the leather of the back of the pocket. Whether or not you enjoy the commentary by fan favourite John Virgo is probably down to the individual – the commentary itself almost never relates to what you’re actually doing, yet it’s whimsical and oftentimes quite funny. So it does have its own charm to it. One of my best friends and I have often joked about it whilst playing real life Snooker as one of us would put on a Salford accent (John Virgo’s) and say “I could really go for a Cucumber sandwich right now” just like he sometimes does in the game. An element of WSC Real that is worth mentioning is the online multiplayer feature. The trophies tied to this are pretty troublesome, as even from the outset the multiplayer wasn’t all that active, I did play it a fair amount though and was even World Number 1 for a day or two (I have no idea how the rankings were calculated, so I don’t know if that was particularly good or not). I don’t think it’s the best version of online multiplayer in a Snooker title, but for the time it was enjoyable enough, if not a little barebones. I think that was part of the problem, it was limited to just two modes, and once you’ve played that a fair amount it does begin to wear a little thin. Would I recommend WSC Real 11? On paper yes, I would. I still think this is an incredibly good Snooker game. I have no idea whether the online is still functional or not, so I’d find that out first. The trophies are all fairly straightforward, but not necessarily easy. Oddly enough the trophy for beating Steve Davis in a tournament match was the one that took me the longest, as I only ever seemed to play him in qualifiers. I genuinely think this is the best Snooker game available for the PS3. Snooker Nation on PS4 is very similar to this but with a terrible Career mode in comparison (it’s still good, just very short) so it doesn’t quite have the replayability that this one does, but if you wanted to play a game that has similarly responsive and satisfying physics like this one does, then that is an absolutely valid option. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It seemed only right to write about an old Snooker game, after spending Sunday evening watching the World Seniors Snooker championship...... yes even after watching three weeks of incredibly high quality Snooker, I still couldn't resist watching a load of old players smash some balls around too. Anyway this one actually was a little longer than it meant to be, I felt I ought to highlight some of the areas this game really excels though, because it absolutely deserves the praise I gave it. Also looking at the date I earned the platinum is a constant reminder of my battle with Insomnia that I'm probably never going to win. But it's funny to see that I platinumed it during one of those sleepless nights, where I always think to myself "If I can't sleep, I might as well do SOMETHING". ? If I can't sleep tonight, you bet I'll be firing up Bastion as I've had a busy couple of days, and I've not had the chance to play it for a while, heck I might do that anyway and just feel like a zombie tomorrow ?? Catch you in the next one folks! Edited May 9, 2022 by rjkclarke 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) On 5/8/2022 at 8:51 PM, rjkclarke said: They do have some really good commentators on Eurosport to be fair, although I agree, you probably wouldn't be familiar with a lot of those voices the first time. I always default to the BBC for the World Championships, they seem to knock it out of the park with the commentary, presenting and punditry team almost every year. I'm thinking of writing the review for WSC Real 11 later, so I wouldn't be too surprised if I stick that up later. it's an interesting Snooker game that one, in that it still does quite a few things better than Snooker 19 does (even though Snooker 19 is still a bloody excellent game). Yeah I wasn't saying that they weren't good commentators, just that they weren't what I was used to for many years of course. The Snooker World Championship is like Wimbledon for the BBC, a major sporting event that they have every year so they need to put their all into everything about it. WSC Real 11. I can't remember if that's the one I played on PS3 or not. Looks like I might have started you off on the guide writing path haha. Enjoy! On 5/8/2022 at 8:51 PM, rjkclarke said: And I've seen neither of those things - so I instantly think of MacGyver as the guy that Patty and Selma are obsessed with in The Simpsons Despite what it might sound like I do actually like the Uncharted series, I just don't particularly like Drake as a lead character all that much. I like the games themselves a whole lot. Even if the whole "cinematic" comparison might not be one that I particularly agree with. Haha! Well yeah that would be your reference point if you haven't seen either! lol Hey that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. I like Drake personally as a character. I've never thought that you didn't like the Uncharted series though. Would love a new one on PS5. Think Naughty Dog could do a lot with it. On 5/8/2022 at 8:51 PM, rjkclarke said: I think pretty much Square Enix exclusively lives off of nostalgia now, which is a little bit of a shame. They've just sold off some off some of the best IP's they had at their disposal. I'm definitely generalising here, but really these days unless it's Kingdom Hearts related or Final Fantasy/Final Fantasy VII related, things they definitely know sell, they tend to not be pushing the boundaries quite as much as they used to. I get it, they are a business, but I don't have to like it. Sadly I would have to agree with you. They need to stick to what they know best and get the core group of games down before trying other things again. Then they can start to let other ideas come out properly. They also need to stop having unrealistic sales expectations. On 5/8/2022 at 8:51 PM, rjkclarke said: I just did a little snooping to find out, and it seems like you can both get the trophies, so if that will sweeten it for both of you it might be worth a go. I had good fun with the game in single player, but I imagine it'd be much more fun to play co-op too. If she's a cat lover then she'll probably have even more reason to enjoy the game haha, this one has CATS AND DOGS, so it kind of has something for Cat and Dog lovers this time around. Ah sweet! Yeah that would certainly sweeten the deal, so I'll let her know and we can try it out on the PS5 when she eventually completes the first game. Yeah she does love cats definitely. Hence the intrigue and interest in the first game lol On 5/8/2022 at 8:51 PM, rjkclarke said: You're only 8% off of your 66% goal now, so hey I mean getting stuck on Resident Evil 2 has paid off in a slightly odd kind of way! Then once you've conquered RE2, you can have your own little platinum rain day, if you're into that kind of thing. Resident Evil 4 is a great game, and it's one I haven't played for quite a long time, so getting to nab a few trophies from it will be a nice little bonus, whilst replaying something I haven't played for a while, I can't complain on that one. I'll have a look at that guide at some point, I'm pretty familiar with the game, but a thorough refresher never hurt anyone so thanks for the heads up! Yeah I know! Shows you how big the backlog is and how many games were on 1-5%, hence me now setting up as many games as I can for platinums whilst I slowly trudge through RE2R. A platinum rain day you say? Well might end up being a week lol will be nice to see the backlog getting trimmed down significantly. I am certainly resolute in my wish to never have this many games ever again. Just don't have the time. So many big games that I have that I haven't even started properly yet it's unreal. Yeah, bet it'll be fun for you! Enjoy! EDIT - Just looked and it was WSC Real 11. Got a measly 19% lol Definitely enjoyed it though. Edited May 10, 2022 by The_Kopite Updated information 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 10, 2022 Author Share Posted May 10, 2022 6 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yeah I wasn't saying that they weren't good commentators, just that they weren't what I was used to for many years of course. The Snooker World Championship is like Wimbledon for the BBC, a major sporting event that they have every year so they need to put their all into everything about it. WSC Real 11. I can't remember if that's the one I played on PS3 or not. Looks like I might have started you off on the guide writing path haha. Enjoy! I know haha - I was kind of like "who are these guys" when I first heard the Eurosport team too, it wasn't a knock. The BBC are even trying to make a little bit of a big deal out of the World Seniors Championship too, but unfortunately mostly that's about as interesting as watching paint dry in slow motion, aside from the odd match or two. Yeah, judging by what you wrote further on, that is the one you've played on PS3. Hey I mean you could always go back for a little cleanup with it if you wanted, and still have it. I think a playthrough of the career mode would probably get you above or very close to that 50% threshold of trophies I know you like to push for sometimes. 7 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Hey that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. I like Drake personally as a character. I've never thought that you didn't like the Uncharted series though. Would love a new one on PS5. Think Naughty Dog could do a lot with it. Oh I'm definitely in the minority with my "Drake problem" haha. I do like that Uncharted 4 directly addresses some of the issues that bother me about the character so that was a nice little surprise that they actually acknowledge how much of a fanny he can be when he has an awesome person like Elena in his corner. I always feel like I have to say...... "but I do like the Uncharted series" some folks deal in absolutes, and might think if I said that I'm not huge on Drake that I don't like the series itself. 7 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Ah sweet! Yeah that would certainly sweeten the deal, so I'll let her know and we can try it out on the PS5 when she eventually completes the first game. Yeah she does love cats definitely. Hence the intrigue and interest in the first game lol Definitely! There's a whole lot of fun to be had there. If you haven't played it, she might also like Catlatteral Damage, I haven't played it myself yet, but I remember reading about it in Copanele's thread, and thought it looked pretty interesting. So that might be another one to suggest for her if she's a big cat lover haha! Plus @Slava posted this funny as hell gif, or one very similar ....... ......around the same time that seemed to sum up the game pretty damn accurately ? 7 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yeah I know! Shows you how big the backlog is and how many games were on 1-5%, hence me now setting up as many games as I can for platinums whilst I slowly trudge through RE2R. A platinum rain day you say? Well might end up being a week lol will be nice to see the backlog getting trimmed down significantly. I am certainly resolute in my wish to never have this many games ever again. Just don't have the time. So many big games that I have that I haven't even started properly yet it's unreal. Yeah, bet it'll be fun for you! Enjoy! Yeah I guess that does show the size of your backlog in a way..... but look at it like this, it'll go up even higher once you pop all of those platinum's. Sounds like you're almost at the point where you could start throwing on those bigger games that you seemed to be looking forward to. I guess that'll be a weight off, to start playing those. I couldn't think of anything I'd like to do less than a platinum rain day/week. It'd be like giving myself a mountainous backlog of reviews all at once. That's very much a me specific problem though and one that I definitely don't want. I will enjoy Resident Evil 4, thank you! It's something I know where I'm at with, so it'll be nice to go in knowing that I'll probably enjoy myself. If I finish Bastion tonight, I might even start RE4 later on. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted May 12, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) Looks Like The Kid Found Himself A Shiny New Platinum! Platinum #352 Bastion (PS4) You Done Good Earn all other Trophies. A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 11 May 2022 : 2:48:26 AM Time Taken to Platinum : 5 days, 5 hours, 24 minutes Platinum Rarity - 12.05% Trophy Number - #16,859 Bastion has now joined a long list, one that will probably continue to grow too, – a list that is so long that if it were written on real paper, you’d probably have to roll it up, like a scroll. What is that list, you ask? It is the list of games I really regret not starting sooner (some of you might have heard that one once or twice from me,) because of how awesome they turned out to be. Not the catchiest of titles for a list I’ll grant you. I have now played two out of four of the games from Supergiant games, and I have yet to be disappointed. Nor do I think I’m likely to become disappointed once I play the others. Time will tell, but this might end up being a fun statement to look back on. Bastion, originally released in 2011, then later in 2015 for the Playstation 4 and Vita is an Action RPG and the first video game released by excellent development team Supergiant games. The basic premise is this – you, The Kid are thrust into a world that has been devastated by a catastrophic event called “The Calamity.” Your task? Rebuild The Bastion, and put a stop to “The Calamity.” I realise that is a ridiculously basic description, but this is a game world where I think you should know as little of the details going into it as possible to get the most enjoyable experience. Discovering the interesting character revelations, or gaining knowledge of the events leading up to the time and situation where the game takes place was an element of the game that felt particularly illuminating, and enjoyable. The way the game tells its narrative has an amazing way of almost stopping you in your tracks midway through combat (which can be very frenetic and intense) as you pick up a specific piece of dialogue, suddenly realising that NOW is the time to listen. World building is an element that in my experience, Supergiant seems to be able to excel at particularly. Bastion itself has this fascinating balance of a charming visual aesthetic, but an incredibly rich, dark and very deep world bubbling away beneath the surface, just waiting to drag you underneath. Something that Bastion achieves incredibly well is synergy, how almost every component of the game feels perfect for the vision that the developers had in mind. For example, more often than not you’ll find that the original soundtrack provided for a location will marry together magnificently with the visual design of the area. In an interesting twist on the “silent protagonist” trope, your entire playthrough is narrated by one of the characters you interact with most often over the course of the game, Rucks. For me this is one of the very best aspects of the game – yet ironically, it’s also one that had it not worked as well as it does – then the game would have really suffered for it. Rucks dialogue is written in such an interesting way that if it was delivered by anyone but Logan Cunningham, I truly believe it might not have worked quite so well. In a sense his dialogue reminds me of Johnny Cash, but not just any Johnny Cash, the talking Coyote from The Simpsons episode where Homer eats an outrageously spicy Chilli, mixed with a little bit of Tom Waits. It’s the way his voice floats in and out as you’re playing, taking the role of both guide, and storyteller, yet also quite friendly and warm, even when retelling horrific events. If you’re familiar with the films of Jim Jarmusch, then much of Bastion’s dialogue will feel astonishingly familiar, I expect. Rucks has an absolutely effortless cool factor to him. It’s really impressive how his line readings manage to bring so much depth and life to characters that have either no spoken dialogue, or very little. I think when something as innocuous as a weapon description, or a little piece of flavour dialogue about completing a Vigil (side-quest) can be as compelling as it is here, then that mixture of writing and sound design came together almost perfectly. I’ve always been one that will talk up some excellent sound design in a video game, and that is no exception here. It might not be important to some, but it really can enhance the experience. I seem to be talking about marriage a whole lot in this review, but my goodness, the sound mix in this game is superb. This one must have been a real tight-rope walk for the individual in charge of the mix, because there was no time where I found the various sounds cancelling each other out, like I have in a few games I’ve played recently. The original soundtrack provided by Darren Korb is spectacular. You could listen to it in a vacuum without ever having played the game, and have some fantastic music to listen to. There are elements that are soothing, relaxing, unsettling and sorrowful. Yet, the way it seems to tonally fit EVERY single situation of the game is brilliant. As someone who played Transistor before any other Supergiant game, it was a real treat to hear Ashley Barrett’s voice on a few tracks, much like Emiko Evans can, I feel she can enhance a piece of music with just her voice alone. Earlier, I mentioned something about this game giving you an initial impression of something, until you delve beneath the surface a little bit to find something deeper. Well, I must say – on the surface, the gameplay of Bastion looks simplistic, yet the more you delve into it, the more you find that isn’t the case at all. If you take trophies out of the equation entirely, Bastion offers you the chance to modify the difficulty to your liking, granting you extra resources as a reward, almost in a risk and reward type fashion. The trophies dictate that you explore this a little bit, but the in-game idols that add certain buffs to enemies, or de-buffs to you can really help to keep the game feeling fresh. The thing that I quite honestly, never for a moment expected from Bastion’s gameplay was how much depth it actually has. It’s got a truly impressive versatility to it. Yes, on the surface it amounts to – two weapons available to you and one special attack, with one button mapped to each weapon, and R2 as your special attack. There’s so much more to it than that, and the amount of versatility that is truly on offer is quite something. You eventually have access to eleven weird and wonderful weapons in Bastion. Eleven might seem like a few, but they have so many variable ways of enhancing and upgrading them, that each weapon can essentially work two separate ways, depending on how you choose to utilise them. Bastion also greatly encourages exploration, as thorough searches of the individual levels often yield all manner of weapon upgrades and interesting items. Even small things like Memento’s you can find, often add extra wrinkles, onto the rich tapestry that is woven within Bastion’s fine tapestry of lore. Thankfully, Bastion doesn’t fall into the trap a lot of titles do, of having one “all powerful” weapon that can destroy anything.. Every single weapon in the game is a viable option, and you’re completely free to choose whatever play-style fits you best. It does have powerful weapon combinations of course, and ones that synergise better with others – but in essence that choice is yours. I found experimenting with the different weapons at The Kid’s disposal to be one of the most rewarding experiences in the game. Experimentation was one of the things I found most fulfilling for beating the Dreams with all ten idols invoked (a Survival type level, where you fight waves of increasingly harder enemies). I was too stubborn to grind for levels to give myself an edge, so I attempted these at level 6, and basically turned myself into a glass cannon, yet there is a whole host of other possibilities depending on your own specific playstyle. If you couldn’t guess by the fact I pretty much had nothing negative to say about it, I absolutely recommend this one, don’t sleep on it like I did. I really thought the game was fantastic, and as you’re only likely to spend fifteen hours with it at most, I found there was pretty much nothing that outstayed its welcome. The trophy hunting side of the game also requires you to explore almost everything that the game has to offer, something that I thoroughly enjoyed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm hoping that doesn't read too clinical or disjointed. It might do, but I'm feeling a little, numb right now..... Which brings me onto something, if you're reading this far, thank you obviously. I need to mention something just in case it leads me to disappearing from the forums for a little bit. I don't want to, but it all depends on how I'm feeling. Okay, here we go. This is a bit heavy. So I vaguely skirted around something during the Trophies to Fight Cancer event, something that was one of the things pushing me to try and complete as many things as I could during those two months. I mentioned that it was someone who was keeping me really motivated. I don't really want to go too much into the specifics on here right now, but she was a beautiful lady called Ann, and someone I really, really loved. Today (yesterday now as it's 1AM) I found out that she'd died. It's something that I knew was coming at some point, but it isn't something that you can ever quite prepare yourself for. 62 is no age. I'm really not using hyperbole here, but she really was one of the loveliest people you could ever wish to meet - almost altruism personified, she would do anything for anyone, whether they were family or not. Nor is this hyperbole, the world truly is a darker place now, because she's no longer in it. I know it sounds like a silly cliche, but really, if you haven't told someone you love for a long time, that you do love them, please, just do it, because you never know when that horrible, soul crushing day will come when you can't ever say that again. I think me disappearing from here for a bit is unlikely, but I just thought I'd clue people in just in case. Edited May 12, 2022 by rjkclarke 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 That is heavy indeed. I'm so sorry to hear that bro, I hope you're holding up okay. And that's always good advice. There's no feeling quite like just wanting to hug a person, or tell them that you love them, but not being able to. Can't take it for granted when you can! I think you need to allow yourself whatever you think will help in the grieving process, it's one of those times where it's 100% okay to put yourself first! So um... ah yes, video games! Great review, and a great nudge towards not just finally getting into Bastion, but getting my ass in gear and handling Transistor! I'm going to hear you and Doc urging me to play Bastion til I finally start it up? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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