The_Kopite Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 11:06 PM, rjkclarke said: Cheers.... Well right now I'm basically 1.1% away from hitting that, but in reality I don't know how tough that's going to be to really push that up, I guess diving back in and cleaning up some of my older games is the only way to find out. Fingers crossed I can though Getting to review an awesome game like Singularity is a big motivator though, so hopefully it won't feel like a chore. That's awesome to go from 33, to where you are now. Go with what you are comfortable with, and if that ever changes and you want to go higher, then at least you have the option too. That's kind of the approach I've taken with the little "cleanup jobs" as I like to call them. Otherwise I'd worry it'd become workmanlike and nobody needs that with a hobby that should be fun, right? I think you can hit 66 nicely, then you can always decide if you want to go higher from there I guess. Incredibly impressive! I'm sure you will be able to push it up even higher! Singularity was a good game definitely. Remember that I enjoyed it quite a lot. Precisely, gaming is supposed to be a fun hobby. An escape and a time to enjoy and appreciate. Yeah hoping I'll get there someday! On 2/25/2022 at 11:06 PM, rjkclarke said: It very much might be, I wouldn't know. It has 32 on PS5 haha, so I'm guessing that one will end up even larger. Yeah actually, I would recommend Dark Sector, if you come across a copy for a decent price in CEX or something or Ebay, I'd give it a go. It doesn't have any trophies so it's essentially just a pretty enjoyable run through a decent third person shooter, with the really cool glaive controllable flying glaive mechanic that it has. It's only about 6 hours long. Warframe DLC's show no sign of stopping then lol Dark Sector sounds like pretty good fun! On 2/25/2022 at 11:06 PM, rjkclarke said: No I don't think you are the minority - I used to prefer Academy, but when I replayed them last year, I preferred Outcast overall. But Academy still has vastly superior gameplay, which will probably be the thing I focus on most when I come to review Academy. I'd definitely recommend those PS4 versions - outside of the terrible save system they're very good experiences I found. What's wrong with the save systems on them? On 2/25/2022 at 11:06 PM, rjkclarke said: And yes, you can have the Royal Joker King credit if I ever make the change haha Yes I can see what you mean about JK and Danny Dyer lol I'm looking forward to that credit haha! On 2/25/2022 at 11:06 PM, rjkclarke said: Thanks for the belief man! I'm getting there slowly, I'm almost past the point where I'm constantly stalling..... but I also feel like I have about five feet, and nowhere to actually comfrtably put them yet whilst driving, but I guess it'll all come in time I guess sacrifices are the very small downside to being a responsible adult I guess. Yeah it can be like that definitely. Practice makes perfect. Yes very true. Wise words. On 2/25/2022 at 11:06 PM, rjkclarke said: Awesome! I'll keep my ear to the ground then..... Hopefully all your hard work will pay off - it sure doesn't go unnoticed in here, even though we're a select few I suppose, but clearly we absolutely aren't the only ones after you did really well at the guide of the year awards! Yeah thanks man, really appreciate it! Honestly still really chuffed about having 2 EHQ seals and 3rd place in one of the categories! Hopefully this will be the best one I've done but we will see. Definitely taking a big break from guide writing after it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 On 27/02/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Magus?? That's not a Chrono Trigger spin-off, is it? I think if Magus was a Chrono Trigger spin-off then people would despise that game even more than they already do ..... I might try and slot that game in this week for a review actually, as it won't exactly take long. Even if it would take long - I wouldn't, because who the hell wants to read any more than they have to about Magus? Magus was basically one of the early "Easy plat" games, admittedly that isn't why I played it - I have made no secret of the fact that I love a janky RPG here and there, but Magus rips open a wormhole and takes that jank into an entirely different universe. So, erm, yeah.... I guess I'll do that soon, now that I've reminded myself of it! Haha ? On 01/03/2022 at 7:19 PM, The_Kopite said: Incredibly impressive! I'm sure you will be able to push it up even higher! Singularity was a good game definitely. Remember that I enjoyed it quite a lot. Precisely, gaming is supposed to be a fun hobby. An escape and a time to enjoy and appreciate. Yeah hoping I'll get there someday! Cheers man! I'll take it as far as my motivation takes me I suppose - I must be fairly serious, as I've just gone and finished off the 100% for Resident Evil 5, which I'm hoping to have reviewed today, surprisingly it'll be the first Resident Evil game reviewed in here. Unfortunately, I also decided to go back and tidy up Resident Evil 6, which will mean reviewing that too - I guess the upside is I'm getting the least favourable Resident Evil's out of the way first, then I'll just have the good ones to talk about, so swings and roundabouts Singularity was really good yeah, glad you enjoyed it too - I just hated that there was a multiplayer component, but I want to actually discuss the game, which requires putting in a bit effort on my part, but hopefully it'll feel worth it, because I really dug that game! If it stops being something I'm doing for enjoyment I'll just hit it on the head with a hammer and stop my little cleanup job I suppose haha - which is why I think you'll get to 66.66% pretty quickly if you attack a load of the games you really want to finish up or be playing. Although I'm not about to tell you how to play your own games, you've got to go at your own pace and all that. On 01/03/2022 at 7:19 PM, The_Kopite said: What's wrong with the save systems on them? Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy's save system is just really short sighted, I tried not to focus too much on it in both of those reviews - but, yeah it really breaks up the fluidity of the game a bit. Especially in an older title, with a bit more trial and error, where you'll likely be saving a lot! The whole thing of - you have a hard limit on the amount of saves you are allocated - with no in-game way of overwriting them or deleting them, is a really huge oversight. Having to literally stop playing the game - close the application - manually delete the saves - reopen it, and then continue is such a stupid process, when all you want to do is bask in the glory of that excellent gameplay, slice up stormtroopers left and right, and shower everyone in force lightning. That's really the major problem with the save systems, but if you can look past that there's a great time to be had with those games. On 01/03/2022 at 7:19 PM, The_Kopite said: Yes I can see what you mean about JK and Danny Dyer lol Yeah..... Once you see it, it's hard to unsee that ? On 01/03/2022 at 7:19 PM, The_Kopite said: Yeah thanks man, really appreciate it! Honestly still really chuffed about having 2 EHQ seals and 3rd place in one of the categories! Hopefully this will be the best one I've done but we will see. Definitely taking a big break from guide writing after it! As you should be! I think you're due a break from guide writing for a little bit after the insane amount it sounds like you've put into this one.... Time for you to relax and do your thing, until you have the inevitable urge to get guide writing again I'm looking forward to seeing what it is though, so it'll be an interesting surprise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted March 4, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 4, 2022 (edited) My Newest 100% Completion Is Also a 3 Year Old Platinum Platinum #201 Resident Evil 5 (PS4) RESIDENT EVIL 5 Platinum Trophy Congratulations! You've overcome all your fears in RESIDENT EVIL 5! A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 7 January 2019: 3:31:08 PM 100% Achieved - 23 February 2022: 11:50:39 PM Time taken to Platinum - 6 days, 10 hours, 7 minutes Time Taken to 100% - 3 years, 1 month, 3 weeks Platinum Rarity - 21.60% 100% Rarity - 2.57% Trophy Number - # 10,382 As you can see from the platinum number, this is both, an old platinum, and a new completion. It’s strange how these things work out. I’ll be perfectly honest here; I never expected to even bother attempting to go back to Resident Evil 5, but here we are, three years later with a new S rank. I’m glad helping out a friend has ended up being the catalyst to having a little bit of a cleanup operation on a few games; that I thought I’d never realistically revisit. Now I’ve set off the context alarm for why I’m reviewing this game now – time to delve into the game itself. For a little more context, I have pretty much exclusively played this game via co-op, the way it is designed to be played, and honestly the way I’d suggest playing it, if possible. Whilst it could be said the game doesn’t miss anything from not playing via co-op, as such. I did miss the back and forth and goofing around that you’d invariably get when playing the game with friends, when I recently played through the campaign again to write this review. Resident Evil: Chris Does a Racist Thing in a Small African Village... Sorry, sorry.... ahem! Resident Evil 5, was released all the way back in 2009, and sees Chris Redfield and newcomer Sheva Alomar embark upon an initial mission to track down Ricardo Irving, encountering foes new and old along the way. There is more to the plot of course – but as always, we’re spoiler free here – and in all honesty, if I really thought about it. The plot is so wafer thin, you could probably summarise it on a napkin and then throw it straight through someone’s letterbox if you wanted to. Once you come to terms with the whole – “Big imposing white man goes to predominately black area and slaughters people;” thing, you’ll eventually find that aspect of it less distracting hopefully. For what it’s worth I don’t think there was any real malice or intent to be deliberately racist here, but I certainly think there are some tone deaf aspects of it that really don’t do the game any favours in this department either. I’m not suggesting this isn’t an important issue to discuss, but I feel like I’d end up taking up too much of the review focusing on it in great detail if I did, and this game has enough to discuss already, without throwing more on top. Resident Evil as a property has always been a franchise brimming with interesting characters, for both good and bad reasons. Even if you don’t end up liking them, you’ll surely end up remembering them. I’m looking directly at you, Creepy Steve from Code Veronica. Throughout Chris Redfeilds multiple appearances in the series up to this point – he has gotten gradually more dense, I don’t just mean physically – he’s just gotten progressively more stupid, until they decided to course correct that with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. Unfortunately the most noteworthy thing that Chris manages to do in this game is use boulders like they were punching bags – and occasionally look like a confused Gibbon. Both of those things are fine – you sort of expect that of him, it at least feels consistent. With that in mind, can we just say this now – Sheva is awesome, she is a hell of a good addition to the series. Instantly likeable, and a real team player, in a game where the co-operative element is leaned into quite heavily, I feel like that’s a real strength for her character. Unfortunately I think people suffer from an unhealthy amount of transference with Sheva as a character. Due to the perception of the Partner A.I. As a character though, I think she more than holds her own, and I think it is near criminal that she’s only appeared this one time in a Resident Evil game. This is wishful thinking of course, but if the rumoured Resident Evil Revelations 3 does come to fruition, I’d love to see her appear in that and give her a chance to really shine by herself. Having replayed the entire campaign in preparation for this review, I can safely say that I think it’s fitting that this is the final outing for Albert Wesker (for now at least). I understand that in a game with a veritable cornucopia of zombies, ranging from Scorpion, Bat, Dog, Human and everything in-between, that realism obviously goes out the window. That’s fine – I’m not expecting realism, but Wesker had gone as far as he could as a character, he was tired, he was ridiculous, and at this point he was almost a pantomime villain. Not all of that is a bad thing, I’ve played this with multiple friends, and we’ve both gotten plenty of laughs from Wesker – and the very odd way that he speaks, over enunciating certain words here and there. Where that does become a bit of a problem – is when you remember that you’re playing a Resident Evil game. The first genre that you’d probably think of is Survival Horror when you think of the franchise; I’d argue Resident Evil 5 is the first game that really started to transition away from that. In essence it became more of an action game with lite-survival horror elements. I think part of this is Paul W. S. Anderson’s Resident Evil film series having a slight influence on the games themselves. After all, the famous sequence where Leon dodges the lasers in Resident Evil 4 feels like something lifted straight from those films. You’d also expect some fairly well designed puzzles, and unfortunately Resident Evil 5 fails to do either of those things particularly well. On the higher difficulties ammo is a little scarcer, sure, but it’s also never too long before you stumble across something you can use, herbs and first-aid sprays are also fairly plentiful too, even on the higher difficulties. Perhaps it’s a little personal preference sneaking in for me – but I love the way that you can teeter on the edge of death in the older titles, and just barely have enough to get by, yet constantly feel unsafe, as if any stray attack could send you to an early demise. Whichever way I’ve played this, with friends or the A.I, I never really felt that sensation of dread, as you desperately hope you’ll stumble across the specific ammo you need, or a green herb to keep you alive that little bit longer, certainly not in the base game at least. Equally gone, are the more intricate, and sometimes obtuse puzzle solving of the previous games, in favour of what is present in Resident Evil 5. The puzzles here essentially amount to – find a number of items, and put them in one place. Yes, it’s that simple. No manipulation of the items necessary. This I can actually understand though. Hear me out here, I very much like a good puzzle in games – however, not everyone does, and if you’re playing this in co-op having them fairly simplified eliminates the issue that your partner might be idly standing around whilst you solve the puzzle, so to keep up the pace of the gameplay I think that implementation was actually a good one. After all the developers can’t assume everybody would be playing this with someone they can actually communicate with, so simplifying the puzzles was probably the better design decision. Action oriented it might be – but gameplay is absolutely one of Resident Evil 5’s strongest features. A feature that I personally think is brilliant is the individual weight that each character has – it’s a small but really well done element to the game. It’s something that Capcom have always excelled at even in Resident Evil 4, with the subtle way that each controllable character moves. As Chris looks about as hefty as the boulders he uses as punching bags you’d expect slow and sluggish movement from him. Resident Evil 5 might not have Tank Controls, but it does have a Tank. Chris is so colossal that it takes a real visible effort to actually turn him any meaningful direction. In the same way Sheva herself is lighter, and more nimble, she is therefore far more manoeuvrable. Of the two of them I’d usually prefer to play as Sheva, as she’s got a real satisfying slickness to the way that she moves, that feels really enjoyable during fire fights, as you’re able to duck in and out of cover slightly faster – as well as, transition from shooting to the more involved physical attacks. Resident Evil 5’s shooting mechanic is an interesting one – it definitely has a bit of a learning curve. In essence it’s as straightforward as point your guns laser-sight at an enemy and shoot, but it is somehow never that simple. I often found myself wiggling around for a while before finding a spot that would definitely hit. In this games case, I think its lack of finesse actually adds to the charm, having to stand still and frantically aim your shots as enemies descend upon you, is the closest you’ll find in this game to that fear factor that isn’t often found in this game. As was customary with games from this time period – this also contains QTE’s, long time readers will be well aware at this point I’m sure, that I am far from being their biggest fan. I am even less so when they lead to instant deaths on failure. When going for all S ranks which is a requirement for the platinum, this can be an area that can be more than a little frustrating. I have to say that visually, even in 2022, this game looks remarkably good. There are a few sequences where the frame rate can get a little choppy in cutscenes, but as far as graphical fidelity goes, it’s undeniably very high quality. The area designs are quite varied too, with some interesting new takes on some Resident Evil staples like underground research facilities, urban buildings and caves. The character designs are all around at least interesting – especially some of the newer interpretations of characters like Jill and Wesker. One visual aspect of it really stands out though – and not entirely in a positive way – at least not in a contextual sense. Everything is so bright! It’s in Africa, so, yes it would be. The problem is, Resident Evil is essentially a horror franchise, and trying to create a dark, frightening or foreboding atmosphere when everything is overly lit becomes a little bit of an issue, to say the least. I think Capcom were aware of this too, because the game has a really unusual filter on it almost the whole way through – it’s almost an artificial hazy fog, that makes everything look murkier – but just doesn’t quite look right in certain places. From an audio perspective Resident Evil 5 is quite strong – in some areas more than others. The voice acting on display ranges from laughably bad with a character like Irving (seriously he nearly made me grow extra toes, just so I had a few more to curl at his line delivery), scenery chewing and hilarious in Wesker’s case but also quite well performed by Chris, Sheva and Jill’s voice actors (Fun fact, Jill’s is played by former Power Rangers actress Patricia Ja Lee). I found the soundtrack to be a bit all over the place – it’s far more ambient than it is atmospheric, although there are some real standout tracks. The piece of music that plays as you go to confront Wesker late into the game feels suitably epic, yet appropriate for the situation. I must admit I’ve always been a fan of the ending song Pray. I’ve had it on my iPod for years, and I still listen to it occasionally. I think the singers are perhaps a little over-accented in it, just to remind us that the game is set in Africa, but it feels thematically fitting for how the events of the game wrap up. DLC As is usually the case with these DLC sections, these will read more like a mini-journal of my experiences with a few observations thrown in too, so I hope none of you are bothered by the slight change up here. Versus Ironically Versus mode was the very reason that I returned to this game in the first place. Initially I was along for the ride to help out @YaManSmevz get the versus mode trophies knocked out – we’d been talking about it for months, and I’m so glad that we finally did get around to doing it in the end. What that led to, was me thinking now I’ve finished Resident Evil 5 to full completion, I suppose I have to do the same with Resident Evil 6 too. If you aren’t solely going for trophies then I imagine versus mode when it was fully populated was quite fun to play. I never bothered with it when I had Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360, but I can certainly see how it could have been a worthwhile time. Even taking trophies out of the equation entirely there is a finite re-playability to it just because it only has two game modes – four if you count the Team variants. These trophies in 2022 are definitely better experienced with a friend – as you are pretty much limited to boosting, so you’ll essentially have to make your own fun to make the hours fly by a bit faster, and I think Smevz and I managed that. I certainly enjoyed my time shooting each other in the face with a machine gun or a bow, whilst having a laugh about all manner of weird and wonderful things. Lost in Nightmare If you’ve played Resident Evil 5 but not the DLC, this game takes place during the flashbacks that Chris has throughout the game,of his last mission with Jill. Lost in Nightmare is a fantastic DLC – what it does, is keep the survival horror part of Resident Evil alive and well, even if Resident Evil 6 was determined to forcefully hammer a significant amount of nails into that particular coffin. Where Lost in Nightmare really shines is its inherent ability to create a chilling atmosphere. This absolutely feels like Resident Evil, not that Resident Evil 5 doesn’t, but this feels much more in keeping with the series roots, in a purer sense. Stylistically it is admittedly very reminiscent of the mansion from the original Resident Evil – deliberately so, however in this DLC’s case I think that works in its favour tremendously. With that familiarity you get from solving a similar puzzle, you often have something new thrust in front of you that you wouldn’t have expected. I loved that element, as it really plays with your preconceived ideas about what you think is going to happen next. A particular highlight for me was the fact that the puzzles had a little bit more thought put into them in this DLC, I remember really enjoying playing this one with a friend, trying to figure out the crank puzzle for the first time. We also took far too long to beat the DLC on Professional difficulty too for the trophy, as we kept trying to be aggressive with Wesker, instead of just strategically dodging and waiting for the fight to be over. Desperate Escape Taking place during the main plot of Resident Evil 5, Desperate Escape sees you take on the role of Josh and Jill, as you......you guessed it folks, make a desperate escape. It’s funny how I mentioned that tense yet enjoyable feeling some other Resident Evil games can have, where you know death could be looming around every corner. Desperate Escape is that feeling, but turned up to eleven. No matter what difficulty you play this on (if you want all the trophies, it’ll have to be the highest) you’ll still get an incredibly frantic yet enjoyable experience from this, I think. I remember the failed runs on Professional difficulty just as much as the successful one. There was an audible sigh of relief down the microphone, when the timer ticked down for the helicopter to arrive at the end. By that point, we were both cautiously limping around with one health point, and an incredibly low supply of ammunition. A nice touch is the fact that much like Chris and Sheva, Josh and Jill has their own specific weight and feel to them, and also has their own unique move-sets each. It might not seem like a lot, but some games wouldn’t bother to do that, so I appreciated the effort that was made to make them their own defined playable characters even if it is for a relatively small piece of DLC. The DLC adventures might be relatively short, but I really think they elevate Resident Evil 5; it would definitely be a weaker game without their inclusion I feel. So after all that, would I recommend Resident Evil 5? I think so, just don’t expect to be blown away by the game; it still feels like Resident Evil, even if there is patently obvious transition happening to a more action oriented direction with the next game. Whether or not you think that is a good thing, is probably up to the individual. I certainly like this more than a lot of people do, but I’m not blind to some of its issues either. Obviously I wouldn’t recommend this as a first Resident Evil game. Yet, it certainly is enjoyable as a nice co-op shooter that you can comfortably play with a friend. Whilst having an enjoyable time doing so, but don’t go into it expecting a nuanced and deep story, with rich characters, as you’ll be sorely disappointed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I honestly didn't intend for this to go that long - and then I remembered I had to cover the DLC too, and that ended up adding a fair bit of length to that. Still it's done now, and that was quite enjoyable getting a lot of my rambly thoughts about this game out. It's a hard one with Resident Evil 5, I both quite like it, and fully understand a lot of peoples frustrations with it at the same time. It's an odd position to be in. Big thanks to @YaManSmevz for being there for the Versus mode portion of my time with this - in a way I wish I'd suggested that you and I had played through the entire game in co-op for one of your playthroughs , I think that could have been both hilarious and really enjoyable to boot as well. I'm going to throw a tag for @The_Kopite too - I know you're a big Resident Evil fan, so it's here if you ever want to read it - I know you're pretty snowed under at the moment with guide writing and life probably, so no pressure to read it if you don't have the time obviously! So I'll see you all in the next one folks - which may, or may not be a Final Fantasy game I won't spoil which one (although one of you probably has a good idea,). It'll depend on if I get any new completions like Resident Evil 6 or Little Nightmares finished between now and the next Classic Review. Edited March 13, 2022 by rjkclarke 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 10 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Platinum #201 Resident Evil 5 (PS4) Fantastic job, buddy! Now I'm wondering if I should hold off on my RE 5 review... in the very least I already know it will require a little extra polish? Thank you man, I'm so grateful for how willing to lend a hand you were. Sidenote, I remember thinkin while playing versus that it would probably have been pretty fun for non-trophy hunting purposes, in fact it was rather fun for a while! Loved how you touched on the subtle playing differences between the male and female characters - even Sheva and Jill played pretty differently, which I thought was neat. I like that you mentioned the lack of actual fear, too - maybe not complete lack thereof, but it wasn't the same. With 5 you dread dying in one or two hits, but in the preceding games you're dreading even encountering anything in the first place! Lost in Nightmare did really well at recapturing that to an extent, and Desperate Escape was kind of a happy middle ground. I too thought the DLC greatly enhanced the game, and enjoyed it far more than expected! Quote Big thanks to @YaManSmevz for being there for the Versus mode portion of my time with this - in a way I wish I'd suggested that you and I had played through the entire game in co-op for one of your playthroughs , I think that could have been both hilarious and really enjoyable to boot as well. Tellin ya man, one more romp on Amateur with the unlimited weapons would've been quick AND entertaining? I wish I hadn't spent such a huge chunk of the game solo, as it definitely is better played with a friend. When I initially played it, it was with an old friend who talked me into getting it, we stopped at like 6-1 and I forgot about it til the Fall challenge. So I got nearly one full playthrough with co-op, then the versus, but the rest was by myself. A shame, really! A solid game though, and by any other name it might've been seen a great! Anyway, excellent work as always man! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 5, 2022 Author Share Posted March 5, 2022 22 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Fantastic job, buddy! Now I'm wondering if I should hold off on my RE 5 review... in the very least I already know it will require a little extra polish Thanks man! Don't feel like you need to hold off on the Resident Evil 5 review yourself man, it won't be the same as mine, and yours will be awesome. But if you aren't happy with where it's at right now, obviously do it when you feel comfortable, I'm looking forward to reading that one. I've got to do the Resident Evil 6 one next after Patrick and I got that finished last night, got through that quicker than I expected in the end. 22 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Thank you man, I'm so grateful for how willing to lend a hand you were. Sidenote, I remember thinkin while playing versus that it would probably have been pretty fun for non-trophy hunting purposes, in fact it was rather fun for a while! Loved how you touched on the subtle playing differences between the male and female characters - even Sheva and Jill played pretty differently, which I thought was neat. No worries dude, any time! I'll try and lend a hand when I can. I imagine slayers is probably pretty fun as a non-trophy related thing, Survivors could be too, but I get the impression that out of the two of them Slayers would probably be the one that'd be the most fun to actually play without any sort of restrictions on it. That's one of the neatest touches in RE5 actually is how every individual character feels distinctly different... From what I remember it's like that in RE4 as well, even down to the specific costumes. I don't know if you remember, but you can get a suit of armour for Ashley, as an unlock, and that is so much weightier than her normal clothes (obviously haha ?). It's really subtle in that when they have that tandem thing where Ashley drops down onto you from above - when she's wearing the armour, they put in this cool animation where Leon's knees buckle slightly, I love little attentions to detail like that. 22 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I like that you mentioned the lack of actual fear, too - maybe not complete lack thereof, but it wasn't the same. With 5 you dread dying in one or two hits, but in the preceding games you're dreading even encountering anything in the first place! Lost in Nightmare did really well at recapturing that to an extent, and Desperate Escape was kind of a happy middle ground. I too thought the DLC greatly enhanced the game, and enjoyed it far more than expected! Exactly! Fear factor is definitely a lacking quality in Resident Evil 5. I remember in the first Resident Evil being super cagey just around the crow enemies, because they can swarm you pretty quickly, let alone any of the other terrifying beasties that are all over the shop...... Oh, and those white monkey zombies that still haunt my nightmares from Resident Evil 0. I agree, Lost in Nightmare was a step in a better direction as far as horror goes, and those guardian things near that crank puzzle are pretty unsettling too, to be perfectly honest. Great point about Desperate Escape being the happy middle ground - because it really is. It's a very decent balance of tense and sometimes scary (just by how overwhelmed you get,) mixed with some satisfying action gameplay. 22 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Tellin ya man, one more romp on Amateur with the unlimited weapons would've been quick AND entertaining I wish I hadn't spent such a huge chunk of the game solo, as it definitely is better played with a friend. When I initially played it, it was with an old friend who talked me into getting it, we stopped at like 6-1 and I forgot about it til the Fall challenge. So I got nearly one full playthrough with co-op, then the versus, but the rest was by myself. A shame, really! A solid game though, and by any other name it might've been seen a great! Anyway, excellent work as always man! Yeah we probably should have done that, to be fair - it really would have been entertaining I think..... I'm sure we'll find something else to fire up together though! It's weird isn't it playing it solo, after playing it co-op, it almost feels a little barren.Or it did for me anyway. I don't know, Chris and Sheva chit-chat back and forth obviously, so there isn't any silence, but I missed my friend shouting CHRIS, OR SHEVAAAAAA to get me to open a door whilst I was randomly rummaging around for ammo or treasure, like an absent minded racoon. I'm very much one of those "ooooh a piece of candy" when I see something to pick up, kind of players At least you played through most of it co-op though. 6-1 really is a pretty short walk until the end of the game. That's a really Interesting point about it being seen as great if it had a different IP, there's quite a few games I feel that way about. Where that expectation put on it by being part of an established IP really doesn't work in its favour. Thanks again man! I appreciate the kind words, as always! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted March 6, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) Sideshows and Curiosities #2 Five Of My Favourite Acting Performances In Film (Technically six, if you want to be pedantic haha ?) Time to relax a bit, cut loose and have a little bit of fun writing about something I dearly love, Film. Time to take some of my own advice again, and just have some fun writing about something that puts a smile on my face (not that writing about games doesn't,) hopefully it isn't too much of a drag for any of you lovely folk! It has been far too long since I've done one of these, although I've had this specific one on my mind for a good while, so without further ado let's get into it. Remember, this is meant to be a nice chilled bit of fun, there won't be all that much in-depth critiquing going on. Before we get into this though - this is in no particular order, I love all of these, and you will more than likely see a similar post like this in the future, because to be honest I could probably come up with a silly amount of performances that have really stood out to me over the years. These are all my own opinions obviously, any of you awesome people can feel free to disagree, I'm not claiming any of these are facts, just why I like them, and what specifically I liked about some of them. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy - Jesse and Celine Before Sunset (2004) "Let me sing you a Waltz, Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts" If you were to ask me on any day what my favourite film was, I'd more than likely take a while to think about it - and almost certainly give you a different answer each time. Yet swirling around in my mind, I'm sure I would have thought of this one quite often. The chemistry between the two actors in this film is absolutely electric, dynamite even! This film, if you weren't aware is part two of three. I won't spoil any of the events of the first film. Let's just say, Jesse and Celine, two people who find an instant connection with one another, haven't seen each other for nine years, this film explores their time reconnecting as they walk the streets of Paris, before Jesse has to return to America I won't get into why exactly I love this film so much - I have a more dedicated idea in mind for that one - the thing is, the acting on show between these two is nothing short of phenomenal. It's fairly minimalist, but the small attention to detail from both of them is fantastic. Jesse's reaction to meeting Celine again is so brilliantly acted by Ethan Hawke, as they walk the streets of Paris together - both characters seem apprehensive and a little nervous at first, until the apprehension immediately washes away and they were who they were again, from all those years ago. The acting is all so natural, and it just feels exactly how it does if you see someone you've not seen for the longest time - yet can essentially pick up where you left off. There are so many beautifully nuanced moments in this film, that can, like all powerful things make you both laugh and cry within minutes of each other. My favourite is probably a scene towards the end of the film - where they both know their time together is starting to come to a close, as Jesse's plane is due soon, and everything that they've wanted to say to one another for years and years, just spills out of both of them in such a raw way. It is tremendously good script-writing too, as you feel like an intruder on an incredibly private moment between two people. They both say everything they feel they need to say, because they're well aware this might be the last time they have the chance. Ethan Hawkes line delivery in a certain part never fails to falcon punch me straight in the emotions. If you've seen the film, it's the part where he talks about "The Dream." I've had dreams like that myself, and they are harrowing and they never get easier either. It isn't all about Ethan Hawke in that scene though - Julie Delpy is astoundingly good,the way she hesitantly reaches out her hand just to touch him once with so much sadness etched across her face, before ultimately deciding against it is incredibly powerful. The scene where Celine plays him that song - is one of those pure magical cinematic scenes that will never fail to put a smile on my face. You might think from some of my descriptions that this is a dour sad film, but it absolutely isn't. Much like videogames can be a warm hug on occasion.This film has that same effect on me. If you've yet to watch them - get and watch the Before Trilogy, I love each one of them, and each one for entirely different reasons. Takashi Shimura - Kanji Watanabe Ikiru (1952) Takashi Shimura steals almost every scene he's in, in this film - the message behind the film - and the film itself are incredibly powerful and I'd love to go into them in a bit more depth in a future post too, but for now let's focus on the acting side of it. Ikiru - without getting into spoilers - tells the story of a terminally ill bureaucrat as he tries to find meaning and purpose in what little remains of his life. That all sounds really depressing, right? Well it isn't, not at all. It's actually incredibly life affirming and incredibly poignant. Shimura gives an incredibly layered performance as Watanabe. His constant hang-dog face make the scenes where he's joyous, happy and purposeful all the more impactful as a result. I really can't say too much about this one without going too deeply into spoilers with this one - put it this way if The Academy Awards were as diverse as they are now, when this was released, I'm pretty certain Shimura would have been walking home with Best Actor that year. It's a performance where it could have so easily missed the mark, but he plays the part with such fine detail, enough that you can understand almost every facet of the character at different points in the film. The film might be seventy years old and in black-and-white, but this would always be high up on the list of films I'd recommend to people. Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi (2017) Just for one moment - put aside whatever negative thoughts you may, or may not have about The Last Jedi as a film, I think it's impossible to deny that Mark Hamill gives an absolute powerhouse performance in this film. For whatever reason, I seem to be able to just view The Last Jedi in a vacuum outside of being a Star Wars fan, I have and always will say It's a good film, and a bad Star Wars film, but that doesn't stop Mark Hamill giving an absolutely fantastic performance here. I am absolutely in the minority of people that wanted the film-makers to do a little bit of a deep-dive into Luke's psyche on an introspective level. It might have been what I wanted, but it isn't what I expected. Nor did I actually expect it to work. I think Mark Hamill has always had a bit of trouble in scenes where he's supposed to be angry. It's a tiny criticism, but hear me out here, what he has always been incredibly good at - is vulnerability. You might think this doesn't feel like Luke Skywalker - but Luke always had a vulnerable edge to him. THIS, is where Mark Hamill really shines in this film. There's a scene where Luke is trying to explain why he's become the way that he has, why he's so jaded and forlorn..... "He would bring destruction and pain and death, and the end of everything I love because of what he will become, and for the briefest moment of pure instinct, I thought I could stop it. It passed like a fleeting shadow, and I was left with shame and with consequence." ........the pain and sadness etched across his face as he retells those flashbacks, coupled with the excellent line delivery (something us gamers, are well aware he's capable of) I found to be so well done, and completely surprised me, I didn't expect THAT kind of performance. I don't think you are necessarily supposed to like Luke in this film - but I think you're meant to at least understand why he's become jaded over time. Not only that, but he's funny in places too, really funny. I bet he can't watch this scene with dry eyes anymore though! That being said - his performance is definitely the thing that I always remember the most whenever I think about this film. ........and breath..... now that we've got one of the controversial picks out of the way, time for something completely different. Bette Davis - Gabriel Maple The Petrified Forest (1936) This film might almost be older than both of my living Grandparents, but goodness me is this a good one. There's also an appearance from a young Humphrey Bogart to boot. You will also probably see this film crop up in one of these type posts again I would have thought. Bette Davis plays Gabriel in such an interesting way, she's a character so ahead of her time - yet so easy to understand and identify with. She's adventurous, intellectual and interested in the wider world around her, yet she's trapped working in a small diner in Arizona. I think most of us can empathise with that want or need to venture out and be part of something bigger. In a way the acting in this film is like that of the Before Trilogy, but sixty years before they were made. Bette Davis and Leslie Howard (who is one of my favourite actors) are dynamite, everything feels organic, as the characters get to know one another, and make that instantaneous connection - it feels so genuine and real in places, Bette Davis has given better performances over the course of her career, sure (All About Eve anyone?) but this one is one of my favourites, just because of how well she portrays that youthful sense of naivete, that just evaporates over time for some people. There's a real charm and innocence to it. The film itself is also very good, so this one is another one of those "I'd recommend giving this one a watch" type of thing. Billy Bob Thornton - Karl Childers Sling Blade (1996) This literally is a transformation - I remember the first time I watched this film with my Dad - he kept asking me who the actor was playing Karl, to which he was horrified to learn that it was Billy Bob Thornton, as he just couldn't tell. Billy Bob Thornton plays intellectually disabled killer, Karl Childers as he's "been turned loose from the nervous hospital,MMHMMMM"! That's one of the most interesting things about this role, it's shrouded in darkness, yet Karl also has a kind child-like quality to him, and Thornton absolutely nails every single one of those character nuances. I could talk about this performance for hours, but I'll try not to, I've taken plenty of your time as it is (if any of you are still reading)! Fun Fact! I did start kicking around some ideas about writing a book about Sling Blade (similar to how Mark Kermode wrote one specifically about The Exorcist) - a sort of ultra-deep-dive analysis of the film's structure and it's overarching message, and I'm still unsure whether I ever want to properly go back to it or not. If you've seen Tropic Thunder you'll be familiar with the part where Robert Downey Jnr's character advises other actors "never to go full retard" arguably, Sling Blade is Billy Bob Thornton going full retard. I don't think that's an entirely fair or accurate description, but as Karl Childers, he's far less functional than Forrest Gump is for example. That doesn't stop the performance being amazing though. I truly think - and this is my opinion obviously, that he was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar for the 1996 Oscars. Don't get me wrong Geoffrey Rush killed it in Shine, but I think this just edges that out slightly. Never mind, Billy Bob doesn't care, and I shouldn't either, right? One thing I really appreciate about this performance is how much effort and research went into it on Thornton's part. I seem to remember from listening to the Director's commentary on the Blu Ray (yes I do that ?) that to get Karl's very specific lurching/lumbering walk that he put broken glass in his shoes. Got the idea for the haircut from seeing the old folks in a care home he used to work at I believe, as well as Karl's penchant for ending almost every sentence with an Mhmmmm, or "alright deeeen" Karl's voice must have absolutely knackered out his vocal chords, I like to do impressions from time to time - and I think I can do a pretty good Karl, but it really is a strain on the old vocal chords. I don't think I actually know anyone that has seen this film in my personal life, outside of my Dad - I don't think it did too well in the UK and certainly never gets put on TV. So every time a friend asks me if I want something to eat and I reply with "YA GOT ANY BISCUITS IN THERRRRE? In Karl's voice they usually just give me biscuits instead of asking where the voice is from. Thornton absolutely lights up the screen in his scenes with Lucas Black in this film (if I ever do one specifically on younger actors/actresses performances, Lucas Black might make a comeback there) Some of their scenes would melt the iciest of hearts I think - if you have seen it, and anybody claims they didn't shed a tear when Frank receives his bookmark at the end of the film, they're probably lying. In the director commentary I seem to remember Thornton saying something along the lines of "he made break character a few damn times, that kid just got me with those sad eyes, and I had to just go off and let that emotion out." Not only is this a damn fine acting performance, it is a hell of a good film too, with some extremely powerful poignant and important subtext. This is one of those films I wish more people other than my Dad had seen just to have a bit more discussion about it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well that sure was fun to write - I've set up Its own little section on the first page of the thread now for these Sideshows and Curiosities posts so they have a definite place to leave links in. As I'd forgotten to do that before, so finding the first one was a quite a long rummage. Don't panic I won't do these all the time, for any of you starting to set fire to your torches and sharpen your pitchforks. Sometimes I want to write about something that isn't game related. Although some of those Sideshows and Curiosities will be gaming related too. After all, a carnival has a bit of everything right? So that's my excuse ? I'm sure this is littered with the odd grammatical error or two, but I'll come back and edit it, if I find anything particularly awkward looking. I hope this wasn't too boring a read, I understand not everyone digs film quite as much as I do, nor should I expect you too. If you did manage to get all the way through, then thank you so much for your patience and time! Edited March 8, 2022 by rjkclarke 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 21 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Thanks man! Don't feel like you need to hold off on the Resident Evil 5 review yourself man, it won't be the same as mine, and yours will be awesome. But if you aren't happy with where it's at right now, obviously do it when you feel comfortable, I'm looking forward to reading that one. Oh I haven't even started, I've just been thinking about it a lot. After reading yours though, I was like "ooohh.... let's think a little bit more, shall we?" There were a few things you brought up that I wouldn't have, so I wanna make sure my critical thinking hat is on when I get to work on it! Now, if I was a critical thinking hat, where would I be... 21 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I've got to do the Resident Evil 6 one next after Patrick and I got that finished last night, got through that quicker than I expected in the end. Nice! I was hoping that wouldn't drag on for too long? 21 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I don't know if you remember, but you can get a suit of armour for Ashley, as an unlock, and that is so much weightier than her normal clothes (obviously haha ). It's really subtle in that when they have that tandem thing where Ashley drops down onto you from above - when she's wearing the armour, they put in this cool animation where Leon's knees buckle slightly, I love little attentions to detail like that. Yeah and she looks like Sir Lancelot n shit? I actually don't remember the buckling knees animation though, that's cool! I'm probably most looking forward to that playthrough, it's such a weight off your back to know that nothing's gonna happen to her! 21 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It's weird isn't it playing it solo, after playing it co-op, it almost feels a little barren.Or it did for me anyway. I don't know, Chris and Sheva chit-chat back and forth obviously, so there isn't any silence, but I missed my friend shouting CHRIS, OR SHEVAAAAAA to get me to open a door whilst I was randomly rummaging around for ammo or treasure, like an absent minded racoon. I'm very much one of those "ooooh a piece of candy" when I see something to pick up, kind of players It really does! I remember playing the first chapter, getting adjusted to the controls and generally moving kind of slowly and my friend treating me to: SHEVA. SHEVA. SHEVA. SHEVA. Bro that "ooh piece of candy" was a gag I wanted to make in a Hitman review and kicked myself for forgetting it! Naturally, it was in reference to the A.I. when you're trying to lure them with coins? 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy - Jesse and Celine Before Sunset (2004) "Let me sing you a Waltz, Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts" A THOUSAND TIMES YES. I loved the first two films (my dumb ass owns Midnight yet I still haven't watched it... I've got a mountain of movies like that, sadly) as well as their surprise segment in Waking Life. Building a film around just talking is such a difficult thing to do (much less just two people) and they pull it off with such grace and authenticity. It's my understanding that the scripts are essentially Hawke and Delpy (that just made me picture this movie being advertised as an action flick with HAWKE and DELPY emblazoned on a gun metal poster with an exploding car or something) sitting with Richard Linklater and trying to figure out how these characters would act in these scenarios. Also the fact that the ten year gaps are deliberate blows my damn mind! 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It isn't all about Ethan Hawke in that scene though - Julie Delpy is astoundingly good, the way she hesitantly reaches out her hand just to touch him once with so much sadness etched across her face, before ultimately deciding against it is incredibly powerful. This was the first thing I thought of! Her reaction to his "No laughter in my house" bit is just such a sledgehammer of silent acting, in fact that whole car ride is (as you so eloquently described). 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Takashi Shimura - Kanji Watanabe Ikiru (1952) Still need to watch this? don't know why I've been putting this off for as long as I have. Or Kurosawa for that matter, I'm only about four films deep into his filmography? Pretty sure I bought this one as well... I'll have a look, and if I haven't then I can remedy that! 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Bette Davis - Gabriel Maple The Petrified Forest (1936) I actually hadn't even heard of this one! *takes note 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Billy Bob Thornton - Karl Childers Sling Blade (1996) I don't reckon I've got no reason to disagree with this one either! Or kill nobody, for that matter. That's important too. I remember when this one came out, everybody (at least stateside) was doing the whole MM-HMM thing so I assumed it supposed to be was a goofy type thing and didn't bother watching it for a long time... then when I finally did, it completely slapped me upside the head! 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Fun Fact! I did start kicking around some ideas about writing a book about Sling Blade (similar to how Mark Kermode wrote one specifically about The Exorcist) - a sort of ultra-deep-dive analysis of the film's structure and it's overarching message, and I'm still unsure whether I ever want to properly go back to it or not. Doo it! Doo it! Seriously, that's so interesting - what made you back off of doing that? 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I don't think that's an entirely fair or accurate description, but as Karl Childers, he's far less functional than Forrest Gump is for example. That doesn't stop the performance being amazing though. I truly think - and this is my opinion obviously, that he was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar for the 1996 Oscars. Don't get me wrong Geoffrey Rush killed it in Shine, but I think this just edges that out slightly. Never mind, Billy Bob doesn't care, and I shouldn't either, right? Yo him him and Edward Norton!! 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: One thing I really appreciate about this performance is how much effort and research went into it on Thornton's part. I seem to remember from listening to the Director's commentary on the Blu Ray (yes I do that ) that to get Karl's very specific lurching/lumbering walk that he put broken glass in his shoes. Got the idea for the haircut from seeing the old folks in a care home he used to work at I believe, as well as Karl's penchant for ending almost every sentence with an Mhmmmm, or "alright deeeen" That's crazy... don't know why I'm surprised though, that clearly wasn't a role he went into without a great deal of thought! 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Karl's voice must have absolutely knackered out his vocal chords, I like to do impressions from time to time - and I think I can do a pretty good Karl, but it really is a strain on the old vocal chords. I don't think I actually know anyone that has seen this film in my personal life, outside of my Dad - I don't think it did too well in the UK and certainly never gets put on TV. So every time a friend asks me if I want something to eat and I reply with "YA GOT ANY BISCUITS IN THERRRRE? In Karl's voice they usually just give me biscuits instead of asking where the voice is from. "Uh yeah, here. Take the biscuits but for the love of God stop talking like that, you're frightening the children!" 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I hope this wasn't too boring a read, I understand not everyone digs film quite as much as I do, nor should I expect you too. If you did manage to get all the way through, then thank you so much for your patience and time! Never that! Outstanding work my dude?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 On 06/03/2022 at 2:55 AM, rjkclarke said: Five Of My Favourite Acting Performances In Film (Technically six, if you want to be pedantic haha ) Oh man - I came here to talk about RE5... but then you did this to me! ? I'm also a massive fan of the Before trilogy (even the last one, @YaManSmevz - get it watched mate, its excellent!) but I also agree, Sunset is the best of the three. That final ending, with the "You are going to miss your flight" "I know" - it's magic. Delphy is always fantastic - of course she is - but actually, I think Ethen Hawke is one of those actors that everyone knows, but he seems to get a little bit underrated - there's so many times he elevates a film - and he's one of those actors who not only appears in really good movies, but also in what should be mediocre ones, and elevates them. So many times, he manages to take parts that could be relatively generic on paper, but just give a character a slight, very specific twist that would only work with that specific actor, and turns a fairly standard character into something more interesting or unique. There really aren't too many actors like that - I think Joan Cusack is one, and Betty Gilpin, and certainly someone like Bill Nighy or Stephen Root or Mike Starr, but it's rare, and worth noting - and unusual in someone who is closer to "Movie Star" than "Character Actor", if you know what I mean? Have you seen First Reformed by the way? That Hawke performance is outstanding - full disclosure, I actually didn't like the film the first time I watched it - I appreciated it, but didn't love it... ... but there was something about it that made me come back and watch it again... and now I've seen it like 7 times, and genuinely think it might eclipse Taxi Driver as Paul Schrader's best film! Also, curse you, you are making me seriously consider trying to power through the Star Wars movies to get to The Last Jedi now. Dammit! There's so many of them! ? So, I ended up sitting, and trying to come up with my own favourite performances in a movie as a result of this... because of course I did ? Mine would obviously change like the winds, but I think... I think... this would be my top 5 (today at least!): Jack Lemmon - Glengarry Glen Ross Bette Davis - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane Joaquin Phoenix - You Were Never Really Here Samantha Morton - Morvern Callar Philip Seymour Hoffman - Punch Drunk Love 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 8, 2022 Author Share Posted March 8, 2022 (edited) Sorry it's taken a little while to reply here, I knew I needed a decent amount of time to sit down and dedicate some time to actually replying to these two awesome replies! On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Oh I haven't even started, I've just been thinking about it a lot. After reading yours though, I was like "ooohh.... let's think a little bit more, shall we?" There were a few things you brought up that I wouldn't have, so I wanna make sure my critical thinking hat is on when I get to work on it! Now, if I was a critical thinking hat, where would I be... Get to it when you get to it! I'm very much looking forward to getting to read it though! If I was a critical thinking hat, I don't know where I'd be, but I know what I'd look like. I'd look like this.... I think they're called Chullo's? Or something like that, I've got one myself somewhere. This is what I'd be if I was a critical thinking hat, you'd be able to absent mindedly tug on the tassels when you're trying to think of the next point you wanted to make...... I bet you weren't expecting a serious answer, huh? ? On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Nice! I was hoping that wouldn't drag on for too long Writing the review for Resident Evil 6 is dragging on though..... Haha, I have yet to even start it, but I'll probably do it after I've written this reply, get that foul smelling zombie monkey off my back On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Yeah and she looks like Sir Lancelot n shit I actually don't remember the buckling knees animation though, that's cool! I'm probably most looking forward to that playthrough, it's such a weight off your back to know that nothing's gonna happen to her! Exactly! I'm pretty sure Leons knees buckle, could be my memory playing tricks though, It's going to make professional mode in that game once we both get to playing it a bit more breezy than it might have done without it, that's for sure! Especially as she's so heavy the enemies can't pick her up either. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: It really does! I remember playing the first chapter, getting adjusted to the controls and generally moving kind of slowly and my friend treating me to: SHEVA. SHEVA. SHEVA. SHEVA. Bro that "ooh piece of candy" was a gag I wanted to make in a Hitman review and kicked myself for forgetting it! Naturally, it was in reference to the A.I. when you're trying to lure them with coins That definitely can happen.... I was never the one shouting for the other player, usually the one slowing everything else down! It totally is like that though in Hitman with the coins, every guard becomes James Woods..... I guess I can still fit that into my review of the recent Hitman games whenever I cover those. I still have one Hitman review in the bank so to speak, that I said I wouldn't put up until Copanele's played Blood Money. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: A THOUSAND TIMES YES. I loved the first two films (my dumb ass owns Midnight yet I still haven't watched it... I've got a mountain of movies like that, sadly) as well as their surprise segment in Waking Life. Building a film around just talking is such a difficult thing to do (much less just two people) and they pull it off with such grace and authenticity. Get and watch Midnight! As Doc said... It's really great. It's probably not what a lot of people expected it to be, but it's still excellent. I don't think it's even 2 hours long, so it's definitely one I'd recommend giving a try one of these days! I kind of like how some of the bits and pieces from the Waking Life segment kind of play into a few of the story beats from Before Sunset, I thought that was a really neat touch. This film would be pretty much tip-top as far as I'm concerned of some of the best written dialogue for film, when there is as much as there is in Before Sunset it has to feel natural, and I'm so glad it does. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: It's my understanding that the scripts are essentially Hawke and Delpy (that just made me picture this movie being advertised as an action flick with HAWKE and DELPY emblazoned on a gun metal poster with an exploding car or something) sitting with Richard Linklater and trying to figure out how these characters would act in these scenarios. Also the fact that the ten year gaps are deliberate blows my damn mind! I believe so yeah, although they didn't officially start getting credited for it until Before Sunset... from what I understand, the chance meeting that Linklater had with a lady that Before Sunrise is based on, was not a particularly romantic one. So it was Hawke and Delpy that injected that element into the film, as they thought it would make it more interesting. I would still watch that Hawke and Delpy action flick by the way! How could you not? ? Celine interjects and saves the day from the people who "were fighting over pencils!" I love that line in the film, and the way she says Pencils. The whole nine or ten years apart thing is really awesome isn't it. It's a big gamble too, I'm really happy that Boyhood turned out the way that it did, and that the kid actually grew up to be a pretty good actor. I had read a few rumblings over the last couple of years that they're planning a fourth one. I think it'll happen one day, but I think Linklater, Delpy and Hawke met up to discuss it a year or two back, and they couldn't all agree on an idea, all three of them are such integral parts of what makes those films so special, they have to find the right story to tell, and if they haven't found it yet, I'm more than happy to wait. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: This was the first thing I thought of! Her reaction to his "No laughter in my house" bit is just such a sledgehammer of silent acting, in fact that whole car ride is (as you so eloquently described). Yes, absolutely man!!! That's my favourite kind of acting, where it's all just done with subtle looks and expressions. That one really is heartbreaking too. I could probably list off a bunch of quotes from that movie that I particularly like... but this one from Celine never fails to strike a chord with me. " Even being alone it's better than sitting next to your lover and feeling lonely. " That one hits pretty hard, I'm sure a fair few people can understand that feeling to some extent, and the way it just falls out of her, is really brutal. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Still need to watch this don't know why I've been putting this off for as long as I have. Or Kurosawa for that matter, I'm only about four films deep into his filmography Pretty sure I bought this one as well... I'll have a look, and if I haven't then I can remedy that! I kind of regret throwing Ikiru on that list, because the minute I did, I was like..... now how do I talk about this without spoiling some of the films best moments? I'm going to cover that one in more detail in the future so I'll have to find a way, But that performance really is something very special. There's a reason Kurosawa is probably my favourite film-maker of all time, and Ikiru is a huge part of that. If you do have it, definitely give it a watch. I can't promise it'd resonate with you the way that it did with me obviously. But I think that film quite literally caused me to change the way I approach life. So in a way you could call it life changing for me haha ? The upside to being four films deep is that you still have an absolutely amazing list of his films out there, that will still be new to you! That my friend, is the most exciting part, I'll always be up for a little Kurosawa discussion if you go a bit deeper into them. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: I actually hadn't even heard of this one! *takes note It does not view like a film from 1936, I can say that much. It's incredibly briskly paced, fantastically acted and it's a real underrated gem I think. It's a shame Leslie Howard got killed when his plane was shot down when he "may or may not have been spying" I have no doubt he would have become a huge star through the rest of the 40's and 50's at least. Hell of a good director too, so I expect he would have continued in that aspect of his career too. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: I don't reckon I've got no reason to disagree with this one either! Or kill nobody, for that matter. That's important too. I remember when this one came out, everybody (at least stateside) was doing the whole MM-HMM thing so I assumed it supposed to be was a goofy type thing and didn't bother watching it for a long time... then when I finally did, it completely slapped me upside the head! Damn near cleaved your head in two with a lawnmower blade mm-hmmm? I can't remember how I ended up watching it to be honest. Even the people I studied with, were pretty much in the dark about Sling Blade. It seems like a lot of people over here just haven't really ever been exposed to it. I did find out it got pretty big in the states though. Where far more people were aware of it. That's the thing isn't it, it's the mm-hmm thing that would make most people think it's like a goofball comedy type of thing, instead of the dark deadly serious thing that it is. I think it would have put me off too. It's got some really terrific acting in it hasn't it, not just from Thornton. Like Dwight Yoakam is so good, and a real evil shit in that film. But John Ritter? Funny man John Ritter, playing Vaughan the way that he does is just so impressive.... Again, go back to the silent acting thing you touched upon with Delpy, John Ritter excels at that throughout the whole film. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Doo it! Doo it! Seriously, that's so interesting - what made you back off of doing that? I think I kind of put it off because I thought it would take an obnoxiously long time, and nobody would want to read it, and about fifteen other different things. I'd still like to do it though - when I think about it, the Mark Kermode book I referenced is less than 200 pages I think, and by now as far as reviewing games go, I've probably written close to that in just reviews I would have thought over the last year. I'd love to do a really intricate deep dive into Sling Blade in book form, so I guess it's something I should just do anyway, right? Even if I thought nobody would read it, I'd still feel pretty happy to have done it. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Yo him him and Edward Norton!! ooooooooh! Great shout dude! Edward Norton had a really killer 96 didn't he come to think of it, some real bangers for him that year.... I've got a friend who's really obsessed with his weird pregnancy belly that Ed Norton has in Birdman,once he told me about it I couldn't unsee it unfortunately. On 06/03/2022 at 5:33 PM, YaManSmevz said: Never that! Outstanding work my dude Thanks so much man! For even bothering to read it.... I'm well aware those are probably much more fun for me to write than they are for people to read, so I really appreciate the feedback! 12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Oh man - I came here to talk about RE5... but then you did this to me! Sorry......NOT SORRY - screw RE5 (even though you know I like it haha ?) let's talk about film instead haha! 12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I'm also a massive fan of the Before trilogy (even the last one, @YaManSmevz - get it watched mate, its excellent!) but I also agree, Sunset is the best of the three. That final ending, with the "You are going to miss your flight" "I know" - it's magic. Delphy is always fantastic - of course she is - but actually, I think Ethen Hawke is one of those actors that everyone knows, but he seems to get a little bit underrated - there's so many times he elevates a film - and he's one of those actors who not only appears in really good movies, but also in what should be mediocre ones, and elevates them. So many times, he manages to take parts that could be relatively generic on paper, but just give a character a slight, very specific twist that would only work with that specific actor, and turns a fairly standard character into something more interesting or unique. There really aren't too many actors like that - I think Joan Cusack is one, and Betty Gilpin, and certainly someone like Bill Nighy or Stephen Root or Mike Starr, but it's rare, and worth noting - and unusual in someone who is closer to "Movie Star" than "Character Actor", if you know what I mean? You can't really go too wrong with that trilogy. If Star Wars and Lord of the Rings didn't exist it'd probably be the trilogy I'm likely to rewatch the most in my lifetime. Although my Mum isn't super keen on the last one, but y'know Richard Linklater can't please everyone I suppose haha! That's a really interesting point about Ethan Hawke - you're right too, everyone talks up Denzel Washington's performance in Training Day, but I think Ethan Hawke is just as good, if not better in that film. That was the first performance that I thought of when I read your comment of "turns a fairly standard character into something more interesting or unique." I loved your comparison to those other top notch actors too... Honestly mate, that is something I'd never really given all that much thought too, but he sort of is in that bracket isn't he. Isn't it bad that when I think of Stephen Root I instantly just see him getting twatted straight in the head with a wrench?..... Or hear "L for Love...." "Th-that don't mean love....." "well, uhh, different signs,mean uhh different things to different people!" Betty Gilpin is a great example too - especially in film, she does exactly what you said, she usually elevates a film just by her being in it... Don't you just wish she got a nicer film gig though? Her TV credentials are top notch, and she's had some real good parts where she's really at the forefront, but the film she gets, she's often either the best thing in it, or the film itself is not quite as good as it could have been. 12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Have you seen First Reformed by the way? That Hawke performance is outstanding - full disclosure, I actually didn't like the film the first time I watched it - I appreciated it, but didn't love it... ... but there was something about it that made me come back and watch it again... and now I've seen it like 7 times, and genuinely think it might eclipse Taxi Driver as Paul Schrader's best film! Also, curse you, you are making me seriously consider trying to power through the Star Wars movies to get to The Last Jedi now. Dammit! There's so many of them! No I haven't seen First Reformed.... but now I feel like I should do! I'm sure I have that kicking around somewhere unwatched as well, but I'd have to check, not all of my DVD's and Blu Rays are in the same place now, when you have too many to fit easily in one room you know you have a problem right? That is incredibly high praise though! So I'll have to give it a look, I'll let you know what I think of it, after I've probably watched it about seven times too ? I'm always up for more awesome Ethan Hawke performances! Yeah there is a fair few Star Wars movies at this point ?...... The Last Jedi is a really odd one. It doesn't feel like a Star Wars movie at all - and I think that is part of the reason a lot of people don't take to it too well. It feels like a Rian Johnson movie - and honestly, when I first heard he was directing, that was what I wanted it to be, but not what I expected. So if you like that sort of thing I think you'd probably appreciate the film for a similar reason to me. and I never once expected to be highly praising Mark Hamill for acting, but he really does knock it out of the park in that film! 12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: So, I ended up sitting, and trying to come up with my own favourite performances in a movie as a result of this... because of course I did Mine would obviously change like the winds, but I think... I think... this would be my top 5 (today at least!): Jack Lemmon - Glengarry Glen Ross Bette Davis - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane Joaquin Phoenix - You Were Never Really Here Samantha Morton - Morvern Callar Philip Seymour Hoffman - Punch Drunk Love I was kind of hoping at least one of you might have slapped together a list, you didn't disappoint! I did think about writing a little "Let me know some of your favourites" at the end, but I was worried it'd come across like one of those youtubers that signs off with "don't forget to like,share and subscribe haha?" It probably wouldn't have done in reality, I was just overthinking things. This isn't a definitive top 5 for me, that's a little tougher to nail down, I'm sure I'll do another 5 at some point, and you'll probably give me another five that aren't the ones you listed there, but hey, that's no bad thing! Those are some really cracking picks! Kind of reminds me I need to watch Glengarry Glen Ross again. I almost put Whatever Happened to Baby Jane on here as well, that is one hell of a performance, scarily so. I could probably fill out 5 just of Bette Davis performances to be fair. That is a brilliant shout for You Were Never Really Here. The minute Joaquin Phoenix did Walk the Line all those years ago he solidified himself as one of my favourite actors, but Christ, You Were Never Really Here is a real powerhouse performance and a hell of a good film too. Nice to see two performances from Lynne Ramsay films on here too. I really love Morvern Callar as a film - Samantha Morton is so good in it - but I sort of have to almost view it with my hands covering my face, she just unsettles me so much in parts of that film, where I just feel so uncomfortable. Every aspect of that character she plays so brilliantly, but yeah - first time I saw that scene, before she..... let's just say takes a trip to the mountains, (you know the one) that's - yeah that's a thing ? Of all the Phillip Seymour Hoffman performances I would never have guessed you'd pick out Punch Drunk Love.... I can absolutely see why though, I mean it's harder to find a dud performance by him. I think you and I have briefly spoken about it before but that is well up there amongst my favourite PTA films, but I never expected it would be before I sat down and watched it. I don't know if you've seen 25th Hour? But Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a really great understated performance in that one too! Edited March 8, 2022 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 14 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: Isn't it bad that when I think of Stephen Root I instantly just see him getting twatted straight in the head with a wrench?..... Or hear "L for Love...." "Th-that don't mean love....." "well, uhh, different signs,mean uhh different things to different people!" hahaha, I know - his comedic turns in Dodgeball or Office Space are the stuff of legend (and I pretty much spent the first ten years of knowing who he was, calling him Jimmy James from News Radio!) though it’s almost impossible to marry those with his performances in Red State or No Country for Old Men - and actually, his character in the later seasons of The West Wing was a hell of a performance too! 14 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: Betty Gilpin is a great example too - especially in film, she does exactly what you said, she usually elevates a film just by her being in it... Don't you just wish she got a nicer film gig though? Her TV credentials are top notch, and she's had some real good parts where she's really at the forefront, but the film she gets, she's often either the best thing in it, or the film itself is not quite as good as it could have been. You know - that recent movie The Hunt isn’t actually good… but her performance is really something special I thought. So strange and off-kilter, it made a pretty mediocre movie kinda mesmerising whenever she was on screen! 19 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: That is a brilliant shout for You Were Never Really Here. The minute Joaquin Phoenix did Walk the Line all those years ago he solidifed himself as one of my favourite actors, but christ, You Were Never Really Here is a real powerhouse, performance and a hell of a good film too. Nice to see two performances from Lynne Ramsay films on here too. I know - Lynne Ramsey running away with it, but what can I say - she must have some magic dust when it comes to actors, because she coaxes out some fascinating performances! I actually stick firmly to my opinion, that with Daniel Day Lewis seemingly retired now, Joaquin Pheonix is probably the best working actor of our age. Between The Master, Joker, You Were Never Really Here, Her and Inherent Vice, the dude seems to do no wrong. Hell, even his turns in Signs and 8mm were top notch, even if those movies flagged a bit elsewhere! 19 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: I really love Morvern Callar as a film - Samantha Morton is so good in it - but I sort of have to almost view it with my hands covering my face, she just unsettles me so much in parts of that film, where I just feel so uncomfortable. Every aspect of that character she plays so brilliantly, but yeah - first time I saw that scene, before she..... let's just say takes a trip to the mountains, (you know the one) that's - yeah that's a thing It’s such an unsettling film generally - but she is just putch fucking perfect in it - I felt like she was almost playing the character as bipolar - swinging from genuinely happy to fake happy, to genuinely sad to fake sad all the time, but every time she’s in a quiet moment, it’s more tense than most horror movies, not knowing what she is thinking or about to do! 19 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: Of all the Phillip Seymour Hoffman performances I would never have guessed you'd pick out Punch Drunk Love.... I can absolutely see why though, I mean it's harder to find a dud performance by him. I think you and I have briefly spoken about it before but that is well up there amongst my favourite PTA films, but I never expected it would be before I sat down and watched it. Yeah, he’s a small part, but there’s something so specific about that character - like you only see him for a few scenes, but I feel like I know everything about his particular brand of sleaze completely - and it’s a type of sleaze rarely gotten right on film! Hoffman was incredible pretty much al the time though - I rewatched The Master last week, and he’s something in that one too - yet you see him in something like Boogie Nights or Magnolia, and it’s like a completely different actor! 19 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: I don't know if you've seen 25th Hour? But Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a really great understated performance in that one too! You know - I saw that in theatres I think, but I need to revisit it, becuase that was during uni, when I would see everything, but usually a bit high ? It’s one of those films I remember liking, but not too many specifics, and I hear more and more people citing it as being much better than I think it got credit for back when it released. I’ve been on a bit of a Spike Lee kick of late (rewatched Do The Right Thing, Black Klansman and Da 5 Bloods all pretty recently) so I think I need to add that one to the rewatch pile! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 8, 2022 Author Share Posted March 8, 2022 (edited) 22 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: hahaha, I know - his comedic turns in Dodgeball or Office Space are the stuff of legend (and I pretty much spent the first ten years of knowing who he was, calling him Jimmy James from News Radio!) though it’s almost impossible to marry those with his performances in Red State or No Country for Old Men - and actually, his character in the later seasons of The West Wing was a hell of a performance too! I always forget that he's even in No Country for Old Men, but then that's the mark of a real chameleon of an actor like him, to be perfectly honest. You know for my sins I don't think that I've ever seen a full episode of The West Wing. I'm pretty certain I'd probably enjoy it too, it's just one of those I've never gone out of my way to try and watch. 22 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: You know - that recent movie The Hunt isn’t actually good… but her performance is really something special I thought. So strange and off-kilter, it made a pretty mediocre movie kinda mesmerising whenever she was on screen! Interesting! I might have to rethink giving that one a watch then. I just had a quick look at the runtime and it's only 90 minutes, so it isn't like it's expecting me to watch a Das Boot length film for one good performance ? 22 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I know - Lynne Ramsey running away with it, but what can I say - she must have some magic dust when it comes to actors, because she coaxes out some fascinating performances! I actually stick firmly to my opinion, that with Daniel Day Lewis seemingly retired now, Joaquin Pheonix is probably the best working actor of our age. Between The Master, Joker, You Were Never Really Here, Her and Inherent Vice, the dude seems to do no wrong. Hell, even his turns in Signs and 8mm were top notch, even if those movies flagged a bit elsewhere! One of the weirdest things I can think of regarding Lynne Ramsey is that - her film adaptation of We Need to Talk About Kevin, is actually less dark, and horrifying than the book is. Kind of surprising considering some of her output. She does seem to have a real good knack for getting some very unique performances to shine through. I doubt we've seen the last of Daniel Day Lewis, he's retired and un-retired quite a bit at this point. He's starting to get like a professional wrestler where you just expect him to come back again at some point. I don't think I'd even try and argue with that about Joaquin Phoenix either. I think what's really helped him in the years after his first "retirement" after Two Lovers (which I was pretty gutted about at the time, as he was my favourite actor,at the time,) was that he's gotten so many better roles since then. He had good ones before, but in things like We Own the Night and other films like that, he was often the best thing in them. Which I imagine he probably is in that absolute dreckfest (so I've heard ) Ladder 49 but as I've not seen it I can't really fairly judge it! 22 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: It’s such an unsettling film generally - but she is just putch fucking perfect in it - I felt like she was almost playing the character as bipolar - swinging from genuinely happy to fake happy, to genuinely sad to fake sad all the time, but every time she’s in a quiet moment, it’s more tense than most horror movies, not knowing what she is thinking or about to do! She absolutely is! You kind of hit the nail on the head there - that film never lets you really relax for even a minute or two, whether it's that really tight specific cinematography, or the excellent score, or whatever the hell Morvern happens to be doing at that particular time, you can't help but feel on edge the whole time. I've seen that film quite a few times and even when I know what's happening I still feel that way, 22 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Yeah, he’s a small part, but there’s something so specific about that character - like you only see him for a few scenes, but I feel like I know everything about his particular brand of sleaze completely - and it’s a type of sleaze rarely gotten right on film! Hoffman was incredible pretty much al the time though - I rewatched The Master last week, and he’s something in that one too - yet you see him in something like Boogie Nights or Magnolia, and it’s like a completely different actor! Absolutely man! Paul Dano plays that kind of sleaze quite well too, but Hoffman definitely stands out in what little he is in that film, so I love that that is the one you ended up going with for one of your picks. Funny thing! One of my friends is not too dissimilar to Adam Sandler in that film - he does see the comparison too, and I could totally imagine he'd use that whole "I wanna smash it with a sledgehammer.and squeeze it" line. Strangely enough. I can't actually think of a dud performance from Hoffman off the top of my head. He's even pretty strong in The Hunger Games movies, and usually an actor like him would usually phone it in, in those kinds of big franchise movies. I wish I could unsee, seeing him in his pants in Boogie Nights though - that scared me more than the spindly armed Janitor from Little Nightmares! Synechdoce, New York is one of my favourite Hoffman performances, one I ought to rewatch actually as I don't think I've seen it for a while. Same with The Master, now you've reminded me I should give that another look, I don't think I've seen it since about 2015. 22 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: You know - I saw that in theatres I think, but I need to revisit it, becuase that was during uni, when I would see everything, but usually a bit high It’s one of those films I remember liking, but not too many specifics, and I hear more and more people citing it as being much better than I think it got credit for back when it released. I’ve been on a bit of a Spike Lee kick of late (rewatched Do The Right Thing, Black Klansman and Da 5 Bloods all pretty recently) so I think I need to add that one to the rewatch pile! It's a very interesting film,so I hope you do - for quite a few reasons. It shoots New York in a very specific and interesting way what with it being one of the first films that really deals with the after effects of 9/11 and all the impact that goes along with that. Great performance from Ed Norton in that one too, and a nice little small one from Brian Cox too. That reminds me I need to watch Black Klansman and Da 5 Bloods, I've not seen either of them. Edited March 9, 2022 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted March 9, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) In A Strange Turn of Events, My Newest 100% Completion, Once Again, Is Also A 3 Year Old Platinum Platinum #205 Resident Evil 6 (PS4) RESIDENT EVIL 6 Platinum Trophy Congratulations! You've overcome all your fears in RESIDENT EVIL 6! A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 17 February 2019: 8:44:12 AM 100% Achieved - 5 March 2022: 4:04:35 AM Time taken to Platinum - 3 weeks, 3 days, 2 hours Time Taken to 100% - 3 years, 1 month, 1 week Platinum Rarity - 12.29% 100% Rarity - 1.74% Trophy Number - # 10,604 Before we get into this review properly, let me just ask you all a question – does the Resident Evil 6 logo make you think of a Giraffe receiving oral sex from a dolphin? It might just be me, but that’s always been what I’ve thought of whenever I’ve seen that logo. That ladies and gents, is the most interesting talking point about Resident Evil 6.... End review? Only joking, as tempting as that is, I should at least do this properly and fairly. My apologies in advance, just like the game itself – my thoughts on this one are all over the place, so the structure might seem a little unusual in places. Without further ado let’s get into this. Resident Evil 6 is a third-person shooter (no, I’m not being obtuse, I can barely find it listed anywhere as survival horror) that puts you in the driver’s seat with seven protagonists across four unique interlinking campaigns, as you face down hoards of zombies and not a whole lot else, as it happens. Are four campaigns a little too many? Perhaps, we’ll find that out as we get further into the review. Oh Resident Evil 6 – what a game you could have been, yet you just weren’t. Instead you’re a huge oversaturated mess, filled with wasted potential and characters staler than seven crusty baguettes – left on the shelves of a supermarket for days, far beyond their sell by date. Much like with Resident Evil 5, I'd say this is probably better played via co-op it is pretty much optimised that way anyway, apart from the Ada campaign. The only downside is for whatever reason you can't swap items between the two of you like you can in Resident Evil 5. That is me being kind, others have, and will, say worse – I want to like this game I really do. There are certainly some aspects of it that I can certainly appreciate; the negatives unfortunately, however – massively outweigh the positives, by some considerable amount. I think Length is a major problem in Resident Evil 6 – four campaigns, whilst in theory is a good prospect; you need all four of those to be engaging – and in all honesty, not all of them are. The game gives you three sets of two characters for three campaigns, and one single campaign dedicated to Ada Wong, something which later had co-op patched into it at a later date, and to call that a forced inclusion is an understatement, as your co-op partner literally can’t interact with anything apart from shooting so they might as well not be there. The duo’s consist of: Chris Redfield and newcomer Piers Nivan your tandem for one campaign, Leon S. Kennedy and newcomer Helena Harper are another, finally Jake Muller **cough** Wesker**cough** and Sherry Birkin are the third duo. This is where we hit the problem – on paper all of those characters interlinking during one connected story over four campaigns, sounds like it’d be a recipe for success in almost every way, but it just isn’t. It doesn’t really work. Not as a whole. The times where the characters stories overlap is interesting, but they are few and far between. I appreciate the ambition and what Capcom were trying to do, but it just doesn’t quite translate into a good game. Even without going into spoilers – I feel like I can happily say that the story being told in Resident Evil 6 is one that has been done in some form several times already during the series, when that becomes apparent early on, that also becomes a major stumbling block. Instead of intrigue, you end up thinking, “Oh here we go, they’re about to transform into..... a T-Rex Mutant/B.O.W!” Alright, that one was not quite what I expected, but I don’t feel as if I need to labour the point, that there are times, even early on, when the game feels too much like something you’ve already experienced. Interestingly there are some good elements to the story – and it mainly comes in the form of the newly introduced characters. I’m not saying some of the older cast members of the franchise shouldn’t have been included, but they could have explored more interesting aspects of them– equally they probably should have done more with the newly introduced team members. Jake, Piers and Sherry (who isn’t new, but is fresh in the sense we haven’t seen much of her as an adult,) end up being some of the more interesting aspects to the game. Jake and Sherry’s campaign was the one I found the most interesting personally, as it didn’t feel like retreading some familiar old ground. Pairing Jake, the son of Wesker (not a spoiler) with the daughter of William Birkin gives those characters an instant affinity with one another and a shared understanding, something which they do actually lean into in the plot, if not a little sparsely. Piers is a great addition, he’s also a pretty good foil to a pretty dour Chris (for plot reasons) in this game – but I feel like they could have explored more about him than they ended up doing. I can’t find it emphatically stated anywhere online in an official capacity, apart from a document from Resident Evil Revelations 2 that Piers is explicitly stated to be either gay or bisexual. The game certainly heavily implies that he is, but perhaps they should have just categorically confirmed that. I’m not suggesting that making him a gay or bisexual character would have improved him. However, it might have been a positive step forward for the series. Ultimately it’ll always remain a bit of a what if? I fear had that happened, then it could have seemed like a tokenistic gesture. Let’s be honest in the case of Resident Evil 6, Capcom struggled to write their established characters in an interesting way, and that’s without even attempting to write Piers with a little bit of depth or nuance. Are you seeing my problem here? There is wasted potential everywhere, which you couldn’t and shouldn’t ignore. It’s a real shame, when you want to like something, like I did here – but unfortunately, very few elements are actually consistent in Resident Evil 6, and that’s unfortunate. They do a few things very well, and then take several steps backwards in other areas. The game is just tonally wild and all over the place – almost everything is inconsistent, including an element that I wish was better, the sound design. The sound effects themselves are nicely done and certain stings like picking up items, using herbs and shooting, sound fantastic. So the foley artists at least did a good job. The score is a little more problematic. Nothing about it is outright bad, it just doesn’t quite fit, with anything, or even really stands out. It’s far too bombastic to create any tension, feeling more like a generic cookie-cutter film score. However, the quieter low-key ambient pieces, that potentially could do that, equally feel quite out of place. I was listening to the soundtrack whilst writing the review, but I had to turn it off, as I found it genuinely annoying. That has never, ever happened to me in the process of writing a review before. So that’s a first. Resident Evil 6 does have a whole host of recognisable names from the world of voice acting among its cast – and as you’d expect they do give some very good performances, despite not having the best material to work with. My own personal highlight was Laura Bailey as Helena Harper. I know it’s almost a running joke that Laura Bailey is in everything, but when she’s as good as she is – then you can hardly begrudge her the work. Helena is one of the most interesting things in this game. I bet you can feel a but coming, right? You guessed it, she gets a little bit underutilised (an understatement) – her story arc gets resolved rather early in Leon’s Campaign so that they can focus on his Ross and Rachel sorry, sorry Ada and Leon will they/won’t they subplot. It’s a real shame, because even if Helena’s character arc was going to wrap up early there were still ways to make her seem less like she’s just along for the ride, later on. It’s not all negative though – the game does contain some genuine high points. It must be said, that graphical fidelity is not a measure of whether or not a game is good or not, obviously – but even taking the graphical upscaling from PS3 to PS4 into account, this game looks gorgeous. I appreciate the effort that was made in making a lot of the characters genuinely look a little older. Although, admittedly still as if they’ve been dipped in a fountain of youth in some cases. The art design is a very strong element of the game too – and what the game lacks in narrative interest, I must say, each location looks quite distinctly unique, as do the various designs of the enemies. In a better context some of these monstrous looking creatures would have made excellent adversaries. Especially Ustenak, who whilst there is the obvious Nemesis comparison, if they’d dialled up the horror aspect and didn’t have him appear in so many over lit areas he could be incredibly terrifying. This unfortunately leads me to another aspect of the game that is a slight step-down, although the creature designs are gruesome. They are obviously meant to – at least to some degree, illicit fear, the issue is, that Resident Evil 6 left the horror on the bus along with the shopping. It’s as if Capcom couldn’t quite decide on the game they wanted to make. Do we want something fast paced and action packed – much like the Paul W.S. Anderson Resident Evil films, or do we want to tighten up the controls a bit, and add some atmosphere, and try and create some fear factor. In the end I suppose they went with the former. There is a slight attempt by Capcom to have Leon’s campaign have a larger focus on puzzle solving leaning into the horror element a bit further. Unfortunately I can’t help – rightly or wrongly, suspecting that Capcom fundamentally did this just to placate those long time fans of the series that were already heavily criticising the transition away from survival horror. I actually think the gameplay in Resident Evil 6 is quite strong – each characters specific movement is very fluid, and there’s far more diversity to what you can feasibly do in a combat situation. The gunplay is far more responsive and less rigid too, meaning you can shoot and move now, allowing for a bit more mobility. Do I like that it took a more action focused direction? I certainly don’t love it, but I think if you are going to shift the focus away from solely being horror, then making the gameplay tight and responsive was absolutely a good idea. It does that very well, even down to the action set pieces. If they appeared in a game that wasn’t branded Resident Evil I’d struggle to see how you can argue they aren’t objectively good action set pieces. But they don’t feel at home in a Resident Evil game. I can’t say that I was exactly overjoyed to find out that Resident Evil 6 has even more QTE’s than Resident Evil 4 and 5 probably combined, and they are somehow worse too. As a lot of you are probably aware by this point though (I’ve mentioned it in enough reviews) I’m not particularly a big fan of QTE’s so this could be a little personal bias creeping in there. I don’t want to dwell on the trophy side of this game too long – I’ll just mention the most memorable thing, the grind to get all of the skills maxed out. A bad trophy list would not change my opinion of Resident Evil 6 one way or the other. Resident Evil 6 possesses one of those notorious trophies a lot of us will have encountered. Mad Skillz for maxing out your skills – this is one of those games which artificially extend the length of the game far beyond the amount you’d usually play it for, with the trophies. After finishing all campaigns in all difficulties you still won’t even be close. Essentially this forces you to just play hours and hours of mercenaries, or to loop a very small section of one chapter repeatedly until you have the required amount of points. Neither option is a great one, or one that leaves you with a particularly positive lasting impression of the trophies. DLC As always with these DLC sections, these are always going to pretty much read like a collection of my thoughts on these trophies more than a real in-depth critique. As every DLC pack is an online multiplayer game mode I don’t expect this will be too extensive. Onslaught Onslaught is – in my opinion at least, far and away the best multiplayer game mode in Resident Evil 6. Even if you took trophies out of the equation entirely, then this would just be an enjoyable game mode to play. It has such a satisfying gameplay loop of all out carnage. Essentially the rounds consist of a 1V1 setup where you’re both on different versions of the same map. Where each enemy that you kill, you can send over to your opponents map to make their life harder, and vice-versa. You can stack up a combo of chained dead enemies and send them all at once – which sends stronger variants – or you can send them intermittently in smaller batches. What this allows for is incredibly tense back and forth gameplay and a constant need to strategise on the move. Trying to figure out what the best approach is depending on who it is you’re playing against. Survivors Survivors is very much like it was in Resident Evil 5 – with a very slight twist, this time if you’re defeated you get the chance to return to the match controlling an undead creature. When you do, you have the opportunity to regain your human form by defeating one of the other player controlled characters on the map. It’s enjoyable enough, but I don’t think it really has all that much scope for re-playability. All that would be changing is the maps – and the slight subtleties of how the undead on those maps control. Predator I thought Predators was an interesting inclusion – as it allows one of the players in the match to control the behemoth Ustenak. What this leads to is a surprisingly fun game mode – it essentially becomes a game of 1 versus many, and there’s an almost cat and mouse like aspect to it. Hiding from the person controlling Ustenak becomes a necessity, as one or two stray attacks from him will wipe you out almost instantaneously. The obvious highlight of this mode is actually getting to control Ustenak – I must admit the attention to detail in how he controls feels very responsive. He’s heavy and lumbering, but he can stop quite abruptly, has a wide range of attacks and some of them look absolutely brutal. I enjoyed my relatively short time with this DLC, there’s a slight grind for one or two trophies, but nothing really egregious. Siege Siege mode is probably the game-mode that will most test your patience – it is the most drawn out of all of the DLC packs. Where most of the other three DLC packs won’t set you back more than about three hours or so – Siege will probably take you seven or eight, at least. The problem is it’s also fairly uninteresting. It’s essentially one long escort mission, played over two rounds. You protect an A.I controlled BSAA Agent and then the next round you have to hunt down the other team’s agent. It’s simple enough, but it isn’t very interesting. The trophies ask a lot of your time, as you need to play well over one hundred games at least. This was my least favourite of the DLC modes, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it a whole lot even if trophies were taken out of the equation. It’s time for the burning question. Do I recommend Resident Evil 6? Probably not to be perfectly honest, and you won’t hear me say this often – just skip straight to Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. If you want to have every mainline game in the series finished, like I’d like to, then by all means play this. I just can’t guarantee you a good time. The potential is there for something great – it is plain to see, and in a way that just makes it all the more infuriating to think every single seemingly avoidable misstep, could have been avoided. I am usually a pretty positive person (at least I try to be,) and I’ve been dreading this review for the last few days, because there just aren’t a whole lot of positives to take away from this. Sometimes that’s how it goes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ......and breathe. Thank goodness, I've now taken out the two Resident Evil games that I have some fairly all over the place feelings on - writing about Resident Evil 6 has actually reminded me how much I do like Resident Evil 5 though, it's really quite a decent game compared to this, which as I said is all over the place unfortunately. When I was searching through my platinum vault on the first page of this thread, to find out which number platinum this was, I actually noticed that I did Yakuza Kiwami 2 straight after this. After clicking the link and looking at the trophy stats I keep at the front of each review, it turned out I went immediately right into Yakuza Kiwami 2, as the platinum for that and Resident Evil 6 are actually six or seven hours apart. I'd forgotten I went straight into that game after playing this and completed my final playthrough on that in one sitting (I remembered that part). So it seems like at the time I was just desperate to wash the feeling of Resident Evil 6 away, funny how that happened, but stats don't lie. It's a good thing after getting the 100% Completion in Resident Evil 6 that I'm washing that feeling away one final time by playing an awesome game in Little Nightmares, one that I absolutely cannot wait to write about! No apprehension here, that game is awesome and there is so much in it I want to unpack. I'm going to leave another tag for @The_Kopite again, I know like me, you have a few things about RE6 that you actually like too, so I thought I'd drop a tag here for you if you want to read this in depth little look at the game at any point. As always no pressure, obviously. Edited March 13, 2022 by rjkclarke 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) On 3/3/2022 at 4:13 PM, rjkclarke said: I think if Magus was a Chrono Trigger spin-off then people would despise that game even more than they already do . My god could you imagine that?! lol On 3/3/2022 at 4:13 PM, rjkclarke said: Cheers man! I'll take it as far as my motivation takes me I suppose - I must be fairly serious, as I've just gone and finished off the 100% for Resident Evil 5, which I'm hoping to have reviewed today, surprisingly it'll be the first Resident Evil game reviewed in here. Unfortunately, I also decided to go back and tidy up Resident Evil 6, which will mean reviewing that too - I guess the upside is I'm getting the least favourable Resident Evil's out of the way first, then I'll just have the good ones to talk about, so swings and roundabouts Singularity was really good yeah, glad you enjoyed it too - I just hated that there was a multiplayer component, but I want to actually discuss the game, which requires putting in a bit effort on my part, but hopefully it'll feel worth it, because I really dug that game! If it stops being something I'm doing for enjoyment I'll just hit it on the head with a hammer and stop my little cleanup job I suppose haha - which is why I think you'll get to 66.66% pretty quickly if you attack a load of the games you really want to finish up or be playing. Although I'm not about to tell you how to play your own games, you've got to go at your own pace and all that. Haha yes well that's a fair opinion on RE5 and RE6, though there are parts about it that are positive, at least in my eyes. I'm still waiting to get the Gold Edition of RE5 as a present so I can experience the DLC's as I have heard from ages ago that one of them is in the style of classic RE's and that they are good fun! (BTW I've noticed the tags you've left for me for those RE reviews and obviously I appreciate it and will read them! ?) Yes indeed, I think 66.66% will happen eventually for me and I'll be really proud of that tbh. On 3/3/2022 at 4:13 PM, rjkclarke said: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy's save system is just really short sighted, I tried not to focus too much on it in both of those reviews - but, yeah it really breaks up the fluidity of the game a bit. Especially in an older title, with a bit more trial and error, where you'll likely be saving a lot! The whole thing of - you have a hard limit on the amount of saves you are allocated - with no in-game way of overwriting them or deleting them, is a really huge oversight. Having to literally stop playing the game - close the application - manually delete the saves - reopen it, and then continue is such a stupid process, when all you want to do is bask in the glory of that excellent gameplay, slice up stormtroopers left and right, and shower everyone in force lightning. That's really the major problem with the save systems, but if you can look past that there's a great time to be had with those games. Ah right I see, yeah I remember when playing them on PC that I was saving a lot so yeah that sounds like a really poor implemented save system for the PS4 versions sadly. Shame really. On 3/3/2022 at 4:13 PM, rjkclarke said: As you should be! I think you're due a break from guide writing for a little bit after the insane amount it sounds like you've put into this one.... Time for you to relax and do your thing, until you have the inevitable urge to get guide writing again I'm looking forward to seeing what it is though, so it'll be an interesting surprise. Well I absolutely 100% agree with you! I'm in the process of going through and checking the guide I've been working on now and it'll be submitted for review either today or tomorrow I'm hoping! Been reading one of my PLAY magazines (Had 3! Bloody magazine backlog to add to everything else lol) and tomorrow I'm going to start going through Concrete Genie and get back to earning those trophies! I'm looking forward to it! Going to read those RE reviews of yours today, o and the guide I've written is a first in terms of type for me and is for one of my 3 fave franchises, so that narrows it down a bit for you lol EDIT - Just submitted the guide now! Fingers crossed it is successful! Edited March 9, 2022 by The_Kopite Updated information 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 On 3/4/2022 at 7:26 AM, rjkclarke said: Resident Evil as a property has always been a franchise brimming with interesting characters, for both good and bad reasons. Even if you don’t end up liking them, you’ll surely end up remembering them. I’m looking directly at you, Creepy Steve from Code Veronica. Haha! Knew you'd put in a reference there. Steve is always watching you. On 3/4/2022 at 7:26 AM, rjkclarke said: Lost in Nightmare is a fantastic DLC – what it does, is keep the survival horror part of Resident Evil alive and well That's the one I've been wanting to play for ages! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) 16 hours ago, rjkclarke said: let me just ask you all a question – does the Resident Evil 6 logo make you think of a Giraffe receiving oral sex from a dolphin? lol WTF Also fair play for those two reviews, very thorough and interesting as always. Agree with a fair amount of what you were saying and get the viewpoint, and the DLC reviews were especially intriguing as I've never been able to play eithers. Edited March 9, 2022 by The_Kopite Updated information 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 8 hours ago, The_Kopite said: My god could you imagine that?! lol I can guarantee you more people would have the platinum for Magus if it was connected to Chrono Trigger though - some people just have a way of going for any trophies that relate to franchises they like. I need to find where to draw that line myself - because Agents of Mayhem being connected to Saints Row is what got me to play that abomination. Yet, I won't touch a genuinely good game in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, just because I don't like where it fits into the Metal Gear timeline. 8 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Haha yes well that's a fair opinion on RE5 and RE6, though there are parts about it that are positive, at least in my eyes. I'm still waiting to get the Gold Edition of RE5 as a present so I can experience the DLC's as I have heard from ages ago that one of them is in the style of classic RE's and that they are good fun! If you can get the PS4 version of RE5 that comes bundled with all the DLC's too, and as I've said many times those single player DLC's are excellent. RE6, also comes bundled with the DLC, but you know - as you've now read my thoughts on that one, I don't think I'd rush to recommend you play through all that DLC. I think RE5 has plenty of positives, I genuinely do like that one quite a lot - whereas RE6, reviewing it probably made me like it even less. Oh dear! 9 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yes indeed, I think 66.66% will happen eventually for me and I'll be really proud of that tbh. Try not to summon Lucifer in the process..... I heard that's his phone number .... I'm sure you'll get there though. Whilst we're sort of on the subject. If I can manage to get Little Nightmares nailed down tonight I might be just about to hit 97%, but I'm not sure whether that'll happen or not, I'll see how alert and competent my reactions are after a long day haha! 9 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Well I absolutely 100% agree with you! I'm in the process of going through and checking the guide I've been working on now and it'll be submitted for review either today or tomorrow I'm hoping! Been reading one of my PLAY magazines (Had 3! Bloody magazine backlog to add to everything else lol) and tomorrow I'm going to start going through Concrete Genie and get back to earning those trophies! I'm looking forward to it! EDIT - Just submitted the guide now! Fingers crossed it is successful! Oh awesome! You'll have to let me know about Concrete Genie, that seems to always be on my "nah, not right now" list of games to play, whenever I give it a glancing thought, but I hope you have a good time with it. Ouch man, a magazine backlog. Mind you, from what I remember from when I read PLAY back in the late 90's and early 2000's they were pretty hefty content heavy things, so you got decent bang for your buck! I have an ever growing film backlog. one that seems to grow every time we get into a film discussion in here, like a few of us did recently. So it's a gameplay guide? And it's one of your three favourite franchises. My brain wants to rule out Sonic, as you just wrote one, so you might be Sonic'd out. Maybe a Triple Triad guide, for Final Fantasy VIII. A Blitzball guide? I wouldn't mind writing a triple triad one myself actually, but then I realise I'd have to cover all of the multiple rules in detail, and that makes my brain melt. Whatever it is, I'm interested to find out! Enjoy your well deserved gaming time though! 5 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Haha! Knew you'd put in a reference there. Steve is always watching you. He probably is - that's my problem. If he was real - and I woke up I'd probably see him standing over me just heavily breathing with his hands in his trousers, it wouldn't surprise me, stroking my hair and pretending I'm Claire.... I guess he just really creeps me out. If they remake Code Veronica I really hope they wipe away the really dodgy unsettling incel vibe that he gives off. 5 hours ago, The_Kopite said: That's the one I've been wanting to play for ages! I'm pretty certain you'll love that Lost in Nightmares DLC it's pretty awesome. You'll really dig the layout for that particular Spencer Mansion too, it's slightly familiar but different enough to be overly familiar, so I think as a big long-time fan of the series, you'll really appreciate that. 2 hours ago, The_Kopite said: lol WTF Also fair play for those two reviews, very thorough and interesting as always. Agree with a fair amount of what you were saying and get the viewpoint, and the DLC reviews were especially intriguing as I've never been able to play eithers. I guess it's just me that thinks that about the logo then.... I literally can't see anything else whenever I look at it - I think it's hilarious too. Although the fact that is what I see at a glance, probably means some of my answers on a Rorschach test might be a little "out there" haha ? Thanks man! I just read back the Resident Evil 6 review - and it's so all over the place - which I expected. I think it reads like me desperately trying to find things that are positives and then immediately being flooded by the negatives. I can't stand writing negatively, it's not natural to me at all, but when you have to, you have to. I genuinely wanted to like Resident Evil 6, yet all I see, is what it could have been - then I get frustrated by what it is. But hey it's fine RE7 exists and is awesome, so no need to dwell on it, and Resident Evil Revelations 1 and 2 are also some real good ones. So we'll just think of RE6 as the bump in the road. I'm glad you found those DLC bits intriguing - I always like to try and cover all aspects the game has to offer if I can. I'm not going to do that with Warframe and Driveclub as they have enough DLC that I'd bust the word limit on the posts just trying to cover those, and be able to edit the post afterwards. Getting those two RE's down is a good thing though! It means any Resident Evil I review going forward is going to be a pretty good one, judging by the ones I've already played. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I can guarantee you more people would have the platinum for Magus if it was connected to Chrono Trigger though - some people just have a way of going for any trophies that relate to franchises they like. I need to find where to draw that line myself - because Agents of Mayhem being connected to Saints Row is what got me to play that abomination. Yet, I won't touch a genuinely good game in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, just because I don't like where it fits into the Metal Gear timeline. Can't argue with that. I've got the platinum for Magus as it was one I knew I could knock off within the 7 day free trial for PS Now back in the day. (Also used that to do the Toy Story Mania trophy guide!) Would have seem nicer in a way if connected to something better lol Revengance is a good game I've got to say, had fun playing that but didn't care personally where it fell in the MG storyline. I just took it as an action film type game, have fun with it with mind switched off. Light entertainment, nothing more. 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: If you can get the PS4 version of RE5 that comes bundled with all the DLC's too, and as I've said many times those single player DLC's are excellent. RE6, also comes bundled with the DLC, but you know - as you've now read my thoughts on that one, I don't think I'd rush to recommend you play through all that DLC. I think RE5 has plenty of positives, I genuinely do like that one quite a lot - whereas RE6, reviewing it probably made me like it even less. Oh dear! My wife has already bought me the RE5 Gold Edition for PS3, she just hasnt given it to me yet lol one of these birthdays and christmas' I'll get it and be able to experience it. Didn't realise the PS4 versions of both had all the DLC's. I want to play RE5 again for the DLC's and will at some time, but with RE6 I might just play through again to get the platinum. I don't remember seeing that trophy list originally and it being an offline plat. Oh dear indeed! I haven't played either for a long time tbh, but from what I remember I liked RE6 more as for me it had moments like Leons campaign which were closer to the RE that I wanted and it seemed like they were trying. I also appreciated seeing Sherry again and the links between the campaigns. RE5 is probably a more cohesive experience and it had my favourite character in Jill in there, but it veered so far away from what I wanted a RE game to be, that it was really jarring. RE4 did that to some extent compared to the original 3 and CV, but 5 was on a whole other level. 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Try not to summon Lucifer in the process..... I heard that's his phone number .... I'm sure you'll get there though. Whilst we're sort of on the subject. If I can manage to get Little Nightmares nailed down tonight I might be just about to hit 97%, but I'm not sure whether that'll happen or not, I'll see how alert and competent my reactions are after a long day haha! Haha yes, I will try my best. I'll get past it eventually haha Heard that Little Nightmares and it's sequel are good games, and you are clearly a skilled gamer of course so I'm sure 97% will be yours soon! 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Oh awesome! You'll have to let me know about Concrete Genie, that seems to always be on my "nah, not right now" list of games to play, whenever I give it a glancing thought, but I hope you have a good time with it. Ouch man, a magazine backlog. Mind you, from what I remember from when I read PLAY back in the late 90's and early 2000's they were pretty hefty content heavy things, so you got decent bang for your buck! I have an ever growing film backlog. one that seems to grow every time we get into a film discussion in here, like a few of us did recently. So it's a gameplay guide? And it's one of your three favourite franchises. My brain wants to rule out Sonic, as you just wrote one, so you might be Sonic'd out. Maybe a Triple Triad guide, for Final Fantasy VIII. A Blitzball guide? I wouldn't mind writing a triple triad one myself actually, but then I realise I'd have to cover all of the multiple rules in detail, and that makes my brain melt. Whatever it is, I'm interested to find out! Enjoy your well deserved gaming time though! Yes I'm going to start playing that properly today. Was a PS Plus free game, but like with Horizon Chase Turbo I liked the look of that game before it because a PS Plus freebie, so that's always a good sign. I'll let you know what I think of it. That's probably a different magazine? I'm not sure, PLAY that I was referring to is the new name for Official Playstation Magazine. They are usually around 110 pages long so I can go through them pretty quickly thankfully! lol Yes, me thinks we all have massive film backlogs.... Sonic is ruled out yes. Enough Sonic writing for now lol Been thinking about doing a Triple Triad gameplay guide for FFVIII myself to be honest, think it would really add to the trophy guide already on the site, so hey maybe we will end up collaberating on that lol halve the workload hahah You'll find out hopefully soon enough! 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: He probably is - that's my problem. If he was real - and I woke up I'd probably see him standing over me just heavily breathing with his hands in his trousers, it wouldn't surprise me, stroking my hair and pretending I'm Claire.... I guess he just really creeps me out. If they remake Code Veronica I really hope they wipe away the really dodgy unsettling incel vibe that he gives off. Haha Sadly I don't think they ever will remake CV, but if they did considering what they did with 1, 2 and 3, I think they would tweak his character. 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I'm pretty certain you'll love that Lost in Nightmares DLC it's pretty awesome. You'll really dig the layout for that particular Spencer Mansion too, it's slightly familiar but different enough to be overly familiar, so I think as a big long-time fan of the series, you'll really appreciate that. Yes, definitely! Now if only my wife would just give me the game as mentioned earlier haha 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I guess it's just me that thinks that about the logo then.... I literally can't see anything else whenever I look at it - I think it's hilarious too. Although the fact that is what I see at a glance, probably means some of my answers on a Rorschach test might be a little "out there" haha Thanks man! I just read back the Resident Evil 6 review - and it's so all over the place - which I expected. I think it reads like me desperately trying to find things that are positives and then immediately being flooded by the negatives. I can't stand writing negatively, it's not natural to me at all, but when you have to, you have to. I genuinely wanted to like Resident Evil 6, yet all I see, is what it could have been - then I get frustrated by what it is. But hey it's fine RE7 exists and is awesome, so no need to dwell on it, and Resident Evil Revelations 1 and 2 are also some real good ones. So we'll just think of RE6 as the bump in the road. I'm glad you found those DLC bits intriguing - I always like to try and cover all aspects the game has to offer if I can. I'm not going to do that with Warframe and Driveclub as they have enough DLC that I'd bust the word limit on the posts just trying to cover those, and be able to edit the post afterwards. Getting those two RE's down is a good thing though! It means any Resident Evil I review going forward is going to be a pretty good one, judging by the ones I've already played. Haha it;s certainly an interesting thought RE: the logo. Yeah certainly RE6 is frustrating. The franchise really had a wobble around that time, and the two Revelations games certainly were a lot better. I'd love a 3rd one. Looking forward to reading more as always! Finally from me in this post- Two games I'm interested in from last night's PS State of Play: Seems intriguing and..... Definite purchase from me! Hope it has a platinum! Haven't ever played some of them and the other I haven't played in so many years! Bloody awesome! EDIT - Just found out they are doing a physical version! Even better! Edited March 10, 2022 by The_Kopite Updated information 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 (edited) 14 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Can't argue with that. I've got the platinum for Magus as it was one I knew I could knock off within the 7 day free trial for PS Now back in the day. (Also used that to do the Toy Story Mania trophy guide!) Would have seem nicer in a way if connected to something better lol Revengance is a good game I've got to say, had fun playing that but didn't care personally where it fell in the MG storyline. I just took it as an action film type game, have fun with it with mind switched off. Light entertainment, nothing more. That's a pretty good use of that 7 day trial I'd say. I actually meant to review Magus last week, but I never got around to it, so maybe I might have to just get that over and done with. Especially as I have at least two pretty big games I want to cover coming up. One of which you'll probably be very interested in, but I'll say no more on that one. I have no doubt that Revengeance is good.and I'm certainly glad you enjoyed it - I just don't think that I'll ever play it...... I'm depriving myself of a good game.... But when the entire thrust of the game "Cyborg Ninja Raiden" completely undermines one of the biggest plot elements of MGS4, I want to give it no attention at all. It's stubborn sure, but maybe I'll change my mind on it at some point. 14 hours ago, The_Kopite said: My wife has already bought me the RE5 Gold Edition for PS3, she just hasnt given it to me yet lol one of these birthdays and christmas' I'll get it and be able to experience it. Didn't realise the PS4 versions of both had all the DLC's. I want to play RE5 again for the DLC's and will at some time, but with RE6 I might just play through again to get the platinum. I don't remember seeing that trophy list originally and it being an offline plat. You're a braver person than me for wanting to return to RE6. I was planning to replay RE6 for the review, but for better or worse I actually remembered enough about it to not have to bother. Hey it's another RE platinum for you though, you can't complain about that part. 14 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Oh dear indeed! I haven't played either for a long time tbh, but from what I remember I liked RE6 more as for me it had moments like Leons campaign which were closer to the RE that I wanted and it seemed like they were trying. I also appreciated seeing Sherry again and the links between the campaigns. RE5 is probably a more cohesive experience and it had my favourite character in Jill in there, but it veered so far away from what I wanted a RE game to be, that it was really jarring. RE4 did that to some extent compared to the original 3 and CV, but 5 was on a whole other level. That is actually very surprising... I totally respect your stance on that one though, but I can't say that isn't surprising to read. Especially as RE6 does far more to undermine it's survival horror roots than RE5 does, so I was definitely expecting your grievances to fall more with that one. That's very interesting. Leon's campaign leaning into horror a bit more got exactly the reaction they wanted from you, for it to feel a little more like Reisdent Evil. Almost to take the sting away from every other thing, almost literally feeling nothing like Resident Evil. The problem is, I think the fact they did it for one campaign, and one only was them just being a little shallow and going "see..... look LOOK, we are still horror, PLEASE DON'T HATE US" I don't disagree that RE5 is quite the deviation - but 6 is a complete U-Turn into an entirely different genre for me. 14 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Heard that Little Nightmares and it's sequel are good games, and you are clearly a skilled gamer of course so I'm sure 97% will be yours soon! I don't if I'd call myself a skilled gamer ?..... Just a very persistent one, I usually just keep going until something happens I expect the second Little Nightmares is also pretty awesome. I loved the first one, I'm going to start writing the review after I've replied to this. It turned out I didn't get to 97% though haha. After getting that trophy it was 96.98, never mind. I started Child of Light straight after so it immediately went down again haha! 14 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yes I'm going to start playing that properly today. Was a PS Plus free game, but like with Horizon Chase Turbo I liked the look of that game before it because a PS Plus freebie, so that's always a good sign. I'll let you know what I think of it. That's probably a different magazine? I'm not sure, PLAY that I was referring to is the new name for Official Playstation Magazine. They are usually around 110 pages long so I can go through them pretty quickly thankfully! lol That is always a nice bonus when a game you happen to be interested in already crops up on PSPlus I must say. It could be a different magazine, I'm not sure. Back when I read it PLAY was the unofficial PlayStation magazine. So I really don't know, I haven't read any gaming magazines since about 2005 so I'm really out of the loop on that one haha! I suppose 110 pages is not to extreme. When you've got three of them to read that's a little more of an issue. 14 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Yeah certainly RE6 is frustrating. The franchise really had a wobble around that time, and the two Revelations games certainly were a lot better. I'd love a 3rd one. Looking forward to reading more as always! Finally from me in this post- Two games I'm interested in from last night's PS State of Play: It sure did, but it seems in a pretty good place now - so alls well that ends well. I'm very interested in Revelations 3, I'm hoping what was in that leak last year wasn't just an idea they were thinking of and it ends up becoming something a bit more concrete. Thanks by the way! You can be safe that the next thing on the review list Little Nightmares won't read negatively. Although it might be a bit long, that game has so much in it that is worth talking about. On those two games - I don't know what to think about the DioField one. That gave me some real Final Fantasy Type-0 vibes from the story bits in the trailer.... I agree that it looks intriguing, that's a wait and see from me. The TMNT one, I'll just say I'm happy that you're happy for that one. I've got no real experience with the show or the games particularly, I think I had the fighting one on the SNES and possibly another one, but that's one of those IP's that's always just gone over my head a little bit, just from never really experiencing it. It's cool that it seems to just be faithfully putting the games into a collection and leaving it like that. Sometimes that's all people are looking for, for a good time. Edited March 11, 2022 by rjkclarke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: That's a pretty good use of that 7 day trial I'd say. I actually meant to review Magus last week, but I never got around to it, so maybe I might have to just get that over and done with. Especially as I have at least two pretty big games I want to cover coming up. One of which you'll probably be very interested in, but I'll say no more on that one. I have no doubt that Revengeance is good.and I'm certainly glad you enjoyed it - I just don't think that I'll ever play it...... I'm depriving myself of a good game.... But when the entire thrust of the game "Cyborg Ninja Raiden" completely undermines one of the biggest plot elements of MGS4, I want to give it no attention at all. It's stubborn sure, but maybe I'll change my mind on it at some point. Looking forward to those reviews, but yes probably better to just get Magus out of the way. We both know the "quality" of that game. That's a fair view, and I never was really too invested in MGS as a franchise overall so probably why I wasn't bothered in that context. 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: You're a braver person than me for wanting to return to RE6. I was planning to replay RE6 for the review, but for better or worse I actually remembered enough about it to not have to bother. Hey it's another RE platinum for you though, you can't complain about that part. Well yeah I haven't got the platinum so would be great to have. My lack of platinums for FF, RE and Sonic don't really back up my claim of being a big fan of them all hahaha not that we should measure that on trophies of course 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: That is actually very surprising... I totally respect your stance on that one though, but I can't say that isn't surprising to read. Especially as RE6 does far more to undermine it's survival horror roots than RE5 does, so I was definitely expecting your grievances to fall more with that one. That's very interesting. Leon's campaign leaning into horror a bit more got exactly the reaction they wanted from you, for it to feel a little more like Reisdent Evil. Almost to take the sting away from every other thing, almost literally feeling nothing like Resident Evil. The problem is, I think the fact they did it for one campaign, and one only was them just being a little shallow and going "see..... look LOOK, we are still horror, PLEASE DON'T HATE US" I don't disagree that RE5 is quite the deviation - but 6 is a complete U-Turn into an entirely different genre for me. O no I totally get that the rest of the campaigns didn't feel like RE at all. Certainly, playing Chris' just felt like a continuation of 5 for me and Wesker's son was definitely it's own thing, but the Leon campaign and the interconnecting story was enough for me personally to have it over 5. Not by much, but by a little bit. Either way the PS3 had a weird time with RE games lol Still had fun with both, but the PS1 classics they were most certainly not. I get your viewpoint though, and I think it is an interesting debate. 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I don't if I'd call myself a skilled gamer ..... Just a very persistent one, I usually just keep going until something happens I expect the second Little Nightmares is also pretty awesome. I loved the first one, I'm going to start writing the review after I've replied to this. It turned out I didn't get to 97% though haha. After getting that trophy it was 96.98, never mind. I started Child of Light straight after so it immediately went down again haha! Isn't persistence a skill in itself? Lots of people give up on games when the going gets too tough or frustrating for them, and with that percentage and the types of games you play, clearly you are not one of them so it's impressive. Haha o sorry. Yeah it's annoying when you are progressing upwards with completion percentage, then you end up starting a new game and take that immediate percentage hit lol 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: That is always a nice bonus when a game you happen to be interested in already crops up on PSPlus I must say. It could be a different magazine, I'm not sure. Back when I read it PLAY was the unofficial PlayStation magazine. So I really don't know, I haven't read any gaming magazines since about 2005 so I'm really out of the loop on that one haha! I suppose 110 pages is not to extreme. When you've got three of them to read that's a little more of an issue. Absolutely. Need to get the value from PS Plus, which isn't too hard but when most of the games that come on it I don't play, need to make sure and enjoy the ones I do. Maybe they took the name as they had the rights? Or it was an homage to that previous mag? I don't know. Well I'm down to 1 and a half mags now so we are getting through them lol reading about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. "When you've got three of them to read that's a little more of an issue." - That's a nice pun right there. 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It sure did, but it seems in a pretty good place now - so alls well that ends well. I'm very interested in Revelations 3, I'm hoping what was in that leak last year wasn't just an idea they were thinking of and it ends up becoming something a bit more concrete. Thanks by the way! You can be safe that the next thing on the review list Little Nightmares won't read negatively. Although it might be a bit long, that game has so much in it that is worth talking about. On those two games - I don't know what to think about the DioField one. That gave me some real Final Fantasy Type-0 vibes from the story bits in the trailer.... I agree that it looks intriguing, that's a wait and see from me. The TMNT one, I'll just say I'm happy that you're happy for that one. I've got no real experience with the show or the games particularly, I think I had the fighting one on the SNES and possibly another one, but that's one of those IP's that's always just gone over my head a little bit, just from never really experiencing it. It's cool that it seems to just be faithfully putting the games into a collection and leaving it like that. Sometimes that's all people are looking for, for a good time. Yes RE Rev 3 would be a good game to look forward to. Think there is more chance of it than CV Remake. Always said that people appreciate the detail you go into with your reviews man. Yeah indeed the Diofield game is a wait and see from me too, just looked intriguing but I'm never 100% sure if I'll like that type of gameplay. Could be a winner, we will see. That's fair enough, yeah I'm really looking forward to it. Those games (The ones I played at least) are classics so will be loads of fun to play again, and with the wife too! haha Konami doing something right for once? Shocker lol (Waits for them to screw it up) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/8/2022 at 1:05 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Have you seen First Reformed by the way? That Hawke performance is outstanding - full disclosure, I actually didn't like the film the first time I watched it - I appreciated it, but didn't love it... ... but there was something about it that made me come back and watch it again... and now I've seen it like 7 times, and genuinely think it might eclipse Taxi Driver as Paul Schrader's best film! Ooooooh... On 3/8/2022 at 1:32 PM, rjkclarke said: If I was a critical thinking hat, I don't know where I'd be, but I know what I'd look like. I'd look like this.... I think they're called Chullo's? Or something like that, I've got one myself somewhere. This is what I'd be if I was a critical thinking hat, you'd be able to absent mindedly tug on the tassels when you're trying to think of the next point you wanted to make...... I bet you weren't expecting a serious answer, huh? I can dig it? the closest I have to that is a trapper hat, which I always pack when we go someplace cold, it's outstanding. Wait.. I pick it because I think about the weather... shit, it's working before I even put it on, good call! Quote It totally is like that though in Hitman with the coins, every guard becomes James Woods..... I guess I can still fit that into my review of the recent Hitman games whenever I cover those. I still have one Hitman review in the bank so to speak, that I said I wouldn't put up until Copanele's played Blood Money. Do it! Be better than me? Quote Get and watch Midnight! As Doc said... It's really great. It's probably not what a lot of people expected it to be, but it's still excellent. I don't think it's even 2 hours long, so it's definitely one I'd recommend giving a try one of these days! Quote I believe so yeah, although they didn't officially start getting credited for it until Before Sunset... from what I understand, the chance meeting that Linklater had with a lady that Before Sunrise is based on, was not a particularly romantic one. So it was Hawke and Delpy that injected that element into the film, as they thought it would make it more interesting. Now I picture Linklater initially pitching it to them like "let's write a script about this time I went to Europe and met this hot chick. I totally scored bro, up top Ethan!! ...Ethan?" Quote The whole nine or ten years apart thing is really awesome isn't it. It's a big gamble too, I'm really happy that Boyhood turned out the way that it did, and that the kid actually grew up to be a pretty good actor. I had read a few rumblings over the last couple of years that they're planning a fourth one. I think it'll happen one day, but I think Linklater, Delpy and Hawke met up to discuss it a year or two back, and they couldn't all agree on an idea, all three of them are such integral parts of what makes those films so special, they have to find the right story to tell, and if they haven't found it yet, I'm more than happy to wait. Boyhood is one of those I've been debating whether or not I really want to watch. I couldn't tell you the source of my hesitation, but for whatever reason it hangs about whenever I think of it! We've still got a few years before they're due for another... and another few decades before they put out the one in a retirement home that plays out like The Notebook? Quote I could probably list off a bunch of quotes from that movie that I particularly like... but this one from Celine never fails to strike a chord with me. " Even being alone it's better than sitting next to your lover and feeling lonely. " That one hits pretty hard, I'm sure a fair few people can understand that feeling to some extent, and the way it just falls out of her, is really brutal. I really enjoyed how organically they go from being excited to see each other to catching up with genuine interest and marveling at how much they still enjoy each other's company to finally dropping all of these chestnuts about how they really been feelin. Finding out what really happened when they were supposed to meet up again was ??. I also liked how they called out their younger selves for thinking themselves too deep to do something as practical as exchange phone numbers? Quote There's a reason Kurosawa is probably my favourite film-maker of all time, and Ikiru is a huge part of that. If you do have it, definitely give it a watch. I can't promise it'd resonate with you the way that it did with me obviously. But I think that film quite literally caused me to change the way I approach life. So in a way you could call it life changing for me haha The upside to being four films deep is that you still have an absolutely amazing list of his films out there, that will still be new to you! That my friend, is the most exciting part, I'll always be up for a little Kurosawa discussion if you go a bit deeper into them. I've been aware of Kurosawa forever, but the first one I saw was Throne of Blood on IFC and I remember being genuinely taken aback at how enraptured it had me. I was pretty fresh out of high school (i.e. mandatory Macbeth) so I didn't expect to fall in love with it as much as I did. Isuzu Yamada fucking destroyed as Lady Macbeth, full stop. Since then I've seen Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, and Seven Samurai, all of which were outstanding... Ikiru really needs to come next! Quote It does not view like a film from 1936, I can say that much. It's incredibly briskly paced, fantastically acted and it's a real underrated gem I think. It's a shame Leslie Howard got killed when his plane was shot down when he "may or may not have been spying" I have no doubt he would have become a huge star through the rest of the 40's and 50's at least. Hell of a good director too, so I expect he would have continued in that aspect of his career too. Adding this to the wishlist before I forget! Quote That's the thing isn't it, it's the mm-hmm thing that would make most people think it's like a goofball comedy type of thing, instead of the dark deadly serious thing that it is. I think it would have put me off too. It's got some really terrific acting in it hasn't it, not just from Thornton. Like Dwight Yoakam is so good, and a real evil shit in that film. But John Ritter? Funny man John Ritter, playing Vaughan the way that he does is just so impressive.... Again, go back to the silent acting thing you touched upon with Delpy, John Ritter excels at that throughout the whole film. John Ritter was excellent, although I guess I kinda grew up watching him so although it was a dramatic turn, he still felt like the kind, gentle soul he always came across as underneath the silliness. It's hard to explain. I was genuinely shocked by Yoakam's performance though, he did that violent abusive role almost too well! Quote I think I kind of put it off because I thought it would take an obnoxiously long time, and nobody would want to read it, and about fifteen other different things. I'd still like to do it though - when I think about it, the Mark Kermode book I referenced is less than 200 pages I think, and by now as far as reviewing games go, I've probably written close to that in just reviews I would have thought over the last year. I'd love to do a really intricate deep dive into Sling Blade in book form, so I guess it's something I should just do anyway, right? Even if I thought nobody would read it, I'd still feel pretty happy to have done it. I was gonna say that but you beat me to it! Quote ooooooooh! Great shout dude! Edward Norton had a really killer 96 didn't he come to think of it, some real bangers for him that year.... I've got a friend who's really obsessed with his weird pregnancy belly that Ed Norton has in Birdman,once he told me about it I couldn't unsee it unfortunately. Yup! People Vs. Larry Flint and Primal Fear, for which he got a Best Supporting Actor nod. Imagine getting that for your feature film debut.... ...only to end up with a weird pregnancy belly? On 3/10/2022 at 1:34 AM, The_Kopite said: and..... Definite purchase from me! Hope it has a platinum! Haven't ever played some of them and the other I haven't played in so many years! Bloody awesome! EDIT - Just found out they are doing a physical version! Even better! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 (edited) On 11/03/2022 at 7:33 AM, The_Kopite said: Well yeah I haven't got the platinum so would be great to have. My lack of platinums for FF, RE and Sonic don't really back up my claim of being a big fan of them all hahaha not that we should measure that on trophies of course Resident Evil 6 is one more that's for sure. So that'd be something positive to take away from it haha! If you set your mind to it then you'll have a few more soon. As you say, it isn't really quantifiable to measure your love for a series on the amount of trophies you have in it. I don't do stacking, so I'd be screwed on that front anyway (no Shadow of the Colossus doesn't count ? those are different games..... technically ), I kind of feel like I need to fill in a few more Final Fantasy platinum's as it goes, there's still a couple of gaping holes I should fill in, like Final Fantasy XII which is one I really like. On 11/03/2022 at 7:33 AM, The_Kopite said: O no I totally get that the rest of the campaigns didn't feel like RE at all. Certainly, playing Chris' just felt like a continuation of 5 for me and Wesker's son was definitely it's own thing, but the Leon campaign and the interconnecting story was enough for me personally to have it over 5. Not by much, but by a little bit. Either way the PS3 had a weird time with RE games lol Still had fun with both, but the PS1 classics they were most certainly not. I get your viewpoint though, and I think it is an interesting debate. I had written a fairly long-ish bit about Chris' campaign in that RE6 review, but I ended up cutting it, as it just felt too negative. I really don't like that one, outside of the stuff with Piers, which I thought was an interesting direction. Chris is at his most dumb and useless, he's essentially just being babysat. The whole time. The Resident Evil series did have a real stutter on the PS3 generation. You've got RE5,RE6 and RE: Operation Racoon City, which are the hardly the biggest highlights of the series. On 11/03/2022 at 7:33 AM, The_Kopite said: Isn't persistence a skill in itself? Lots of people give up on games when the going gets too tough or frustrating for them, and with that percentage and the types of games you play, clearly you are not one of them so it's impressive. Well thanks - I appreciate that, I'm usually too stubborn to let a video game get the better of me. Persistent stubbornness haha! On 11/03/2022 at 7:33 AM, The_Kopite said: Haha o sorry. Yeah it's annoying when you are progressing upwards with completion percentage, then you end up starting a new game and take that immediate percentage hit lol It can be a bit disheartening I guess - it's also why even if I could have 100% completion, I wouldn't dwell on it too much, because every new game you start is going to instantly knock your completion down anyway. I'm too laid back to worry about it - but fair play to those that do, some of them show some mad impressive dedication to maintaining that. On 11/03/2022 at 7:33 AM, The_Kopite said: Yes RE Rev 3 would be a good game to look forward to. Think there is more chance of it than CV Remake. Always said that people appreciate the detail you go into with your reviews man. Yeah indeed the Diofield game is a wait and see from me too, just looked intriguing but I'm never 100% sure if I'll like that type of gameplay. Could be a winner, we will see. That's fair enough, yeah I'm really looking forward to it. Those games (The ones I played at least) are classics so will be loads of fun to play again, and with the wife too! haha Konami doing something right for once? Shocker lol (Waits for them to screw it up) Fingers crossed on that one! You and I would probably be around the front of the line of people that want a Revelations 3, I don't think we're the minority, but I think that little side series deserves more love. It'll get plenty from me when I come to review it, though. I'm still hoping for that CV Steveless Edition...... NOW WITH EVEN LESS CREEPY INCEL VIBES!..... and far less.......FAAAAAAATHER! Ok I'll shut up about him for this post And I appreciate you saying that - speaking of reviews, I should have that Little Nightmares one out soon, just going through some late changes and the odd edit. We're actually very much on the same page about Diofield then, because the minute I saw the gameplay and I was like.... Homer Simpson walking backwards through the hedge, I'm not saying I won't like the gameplay either, much like you, I'm just not convinced I will like it. Bit of an odd one. Speaking of games to enjoy with your wife - I might have a suggestion for that in Child of Light. I'll probably have finished that by tonight, so I'll probably be reviewing it soon, I really think you'd dig that game. It's got some lite-co-op elements too, so you could potentially play that with your wife, if you wanted to. I know turn based RPG's are right up your alley, the only kicker that might put you off is that it doesn't have a platinum, just a 100% list. . Must be a blue moon if Konami are doing something right. 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I can dig it the closest I have to that is a trapper hat, which I always pack when we go someplace cold, it's outstanding. Wait.. I pick it because I think about the weather... shit, it's working before I even put it on, good call! I'd quite like one of those, they do look outstanding - I've actually got a pretty varied collection of hats I've picked up over the years haha...... and yeah, I'd love one of those for looking awesome treacherous weather ? 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Now I picture Linklater initially pitching it to them like "let's write a script about this time I went to Europe and met this hot chick. I totally scored bro, up top Ethan!! ...Ethan?" And Delpy just rolls her eyes despondently haha It must be a bit weird now for Richard Linklater, because the lady that he did meet died not very long after they'd met, but he didn't find out until about 2010 from what I've read. In a way it's probably a little less painful that it wasn't a particularly romantic meeting, and more of a meeting of minds. Might have been a pretty devastating thing to find out otherwise. 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Boyhood is one of those I've been debating whether or not I really want to watch. I couldn't tell you the source of my hesitation, but for whatever reason it hangs about whenever I think of it! We've still got a few years before they're due for another... and another few decades before they put out the one in a retirement home that plays out like The Notebook? Boyhood is a funny one - I think on a conceptual level it's brilliant, as is its execution. It's one of those things (or at least it was for me) where you can get a little caught up whilst your watching it in how amazing the film-making process was, and sort of lose focus on what's actually going on. For what it's worth I really like Boyhood, I'm a big fan of Linklater and I'd put that pretty high on my rankings of his films. Patricia Arquette is wonderful in Boyhood as well, really good performance, genius casting too, how did they know how much that kid would grow up to look like Ethan Hawke. His Dad in the film. There's a few times in the film where you have to double take and remember you aren't looking at Ethan Hawke from the mid 90's haha I don't know that I want to see Before Bedpans...... I wouldn't be surprised to see it though! Nobody needs to see Jesse and Celine in an old folks home, reminiscing about their times in Vienna and Paris. 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I really enjoyed how organically they go from being excited to see each other to catching up with genuine interest and marveling at how much they still enjoy each other's company to finally dropping all of these chestnuts about how they really been feelin. Finding out what really happened when they were supposed to meet up again was ?. I also liked how they called out their younger selves for thinking themselves too deep to do something as practical as exchange phone numbers? "ooooooh God, why weren't you there, that day." It's so fascinating the way that film progresses, exactly like you say it's really great seeing it all organically unfold. Going from sort of cautious small-talk, to BAM straight back to where they were, the same people but with more maturity. I have seen it so many times, and it is one of the films where I find it so easy to rewatch, which to be honest is actually fairly unusual for me, I usually try and see as many new things as possible, but this one in particular I just never seem to tire of. Before Sunset would definitely be a Desert Island Film for me. 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I've been aware of Kurosawa forever, but the first one I saw was Throne of Blood on IFC and I remember being genuinely taken aback at how enraptured it had me. I was pretty fresh out of high school (i.e. mandatory Macbeth) so I didn't expect to fall in love with it as much as I did. Isuzu Yamada fucking destroyed as Lady Macbeth, full stop. Since then I've seen Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, and Seven Samurai, all of which were outstanding... Ikiru really needs to come next! Oh that's a great starting point, so many good ones already, and great ones you've yet to see! Kurosawa has a really blatant love for Shakespeare, but it never quite comes off in a derivative way, he usually always found a way to put his own unique spin on things. The lead actor from Ikiru plays the Macduff equivalent in Throne of Blood, hell of an actor he was too! It's interesting you've seen Hidden Fortress, I don't know all too many people that have watched that one. I like that one a lot myself, superbly well shot in places too. That's one of the biggest inspirations for the original Star Wars film. Strange how that ended up happening. I think Kagemusha was the first one I remember watching. I reckon you'll really dig Rashomon if you ever get to watching that one, that one had such unique storytelling for its time and its influence on cinema has been ridiculously far reaching it would turn out. 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: John Ritter was excellent, although I guess I kinda grew up watching him so although it was a dramatic turn, he still felt like the kind, gentle soul he always came across as underneath the silliness. It's hard to explain. I was genuinely shocked by Yoakam's performance though, he did that violent abusive role almost too well! That's a good point actually - I'd only really seen him in Sling Blade and Bad Santa and a few episodes here and there of 8 Simple Rules, and for his awesome guest spots in Scrubs that he did. So he wasn't like a big household name for us in the UK, but I thought he was great in the things that I've seen him in. 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Yup! People Vs. Larry Flint and Primal Fear, for which he got a Best Supporting Actor nod. Imagine getting that for your feature film debut.... ...only to end up with a weird pregnancy belly We're probably all going to end up with a weird pregnancy belly eventually .... That is pretty insane actually, a Best Supporting Actor nod for your first time out. Some people don't get nominated ever, so to get one first try is definitely a nice bit of Kudos. That reminds me, I haven't actually watched either of those films for a really long time. I actually meant to watch People Vs Larry Flint again when we all had a Milos Forman discussion in here a couple of months back, but I never got around to it, I ought to do that really! Edited March 12, 2022 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted March 13, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) This Latest 100% Completion Was A Nightmare In Name Only Little Nightmares (PS4) A Few Trophy Stats 100% Achieved - 10 March 2022: 1:24:29 AM Time taken to 100%: - 5 days, 23 hours, 15 minutes 100% Rarity - 4.04% Little Nightmares, brought to you by developers Tarsier Studios is – according to a whole host of descriptions online, a puzzle platformer (barely) and horror game. You can definitely see elements of all of those in Little Nightmares; however, it is so much more than that. Shall I get one of the easy parts out of the way? This game is fantastic, I absolutely loved it. I ended up loving it for a multitude of reasons, which I will get into as we go further into the review. Little Nightmares sees you play as a small girl in a raincoat named Six – you wake up in a suitcase, armed with just a lighter and an almost insatiable hunger. As you explore your way around The Maw – I won’t say what exactly The Maw is, as it’d be a much more appropriate surprise for any of you lovely folk to find out if any of you end up playing the game. I thought it was a brilliant touch how the physics of The Maw directly play into some areas of the game though, a subtle, brilliant touch. Immediately one of the first things that you notice with Little Nightmares is the impeccable ability it has to create atmosphere. Not just any atmosphere, a cold chilling and unsettling atmosphere. After all, one of the first things you see in the game is this.... ..... That is – it must be said, a pretty direct way of giving you an instant idea of what to expect from the game on a tonal level, instead of deviating away from that, the game just heightens that atmosphere and that tension to such a magnificent degree as the game progresses. You might think I’m mentioning atmosphere quite a lot – and you’d be right. However, atmosphere is one of the most single important components to Little Nightmares, and almost every aspect of that is realised in an incredibly impressive way. It is an unfortunate occurrence, that sometimes in video games, in the pursuit of building tension or a specific atmosphere, at least one or two elements tend to be left by the wayside. That isn’t always the case, but it is sometimes. That is fortunately not the case with Little Nightmares – almost every element marries together brilliantly, to create something truly special. Indulge me for a moment please – my inner mole person needs to take over this review momentarily. Little Nightmares has got some of the very best sound design that I have ever encountered in a video game – it might not seem like it on the surface, it’s very minimalist in nature, yet that is absolutely to its benefit. What that means is that every single sound is deliberate – and as a result, means something. Whether it’s the horrible rattling breaths of The Janitor, the unsettling coughing from The Twin Chefs, sometimes tricking you into thinking you’re about to be spotted, to even the smallest and slightest creaks and metallic groans that punctuate the brief moments of silence. Every little thing is purposeful and each small detail means something. Creating a soundscape can be such an enjoyable process, and judging by the amount of minute detail that went into this one, you can absolutely tell that the sound designer put an incredible amount of effort into making it as good as it can be. When you couple that near immaculate sound design, with an incredibly rich soundtrack, just those two components lashed together usually leads to something very special. To say that listening to the soundtrack to Little Nightmares is enjoyable would probably be a lie. I must say, I love it, I think it’s incredibly well made – yet, it also happens to be shockingly unsettling in places, and not something I’d listen to for enjoyment. Throughout the ambient atmospheric pieces, you have cacophonous noises – that in a sense really compliment the games visual element. One that I found particularly haunting can be heard during the final chapter of the game – there’s this unsettling dull humming, against a backdrop of harsh ambient sound – it reminded me so much of David Lynch’s Eraserhead. I can appreciate how good it is, but it definitely made me want to plunge my fingers into my ears, crawl up into a ball and rock back and forth shouting “SCARY BAD” like Raymond from Rain Man. I think Little Nightmares visual element is equally masterful. Could you tell I really enjoyed the game yet? Seriously though – I am admittedly a real sucker for evocative imagery. I think considering the amount of film I’ve watched over the years, that’s a given at this point. However, Little Nightmares imagery is both haunting, and evocative, in places even in equal measure. Even down to small little things, like seeing small movements in the background as you’re running through particularly dark areas reminding you, you’re absolutely not alone. There was a very specific part of the game that momentarily turned my brain into a spinning top for a little bit. It’s a part that might not even register as scary for some people – yet it’s a perfect example, of how well this game taps into some psychological aspects that can affect us all, object and image association. If you’ve played it, it’s the area where you’re in a room full of shoes. That sounds innocuous, right? Here’s the thing, I have a very vivid memory from when I was about seventeen, visiting the Imperial War Museum in London and seeing an incredibly harrowing image of concentration camp victim’s shoes just piled high, it has stayed with me for years, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. All the while I was playing that section of Little Nightmares I couldn’t shake that horrific feeling, and then, well, to quote Luke Skywalker from the original Star Wars film “There’s something alive in here.” In that brief moment I was Six, relentlessly and desperately moving as quickly as I could to get out of there, to the safest possible place. That isn’t really even scratching the surface with how powerful some of the imagery is. It’s incredibly interesting from a design point of view too; none of the characters look wholly realistic. If you’re familiar with the work of Henry Selick, then you’ll probably find some familiarity there, it almost feels like Henry Selick merged with Terry Gilliam in its styling, it’s incredibly vivid and interesting, the way it handles human characters, the way the game over-exaggerates certain proportions. In that same vein, the objects are deliberately scaled up, to make every little facet of the world look that much more foreboding and formidable contrasted against Six’s much smaller stature. It’s a brilliant touch. The gameplay also does a wonderful job of building atmosphere excellently, at least in my opinion it does. It’s simplistic in nature – you can: run, jump, push, pull, crawl, sneak, slide, sprint and use a lighter. But the game does a fantastic job of making sure you learn how to utilise each of those pieces of movement effectively. In this case, less really is more. Little Nightmares contains some very small scale stealth and combat sections – to tell you the truth the stealth is closer to hide-and-seek than anything, but that doesn’t stop your heart racing even when you’re about ninety percent sure you’re safe. Whereas the combat, is more like a discrete puzzle than strictly the sort of combat you’d expect from a video game. If you aren’t a fan of platforming don’t be too put off here – the platforming is imprecise, and doesn’t require perfection, just understanding the weightiness of Six more than anything. In fact, as it happens, almost every element of the gameplay is a little imprecise. But – you guessed it; I think that really adds to the atmosphere. This might be a bit of personal bias creeping in here – if it is, feel free to set the spindly armed Janitor on me. I think this game is all the better for having imprecise platforming. Some of the tensest moments I ever encountered in this game, came as a direct result of not managing to judge the distance of a slide to get under a table – or even something as simple as running on the wrong part of the floor, being heard and having to platform on the fly, in the moment. For me it created this stomach churning feeling, where you know the imprecise platforming could be your downfall if you do something as simple as approach something from the wrong angle – an element that is only magnified during the deathless speedrun. If you’d like a comparison point – then I’d personally say that Six controls fairly similarly to characters from Team Ico’s roster of games. Even down to element of a specific grab button, that has to be held down during traversal. It takes a while to get used to, but eventually it will start to feel natural. You would certainly hope it becomes natural – because, of all the trophies worth discussing in Little Nightmares, the most obvious one is Hard to the Core. This is the deathless speeedrun in under an hour. It isn’t all a nightmare – you can backup your save in-between chapters if you wish. Do you want to hear a little bit about my time with this trophy? Are you sitting comfortably? So, five chapters in sixty minutes, one death and you restart – that should be fine. On paper, yes, but that isn’t allowing for human error, something that I am prone to a fair bit of. I died at least three times on the first chapter to leeches (the easiest enemy to evade). An excellent start, or not – I then proceeded a little further, got to an encounter with the Janitor in Chapter two where I ran straight into his arms. Then I successfully got to Chapter three where I got a little bit too presumptuous trying to go fast, running around a Chef thinking I could outrun him – instead I was cooked. Eventually I got to the point where I’d reached Chapter four, climbed up a ladder, forgot where I was and launched myself straight through a bright light and to another death. It was at this point that I thought, I’m just going to go backup my save every two chapters (I’m sure some of you think I should flagellate myself for that haha,) just in case. It turned out I didn’t need to, as I didn’t die after that point, but I think the fact I knew I wouldn’t have to repeat sections really helped keep my nerves at bay, so in a way I was thankful. I think I probably could have gotten it all in one run eventually, but my patience was starting to wear a little thin, and I didn’t want my overriding memory of a game I thoroughly enjoyed to be of a frustrating trophy. There unfortunately isn’t any way to track your time in the PS4 version, so unless you manually time it, you just have to hope that you’ve gone fast enough. I compared my run to that of a speedrun guide, which said he clocked in at about forty-seven minutes and I know mine was faster, as I skipped entire sections playing riskily, where he waited around for safety in. So I think the hour allotted seems more than enough if you’re familiar with the game. DLC Little Nightmares DLC is actually a prequel –midquel to the main game. Don’t let that put you off though – it is absolutely worth your time. DLC can often feel tacked on and unnecessary, or as if it should have been included already. In Little Nightmares case it feels like Tarsier Studios way of expanding some of the games lore, as well as explaining some of the events of the game that are a little less clear without the DLC. Strangely each specific DLC offers its own distinct gameplay type too, which I thought was a really nice touch, meaning you weren’t just repeating things you’d already experienced in the main game. The Depths Instead of Six you play as – well, officially I believe he’s called Runaway Kid. I’m sure that’s not what his parents decided for him, but that’s what we’re going with. The Depths is probably the closest in gameplay style to the main game. It doesn’t deviate all too much from that formula. There are a few more additions – a heavier focus on puzzles, as well as chase sequences. The Depths also introduces a new foe, in Granny – this horribly skulking “thing” that lives under the water. I thought one of the strongest elements of The Depths was the previously mentioned chase sequences; those can get especially intense, extremely quickly. She appears almost instantly as you enter the water – as a result you have to think on your feet, and find what looks like the safest spot to move to, as she quickly moves towards you. The Hideaway The Hideaway might be my favourite of the three DLC packs. It’s between this one, and the third one. I didn’t mention them in the main review – but Little Nightmares contains these strange little creatures called Nomes. They look like walking bracket fungi. They aren’t a threatening presence; they are just “there” throughout the game, hugging all of them is also a collectible trophy of sorts. They either run away from you, or quietly observe you. The Hideaway chooses to do a fascinating thing and explore the Nomes, and how exactly they fit into the world. In this DLC the Nomes can essentially be recruited, to help you with puzzles. All you have to do is hug them. if you’ve played the early Ratchet and Clank games, think of the puzzles where you have the small recruit-able bots that can perform specific tasks. In essence this makes this specific DLC a very puzzle centric one – and that’s an element that I very much enjoyed as a self confessed puzzle fan. I don’t think any of the puzzles will tax you for too long, but I really appreciated the fact that solving all of the smaller puzzles and building that kinship with the Nomes ends up contributing to solving an unanswered question about what exactly the Nomes are. The Residence The third and final DLC pack is also probably my favourite, in no small part down to the fact it gave me a video game moment that I truly won’t forget for a long time to come. It’s one I won’t spoil either, but if you’ve played it then I doubt you can look at sausages quite the same way anymore either. One of the most interesting aspects of The Residence – is that it leans very heavily into combat, compared to the main game. To be perfectly honest, the bulk of this DLC is one large and incredibly satisfying meta-puzzle, with some lite-combat sections. The combat itself is inspired by the final boss fight, with a little more player control thrown in for good measure. I will always appreciate The Residence purely because of how illuminating it is about certain aspects of Little Nightmares, aspects that are only really alluded to in the main game. This DLC gives you some genuine Eureka moments. I’m glad after talking to a few people about it that I wasn’t the only one that had an “ooooooh” moment, before having to sit there in silence for a little bit and process everything that you’ve just been exposed to, after finding out how big a role the Nomes actually play in the events. I think all three DLC packs make an already great game, even greater still. Would I recommend this one? Yes, obviously. I think this is one of those games that as many people should play as possible. Even if you aren’t that into horror, or platforming, the game is just fascinating to explore. There is some haunting imagery that can really play with some of those primal fears that can really get inside your head, but ultimately I think that just adds to the experience. I said in my brief little status update about the game, that if you’re concerned about the Hard to the Core trophy, either stick at it (I managed it, so no reason you can’t,) or play this on an alt account if you’re really worried about it, this truly is a game worth experiencing, however you choose to do it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've got to say a big thanks to the time travelling version of @KindaSabbath who actually put in a review request for this game late last year. He must have known I was going to play it already, I'd certainly been talking about it for the longest time. Now I have, I'm so glad that I played it, what a powerhouse it was, I'm really looking forward to whenever I get to Little Nightmares II now. All of the awesome reviews of Little Nightmares last year definitely had this shoot way up the list for me, so that's a huge part of why I got to it sooner. @realm722 - You get a tag too. I can't find this on your profile, so I'll go ahead and assume you haven't played it yet. If you ignore the obvious comparison to Team Ico games that I made, I suspect you might like this. It's also a fairly quick completion if yo want it to be. It takes about 10-12 hours for the 100% if that. I just left it a few days between doing the speedrun. So this could potentially tick two of your monthly quota boxes for games, in a 100% and an ultra rare completion (assuming the ultra rare doesn't have to have a platinum). If this is totally not up your street then I apologise for the tag, and I'll go and hang my head in shame somewhere haha! Edited March 13, 2022 by rjkclarke 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 19 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It must be a bit weird now for Richard Linklater, because the lady that he did meet died not very long after they'd met, but he didn't find out until about 2010 from what I've read. In a way it's probably a little less painful that it wasn't a particularly romantic meeting, and more of a meeting of minds. Might have been a pretty devastating thing to find out otherwise. Oh fuck! That's really heavy. I wonder how he found out. You may have given me some deep diving material... "Oh God, why weren't you there that day..." "Uh cuz I died, asshole." 19 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Boyhood is a funny one - I think on a conceptual level it's brilliant, as is its execution. It's one of those things (or at least it was for me) where you can get a little caught up whilst your watching it in how amazing the film-making process was, and sort of lose focus on what's actually going on. For what it's worth I really like Boyhood, I'm a big fan of Linklater and I'd put that pretty high on my rankings of his films. Patricia Arquette is wonderful in Boyhood as well, really good performance, genius casting too, how did they know how much that kid would grow up to look like Ethan Hawke. His Dad in the film. Oh wow, I'd feel like I was looking at Hawke's Reality Bites stunt double if such a thing had existed? I think it's actually because of Boyhood's brilliant concept that I shied away from it, I was worried it would feel too gimmicky, or that like you said, I would be too dazzled by how the film was made to just pay attention to the plot (however odd all that may seem coming from someone who enjoyed Waking Life). 19 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I don't know that I want to see Before Bedpans...... I wouldn't be surprised to see it though! Nobody needs to see Jesse and Celine in an old folks home, reminiscing about their times in Vienna and Paris. I was thinking Before Medication Time, but I think I like yours better! 19 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It's interesting you've seen Hidden Fortress, I don't know all too many people that have watched that one. I like that one a lot myself, superbly well shot in places too. That's one of the biggest inspirations for the original Star Wars film. Strange how that ended up happening. I think Kagemusha was the first one I remember watching. I reckon you'll really dig Rashomon if you ever get to watching that one, that one had such unique storytelling for its time and its influence on cinema has been ridiculously far reaching it would turn out. Hidden Fortress was the first Kurosawa film I bought - my local video rental store was gradually selling their stock as that whole style of business was on its way out, and when I saw it on sale I just shrugged and grabbed it (eventually copped Seven Samurai from that same place as well). Glad I did, it's kind of a wild movie, I wasn't expecting that! 19 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I actually meant to watch People Vs Larry Flint again when we all had a Milos Forman discussion in here a couple of months back, but I never got around to it, I ought to do that really! I'd like to slap that on too! I haven't seen it since maybe the early 00s or something like that, could do with a refresher! On 3/8/2022 at 7:10 PM, rjkclarke said: Platinum #205 Resident Evil 6 (PS4) I meant to comment on this, great work on your review of 6! It does however rectify my decision to leave this game be indefinitely. On 3/8/2022 at 7:10 PM, rjkclarke said: Before we get into this review properly, let me just ask you all a question – does the Resident Evil 6 logo make you think of a Giraffe receiving oral sex from a dolphin? It might just be me, but that’s always been what I’ve thought of whenever I’ve seen that logo. Aww man... they even got a little dick there and everything? 16 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Little Nightmares (PS4) Excellent! Yet another bump up in the backlog it gets.. between you, Doc, and Sabbath, I have full confidence that it's gonna be a great time? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 22 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? Ohhhhh yeah! Interested in it? 20 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Resident Evil 6 is one more that's for sure. So that'd be something positive to take away from it haha! If you set your mind to it then you'll have a few more soon. As you say, it isn't really quantifiable to measure your love for a series on the amount of trophies you have in it. I don't do stacking, so I'd be screwed on that front anyway (no Shadow of the Colossus doesn't count those are different games..... technically ), I kind of feel like I need to fill in a few more Final Fantasy platinum's as it goes, there's still a couple of gaping holes I should fill in, like Final Fantasy XII which is one I really like. Haha that's very true. Well I found my copy of RE0 so I will try for that platinum again at some point, and found some others too like Dissidia FF and Sonic Unleased so more of those games will be getting added though as for platinums, we will see how I do lol No I know, it was just a joke but I know some do view it that way which is fine for them. I've got to get back to FFXII at some point, got both steelbooks and they are very cool! 20 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I had written a fairly long-ish bit about Chris' campaign in that RE6 review, but I ended up cutting it, as it just felt too negative. I really don't like that one, outside of the stuff with Piers, which I thought was an interesting direction. Chris is at his most dumb and useless, he's essentially just being babysat. The whole time. The Resident Evil series did have a real stutter on the PS3 generation. You've got RE5,RE6 and RE: Operation Racoon City, which are the hardly the biggest highlights of the series. Yes, Chris can be a great character and has his place in RE lore obviously, but sometimes they've written him very poorly indeed. Capcom's fault. Yes, the saving graces for RE on the PS3 were the 2 Revelations (though I played the 2nd one on PS4 but still). Haven't played Operation Raccoon City (don't even have it in the collection at the mo) but didn't hear the best things about it. 20 hours ago, rjkclarke said: It can be a bit disheartening I guess - it's also why even if I could have 100% completion, I wouldn't dwell on it too much, because every new game you start is going to instantly knock your completion down anyway. I'm too laid back to worry about it - but fair play to those that do, some of them show some mad impressive dedication to maintaining that. O yes most definitely! 20 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Fingers crossed on that one! You and I would probably be around the front of the line of people that want a Revelations 3, I don't think we're the minority, but I think that little side series deserves more love. It'll get plenty from me when I come to review it, though. I'm still hoping for that CV Steveless Edition...... NOW WITH EVEN LESS CREEPY INCEL VIBES!..... and far less.......FAAAAAAATHER! Ok I'll shut up about him for this post And I appreciate you saying that - speaking of reviews, I should have that Little Nightmares one out soon, just going through some late changes and the odd edit. We're actually very much on the same page about Diofield then, because the minute I saw the gameplay and I was like.... Homer Simpson walking backwards through the hedge, I'm not saying I won't like the gameplay either, much like you, I'm just not convinced I will like it. Bit of an odd one. Speaking of games to enjoy with your wife - I might have a suggestion for that in Child of Light. I'll probably have finished that by tonight, so I'll probably be reviewing it soon, I really think you'd dig that game. It's got some lite-co-op elements too, so you could potentially play that with your wife, if you wanted to. I know turn based RPG's are right up your alley, the only kicker that might put you off is that it doesn't have a platinum, just a 100% list. . Must be a blue moon if Konami are doing something right. No we are definitely not in the minority. There is definitely a lot of people who want a Revelations 3 from what I've seen around the internet. Would sell really well. Knowing our luck, Capcom would do it but make it a Switch exclusive. lol keep dreaming for that CV version haha Yes just saw the Little Nightmares review, keep up the great work! Yeah indeed, like the rest of it (aesthetics, story bits, the map part) seem really intriguing but the gameplay, well yeah I'm on the fence. If I like it, it should all click and be really good, if not then I'll most likely leave it. I've heard of Child of Light. Thought I might have played it back in the day even. Apparently that was Child of Eden lol yes I think I was put off a bit by the fact it had a 100% only, but I've heard very good things about it and to be fair, I didn't realise it was co-op, but that's more interested. Turn Based too! Indeed, but hey a stopped clock tells the correct time twice a day, so must been one of those times for Konami, for me at least haha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 45 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: Ohhhhh yeah! Interested in it? Hell yes! I saw Turtles in Time had a brief availability on PS3 and I was bummed to have missed it (ditto Simpsons arcade game). Although it would require re-playing the atrocious NES game by the looks of it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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