DrBloodmoney's Super Scientific Ranking of Games!

[grayhammmer]

Reading the Death's Door review was the pinnacle of:

Which was a shame because I liked the game more than you seemed to, which somewhat sours my recommending it to you.

[DrBloodmoney]

4 minutes ago, grayhammmer said:

…was a shame because I liked the game more than you seemed to, which somewhat sours my recommending it to you.

No, don’t be silly mate, we can’t all love everything, and I’m certainly glad I played it!

 

 I never take a game I am recommended and don’t end up loving as a bad recommendation - just evidence of some differences in tastes is all ☺️

 

It’s a game I liked a lot of aspects of, but it’s one that certainly frustrated me in some of the combat - but from a puzzle and exploration side, take as a Zelda-like, I think it’s really great!

 

 

 

 

[YaManSmevz]

 

Darksiders is yet another series I been sleepin on. Onto the maybe pile with them!

 

Outstanding work with Control! I love how you mentioned that it's both wildly inventive and fun as well as utterly preposterous, which only serves to make it work all the more! I remember playing this immediately after Vice City, so that might be why but I always thought the controls were so sleek and smooth. Not to mention how damn fun all those abilities are!

 

Frogger Returns... that one is a heartbreaker. I'll always have a soft spot for the original, as well as its reiteration on the PS1, but to hear its good name has been besmirched like this just makes me sad.

 

That's it! I challenge Hijinx Studios to a duel!!

[rjkclarke]

That was a great batch....... obvious statement, is.... erm obvious, I guess? ?

 

Seriously though, that was very interesting reading your take on some of those titles.

 

I think it's a little funny that you and I have ended up adding one Artifex Mundi game to each others wishlist in the space of basically the same day haha ..... For some reason, a wrong one clearly,I'd always assumed Modern Tale: Age of Invention might be one of the less interesting AM titles, so I'm glad to see it's rated pretty highly for you by their usual standards. Coming second to Enigmatis 3 is no shameful thing, although Enigmatis 3 would no longer be at the tippy-top of my AM rankins either now, as I'm sure you could gather.

 

This will seem like a strange thing to highlight, but I very much enjoyed reading that 36 Fragments of Midnight write up. Purely because I don't think I've ever really seen many people actually give that game a fair critique, or actually any kind of critique at all come to think of it!

I can't say it's one I'll rush to play, probably ever, but I'm glad that you actually approached it with some genuine thought instead of the whole "Trophies are easy.......THE END" type of deal, that you usually see. So it's nice to see it does actually have a few sound mechanics, because I don't think I would have expected that,having heard all that I'd heard about it.

 

That was interesting to read about Control, me playing that is an inevitability more than a maybe, so it was really nice to get some idea of what to expect from it. Nice to see that Remedy are at least back to some sort of form with it too, I hadn't played Quantum Break but I'd heard the nightmares.....

 

I'll pretend not to be offended by this....??

 

12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

the audio goes full Heavy Metal, to pretty awesome effect. Admittedly, the song (in reality by Poets of the Fall, though here credited as the Old Gods of Asgard, in an Alan Wake reference,) is exactly the kind of warbling Metal-Ballad-Butt-Rock that I personally can't stand, but... in this instance, it just works!

 

Poets of the Fall are one of my favourite bands..... (I mean my checklist thread is half named after one of their songs after all) they truly are, but..... I wish they wouldn't attempt to be metal, or even anywhere to close hard rock really. It doesn't really suit them at all.

 

It's good to hear it actually works here though, I don't know if you've played the bit where you have a similar thing happen in Alan Wake yet, but that bit is at least quite well done there too.

 

Loved reading your thoughts on Darksiders II - I've put off reviewing that for an age, because whenever I decide on how I feel about it, I suddenly change my mind about it, there's plenty I liked about it, and then other parts that I just kind of forget even happened.

 

The loot system in this game is fantastic! It really adds a lot of variability too, as you have so many options at your disposal, considering almost nothing is a dedicated drop, you end up having to chop-and-change things on the fly too, as some of your equipment starts to become less powerful.

 

12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

While that would be fine on its own - I personally am quite fond of the blasphemous retelling of arcane religious dogma, and the Darksiders canon is so chock full of such Heaven and Hell-flavoured angelic malarkey it is practically growing fiery wings - this time the tale has a slightly more knowing, slightly less edge-lord quality to it, and that is to the game's benefit.

 

I like this element of it a whole lot myself, I'm glad they pretty much side-stepped the obvious edge-lord direction it could have taken too. Especially with Death, I think, stereotypically you'd usually associate Death with being a bit more in-line with that characteristic than you might with War, but it is the other way around here. I really like the fact the game is told in parallel to the first one, that's a pretty unique way to do a sequel I must say. 

 

Frogger Returns seems like a game that could only be enjoyed by that big borderline retarded Cat fella Big the Cat  from Sonic Adventure...... That dude, he would find a way to really enjoy that game, but functioning humans like us? It would seem, NOT A CHANCE

 

 

I did have a look at Death's Door after I saw you'd been playing it...... It's kind of sad to read some of your closing thoughts on it, about it not quite being good enough to be the great game you feel it could be. That's almost the most frustrating part about games like that - when they aren't objectively bad, or are even actually quite good, but you just can't let go of that nagging feeling that they could, no SHOULD, be better than they are. I enjoyed reading about it though, and the fact you talked up the puzzle element is at least putting it in the "Get this when it's a decent price?" Type of thought bubble for me. 

 

I don't know how it's taken this long, but can I make a request? Would you mind taking a look at Rainbow Moon? I haven't played a game like that in years and years,and it's the only one of its kind that I think I have, so I'd love to know what sort of mess I'd be getting myself in for ?

 

Do it whenever is good for you though - no pressure. After all I'm a little bit slow on getting to some of the ones people have thrown my way too, so I could hardly criticise, now could I? ?

 

Awesome batch as always mate!

[DrBloodmoney]

21 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I think it's a little funny that you and I have ended up adding one Artifex Mundi game to each others wishlist in the space of basically the same day haha ..... For some reason, a wrong one clearly,I'd always assumed Modern Tale: Age of Invention might be one of the less interesting AM titles, so I'm glad to see it's rated pretty highly for you by their usual standards. Coming second to Enigmatis 3 is no shameful thing, although Enigmatis 3 would no longer be at the tippy-top of my AM rankins either now, as I'm sure you could gather.

 

Yeah, It’s a surprisingly good one, considering it doesn’t really seem so on the surface.

 

After all, I don’t think it got serialised, which is usually a bad sign for AM… and it might be a contender for genuine worst cover art on an AM game… I mean seriously!

 

 

21 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

This will seem like a strange thing to highlight, but I very much enjoyed reading that 36 Fragments of Midnight write up. Purely because I don't think I've ever really seen many people actually give that game a fair critique, or actually any kind of critique at all come to think of it!

I can't say it's one I'll rush to play, probably ever, but I'm glad that you actually approached it with some genuine thought instead of the whole "Trophies are easy.......THE END" type of deal, that you usually see. So it's nice to see it does actually have a few sound mechanics, because I don't think I would have expected that,having heard all that I'd heard about it.

 

Yeah - massive pet-peeve of mine that - the number of folks who normally would write up games they play at length and wax lyrical on them…

…But when they finish a Ratalaika game and treat it like they just popped a pimple!

 

Just because the trophies were easy doesn’t mean the game was throwaway!

 

Give some credit where it’s due… or cast some shade for legit reasons, people!

 

21 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

That was interesting to read about Control, me playing that is an inevitability more than a maybe, so it was really nice to get some idea of what to expect from it. Nice to see that Remedy are at least back to some sort of form with it too, I hadn't played Quantum Break but I'd heard the nightmares.....

 

I'll pretend not to be offended by this....

 

Poets of the Fall are one of my favourite bands..... (I mean my checklist thread is half named after one of their songs after all) they truly are, but..... I wish they wouldn't attempt to be metal, or even anywhere to close hard rock really. It doesn't really suit them at all.

 

haha  - sorry!

I must admit, I'm not familiar with their output beyond this actually, I should check them out - if it's not all warbling Metal-ballads I'm sure I'll be happy

 

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It's good to hear it actually works here though, I don't know if you've played the bit where you have a similar thing happen in Alan Wake yet, but that bit is at least quite well done there too.

 

I know the bit you mean in Alan Wake, and while it was pretty cool there, I think the Control version is a big step up!

 

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Loved reading your thoughts on Darksiders II - I've put off reviewing that for an age, because whenever I decide on how I feel about it, I suddenly change my mind about it, there's plenty I liked about it, and then other parts that I just kind of forget even happened.

 

The loot system in this game is fantastic! It really adds a lot of variability too, as you have so many options at your disposal, considering almost nothing is a dedicated drop, you end up having to chop-and-change things on the fly too, as some of your equipment starts to become less powerful.

 

It's really odd to me that so many loot games have come after DSII, yet none seem to really learn from it - I know it's not the pinnacle of AAA, people, but that shouldn't stop developers going "Hey... this game where you can see the loot before you pick it up... and where bad loot is still useful... By Jove, I think it's on to something!"

 

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I like this element of it a whole lot myself, I'm glad they pretty much side-stepped the obvious edge-lord direction it could have taken too. Especially with Death, I think, stereotypically you'd usually associate Death with being a bit more in-line with that characteristic than you might with War, but it is the other way around here. I really like the fact the game is told in parallel to the first one, that's a pretty unique way to do a sequel I must say. 

 

That's a good point - the mere fact that it is Death should, by rights, have made DSII the most edge-lord of the whole series - yet from what I understand (I haven't played DSIII or Genesis yet) it might be actually the least prone to that slippery slope!

 

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Frogger Returns seems like a game that could only be enjoyed by that big borderline retarded Cat fella Big the Cat  from Sonic Adventure...... That dude, he would find a way to really enjoy that game, but functioning humans like us? It would seem, NOT A CHANCE

 

Ugh. 

You know - that's was a really odd one for me. as I had pretty much forgotten all the bad stuff, and kind of just wallpapered over it in my mind with a combination of Crossy Road and Original Frogger, so I sort of thought I remembered it fondly...

 

...then I played a bit to familiarise myself, and within the first level, all the bad stuff came flooding back! ?

 

I normally have a pretty good steel-trap in terms of remembering what I thought of games, but I guess it just takes a special kind of "unfortunate", for my brain to literally reject forming true memories of it, and just create it's own version instead, from the broken pieces of other memories  ??

 

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I did have a look at Death's Door after I saw you'd been playing it...... It's kind of sad to read some of your closing thoughts on it, about it not quite being good enough to be the great game you feel it could be. That's almost the most frustrating part about games like that - when they aren't objectively bad, or are even actually quite good, but you just can't let go of that nagging feeling that they could, no SHOULD, be better than they are. I enjoyed reading about it though, and the fact you talked up the puzzle element is at least putting it in the "Get this when it's a decent price?" Type of thought bubble for me. 

 

You know - both your comment here, and @grayhammmer's is making me think my write up maybe came off as overly harsh.

 

So the thing with these reviews is, as much as I like to think I'm writing them in a vacuum, I'm not really succeeding, especially when the game is new. 

 

If I'm aware of what the consensus on a game is, and I don't agree, I feel like I tend to try and justify the delta between my feelings and that consensus more within the review. That means if a game is considered really bad, and I just think it's mediocre, I do tend to give a pretty positive review - highlighting the good aspects more than the bad, as that's where my review is likely to differ from the general opinion. It might still rank lower, but the tone of the review tends to feel more positive than it really should.

 

Conversely, if a game is roundly lauded much more than I personally liked it, then even if I still think it's good, my review tends to sound more negative, as I'm naturally concentrating on the reasons I disagree with the consensus - there tends to be more focus on the negative elements. So even if it ranks okay, the review text can feel harsh.

 

Death's Door didn't rank amazingly, but it's in between The Touryst, and Déreciné - both of which I liked, and both of which have more positive-feeling text reviews.

 

The real reason I focussed more on some of the negatives in the text, was to justify why I felt as I did, in contrast to what I feel like is a quickly solidifying mystique around that game - I'm seeing it consistently being placed on Games the Year lists for last year, and receiving awards and such ... and I just don't see it being on that level.

It's fine, but I think there a much better Metroidvania's out there - including ones that don't get nearly the praise they deserve!  

(Hey - I made it through that sentence without specifically mentioning Dandara... Good for me!.... oh.... damn.... Spoke too soon ?)

 

 

It is a good game with flaws, rather than a flawed game with good elements - if that makes sense?

 

 

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I don't know how it's taken this long, but can I make a request? Would you mind taking a look at Rainbow Moon? I haven't played a game like that in years and years,and it's the only one of its kind that I think I have, so I'd love to know what sort of mess I'd be getting myself in for

 

 

Absolutely man - consider it highlighted! 

Edited February 26, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[rjkclarke]

2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

haha  - sorry!

I must admit, I'm not familiar with their output beyond this actually, I should check them out - if it's not all warbling Metal-ballads I'm sure I'll be happy

 

Nah it's cool man - I'm not going to go all hyper fan on you and recommend you this song, or that song. It definitely isn't all warbling metal-ballads (thankfully,) they have a few regular ballads here and there, but they work better when they are a bit less heavy I think. For a band that aren't native English speakers they sure are good lyricists though.

 

2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

It's really odd to me that so many loot games have come after DSII, yet none seem to really learn from it - I know it's not the pinnacle of AAA, people, but that shouldn't stop developers going "Hey... this game where you can see the loot before you pick it up... and where bad loot is still useful... By Jove, I think it's on to something!"

 

Does boggle the mind a little bit, that they just don't seem to have picked up on the good thing that DSII were doing here, right!

 

The closest thing I can think of that I've noticed is the runes in the Middle Earth games - where you can see what they are from the floor and decide from there whether or not you want to pick them up. Can be quite funny when you play the trials in the DLC's and literally nothing is actually useful to you, so you end up with a map that looks like some cranked up hoarders wet dream 

 

2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

That's a good point - the mere fact that it is Death should, by rights, have made DSII the most edge-lord of the whole series - yet from what I understand (I haven't played DSIII or Genesis yet) it might be actually the least prone to that slippery slope!

 

I haven't played those two yet either - but I am interested in them, it's just one of those you kind of just put off - or I do, as there's almost always something I'd rather be playing, I'm sure you know what I mean.

 

I really like the first Darksiders as well for what it's worth, but for the amount that War whinges, you'd think they'd have given him a customisable giant violin for a weapon, it definitely would have felt appropriate in places ?

 

Death just kind of gets on with it I suppose.

 

2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Ugh. 

You know - that's was a really odd one for me. as I had pretty much forgotten all the bad stuff, and kind of just wallpapered over it in my mind with a combination of Crossy Road and Original Frogger, so I sort of thought I remembered it fondly...

 

...then I played a bit to familiarise myself, and within the first level, all the bad stuff came flooding back! 

 

I normally have a pretty good steel-trap in terms of remembering what I thought of games, but I guess it just takes a special kind of "unfortunate", for my brain to literally reject forming true memories of it, and just create it's own version instead, from the broken pieces of other memories  

 

Actually I know exactly what you mean with this one -  but to a slightly less extreme degree.

 

I usually like to think my memory of certain games is pretty sharp too - it would turn out after a bit of replaying of Resident Evil 5 recently in prep for the review I had practically forgotten about 80% of the actual game. I still like it, but I there are certain things that had completely slipped my mind, that are pretty glaring. I realised when I played this in 2019 I skipped all the cutscenes so I hadn't seen anything of the story since about 2009 when I first played the game OOOPS!

 

I get where you're coming from though - especially when Crossy Road sounds like it's so close to continuing the feel of Frogger anyway.

 

 

4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

You know - both your comment here, and @grayhammmer's is making me think my write up maybe came off as overly harsh.

 

So the thing with these reviews is, as much as I like to think I'm writing them in a vacuum, I'm not really succeeding, especially when the game is new. 

 

If I'm aware of what the consensus on a game is, and I don't agree, I feel like I tend to try and justify the delta between my feelings and that consensus more within the review. That means if a game is considered really bad, and I just think it's mediocre, I do tend to give a pretty positive review - highlighting the good aspects more than the bad, as that's where my review is likely to differ from the general opinion. It might still rank lower, but the tone of the review tends to feel more positive than it really should.

 

Conversely, if a game is roundly lauded much more than I personally liked it, then even if I still think it's good, my review tends to sound more negative, as I'm naturally concentrating on the reasons I disagree with the consensus - there tends to be more focus on the negative elements. So even if it ranks okay, the review text can feel harsh.

 

Death's Door didn't rank amazingly, but it's in between The Touryst, and Déreciné - both of which I liked, and both of which have more positive-feeling text reviews.

 

I get this as well - don't overthink it either man! You said what you needed to say, and that's fine.

 

I know where you're coming from when you read something about a game that people seem to universally love, but you don't quite feel the same way. I think the natural reaction is, to just pile on with why exactly you don't agree with that, even if you yourself can recognise the product is good or even great, just not quite to your tastes. 

 

This is a big part of why I specifically haven't written any reviews of Uncharted yet - because I know I'll do the exact same thing you've mentioned here of highlighting the negatives you personally feel. That for me when everyone says Uncharted is like a film - for me it's one I'd be tempted to walk out of the cinema from, because the protagonist never bloody shuts up ?..... LIKE EVER! Haha

 

Seriously though - I don't think it came over overly harsh in the review, or any other, especially when you go into as much detail as you do. I know I'm certainly more appreciative of the fact that even if you highlight some of the negatives, you very much help us to go straight in with our eyes wide open with these games, and I'd rather you did that, than gloss over some of the times that aren't as stellar as they perhaps could be. I'm pretty certain I'm not in the minority in thinking this either.

 

4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

The real reason I focussed more on some of the negatives in the text, was to justify why I felt as I did, in contrast to what I feel like is a quickly solidifying mystique around that game - I'm seeing it consistently being placed on Games the Year lists for last year, and receiving awards and such ... and I just don't see it being on that level.

It's fine, but I think there a much better Metroidvania's out there - including ones that don't get nearly the praise they deserve!  

(Hey - I made it through that sentence without specifically mentioning Dandara... Good for me!.... oh.... damn.... Spoke too soon )

 

 

It's just that thing that nags at you a bit, right? Where you see all that praise, and can't help but just think "BUT WHY NANNY" well not the Nanny part ....

 

When you know there's usually something better to be had from the genre out there too - I feel like it's only natural to kind of point people in the direction of those options instead.

 

Mention Dandara all you like mate, it sounds great - I barely got through a day or so in January without mentioning Yakuza - so  I must have been like Alyson Hannigan in American Pie.... Where I was all..... "This one time in Yakuza........ blah,blah,blah" ad infinitum ?

 

Interested to see what the science has to say about Rainbow Moon though whenever that goes under scrutiny. Take as much sweet time as you need though!

[grayhammmer]

I recently went out and saw the newest Batman movie, so I'd like to put a priority ranking on Telltale's Batman as it also follows Batman early on in his career.

[DrBloodmoney]

On 10/03/2022 at 1:30 AM, grayhammmer said:

I recently went out and saw the newest Batman movie, so I'd like to put a priority ranking on Telltale's Batman as it also follows Batman early on in his career.

 

Flagged with your name mate. ?

 

I haven't written much the past couple of week - a combination of Elden Ring consuming my time and general post-Covid lethargy I think!, but hopefully will get started back up doing reviews as soon as I'm feeling it.

[DrBloodmoney]

So...

.... I think I'm taking a knee for a little bit.

 

I've been in a hell of a funk these past few weeks - I had thought it was just a blip, but it seems to be more than that - and encompassing more than just my gaming and writing.

 

The maintenance of this thread has always been super fun, but recently, everything I write is... well... shite.... and ends up being a slog to do, followed by a swift deletion when I read it back.

I'm fully aware that this thread only need to be whatever I decide it should be, but my own personality is such that simply having the thread exist without making this post, would mean yet another noose around my neck, and another thing to feel bad about failing to keep on top of.

 

In addition, all the other posts I make on this site seem to be antagonistic or snarky - or at least approaching that - and I'm getting very aware of how often I write some negative, mean-spirited thing, then only just catching myself before I hit the post button.

To be honest, I'm worried that I'm going to stop catching it, and end up joining the ranks of the curmudgeonly cretins who spend their free time moaning into the void and making people feel bad. 

 

 I'd rather admit I'm the problem right now, and bow out for a while, than become what I hate.

 

Not sure if this'll be for a few days, a few weeks, or a few months (hopefully less than that, but I want to be real!) - I fully intend to be back in force once I'm in fighting form again, and if past is precedent, that could be literally hours after I post this...

...but for the moment, I'm taking things low key.

 

[Cleggworth]

I'm rooting for you doc, take all the time you need

[Copanele]

Absolutely understandable, it can't be all fun and games every single day.

Take all the time you need, we'll be here for your return  (here as in, stuck in a stupid game or something)

Edited March 20, 2022 by Copanele

[Slava]

31 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

all the other posts I make on this site seem to be antagonistic or snarky - or at least approaching that - and I'm getting very aware of how often I write some negative, mean-spirited thing, then only just catching myself before I hit the post button.

To be honest, I'm worried that I'm going to stop catching it, and end up joining the ranks of the curmudgeonly cretins who spend their free time moaning into the void and making people feel bad. 

 

Dude, same. 

 

I haven't been very active on the forums lately for many reasons, but one of the biggest ones is all my posts would consist of whining about something or someone, and I'd rather not post anything. The past few weeks in particular, I just want to spit venom almost every day, and I try to stop myself each time. This very post may count as me whining too ?. So this personal experience makes me value this kind of self-restraint in other people. 

 

As for writing, I feel the same about my drawings. I often like the process more than the result. When the art escapes my head and makes its way onto the paper it starts becoming not as cool. You also have to practice a lot. You also need to be in the right mood. And so on. In the end, I just lose motivation and look for things that would inspire me again. Or do other things.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Slava

[YaManSmevz]

35 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

So...

.... I think I'm taking a knee for a little bit.

 

I'm actually quite proud of you for identifying this and being honest and upfront about it, as well as the clear dedication to keeping your output's quality at as high a level as possible.

 

Personally, I feel pretty good when I'm able to finish writing even something shitty, because sure it's shit but at least I did it? that is to say that I'm lucky the bar is pretty low for me?

 

You're gonna be alright man, you're already taking the right approach by taking your time with it. And best believe and nobody goin anywhere, we'll all be happy to see you recharged and back to your normal self, whenever it may be!

[Eagle]

44 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

In addition, all the other posts I make on this site seem to be antagonistic or snarky – or at least approaching that – and I'm getting very aware of how often I write some negative, mean-spirited thing, then only just catching myself before I hit the post button.

 

I'm not really active on the forums since I mostly favor Discord for communication, but on the instances where I do end up seeing you making a snarkier post (mainly when looking at the garbage fire threads that happen from time to time), it's towards the kinds of people that honestly deserve a bit of antagonism coming their way – I'm sure you know who these kinds of people are by now.  But I do understand not wanting to stoop down to their level.

 

In any case, hope you get well soon. Take as much time as you need to recover. 

[Platinum_Vice]

I'm sad that you're not well, Doc, and wish you a healthy recovery. ❤️

[rjkclarke]

Take as much time as you need Doc. We'll all be here when you get back!

 

I think a lot of us feel like that from time to time, and it is, it must be said, from personal experience, very easy to just let things build up and get on top of you quickly,which looks llike the case for others too, from a lot of the previous comments.

 

Just like Smevz said, good on you for recognising the signs and adddressing it before it started to become more of a problem for you. Negativity and you are usually poles apart, so if that's something that you're feeling a llittle bit of, then go and recharge yourself.

 

I'd be the first person to say that if writing is feeling like a slog then you're probably due a llittle break, but I very mmuch get it - that being said,  you should be so proud of the sheer volume of quality written pieces you've managed to crank out over the last year. You've more than earned a rest and and recharge!

 

I'm only a message away, if need be.

Edited March 21, 2022 by rjkclarke

[Grotz99]

Hope you feel better doc, also just wanted to say that your talk of the Artifex Mundi games got me intrigued since some are on sale. I bought 1 to try it out and after finishing it I ended up going back and bought 12 more....

[DrBloodmoney]

On 20/03/2022 at 4:59 PM, Cleggworth said:

I'm rooting for you doc, take all the time you need

 

On 20/03/2022 at 5:16 PM, Copanele said:

Take all the time you need, we'll be here for your return  (here as in, stuck in a stupid game or something)

 

On 20/03/2022 at 5:17 PM, Slava said:

 

Dude, same. 

 

I haven't been very active on the forums lately for many reasons, but one of the biggest ones is all my posts would consist of whining about something or someone, and I'd rather not post anything. The past few weeks in particular, I just want to spit venom almost every day, and I try to stop myself each time. This very post may count as me whining too . So this personal experience makes me value this kind of self-restraint in other people. 

 

As for writing, I feel the same about my drawings. I often like the process more than the result. When the art escapes my head and makes its way onto the paper it starts becoming not as cool. You also have to practice a lot. You also need to be in the right mood. And so on. In the end, I just lose motivation and look for things that would inspire me again. Or do other things.

 

On 20/03/2022 at 5:27 PM, YaManSmevz said:

You're gonna be alright man, you're already taking the right approach by taking your time with it. And best believe and nobody goin anywhere, we'll all be happy to see you recharged and back to your normal self, whenever it may be!

 

On 20/03/2022 at 5:40 PM, Eagle said:

In any case, hope you get well soon. Take as much time as you need to recover. 

 

On 20/03/2022 at 10:44 PM, Platinum_Vice said:

I'm sad that you're not well, Doc, and wish you a healthy recovery. 

 

 

On 21/03/2022 at 11:30 AM, rjkclarke said:

Take as much time as you need Doc. We'll all be here when you get back!

 

I think a lot of us feel like that from time to time, and it is, it must be said, from personal experience, very easy to just let things build up and get on top of you quickly,which looks llike the case for others too, from a lot of the previous comments.

 

Just like Smevz said, good on you for recognising the signs and adddressing it before it started to become more of a problem for you. Negativity and you are usually poles apart, so if that's something that you're feeling a llittle bit of, then go and recharge yourself.

 

I'd be the first person to say that if writing is feeling like a slog then you're probably due a llittle break, but I very mmuch get it - that being said,  you should be so proud of the sheer volume of quality written pieces you've managed to crank out over the last year. You've more than earned a rest and and recharge!

 

I'm only a message away, if need be.

 

Cheers duders, I'm not back out the black stuff quite all the way yet, but feeling a little more down for some gaming at least - want y'all to know how much I appreciate the ups though.

 

On 22/03/2022 at 5:29 PM, Grotz99 said:

Hope you feel better doc, also just wanted to say that your talk of the Artifex Mundi games got me intrigued since some are on sale. I bought 1 to try it out and after finishing it I ended up going back and bought 12 more....

 

Cheers man - and awesome - 12 AM games is a truckload! Glad you enjoyed though - nice to see them getting some love - they do tend to get lost in the pool a bit, (the cover art doesn't always help them much!) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DrBloodmoney]

 

 

 

SCIENTIFIC RE-CERTIFICATION!

 

A little update here, necessitated by the DLC addition to a previously ranked game, who's DLC I have now earned, re-qualifying it for the main list!

 

 

  

Returnal - "Ascension" DLC

 

Summary:

The new, free DLC update for 2021's excellent rogue-like bullet-hell speed-shooter, Ascension adds two new elements to the challenging PS5 exclusive - a co-op mode for the main campaign, and a new speed-focussed, score-based arena, known as the Tower of Sisyphus.

 

The two new aspects of the DLC are entirely separate, and as such, need to be evaluated separately, on their own merits.

 

Firstly, let's talk Co-op. I have player only a little of it so far. Having completed the game already, there felt little reason to dive into it immediately, as the Tower of Sisyphus was calling with it's siren song! - however, what I have played with my buddy (who had not yet finished the campaign) - it is good fun. 

 

Games which add co-op modes after the fact can often have a bit of a rough time. Frankly, even games with co-op available from the jump can too, for one simple reason: balancing a game for both single player, and for co-op simultaneously, can be very difficult. In some cases, co-op can make a challenging single player game overtly easy - borderline breaking the original intent. (While I am never one to overly affiliate challenge with quality, I believe this argument could certainly be levelled at some Souls games, where the challenging nature of certain bosses is borderline broken by the addition of co-op partners.) In other cases, the developer desire to rebalance the game to account for cooperative play can over-shoot, and actually make a game much more difficult in co-op than it ever was in single-player, thus actually dissuading the players from engaging with them mode... (Looking at you with both eyes narrowed, Cuphead!)

 

Returnal is a game that feels - on paper at least - wildly unsuited to co-op play, however, in terms of balance, Housemarque do manage a pretty good job overall. They do rebalance the game - specifically enemy health - to account for the second player... though the effect is not uniform across the board.  In practice, this rebalancing tends to make general gameplay (mob enemy encounters,) easier... but bosses harder. 

 

In general level play, where the focus is on enemy attack avoidance, and on crowd-control more than single, large enemies, the addition of the second player drawing some enemy aggro means more breathing space for both players. The ability to revive one another - while taking a few seconds, and so requiring tactical use - more than compensates for the increase in enemy health. 

 

Bosses, on the other hand, rarely tailor thier attacks to the players' specific actions in Returnal. They are not generally aiming attacks at player positions, but rather make use of large, animation-heavy attacks, generally covering wide areas, with the player focus more on avoidance of patterned projectiles, while maintaining a constant attack on weak points. 
As such, there is little benefit to aggro-splitting in these instances, and the lack of an available window in which to revive the other player caused by the constant AOE attacks, means that the increased health the bosses receive in co-op has a material impact. Beating bosses in co-op generally requires two players operating about as well, if not better, than they would have in single-player. 

That means the co-op mode, while genuinely good fun for players returning to the game after having mastered it, can be a little disheartening to players of differing skill levels when it comes to these bosses. The weaker player will often die quickly in boss encounters, leaving the stronger player to simply have to battle the same enemy they have before, but now in a much longer, more protracted battle before they are able to revive the weaker one.

 

It's also worth noting, the general gameplay of Returnal does pretty much necessitate the use of voice chat too - and even with it, it can be difficulty to co-ordinate at the speed the game requires.  Because both players will be zipping, jumping, and dashing around levels at breakneck speed (that is, after all, the Returnal experience,) co-ordinating can be difficult. It generally feels more like playing a game in parallel with another player, rather than in cooperation with one, as the amount of time it takes to say "strafe left!" is about the same amount of time it takes to either kill or be killed!
This parallel play is more evident than ever in the item collection - items are not shared, and so both players are often competing to pick up the new items. That can be fun when playing with a friend - and with good communication - but would likely be a little irritating if playing voiceless, with strangers. 

The second aspect of the DLC (and most likely the more appealing section to those who have already finished the main game,) is the Tower of Sisyphus. This section is where the narrative is extended, and where all the trophies lie in the DLC.

The Tower of Sisyphus adds an entirely new narrative section to the game, and makes available a whole new set of combat rooms, new biomes, and a few new temporary weapons within its endless, score-based structure.

 

Let's just state right up front - The Tower of Sisyphus is a FANTASTIC addition to the game, and a perfect way to return to Atropos, post-campaign. 
It is, however, a pretty crazy concept, in terms of where is becomes available in the main narrative.
While the DLC is free, and therefore available to everyone who plays the game now, and while the Tower can be accessed within the main narrative as soon as the zip-line is gained (after the second boss,) it would be very strange to play this as soon as it is available in game. There are significant tonal and direct spoilers for main game in the tower - ones that are not explicitly revealed in the main campaign until much, much later - and ones that are liable to take the legs out from under some of the most impactful and pivotal narrative beats in the (excellent) main narrative.

I'm not quite sure why the decision was made to make the Tower available so early - presumably this is to account for players who might have finished the game already, but have lost their saves, and need to replay to access the DLC - but I strongly, STRONGLY advise anyone playing this game for the first time, to leave the tower until after getting the main campaign platinum.

 

The actual gameplay within the Tower is not wildly dissimilar to the main campaign gameplay of Returnal - while adding a rogue-like element to an existing game as DLC is a tried and true - and often very successful - way of extending the life of a game, Returnal is an unusual instance, in that the main campaign of the game is also a rogue-like, and so the Ascension tower feels less a new genre, and more an interesting, slight twist on an existing formula. 

 

There is a focus on speed never really present in the main game, with a continual score-multiplier increase based on swift clearing of tower floors. The tower is balanced quite differently, with health items more abundant (meaning speed becomes more important than preservation of health,) and with a much faster, much steeper increase in enemy levels, (and Selene's level,) as the player progresses.

The resulting effect of this increase in acceleration of the game level is that the player must engage with the RNG weapon elements much more heavily than in the main campaign. Where in the main levels, hanging on to a current, preferred weapon, even when offered a more powerful, but less preferred type is an option, in Ascension, doing so can mean very quickly being overwhelmed. The player is increasing in level almost on a room by room basis, and so ignoring a weapon offered because it does not cater to the player's preferred play-style is much more deadly. The player has to keep in lock-step with the furious pace of the game, and so must take what they are given, and learn to work with it. 

While in the main campaign, the mantra might best be described as wait-and-see, in the Tower of Sisyphus, that mantra flips to adapt... or die!

 

While the Tower is, in fact, endless, (score based leaderboards are the name of the game here, and as some of the top scores already attest, there are players out there who's ability in the game is staggering,) the narrative requires only a fairly limited progression. Each level of the tower consists of 19 floors plus a boss floor, and seeing the conclusion of the narrative elements requires only defeating three full sections. This is challenging, but not outrageous - probably slightly below the skill level of the main game, though the refocuses away from survivability and onto speed does make this feel somewhat fresh and new, despite the familiarity of the enemy types and the general gameplay.

 

That narrative is the same odd, lynchian style the main campaign played (very successfully) in, though being shorter and more focussed makes it feel more narratively explicit. It takes less effort and less time to reveal the story beats, and so the quicker pace makes the narrative feel less fractal, and less prone to the player feeling lost within it. It is still dream-like and heavily metaphorical, and the hospital sections, (replacing the house sections of the main campaign,) are creepy and revealing, both of Selene's broken, painful psyche, and her guilt and fear and emotional claustrophobia / anorexia around her relationship with her cold, unfeeling mother, and her emotionally damaged son.

 

Overall, Ascension feels like a really excellent addition to Returnal - it adds significant new narrative that feels weighty and interesting, adding texture to the existing narrative without retconning or contradicting it, it adds a familiar but fresh take on the core gameplay, and it adds the ability to return to the main campaign with a friend, experiencing the game from a slightly different perspective.

 

For returning players, there is plenty of good stuff here, and for new players, they are presented with a more expansive and complete package - though they would do well to ignore it until after finishing what was in the game at launch!

 

 

Re-Ranking:

The addition of the Ascension DLC does materially add to the experience of Returnal - both with the co-op mode (providing one has a friend of similar skill level,) and particularly with the addition of the narrative elements of the Tower of Sisyphus. 

The new mode is not a massive uptick in gameplay design- really, this is a familiar scope with a new twist - however, Returnal was already a fantastic and very complete feeling game. Managing to add new content that feels both fresh and familiar, adds to the experience without stepping on the existing narrative's toes, and feels meaningful is of note.

That is a difficult needle to thread, but Housemarque make it look easy.

 

While I would not necessarily place Ascension on any list of great DLC additions in a vacuum, (this is not Bioshock 2's Minerva's Den, Prey's Mooncrash, or Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare,) I do think the additive total of the current game with the DLC benefits does warrant an uptick in Returnal's ranking.

 

The two games directly above Returnal - Demon's Souls(PS3) and Little Nightmares, while both excellent games, both begin to flag in the face of the new, improved and expanded Returnal experience.

The Next game up - The Surge - however, does manage to retain its spot for the moment (aided by its own two excellent, additive DLCs!)

 

As such, (and for the first time in this thread!) I am moving Returnal up two notches from its already formidable ranking!

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[Neef-GT5]

Thanks for the update @DrBloodmoney. Great to see you back on this thread!!! Hopefully you’re doing all right ?

 

[Platinum_Vice]

13 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Cheers duders, I'm not back out the black stuff quite all the way yet, but feeling a little more down for some gaming at least - want y'all to know how much I appreciate the ups though.

 

Welcome back mate!!

 

12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

They do rebalance the game - specifically enemy health - to account for the second player... though the effect is not uniform across the board.  In practice, this rebalancing tends to make general gameplay (mob enemy encounters,) easier... but bosses harder. 

 

At least that gives us faith that the devs actually applied some thought to how they'd make the game suitable for co-op, right? Much better than doubling enemy health and damage and walking away. ?

 

12 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

This parallel play is more evident than ever in the item collection - items are not shared, and so both players are often competing to pick up the new items. That can be fun when playing with a friend - and with good communication - but would likely be a little irritating if playing voiceless, with strangers. 

 

Hopefully the amount of dropped loot is dropped?

 

13 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

As such, (and for the first time in this thread!) I am moving Returnal up two notches from its already formidable ranking!

 

Breaking new ground... I love it.

 

 

 

[DrBloodmoney]

 

 

 

SCIENTIFIC RE-CERTIFICATION!

 

A little update here, necessitated by the DLC addition to a previously ranked game, who's DLC I have now earned, re-qualifying it for the main list!

 

  

  

Dead Cells  - Multi-DLC-Kaleidoscopic-Fandango-rama!

 

There's a big old mess of DLC additions to Dead Cells at this point, so I'll be looking at them is rough 'batches'.

 

Dead Cells is a very well supported game, and the DLC add-ons each come with a plethora of small changes and little improvements, however, the meaty content (and the content potentially likely to necessitate a re-thinking of the current ranking,) break down into some pretty specific 'types'...

...so bear with me!

 

 

 

    

The 'DLC Trilogy' - The Bad Seed / Fatal Falls / Queen of the Sea

 

Summary:

The three paid DLC add ons are where the largest 'breadth' additions to the game lie, and as such can be treated as a trilogy, of sorts. 

Each individual addition essentially adds an alternate path through one third of the flowchart-like map of the island, offering an alternate set of biomes and a new boss that can be fought as an alternative to one of the original paths. The Bad Seed DLC offers a botanical garden-themed path, resulting in a fight against a new alternate tier one boss - Mama Tick, The Fatal Falls DLC provides an alternate path through the middle section of the game, and offers an alternate tier two boss to the Timekeeper - the Scarecrow, and The Queen and the Sea DLC offers an alternate path through the final stages of the game, and gives an alternate final boss of the game to the Hand of the King - The Queen.

 

Each of these three paid add-ons could be discussed individually, (each does come with a smattering of new weapons and skills, and new sets of enemies with their own nuances and considerations,) however, I don't love getting into very detailed specifics in these reviews, and prefer to look holistically. I think, therefore, it makes more sense when looking at DLC additions, to consider the sum total the effect theDLC Trilogy has on the overall game experience.

 

What the full trilogy does, is essentially provide a "sequel" to the original Dead Cells, without ever being beholden to the conformities of a true sequel - or being hampered by the drawbacks of one. With all three DLCs installed, it is possible, by choosing the DLC specific biomes exclusively, to have an entirely new path through the game, with a player repeating none of the previously completed areas at all (aside from the initial "Prisoners Quarters" starting biome.)

While these DLCs were released individually, and so most players will likely have sampled them, and consider them to be alternate "B-Side" options to the initially offered "A-Side" paths, it is hard to ignore the idea that if Dead Cells had no DLC, and these biomes were simply released separately, in one go, as "Dead Cells 2", there would still be a pretty complete, robust game, of comparable size and scope to the original Dead Cells base game.

 

That these are DLCs and not a sequel is impressive, and clever, for multiple reasons. Firstly, they allow the game to become over twice as large, without allowing the obvious 'quality/taste comparisons' that any sequel inevitably incurs. If they were a new game, it would inevitable bring up not only qualitative questions about the general 'improvements' made to base mechanics (any sequel to Dead Cells is likely to incur difficulty, in the sense that the base mechanics are so solid, that any change could be to its detriment, yet sequels which change no mechanics tend to get labelled as stagnant,) but also taste-based comparisons between biomes.

The question of "Is the Arboretum better / worse than the Promenade of the Condemned?", for example, is really a matter of taste, but by having each available to the player in any given run, that question is not "Which is better?" but rather "Which would I prefer right now?". This neatly side-steps the negatives that sequel draws, while enjoying all the benefits - the game is richer, larger, more robust and more varied by a huge factor, without ever leaving behind any of the aspects /elements that made the base game great.

 

Are there elements of the DLC areas that are weaker than their base-game equivalents? Certainly. I actually do not think any element of the Fatal Falls biomes - or the Scarecrow boss it includes - come close to the level of enjoyment I find in the Clock Tower area or in fighting the Timekeeper - but that only proves my point.

By having these DLCs be just that - DLCs - I am able to enjoy everything about all the DLC areas I like more than the base game equivalents, yet avoid the areas I don't, and at no point am I required to make a 'trade-off'... "Well, I don't like the mid game, but the early game is better..." etc. I can simply mix and match to end up with my preferred route through the game.

 

In terms of design and style, the new areas are, of course, mixed, though generally they are of a qualitative level on par with the original game, and in some cases, I think the layout design benefits heavily from the desire to mix things up a little from the standard level design. While some areas - the Arboretum or the Morass of the Banished from The Bad Seed, for example - are essentially analogous to original level design, with a new biome-specific coat of paint, there are some, such as the Undying Shores from the Fatal Falls DLC, or the Lighthouse from the Queen and the Sea, which introduce new, more unique elements not found in the original biome offerings. The Undying Shores, for example, asks the player to work downwards and left, down a cliff face cut into a cliff-side overhang. While this may seem a simple change, it really feels quite fresh given the general level design is always left to right, or up and right. The Lighthouse takes an alternate tack to almost all other biomes, eschewing regular mob enemies, and essentially recreates the final level of the original Trine - asking the player to swiftly navigate up a convoluted and complicated structure, as flames lick at their feet, stopping periodically to fight mini-bosses along the way.

 

These kind of 'one-off' biome design shifts are simple and small individually, but as part of an overall tapestry, really enrich the experience of the game as a whole. (There are, of course, a couple more additional, 'specialty' biomes, added now too - covered later!)

Essentially, the 'DLC Trilogy' is the meat of the DLC offering in Dead Cells, in terms of expanding the game's 'width'. The upper ceiling of challenge of the game remains largely unaffected by them, (these alternative bosses / biomes are roughly on par with the challenge offered by the original game,) however, the net effect of the expansion of choice in individual runs has a profound and significant effect on the overall experience, on a cumulative, compounding scale.

 

Personally, I think these three paid DLCs represent the best additions to the overall game - though that isn to to dismiss the additions made elsewhere...

 

 

 

  

The 'One-Offs' - Barrels of Fun / Break the Bank

 

Summary:

The two smaller, more focussed (and free) add ons to the game, Break the Bank and Barrels of Fun focus on adding single, unique biomes into the mix.

 

The first - Barrels of Fun - adds a single set biome, which serves as an attentive path to the (previously mandatory,) High Peak Castle. (Note, this ends up being the third option in this regard, now that The Queen and the Sea DLC has added the Infested Shipwreck, though for non-DLC purchasing players, the Derelict Distillery will be the only alternative.) 

 

Artistically, the whole biome is themed around - you guessed it - a distillery, however, mechanically, its influences are clear... someone at Motion Twin has been playing Donkey Kong! Exploding barrels bounce around the area in a distinctly Donkey Kong-esque manner (and doing huge damage if touched!)

The biome is, I should note, probably the most infuriating to me personally, and likely my least enjoyed of any biome in the game, (I find the barrel mechanics extremely difficult to deal with given my preferential builds,) however, adding options to areas of the game once mandatory is a welcome thing, and dealing with the Distillery - at least enough to milk the trophy content from it - did provide a new twist on the exiting challenge... even if I do, admittedly, avoid it like the plague now that I'm done with it!

 

 

The Break the Bank DLC, (the most recent update, at the time of writing this,) also adds a single biome, but this one, I think is a much more interesting addition. The Bank is a fairly long and complex level, with multiple areas and multiple keys to access them, (most analogous, probably, to High Peak Castle,) however, the most interesting aspects of it are not necessarily in the biome itself, but in the additional mechanics it introduces and how they affect the game around it.

 

The Bank is a transient, 'floating' biome, independent of the difficulty scaling of the main ones, which can appear in any of the transition areas, and serve as an alternative to any of the existing biomes. If that wasn't enough, it also features one of the most unusual mechanics in relation to cash - the player has the option of 'borrowing' huge amounts of money in the biome, and is asked at the end, to pay it back. If they simply escape without doing so, they can (and keep the money for much needed upgrades, etc,) however, they are afflicted with a massive detrimental curse, requiring 100 enemies to be killed without taking a single point of damage, or it's game over.

 

Dead Cells has always been a game about making 'push/pull' decisions, factoring risk and reward on the fly, and The Bank represents one of the biggest compounding elements to that. Not only is it risky to take the money and accept the curse, (obviously,) but even entering the Bank can be a risk - as depending on where the player is offered the option, it might send them on a path that is more difficult after the fact, as they lose some control over their chosen path through the island.

 

Of the two free Biome DLCs, Break the Bank is the clear superior, however, the addition of both is welcome. It's hard to argue with free, optional content, and in both cases, while the impact is relatively minimal on the overall game, (certainly in comparison to the DLC Trilogy,) they are additive components nonetheless. Because the game is about choice and options, even adding a single new one has a compound effect on the overall choice-list the game offers.

 

 

 

Rise of the Giant

 

Summary:

The final DLC to discuss here, is the other free one - the one that expands the game primarily in the other fashion.

Remember when I said the DLC Trilogy expands Dead Cells' breadth, rather than its height? Well, Rise of the Giant is the opposite. There are a couple of new biomes here, certainly, including a new alternate path through the middle game, and introducing a new alternate boss - The Giant - as a B-Side to the Timekeeper - however, the real meat of the Rise of the Giant DLC is not in simple expansion of the 'breadth,' but in expansion of the 'height.'

 

Beating The Giant on 4bc (the hardest mode of the base game,) results in a new 5bc mode (aptly named "Hell"!) which not only allows the game to be played on a new, even more brutal and unforgiving difficulty level than ever offered in the base game, but also adds an expanded, additional biome after the previous end of the game. An additional, 5bc-only door is added beyond the Hand of the King fight, which allows access to a new, stultifyingly difficult biome known as the Astrolab, and further, to the Observatory... lair of the Collector - the current most difficult boss of the game.

 

I am in two minds about the Rise of the Giant DLC personally. While I really do enjoy the biomes added in the mid-portion of the game (The Caverns, and the Guardian's Haven and Giant boss,) and enjoy the 'breadth' addition they offer, I have a difficult time really 'enjoying' the 5bc-only sections of the Astrolab and the Collector. This is, of course, down to my own skill level - I find 3bc to be the sweet-spot of the game for me personally, offering a stiff, yet still manageable challenge, and find 4bc to be very hard, but still possible. 
5bc, on the other hand, with the introduction of specialty challenge factors such as a constantly increasing 'malaise' bar, which makes the game harder the slower you go, and the vastly decreased health availability, to be so brutal, as to virtually require me to 'save-scum' some sections of the game. While this makes the path through the island manageable, it is still not an optimum or enjoyable way to play really. Quitting out to the XMB after each area can be quite tedious, and feels a little dirty - yet 5bc feels so crushingly tough, and so prone to factors outside the player control, that it is a virtual necessity to see the final areas at all.

 

While the Collector fight is actually one of the most interesting in the game - as, it should be said, is the fight against The Giant - the addition of 5bc mode (and the requirement to beat it to even see the Astrolab and the Collector,) feels like the kind of addition only really created to serve an absolute elite of player. 
I am totally open to being called out for my lack of skills - I'm generally the first to admit such failings myself! - but I would be genuinely interested to find out the number of players who managed to get to the Collector fight without backing up and reloading saves along the way... I have my suspicions that it will be a very, VERY small number, whose cadre I certainly don't belong!

 

The overall effect of the Rise of the Giant DLC is very good, of course - expanding the game in both breadth and height, and offering an 'elite' challenge is admirable, and the artistic and technical elements of the new portions of the game, and the new mechanics are razor sharp (as almost all aspects f the game are,) however, I cannot realistically argue that I get anywhere near the same level of satisfaction from the Rise of the Giant additions that I do from the other DLCs. 

With each other DLC, the post-play feeling is "That was great!"
With the Rise of the Giant 5bc mode, the feeling was "Thank goodness that's done!"

 

 

Overall Re-Ranking:

Let's not mice words here -Dead Cells is fantastic. It was fantastic, even in base-game form, and that is already reflected in the current ranking. After all, Dead Cells currently occupies the No.16 game of all time slot!

 

Having said that, when factoring in all the new weapons / skills / mechanics / biomes / bosses... and most importantly, CHOICES that the myriad DLCs have added to the game - each compounding the net effect on a game so mechanically hones already, and without negatively affecting any part of what was there originally - it becomes extremely difficult to envision a world in which Dead Cells does not gain a few more places in it's ranking. That game is just sublime - mechanically perfect, richly and now almost dizzyingly variable, tough, fair, gorgeous, and imbued with an often sadistic but always playful sense of humour.

 

I'm forced to look at the games above Dead Cell's current placement, and now ask, once again, does this new, much more expansive and massive game finally have so much in it - such a wealth of variable play-styles, and so rich a tapestry of challenge, that a mechanically-driven game like Dead Cells simply overwhelms the other elements that those games beat it on?

 

The games above it currently, are This War of Mine: The Little Ones and Transistor, followed by the original Dark Souls, and then Dishonoured 2.

 

While I absolutely adore all of those games (that is self-evident, given their placement,) I am forced to concede that the current version of Dead Cells does dwarf This War of Mine: The Little Ones, finally to the extent that the genuinely important elements of that game, while very poignant, simply can't keep it above Dead Cells. 

 

Transistor also, while massively variable and astoundingly beautiful in virtually every way, simply doesn't offer quite the variability that Dead Cells now does. It has it matched on build style, but the world is the world. Two playthroughs of Transistor will be in the same areas. Dead Cells, now, can offer two playthroughs back to back, with 99% of the game being completely different - build AND world - and that means something.

 

Frankly, the same is true of Dark Souls. While that game can feel different based on build, the enemies and biomes are set. Yes, Dark Souls is a little different, in the sense that some areas are optional, and so different paths through the 'mainline' game are possible, however, not to the same extent. There is still at least 50-60% of the game that remains the same in each playthrough. Dead Cells has more variety in that count, and mechanically, it is so solid that I think it has to move up past Dark Souls too.

 

That leaves Dishonoured 2, however, and here, I think Dead Cells meets its match. Yes, the same argument's apply - while Dishonoured 2 also offers variety of build and play style, the actual 'bones' (levels) are set, however, the immersive-sim nature of Dishonoured 2 means that approaching one of it's expansive levels with a different build really does change the path through that level... and so it can compete on that front.

Add in the narrative elements, the style, and the assassination elements of Dishonoured 2, and it does still keep it's spot...

...it's a distinctly close call though!

As such, for only only the second time in this thread, a great game gets greater... and Dead Cells climbs higher!

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[Joe Dubz]

Wow Doc, positively stellar Dead Cells review 2.0!! As I mentioned in your status update the other day, it's been a few years since I initially conquered this beast. I was quite enamored at seeing several new lists pop up for the game and hadn't really looked much into it other than reviewing said lists. I had been debating on whether I would take the plunge yet again, knowing full well I'd be getting my ass handed to me repeatedly trying to get the ground at my feet once again! But just reading your take on all this has me SOLD!

 

Man, I will say tho... 5bc run sounds extremely daunting, as 4bc was excruciating enough as is ? Ah well, as the good Doctor already prescribed, I see save scumming as the only way to get that done ? Agreed with you on 3bc being the sweet spot with the game. 

 

OOC, are the paid ones available to purchase as a set, or do they need bought individually? Either way, I assume it's probably not terribly expensive for the lot... IIRC the base game was a meager $15 for me at the time of purchase?

 

At any rate, loved hearing your take on this and, since I'm still stuck on finishing up Elden Ring, I'm gonna throw a "Praise the Dead Cells DLC" in there for good measure ? Also: "Try pickle, but hole" ??

[DrBloodmoney]

14 minutes ago, Joe Dubz said:

Wow Doc, positively stellar Dead Cells review 2.0!! As I mentioned in your status update the other day, it's been a few years since I initially conquered this beast. I was quite enamored at seeing several new lists pop up for the game and hadn't really looked much into it other than reviewing said lists. I had been debating on whether I would take the plunge yet again, knowing full well I'd be getting my ass handed to me repeatedly trying to get the ground at my feet once again! But just reading your take on all this has me SOLD!

 

Man, I will say tho... 5bc run sounds extremely daunting, as 4bc was excruciating enough as is  Ah well, as the good Doctor already prescribed, I see save scumming as the only way to get that done  Agreed with you on 3bc being the sweet spot with the game. 

 

Haha - dude, trust me, I came back in, tried to start at 4bc, and died like 17 times in a row in the starter zone ?

 

I had to ratchet it back to 1bc, just to even make a dent - enough to try out some of the new builds and get some of the new weapons - though the ramp back up is pretty quick once you get your sea legs back (and your remember which enemies you despised last time round!)

 

The good thing about the vast majority of the DLCs is they can meet you at your comfort level - I did most of the Trilogy stuff on 2bc, with a little bit of 1bc for the no-hit bosses (I find that's actually the best place for those, as the increased weapon levels seem to offset any increase in boss aggression in 1bc, as opposed to 0bc) - the only part that is killer is the post Hand of the King stuff on 5bc.

That is a holy terror - I ended up leaving a cloud save - no joke - at the start of every single level of my 5bc runs, and basically learning where all the scrolls were, so I could zip through like a mad-man to outpace this new Malaise mechanic enough to be in good shape to deal with the Astrolab.

 

I appreciate that 5bc mode is there, but man - it's a country mile above my own abilities, for sure! 

 

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OOC, are the paid ones available to purchase as a set, or do they need bought individually? Either way, I assume it's probably not terribly expensive for the lot... IIRC the base game was a meager $15 for me at the time of purchase?

 

Not too sure on that one I'm afraid - I was always telling myself I was going to play again for pure fun, even before the trophies got added, so I actually bought every pack individually as they came out... it's just my dumb self who procrastinated, and never got around to trying them until the trophies told me to!

 

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At any rate, loved hearing your take on this and, since I'm still stuck on finishing up Elden Ring, I'm gonna throw a "Praise the Dead Cells DLC" in there for good measure  Also: "Try pickle, but hole" 

 

Try Finger? ?

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[ShinySpidey]

On 16/7/2021 at 11:05 AM, DrBloodmoney said:

 

Bloodborne will be a really interesting entry point to the Soulsbourne genre!

 

If that's your first, you absolutely need to promise to do a review after you're done - I'd be fascinated to hear the thought of a Souls-neophyte who's entry point is that one - it's got all the good aspects that are common to the genre, but being as atypically fast paced and aggression-based as it is does make it something of an outlier - and almost everyone who has reviewed it (myself included) is familiar with at least a few previous ones, so naturally all their thoughts are from a baseline of 'Standard' Souls combat.

 

It will be really interesting to see how you view other ones after starting with Bloodborne too - I wonder if, for you, Bloodborne will seem like a baseline, and all others will feel languid and slow by comparison? 

 

 

I know this is an old message, but I'd like to share my experience. Bloodborne was my first Souls game. Some friends of mine gave it to me for my 22nd birthday. In that period I knew something about Dark Souls and I was fascinated by it, but I thought "too much effort for me". I couldn't say the same about Bloodborne, back then I barely knew it was FromSoftware's but I thought it was my time to play it. Well, I tried to play Bloodborne but I only felt frustration. I was stuck in Central Yarnham, I kept dying and I couldn't get the hang of it. I dropped it. "What a stupid game", I thought. Fast forward 1 month and I felt like I should have tried one more time. Nope, I reached Cleric Beast and I was stuck once again. Well, maybe it's a good game, but not my cup of tea.

Fast forward to August 2020 (7 months after my birthday) and I finally beat the game. I used save scumming to avoid the path to bosses every time I died, but I eventually understood the basics of the game and its unexplained mechanics. Then I beat Dark Souls Remastered, now Elden Ring and I think these are my favourite games ever, or at least, genre.

The learning curve is steep, but once you learn the basics, it's just a matter of try and repeat until you'll eventually "git gud".

 

The only thing I really dislike about Bloodborne even now is the fact that when you die, blood vials aren't replenished. It's just stupid because the more you die the more you are punished and sometimes this forces you to farm blood echoes to buy the blood vials. Other than this, it's a masterpiece.

Edited April 12, 2022 by ShinySpidey