DrBloodmoney Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said: It’s been a while since I left a decent comment behind – I have been saving up some thoughts that are nearly finished cooki- oho! Here they are! Apotheon (yeah we’re going back a few... just coz I haven’t commented doesn’t mean I’m not reading ). Doc, you are added to what is becoming quite a long list of Checklisters that have played this game and regaled at length in support of Apotheon. Surely you can’t all be wrong – I’ve just got to add it to The List now. The artstyle truly does leap off the screen and as a fellow fan of the Greek mythos, there’s more than enough there in that game for me to pick it up, I think. Yeah, it's definitely work seeing - I do think it's mechanically adequate at best, but the art is something special, and well worth checking out! Quote Control This baby is burning a hole in my dashboard. To play ASAP or to play when I get a PS5... nah I can’t wait that long. You point out that the map system is woeful but juuuust adequate enough that you would keep attempting to use it instead of following the environmental directions; I will try to remember this when I play it. Don’t. Use. The Map. Ok I think I got it. I am very much excited to see the visual strengths and the depth of the lore that Control received praise for. I’ve actually seen VERY little of this game (maybe a forgotten trailer here or there), so most of what I imagine Control will look like is based on a quick scouting of the PSNP trophy guide with extrapolated imagery based in your own review, and I have to say, I am excited. It has a lot of ingredients to be a sleeper-hit for myself. Definitely the most important thing I think is, read every text document you find / bit of lore, as there is so much good stuff in there! I know some games do train you not to read all that, as it can be just fluff at times, but the stuff in Control is really funny at times (particularly the stuff that has been redacted) and really cool and interesting most of the time! Quote Dead Cells’ DLC On the flip side of you getting me hyped for most games, occasionally it backfires! Your Dead Cells DLC compares it to Dishonoured 2, Transistor and Dark Souls. I am looking forward to ALL OF THAT except for the Dishonored games. I am a little worried about em. I’ve got them but they don’t look so much like something that is in my wheelhouse. I’ll start Dishonored 1 in about a month’s time – no matter what – but my hype metre is petering out a bit. Can you help me moisten the appetite if you have the time? Well, Dishonoured is it's own beast, but I'd say it's a pretty even split between Bioshock, Deus Ex, Thief, and Hitman really. That's reductive of course, but in terms of a broad recommendation, I'd say if any one of those games was your thing, then you'll probably like Dishonoured... and if you liked 2 or more of them, then it's pretty much a lock! Quote Elden Ring That’s quite the opus (x2!! FromSoftware leaving a mark and you leaving such a chunk of heart behind on the thread for it). The bit that really stood out to me was that this is like a Greatest Hits for FromSoft and not so much like a brand new album. That sounds PERFECT for exactly what I want to get out of Elden Ring when I get to playing it myself as I’ve only played Bloodborne. Better still I am intrigued how one can go from a fleshed-out castle to an icey blizzard to a desert oasis to something else in one sitting and have all of those biomes blend together in a natural way, but if you say it is so, then bring it on. It is a shame that there is no overt narrative though (a shame for me, that is, because FromSoft fans don’t seem to care/they seem to enjoy the communal acts of piecing the lore together in these games). I was a believer in the GRR Martin hype and to see that I won’t get much out of that is a letdown. It's maybe not the best way to put it, but I think the narrative with a Souls game is very much "Less Story, More Lore" - which is not to say it's not interesting, it's just that the story is the one you are making within a storied world, rather than one prescribed to you, if that makes sense. Like, the games give you all the building blocks, and you piece them together - FROM is the Dungeon Master, and you are the D&D Player, encountering other D&D Players (NPCs) as you adventure. Quote Mark of the Ninja ...are you praising another Klei game? Yeah, I’ll buy it now. Convinced! I needed a review from a trusted source. I’ve had it recommended a few times by people that I do not consider to be good judges of games and the trailer is a bit sub-par, but yet, an old (definitely “pre-Science Checklist” old) post from yourself about hidden gems mentioned it so, well, as review requests are your specialty... why not? Thank you Ooooooohhhhh, it's so good. I know right? Me? Praise Klei? Who woulda thunk? ? I've actually got Griftlands nearing the top of my "to Play" pile now, so hopefully there'll be another Klei love-fest coming then too! Quote The Swapper Seriously, this has to stop. You add games to The List literally at a 2:1 rate relating to how fast I can get through them. I have neither the time nor the money. You are tearing my family apart! Haha, well, The Swapper is a pretty short one - but I feel no guilt about encouraging anyone to check it out, because it's just too cool for school! Quote The Longest Road on Earth Will you use this for the MHA Community Event? You know - that was the plan, and I still might, though I think it would be a more difficult one, as it's very much about a feeling and a tone, rather than explicit in its narrative. I've a couple of games that might fit the bill better waiting in the wings, so I'm probably gonna wait a bit, finish those, then decide which one feels most fitting to the theme. Quote The trophy rarity (98+%) just makes me shudder a little bit... I will order colourful cocktails, I will point out shirtless dudes for my wife if they run by, and I will publically admit that I will pre-order a game if I truly trust the developer, but I don’t think that I am secure enough in myself and how I may be perceived by the world if I was to have a 98 percenter on my PSN profile. Am I iNsAnE ? Put me on the couch again Doc, I'm ranting in public again. Yeah, I mean, the game is roughly the length of a music album by design, and the trophies are just basically track-markers - it would be impossible to play it and not get the platinum, so it's not likely to ever go lower - I'm surprised it isn't at 100% TBH! Hey, if anyone wants to come at me about having easy games on my profile, they are welcome to - I'll go punch for punch with anyone on the variety and quality of games on there, and games like The Longest Road on Earth absolutely show that trophy rarity can't be a yardstick for choosing what to play, or else I'd miss out on great stuff! Edited May 9, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 9 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Weird West Thanks a bunch for posting your impressions of this one. I’ve heard some mixed and middling responses out there so your perspective was very welcome. That’s interesting how you found the shooting mechanics difficult on a controller and surmised it was intended as a PC-first experience. I’ve watched snippets of developer videos and they are always running the PC build using an Xbox controller. Regardless, I do have it on my wishlist and might check it out on PC some time in the future. On Steam it’s already on sale which doesn’t bode well for it’s commercial prospects. Smells like a future PS+ title. Also, not sure how I was never officially following this thread even though I would read it often. Fixed that now, RIP my already bloated wishlist. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 21 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Thanks a bunch for posting your impressions of this one. I’ve heard some mixed and middling responses out there so your perspective was very welcome. That’s interesting how you found the shooting mechanics difficult on a controller and surmised it was intended as a PC-first experience. I’ve watched snippets of developer videos and they are always running the PC build using an Xbox controller. Regardless, I do have it on my wishlist and might check it out on PC some time in the future. On Steam it’s already on sale which doesn’t bode well for it’s commercial prospects. Smells like a future PS+ title. Also, not sure how I was never officially following this thread even though I would read it often. Fixed that now, RIP my already bloated wishlist. Cheers man! Yeah, an odd one - definitely worth a play, but a little jarring coming from the super high polish of a Dishonoured or a Prey. There’s a lot to love, but the shooting is more of a “put up with it to get the rest of the experience” thing than an asset really! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 You were on the mark (heh) with Mark of the Ninja. Damn, that game was so satisfying to play and master. As you said, you could be killed instantly but at the same time you could absolutely murder an entire map in the blink of an eye. I also enjoyed the ending there it did not feel satisfying, but in a good way 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 As per usual I think you may have added to my wishlist again - although it isn't something I'm going to be complaining about. .... Why would I complain about having an almost never-ending supply of potentially great games at my disposal. I keep jumping and back and forth on whether or not to pull the trigger on Mark of the Ninja myself, it's one of those ones where I really have every intention to hit purchase, and then I never seem to actually do it! I'm very pleased to see that it's got another +1 from you though, there's so much swinging in its favour at this point I'd be a colossal idiot probably, not to pick it up! Thanks for taking the request for Rainbow Moon.... even if it looks likely that I'm only likely to play that once my backlog has VERY significantly been lessened. It doesn't sound bad at all, it just feels like something that shouldn't be jumping the queue any time soon. Ironically you've made me more inclined to want to play I am Setsuna, which I should actually have probably requested instead (I don't recall you doing that one before ?). I might have to seek that one out - especially after you said it was only about 20-25 hours-ish. The Swapper sounds like my kind of thing as well. I'm pretty sure you recommended that to me last year after I'd played something else, and I might even have purchased it, so I'll have to take a look through my library, as I definitely wouldn't say no to a little puzzling in my gaming life right about now! Sounds like an incredibly cool concept, especially the clay element you described, that's very unique..... okay so I went and looked up some images midway through writing this, and bloody hell, that is such a unique looking environment. It's almost worth experiencing just for that. I have got a review I've been meaning to write about a point-and-click adventure title that is very heavy on the clay, so you might have just given me a little lightbulb moment there haha I'm all down for Weird West as well - for some odd reason that I can't quite figure out I actually get a really strange enjoyment out of those games that specifically "feel like they should be on a PC." So I'd probably find that aspect of it rather charming instead of frustrating, but you never know for sure! I will be taking your advice though and doing multiple short playthroughs, I appreciate the heads up on that one, as it sounds like that offers a more fulfilling experience. I don't even know what to say about The Longest Road on Earth..... Other than I was sold on the idea almost instantly, that's a fascinating way to approach a video game. In a way I'm really gutted it didn't come out in 2015, because part of my dissertation was specifically about how loneliness and isolation is represented in various forms of media through the use of sound design and music. That game sounds right in my wheelhouse. Especially if the sound and the images marry together pretty well, like it sounds like they do. It sounds like something I would have jumped into really quickly for some analysis. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for it in a sale though, because it sounds fascinating if not on the very short side. Thoroughly enjoyed reading these ones as ever man! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zizimonster Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Copanele said: Mark of the Ninja. Damn, that game was so satisfying to play and master. As you said, you could be killed instantly but at the same time you could absolutely murder an entire map in the blink of an eye. I also enjoyed the ending there it did not feel satisfying, but in a good way Time for another round, I guess. Sincerely, Mark of the Ninja activist. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 10, 2022 Author Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, rjkclarke said: As per usual I think you may have added to my wishlist again - although it isn't something I'm going to be complaining about. .... Why would I complain about having an almost never-ending supply of potentially great games at my disposal. Haha - I know what you mean dude. Whenever I see anyone lamenting that there isn't any good games out there, I wonder "what colour is the sky in your world?" It just seems so alien a plane of existence they are speaking from ? There's just not the hours in the day to get to all the great games - just today both Salt and Sacrifice and This War of Mine: Final Cut came out, and I'm looking at my backlog and want to curl up in the foetal position and rock back and fort... I just need a decade or two of frozen time, and maybe I'll be able to catch up ? Quote I keep jumping and back and forth on whether or not to pull the trigger on Mark of the Ninja myself, it's one of those ones where I really have every intention to hit purchase, and then I never seem to actually do it! I'm very pleased to see that it's got another +1 from you though, there's so much swinging in its favour at this point I'd be a colossal idiot probably, not to pick it up! You know - I reckon MotN might be a good one for after you run out of Supergiant games (I'm so confident that Bastion will set you an the path to the other Supergiants, that I'm practically assuming Transistor and Pyre are a lock ?) Klei has some of the same style of amazing indie goodness - shorter games, full of great art, mechanically finessed to the sharpness of a samurai blade, and polished to within an inch of their lives.... ....I hate the term "Triple I" even more than I hate "Triple A", but if ever "Triple I" had a place, it would be for the trifecta of Supergiant, Klei and Housemarque! Quote Thanks for taking the request for Rainbow Moon.... even if it looks likely that I'm only likely to play that once my backlog has VERY significantly been lessened. It doesn't sound bad at all, it just feels like something that shouldn't be jumping the queue any time soon. Ironically you've made me more inclined to want to play I am Setsuna, which I should actually have probably requested instead (I don't recall you doing that one before ). I might have to seek that one out - especially after you said it was only about 20-25 hours-ish. Yeah, I am Setsuna is around that - maybe a little over, but not more than 35 for sure - and I certainly would hold that, and Cosmic Star Heroine up as much, much better choices than Rainbow Moon if you are looking for a 16-bit era JRPG nostalgia kick. They are kind of flip-sides of the same coin in a way, I Am Setsuna is very much in the SNES-style of older JRPGs (with a modernised look,) and Cosmic Star Heroine is more in line with the Genesis (Megadrive to us!) style of JRPGs - visuals and all. Quote The Swapper sounds like my kind of thing as well. I'm pretty sure you recommended that to me last year after I'd played something else, and I might even have purchased it, so I'll have to take a look through my library, as I definitely wouldn't say no to a little puzzling in my gaming life right about now! Sounds like an incredibly cool concept, especially the clay element you described, that's very unique..... okay so I went and looked up some images midway through writing this, and bloody hell, that is such a unique looking environment. It's almost worth experiencing just for that. I have got a review I've been meaning to write about a point-and-click adventure title that is very heavy on the clay, so you might have just given me a little lightbulb moment there haha Go for it man - I am super confident you won't be disappointed! You got me intrigued about that Adventure game now... so you got to do that one! Quote I'm all down for Weird West as well - for some odd reason that I can't quite figure out I actually get a really strange enjoyment out of those games that specifically "feel like they should be on a PC." So I'd probably find that aspect of it rather charming instead of frustrating, but you never know for sure! I will be taking your advice though and doing multiple short playthroughs, I appreciate the heads up on that one, as it sounds like that offers a more fulfilling experience. Yeah, definitely felt that way to me, though @DrunkenEngineer was saying most of the preview stuff showed the devs playing with a controller, which surprises me - maybe I just misinterpreted it, but it definetly felt like a mouse-and-keyboard vs controller issue that I was experiencing Quote I don't even know what to say about The Longest Road on Earth..... Other than I was sold on the idea almost instantly, that's a fascinating way to approach a video game. In a way I'm really gutted it didn't come out in 2015, because part of my dissertation was specifically about how loneliness and isolation is represented in various forms of media through the use of sound design and music. That game sounds right in my wheelhouse. Especially if the sound and the images marry together pretty well, like it sounds like they do. It sounds like something I would have jumped into really quickly for some analysis. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for it in a sale though, because it sounds fascinating if not on the very short side. Ha - yeah, this one sounds tailor made for such a dissertation! I can't really recall a game that looked at loneliness so primarily - there was some of that in Beyond Eyes and Firewatch, and a bit in Life is Strange: True Colours, but neither of them really took it as the primary focus - more often than not, games that deal in loneliness as a main element are horror games - using lonliness and isolation as a catalyst for madness (Uncanny Valley / Moons of Madness / Amnesia / Lone Survivor etc.) There isn't many that just look at "loneliness among people, which is odd, because it's something virtually everyone experiences at some point! Quote Thoroughly enjoyed reading these ones as ever man! Thank you sir! Edited May 10, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) 10 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Yeah, definitely felt that way to me, though @DrunkenEngineer was saying most of the preview stuff showed the devs playing with a controller, which surprises me - maybe I just misinterpreted it, but it definetly felt like a mouse-and-keyboard vs controller issue that I was experiencing It seems like there is no clear-cut “best” control method for this game. PC players complain that KBM controls have issues with picking up items off the ground and general usability, while controller just isn’t as easy to aim with. One of those weird (hah!) corner cases with multi plat games, where there is no clear-cut winner for controls. I played The Ascent on PC, which is a twin-stick shooter, on a controller and it felt fine - the analog movement advantage overcame the lack of mouse aim. Edit: How was the performance? Is it 60FPS or 30FPS? Edited May 10, 2022 by DrunkenEngineer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 10, 2022 Author Share Posted May 10, 2022 Just now, DrunkenEngineer said: It seems like there is no clear-cut “best” control method for this game. PC players complain that KBM controls have issues with picking up items off the ground and general usability, while controller just isn’t as easy to aim with. One of those weird (hah!) corner cases with multi plat games, where there is no clear-cut winner for controls. I played The Ascent on PC, which is a twin-stick shooter, on a controller and it felt fine - the analog movement advantage overcame the lack of mouse aim. Yeah, maybe - like they tried to split the difference to satisfy both camps, and just ended up a bit squirrelly on both! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Haha - I know what you mean dude. Whenever I see anyone lamenting that there isn't any good games out there, I wonder "what colour is the sky in your world?" It just seems so alien a plane of existence they are speaking from There's just not the hours in the day to get to all the great games - just today both Salt and Sacrifice and This War of Mine: Final Cut came out, and I'm looking at my backlog and want to curl up in the foetal position and rock back and fort... I just need a decade or two of frozen time, and maybe I'll be able to catch up Thems the breaks I'm afraid - we're never realistically going to have time to play everything, but if we're in a position where we almost always have something awesome at our disposal then how can that not be a good thing. I do find it a little baffling too sometimes, when people struggle to find what they deem a good game to play when it seems like more often than not there's plenty of them staring them in the face, but I did see This War of Mine: Final Cut & Salt and Sacrifice (although I still must play the first) was out very soon(or today as it turned out), that kind of came out of nowhere for me, I had no idea that was even a thing. I'm assuming you're going to play that eventually, so is that going to get a re-ranking because of all the new content? 11 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: You know - I reckon MotN might be a good one for after you run out of Supergiant games (I'm so confident that Bastion will set you an the path to the other Supergiants, that I'm practically assuming Transistor and Pyre are a lock ) Klei has some of the same style of amazing indie goodness - shorter games, full of great art, mechanically finessed to the sharpness of a samurai blade, and polished to within an inch of their lives.... ....I hate the term "Triple I" even more than I hate "Triple A", but if ever "Triple I" had a place, it would be for the trifecta of Supergiant, Klei and Housemarque! Well I'm already one step ahead on that one, as an element of my gaming life I can't quite escape from is playing games in a weird order, I have already done Transistor, so currently I'm 1 out of 4, soon to be 2 out of 4, as all I have left is those 10 Idols invoked runs and a few vigils and I'll have the Bastion platinum. But I think you might be onto something there.... Get MotN when I've run out of awesome Supergiant games, then I can tap that Klei well too! Which reminds me I need to explore some Housemarque titles in the future too. See, there's the too many good games "problem" resurfacing again ? 11 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: They are kind of flip-sides of the same coin in a way, I Am Setsuna is very much in the SNES-style of older JRPGs (with a modernised look,) and Cosmic Star Heroine is more in line with the Genesis (Megadrive to us!) style of JRPGs - visuals and all. Oh that's really interesting actually, I have considered getting Cosmic Star Heroine a couple of times, as another buddy said that wouldn't be bad to scratch a little old school RPG itch, but that's a really cool comparison that they are like the two different console versions. I only dabbled a little bit with the Megadrive ones in that Megadrive collection that was out for PS3, but seeing a recent game using that kind of style sounds very intriguing I must say. 11 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Ha - yeah, this one sounds tailor made for such a dissertation! I can't really recall a game that looked at loneliness so primarily - there was some of that in Beyond Eyes and Firewatch, and a bit in Life is Strange: True Colours, but neither of them really took it as the primary focus - more often than not, games that deal in loneliness as a main element are horror games - using lonliness and isolation as a catalyst for madness (Uncanny Valley / Moons of Madness / Amnesia / Lone Survivor etc.) There isn't many that just look at "loneliness among people, which is odd, because it's something virtually everyone experiences at some point! That's a very interesting point actually, and one I don't think I'd ever considered all that much is how much it gets used in Horror games more than anything. Fantastic point! But you're totally right, I get it, too. Loneliness can be a scary thing, and like you said, it's something that virtually everyone experiences at some point, in some form, so in that sense tapping into it for horror does make perfect sense. I can't think of one either, where it's the main focus. The only one that's really shouting out to me right now for something that directly addresses loneliness and its impact on people in a direct way, is actually in Final Fantasy XIII-2 with the whole, Yeul,Noel and Caius dynamic, but it's not really given all that much focus. A few of the characters specific hang ups are their fears of impending, and what feel like to them, inevitable loneliness. That does get a little more focus in Lightning Returns too which is kind of interesting I suppose. Edited May 10, 2022 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 11, 2022 Author Share Posted May 11, 2022 (edited) 14 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I did see This War of Mine: Final Cut & Salt and Sacrifice (although I still must play the first) was out very soon(or today as it turned out), that kind of came out of nowhere for me, I had no idea that was even a thing. I'm assuming you're going to play that eventually, so is that going to get a re-ranking because of all the new content? I'll certainly be playing the new version of This War of Mine - I've no real notion of how much extra is in it, but my gut says I'll probably do it like I do with a new DLC - do a mini-review and re-ranking based on it... though the original game Iplayed is already very highly ranked, so it's probably unlikely that it would move the needle too much... remains to be seen though! Quote Well I'm already one step ahead on that one, as an element of my gaming life I can't quite escape from is playing games in a weird order, I have already done Transistor, so currently I'm 1 out of 4, soon to be 2 out of 4, as all I have left is those 10 Idols invoked runs and a few vigils and I'll have the Bastion platinum. But I think you might be onto something there.... Get MotN when I've run out of awesome Supergiant games, then I can tap that Klei well too! Which reminds me I need to explore some Housemarque titles in the future too. See, there's the too many good games "problem" resurfacing again Man, Supergiant to Kei to Housemarque... that's like the worlds best gaming buffet! Quote Oh that's really interesting actually, I have considered getting Cosmic Star Heroine a couple of times, as another buddy said that wouldn't be bad to scratch a little old school RPG itch, but that's a really cool comparison that they are like the two different console versions. I only dabbled a little bit with the Megadrive ones in that Megadrive collection that was out for PS3, but seeing a recent game using that kind of style sounds very intriguing I must say. Yeah, I'm the same - I never owned a Megadrive - I was the SNES owner, and my mate across the street had the Megadrive, so we'd play a lot of stuff back and forth (Street Fighter at mine, Mortal Kombat at his obviously ?) but RPGs weren't a big part of that, as they are so long and solo. I did play some of a Shining Force game (I want to say Shining Force II?) and one of the Phantasy Star games though - and I think Phantasy Star is probably the main well from which Cosmic Star Heroine is drawing. Quote That's a very interesting point actually, and one I don't think I'd ever considered all that much is how much it gets used in Horror games more than anything. Fantastic point! But you're totally right, I get it, too. Loneliness can be a scary thing, and like you said, it's something that virtually everyone experiences at some point, in some form, so in that sense tapping into it for horror does make perfect sense. I can't think of one either, where it's the main focus. The only one that's really shouting out to me right now for something that directly addresses loneliness and its impact on people in a direct way, is actually in Final Fantasy XIII-2 with the whole, Yeul,Noel and Caius dynamic, but it's not really given all that much focus. A few of the characters specific hang ups are their fears of impending, and what feel like to them, inevitable loneliness. That does get a little more focus in Lightning Returns too which is kind of interesting I suppose. True - actually, when you consider how many games take place in post-apocalyptic wastelands or lonely, mystical realms, where there are few people, and the player character is often out on a quest along, you would think there would be more game developers would look at that, and go "let's lean into the loneliness, as a narrative element or gameplay mechanic." Something like Shadow of the Colossus should really be tailor made for that - the world is not only empty, but Wanda is literally killing the only living things there! - yet they never really treat that as a lonely experience to him in game - it's just left for the player to feel that way in the giant, empty landscapes. Edited May 11, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 On 5/9/2022 at 0:33 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Mark of the Ninja: Remastered ?????????????? It really is such a masterfully balanced game, as well as an addicting one. Not much more that I can add really, you nailed everything that makes it so great. I commented a long while back on comparing this with Hotline Miami, and what a difficult task it would be to pick a winner... I see you gave a slight edge to Hotline as well. Nice! On 5/9/2022 at 0:33 AM, DrBloodmoney said: In older games (Pre-PSOne, I would argue,) the tendency was for the player to be underpowered. Gameplay tended to come from the feeling of oppressive danger, and the fun was in the avoidance of that danger, and the overcoming of it. This was mostly born out of arcade-design, where continual desire to pull in more quarters led developers to favour crushing difficulty. In newer games though (Post PSOne,) the tendency was for overpowered characters - gameplay was about dominating the game, and feeling like the player was destroying everything / saving the whole world / becoming virtually invincible as they climb a skill tree or level up a character. Games went from a danger-fantasy, to a power-fantasy. That allowed more people into gaming, but left behind some of the original, more 'hardcore' players, who felt games had softened. Hey, NES Hard ain't a term for nuffin! I must confess to being one of those players that softened up along with the games as time went on, but games like that really do wake something up in me. ....suddenly I wanna slap on that PS4 Contra collection! On 5/9/2022 at 0:33 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Rainbow Moon I was so intrigued by this, and gradually as I read on I was like ????? 70+ hours with a lackluster story? An RPG where the controls, rather than the story, is the highlight? Boooooo. That's a shame, I would love something with this sort of aesthetic and with a great story. On 5/9/2022 at 0:33 AM, DrBloodmoney said: The Swapper Hmm.... PUZZLE platformer, eh? .....well, you were right about The Witness. Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for this one. And fire up SOMA! On 5/9/2022 at 0:33 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Weird West Can't decide if this is something I'd wanna try out.. love the Dark City reference though! Maybe I'll watch a YouTube playthrough or somethin. On 5/9/2022 at 0:33 AM, DrBloodmoney said: The Longest Road on Earth This looks like the evil version of a long forgotten Saturday morning cartoon or something! Not sure about this one either, but in the very least I'll check out the soundtrack? Excellent work as always, Doc! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 13, 2022 Author Share Posted May 13, 2022 On 12/05/2022 at 2:32 AM, YaManSmevz said: ?????????????? It really is such a masterfully balanced game, as well as an addicting one. Not much more that I can add really, you nailed everything that makes it so great. I commented a long while back on comparing this with Hotline Miami, and what a difficult task it would be to pick a winner... I see you gave a slight edge to Hotline as well. Nice! Yeah, there's not much in it really - pretty much everything in that top 50 now is unassailable - I'd say that if agame is in the top 50 I've played in the last 10 years, that makes them all unequivocal recommendations, regardless of where they stand relative to one another! Hotline plays great too, and does have the edge in terms of originality and music - and those visuals are something so odd and cool, it would have to rank a little higher... but none of that is a slight on MotN, which is just a sublime execution of an existing genre - it's so good, that 2D stealth games should really be called MotN-likes! ? On 12/05/2022 at 2:32 AM, YaManSmevz said: I was so intrigued by this, and gradually as I read on I was like 70+ hours with a lackluster story? An RPG where the controls, rather than the story, is the highlight? Boooooo. That's a shame, I would love something with this sort of aesthetic and with a great story. Eh, that one wasn't much fun to write, I'll tell ya - I had been looking forward to that game, as the trailer had looked so cool, but the more and more I played, the less ands less it did for me. A shame really - I never played Rainbow Skies, so not sure if they turned it around with the sequel or not - I never really heard much buzz about it though, so I have my doubts. On 12/05/2022 at 2:32 AM, YaManSmevz said: Hmm.... PUZZLE platformer, eh? .....well, you were right about The Witness. Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for this one. And fire up SOMA! Absolutely - The Swapper is one I'm a little worried about disappearing in the future - it's one of a tiny handful of games that haven't been made to work on PS5, and I assume that's because the dev doesn't exist anymore - it would be a crime not to play that one while it's still available! On 12/05/2022 at 2:32 AM, YaManSmevz said: Can't decide if this is something I'd wanna try out.. love the Dark City reference though! Maybe I'll watch a YouTube playthrough or somethin. Yeah - hot and cold that one - very impressive and original in some regards, but just can't quite thread the needle on the moment-to-moment gameplay. Never bad, but never exceptional either. Still, it more than satisfied my curiosity, and I'll be checking out all future Wolfeye stuff! On 12/05/2022 at 2:32 AM, YaManSmevz said: This looks like the evil version of a long forgotten Saturday morning cartoon or something! Not sure about this one either, but in the very least I'll check out the soundtrack Absolutely check that soundtrack album out - it's really excellent! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted May 18, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 18, 2022 (edited) !!SCIENCE UPDATE!! The next 5 (somewhat) randomly selected games to be submitted for scientific analysis shall be: Batman: The Telltale Series Doodle Devil Doodle God Portal 2 Virginia With a minimum of 3(!) Bonus game this round, including: Last Stop Manifold Garden The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Subject(s) in RED marked for PRIORITY ASSIGNEMENT [Care of @grayhammmer ] Can 'Current Most Awesome' game, Hitman 3, continue its glorious reign? Is gaming poopsicle LA Cops ever going to lose the title of 'Least Awesome Game'? Let's find out, Science Chums! Edited May 18, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 2 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Batman: The Telltale Series --- Portal 2 Oh, a spicy batch there. I forgot Telltale did the Batman series too, and Portal 2 is a game I actually forgot to play, which is weird considering I loved Portal 1 Bless The Orange Box! Looking forward to the scientific bulletin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted May 18, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 18, 2022 3 minutes ago, Copanele said: Portal 2 is a game I actually forgot to play, which is weird considering I loved Portal 1 Well, not to prefix the Science (...oh... who am I kidding, with my puzzle-game opinions, is anyone expecting Portal 2 to do poorly? ?).... but I realised a while back that I had no way to replay Portal 2 for a little refresher, as I don't have Steam anymore and couldn't find the disc... So I bought a used copy for PS3 off Amazon... ...and I may have accidentally replayed the entire game. Twice. ? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 On 5/13/2022 at 3:51 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Hotline plays great too, and does have the edge in terms of originality and music - and those visuals are something so odd and cool, it would have to rank a little higher... but none of that is a slight on MotN, which is just a sublime execution of an existing genre - it's so good, that 2D stealth games should really be called MotN-likes! Oh, 100%! And I'm on board with MotN-likes? It's definitely one of those games where I would happily play a shameless rip off so long as the quality was there! On 5/13/2022 at 3:51 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Eh, that one wasn't much fun to write, I'll tell ya - I had been looking forward to that game, as the trailer had looked so cool, but the more and more I played, the less ands less it did for me. A shame really - I never played Rainbow Skies, so not sure if they turned it around with the sequel or not - I never really heard much buzz about it though, so I have my doubts. I feel you man, something about a game grabbing you, looking like it's gonna be the shit, but then ending up being closer to actual shit, is a real buzzkill. Literally, in fact! On 5/13/2022 at 3:51 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Absolutely - The Swapper is one I'm a little worried about disappearing in the future - it's one of a tiny handful of games that haven't been made to work on PS5, and I assume that's because the dev doesn't exist anymore - it would be a crime not to play that one while it's still available! On 5/13/2022 at 3:51 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Yeah - hot and cold that one - very impressive and original in some regards, but just can't quite thread the needle on the moment-to-moment gameplay. Never bad, but never exceptional either. Still, it more than satisfied my curiosity, and I'll be checking out all future Wolfeye stuff! Absolutely check that soundtrack album out - it's really excellent! 10 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: !!SCIENCE UPDATE!! The next 5 (somewhat) randomly selected games to be submitted for scientific analysis shall be: Batman: The Telltale Series Doodle Devil Doodle God Portal 2(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Virginia That's what's up. I might trip on my way up the stairs, go flying into the spare bedroom's closet, break my fall on the box with all my 360 stuffs, pull on it to keep my balance and fall back down the stairs, rush to save the adapters and console falling out of the box and accidentally plug them all in during the process, slip on the Portal 2 case and watch helplessly as the disc flies out and into the 360, then shrug and decide I'm long overdue for finishing that game anyway. 10 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: So I bought a used copy for PS3 off Amazon... ...and I may have accidentally replayed the entire game. Twice. Ah, I see this has happened to you too! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 You guys are making me antsy to revisit Portal 2. I never made it through all the way. Gah, too many games! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 ? WOOOOT Puzzle Game Post ? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 20, 2022 Author Share Posted May 20, 2022 ☢️☢️SCIENTIFIC NOTE☢️☢️ Feeling like a running gag at this point, but due to me being a bit slow on the writing, and finishing up too many new games ?, I'm going to split this batch again! "Batch 41" (soon) will be: Batman: The Telltale Series Doodle God Doodle Devil Portal 2 and "Batch 42", in a little while, will be: Virginia Last Stop Manifold Garden The Stanley Parable ...plus whatever extra Games get S-Ranked in the intervening time! I think the forum software limits, plus my slower pace now that work life is heating up, means I might have to think about cutting batches to 3, rather than 5 in future, but I'll see what unfolds and play it by ear for now! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted May 20, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 20, 2022 NEW (PARTIAL) SCIENTIFIC RESULTS ARE IN! Hello Science-Rosses and Science-Rachaels, as promised (and in some cases requested), here are the (first part) of the latest results of our great scientific endeavour! Batman: The Telltale Series Summary: Adventure Game-come-Narrative-Episode-weavers Telltale's considerable credentials in creating their staple 5-episode arc narrative stories within existing IP was put to arguably its biggest test in 2016. They had work within IP's of varying fame and lineage prior to that - and done so with considerable critical and commercial success - but this time, their formula was to be applied to one of the most well known licensed properties in the world: The Batman. Telltale were, of course, veterans of telling stories within existing IP. Even specifically within existing comic book IP. However, in most previous cases they were afforded a "get out" of sorts. Those stories plotted tangential stories using predominantly new characters, within existing worlds.Tales from the Borderlands made up a cast of completely new characters. The Walking Dead quadrilogy and Game of Thrones only very sparingly blended pre-existing characters, and those they did use were relatively minor ones in the pre-existing books / TV show. Even in the case of The Wolf Among Us, (which did employ a fair number of known characters,) the task was slightly different. As good as Fables is, (and it's great,) it is not anywhere close to as well known as Batman. They could deviate to some extent, free from the shackles of obsessive fandom. I've met more than a few people who were unaware The Wolf Among Us was even based on a licensed property, and who hadn't heard of Fables as a comic-book or IP prior to Telltale's offering. I know, on the other hand, of no gamer - indeed, I know of no living human - unaware of The Batman! Batman's basic lore is incredibly well known. Rich playboy Bruce Wayne, scarred by his parent's murder, wearing a costume and fighting crime in the once prosperous, but now downtrodden cesspit of a city he calls home, enabled and chastised in equal measure by his loyal, long-suffering butler Alfred. That basic lore is so universally well known at this point - and so indelibly part of western culture, even prior to the cinematic domination of superhero movies that the last two decades have seen - that it is genuinely debatable who is the more famous icon - The Batman, or Jesus Christ. Given that Batman's indomitable fame actually carries more tertiary information than Jesus's in its wake, (not to be sacrilegious, but I'd wager that the average man of the street could probably name more Batman villains than they could Apostles of Christ,) that put Telltale in a curious position. No one want's to play a Batman game that doesn't focus on The Batman himself, but the lore of The Batman is so known, it presents an story-telling conundrum.Should Telltale stick rigidly to the existing lore - play it safe, but run the risk of the narrative being entirely unsurprising only retreading tired ground - or take a risk, make their own mark and change that lore to fit their ends - a minefield in itself, given how many previous attempts and examples there are of others stumbling when doing the same? The solution they landed on was... sort of half and half.Batman: The Telltale Series does deviate from the existing "standard" lore to some extend - most notably in the lore of certain villain / antagonist characters (The Penguin, Harvey Dent, and Selina Kyle,) but retains the primary lore of Batman and Bruce Wayne fairly whole-cloth. Oddly, this retained lore invites the one really irksome aspect of the game - the constant reinforcement of known lore. It is less of an issue as the story goes on, but in the first couple of episodes, there are a number of different points at which the writers take pains to explain to the player about Batman's parents being murdered, or about his relationship to Alfred. Once might be forgivable - just to fill in the last person on earth who doesn't already know this stuff - but the three or four times they lean on it is really a bit much. It is incredibly redundant, and in a game where narrative is the focus, and lacking action to bear some of the player engagement, it slows the game to a dull crawl. Explaining this in a Batman game, would be like a character explaining how lego brinks can stick together in a Lego game. We know already! What the game does do though - pretty successfully - is not so much change the character of The Batman, but simply concentrate far more heavily on certain aspects of the character than in most other media. Here, the symbiotic dichotomy between The Batman and Bruce Wayne, for example, is far more intricately explored than in other videogames, and actually, more so than in a lot of film / TV and even comic book versions do. This Bruce Wayne is certainly the rich, eccentric playboy he usually is, but this time he is atypically heavily involved with, and considered more shrewd within, the world of Gotham politics. The Wayne "persona" is not simply a mask, hiding the identity of The Batman, who's actions make all the difference in Gotham - this Bruce Wayne is affecting political influence and change, even as The Batman persona enacts his, and so the dynamic between the two personas is where the narrative finds purchase. Telltale's hallmark "chose between two bad choices" dilemmas are lent a lot of their weight from that duality: the player often has to consider not how a choice will affect things for both Wayne, and Batman - and they are not often directly aligned. It works generally - and while the overall narrative does have its ups and downs - including a pretty drastic drop in pace (and, curiously, writing quality,) in the middle chapter, Telltale do manage to create a tale that feels unique to their own series, yet fits - approximately - within the majority of the existing canon. The narrative flows pretty well, and while not every story beat is all it could be, the overall arc is relatively satisfying, and always interesting enough to keep driving the player forward. I played the game when it was fully available, with a back-to-back episodic marathon, and thought it was a good tale. I'd imagine that if I had played each episode months apart, as originally intended, I would have been happy to come back each time, though not necessarily ravenously anticipating each release. In terms of visuals, I think it's fairly safe to state that Batman: The Telltale Series is the best looking game in the Telltale engine. It's an engine that was pretty tired by this point - it does not run particularly well - prone to long stuttering pauses between scenes, and occasional clipping / hitching issues - however, the artistic style - a dominant greyscale-and-red palette, and strong, crisp-lined character models - look really good. Certainly as compared to some of the more sketchbook styles of The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, or the rather pedestrian look of Game of Thrones. It's not a visual style served terribly well by the ageing tech - it cannot be overstated just how clearly the Telltale engine was struggling and desperately in need of a tune-up by this point - however, the fact that this series has less reliance on comic timing, and more focus on style than a lot of Telltale's output, meant that papering over the cracks was a little easier here. Audio-wise, it's an... interesting one. I actually think there scoring is pretty good in a vacuum, however, Batman comes laden with baggage, not least of which is the epic scores different filmic and television treatments have had. The score here does little to measure up to those, so while it is perfectly adequate, it does fade pretty quickly from memory, in a way the Danny Elfman scores of the Burton films or the Animated Series don't. It's fine, but can't really compete in the field with so many historic heavy-hitters having already tilled that ground. Voice work has a similar issue - most characters are good - I like Selena Kyle / Catwoman in particular - and Troy Baker does the Batman voice fairly well, but it's a performance that is simply "good" and never great. With iconic performances like Kevin Conroy to measure up to, simply "good" doesn't really cut the mustard. I actually think it's probably one of Troy Baker's least impressive roles in videogames - he's a voice actor with incredible range and genuine acting chops, and while he never gives any real clunker lines, it's a pretty pedestrian performance from a guy who has proven himself - time and again - to be capable of so much more. Overall, Telltale's Batman series is a good yarn, but not necessarily a peak - either of Batman in videogame form, or of Telltale's signature style. It has some stand-out parts (notably the visuals, the tone, and some of the writing,) but it is let down by the ageing tech, and lives in the shadow of Batman's other glories. That it succeeds modestly, however, is perhaps a feat in and of itself. Telltale's biggest hurdle with this game was simply that there have been so many Batman games over the years - many of them great, and all of them action games - that telling a narrative-only Batman tale could be tricky. The Batman of videogames is a man of action, and of few words. Telltale are a developer of no action, and only words. While there are some issues with Batman: The Telltale Series, very few of them are down to a mismatch of developer and IP - and that is kind of impressive... ... considering just how mismatched - at least on paper - the two are. The Ranking: There are currently two "modern" Telltale games on the ranking - The Walking Dead Season 1, and The Wolf Among Us - and while visually Batman: The Telltale Series is certainly the superior of the three, I do think it has to rank lower than both. The writing is fine, but never quite engages like either of those games do. For all that the Bruce Wayne / Batman dichotomy lends weight to the decision-making, it never comes close to the emotional stakes of The Walking Dead, and as much as the narrative plays well within the existing Batman lore, it never feels as smart or singularly realised as The Wolf Among Us did. Combine that with more pedestrian voice work, and Batman: The Telltale Series falls the lowest of those three Telltale joints. Looking further down then, we are considering narrative adventure fare from other genre staples. That means two developers primarily - Quantic Dream, and Supermassive. The two Quantic Dream games on the list - Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain - are both flawed products to some extent (not least of all in the writing,) however, both have their high points - namely visuals, cinematic story-telling, style, and in the case of Detroit, some of the performances and most of the emotional investment. Emotional investment is probably the kicker here actually - for all that Batman: The Telltale Series does right, the one really lacking area as compared to most other Telltale fare is the lack of engagement of the heart. Batman: The Telltale Series is an intellectual exercise, as opposed to an empathic one - playing it is purely cerebral, never emotional. While its writing does sometimes elevate it quite far above both Quantic Dreams games, that emotional detachment means it doesn't really push that superiority home, and the technical, visual and auditory side falters in the face of Quantic Dream, keeping it lower than both games. Supermassive's two games on the list - Until Dawn and Hidden Agenda have a pretty big delta between them. Until Dawn, with its visual flair and tonal consistency keep it above Batman: The Telltale Series, however, as flawed as Telltale's game is, it is still investing to some extent, and makes narrative sense, so it certainly places higher than Hidden Agenda. While Hidden Agenda does have its interesting multiplayer element, the fact is the story doesn't work, which removes a lot of its positives. All its good elements are built on an un-solid foundation - its story is fundamentally dull, uninteresting, and often nonsensical. In between then, I'm looking for narrative games, and two one that jumped out right away: Hazelight's A Way Out, and Dotnod's Twin Mirror. A Way Out a game with more technical finesse and markedly more gameplay variety and better visuals, however, its narrative is much less engaging, and its voice acting and music less interesting across the board, and I think Batman: The Telltale Series has to rank higher. Twin Mirror has a lot of the same issues, but to a lesser degree, and actually, the voice acting in Twin Mirror is better than A Way Out's, though still inferior to Batman: The Telltale Series. However, the writing, while sometimes ropey, fares better. It was a tougher one, but I think Twin Mirror has to hold its spot. The actual narrative might be a little more flabby than Batman: The Telltale Series', but Twin Mirror is doing a bit more that is original. Its visuals are vastly superior, and I think its full cast of characters are a little more interesting, and a little more engaging, despite some clunky mechanics or bone-headed narrative beats. It's a close call though, so I feel like placing Batman: The Telltale Series in the spot just below it is the fairest thing to do. Doodle God / Doodle Devil Summary: A couple of curious little iOS games from Joybits, originally released in 2010 and ported over to the PS Vita in 2013, Doodle God and Doodle Devil are very much re-skins of the same premise, and so can be reviewed in tandem. Essentially a modernising of the old DOS game Alchemy - both Doodle God and Doodle Devil present the player with various basic elements (Fire / Earth / Water etc.), which they combine with screen-taps and drags to create new components, object, elements and concepts. These new creations can be continually combined and re-combined with the existing elements and with each-other, creating further and further strains of creations, as the player (as either the Doodling God or Doodling Devil,) fills out a magical book of creation/ destruction. Essentially, the gameplay is about as basic as one can get. Completing the game is simply a case of completely filling out the books - by puzzling out every possible combination, with progress staggered simply by categorisation of elemental sub-classes. As most of the best iOS games are, both Doodle games are fairly frivolous little things - unlikely to tax the player too much, or demand a huge amount of their time, but that's not to say they are poorly made or unworthy. Actually, there is quite a bit of satisfaction in using logic, or knowledge of chemistry / physics, to reason out which elements will combine to make new ones, and why. In some ways, the Doodle games tap into the same sense of satisfaction that something like Scribblenauts plays in, however, here, that satisfaction is purely academic - there is no puzzle to solve with the combination discovered, finding the combination IS the puzzle. The fun of logically parsing out which elements should and could combine is, of course, is a double edged sword. Where the game is most satisfying is where a new elements makes perfect sense - fire and water, for example, make energy, and combining energy with wind makes a storm. Sensible. However, some of the more esoteric combinations can feel a little tenuous. Earth and Egg makes... dinosaur? Really? The occasional logical controsionism required can result, later in the game, in the player just having to try elements at random, hoping something will work... though even these solutions can be fun to see, or to reason out once found. There is a hint system added - working on a cool-down timer- though for the trophy hungry, players may need to avoid it, as one trophy in each game requires the player to complete the games without availing themselves of it. The presentation of the games are certainly minimal - each element is shown in symbolic form, and the whole game is presented as a very simple, (though nicely drawn,) parchment book. The symbols are pretty - drawn in a sketchbook style, and, on Vita, the games have imported the colourful iOS sheen we've come to expect of that platform. Controls are fine - tapping and dragging on the vita screen is functional, though admittedly, never quite as responsive or satisfying as on an iPad / iPhone. In the case of these games though, where speed and accuracy are of no great import, they work just fine. Audio is extremely minimal - there's a kind of odd, humming ethereal "score" under the game, but nothing much more - and I suspect that makes sense. These games are not likely to be played with the sound on, but rather as a little distraction while doing something else - watching TV, waiting for a bus etc. - and they have just the kind of gentle brain involvement to satisfy in those circumstances, without fully absorbing the player for hours at a time. Overall, both Doodle God and Doodle Devil are fleeting, frivolous little games, but ones nicely presented, easy to digest, and satisfying for the few hours each takes for the player to complete them. They are hardy likely to take up much time, or to tax the brain much, but as a time-waster on a train journey, or at a bus-stop, (or , as I recall in my case, waiting for a chopper to take me off an oil rig,) one could do a lot worse. The Ranking: For similar reasons to Artifex Mundi games, Doodle God and Doodle Devil are not going to be tickling the top end of the ranking, as they are - by design - light, easy-breezy things, meant to gently engage, rather than consume their customers. Artifex Mundi are probably the right developer for comparison actually - while the genre is different, and Doodle God / Doodle Devil don't have anywhere near even the basic narrative hooks of an Artifex Mundi joint, the gentle satisfaction of reasoning out the puzzles is a similar mood and mind-frame Artifex Mundi satisfy. The better Artifex Mundi canon still hold their places - the puzzle variety and light narratives and visuals mean AM games have more meat - however, I could see myself being more excited to play a New Doodle game than some of the weaker Artifex Mundi joints, so I looked at those on the ranking with the aim of finding the point at which Artifex Mundi's spectrum of quality crossed the path of the Doodle games - where their fare slipped to simply retreading, and didn't have enough of a narrative hook or variety to beat them out. That crossing point feels, to me, to be between Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders, and Dark Arcana: The Carnival.Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders is a pretty lacklustre effort, but has just enough puzzle variety to keep its place. Dark Arcana, however, has too many Artifex Mundi flaws, and not enough variety to hold its spot, and so both Doodle God and Doodle Devil (which will place side-by-side) place higher than it. The only game in-between is lacklustre match-game Gem Smashers, which I would happily replay both Doodle games before replaying, and so it also moves down, and Doodle God and Doodle Devil find their spots - with Doodle God faring the better f the two, simply by virtue of having less of the "What the heck?" logic leaps of combinations in it's elemental gameplay. Portal 2 Summary: Puzzle games don't have deep or engaging narratives. That's not always true, of course, but it is the common understanding. It's a stereotype, and therefore reductive and prone to exceptions, but like most stereotypes, it isn't born out of thin air. The truth is, there is a reason the stereotype exists. It is broadly correct. In puzzle games - even the great puzzle games - generally the narrative is fairly minimal, and what story there is is passive lore rather than active narrative. A puzzle game may create a background reason for the game world existing, and for the player traversing its byzantine labyrinth - but the "active" story is that of the player themselves - their own path through the game is the tale. Because of the cerebral nature of the genre, and the staccato pace of progression, (gated by the player's own understanding and reasoning of the problems presented,) direct, filmic, 'straight' narratives are pretty rare. I've written about a fair few great puzzle games, and even the ones where narrative is a somewhat major component, that narrative is often purely lore-based, with the player's journey to uncover that lore being the primary narrative arc, (The Witness, The Swapper, Outer Wilds etc.) There is nothing wrong with that style of narrative (indeed, two of those games are in the current top 5 on the ranking!) but the salient difference between those, and say, the more cinematic narrative of an action game like The Last of Us or Uncharted, or even a Call of Duty campaign, is that while those games have lore that is fascinating and wonderful to discover, a non-gaming friend would likely not be particularly engaged if simply watching the player play the game. The narratives alone do little. They do not flow with filmic or cinematic pacing, and are contingent on the gameplay to find purchase in the player's mind. More so than other genres, with puzzle games, there is generally little scope for enjoying the narrative if divorced from the gameplay. That assumption - that puzzle games are not required - or indeed, expected - to have robust, linear narrative elements was, in fact, utilised and weaponised to great effect in the original Portal. When that game released, (in 2007 as a seemingly innocuous little add-on to Half Life 2, rounding out Valve's "Orange Box",) it presented players with what seemed, at first, to be a simple little physics-based tech demo of a clever idea. The fact that there was a narrative at all - that the neutral-sounding, stern-but-fair female voice guiding the player through the early game would turn out to be a monstrous villain, and the game a nightmarish prison/ tomb - was a surprise. The fact there was a narrative was a twist, and the strongest card in the games' story-telling arsenal. It worked absurdly well. Not purely because of that bait-and-switch narrative - the gameplay was, as in all Valve products, honed to perfection, and the puzzle quality and difficulty pitched sublimely well - but arguably the most memorable part of the original Portal, the part that really set the fanbase abuzz and wowed critics, was that narrative reveal. Or rather, the reveal of the existence of a narrative. When Valve came to make a sequel to Portal - this time not a small, simple add-on, but a fleshed-out, full-length product in its own right - that weaponisation of genre expectations they had used previously could easily have gone from an asset, to a noose around their necks. You can't do the "bait-and-switch" twice. Everyone expected a narrative this time, and the mere fact it would have one would not have impact. That put Valve in the difficult position of creating a videogame that this time required a narrative to satisfy the fanbase, in a genre usually unsuited to supporting one. Expectations are a funny thing to try and manage. A company can try and change or manage expectations ahead of time - pre-release footage and materials need to be pitched to ensure players do not expect something totally different to the final product, as that almost always ends in tears. (Just as the developers of We Happy Few...) However, lowering expectations was not an option for Valve in 2011. Their output up to that point spoke for itself, and no gamer of any stripe expected anything less than greatness form the developer of Half-Life, Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress. When you can't lower sky-high expectations, you really only have one possible path to success... ...as hard as it is to do, you have to meet them. Valve, of course, didn't. Instead, they exceeded them. Portal 2 is FABULOUS. The mechanical gameplay is certainly an evolution of that on show in Portal. As in the original game, Portal 2 is very much playing in the "Single Mechanic/ Multiple Uses" stream of puzzler. There is never really any points where the player is required to learn a new set of mechanics - the ability they have at their disposal is the portal gun, and its operation remains the same throughout the game. However, the puzzle evolution does introduce new ways for that mechanic to be used at a relatively steady clip. Puzzles are not "grouped" per se - this is not a case of the player being given a series of laser puzzles, followed by a series of bridge puzzles, followed by a series of gravity manipulation puzzles the way some puzzle games are structured. All mechanics are dispersed across the whole narrative, however, the game does an excellent job of keeping the player learning new ways to make use of their unique ability throughout. If the player is presented with a simple puzzle involving, say, creating an infinite hole to fall in, followed by a quick fire change in portal position, resulting in firing Chell across a long distance, that mechanic will inevitably be used again in future, but there is no knowing when. It is up to the player to remember all the tricks they learn, and evaluate each new puzzle armed with all that prior knowledge in mind, to establish when to best use each solution. All of these mechanics work incredibly well - there is never any instance of a solution feeling like it "might" be correct, if only enacting it were easier or less fiddly. If a solution is correct, it feels as natural as hitting a switch. If it feels just out of grasp - there IS a better way. So solid are the mechanics, that the player can quickly learn this, and feel completely confident that the game will always give them the feedback they need. The game does the work to instil that confidence, so the player never has to worry about anything more than solving the puzzle as designed. The pitch of puzzle difficulty is also, quite simply, masterful. In a game like The Witness, where there is an open island, and puzzles can be approached in different orders, the player has the luxury of abandoning a puzzle that they cannot solve at the time, and coming back later. That is a luxury for the developer too. They don't necessarily need to concentrate quite as hard on finessing their difficulty curve, as there are always options available to their players. In a linear, room-based puzzler like Portal 2, however, that luxury does not exist to the player. They have to solve the game, in a set order. That means the developer has more tools at their disposal in terms of gating progression, (they know, for example, that the player has to have reasoned the solution to an earlier puzzle, when crafting a later one and can tap that knowledge,) however, it is also a potential problem. If a single puzzle is pitched too high, the player simply cannot progress. They will be stuck, without options for alternate paths, and could potentially feel disheartened, and give up. That problem is one more linear puzzle games than I can count fall victim to at some point. The fact that it really never feels like one in Portal 2 can be no accident. It is the result of an incredible, pain-staking attention to detail and extreme finessing of the core mechanics and the drip-feed, steady curve of compounding information throughout the game. Almost without fail, every puzzle room in Portal 2 hits the Goldilocks spot - feeling tricky enough to make the player feel smart when they solve it, but never esoteric or convoluted enough to make them feel stupid until they do. The puzzles feel satisfying, but never stultifying. The player never feels patronised or under-estimated, not do they feel crushed or too far out of their depth. When they solves a puzzle, they feel happy and ready for the next one, rather than exhausted. When they are stuck, or confused, the solid mechanics and general balance of the game is such that the first thought is never "I need to look at a guide". Since none of the solutions ever feel wildly complicated when solved, and always follow a perfectly simple, logical rule set, the player always has the utmost confidence that the solution is right in front of them... they just need to reason it out, and spot the chain of events that are the solution. Keeping that kind of knife-edge balance over a game as long as Portal 2 is - and with as many puzzles as Portal 2 has - all without the safety net of multiple paths or player choice is an astounding feat. The narrative, as said above, this time is not a secret. This time it is front and centre, and works incredibly well. Chell (the protagonist from the original game, who was dragged back into Aperture Labs and put in suspended animation by an unknown figure at the finale of the original game,) is awoken during a calamity within the facility by an affable, inept "Personality Core," (a floating, spherical, utility robot,) named Wheatley. (voiced brilliantly by Stephen Merchant.) As the pair try to escape, they accidentally reactivate Chell's old nemesis and matriarch of the facility - the sinister Robot GlaDOS. Essentially a robotic dominatrix with a sadistic psycho-sexual relationship with meaninglessly testing subjects until their inevitable doom, GlaDOS quickly resumes her old role - testing Chell as she did in the original game - as Wheatley attempts to wrest control of the facility from her in his inimitably bumbling way. Without going into spoilers, the narrative continues to evolve and morph, bringing in various other characters, (either via immediate contact, or recorded messages,) from disgruntled former Aperture employee Rattman, Aperture founder Cave Johnston (voice to perfection by JK Simmons,) his assistant / lover Caroline, a defective, space-obsessed Personality Bot voiced by Nolan North, and myriad amusingly homicidal/ clumsy turret-bots. And it works. Considering the game is required to ebb and flow with the pace of the player's understanding, the story is remarkably well paced and plotted - feeling like a genuinely well structured tale, which is cohesive, smart, interesting... and most importantly - and surprising - genuinely funny. Portal 2 is not simply cute, or whimsical, or jovial - it is genuinely one of the funniest narratives in videogames. Partly owning to the writing, and partly owing to the vocal performances, there are dozens and dozens of genuine, laugh-out-loud jokes and moments in the game - more than almost any game that isn't directly marketed as "comedic"... and, frankly, more than a lot games that are. Puzzle games tend to suffer in the replayability factor, simply because once the solutions are learned, they can be tough to un-learn. For all that I love The Witness (and Lord knows, I do,) I have not replayed it since finishing it, as I have to wait for my own memory to atrophy, so I can rediscover the solutions. That's not necessarily a slight - the same is true for virtually all puzzle games, where replaying them is contingent on forgetting the solutions. With Portal 2, however, That is notably and atypically not the case. Despite knowing most of the puzzle solutions inside out, I have replayed the game multiple times, simply because the narrative and the comedy work so well. In fact, in preparation for this write up, I fired up the game for a refreshers... and ended up playing the entire game, start to finish... Twice. Whether it's listening to Wheatley's bumbling incompetence, mixed with his baffled self-confidence, or walking through the old sections of early Aperture Science, hearing Cave Johnston talk about his role in founding it, or listening to GlaDOS's malevolent dialogue as the matriarch (or, latterly, her exasperation when she is unceremoniously cut down in size, and ends up running on a potato-battery!) the whole game is blisteringly good, and endlessly replayable, even without the gameplay hook of solving puzzles for the first time. It's worth noting at this point - as great as the narrative is in Portal 2, the mechanics are such that an entire second campaign - this time a couch-co-op one, exists within the game, and while it lacks most of the narrative hooks, it remains a very enjoyable game. While I have returned to it less over the years (obviously, finding a couch co-op partner is more difficult than playing alone,) and don't necessarily feel like its absence would in any way lessen the overall product (the lengthly single-player campaign alone is well worth the price of admission,)it is still a very welcome add-on, and allows for the versatility of the mechanic to be furthered, into a multi-player environment. Visually Portal isn't exactly the most varied of series - part and parcel of the Aperture Labs setting is that everything is broadly of the same aesthetic by design, though the design elements of that aesthetic are cool and distinct. There is significantly more aspects to the visuals than in the first game too. The first had the modern, slick labs, and the disused, scabby areas behind the veneer that the player could access if really exploring. Portal 2 has the same - and with the longer narrative there is, of course much more to both - however, there is also a significant amount of additional aesthetic styles woven in. Because the labs are falling derelict, plat life that has grown through some areas, and crumbling architecture makes for more distinct sections. When Chell dives deep into the older sections of the lab, there is significant milage added to the narrative by the visuals - sections of the early labs, rendered in a 60s style, then 70's then 80's as she moves through the evolution of the facility and newer areas bolted on over decades, provide welcome deviation in the aesthetic, as well as clear narrative via stylistic story-telling. Audio in the game is superlative. Music is very well used, and while general play is mostly silent, save for the ambient, echoey sounds, or GlaDOS or Wheatley's lines, all of this is absolutely top notch. As said before, the voice work is really remarkable - getting voice work right is a task in and of itself, but getting actors to consistently hit comedic beats, without human faces to provide flavour, and have them work is even harder. In Portal 2, I can honestly say I don't think a single line that is played for laughs ever misses the mark - and there is so much of it that despite numerous replays, I am consistently hearing lines I missed before, and laughing. Overall, Portal 2 is, quite simply, a remarkable example in a hugely underserved genre. Puzzles form a part of almost all games, but in terms of the actual "pure" Puzzle genre, I personally feel all fall into 5 broad categories: The Open-Situational puzzlers, of which The Witness represents the pinnacle. The Puzzle Platformer, who's top echelons are stacked, but probably most notable among them is Braid. The Abstracted Arcade Puzzler, with its ever-ruling monarch Tetris. The Freeform Mystery Puzzler, of which Outer Wilds is undoubtedly the new king... ...and then there is the Narrative Action Puzzler. It is the most under-served of the spectrum - probably the most difficult to craft, yet also the most accessible to the non-puzzle-weirdo - and so really, they belong to a genre that should be far more prevalent than it is. When they do come along, they really stand out... ...and within that stand-out genre, if Portal 2 isn't the top of the tree, I simply cannot fathom what else even could be. The Ranking: We don't need to play around here - Portal 2 is playing right at the top end of the ranking. Its closest peers are already very highly ranked - fellow kings of other Puzzle strains, Outer Wilds, and The Witness. In terms of cinematic narratives, Portal 2 does run away with the medal. In terms of solid mechanics, also, it is probably the superior of those 3. The issue, really, is that all three are superlative, but play to different strengths, in slightly different streams of the puzzle-game spectrum. Outer Wilds has its fascinating lore and supreme mastery of player engagement through mystery and exploration. The Witness is a treatise on puzzle-solving and logic in itself, and both a fascinating, mysterious exploration, and an abject lesson for the player in how to approach logical reasoning and problem-solving writ-large. Portal 2 takes the puzzle-game, and adds cinematic language, and comedy, to create arguably the most digestible perfect-puzzler ever made. We are playing at an insanely high level here, and so a lot of it comes down to taste. I do feel like, despite the fact I have replayed Portal 2 more than both other games, the emotional impact Outer Wilds had on me, and the intellectual impact that The Witness had cannot be ignored. Portal 2 is potentially one of the most perfect games ever made, however, The Witness is the lower ranked of the two (relatively, of course!) and it actually altered how I approach life, not just games, so it probably holds its spot. Portal 2 cannot fall further than that though. As much as I love the next game down - Immersive Sim extraordinaire Prey, I do have to concede that while Portal 2 is more linear, that is immaterial. The advantage of choice and variability is the increased replayability of a game... and while Prey is more variable by a long shot, I have replayed Portal 2 more often. Given that it is playing with more a linearity handicap, that has to mean something. As such, Portal 2 must rank above Prey... and so it finds its deservedly high placement! So there we have it folks! No Bonus games this batch - they'll follow in the next one! Thanks to @grayhammmer for making a request! Hitman 3 remains as 'Current Most Awesome Game'! LA Cops stays as the worst-of-the-worst, with the title of 'Least Awesome Game' What games will be coming along next time to challenge for the top spot... or the bottom rung? That's up to randomness, me.... and YOU! Remember: SPECIAL NOTE If there are any specific games anyone wants to see get ranked sooner rather than later - drop a message, and I'll mark them for 'Priority Ranking'! The only stipulation is that they must be on my profile, at 100% (S-Rank).... and aren't already on the Rankings! Catch y'all later my Scientific Brothers and Sisters! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Batman: The Telltale Series I can't tell which I love picturing more, the point where somebody was like "Drop the 'the,' just Batman, it's cleaner," or Batman remarking "I'm more popular than Jesus right now." I could definitely see this game buckling under the sheer weight of how many times this has already been done better (especially if there's a lot of "As you know, my parents were murdered when I was a child" type dialogue). I'm glad it's far from being without merit, but I've never found myself thinking of this as a must, and you've pretty much confirmed it. Quote Doodle God / Doodle Devil Quote Portal 2 I know you do this alphabetically, but this was the right one to go last. Portal 2 be like "let's have a round of applause for my opening acts!" Fantastic read! One thing you talk about that I'd completely forgotten is that the game is surprisingly funny! Admittedly I didn't even get terribly far into the game - I played it with a friend for maybe three sessions and we were possibly the teensiest bit inebriated each time but it was so absurdly fun. Yeah. I really do need to dig this lil guy back out. He deserves more (and so do I?)! A fine write-up as always, Doc. As they say, you're doing the Lord's work! Edited May 20, 2022 by YaManSmevz Forgot to delete the space above Doodle God and gave him a big ass fivehead 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 20, 2022 Author Share Posted May 20, 2022 2 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I know you do this alphabetically, but this was the right one to go last. Portal 2 be like "let's have a round of applause for my opening acts!" Fantastic read! One thing you talk about that I'd completely forgotten is that the game is surprisingly funny! Admittedly I didn't even get terribly far into the game - I played it with a friend for maybe three sessions and we were possibly the teensiest bit inebriated each time but it was so absurdly fun. Oh man - it's so worth it - when you get to the section where you are moving through different ages of Aperture, hearing Cave Johnston's insane ramblings, about what he hoped to achieve, and how Aperture became what it became - and what it was supposed to be - it's comedy gold, and a total lesson in how to tell stories through art-style. Just magic - and JK Simmons is so damned good - they really couldn't have possibly cast that part better! ??? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 On 20/05/2022 at 3:38 PM, DrBloodmoney said: I think the forum software limits, plus my slower pace now that work life is heating up, means I might have to think about cutting batches to 3, rather than 5 in future Sounds like an increase in amount of juicy posts before you run out of your completed games and a decrease in the amount of time in between posts. What's not to like? On 20/05/2022 at 5:49 PM, DrBloodmoney said: Hello Science-Rosses and Science-Rachaels Can I get a Science-Phoebe in a Science-Rachael's body please? Are you taking those types of requests? On 20/05/2022 at 5:49 PM, DrBloodmoney said: it is genuinely debatable who is the more famous icon - The Batman, or Jesus Christ. Fully agree. The Apostles all got a chapter in the New Testament, right? As someone who knows quite a bit about names in different cultures, it seems to be a pretty solid rule of thumb that if you are Christian, Caucasian and are from Gen X or older, your middle name is one of the Apostles. Try it out. I give it a rate of >90%. Batman is SUPER well known. Western pop culture is dominated by Superman/Batman/The Avengers, Star Wars and Harry Potter. Even if you haven't seen those movies, you know the main few quotes, the character's names and traumatic experiences, the twists etc. On that note: On 20/05/2022 at 5:49 PM, DrBloodmoney said: I actually think it's probably one of Troy Baker's least impressive roles in videogames ...imagine thinking: "I've made it. I'm a household name. I'm the biggest name in video game voice acting. AND! I'm about to play Batman. I'll give it my 50%." On 20/05/2022 at 5:49 PM, DrBloodmoney said: Portal 2 is potentially one of the most perfect games ever made Oath. On 20/05/2022 at 5:49 PM, DrBloodmoney said: As such, Portal 2 must rank above Prey My tipping was off by four points; I had you pegged for pushing this one up to 2nd place! Our opinions are in sync with this one 100%. The changing aesthetic at just the right moments, the degree to which the comedic value repeatedly delivers, JK Simmons and Stephen Merchant's performances, the Goldilocks increase in difficulty and the length of each puzzle. Awesome. Please tell me that Mrs BloodMoney loves the co-op. Mrs Vice and I have completed the co-op three times. I didn't think Glados could be topped from Portal 1 but Wheatley is riotous. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 22, 2022 Author Share Posted May 22, 2022 (edited) Quote Fully agree. The Apostles all got a chapter in the New Testament, right? As someone who knows quite a bit about names in different cultures, it seems to be a pretty solid rule of thumb that if you are Christian, Caucasian and are from Gen X or older, your middle name is one of the Apostles. Try it out. I give it a rate of >90%. It works on me, for what it's worth! ? Quote Batman is SUPER well known. Western pop culture is dominated by Superman/Batman/The Avengers, Star Wars and Harry Potter. Even if you haven't seen those movies, you know the main few quotes, the character's names and traumatic experiences, the twists etc. On that note: ...imagine thinking: "I've made it. I'm a household name. I'm the biggest name in video game voice acting. AND! I'm about to play Batman. I'll give it my 50%." I snorted Vimto into my nose when I read this - well done sir! ??? Quote My tipping was off by four points; I had you pegged for pushing this one up to 2nd place! Our opinions are in sync with this one 100%. The changing aesthetic at just the right moments, the degree to which the comedic value repeatedly delivers, JK Simmons and Stephen Merchant's performances, the Goldilocks increase in difficulty and the length of each puzzle. Awesome. Ah, it's just so damned good. Part of me did think about shoving it up - The Witness and Outer Wilds ended up being the blockers for me personally for the reasons I mentioned, but the one aspect that Portal 2 has them both beat on (well, one of the aspects,) is that, for the average gamer who isn't a Puzzle Wierdo, Portal 2 is almost assuredly the most accessible puzzle game ever. Not because it's easy, but because it's got that robust story, the humour, the ease of actual mechanical input... and it flows so well - it's the puzzle game for people who don't love puzzle games - or at least, think they don't love puzzle games! Quote Please tell me that Mrs BloodMoney loves the co-op. Mrs Vice and I have completed the co-op three times. I didn't think Glados could be topped from Portal 1 but Wheatley is riotous. Word. You know - sad to say - but my missus never got on with the Portal 2 co-op. She dug the idea, but when I played that back then, she was still relatively new to games, and getting the right timing on the controls to do the quick-fire changes in direction and stuff meant she ended up getting more frustrated than she probably would now... ...and now, she doesn't get so much chance to play. ... I actually played the entire thing with my sister, who grew up on games more, (and who is also a puzzle weirdo like myself!) and we had a hell of a time - she ended up getting a Steam account just to play the single player campaign afterwards! Edited May 22, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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