DrunkenEngineer Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 Platinum #49 - Batman: Arkham Asylum (October 21, 2023) Trophy Statistics The Good 10 year old me would die to play this A perfect blend of exploration, licensed comic book assets, and exceptional voice acting Rocksteady hit it out of the park with the combat system The Bad Still runs at 30FPS on PS5 The model remastering of Batman and others was really unnecessary - the work of the original SKU is far superior This game has it all. Fantastic combat, Saturday morning cartoon vibes, and atmosphere out the wazoo. Batman: Arkham Asylum is the perfect comic book game. I was a huge Batman nerd growing up; I had all the action figures from the 1989 & 1992 movies and playing this game back in 2009 was an awesome punch to the face. Revisiting it in 2023 has been a (trick-or) treat! While the sequels improved on much of the gameplay, adding new gadgets and combat moves, I found the open world stuff a bit extra. Arkham Asylum is absolutely perfect in that regard; not too big, not too small. There are only a couple of missable trophies that are easy to track. The biggest trophy trap is needing to play the game on Hard, and not doing so from the start. On another platform I did the whole game on Normal, with all Riddler collectibles, and had to do it all again on Hard. So don't do that. At least the combat challenges are locked to Normal difficulty (which includes the counter prompts) so they are much more approachable than some of the campaign fights on Hard. It's tough coming up with comparisons to others titles, because Arkham Asylum started so many trends that have become industry-standard. Without Arkham Asylum there would be no Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or Mad Max. An absolute must-play. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 13 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Platinum #49 - Batman: Arkham Asylum (October 21, 2023) Fuck yeah!! Dude I loved your musing of how you would've loved this as a kid, I 100% relate. We're around the same age, we both remember Batman on the NES... and then all the dogshit we got to play for however long after😄 I was a grown ass man when I played Arkham, and STILL had that sense of taking the game with me wherever I went, making equivalents to the game in my daily life (when I'd get busy at work I'd liken myself quickly moving from making a cocktail to greeting a guest to changing a keg, etc, to being Batman jumping from foe to foe🤣), and just generally lost in eagerness of when I'd get to play it some more! Sorry, I think I got some drool on your floor there. I also did the first playthrough on the wrong difficulty thing😂 but oh well, just meant more Batman to play! Awesome review, homie👊 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 18 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Dude I loved your musing of how you would've loved this as a kid, I 100% relate. We're around the same age, we both remember Batman on the NES... and then all the dogshit we got to play for however long after😄 Hey now, Batman Returns on the SNES was pretty damn good! But agreed, the Sunsoft NES Batman was fucking awesome. I still have the continue/game over theme music rattling around my brain! I picked up a circa 2014 post-game save of Arkham City over on yonder Steam and holy balls...the amount of collectibles are staggering. That's going to be a "pop on a guide on the old ipad and crack open some beers" marathon clean up session. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 3 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Hey now, Batman Returns on the SNES was pretty damn good! But agreed, the Sunsoft NES Batman was fucking awesome. I still have the continue/game over theme music rattling around my brain! 😂😂😂 You're right! Don't know how I forgot that one. Yeah that soundtrack was boss as shit🤘 3 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: I picked up a circa 2014 post-game save of Arkham City over on yonder Steam and holy balls...the amount of collectibles are staggering. Yeah that's what makes me hesitant to jump into it, in spite of the unanimous praise. 3 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: That's going to be a "pop on a guide on the old ipad and crack open some beers" marathon clean up session. Well, when you word it like that.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 22 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: It's tough coming up with comparisons to others titles, because Arkham Asylum started so many trends that have become industry-standard. Without Arkham Asylum there would be no Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or Mad Max. An absolute must-play. You've taken the words right out of my mouth. I also throw Insomniac's Spider-Man in there too, which played like a combination of WB Games' combat and the PS2 Spider-Man 2. 22 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Arkham Asylum is absolutely perfect in that regard; not too big, not too small. Yes! This was my favourite Arkham game. City started to collapse under its own scope. 22 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: and exceptional voice acting ... but I'm out in the lonely cold in a party of one for this opinion: only Mark Hamill is good here. Not having grown up with Kevin Conroy, this was my first experience with him as Batman, and he sure is a boy scout in the Arkham games (and that's not how Batman should be!). Harley Quinn is horribly grating... can still hear her calling me "B-Man." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Platinum_Vice said: ... but I'm out in the lonely cold in a party of one for this opinion: only Mark Hamill is good here. Not having grown up with Kevin Conroy, this was my first experience with him as Batman, and he sure is a boy scout in the Arkham games (and that's not how Batman should be!). Harley Quinn is horribly grating... can still hear her calling me "B-Man." I could have elaborated further and we would be largely in agreement. I was thinking of Hamill and Conroy's performance with that praise. The rest, I agree, are pretty forgetable. The game literally feels like Batman The Animated Series - The Game with those two performances. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted November 21, 2023 Author Share Posted November 21, 2023 Platinum #50 - Alan Wake II (November 1, 2023) Trophy Statistics The Good The best cold open in videogame form The film scenes are well produced and polished Major True Detective Season 1 vibes at the beginning Story/world/characters carry the whole thing The Bad Survival horror gameplay that's rather mediocre compared to its peers Respawning enemies and bland combat Dual protagonists leads to pacing issues Everything about this game is stunning except for - you know - the game itself. Alan Wake II is an ambitious sequel that continues Remedy's trajectory of making wholly unique games. This is a game I can confidently say I'd not played before, but would I state with certainty that it is the best game Remedy has made? On a whole, yes. However, it is not a linear improvement over their previous titles in every aspect. The gameplay has shifted from the bombastic, telekinesis-frenzy of Control and Alan Wake to something that feels like a poor man's Resident Evil or The Evil Within. Guns feel weighty, but slow which can be frustrating when fighting the twitchy and fast Taken. There will be lots of fiddling in the inventory and wasting time running back and forth to the storage chest and other minor miscues that some will find deeply annoying and pace ruining. The gameplay here is totally in service to the story and environments; Alan Wake II survives solely on its vibes. If you take great pleasure in the constant tie-ins to a greater Remedy Universe, the subtle nods to characters we lost (RIP Lance Reddick), and just the sheer dripping atmosphere of it all, Alan Wake II is going to treat you well. Further story discussions risk delving in to spoiler territory, but a comparison can be drawn to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - lots of misfires in the actual gameplay that are completely overshadowed by the amazingly crafted and well-loved complete package. If nothing else it's fair to say Remedy Entertainment poured their entire soul into this title. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Mep Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) On 10/23/2023 at 6:08 PM, DrunkenEngineer said: Hey now, Batman Returns on the SNES was pretty damn good! But agreed, the Sunsoft NES Batman was fucking awesome. I still have the continue/game over theme music rattling around my brain! I picked up a circa 2014 post-game save of Arkham City over on yonder Steam and holy balls...the amount of collectibles are staggering. That's going to be a "pop on a guide on the old ipad and crack open some beers" marathon clean up session. For me it's the title screen music from Return of the Joker on NES. No idea why that stuck with me but it did haha Edited December 12, 2023 by Super_Mep Typo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 On 12/5/2023 at 7:15 PM, Super_Mep said: For me it's the title screen music from Return of the Jokern on NES. No idea why that stuck with me but it did haha Hmm, I've not played that one. But if it's like most NES games we all visited the time screen a ton after our one billionth game over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 (edited) So...what's that old saying? Make a plan and God laughs? After Alan Wake II - which was my 50th platinum milestone - I really wanted to work Red Dead Redemption in as my next milestone. I adore the game and I have a lot of fond memories playing it on X360. Having no PS3 it has eluded me until it's recent port, which was recently made all the better with some much needed technical improvements. Oh, looky there! I was at 2912 trophies on my profile. Let's do some quick math. 52 trophies for RDR, that leaves 36 trophies to be squeezed in beforehand and I could make the RDR platinum my 3,000 milestone! Oh, looking good! Hmm...what in my library or on my wishlist has exactly 36 trophies...none other than God of War Ragnarok! This will be perfect. *cue giggles from the Almighty* So with the Ragnarok DLC just releasing which 12 additional trophies that plan is obviously not going to work if I wanted to sandwich a complete list before RDR. Oh well! I think I'll press on with getting the Ragnarok platinum, then RDR, and come back around for the Ragnarok completion. Generally I like to do all of a list at once if possible, but them's the breaks! Edited December 12, 2023 by DrunkenEngineer grammar 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Mep Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 2 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Hmm, I've not played that one. But if it's like most NES games we all visited the time screen a ton after our one billionth game over! Yeah ain't that the truth. That game was tough as nails so definitely came back to the title screen a lot. Plus it predates password systems so always have to start over. How funny that you found a game that had exactly the amount of trophies you need and it's not a garbage game to boot! Seems like a logical plan. You can't control DLC trophies so whatever! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 New year, who dis? I came up with a bunch of little goals for myself in my gaming space for 2024. Folks here know that I game (and by extension, achievement/trophy hunt) on multiple systems. It's a lot of fun. But...I have a tendency to plan and overthink things too much. Between making lists of games to play or planning out milestones, it can be honestly distracting from what's really important here: playing videogames. That being said, I've adopted a new mantra for 2024. Less time thinking, more time playing. If I find myself fucking around with my spreadsheet too much, go boot up a game. Browsing PSNP or Steam Hunters and getting wistful about other's profiles? Go boot up a game. Got 30-45 minutes free and you start watching trophy guides on youtube? GO. PLAY. A. GAME. So this? On 12/12/2023 at 11:01 AM, DrunkenEngineer said: So...what's that old saying? Make a plan and God laughs? After Alan Wake II - which was my 50th platinum milestone - I really wanted to work Red Dead Redemption in as my next milestone. I adore the game and I have a lot of fond memories playing it on X360. Having no PS3 it has eluded me until it's recent port, which was recently made all the better with some much needed technical improvements. Oh, looky there! I was at 2912 trophies on my profile. Let's do some quick math. 52 trophies for RDR, that leaves 36 trophies to be squeezed in beforehand and I could make the RDR platinum my 3,000 milestone! Oh, looking good! Hmm...what in my library or on my wishlist has exactly 36 trophies...none other than God of War Ragnarok! This will be perfect. *cue giggles from the Almighty* So with the Ragnarok DLC just releasing which 12 additional trophies that plan is obviously not going to work if I wanted to sandwich a complete list before RDR. Oh well! I think I'll press on with getting the Ragnarok platinum, then RDR, and come back around for the Ragnarok completion. Generally I like to do all of a list at once if possible, but them's the breaks! Yeah, fuck that. I'm almost done with the trophy list for God of War Ragnarok and it's an absolute delight. Why would I want to pull myself away from it just to ping some arbitrary milestone on a trophy website? If I notice I'm close to a profile milestone, sure, maybe go ahead and take a beat and see if a little manipulation looks good. But 75+ trophies or 10 platinums away? What are you doing? That mental energy could be much better spent, you know, actually playing games. So, I have no "goals" per se for 2024. Besides the new mantra. Less time thinking, more time playing. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrunkenEngineer Posted January 13 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 13 Platinum #51 + DLC 100% - God of War Ragnarok (January 12, 2024) Trophy Statistics The Good Lunda is a great addition to the cast Story beats resonates well with an older gamer like me Sheer quantity and quality of realms is staggering Combat continues to be raucous and the Valhalla DLC leans in to that The Bad Unexpected crafting missables, mild inventory bloat What can I saw about this that others haven't said better than I? God of War Ragnarok is a game that should not be missed. It is everything I love about modern Sony first party titles: outstanding polish, fantastic graphics, and compelling gameplay. Playing this was an absolute delight, even being someone who's familiarity with the series started (and stopped) with the 2018 title. Rumors are rumbling that the original PS3 titles will be getting remastered and released on the modern console, and as someone without access to them yes, sign me up. We see Kratos receiving a new weapon, an expanded cast of accomplices, and a more robust equipment system. The latter felt a little unnecessary to me, but it wasn't all that intrusive as I played on Give Me Balance and rarely had an issue with combat so I could largely forget about optimizing builds. Though, the Lunda's Lost Armor set practically carried me through the game. I discovered a bug with crafting materials where at a certain point the low level "beast scraps" (needed for your companion accessories) just stopped dropping. Not a huge deal given that Kratos is the bread and better damage dealer, but irritating nonetheless. The Valhalla DLC is modeled as a roguelite, with apt comparison to Hades in that it's narratively focused, foremost. We learn more of Kratos' background in the previous games, his motivations for why he did what he did, and how he grapples with that. And once the story is complete there is just an excellent combat-focused gameplay loop that can keep junkies coming back over and over, with plenty of things to unlock and progress past the trophies. The casting is excellent (especially Thor and Odin) and there is some real heart tugging commentary about the nature of family and relationships. The concept of aging and penance are prominently featured. This had a profound personal impact; are these games growing up with me? I'm about to hit the big 4-0, and sometimes I have a moment of reflection and go "am I too old to be playing videogames?" And then something like this comes around, and I am assured I am not. These folks leading the development of the game are likely around the same age as me, hitting the same struggles and milestones as I, and that is being reflected directly in the stories they choose to tell. How does a 19 year old feel about playing God of War Ragnarok and seeing the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, or Thor and Thrud? Having not played the Insomniac Spider-Man titles, perhaps those resonate more with the younger demographic? A day after completing the list I still get misty eyed thinking of certain story beats and cutscenes, and hope I'll be able to revisit the series soon. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Platinum #52 - Red Dead Redemption (February 5, 2024) Trophy Statistics The Good Westerns - The Video Game (tm) My absolute favorite open world to explore and get lost in Reserved selection of minigames Smart, mature commentary on American Expansion and its effects The Bad The missions are pretty bog standard Rockstar affair - drive car (ride horse) somewhere, listen to exposition, kill some dudes, ride back to town Rockstar 3rd person control schemes sucked in 2010, still suck now Videogames are more and more becoming nostalgia trips for me and Red Dead Redemption was a particularly meaningful and personal game upon release in 2010. I had just bought my house and was starting to feel like a grown up. One of my first splurges when I felt a little more financially secure was the Game of the Year edition of RDR for the X360 and just got completely, utterly lost in it. This unlocked my appreciation for latter day Western media such as Unforgiven, True Grit (Coen Brothers version), and of course Deadwood. Back before achievements and trophies were even on my radar I played this game multiple times; I wanted more and more time with John Marston, even attempting a playthrough where I deliberately finished the various side missions in the post-game just to experience the different dialog. Having missed out on the PS3 after my console switch to PlayStation this game has always, always, always been on my radar. The completion on last-gen looked daunting with the multiplayer and thankfully (controversially) this PS4 port excised that aspect in its entirety. Also I appreciate that this wasn't a remake or a remaster, and pretty much the entire original game assets were preserved with some smart modernizing features. The attention to detail and graphical fidelity of Red Dead Redemption still holds today, showing how a "less is more" approach to art direction can make certain game presentations utterly timeless. There a couple of completely rotten trophies in the game that I was rather resistant to earning. "Manifest Destiny" was particularly sad, and I remember back on the X360 playthrough I perused that list and said "uhh...John would never do this" and moved on. I saved some of those for the post game, where those in the know would understand why. The rest of the trophy journey is relatively straightforward and nowhere near the time investment that the sequel expects. The real piece de resistance is Undead Nightmare. It totally drips of the late 00s/early 10s craze of zombie games (looking at you Left 4 Dead) and of course this being Rockstar it is not a cheap fad cash in. The same level of polish and attention to the main game was applied to this non-canon DLC. I had completely ignored playing this mode in 2010 so this was the most surprising treat of my revisit. Nothing like looting the bodies of the undead horde to feed my blunderbuss for maximum gibbing! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 5 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Yes... YES... YEEEESSSS! 5 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: The missions are pretty bog standard Rockstar affair - drive car (ride horse) somewhere, listen to exposition, kill some dudes, ride back to town Y'know, I've never had an issue with this... I don't mind it. Fair substitute for a cutscene and probably better than just teleporting to the location. What do you think? 5 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: I played this game multiple times; I wanted more and more time with John Marston, even attempting a playthrough where I deliberately finished the various side missions in the post-game just to experience the different dialog. 🤯 5 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: The attention to detail and graphical fidelity of Red Dead Redemption still holds today, showing how a "less is more" approach to art direction can make certain game presentations utterly timeless. Yeah, there was no "remake" needed to be honest. It would have been unnecessary. It's great as is. 5 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: "Manifest Destiny" was particularly sad, and I remember back on the X360 playthrough I perused that list and said "uhh...John would never do this" Yeah as an Australian I didn't know what that term meant when I played RDR. I looked up how to get the trophy and got curious by some of the responses, so I looked up what Manifest Destiny meant. Odd that a trophy provoked that research into real history. 5 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: I had completely ignored playing this mode in 2010 Oh yeah that would have been a treat! Glad you liked it. Great review as always mate! Loved it. 👊👊 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 12 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Platinum #52 - Red Dead Redemption (February 5, 2024) Fuck yeah, dude! 12 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: I wanted more and more time with John Marston, even attempting a playthrough where I deliberately finished the various side missions in the post-game just to experience the different dialog. Damn.. I never even thought of that! Smart move! 12 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Having missed out on the PS3 after my console switch to PlayStation this game has always, always, always been on my radar. Same! Literally one of the reasons I ponied up for a used PS3😂 12 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: There a couple of completely rotten trophies in the game that I was rather resistant to earning. "Manifest Destiny" was particularly sad, and I remember back on the X360 playthrough I perused that list and said "uhh...John would never do this" and moved on. I really liked this observation, because it is depressing! "Good job, you killed em all... dick." 12 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: The real piece de resistance is Undead Nightmare. It totally drips of the late 00s/early 10s craze of zombie games (looking at you Left 4 Dead) and of course this being Rockstar it is not a cheap fad cash in. The same level of polish and attention to the main game was applied to this non-canon DLC. I had completely ignored playing this mode in 2010 so this was the most surprising treat of my revisit. Nothing like looting the bodies of the undead horde to feed my blunderbuss for maximum gibbing! Yessir!! It's funny now to think of how oversaturated that market got around that time, but damn if this one had no trouble standing out😎 Awesome shit, my dude! I'm definitely putting off my RDR write-up now, I really don't wanna have to follow the both of you😅 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 9 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Y'know, I've never had an issue with this... I don't mind it. Fair substitute for a cutscene and probably better than just teleporting to the location. What do you think? I didn't really have an issue per se (and I was mostly grasping at SOMETHING negative to say), it just becomes very apparent that Rockstar has a formula across all their games when you've sunk hundreds and hundreds of hours in to the catalog. On my X360 play throughs I never fast traveled and never teleported to the mission locations. Old me now listened to all available dialog and hit that skip button! 9 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Yeah as an Australian I didn't know what that term meant when I played RDR. I looked up how to get the trophy and got curious by some of the responses, so I looked up what Manifest Destiny meant. Odd that a trophy provoked that research into real history. 2 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I really liked this observation, because it is depressing! "Good job, you killed em all... dick." Yeah, that one really bothered me. And coming off the whole questline with Nastas and the coked out Ivy League eugenicist it was pretty depressing! 1 hour ago, YaManSmevz said: Awesome shit, my dude! I'm definitely putting off my RDR write-up now, I really don't wanna have to follow the both of you😅 I mean, following this jumble mess of anecdotes isn't really a hard sell. Vice's write up, though...good luck! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrunkenEngineer Posted March 23 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Platinum #53 - Evil West (March 23, 2024) Trophy Statistics Corny 3rd person brawler/shooter in the God of War vein by the devs who did the Shadow Warrior modern titles. It has a pretty stupid story but the gameplay is extremely satisfying. Perfect for myself in that it is very linear, with easily snagged collectibles. Awesome gadgets, fantastic monster designs, but disappointing in there are 2 playthroughs required. Do not go for the Evil difficulty playthrough first as that trophy can bug out; save it for NG+. That difficulty can be pretty draining as it is mostly a test of dodging and patience as everything is a mega bullet sponge. If you want to just blow up nasty monsters and vampires with Electropunk Weird West gadgets this game is any easy recommend! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrunkenEngineer Posted April 20 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 20 (edited) Platinum #54 - Rollerdrome (April 19, 2024) Trophy Statistics My teenage rage at being terrible at Tony Hawk haunts me in to my middle years. Rollerdrome is a unique shooter/sports hybrid that apes an alt-1970's post-apoc "Running Man" death derby...vibe. The campaign features arenas and challenges with the object being to clear the waves of house players to get to the next stage. Ammo for your 4 weapons is replenished by stringing together combos and scoring points through flips, grabs, rotations, and grinds. A typical loop of "shoot dudes, skate past, pull a sick 720 backbreaker flip off the half pipe, skate back, shoot more dudes" is basically the whole game. It's refreshingly simple. This one took me a bit to "get", but once it did I was hooked. Challenge modes I always find particularly stressful but the inclusion of an assist mode - which doesn't lock out trophies - made this pretty enjoyable. As a personal challenge I made it through 90% of the campaign un-assisted, but had to flip them on for the last two maps which were pretty tough! And the entire NG+ campaign, I didn't think twice about leaving on the assists. I thought I was hit with a nasty bug where the hardest challenge in the game wasn't registering as complete for me, but it turned out to be a skill issue. This is a short completion clocking in at 12 hours for me (with 3 hours lost to the above skill issue) so it's a quick one and a firm recommend! Edited April 20 by DrunkenEngineer formatting 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now