Kill Your Completion 16

[AuroraHistoire]

Accounting Terms can make decent Sexual Innuendos. - Dragon Audit

  

 

Dragon Audit is a game I found while browsing sales on the PSN store. The title and the art drew me. I took a look at the screenshots and got a "deep indie" vibe. I got the feeling this was 1 person's passion project. I counted 10 names in credits that were not testers, special thanks or language translators. I had the feeling I would enjoy my time spent playing Dragon Audit but my expectations were set low. I did spend a little extra for the deluxe edition that has the DLC. The DLC doesn't add any content to the actual game and instead adds a artbook and some other niche bonus features plus 3 PSN avatars. I spent about 30 minutes flipping through the rather large digital artbook (I really like artbooks) but didn't touch the other features. 

 

I had no idea what genre Dragon Audit even was before even playing the game. It is a 3D third person point and click game. You control either George or Ayraw and all they can really do is walk around and interact with objects or talk to people. Their is a sprint button but the light jog the characters do by default felt fast enough; I found the sprint button by accident on my third playthrough. The camera is controllable but as a few issues. There is no option to invert the X-axis and it kinda sucks to be in the small minority that likes the X-axis inverted. There is no Y-axis control at all but the game is built around it. The camera by default will forcefully center itself behind the player character the second you let go of the right stick; It can be reduced or even turned off in the settings and I suggest doing that. The camera has a tendency to also let you see through walls and inside your character, especially in tight places. The point and click gameplay consists of picking up anything that is not nailed down and using those objects on the right object or person to progress the plot. Occasionally you need to combine objects together to make a new object. The point and click gameplay is used to progress the story and make you explore the world. They give you lots of clues on what you are supposed to do and your objective is always very clear. There is also no moon logic. There are a few other puzzles that are not much of a challenge and some even give the option to make them easier. The only hard-ish puzzle is the wire connecting mini game where you draw a line from one point to another while avoiding stationary obstacles. The controls feel a bit slippery but it doesn't become hard until the third board. There is a easy path and a hard path; the easy is still a challenge while the hard path leaves very little room for the slightest mistake. There is a trophy tied to doing the hard path and my heart rate was very high by the end of it. 

 

The story and dialogue is the heart and soul of Dragon Audit. Ayraw is a very lonely (and horny) half dragon, half human. She is unwelcome in society due to her dragon half. She lives in a castle with her only roommate being a bratty princess. The only visitors she gets are knights that try to kill her on sight; she is forced to kill them in self defense. Ayraw is a half dragon seeking love. George is a social outcast for a mistake he made 10 years ago. He works as an accountant and is a bit of a accounting nerd who takes their job seriously, tho will still make the occasional joke. George is promoted to venture outside into the wild, outside the safety of the massive city walls, to audit Ayraw. It is basically a death sentence and he was chosen because he is the most expendable. You are allowed to say no but you'll be forced to play a janky dragon themed pinball game, a fate worse than death. Fast forwarding a bit, George enters Ayraw's castle and George is allowed to audit Ayraw because Ayraw heard Audit as "a date". 

 

The game is really strong when it is just George and Ayraw together. Ayraw is doing her best to flirt with George or making dirty jokes most of the time, while George is more serious and trying to finish the job so he can go home. George does warm up to Ayraws feelings and likes her back but he can't really be with her since magical anything is not allowed in the city and dragons are especially a no no. Dragon Audit has wholesome, emotional and touching moments but the majority of the game goes for a more comedic tone. A lot of the side characters are quirky and many are quite memorable with very little screen time. There are a few 4th wall breaks and a lot of meta humor. 

 

The weakest aspect is defiantly the games visuals and presentation. The 2D visuals are pretty good but are mostly used for menus, flashbacks and the skybox. Everything else is a 3D model and the quality is a bit all over the place. George and Ayraw look the best and everyone else has a dip in quality but still decent. Matt is the only character that looks horrible. A lot of the environments feel a little empty and could use some decorations to feel more lived in. There was never any money in the budget for voice acting of any kind. Characters will change their expression between lines (like most visual novels) and will sometimes have a bit of animation. The animation is good 9/10 times. The facial expressions can be pretty over the top and quite funny to look at. The music is pretty chill to listen to but none of the tracks really stand out. 

 

Dragon Audit is not a very long game. It is about two hours long if you play the game normally. It is theoretically possible to do a full trophy run in under 40 minutes, but it will probably take 2 playthroughs for most people. There is a trophy for speedrunning the game in under 40 minutes. As long as you remember what to do and skip through the story, it is not very difficult. My run was pretty sloppy, I didn't use the sprint button, and I played two quick games of pinball during the run and still got the trophy. I suggest having a chill playthrough where you get all but 1 of the trophies and enjoy the story; then you can speedrun the game for the last one. 

 

Dragon Audit was a very positive experience for me. I was not expecting for the game to be as good as it is, but I was not expecting a whole lot. Dagon Audit is not for everyone but it was for me.  

[Arctic Cress]

Game #1 - Nexomon: Extinction

Time played: 4.5 hours

Trophies: 12/57 (19% - D)

 

Nexomon: Extinction is a newer indie game that basically takes most of its inspiration from the Pokemon series. The game starts as you would expect it to, with your character stuck to an airship about to crash and a bunch of characters cursing your name for betraying them or something, except that whole thing is apparently a dream and you wake up to start your first day as a Nexomon tamer. One thing you'll notice if you've played Pokemon is that in those games, the story mainly takes a backseat through most of the adventure. Nexomon puts its plot to the forefront and makes it a lot more compelling to continue the adventure. So far I've completed four main quests and there's already a bunch of mysteries within the world that I probably have only scratched the surface of. The game is also very built on its meta based humor, as many characters will break the fourth wall or comment on the absurdity of their situations - and it works really well, as it has definitely made me laugh on more than one occasion. Your player character is a silent protagonist like you would expect, so the developers had another character follow them throughout the game to provide a lot of the more humorous lines.

 

The battle system is a simple turn-based affair with a little different way of using attacks. Each Nexomon has a Stamina bar (starts at 100 and increases due to level ups and evolutions) and each move uses a different amount of stamina for its attacks. More powerful attacks or certain support moves (such as heals) use more stamina. This can be problematic as it's very easy to use a lot of stamina in even one battle with other tamers or wild Nexomon, but there are enough ways to full heal, including stones that you can break to give you a free full heal littered among the game's areas. I still needed to use items in a boss battle early on, though, so it has its share of difficulty!

 

Speaking of difficulty, the AI in this game is much smarter than I've ever seen any Pokemon trainer ever do - while most attacks are still random, opposing tamers will read the typing advantages and status effects on the field and switch Nexomon out if they feel it will provide a better matchup. It's a welcome addition as the game would seem a bit too easy otherwise. The game does dynamic leveling as well, so the levels of the wild Nexomon level with you, so it's always easy to find places to gain EXP, which will probably be needed early on. At the moment though I haven't needed to grind since the early portion of the game. Wild Nexomon are not random encounters, thankfully - they only appear on shaking grass, of which there's usually about three points per map that cycle as your character moves. Almost every tamer I've seen can also be easily avoided, but given there's a trophy for beating every tamer in the game twice it might not be a good idea to avoid them!

 

Just a few other things I've encountered that I've enjoyed here - all Nexomon that evolve have their level requirement listed in the database after you've caught them. No more looking through online databases to find that your Nexomon doesn't evolve for another ten levels or so. All Nexomon can equip four cores, which have different effects such as increasing the EXP or money dropped, or boosting certain stats in battle. One core also allows a Nexomon to gain EXP when not even participating in the battle, and I have three of those on different Nexomon in my current party. Finally, the actual Nexomon can be hit or miss depending on how you think these new monsters look. I'm definitely a fan of my electric chicken Chirrent, who despite being an uncommon Nexomon, has been one of my frontline Nexomon from the beginning and really helped out on some of the earlier fights. Shame he doesn't evolve until level 32 but it barely matters since he's still easily one of my best fighters.

 

I have enjoyed my time in the Nexomon world so far and will probably continue playing this one throughout the month and until I get the platinum. After seeing how lazy Game Freak was with Pokemon Sword and Shield I skipped those games completely, so I haven't played a Pokemon or similar game in a while and this game seems like it is definitely one that I would like to delve into.

 

Starting completion: 74.24%

Current completion: 74.20%

Difference: -0.04%

 

Not much of a difference here as I completed another game on my trophy list in Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa, another PQube published game just like Nexomon: Extinction (and also a much worse game overall from what I've played of each). With only five games to start I don't think my completion will drop too much, but I will find out soon enough!

 

Next game: I haven't decided yet, but I think I would like to break up the RPGs so it will probably be Kentucky Route Zero or Streets of Rage 4 next.

[purgta]

Silent Hill 3

 

 

Silent Hill 3 is a third person survival horror game that was originally released on the PS2. I played the HD collection and had a few issues with it this time around. I kind of regret playing the PS3 version first but as it was my only way of playing it, I had no other choice. Examining items seemed to skip text sometimes and the sound occasionally felt off. The game centres around a teenager named Heather and it does not take long for things to turn strange.

 

This is a direct sequel to Silent Hill 1 and you really kind of have to play the original or you will not understand the plot at all. I played the first just before this and I found it really helped. The game has a lot more linear world than the first two entries. It is less walking through foggy streets and more moving directly from level to level for the most part. You do still explore those areas in a similar fashion to earlier games though.

 

The enemies in this one are a lot more fluid in movement than earlier games but this makes them really annoying to fight. Where the combat in older games felt very stiff, it also felt more strategic in how you handled them. The enemies feel like damage sponges here. Some enemies repeatedly knock you down and it gets old fast. The fall down animation is hilarious the first few times though .Boss fights are way better here though. They were absolutely terrible in 1 and 2.

 

The story is fine. I prefer the more personal journey of 2 but 3 was still a lot of fun. I am complaining a lot but I did have a lot of fun. Heather is probably my favourite protagonist in the series although I did prefer the story of James in 2 more. Graphically it looks great and still holds up. The things I enjoyed are a bit spoilery so I cant really get into them.

Edited July 7, 2021 by purgta

[voodoo_eyes]

7 hours ago, purgta said:

Silent Hill 3

 

 

 

 

I never played any other Silent HIll gfame (besides a little bit of the Vita one), except SH3. I also had a good time with it, and the only annoying part was the framerate and the crashing. The latter I managed to fix somehow so it wouldn't happen again, although I can't quite remember how I did it.

I stil hope they remake these games somehow at some point.

[willythom88]

 

Accidentally posted the review twice, sorry about that

 

Edited July 9, 2021 by willythom88
Review posted twice

[willythom88]

DOOOOD!

Disgaea 1 Complete Final Review

 

 

 

As far as JRPGs are concerned, this has been a pretty good year for me.  I finished my first Tales of (Hearts R, specifically) and then I went out and bought 4 more of them (Xillia, Berseria, Zesteria and Abyss) just on the basis that I really liked Hearts.  I've been playing through Persona 4 and Bravely Default II (alternating to not get bored with either).  And now, I can add Disgaea to my list of games I need to play.  Because I genuinely love this game.

 

Disgaea tells the story of Laharl, who wakes up to find his father, the Demon Overlord of the Netherworld, has died.  He is on a quest to take his rightful place as the new Overlord, along with Etna, Flonne and other characters.  The story is kind of basic, but the dialogue is genuinely hilarious a lot of the time.  There's also some interesting plot points I'm excited to see play out, especially given how good the cut scenes are.  Normally, I hate the style of cutscene where character portraits just pop up but aren't animated during dialogue, but here I think NIS did a fantastic job making the portraits diverse enough it doesn't feel quite as stagnant.

 

The game is a strategy RPG, which for the unaware, means there is a grid your character moves on.  Think South Park: The Fractured But Whole , but much more complicated.  You move on your turn, and your position is just as important as what attacks you choose to do on your turn.  However, the game introduces things like being able to throw allies and colored stones that effect the environment.  Some enemies are at heights your characters can't reach through normal means.  This requires picking them up with another character, and throwing them to the enemies location in order to attack that enemy.  The colored stones are also really interesting, as they change your stats, enemy stats or even rewards depending on the space on the map you and the enemy are.  For instance, a blue stone might be set to Invincibility.  This causes a checker board of blue spaces to appear on the board, and anything standing in them won't take damage.  Compared to some other SRPGs I've played, like Arc the Lad or Jeanne D'Arc, this is a really impressive amount of depth in terms of environmental factors to consider.

 

You'll need to get a good grasp on the games various systems, including making new allies, and the item world.  More specifically, the item world allows you to enter a series of randomly generated levels inside of items in the game.  You can actually do this to any item in the game (as long as it's not currently equipped) and this allows you to raise the stats for that particular weapon.  This is crucial to your success, as the game is kind of difficult, so grinding is very helpful, and this is a good place to do it early on.  Just make sure you make it to level 10 of whatever weapon or item you are leveling through.  Otherwise, you'll leave and all stat boosts you have received will revert backwards.

 

Speaking to the grinding, it's very easy to grind considering every level is available to you as soon as you beat them.  I've repeated the first few worlds a couple of times, and it's help level even my weakest of characters to the point where they can mostly hold their own.  Making characters requires leveling them from level 1, even if Laharl and your other fighters are much higher up.  I personally am using the tutorial level to help me level characters a bit easier, as low level characters die very quickly.  Fortunately, I'll be able to level a bit more effectively in later chapters.

 

When it comes to complaints, I really only have two.  The lesser is the soundtrack, which feels very limited.  I know there's likely a lot of songs, but they all sound very similar to one another.  My other problem is the camera, which is isometric, and locked into 4 different view points.  I don't mind the isometric view, but because the environments are 3D, it's very easy to get a character behind a wall.  Because you move the cursor across the grid space by space, this can make it kind of annoying locating and actually interacting with the character.

 

Trophy wise, this game is kind of a beast.  From what I can tell it's not hard, just very, VERY grindy.  Thanks to the simple nature of building stats though, this shouldn't surprise anyone who gets into the game.

 

Story - 8

Graphics - 8

Gameplay - 9

Music - 5

Camera - 7

Trophies - 8

 

Score - 8

 

 

Up Next - Hatoful Boyfriend

Edited July 9, 2021 by willythom88

[Lodbizarro]

Game #1 Review

Spider-Man: Miles Morales

So I finished this game a few days ago but things prevented me from reviewing it until now so here i go. Some of you might remember when I played and reviewed the remastered version of the first game for KYC 14 I believe that was my favorite game that session the story, the visuals, the gameplay I enjoyed it all. Well I'm glad to see that with MM that still remains in fact it seems that Insomniac has even improved on the aspect I liked the least in the first one which was the combat. While I still got my face kicked in a few times that was mainly on me sucking then unresponsive commands or skills not always activating also the mobs felt more manageable then the first game also no offense to my boy Pete but Miles just got better abilities that made and encounter better to handle. While the game is not long I managed to finish it in 2 days though to be fair I was just focused on the main story I thought the story was well told I felt engrossed in Miles life I loved the parts of Harlem we got the see as well as the Puerto Rican influence in his household it was a real cultural treat also loved his interactions with his two best friends. Honestly the story had me and I'm not afraid to admit I teared up a few times throughout. Honestly my only complaint or Con I have is that I'm not sure this should be a whole full priced game with it's short playtime it honestly seems more like DLC then a full experience but if you could find or catch this on sale for like $30-40 you would definitely get your money's worth. Insomniac never lets me down and I'm glad I started this off with MM as this was a great game to get me warmed up for the rest of this month and looking forward to the next game on my list.

 

Rating 8.5/10

Playtime about 15 hours

Trophies 14/50

Completion 19.1%

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Lodbizarro

[AuroraHistoire]

A Game where you Ride your Teammate - Gensou SkyDrift

 

I guess Gensou SkyDrift is like Mario Kart: Double Dash but instead of driving a car, your chosen characters take turns being a hoverboard and the rider. Gensou SkyDrift is a "kart" racing game featuring characters and locations from the Touhou cinematic universe. 

 

The gameplay is very simple while having a high skill ceiling. You accelerate with circle and hold X to drift. The tracks have a lot of yellow rings that you want to got through for a speed boost and to fill up you magic energy. The most tracks are designed in a way that you will be drifting every other second. The drifting feels really good. You will feel fast while feeling like you are in total control. There are a total of 20 tracks. Some of them use similar visual themes but they all have unique layouts. 

 

The item system in this game is unique. There are no item boxes but you get items by storing magical energy from rings until you reach level 1 or 2 charge, then pressing R1 to roll for a item. There are roughly 18 items (officially called spell cards) but they all either fall under the category of a speed boost, a attack that will spin out a opponent for .8-2 seconds or something to defend you from attacks. In my experience attacks and speed boosts are common while defensive items are rare. The difference between level 1 and level 2 are the item pools; level 1 items are good while level 2 items are more powerful versions of level 1 items or a 3 pack. Most of the items are balanced, require skill to use well and not instant win buttons. There is one bomb item with the blast radius of a city block that is annoying. 

 

Character switching is a thing and can be done at the press of a button if you have a bit of magical energy. You get small speed boost after a switch. There are a total of 22 playable characters and you can combine any 2 you want. Characters have 6 different stats that affect how they handle as a board. Speed is a character top speed while not boosting. Air is just top speed without boosts while in the air. Boost determines the strength of boosts from any source. Drift is how well a character drifts. Mass is the stat that effects collisions with other racers (pretty much useless since collisions are rare). Last is the spell stat that affects how fast the spell gauge builds up. The only stat I really notice making a big difference is the drift; high drift characters can make tight drifts while characters will bad drift have a harder time. Every character has a unique special, called Last Words, that is activated like a item when you have magic at level 2 and the Last Words bar is filled. Last Words can be pretty powerful but fill up very slowly (depending on the track, you'll get between 0-1). 

 

There are 3 different games mode. There is a campaign mode with 2 different campaigns with a story. The story is complete lunacy and is just a excuse for the races to happen. You need to finish both campaigns to unlock everything. They are pretty short and took around 50 minutes to clear (I did lose a hand full of times). There is a versus mode where you can play against the Ai, play locally or online. I never found another person to play with online. Last mode is Free Run that is basically time trails where can play against your ghost. 

 

The trophy list is simple and pretty quick to get through. You need to beat both campaigns, play all maps in versus mode, play Free Run then play it again to beat your ghost. You need to win a race against a level 5 AI; level 5 AI is hard but with a decent amount of skill and luck you'll get it pretty quickly. The hard part is finding someone to play with to get the 4 online trophies. 

 

I had a lot of fun with Gensou SkyDrift. The racing is very fun. There where a couple times when I was writing this that I went to play a race to confirm something and I ended up playing 6. There a some minor issues with the collision and the physics can be a bit jank sometimes. There where a few time where I fell of the track but got stuck on the edge for a few seconds. The music is also very good. There were a few music tracks that I liked so much that I might buy the soundtrack on Steam. I would recommend the PC and Switch versions over the PS4 version since there is crossplay on those versions and you are statically more likely to find someone to play with online. 

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #2 - Yakuza 3 - Final Impressions

 

 

Time played: 7h

Triohies earned: 6/45

 

 

I've gotten to Chapter 6, but I can't really say I've played too much of the game, as it really only seems to start around Chapter 5. Until then it's mainly introduction and filler.

 

Visually it looks mostly pretty good, even though it's the ps3 version. Some character models are the exception though, as there are definitely a few that look pretty bad.

 

This is another one of those games, where the main story is voiced (japanese only) and the rest is just pop-up text.  I can't say for certain, but I think a lot of the voice-actors from 3 are also represented in 6.

 

In any case, this game has been less enjoyable than the 6th one. There have been too many forced mini games you need to participate in, and constantly being stopped for pointless fights has also been quite annoying. One of those mnigames was a golf game. I'm sure me disliking golf didn't help, but making me play like 3 holes to progress the story, is time I won't ever get back.

 

The combat is what I expected. Punches, drop-kicksm throwing and beating enemies with random items was nothing new to me. One thing that seemed new, was that apparently you can craft weapons in this game. There's also an awkward first-person view to take pictures (which may unlock new comabt moves), and to find collectibels.

 

There's also plenty of other stuff to do as usual with these types of games. There are side quests, and a ton of minigames. i have only been sticking to the main story though.

 

This one ia a 6/10 for me.

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #3 - Splinter Cell HD

 

Developer : Ubisoft

Publisher:Ubisoft

Genre: Stealth

 

 

I've recenlty noticed, that I've been playing a lot of Ubisoft games. Guess I can add another on to the pile.

 

I remember playing this game on PC back in the day, an I also remember not liking it very much. I did enjoy Blacklist though, so maybe now going back to this one I have a little bit more fun with it.

 

I don't remember too much of this game to be honest. Just that the protagonist is dressed in black with night vision goggles and a silenced pistol. THere also was a lot fo climbing, hanging from things and general being sneaky.

 

Honestly not too excited about this one, but hey I'll try it ?.

[purgta]

Tales of Graces f

 

 

Tales of Graces f is an action rpg released for the PS3. I have not gotten too far into it but I am enjoying it so far.

 

Combat seems fun so far but as I am still in the early sections I don't know if things change. It seems to be a bit more complex than some other Tales of games I have played. Not in a bad way either. I can see myself enjoying it a lot as things progress. The combat seems to be very popular among Tales of fans.

 

The story starts off in the main characters childhood. You start getting introduced to the other party members from the cover of the box when you are all younger and getting foreshadowing of what will probably happen later on. This section was a lot longer than I was expecting but it feels like it was necessary. I have no idea of the overarching plot yet. The opening cinematic when you launch the game seems to be slightly spoilery so I would probably not watch it if I was starting it now.

 

The graphics look fine. It is definitely a PS3 game but it does not look bad. About the only thing I dislike is the main characters outfit. He looks like an Elvis impersonator. Spoiler is just an image.

 

 

 

 

It feels like a preview more than a review but I enjoyed what I have played so far. Tales of the Abyss is probably my favourite in the series so far and I hope this one stacks up well.

Edited July 12, 2021 by purgta

[AuroraHistoire]

I Saw No River in this City - River City Girls

 

River City Girls has been on my radar for a while because it looked cool. I knew that WayForward made it and they usually do a very good job; I especially liked Double Dragon Neon and Mighty Switch Force. I didn't notice the River City part of the title was part of the River City series (not even sure if that is what that series is even called) until a week ago. I played River City Ransom for like 10 minutes years ago. 

 

River City Girls is a 2D-ish beat 'em up. You play as Misako and/or Kyoko. I say and/or because the game has local co-op and you need to beat the game with a friend (or another controller) for a trophy. The story is about the two going all over town to search for their kidnapped boyfriends and beating everyone up who gets in their way. River City girls is also part RPG where you'll gain experience points and level up for completing quests and beating people up. There is a stat system where you'll improve as you level; I never noticed much of a difference. You'll also learn new moves when you level and unlock some that can be bought at the dojo. The world is connected and there are stores to buy equipment and healing items at. Using a healing item for the first time will give a permeant stat boost. 

 

The combat is very simple for better or worse. Square is a simple light attack. Triangle is heavy attack. Circle is for a special attack that uses some special meter to use. For heavy and special attacks, the direction you hold down influences what heavy or special attack you use. That only causes problems when trying to revive the other player. What is worse is that the button to pick up weapons and use weapons is the same as the light combo. There where many times where I would pick up a weapon by mistake and when I tried to throw it away, it bounced off something and hit me. Your defensive option is a block that it is also a parry if you press it the second a enemy attacks. The block is okay but I rarely used it since enemies have unlockable attacks and hit stun is just long enough that you can't use it to interrupt most enemy combos. 

 

I had a interesting time playing River City Girls. I made the brilliant decision to play the game on hard in co-op with friendly fire on, for my first playthrough. I didn't have anyone to play the game with so I was playing both characters at once, kind of. It was mostly me just dragging the second player along and using them as a distraction or to revive me. I did play as both Misako and Kiyoko through my run; they both play fundamentally the same but have some slight differences in their move sets. I died a lot during my playthrough. So much that I had no money during most of the playthrough. When you die, you lose half of your money and I died so much I was at zero multiple times. When I made money from quests, it was always a mad dash to get back to the dojo to spend it on new moves. Enemies are also take a lot of punishment. It takes like 4 full combos on the most basic enemy types before they die. Your are also given 4-6 enemies to face at once pretty much all the time. I did test out normal mode without co-op and it about the same. Enemies have slightly less health and drop healing items rarely are the only differences from normal to hard I found. 

 

River City is the most violent city ever. At least 3 people will try to kill you every block and you can't loiter around because then more will come out of the woodwork. I pretty much avoided fighting except when I was forced to since I had everything to lose and almost nothing to gain. You'll gain exp and money from the first wave. The second wave will give you no exp and pocket change. I never bothered to find out what the third wave is like. 

 

Despite the game and myself trying to make this a terrible experience, I had a lot of fun. The combat is a lot of fun and the boss battles are really cool. The story despite not being very complicated was interesting and kept me invested. The music is also very good. River city girls has many different art styles and they are all good. The game itself is pixel art but so many pixels you barley notice. Everything else is pretty much 2D and looks great. The flashback scenes are also manga, black & white because colour is over rated. I also appreciated the Double Dragon Neon characters they put in as cameos. 

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #3 - Splinter Cell - Final Impressions

 

Time played: 3h30m

Trophies earned: 3/37

 

 

I'll wrap this one up, as I have no intention of playing more of this game. I completed the trainings mission + 2 actual missions and had enough.

 

To me the game is the definition of bland. You have to move slowly for the most part, because you don't know what might be around the corner, which makes sense, since it's a stealth game. There is always sections in which you need night vision, find out combination lock codes, pick locked doors and avoid cameras and enemies. However then you got thrown into mandatory gunfights, in which you're literally down to luck to hit anything that you intend to.

The aiming in this game is probably the worst I've ever come across. I tried it with a stationaty security camera, had it in the middle of the corsshair, waited a few seconds just for good meassure, and fired. Didn't hit it, tried again adjusting to the right, and nothing. I had to almost not have it in the corsshair to be able to hit it, now imagine a firefight with this shit.

 

Furhtermore every locked door I reached I never found the code on my way there, and this I had no interest in exploring at all, as it just meant waiting. It's waiting for the guy to pass, waiting for the camera to turn, waiting to age 10 years out of boredom.

 

Passable at best is what this whole thing was and am dreading to try out the other two games on the disc. 5/10

 

In other news I finished Yakuza 3, It became more interesting from Chapter 5 onward. Then Chapter 10 hit and it makes you do filler content, which completely killed my enjoyment for the rest of the game.

 

Also, I've switched a couple of games out from my list, Wet and Peaky Blinders were replaced wit Marvel's Spider-Man and Bloodstained Ritual of the Night.

Edited July 15, 2021 by voodoo_eyes

[AuroraHistoire]

Aw Shit, we are Idols Again - Neptunia Virtual Stars

 

I followed Neptunia Virtual Stars a little more closely then most Neptunia games before they are released. It was originally called VVVtune and was about guns and didn't have Uni in it for some reason. At some point the named was changed to Virtual Stars and it is mostly about VTubers now. I don't know a whole lot about VTubers and can only recognize maybe like 5 of them. I believe the VTubers in the game are all real VTubers (I saw one that I know of) but they could all be fake and I wouldn't know the difference. I could of looked up everyone but there are so many I would spent more time doing that then playing the game; also, my YouTube recommendations would become nothing but VTubers for the next year. I remember not being very excited when Virtual Stars came out and I think I only bought it because I needed to buy something to get a trading card I wanted.

 

The story is that some other planet is invading planet Emote and destroying all the content. The goddess of Emote, Faira, summons a bunch of VTubers and the 4 main goddesses of the Neptunia series to fight off the invasion for her. Only the goddesses and VTubers Mi and Yu (Mi and Yu and spelled Me and You in the English translation but I am using Mi and Yu spelling to make things less confusing) are the only ones that actually help out so far while every other VTuber got lost or captured. All 6 team up to become Virtual Idols and help save planet Emote. Honestly, I have not found the story all that interesting so far and tuned most of it out. 

 

The gameplay is where the game gets kind of complicated but not really. There are two types characters, goddesses and VTubers. Goddesses are about ranged third person shooter-ish combat. The gunplay is serviceable at best and the guns have a lot of spread. Instead of a zoom, L2 is a lock on that makes shooting more accurate if your camera is looking in the general direction of the enemy. Also, goddesses have a set amount of hits (starts at 10) before they die and all 4 share the life bar. Goddesses have a strange slide move were they will slide around in whatever direction the analog stick is moved in for like 7 seconds. Each goddess has a unique gun. Neptune has assault rifle that fires rapid shots. Noire has a gun that fires horizontal lines pretty quickly. Vert has a sniper rifle that is pretty weak and slow firing but can allegedly stun enemies if you shoot them a lot. Blanc has a slow firing gun but the shots can be charged up for massive damage. 

 

VTubers play move like a action game, kinda like how everyone played in 4 Goddesses Online but a bit more shit. They get a dash that if used to dodge a attack at the last second, will let the next skill used cost no SP. Both character types can use skills but I used them more with VTubers. Mi uses a sword to melee attack. She plays alright I guess. Yu will use a bow but the controls don't really work well for Yu and she will fire and not hit enemies. VTuber have a tradition RPG HP system and have their own HP bars. The AI will take over the VTuber you are not playing while goddesses will fight alone. You can switch between all 6 characters at any time (there might be more playable VTubers later). 

 

The presentation of this game is alright. They went back to using 3D models for the visual novel style cutscenes; like Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 but they look better than mk2. Equipping the character with a new outfit or accessories is a thing and they will wear whatever you gave them in cutscenes. I like how the goddesses got alternate outfits inspired by their next forms, mostly because it is the only time those forms are even acknowledged outside of VII and the VII remake. The loading screens are short videos put together by various VTubers that are mostly plugs to get the player to check them out but they are fun to watch. The videos are longer than the actual loading times, so you are allowed to skip them one the game is done loading (3-5 seconds). The music is pretty good. I actually stopped playing the game for a few minutes because one of the tracks during a cutscene was so good. It made me consider getting the limited edition for the soundtrack (there is a artbook too). I liked the idea of the background track during boss battles influencing the flow of battles. During some sections of the music track the boss will have a advantage while during other sections the player will have the advantage. It has not had a noticeable difference on fights but I would like to see the idea used in another game while being fleshed out more. 

 

Neptunia Virtual Stars is a game I want to play more of. It is not particularly that good in anyway way but I want to see where it goes. I like the characters of Mi and Yu and want to see more of them; well, mostly just Yu. Blanc and Vert have had little to do on screen so far and mostly just stand around making the occasional comment you could easily give to someone else; I want them to have more screen time and contribute to the story in a meaningful way. The fact that Uni is not in the Neptunia game with a semi focus on gunplay deeply upsets me. Despite Virtual Stars many, many, many shortcomings I still want to explore the game and see more of it. 

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #4 - Marvel's Spider-Man - Preview

 

 

Developer : Insomniac Games

Publisher: Sony

Genre: Action-Adventure

Price: 39,99 €

 

 

Looking forward to get into this one, as I've heard good things. I've played the Amazing Spider-Man games, which were pretty mediocre. This one being made by Onsomniac though gives me high hopes for this game to be good.

[Arctic Cress]

Game #2 - Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition

Time played: 3 hours

Trophies: 10/25 (41% - C)

 

Kentucky Route Zero is a five-episode adventure game developed by Cardboard Computer. It had a very irregular release schedule on PC, with the episodes coming out over the course of seven years. It only got its PS4 release when the game was ultimately finished in January 2020.

 

Kentucky Route Zero follows Conway, a truck driver trying to make a delivery for the antique company that he works for. On Kentucky's Interstate 65, he ends up lost and stops by the gas station Equus Oils to hopefully get some directions. The old man Joseph at the gas station tells Conway his delivery needs to be taken by Kentucky's route 0, and after Conway fixes the circuit breaker in his gas station, he provides a person that he can get directions from via his computer. Conway then heads off towards this new destination to find route 0. A lot of what happens after this veers into spoiler territory so I'm cutting the plot review a bit short here.

 

The game on PC was a point and click adventure game, however the PS4 has movement done by the control stick to make it easier to explore. Conway (or another character at times) can move through the various areas he explores throughout the adventure and interact with other characters and objects when a prompt appears on screen to do so. While moving from different areas, Conway moves his truck through a world map, which is a direct copy of the I-65 branch in Kentucky near the cities of Bowling Green and Glasgow, as well as Mammoth Cave National Park. The world map has various optional locations that can be explored through either a small area or entirely through text, with many of the latter ones being very interesting to explore through. Plot-related locations only seem to show up after you receive the information that they actually exist in the area. As for Route 0, it has its own map that needs to be seen on how it works.

 

Throughout Kentucky Route Zero's long development cycle I had heard many people rave about how good this game was throughout their playthroughs on the PC version. Through all of Act II (and a small part of Act III) and the two act's corresponding side stories, I haven't seen it yet. The highlight is not the adventure gameplay (which is pretty simplistic and easy to deduce where and what needs to happen) but the story and characters that Conway meets throughout the game. While I have enjoyed what I have played through as of now, I haven't yet seen the reasons for why this game is so highly regarded - but I guess that just means I need to play it a bit more. The first three acts came out within a year and a half of each other, so I believe that's the portion I'll need to get through for that.

 

The trophy list for Kentucky Route Zero reminds me of how Grim Fandango Remastered did its trophy list, with the addition of many optional events and dialogue that you might miss if you do not explore enough (and judging by the trophy rarities, it's a good amount of people). It's always nice to see a trophy list like this as it rewards you for seeing events that you might not get to if playing through just for the plot.

 

Starting completion: 74.24%

Current completion: 74.01%

Difference: -0.23%

Nexomon: Extinction - 12/57 (19% - D)

 

A higher drop, as I also started another game during this period. Considering how many trophies I collected in KRZ it wouldn't have dropped much without that one!

 

Next game will be one of the RPGs. Probably Valthirian Arc as it's the one downloaded title left and I'd rather play the two disc games later to avoid switching discs with Ghost of Tsushima, which I am currently playing through.

[willythom88]

Bird Flu has been registered as an STD in this visual novel

 

My oldest is a much bigger fan of visual novels than I am, so this was mainly a run for her.  By the time I come to you with this review, i've now knocked out 9 endings, and I have to admit, I did enjoy this game.  Unfortunately, not enough to say I enjoy the genre now.

 

Hatoful Boyfriend has you assume the role of one of the last humans alive, in a world run by birds.  It's not dystopian though, as you live amongst the birds, and even go to school with them.  The story is genuinely and beautifully ridiculous, and no matter which path you take, it reminds us that good story telling can on occasion also be practically nonsensical.  Aside from some grammatical errors and some poorly orchestrated scenes involving blank black backgrounds.  These crop up more than I'd like, mostly at the stories end.

 

Also, given how many different endings there are, it would be nice if the middle of the game was a bit more diverse.  Instead, you will see several scenes every.  Single.  Time.  Given the trophies are for each of the endings, if you go to 100%, as I intend to, you'll be seeing scenes like the one introducing the sparrow a lot.  And I do mean ALOT.

 

Coupling this with the bad graphics (which look amateurish in the drawing and weird in the stock photos), and it never feels like you get lost in the story.  The stock photos are actually fine, but when you see the weirdly simple drawings of each person, if they were a human, and it makes them seem rather pointless.  Speaking of stock, it would seem all the music is also just stock music.  I swear I've heard the music from the intro somewhere else, though I can't place it.

 

Overall, it was more fun spending time with my daughter than it was actually playing the game.  We both got tired of the lame repetition of the early and middle story beats (overall the pacing is messy; you play through three semesters and the first is much longer than the second and third combined), the sloppy art and the off putting and generic music.  I would recommend this for trophy hunters because it's very easy to get them all (I intend to finish myself), but other than the base story, without any decisions made or any further exploration, I doubt the story will really stick with me much longer.  Though the doctors story is pretty great, I can't figure out if it would have been if I hadn't done it before playing the story a bunch more.

 

Trophies - 5/10 (they are basic)

Graphics - 5/10 (the stock photos feel out of place given how crude some of the drawings are)

Story - 6/10

Music - 5/10

 

Final Score - 5/10

Edited July 16, 2021 by willythom88

[ladynadiad]

On 7/16/2021 at 11:53 AM, willythom88 said:

Overall, it was more fun spending time with my daughter than it was actually playing the game.  We both got tired of the lame repetition of the early and middle story beats (overall the pacing is messy; you play through three semesters and the first is much longer than the second and third combined), the sloppy art and the off putting and generic music.  I would recommend this for trophy hunters because it's very easy to get them all (I intend to finish myself), but other than the base story, without any decisions made or any further exploration, I doubt the story will really stick with me much longer.  Though the doctors story is pretty great, I can't figure out if it would have been if I hadn't done it before playing the story a bunch more.

 

I do hope you'll come back and comment more when you get to the end of the BBL route. And I am going to say nothing more than that.

[purgta]

Batman Arkham Asylum

 

 

Arkham Asylum is a 3D action game. I don't know if it actually counts but I would call it a 3D MetroidVania. You play as Batman and explore Arkham. You gain abilities  that will open up new secions in previously explored areas. Combat can be a lot of fun. I am terrible at explaining it but it has that combat style where you have to press triangle to counter. If you played Spiderman or Shadow of Mordor, it is the same type.

 

The story is basically just Batman has to stop Joker. It sounds pretty simple but the main draw is encountering villains from the comics. I have only encountered a few so far but it is fun whenever they pop up. Boss fights are not the greatest so far but they are still decent. Gordon is in it and he is incredibly buff. There are collectibles placed by the Riddler and while it is probably pretty tiring to find them all, it can be fun to naturally solve the puzzle ones.

 

The game holds up really well for a PS3 game. I am really enjoying it so far. Exploration is fun and combat is fine. There are some stealth sections but nothing too extreme. You do die quickly if you fail them though. Bullets are Batman's Kryptonite in this game. The game is very generous with quicksaves. Character models are good for named characters but random npcs and enemies can look rough.

[Vergissich]

Trillion: God of Destruction

Hyperdimension Neptunia（PS3）

 

Maybe sometime when I can conquer my heart I'll try again，Because they are too griinding.

[AuroraHistoire]

Winching Myself Towards Success? - SnowRunner

 

I first learned about SnowRunner from the multiple minute long YouTube AD before launch of the game that advertised SnowRunner as a hardcore backroad trucking experience. I always wanted a hardcore backroad trucking game, is something I never thought once in my life but the SnowRunner looked interesting and it is a good idea to expand my horizons and try new things. I did wait a year for the game to get a sale before I bought it. 

 

There is no story about how your dad died and left you his small trucking business that had fallen on hard times before he died. All you get is a brief mostly text tutorial telling you the basics and a few trucks to start you out with before you are left on your own to figure out what the flip to do. What you do in SnowRunner is go to point A to collect cargo and then deliver it to point B. The complexity comes from the journey between point A and B. The roads tend to be dirt roads with sections of deep mud or are flooded. I have not seen any snow yet but it is defiantly there; I have avoided it because it scares me. Anyway, mud sucks since it is easy to get stuck. Water is a lot worse, it will it will destroy your engine if it is too deep and once you get stuck your not getting out without help. The most helpful tool is the winch. It is basically a grappling hook that can be activated quickly with a button press or used via a menu for more precision. It has power to a borderline ridiculous level but it can only be tethered on trees and your other vehicles. 

 

SnowRunner also has fuel management and vehicle durability to worry about a little bit. Fuel goes down over time and varies on what you are doing with your vehicle but will last a pretty long time. Most parts in your truck has it's own durability and take damage mostly from collisions at a high-ish speed and water damage. I have broken a few parts in my playtime. Breaking the engine and your truck just won't work. Break the fuel tank and your fuel will leak. I have broken wheels and didn't notice a major change in the handling. Fuel and repairs are free on normal mode but you need be at a fuel station or garage to use those features. There is a hard mode and the difference is that you need to pay for services that are free on normal (like fuel and repairs); it is also possible (and very likely) to softlock your game if you mess up. You can teleport between your vehicles via the map at any time; I expected that you would have to walk between vehicles and have long walks to get another truck if you got a truck stuck. There is a feature to teleport your truck back to the garage that can be used to unstuck if you yeet yourself off a cliff or something. 

 

SnowRunner is a niche idea (strangely, SnowRunner is arguably the most popular and Triple A game I am playing for the KYC) with a good amount of money and talent behind it. SnowRunner is a huge game and I feel like I have done nothing while I have roughly 10 hours of playtime; tho about 4 hours was spent on hard mode game saves that I softlocked. There are 3 regions with 5 maps; the maps themselves are a modest size but the horrible road conditions make them feel bigger. There is no radio or music in the game and the only sounds you'll hear are what your trucks make. It is a good game to put on some music or a podcast on while you play. I do like playing SnowRunner. I find it relaxing, even when things go horribly wrong. 

[PerryToxteth]

10 hours ago, AuroraHistoire said:

Winching Myself Towards Success? - SnowRunner

 

 

SnowRunner is a niche idea (strangely, SnowRunner is arguably the most popular and Triple A game I am playing for the KYC) with a good amount of money and talent behind it. SnowRunner is a huge game and I feel like I have done nothing while I have roughly 10 hours of playtime; tho about 4 hours was spent on hard mode game saves that I softlocked. There are 3 regions with 5 maps; the maps themselves are a modest size but the horrible road conditions make them feel bigger. There is no radio or music in the game and the only sounds you'll hear are what your trucks make. It is a good game to put on some music or a podcast on while you play. I do like playing SnowRunner. I find it relaxing, even when things go horribly wrong. 

I played Mud Runner a few years ago for a KYC event and highly enjoyed it. To parrot what you said, you are crawling EVERYWHERE! So anybody interested in this, it’s a slow burn driving game. An odd concept, but the game pulls it off remarkably well.
 In the first game, there were times you would need a backup truck to winch out and unbury your original vehicle. I just hope they fixed the crane mechanics bc they were controller-throwing frustrating in MudRunner. 

[PerryToxteth]

KYC 16

Game No. 2

 

 

Playing Time: 3 hours

Trophies Earned: 25/47 (47%)

 

Final Thoughts: I’m behind in my reviews, what else is new? 
  I couldn’t say exactly when Knowledge is Power showed up in my game library, but I think it was a PS+ freebie, and not anytime recent. It’s been so long in fact, that I completely forgot it was a Playlink game. 
 I understand the Playlink concept - the younger generations all have devices and it’s a way for them to screen time together, rather than be in the same room but be in isolated digital worlds. But why don’t developers get PS4 controllers to work with these games??? Couple people on phones, couple of people on controllers, is that such a difficult concept?!?

  So now I will need to round up six devices to get a 6-player trophy. Argh. It’s not that I don’t have five real world friends, it’s that there are 50 other things I’d rather do with my real world friends (drink beer, watch sports, play sports, pool party, etc., etc.) than to play this game. And frankly, I’m a bit of a closeted Trophy Hunter. Probably not going to ask people who are old enough to have kids heading off to college to help with a virtual trophy.

  Anyways, as you probably have guessed, Knowledge is Power is a party-based trivia game. 2-6 players are supposed to have a rip-roaring fun time sitting around playing trivia on their phones while they watch the big screen for prompts, queues, and gag reel clips. The thing that’s missing? Actual trivia!

  I’m not trying to come across as a stuffy, intellectual blowhard, but the questions that are asked are ridiculously easy. What river runs through Cairo, Egypt? What is the spy’s name in the Ian Fleming book series? What nation does Queen Elizabeth II reside over? 
For the questions that are slightly harder, almost all the questions are multiple-choice and at least one possible answer is intended to be humorous.  I think the developers intention was to have easy questions so that the game power ups all players get become the focus. You can do a variety of bad things to other players to make it harder for them to answer. So a digital game of Shit on your Neighbor. 
  Where the game really suffers is that it takes too long to get through. There’s only 15-20 questions, but it will take close to 45 minutes to get through because of all the video clips the game plays. When you do something against a fellow player, you ALWAYS have to watch that character get dumped on, frozen, etc., etc. All these clips really add up in eating time and there’s no way to skip them. 
  KIP’s platinum is ultra rare, but I think it’s because it’s such a long grind to get through. I will try to chip away with a couple games here and there. But nothing too special about this free game. 
Grade: 

 

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #4 - Marvel's Spider-Man - Final Impressions

 

 

Time played: 8h

Trophies earned: 15/74

 

I'm currently at about 35% game completion and have not even fiished the first Act. It's definitely fun so far, for the most part at least.

 

The story is enteresting enough, the characters are well-represented and teh game looks great. The movement is slick and the various gadgets keep things fresh. There's also a bunch of suits to unlock, and most seem to be tied to either story or level progression. Shame that the suit I want only unlocks at level 29, which from what I'm guessing is close to the end of the game. So kind of bummed about that. For those curious it's for the 2099 Spider.Man (still waiting for that goddamn movie Marvel ).

 

The combat does borrow a lot from the Batman games, it feels almost exactly the same, but faster. The combat works well though, so that's also great. What's not so great is the side stuff.

I've been getting Amazong Spider-Man flashbacks, with it's shitty save the citizensand stop a car side missions, among others. That stuff was tedious then, and it's still tedious now.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I don't need filler shit in my open-world games. Side missions are cool, if done right (like in the previously mentioned Batman games). The ones here feel almost exclusively like there are only present to extend game time. So yeah, taht's my only complaints about the game so far. Hopefully it remains that way.

 

For now it's an 8/10.

[willythom88]

I'm only about 2 hours into Tales of Xillia but I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  The combat is some of the most fluid in the series I've played so far, up there with Hearts R and Abyss.

 

Also I'm very much enjoying the Sphere grid like progression system.  I'm a sucker for a good skill tree and I like how simple, yet deep, this one is.  The story is also pretty good right now but I'll admit, while I like the characters (especially a certain crazy redhead) the story doesn't seem like it's going to evolve into something unique.  Oh well, I guess I'll see.