Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted March 1, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 1, 2022 Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz February 2022 Hello, boys and girls! March has arrived, Spring is in the air, and yadda yadda is in the blah blah. I hope your February was good to you. I hope it was good to me too! Shit, if only I was in the self-indulgent habit of keeping track of this... 87.06% Overall Completion (+1.33) 448 Unearned Trophies (-162) 3.46 Trophies Per Day (+0.09) 52 Platinums (+6) Level 330 (+7) Ain't mad at nuffin, this was a solid month! Did not hit 88%, but that was an overly ambitious goal anyway. Hitman 3 became platinum #47, the trophy streak marches on, a monthly hitlist is finally complete, and we not only hit six platinums, but an extra completion, so future me will have a lot to live up to in February 2023. Hah! Feel bad for whoever that is... Game of the Month Of all the great games I played this mo- Sleeping Dogs. Seriously, this one was about six years in the making and lived up to every hope I had. A spectacular open world experience, and I gotta tell ya: if you like open world games, undercover cop stories, and driving on the left side of the road, you need to play this game. Don't be like me and put that shit off! We're Goin Streaking? There were some close calls this month, but I managed to keep the streak alive and hit 105 days. I made the mistake of looking up different peeps' streaks and some got over 200 days n shit! I'unno if I'm about all THAT... but I'm definitely happy to keep goin and see how far I can get? Rating the Month For the first time, I finished off every game on the monthly Hitlist! I did not meet all January goals though. A great month, almost a perfect one even, but not quite, so February gets four out of five Sun On Yees. March Goals 1. Can we get under 400 unearned trophies? I think we can. Sí se puede, y'all. 2. This is the month I pass 88% overall completion. I can feeeeeel it. 3. Last month we got three plats and one completion, so I'ma aim for four platinums. Gaming Hitlist Cities: Skylines - One of two games I started in March of '20, so this is my chance to keep them out of the 2+ year club. I've entered it into the Spring challenge, and it's quite the heavy hitter (especially with a new DLC, cotDAMN!) but I'm ready to put some more dents in this one. Fire Pro Wrestling World - The other March '20 game here. Haven't thought about this one since... well, March '20, but I'd like to see how much I can get done here. I remember the online match trophy not popping after having an online match, and ignored it ever since. It was fun though! Yakuza 0 - Time to put in some work on this guy. I haven't touched it since September, so I'll need a quick minute reacquainting myself with the controls, but I'm sure muscle memory will prevail. The story was really starting to get good, and after playing Sleeping Dogs I'm all the more excited to get back into this one. Though of course Sleeping Dogs is Chinese and Yakuza is Japanese... .....damn, I'm racist af. Batman: Arkham Asylum - It's officially been over two years at this point. Smevz, you need to just buckle down and finish this shit. Aren't you tired of this guy hangin around? ........getitcuzBatmanhangsoffgargoylesnstuff Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires - Another one that's gone over the two year mark. The thing is, I've already got a lot of the busy work taken care of, there's just a few annoying trophies I've been avoiding. Also my wife gets visibly annoyed by all the shouted Japanese. ...damn, wifey racist af too! Okay. Hoping for another productive month, let the March mayhem begin? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted March 2, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) Platinum #52: Twelve Minutes And I scream from the top of my lungs, "What's going on?" Twelve Minutes is one of those few games I just happened upon while browsing a sale and bought with no prior history whatsoever - no word of mouth, no trailer, no nothin. The cover art immediately caught my eye, and after I read "blends the dream-like tension of The Shining with the claustrophobia of Rear Window and the fragmented structure of Memento," it was over. It was also on sale for just under twenty bucks. That's more than I'd normally pay for a game I'd never heard of, but I'd been reduced to my basic gamer instincts, like "Dat Hitchcockian cover art tho! What dat gameplay do, Annapurna??" Now, while that was an accurately written piece of copy, had it been a touch more honest it would've come with the caveat that your tolerance for implausibility should be very high, with patience for repetition being a bonus. Twelve Minutes is a point and clicker that takes place in a small apartment. You come home from work to your wife, and everything is nice and chill til somebody shows up claiming to be a police officer, and that your wife is a murderer. This is where you fall into a time loop in which you have to scour the apartment for clues to figure out exactly what's happening, and to say the least, it isn't pretty. Sounds great, right? Weeeeeelllll...... There's an illusion of freedom, but you quickly realize that there aren't as many options as you think there are, and as open ended as it initially feels, there's a rather specific path the game wants you to take. I went through at least three or four loops before I started to see any actual progress in the story, though I will say that making these little discoveries is rewarding, and it's a legit thrill to uncover more of the story. That is, until you get to the bigger twists. They just try way too hard. They're definitely unexpected, but that's because you assume the writers would've had more sense! I went in really wanting to like this game, and the early atmosphere kept my intrigue alive and well, so I didn't mind going along with it and maintaining my suspension of disbelief. But in writing about it, I feel I have a responsibility to make it clear that players are gonna have to disregard a lot of silliness in order to enjoy the plot all the way through. Of course, there's a lot that the game does get right. In the Netflix show Russian Doll, time loops are treated as finite - after a good few have passed, Natasha Lyonne's character notices things like rotting fruit or disappearing people, indicating that there's only so many of these things left. Twelve Minutes takes a page out of this book with the flower in the bedroom, as well as the paintings in the apartment; after significant revelations, the paintings will change, which was a pretty neat feature. The voice acting is top notch as well. Willem Dafoe nails the menacing role of the cop, but also gives a lot of depth as we learn more about him. James McAvoy does well as the husband, particularly after seemingly successful loops prove unfruitful. I really liked how well he sold that confusion and frustration, and you feel right there with him. The wife is played to a T by Daisy Ridley, from the casual wifeyness to the cool denials and beyond, though I'm pretty happy to never have to hear "Guess who made dessert" again! The game doesn't handle the repetitive nature of employing time loops super well, but it's still a good time. I really did end up liking Twelve Minutes a lot, but its flaws kind of diminished it from what I'd consider a truly great, easy to recommend game to the ranks of "crap that I like," if that makes sense. I still say it's worth playing, but definitely get it for cheaper than I did! Stray Observations - In the beginning you have to walk to your apartment to get things going, and the carpeting of the hall is a nice nod to The Shining. - As mentioned before, the voice acting is good, but the script definitely has its fumbles. "You're under arrest for your father's murder eight years ago?" Nobody talks like this! - I like how over time you go from being excited about the dessert to just being over it. Before long after she announces this to him he's just like "yeah, yeah." - I don't know if that line from the zen book is something Luís António read somewhere and stuck with him or if he came up with that on his own, but we really didn't need to hear it that many times! I did like McAvoy's read though, like he's making this awkward attempt to sound deep. - The characters have their simple labels for the cursor, and of course your wife's is simply WIFE. After we see the the dramatic reveal however, it's changed to HER. Subtle but effective. I like it, Picasso! THAT Trophy: Mindfulness Since you're largely just collecting information, and there's almost always another loop, there isn't much by way of missables, but there are some, like catching the phases of the paintings or watering the flower. This missable cost me a second playthrough though, as it's right before the ending and there's an option to pick that disappears after a moment. If you miss it, you go straight to the end of the game, and you have to do everything all over again just for that one trophy! Twelve Minutes is worth one playthrough, but two? Not so much! Edited November 10, 2022 by YaManSmevz 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 19 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: The game doesn't handle the repetitive nature of employing time loops super well, but it's still a good time. I really did end up liking Twelve Minutes a lot, but its flaws kind of diminished it from what I'd consider a truly great, easy to recommend game to the ranks of "crap that I like," if that makes sense. I still say it's worth playing, but definitely get it for cheaper than I did! Hahahaha I love this. You and I are in the same boat, my friend. Sometimes I'll be playing a game or watching a movie and think: "this is so dumb I think it's hilarious/awesome but I know I'm in the minority." Unsurprisingly, I too really enjoyed Twelve Minutes. I didn't play it. The reason why I didn't was that it was exclusively promoted as an Xbox title and I thought it wouldn't come to Playstation consoles for years. I was super intrigued by the concept though and enjoyed it vicariously through Dunkey's Stream of it. I was cracking up at his jokes and while admittedly even I felt the repetitiveness of the steps the game forced the player to make after the 18th loop and beyond I still found myself enjoying it. I honestly think I'll play it years down the line if it's on sale for $5 and my memory regarding it is much foggier. Then again.... Spoiler It's REALLY hard to forget a freaking incest twist lmao I am also looking forward to the inevitable Yakuza 0 review in the near future. Hope you're enjoying it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 1 hour ago, realm722 said: Hahahaha I love this. You and I are in the same boat, my friend. Sometimes I'll be playing a game or watching a movie and think: "this is so dumb I think it's hilarious/awesome but I know I'm in the minority." Thank you! I'm glad it's not just me. It's a funny thing, if only for the fact that you can have this exchange with yourself: "What the hell?? Bro this is terrible." "I know!! It's awesome!!" 1 hour ago, realm722 said: Unsurprisingly, I too really enjoyed Twelve Minutes. I didn't play it. The reason why I didn't was that it was exclusively promoted as an Xbox title and I thought it wouldn't come to Playstation consoles for years. I was super intrigued by the concept though and enjoyed it vicariously through Dunkey's Stream of it. I was cracking up at his jokes and while admittedly even I felt the repetitiveness of the steps the game forced the player to make after the 18th loop and beyond I still found myself enjoying it. I honestly think I'll play it years down the line if it's on sale for $5 and my memory regarding it is much foggier. I had wanted to watch a stream of it! You've given me a homework assignment sir, that sounds like a good time. Especially since it's still fresh in my head! You really should, man. I'm not even sure it'll join the uninstall club yet, I might could wanna pop that in again one of these days! 1 hour ago, realm722 said: Then again.... Reveal hidden contents It's REALLY hard to forget a freaking incest twist lmao BRUH. 1 hour ago, realm722 said: I am also looking forward to the inevitable Yakuza 0 review in the near future. Hope you're enjoying it! Thanks! It's a classic case of playing a fantastic game, and then falling off but not really know why, but I'm definitely happy to be playing it again. Hit Chapter 7 and shit already gettin JUICY. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) 22 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #52: Twelve Minutes Interesting - I was kinda wondering who would be the first one of the write-up crew to try this one, as I had no idea about it really! I heard about this one a bunch, but with pretty mixed-to-generally-dissapointed effect - actually, the first times I heard about The Forgotten City were pretty much all in the context of this game - it felt like every time you heard about 12 Minutes, the second sentence in the conversation was "Play The Forgotten City - that's a good time-loop game..." Luckily, from everything I've heard, I know there is some bat-shit narrative twists, but have managed to avoid finding out exactly what they are, so I'll probably give this one a go eventually - but good to know it isn't maybe worth the full-price go! Man - 2021 really was the year of the time-loop, right? Deathloop Outer Wilds DLC 12 Minutes The Forgotten City Loop Hero Returnal... Edited March 3, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 6 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Interesting - I was kinda wondering who would be the first one of the write-up crew to try this one, as I had no idea about it really! Not the person you probably assumed would get to a point-and-clicker first, right? ?? Which reminds me..... On 02/03/2022 at 10:05 AM, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #52: Twelve Minutes That was an awesome write up dude! I am also going to take the advice you gave and wait a a little bit for a price drop, but I'll definitely play this at some point. Didn't you pick this up literally after we'd had a mammoth Resident Evil 5 session? To be honest it probably already felt like we were in a time loop getting some of those trophies. I'm really interested by how star studded that cast is for a point-and-clicker, they usually have a fairly limited budget. Those are some pretty big hitters. From the sounds of it, it looks as if they spent all of their money on actually hiring the stars and not hiring a script writer that isn't an alien unfortunately...... because, yeah..... this On 02/03/2022 at 10:05 AM, YaManSmevz said: "You're under arrest for your father's murder eight years ago?" ..... is not something that should have ever gotten past the script editing stage - unless they were trying really really hard to emulate David Cage, in which case it's actually an S Rank quality bit of script writing. You've got some bangers on the hitlist for March by the way, I wonder if your eventual Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires review might finally have me delve back into that series again. You've gotta love those odd kind of impulse buys that Twelve Minutes was.... That was my thing with The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, and I ended up really enjoying that one. At least you did have a good time with Twelve Minutes even if it didn't quite hit the highs you might have hoped. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 20 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Interesting - I was kinda wondering who would be the first one of the write-up crew to try this one, as I had no idea about it really! 13 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Not the person you probably assumed would get to a point-and-clicker first, right? ???? too true! 20 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I heard about this one a bunch, but with pretty mixed-to-generally-dissapointed effect - actually, the first times I heard about The Forgotten City were pretty much all in the context of this game - it felt like every time you heard about 12 Minutes, the second sentence in the conversation was "Play The Forgotten City - that's a good time-loop game..." Yeah I'm glad (though you'd think I'd be annoyed?) that I didn't read any reviews til after the fact, it was pretty much 70% scores across the board! Seeing as how it saw its PS4 release not terribly long after The Forgotten City, I'm not surprised to hear about the comparison. Plus Forgotten City is so freakin great, any game sharing any of its qualities will get people like "you know what was REALLY good..." Quote Luckily, from everything I've heard, I know there is some bat-shit narrative twists, but have managed to avoid finding out exactly what they are, so I'll probably give this one a go eventually - but good to know it isn't maybe worth the full-price go! It's definitely worth it for the experience... but even more worth it for under ten dollars? Quote Man - 2021 really was the year of the time-loop, right? Deathloop Outer Wilds DLC 12 Minutes The Forgotten City Loop Hero Returnal... Remember in Vice City on Emotion when Fernando's like "Have you noticed how popular synthesizers are getting??" That's how I feel about time loop games right now... they're doin pretty great! 13 hours ago, rjkclarke said: That was an awesome write up dude! I am also going to take the advice you gave and wait a a little bit for a price drop, but I'll definitely play this at some point. Didn't you pick this up literally after we'd had a mammoth Resident Evil 5 session? To be honest it probably already felt like we were in a time loop getting some of those trophies. Thanks a lot dude! I did, but my only complaint about the transition was that more than a few times I went to hit cross and down thinking it would make the husband turn around? Quote I'm really interested by how star studded that cast is for a point-and-clicker, they usually have a fairly limited budget. Those are some pretty big hitters. From the sounds of it, it looks as if they spent all of their money on actually hiring the stars and not hiring a script writer that isn't an alien unfortunately...... because, yeah..... this ..... is not something that should have ever gotten past the script editing stage - unless they were trying really really hard to emulate David Cage, in which case it's actually an S Rank quality bit of script writing. ??? For David Cage, yes that would actually be par for the course! For the most part it's okay, but there definitely are moments where you wonder exactly how many drafts this thing had - you're definitely right about them probably not being able to afford an editor! Quote You've got some bangers on the hitlist for March by the way, I wonder if your eventual Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires review might finally have me delve back into that series again. I've always had a soft spot for that series! I'm looking forward to getting back into that, it's been a while. There's something about "How could our game possibly be dumb when we use ancient Chinese history, now go hit the same button a billion times and murder masses of warriors with a woman wearing a skirt and high heels" that hits the right amount of, well, dumb? Quote You've gotta love those odd kind of impulse buys that Twelve Minutes was.... That was my thing with The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, and I ended up really enjoying that one. At least you did have a good time with Twelve Minutes even if it didn't quite hit the highs you might have hoped. Buys like that remind me of getting games as a kid - blindly and just hoping for the best. Also that reminds me, I still have Doctor Dekker hanging out in my backlog thanks to you! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrooba Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 Excellent stuff with your trophy progress Smevz! You're inching closer and closer to that 88%... nearly there! Also... that image on your look at Twelve Minutes reminds me way too much of 007's gun barrel sequence............... It's not just me, right? ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 On 3/8/2022 at 1:30 AM, Shrooba said: Excellent stuff with your trophy progress Smevz! You're inching closer and closer to that 88%... nearly there! Also... that image on your look at Twelve Minutes reminds me way too much of 007's gun barrel sequence............... It's not just me, right? Thanks my dude! Progress has slowed just a touch (the current batch of games demand a bit of patience!) but I'm quite happy to be zeroing in! You're not wrong! There were a few themes I heard in my head when I first saw that image, and Mr. Bond's wasn't far off!! DAH DAH!! DAH DAH!! DADADADDARARSTTUEHEHDBERRTTDD 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted March 12, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 12, 2022 (edited) Platinum #26: Gris It makes sense that it should hurt in this way Do you ever go through those stretches where, at the risk of sounding dramatic, very little seems worth it? Motivation is hard to come by, and the meh that everything makes you feel starts to get strangely comfortable? A quick glimpse into the Smevz household: both wifey and I suffer from an amalgam of anxiety and depression, and more often than not only one of us goes through it at a time, so the other can carry them for a bit and eventually we're back to normal and everything is fine again. There are times though when we're both down, and we can't be there for each other as much as we'd like, and we look like the opening of Ren and Stimpy where they're shivering and clinging to each other in the rain sitting on that sewer grate. Again, eventually we're back to normal and everything is fine, but it's a bit more difficult than usual. As you may have guessed, that time is sadly upon us once more. Here is an artist's depiction of us this past Wednesday afternoon: I say all that to say that mental illness hits very close to home for me, and when a piece of media tackles this subject, I tend to pay a lot of attention to how it's depicted, particularly in how honest it feels. And not only does Gris knock it out of the park, it does so with impeccable style and stunning ease. We don't meet Gris in the best of circumstances - she just realized she's lost her voice, and an evident pre-existing strain causes not only her to collapse, but the hand holding her to collapse as well. Imagine company coming over with something like that happening. The field day that those gossiping Cunninghams would have! So she now has to make her way through this plain black and white landscape littered with these giant pieces of a person and figure out if we can put it back together, how to find the lost color, how to adjust to the harsh reality and how to fight back. Basic as the gameplay is, the abilities you get feel appropriate, less like "Oh cool, I can swing my sword differently now" or whatever and more like coping mechanisms coming to life. You start out dessicated and barely able to walk til you remember that you can run and jump. There are tumultuous winds blowing about until you learn to tightly hold yourself in place so that they can't push you around anymore. If you keep an eye out for the collectible stars, they make it possible for you to reach places and find things you otherwise couldn't. Gris is pretty clearly about grieving a loss, and I think this is conveyed so well, but I also think they did a great job of keeping things open for interpretation. Speaking for myself, I found Gris to be a wonderful reminder that it's ultimately all in our heads. The ability to cope and the drive to make things better are all right there. Sometimes we forget, and that's okay. But just like how this young woman runs through her own emotional ruins and at long last regains her voice, so too can we. And I think that's an important thing to keep in mind as often as possible. ?..even if I don't always follow my own advice..? Can you believe we've been talking about Gris for this long without bringing up the incredible presentation? Visually this thing is endlessly enchanting, it's like watching a watercolor painting come to life, imperfect splotches and all. The vibrant forest, the dark underwater section, and the intricate structures you find yourself moving through help keep the variety high as well. The music is also stupendous, and works in freakish tandem with the art style. Gris has the style of a gorgeous short film that would've blown up at Spike and Mike's Animation Festival or on MTV's Liquid Television. Dear lord, did either of those things live past the 90s? Ay. Don't get old, kids... The soundtrack, which we can thank Barcelona group Berlinist for, gives us everything from simple pieces stripped down to piano with synths to full blown arrangements with strings and a choir. It's an absolute masterwork of a soundtrack, sometimes melancholic and sometimes hopeful, but always with an ethereal air that perfectly matches the arty visuals. Now, as just a game, Gris still hits a lot of sweet spots. Beyond the aforementioned eye and ear candy this thing is utterly drenched in, it's very short. Its brevity and simplicity make it a perfect comedown game, or just if you'd really like something you can complete quickly. Gameplay is as simple as it gets, and the chapter selection screen makes the completionist approach a breeze as well. Plus when Gris is on sale, it's usually at a stupidly low price. This may not be in that rare, upper echelon of games where people look at you funny if you haven't played it, but there's also absolutely no reason to not play it either. It asks so little of its players, yet looks, sounds, and feels exquisite. Stray Observations - Gris always runs with her arms out and a whole lotta dress blowin in the wind. This is something I would normally think was extra as hell but here it feels so genuine and wholesome. - Best supporting nod goes to those adorable forest friends eating the apples. They're so damn cute! - The platforming puzzles may not be groundbreaking, but they're just used so well, and look so cool. Watching blocks disappear and reappear was surprisingly entertaining! - There's a black ink that follows you around the game, assuming the form of different creatures and trying to consume you. A little less subtle, but still really worked for me. - Gris' singing reminds me of Ariel in the Little Mermaid, like how her voice sounded coming out of that seashell that Ursula's human form always wore. Jesus Christ, I really gotta stop dating myself like this? THAT Trophy: Eel Only here because I thought it was going to be trickier than it actually was, if that makes sense. A lot of close calls with that thing chasing me, and I actually didn’t think I'd made it, but sure enough the trophy popped and I was pleasantly surprised. "Wait, what's that? A chime? And a PNG of a trophy?? Aww, for meee??" Edited March 12, 2022 by YaManSmevz 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Hey Smevz, you're absolutely killing it lately. Your reviews seem to be more enjoyable than ever and every second game is either one I've played or want to play anyway, but mostly I'm still loving reading your reviews for you. 10 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: A quick glimpse into the Smevz household: both wifey and I suffer from an amalgam of anxiety and depression, and more often than not only one of us goes through it at a time, so the other can carry them for a bit and eventually we're back to normal and everything is fine again. There are times though when we're both down, and we can't be there for each other as much as we'd like, and we look like the opening of Ren and Stimpy where they're shivering and clinging to each other in the rain sitting on that sewer grate. Again, eventually we're back to normal and everything is fine, but it's a bit more difficult than usual. As you may have guessed, that time is sadly upon us once more. Here is an artist's depiction of us this past Wednesday afternoon: I say all that to say that mental illness hits very close to home for me, and when a piece of media tackles this subject, I tend to pay a lot of attention to how it's depicted, particularly in how honest it feels. And not only does Gris knock it out of the park, it does so with impeccable style and stunning ease. I throughly hope the Smevz household is in a positive swing at the moment and I'm here to talk if it's not. That shit ain't easy and neither is talking about it. Hang in there mate ??? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 13, 2022 Author Share Posted March 13, 2022 6 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Hey Smevz, you're absolutely killing it lately. Your reviews seem to be more enjoyable than ever and every second game is either one I've played or want to play anyway, but mostly I'm still loving reading your reviews for you. I throughly hope the Smevz household is in a positive swing at the moment and I'm here to talk if it's not. That shit ain't easy and neither is talking about it. Hang in there mate Thanks a lot brotha! I appreciate you, and as usual, your kind words means a lot? We'll be okay! One thing I'm very grateful for is the general awareness that feeling like caca is temporary, we're both pretty good with that. Just a matter of getting over the hump, y'know? Have you played Gris or is it on the to-play list? I can start doing research on cloning and get a Multiplicity type situation goin for you if you've still got a lot on your plate at the moment... people need their video games! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 7 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Thanks a lot brotha! I appreciate you, and as usual, your kind words means a lot We'll be okay! One thing I'm very grateful for is the general awareness that feeling like caca is temporary, we're both pretty good with that. Just a matter of getting over the hump, y'know? Have you played Gris or is it on the to-play list? I can start doing research on cloning and get a Multiplicity type situation goin for you if you've still got a lot on your plate at the moment... people need their video games! I do know mate On the "to-play list" but now bumped further up 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 On 12/03/2022 at 0:32 PM, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #26: Gris It makes sense that it should hurt in this way Nice write up man! Just wanted to say, on this: On 12/03/2022 at 0:32 PM, YaManSmevz said: Do you ever go through those stretches where, at the risk of sounding dramatic, very little seems worth it? Motivation is hard to come by, and the meh that everything makes you feel starts to get strangely comfortable? A quick glimpse into the Smevz household: both wifey and I suffer from an amalgam of anxiety and depression, and more often than not only one of us goes through it at a time, so the other can carry them for a bit and eventually we're back to normal and everything is fine again. There are times though when we're both down, and we can't be there for each other as much as we'd like, and we look like the opening of Ren and Stimpy where they're shivering and clinging to each other in the rain sitting on that sewer grate. Again, eventually we're back to normal and everything is fine, but it's a bit more difficult than usual. I feel you. There's definitely some similarity here to the Bloodmoney household - and this time of year has a tendency to bring it into stark relief. I know what you mean about "the motivation and the Meh" (I feel like that should be the name of my autobiography ?) - it's not like I want to bring that stuff out in the tone on a forum like this - I keep things positive, but it just makes the energy required to maintain that positivity a lot more of an effort...I don't know how you manage to keep putting up quality posts like this one during the down-swings, but it's hella admirable, dude! I've not written shit for like 3 weeks now... and every time I try to think about playing something new, I end up spending all evening sucking at Tetris instead, since sucking at Tetris is a nice known quantity ? ? Anyways, in the interest of just showing solidarity, and not making your thing about my thing, I'll stop there, and just add - PM if you wanna chat about any of this shit dude - or don't, no pressure. Much love. ? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 8 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Nice write up man! Just wanted to say, on this: I feel you. There's definitely some similarity here to the Bloodmoney household - and this time of year has a tendency to bring it into stark relief. I know what you mean about "the motivation and the Meh" (I feel like that should be the name of my autobiography ) - it's not like I want to bring that stuff out in the tone on a forum like this - I keep things positive, but it just makes the energy required to maintain that positivity a lot more of an effort...I don't know how you manage to keep putting up quality posts like this one during the down-swings, but it's hella admirable, dude! I've not written shit for like 3 weeks now... and every time I try to think about playing something new, I end up spending all evening sucking at Tetris instead, since sucking at Tetris is a nice known quantity Anyways, in the interest of just showing solidarity, and not making your thing about my thing, I'll stop there, and just add - PM if you wanna chat about any of this shit dude - or don't, no pressure. Much love. First of all, if I ever saw The Motivation and the Meh at a bookstore, I'd pick it up without a second's thought! You could have the cover be a Tetris game where half the shapes look really determined and the other half are so lazy they can barely be bothered to assume their full, proper shape. Thank you so much man, but I can't take too much credit for trying to keep posting in the down times. If I may be sappy for just a moment, it's all the awesome people here posting awesome shit on the regular that gently remind and encourage me to keep contributing. It's something I'm very grateful for /endsap I know what you mean about feeling like, for lack of a better term, you have to kinda "be on," and how it can drain the batteries a bit quicker. You've always been a pleasant and positive person in these forums, but like Flanders learned, sometimes it's okay to threaten to run us down with your car. Wait.. no, I meant the part about acknowledging the less-than-positive stuff too! As for not writing, we'll you've been providing us with top notch material for the better part of a year at this point... I think you deserve a break every now and again! In fact, I don't know if your ears were burnin or not but you came up while Mr. Clarke and I were playing RE 5, and in short we marveled at how you seem to get so much done with so much on your plate. Maybe that's all the Tetris malaise is? If not, best believe your PM offer goes both ways! Thanks for your thoughtful post. I'm also really glad you felt comfortable enough to share that, and I hope your muse finds you as soon as you grow tired of Tetris. ❤? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 On 12/03/2022 at 0:32 PM, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #26: Gris I haven't been deliberately avoiding responding to this or anything, even if it might seem like it, I just needed to gather the right words together. The review was fantastic by the way and has only solidified the fact I'll have to get and play this at some point. After reading it, it also pretty much makes me about 95% sure that you'll have a great time with Transistor whenever you get to playing that. Especially the musician side of you, I think it'll really speak to that part of you. this though... On 12/03/2022 at 0:32 PM, YaManSmevz said: Do you ever go through those stretches where, at the risk of sounding dramatic, very little seems worth it? Motivation is hard to come by, and the meh that everything makes you feel starts to get strangely comfortable? Yeah, I do, and it appears so do a lot of us. Without getting into too much "heavy shit" I sometimes find myself struggling to even want to get out of bed on occasion It's an absolutely vicious cycle, and one that is really difficult to break free from. It's never a simple case of everything is going okay, so my mindset should be, those feelings can and will rear their ugly head at almost any opportunity. I'm happy that you and your wife can help each other get through those tough times though. On 12/03/2022 at 0:32 PM, YaManSmevz said: I say all that to say that mental illness hits very close to home for me, and when a piece of media tackles this subject, I tend to pay a lot of attention to how it's depicted, particularly in how honest it feels. And not only does Gris knock it out of the park, it does so with impeccable style and stunning ease. I respect the hell out of the fact that you've felt like you can say that openly though, as you absolutely should. I do know where you're coming from with this, and it's one of those things where you almost wish that you didn't have something like that in common with someone, because you know how effecting it can be on just you. 10 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I keep things positive, but it just makes the energy required to maintain that positivity a lot more of an effort.. 1 hour ago, YaManSmevz said: I know what you mean about feeling like, for lack of a better term, you have to kinda "be on," and how it can drain the batteries a bit quicker. Isn't that the truth! You both do a remarkable job of that though, even if you do find that a bit more sapping on the old energy, I also try to stay as positive as possible. I don't know about you - but I always end up second guessing every thing I'm posting when I'm in that mindset, always so worried about negativity ever so slightly bleeding through. In reality I don't think we have to worry, there are people all over this site that could make an art form out of negativity, something that makes me sad whenever I see it. .......and I don't necessarily want to turn this post that should be about Smevz' awesome Gris write up into a thing about myself either - It almost goes without saying I think. but like The artist formerly known as Gonzo and Doc said, if you ever need a friendly set of ears, you know where I am. 1 hour ago, YaManSmevz said: If I may be sappy for just a moment, it's all the awesome people here posting awesome shit on the regular that gently remind and encourage me to keep contributing. It's something I'm very grateful for /endsap Sap away man! That's one of the biggest motivators for me too - as I've said before, sometimes it can turn a really awful day into a brighter one. Well said! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 I’m not 100% sure of appropriateness… …but for some reason, I just can’t get this track out my head ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 Platinum #29: South Park: The Stick of Truth I'm sure he'd kick an ass or two, that's what Brian Boitano'd do One of my favorite things about adulthood is being able to decide what that means now that it applies to me. As a kid, I couldn't possibly conceive of grown-ups watching cartoons or playing video games, but here I am with a year left of my thirties, and those are still things I love quite dearly. My generation was pretty spoiled with adult-oriented animation, and it might not be as normal as it feels to me, but growing up on The Simpsons, Ren and Stimpy, and Beavis and Butt-Head gave me a lifelong willingness to check out any new cartoon with equal parts sophistication and dirt in its writing. At the couldn't-be-more-perfect-for-this age of fourteen, I met South Park, and like the majority of the world as I knew it, fell madly in love. This brings us to the inevitable video games that this runaway success of a franchise would yield. South Park's eponymous video game arrived in 1999 for the PS1, and I was so excited. Sure, the Simpsons games were trash, but this is different! This is South Park, this is edgy and new, this is.. *actually plays game* ...oh, this is shit." The humor was kind of there, but that late nineties obsession with 3D-ifying everything made the game look awful, and the gameplay didn't help matters at all. Later that year we got Chef's Luv Shack... a trivia game. Now, this wasn't the worst idea - I am in the overlap of gamers who watch South Park and enjoy trivia, after all - but it was done horribly, with atrocious loading times (even for the era), banal mini-games, and bathroom humor cranked so high that even teenaged me was turned off. I didn't bother with South Park games again til the 360 days, when I was consistently seeing Stick of Truth on lists of great seventh generation games. After all the garbage that had been put out with South Park's name slapped onto it, was it possible that they finally got it right? They did, and I was overjoyed. In the same way that Batman games finally saw redemption with Arkham Asylum, The Stick of Truth gave us players what we'd really wanted all along: to not just feel like part of a South Park episode, but to also see it through the eyes of these obnoxious kids and their delightfully overactive imaginations. *Cue the Imaginationland song Trey Parker and Matt Stone famously took a lot of control with the making of this game, and their love of video games positively shines. This thing is a self-aware RPG that constantly digs at both itself and the player, full of good natured shit talking on tropes of the beloved genre. You can tell it's out of love because everything you would expect to find in a classic turn-based RPG are here - all the jobs you would expect are here (Ah, how fondly I look back on playing FFV as the Jew), and the leveling up, item collection, magic, ability learning, and build creating are all here in a nice, simple system. The plot is unsurprisingly pretty outlandish, but where the early games would just lean on toilet humor, here we get the finesse that the show is known for. Sure, you can take a shit, save it, then defeat an enemy by throwing it at them and then fart on their body after the fact, but that's not the main focus here. Here we're treated to what South Park does best - laugh at the absurdity of it all. The combination of mindless townsfolk, precocious kids, and useless authority figures can make any unusual occurrence entertaining to watch, so why not just go nuts and let the characters do their thing? I can't stress enough how good this game looks and how well it was mapped out. Exploring South Park is such a treat, as is engaging with the characters (none of which are overlooked, incidentally). And with the show creators at the helm, everything feels so organic. No dialogue feel tacked on, nobody seems out of character, and everything just flows really nicely. All the little nods to the show were great too, like how all the stores are playing a different song from the show or the countless old plots like Cartman's ginger phobia or Manbearpig that manage to pop up and feel natural. Even without the South Park name, this game would be a lot of fun. It's irreverent while walking the fine line of not being too clever or too careless. The RPG system is in tact from top to bottom. It's not too long, and could be completed in a day or two with a guide. But we get more than that - The Stick of Truth takes all the glorious flavors of the show and marries them with a fully functional RPG setting - it finally gives us the South Park game we've always wanted, one that's just fun to play! Stray Observations - The way they handle the silent protagonist bit here is great, how everyone quickly accepts that the new kid simply doesn't speak but can't help commenting on how weird that is. - The story really revels in the fact that these are just kids playing make believe, even if it does eventually go awry. Cartman acting like he's injured and splattering ketchup all over his mouth to accentuate this (while of course eating as much of it as he can) is just one of countless examples of gags that could've made it onto the show. - I love how in character everybody's abilities are. Stan summons his dog Sparky, Jimmy struggles to make it through his bawdy limericks, Butters becomes Professor Chaos, these things just add so much to the atmosphere. - Every time I'd go into the theater I'd end up staying for all the previews (which again are taken directly from the show). I will never get tired of "Rob Schneider is... a carrot!" - Trey and Matt rightly gave Randy Marsh a lot to do. He helps you on the UFO, he teaches you techniques, he even addresses the city. There's this casual air to him as all this mindfuckery transpires that really only he could pull off. - I've been to Canada, and because of this game I was severely disappointed that it wasn't in 8 bit. - Stick of Truth features the most rewarding collectible to find of all time, because each time you get one you're treated to that quick sound bite "ChinpoookoooMAAWWNN." THAT Trophy: More Popular Than John Lennon Y'all. There are mad missables in this game, and if you're not careful you'll miss a lot. I've beaten this game on my PS4 three times for my one platinum - and yes, that's on me, this is due to my carelessness - but damn, man. If you're not paying attention at a crucial moment, it is back to the beginning for you. Not only do you have to add everybody to Facebook, but you have to have all the collectibles as well for this trophy. Which is totally simple, but if you're not following a guide (or foraging through every location you find), you might could run into this issue. Still though, it should say something that I was willing to play this three times (four if you include the 360 playthrough) within a few years. If you're somehow a South Park loving gamer who's never tried this one out... you sleepin, that's all I can say! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: I’m not 100% sure of appropriateness… …but for some reason, I just can’t get this track out my head I daresay it's just right? 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: The review was fantastic by the way and has only solidified the fact I'll have to get and play this at some point. After reading it, it also pretty much makes me about 95% sure that you'll have a great time with Transistor whenever you get to playing that. Especially the musician side of you, I think it'll really speak to that part of you. Thanks dude! I actually am pretty excited about getting into Transistor as it is, so that definitely helps! Maybe Summer challenge... 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: Yeah, I do, and it appears so do a lot of us. Without getting into too much "heavy shit" I sometimes find myself struggling to even want to get out of bed on occasion It's an absolutely vicious cycle, and one that is really difficult to break free from. It's never a simple case of everything is going okay, so my mindset should be, those feelings can and will rear their ugly head at almost any opportunity. I'm happy that you and your wife can help each other get through those tough times though. Well put! The cycles can definitely wear on you before long, and it's absolute murder just laying there in the mornings/afternoons just not wanting to do shit. And something 100% accurate that you touched on is that there's not much choice in the matter, a switch just gets hit and suddenly you're just kinda ?. Which always made it irritating when people would be like "snap out of it" or whatever other nonsense. Like if somebody had a cold, you wouldn't tell them it was all in their head and to stop letting it control you! It's just something that comes and goes as it pleases, and you've just got to do your best to be alert and handle it when it does come. I am very grateful that I have a partner who understands this, however I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a large part of me that wishes she'd never had to experience any of it. 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: I do know where you're coming from with this, and it's one of those things where you almost wish that you didn't have something like that in common with someone, because you know how effecting it can be on just you. Exactly. 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: You both do a remarkable job of that though, even if you do find that a bit more sapping on the old energy, I also try to stay as positive as possible. I don't know about you - but I always end up second guessing every thing I'm posting when I'm in that mindset, always so worried about negativity ever so slightly bleeding through. In reality I don't think we have to worry, there are people all over this site that could make an art form out of negativity, something that makes me sad whenever I see it. Thanks man! I do try. Nobody wants to interact with Eeyore for extended periods of time, and why would anybody want others to feel uncomfortable? I think it's important to at least make the effort. Also I definitely feel you on that. The second guessing game is no kind of fun, and it's alarming how easy it is to just spiral from there! 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: .......and I don't necessarily want to turn this post that should be about Smevz' awesome Gris write up into a thing about myself either - It almost goes without saying I think. but like The artist formerly known as Gonzo and Doc said, if you ever need a friendly set of ears, you know where I am. Sap away man! That's one of the biggest motivators for me too - as I've said before, sometimes it can turn a really awful day into a brighter one. Well said! Thanks man, it is always appreciated! This forum makes me feel like Denzel in Glory when he's like "...I love the 54th." 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted March 17, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 17, 2022 Platinum #51: Resident Evil 5 One Black, one white, we shoot to kill First and foremost a shoutout to @rjkclarke, whose help was invaluable when it came to the MP trophies (and if you haven't read his outstanding review of this very same game, you be sleepin and i don't mind tellin ya). Secondly, I'd like to quickly confide (we're all homies here, right?) that this is one of those times where a song felt tricky, and I can't tell you how tempted I was to play the alteration game and go with "It's you and me and the zombies make three toniiiight." I was kinda far removed from the Resident Evil series when this came out - my interest in gaming was on the wane, and the first thing I heard about this game was controversy over whether or not the game's premise was a teensy bit problematic. **QUICK CIVICS SHIT, APPY POLLY LOGGIES** Some people found the idea of main character Chris Redfield (white) blasting away at the infected in Africa (not white) to be in somewhat questionable taste, and in all fairness, 'white authority figure shoots down Black people,' even if they are zombies, does sound pretty terrible. Lots of folks however (including a YouTuber whose snotty opposition to the idea that anybody might be offended by this prevented me from making it through his video) balked at the outrage and preferred to downplay it. Thing is, the journalist who first brought this up was Black - and I can't help wondering about the gall required to tell somebody from a completely different walk of life that how they feel about something is wrong, particularly when it has nothing to do with those criticizing the observation. It costs nothing to just listen to somebody, y'know? **THANKS, RESUME READING HERE PLEASE** I didn't play Resident Evil 5 until a couple years ago because an old friend who moved to a different state wanted us to have a game to play together like old times, and I was all too happy to have something new to share with my friend of 20+ years. Plus, the idea of a co-op Resident Evil game, which I didn't even know is how the game was designed due to me apparently living under a rock on the moon, sounded dope! We played the vast majority of the campaign together, and it was a lot of fun. I loved what they did with the partner dynamic - you can pull zombies off of one another, heal and revive each other, exchange items, and provide cover in moments like when somebody gotta use one of the cranks that this franchise seems to love so much. There are several moments that specifically require teamwork as well - overall, the buddy nature of the gameplay is very well realized. While the demands for leveling up weapons and making more money are certainly high, Capcom alleviates this by making farming mercifully easy. My friend was much further along than I was and showed me how easily you could collect things, quit, restart and repeat. It's a neat system, and it's almost as if they wanted to cut us a break. Thanks, Capcom? Of course, no RE title can be completed on the back of one playthrough, so I had to do the rest largely solo, which wasn't the worst thing in the world or anything, but the game is clearly best experienced with a companion. Which is to say it's just more fun that way, not to talk shit on the AI or anything! I didn't even know this until recently, but apparently Chris' partner Sheva gets a lot of hate, which I found baffling. She's like a second inventory and serves as back-up. She holds her own and takes out enemies just fine, and there are a few times you're better off just letting her shoot because she'll be a lot more accurate than you. If you choose to play as her, you're rewarded with a speedier character. She heals you. We even see Sheva's butt before we hear her voice, I mean what more do you want from this poor woman?? Sheva is a real one, and anybody who complains about her has clearly never fought off zombies in high heels! I thought the character models were interesting, and I liked that they tried to switch it up with our returning heroes. Chris' physique makes him look like he's been dabbling in professional wrestling on the side, which kinda makes sense, I mean if somebody had tried to have me killed by a menagerie of terrifying creatures, I'd probably start training too. Then Jill's like "you know what? I think I wanna be blonde for this game." Good for y'all, you do you. The story is certainly passable, it hits all the classic RE criteria: investigate such and such, realize there's more to this than you thought, have the villains reveal an unreasonable amount of information about their plans, find yourself in a self-destruction sequence, and finally kill the baddie with a rocket launcher. The obvious issue however, and a lot has been made of this, is that it simply isn't scary. Resident Evil 5 takes the action aspects that 4 introduced and goes full-on in that direction, which leaves us with a bit of an Alien vs. Aliens situation - same subject matter, but less focus on unsettling quietude and tension in favor of more guns and explosions. Which, I'unno, seemed fine to me. The tonal shift was not always for the best, most notably in how wrong a Resident Evil in broad daylight feels (not entirely unlike when you've been partying all night and the morning sun makes its most unwelcome appearance), but I largely feel like it works alright. The DLC is actually pretty cleverly implemented as well. It's cool to see the mission that set all these events in motion (Lost in Nightmares) and find out how both Jill and Josh managed to make their way out and score a helicopter to save Chris and Sheva (Desperate Escape). Nightmare was great because it revisited the more classic Resi style with an emphasis on puzzles, a stronger sense of tension and dread, and a setting with more than a passing resemblance to vital locations in the first two games. Escape was great because it cranked the action to Spinal Tap-friendly levels of 11, pitting you and your partner against a massive army of undead with scarcely a moment to catch your breath. And to boot, both have the same co-op dynamic as the base game. Then there are the multiplayer modes, which alternate from which player kills the most zombies to which player kills the most players. They're actually pretty fun to be honest, and if the trophy requirement had been half of what it ended up being, I could see myself playing these modes a little longer than was asked of me! Lastly, for having come out in 2009, this thing looks and sounds really good. The soundtrack has a lot of that ambient eeriness the series is known for, but definitely steps it up to match the generally faster pace of the game as well. There were also a few touches of African influence in the music, which was nice, and the tracks used for the MP modes would totally fill the dance floor at a nerd rave (provided that such a thing exists). I initially remembered not caring for this game that much, and having to readjust to the shooting mechanic (which always felt slightly off to me) when I got back into it didn't help matters any. It's still not my favorite Resident Evil title or anything, but I definitely grew to appreciate it more. I'm glad I came back and finished this guy up, it was definitely worth it and overall I'd say it was a lot more fun than it gets credit for! Stray Observations - It's funny how the lore tidbits that pop up on the loading screens are gone before you get to read even half of the paragraph. Never have I wanted loading screens to last longer! I get that this is a PS3 game gettin some PS4 love, but I wanna read this shit! Alexia injects herself with the T-Veronica virus in 1983 and BAM HERE'S SOME LICKERS LET'S FUCKIN GOOO!!! - The gun merchant dude at the beginning felt like a borderline tease that we were gonna get another "WHATTAYABOUYIN" type character. A missed opportunity, though perhaps they felt as though they were lifting enough from 4 already! - Chris refusing to give up on finding Jill, even in the face of giant mutants and Chainsaw Charlies, is an incredible show of loyalty. But Sheva, who just met this dude, be like "I'm a down ass bitch, let's? fuckin? go?." How do you not love that? - What's with that stupid accent Wesker just suddenly decided that he has? It's this weird, sinister version of a transatlantic accent that you might hear from a pretentious drama kid in high school. I guess it debuted in Code Veronica, which I'm yet to play, but I hope Chris and he have an exchange like "Dude why are you talking like that?" "Whaat? I've aaalways taalked like thiis." No you haven't dick, you spoke perfectly normal in the first game. .......well, you know what I mean. - Speaking of Wesker, what an obnoxiously unkillable villain. His fighting sequences (particularly the Nightmare DLC) are so over the top that I couldn't help thinking the developers were watching a lot of Equilibrium while coming up with the fight scenes. - The puzzle segment (yeah, it's pretty much just that one) was fun, but it was kinda fucked up how you could move the light beam over a bit too quickly and Sheva would just be standing there, apparently all too happy to be incinerated by accident? - Capcom comes through with the fan service, be it that Bond girl-esque thigh neck snap or the choice of Mad Men Sheva or Apocalypto Sheva. I'll be real though, if footage of Jill and Sheva giving each other hurricanranas was in the BSAA recruiting kit, it would certainly make me consider joining. THAT Trophy: War Hero By the time to get to Professional difficulty, you'll likely have several strong weapons with infinite ammo and won't have to worry about much... except for the end of chapter 2-3. Ndesu. Yeah, THAT mafucka. Infinite weapons cannot help you here. This fight was always tricky, but it's considerably more so at this level. You can't miss a single QTE, and on Professional they are lightning quick. Meanwhile, you need to keep an eye out for the majini guys (especially that little shithead with the molotovs on the left), you have to watch out to make sure your gun doesn't overheat, you have to be able to identify every single one of Ndesu's indicators so that you can react accordingly, and finally you need to know exactly where to aim, because if you miss his foot, face, or that big rock he throws at you, you may as well just start over. Anybody who hasn't done this? For the love of god, play as Sheva, Chris' AI is so much better (Capcom is sexist, what can I say). Everything is completely random, so there's gonna be a lot of close calls - like shooting the molotov asshole (I really didn't like him) and rushing over to get Ndesu's foot before it comes down on you. And to make matters even worse, sometimes your inputs don't register, or the hit box doesn't respond. Initially I thought this was just me being like "wah, I wanted this to happen and it didn't" but I found a grip of people saying the same thing. Lastly, Ndesu will kill you with. the. quickness. I was on a perfect run - I killed the archers before they could do any damage, didn't miss a single QTE, caught the molotov guy every time... but literally on the last little thing sticking out of him, I apparently missed his head as he was rushing me, and I died. It's just not a good time. This game on the whole, though? Totally worthy (if flawed) follow-up to RE 4, and made me excited to dive into that game next. Not sure if I'll go beyond 5 (I have no interest in playing 6 whatsoever) but everything between that and 0 have got a Smevz shaped target on their backs? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie__227 Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 Don't mind me popping in here (no pun intended) for the first time in a million years, but I'm a big RE fan so I might actually be able to have a conversation with you about this one lol. First of all, congrats on the plat! RE5 has been in my backlog for ages and it's probably my least played one of the series >.> I do like it, it's just not as enjoyable as the others to me for some reason? I dunno, but I am not looking forward to getting the MP trophies. Thankfully one of my best friends is also a big RE fan and has helped me out a lot with MP trophies in the series so far, so I won't have to bother any of you with my lack of skill when the time comes lol. Secondly 18 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Some people found the idea of main character Chris Redfield (white) blasting away at the infected in Africa (not white) to be in somewhat questionable taste, and in all fairness, 'white authority figure shoots down Black people,' even if they are zombies, does sound pretty terrible. Wow, I never thought about it that way. I first played it when I was a teenager with a friend and didn't really think anything of it except for "this is another zombie game that just happens to take place in Africa this time" then never gave it a second thought. But I'm so white I reflect the sun so who am I to try and refute anybody else's feelings on the matter? That take on it combined with some of the gross things I've seen fans say about Sheva online makes it all seem a whole lot worse. 26 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: I didn't even know this until recently, but apparently Chris' partner Sheva gets a lot of hate, which I found baffling. She's like a second inventory and serves as back-up. She holds her own and takes out enemies just fine, and there are a few times you're better off just letting her shoot because she'll be a lot more accurate than you. If you choose to play as her, you're rewarded with a speedier character. She heals you. We even see Sheva's butt before we hear her voice, I mean what more do you want from this poor woman?? Sheva is a real one, and anybody who complains about her has clearly never fought off zombies in high heels! Thank you for defending Sheva ;^; she's such a bad ass and despite this game not being my favorite of the series, I will still yell at people if I see them saying mean things about her lol. I think I've seen more people complain about Sheva than Ashley in RE4. I like her too tbh but at least complaints about Ashley are understandable. Like sheesh, cut her a break people ? 32 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: I thought the character models were interesting, and I liked that they tried to switch it up with our returning heroes. Chris' physique makes him look like he's been dabbling in professional wrestling on the side, which kinda makes sense, I mean if somebody had tried to have me killed by a menagerie of terrifying creatures, I'd probably start training too. Then Jill's like "you know what? I think I wanna be blonde for this game." Good for y'all, you do you. Jill looked great blonde, even if I didn't recognize her at first ? Poor Chris seems to have had so many different plastic surgeries and exercise regimens throughout the series I'm surprised he's still alive. I wish they'd just settle on a design for him already. 35 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: The story is certainly passable, it hits all the classic RE criteria: investigate such and such, realize there's more to this than you thought, have the villains reveal an unreasonable amount of information about their plans, find yourself in a self-destruction sequence, and finally kill the baddie with a rocket launcher. The obvious issue however, and a lot has been made of this, is that it simply isn't scary. Resident Evil 5 takes the action aspects that 4 introduced and goes full-on in that direction, which leaves us with a bit of an Alien vs. Aliens situation - same subject matter, but less focus on unsettling quietude and tension in favor of more guns and explosions. Which, I'unno, seemed fine to me. The tonal shift was not always for the best, most notably in how wrong a Resident Evil in broad daylight feels (not entirely unlike when you've been partying all night and the morning sun makes its most unwelcome appearance), but I largely feel like it works alright. I think maybe you just hit the nail on the head of why I don't like this one as much as the others. The other ones all invoke an actual feeling of fear and suspense, whereas this one feels more like a fast paced Left 4 Dead or Call of Duty Zombies kinda situation that almost doesn't give you time to feel scared or uneasy. It doesn't make the game unenjoyable just.. different than what you would expect going into a RE game. I know a lot of people complain about 7 and 8, but I do like that they really managed to bring back that feeling of a genuine horror experience, despite the whole first person POV being new to the series. 51 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: I initially remembered not caring for this game that much, and having to readjust to the shooting mechanic (which always felt slightly off to me) when I got back into it didn't help matters any. It's still not my favorite Resident Evil title or anything, but I definitely grew to appreciate it more. I'm glad I came back and finished this guy up, it was definitely worth it and overall I'd say it was a lot more fun than it gets credit for! I'm glad you enjoyed your time with the game, even if it may not be the strongest title out of the series! I should get back to it soon too. I'm with you on that btw, I always have such a hard time readjusting to the gameplay of both 4 and 5 whenever I pick them back up again after taking a long break. 55 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: -What's with that stupid accent Wesker just suddenly decided that he has? It's this weird, sinister version of a transatlantic accent that you might hear from a pretentious drama kid in high school. I guess it debuted in Code Veronica, which I'm yet to play, but I hope Chris and he have an exchange like "Dude why are you talking like that?" "Whaat? I've aaalways taalked like thiis." No you haven't dick, you spoke perfectly normal in the first game. .......well, you know what I mean. - Speaking of Wesker, what an obnoxiously unkillable villain. His fighting sequences (particularly the Nightmare DLC) are so over the top that I couldn't help thinking the developers were watching a lot of Equilibrium while coming up with the fight scenes. THIS lmao all of this. I could not take him seriously at all and he's supposed to be a huge important Big Bad in the series, what were they thinking? I had a good time making fun of his stupid accent and silly moves until I got my ass handed to me one too many times, and then I was just doing it out of spite lol. 58 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Anybody who hasn't done this? For the love of god, play as Sheva, Chris' AI is so much better (Capcom is sexist, what can I say). I've always played as Chris whenever I'm playing alone, so I will have to keep that in mind! 1 hour ago, YaManSmevz said: This game on the whole, though? Totally worthy (if flawed) follow-up to RE 4, and made me excited to dive into that game next. Not sure if I'll go beyond 5 (I have no interest in playing 6 whatsoever) but everything between that and 0 have got a Smevz shaped target on their backs Aw, that's too bad >.< its understandable as I know a lot of people take issue with 6 but its actually one of my favorites. Maybe I just have a lot of nostalgia that goes along with it bc I used to play it so much with friends and I have a lot of fond memories, but I also love that it includes so many of the original characters. And I really do like the whole story and the way it feels like 4 entire different games in one that are all connected and make everything make sense at the end. No pressure to play a game you're genuinely not interested in, just thought I'd add my 2 cents in case you're just put off by what you've seen other people say online or something! Anyway, I congrats again on the plat :3 I always enjoy lurking and reading what you have to say even if I don't usually reply, and this was no exception. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 18, 2022 Author Share Posted March 18, 2022 20 hours ago, popnheart said: Don't mind me popping in here (no pun intended) for the first time in a million years, but I'm a big RE fan so I might actually be able to have a conversation with you about this one lol. First of all, congrats on the plat! RE5 has been in my backlog for ages and it's probably my least played one of the series >.> I do like it, it's just not as enjoyable as the others to me for some reason? I dunno, but I am not looking forward to getting the MP trophies. Thankfully one of my best friends is also a big RE fan and has helped me out a lot with MP trophies in the series so far, so I won't have to bother any of you with my lack of skill when the time comes lol. Thank you so much! I haven't uninstalled it so if you could use a hand just give me a holler! I definitely feel you on it being a perfectly fine game, but maybe not the first one you'd go for if you were in a RE mood! I can tell you though that it definitely feels nice to have completed it? Quote Wow, I never thought about it that way. I first played it when I was a teenager with a friend and didn't really think anything of it except for "this is another zombie game that just happens to take place in Africa this time" then never gave it a second thought. But I'm so white I reflect the sun so who am I to try and refute anybody else's feelings on the matter? That take on it combined with some of the gross things I've seen fans say about Sheva online makes it all seem a whole lot worse. You hit the nail on the head there! Dolly Parton took the word Dixie out of an attraction of hers and said something along the lines of "if it's offensive then get rid of it, why would I ever want to offend anybody" and I just thought the simplicity of that was so wonderful. If somebody is bothered by something, especially with that level of sensitivity, I feel it's our responsibility as fellow human beings to at least hear them out. Quote Thank you for defending Sheva ;^; she's such a bad ass and despite this game not being my favorite of the series, I will still yell at people if I see them saying mean things about her lol. I think I've seen more people complain about Sheva than Ashley in RE4. I like her too tbh but at least complaints about Ashley are understandable. Like sheesh, cut her a break people Poor Sheva? I was playing with a friend who mentioned how much hate she gets, and til then I had no idea! I'm at a loss on that one. I know Ashley gets a lot of eye rolls but I mean she's a scared young girl. At first it's like "Oh my god SHUT UP YOU'RE SO ANNOYING" and then it becomes "Well she's terrified, of course she's not pleasant to listen to, that's not her fault." Quote THIS lmao all of this. I could not take him seriously at all and he's supposed to be a huge important Big Bad in the series, what were they thinking? I had a good time making fun of his stupid accent and silly moves until I got my ass handed to me one too many times, and then I was just doing it out of spite lol. Yo figuring out that final fight was made all the worse by having to hear "WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAAAND, CHRIS??" over and over! Maybe they had him talk like that so gamers like us could have some comic relief while trying to beat him? Quote Aw, that's too bad >.< its understandable as I know a lot of people take issue with 6 but its actually one of my favorites. Maybe I just have a lot of nostalgia that goes along with it bc I used to play it so much with friends and I have a lot of fond memories, but I also love that it includes so many of the original characters. And I really do like the whole story and the way it feels like 4 entire different games in one that are all connected and make everything make sense at the end. No pressure to play a game you're genuinely not interested in, just thought I'd add my 2 cents in case you're just put off by what you've seen other people say online or something! Interesting! Maybe I'll have to watch a playthrough on YouTube or something. I mean it took some effort to get myself to play 5, and I enjoyed that? Quote Anyway, I congrats again on the plat :3 I always enjoy lurking and reading what you have to say even if I don't usually reply, and this was no exception. Thank you! I really appreciate you dropping in, it means a lot? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted April 1, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 1, 2022 Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz March 2022 What's up y'all. The first of April kinda snuck up on me, and lemmetellya, we are reporting live from the struggle bus. I'm usually already gathering my thoughts in the previous week, but this time it just kinda dawned on me that I like to make monthly progress posts. And uh... well, it has definitely been a month, I can confirm that. 88.63% Overall Completion (+1.57) 394 Unearned Trophies (-83) 3.43 Trophies Per Day (-0.03) 53 Platinums (+1) Level 333 (+3) So yeah, not my best. A combination of things - work being busy, me going and injuring myself, a few family get togethers that just kinda kept going (i.e. some of the in laws apparently didn't want to leave... anybody ever get that? It's weird to start considering asking a guest "so uh... been a few days now, you do still have a home, yes?"), and ultimately just feeling burnt out on multiple fronts. On the 30th I realized I may not get a monthly plat for the first time since October '20, and was startled by how little I cared. Wish I was trying to be cute on an April Fool's Day tip or some shit, but nope - thasswhutitizz. Game of the Month Grand Theft Auto V, and yes, I'm surprised too. Still on the fence about those last two UR Doomsday trophies, but the platinum suddenly feels within reach. The heists really are a lot of fun (I feel like this is something they've wanted to do since the bank job way back in Vice City), and I don't know how I forgot what a remarkable job they did re-creating Los Angeles. Plus, these really are the premier controls for playing a GTA game. The physics can be too good at times, though... like going to take cover and accidentally tripping and falling over. For a second you're annoyed, but then remember that really is what would happen if you ran too quickly into something waist-level. Also it seems to love updating for you "So and so is totally loving GTA Online!" I'm flattered that you want the world to know we're together and all, but you're already one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world... why you thirsty, bro. We're Goin Streaking? At long last we are not, and I'm happy to report that this was deliberate. I hit 116 days and gave my PS4 the weekend off, which honestly was something I needed - truth be told, I could probably use even more than that! More importantly, I feel I can retire this segment now. I wanted a super long trophy streak and got one, so it's very much good enough for me. Rating the Month I did pass 88% and get under 400 unearned, plus I made a bit of progress on the Hitlist games. However, the phrase "a bit" is rather appropriate as I barely got any shit did (except Fire Pro, that one actually shot up) and barely squeaked by one measly plat. Combine that with the deteriorating interest, and I gotta give myself my first bad rating - two out of five Stunt Jumps☹️ April Goals Honestly anything is fine, we'll just see what happens. I'm not in the mindset these days to force myself to play something I'm not really feelin, especially if it will require me to enter the torrent of failure required for any sense of real accomplishment. With a few exceptions: Gaming Hitlist MLB The Show 20 - 19 has been slain, and I went back to finish 18 because I was still enjoying playing baseball... and I still am! Once I finish this and 21 I'll probably write about all four in one post, because I don't need four separate posts about the same sports gaming franchise! Final Fantasy IX - There are some grinds I have absolutely no interest in right now, like playing Shock and Awe on repeat or hoping that Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires' RNG will be nice to me for once. But one thing I want to at least make an honest effort with? Jumpin some rope. Because I really want to play this game again, and if I gotta take a swing at the big ugly bouncer out front to get inside, I'd like to think I at least tried. Grand Theft Auto V - Didn't list this last month and yet it's far and away where I made the most progress in March. Found a few good boosters who are at it pretty regularly, so in the very least it feels plausible to get a lot more taken care of in a month. Plus with the right people this game is genuinely a lot of fun, of course! Yakuza 0 - Almost done with the cabaret hostess side quest, which derailed progress but is so much fun I'm not even gonna bitch about it. I think this was the last thing I was playing before my gaming malaise set in, now that I think of it... might be a good place to start. Cities: Skylines - Just a bit. Just to chip away, y'know? For whatever reason, it's too easy to see negative symbols pop up, assume I fucked up somewhere way back because I'm not scum saving enough (for the record I totally am), and worry that I'll never have enough happy citizens or hit 100k. A strange game to have such anxiety over, no? But like everything else, it's just a matter of doing it. Okay.... deep breath. Time to suck this month's dick. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Killing it dude ? BTW: 12 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Cities: Skylines - Just a bit. Just to chip away, y'know? For whatever reason, it's too easy to see negative symbols pop up, assume I fucked up somewhere way back because I'm not scum saving enough (for the record I totally am), and worry that I'll never have enough happy citizens or hit 100k. A strange game to have such anxiety over, no? But like everything else, it's just a matter of doing it. This is gonna sound like the ravings of a psychopathic Anti-Mayor, but hear me out… …for that 100% happiness trophy? Make a special city, with… wait for it… No Industry. Seriously. It’s bizarre, and maybe the only trophy that requires you to build a “non-functional” city… …but a smallish city can run with no industry, and that means no noise, no industrial traffic, and no pollution, so everyone is happy…until the city grows too big, and the economic reality kicks in. I did that in a snowy, purely commercial and residential paradise, and managed to hit that 100% happiness before the local economy collapsed like a flan in a cupboard, and (presumably) before anyone noticed they didn’t have any long term jobs! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 33 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: This is gonna sound like the ravings of a psychopathic Anti-Mayor, but hear me out… …for that 100% happiness trophy? Make a special city, with… wait for it… No Industry. Seriously. It’s bizarre, and maybe the only trophy that requires you to build a “non-functional” city… …but a smallish city can run with no industry, and that means no noise, no industrial traffic, and no pollution, so everyone is happy…until the city grows too big, and the economic reality kicks in. I did that in a snowy, purely commercial and residential paradise, and managed to hit that 100% happiness before the local economy collapsed like a flan in a cupboard, and (presumably) before anyone noticed they didn’t have any long term jobs! Thanks Doc, I will take all the food for thought I can get! Also I really like the idea of the citizens of a hyper-green Bloodmoneyton suddenly being like "Wait a minute, we're all broke!!" "Holy fuck LET'S TRASH THIS PLACE" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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