Smevin's Regular, Every Day, Normal Ass Gamer Attempts at Trophy Hunting

[DrunkenEngineer]

5 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

Okay.... deep breath. Time to suck this month's dick.

 

This killed me.  I am a child.

 

Oh man, too bad you are finishing up GTAV now, after I slogged through it last year.  Those Domesday trophies really suck though, I hope your boosting crew is up for the challenge! 

 

Edit: I also feel you on the burn out, dude.  I get that quite often lately.  Gotta take time and know when it’s best to have a rest and refocus.

Edited April 1, 2022 by DrunkenEngineer

[Platinum_Vice]

Hey man.

 

5 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

we are reporting live from the struggle bus.

 

Seems to have been a month where there's a few of us sitting around you on that bus mate. Someone else is driving it and another is falling under it.

 

5 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

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?"),

 

I must have missed the bit where you got injured. What happened??

 

My wife and I rent from her mother. How's that for in-laws, eh? Surprise unannounced inspection, anyone?

 

5 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

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!

 

I am a bit of a quiet baseball fan. I played it growing up and loved it. This is uncommon Down Under. Who's your team?

 

Four baseball posts in one is something I'd agree with. ?

 

How many games are you away from being up to date in your reviews?

 

5 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

Grand Theft Auto V

 

I really rate this game. The two Doomsday Heist trophies, though? I nope'd out of those!!

[YaManSmevz]

47 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Edit: I also feel you on the burn out, dude.  I get that quite often lately.  Gotta take time and know when it’s best to have a rest and refocus.

 

23 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

Seems to have been a month where there's a few of us sitting around you on that bus mate. Someone else is driving it and another is falling under it.

 

Hey thanks a lot guys! Always feels a bit nicer when y'all can relate. It happens sometimes, just part of the experience. Not the best part, but y'know.

 

 

41 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

This killed me.  I am a child.

 

You and me both, bro! My wife and I use that often, I think I stole it from Pineapple Express?

 

41 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said:

Oh man, too bad you are finishing up GTAV now, after I slogged through it last year.  Those Domesday trophies really suck though, I hope your boosting crew is up for the challenge! 

 

18 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

I really rate this game. The two Doomsday Heist trophies, though? I nope'd out of those!!

 

Bruhhh I got my first taste of the Doomsday shit at around level 30, and it is no. joke. You were the first person I thought of @DrunkenEngineer, mad props for that one. I'm still on the fence as to whether I wanna make that investment. I've met a few boosters who seem to be always down, so I might just go for it once we find a few more solid folks. And of course once I hit level 70+, flyin through that shit without dying is waaayy out of my wheelhouse right now!

 

28 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

I must have missed the bit where you got injured. What happened??

 

My elbow has been pouring bottles and shaking tins for a bit too long and is starting to get that famous late thirties wear and tear that I've heard so much about (no wonder I've never seen a sixty-something bartender). Trying to take off work and give him some rest, but it ain't healed quite yet and I have to apply for disability. It's just all around unpleasant, really!

 

28 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

My wife and I rent from her mother. How's that for in-laws, eh? Surprise unannounced inspection, anyone?

 

Oh noooooo??????

 

28 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

I am a bit of a quiet baseball fan. I played it growing up and loved it. This is uncommon Down Under. Who's your team?

 

Damn homie, you are just full of surprises!

 

I always figured fans outside of the states would be a bit of a rarity. Wifey and I were in Ireland during the '19 World Series and I remember watching the games on my phone after we'd gotten back from barhopping and she was knocked out?

 

I am a lifelong Dodger fan. It's kind of a family heirloom fandom, but nothing crazy. I don't yell at televisions or say things like "WE won" when I clearly did nothing, but yeah? How about yourself, who and why? I'm quite curious - I have familial and geographical (also uh.. heritage? Mexicans make up a famously large portion of their fan base) reasons so I'd love to hear about yours!

 

28 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

Four baseball posts in one is something I'd agree with. ?

 

How many games are you away from being up to date in your reviews?

 

Then it shall be so?

 

You mean altogether? Quite a few actually, and some I don't wanna get to til I finish games of the same franchise (Final Fantasy and Resident Evil, whoopsforgottosayspoiler). 17 by my count.

 

If you mean The Show games, then just two, and I've already started in #3!

[Platinum_Vice]

20 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said:

reasons so I'd love to hear about yours!

 

I don't get to watch any of it down here unless I fork out for a streaming service... and who really has the time, right? Let's face it: baseball be long dude.

 

So I therefore don't really have a team.

 

When I was younger and playing the sport, you sort of HAD to have a team. As I was (and still am) the biggest fan of Survivor in the Southern Hemisphere, I went with the Red Sox, as a very big Survivor personality repped that team and I was a big fan of that bloke. This would have been circa 2004-2006 where Red Sox mania actually made it out of the States. So I defaulted to Boston.

 

A couple of years after that I got my first baseball video game (PSP's The Show.... 07? Maybe?) and it was only then that I actually even learnt the names of some of the players from the batting lineup in that game (we're talking Damon, Ramirez, Ortiz etc).

 

Now I just fall asleep occasionally with good memories from playing the actual game IRL, and follow YouTubers Walt and Baseball Magazine for their compilations of viral baseball banter at all levels. I'd rather watch that for half an hour than watch an MLB game on the couch. Baseball banter is so good. I have soft sports for Molina, Pujols and Colon.

 

One day, when I actually go to the US, I will see a game. It will be one with either the Red Sox, Yankees or the Dodgers depending on what city we can squeeze it in.

 

[YaManSmevz]

On 4/1/2022 at 5:30 PM, Platinum_Vice said:

 

I don't get to watch any of it down here unless I fork out for a streaming service... and who really has the time, right? Let's face it: baseball be long dude.

 

So I therefore don't really have a team.

 

As an avid baseball fan who's genuinely enjoyed the game for the majority of my life, lemme tell you.. 

 

BASEBALL BE LONG.

 

Remember the Simpsons episode where Homer stops drinking and he goes to a game and he's like "...I never realized how boring this game is?" I will never be mad at that cuz it do be facts tho?

 

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When I was younger and playing the sport, you sort of HAD to have a team. As I was (and still am) the biggest fan of Survivor in the Southern Hemisphere, I went with the Red Sox, as a very big Survivor personality repped that team and I was a big fan of that bloke. This would have been circa 2004-2006 where Red Sox mania actually made it out of the States. So I defaulted to Boston.

 

I love all of this? I strongly suggest that you go to Boston, based not only on this but the fact that Fenway is the oldest operating MLB park. As much as I wanna recommend my beloved Dodger Stadium, I think this would be the most appropriately Gonzo way to go about it?

 

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A couple of years after that I got my first baseball video game (PSP's The Show.... 07? Maybe?) and it was only then that I actually even learnt the names of some of the players from the batting lineup in that game (we're talking Damon, Ramirez, Ortiz etc).

 

Dope! It's always cool to me to see the evolution in any hobby/interest for a person, particularly a hobby/interest I share! I think it was The Bigs that taught me names like Youkilis and Varitek. It's just such a cool thing to add on to already existing fandom?

 

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Now I just fall asleep occasionally with good memories from playing the actual game IRL, and follow YouTubers Walt and Baseball Magazine for their compilations of viral baseball banter at all levels. I'd rather watch that for half an hour than watch an MLB game on the couch. Baseball banter is so good. I have soft sports for Molina, Pujols and Colon.

 

I totally get that. One time a buddy caught me checking an update for a game on my phone and asked why, since I could just see what happened later on. I just shrugged and said "I like to know what's happening." I don't think he understood.

 

Quick, mostly-accurate story: As a child, I watched a Dodger game where they were down by five or six runs as a child (Mike Sharperson era). Ninth inning, they come back and fuckin rally their asses off and pull a win out they asses. Is baseball inherently boring? Mos def. But can it be utterly exhilarating as well? FUCK YES.

 

Long story short, I love that you love baseball too??

[rjkclarke]

Yo! Sorry I've evidently been living under a dirty big bridge the last couple of weeks or so, I've meant to drop comments on these but they kept mounting up and mounting up, so it's time for some good old fashioned Necromancy of your older (and obviously awesome) posts.

 

 

On 14/03/2022 at 8:09 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Platinum #29: South Park: The Stick of Truth

 

That was a hell of a good read man - wasn't The Stick of Truth just the most pleasant surprise, especially considering how terrible some of those older South Park games were. I must admit I did get some good fun out of the PS1/N64 one, although half of that was down to the multiplayer and the other was down to the noises the Turkey's made in that first level, but other than that it was a colossal mess haha ?.

 

Did you ever play Virtual Springfield on the PC? I didn't until I was probably way into my late teens, Why am I mentioning that game? Well, on the old Simpsons VHS's they always used to run trailers for that game, of course at the time your brain sees clips of that game and assumes it'll be wholly different to what it is.

 

I assumed it would be just you wandering around Springfield at your own pace basically doing what you wanted to. Of course it was nothing like that. South Park: The Stick of Truth though, that game is what your mind tells you Virtual Springfeield would be like, but in South Park. Everyone's said it at this point, but it really does feel like you're just taking part in an episode of the show.

 

I'm really glad that you enjoyed it too, even if some of the trophies in the game are more than a little finicky, and requires you to constantly look at a guide to basically double check you haven't missed one of the many, many missable things in the game. What's even more baffling is that despite both of us liking this one, seemingly neither of us have actually played The Fractured but Whole yet. I guess we ought to sort that out at some point, huh?

 

On 17/03/2022 at 7:18 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Platinum #51: Resident Evil 5

 

Another awesome one man!

 

I definitely think Resident Evil 5 gets less love than it deserves, but yeah - a Resident Evil in bright sunlight for a lot of it, what an odd decision that was. Amongst a very long laundry list of odd and unnecessary decisions.

 

I'm glad you mentioned Wesker's absolutely odd way of speaking, I'm pretty sure that I forgot to mention that when I reviewed the game myself despite finding it incredibly distracting! It's like he's deliberately trying really hard to just dial up the "MWUHAHAHA I AM A VILLAIN" thing and instead it just comes off as laughable.

 

At least he's not as bad as Irving, who is obnoxiously terrible as far as voice acting and just general characterisation go, although now you're a few weeks removed from the game, you've probably just forgotten that freak entirely haha ?

 

Nice to see you throwing some well deserved abuse at that arseface Ndesu as well, that boss fight can seriously try probably even the most patient of people. It's just really obnoxious on professional difficulty. If I never have to see another giant foot slamming down on my face I'll be pretty happy. Thankfully I can't foresee a situation where that would happen any time soon.

 

 

On 17/03/2022 at 8:26 PM, popnheart said:

 

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!

 

Sorry popnheart! I'm definitely one of those that's guilty of having a fair bit of criticism for Resident Evil 6.... I really wanted to love it, then I play it for a bit and I instantly remember why I just can't get on with it all too well. I still like it, just not quite the way that I wish I did.

 

I really like that you like it though - because everything you mentioned there makes perfect sense, it really does. A lot of the things I do like about it, you mentioned yourself, there is a whole lot to like that's for sure. You aren't in the minority of people who really dig RE6 either. Someone said very similar things to what you have about it, in my thread too (also a big RE fan), I think more people like RE6 a whole lot more than you'd think.

 

On 01/04/2022 at 6:32 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz

March 2022

 

I know you feel like you didn't get a whole lot done in March, but you did. I'll try and keep this as positive is possible, because from reading that it sounds as if you're struggling with a bit of motivation, that will pass hopefully, but take as much of a break as you need to. Take care of yourself first obviously. You know you'd be the first person to say the same thing! 

 

If you really need to, and you find you can't face gaming because of your elbow causing you pain, let gaming take a backseat and tackle some of your movie backlog. Hell if you wanted we could always go all Siskel and Ebert and go the Smevz and RJ Film Show route, and we could both review some films or something (like I need more of an excuse to talk about film ??)  except y'know, in our checklist threads and not on TV because nobody wants to see my hippie face on their TV sets

 

You're really getting your unearned trophies down pretty low at this point - I think I put some arbitrary goal in at the start of my own thread to get down below 500 unearned trophies and you massively beat me to it on that one, I'm still 100 away on that one. Nice one with that! You'd probably have lapped me by the time I actually get there haha.

 

I'm very pleased to see that you're enjoying GTAV as much as you are. It's definitely making me question why I'm so negative on that game. Although I don't think I'm going to change my stance on the torture scene in that game. I genuinely hate that.  I am going to have to go back and mop up that single player 100% in that game though. As I feel like owe it to myself to really drink that game in properly instead of rush through it like I did initially. You're making some astoundingly good progress with it though, especially with the online portion which honestly even if it was an option in the version I have, I'd still probably run away from it screaming, so mad props on that one. 

 

Everything else you've got coming up - you've got this! You know I'm only a message away if you need any tips for some of those stupidly obtuse yet awesome Yakuza mini-games. If that Jump Rope trophy in FFIX gets on your nerves a little too much and you have access to a PC you can always use the script method to do it. I was personally too stubborn to use it, but there's absolutely no shame in it, as it'd certainly get you to the point where you could dive in with the whole awesome game quicker, it's an option. But of course that's up to you, I'm not here to tell you how to play your own games.

[YaManSmevz]

On 4/4/2022 at 5:59 PM, rjkclarke said:

Yo! Sorry I've evidently been living under a dirty big bridge the last couple of weeks or so, I've meant to drop comments on these but they kept mounting up and mounting up, so it's time for some good old fashioned Necromancy of your older (and obviously awesome) posts.

 

I've been under that bridge for a minute my damn self... now that you mention it, was that you? Somebody left as I was leaving to get breakfast, I feel really bad I didn't ask if you wanted something.

 

Not to mention that I've done the very same to your thread! So many great posts have gone by (including your awesome Peaky Blinders review) that I'm afraid of posting a digital metric ton of words in one post. Aw man, how these things can escalate?

 

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That was a hell of a good read man - wasn't The Stick of Truth just the most pleasant surprise, especially considering how terrible some of those older South Park games were. I must admit I did get some good fun out of the PS1/N64 one, although half of that was down to the multiplayer and the other was down to the noises the Turkey's made in that first level, but other than that it was a colossal mess haha .

 

Thank you! It really was a pleasant surprise. And I must admit the same on that first South Park game - perfect? Fuck no, not even close. But it did have its (few) moments, that's for sure!

 

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Did you ever play Virtual Springfield on the PC? I didn't until I was probably way into my late teens, Why am I mentioning that game? Well, on the old Simpsons VHS's they always used to run trailers for that game, of course at the time your brain sees clips of that game and assumes it'll be wholly different to what it is.

 

I assumed it would be just you wandering around Springfield at your own pace basically doing what you wanted to. Of course it was nothing like that. South Park: The Stick of Truth though, that game is what your mind tells you Virtual Springfeield would be like, but in South Park. Everyone's said it at this point, but it really does feel like you're just taking part in an episode of the show.

 

I did not! That's fuckin dope though. My wife (non Simpsons fan) bought me (president of a Simpsons fan club for one) a fan-made map of Springfield, and it makes me wish I'd found a game with the attention to detail of the map that Stick of Truth has.

 

 

I'm down to start a production company and make the definitive Simpsons open world and/or RPG game if you are!

 

May I suggest Smarke?

 

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I'm really glad that you enjoyed it too, even if some of the trophies in the game are more than a little finicky, and requires you to constantly look at a guide to basically double check you haven't missed one of the many, many missable things in the game. What's even more baffling is that despite both of us liking this one, seemingly neither of us have actually played The Fractured but Whole yet. I guess we ought to sort that out at some point, huh?

 

Definitely need to get to Fractured one of these days, I've heard nothing but good things. The trophies were far from perfect, and required more playthroughs than I'd care to admit, but I still look back quite fondly on Stick of Truth!

 

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Another awesome one man!

 

I definitely think Resident Evil 5 gets less love than it deserves, but yeah - a Resident Evil in bright sunlight for a lot of it, what an odd decision that was. Amongst a very long laundry list of odd and unnecessary decisions.

 

Thanks again man! Especially appreciate that one since you yourself wrote such an excellent piece on this one?

 

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I'm glad you mentioned Wesker's absolutely odd way of speaking, I'm pretty sure that I forgot to mention that when I reviewed the game myself despite finding it incredibly distracting! It's like he's deliberately trying really hard to just dial up the "MWUHAHAHA I AM A VILLAIN" thing and instead it just comes off as laughable.

 

At least he's not as bad as Irving, who is obnoxiously terrible as far as voice acting and just general characterisation go, although now you're a few weeks removed from the game, you've probably just forgotten that freak entirely haha

 

 

Fuck Wesker, and FUCK IRVING. He's not even a difficult boss or anything, just annoying. Even Sheva was like bro fuck this fool.

 

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I know you feel like you didn't get a whole lot done in March, but you did. I'll try and keep this as positive is possible, because from reading that it sounds as if you're struggling with a bit of motivation, that will pass hopefully, but take as much of a break as you need to. Take care of yourself first obviously. You know you'd be the first person to say the same thing! 

 

If you really need to, and you find you can't face gaming because of your elbow causing you pain, let gaming take a backseat and tackle some of your movie backlog. Hell if you wanted we could always go all Siskel and Ebert and go the Smevz and RJ Film Show route, and we could both review some films or something (like I need more of an excuse to talk about film )  except y'know, in our checklist threads and not on TV because nobody wants to see my hippie face on their TV sets

 

Thanks a lot man, that really does mean a great deal. Also hell yes, I'd be quite happy to bounce film reviews off of you, that'd be dope! I've been thinking about doing write ups on movies for some time now, so I'm not the least bit opposed.

 

Another thing I'm not opposed to? Hippie faces!

 

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I'm very pleased to see that you're enjoying GTAV as much as you are. It's definitely making me question why I'm so negative on that game. Although I don't think I'm going to change my stance on the torture scene in that game. I genuinely hate that.  I am going to have to go back and mop up that single player 100% in that game though. As I feel like owe it to myself to really drink that game in properly instead of rush through it like I did initially. You're making some astoundingly good progress with it though, especially with the online portion which honestly even if it was an option in the version I have, I'd still probably run away from it screaming, so mad props on that one. 

faves!

 

Each time I've taken the plunge I've found myself initially wishing I was playing something else (San Andreas, GTA IV, Sleeping Dogs, etc) but this game, flaws and all, is just so fucking good. Also as an Angeleno, I can personally confirm that if you ever found yourself in Los Angeles, you'd be able to make your way around that much easier if you've played GTA V.

 

The torture scene is definitely over the top. I am not proud to admit that I too once belonged to the "Edgy sarcastic offensive shit but it shouldn't count cuz my bitter heart is in the right place" party, but here it's on utterly full display that not every shitty thing that happens in the world needs to be broadcast, particularly in such a blatantly gleeful way.

 

TLDR: I'm with you on that one.

 

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Everything else you've got coming up - you've got this! You know I'm only a message away if you need any tips for some of those stupidly obtuse yet awesome Yakuza mini-games. If that Jump Rope trophy in FFIX gets on your nerves a little too much and you have access to a PC you can always use the script method to do it. I was personally too stubborn to use it, but there's absolutely no shame in it, as it'd certainly get you to the point where you could dive in with the whole awesome game quicker, it's an option. But of course that's up to you, I'm not here to tell you how to play your own games.

 

Thank you so much bro, I hope you know how much your words help (if not, I'd be happy to emphasize further!). I'm also severely uninterested in the script method (though I certainly find nothing wrong with that), but damn if I ain't dreading gettin to work on that one! I got 100 jumps pretty quickly but found it rather difficult to replicate, and subsequently lost enthusiasm for the whole ordeal? I trust and believe though that I can handle it, and then hate my life even more while getting 10k kills???

 

Mr. Clarke, has anybody told you today that you're a fantastic person? I hope so, you deserve it?

Edited April 8, 2022 by YaManSmevz

[Destructor-8]

On 02/04/2022 at 0:10 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

I really rate this game. The two Doomsday Heist trophies, though? I nope'd out of those!!

 

The game is a lot of fun definitely. Those trophies are actually alright after enough practice so you would be fine if you ever went for those.

 

On 02/04/2022 at 1:00 AM, YaManSmevz said:

Bruhhh I got my first taste of the Doomsday shit at around level 30, and it is no. joke. You were the first person I thought of @DrunkenEngineer, mad props for that one. I'm still on the fence as to whether I wanna make that investment. I've met a few boosters who seem to be always down, so I might just go for it once we find a few more solid folks. And of course once I hit level 70+, flyin through that shit without dying is waaayy out of my wheelhouse right now!

 

I saw you are currently making some great progress through the online so I'm sure you'll be alright when you get going on it. There's not too many parts that require that much practice & you'll make a lot more progress than you expect when you get to it. I should really get back to this game to finish off the online as I don't have too many trophies to go in it.

[YaManSmevz]

On 4/8/2022 at 7:08 AM, Destructor-8 said:

I saw you are currently making some great progress through the online so I'm sure you'll be alright when you get going on it. There's not too many parts that require that much practice & you'll make a lot more progress than you expect when you get to it. I should really get back to this game to finish off the online as I don't have too many trophies to go in it.

 

Thanks man, definitely tryin!

 

I'm finding that too, it's definitely a demanding task but it's only a matter of becoming more familiar and practice practice practice. Not as intimidating as I once found them to be, but I do still think I might wanna have my head examined after the fact!

 

You should! You've already gotten the worst stuff out of the way, why not? I did a little creepin and saw that you pretty much just gotta complete a few of the original heists - if you were so inclined, I'd be happy to offer an extra body should you need one. Even if it's a ways down the road, as I doubt I'll be giving GTA V the uninstall treatment?

[Platinum_Vice]

Timezone dependent, I may be able to assist either of you with GTA V Online PS4 too ?

[Destructor-8]

On 11/04/2022 at 6:35 PM, YaManSmevz said:

 

Thanks man, definitely tryin!

 

I'm finding that too, it's definitely a demanding task but it's only a matter of becoming more familiar and practice practice practice. Not as intimidating as I once found them to be, but I do still think I might wanna have my head examined after the fact!

 

You should! You've already gotten the worst stuff out of the way, why not? I did a little creepin and saw that you pretty much just gotta complete a few of the original heists - if you were so inclined, I'd be happy to offer an extra body should you need one. Even if it's a ways down the road, as I doubt I'll be giving GTA V the uninstall treatment

 

That's cool, you'll get it done. Yeah it's more about practice & knowing what to do along with good communication as well. It didn't seem to require anywhere near as much practice as I expected although I had a decent team for it so that helped a lot. I also did the elite challenges first too. I thought those heists required a lot of preparation however once I got into it then I realised that it wasn't really as hard as expected. There were a few parts that required a few tries or a bit of practice but apart from that I think I put way too much preparation into it. I think as long as you have a good team with a lot of communication then each run can be done first time. If you do the elite challenges then you'll get through each of the runs most likely first time.

 

I'd definitely be up for that if it helps you out at the same time. I think I just played the game so much at the time that once we were done then I just went on to other games. I have done the original heists before a very long time ago so I know it wouldn't take too long whenever I get back into it. If you still need any of the original ones then I would be interested to finally finish off the rest of it.

 

On 11/04/2022 at 10:28 PM, Platinum_Vice said:

Timezone dependent, I may be able to assist either of you with GTA V Online PS4 too 

 

If you ever wanna do anything on it then I can always get back on the game to help out anytime.

[Shrooba]

On 02/04/2022 at 4:02 AM, YaManSmevz said:

Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz

March 2022

Welp... I hope I'm not late for the March update? ?
Nice to see some GTA 5 rep. Love the story to this game, I love how all three characters have a connection, but it's more so with Michael revolving around the other two, like seeing Franklin as a son, and Trevor as a partner in crime... An insane partner in crime...... but a partner nonetheless. I'm still kickin' myself for not getting that GTA trilogy before Rockstar sent it to the shadow realm in favour of the "definitive" edition. ?
In any case, it's great to see your progress, 77% is good stuff! Makin' your way there, and it's good you've found some people to clean off the rest!

 

And you've built quite an excellent streak as well! A mighty fine run, it went it's natural course and it's quite a big one to behold! 116 days is practically a third of a year, that's dedication. Great stuff. ?

Edited April 19, 2022 by Shrooba

[DrunkenEngineer]

Let me know if you need GTAV help.  I did get completely carried on Doomsday Heist, so all I can say is it blows and I was poop at it, so not sure how much help I'd be but if you need another warm, drunk, body let me know!

 

Also, your review of Sleeping Dogs some pages back got to me and I'm diving in to the Steam version I've had for years in my "popped one achievement and let it linger" backlog.  So far 4 hours in and loving it.

[rjkclarke]

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

I've been under that bridge for a minute my damn self... now that you mention it, was that you? Somebody left as I was leaving to get breakfast, I feel really bad I didn't ask if you wanted something.

 

 

Ouch these quotes telling me it's been more than 2 weeks makes me feel baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad ?

 

I think we've passed each other more than a few times under that bridge the last few weeks.....  I equally feel bad for not asking you if you want some kind of breakfastage. It isn't like we haven't checked in with one another, over these weeks though, even if it might look we haven't. 

 

You've been in the GTA zone (I totally wrote GTA hole, before I realised how it sounded ) and I've been playing Social Life, real life  and digital life, destroyer simulator, by spending all of my free time playing NIeR ?

 

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

I did not! That's fuckin dope though. My wife (non Simpsons fan) bought me (president of a Simpsons fan club for one) a fan-made map of Springfield, and it makes me wish I'd found a game with the attention to detail of the map that Stick of Truth has.

 

 

I'm down to start a production company and make the definitive Simpsons open world and/or RPG game if you are!

 

May I suggest Smarke?

 

 

That's so cool man! I didn't know anything like that existed.What an awesome gift that is too!

 

Looking at that map, you could make a hell of a good open world Simpsons RPG from that, you're so right, expansive, yet justifiably filled with some good content.  You'd be able to get some real great fan service out of that one. I think Smarke is a good idea, let's do that! 

 

Although first we've gotta get that Volleyball game we were kicking around into production, then the obvious sales from that can go towards creating the definitive Simpsons game!

 

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Definitely need to get to Fractured one of these days, I've heard nothing but good things. The trophies were far from perfect, and required more playthroughs than I'd care to admit, but I still look back quite fondly on Stick of Truth!

 

Same, dude, same!

 

It's a bit of a compromise that one, for the trophies isn't it. it's  between sticking rigidly to a guide for collectibles, or just playing it blind and enjoying it for what it is first, I would have probably preferred to do the latter in hindsight. But I still had a lot of fun with it going the route of efficiency. I just think that some of the surprises and Easter Eggs would have been even more impactful if I hadn't known some of them were coming up.

 

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Fuck Wesker, and FUCK IRVING. He's not even a difficult boss or anything, just annoying. Even Sheva was like bro fuck this fool.

 

Haha, right!  She totally was all  "EURGH, THIS GUY..... AGAIN?" I know the feeling Sheva Irving can get in the bin. Absolute Gimp!

 

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Thanks a lot man, that really does mean a great deal. Also hell yes, I'd be quite happy to bounce film reviews off of you, that'd be dope! I've been thinking about doing write ups on movies for some time now, so I'm not the least bit opposed.

 

Awesome, you're welcome!!!

 

Then we might have to do just that, although right now I worry it's going to sound like "This film was good, but it wasn't NieR" I've gotta find a way of finding a healthy balance of not sounding like Alyson Hannigan in American Pie, being all "THIS ONE TIME IN NIER, I PLAYED AS A MAN WHO HAD PANTS ON HIS FACE, LEGGINGS AND FLIP FLOPS, IT WAS SO RAD" It was rad though, and I miss those facepants in the different PS4 version.

 

anyway...... Yes, I'm still down for the odd film reviews at some point!

 

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Each time I've taken the plunge I've found myself initially wishing I was playing something else (San Andreas, GTA IV, Sleeping Dogs, etc) but this game, flaws and all, is just so fucking good. Also as an Angeleno, I can personally confirm that if you ever found yourself in Los Angeles, you'd be able to make your way around that much easier if you've played GTA V.

 

The torture scene is definitely over the top. I am not proud to admit that I too once belonged to the "Edgy sarcastic offensive shit but it shouldn't count cuz my bitter heart is in the right place" party, but here it's on utterly full display that not every shitty thing that happens in the world needs to be broadcast, particularly in such a blatantly gleeful way.

 

TLDR: I'm with you on that one.

 

That's actually pretty cool that it's a pretty true to life representation of LA geographically speaking. I had no idea, that you'd probably be able to make your way around a bit easier having played it.

 

I was very much part of that edgy kind of thinking at one point myself, so I definitely get it. I'm glad you're finding enjoyment from it though, it's one of those things I've always worried about going back to it, but I suspect I'll probably enjoy it. Especially as I won't have to deal with the online on the PS3 version, which from my very brief time with it, I know I would have struggled to enjoy.

 

On 08/04/2022 at 1:43 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Thank you so much bro, I hope you know how much your words help (if not, I'd be happy to emphasize further!). I'm also severely uninterested in the script method (though I certainly find nothing wrong with that), but damn if I ain't dreading gettin to work on that one! I got 100 jumps pretty quickly but found it rather difficult to replicate, and subsequently lost enthusiasm for the whole ordeal I trust and believe though that I can handle it, and then hate my life even more while getting 10k kills???

 

Mr. Clarke, has anybody told you today that you're a fantastic person? I hope so, you deserve it

 

I know they're exactly same sort of words you'd be sending me if I was in the same boat! So no need to emphasise further.

 

Like you said, you know you can handle it. You'll get it, it's like I said to you recently, if I can manage to fight against my own nerves and do it you sure as hell can. I'm nervous and neurotic and second guess myself practically as an art form, so if I can manage to shove that to the side of my brain for ten isolated minutes and nail that trophy, you'll probably find it a breeze.

 

The real test is staying sane throughout the march towards 10K Kills, because your brain constantly tells you that it should have popped by now, and with no way to track it, it's just a desperate battle of hoping the next set of kills will be your last haha

 

Only you did that day, so thank you ?..... but now that I've left it an obnoxiously long time between replying to your nice thing, feel free to rescind your kind words ?.

 

Have fun with your planned mini-break away from GTA, I'm pretty certain that you're going to have a whole lot of fun with what you've just started playing ?

Edited April 22, 2022 by rjkclarke

[YaManSmevz]

On 4/11/2022 at 2:28 PM, Platinum_Vice said:

Timezone dependent, I may be able to assist either of you with GTA V Online PS4 too 

 

On 4/12/2022 at 3:21 PM, Destructor-8 said:

I'd definitely be up for that if it helps you out at the same time. I think I just played the game so much at the time that once we were done then I just went on to other games. I have done the original heists before a very long time ago so I know it wouldn't take too long whenever I get back into it. If you still need any of the original ones then I would be interested to finally finish off the rest of it.

 

 

If you ever wanna do anything on it then I can always get back on the game to help out anytime.

 

On 4/19/2022 at 9:06 PM, DrunkenEngineer said:

Let me know if you need GTAV help.  I did get completely carried on Doomsday Heist, so all I can say is it blows and I was poop at it, so not sure how much help I'd be but if you need another warm, drunk, body let me know!

 

Aww, you guys rock?

 

I'm pretty much down to those two especially unpleasant Doomsday trophies. I expect to have Elite done soon but the Masterminds one is definitely gonna take some more time!

 

I'm still chippin away at level 100, so @Destructor-8 if you're ever feelin the itch to go back and settle up those last few heists it would definitely be of mutual benefit (also I can replay whichever heists you need since I've done them all).

 

The guys I'm playing with are EST so timing is already a tad tricky at times but as of now we're yet to find a consistent fourth, so if anybody needs more torment in their lives, I would absolutely not turn down the help?

 

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Also, your review of Sleeping Dogs some pages back got to me and I'm diving in to the Steam version I've had for years in my "popped one achievement and let it linger" backlog.  So far 4 hours in and loving it.

 

That's what I like to hear? It seems to be one of those games that people sleep on, only to fall in love once they finally start playing it! Really pleased that you and Wei have hit it off!

 

On 4/19/2022 at 7:05 AM, Shrooba said:

Welp... I hope I'm not late for the March update?
Nice to see some GTA 5 rep. Love the story to this game, I love how all three characters have a connection, but it's more so with Michael revolving around the other two, like seeing Franklin as a son, and Trevor as a partner in crime... An insane partner in crime...... but a partner nonetheless. I'm still kickin' myself for not getting that GTA trilogy before Rockstar sent it to the shadow realm in favour of the "definitive" edition.

 

I can't tell you how happy I am to have those - that trilogy is firmly in the DO NOT UNINSTALL folder?

 

I remember finding the concept of three protagonists intimidating initially, but they made it work with a surprising smoothness, and as you pointed out, great connections, character development, and story. Don't know why I doubted their ability to juggle all that!

 

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In any case, it's great to see your progress, 77% is good stuff! Makin' your way there, and it's good you've found some people to clean off the rest!

 

And you've built quite an excellent streak as well! A mighty fine run, it went it's natural course and it's quite a big one to behold! 116 days is practically a third of a year, that's dedication. Great stuff.

 

Thanks so much, man! I've kinda been telling myself that as of late, that my recent lack of interest is completely okay and understandable given how much work I put in over the last year and a half to get my percentage up! As always I appreciate the kind words, particularly from an absolute gaming beast such as yourself?

 

On 4/21/2022 at 4:51 PM, rjkclarke said:

Ouch these quotes telling me it's been more than 2 weeks makes me feel baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad

 

I think we've passed each other more than a few times under that bridge the last few weeks.....  I equally feel bad for not asking you if you want some kind of breakfastage. It isn't like we haven't checked in with one another, over these weeks though, even if it might look we haven't. 

 

Mah man!

 

Yo every time I peek into your thread I'm overwhelmed by how much I have to comment on, it's been sooooo long?

 

And you're right, i do enjoy our PSN chats!

 

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You've been in the GTA zone (I totally wrote GTA hole, before I realised how it sounded ) and I've been playing Social Life, real life  and digital life, destroyer simulator, by spending all of my free time playing NIeR

 

Yup, I've been all up in that GTA-hole!

 

Damn, we could get writing jobs for Rockstar at this rate?

 

Again, I'm so happy that Nier came along with its stocking hat to sweep you off of your gaming feet!

 

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That's so cool man! I didn't know anything like that existed.What an awesome gift that is too!

 

Looking at that map, you could make a hell of a good open world Simpsons RPG from that, you're so right, expansive, yet justifiably filled with some good content.  You'd be able to get some real great fan service out of that one. I think Smarke is a good idea, let's do that! 

 

Although first we've gotta get that Volleyball game we were kicking around into production, then the obvious sales from that can go towards creating the definitive Simpsons game!

 

Bro I loved it? Honestly? Yes, yes, and yes!

 

I was gonna say I can start writing a treatment but there wouldn't be much needed for that Senior Citizen Swingin Bits Volleyball?

 

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It's a bit of a compromise that one, for the trophies isn't it. it's  between sticking rigidly to a guide for collectibles, or just playing it blind and enjoying it for what it is first, I would have probably preferred to do the latter in hindsight. But I still had a lot of fun with it going the route of efficiency. I just think that some of the surprises and Easter Eggs would have been even more impactful if I hadn't known some of them were coming up.

 

I feel like more often than not my sense of when to use a guide from the jump versus when to go in completely blind is quite faulty. I think I'll go back to my original system of checking for missables and skipping the guide if there aren't any - and if memory serves, they took pity on us with Fractured and left the missables out.

 

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Then we might have to do just that, although right now I worry it's going to sound like "This film was good, but it wasn't NieR" I've gotta find a way of finding a healthy balance of not sounding like Alyson Hannigan in American Pie, being all "THIS ONE TIME IN NIER, I PLAYED AS A MAN WHO HAD PANTS ON HIS FACE, LEGGINGS AND FLIP FLOPS, IT WAS SO RAD" It was rad though, and I miss those facepants in the different PS4 version.

 

anyway...... Yes, I'm still down for the odd film reviews at some point!

 

People just don't realize the truth - that whatever they may be reading, they secretly really want to read about Nier! So I'd say trust your gut on that one?

 

I'm slowly starting to think about new (to me) movies that I'd want to watch and write about, I've no doubt that I'll impulsively blab something about it to you once I have my first lineup ready to go!

 

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I was very much part of that edgy kind of thinking at one point myself, so I definitely get it. I'm glad you're finding enjoyment from it though, it's one of those things I've always worried about going back to it, but I suspect I'll probably enjoy it. Especially as I won't have to deal with the online on the PS3 version, which from my very brief time with it, I know I would have struggled to enjoy.

 

Oh yeah, boosting is pretty much the only way to go - the Numero Uno trophy alone is a reason to just boost right from the start, if not for boosting I would be languishing away in the GTAO lobbies, weakly searching for races that I might could possibly win. As for the base game though, I see no reason why you wouldn't find yourself having a good time with it!

 

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I know they're exactly same sort of words you'd be sending me if I was in the same boat! So no need to emphasise further.

 

 

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Like you said, you know you can handle it. You'll get it, it's like I said to you recently, if I can manage to fight against my own nerves and do it you sure as hell can. I'm nervous and neurotic and second guess myself practically as an art form, so if I can manage to shove that to the side of my brain for ten isolated minutes and nail that trophy, you'll probably find it a breeze.

 

Ten minutes do be soundin long though, not gonna lie???

 

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The real test is staying sane throughout the march towards 10K Kills, because your brain constantly tells you that it should have popped by now, and with no way to track it, it's just a desperate battle of hoping the next set of kills will be your last haha

 

Getting that awful Take the Cannoli trophy for Vice City was nice prep work for that one - I'm absolutely not looking forward to it but at least I feel like I'll go in knowing that it will absolutely not be something I can wrap up in a day or two?

 

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Only you did that day, so thank you ..... but now that I've left it an obnoxiously long time between replying to your nice thing, feel free to rescind your kind words .

 

Have fun with your planned mini-break away from GTA, I'm pretty certain that you're going to have a whole lot of fun with what you've just started playing

 

That's how I feel about your thread, I've neglected commenting on that for so long that whenever I read something new you post I look at the comment box like "....hmm... there's something I used to do here... eh I'm sure it was nothing." I genuinely feel awful about that!

 

Taking a break from it has been weirdly difficult, as has been getting good gaming time in! I'm not even working right now, and we don't have children, so you'd think it would be a jackpot of sorts where extra gaming time was concerned, but nope... life is indeed strange.

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by YaManSmevz
I can't spell

[YaManSmevz]

Platinum #23: Overcooked 2

 

You're playin with your food, this ain't some kind of game

 

A quick aside: If I used movie quotes as an opening epigram rather than song lyrics, I would've gone with "You never know, you might have to cook for twenty guys some day."

 

I've always been very quick to reference the revival of my love for gaming and how I was not entirely dissimilar to Fry waking up a thousand years into the future, looking at everything with trepidation and wonderment. As I referenced when writing about A Way Out, one of the things I was somewhat taken aback by was the shift in the multi-player experience, how the online aspect had taken over and the newly crowned couch co-op was a bit trickier to come by. Little did I know that around the time my cryogenic ass was noticing this difference in the gaming landscape, a small developer by the name of Ghost Town Games was addressing this very issue.

 

As uncommon as local multiplayer had become, so too had genuine co-op options, which is what Phil Duncan and Oli De-Vine set out to correct. Both were developers who longed for a game you could cooperatively play alongside a buddy to achieve a common goal rather than engage in the competitive air that largely dominated the multi-player sphere. And as they struggled to find the perfect backdrop for their project, suddenly Duncan's time spent working in the restaurant industry quickly came to the rescue - what could be a better setting for a cooperative game than a chaotic environment in which teamwork and communication were paramount to success?

 

Initially I was put off by the cutesy cellphone game look of Overcooked, but after hearing one too many good things about its sequel, I figured there was no harm in giving it a go (plus anybody who knows me that well knows I was on the hunt for a game to play with my wife for a good long while, til I realized what a lost cause that one was?). One of the things that made me feel at home right away is the fact that I've worked in the service sector for an exceedingly large chunk of my adult life. Multi-tasking, building multiple orders at once, serving guests, cleaning up, that's me - I literally do all of these things on a regular basis. But for money, not for fun! And this game taught me two things:

 

1. If done well, even something serious you regularly do outside of gaming can still be fun, as evidenced by the (what I previously found baffling) trend of job simulator type games. Although shame on me for this assumption, as a few old Arcade favorites of mine, Tapper and Burger Time, tackled this very realm!

 

 

 

2. If Overcooked 2 was any indication, I'm pretty bad at my job? Like Guitar Hero before it, the game took something I'm actually quite good at in real life and let me know how it feels to be utterly garbage at it!

 

The first thing I noticed about Overcooked 2 is how painfully adorable everything is. It's such a saccharine soaked experience (which I mean in the best possible way), bombarding you with these twee sounding ukuleles and harmonicas, characters that look like grown up beanie babies, and cloying food puns to the point where I started wondering if I'd shoved a cupcake into my PS4 and this was simply what happened as a result.

 

Even in the harsher levels, the frustration simply can't last long on account of how pleasant everything is. The cutesy characters, levels, and music, not to mention that the writers were swiftly slapped with the slapstick stick in these situational dialogue shticks, all saw to it that any sense of negativity I felt quickly had me feeling like Apu struggling to scold the cute baby ducks crossing the street. You just.. you can't be mad for long when playing this thing, you just can't.

 

The gameplay is predicated upon a simple concept: you're given a recipe, you find the ingredients and the method of preparation, then put it on a plate and serve it. The game progressively gets more complicated, but it's extremely gradual and you're given ample time to adjust. Cooking methods add on more required steps, orders start to vary more, and even the kitchen itself starts moving around and forces you to constantly come up with new methods on the fly.

 

By the game's end your multi-tasking skills feel sharpened and any potential panic a countdown may induce feels more manageable. You just feel more focused and comfortable with the tools at your disposal, namely dashing and throwing items.

 

Oh, and switching between cooks. Yes, you can play this game solo, and this is how I went about it. Usually the second cook is controlled by the second player, but you can control both yourself with surprising ease, even more so than in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I hadn't fully embraced online play yet, and in retrospect I very much wish I had found somebody to play the whole thing with. I still had a lot of fun with Overcooked 2, make no mistake, but playing it as intended would have made it even more so!

 

Stray Observations

 

- I failed to mention this earlier, but the formula of simple gameplay for taking on more complicated tasks results in a seriously addictive game (in fact I nominated it for that in my ILLUSTRIOUS awards ceremony last December). I was often unable to pull myself away even in the more difficult moments, like "Okay, I'll just do one more DLC and then to bed." It's my understanding that when Ghost Town pitched Overcooked to its eventual publisher Team17, they were initially turned down, but later were taken on after the publisher realized that they couldn't stop playing the demo they were given!

 

- The banter the King carries with you and his dog brought back strong memories of We ? Katamari, very silly, sarcastic, and endearing. I'm fairly certain that Duncan and De-Vine were at least aware of those games!

 

- Off the top of my head, before this game my favorite co-op game (that wasn't Dynasty Warriors or sports games) was probably Splinter Cell: Conviction's co-op mode. Co-op stealth with its own unique story? Where can I find more of that??

 

Seriously though, where. That was the shit.

 

- The little character emojis, the vegetation that bounces off of your food truck like rubber, THE UNBREAD... did I mention how adorable this game is? I really don't think it can be overstated, it's a huge part of the aesthetic and leaves a very lasting impression.

 

- I love how wacky they got with the kitchens. You can be in the middle of a damn street (an early level with mad Frogger vibes), in a hot air balloon, on a raft, in a Harry Potter-esque castle, or in a sinking swamp reminiscent of a level from a PS1 game. They really just went wild, and I gotta give it up to em for that.

 

- The controls are very smooth - dashing quickly becomes second nature, and tossing items (a new addition to the sequel, I'm told) is super rewarding once you nail it, especially when you're playing solo and manage to catch something you basically threw at yourself. But the aiming does require some degree of precision - I can't tell you how many times I accidentally threw something important into the trash, that was never fun.

 

- The introduction of cannons may have been my favorite, I don't know why but it's just so satisfying to throw a plate with food on it at someone, stuff them In a cannon, and shoot them towards the pass so they can serve the food. Now that's a restaurant I would be hitting up on the regular.

 

THAT Trophy: Surf 'n' Turf

 

While I remembered the DLC as having a rather sharp uptick in difficulty, I was hard pressed to pinpoint a single moment that represented this jump. I couldn't remember any specific time that felt especially rough, like I could no longer identify with the me who struggled with this game at the tender age of.. 37.

 

But upon a revisit, it didn't take me long to identify when everything shifted - Surf 3-4.

 

Everything is nice and simple. Well, not simple - you've got things moving back and forth and a complicated path to collecting all ingredients and serving them, but it's nothing particularly new.

 

Then, the first tidal wave hits. And all your food is, as Kyle Reese said in The Terminator, gone. Just gone. And suddenly you've got to take care of your prep work that much more quickly, and pay close attention to when the waves hit - just another few new wrinkles in an already involving process. This, as far as I can tell, was the point where shit started to get tricky, and it only got more complicated from here on out.

 

I tackled this thing in last year's Spring challenge, and I remember being shocked at how much difficulty I was having once I got to the DLC. Still though, it was always fun, even playing by myself. An easy one to induct into the Post Platinum Play Posse, and another one where if anybody could use a hand, I'd be happy to help out however I can. A great game that I highly recommend, but on this condition - don't play solo like a loser like I did?? It's a given, but it bears repeating that you should experience it with a friend for maximum enjoyment!

[Heather342]

I remember this in the spring challenge last year. I think I gave you the heads up, as soon as the screen shakes GRAB EVERYTHING AND MOVE!!!!! ?

I remember the first time it happened to me....I was devastated lol. Though I think for me it was 3-4 in Campfire Cook Off. Having to deal with the shifting kitchen, but also chopping logs to keep the oven fires going, super stressful ?

[Platinum_Vice]

9 hours ago, YaManSmevz said:

I hadn't fully embraced online play yet, and in retrospect I very much wish I had found somebody to play the whole thing with. I still had a lot of fun with Overcooked 2, make no mistake, but playing it as intended would have made it even more so!

 

Without committing to you 100%, let's have a chat before you pick up Moving Out. I preferred it to the Overcooked games (same devs... spiritual sequel). My wife got a little over it by the end and I still need another full playthrough. ?

[Destructor-8]

On 23/04/2022 at 8:32 PM, YaManSmevz said:

Aww, you guys rock

 

I'm pretty much down to those two especially unpleasant Doomsday trophies. I expect to have Elite done soon but the Masterminds one is definitely gonna take some more time!

 

I'm still chippin away at level 100, so @Destructor-8 if you're ever feelin the itch to go back and settle up those last few heists it would definitely be of mutual benefit (also I can replay whichever heists you need since I've done them all).

 

The guys I'm playing with are EST so timing is already a tad tricky at times but as of now we're yet to find a consistent fourth, so if anybody needs more torment in their lives, I would absolutely not turn down the help

 

Yeah I'm definitely interested in getting those finished off. If it benefits you as well then that's even better. I'm free whenever is best for you. If there's anything I can help out with as well then I will of course be around for that too.

[YaManSmevz]

8 hours ago, Heather342 said:

I remember this in the spring challenge last year. I think I gave you the heads up, as soon as the screen shakes GRAB EVERYTHING AND MOVE!!!!!

I remember the first time it happened to me....I was devastated lol. Though I think for me it was 3-4 in Campfire Cook Off. Having to deal with the shifting kitchen, but also chopping logs to keep the oven fires going, super stressful

 

Haha you sure did! I was very appreciative of your being there for my Overcooked venting? Yo I forgot about always having to keep fires going for Campfire, that definitely took an adjustment! "Why are the s'mores taking so long... OH COME ON." ??? And if memory serves, for all the wood you had to burn throughout the DLC, farming more burnt wood was still necessary for that one trophy?

 

6 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said:

Without committing to you 100%, let's have a chat before you pick up Moving Out. I preferred it to the Overcooked games (same devs... spiritual sequel). My wife got a little over it by the end and I still need another full playthrough. 

 

Really funny you say that, I actually picked up Moving Out and its DLC in the Spring sale. I'd be totally happy to run through it with you!

 

Wives man, AMIRITE???

 

 

Wait, no honey... obviously I didn't mean YOU...

 

 

Sorry man gotta go she's threatening to go stay at her mom's?

 

5 hours ago, Destructor-8 said:

Yeah I'm definitely interested in getting those finished off. If it benefits you as well then that's even better. I'm free whenever is best for you. If there's anything I can help out with as well then I will of course be around for that too.

 

Let's get it then! I still need more leveling up, more money (always), and one more platinum medal in a heist, and I've got at least one friend who could help us out. I'll hit you up on PSN?

[Destructor-8]

23 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said:

Let's get it then! I still need more leveling up, more money (always), and one more platinum medal in a heist, and I've got at least one friend who could help us out. I'll hit you up on PSN

 

Yeah sure, sounds good.

[YaManSmevz]

Platinum #19: Trover Saves the Universe

 

Another dimension, new galaxy/Intergalactic planetary

 

While I never drove hundreds of miles to hunt down a side of Szechcuan sauce, once I caught wind of Rick and Morty I quickly became enamored with the show. It's funny, it's clever, and I love how unashamed it is to just go wild with the imaginations of creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. Given the runaway success and rabid cult following it earned, it really was only a matter of time before they entered the gaming realm. After all, if you can get your fandom to bully McDonald's employees, you can certainly make them buy a video game!

 

Back in the day, video games based on cartoons were almost exclusively half-baked cash grabs aimed at kids and teenagers with little to no consideration for actual quality. In retrospect it was worth dealing with that growing pain for the industry though, because it seems that general quality has prevailed. Says a lot about how far games have come and are yet to go, no?

 

It's good to be a manchild sometimes.

 

Squanch Games does us a huge solid in not just creating a game in Rick and Morty's image, but also attempting to give said game its own identity. Sure, with Roiland providing pretty much all the voice work, anybody familiar with the series could spot the popular show's influence instantly, but the uninitiated would be forgiven for not connecting the show with Trover and his Chairorpian companion.

 

Yes, you assume control of a Chairorpian, a creature sunk into a chair with a console controller practically soldered into its hands. It's an interesting approach, as you control the Chairorpian who is controlling Trover, with little portals you can move to in order to maintain an optimal field of vision as to where you need to guide them to guide Trover. You can't let Trover get too far away, so there's plenty of humor to be mined from this, a personal favorite being an anxious Trover blurting out "I'M GETTING SEPARATION ANXIETY!!" It's classic third person meets second person from a first person perspective. Couldn't be simpler!

 

The humor most definitely takes the reins over any generally cohesive story, which is fine. There's a manic Inter-Dimensional Cable feel all throughout, which has some outstanding moments. I loved how there are trophies that not only make you do stupid things that we generally do for trophies, but actively talk shit on you doing so in the very trophies' descriptions. The "You Almost Solved it! Keep Going!" trophy, where you have to make fifty attempts to solve a clearly unsolvable puzzle, is objectively funny, it just is, we all know we deserve jabs like this! Or how you're cautioned of the bloodthirsty inhabitants of a planet and that you need to slaughter them, only to find the sweetest beings imaginable? The two trophies this very scenario gets you are genuinely hysterical, full stop.

 

After a while though... it definitely starts to grate. This is from the perspective of a person who is not great at platformers, so I well could be biased. However, I can confidently say:

 

Killing an enemy and their last words are a strained "suck my dick" as they fall off a cliff? Funny.

 

Scanning your environment for hints on where to go next while a loud voice screams "OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH" on loop? After the first ten seconds, decidedly not funny.

 

Justin Roiland really lets loose here, and I'm about it. But it's in this Twilight Zone-esque fashion where you're absolutely loving it until you're not, and it just won't stop. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't scowling the entire time I played this, even when shit got old something else would happen that would crack me up and give the game new life. I just felt like "we get it bro, you're so off the cuff and random, we get it." And after finishing the game I looked up reviews that were of near universal acclaim, which made me wonder if it was time for me to start an "Am I the Asshole" thread on Reddit. Hell, I still can't help feeling that way as I write this now!

 

The creativity isn't just in the seemingly freestyled script, the level design is fantastic. I love how PS1 the levels feel, just outlandish and silly enough to feel like legit planets, but grounded enough to keep a consistent theme going from an aesthetic standpoint.

 

Asy Saavedra's soundtrack is outstanding and matches the adventurousness of its game. The tracks are drenched in effects and beautifully match the bonkers ass worlds we're tasked with exploring. And even divorced from the game itself, the subdued electronica here still provides a great listening experience.

 

There's so much good about this game, but ultimately listening to Justin Roiland giving his vocal chords a work out for ten hours ended up feeling a bit tired.

 

Stray Observations

 

- I liked how with the Jopo DLC it's so painfully obvious they just plastered this new character over Trover, even going so far to poorly splice in "JOPO!!" whenever Trover's name would've been used. As Wayne Campbell would say, "Sheeahahh, rrrright, as if we wouldn't notice!"

 

- In my re-visit of the game (YouTube only, it's been uninstalled for a while now) the first thing I did was watch a video on the Flesh World with Trover's old roommate Gail to see if he was as irritating as I remembered... and he sure was.

 

- While I do maintain that the IDC style they're going for here can get tiresome, there are some hysterical exchanges, and I noticed that there are different bits of dialogue for every different choice you can make. In fact, I read that close to 40% of the recorded lines ended up going unused! Whether I loved it 100% of the time or not, I gotta respect that.

 

THAT Trophy: You Actually Did It?!

 

The trip to the platinum involves a trophy where you have to toss crumpled paper down a novelty trash can basketball hoop a hundred times... and the physics of it are absolutely atrocious. I know it's the point, and I accept being the butt of the joke here, but man. I ain't gonna act like that shit wasn't annoying!

Edited April 29, 2022 by YaManSmevz

[Platinum_Vice]

32 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said:

Platinum #19: Trover Saves the Universe

 

Another dimension, new galaxy/Intergalactic planetary

 

While I never drove hundreds of miles to hunt down a side of Szechcuan sauce, once I caught wind of Rick and Morty I quickly became enamored with the show. It's funny, it's clever, and I love how unashamed it is to just go wild with the imaginations of creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. Given the runaway success and rabid cult following it earned, it really was only a matter of time before they entered the gaming realm.

 

32 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said:

There's a manic Inter-Dimensional Cable feel all throughout

 

Sold! 

 

32 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said:

It's classic third person meets second person from a first person perspective. Couldn't be simpler!

 

 

32 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said:

And after finishing the game I looked up reviews that were of near universal acclaim, which made me wonder if it was time for me to start an "Am I the Asshole" thread on Reddit.

 

Been down that road many a time, mate. I have a holiday home on timeshare in Arseholedale. You're welcome to visit anytime.

 

[YaManSmevz]

33 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

Been down that road many a time, mate. I have a holiday home on timeshare in Arseholedale. You're welcome to visit anytime.

 

Yoo we should homeswap and see what we think. My timeshare in Pretentiousprickton is surprisingly pleasant!

[YaManSmevz]

Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz

April 2022

 

The first of another month is upon us yet again, and just as last month my response can be best captured by Adam Sandler's bitterly sarcastic "WHOOP-A DEE DOO!!" from The Wedding Singer.

 

Me: ...that's good enough for an intro, right?

 

Also Me: Oh yeah dude, you're killin it.

 

Whew, that's a relief! Anyway, let's get started.

 

87.32% Overall Completion (-1.31)

455 Unearned Trophies (+61)

3.40 Trophies Per Day (-0.03)

54 Platinums (+1)

Level 336 (+3)

 

I'm glad that I let my discontent be known beforehand, because this was the worst month yet? Started three new games but could only be bothered to finish one - which was finished on the last day of the month, at 11:35 P.M. Talk about cutting it close!

 

Game of the Month

 

You ever catch yourself about to repeat a pattern? I was very burnt out and apathetic when I played Control last year, and unfortunately my poor attitude greatly diminished my enjoyment of a wonderful and wildly creative game. I found myself feeling that way when starting Transistor, and immediately packed it up. Out of the running for now, but maybe next time...

 

Like last month, the recipient is a genuine surprise - WWE 2K22. I haven't cared about a wrestling game in over a decade, haven't watched wrestling in nearly twice that span, but for whatever reason the itch randomly surfaced when I heard positive things about this one, and I thought the hell with it, let's give it a shot.

 

It's really fun, y'all.

 

Is it perfect? Hah! Hahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!!

 

*wipes a tear*

 

Oh my goodness, no.

 

But there's so much here that I remember loving about those older games. Fast-paced gameplay, absurd storylines, an incredible creation suite, GM mode... the soundtrack isn't the best, but it features both Motorhead and Wu-Tang Clan, and I haven't heard them in the same place since probably a mixtape/CD I made way back in the day when those were actual things. This will be a fun one to write about whenever I end up getting that sweet S!

 

Rating the Month

 

I permitted myself an off month, and it definitely shows. A backslide in pretty much every category (I wouldn't be surprised if my overall level and number of platinums somehow went down as well) with even a new low in write-ups, a mere two. As such, I've no choice but to give myself the lowest possible rating of one out of five TLC matches.

 

The good thing about that, of course, is that it can only go up from here!

 

May Goals

 

 

Mostly I'd just like to get back on board with the whole "caring" thing. I'll be gone for a week as wifey and I are going on a sorely needed vacation, something we used to do twice a year until, y'know, the world caught on fire. The return of travel into my life is going to be nice, and I should be returning to work at the month's end, so I expect things to level out fairly soon.

 

Anyway.

 

1. Back to the futu-... er, back to over 88% overall completion. And I do hope to stay over that percentage, as I can only make this joke so many times?

 

2. Back to under 400 unearned.

 

3. Admittedly not exclusive to gaming, but being nicer to myself. I catch myself telling me some pretty shitty things much more often than is healthy, and i could really use less of it. If you notice that you're saying mean things to yourself as well, i implore you to join me on this particular goal!

 

Gaming Hitlist

 

Transistor - As mentioned earlier, I forced myself to complete Control when I wasn't really feelin it, and I'm not about to make that mistake twice. Transistor deserves to be fully savored, and I intend to give it nothing less.

 

Resident Evil 4 - Its time has finally come in the Spring challenge, and I'm quite excited to revisit this one! Still a lil salty that it ain't got a plat, but meh. Can't have everything. Or anything at all, if you're specifically referring to a RE 4 platinum trophy. Cuz that's not a thing.

 

MLB The Show 20 - Still having fun with this one, but it certainly is a grind! I'll get 900 points and think "ooh, that was a productive outing!" Then I'll see the next level is like 10,000 points away. And I'm only at level 26. D'oh.

 

WWE 2K22 - Not especially looking forward to the faction stuff, but I'm having a really good time exploring the story and universe modes. The MyRISE (don't you DARE leave out those caps) mode is surprisingly deep, and I'm glad that I'll be at it for a while!

 

Man, two sports games?? Who am I?

 

Grand Theft Auto V - I've got it pretty much down to gold medals for the base game and Elitist and Masterminds for the online portion. If I can just get Elitist and put a dent in Masterminds this month, I'll be happy. It's within reach - a long, uncomfortable stretch while maneuvering with a long, heavy broom - but within reach nonetheless.

 

Is our hero back to form?

 

CAN HE BRAVE THE TREACHEROUS APATHY THAT IMPEDES HIS PROGRESS??

 

WILL THIS BE THE BEST MONTH YET???

 

I mean maybe, sure!