Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted October 12, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 12, 2023 Aww, thanks guys! I appreciate the looking out👊 On 10/1/2023 at 2:46 PM, Redblaziken8 said: Sorry to hear you've had a rough month. Hopefully this month will be better for you! Don't push yourself to game too much if you aren't feeling it 😊 Thanks, Red! Yeah, I learned that the hard way... last time I pushed it too much I ended up not playing games for like five years😄 don't wanna do that again! On 10/1/2023 at 2:46 PM, Redblaziken8 said: Certainly felt the feeling like a sad sack for trophy hunting myself this month, and nearly burned out with some bullshit RNG trophies then the Trials DLC in Dante's Inferno that me and Rob are currently suffering through. Oof, yeah those are rough. I'm glad you have good company for those tedious hunts, though! You two are so cute, that's couple goals right there👊👊 On 10/1/2023 at 2:46 PM, Redblaziken8 said: I enjoyed your VA-11 Hall-A review a lot by the way, and always like seeing you post, they're always funny and upbeat to read😁 Thank you so much! I do my best😁 On 10/1/2023 at 2:49 PM, Platinum_Vice said: Thinking if you Smevz. Keep that chin up and push through. I'll send you a PM if you're in the mood to chat. On 10/1/2023 at 3:12 PM, DrunkenEngineer said: Keep on keepin' on Mr. Smevz. Hope October treats you better than September has! Big up to you both, y'all are the real deal and I'm grateful to call you guys my friends😎😎 On 10/2/2023 at 8:37 AM, jonesey46 said: Here's hoping October is good to you man. I always play an old favourite to perk me up when I'm feeling down. I hope you're feeling better soon! Hey what's up Jonesey! Thank you, I really appreciate that a lot. And that's a fantastic idea, I think I'm gonna steal that one from you👊😉 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted October 14, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 14, 2023 (edited) Platinum #79: The Saboteur Nazi punks, nazi punks, nazi punks, fuck off! In my year-end lists I have a category for Least Best Game, and I do that in lieu of Worst Game because I always wanna give a shout to those games that in spite of a glaring flaw or lack of a distinct, stand-out quality, are still fun as shit to play. Your B tier, second place, Garfunkel and Oates games that are perpetual entries on listicles with "Underrated" in the title. This is a category where games like The Saboteur clean up - would I recommend it as a flawless, breathtakingly original masterwork? Absolutely not. But if you need forty hours of semi-mindless, quasi-arty fun? Oh, fuck yes. The Saboteur takes place in occupied France during World War Two, and you play as Sean Devlin, a hard drinking Irishman with a fun personality, chiseled parkour-ready abs, and a mid Irish accent. You're approached at the bar in a Parisian burlesque house by a French activist, who invites you to join the fight against the Nazis. You respond "wait, that reminds me of something... yeah, that time a Nazi killed my best friend and I witnessed the German seige of France in all its violent, firey terror! Yeah sure, I'm down." There's more to it than that, but not really, that's kind of all you need to know. The Saboteur's most famous hook is easily its visual presentation - impressively detailed black and white visuals with tasteful splashes of red and blue, with your actions taking a direct effect on this. As mentioned, you're in occupied France, and each area is stuck in its monochromatic appearance until you liberate it, whereupon the region comes alive with color, banishing the black and white for good. It's a little corny, but it looks spectacular, and I really liked the feeling of freeing each area - it's not even just the newfound color; with less Nazi troops hanging around, the people themselves seem more jovial, and the area just feels more alive. I also liked the effect this would give to newfound areas with that monochrome look - it gives you a sense of dread, makes you feel unsafe, puts you back on your toes. It's such a simple mechanic, but I thought it was really clever. Beyond that, the game still looks pretty good. Paris looks outstanding - when I first played this game way back when, I was impressed, but by the time I played it on PS3 last year, I'd been to Paris, which made it all the more impressive! The Parisian rooftops, the artists and farmers selling their shit on paved and cobblestone streets alike, the cathedrals, the monuments, and of course that gorgeous countryside, it's all genuinely stunning. Later in the game you end up in Saarbrucken, and I've never been there but really appreciated how different and (I'm assuming) German it feels as opposed to the rest of the map. The gameplay is nothing special, but it's definitely fun. Serviceable open world controls with a big side of jank that often comes up at the wrong times. The parkour is a great addition, and an extra wrinkle I really appreciated, with climbing up windows and balconies, sliding down ropes, and leaping your way from building to building feeling really satisfying. As much fun as it is to climb about, I gotta be real and acknowledge how aggravating this can be at times. The parkour is limited to two modes: climbing with each next ledge clearly available like you're playing Uncharted, or having to make very specific jumps that can not only be difficult to figure out where to go next, but often seem to go against what would make any sense. The mechanics aren't consistent, in that often times jumps that look too far aren't, and vice versa. The PS3 jank also ensures that those moments where you have to line up a jump just right will be way more stressful than necessary. A lot of the scenic spots are puzzles where you have to figure out how you're going to get up that high - which is cool. But a few times the solution is to work against the mechanics, like jumping in an opposite direction or jumping onto a non-climbable surface and awkwardly maneuvering from there to reach something. It makes some of these scenic spots wholly infuriating! Since we're on the gameplay's flaws, we may as well throw in the stealth, which generally ranges from impractical to downright impossible. It's a shame, cuz when it works it's a lot of fun, but for the most part it's pretty useless. As fun as it is to sneak around in a stolen uniform, the Nazis just figure you out way too quickly, and you have to walk at a snail's pace just to stand a chance, so that's kind of a drag. Oh, there's also the matter of the freelance targets... when you first see all those dots on the map, you'll be thinking "are you mad??" There are over 1300, which, even for me, a total sucker for mindless busywork, is just too much, man. The freelance targets are essentially collectibles taking the form of tasks, and despite the enormous amount (you'll spend more time doing this than playing the actual story), they're thankfully a lot of fun, and super helpful if you've taken them out before proceeding with the story. Generals to assassinate, loudspeakers or lighting fixtures to shoot out, anti-air equipment or sniper nests to blow up, so on and so forth. It's just that with the gameplay already on the verge of being a bit too repetitive, this sends it over the edge. A quick aside: all of the items up for sabotage make perfect sense, except for the stunt jumps... which I'm sorry, but are a really dumb inclusion. How exactly does speeding off of a ramp in a car impede the progress of the German military? I just picture that douchey marketing aimed at kids in the 90s: "Have you had it with the lame, stuffy old military presence in your city? Wouldn't you love to stick it to those crusty old Nazis??" Cue the obnoxious guitar soloing, a kid being like "Awesome, now THAT'S cool driving!" and a befuddled Nazi soldier so overcome with frustration that the young and cool have prevailed once again as a 1941 French automobile catches the limpest air imaginable off of a small, shitty ramp. Oh yeah, that's the other thing, the jumps are so miniscule and sad, it's like why did they even bother? BECAUSE WE HAD TO SHOW THOSE KRAUTS, THATS WHY. But yeah, just dumb and totally needless. We already have plenty to do, Pandemic, I assure you! Getting back into the win column, the music is a huge pro. I love the songs of the era you'll hear when driving around, including the always glorious Nina Simone's Feeling Good. The score, while somewhat minimal, is pretty great too. I loved the decidedly French instrumentation, which helps keep us rooted in this reality. It pairs perfectly with the visuals, and reinforces my image of a Frenchman playing the accordion while smoking a cigarette. We get calm, we get tense, we get whimsical, we get loud. I love it. I've said this about other games before, and The Sabotuer is another shining example - this isn't necessarily a great game so much as some crap that I like. But for all my shit talking, I really do like it a lot - getting in with the French resistance, fighting Nazis like you're in an Inglorious Basterds-esque fantasy, climbing and leaping across rooftops in early 1940s Paris, and that dope color scheme.. it's far from perfect, but it was an absolute joy to revisit, and I may well do it again at some point. If you ever see this at a thrift store, used game spot, or really anywhere you can get games cheap, I'd say it's worth a pick up! Stray Observations - I was fascinated to find that Sean was based on William Grover-Williams, a British racecar driver turned special agent. I also like that his wiki page randomly blurts out "There is no evidence to support that he survived the war and assumed the name 'Georges Tambal.'" Maybe he's still with us. Maybe he's... writing this very review🫢 - That dancer carrying a bottle on a tray who gets yanked onto a dude's lap without spilling a drop... is it weird that I found that more attractive than the outfit she was wearing? - One of the ways you can tell a game has successfully charmed you: You're in a race, going at obscenely high speeds, and your opponent calmly pulls out a shitty little pistol and casually shoots out your tire. And instead of rolling your eyes, you're like "What?? HE CHEATED!! Grrrr you're on my shitlist, fictional character!!" Good job, Pandemic👏 - Silly as it may sound... I spent a lot of time on foot because I simply couldn't carjack the French people. I mean I'm supposed to be fighting for them, a whiskey swigging paragon of hope, no? It just doesn't make sense. Also any time I ran over a civilian I felt infinitely more guilty than I have in any open world sandbox game! Probably had something to do with seeing soldiers regularly harass them, or even line them up. Sheesh😔 - "Bloodstains will ruin the disguise, so use your hands." Alright, Hitman 2 rules!! - This may just be because I'm an American, but I dug the characters being from different countries and having distinct accents. Only western Europe though? Next time put a Romanian character in there, my boy Copa can do the VO! - "Hey, I gotta hide from the Nazis, we'd better hurry up and make out!" That pick-up seemed to work pretty well, I mean Sean didn't get slapped once! - After spending enough time with Mr. Devlin, I found myself thinking in an Irish accent. Soldiers would catch me climbing or something I'd just think "mine yar fookin besniss!!" - Climbing (speaking of which) in and of itself is a suspicious activity and will get the soldiers paying attention to you. However, once you've finished climbing, even if you're in a place no civilian would ordinarily be, like a rooftop filled with military gear, the soldiers resume not giving a fuck about you. Ah, video game logic. Never change❤ - Open world games need a reason for the boundaries on the map, and The Saboteur has the best one hands down: No Man's Land. "What the fuck are you doing?? There's a war going on, you fucking idiot. If you wanna get shot to shit, be my guest. Otherwise, get the fuck out of here. Fuckin MORON." It actually says all that too, which I appreciated. - There's a lot I didn't know back when I first played this, but the most embarrassing part is the Eiffel Tower. I didn't know you could just take elevators to the top, and parkoured up the first half like a total sucker😳 THAT Trophy: Tourist As I mentioned before, getting to the top of a lot of these buildings can be severely frustrating. Once you make your way to the top of a building, it's really satisfying, and you get treated to a dope shot of the monument you're on, but all the experimental jumping necessary can get old pretty fast. With the other stuff, at least you get the joy of killing a Nazi or blowing some shit up. Here, it's like "oh goodie, I won the battle with the game's parkour system, yay." But yeah. As much as I whine, I still enjoy it😂 Edited October 15, 2023 by YaManSmevz 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 An excellent one m’dude - and somehow more nostalgic for me than most! I’m not 100% sure why, but that game absolutely is, for me, the epitome of PS3-era, “this game has issues but I just don’t care”! It’s got a list of oddness and jank the length of your arm… but makes up for it all, ‘cause it’s got moxie, dammit! 😂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: An excellent one m’dude - and somehow more nostalgic for me than most! Thanks homie! 2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I’m not 100% sure why, but that game absolutely is, for me, the epitome of PS3-era, “this game has issues but I just don’t care”! It’s got a list of oddness and jank the length of your arm… but makes up for it all, ‘cause it’s got moxie, dammit! 😂 YES. This game has so much going against it, by all logic it should just be another open world clone. That classic "something about it..." quality. I've always loved this one, man - as usual, you and I are in the same boat👊 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted October 23, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2023 Platinum #78: The Godfather II Welcome to Havana, smokin Cubanos with Castro in cabanas As some of you may already know, I was a pretty big fan of the flawed but fun 2006 game based on The Godfather. I loved how our own original character was integrated into the classic story, got in with those beloved characters, and inhabited their world in a satisfying, if somewhat lacking way. Never again would I have to stare longingly at my Godfather DVDs and sing the Little Mermaid classic "Part of Your World" to them! The sequel, at least in my world, came and went without any fanfare. Here is the predictably me sequence of events that led to me finally playing this 2009 game in 2022, most of which you likely already have marked on your Smevz Bingo Cards: 1. My interest in gaming was on the decline when this game came out. 2. Years later I talked about it with one of my awesome PSN homies. 3. I picked up a PS3 and decided we were gonna TAKE IT BACK. 4. Nostalgia won out and of course it landed on my gaming hitlist. Bonus: I recently read an excellent review by another PSN homie! Alright, so now we're all caught up, and we can talk about the great time that is Godfather II. Picture it: Sicily, 194- …wait, no… that’s The Golden Girls. Godfather II, much like its predecessor, takes the classic saga and feeds it to us in a video game-friendly portion. And while it becomes pretty clear from the jump that the same effort to remain faithful to the source material is absolutely not there, in a way, this is fine. Sure, it would've been nice to see more polish on the first game's approach, trying to fully immerse your character into this film's universe. But at the same time, the "If at first you don't succeed, fuck it" approach works too - there's no time wasted on a love interest that never goes anywhere, and you don't see yourself constantly (and often awkwardly) shoehorned into famous moments. The Godfather II basically says "we're not doing any of that shit, just get an empire together and answer to Michael, it's fine." And I respect that. The story does fine on these expectations, with you being tasked with building up an empire, hiring goons, taking over businesses, and experiencing the tension of other families not taking too kindly to you muscling your way in. Basically, all the stuff we loved from the first game! However, when presented with opportunities to enrich the story, things fall flat. Aldo, our protagonist from the first game, is here. Then he gets killed, and we assume the exact same role that he had. And it's just like... for what? It's on par with Curly's identical twin from City Slickers II, like wow, how lucky was that! There's also a moment close to the end where in a very dramatic reveal, the rug is swept out from under you. You and your men are ambushed, your businesses are savagely taken away from you, and things go from looking great to looking grim in a flash. Buuuut.... Wow, how did this spoilers paragraph get here???!!! Anyway, once the cinematic ends, you find that you've lost maybe two businesses, and everything else is fine. You're fine. Your men are fine. There was some real potential to shake shit up here, and it went nowhere. ....it only served to make the game more anticlimactic. Speaking of anticlimactic, let's talk about the gameplay! Godfather II has an ingenious set up that shoulders the entire thing. Unlike the first game, you have a crew that you can hire. You can have up to three mobsters following you around, complete with a list of commands you can give, and a whole stable on top of that waiting to back up you or your businesses should they find themselves under attack. Every goon has a specific skill, from medics to explosives experts (to apparently the grown up kid from that Simpsons episode who cheerfully explained "I light fires!"), and not only can their skills be upgraded, but as they level up, they can be given additional skills. This can all be done in the Don's View, which is by far the real star here. You have your family tree, with your ranks of psychopaths and businesses you own. All the other families? They have their own family trees and businesses as well, with their psychopaths ranking highly just like yours, and require special conditions to be taken out. And what's even cooler is that the families don't just gang up on you, they attack anyone who makes sense. Often times they'll be brawling with each other, giving you the opportunity to back off and build up, or sneak in and take something right from under their noses. This was such a dope addition, and it's pretty much what makes the game addicting all on its own. That's where the gameplay's success starts to dry up, though... because the game is simply too easy. In the first game, there was an intensity that came with going after families. If you went after them too fast, too hard, you could start a mob war, and they'd be gunning for you. Just driving down the street would be dangerous! Now, the mob wars have been completely removed - and without that, the suspense of taking over the map is completely gone. Not only can you can take a shotgun shell and shake it off like a heavyweight boxer does with a jab, but your health regenerates as well. And if that's not bad enough, if you do get overwhelmed and don't feel like waiting for your health to regenerate, just go to the menu and have some mobsters come over! They are there instantly with provide relief firepower, and you are ready to go. It's cool, don't get me wrong - every business has a phone, and it would be awesome to fight your way to it to try and get reinforcements, and have a tense firefight while you wait for backup, but sadly this wasn't capitalized on. The maps get a lot of hate, but I loved how they just ran with the tiny versions of New York, Miami, and Havana. The maps are very small, and very limited in what you can do, but I liked how different each felt. I also liked how each city was teeming with complete strangers who would happily ask either if you are hiring somebody to steal, kill, or blow something up, or if you yourself would like to steal, kill, or blow something up. The issue with this game is how undercooked it feels. The Don's View shit is fantastic, as is the ability to run your own crew, delegate defense to your businesses, and balance attacking and defending - I'd argue it's every bit as good as the system in Vice City Stories, if not better! The other families acting as other players in this game, with their own attempts to take over the map in full swing, is inspired as fuck and I absolutely love it. Even the minimal attention to the original story is pretty forgivable, with what a great time this all affords you! But between the threadbare maps, the lazy combat, the sheer ease with which you can take the whole damn thing over, it just feels like if this project had been in different hands, especially at that time, it could've been a real game changer. Disappointing? Definitely. But absurdly fun?? Oh hell yes, don't EVEN get it twisted! Stray Observations - "My name.." Oh cool, we get to name our guy agai- "...is Dominic." Nehmind. - I love how with the porn racket, the boss and guards all have the sense to stay far away from the set😂 - Taking out businesses first does make things a bit odd when you get to other things. "Hey Dom, why are we bombin our own business?" "Cuz the Boss wants a trophy." "....what?" - Something I forgot to mention about the gameplay, the vaulting mechanic is weirdly inconsistent. This generation seemed to have a lot of trouble with that! THAT Trophy: Executions in Style This is one of those where it's really only here because everything was so easy and came so naturally, this required a bit of thought. You have to get your enemy in just the right position, and react just so, cuz the controls can easily do something you don't want them to do. Even still, it's not far off from writing about My Name Is Mayo and bein like "fuck man, that 1,000th tap, I wasn't sure I was gonna make it" or something. Really simple shit! 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 13 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #78: The Godfather II Ha - that must be an interesting one to play in 2023 man - I remember thinking it was enjoyable schlock back when I played a decade ago, and it felt a little dated even then! So I have a weird theory about this one... ...I kind of think that somewhere, somehow, if this game and the other "good, but flawed" mafia game of that era that I played - Mafia II - were spliced together, they would make for an amazing game, but as they are, they feel like the one great game that was broken in half, and each got exactly half the goodness! Mafia II has the looks, and the great city design and tone... but all the open world fun, the neat ideas and the engagement is lacking. Godfather II has all the fun, silly but neat ideas, the fun... but it needs a little more in the way of prestige, visual flair and a more consistent tone! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Ha - that must be an interesting one to play in 2023 man - I remember thinking it was enjoyable schlock back when I played a decade ago, and it felt a little dated even then! Duuuuude it was a total time machine🤣 even when compared to the other PS3 games I was playing alongside it! I can't help wishing I'd played it when it came out, can't help wondering if my thoughts would be any different. Also, that online mode looked fun as shit! 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: So I have a weird theory about this one... ...I kind of think that somewhere, somehow, if this game and the other "good, but flawed" mafia game of that era that I played - Mafia II - were spliced together, they would make for an amazing game, but as they are, they feel like the one great game that was broken in half, and each got exactly half the goodness! Mafia II has the looks, and the great city design and tone... but all the open world fun, the neat ideas and the engagement is lacking. Godfather II has all the fun, silly but neat ideas, the fun... but it needs a little more in the way of prestige, visual flair and a more consistent tone! Oooh, well observed! I didn't finish Mafia II on the 360, though I remember it looking great and having a solid story - ironically, I think I ended up getting my old timey mafia game fix from The Godfather: Don's Edition😂 That definitely would've been a spectacular swap. More defined cities? Intense firefights that feel like they matter? Significant relationships with characters and fully realized twists and turns?? YES PLEASE. Off the top of my head, the best support I can offer your theory is the fact that Mafia II also has an early sneaking mission, and it's far more difficult and way less cartoonish. That's exactly the kind of tension a game with all these awesome ideas needs! "Whoops, the Italian guy set off the alarm, mamma mia!" Get the fuck out of here🤣 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted October 27, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 27, 2023 (edited) Platinum #103: Mafia It's the life we chose, where friends become foes While I am a lifelong console loyalist, I do have to admit to a few occasions where I developed a palpable envy of PC gamers. The most obvious is the RTS genre on the whole (we'll never have our own StarCraft and it tears me up inside), but I was experiencing that envy mad heavy back in 2002 while reading about the development and release of Mafia. Fresh off the heels of Grand Theft Auto III, the idea of a more story-focused open world crime game had me salivating. Then you throw in prohibition era Chicago and mob wars from the time complete with tommy guns and classic cars? Say. Less. Homie. And the reviews were glowing! I had no means to play a PC game, but given the runaway success, it seemed only logical that it would eventually come around to my PS2 hood, right? Well, it did... in 2004, when I already had Vice City and was about to get San Andreas. And more importantly, the PS2 port was absolutely eviscerated in the reviews. Bad controls this, shitty graphics that, loading screens galore, etcetera. So I accepted that this game simply wasn't gonna happen for me, and let it give me yet another gentle push into Carl Johnson's waiting arms. So when the Definitive Edition dropped in 2020, of course I bought it immediately. Full price pre-order, and then waited two years to play it. Because that's what normal people do. But that's a lot of build up, right? It took me twenty years to finally play this game, almost as long as it took y'all to read up to this point in the write-up. But unlike said write-up, I can safely say that Mafia was very much worth the wait! We start as cabbie turned capo Tommy Angelo, hiding out in a diner discussing details with a doubting detective, desperate to drop a dime on the crime family that's employed him for the past eight years. The narrative comes in chapters, with us getting to play out each story Tommy gives the detective, explaining how we got here in surprisingly gripping fashion. I liked this approach a lot, and I feel they used it well to tell Tommy's story. I mean sure, don't play any "drink for every mob cliche" games with this because you will definitely die, but it's a blast. You can tell there's not just a genuine love for mafioso storytelling, but a real desire to make the player feel like a part of it as well. Tommy's journey is treated with a great deal of care, like how terrified he initially is of Sam and Paulie, the turmoil he feels when confronted with the type of money he could be making, and the rush of excitement that comes when he accepts his new gig. Naturally though, it isn't all glamor - it's touched on that he develops a drinking problem dealing with the stress of his mob life, his conscience clearly eating at him as his rising rank gives him more and more difficult decisions to make. I also think it's great how Tommy, like many open world crime game detractors, starts to grow more and more weary of simply going from job to job. The supporting cast largely delivers as well. I love the gradual reveal of (Paul Sorvino ass lookin') Don Salieri's true character, how he's no different than his rival Don Morelli, who is admittedly your standard mean-faced cold-hearted mob villain. The bond with Paulie and Sam is excellent, you really do develop a strong camaraderie with them through all the jobs you tackle together, and it makes things both more fun and more intense. Mafia does, however, lag where Tommy's eventual wife Sarah is concerned. It's much better than it was in The Godfather game, and granted, mob stories in general aren't renowned for performing well on the Bechdel test, but it still would be nice to see. Sarah doesn't get much screen time past their courting phase (spoiler: he totally NAILS her, bro), at least nothing beyond the typical concerned mob wife role (think Kay in the first Godfather). They have a kid too, whom you never see, which is fine I guess, but if you're gonna push Tommy as a conflicted family man, a bit more of that could've added a lot. Huge shout out to the overall presentation as well, the game both looks and sounds spectacular. Lost Heaven is a gorgeous looking nod to Chicago, with a few splashes of New York City for good measure. That 1930s ass skyline is breathtaking, and the variance in neighborhoods is excellent. I loved how we've got our rich people neighborhoods, our small towns, our ghettos, our industrial areas, and of course plenty of off the beaten path type stuff as well. The period is captured exceedingly well, with great depression era pamphlets, tracts, and posters put up in appropriate spots. Even the collectibles add to the old timey feel, with comic books and cigarette cards strewn about the map. They just felt so fitting. The foxes, though.. yeah I don't know what the deal was with those. Soundtrack is great, with a big, dramatic, and era-appropriate feel. A lot of strings, lot of horns, and the occasional pensive piano. Also dug on the deep cuts used for the radio! Not quite on the level of L.A. Noire or The Saboteur, but some great jams nonetheless (provided you like the 1930s' jazzy approximation of pop music). Once again, however, the gameplay is where we see the sheen start to mellow. For a game built from the ground up and released in 2020, the controls are disappointingly similar to the open world games of the mid-2000s. Shooting is fine, but nothing we didn't already have by 2009, and the same can be said for the uninspired melee combat. You can sneak, which is nice, even perform the occasional stealth attack, but it isn't particularly glamorous, especially in a time where the Hitman trilogy exists. There are some good ideas, but they don't really see any usefulness - for example, it's awesome how there's a mechanic for moving unconscious bodies, but it literally never had any meaningful effect on the gameplay. I did, however, like the heavy feel to the cars (yeah, I liked it in GTA IV too, wassup fool??), and apparently they were sped the fuck up cuz I remember back in the day people would complain about how slow these things would go. The speed limiter is a cool touch, I liked its necessity given that the cops act like actual cops and will pull you over for even for erratic driving (but won't just start blasting on you), although getting fined feels kinda weird, seeing as money doesn't seem to have any real significance. Maybe the fine is just the fact that you're being bothered. And for all the horror stories (particularly on that annoying ass race), I found myself enjoying Classic difficulty. I liked the extra tension the mode lent to shootouts, how you have to empty your clips or lose bullets, how you'd get flanked or flushed out of cover with molotovs and grenades (although they do announce to the entire room when they're about to throw something). This combined with the fairly generous checkpoint system played really nicely! So yeah, I'm very pleased to say that a gaming experience twenty years in the making lived up to the hype. I really enjoyed the story quite a bit, and while it was an adjustment getting used to the open world and the linear story only being accessible in separate modes, as well as the somewhat generic gameplay, at the end of the day I've got too much good to say about this one to focus on the negatives too much. Also, it seems that those infamous launch crashes and glitches have been dealt with, because I didn't encounter anything like that. But yeah, great story, solid challenge if you're on Classic difficulty, and all in a beautiful looking package. If you're an open world crime game enthusiast like myself, this one's mandatory! Stray Observations - Love the opening getaway, it's a great way to kick us off. Very hand-holdy though! "Don't worry, gangsters, I know exactly where every ramp and needless obstruction is in this city." Well, that was fortunate! - Whenever you get stuck, every time you die you're gonna be staring at Tommy just standing there for like twenty seconds before you can jump back in. There's a con I forgot to mention! - Paulie makes some of the most charmingly dumb faces imaginable, and more often than not in a very serious situation. I love it. - Those old timey car horns crack me up. The way we drive in games like this, we get a lot of honks.. but when they're these old timey, 1930s ass AA-OOOOOO-GAAHH type horns, it's hard to take them terribly seriously. - At the end of the chapter where you walk Sarah home, you end up in a fist fight with a gang of young hoodlums (because of course you do). Then there's this quick gap before fighting one final enemy with a baseball bat, and it's made out to be this weirdly big deal, like final boss vibes, but it's just another dude. Like "hey, remember how you spammed triangle to dodge and circle to counterattack? WELL I HOPE YOU'RE READY TO DO THAT ONE MORE TIME." Oookaayyyy bro.... - A certain someone gets wacked and it takes place behind hanging laundry. Classy! Really felt like a shot you'd see in a classic mob film. - The in-game map is dominated with light, bright colors, which made me wonder why they thought that white crosshairs would be a good idea. There's ANOTHER flaw I forgot about! Crap, do I secretly hate this game?? - There's a serious mishap in the early second half that comes back in the form of very obvious trauma for Tommy near the game's end, and I really liked this a lot. Just another example of how the writers took care to show Tommy's humanity as often as possible. - Based on the beginning, we already know it's not going to end well. But I still didn't expect the ending to go as deeply as it did! Well done, y'all. THAT Trophy: The Day the War Ended The safe, uncontroversial choice would obviously be either the Classic difficulty or simply the chapter with that wretched race, which I'm not even going to pretend wasn't a gigantic pain in the ass on Classic. That was most definitely unpleasant, and took me a day's worth of effort, but it always felt doable. The only time I found myself thinking "how the fuck does anybody do this?" was at the end of the chapter Crème de la Crème, where you have a handful of seconds to shoot out those two stupid fucking jet engines. The aiming is incredibly tricky to get down, with both the car and the plane moving in opposite directions, and the scant amount of time you have to work with is ridiculous. After the tenth or fiftieth attempt (who remembers), I was like "One of the engines is out and the other one is completely shot to shit, you're telling me he got away just fine?? Fuck you." And such and such. This is most likely a me thing, because the thing everybody else complains about is the race, I never hear anyone talking shit about this part. Whether it's legitimately difficult, or just me having shit aim while moving, I don't care. Fuck that plane! Edited October 27, 2023 by YaManSmevz 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Nice write up my dude! When you get around to Mafia 3 let me know and I'll walk you through the de-patch process. That game is bugged to heck and back and almost impossible to Platinum on latest branch. I've got the first two games chilling in my library and your reviews always make me look longingly at all the games I have with no time to get to them all! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 24 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Nice write up my dude! When you get around to Mafia 3 let me know and I'll walk you through the de-patch process. That game is bugged to heck and back and almost impossible to Platinum on latest branch. Thanks, homie👊 Yeah, I'll definitely take you up on that. The whole de-patching thing is the only thing that makes me hesitant to take on Mafia 3, I don't even know how or why it's broken like that but it's never encouraging to hear! 24 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said: I've got the first two games chilling in my library and your reviews always make me look longingly at all the games I have with no time to get to them all! Dude you would smoke this game! But yeah, I feel you... what's harder than any game I've played is finding the time to play them at all😭 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted November 1, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz October 2023 Hey, what's up, hello, and um, what's another good one... how do? As usual, November feels like it's just a bit ahead of schedule. Who invited this fool? And more importantly, has anyone figured out how to go back to July? If so, ask if you can bring a friend, yeah? Another slow month, a shame cuz my first seven months were bangin, but the last few months have seen us screwin the pooch, fuckin the dog, rimjobbin the weimaraner, okay this is getting really graphic let's cut to those stats! 93.40% Overall Completion (+0.40) 389 Unearned Trophies (-26) 3.58 Trophies Per Day (-0.06) 112 Platinums (+0) Level 416 (+1) Game of the Month Thought for a whole month that there was a problem with the Iki Island expansion for Ghost of Tsushima til I simply went where the map told me to go and it was like "you totally paid for the DLC a fat minute ago bro, don't be a jack ass, play that shit!" And so play it I did. And it was pretty great! It's been a while since I finished the base game, I forgot what a fun, engaging, and utterly gorgeous experience it is. And notice how I didn't mention any other games? Cuz there basically weren't any. So yeah, Ghost of Tsushima takes the honors for October. Because samurai are spoooOOOoooky. Rating the Month Managed to get out some reviews, and I most likely had more fun with what little playing time was available to me than last month, so October beats out September by default. It gets two out of five Shinto shrines! November Goals Now that I've proven to myself that I still now how to type words, I'd like to get consistent with writing again. And playing - there's still a chance to end the year on a good note! Gaming Hitlist 1. Need for Speed: Heat At first I was feeling positive, but... yeah I'm just not a racing game guy. Let's power through it. 2. Mortal Kombat 11 i picked the easiest fighting game to platinum not named Tekken 7 and still find myself draggin. Get with the program, bro! 3. South Park: The Fractured but Whole Just got back into a groove with this one, having a lot of fun and feels like a lock to have wrapped up next month. 4. Ghost of Tsushima Literally just a couple hours of DLC left and I can take that sweet hundo. Marvel's Spider-Man is next - both are games with platinums that I'm pretty sure come included with every new PSN account at this point - and then I'll be done with all the DLC that should've been done years ago. Thatll feel nice! 5. Silent Hill 2 Deep breaths... we'll just hop back up on that horse and see how long before we get tossed off again. So long October! November, I wasn't really ready for you, but fuck it, have a seat, lemme crack you open a beer and we'll get to work. Best November wishes for y'all! Edited November 30, 2023 by YaManSmevz 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted November 1, 2023 Share Posted November 1, 2023 Hopefully Outer Wilds fairly soon? 👊 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted November 20, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 20, 2023 Platinum #82: Grand Theft Auto IV Immigrants, we get the job done As anyone who's spent a significant amount of time around here knows, this is an openly pro-GTA IV checklist, with astronaut meme levels of “always has been.” However, this does come with an inherent danger that I was all too happy to ignore for some time: eventually, you just may have to complete it, and then write about it in as impartial a fashion as you can muster. Truthfully, my relationship with Grand Theft Auto IV has always been a bit more complicated than with its older brothers, and I'd be doing the write-up a disservice if I failed to acknowledge that. So one last time, let’s go cue up the fuckin GTA memoirs, and trust, no hard feelings if you skip down to the part where I apologize for the long ass intro! When San Andreas came out, I was 21, with that fun period of gleefully mismanaging both time and money coming to a close. The dawn of serious rent, non-casual girlfriends, and YouTube (yeah, I was still getting my gaming news from magazines, if you can picture that) was upon me, ensuring that my 2004 and 2008 selves would be quite different. Well, except for not having any money to throw at a next gen console, me bein a broke ass sadly stayed the same. While the anticipation wasn't quite what it once was, I still found myself keeping a sly eye out for details. I'd just been to New York City for the first time, so hearing about the series passing up a new location in favor of revisiting Liberty City, in all its vertical ass NYC glory, sounded great to me. I dug the talk about running with a more serious narrative, even though it came with the now famous threat to cut back on the goofy, over the top humor (which as it turned out, we really didn't need to worry about all that much). The Eastern European immigrant angle (immigants!) was intriguing as well, bringing us yet another fresh perspective for a protagonist. And finally, the coup de grâce: Just as O Mio Babbino Caro, I Ran (So Far Away), and Welcome to the Jungle had done before, LCD Soundsystem's Get Innocuous! served as the backdrop for a bad ass trailer that had us all losing our minds. A quick shout out to my homie Brian, who was my roommate in 2008 and didn't mind me hogging his 360 - he understood. Firing up the game for the first time, regardless of my tempered hype leading up, all that GTA love just came rushing back. The score immediately grabbed me, as did the artsy look to the credits. Meeting Niko, hell, meeting Roman. Glukoza. We see both the lights and the grime of Liberty City at once, all begging to be explored. Roman's excitement of seeing Niko mirrored my own of finally playing a new GTA game. Is it a little convenient that he's too drunk and surprise surprise, we're the ones who have to drive? Of course it is, but who cares? SCREW YOU, MY COUSIN IS HERE!! Aaaaaand here's where we'll place the tl;dr bookmark, sorry for the long ass intro! The first thing I noticed was that the realism we were promised is very much present. At this point, I was a GTA vet, so I was ready to tackle the cab fares, take care of the vigilante, firefighter, and ambulance missions, get all that shit out of the way so I could get to the story... only to find that this time around, they were mostly gone. Sure, you can do those things, but it's not in the same capacity, and you certainly don't get any upgrades. There's no big, garish symbols chillin in the street to magically make the cops go away, or hot dogs and Sprites to cure bullet wounds... okay, there's that, but who wants to go to a hospital every time your health gets low?? This applies to the overall physics of the game as well, be it driving or simply walking around. Everything has a weighty feel, with consequences for every movement. The driving aspect has its share of detractors (which is 100% fair), but I liked that you couldn't just careen through traffic or make sharp turns at top speed like it was nothing. It made chases feel more intense, and more rewarding when you could pull off something slick. Yeah, more than a few missions drove me nuts because of this, but I stand by my love of GTA IV driving. The physics on foot, however... this one is pretty universally loved, and rightly so. The ragdoll physics are incredible. Someone walks up to you, and Niko punches them in the face, their body crumbles at the knees, falls over onto something, knocks it over, and rolls over on the ground. You carjack someone, and that person will cling to their car and drag along for a while, flailing desperately in the street as you speed off. I remember spending so much time crashing my car so Niko would go flying out of the windshield, or blowing myself up just to watch Niko fly and flop around. All of these things are endlessly entertaining, in fact I'm yet to meet a GTA IV detractor who refuses to at least concede to that. Of course, this does hinder the control scheme just a tad - just like San Andreas before it, GTA IV has difficulty reconciling the forward thinking ideas with the time's limitations. The increased maneuverability is tremendous, but with the basic controls, it's all too easy to do something you're not trying to do. You can bump into things and fall over (ESPECIALLY from high spots), trip over stuff, and run into walls and fall on your ass. Like have you ever gone up to a ladder, and instead of going up it, walk right into it and fall down? Niko sure as shit has! That cover system though? It ain't perfect here, but damn if that wasn't a godsend - running around in the open like CJ seemed to enjoy doing would not have cut it here. There are shoot outs galore, and honestly I thought they were all pretty fucking fun - for this point, I will merely be referencing Three Leaf Clover, objectively one of the best GTA missions of all time, and what I'm convinced got the devs thinking about just setting up a series of heists in GTA V. Storywise, we're playing as Niko Bellic, a Serbian immigrant looking to get away from his dark, violent past and take his crack at achieving the proverbial American dream. He of course quickly realizes things are far from all they're cracked up to be, and finds himself falling into a rabbit hole of underground crime and betrayal, encountering more and more oddball characters along the way while battling barely beneath the surface demons and adapting to his new, culturally deafening setting. Rockstar had promised more serious storytelling, and they absolutely deliver here. Niko Bellic is an incredibly dense character, brilliantly voiced by Michael Hollick, with unimaginable anguish bubbling underneath his calm, cynical, and genuinely funny demeanor. His background, and having literally just come off of the boat, does a great job of contextualizing the usual GTA insanity. This is America from the perspective of an immigrant, who's only heard stories, and to whom everybody seems fucking crazy. The television shows are silly, the radio personalities and commercials are loud and over the top, and so few people you meet have intentions that make any sense whatsoever. While not the entire cast is treated to Niko's level of complexity, most everybody here has a compelling story of their own. Roman has his traumas and anxieties buried underneath his goofy fuck boy disposition, almost appearing as a silly sidekick stock character initially. Dwayne succumbing to institutionalization, the McCreary family all reacting differently to their entire lives being tarnished by generations of organized crime, Elizabeta's Henry Hill-esque mania as her walls crumble around her, there's so much going on and it's all so interesting. I also love how we see Niko take all this on, in addition to his own heavy burdens, and clearly care less and less about other people's bullshit as the story progresses. Throughout the second half, he's sarcastic, apathetic, and at times outright annoyed and impatient. He clearly can't stand Francis or Ray, and doesn't think much of Pegorino or Playboy. He wants help finding that last link to his past, what he hopes will somehow make him whole again. He'll settle for money, but that's it. And as the story moves on, his patience for anything else whittles away. The mission structure matches the narrative better than ever here. Vice City and San Andreas went for a sense of urgency on occasion, but it's so well realized here, and so consistently. Some missions are on a timer, and will begin whether you're ready or not. Some will start upon a seemingly random phone call! Speaking of which, you'll even get random encounters, which not only give you fun little side missions that usually only take a few minutes, but also lend that much more life to a city already teeming with plenty. Then there's the new choice system, which, yes, could go a lot further with actual long term consequences, but is still a great addition. You chase someone down on orders to kill them, and upon catching them can decide whether to let them go or not. You get two different phone calls and can only go to help out one person. And of course there are two story branches near the end with two separate endings, they could have been fleshed out a touch more but I was just impressed that we even got a potential second ending! The friends aspect is widely criticized for them being annoying, and clearly a product of the MySpace Top Ten Friends era... and I totally get that. Getting what seem like incessant phone calls from people when all you wanna do is be left alone and do your own thing? We know that feeling from real life already, we don't need it in a video game! The variety of activities you can do though is just too fun for me to put it down entirely, and the fake-out moments where a friend will call you mid-mission are pretty funny. I also really enjoyed how well fleshed out the friends are, with the exception of maybe Brucie. There's all kinds of different dialogues where we learn about these character's backgrounds whenever you hang out, which I appreciated a great deal. Grand Theft Auto IV is also famous for its ludonarrative dissonance, which is definitely a fair hit. If you spend too much time humanizing your protagonist, it's gonna make it all the more jarring when he turns around and shoots a homeless guy in the head. But this disconnect did lead to one of my favorite things in all of gaming: Niko, this severely distressed man, under ungodly amounts of pressure and in constant concern for his life, running over innocent pedestrians, and in response to their dying screams offering an almost playful "My bad!" The graphics were never exactly incredible, even for 2008, and when I replayed the game last year I noticed almost too quickly how sub par the frame rate was while speeding on a bridge between boroughs. And it may be having played Marvel's Spider-Man or GTA V, but there's definitely a washed out feel here. I don't agree with the criticisms that the city looks too gloomy - it's New York City, not Miami or Los Angeles - but we do have to take the L on the graphics. There's also the main thing that we lost coming from San Andreas to here, and that's the customization. The RPG elements are gone, and we're left with just a scant few outfits, very few of which actually look good on Niko! It also takes an obscene amount of time to try on outfits or change them, almost making me long for the days of Vice City where you just step into an icon and you're done! This is a puzzling one for sure, I mean they just had it down to perfection with Bully two years prior, what up widdat?? And who could forget the music? The radio in GTA IV is so good that GTA V had to implement a special radio HUD so you could see what song was playing and who the artist was. Probably. Is that connection 100% true, exactly? I have no idea. But I enjoy assuming it all the same. This one is definitely a preference type deal, as it doesn't have the luxury of having been made specifically with nostalgia in mind, but there are some serious jams here. At the time I was one of those hip young people, keeping up with several different music scenes - indie rock, electro house, R&B, hip-hop (and also Latin hip-hop and dance music) - and all were represented here, with fantastically curated playlists. Not to mention the old school stations with classic rock, funk, punk, and even ambient! I concede that this soundtrack is not for everyone, and that it does not compete with its larger than life predecessors. But for me? This shit feels tailor-made! Oh, and the advertisements were fucking hysterical. I actually listened to them in my non-gaming time - somehow this game's ads, yes, just the ads, are my 42nd most listened to album on my last.fm account. Don't ask. Finally, we have the extras! I figured that my fondness for the online modes was strictly out of nostalgia, and for what a unique and exciting thing it was in 2008, but even during my 2022 replay, I found myself really enjoying the Petrovic co-op missions and the Cops and Robbers modes, primitive as they are by today's standards. Why didn't they bring back Cops and Robbers for GTA V? That shit was dope! The DLC was fantastic as well, and I found it so clever that Rockstar made this three headed story out of what we'd already gotten with the base game. The Lost and Damned added a gang atmosphere, giving us a crew to back us up and ride around with, plus a surprisingly solid story about a biker gang's second in command struggling with how to move forward when thwarted by politicians, police, a rival gang, and even his own gang's unhinged leader. Then there's The Ballad of Gay Tony, which one could argue is the best part of this whole package. Where TLaD gave us grime and biker gang culture, TBoGT gave us the glitz and glamor, even feeling a little bit brighter. It was like a splash of Vice City was administered to liven this version of Liberty City up some, and it was outstanding. Luis Lopez is a fantastic character, I loved following him through his tribulations with the old homies, the mafia and local triad, and of course the titular Gay Tony himself. This is also where the mission grading system was born, for better and for worse (but more on that in a bit). We get incredible new weapons (dat shotgun tho), new radio tunes added (death metal and disco, again, tailor-made for my weirdo ass!), noticeable upgrades in melee and motorcycle riding, the fan service of seeing returning characters, and two stories so meticulously interwoven into the main game's dialogue. The DLC, hands down, only serves to make Grand Theft Auto IV that much more essential a PS3 experience. Having weighed the pros and cons... I gotta say, I still hold GTA IV up there with San Andreas - and I know this opinion is a divisive one, but I don't care. I love Niko's story and how it's handled. I love Liberty City. I love the soundtrack. And as much as they're trying maybe just a bit too hard to be realistic, I love the not-quite-there-yet controls as well! And Gay Tony? I mean come on. And at long last, we are up to date with GTA! To anyone still reading, I sincerely apologize, I feel like I've thrown up on your shoes or something, but thank you so much! Now, we wait til Grand Theft Auto VI sees the light of day... Stray Observations - "We all do dumb things, that's what makes us human!" Niko's "...could be" is not only a startlingly well read response, but an astonishing indicator of how much more serious we're gonna get here than "Aw shit, here we go again." - The final contrivance explaining why we can't explore the entire map right away in a GTA game: "Fucking terrorists." - I love what a sleaze Ivan comes across as from the jump. And am I nuts, or is Mallorie a total baddie? - The GTA series has some iconic post-mission jingles, but til now every game just had the one. Here we get over twenty, all to match the many different moods Niko finds himself experiencing. That's wild! - I believe I've referenced this before, but Little Jacob is the GoAT. I love how he hotboxes the car every time, and I love how Niko grows to understand his thick patois, even if we often times can't. - Is it just me, or do the explosions in this game look fucking excellent? And I mean even by today's standards! - I love Bernie discovering himself in the states, becoming the flamboyant gay man he now is - but even more than that, I love how when angry, that gruff voice comes out, even if just for a second. Such a great touch to a character that's clearly there for "huh huh he's gay" jokes. - Gotta give it up for the little things: fast travel and auto saves, good lord it's good to see y'all in a GTA game! - I don't think anybody who's completed this game 100% will be able to forget Eddie. What a twisted fuck! - I always wondered why Gerry went so quickly from being suspicious of Niko to entrusting his family to him, especially after ending up in prison BECAUSE OF AN INFORMANT. We know Niko isn't a rat, but how does he? - Kate was possibly the one character I really never cared for very much, I just found her to be a bit too dull and underwritten to be a romantic interest, and yet she's very much forced on us. I didn't bother spending time with her, so when she ended up in one of the game's endings, I found myself a bit indifferent. One of the story's few shortcomings that even I can't defend. - The Lost and Damned asserts itself pretty quickly with some full frontal male nudity. Take THAT, society!! - Not to be outdone, The Ballad of Gay Tony makes sure that we see Luis getting his fuck on a few times. Don't worry about the 'Gay' in the title, homophobic fans - Luis is TOTALLY straight, in fact WATCH HIM BANG THESE CLUB BROADS! - Tony's mob associate's incessant gay and racist jokes were so painfully 2000s. It's not even offensive really, just clearly trying so hard to be, and coming across as dumb and needless in the process. It made me think of peeps who get all huffy about how 'censorship is out of control' and that 'people are too sensitive.' If you can listen to this guy talk for a whole cutscene and genuinely say "Yeah, I totally wish people still talked like this," you should get help. THAT Trophy: TBoGT: Gold Star There was a lot of competition here. The times for Fly the Co-op were brutal, Auf Wiedersehen Petrovic was oppressively time consuming, and 100% completion may have been the series' most tedious up to this point! I'm going with this one though, simply because some of the requirements in these missions can feel downright impossible. Sexy Time is a prime offender, in that we get the most awkward, PS2 ass controls for the Buzzard helicopter and are tasked with achieving absurd speed and accuracy. There's much, much more, but that's the first one that comes to mind, and I've kept you here long enough! Okay!! We are done with GTA reviews! Which hopefully means we're done with 10 page write-ups, good lord... 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 THIS IS WHY WE NEED A SUPER LIKE REACTION. You've got me staying up late reading your diary, dude. Keep the 10 pagers coming if they're going to be this good homie. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted November 21, 2023 Author Share Posted November 21, 2023 18 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: THIS IS WHY WE NEED A SUPER LIKE REACTION. You've got me staying up late reading your diary, dude. Keep the 10 pagers coming if they're going to be this good homie. Yo, thanks my dude! That means a lot, especially coming from someone who can make ten pages fly by like they're three😎 You're in the rare company where if you ever get the bug up your ass to go for some GTA IV platty goodness (or yes, even Doomsday on GTA V), my door is open👊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted November 27, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2023 (edited) Platinums #48, 53, 71, 92, 93: MLB The Show 18-22 From the home of the Dodgers, Brooklyn squad Hi, what's up, hello, my name is Smevz and I love baseball. Yeah, the boring one that goes on forever, in a season that goes on forever? That's my shit. The anticipation of spring training fills me with excitement, and post-season baseball exhilarates me to no end, even after my beloved Dodgers perform their usual choke job early on! Hell, even the crack of a baseball bat is near the top of my Favorite Sounds list, just behind fingertips sliding across a guitar's fret board, rain, and glass breaking. Anyway, given my obvious love of video games, putting the two together is an absolute match made in heaven, and has been for me since I was a little kid. I wanna go over that real quick, if only to establish how much MLB The Show has blown me away as a franchise, and succeeded on keeping me hooked for the majority of its time on the PS4. I played Bases Loaded and RBI Baseball on the NES as a kid and fucking adored them, loving the pixelated blobs making bloops and blips whenever they throw or hit the ball. Very simple gameplay as I'm sure you'd imagine, and while primitive I still find them satisfying as shit - at least I did during the emulator craze a good while back, and it's a safe bet that shit ain't changed for me! The next gen saw a bit more sophistication, there was more you could do with base running, controlling your fielders was more intuitive, and you could try to aim where you'd hit the ball. The games looked so good, too - I mean anyone who was there remembers how impressed we were by those 16 bit graphics in general, and that most definitely applies here! Also we suddenly had an announcer, and even if it was just one bellowed word at a time, it added a fuckton to the experience. After this, for whatever reason I fell off from sports games for quite some time, until the itch hit me again in the 2010s. I was shackled to Xbox at the time, and while I'd heard many great things about The Show, it was a PS exclusive (of course, once PlayStation took its rightful ownership of me as a gamer, this exclusivity ended), so I needed an alternative. As it turned out, The Bigs 2 was the perfect game for me to play - it still had that simplicity, but looked stupendous, and had all those extra modes I'd always wanted to see in a baseball game. That arcade-y af feel was a lot of fun too! Frankly, without having stopped by to play this one, I would've been that much more overwhelmed by The Show! Still though, when I finally got around to playing The Show, the complexity initially intimidated me. When you start, you won't even be playing for a good 5-10 minutes! The game doesn't just want to know your difficulty preference, it's gonna launch into a whole thing demonstrating different pitching, fielding, and batting styles for you to choose from. It wants to know your favorite team, it wants to know how you prefer to save your game. All this is before you even see the user interface! And god help you if the first thing you wanna do is play online, cuz guess what, there's another long ass tutorial for you to go through. It's a lot! However, once you're through the proverbial ringer, it quickly becomes clear why so much has been said about The Show being the top dog of baseball games: cuz it is. Once you get adjusted to the controls, the game plays like a dream - everything is nice and responsive, and with plenty of strategy to implement in the pause menu, you can really feel the full control of your team that you're given. And that's just playing! The amount of modes are almost as staggering as the tutorials. Road to the Show, which is definitely my favorite, sees you create your own player and take him from the minor leagues up to the majors, all with occasional narration by a Sam Elliott type. Franchise mode is exactly what it sounds like, taking control of a team's day to day operations, and it's so in depth it's ridiculous. Developing talent, trading, you can even fuck with the salary of your third base coach, I mean it's fucking wild. Diamond Dynasty is a big one, where you collect cards with stats to fill out your own customized team to play against other folks online. It's definitely fun, not really my thing (because it always reminds me how trash I am at these games) but I get the appeal big time. March to October is basically season mode (I have a note on that later on), Moments is great for reliving classic baseball... well, moments, and Retro mode is basically Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball thrown in for good measure, most likely for the old heads like me! As far as presentation goes, these games are stunning. Even 18, the worst looking one in the bunch, still looks spectacular. The players look like themselves, as do the stadiums, which is a HUGE plus for a baseball nerd like me. The announcing team is great too, their reactions are timely and there's enough that they say about each team and each player that their limited dialogue has a surprisingly solid shelf life. For the most part, the trophy lists are pretty fun! 18 was great because of its well rounded challenges, both 19 and 20 were cool because they encouraged trying out different modes, and while 21 and 22 were way too easy, they were still a blast to play through. One funny thing about the trophies though, they're all worded in a way that makes them sound like a bumbling villain about to be foiled: The Show: You have to perform a difficult feat. But NOT IN MULTIPLAYER. Oh yeah, thought you were slick, huh?? We know what you're up to buddy, and we're too smart for you. Player: Oh, okay. I'll just adjust the sliders in my favor then. The Show: uhh.. no, no. DO NOT LOOK AT THOSE. Player: Eh, you're probably right. The Show: Good. Player: I'll just boost it with somebody online then. The Show: GOD DAMMIT 18-22 gave me a metric fuckton of fun, so much so that every time I wanted to write about the games, I'd find myself playing the new one and have to hold off! As dope as 23 sounds though, complete with the Negro Leagues and the solid presentation and gameplay we've been getting (not to mention that it's likely to be the last on PS4), I think I've finally got all the baseball games I need. So now, without further a-mothafuckin-do, I'm gonna run real quick through each game, from 18-22. We already touched on why I'm so enamored with this franchise, so the focus will be mostly on cosmetics and slight changes made (cuz let's be real, they ain't change a whole lot between installments other than rosters and playlists). Lehgo. MLB The Show 18 This one is out of order for me autobiographically, as I played 19 first. And sadly, it's a bit of a step down! Gameplay is slower, and the UI is a lil uglier - in fact, it's a lil uglier on the whole. I've seen this game consistently rated fairly low among the Show heads, and I can see why, as it's the least smooth running of all the games we're going over here. But it's not bad. Intro is dope, focusing on kids playing baseball. Some real Sandlot shit, y'know? I had a phase like this myself - watching baseball obsessively, breaking in mitts, playing with other kids, collecting cards... I never played little league, something that always kinda bummed me out, but I remember what it was like bein a kid and loving the game, so I really liked this approach. Good shit. Soundtrack is pretty decent, though it has the unfortunate handicap of featuring Greta Van Fleet, Kidz Bop's answer to Led Zeppelin. Lot of good stuff here though: Nipsey Hussle with CeeLo, a fun Beck song, and of course Queens of the Stone Age's fantastic The Evil Has Landed. Jam. THAT Trophy: I'm Not Gonna Cry Should be a pretty standard part of Road to the Show, but a specific exchange with your manager has to take place, and the randomness of it is pretty frustrating. MLB The Show 19 Ah, my first! The gameplay is outstanding, and everything looks nice and bright. Road to the Show's leveling up function is a little stricter here than the other games, though; when you do something good, your stats raise, you do something bad, your stats drop. Totally fair. But it's usually the egregious stuff you're held accountable for, here it's EVERYTHING. Someone makes a freakishly good play on a ball you should've gotten a hit off of? Too bad, that's minus two points for contact hitting. Like damn, dude... Intro is about how long winter is, and how much longer it feels when you're waiting for baseball to come back. It's neat, I guess. Soundtrack is good! 19 got me into Tobe Nwigwe, PEEP GAME is a solid track. Loved the Inteprol remix (The Rover is sadly a pretty boring cut, but the remix here is dope), more Beck, which I'm never mad at, some Big Boi, but... why we gotta have more Greta Van Fleet?? Booooo. THAT Trophy: Welcome to the Chip I mean this one's pretty undisputed, no? Working your way up the rankings in a competitive online mode is such an arduous task, particularly for a franchise that's been around for a decade plus! Yes, I boosted this one, and no, I don't feel bad about it at all, no booster's guilt here. That strict regiment we had to follow, the amount of time it took, we ain't talkin no "okay you shoot me then I shoot you and we're done in an hour" type shit! MLB The Show 20 Basically the same as 19, but tightened up some and given a fresh coat of paint. Spent a lot of time collecting cards with this one, and I have to say it grew to be more fun than I'd anticipated. There's an odd thrill to seeking the market for underpriced cards, re-selling them high, and finagling your way to filling out all your teams. While I liked being forced to branch off into different modes, we’re forced to play Conquest mode, which, and this is just me talking, one person’s opinion, is duuuuuuuumb. We’re playing Risk, taking over territories, and when you and another player clash?? Get ready to… PLAY A BASEBALL GAME. I really should like it more than I do, because I love Risk and I love baseball, but the pairing just doesn’t work for me. Intro is just a few slow motion animations with a black background. It's basically "wow, look how cool Javy Baez is" but without really wanting to put too much effort into showing you how cool Javy Baez is. They may as well have been like "J, for Javy Baez! A, for As I live and breathe, it's Javy Baez! V, for Very excited to see Javy Baez! Y, for..." well, you get the idea. It's alright. I'm just glad we're finally done featuring god damn Greta Van Fleet on the soundtrack, about fucking time! Some bangers on here, GTA's Little Bit of This with Vince Staples slaps, and Green Day's Graffittia makes me laugh, though not in a bad way - it just genuinely feels like it was specifically written and recorded to appear in a baseball video game. THAT Trophy: Silver But It Feels Like Gold Slam It! was a close candidate, because it took forever (foorrreeevvv'rrrr) to find an animation I could afford (or earn one, at this point I can't even remember how I got it anymore), but this one took even longer. Good lord, it's a good thing I love this game, I can't even imagine how the grind would feel if I didn't! MLB The Show 21 Up to this point the UI was largely the same, with a little tweak here and there, but with 21 they finally gave the series a much needed overhaul. I love the look of the game, and once again the graphical upgrade is solid. Intro is great, not just for Fernando Tatis Jr. and showing off the generational talent he is, but showcasing some great moments of his team in general. This is what last year's intro should've looked like, a legit show of respect for its cover athlete, and you can trust when I say that cuz I fuckin hate the Padres. Great soundtrack as well. The Strokes, The Avalanches with Denzel Curry, and yet another Beck sighting (with the Gorillaz, I don't know what it is about this track but it's got that "I don't know if I like this but I wanna hear it again" feel for me), and of course my old ass gotta give a shout to Onyx's Slam making an appearance! THAT Trophy: WORLD SERIES® CHAMPS The hardest and most tense trophy, but likely also the best! Playing through March to October, knowing I had to win the World Series, made every single pitch and at bat feel crucial, which is exactly what you want when playing baseball, cuz without that intensity it ain't shit! I had a blast going for this one, but damn if it didn't get a lil scary! MLB The Show 22 It seems Sony has taken criticisms of complacency to heart, cuz they added a few new cool features in Dynamic Mode and, more importantly, the opportunity to share a team with a friend in an online game! @Platinum_Vice and I still gotta try that out😎😎 We even get a new announcement team, which I'm not entirely sure was necessary, but sure, why not! UI and gameplay feel largely the same, as do the graphics, but it's totally fine because 21 already felt and looked great to begin with, you can't be too mad at that. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if they saved all the good stuff for the PS5 version. Bastards. Intro was another solid nod to the cover athlete. Very inspiring shit, showing Shohei Ohtani's lifelong dedication to get to where he's at today. Not as exciting as last year's, but still pretty good, I liked it! Soundtrack was cool, but... I gotta be honest, I finished this game so fast, it didn't really have time to marinate like the others did, and at this point I was ready to take a sabbatical from baseball. I mean if you read all that, you're probably tired of baseball too! THAT Trophy: Bat/Pitching Dabbler This will sound odd, but achieving the lowest difficulty in Dynamic Mode threw me off because by the time I'd realized I needed to switch over to this mode for trophies, I was already well above that difficulty-wise. So it took forever to get Rookie, which I foolishly assumed came first, and then I never got another one. What a dumb ass I felt like when I realized that I should've been using this mode from the jump. So yeah, that is my time with MLB The Show in a nutshell. As small a nutshell as I could fit it all in, at least! As for ranking the games... 18 is definitely last, it's the only one I've no interest in playing again. I spent the most time with 19 and 20, so it's easy to put those at the top, even though 21 and 22 are so slick and polished. I think we'll do this: 1. 20 2. 19 3. 21 4. 22 5. 18 Alright, that's that on that. Now let's knock out the strays and get the fuck out of here, thanks to everybody who read this monstrosity, y'all are fuckin saints! Stray Observations - In Bases Loaded, the teams and players were all fictional, and I found one player, Moran, endlessly hilarious because I was seven and thought his name was "moron." - Road to the Show is funny with how it starts in that it won't just outright let you pick your team. Instead, it's like "What league do you wanna play in? IF YOU HAD A CHOICE, I mean, cuz you totally don't. Okay, good... and what division? Again, just hypothetical, no guarantees here... okay, good, good... and finally, and believe me this is PURELY for shits and giggles, but what team in that league and division could you potentially see yourself playing for? ..ah, I see. Okay, thank you for your time!" Then your phone rings and whaddayaknow, it's the team you had in mind the whole time! Like bitch, just ask what team, you don't need all that! - My one complaint about March to October is that you can't strictly play an entire season on your own, you have to do it being plopped into random moments in random games, with your performance affecting how the team does in subsequent games before the next time you take over. I like the idea of it, but it's just not what I'm looking for in a season mode. - I do like though, how March to October calls you out if you close the app when you're losing an important game. Yes, I did this, and when the game was like "hhmmmm that was a suspicious shutdown, next time you ain't getting no bonus points for winning" I was like okay, okay, you caught me. - One of my favorite things about picking a team in the longer modes is how the difficulty is judged by your goal: do you wanna pick a team everyone expects to make it far, or a shit team that nobody's expecting anything from and shock the baseball world? - Favorite announcer line: "He looks like he sat in a big ol' bucket of SASSY." Huh? I'm pretty sure I heard that right... - As mentioned before, 20 did teach me to appreciate the finer points of dealing cards in the market. But why Sony gotta get a cut of this invisible money they made up? Y'all are so cheap, I can't even. - I'd always wondered if Sony would have a different commentator team for the minor leagues than the majors, I know what a huge ask that is but it would be so cool. When I heard the new announcers in 22 I got excited, thinking they'd finally done it, but no, they just gave the axe to the old team. Le sigh. Edited December 28, 2023 by YaManSmevz 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serrated-banner9 Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 (edited) On 11/20/2023 at 9:34 AM, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #82: Grand Theft Auto IV Immigrants, we get the job done another good review from the homie (definitely not trying to be edgy here) Also i feel bad for the guy that you mentioned that has to write a impartial review of this game, i wonder who that could be Funny thing is that the plat's descripton is "Sorry for taking liberties with your time" it's as if they knew what they where doing 17 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Platinums #48, 53, 71, 92, 93: MLB The Show 18-22 From the home of the Dodgers, Brooklyn squad Damn, that's some dedication to a series right there my guy, i didn't read all of it (because i have a attention span of a goldfish), but i just have to say that i wish these were available physically in the eu/uk, i mean i can still buy 21 and onwards digitally but it would feel much better if there was a physical copy, oh sorry just my physical is best side of my brain taking over for a moment. By the way, any plans on the Spyro triogy of games? Only asking as i am seeing everyone is prepping the Spyro 3 plat to pop January 1st because it's title is "Party like it's 2024" and i got to admit that i am a part of this craze. EDIT: "Knew what thye" i feel like i was as drunk as the anti piracy measure in GTA 4 where you would be drunk all the time lol Edited November 27, 2023 by serrated-banner9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: anticipation of spring training fills me with excitement, and post-season baseball exhilarates me to no end, even after my beloved Dodgers perform their usual choke job early on! Anticipation... exhilaration... choke job... YEAH BABY, it's BASEBALL TIME! 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Hell, even the crack of a baseball bat is near the top of my Favorite Sounds list And it feels even better, doesn't it? Do you ever twitch yourself awake when you start dreaming about hitting one over the fence? No? Just me? Damn we're getting personal today... 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Developing talent, trading, you can even fuck with the salary of your third base coach, I mean it's fucking wild. Well yeah. I mean, his signal to steal doesn't exactly require a codebreaker to read. If he touches his right ear, they steal. Dock his pay! Sack him! Kick him around a bit too, maybe. Get the bat.! And just... have fun with it, y'know? 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: The Show: You have to perform a difficult feat. But NOT IN MULTIPLAYER. Oh yeah, thought you were slick, huh?? We know what you're up to buddy, and we're too smart for you. Player: Oh, okay. I'll just adjust the sliders in my favor then. The Show: uhh.. no, no. DO NOT LOOK AT THOSE. Player: Eh, you're probably right. The Show: Good. Player: I'll just boost it with somebody online then. The Show: GOD DAMMIT 🤣 💯 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Greta Van Fleet These guys sound incredible! My favourite from them is Black Smoke Rising. 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: why we gotta have more Greta Van Fleet?? Booooo Oh wow dude. 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I'm just glad we're finally done featuring god damn Greta Van Fleet on the soundtrack, about fucking time! 🙃 14 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: @Platinum_Vice and I still gotta try that out I bought the PS5 stack this week!! Let's go dude! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 goddammit Smevs! I haven't played a baseball game in anger since RBI Baseball.... ...but you know how intoxicating I find other gamer's enthusiasm! You're making me want to play a game that I can categorically guarantee I would understand about 4% of the mechanics of! 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: goddammit Smevs! I haven't played a baseball game in anger since RBI Baseball.... ...but you know how intoxicating I find other gamer's enthusiasm! You're making me want to play a game that I can categorically guarantee I would understand about 4% of the mechanics of! 😂 It's easy, ya just gotta hit the ball, and then there's only a few other things to keep track of... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted November 28, 2023 Author Share Posted November 28, 2023 18 hours ago, serrated-banner9 said: another good review from the homie (definitely not trying to be edgy here) Thank you dude! No worries, no edgy perceived👊 18 hours ago, serrated-banner9 said: Funny thing is that the plat's descripton is "Sorry for taking liberties with your time" it's as if they knew what they where doing Oh they fuckin knew, alright... 18 hours ago, serrated-banner9 said: Damn, that's some dedication to a series right there my guy, i didn't read all of it (because i have a attention span of a goldfish), but i just have to say that i wish these were available physically in the eu/uk, i mean i can still buy 21 and onwards digitally but it would feel much better if there was a physical copy, oh sorry just my physical is best side of my brain taking over for a moment. I don't blame you in the slightest, and appreciate the honesty😂 I didn't know they were dissin the UK/EU like that, that's wack! 18 hours ago, serrated-banner9 said: By the way, any plans on the Spyro triogy of games? Only asking as i am seeing everyone is prepping the Spyro 3 plat to pop January 1st because it's title is "Party like it's 2024" and i got to admit that i am a part of this craze. Hah! I didn't know about that.. but nah, probably not. I say go for it👊 4 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: And it feels even better, doesn't it? Do you ever twitch yourself awake when you start dreaming about hitting one over the fence? No? Just me? Damn we're getting personal today... Duuuuude yes! It sucks cuz the batting cages has become one of my don'ts with the elbow injury😭 And yeah, that's a very unique feeling, hitting a ball way the fuck out, I love it💪😎 4 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Well yeah. I mean, his signal to steal doesn't exactly require a codebreaker to read. If he touches his right ear, they steal. Dock his pay! Sack him! Kick him around a bit too, maybe. Get the bat.! And just... have fun with it, y'know? "Hey, I noticed that my last paycheck was for a dollar... that was a mistake, right?" "Oh good, you're here! Hey, see that blowtorch and rope? Hand those to me real quick, would you?" 4 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: These guys sound incredible! My favourite from them is Black Smoke Rising. Oh wow dude. 🙃 Hahaha I shoulda known one of the homies would be a fan... yeah, I just don't like them. In the future though I will bite my tongue should they come up! 4 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: I bought the PS5 stack this week!! Let's go dude! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT👊 4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: goddammit Smevs! I haven't played a baseball game in anger since RBI Baseball.... ...but you know how intoxicating I find other gamer's enthusiasm! You're making me want to play a game that I can categorically guarantee I would understand about 4% of the mechanics of! 😂 Hahaha mah man👊 I'm tempted to be like "Yeah, do it!!" but I don't wanna bring up and bad memories! Is there a shinty video game? If so, we could trade😂 3 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: It's easy, ya just gotta hit the ball, and then there's only a few other things to keep track of... He's right, you know😄 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 25 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: I'm tempted to be like "Yeah, do it!!" but I don't wanna bring up and bad memories! Is there a shinty video game? If so, we could trade😂 lol - I've only ever seen a few Shinty games in my life, but let me tell you - it's seemed so fucking violent, that that game would probably be more reminiscent of Manhunt than of MLB 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruffiiti Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 On 11/20/2023 at 2:34 AM, YaManSmevz said: Okay!! We are done with GTA reviews! Which hopefully means we're done with 10 page write-ups, good lord... Great writeup ma dude... now lets go bowling! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted November 28, 2023 Author Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: lol - I've only ever seen a few Shinty games in my life, but let me tell you - it's seemed so fucking violent, that that game would probably be more reminiscent of Manhunt than of MLB 😂 Hahaha I love it🤣 Rated M, for blood. I mean like a lot of blood, we're talkin murder victim type blood here, holy shit. Wow, that sounds really vi- Rating isn't finished, sir. Anyway yeah like if you stabbed somebody, we're talkin fucking buckets 1 hour ago, gruffiiti said: Great writeup ma dude... now lets go bowling! Thank you sir, much appreciated👊 And I'm down... I suck at life, but I bowl like an angel! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Mep Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 @YaManSmevz Wow a Dead Kennedy's reference. Hell yeah dude! 🤘 Sorry this reply is from a post weeks ago just had to say something haha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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