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Platinum #54 - The Little Acre

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The Little Acre takes place in 1950s Ireland. One day, Aidan goes missing and his young daughter Lily (escorted by the poor family dog) goes out in search of him. This point-and-click adventure is very short (a couple hours at most) but in turn, the hand-drawn animations are detailed and beautiful; good thing, too, since I thought the voice acting was kind of bad.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #55 - Saints Row: The Third

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I don’t know what fans of the first two Saints Row games think of this one, but Saints Row: The Third is my personal favourite. It has a decent enough story that is silly at times without hitting balls-to-the-walls level of absurdity like in IV.

 

Story:

The 3rd Street Saints are now more than a gang - they are now a high-profile media organization that has made it big by marketing the Saints brand. While robbing a in Stilwater bank as promotion for their upcoming movie, the Boss and crew are arrested and handed over to Philippe Loren, head of the criminal syndicate appropriately named “The Syndicate.” Loren offers the Saints a deal; in exchange for their lives, most of their profits would be given to The Syndicate.

 

The Saints obviously refuse, break out, and end up in the new city of Steelport. There, they must take over each district and prepare to take out The Syndicate for good.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

No alien invasions or crazy superpowers in this one - just good ol’ regular punching, nut-kicking, and shooting. This game isn’t as ludicrous as IV, but it gets close (eg. you can use a tool usually reserved for pleasure as a weapon to dish out pain). There are tonnes of weapons and outfits to choose and customize.

 

There are fewer activities to complete than in the sequel, but I really enjoyed Assassinations - basically people have requests for you to kill certain targets (sometimes in a specific manner). The Vehicle requests were less fun, though.

 

Music / VA:

You know who you never see (hear, I guess) in video games? Laura Bailey, Nolan North, and Troy Baker /s. Thankfully, the developers have rectified this issue by having them be potential voices for the Boss. God bless whoever cast these talented no-name actors (dumb jokes aside, they are actually great).

 

DLC:

Genki Bowl VII adds yet more activities to the map, but they’re simple and easy. The Troubles With Clones… is only slightly more story-oriented, but is fun enough.

 

Gangstas in Space seems to be the inspiration behind Saints Row IV’s narrative - the Saints go to space and shoot aliens in the face - close enough.

 

Tricky Trophies:

Aside from the usual Saints Row grind, there are a few choice-based story trophies. Definitely make backup saves unless you want to replay the story just for those trophies (spoilers: I didn’t have backup saves, RIP).

 

Conclusion:

In terms of absurdity, Saints Row: The Third is somewhere in between the second and fourth games, and many may be interested in this fine balance. I bought this game on sale (when sales for PS3 games were still regular). The remastered edition for the PS4 (and PS5, I believe) was released not too long ago, so that would be my recommended version, as it comes bundled with all DLCs.

Edited by ParkestNight
Fixed grammatical errors
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Platinum #56 - Ratchet & Clank

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The 2016 game based on a movie based on a game - a "remake" of the original 2002 PS2 game. This is my first Ratchet & Clank game, but I’m told this isn’t a 100% completely faithful remake, more of a reimagining.

 

With Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man, and the recently-announced Wolverine, I guess no one at Insomniac sleeps.

 

Story:

Ratchet is a Lombax and a mechanic on the planet Veldin. His dream is to become a Galactic Ranger, a sort of space police who hunt criminals. The Rangers coincidentally happen to be looking for new recruits, and Ratchet passes each of their tests; however, the Rangers pass on Ratchet after discovering he committed crimes in the past.

 

Clank is a defective warbot (as he is smaller, smarter, and not inclined to violence) who escapes from a factory run by Chairman Drek and Dr. Nefarious (the name is pretty on-the-nose, I know). Clank crash-lands on Veldin, and is found by Ratchet, who witnessed the landing. Clank informs Ratchet of an invasion at the hands of Drek and Nefarious, and urges him to warn the Rangers.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

Ratchet is able to use an impressive array of weapons, from guns to grenades to disco bombs. One of my favourites was the Pixelizer. Clank is worn like a backpack, and allows Ratchet to hover. Ratchet’s movements are fluid - he is able to strafe and jump with the best of them.

 

The performance is smooth, and character designs and animations look vivid and alive. Enemy variety was a bit disappointing since there were many reskins, but each enemy having unique pixel models and dancing animations convinces me that love and care went into the game.

 

Music / VA:

The voice acting was splendid, and the music was great. Each voice fits the character well, from the boisterous Captain Qwark to the manic Dr. Nefarious.

 

Tricky Trophies:

The most troublesome trophy for most seems to be using the Groovitron on every single type of enemy (even the reskins). You won’t get the Groovitron until later, but that’s not a problem as you need to complete a Challenge mode (NG+) playthrough anyways. Keep a checklist handy, and you should be fine.

 

Conclusion:

The game plays and looks great, and was even a PS+ offering at one point. If you are one of the lucky ones who have managed to get a PS5, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is also available.

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Platinum #57 - God of War: Chains of Olympus

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I honestly can’t remember the story of this game, but it retains the classic God of War gameplay. Angry Loincloth Man leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, etc., etc.

 

                                                                                     

 

Platinum #58 - Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

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Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is one of my favourite JRPGs of all time. 

 

Story:

Oliver is a young boy residing in Motorville with his mother, Allie. After preventing her son from drowning in a river, Allie passes away due to heart complications. Oliver’s tears land on his doll, a gift from Allie. Magically, the tears causes the doll to be brought to life - a fairy that introduces himself as Drippy.

 

Drippy is Hagrid to Oliver’s Harry - after delivering the “yer a wizard, Oliver” line, Drippy informs Oliver that there are two worlds; the mundane world, and the magical world Drippy hails from. Each person has a soulmate in the other world, and Drippy says Allie looked like the Great Sage Alicia - leading him to believe the two are soulmates. In hopes of saving his mother, Oliver sets off with Drippy into the other world.

 

The story features a child as the main protagonist, so much of the story content will reflect that. The story becomes darker at some points in the story, but won’t remain so for long. As the story progresses, it will show Oliver’s growth and maturity, but the story content is never mature (if that makes sense).

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

Oliver is a wizard, and throughout his travels, he can discover spells that can be used both in and out of combat. Some spells can affect the environment, or just open locks.

 

Oliver will gain companions to join his party, both human and Familiar. Just think of Familiars as Pokemon. Each human character can have three Familiars in their own mini-party at one time. Also, the development studio wanted to avoid litigation, since they use their own words in lieu of ones associated with Pokemon. For example, you don’t catch Familiars; you tame them. Familiars don’t evolve, they metamorphose, etc. I liked the implementation of Familars, but the strongest ones are either found in late-game areas or are found in older areas that require late-game spells to access.

 

The combat I can only describe as a semi-real time Pokemon game where the tamer can enter the fray themselves, if need be (which as a long-time fan of Pokemon, was a little strange to see). The combat itself is a tad more complicated than just tapping a button and executing a move; there are some menus and an option wheel to traverse before making a move. It’s simple enough once after a few combat encounters, so don’t let my description ward you off.

 

This is also grindy (and honestly just fetch quests), but I thought the idea of fixing the Brokenhearted was kind of cool (in context, if not in execution). Basically, the Brokenhearted have been affected by dark magic, and will be missing an emotion or virtue like courage, hope, etc. To cure them, Oliver must find individuals with an abundance of the applicable virtue (from a willing participant) and take a bit “off the top” to reallocate to the Brokenhearted. It’s almost a strange form of emotional socialism, where wealth is redistributed to the less fortunate - but again, in context, it makes narrative sense.

 

The game is a visual treat, as the art was done by Studio Ghibli (My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, etc.), both in-game and in animated cutscenes. The Ghibli art style emanates a sort of childlike wonder in all its works, and Ni no Kuni is no different in that regard.

 

Music / VA:

I played the game with English VO, but the main cast was solid. My personal favourite was Drippy, his Welsh accent and larger-than-life character were honestly such a good combination. The score is composed by Joe Hisaishi (who is most known for his works on Studio Ghibli projects), so it is excellent.

 

Tricky Trophies:

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a JRPG, so it has some inherent grind, like gathering the alchemy materials, crafting 120 of 134 possible items, the Solosseum, and collecting 150 Familiars (thankfully not at one time), and bounties. None of the areas are too large, but you’ll need to defeat many bosses for the bounties. Nothing’s missable, so they aren’t too bad.

 

Conclusion:

The game is available on PS Now, but has a remastered PS4 re-release. I’d recommend that version as it also comes with all preorder DLCs that were on the PS3 (just a few Familars, some golden, some rare - no story DLCs as there never were any, but it'll help a tad toward collecting 150 Familiars).

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Platinum #59 - God of War: Ghost of Sparta

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Originally released for the PSP in 2010, Ghost of Sparta eventually made its way onto the PS3 with trophy support. The story takes place sometime between God of War and God of War II. Basically, an oracle once made a prophecy that Olympus would be toppled by a marked mortal warrior, who the gods believed to be Deimos, Kratos’ brother. Ares abducts Deimos, and years later, Kratos (now the God of War) sets off to discover his brother’s fate. Kratos experiences more than just anger in this game, so I dub thee Mostly Angry Loincloth Man.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #60 - Mass Effect: Andromeda

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The follow-up to the Mass Effect trilogy. The game released (to terrible reviews), and it was on sale for 80% to 90% off within a few months (at which point I figured would a good time to judge the game for myself). Well, it’s a little underwhelming, to say the least, but I did enjoy most of my time with the game.

 

Story:

With the return of the Reapers, the Andromeda Initiative was put into action - several of the Council races would send many of its citizens to the Andromeda Galaxy via an Ark (a large ship that induces most of its passengers into cryosleep; the trip takes over 600 years) in an attempt to survive the Reaper attack.

 

Ryder is the new Shepard; your father Alec is the Pathfinder, responsible for finding a planet hospitable enough for colonization. When Ryder’s Ark collides with dark energy (called the Scourge), it kills the power on the ship. Ryder, his/her father, and others must land on a nearby planet to see if it is hospitable. On this planet, Ryder encounter the Kett, who are hostile to your presence. A large explosion damages Ryder’s helmet, and Alec sacrifices himself to save Ryder - and appoints him or her as the new Pathfinder in the process.

 

I liked the premise of the narrative, but a lot of the story/dialogue is either bad or just unmemorable. Most of your squadmates this time around are just the dullest group of individuals, especially Liam. I’d go on about various issues, but my face is tired.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

In terms of gameplay, Andromeda is already pretty different from the original trilogy. Andromeda features an open-worlds traversal (on various planets), and to help you explore, Ryder is given access to the Nomad (basically a better Mako). On each planet, you can take over enemy strongholds, complete squadmates’ Loyalty Missions and side missions, etc.

 

The combat is now completely in real-time (no more pausing to issue commands to squadmates). Aside from this, I really enjoyed the changes to combat. Ryder’s movements are more fluid than Shepard’s ever were; Ryder has a jet pack to perform double jumps, strafe from side-to-side, perform slam attacks, etc. The weapons and armours you can collect are the most customizable they’ve ever been, as you can add mods of your liking to enhance your preferred playstyle.

 

Ryder is not locked to a single profile (previously known as classes), but instead can unlock various profiles, then switch between them during gameplay. BioWare dropped the ball on everything else, but the combat, they got right (other than bosses, which were lacklustre imo).

 

Another thing I appreciated was BioWare implementing a more nuanced morality system. Instead of actions being black and white (or red and blue, I guess), actions are intended to not be distinctly good or bad - a weakness of the Paragon / Renegade system, in my opinion.

 

There is also a multiplayer horde mode, but I only played a handful of matches, if even that. I opted to use the Apex HQ companion app to complete all MP trophy requirements (as it didn’t require actually doing anything, just waiting).

 

At release, the facial animations were a laughingstock - future patches improved these, but BioWare needs to face the fact that the internet has a long memory.

 

Music / VA:

I hate to sound like a broken record (or the lady who delivered the following infamous line), but my face is tired (that’s all you really need to know about NPC dialogue and VA). The main cast is solid, and though the music isn’t as good as in the original trilogy, I have no complaints otherwise.

 

DLC:

Ha, funny thing - the ending of the game teased a DLC featuring the Quarians, who mysteriously never arrived at Andromeda; however, the DLC was abandoned along with any additional further support of the game. It’s a good thing BioWare and EA killed Andromeda to redouble their efforts into Anthem, what a major success ? /s

 

Tricky Trophies:

As always, the Insanity run is your primary obstacle to the Platinum, but there are other grindy trophies that try to wear you down on the way. I’d recommend going for this on NG+.

 

Completing all twenty Remnant puzzles in a single playthrough is not only grindy, but also missable. If you follow my advice and do the Insanity playthough on NG+, you should try to go for this during your first playthrough. If you mess up, you have another chance on NG+.

 

Levelling up a strike team to level 20 takes longer than it seems - I worked towards this my entire NG+ playthrough, and it still ended up being my last trophy before the Platinum. Start this early!

 

Conclusion:

Despite my mixed feelings on the game, I enjoyed my time with it, but I’m honestly not sure if I’d recommend it (especially to a fan of the original trilogy). If you’re morbidly curious, get it via sale or EA Play.

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Platinum #61 - Darksiders

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Darksiders is a Zelda/God of War-esque game with a biblical background taken to great creative liberties.

 

Story:

War is one of the Four Horsemen, who are Nephilim that act as enforcers of the Charred Council's will. They maintain a balance between the opposing sides of Heaven and Hell. When the two factions engage in an apocalyptic war on Earth, War goes to Earth. War expects to see the other Horsemen there, but he is alone; even more shocking, the Seventh Seal (meant to signal the beginning of the war) has not been broken. Heaven suffers a devastating loss and War is taken to the Charred Council, who believes War sided with Hell to undermine the balance, to be punished. War is able to convince the Charred Council to let him investigate what happened, and he is sent back to Earth with a handler - only to discover a century had passed since the war began. War must find out what happened, and punish those responsible.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

It is apparent from the get-go that Darksiders is heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda - dungeons, maps to find in each, linear progress to obtain weapons and/or tools to proceed in areas both old and new, etc. The boss fights consist of a little puzzle-solving to figure out each one's weakness, but the combat overall is more akin to the traditional God of War style - a lot of hacking and slashing at waves of enemies. Entering Chaos Form was really fun, but I wish each instance lasted a bit longer. I really enjoyed the game overall, but I thought the final boss was rather underwhelming.

 

Joe Madureira was responsible for the art style of the game, and it looks a little cartoonish (with exaggerated features and sizes), but the style works well for the game. As a PS3-era game, the performance isn't great; it's occasionally laggy, but suffers most during boss fights. There's stuttering in larger areas and is markedly worse as more enemies are onscreen.

 

Music / VA:

The voice acting was pretty good, I was surprised to discover that Mark Hamill was the voice of The Watcher (had no clue he did any work in video games until I played this).

 

Tricky Trophies:

There are some missable and grindy trophies, like killing 160 creatures in a single on-rails section, getting more kills than Ulthane (you have a sort of Legolas/Gimli-like dynamic with the guy), collecting all artifacts and pieces of the Abyssal armour set, getting 150 environmental kills, etc. The last trophy before the Platinum was riding 100 miles on your horse, Ruin.

 

There is a trophy for beating the game on APOCALYPTIC difficulty (basically hard mode), but it's not too bad as long as you take it slowly. The difficulty becomes negligible as you get more upgrades, etc. To save time, I'd honestly recommend starting on APOCALYPTIC, it's not that bad.

 

Conclusion:

I enjoyed the story and the great creatives liberties they took with the biblical theme, I just wish the performance was better. I'd imagine the Warmastered Edition for the PS4 runs better (hopefully), so that'd be the recommended version. It is also available via PS Now, so have at it!

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Platinum #62 - Horizon Zero Dawn

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Moving away from the Killzone franchise, Guerilla Games released Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017. The reviews were good enough that I bought it within the same calendar year (which is rare outside of the Dragon Age series) and it became my personal game of the year.

 

Story:

The story of Horizon Zero Dawn takes place years after the apocalypse. The Nora tribe branded Aloy an outcast at birth, and she was given to another outcast, Rost, to raise. She discovers a mysterious device that allows her to see what others don't, and years later (with Roth's training), Aloy joins the Proving to earn the right to earn a place in the Nora tribe. Aloy is the winner, but it doesn't matter; the participants come under attack by an unknown group of mask-donning individuals. The Nora tribe suffer massive casualties, and though Aloy is knocked unconscious, she survives due to Rost's heroic sacrifice. When Aloy comes to, a Matriarch of the Nora tribe divulges the truth surrounding the circumstances of her birth, and informs her that the group who attacked the Proving contestants can corrupt and control machines. Aloy must venture forth and foil the plans of this group, all while discovering how the apocalypse came to be in the first place.

 

I liked the main narrative well enough, but like with SkyrimFallout 3, and other similar games, I was much more invested and interested in the side microstories. I liked how the holotags documented life prior to the apocalypse, giving a "lived-in" feel to the world (or at least how it used to be).

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

The game has RPG elements, so Aloy can level up and learn skills to enhance her combat, traversal, or hunting skills.

 

Aloy's main weapons are bows, but you can add to her arsenal throughout the game, like slings, ropecasters, tripcasters, rattlers. These weapons can again be divided by ammo type - incendiary, explosive, cryogenic, shock, etc. - for different uses.

 

Stealth killing enemies (or taking control of animals to make them into friendly units) is fun, but Aloy can use her spear in combat if she is discovered. However, the spear combat is clunky; I don't know if it was intended to be a punishment for failing to be stealthy, or if it is just bad. Either way, combat is best done unseen and at range.

 

Hunting human enemies are standard fare, but facing robot enemies is thrilling, the most exciting being the Thunderjaw (a large Tyrannosaurus Rex-like robot). It is so satisfying just ripping off its mounted guns, picking it up, and using it against the Thunderjaw. For winged robots, you can tie them down with the ropecaster, then beat the living daylights out of them. The different enemy types have their own strengths and weaknesses, and discovering them is a treat.

 

Aloy has access to several outfits and mods to augment your personal playstyle. For example, I preferred the stealth approach (I wasn't great at it, but I liked it anyhow), so I chose an outfit and mods to specifically help me in that area.

 

There are different activities and challenges to complete, which are optional (unless you want the Platinum), but have rewards to entice you into completing them in any case. The collectibles are less rewarding (except for the Shield-Weaver outfit, that's rad), but you'll need them for trophies, too.

 

The game received a lot of flack at launch for its poor facial animations (not unlike Mass Effect: Andromeda), but patches were released to address those issues. I got the game months after release, so I can't personally compare the before and after. I did have a funny glitch where during a cutscene, Aloy was indoors, but her hair would be blown like a weathervane anyways. Some of the loading times were a bit rough, but that was expected on such a pretty-looking game, especially on old hardware (I had a base PS4 at the time).

 

Music / VA:

The main cast is amazing, but some of the NPCs are hit-or-miss. The music is superb, though.

 

DLC:

The Frozen Wilds fits the bill for what I think is a great DLC; it doesn't contain the "true" ending for the story, but rather supplements it. It introduces The Cut, the northern home of the Banuk tribe. They are fighting a Daemon on the mountain, but they've not been victorious. It is up to Aloy to investigate the incident and bring peace to the region.

 

The DLC adds new trophies, weapons, outfits, mods, quests/microstories, activities, collectibles (ugh), challenges, a new level cap of 60, and enemies.

 

Tricky Trophies:

The trophy names are so utilitarian that it's difficult (if not impossible) to misunderstand the requirements. For example, the trophy for earning all three Blazing Suns at all Hunting Grounds is called "Blazing Suns at all Grounds," and the one for clearing all corrupted zones is called "All Corrupted Zones cleared." Very straightforward, if still grindy or tedious.

 

Conclusion:

I fell in love with the game, and and the Complete Edition of the game comes with The Frozen Wilds DLC. It was given away for free earlier this year via Sony's Play at Home initiative. Otherwise, it goes on sale for cheap now. I am looking forward to the sequel Horizon Forbidden West. I even preordered the Special Edition, my first preorder since Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014 (side note: holy crap, it's been almost seven years since the last Dragon Age). With a February 2022 release date, it's just on the Horizon.

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Platinum #63 - inFamous: Second Son

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I played the original inFamous first, but earned the Platinum for Second Son earlier. Releasing this game as a launch title was surely a Sucker Punch to the PlayStation 4's competitors, and though it has its flaws, inFamous: Second Son is a great game.

 

Story:

Delsin Rowe is a graffiti artist and a member of the Akomish reservation. His policeman brother Reggie catches him vandalizing a billboard, and the two get into an argument until a D.U.P. truck carrying three Conduit prisoners crashes into the reservation. Two escape, but Delsin pulls the third from the mangled remains, gaining smoke powers in the process. Brooke Augustine (leader of the D.U.P.) partially encases Delsin in concrete and knocks him unconscious. Delsin wakes after a week later, learning that the rest of the Akomish were tortured for information; Augustine has left pieces of concrete in their bodies, which will eventually kill them - Delsin pieces together that only her powers can save them, and that he can absorb other Conduits' abilities - the logical course of action is to go the D.U.P. Headquarters in Seattle, and take the powers to save the Akomish.

 

In true inFamous fashion, Delsin can choose to be good or evil, but I feel that the evil path in Second Son is the most depressing in the series.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

Delsin's smoke powers are quite different to Cole's electric ones, as they are more traversal-friendly - you can make your way through buildings via pipes. In addition to smoke powers, Delsin can earn three additional ones. Maybe this is just me, but I've always thought that Sucker Punch games had slightly janky jumping mechanics, but it was a bit more pronounced in inFamous: Second Son. Delsin also has a length of linked chain to use as a melee weapon, which I thought was kind of cool, if unconventional.

 

There is some slight customization of Delsin's clothing, specifically the pattern on the back of his jacket. In addition to this, Delsin (like Cole) will vary in appearance depending on his moral path. I didn't like Delsin as much as Cole, but to be fair, Cole had two games to flesh out his character.

 

There is quite a bit to do in Seattle, like gathering collectibles, destroying security cameras, defeating secret D.U.P. agents, completing graffiti pieces, and taking over districts. However, story aside, I don't think there's enough different about the two moral paths to be satisfying.

 

Graphically, the game looked amazing (for the time).

 

Music / VA:

The music was okay, but Sucker Punch really took a risk in hiring unknown underdog Troy Baker to voice Delsin ?. He and the rest of the main cast are great in their roles.

 

Conclusion:

inFamous: Second Son is really fun, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone - newcomers need not have played the first two games to understand this one. The game was a PS+ offering and is also available on PS Now. Otherwise, wait for a sale!

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Platinum #64 - Rime

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After a shipwreck, a young boy wakes on an island. Accompanied by his mystical fox friend, the boy must reach the top of the tower looming in the distance. This game's story is a short, emotional adventure. If you weren't a subscriber of PS+ when Rime was an offering, you can't go wrong picking it up on a sale.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #65 - Tekken 7

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The Mishima men are back at it yet again, with Heihachi and Kazuya duking it out for the Father of the Year Award. For a guy who hates his relations, Heihachi wasn't shy about procreating. Story aside, the game has a wide roster of characters (including quite a few DLC ones - yay for season passes /s) and the gameplay is newcomer-friendly. I suck at fighting games and thoroughly enjoyed my time with 7 - I was Tekken by surprise. The game is available via PS Now, otherwise I'd recommend waiting for a sale.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #66 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

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After almost ten years, we reach the conclusion of Nathan Drake's tale in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End2 remains my personal favourite, but 4 is a very close second for me.

 

Story:

Nathan Drake, infamous rapscallion and treasure hunter, is living the domesticated life - he has a job scuba diving for valuables, a nice home, and a beautiful wife in Elena Fisher; however, he reminisces over and misses the thrill of his earlier exploits. One night, a man approaches Nathan at his workplace - a man believed to have been killed during an attempted escape from a jail in Panama - Sam Drake, Nathan's older brother. Sam asks for Nathan's help; a drug lord named Hector Alcazar helped Sam finally escape from prison and demands his price - the treasure of the pirate Henry Avery. Nathan agrees to help Sam, but hides the truth from Elena, and travels the world over to find Avery's treasure before anyone can beat them to it.

 

Personally, I'm not a fan of the whole "lost-lost family member" trope, as it feels all too convenient, but otherwise I have no real story qualms. The ending is wonderful.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

If you run and gun, the combat is more or less the same as the rest of the series, but there are a few new additions. The grappling rope adds a new approach to both traversal and combat, and it is satisfying to be able to go from shooting a guy to running away like Tarzan swinging on a vine. There is also more of an emphasis on stealth, as now you can hide in tall grass, and the enemy AI seems to be more intelligent than in past titles. The only action sequence I was disappointed in was the final boss, since it introduces a mechanic not encountered anywhere else in the game.

 

Uncharted 4 also introduces some semi-open world areas, where you are free to drive around wherever you'd like. I was a bit mixed on it, as the set pieces were beautiful, but it also felt somewhat unnecessary for a series which - up to that point - had been linear. As always, there is some puzzle-solving to do in order to progress the story along.

 

Multiplayer makes a return in Uncharted 4, but trophies only require you to dip your toes in and try it out. The Survival mode, however, is a different story (but thankfully is not part of the base trophy list). The multiplayer portion also had microtransactions in the form of lootboxes (which I'm not exactly excited about), but rewards appeared to be purely cosmetic.

 

The graphics look excellent, especially the facial animations.

 

Music / VA:

The music is great, and fortune finally smiles on down-on-their-luck, never-having-any-voiced-roles cast members Troy Baker and Laura Bailey, who voice Sam and Nadine, respectively ?. They are both annoyingly wonderful in their respective roles, as always.

 

Tricky Trophies

Some standard fare Uncharted trophies make a return, such as finding all collectibles, getting X amount of headshots and kills with weapons, etc., as well as having its fair share of fun miscellaneous trophies.

 

The grindiest trophy is "Ludonarrative Dissonance" for killing 1,000 enemies. This will most likely be your last trophy as it would necessitate multiple full playthroughs to reach that many kills otherwise. The best alternative is to farm one particular checkpoint repeatedly until the trophy pops.

 

That aside, the toughest obstacle will be overcoming Crushing difficulty. Of 1234, and Lost Legacy, I'd honestly say Uncharted 4's Crushing difficulty is the worst, mostly due to the penultimate level (with RPGs raining down on Nathan).

 

Conclusion:

As far as I'm concerned, any and all PlayStation 4/5 owners should play this game. This game was a PS+ offering last year (otherwise depending on where you live, physical copies are regularly $10 or less). If you are a PS5 owner and a PS+ subscriber, this game is available to you via the PS+ Collection. If you don't have a PS5, but plan to purchase one sometime, you may as well wait for the remastered versions of 4 and Lost Legacy to be released natively for the system.

Edited by ParkestNight
Fixed grammatical errors
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Platinum #67 - Gravity Rush 2

La50f02.png (320×176)

 

Newton would be rolling in his grave (like the world revolves around him or something). Let's not exaggerate the gravity of the situation, and get into Gravity Rush 2!

 

Story:

Kat and her friends Raven and Syd are sucked into a wormhole that transports them to another world.

 

I remember the premise, but the game's story kind of goes all over the place and is unnecessarily long, in my opinion.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

As you may surmise from the title, gravity plays a large role in the gameplay of Gravity Rush 2. Kat has three combat styles, Lunar (light), Jupiter (heavy), and a third style from the first game. Controlling gravity and propelling Kat through the air is ridiculously fun (though the camera work suffers in smaller areas). Kat can collect gems to upgrade her skills, and earn different outfits to shake up Kat's look throughout the game.

 

Kat can take on small jobs in the form of side quests, most of which are perfectly fine; however, a pet peeve of mine rears its ugly head within the game. Some missions feature stealth, but Gravity Rush 2 does not have any stealth mechanics (e.g. crouching, hiding, etc.). As such, they are terribly designed, and take enjoyment away from the game, in my opinion.

 

The art style is vivid and colourful, featuring smooth animations. The cities/towns Kat visit feel lived-in, especially with the small details added to the game. For example, Kat is able to emote, and some NPCs will respond with an action of their own. This interactivity does much to add to the beauty and realism of larger hub areas.

 

However, the performance does stutter a bit, especially when flying around in areas with many enemies, and the loading times can be a bit longer than expected.

 

The game had some online functionality but the servers were closed years ago (thankfully, there are no online trophies).

 

Music / VA:

The music was great, but the VA consists mostly of a fake language that is a nonsensical mix of French and Japanese babbled rather than spoken.

 

DLC:

The release of Gravity Rush 2 was delayed at one point, so by way of apology, Japan Studio released a DLC for free, Another Story: The Ark of Time - Raven's Choice. It's a mouthful, but it delves into Raven's backstory. I rather enjoyed its story, which turned out to be sadder than I had expected.

 

Tricky Trophies:

There are some grindy trophies, like upgrading Kat's skills to the maximum and collecting 60,000 gems, and quite a few collectibles to gather, and almost fifty side quests to complete.

 

Personally, I found the trophy for completing all challenges with a Gold rating to be the trickiest to earn.

 

Conclusion:

If you enjoyed the first game, Gravity Rush 2 improves upon it in almost every way. I'd recommend giving it a try! Both Gravity Rush: Remastered and Gravity Rush 2 are on PS Now; otherwise, since the games have been out for years, they should be pretty cheap via sales.

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Platinum #68 - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

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The first Uncharted game without Nathan Drake as the main protagonist, delving into the past and future of Chloe Frazer (first introduced in Uncharted 2: Honor Among Thieves).

 

Story:

Chloe Frazer is searching for the fabled tusk of Ganesh in India, an artifact her father was murdered for trying to find. After sneaking past (or fighting) rebel militants, she meets up with Nadine Ross, who was hired by Chloe. Together, they sneak into the rebel leader Asav's office. They are discovered, but they are able to escape with a map that indicates that the tusk's current location is somewhere within the ancient Hoysala Empire. This unlikely duo must thwart Asav's plan to incite a civil war, and discover the tusk in the process.

 

I rather enjoyed Chloe and Nadine's initial turbulent relationship, and while it never blooms into an all-out womance, it is clear by the end that the two respect each other. This game was a wonderful way to flesh out both characters.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

Lost Legacy features a few more semi-open world areas than Uncharted 4, and the sights are beautiful. They definitely feel better implemented than in 4, and it is clear Naughty Dog approached the larger design with that in mind.

 

The rest is standard Uncharted, so I won't linger on it.

 

Music / VA:

How Claudia Black and Laura Bailey went undiscovered for so long in the voice acting world is beyond me. In time, I'm sure these two will discover great success ?. Dumb joke aside, the VA (and the music, for that matter) was amazing.

 

Tricky Trophies:

Any Uncharted veteran will be familiar with Lost Legacy's trophy requirements - it's basically more of the same.

 

While I can't say this is universally or objectively true, I personally had the least trouble on Lost Legacy's Crushing difficulty compared to the rest the series (minus Golden Abyss since I've never played it).

 

Conclusion:

If you have yet to play this on the PS4, I'd recommend it. If you are waiting to purchase a PS5 first, then you may as well wait for the PS5 remastered edition to be released.

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Platinum #69 - Batman: Arkham Knight

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First of all, nice ?. Secondly, this is my first ever Batman game; I don't know how I managed to avoid the all other ones, but there it is regardless.

 

Story:

In a restaurant in Gotham City, civilians attack each other under the influence of some form of fear toxin. On Hallowe'en, it is revealed that Scarecrow was behind the substance, prompting a city-wide evacuation after he threatens to release more on the populace. Since he is the night, Batman ventures into a building where the toxin is sourced, according to intel from Oracle. Once there, he is confronted by the mysterious Arkham Knight (and his militia), who not only seems to know Batman, but also has a vendetta against him. After this encounter, Batman finds Scarecrow, who reveals that the entire building is the toxin bomb, and also that he has taken Oracle captive. Batman has no choice but to allow Scarecrow to escape, as he exposes himself to the toxin in order to minimize the bomb's blast radius.

 

Now, I still haven't played the other Batman titles, but I wish people would just move from Gotham City at this point. Also: the entire story of Arkham Knight supposedly takes place over a single night, but with the amount of things to do in the game, Batman is either a master of time management, or he stole Hermione's Time-Turner.

 

Aside: there are some jumpscares - suffice to say, Rocksteady got me good.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

The combat of the game is great, you have your regular attacks, counterattacks, blocks, parries, dodges, grabs, throws, takedowns (environmental and otherwise), access to a wide variety of gadgets/tools, all while racking up combo points. I'd definitely say the combat falls in the "easy to learn, hard to master" category (especially once you upgrade your skills - more options open themselves up to you).

 

I love the traversal, too - the grappling gun gives you enough momentum to propel Batman to ridiculous heights, and his cape solidifies to let Batman glide. Diving in the middle of a glide to accelerate is a thrill. If you get tired of zooming around Gotham with your grappling gun, Batman can call in his trusty Batmobile with a twist - it can also smoothly switch into a badass tank form. One of the most common complaints I hear about Arkham Knight is the overuse of Batmobile / tank sections, and I have to admit it felt excessive after a certain point. For example, I'm not a huge comics fan, but you fight Deathstroke exclusively in a tank battle; even I know Deathstroke is a master of martial arts, why is his entire boss fight in a vehicle? That honestly drove me nuts.

 

Speaking of excessive, Riddle me this - why so many of those Riddler trophies? I don't really enjoy collectibles, but this was pretty bad. Other than gathering Riddler trophies, the game has a mix of things to do: main/side missions, AR challenges (e.g. racing, combat/predator trials, and so on), and more. I loved how, in addition to Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, there was a veritable menagerie of villains (and frenemies) to encounter in both main and side missions. The wide cast of characters was great, especially if you own the Season Pass, thus meeting even more characters.

 

Graphically, the game looks great (although the PC version apparently had some issues). You can switch between outfits on the fly, and the many, many options available to you is astounding, even without purchasing DLC. Performance-wise, on a base PS4, the loading times are a bit long - but I suppose that is to be expected since Gotham is so large. The most time-consuming outfit that can be earned is the Prestige Batsuit, with is basically a regular Batsuit but with gold embellishing. You unlock this, you have to achieve 240% completion of the game. Strange number, right? 100% for completing the base game, 20% for completing the Season of Infamy DLC. Then doing both again, except on Hard mode. The skin looks cool, but not cool enough to merit doing the Riddler trophies twice.

 

Music / VA:

The Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill voice Batman and the Joker, respectively. Troy Baker (Jesus Christ, this guy is everywhere) voices the Arkham Knight. They all do an amazing job, as expected.

 

DLC:

There's quite a bit of DLC for this game, both paid and free. The free content is consists of outfits, vehicles, and the infamous Community Challenge Pack - the most difficult set of trophies in the game (I didn't even bother trying for this, I barely got through Hard mode).

 

A Matter of Family is a standalone story where you play as Batgirl (pre-spinal injury). Similarly, there are others where you play as Catwoman, Nightwing, Harley Quinn, and others. The quality of these vary greatly, but none of these are straight-up bad. On a related note, the Hero and Rogue Challenges allow you to play AR Challenges as a variety of, well, heroes and villains.

 

Season of Infamy, on the other hand, was baked seamlessly into the main campaign map, and was overall a great addition of side missions and other character appearances.

 

Tricky Trophies:

Again, the worst trophies are from the Community Challenge Pack, but you don't need to worry about these for the Platinum.

 

I personally found New Story+ to be challenging, but my reflexes in combat weren't the best (and they remain so, sadly). Other than that, getting 69 total stars in AR Challenges was a nice grind, as was gathering all Riddler trophies. Some of the miscellaneous trophies (e.g. do [X] amount of [Y] action, do [X] in [Y] amount of time, etc.) can be a bit buggy, but just repeating the task will eventually pop the trophy.

 

"Brutality 101" was my very last trophy before the Platinum - performing 15 unique combat moves in one FreeFlow (without getting hit) is no easy feat. I barely earned the trophy myself, getting bonked in the face immediately after the fifteenth move. My suggestion is to begin an AR Challenge where you can switch between two characters, so the same (or similar) controls on both characters count as separate moves. It's a bit cheesy, but you'll be fine as long as you're not lactose intolerant.

 

Conclusion:

I think simply for the amount of bang you're getting for your buck, Batman: Arkham Knight is great value. This game + its Season Pass goes for sale somewhat regularly, otherwise you may have the base game from your PS+ subscription - I'd highly recommend it!

Edited by ParkestNight
Fixed grammatical errors
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2 hours ago, ParkestNight said:

Platinum #69 - Batman: Arkham Knight

L2259cf.png (320×176)

 

First of all, nice 1f60f.png. Secondly, this is my first ever Batman game; I don't know how I managed to avoid the all other ones, but there it is regardless.

 

Nice work ?

 

That's a hell of a skill curve to deal with, this being your first Arkham game - I'm not surprised Brutality 101 was your final trophy, as there is so much added in each subsequent Arkham game, that learning the entire plethora of his moves in one go sounds hella-daunting!

 

I absolutely recommend at least checking out the first one - Arkham Asylum - it may feel small as compared to Knight (it 'only' has about 140 riddler challenges ?) but is a much tighter game, and really strong as a metroidvania!

 

2 hours ago, ParkestNight said:

DLC:

There's quite a bit of DLC for this game, both paid and free. The free content is consists of outfits, vehicles, and the infamous Community Challenge Pack - the most difficult set of trophies in the game (I didn't even bother trying for this, I barely got through Hard mode).

 

Gee - I don't know what you mean by this.... :dunno:

...I mean, I got these trophies... and it only took me an additional 5 years of practice after finishing the rest of the game... ????

 

?

 

But seriously - F*** those trophies!

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19 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

That's a hell of a skill curve to deal with, this being your first Arkham game - I'm not surprised Brutality 101 was your final trophy, as there is so much added in each subsequent Arkham game, that learning the entire plethora of his moves in one go sounds hella-daunting!

 

It actually wasn't that bad, I thought the game's general pacing and tutorials did a good job of delivering each skill in digestible chunks!

 

19 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

I absolutely recommend at least checking out the first one - Arkham Asylum - it may feel small as compared to Knight (it 'only' has about 140 riddler challenges 1f602.png) but is a much tighter game, and really strong as a metroidvania!

 

I bought Asylum and City (PS3) earlier this year! I figure I'll play Asylum at the very least when I get the hankering; City looks a bit daunting to me.

 

19 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

...I mean, I got these trophies... and it only took me an additional 5 years of practice after finishing the rest of the game... 1f62e.png1f635.png1f634.png1f480.png

 

That's dedication, man! It's amazing you have the Community Challenge Pack trophies, I'm jealous!

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Platinum #70 - Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Originally an XBox timed exclusive, Rise of the Tomb Raider eventually came to the PS4.

 

Story:

Near the end of her journey at Yamatai, Lara Croft found the name of an organization that seeks to control the future of humanity: Trinity. A year after the ordeal, Lara is now somewhat of a social pariah after with news organizations claiming that she is as crazy as her late father. As it turns out, Lord Croft's research and notes on Trinity leads her to her next goal: the lost city of Kitezh. Lara goes to Syria, in hopes of finding a lead on Kitezh and its Prophet. Once there, she discovers an ancient tomb, but is interrupted by Trinity and their leader, Konstantin. Lara is able to escape with her life by triggering an explosive, and finds a clue to boot - an old Russian religious symbol. Lara is able to find the symbol in her father's books, an icon referring to an artifact known as the Divine Source, rumoured to hold the secrets of immortality. Trinity sends an assassin to kill Lara, but he is stopped by Jonah; however, the assassin escapes with the book. Now mired in the middle of a Trinity plot, Lara and Jonah follow the lead to Siberia.

 

Personally, I enjoyed the story and general mood/atmosphere of the first game more than that of Rise of the Tomb Raider, but this is my favourite game of the rebooted saga.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

The gameplay is more or less the same as in the first game, but improved. There is a greater variety of weapons, outfits, skills, and tombs to explore. The controls are tighter, and there are more ways to traverse the environment. Unfortunately, there are more collectibles, too.

 

Instead of competitive multiplayer PvP, Rise of the Tomb Raider features a score attack mode, where players can choose cards (with stat-changing abilities) to tackle any level to achieve the highest possible score. The score attack is just the campaign again, but with more orbs and less fun.

 

In addition to graphical improvements, Rise of the Tomb Raider marks a slight shift in character design. Lara is touched up, her sharper features being smoothed out a bit. Jonah's look in this game is more of an overhaul, as it appears his race was changed altogether.

 

Music / VA:

Both the score and the voice cast are great, I fell in love with Camilla Luddington's voice all over again.

 

DLC:

As it came to the PlayStation a year after its release on the XBox, Rise of the Tomb Raider came bundled with all of the DLC contents out of the box.

 

Endurance is a mini-survival mode, where Lara will freeze and/or starve if you don't find enough food, supplies, and shelter. The mode is okay, but what I don't like is how they tied in the trophies. To be eligible for a trophy, you have to pick up to four challenges before a run, and focus on those. For example, if I chose a challenge to survive for seven days, but I did not choose one to survive for five days, you will only earn the trophy for surviving seven days (despite the fact that surviving seven days would necessarily entail surviving for five). Endurance Co-op is the same thing, just with two players.

 

Cold Darkness is also a survival mode, but you're fighting through enemies that have been turned into a zombie-like state by some old Soviet toxin. Your goal is to get to the towers dispersing the toxin, and destroy them. Cold Darkness also has the "pick your challenges" approach to trophies.

 

Baba Yaga is a story DLC that takes Lara to a region called the Wicked Vale, and entrenches her in a plot revolving around the mysterious Baba Yaga. The miniboss of this DLC is hallucinogenics.

 

Croft Manor allows players to explore Croft Manor (in a restricted fashion, sadly) and confront Lara's nightmares - again, manifesting itself in zombie-like enemies and flaming-skull demon creatures. Players with a PSVR will be delighted to hear that Croft Manor has some VR support (although I can't comment further on it since I don't have PSVR).

 

Conclusion:

If you enjoyed the first game of the rebooted saga, then I think you'll like Rise of the Tomb Raider, too. PS+ subscribers may have added this to their library when it was offered; otherwise, you can wait for a sale. There is also a bundle where you can purchase the trilogy if you don't own any of the games.

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On 11/08/2021 at 1:56 AM, ParkestNight said:

 

Lf4db9b.png

 

Story:

I can't say I remember the narrative's specifics, just that:

  1. Half-naked psychos are trying to kill you
  2. An annoying robot wants you to do absolutely everything for him, and;
  3. aliens-meme-original.jpg

 

On 19/08/2021 at 6:51 AM, ParkestNight said:

 

La0009b.png L756f32.png (320×176)

 

Before the adventures of Dad and Boy, there was the story of Angry Loincloth Man.

 

^that Borderlands summary made me chuckle, but not as much as "Angry Loincloth Man."

 

On 19/08/2021 at 11:45 PM, ParkestNight said:

 

Platinum #18 - Transistor

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Transistor is the first game (of many, I'm sure) on my list of which I remember nothing, except that the protagonist's name is Red and the music is banging (I still listen to the soundtrack every now and then).

 

Why did you prefer Bastion?

 

On 22/08/2021 at 9:13 AM, ParkestNight said:

 

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I hear the developer’s next game, Omensight, is set in the same world and much improved over Stories: The Path of Destinies.

 

I've never even heard of Omensight. Have you played it? If yes... thoughts? Otherwise, when or why not?

 

On 29/08/2021 at 6:34 AM, ParkestNight said:

 

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Another TellTale title, but I don't recall the story at all. Time travel stuff, I guess (never saw the movies, either. If I could go back in time... I probably still wouldn't).

 

 

You haven't seen Back to the Future??? Great Scott! Do yourself a favour, man!

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11 hours ago, GonzoWARgasm said:

Why did you prefer Bastion?

 

I personally liked everything about it more in general - combat, story, music, environments, etc. That's not to say Transistor didn't have any of that, of course; I enjoyed both!

 

11 hours ago, GonzoWARgasm said:

I've never even heard of Omensight. Have you played it? If yes... thoughts? Otherwise, when or why not?

 

I've not played it, but I've had my eye on it for a while for a sale and/or price drop. It just came to mind while I was doing the write-up haha

 

11 hours ago, GonzoWARgasm said:

You haven't seen Back to the Future??? Great Scott! Do yourself a favour, man!

 

Maybe I will at some point, but I generally don't watch shows or movies anymore (unless I go with family and/or friends or have someone over). Aside: I don't think I've been to a theatre in 5+ years

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Platinum #71 - XBlaze Lost: Memories

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I honestly have zero recollection of even playing this game, only that it was a PS+ offering.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #72 - Virginia

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Virginia, on the other hand, is more memorable. The gameplay is half-walking simulator and half-acid trip: the story is disjointed and fragmented, often leading you to question whether your controlled character is a reliable narrator, or even if what you're seeing is real. It's an interesting (if not fully coherent) title. It's short and cheap enough that I'd honestly recommend experiencing for yourself instead of watching someone's playthrough online.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #73 - Lara Croft GO

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Lara Croft GO is a short, isometric turn-based puzzle game where you move Lara to the treasure while avoiding danger. The puzzles aren't too difficult, and the short length of the game ensures that nothing is tedious. It is a port of the mobile game, so don't keep your expectations in check!

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Platinum #74 - Dreamfall Chapters

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Dreamfall Chapters is an adventure game in the style of TellTale games, but with areas you can walk around in and explore. The game has two main protagonists, Zoe and Kian. Zoe lives in Stark (a cyberpunk world) and Kian resides in Arcadia (a world with magic and high fantasy). Your choices will affect the future of both worlds as eventually your characters' paths converge. It's kind of cool that the environments of both worlds are so different, but the quality of the game varies from place to place (some characters/animations look a bit stiff, voice acting is hit-or-miss, etc.). I wouldn't recommend it at full price, but it's fine on a sale.

 

                                                                                     

 

Platinum #75 - BioShock Infinite

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My first (and to date, only) BioShock game (and yes, I do plan on playing the other two sometime)!

 

Note: for this write-up, I am referring to the PS3 version of the game.

 

Story:

Booker DeWitt is tasked with bringing a girl named Elizabeth to an unknown figure in order to clear away his debt. To this end, he ascends to the floating city of Columbia. Along the way, Booker is accused of being the "False Prophet" due to the brand on his hand, and he must fight his way to Monument Island where Elizabeth is being kept. Elizabeth meets Booker and the two of them escape from the tower she called home and from Songbird (a giant, bird-like creature encased in metal who acts as her guardian). With Elizabeth in tow, Booker plans on getting her to New York, but things don't go his way.

 

I'm told the plot and atmosphere of the previous two games (the first one especially) are better than Infinite's, but I really enjoyed both in this game.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter, and Booker will have ample opportunities to try out the many guns in the game (whether found lying around or looted from enemy corpses). In addition to regular weapons, Booker will have access to Vigors, substances that gives its user supernatural abilities like fire, electric, possession, etc; however, the best tool at your side is Elizabeth. Unlike most AI companions, Elizabeth is actually useful. In the midst of combat, she'll throw you ammo, Vigor salts, open tears, resurrect Booker from (near-)death, etc. Outside of combat, she'll call out points of interest. Other than that, she'll also engage in banter with Booker, really fleshing out her character. While I enjoyed the main plot, I also really liked the environmental storytelling of the game, making the world feel more believable.

 

I enjoyed using the Sky-Hook in battle (executions are brutal) and for traversal, though I don't understand why the security forces of Columbia use them to travel; it seems too easy to lose one's grip and fall to their deaths - gondolas would be the safer alternative. Booker also has access to gear (mods that enhance certain actions) and permanent upgrades to health, shield, and vigor capacity. One thing that kinds of irks me about gear is that they're somewhat RNG-based; each playthrough randomizes the pool of gear you can obtain - and since you can't get every possible piece of gear in a single playthough, it could really hinder your chances of success in the campaign (some gear is objectively better than others, especially when it concerns 1999 mode). 

 

I found the enemy variety to be fairly good, though I hated facing off against Handymen.

 

I didn't find the load times to be terrible, especially considering how beautiful the game looks and how large some areas are. 

 

Music / VA:

Booker's voice actor is... Jesus Christ, it's Jason Bourne Troy Baker! Again though, the voice cast is amazing; I particularly liked Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth.

 

DLC:

BioShock Infinite also had three DLCs, Clash in the Clouds, and Burial at Sea - Episode 1 and Episode 2; I don't own and have never played any of these, though I gather that Clash in the Clouds is considered to be "meh" and that the Burial at Sea episodes are great.

 

Tricky Trophies:

I had a real tough time on 1999 mode, and it was harder without being able to use the Dollar Bill vending machines (but at least you can use the other vending machines). Personally, I'd recommend playing on normal difficulty first (to get the lay of the land first), then tackle 1999 mode (on the original release, you could type enter in the Konami code to unlock 1999 mode from the get-go). Then in 1999 mode, play it slow and safe, and save your money for the few upgrades you think will be most efficacious for your personal playstyle.

 

Otherwise, the rest of the trophies are story-related, for performing cumulative/miscellaneous actions, and gathering collectibles.

 

Conclusion:

I'd 100% recommend BioShock Infinite! The best way to enjoy it would be via the BioShock Collection, which is a PS4 remastered release of all three games (plus their respective DLCs). The BioShock Collection was a PS+ offering at one point, and is available via PS Now.

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On 14/10/2021 at 7:40 AM, ParkestNight said:

 

Platinum #75 - BioShock Infinite

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My first (and to date, only) BioShock game (and yes, I do plan on playing the other two sometime)!

 

 

Great game - and you should absolutely consider going back to those previous two games if you liked it!

 

(And, certainly do at least the first one, before looking at the Burial at Sea DLCs for Infinite - they are great, as you say, but they are confusing enough if you have played Bioshock, they would be downright baffling without the Bioshock context!)

 

Bioshock is roundly considered a masterpiece and always has been - Bioshock 2 did go through a period of people giving it a bit of an unfair treatment critically (not coming from the original Dev didn't help it in the popular consciousness), but over the years it seems people have become more accepting of it, and I think it stands tall, right alongside the first game - in some places, it actually outdoes the first one - combat for example, and the story is still very good.

 

There was also a dlc side story for Bioshock 2, called Minerva's Den, which I think is a hot contender for the best piece of DLC add on ever added to any game - it's arguably better than a lot of both of the main games!

Edited by DrBloodmoney
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19 hours ago, ParkestNight said:

 

Platinum #75 - BioShock Infinite

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DLC:

BioShock Infinite also had three DLCs, Clash in the Clouds, and Burial at Sea - Episode 1 and Episode 2; I don't own and have never played any of these, though I gather that Clash in the Clouds is considered to be "meh" and that the Burial at Sea episodes are great.

 

 

Clash in the Clouds was more of an enemy wave simulator in four arenas from the campaign. The trophies were a pain the in the was and the game repeatedly crashed on me (this is a known and widespread issue, leading to a fan nickname "crash in the clouds.") The PS4 port did not address these issues. I just don't recommend it.

 

Burial at Sea are more story based and see a return to the underwater Art Deco theme from Bioshock 1 and 2. I wouldn't recommend it until/unless you've enjoyed Bioshock 1 and 2.

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Platinum #76 - Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness

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A visual novel with an interesting story; in the not-so-distant future, the citizens of Tokyo can be disciplined (including imprisonment) not only for committing crimes, but even before any criminal activity - their inclination to crime is calculated with technology called Psycho-Pass. Something or someone is attempting to make citizens "happy" through illegal and/or deadly means, and it is up to an Inspector and her Enforcer to investigate and solve this case.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #77 - Typoman: Revised

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A game where you follow the letter, not the spirit, of the law!

 

Story:

Frankly, the story isn't the draw of the game; the world is made of letters that corresponding its spelling - for example, the hero is appropriately made out of the letters H, E, R, and O. The hero, using the power of typing, must rid of world of evil and restore hope to a desolate land.

 

The length of the story is short, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

The game, in essence, revolves around spelling words with the letters at your disposal. You can grab and push letters to form an object to proceed, and it is even possible to form "wrong" answers that don't progress the story, but still forms an object. The difficulty of puzzles increase as you move forward, and incorporates wordplay and puns, of which I am a huge proponent.

 

None of the trophies are too difficult, but are mostly for miscellaneous actions, some spanning the entire playthrough. Follow a guide, and you'll be fine!

 

Though not graphically impressive, the art style of the game is fun - designs based on letters of the object is a pretty creative idea.

 

Conclusion:

If you like word puzzles, Typoman: Revised is for you! I really enjoyed it, and the price offers a low barrier for entry. Just be aware that the story is a short one!

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #78 - Batman: The Telltale Series

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Who doesn't love another Batman story? However, it becomes clear pretty early on that Telltale tweaked Bruce's usual narrative (and that of the Wayne family) to be a bit darker than some may be used to (or at least, I thought so - though to be fair, I'm only a casual Batman fan at best). Other than the story, there's little to write about that I haven't already addressed in any other Telltale game entry; the performance is a bit choppy and some choices have lasting consequences (most do not). Since the game goes on sale somewhat regularly for ~5 dollars, I'd recommend it at that price.

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Platinum #79 - The Darkness II

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Bring a night light, because The Darkness II is... pretty dark. 

 

Story:

Jackie Estacado, the Don of the Franchelli family, is attacked by a rival mob while at a restaurant. Using his powers of Darkness, Jackie fends off and chases his would-be killers into a subway station. Jackie regroups with his men and launches a counterattack on the rival boss; the rival boss is eliminated, but not before telling Jackie that the Brotherhood (a cult that wants the Darkness for themselves) are the ones who put the hit out on him. Throughout the story, the Brotherhood raise the stakes, going after Jackie's loved ones in a no-holds-barred war to wrest control of the Darkness.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

Other than the regular first-person shooter elements, the player has access to the Darkness (which manifests itself in the form of two extra demon tentacles). With the tentacles, Jackie can attack, grab enemies and weapons/environmental items that can be used as projectiles, throw, rip out hearts (to heal himself), and brutally (and very explicitly) execute enemies. I want to make this clear, the game is extremely violent, as you can cut enemies in half (horizontally and vertically), rip off heads, etc., not to mention the violence that occurs in cutscenes.

 

In the light, Jackie's Darkness powers and health regeneration are suppressed, and he must rely on firearms alone; however, it is possible to destroy sources of light, and it is satisfying to do so. I found the enemy variety a bit lacking, but the game is short, so nothing really feels too repetitive.

 

Other than Jackie, players can play as one of four characters (each with their own unique Darkness powers) in Vendettas, a co-operative multiplayer mode. Vendettas is essentially just a small collection of missions.

 

Finally, the cel-shaded art style worked very well for The Darkness II, giving it a sort of comic book vibe. The game's visuals aged well (released 2012) due to its art direction, which also doubles to tone down the violence from "realistically gruesome" to "still gruesome, but it looks slightly absurd and cartoonish, so it's not as bad" level.

 

Music / VA:

The main VA cast was great, though some goon NPCs are hit-or-miss. The music was unmemorable, though.

 

Tricky Trophies:

Aside from collecting relics and the many miscellaneous trophies, the hardest is completing the game on Don difficulty. Simply tackle the Don playthrough on NG+ so your experience is smoother.

 

Conclusion:

I really liked The Darkness II, and I would recommend it***! It is available via PS Now, or try to find a cheap physical copy, if possible (as the PS3 PSN Store no longer has sales).

 

***So long as:

  • You are the minimum age for the "Mature" (17+) ESRB
  • You don't have kids who may be watching you play
  • You are not squeamish

Not trying to gatekeep, but this game is extremely graphic and violent so I'd feel bad if I didn't at least warn anyone - your life is your own

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Platinum #80 - Earthlock: Festival of Magic

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A JRPG-inspired game by an indie Norwegian developer!

 

Story:

The world of Earthlock: Festival of Magic takes place long after a cataclysmic event that stopped the planet's rotation. As a result, one half of the planet is a scorching-hot desert while the other half is in perpetual winter. The game follows Amon, a young treasure hunter who went in hunt of the ruins of an ancient empire.

 

And that's all I really remember of the story, because the narrative is so disjointed and the characters aren't written well. Character motivations are weak, and they join the party even though they have no real reason to do so.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

The gameplay is the highlight of Earthlock: Festival of Magic. The combat is turn based, and you can have at most three party members at one time; however, unlike most RPGs, there isn't a talent tree - more of a board setup where you can pick and choose your talents loadout on the fly. I also appreciated how the game doesn't emphasize a need to grind. Another idea (cool in concept, boring in execution) is growing your own plants from which you can harvest fruits/seeds to use as ammunition. I love how strategy, especially for major bosses, was crucial for success.

 

Sadly, for all its strengths, the game had quite a few technical bugs. For example, characters' dialogue is shown in bubbles, but often there is more text than the size of the bubble allows, cutting dialogue short (which is important as there is no VA). In another instance, the combat UI glitched so that I was stuck visually on the first page of skills, but I could still access consequent pages so long as I clicked the right buttons. The game is littered with these minor, but persistent issues that honestly called for some much-needed polish.

 

Tricky Trophies:

The toughest boss by far is the optional Hollow Knight (no, not that one) - without a good strategy, this boss can easily down your entire party so be prepared before challenging him!

 

Conclusion:

The game's characters, setting, and locations are great - however, the weak story fails to bring them all together in a way that feels natural or logical. The myriad of technical issues don't help, either; however, if you like some good turn-based combat, Earthlock: Festival of Magic isn't the worst way to spend your time.The developers have since re-released the game (simply as Earthlock) in order to address some of these issues. Anyone who purchased Earthlock: Festival of Magic is entitled to a free download of Earthlock (or at least that was the case on PlayStation), which has a separate trophy list.

 

                                                                                     

Platinum #81 - Jazzpunk

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Jazzpunk is a first-person comedy walking sim where you play as a spy/intelligence agent who is assigned some pretty nonsensical tasks. The individual tasks were so distracting that I had trouble following the main plot, if I'm to be completely honest. Nevertheless, the game is pretty funny, and I really enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend it on a sale.

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Platinum #82 - Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book

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The first title from the longstanding Atelier series available on the PS4 (as well as PS3 and Vita) - Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is my introduction to the franchise.

 

Story:

Sophie Neuenmuller is a young alchemist who runs an atelier in the small town of Kirchen Bell, though she has had little training. One day she discovers a mysterious book which can not only talk, but also has a name: Plachta. Even more perplexing, Plachta suffers from amnesia - and it is up to Sophie to fill in the blanks. Thus begins Sophie's journey to become a master alchemist, making amazing creations and restoring Plachta's memories whilst accompanied by friends old and new.

 

I liked the premise of the narrative, but it is just okay at best. The party members and other characters you meet are disappointingly unmemorable.

 

Gameplay / Graphics:

This JRPG has a turn-based combat system (shocker) where you can have three active party members at one time. In traditional JRPG fashion, you can earn money, alchemy ingredients, weapons/armor, etc. from battles.

 

The highlight of the game, for me, is the actual alchemy system. It is simple enough to be intuitive, while it is complex enough to encourage experimentation (such as increasing the item quantity and quality).

 

I like the aesthetic of the game, but the character models are pretty stiff. I had a bit of lag during some battles, but I didn't experience any major issues.

 

Music / VA:

In this case, both the music and VA (I played with English dubs, can't remember if there was a Japanese option) were decent at best.

 

DLC:

While Atelier Sophie has a few paid DLCs (mostly cosmetics), the epilogue DLC that bridges into Atelier Firis (the sequel) is available at no cost to the player. There are no DLC trophies, but I will explain my annoyance with how it affects the base trophy list in the following section.

 

Tricky Trophies:

There are a few tricky trophies, such as defeating the optional bosses, seeing all character events, and maxing out friendships.

 

However, the worst of these is for "The Master of Inspiration," which requires you to come up with all recipes. While it is grindy and not hard to accomplish, my gripe lies with its association to the DLC.

 

Atelier Sophie has had some free DLCs released which added a few recipes to the base game, and I downloaded and installed them before I started the game; however, the trophy did not pop when I completed all base game recipes, and the only fix was to complete the DLC recipes as well. I didn't find this information in any forum, so I mention it here.

 

My recommendation: if you start the game, don't download or install the epilogue DLC:

  • If the trophy pops after getting all recipes, you'll save yourself having to complete the DLC recipes
  • If the trophy doesn't pop, then just download the DLC and complete its associated recipes.

Conclusion:

If you can find a physical version of the game, I'd only recommend it on a deep sale (so long as you don't care too much about having a good story)! Otherwise, the digital PS4 original release has been delisted and replaced by its "DX" version (which adds a few quality-of-life features, such as: faster movement, an option to fast-forward battle speed, photo mode, previously released DLC, and other new content) - the Vita version of the game has been left intact, as the new version wasn't released on that platform.

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