Jump to content

Skill Issue


Platinum_Vice

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

What an awesome collection of write ups! 1f44d.png

 

This is a great idea for this checklist - loved all three of these, and theme-ing them together is perfect in this format!

 

5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

This isn't just a great write up of Braid BTW - it's also got probably the best, most concise and well laid out explainer for the story in Braid I've seen, dude!

 

5 hours ago, Copanele said:

Wow what an amazing write-up xD

 

Thanks guys! ?

 

This one really clicked emotionally like it was made for a Me in a parallel universe. The story and gameplay just came together and resonated even though my own shortcomings are flavoured a little differently than Tim's. I'm just vibing Jonathan Blow at the moment - the bloke is very inspired.

 

5 hours ago, Copanele said:

There's one thing about this game that the trophy guide doesn't mention: every level has a super hidden wont-figure-out-unless-you-check-online star, which are a pain to get.

Also, will tag it in the spoilers just for good measure

 

Mmm, yes! I didn't find a single star by the end. I googled what the constellation was and then saw a tutorial for getting the stars and then watched the alternare ending afterwards... leans more into the atomic bomb motif a bit, right? 

 

Veeeeeerrrrrrrry interesting.

 

Some of those stars were really crazy.

 

5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

I played that one is a total fever - start to finish in one sitting, and so this one was cool to revisit the game, as I think I forgot a lot of it!

 

The whole thing was creepy as hell - like seeing factory farming from the point of view of the cow, I suppose - but that's just the initial impression

 

Yes I too finished it in one sitting, it went by very quickly. That cow metaphor is right on!! ?

 

5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

though I'd argue that (at least, in my playthrough, the "depression" stage did manage some of that - might just be me, but I found that level way confusing to navigate, and so I quite often ended up realising that I was in the wrong place, or going the wrong way, because everything looks the same, and it's all in a big circle, so I thought it kind of managed to be a metaphor for stagnating, and just circling the drain in that part.

 

Oh wow! I didn't see that, that's true!! A-ha! That's actually pretty spot on. It's a big risk to do that to a player... I guess the whole game was actually pretty risky in that regard. 

 

5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Rime and the Witness take place in the same universe: Confirmed!

1f60f.png

 

tenor.gif

 

You blew my mind on that one mate!! ?

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Mr Vice sir, I'm sorry I'm late to the party again.......??

 

......but, I just had to mention something about this......

 

On 08/04/2022 at 6:31 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

09

Puzzle Post II:

An Indie Omnibus

 

Braid.pngL31adda.pngL0024ed.png

 

100% 2705.png [PS3] Braid, 9.5/10, Trailer.

100% 2705.png [PS4] Inside, 8/10, Trailer.

:platinum: #44 [PS4] Rime, 6.5/10, Trailer.

 

 

I really should have commented on this awesome beast of a reviewathon when you wrote it, but I feel like I fell through a dimensional portal the last couple of weeks, sorry about that!

 

Stupid awesome games stealing my time with their awesomeness. 

 

homer-fist.gif

 

Try not to look at that image too long, it's mesmerising, and I'm worried if I look at it too long I'll have have a seizure.

 

Anyway I'm rambling like a silly tit again....... What I actually came to say was fantastic job with these. I've read all of the bits I'll allow myself to read more than once, believe me. You know I'm a bit particular about spoilers , so I massively appreciate the fact you go out of your way to signpost them.

 

That being said - I am planning to play both Braid and Inside at some point , Inside, I was planning to play once I get the 100% on Limbo, so just to let you know, I hope you don't mind me bringing the reviews up again once I can read them fully, as I'm sure there'll be plenty to discuss.

 

I have played Rime though, so I've read that one in full. You brought up some really interesting points with that, when you mention that not every single part of it actually fully nails the idea that it's going for. I sort of agree actually, Anger is a little bit too literal in Rime as well.  The only one I don't quite agree with is depression, because that utilises sound design, to such a ridiculously clever degree, that I think Depression stage is actually pretty well realised.

 

The soundtrack itself in that bit, isn't what makes it good, in fact I think it detracts from what it should be making you feel actually, instead, it's trying to poke you in the ribs with a sharp stick screaming CRY CRY, instead of "think about what's going on"!

 

You can maybe argue I'm reaching here, but I always thought that constant stream of noise, with those horrible loud abrasive weather effects, the downpour of rain, the incessant howling of the wind that doesn't stop. It eventually becomes something you get gradually used to, but it's very jarring and a little unsettling in places when you're first introduced to it.

 

I thought that was almost the perfect metaphor for the Depression motif, alongside some of the excellent darkly lit areas, but again I'm very much probably seeing what I want to see, but it reminds me of the fact that depression and grief are something you never truly escape from, it's always there, it's always in the background, it just gradually becomes easier to deal with.

 

Quote

Trophy Talk 

I’ll just leave this gorgeous platinum trophy tile here. It’s one of my favourite trophy tiles and it leaves me with a nice taste in my mouth at the end of a mediocre meal.

 

1Ld9bf75.png

 

 

It is a fantastic trophy tile! It's one of my favourites too......

 

So, NERD QUESTION INCOMING ??..... Do you have a favourite Trophy/ Platinum Trophy Tile?

 

 

On 06/04/2022 at 4:23 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

An archery fan? Wow. Aussies don't get to do much of that at the moment... it hasn't evolved from being a gimmicky afternoon for group bookings costing a lot of money, akin to go-karting, paintballing and axe-throwing in the land Down Under. Do you get much of an opportunity?

 

I can't believe that you've not played The Witness or Hyper Light Drifter. I will nag you about this!

 

 

I thought just necro this post as well, because I meant to reply at the time, I just figured you were being polite and wouldn't want to know about some of my boring off-forum activities haha! Reading what you wrote in Arc's thread yesterday made me rethink that a bit, so have some boring hobbytalk haha

 

You probably do have Archery going on in Australia more than you think it is, probably near you too. I'm part of a local club , I'm sure there are some near you and you can pretty much shoot whenever you want to so long as there's two club members on the field and you've done a short training course, for health and safety purposes.

 

They sure are expensive those group bookings and stuff you get for work outings, or just general days out with friends, but I guess every little helps. My Dad is actually the person in charge of buying, maintaining and purchasing all the equipment at our club, and some of that equipment is astronomically expensive. Can be as much £20 per arrow, and they come in sets of at least six usually. So that's why places usually charge loads of money.

 

I should shoot more really, because I haven't shot properly since about June last year - I really need to as well, because I'm entering a Longbow tournament that isn't too far off, so I need to actually be able to have a bit of conditioning going into that, otherwise my arms are going to fall off! ?

 

So erm yeah, there you go boring Archery story!

 

You will have to nag me about playing those two games! Although I suspect not much nagging will actually be required xD

Edited by rjkclarke
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I really should have commented on this awesome beast of a reviewathon when you wrote it, but I feel like I fell through a dimensional portal the last couple of weeks, sorry about that!

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

That being said - I am planning to play both Braid and Inside at some point , Inside, I was planning to play once I get the 100% on Limbo, so just to let you know, I hope you don't mind me bringing the reviews up again once I can read them fully, as I'm sure there'll be plenty to discuss.

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I thought just necro this post as well, because I meant to reply at the time, I just figured you were being polite and wouldn't want to know about some of my boring off-forum activities haha! Reading what you wrote in Arc's thread yesterday made me rethink that a bit, so have some boring hobbytalk haha

 

My dude, you and anyone else can forever do the following:

- comment late

- not comment

- comment on non-gaming things

- re-read an old review and necro it (truly: that sounds super rad. The idea of others doing what I did to checklists such as yours and binge-reading months or years later and then necro-ing things sounds great to me... come back to reviews of The Witness, Hyper Light Drifter, Braid, The Last of Us etc etc afterwards and we can discuss them then ?).

 

I'm happy whenever anybody stops by.

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

Try not to look at that image too long, it's mesmerising

 

You wrote that too late. I was genuinely hypnotised for like 10 seconds. 

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

The only one I don't quite agree with is depression, because that utilises sound design, to such a ridiculously clever degree, that I think Depression stage is actually pretty well realised.

 

The soundtrack itself in that bit, isn't what makes it good, in fact I think it detracts from what it should be making you feel actually, instead, it's trying to poke you in the ribs with a sharp stick screaming CRY CRY, instead of "think about what's going on"!

 

You can maybe argue I'm reaching here, but I always thought that constant stream of noise, with those horrible loud abrasive weather effects, the downpour of rain, the incessant howling of the wind that doesn't stop. It eventually becomes something you get gradually used to, but it's very jarring and a little unsettling in places when you're first introduced to it.

 

I thought that was almost the perfect metaphor for the Depression motif, alongside some of the excellent darkly lit areas, but again I'm very much probably seeing what I want to see, but it reminds me of the fact that depression and grief are something you never truly escape from, it's always there, it's always in the background, it just gradually becomes easier to deal with.

 

Yeah you and DrBloodMoney are in tandem here and you've both convinced me that I was incorrect and missed the point of that one. It's probably one of the stronger levels in the game, really, for synchronising player input with the character's journey. You guys have convinced me of that for sure.

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

Do you have a favourite Trophy/ Platinum Trophy Tile?

 

That's SO HARD to narrow it down to one. I might have to get back to you. Do you have one? (/does anybody else have one?)

 

I commented on a status update for @DrBloodmoney for a community event idea that he had and hopefully I didn't derail the post too much, but I did consider a rainbow for my trophy cabinet. Actully I'm still considering it. ?

https://forum.psnprofiles.com/profile/52063-drbloodmoney/?status=234352&type=status

 

I really like the trophy tiles from the Mass Effect trilogy, but other than that, I no one trophy tile comes to mind, but I must now dig deeper and find an answer.

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

My Dad is actually the person in charge of buying, maintaining and purchasing all the equipment at our club, and some of that equipment is astronomically expensive. Can be as much £20 per arrow, and they come in sets of at least six usually. So that's why places usually charge loads of money.

 

Oh my lord. 20 British pounds per arrow?! Are they made of gasoline? Jiminy Cricket.

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

You probably do have Archery going on in Australia more than you think it is, probably near you too.

 

5 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I should shoot more really, because I haven't shot properly since about June last year - I really need to as well, because I'm entering a Longbow tournament that isn't too far off, so I need to actually be able to have a bit of conditioning going into that, otherwise my arms are going to fall off! ?

 

See I've come across a few compound bows down here but I've never seen a longbow in the flesh. That's groovy. I hope you place well (or at least have some fun ?).

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

My dude, you and anyone else can forever do the following:

- comment late

- not comment

- comment on non-gaming things

- re-read an old review and necro it (truly: that sounds super rad. The idea of others doing what I did to checklists such as yours and binge-reading months or years later and then necro-ing things sounds great to me... come back to reviews of The Witness, Hyper Light Drifter, Braid, The Last of Us etc etc afterwards and we can discuss them then 1f913.png).

 

I'm happy whenever anybody stops by.

 

I will commit this to my memory banks then ??

 

I love the thought of people necro-ing old reviews and stuff too. I really enjoyed that recently when it happened in my thread with someone commenting something about The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, which I reviewed almost a year ago at this point. 

 

Trust me I will be doing it with some of yours too! Looking forward to it, because I have no doubt The Last of Us reviews are awesome, I might even do it with the Uncharted ones too.

 

On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

Yeah you and DrBloodMoney are in tandem here and you've both convinced me that I was incorrect and missed the point of that one. It's probably one of the stronger levels in the game, really, for synchronising player input with the character's journey. You guys have convinced me of that for sure.

 

Me and @DrBloodmoney being in agreement/tandem about something..... REALLY? That never happens...... ? I genuinely laughed out loud as I typed that, it's spooky how much his opinions and my own align so often sometimes, although I think we ended up coming to the same conclusion on that depression level, from a different angle, and  for fairly different reasons.

 

You fancy a tandem bike Doc? We can get a motorised one powered by our own (possibly, occasionally) pretentious opinions xD?.... I don't know how we go about riding it considering we live in almost opposite ends of the UK, but we'll figure something out ?

 

OR maybe one of these?

 

_102835493_31b466f6-a637-45f8-98b0-1124987e6520.jpg

 

On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

That's SO HARD to narrow it down to one. I might have to get back to you. Do you have one? (/does anybody else have one?)

 

I commented on a status update for @DrBloodmoney for a community event idea that he had and hopefully I didn't derail the post too much, but I did consider a rainbow for my trophy cabinet. Actully I'm still considering it. 1f602.png

https://forum.psnprofiles.com/profile/52063-drbloodmoney/?status=234352&type=status

 

I really like the trophy tiles from the Mass Effect trilogy, but other than that, I no one trophy tile comes to mind, but I must now dig deeper and find an answer.

 

Yep I gave you an impossible task with that one! I shouldn't have asked you for just one... I sure as hell couldn't come up with just ONE!

 

Great shout on the Mass Effect ones mate! Those are gorgeous aren't they.

 

I certainly have some I really like, but like with what my favourite film would be depending on when you asked me, I'd probably give you a different answer depending on the day!

 

I quite like when the tiles look like actual trophies, like this Yakuza one 1L11e38e.png

Some of the ones that are designed like trophies can look a bit naff though, like the ones from Shenmue I and II. But Sometimes they can look really nice!

 

I remember that status update, I actually meant to comment on it at the time, as I thought that was a really cool idea, and I still do.

 

Let me know if you ever do come up with an answer of what your favourite one is.... It's also a little hard to separate yourself from how you felt about that specific game I find. So that sort of contributes towards my opinion on it a little bit.

 

On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

Oh my lord. 20 British pounds per arrow?! Are they made of gasoline? Jiminy Cricket.

 

Haha! Right! Those are like the real top end ones though, the ones you could shoot 100 yards with a bow with light poundage. If you shoot a longbow though like I do, you're only allowed wooden arrows, so that astronomical price is never a problem. You just have to make them yourself, or have a parent that is very good at it and can do it for you ?

 

On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

See I've come across a few compound bows down here but I've never seen a longbow in the flesh. That's groovy. I hope you place well (or at least have some fun 1f642.png).

 

Just so long as I don't make a complete arse out of myself I'll be happy.... I don't want to be like that really old fella from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, at Helms Deep that can't hold his bow and the draw, looses too early killing an Uruk-Hai and starts a war xD

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

it's spooky how much his opinions and my own align so often sometimes, although I think we ended up coming to the same conclusion on that depression level, from a different angle, and  for fairly different reasons.

 

Sure but together you completely demolished my argument! I'm perfectly fine with that. ?

 

 

18 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

You fancy a tandem bike Doc?

...

OR maybe one of these?

 

_102835493_31b466f6-a637-45f8-98b0-1124987e6520.jpg

 

Veto; I've already bought you both a bike and a matching costume.

 

images-10.jpg

 

 

18 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

Those are like the real top end ones though, the ones you could shoot 100 yards with a bow with light poundage. If you shoot a longbow though like I do, you're only allowed wooden arrows, so that astronomical price is never a problem. You just have to make them yourself, or have a parent that is very good at it and can do it for you 1f602.png

 

That is still absolutely insane. Are they weapons-grade/hunting arrows that cost that much? Or hobby arrows? I'm assuming there is multiple types like that (like firearm ammo).

 

I'm sure you'll do absolutely fine at the competition... and that old codger in Two Towers did nothing wrong, those Uruk-Hai didn't run from Isengard for a taste of Longbottom Leaf. I hardly think they were about to turn around and go home ;)

 

 

18 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

I certainly have some I really like, but like with what my favourite film would be depending on when you asked me, I'd probably give you a different answer depending on the day!

 

I quite like when the tiles look like actual trophies

 

100%!! Ask me tomorrow and I'd say a different answer.

 

Yes I like that Yakuza trophy too.

 

I had a look through the trophies that I've earnt... 

 

I like these three (RDR1, Rime and Oxenfree respectively): 

 

31La04982.png

 

1Ld9bf75.png

 

1Ldbd696.png

 

 

... buuuut then some of these Mass Effect tiles kept catching my eye!

 

31L19427c.png

 

3L99968a.png

 

58L851895.png

 

1L6fea5d.png

 

9L83a245.png

 

23L0fc1c8.png

 

26L170924.png

 

59L438ce2.png

 

66Ld8a810.png

 

69L47bc98.png

 

...so how does a gamer choose?

 

Edited by Platinum_Vice
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 04/05/2022 at 9:19 AM, Platinum_Vice said:

Veto; I've already bought you both a bike and a matching costume.

 

images-10.jpg

 

Haha - well, my missus already has multiple pairs of Ugg boots... which I maintain (much to her annoyance) are clearly the feet cut off a pantomime horse costume... so we're half way there already! ?

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I'm so glad that I played the original games, I got to read so much more this time around! And make no mistake my friend, you have outdone yourself. Reading about these games was such memory candy, and reminds me that I was annoyed that only 3 can be played on PS4!

 

I'm so mad! I COULD BLINDLY SLAUGHTER MY FAMI-

 

"Babe, shut up."

 

....sorry, honey.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/30/2022 at 7:52 PM, Platinum_Vice said:

If you read through that whole thing: thank you. I put a lot of time and effort into this one. This series has some real highs.

Well as someone who has never played a God of War game (I know, I'll leave after this post lol) I can say that now I've experienced it in some way and it was really interesting! I also like the fact you have theorised about what's to come in the series. Clearly Ragnarok is going to be bought day one by you lol

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said:

For lovers of introspective, solemn and profound video games with smooth combat and passionate artistic endeavours, Hyper Light Drifter should be shooting to the top of your ‘Must Play' list. This is a melancholic masterpiece.


… Someone said my name? ?

 

Epic review mate! Maybe even too good! You’ve now made me feel bad about pushing this one back until most likely next year. 
 

Jokes aside, the structure and level of detail you put into your writing is fucking sublime. I love how you include the games art so seamlessly - it all just pops off the screen and flows so well with the information you’re presenting! 
 

I look forward to this game quite a bit. I’ve just got a few projects that I’ll be working on before I can kick back and enjoy this beautiful little gem!

 

keep up the great work Vice! ?

 

p.s I did avoid the spoilers section, appreciate you making it very clear what to read and what not to!

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a fantastic and beautifully written review for HLD.

Plus congratulations on :platinum: #112. 

 

It's so easy to lose yourself when reading your write-ups and forget what site we are on. 

The presentation is phenomenal alongside the amount of detail you include. 

 

Looking forward to the next write-up! :yay:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Couch Co-Op Critique I

LEGO Games

Lae8eeb.png

L9affe7.pngL607d19.png

 

:platinum: #19 (PS3) LEGO: The Lord of the Rings, 6.5/10

:platinum: #28 (PS4) LEGO: Harry Potter Collection: Years 1-4, 5.5/10

:platinum: #29 (PS4) LEGO: Harry Potter Collection: Years 5-7, 5.5/10

 

LEGO-not-LEGOS.png

 

Over the course of each year, there are only about 30 to 40 opportunities for Mrs Vice and I to play a game together. Our choices in couch co-op games are limited. The boom of online capability from the beginning of the PlayStation 3 era nearly killed couch co-op. 

 

There are a few opportunities left for couples’ gaming this side of 2010, though, and Mrs Vice and I have tried many of them. 

 

The bar for what Mrs Vice considers to be satisfying has been set pretty low (probably due to being married to yours truly for many years ?), and she therefore has a soft spot for LEGO games.  

 

Nearly-Moaning.png

 

My conclusions of these games are a lot poorer than how Mrs Vice remembers them.

 

I’ll review these LEGO games based on three separate factors. 

 

 

Firstly, as couch co-op games: 

 

Now, why start here? Well, if you’re playing alone, the top right-hand corner of the screen repeatedly blinks “assign controller” with an eager anticipation rivalling peeping Snape's pantaloons while he creeps outside of Lily Potter's bedroom window. In other words, the game desperately wants you to be playing with a partner. When you're that desperate for people to play your game in a specific way, you can bet that's where I'll start a critique.

 

Co-Op.png

"Assign controller" blinks at you from the top right hand corner of the screen until you find yourself a co-op buddy.

 

LEGO games contain about six linear levels per licensed movie. The LEGO games that Mrs Vice and I have enjoyed contained multiple movies per game.

  

At first, each level features a set number of characters for you to play; you might choose between Harry and Hagrid on your initial visit to Diagon Alley, whereas in the final gauntlet of The Philosopher’s Stone (after fending off Fluffy) you’d not be able to play as Hagrid but instead would have access to Harry, Ron and Hermione.  

 

Each character has a set range of abilities (physical attributes, spells, etc) that you can use. 

 

Every level can obviously be completed with the allocated characters, but there are also collectibles blocked by puzzles that require other characters’ abilities in a secondary playthrough. For example, you might need to revisit Diagon Alley and play as Ron so that he can use his ability (pushing Scabbers into drainpipes) to find a collectible that Harry and Hagrid can’t access themselves. 

 

In between those linear levels you’ll have the opportunity to ‘free roam’ the overworld (i.e. Hogwarts or Middle Earth) where a plethora of ability-specific puzzles are scattered about for you to complete once you’ve unlocked the right characters. 

 

There are two key objectives in LEGO games:

(a) play through the linear levels to experience the plots imported from the licensed movies, and

(b) collect everything. 

 

Trolley-lady.png

 

Those two objectives are always at odds with each other because you cannot collect everything during your first playthrough of the linear levels 

 

My wife and I sought diametrically-opposed objectives. She wanted to explore everything before moving on due to her a natural instinct to investigate every corner and puzzle. I wanted to rush through a first playthrough to get to the postgame where we could then play as any character (and therefore use abilities to solve all puzzles and access all hidden areas) as the world required. This was based on my instinctual desire to not waste my time on something that I couldn’t complete to perfection – especially considering the lack of any missables in these games. I wanted to just go to the next ‘ooh, shiny!’ thing for the first playthrough whereas my wife wanted to stop and smell the roses. 

 

We both thought that the other person was clearly playing it wrong.  

 

You-Shall-Not-Pass.png

 

A note to game designers: if your players want to skip through your levels as fast as possible (for any reason), you’ve done something wrong. If your co-op players are constantly at odds with each other in how they want to play your game, you’ve done something wrong. 

 

It speaks to how facile and lacking in depth those character-specific puzzles are that the devs couldn’t just ensure that the linear levels only contained puzzles for the basic characters during the first playthrough; if every puzzle in Diagon Alley could be solved by just Harry and Hagrid then that level would be less fun to play because the puzzles are extremely rudimentary. 

 

These fundamental problems in the games’ designs are not able to be fixed without drastically affecting other core features. 

 

Bertie-Botts.png

 

It may have been because of the aforementioned design choices that the following feature was born:  

 

The LEGO games’ co-op camera. 

 

It’s great. It’s called “dynamic split-screen.” When you and your partner’s characters are next to each other it will appear as if there is only the one camera angle for the two of you to share. 

 

When you walk away in different directions along the x axis (left and right), the screen will automatically split into two halves to account for you each exploring areas far away from each other.  

 

If one of you walks towards the screen and the other walks into the distance (i.e. opposite directions on the z axis), the screen split will rotate so that your halves of the screens are split by a diagonal line.  

 

Imagine that you both say to each other, “hey, look at this,” and then you each see that the screen is split on an 8-2 o’clock diagonal and know exactly what direction to walk to find each other, so you both walk towards each other, pass each other, and then continue to the other player’s original position to see what had caught their attention. The split screen would at first dissipate upon meeting in the middle of the room and then it would appear identical to before as an 8-2 o’clock diagonal, except that your characters would then be on the other sides of the split screen. 

 

Split-Screen.png

The split is at an 11-5 o'clock angle to account for the player's positions relative to each other. Harry is on the right of the screen even though he is being controlled by Player 1 (his health is visible in the top left corner of the image).

 

Split-Screen-fading.png

Ron has returned to Harry. Due to their positions relative to each other the split is fading from its 10-4 o'clock position.

 

Split-Screen-Gone.png

The players are now close enough to each other - no split is necessary.

 

Gone are the days where Player 1’s half of the screen is fixed to the left (in cases of vertical splits) or the top (in cases of horizontal splits). Now the screen adapts dynamically to your individual spatial choices. 

 

It’s seamless and it’s logical. 

 

This dynamic split screen has become a staple in couch co-op games; some others have since implemented this feature to various degrees of success. The game that Mrs Vice and I are currently playing (very slowly) is Divinity: Original Sin II, and the same camera system is present in that game yet the associated bugs rear their ugly heads repeatedly over the course of each session in that title. Somehow it is drastically less-efficient than these LEGO games.

 

Divinity-OS2.png

Divinity: Original Sin II

 

It’s just a shame that this clever development was required to cover up what I believe is that foundational poor choice in the development: a fostering of conflicting goals for co-operative players. 

 

These games are at their best when you’re playing in the postgame with access to all characters. Exploring Middle Earth and the Hogwarts grounds with complete freedom as you plug away at collectible completion is the real meat of these games for me. Yes, collectible hunting is actually the best part of this game (how... oh, how could this be?!)

 

I’d say to Mrs Vice, “let’s go run around Hobbiton” (and enjoy Howard Shore’s incredible score), or “let’s go find hidden rooms in the castle” or Hogsmeade or the Shrieking Shack... 

 

Lupin.png

 

As couch co-op experiences, these games are best-suited for younger players. The difficulty of the puzzles and combat are set very low. Puzzles are remarkably simple specifically so that the youngest players (those who are learning to use a controller for the first time) could figure most of them out, or at worst, their co-operative partner would be able to pick up the intellectual slack. 

 

About 60-70% of the gameplay consists of those aforementioned puzzles. The rest of the gameplay is mostly combat... except that ‘combat’ might not be the most appropriate word. Mashing :square: to swing a sword isn’t really combat, is it? At the very least, combat should be tense (or have some penalty for failure). If you die while swinging your sword in LEGO Lord of the Rings, nothing happens. Your character explodes into smaller pieces and then you respawn. You and your co-op partner can die together and the same thing will happen. There’s no reverting to checkpoints. At most, you lose a few studs (currency) but it’s such an insignificant amount that it’s negligible... we’re talking decimals of one percent of the level’s maximum stud count. 

 

It’s beyond forgiving.  

 

This is truly an experience that a new gamer or non-gamer can enjoy, and one that advanced players will find so easy that ‘staying motivated to continue’ is revealed as the hidden challenge for these games. 

 

I don't intend to 1-up my elite skills by saying this. I literally mean that these games are that attuned to newer players.

 

LOTR-Combat.png

 

Secondly, as licensed products: 

 

The culmination of all of the above features so far indicate that these games should really be targeted to kids between 5 and 12, however, LEGO games are also licensed games.

 

Harry Potter is intellectual property created for 11-21 year olds. The Lord of the Rings is for 15-70 year olds. 

 

There is a clear divide between the intended age that the gameplay that these titles cater to versus the intended age of the movies and books that they’re based on. 

 

Granted, The Lord of the Rings is an adult story adopted by children, and Harry Potter is a teenagers’ story adopted by adults, and so they could both be enjoyed by families with different age ranges, but the simplistic nature of the gameplay is so basic that there is a clear mismatch in here somewhere.

 

Why not develop gameplay more befitting competent gamers? Maybe incorporate some sort of difficulty option? Instead, to ensure that these games are perfectly approachable by first-time gamers and the licensed products that they are based on, they are therefore significantly watered down in regards to their adult themes.

 

This extends beyond just themes and dialogue; it pervades and eliminates any form of tension at all.  

 

Regardless, these games have sold well and were well received.  

 

Metacritic.png

 

I argue that the success of these titles is primarily due to the overwhelming success of their respective movies. 

 

How many LEGO games have you played? Your favourite LEGO game is the one based on your favourite movie, right? 

 

My endorsement of the Lord of the Rings title over the Harry Potter games is mostly due to my reverence of Peter Jackson’s masterful trilogy. Conversely, the Harry Potter movies suffer from conflicting tonal shifts between films, inferior theming, soundtracks and production qualities and an inability to convert the spellbinding 500+ page novels to the 2.5 hour-long visual medium. 

 

LEGO Lord of the Rings succeeds on the merits of the films. Jackson’s artistic clarity virtually wrote the plot for this game; the linear plot-based levels are pulled from the films’ universally-applicable storytelling structure. Minor additions were added to flesh out necessary scenes but they were few and far in between. I recall an example in Osgiliath where Sam, Frodo and Smeagol are split up in the foreground and background while the war rages in the distance; the devs created a full level from a smaller-scaled movie scene but it did not feel like an outlier when stacked against the other levels. 

 

Osgiliath.png

Osgiliath

 

Despite the simplistic nature of the combat, this game captures the movies' sense of scope:

 

LOTR-Action-3.png

 

LOTR-Action-4.png

 

The earthy browns and greens are consistent throughout the title (as are chilling dark blues during night scenes) like they are with all three movies.

 

LOTR-Action-1.png

 

LOTR-Action-2.png

 

Rivendell.png

Exploring Rivendell was the first time that I thought that the PS3 generation’s overuse of piss-coloured filters was beneficial to the overall aesthetic. 

 

LOTR-One-Ring-s-Reflection.png

A nice touch: the One Ring reflects Mordor at all times in this game.

 

At the conclusion of the story players can play as Sam and Frodo while backtracking along their journeyed path between Mount Doom and Hobbiton. This reflective alternative to flying with the eagles allows for collectible clean-up in an explorative free roam. I enjoyed that long walk home.

 

LEGO Harry Potter suffers from the haphazard way that the films interpret their source material. From The Order of the Phoenix onwards many levels are fabricated by the developers as they try to pad out material for you to play when there’s insufficient movie scenes to replicate in a form fit for interesting gameplay. Many levels are made from smaller-scaled movie scenes. 1-to-1 translations are barely applicable. This wouldn’t be an issue if the levels created by the game developers were worthwhile additions to the story or universe. Sadly, they are not. Exploring the courtyard outside of Sirius Black’s house and then the fireplace corridor of the Ministry of Magic with Arthur Weasley didn’t strike me as being interesting level settings from the outset, and unfortunately I found them equally as disinteresting upon completion too. 

 

Arthur-2.png

 

If you can’t choose between whether to buy LEGO Lord of the Rings or LEGO Harry Potter Collection, consider that you’re getting two full games for the price of one with Harry Potter. If you enjoy the first four years then you have another equally-long experience ready for you to enjoy. 

 

Cupboard-under-the-stairs.png

 

Ultimately all LEGO games are extremely similar with very little iterative improvement (let alone innovative improvement).  

 

Identical.png

 

These games succeed as licensed products in that they do allow players to blatantly act out their favourite films but the mismatched age ranges of the gameplay versus the films’ themes is hard to swallow. 

 

 

Thirdly, as a LEGO experience: 

 

What is the best way to play with LEGO? 

 

If you said, “following instructions to build something cool,” or “constructing whatever I want using whatever pieces I want,” then I’d say that you are correct! 

 

These games do not allow for any of that to take place. 

 

I think I’m just playing the wrong games. I think what I’m really looking for here is LEGO: Builder’s Journey. 

 

...or physical LEGO. 

 

Building LEGO is a fundamentally kinetic task. Not only are these games lacking of construction/building or designing elements for players to enjoy, the actual kinetic experience that is here is below average. In Harry Potter, for example, you often levitate brick pieces to slot them into four-LEGO-piece items (such as a small set of stairs for you to climb to reach a high-up collectible).

 

Stairs.png

 

You are expected to move those bricks in 3-dimensional space while only being given controls for two dimensions. The y and z axes (height and depth) are controlled simultaneously and the game itself is tasked to interpret the players' intentions. It does a very poor job of this. It’s the only time where you build anything in these games and it’s horrible.

 

Flying on a broomstick suffers the same fate with shoddy 3D movement based on poor interpretation of player inputs. Flying the broomstick is probably the only action-based activity that players can do in this universe that doesn’t involve ‘combat’ but, once again, I find the games lacking. 

 

Firebolt.png

 

Building stuff is what I want to do with LEGO, but there's just such limited opportunity.

 

Pesky-gingers.png

Even Vernon wants to be building stuff!

 

In addition to a lack of constructing and engineering, there are no designing elements either. You don’t even get to mix and match pieces to create your own characters... 

 

Custom-Frodo-1.png

 

Custom-Frodo.png

 

Instead, there’s occasional gags that reference the meta-nature of the characters being made of LEGO pieces (such as Dumbledore giving Amos Diggory instructions to rebuild Cedric at the end of The Goblet of Fire).  

 

Amos-Diggory.png

 

 

______________________________

 

 

These games are nothing short of an advertisement for physical LEGO bricks. The gameplay falls short in almost every capacity. The best part of these gaming experiences is playing through the recreated movie experiences, but the movies aren’t enhanced by the gameplay, and the gameplay isn’t enhanced by the recreation of the worlds and characters with LEGO bricks. 

 

I don’t recommend any sort LEGO-based alternative to The Lord of the Rings. Just read the book and watch Peter Jackson’s trilogy. They’re both significant achievements for their respective mediums. Or play a PS2 Lord of the Rings game! 

 

Second-game.png

 

For an alternative LEGO Harry Potter experience I’d recommend that you build your own version of Hogwarts at home...

 

Until next time: thanks for stopping by, and I’m always interested to hear your own thoughts! ?

 

Rum.png

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome read as always man - and even funnier than usual - your meme game is on point! ?

 

Something that really jumped out was this observation:

 

16 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

LEGO Lord of the Rings succeeds on the merits of the films. Jackson’s artistic clarity virtually wrote the plot for this game; the linear plot-based levels are pulled from the films’ universally-applicable storytelling structure. Minor additions were added to flesh out necessary scenes but they were few and far in between.

 

 

 

That's a really good point - and I bet the reason is that the way the movies were made were pretty much how a game is made... in that the story was kinda separate from the "action" - Jacksons missus and their writing partner would write most of the script, and just put down "And then there's 20 minutes for a battle" and that's when PJ got to just play and do big fun fighty-stuff. 

which is pretty much how the games work, when you break it right down! ?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm always a happy man a new issue of Platinum Vice hits the stands - even more so when I can read it entirely without worry of spoilers! I admire the work that you put into these man, and they're always an awesome read.

 

So is this where the dynamic split screen was born?? First time I saw it was in The Warriors (that's how interactive that movie was, incredible for 1979) and it initially felt awkward, but I quickly realized what a great idea this was.

 

2 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said:

   

Amos-Diggory.png

 

 

"I don't wanna know what you've been doing with that head for all these years, but maybe try this instead."

 

I'll uh, let you get back to your rum?

Edited by YaManSmevz
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
On 12/10/2021 at 4:10 PM, Platinum_Vice said:
04
Series: Uncharted
 
 

Firstly, I gave you rep before even looking at it properly as the amount of effort I could see deserved it.

 

Secondly, geez this is late but thanks Smevz for that! haha

 

Thirdly, ooooo those are some hot takes! Let's see if you can convince me.

 

Fourthly (Does any one ever get to 'fourthly'? lol) You valiantly tried to convince me that 4 is better than 2 and you came extremely close. 4 is a wonderful collection of everything that is great about Uncharted as a series with little cool extra's like Crash Bandicoot, other references and the close of Nate's story arc. 2 for me, back when it first came out and still to this day just had those moments and punchiness about it. The train off the cliff, the helicopter and crumbling building etc. Certainly nostalgia can play a part and I was younger (obviously) when U2 came out, but for me it just had something else about it and definitely should be in the top 5 first party games ever released for the PS3. At least top 10 for the whole console. 

(BTW, I have a signed steelbook of the 4th game with many of the voice actors, so trust me when I say that U4 is bloody awesome!)

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...