Popular Post realm722 Posted June 13, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) Game: Jotun Analysis: I bought Jotun when it was on sale for $3.74 all the way back in mid-October 2020, let's not waste any time shall we! Why Jotun? - Why did I decide to embark on a ruthlessly difficult sub <2% platinum given the fact, looking at my rarest platinums, outside of sports games - I don't really do that? Simple. I LOVE the aesthetic of Jotun. Plain and simple. I had seen the game on sale a number of times for incredibly cheap, loved the icon of Isa as the games feature image - and what ultimately made me pull the trigger was the fact that a game that completely enraptured me at E3 2019 was the reveal of Spiritfarer, created by the game studio Thunder Lotus Games. What was their 1st game? Jotun. A lot has happened since that first reveal at E3 over 2 years ago. For one, I played their 2nd game - Sundered (I thought it was an alright decent enough metroidvania with some elements I liked even if it didn't pull itself all together). I have bought Spiritfarer for just under $20 within the past month - and am aiming for it to be my 150th platinum milestone (this is despite the fact I know literally NOTHING besides the game since I've avoided all talk about it since it's initial reveal). But I personally set myself a benchmark that before I could play Spiritfarer. I had to beat Jotun. Beat their 1st game creation, no matter it's difficulty - and my reward would be playing the game I really wanted to play. It was all the motivation I needed. So just how difficult is Jotun? - Okay so, maybe I've just become too much of a god gamer over the course of playing so many different games the last 2 years and a half, but... 33 of the 37 trophies aren't that difficult. At least not to the point that it should have an absurd 16 ultra rares. Let me offer a bit of a context as to the actual gameplay and process en route to the platinum. Jotun is essentially a boss rush game. Yes, there are levels of over-worlds to complete in order to reach those bosses - but the segments are fairly short (everything being able to be 100% collected in less than 20 minutes for each pre-boss section). The meat and potatoes are the boss fights. There are 6 boss fights in Jotun. That doesn't sound like a lot, and it really isn't - the only other game I can really compare Jotun with is Furi, and it had 9, potentially 10 bosses. Personally - I didn't mind the smaller number since what you'll be asked to accomplish. The vast majority of the trophies involve beating each of the bosses in specific ways. For example, you must beat all of them "Without God Powers", which are essentially upgrades to the player that make the game easier. Personally, I did 5/6 of these on my 1st play-through and strongly recommend it since it makes the fights longer and lets you learn their attack patterns. Another one is the "Time Trials" which in large part can be combined with the "Perfect" trophies which asks you to beat all bosses without taking damage. This may seem ridiculously difficult just reading it, but the truth is - WITH God Powers, you can easily annihilate some bosses in under a minute that it trivializes the challenge in the sense there is no attrition you need to endure in order to avoid damage. Finally, there's the unique boss trophies for each one specific to their arenas, such as flinging Fe's shield back at her, OR beating Jera without destroying any of her vines. None of them are difficult. The hardest of all these trophies, at least for me, was beating Odin without God Powers. Just due to the length of the fight and the fact you NEED to learn the timing on how to break the spears he launches at you, otherwise, you're gonna have a very bad time. So look at me - within essentially 2 days of playing, I had achieved the vast majority of the trophies, really didn't feel like any of them took me too long, was feeling real great about myself and then... oh no... Valhalla Mode - Yea, so this is the platinum stopper. Valhalla Mode will kick your ass. At least it kicked mine. I completed a lot of the story-mode challenges simply enough within my first few attempts, with the Odin without God Powers taking me like an hour. The truth is - Valhalla Mode doesn't really switch up fights all that bunch, it just makes everything more mildly annoying. In what way? Jera will have 3 poison spray mushrooms around her arms that make spamming her to death impossible. Fe spawns more dwarves. Isa spawns icicles now. Hagalaz now has EIGHT lighting spires. Kaunan summons way more fire cracks on his slams, and Odin always launches 3 spears vs. the 1 in the main-game for most of the fight. Those sound like really small changes, and for the most part, they are - none of the bosses have completely new movesets - but these subtle changes will make the game harder, and it will now be asking you to do 2 things on top of simply beating them 1) Beat them without God Powers and 2) Beat them without taking damage. In my experience, beating them without powers is WAY more difficult. I would normally take 1-2 hours on each before finally conquering them in a lengthy fight, and beating them "Perfectly" with the OP God Powers for the most part only took me a few attempts. Jera and Fe can be exploited, but Fe's "no God Powers" distinctly took me like 3 hours to beat due to the sheer number of dwarves. Isa wasn't too bad, but the ice was SO damn annoying. Hagalaz was a nightmare. All those damn random lightning bolts you have to be wary about - she prolly took me the longest of all of them. Kaunan was also super tough for me because he deals so much damage whenever he does hit you, plus he's the fastest Jotun - that it tripped me up compared to the slower more methodical attacks of the others. Odin was bad, but I drilled it into my head "STOP TRYNA GET 1-2 EXTRA HITS ON HIM AND FOCUS ON THE SPEARS" and legit 30 minutes into tryna get this on Saturday, I had done it. It took me 1 week and 20 hours, but I earned the 1.75% rarity platinum, am the 30th fastest 100% achiever according to this website. Cool! Is RNG a pain in the butt for Jotun? - Okay, so I did do a bit of research by what people were saying on here to prepare myself mentally in the weeks prior to actually jumping in. I had read on here, that the game is very "luck dependent". This post talks a bit regarding it. I've gotta be 100% honest with y'all... sounds like some people are being big babies. I didn't really find it that bad. Can you get screwed on some vines in Jera? Yea, but most of the time I felt like it was my fault. Can the dwarves + shield combination be unstoppable vs Fe? Yea, but most of the time I waited too long to react or wasn't pro-active enough in crowd controlling. Can sometimes Isa's distance before doing the ice storm be cheese? Yea, but it's on you to always be moving in to avoid that. Can Hagalaz lightning be pure bullsh!t? Yea, this is the worst offender - sometimes too many spires will be active and there's simply nothing you can do + her knockdowns cause even more spires + it feels like where she teleports to in the arena is completely random but... it's not that bad. Does Kaunan's hit boxes for those fire cracks in the 2nd and 3rd phases of the fights feel inconsistent? A tiny bit. Can Odin's Valhalla summons + 3 spears get you in an unsalvageable spot? Definitely. All of these issues are present. It's not so well-designed such as say, Furi is - in the sense where in that game every piece of damage really is YOUR fault, but Jotun's RNG isn't that bad. You won't get screwed for 10+ hours on it. I think you'll lose a handful of good runs to it, but the fights are a mere few minutes and restarting doesn't take so long that it shouldn't scare you out of playing if it catches your eye like it did for me. You haven't actually talked about if you enjoyed Jotun, did you? Hah, sometimes you can get so distracted by the difficulty of a task you forget to ask yourself: "Yo, am I enjoying this?" - I sure did! I don't think it's one of my favorite games, but it absolutely falls into that sweet spot of being beautiful to look at AND having a concrete sizable task and difficulty that I just need to do over and over again until I get it right. It's basically Unravel Two... 2.0! Boss fight edition! Initially I was put off by how Thora (the main viking lady you control) moved, how slow even her light attack was compared to her long strong attack, but I quickly realized that would fit-in with the slow methodically wind-up of the boss attacks, and quickly got up to speed with the mechanics. Something that is going to be a universal positive, at multiple points I got "big Banner Saga vibes" from the game. Whenever your game can get mentioned in the same breathe s Banner Saga, even in the vague form of being related to vikings and it's visuals, that is a VERY good sign I am enjoying your game. The soundtrack is solid, I think Hagalaz theme is engraved into my skull with it's stupidly loud intro. I think the story levels in-between each boss fight were inoffensive, pretty to look at, and gave you something to do as opposed to... I dunno... just clicking the auto-walk button and listening to a dude narrate like in Furi? Ultimately what this game comes down to for your enjoyment will be the big fights. Let's rank them! Boss Fights in Jotun Ranked: #1. Fe - Is this an upset? I love flinging her stupid shield back at her. I love the scream wind-up when all the dwarves come at you. Just a fun chaotic fight. #2. Hagalaz - Just because I played it SO DAMN MUCH. I guess I enjoyed the pain? Weaving in it and out of the lightning spires can be exhiliarating. #3. Kaunan - Super fast-paced. His sword slam with the fire cracks is so obnoxious, and the random fire-balls even more so, but I grinded it for 3 hours in Valhalla and got it. #4. Odin - Bold take - kinda disappointing that all Odin does is throw spears, run away, or call other Jotun to hurt you. Hurt me yourself, coward. But it's a methodical fight. #5. Isa - I hate the ice. I love the boss design, and how it's the icon for the game - and the fight is great, but the ice is just... I WANNA STOP SLIDING MAN #6. Jera - It's the 1st boss, it's not Jera's fault she had to be overly simple. Her vines are dumb - but hitting her in her belly gives you all the revenge you need. So there you have it! I enjoyed the game, I recommend it for those who enjoy games centered almost entirely around boss fights, OR those who enjoy viking themes. As a side note, to wrap up this review - I NEED to give a shoutout to all the incredible people who made the trophy guide on this website. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that ultra-rare huntin' extraodinare @ExistentialSolid, well known for his trophy cabinet on here - was one of the main trophy guide designers for Jotun. Alongside @Ellie-nyan. Lemme tell y'all, a lot of the time when I'm doing trophy hunting for games I'll use the PSNProfiles guide if there is one, but also normally check other websites as well like TrueAchievements or PlaystationTrophies since there typically also tends to be hidden gems in those guides. Not for Jotun. EVERYTHING you need is on the meticulously detailed guide they crafted. From the YouTube video strategies visually telling you what you need to do, to verbalizing in text some clutch tips such as "hey dumbass, stop putting yourself in an impossible position in the corners on Odin's arena and try to stay towards the middle." Thanks a ton to these guys as well as @Danny_Johansen for his exploit on the Fe fight (made getting perfect SOOO easy). It is rare for gigantic, AAA releases to have guides this well-made - and to see it be done for such a niche title of under 6k owners even when combing for both regions is just tremendous. Thanks guys! P.S. - An extra motivation I had for playing the game, on top of my goal of platinuming Jotun before Spiritfarer, was the fact @Briste had basically completed the game by the end of May, and I set myself the minor goal of pulling a LeBron James-esque chasedown block of getting the plat before him. Of course, this is completely arbitrary due to the fact he's saving it for his 150th plat, and basically completed the game on May 28th (compared to my June 12th) and is just saving it for when he wants to pop it - but it still counts to me dammit! As a bonus note, I also realized something - Jotun's plat on NA is 1.75%, but on EU it's 2.79%. This simply confirms my long-held belief that Europeans just try harder at video games than Americans, since this is pretty much the case for every game that I myself have played (See: Axiom Verge, 4.73% ---> 7.11% OR The Messenger, 32.00% ---> 36.89%) Panda Score: 8.1 / 10 Edited January 10, 2023 by realm722 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 So, so SO glad that you enjoyed Jotun. The artstyle was the main reason I played it also and, although not perfect, it was a satisfying game. Congratulations again for beating it!! Also one mention about RNG: To hel with Hagalaz. That trumpet or whatever followed by "wahahahaa" and lightnings still haunt me to this day. All because RNG was a cruel mistress to me And yes, no god powers is definitely harder than no damage, as weird as it sounds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briste Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 8 hours ago, realm722 said: snip Nice job! I'm happy you enjoyed it! It's funny, you're review is very similar to mine lol I wrote mine after I beat the game, but haven't posted it yet since I'm holding off on popping it. I felt almost exactly as you did about the RNG and different battles. The only thing I did different is go for Valhalla first before the cleanup in the regular game. A handful of the peripheral boss trophies I got while running through the first time, but most I did afterwards. My plan was to fully do one boss at a time once I unlocked Valhalla mode. I'll tell you that the trophy cleanup for the bosses after beating them all in Valhalla mode was so easy lol If you look at the time between some of my trophies for the different ways you had to beat the boss, you'll see what I mean. I also am in full agreement that the no God powers was much harder due to how much more drawn out the battles were. I found the video's in the guide to be a useful tool for beating the bosses, but there was just enough RNG for them not to be fool proof. I thought that Hagalaz was going to be the hardest for me, but Kaunan ended up being the hardest for me. I just was getting so unlucky with the meteor drops and lava cracks. I'd get him down to like 15% health with no damage and then die in like two seconds. He was the most frustrating one for me. I agree that Odin was a little disappointing in that he just sat there for the most part....I'd say it took me between one and three hours each to beat most of the Valahalla mode bosses. I also enjoyed the Fe fight and knocking his shield back at him lol....I didn't find Isa too bad. I figured out that if you get him next to a wall every fight, it was easy to manage his moves. If he was facing the wall when he did his charge, he would run into the wall immediately and not move...it made it very easy to stay between his legs and dodge most of his attacks. It got a little trickier once the ground turned to ice...but keeping him next to a wall really limited what he was able to do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted June 14, 2021 Author Share Posted June 14, 2021 On 6/13/2021 at 5:40 AM, Copanele said: Also one mention about RNG: To hel with Hagalaz. That trumpet or whatever followed by "wahahahaa" and lightnings still haunt me to this day. All because RNG was a cruel mistress to me lmaoooo yes!!! That stupid laughing is permanently embedded in my brain. So many quick resets ? On 6/13/2021 at 1:49 PM, Briste said: I also am in full agreement that the no God powers was much harder due to how much more drawn out the battles were. I found the video's in the guide to be a useful tool for beating the bosses, but there was just enough RNG for them not to be fool proof. I thought that Hagalaz was going to be the hardest for me, but Kaunan ended up being the hardest for me. I just was getting so unlucky with the meteor drops and lava cracks. I'd get him down to like 15% health with no damage and then die in like two seconds. He was the most frustrating one for me. I agree that Odin was a little disappointing in that he just sat there for the most part....I'd say it took me between one and three hours each to beat most of the Valahalla mode bosses. I also enjoyed the Fe fight and knocking his shield back at him lol....I didn't find Isa too bad. I figured out that if you get him next to a wall every fight, it was easy to manage his moves. If he was facing the wall when he did his charge, he would run into the wall immediately and not move...it made it very easy to stay between his legs and dodge most of his attacks. It got a little trickier once the ground turned to ice...but keeping him next to a wall really limited what he was able to do. I'm going to agree with you on Kaunan prolly being more difficult. With Hagalaz even though it took me awhile, since her wind-ups are so obvious, while it can be annoying I always felt like I knew what I was doing and baiting her into specific moves - whereas Kaunan would always have me on my heels tryna avoid those lava cracks or unlucky sword swing where I end up in a spot where there's nothing I can do but take damage. Funnily enough I didn't mention it but I found the exact same strategy with Isa! The thing is, due to the ice - on multiple occasions I would have him cornered where he couldn't do much and you just stood between his legs doing damage, but I would always stupidly roll out too far and get obliterated with his slam move or just lose the plot. It was on a run where I didn't do that and just got really fortuante with his moveset that I beat him. All in all, can't wait to hear your review and it's def worthy of being a milestone icon featuring Thora's helmet! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) RealM722 Reviews E3 2021 IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN BOYS AND GIRLS! The time when we all huddle around our laptops, go on Twitch, find our favorite gaming streamer, and snarkily type comments in the chat about how awful each game revealed is, cringe at each presentation, wince painfully at every joke that doesn't land, and slam our fists through our computer monitors when hyped game "X" doesn't actually unveil any new information. It's E3!!! We missed it in 2020 due to the pandemic, and it came back with a fury this year. How was it? Ehhhh, I mean - listen man. If you're one of those people are type "ResidentSleeper" when every game that isn't in your favorite genre is presented - you're just an insufferable individual, and I can't help you. But in an effort to actually prove to myself, statistically, empirically, that E3 in all likelihood is a complete and utter waste of my time... I have methodically watched every presentation by every main game developer and determined how many games I ACTUALLY care about playing / want to play in the future. My advice? DON'T DO THIS. There are better uses of your time. Learn to play the piano or something. But in case you aren't so musically inclined, feel free to learn from my mistakes! The games will be listed by my initial reaction, ordered in 4 categorizes. The 4 Categorizes of Games: "Not for me, not interested." - FAR AND AWAY, the most common category. Any FPS, overly violent, anime-up-the-wahzoo game goes here. Not bad games, but not for me. "I want to know more." - I'm not immediately repulsed. It looks decent. But it didn't show any gameplay. You know the rules - no gameplay, no hype. I need more. "I'd like to get it on sale." - I like what I saw. There was likely gameplay. Not a Day 1 purchase(most games aren't), but in 3-4 years for sub-$10? Yea I'll play that! "I WANT TO PLAY IT!" - The most dangerous category. I am officially HYPED for your game. I loved what I saw. I may buy it for $20+, or hell, MAYBE EVEN, a Day 1 purchase. Enough wasting time - you know the rules now, let's get to the presentations! Ubisoft E3 Day #1 (Saturday, June 12th, 2021 - 3PM) #1. Rainbow Six: Extraction - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS) #2. Rocksmith+ - Not for me, not interested. (I’m not tryna… learn an instrument, dawg - good for those who wanna pay the subscription and really learn it though) #3. Riders Republic - I’d like to get it on sale. Has a fun look to it, I hope it doesn’t have super grindy trophies. #4. Just Dance 2022 - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Dancing games aren’t my lane) #5. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla DLC - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Never playing a AC game) #6. Far Cry 6 - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS, Giancarlo Esposito is getting A LOT of hype man… I’m worried it could go the way of Keanu Reaves in Cyberpunk2077 where people don’t think he fits for the role and is over-used. I imagine Diego can end up finishing the game good/bad depending on your choices) #7. Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope - Not for me, not interested. (Rabbids are weird and I don’t like them) #8. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - I want to know more. I don’t care at all for Avatar, it’s been so long - but if it’s a fun open world game, I’d check it out. Plus, it’ll get a boost as it’ll be in the zeitgeist if it releases at the same time as the sequel movies. Total Games: 8 | Not Interested: 6 | Want To Know More: 1 | Wait for Sale: 1 | Want to Play: 0 Explanation: Not surprising. Ubisoft isn't my favorite developer. The only games of theirs I believe I've played is The Crew. So... not a great start. Devolver Digital E3 Day #1 (Saturday, June 12th, 2021 - 4:30PM) #1. Shadow Warrior - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS) #2. Trek to Yomi - I want to know more. Leaning towards no, but a 2D side-scroller with some depth could be fun. #3. Phantom Abyss - I’d like to get it on sale. That looked like a ton of fun! Good fast 1st person movement, Mirror’s Edge with grappling hook + deadly obstacles #4. Wizard with a Gun - I want to know more. Aesthetics remind me greatly of Don’t Starve as well as the survival mechanics, but if it’s more chill I’d love to check it out. #5. Death’s Door - I’d like to get on sale. Looked pretty fun! Too bad as of now it appears to be releasing solely on Xbox and Steam. #6. Inscryption - Not interested, not for me. (Why? I don’t do spooky - ‘specially not spooky card games) Total Games: 6 | Not Interested: 2 | Want To Know More: 2 | Wait for Sale: 2 | Want to Play: 0 Explanation: That's better! But of course this comes with a caveat - Devolver Digital's games, at least in this case - were almost exclusivly PC-related. That isn't terrible, since if these games do very well they in all probability could come to consoles - but I looked it up and at the moment, none of them are planned. But let's be patient and home. With regard to Devolver Digital's actual presentation - it was good! They always go extra wacky and try to have a genuine plot. I appreciate the effort, and the jokes were solid for the most part. Here is where Gearbox's presentation would have gone... if it wasn't the most boomer 2011-tier unfunny cringe nonsense with Randy Pritchard bragging about knowing Kevin Hart. I mean, even games wise - I don't care for Borderlands 3, or Borderlands: The Movie (which somehow got Cate Blanchett), or that Tiny Tina's game - just yuck man. Microsoft & Bethesda E3 Day #2 (Sunday, June 13th, 2021 - 1:00PM) #1. Starfield - Not for me, not interested. (Looks like it could be cool - just don’t really play Bethesda or trust them at all after F76) #2. Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl - Not for me, not interested. (Why? It’s a FPS) #3. Back 4 Blood - Not for me, not interested. (Why, FPS + Zombies) #4. Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life - Not for me, not interested. (The mouse is unstoppable, but I guess a new generation gets to see Capt. Jack Sparrow) #5. Battlefield 2042 - Not for me, not interested. (Why? It's a FPS, AMAZING trailer though - that scenery was gorgeous) #6. Twelve Minutes - I'd like to get it on sale. Damn I’m intrigued by this! I’d like to play it, prolly just watch a YT play-thru though #7. Psychonauts 2 - Not for me, not interested. (I find the Psychonauts art-style utterly disgusting. I bought the original for $1, still haven't played it cuz can't get over that) #8. Fallout 76: Steel Reign - Not for me, not interested. (Why? C’mon, it’s Fallout 76) #9. Party Animals - Not for me, not interested. (I swear I thought this was Human Fall Flat DLC but animals. I’ll pass) #10. Hades - I WANT TO PLAY IT! (LESSSSGOOOO!! ITS ON GAMEPASS BUT WHO CARES LAUNCHES ON PLAYSTATION ON AUG. 13 WOHOOO!) #11. Somerville - I'd like to get it on sale. Big “Inside” vibes. Not super intrigued, prolly would get it for $5 4 years from now. #12. Halo: Infinite - Not for me, not interested. (Why, it’s a FPS - but I'm optimistic that it'll be positively received upon release by Xbox fans) #13. Diablo 2: Resurrected - Not for me, not interested. (Never played Diablo, don't care to start now) #14. A Plague Tale: Requiem - Not for me, not interested. (I don’t do gross and scary) #15. Slime Rancher 2 - I WANT TO PLAY IT! THIS IS MY MOST AWESOME SURPRISE OF E3. Didn't expected it AT ALL, very much enjoyed the original, I want more slimes and just more progression loops and I be a super happy camper. While initially an Xbox Exclusive, this tweet suggests it should come over to PS5 about 3-6 months post-release. NICE! #16. Shredders - I want to know more. I would play it depending on the trophies. They’ll probably be super grindy. #17. Atomic Heart - Not for me, not interested. (Not for me at all but that looked SUPER interesting, could be a sleeper hit in a few years or fall off a cliff) #18. Replaced - I want to know more. Beautiful graphics. Utter awful name for a game. But what we did see was cool! #19. Grounded: Shroom & Doom Update - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Multiplayer) #20. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - I want to know more. Probably not for me? They showed a 3 second clip of it #21. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes - I want to know more. That looked decent! I’d prolly get it on a sale! #22. The Ascent - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Ugh… just, no thanks) #23. Ages of Empires 4 - Not for me, not interested. (Yanno, I’d always wondered what it’d be like to get into one of these grandiose giant battles games…. But, let’s be honest, probably not for me. #24. The Outer Worlds 2 - Not for me, not interested (LMAO holy crap what a great trailer though. Very truthful) #25. Microsoft: Flight Simulator - Not for me, not interested. (It’s very impressive technically tho) #26. Forza Horizon 5 - I WANT TO PLAY IT! (Too bad I never will, cuz consoles exclusives but my god are the Forza games BEAUTIFUL and wonderful) #27. Redfall - Not for me, not interested (Why? I mean, shooting game - saw a lot of people hating on it, and it was an awful trailer - but the dudes at Arcane Studio are good games developers, I suspect this one will also get more love closer to it’s release) Total Games: 27 | Not Interested: 18 | Want To Know More: 4 | Wait for Sale: 2 | Want to Play: 3 Explanation: Yanno, not terrible Xbox! Just because I don't care for a lot of your games doesn't mean other people don't care. I got super hyped when I saw Hades, and Slime Rancher 2 stole the show for me. I'd like to maybe one day get a digital edition Xbox just to play the Forza games cuz man.. so good. Aside from that, there were a few indies here and there, the Eiyuden games could be decent but yea... overall - it was okay. Not a 9/10, not a 3/10 either. Square Enix E3 Day #2 (Sunday, June 13th, 2021 - 3:15PM) #1. Guardians of the Galaxy - I want to know more. Not really for me… but wow - that looks like that could actually be decent. Strong trailer. Gameplay demonstration went a bit long but I’m curious if there will be any end-of-game ramifications for your choices in dialogue/attitude. The only reason I'm hesistant is because I've tired greatly (as have others) of the constantly sarcastic, quippy dialogue in serious situations. GotG does that A LOT. We'll see. #2. Final Fantasy I - VI Remasters - I WANT TO PLAY IT! Wish I could play it. Only on Steam though , maybe one day remasters for consoles. #3. Legend of Mana - I'd like to get it on sale. It's coming to PS4 for sure, maybe if the trophies aren't too bad! #4. Marvel’s Avengers: Updates - Not for me, not interested. (It’s Multiplayer and GAAS) #5. Babylon’s Fall - Not for me, not interested. (Another co-op game) #6. Life is Strange: Remastered - Not for me. Already have the platinum.I don’t need to play it remastered. I’m good. #7. Life is Strange: True Colors - I'd like to get it on sale. Ehhhhhhhhhhhh… actually, that seems hilarious reading peoples thoughts. I'll get it for $5! #8. Stranger of Paradise - I want to know more. LMAOOO WHAT WAS THAT TRAILER? MORE LIKE STRANGER OF CHAOS AM I RIGHT. Probably not for me, could be a big hit though if it has Final Fantasy mixed with some Devil May Cry? Total Games: 8 | Not Interested: 3 | Want To Know More: 2 | Wait for Sale: 2 | Want to Play: 1 Explanation: Am I a Square Enix fan? Like, a little bit perhaps? I want that FF7R2 goodness but I'll be patient for it. PC Gaming Show E3 Day #2 (Sunday, June 13th, 2021 - 5:30PM) #1. Naraka: Bladepoint - Not for me, not interested. (Eh… it’s not my sorta game) #2. Dodgeball Academia - I'd like to get it on sale. Like a deep, deep sale 3 years from now #3. Chivalry 2 - Not for me, not interested.(Why? Multiplayer) #4. Rawmen - I'd like to get it on sale. Looks dumb - but could pick it up a few years down the line #5. Dying Light 2 - Not for me, not interested. (I don’t do gross and scary) #6. Humankind - I want to know more. Big Civilization vibes. I honestly really dig it, would love to try it out. #7. They Always Run - I want to know more. I love the art direction. Def seems like something I'd be into. #8. Orcs Must Die! 3 - Not for me, not interested. (Don’t dislike tower defense games but eh with that theme around it #9. GigaBash - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Multiplayer) #10. Lemnis Gate - Not for me, not interested. (25 sec. gameplay at a time? How does that work in 1st person? Wha?) #11 Next Space Rebels - Not for me, not interested. (Don’t care for building games like that) #12. War Tales - I want to know more. That game is gorgeous. Gotta see how fun the gameplay is in practice. #13. Ixion - Not for me, not interested. Awful trailer. #14. Far: Changing Tides - I want to know more. I’d like to know more before passing judgement. #15. Lakeburg Legacy - I WANT TO PLAY IT! HELL YEA! Caught my eye, love the idea of marrying, building a legacy, all that jazz - best game thus far for PC #16. Mech Warrior 5 - Not for me, not interested. (Looks boring tbh) #17. Silt - I want to know more. Black and white aesthetic, bit of horror, seems like a game that is 100% destined for zero platinum just 100% completion #18. Hello Neighbor 2 - Not for me, not interested. I heard the first game was freaking abysmal. #19. Jurassic World: Evolution 2 - I want to know more. Could be a decent fun management game. #20. GloomWood - Not for me, not interested. (Why, it’s a FPS) #21. Soulstice - Not for me, not interested. (Don’t do action gore Souls-like games… lmao Soulstice) #22. Chaos;Gate: Demon Hunter - Not for me, not interested. (Don’t care for RTS brutal combat) #23. Pioner - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS) #24. Lumberhill - I want to know more. Looked goofy and like a Switch-only title tho #25. Tinykin - I want to know more. Very cute - a bit pikmin-esque, could be fun! #26. Chernobylite - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS) #27. Sacrifire - I want to know more. Bit of the Octopath Traveler look - but has potential! #28. Icarus - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Survival game, but I think that could be a hit) #29. Mecha Jammer - I want to know more. A bit too dark for my tastes, but if there’s some good social dynamics, could get my attention. #30. The Wandering Village - I WANT TO PLAY IT!!! I saw this game on r/indiegames and fell in love with, the developer is a super cool dude - it’s a rogue lite on the back of giant moving creatures, I hope it can become a huge success and get to consoles - even if not, may be a Steam purchase from me! #31. Death Trash - I want to know more. This has indie darling potential. Those dialogue options have me intrigued. Seems like they have a lot there. #32. Songs of Conquest - I’d like to get it on sale. Damn that looked good! Great pixel art, gameplay will hinge on everything but I liked what I saw. #33. Citizen Sleeper - I want to know more. Dig the dice. Curious what the story is about. Has decent potential. #34. Project Warlock - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS) Total Games: 34 | Not Interested: 17 | Want To Know More: 12 | Wait for Sale: 3 | Want to Play: 2 Explanation: So here's the thing with the PC Gaming Show - Day9 is a cool dude, the skits with the robots and being in outer-space and whatever is fine, it's not great, but listen I feel for the actors tryna put on a performance - I'm not gonna clown them for it. In terms of the games, the wary thing is that the over-whelming majority of these won't come to consoles. But 1-2 will if they get big enough. Let's hope those two are Lakeburg Legacy and The Wandering Village - ESPECIALLY the latter since I'm optimistic it could be the next game I become absolutely fixated on. Future Games Show E3 Day #2 (Sunday, June 13th, 2021 - 7:00PM) #1. Instinction - Not for me, not interested. (Why? FPS, even with dinosaurs, nah) #2. Grow: Song of the Evertree - I’d like to get it on sale. Looks cute, curious how deep the gameplay is, and if this is a game from the dudes who made Yonder - I really wanna play that game 1st since it’ll prepare my expectations more adequately with if I should get hyped for this. #3. A Tale of Paper - I want to know more. Barely got 15 seconds of screen time, could be decent. #4. Get Packed: Fully Loaded - Not for me, not interested. (Too goofy for my liking) #5. Gatewalkers - Not for me, not interested. (Co-op up to 4 players… nah) #6. Gamedec - I want to know more. Liked the style, could be pretty good. #7. Backbone - I’d like to get it on sale. That looks fun! Playing as a raccoon detective? Sign me up. #8. Beacon Pines - I want to know more. Like the art, dunno if that word changing mechanic will be very versatile. #9. Trifox - I want to know more. Leaning towards no, but I could be swayed if I heard good things. #10. Timberborn - I’d like to get it on sale. It’s a management game with the cute twist of instead of people it’s managing a community of beavers? Cool. #11. Rift Breaker - Not for me, not interested. #12. eSports Boxing Club - Not for me, no interested. (I don’t care for boxing, but WOW that game has the potential to be a gigantic hit. If they’ve got legends like Ali and Joe Frazier, plus modern stars like Canelo… it can catch on like wildfire with the younger kids enjoying it cuz of the Paul brothers fighting, and all of a sudden you’ve got a new fanbase) #13. Hell Let Loose - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Military FPS) #14. Red Solstice 2: Survivors - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Co-op) #15. Lake - I want to know more. Horrible name, but is it just a casual relaxing time in a small-town with nothing going on or is there something going on here? #16. Elvest Souls - I want to know more. No gameplay, no hype - prolly not but… if it’s awesome, maybe. #17. Enlisted - Not for me, not interested. (Why? Military FPS) #18. Severed Steel - Not for me, not interested. (Looks super high-energy tho) #19. Sonic Colors: Ultimate - I want to know more. I’ve never even played Sonic Forces despite having it for free via PS+. Modern sonic games are just... #20. Starmancer - I want to know more. Seems like a management in space game? Could be decent. #21. KeyWe - I’d like to get it on sale. That seems so incredibly stupid, I love it. Keywees working together transcribing messages >>> #22. Deathrun TV - Not for me, not interested. It’s a rogue-lite, and I think it has potential but too violent for my tastes, #23. Harold Halibut - Not for me, not interested. (I STRONGLY dislike the art style. I like the idea and concept tho, could get some traction) #24. Happy Game - Not for me, not interested. (Another repulsive art style, and I hate the “oh it’s cute wait no it’s horror element”) #25. Minute of Islands - I want to know more. Now here’s an art style I dig. Gotta see if reviews come back solid. #26. Olli Olli World - I want to know more. That looks like it could be pretty fun skateboarding everywhere. #27. Tails of Iron - I want to know more. It’s rats with armor. But where’s the gameplay, my guy? #28. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town - I WANT TO PLAY IT!! WAIT THIS IS COMING TO PS4 IN 2021? I DONT CARE IF I DONT LOVE THE ART #29. Rune Factory 4 Special - I want to know more. Unlike a lot of original Harvest Moon fans, the Rune Factory graphics seem incredibly cheap to me and I haven’t ever gotten on board with them. If this has like a 20% plat rarity, I’d pick it up on sale just to try it out. #30. Immortality - I want to know more. Oh hey this is from the Telling Lies guys? Cool, I’d check it out if they bring it to console. Total Games: 30 | Not Interested: 12 | Want To Know More: 13 | Wait for Sale: 4 | Want to Play: 1 Explanation: This was the PC Gaming Show - but even worse. A lot of games I didn't care for. Some stuff that could be decent, but it's just impossible to get excited for since 1) they're barely on screen for more than 20 seconds and 2) so many of these will never come to consoles. Story of Seasons was the one that did capture my attention, and I'm hoping I can rekindle some of that lost love for the HM franchise with an entry by the former developers. Indie Games Showcase E3 Day #3 (Monday, June 14th, 2021 - 3:00PM) #1. Lifeslide - I want to know more. Paper airplane flying. Cool. #2. Fallen Aces - Not interested, not for me. (Like the art style and sounded like Lee from the Walking Dead was in it) #3. Larcenauts Wanted - Not for me, not interested. (Like another multiplayer game) #4. Toy Soldiers - I’d like to get it on sale. That looked good! And it seemed like Twitch chat had a lot of nostalgia for the original. #5. Moo Lander - Not for me, not interested. Thought the artistic style was gross. Was that a demon cow at the end? #6. Neko Ghost Jump - I want to know more. That had some old platformer vibes but some of the art looks like it could be made in Dreams. But it’s a cat! Total Games: 6 | Not Interested: 3 | Want To Know More: 2 | Wait for Sale: 1 | Want to Play: 0 Explanation: This was one of the worst E3 days I've ever seen. The indies disappointed. Take-Two did nothing but talk on a bunch of ZOOM calls. There was garbage like Verizon and Razer with conferences. Capcom - who some get hyped for, did NOTHING but announce some Resident Evil 8 DLC. Atrocious. Nintendo E3 Day #4 (Tuesday, June 15th, 2021 - 12:00PM) #1. Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Kazuya DLC - Not for me, not interested. (Smash... characters... ResidentSleeper (oh no I've become what I hate) #2. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania - I want to know more. Could this come over to PS4 like the last Super Monkey game? #3. Mario Party Superstars - Not for me, not interested. (Mario Party is a game you play at your friends house who don't really play games) #4. Metroid Dread - I want to know more. It reminded me of Strider lmao, it could be aight but it's been in development FOREVER. #5. WarioWare Get It Together - Not for me, not interested. (Those mini-games look awful. Who is this for?) #6. Shin Megami Tensei V - I want to know more. (Wow they decided to make spin-offs of the Persona games I guess!) #7. Advance Wars 1+2 - Not for me, not interested. #8. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 - I want to know more. (I have the original. I've never played it. I should get around to that) Total Games: 8 | Not Interested: 4 | Want To Know More: 4 | Wait for Sale: 0 | Want to Play: 0 Explanation: I'm not a giant Nintendo baby. Like - there's some games here I would prolly enjoy, but Nintendo is the Disney of gaming. Everything of theirs is exorbitantly expensive no matter how old it is. Which is why I did not include any "wait for sale" here. I'm not such a die-hard for the Persona series that I care to see where they originated with the SMT games. Zelda is a game I should get around to eventually - it's a bad gap in my gaming repertoire. Concluding Statistics: Total Games: 127 Not Interested: 73 Want To Know More: 33 Wait for Sale: 14 Want to Play: 7 Analysis: That seems about right. More than half the stuff (57%) is stuff I just have 0 interest in. Around 26% is stuff that I could have interest in, but I really need to know more, there is a lot over a dozen games I'd want on sale, and a handful that I truly consider myself HYPED for. For the record, I know there were far more than just 127 games shown. There was prolly stuff in pre-shows and such that got attention. But this is what the majority of people watch in terms of the big developers and studios and yea.... it's just aight. But I still enjoyed it! I don't care for the games necessarily, but the experience. Remember that for E3 2022! Edited June 17, 2021 by realm722 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Together_Comic Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 12 hours ago, realm722 said: REALM REVIEWS E3 As someone who didn't watch E3 this is insanely helpful. Super excited for Hades on the PS4. The Avengers updates scare me, but we'll see. You really should get around to BotW ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 Game: Crossing Souls Analysis: I bought Crossing Souls for $3.74 in mid-April 2021, and was initially gonna hold off on playing it for awhile until I read @Cassylvania's glowing, spoiler-free review. So first my spoiler free review: Crossing Souls is a game that has, for lack of a better term - a whole lot of soul. It's not the prettiest game I've played this year (though the pixel art is very nice and the world is nicely detailed), it doesn't have the greatest combat by any means (but it's serviceable, and during bosses requiring you to pay attention in order to actually beat them) and it's story is nice enough flavoring that even for how over the top it is, you can appreciate the subtle nuances of it all with a lovable cast of young characters. You're going on an adventure with a gang of kids from the mid-1980s, chill out, enjoy the vibes, and watch the madness unfold. If that sounds like your sorta thing, pick this bad boy up before reading any further! Spoiler Section Begins Now - Soooooo let me first discuss the characters since I really do believe the entire game being enjoyable or not for someone hinges completely on the fact of whether you like this group or not. You have your protagonist - Chris, who for the most part serves as the inoffensive protagonist and main character of the story. You can tell because he has very distinct, lush blue hair! He's chill. His younger brother is Kevin! I said there would be spoilers so here we go - Kevin freaking dies. But no worries! The story of this game and core element is that it doesn't really matter that he died because his soul got devoured by a purple pyramid, it just means we can only visit him in the spooky dead dimension that we can flick on or off with a simple flick of the R2 button. Neat! Big Joe is the lovable hefty black kid who just so happens to be the second core character to die during the game! You're gonna notice a them here. Joe's far and away your strongest character and has the most health, while simultaneously doing the most damage to enemies. He's a tank, and his death was the most painful one for me personally ('specially since it was due to slowly bleeding out in the cave at the end of a long section where he was plainly struggling). Matt is the nerd of the group, found furthest to the left in the above image. I didn't love Matt. He's fine, he's important to the group due to the knowledge he has, and he ends up being one of the last surviving characters you play as along with Chris as you infiltrate the enemy's liar at the end of the game but... meh. He gets his neck snapped like a twig towards the end and dies to the games main boss. RIP. Finally, there's Charlie - the uber athletic, cool-enough-to-hang-with-the-boys cool gal who ultimately ends up getting with Chris. Yea, anybody who isn't a lizard person saw that coming a mile away. You fight a bunch of goons her alcoholic dad send after you when you wanna pry her away from him. She's cool and loves this misfit of goofballs. She ends up being the only one who survives the entire story, and the ending sequence is her, now an elderly grandma, telling her adventure as a youth to her grand-kids before rejoining the gang in the spooky dimension. Super cute ending! I liked this group of characters, so I enjoyed this game. But I have to concede that if you don't care for them... there's not much here. The overall narrative is so laughably honest in its' simplicity I respect. The villains are so comically over-the-top that one of the is even named "Heartless". He killed Big Joe... how.... name-sakely of him. The final boss is General Major Oh Rus. He's the one who snaps Matt's neck. Thankfully, you just kept dodge-rolling his attacks on the final boss like a bad-ass and wore him down with your dad's baseball bat. But all in all - a simple narrative is fine, I tend to not care for video game stories (I should write an article about that...) and this one served well enough as flavoring around the inter-personal dynamics. In terms of gameplay, combat was simple and easy - bit of button mashing with backing off when necessary. No boss proved very challenging, I died twice on the final one and once to Heartless' remaining corpse but nothing too challenging. The soundtrack was not special but solid, my fave was prolly "Welcome to Tajunga." In terms of trophies, the game has A LOT of missables due to collectibles and one-off trophies in each chapter. Those were a bit of a pain, so look up the guide beforehand or take advantage of a platinum walkthrough. The games fairly short regardless, and it personally took me 1 day and 1 hour in order to earn the 20.91% platinum rarity. All in all, I recommend Crossing Souls to the over-whelming majority of y'all reading this. It's just a nice time with a gang of kids and touches on some nice formulas of a relatable group getting caught up in an adventure during the summer. It's not gonna with my GOTY or anything, but the developers clearly cared deeply about this game - and I think the best demonstration of that was the dedicated short style animation videos they did for major moments in the game. For such a small developer in Fourattic (literally just 4 dudes from Spain) to make that happen is a testament to the love that went into this game. I'll definitely keep my eye on them for their next project, and hope they've garnered enough eyeballs to make their next project that much more ambitious. Panda Score: 6.6 / 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassylvania Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) Hooray. You wrote an actual review on the game, unlike my cheap "Yeah, it was good, but anything I say would be a spoiler" cop-out. CS reeks so much of the 80's that I can't help but love it. Edited June 19, 2021 by Cassylvania 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotz99 Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I did not realize how many games they actually showed during E3...your post on it is very helpful. This also helped me get a better idea of your taste in games. There is a bit more in there that I am interested in, but my tastes are all over the place for games. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted July 3, 2021 Author Share Posted July 3, 2021 (edited) Game: Wandersong Analysis: I bought Wandersong for $4.99 back in late June 2021. There is no need for me to complicate this review, so let me be direct. Wandersong is good for the soul. You SHOULD play it. $20 is admittedly steep for a game of this length, but you can easily snag it for $5 when it goes on sale. It is a lovely game that encourages you, The Bard, to save the world by putting together the Earthsong. This means you'll be going on an adventure. As opposed to typical combat with a sword and violence, you'll be conquering your foes with the sound of your voice. But if that sounds just a little bit too friendly for your tastes, along the way you'll have to deal with the acclaimed "Hero", Audrey Redheart - who is seeking to destroy the very overseers you are seeking to save this world. Along the way you'll have to form a band, encounter pirates and mermaids, shut down a factory, and so on. It's a remarkably charming game that you can tell the creator, Greg Lobanov clearly had a passion for while creating it. Even if it sounds like these sorts of games "aren't for you" and you may even look down on it since it's a mere 100% as opposed to having a platinum, I think you should check it out. Its trophy list is super straightforward, and it can be cleaned up super quickly if you missed anything due to a stage select mode that can easily be unlocked. I earned the 36.68% rarity 100% completion in just 1 hour and 10 minutes. That somehow makes me the 20th fastest achiever on PSNProfiles, but that more than anything has to do with the fact the game has a criminally low # of owners (just 379). Do yourself a favor and it out when you get the chance. Panda Score: 6.8 / 10 P.S. - I've been in a very weird place towards the end of June. Maybe not a weird place but... a growing phase. It's necessary. It's good. I just need time to make sense of it. I had a miserable week last week, but things are starting to look on the up-and-up so let's hope it keeps going. I've also had my playtime go down a bit since I've been invested in Euro 2020. I picked Italy v. England (with the Italians taking it) after the group stage and right now that pick is sitting pretty unless England blows a mind-bogglingly easy bracket avoiding the likes of France/Belgium/Italy. In the NBA, I like the Suns to beat the Bucks in the Finals in 6 games. Phoenix is very fortunate to have had so many injuries by opposing teams' star players but every champion needs luck. It's a ring all the same. Apart from that, for the back-end of June, I was playing a game called Superhot. It's VERY good and makes you feel very cool. I'm looking forward to writing a review on it. Until then! Edited January 18, 2023 by realm722 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post realm722 Posted July 10, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 10, 2021 (edited) Game: Goat Simulator Analysis: I did not buy Goat Simulator. Instead, I got it for free when it was available for PS+ Users during January 2020. I did buy all the DLC for $5 in May 2021. Wow, I did not expect myself to not enjoy this game as much as I did. Let's be honest, Goat Simulator is one of those "meme" games from the early-2010s. Happy Wheels. Ride to Hell: Retribution. You type in "Goat Simulator" into YouTube, and the first thing that'll pop up is a Markiplier video with 5 million views. But the game wasn't a one-hit-wonder, it actually garnered huge popularity because of YouTube and the general audience enjoying a "lol look at how glitchy this game where you play as a goat is". 2.5 million copies sold later, and the developers over at Coffee Stain Studios managed to parlay their meme game into a proper studio that has a publishing subsidiary that published the latest Steam superstar, Valheim. Talk about making the most of your success and genuinely turning it into a proper business. I was actually so curious about the Swedish guys behind the monstrosity and found some neat tidbits. Here, they mention how the game was heavily inspired by the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games, but instead of a dude you're a goat, and instead of doing tricks you do stupid stuff. I also discovered that they were also acquired by THQ Nordic. Sadly, I did not find a deep-dive interview about their rags to riches story, but that may still be to come from a channel like Noclip in the future. I'm honestly happy that studios such as Coffe Stain as well as Young Horses (studio that did Octodad, then Bugsnax) have been able to have these transitions to becoming proper video game companies, even if in their wake they left a horrible number of spin-off attempts trying to recreate even a fraction of their success behind. None of them took off. Until the Goose Game. But seriously, I'm not trying to sound like I have a stick up my ass. The game is fine. If you love the Spyro games, you'll probably enjoy Goat Simulator. (This runs the risk of radically offending diehard Spyro fans but I played the remastered trilogy and Goat Simulator is that but wildly unpolished). What makes the game "bad" is what made it funny then. It's glitchy. The goat spazzes out. Comedy. I started out getting all the trophies in Goatville and it wasn't too bad. You have to go around and collect 30 collectibles for a trophy, and the rest of the content is mostly just interacting with the environment to create silly outcomes like licking a handglider or headbutting a boulder. If it was just the base game I was judging, this would be an inoffensive 6/10, free platinum that I could credit for it's cleverness to capitalize off internet culture in it's heyday but no... there was DLC. LOTS of DLC. Let's cover it. Goat Simulator (GoatMMO) - This one honestly wasn't so bad. The majority of your time will be scampering about the level for the 20 collectibles. Otherwise, you just do random side activities, see the nice fantasy landscape, appreciate some of the classic MMO jokes and that's about it. I thought all of the DLC would be like this and thought "bit of a waste of a time but not terrible" Goat Simulator (GoatZ) - The WORST DLC. Just atrocious. First of all, all I remember about DayZ is it being wildly popular on YouTube back in the day in 2013 and 2014. Since then I feel like it's popularity has cratered in the face of the Fortnite and PUBG's of the world. So what makes the DLC bad? For one, this was the glitchiest DLC for the simple fact there is no "respawn" only "restart". Why is that bad? There are multiple trophies such as "Craft all items in one game" and "Clear 25 survival quests in one game" that get reset if you must restart. Do I need to tell you why that's bad when this game is KNOWN for being glitchy? Multiple times I got stuck in the under-world endlessly falling thanks to a car hitting me out of nowhere or a zombie goat slamming into me that I just had to start over. Plus, crafting all the items takes so much time - and you have to be so very careful that you don't send them flying off the map while holding them with your tongue, because if you do, you have to restart again since that was the only item of it's kind in the entire level. I suggest leaving these trophies for the last 2, once you're familiar with the level and can just flip on a podcast since you know the locations of everything and can actually just go where you need to go. Oh - and use wheel goat when possible! Goat Simulator (Payday) - The best DLC. It's the only one where you don't play as a goat, but rather a group of 4 animals (mostly the flamingo). I liked it and thought it was cute! It's a big world that you can fly around in, and while the longest trophy is "completing all the jobs" it shouldn't take you THAT long. The worst thing for me was I accidentally bugged out one of them, thought that even restarting the level wouldn't fix it, but it did so everything worked out. For the "GoatBall" trophy - use slow motion, I did it 15 times the other way and failed. Did it on my 2nd attempt with slow mode enabled. For "Itsame!" - don't shoot the cannon into the sky, shoot it at the island to hit the tree and you'll get it. Doesn't detect it the other way. At this point, I thought "how bad could the last one be?" Goat Simulator (Waste of Space) - The 2nd worst DLC. It could be the worst. First of all, the method you have to use to get $100,000 is just dumb since it consists of mindlessly running about headbutting NPCs and crates. Once you get the copy goat, you can print humans to headbutt but it still takes 20-30 minutes. Then you just click triangle for 10 minutes after headbutting the CEO for the millionaire trophy. There was the abysmal "spaceship" trophies, which include you controlling a spaceship as a goat. Left stick controls one arm, right stick the other. It's awful. I died a lot. Took me a proper 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. I'm not even joking. The "complete all test chambers" trophy was annoying cause of the glitchy cow. The collectible trophy did not pop for me randomly so I had to gather all 30 spaceship collectibles. As I said, if you like Spyro - you'll prolly not hate this game. Finally, I had conquered ALL of the DLC. So I moved on to GoatCity. Another 30 collectibles. But more of the mindless nonsense trophies as in Goatville, that weren't tricky whatsoever. There was a Minecraft reference. I fully expected "Flappy Goat" to be a nightmare given the fact I had never played the original Flappy Bird in it's prime when it rose to stardom in January 2014 but it only took me 30 minutes worth of attempts after listening to Bill Simmons talk to Ariel Helwani about UFC coverage. I just covered up the score, focused on making sure the bottom of the chin didn't touch the bottom of the ladder and got it. Given all the threads about it, I thought it'd be worse - but since it was a free game it was prolly attempted but a lot of casuals who tried for 5 minutes and after barely getting a score of 4 or 5 made a flurry of posts. It's annoying, but not that bad. Ultimately, I earned Goat Simulator's 25.46% rarity platinum (or much more lucrative, 1.86% 100% completion) in just 5 days and 23 hours. During GoatZ I was hating it. During Payday was enjoying it. Everything else is largely a wash. Why on earth did I write 1.4k words on this? See y'all next time. Panda Score: 5.0 / 10 Edited July 10, 2021 by realm722 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD_91 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 I've wanted to play goat sim for a while I'm just waiting for the dlc to go on sale again after missing it the last time, my expectations going into it are low but as a spyro fan I'm interested to see what I think of that comparison 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Aayyyy, what's good. Just poked my head in and your enthusiastic posts charmed the hell out of me. Some (not so) quick thoughts, if I may: - Your FF7RM review was phenomenal (especially interesting coming from a first timer), and unless you're absolutely dead set on avoiding spoilers I strongly suggest you play the original and/or get your hands on (the possibly superior) FF6 as the good @DrBloodmoney recommended. I got to know FF7 inside and out when I was a teenager and have been frothing at the mouth for the remake since it was initially teased like fifteen years ago or somethin like that... all to say that I have my FF7 credentials in order and I think the remake is excellent and love the direction they're taking with it. - I am now intrigued by Jotun, though I am quite possibly the opposite of a god gamer (peasant gamer?). Cuphead was a difficult boss rush that was a feast for the eyes and I loved that! Hell, after the platinum popped I actually kept playing for a while, like a holed up soldier who didn't know the war was over. - Crossing Souls and Wandersong might could be a good experience, they sound nice. I'll have to keep an eye out for those when new sales pop up. - Think I'm stubbornly deciding not to be sold on Goat Simulator and I have no idea why. I hope I'm not racist towards goats (now that I think of it, I don't even have any goat friends... who am I?) - You've earned yourself a follow. Looking forward to reading more from you? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted July 14, 2021 Author Share Posted July 14, 2021 On 7/12/2021 at 0:04 PM, YaManSmevz said: Aayyyy, what's good. Just poked my head in and your enthusiastic posts charmed the hell out of me. Some (not so) quick thoughts, if I may: - Your FF7RM review was phenomenal (especially interesting coming from a first timer), and unless you're absolutely dead set on avoiding spoilers I strongly suggest you play the original and/or get your hands on (the possibly superior) FF6 as the good @DrBloodmoney recommended. I got to know FF7 inside and out when I was a teenager and have been frothing at the mouth for the remake since it was initially teased like fifteen years ago or somethin like that... all to say that I have my FF7 credentials in order and I think the remake is excellent and love the direction they're taking with it. - I am now intrigued by Jotun, though I am quite possibly the opposite of a god gamer (peasant gamer?). Cuphead was a difficult boss rush that was a feast for the eyes and I loved that! Hell, after the platinum popped I actually kept playing for a while, like a holed up soldier who didn't know the war was over. - Crossing Souls and Wandersong might could be a good experience, they sound nice. I'll have to keep an eye out for those when new sales pop up. - Think I'm stubbornly deciding not to be sold on Goat Simulator and I have no idea why. I hope I'm not racist towards goats (now that I think of it, I don't even have any goat friends... who am I?) - You've earned yourself a follow. Looking forward to reading more from you Hah thank you for all the love man - I really appreciate it. I hadn't read my FF7R Review since I finished it so going back and re-reading it for the first time in a few months even made me chuckle on occasion ?. I definitely want to play the original one day, but I'm also partially tempted to continue as-is for now given I'll have the opportunity to experience the 2nd game in the remake trilogy in a very different light compared to so many others. FF6 on the other hand is one I absolutely want to get my hands on - too bad Square Enix said for the 1-6 package is only coming to Steam and Mobile at the moment. But it's definitely on my to-do list! As for Jotun - check it out! You can get it for a few bucks and it goes on sale fairly frequently. I'll concede that it would probably be the game that demands the most determination to repeat the same boss over and over again based on what I've seen from your plat collection, but you've played enough adequately tricky big games for me to think you could beat it! Plus, there are some LOVELY extensive helpful guides on this forum thanks to some awesome dudes. I'd also be happy to offer up a few more recommendations from my collection based on your favorite games. You could even make a trophy cabinet and join the gang of people here reviewing games they've conquered. Just by glancing at your list you've got a few heavy hitters I'd love to hear your opinion on (Drake's Fortune, Overcooked 2, Fallout 4 to name a few) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 16 hours ago, realm722 said: Hah thank you for all the love man - I really appreciate it. I hadn't read my FF7R Review since I finished it so going back and re-reading it for the first time in a few months even made me chuckle on occasion . I definitely want to play the original one day, but I'm also partially tempted to continue as-is for now given I'll have the opportunity to experience the 2nd game in the remake trilogy in a very different light compared to so many others. FF6 on the other hand is one I absolutely want to get my hands on - too bad Square Enix said for the 1-6 package is only coming to Steam and Mobile at the moment. But it's definitely on my to-do list! As for Jotun - check it out! You can get it for a few bucks and it goes on sale fairly frequently. I'll concede that it would probably be the game that demands the most determination to repeat the same boss over and over again based on what I've seen from your plat collection, but you've played enough adequately tricky big games for me to think you could beat it! Plus, there are some LOVELY extensive helpful guides on this forum thanks to some awesome dudes. I'd also be happy to offer up a few more recommendations from my collection based on your favorite games. You could even make a trophy cabinet and join the gang of people here reviewing games they've conquered. Just by glancing at your list you've got a few heavy hitters I'd love to hear your opinion on (Drake's Fortune, Overcooked 2, Fallout 4 to name a few) Thank you! That thought has occurred to me, starting up my own thread. I've been having a lot of fun chillin in the bushes and stalkin everybody else's, and it's so dope to get these windows into everyone's journey to.. well, wherever they're tryin to get! Also it slipped my mind before, but I wanted to thank you for mentioning that silliness with Tifa's sweaty shower talk, thought I was the only one who noticed that! In the sewers, sure, it's a perfectly organic thing for a woman to say, but after every other fight?? "I would KILL for a shower!" Bitch, you kicked an overgrown mole. ONCE. "Worked up a good sweat!" From casting Thunder level one? Yeah okay bro. It's subtle but still kind of unnecessary. It's not like they had Barrett sayin "I need to get hosed off, my pants sealin in some FLAVOR!!" Anyway. I'm definitely down for good recs. Looked into Jotun and it looks great! I've got a bit (okay a lot) of backlog cleaning to go through but I'ma slap that one on the pile. Hopefully I'm up to the challenge? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post realm722 Posted July 16, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) Game: Superhot Analysis: I bought Superhot for $9.99 back in early March 2021, and I think it qualifies as the first FPS I've ever played and platinumed! I'm very surprised it only has a little more than 21k owners at the moment on PSNProfiles. I had never watched a play-through of the game, but there was absolutely a brief window in the past where it was in the zeitgeist as "yo... that Superhot game? Pretty dope bro." That was when it was in its infancy and since then over the past few years, it's been brought over to all modern consoles. I'll be honest - I always thought the concept was cool but never seriously considered purchasing it because I thought it was a VR-exclusive. WHOOPS. There is a VR game with its' own trophy list and all but you can play the original game quite alright with just a controller. With that revelation, I bought it and finally played it. Here's the rundown. Playing Through the Story aka Feeling Super Clunky - Superhot has a story. It's kinda high-tech, oh no you're trapped in the game, oh no... you aren't controlling the game - the game is controlling you sorta deal. I enjoyed it for what it is. But we're all here for the gameplay. Time only moves when you do. If you move your head around to convey the landscape, time will move ever so slightly allowing you to dodge in-between bullets, and by slowly trekking forward you can pull off some asinine moves that look incredibly badass upon a replay. Here's one I managed. Plus a cooler one once I mastered the mechanics. Those may look real fancy for someone who has never played, but trust me - the game is wonderful at making you look and feel way more John Wick-esque than you actually feel when carrying out the assaults. At least that'll be the case on your 1st run through the story levels where you don't know where the enemies will be spawning from or how many there will be in total. Here are a couple of my tips for newcomers: 1) Use the katana. It has tremendous range. Doesn't run out. It's majestic. 2) Experiment. The best moments when playing will be when you manage ridiculous moves as opposed to relying on safe hide-and-cower as you wait for the enemies to come to you. 3) Hotswitching is phenomenal. You should use it liberally. It's an instant kill and can save you in a pinch as well. 4) JUMP. Enemies shoot like stormtroopers when you do. Endless Mode / Other Stuff - Endless mode is alright. It's not my favorite. It can be fun to rack up tons of kills like 100+ in a level when you're on fire but typically it would just be getting the same 5-6 kills, getting knocked out, and quickly restarting. You'll have to unlock all the levels since there's a trophy tied to them, plus achieve the 1,987 kills in endless mode necessary for a trophy. Shouldn't take you too long with the proper exploit so just throw on a podcast or a movie to keep you entertained. During this process, I got all of the "Kill 100 dudes with X weapon" so take care of all those as well. Besides a few random trophies for opening menus, it's time to move on to the best part of the entire game. Challenges - I LOVED the challenges. This is where depending on what type of gamer you are, your mileage may vary when it comes to your enjoyment with Superhot - so lemme explain my case. There are 25 levels in Superhot. 13 challenges. That means repeating those same levels roughly a bit north of 300 times (some only have 18 or 24, so it's a rough estimate but you get the idea) Some of the challenges will be for example - you can only kill with katanas. OR punches. OR guns only have 1 bullet. OR enemy bullets are faster. There ARE speedrun challenges but they are wonderful. One of them tracks your time in-game (how many seconds you take with the clock slowly ticking) and the other tracks your time in real-time. They're two radically different ways to play, and two gold trophies are tied to them. In one, you'll be slowly methodically planning out how to most quickly kill all opponents, while in the other you'll be shooting-and-spraying hoping your rapid-fire no scope shots take down the enemy. With the practice you'll have cultivated from the 5-6 challenges beforehand, it shouldn't be too tricky. I completed them all without even needing to resort to a guide since the times are quite generous. Of course, I should reiterate, this is playing the same 25 levels over and over and over again. I LOVE it. It's exactly the sort of gameplay loop I described when I platinumed Mirror's Edge Catalyst. My enjoyment in games is being given a task repeatedly and tryna get a little better each time. If you hate repetition in games, this will largely be a slog for you. Buyer beware if you know that description fits you. Otherwise, the hotswitching/hard/impossible modes were easy peasy, and all I had left was... Norestart Challenge. What is norestart? You must complete all 25 levels in a single sitting. Straight through. Zero safety net. With zero deaths. Bruh. My Pathetic Norestart Challenge Attempts: Attempt #1: Died on LVL27 Office (ugh I was doing so well and choked, only had 4 levels left to beat the challenge after it) Attempt #2: Died on LVL16 Donut (welp there was a guy on the far right side I just had forgotten about dang it) Attempt #3: Died on LVL11 Break (AHHHHH I hate this level you're constantly getting blitzed from 3 sides) Attempt #4: Died on LVL10 Desper (I'm officially getting worse and am frustrated. Attempt #5: Died on LVL27 Office (Why am I such a moron? Why did I panic? Lost track of right hand and got blind-sided DAMMIT) Attempt #6: Died on LVL13 Tirall (Lost on the most utterly BS bottle break and assault rifle guy mowed me down) Attempt #7: Died on LVL10 Desper (Free-fallin') Attempt #8: Died on LVL11 Break (Yea okay game just spawn 2 guys with shotguns and another with an assault rifle why don't you) Attempt #9: Died on LVL11 Break (I hate this level) Attempt #10: Died on LVL13 Tirall (Another BS early bottle break it's like the game wants me to quit trying with these hitboxes) Attempt #11: CHALLENGE COMPLETED. (lmao almost choked it on the train station level at the end moronically not hot-switching but hey) So yea! Practice those specific levels where I died a bunch before you try for it. Learn reliable routines that don't involve jumping around mindlessly like a moron. It took me 2+ hours since I kept rushing trying to "make up" the time I had lost on the previous failure and that can make you down spiral very quickly. The last challenge is a victory lap celebrating your efforts. Go back through the game and get all the secret terminals to learn more lore about the game I recommend using Achievement Hunter since they're ridiculously well-hidden. With that achieved, you're finished! The Bottom Line - Superhot makes you feel badass. You're an action hero in a blockbuster film and the red dudes are the Steven Seagull-tier klutz you'll leave embarrassed by hop-scotch-hopping across the environments like a baffoon slowly plucking them off one-by-one. It's a pure delight to watch once you complete the level. I'll concede the game plays perfectly into my enjoyment of repetitive cycles, but given how quicky and snappy the levels are, they're designed to be replayed over and over again. I think some of my favorites include 14SERV, 19OLDBOY, 20BALLROOM, and 30GATE. You'll master some and struggle greatly on others. But the enjoyment you get from a chaotic sequence where you manage to skate by and survive against all probability never got old for me. I think all the challenges prevented many casuals from bothering with the platinum, but aside from norestart, it's genuinely not that challenging at all and should be a plat in the 8-10% range in my mind. It took me 3 weeks and 3 days to earn Superhot's 4.68% rarity platinum. This marks my 7th ultra rare platinum for 2021, a perfect 7/7 given I'm tryna attain one for each month of the year. Hope this little review may have put the game on the map for some of y'all and that's all from me. Have a wonderful day! Panda Score: 8.2 / 10 Edited July 18, 2021 by realm722 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post realm722 Posted July 18, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 18, 2021 (edited) These are My Top 5 Favorite Trophy Checklists on PSNProfiles DISCLAIMER: This won't happen here (it BETTER not) but this is a completely arbitrary post of my own machination. There's a LOT of trophy checklists on here. This is an awesome community. So much of the internet has become cannibalized by the social media giants of Twitter, Reddit, and Discord. Forums have fallen to the wayside. Yet there are still bastions of groups of people who enjoy niche subjects such as trophy hunting, and it's how PSNProfiles continues to remain surprisingly active for a more niche aspect of gaming. I say all this to say - I swear to god if we have a big drama cuz of this post I'm going to throat punch somebody. If you can't detect the sarcasm below without an /s then get off my lawn!!! The "Trophy Cabinet" portion of PSNProfiles is a tight-knit community. Most frequent posters here know each other and comment on each other's posts. I'm kind of a weirdo and literally only use the website for it, as well as the odd game where there are helpful tips in the games' own forum section. Whereas many others enjoy community events with different objectives, goals, and milestones - I'm the weirdo goblin under the bridge who doesn't venture out from my rock. I like it that way! The one exception of course is when I check out other people's trophy cabinets since I genuinely love reading and hearing candid opinions of somebody who has conquered a game I've either 1) played, 2) considering buying, 3) have never heard of in my entire life. I could read an IGN review about it, or trust some stranger on Metacritic's opinion, but why do that when I can get takes from other people whose taste I've gotten to know personally? Plus, next to nobody in the mainstream covers a game's typical trophy difficulty. So that's why I've decided to put myself through the arduous task of deciding what are my Top 5 favorites on this website. I cannot emphasize this enough - this is an OBJECTIVE ranking and if you don't appear on here it's because you're not good enough. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules, I just do the rankings. Honorable Mentions: Arcesius (If other people who frequently hang out here did their rankings, Arcesius likely is at a minimum Top 3 All-Time. He is absolutely ruthless and devours difficult games like cookies. Does wonderful reviews that give you genuine insight on preparing you for the sorta task you're gonna face if it's a game you're considering playing. The only reason he's not in this Top 5 is because __________(insert controversial take in the blank). Oh, and Finland isn't real), DrBloodmoney (The Superstar of the 2021 Trophy Cabinet Community. This lad came out of nowhere for me towards the end of April and manages to find a beautiful blend of helpful game recaps with his UK humor. I love it. But he's still the new kid on the block compared to the vets here(at least Trophy Cabinet wise), ride the pine rookie!), Copanele (Copanele is the Zlatan Ibrahimovic of this community. Sneakily, he has incredible #'s + consistency. The 6th most viewed cabinet of All-Time (25k+ views), 700 replies, and he's just a jolly chap. Given the fact his post started in June 2019, it makes it all the more impressive. In every aspect - he's Top 5, but due to our chasmic difference in games where he's playing King of Fighters XXX: Fighting After Dark while I'm bumbling about in baby game nonsense - I don't get as many game recommendations as much as I do just enjoy reading his posts on a side of gaming I've never even dabbled in), Grotz99 (Another fresh face. Coming up on a year anniversary of his 1st post in July 2020, Grotz is a great dude with super solid game recaps. Our game interests align here and there and I'm going to love reading his posts on the remaining Banner Saga games. But I have to punish him since he has multiple POWGI 90%+ rarity plats on his profile which for me is the trophy hunting equivalent of prostitution), AndreasLionheart (Just a dude whose posts I enjoy. Been around for a number of years so he's a familiar face and just makes chill posts whenever he conquers a game), Kingofbattle (Similar to Andreas, been around for quite some time, does things at his leisure pace and is a nice glue guy. But he makes Grotz look like a saint with the number of $2 plats he's plotted down), AJ_Radio (I'd argue AJ_Radio (OR the artist formerly known as Spaz) is the most iconic member of PSNProfiles. I don't track all the drama llama on here so that could get me in trouble but I'm just glad he's around. His trophy list speaks for itself, and he has an amazing blend of super hard games along with keeping pace on all the outrageously popular games. He's like the Luis Suarez of PSNProfiles where yea some people wanna fight him but hell I'll root for him), Together_Comic (This is my sneaky wildcard pick to watch for the future. I love reading his extensive reviews such as the ones he did on Valfaris and the Persona games. But the volume and history are tough to compare with the rest. Regardless, I'll read anything he posts on his thread), ExistentialSolid (The brightest stars burn out the fastest. This dude was rising to superstardom at an unprecedented rate. I'll come out and say it - he had by far the BEST single game reviews/recaps/tips n' tricks of anybody on here, myself included. Videos, images, difficulty, he had it all. But The Binding of Isaac merked him into shutting down his post for a while. That's what a game can do to a man. I'm sad he locked it since it's honestly like if Luka Doncic decided to retire from the NBA tomorrow. 22k views + 450 replies since Dec. 2020? He'd be 2nd All-Time if he hadn't closed up shop. He'll be back though, and when he is, he has an easy argument for #1 on this list) But enough talk! Let's get to the Top 5 already. #5. (@rjkclarke) "rjkclarke's Carnival of Diamonds and Rust" Stats: Start Date: April 23rd, 2021 | 137 replies | 3,053 views | 324 platinums | 15,621 trophies (96.32%) | 40.09% average rarity | 26 games in common Justification: Before I even talk about rjkclarke's trophy cabinet, I do need to lightly point out that yes, he's in my Top 5 despite starting at the exact same time as DrBloodMoney but I'm just going to acknowledge it without explaining any reasonable justification. (in show biz we call this lamp-shading, kids) But for real, I absolutely love this dude's posts. Before referring to the actual cabinet - talk about an amazing catalog of games he has on his profile before he even started during written reviews. He's been hunting since 2011 days which makes him a proper veteran. But I'll get straight to the point of why he cracked my Top 5 despite his cabinet being so fresh compared to so many others. I absolutely adore the lengthy deep-dives on whatever entry he has recently completed. It does not matter if it is the AAA blockbuster or an indie title, he's going to dedicate the time it deserves to explain his thoughts. So many times reviews will boil down to "gameplay was fun, story was eh, 7/10" and while it's obviously the prerogative of each individual to decide how much they wanna write about each game - I don't get anything out of that. Rjkclarke's cabinet actually gives me some discernment just by how descriptive he is with whether or not a completely random game will be something that I enjoy. Obviously, if you've ever read ANYTHING on my thread (HELL THIS POST ALONE) you know I like long-form writing. So forgive my biases. He does do something better than me which is community interaction with people who comment on his thread which I'm horrific at. My only regret is I wish he had started his cabinet in March so I could get some thoughts about how much of a pain Okage is gonna be since it's in my backlog and I'm not looking forward to it. #4. (@Darling Baphomet) "Darling Baphomet's Altar" Stats: Start Date: January 30th, 2018 | 166 replies | 7,623 views | 119 platinums | 7,743 trophies (38.95%) | 47.06% average rarity | 72 games in common Justification: Another perhaps upset selection by me but let me make my argument. Bappho and I have a lot of games in common. Granted, she has a lot of games on her profile with over 500 at the moment - but to compare it to Madbuk who has over 600, 72 beats 47 by a great margin. This has manifested itself quite clearly in her latest reviews. Games I've been considering buying but are waiting to go a bit deeper on sale that she's already beaten and written a post about include Do Not Feed The Monkeys, Underhero, Knights and Bikes, Ikenfell, Wreckfast, and Titan Souls just to name a few. This Top 5 for me really isn't about who has the most impressive trophy list. The completion percentage is evidence of that, but finding someone who enjoys games, writes good reviews, and just plays the sorta stuff I also enjoy is hugely valuable to me and I'm glad a thread such as hers exists. I felt it had been a while since she had posted, but she even concedes on the opening post of her trophy cabinet that she'll have bursts of energy playing tons of games and vanish for a while if she loses interest. Given the fact she's popped plenty of trophies in the month of July, I hope we'll see her around here again soon. #3. (@madbuk) "Madbuk's List of Unfinished Games" Stats: Start Date: June 5th, 2016 | 370 replies | 24,945 views | 427 platinums | 21,498 trophies (95.26%) | 40.33% average rarity | 47 games in common Justification: Madbuk is the veteran of everybody here. I like to consider myself one of the longest-tenured still-active members in the trophy cabinet forum but even he has me beaten by a month. I've enjoyed using sports comparisons for some earlier hunters so for Madbuk I'd say a fair comparison is he's Mr. Reliable, think Cal Ripken Jr. in his heyday. Just be checking out his stats, there has not been a month that's gone by since 2016 where he did not earn at least 100 trophies. We're talking about consistent production week in and week out where you're guaranteed to get a nice succinct review out of him multiple times a month. That takes a ton of effort. I love the way he styles his reviews as well with a gorgeous banner of the game he just wrapped up. I kinda ripped off the idea by deciding to make a huge rectangular post for each of my new entries. You've also reached a special place in my trophy cabinet pantheon when whenever I'm considering buying a new game, I'll quickly check out his profile to see if he's beaten it, how long it took him, and if he has a review for it on his post. That is vaunted territory. I also dig the subtle nuance of always updating his profile icon with the latest platinum he's acquired. On top of all these accolades, he also has by far the most platinums and trophies of anybody in the Top 5. Who can dispute his Top 3 nomination? #2. (@Briste) "Briste's Diary of a Madman" Stats: Start Date: May 24th, 2019 | 365 replies | 16,069 views | 148 platinums | 6,915 trophies (97.86%) | 40.16% average rarity | 36 games in common Justification: Briste is awesome, and I'm not just saying that because his Banner Saga 2 DLC guide probably saved me from losing my damn mind. Of all the accounts here, he's the one that I feel I'm almost equal with in terms of trophies/platinums since while he's a bit ahead of me, it's not inconceivable if I had a hot month or two that I could tie him up if he got bogged down in a few lengthy difficult games (muahahaha keep playing those Injustice games, my friend). Nah but seriously he has great vibes, does appropriately lengthed reviews that keep the readers attention far better than my own do, and is splendid with community engagement. I can say as recently as within the past year I've trusted him to discard ever wanting to play Secret of Mana, gave me the motivation to push for the Jotun platinum, shared in a mutual love for MLB The Show 20, and even convinced me to an off-the-beaten-path game in Ash of Gods simply because of how much I loved the Banner Saga Trilogy. He's fantastic and I hope he keeps posting the way he has been for many months to come. #1. (@Cassylvania) Stats: Start Date: August 17th, 2017 | 3,098 replies | 149,202 views | 262 platinums | 11,580 trophies (98.83%) | 40.64% average rarity | 55 games in common Justification: Good lord. Let's cut to the chase. Cassy is The Godfather of Trophy Cabinets. He's not Michael Jordan, he's Wayne Gretzky. Did you know that if Gretzky never scored a goal in the NHL his ENTIRE career, he'd still be the All-Time leading points getter in the NHL? Well, that sort of level of absurdity is where Cassy is with his trophy cabinet. #1 in replies. #1 in views. Nobody is EVER touching that (I mean, maybe if Cassy got hit by a bus and ExisentialSolid went ham for 2-3 years straight). You could COMBINE the Top 5 most viewed Trophy Cabinets after Cassy's and their total is 154k. How can we even compete? But seriously, I didn't make this post just to fawn over what he's created over there (it's like, 80% of the reason why but ignore that for a sec). Anybody could post a bunch in their thread and make a bunch of replies. Being the most popular doesn't guarantee quality. Look at Taco Bell or the Paul brothers. But somehow, I am compelled to read every single one of Cassy's reviews. It doesn't matter the genre. It doesn't matter if it's the most off-the-wall nonsense I've ever seen or the most mainstream of games that your grandma has heard of it. It's a must-read for me. Always finding that perfect blend between humor and making you chuckle along with genuinely giving advice on how to better achieve the platinum. It's what saved me from wasting so much time in Graveyard Keeper with the zombie DLC. All of the people I've mentioned in this post have something about their threads and personalities that keep me wanting to come back for more, and Cassy is the Frankenstein amalgamation of all those qualities where it fits 1) my desire for personal reviews 2) unique games that barely anybody on PS4 is bothering why 3) consistent quality and 4) good vibes. I even ripped off his opening posts format of ordering every game you've completed, just tweaking it by ranking it by my personal rankings as opposed to by genre. I can't think of any bad things to say other than if I ever see a Dragon Quest Heroes 3 announced I am personally going to PM him trying to have an intervention and tell him he doesn't need to put himself through that anymore. This was a unique post. I sure hope y'all enjoyed reading a stranger's opinion of yourselves. Take care! Edited July 22, 2021 by realm722 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 Lol Zlatan Ibrahimovic Heck I'll take it! Great write up(as usual duh). Thought to save this post for my morning coffee but nah, too good to pass Gotta agree with all the rank ups there, especially with No.1. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted July 18, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted July 18, 2021 Thanks for the kind words (and best P5 waifu)! I've joked before that my views are only high because I sit here and spam the F5 button while grinding in RPGs, but the truth is that it's because so many of you guys seem to enjoy reading what I write and I'm glad I was able to inspire some of you to make checklists of your own. Existential was on pace to pass me until he locked his thread. Arc could. They've both cultivated quite the following with the ridiculously difficult games they tackle. But it's neat to see how everybody develops their own style. I know I've tried a few different things, such as waiting until I platinum a game to give my full review or providing updates as I go. I think that's what's helped with my longevity, as I've never felt obligated to stick to a particular format. (I would've quit long ago if I had to do something like my XCOM: EU or Everybody's Golf write-ups every day.) But I like to think other people can look at these ideas and maybe come up with a better way to present them. There's a lot of individuality you can have with these checklists that make it my favorite place to visit on this site too. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, realm722 said: I'm the weirdo goblin under the bridge who doesn't venture out from my rock. I like it that way! I feel like I'm also another "weirdo under a bridge" - dwelling goblin that often doesn't venture too far out from my rock, unless I feel like I can give some helpful tips on a game in a thread or something.. I just occupy the UK version of that bridge haha!! I love your posts too by the way... No - before you wonder I'm not just saying this because you mentioned me, I've been reading your stuff for ages and it's great. I just haven't dropped a comment yet.. Here's the first one of many I expect. Wow!! That was a great read... Thank you so much as well by the way - I'm honoured.. Don't worry I'm not going to do some weird long Oscar's acceptance speech like a ninny (although, my posts are never usually short ?) but, I really appreciate the kind words... Thanks though, makes me think I must be doing something right. I did think people might be put off by the fact I never give an x out of 10 rating, but I sort of thought, if you read everything I've written, it should become pretty clear whether or not that sort of a game would be for you or not.. I think every game, no matter how big or small, long or short deserves the same amount of time dedicated to writing about it, even if it's a game that doesn't have all that much to it on the surface, like a 3 hour long Artifex Mundi game or something.. They usually all offer something to discuss on some level or another.. Just thought I'd share some of the method to my madness. Funny you say that about Okage.. I literally have that review already written, but I hadn't posted it yet. I'm still spending most of my gaming time failing the jump rope mini-game in Final Fantasy IX ?, I'm still having lots of fun with it though, so not like I'm getting overly frustrated with it. I'll post the Okage review later and tag you in it... Okage is great by the way, just have to apply the context of when it was made to it. Don't judge it by modern standards. That game has so much charm, it probably needs to have an extra set of eyelids just to contain it all. Edited July 19, 2021 by rjkclarke 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madbuk Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 I appreciate the shoutout, I honestly hadn’t even realized myself just how long I’ve been doing this now… now I feel old ? All the credit for the banners has to go to whoever it is in the Game Information Team that sets those up for each game, I just, uh… “borrow” their chosen ones for my own list 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 Appreciate the shout out mate - It’s an honour just to be nominated in such esteemed company ? Plus - let’s face it - any time I get to be described as a “new kid on the block” in any capacity is, at my age, a victory in and of itself ? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briste Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, realm722 said: #2. (@Briste) "Briste's Diary of a Madman" Stats: Start Date: May 24th, 2019 | 365 replies | 16,069 views | 148 platinums | 6,915 trophies (97.86%) | 40.16% average rarity | 36 games in common Justification: Briste is awesome, and I'm not just saying that because his Banner Saga 2 DLC guide probably saved me from losing my damn mind. Of all the accounts here, he's the one that I feel I'm almost equal with in terms of trophies/platinums since while he's a bit ahead of me, it's not inconceivable if I had a hot month or two that I could tie him up if he got bogged down in a few lengthy difficult games (muahahaha keep playing those Injustice games, my friend). Nah but seriously he has great vibes, does appropriately lengthed reviews that keep the readers attention far better than my own do, and is splendid with community engagement. I can say as recently as within the past year I've trusted him to discard ever wanting to play Secret of Mana, gave me the motivation to push for the Jotun platinum, shared in a mutual love for MLB The Show 20, and even convinced me to an off-the-beaten-path game in Ash of Gods simply because of how much I loved the Banner Saga Trilogy. He's fantastic and I hope he keeps posting the way he has been for many months to come. Wow dude, that is super kind of you! It's funny that you relate to my account like that because that is the exact same reason I've been following yours lol We're about neck and neck with our play history, plus I feel like we could have a beer together outside of gaming and talk sports just as easy. We'd throw up at each other's chosen teams of course, but I get that same vibe I actually look at most of these profiles as well, but end up being more of a lurker with admiration than an active participant in the threads. I find that I have about an hour or two a day to myself and the more time I spend on here posting, the less time I have to game. I could probably find a happy medium if I was better with the keyboard on my phone, but as it stands, I do all of my posting from my desktop. You are correct though, that there are a lot of interesting personalities, with great takes, who obviously care a lot about their hobby. Keep up the great work my man and you'll be blowing past me in no time! Edited July 19, 2021 by Briste 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotz99 Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 (edited) I've been posting for almost a year?! Seriously though, I feel honored to be included in your post, even though you docked me points for POWGI games ?. I take no shame in those as I played them with my wife while we had music on in the background, knew they would haunt me one day.... 23 hours ago, realm722 said: #1. (@Cassylvania) They were the reason I actually started my thread so I am completely onboard with this, always a delight to read what they write. Edited July 19, 2021 by Grotz99 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcesius Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 Hey @realm722, thanks for the mention You are absolutely right, there are so many active checklists, each with their own style... So that everyone can find a couple to follow and enjoy reading. The best thing: Each of us maintaining one is doing this purely for fun (I assume), and the interactions with other fellow-PSNPlers is just an incredible bonus. I think we see that at ExistentialSolid's example.. once he realized he didn't have fun, he quit... And that's exactly right. Was an incredible checklist, that's for sure! Honestly, I would never have thought that my checklist would at some point get the attention it gets. But I am also one of those people that stalked Cassys checklist for a long while before writing there for the first time, and thinking "man, I'd love to have my own thread like this". I absolutely agree, that checklist defiintely is #1 Material That being said... I have yet to come across a checklist with as detailed reviews as your own! I know you cannot nominate yourself, but you have something amazing going on here as well 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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