Popular Post Cassylvania Posted June 22, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 22, 2023 ... Oh, hi there! I'm Ajna. You know, the chick from Indivisible who makes regular appearances in this thread for no discernible reason. Cass...er, "C-dawg" told me I should do this review because "Dragon balls have consumed my soul," whatever that means. I think it has something to do with needing to watch 85 more episodes by the end of next week...? There's a lot of crying going on in that other room. We'll just ignore it and use this handy checklist I was given! Let's see... *opens a sloppily-written manuscript titled, "How to Write a Hack Review."* First, I'm supposed to make the font REALLY big and then center it. Throw in a trophy image below that for extra posterity! pLaTiNuM #387 - MINIT Is that too big? Eh, who cares! OK, next I need to briefly describe the game and then make a stupid pun based on its title to try to hook the reader into reading on... Hm. All these examples involve titles with more than one word. What am I supposed do with this...? Uh... OK! Minit is a top-down...exploration...puzzle...adventure game where you play as a pixelated guy with duck lips. But is it worth your time or should it be cast out this minute? Wow, this is harder than it looks. "Give a horribly inaccurate description of the plot"...? I think I already did that. Honestly, we didn't see much of a plot here. You find a sword, it's cursed, and you have to find a way to break the curse. The gimmick here is that you die every 60 seconds...just like Dark Souls! *crosses "obligatory Souls reference" off the list* Now, you may not think you can accomplish much in 60 seconds, but look at what Jack Bauer does in 60 minutes! *crosses "obligatory 20+ year old show reference" off the list* This, of course, is a gimmick C-dawg has bitched about before because "wah wah, I don't want to repeat my actions", but actually praised heavily in Majora's Mask. I guess the gameplay just has to be fun. Here, because it's a REALLY short amount of time between lives, the gameplay is extremely fast. Dialogue is rapid (except for one particularly slow-talking turtle, which is just funny), movement is quick, and screen transitions are almost non-existent. There's also a "kill yourself" button, which you can use when you know you've screwed up and just want to try again right away. C-dawg has been asking me for one of those... Now, the "puzzle" aspect is more of an order of operations. You can think of this game as a sort of Metroidvania lite. When you collect an item or an ability, you retain that item or ability even when you die. Same for most shortcuts you can open up. It doesn't logically make sense because some things revert back to normal when you die (i.e. enemy spawns, movable objects, plants), while others maintain their permanency (i.e. NPCs who have moved from their original spot, items you have already picked up, some paths you have unlocked). You probably shouldn't think too hard about it. This is a game that puts fun over realism and, yeah, we thought it was pretty fun. The path forward isn't usually too difficult to figure out because the world is small and there's often only one way to seemingly go. For example, your starting sword allows you to cut grass, but you can't chop down trees or move blocks. You might see a key behind some blocks and you might encounter a door that's locked. Once you find a way to move that block, you can grab the key, which allows you to open the door, which allows you to access a new area or item or ability you might need. It's sorta like my checklist here! You just work your way from top to bottom, crossing off tasks as you accomplish them! And that's honestly where the joy in the game comes from. It's all about trying to find that next piece that progresses you forward. It's not 100% linear, though. There are some items you can probably grab out of order, and that may make some parts of the game easier or harder than they could have been. For example, there are running shoes. Obviously, in a game where your body is a ticking time bomb, being able to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible would be nice. The shoes cost money, though. I think it's seven coins in NG. There are 19 coins in the game. Since most of these are hidden, you may not be able to get the shoes when you first come across them, which would make some sections of the game significantly harder or even impossible. That time limit is tight. You'll often be grabbing an item with only a few seconds to spare. Of course, since it took you less than 60 seconds to get there, it's not the worst thing ever if you have to try again. This is a game that respects your time, which is something we both appreciate. The game only takes a few hours to beat. For the platinum, you'll need to play through NG+ at least once, but there are certain mechanics that can make the second playthrough much, much quicker. C-dawg took eight hours to complete what is supposed to be a three hour game (plus another one hour for NG+), but I'm pretty sure most of that time was spent in a puddle of drool on the floor, crying "Ka-me-ha-me-ha", whatever that is. I just know I'll be glad when June is over and things can go back to normal! I don't think there's much else to say. It was free, so that's good? Wasn't too difficult. We did have to use a guide to find some of the collectibles. Some of them are really obscure and...well, not buggy, per se, but there were times when we'd try something that we thought might work, but it either didn't work right away or didn't work all the time. It'd be like if you were looking for a hidden item in a Mario game, but it only appears in one block and only half of the time. C-dawg is yelling at me to mention something about dinosaur poop to tie this into the last review, but I'm WAY too lazy to read all that text. How do you guys do it? Anyway, this game is probably worth playing for the low, low price of nothing! It was a simple and unique experience, it didn't overstay its welcome, and it's the perfect game to play in short bursts. It's practically made for it! Plus, it has a quirky charm to it that only indie games can get away with. I hope I did a good job filling in. C-dawg will be back next week with another review! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted June 23, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 23, 2023 Wow. Thanks, Ajna, for that blinding pink text. I hope everybody's retinas recover. As she said, I've been balls-deep in Dragon Ball. I almost bought the complete DVD box set of the show just so I can watch it without waiting for the video to buffer all the time. I swear, it's turning 20 minute episodes into 30 minutes. Might as well have commercials if I'm going to sit through that. But, if I spent actual money on something DBZ-related, it kinda defeats the purpose of this event. (Maybe? I mean, I still spent nothing on the game.) I'm now officially halfway through the show, I think. Obviously, we're more than halfway through the month, so I'll need to pick up the pace. I would like to give a short mini review for a game I'm currently playing. There's no platinum for the game and I haven't even technically finished it yet, but I'm close enough to the 100% that I'd like to give a little shout-out to FAR: Lone Sails. It's a really basic indie game with no dialogue or story. You play as some unnamed creature -- not even sure you're a human -- in a deserted land. The entire game revolves around you traveling to the right on your ship. I wouldn't call it a survival game because there are no survival elements, but your ship does need fuel to move faster, and there is some light resource management and multi-tasking. The enjoyment from the game is the combination of the graphics, the music, and the exploration. There are puzzles too, but they're rather rudimentary. You're mostly just supposed to feel the loneliness and find comfort in protecting and upgrading your ship. I'm not going to bother with a NAP review on the game because it doesn't really need one (neither did Minit, honestly), but I will say it's probably my favorite game I've played this month. More than Minit. More than Jedi: Survivor. Definitely more than Dragon Ball: Kakarot. It's the reason I love survival games without all the things people hate about survival games. My favorite moments in games like The Long Dark and Green Hell were when I was huddled in my base during a storm with nothing but my thoughts and ambient noises to accompany me. There is a speedrun trophy, but I had one of the sloppiest runs in my life and still managed to get it on my first try, so it certainly is going to be a recommendation. And to think I wouldn't have even heard of the game if it didn't have a DBZ meme for a trophy... This really is a strange timeline in which we live. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 (edited) On 6/10/2023 at 8:07 PM, Cassylvania said: Like, I went back and watched Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers -- one of my favorite shows from when I was little -- and it was putrid. I guess the theme back then was low stakes and lots of puns. I know I'm gonna be crucified for saying this but... Rescue Rangers was one of my favorite cartoons back in the day. Some of the episodes had humor (like the one where a shape-shifting alien turned into Dale to avoid going back home but then Dale outwitted him by tempting him with his favorite food) and most of the arcs had some sort of interesting villain twist. Fat Cat was by far the most nefarious villain any Disney cartoon back in the day. And that fly companion was uber! If he ever flew into my house and I tried to swat him, he'd rip my arm off! I can understand that this was 'back in the day' and I probably won't rewatch those episodes, but it's a cartoon I'd recommend for my pre-five year old nieces. On 6/21/2023 at 9:07 AM, Cassylvania said: DuckTales is a different story. That show still holds up. Oh definitely. Donald Duck is now a movie star since starring with Goofy in the Kingdom Hearts series and Scrooge McDuck got some roles in KH2 and KH3. I think that's why I sort of enjoyed Kingdom Hearts, because of the Disney inclusions. That's why I would love to play the Kingdom Hearts series for my nieces when they are a little bit older. I certainly enjoyed the reviews so far, even the ones with eye-searing text. I want to say that your obsession with Dragonball content is overshadowed by my omni-level 90 all jobs no MSQ challenge for FFXIV because I've canceled all dates with any other game until that is done, which will be the time that The Teal Mask comes out. (aka the first wave of Pokemon Gen 9 DLC, coming in Autumn. ) Edited June 27, 2023 by Taruta13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruffiiti Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 On 6/22/2023 at 11:22 PM, Cassylvania said: I would like to give a short mini review for a game I'm currently playing. There's no platinum for the game and I haven't even technically finished it yet, but I'm close enough to the 100% that I'd like to give a little shout-out to FAR: Lone Sails. It's a really basic indie game with no dialogue or story. You play as some unnamed creature -- not even sure you're a human -- in a deserted land. The entire game revolves around you traveling to the right on your ship. I wouldn't call it a survival game because there are no survival elements, but your ship does need fuel to move faster, and there is some light resource management and multi-tasking. The enjoyment from the game is the combination of the graphics, the music, and the exploration. There are puzzles too, but they're rather rudimentary. You're mostly just supposed to feel the loneliness and find comfort in protecting and upgrading your ship. I'm not going to bother with a NAP review on the game because it doesn't really need one (neither did Minit, honestly), but I will say it's probably my favorite game I've played this month. More than Minit. More than Jedi: Survivor. Definitely more than Dragon Ball: Kakarot. It's the reason I love survival games without all the things people hate about survival games. My favorite moments in games like The Long Dark and Green Hell were when I was huddled in my base during a storm with nothing but my thoughts and ambient noises to accompany me. There is a speedrun trophy, but I had one of the sloppiest runs in my life and still managed to get it on my first try, so it certainly is going to be a recommendation. And to think I wouldn't have even heard of the game if it didn't have a DBZ meme for a trophy... This really is a strange timeline in which we live. Incase you haven't looked yet... there was a sequel released last year called FAR: Changing Tides. I haven't played either of them yet so can't confirm that the gameplay is as good as the first one but I have had both of them in my backlog for awhile now. Worth a look maybe? https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/15574-far-changing-tides 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted June 28, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 28, 2023 (edited) Platinum #388 - Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot ... ... ... ... Hi, I'm Aj-- No... Ajna. I can do this. Are you sure? You look like you haven't slept in three days... FIND THE DRAGON BALLS. LOOK OUT FOR THEM ALL. YOU CAN SEARCH AROUND THE WORLD WITH ME. GOTTA HEED THE CALL OF MAGIC DRAGON BALLS. Normal people don't talk like that. I got this. Look, guys. I know I could've just played the game, gave it the terrible review you knew was coming, and moved on to whatever July has in store for us, but I truly wanted to immerse myself in the Dragon Ball experience. This was such a big phenomena that I completely skipped over when I was growing up. That's why, in addition to platinuming the game, I thought I would watch all nine seasons... 153 episodes... of the original show, which first aired the same month I was born. That means we kinda grew up together, even though we never met until now. I didn't have time to watch the dozens of spin-offs and movies, but I think I know enough now to at least introduce you to some of the lore of this world. Is it essential for playing the game? Well, no, but I will say that it made the game make slightly more sense because you'll be familiar with some of the background characters and storylines, which are given very little attention otherwise in the game. So, as always, I'm just going to say this entire review will be full of spoilers for both Dragon Ball (the show) and Dragon Ball Z (the game, which I'm going to assume is the entire 291 episode series that followed Dragon Ball). If you're wondering if I thought it was good or not... uh, it was definitely an experience. Let's get into it. To begin, I'll tell you that both series followed the adventures of Goku, which you probably already knew. There's a pretty big time gap between the series, though. In Dragon Ball, Goku is a kid. In Dragon Ball Z, he's an adult with a kid of his own. This made it kinda confusing for me to play the game while I was watching the show, because a lot of the characters in the first series are also in the second, only older. I pretty much had to separate the two physically by only playing the game while I was watching Youtube videos and watching the show while playing a different game when Ajna wasn't hogging all the internet speed on Netflix. I swear, waiting for that thing to buffer made the show last twice as long as it should have. All we know about Goku in the beginning is that he’s a strange boy who lives alone in the wilderness, he has a tail for some reason (that he uses to catch fish, which is awkward to watch), and he’s super powerful. I guess you can think of him as a young Tarzan. I have no idea when the show is supposed to take place. On one hand, dinosaurs exist. On the other, people have super advanced technology that doesn't even exist in modern times. I feel like the writers didn't really have a plan in mind when they started the show and just put in whatever they thought they could get away with. There are characters who look like animals but act like people (like they'll have three construction workers, but two are human and one is a hippopotamus), characters who look and act like animals but can talk (like the turtle on Master Roshi's island), and then animals that are just...animals. It really feels like the writers were high at times. But I get what they wanted to do with Goku. He's an outsider. He's not supposed to understand ordinary human customs, and they really play up his nativity in the earlier seasons. For example, upon seeing a car for the first time, he thinks it’s a monster and tries to fight it. Bulma, who is driving the car, decides the best course of action is to pull out a gun and fire multiple rounds at Goku point-blank. If this was the real world, Goku would be dead, Bulma would be in prison for homicide, and I would've been spared at least 152 episodes of this show. Instead, Bulma is amazed a little child could survive her onslaught and informs Goku that she's searching for the seven mythical Dragon Balls. According to legend, whoever has all seven Dragon Balls (literally labeled with one to seven stars) can summon the dragon Shenron and wish for anything. And what does Bulma want? A boyfriend. ...Yeah. Let this set the stage for what is to come. The whole reason she encounters Goku is because she built a radar for finding the Dragon Balls and he is currently in possession of Dragon Ball #4 because it was given to him by his grandfather. But Goku, being a good person, decides to help his would-be murderer. On their journey to find all seven Dragon Balls, they meet Master Roshi, Launch, Oolong, and Krillin. This forms the central cast of characters for the entire 153 episodes. I want you to really get a taste for what watching this show is like, so let's go through each major character. Master Roshi is like Yoda, if Yoda was a conniving pervert. He's an elderly martial arts teacher who lives on a remote island and spends his days watching tapes of attractive women doing yoga. He takes on Goku as a student, but his "training" methods are even more unorthodox than Mr. Miyagi's way of getting kids to wash his car, as he actively tries to trick Goku into finding him a date. This is how Launch is introduced. Launch is...technically two characters. When she has blue hair, she's super nice and super ditzy. But when she sneezes, her hair turns blonde and she turns into a grumpy, gun-happy psychopath, like Bulma. The joke is that blue-haired Launch is too naïve to understand Roshi's advances, but she'll accidentally sneeze at just the right time to constantly thwart his plans. You might think this set-up would only be funny once, but rest assured that the writers will attempt it multiple times per episode. I said before that this show could never be made today and I stand by that. Roshi is a major reason for this. There's one point in the show where he gets a shrink ray (don't ask) and he decides to use it on himself so he can spy on Bulma and/or Launch in the bathroom. It doesn't go well for him, which is probably the only reason it was even remotely allowed, but...again, I don't know how old Launch is supposed to be, but I'm 99% sure Bulma is underage. They start toning this down later on, but there's literally a scene where the good guys decide the best way to defeat an invisible man is to get Bulma to flash Roshi, causing blood to gush from his nose (something that happens every time he gets excited) and completely cover the bad guy, rendering him visible. Like, neither Bulma NOR Roshi were around when this plan was concocted. It took almost an entire episode for it to come to fruition. They literally could have chosen ANY OTHER LIQUID OR VISCOUS MATERIAL, but they had to go with blood from this particular situation. Oolong is a pig (both literally and figuratively) who can transform into inanimate objects. This is...also used in perverted ways, as you can imagine, but it comes across as less creepy and more humorous because of his gravelly voice and the fact that he and Bulma play off each other. For every instance of Oolong offering to turn into something disgusting for Bulma (just use your imagination), there's an instance of Bulma asking Oolong to turn into a ladder so she can see over a wall or GASOLINE BECAUSE THEIR MOTOR BOAT RAN OUT. Like, seriously, guys. Bulma is the true villain of this show. Krillin starts out as Goku's rival (a fellow student of Master Roshi), but quickly becomes his wingman. He's probably the easiest character to tolerate because he's rarely doing anything weird or obnoxious. He's just a good friend. If Goku is Spongebob (which isn't a stretch, since they're both extremely outgoing, optimistic, and full of energy), then Krillin is Patrick. Early Patrick, I mean. Before they made Patrick into an idiot in the later seasons, he was someone Spongebob would come to for knowledge and advice. This allowed Patrick to have an air of superiority, even though he was clearly just as clueless as Spongebob to anybody watching. That was the impression I got when they first introduced Krillin, who, unlike Goku, understood what Master Roshi was looking for in a "date." Also, I completely repressed this memory until now, but another recurring joke in the earlier seasons is that Goku is only able to tell boys and girls apart by...uh...checking to see if they're "packing," if you know what I mean. This is how he says hello instead of shaking hands. That got a few laughs out of me that I feel awful about. There are lots of other characters throughout the show -- some one-offs, others who fill up entire storylines (or "sagas") -- but those six are the ones with the most screen time. So, how important are these characters to the game? Well, they're all IN the game, in one form or another. In fact, the entire game to seems to pay homage to the original series. You can find "memories" that are screenshots (accompanied by two or three lines) from various episodes throughout the show's run. This was admittedly a pretty cool addition. I'd sometimes come across a memory of an episode I had just watched or get an idea of what a future episode might have in store. There was even a time when I came across a memory of an episode that I was currently watching. It was like Inception! And even if the vast majority of characters from the show aren't playable, they do exist in the form of Soul Emblems, which are like mini-bonuses you can use to power up your abilities. (Totally unnecessary for beating the game, but are generally rewarded for completing side quests.) I actually like the addition of these. There are various "boards" you can place the Emblems on, and placing certain Emblems next to other ones can give you a further boost to your power on that board. For example, placing Oolong's Emblem next to Pura's Emblem (a shapeshifting cat from the show) gives you the "Shapeshifting Academy" bonus. Placing Oolong's Emblem next to Shenron's Emblem gives you the “Girly Panties!” bonus. (See, because that's what they spend their first wish on in the show instead of Bulma getting a boyfriend…) You can also get bonuses for placing Pura's Emblem and Shenron's Emblems next to other characters, but it's impossible to activate EVERY bonus at once, so you're often having to pick between them or reshuffling your Emblems around whenever you find a new one, which you can do freely at no cost. Some bonuses require three or even four Emblems to be placed in a row, but these are generally more powerful than the ones that only require two Emblems. I wish the execution was a little better (some of the boards weren't useful for general gameplay), but the idea of giving fan favorite characters a chance to shine is proof that this game was made by people who actually appreciate the show. I will rip this game apart in due time, don't worry, but it WON'T be for lack of respect to the source material. I'd also like to say my favorite character in this series by far is Goku. I did not expect to say that a month ago. I don't know what I was picturing going in, but I figured Goku's personality would somehow rub me the wrong way. I don't know if it's because I thought he'd be boring or generic or a meathead. It turns out he's the nicest guy in the world. He brings out the best in everyone and his entire aura exudes humility. In a world where WAY too many people are cynical assholes all the time (like me), it's nice to see someone just wanting to have fun with his friends. I like Goku. I...really like Goku. He's such a positive role model. He can be a little arrogant and annoying at times, but what kid isn't? And what I really like is that he didn't change at all when he got older. The ONLY difference I noticed between Son Goku (look at me, talking like I'm in the know) and Adult Goku is their size. No matter what happens to Goku, he will always be true to himself, and I can respect that. I can even admire it. Now, a bit of a confession. I'm not actually done with the show. (*GASP* I know!) I'm on Episode 106, which is near the start of season 8. (I'm actually pretty excited about this one because it looks like it's going to lead into one of the major characters/storylines from the game.) I should be finished by the end of the weekend, but I wanted to get this review out so I can talk about the game, which I...really haven't so far, have I? Yeah, OK. The game sucks. I thought I was going to feel bad saying that because I've been here all month thinking, "Oh man, @JEDI_BROTHERS is going to be angry at me if I don't like this game." Then I looked at his profile. 33 minutes. That's how long he gave this game before jumping ship. Barely more than a single episode of the show. Yes, maybe there's a chance he popped four trophies within the span of a half an hour and then played for several more hours without popping anything, but I'm willing to guess he shut this game off as soon as he saw what the gameplay was like and never looked back. Unacceptable! If I'm going to platinum this, you can at least finish the main game. That's my counter-challenge to you. I'll even do you a solid and explain the story so you can skip past all those sections. (That's probably half of the game.) OK, so Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is split into four sagas. Each one is more ridiculous than the last. That's basically the theme of the series, though. If you want an analogy for what Dragon Ball is like, imagine a group of kids playing pretend in the backyard. One of them says, "I shot you!" The other says, "Nuh-uh! You missed." The first says, "That's impossible! I used my super homing shot." The second says, "I blocked it with my laser eyes!" The first says, "I blind you with a cosmic ray!" The second says, "I blind you back with a counter cosmic ray!" The first says, "I blind you back with a counter-COUNTER cosmic ray!" The second says, "I blind you back with a counter-COUNTER cosmic ray...TIMES INFINITITY!" Now, realize those kids aren't playing pretend. They're just reenacting any episode of Dragon Ball. Yeah, I kinda skipped the main premise of the show, but it's all about fighting. That's ALL that happens. They'll have ENTIRE EPISODES devoted to a single match. Sometimes a single MOVE in a single match. It's actually amazing how LITTLE content they can fit in a 20-minute time slot. Unlike Pokemon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and a plethora of other anime shows I've watched (and, yes, I named those two shows in particular to annoy the purists), there is very little else here to enjoy. For some reason, you don't notice it as much when you're watching the show. The game makes it painfully obvious how much standing around there actually is. And the dialogue... The dialogue is SO painful at times. It's not the voice acting, which is fine. Great, even. It's impressive how much dialogue there is in the game. It's what they're actually SAYING that drives me crazy. I'm not kidding when I say that scenario of the kids playing pretend is on the same level of maturity as the characters in this game. They're CONSTANTLY obsessed with how strong they are and measuring the size of their p...ower levels. I really do think the story could have been condensed to a fraction of its size (even 1/10th) and nothing would have been lost. But...having not seen all 291 episodes of Dragon Ball Z, for all I know, maybe the story already HAS been condensed to that size. So, what are these sagas? Well, the first saga centers around Meme Lord Vegeta. He wants to kill Kakarot (Goku). That's literally his entire personality. I get he's supposed to be the antithesis to Goku, but he makes Anakin Skywalker's dialogue in the prequels seem engaging. I don't know if the game did him dirty or he's really that two-dimensional in the series. Surprisingly, this game does allow you to play as him. Yeah, even though they call this game "Kakarot", you spend most of it as Vegeta, Gohan (Goku's son), and Piccolo. Gohan is pretty cool because he's basically Son Goku, but Piccolo might be my favorite out of those. He's the player insert character. Basically, he's annoyed at everything going on around him. That's how I felt for most of the game. See, because just like the children trying to one-up each other, you'll NEVER be done with a battle when you think you are. You need to beat Vegeta like ten times before he's officially down. And do you think any of those battles are different? No. I don't know if I've said this line before or not, but the developers basically came up with a barely functional idea for how one battle should work...and based the entire game's combat system around it. It is HORRENDOUS. Here's what you do. Ignore the five thousand tutorials that swarm you when you start the game. Just like the show, there's a whole lot of text to say what can be summed up very succinctly: "Spam your strongest attack until the enemy turns red, then dodge." There. I got you your platinum. Now, the second and third sagas revolve around Frieza and Cell. I honestly can't remember who came first or how they were different. I think Frieza had minions and Cell absorbed the power from everyone he defeated. Anyway, they want Goku dead too. They actually get their wish because -- remember, I already said this review was full of spoilers -- Goku dies. Oh, don't be so surprised. You remember the Dragon Balls? They can be used to bring people back to life. "But Cass, that's cheating!" you say. YOU DO IT ALL THE TIME WITH YOUR PHOENIX DOWNS AND REVIVE POTIONS. The difference is Dragon Ball is at least consistent with its lore. I'm kidding. They fuckin' cheat all the time. They have all these rules that keep changing whenever it's convenient for the story. For example, Goku's tail is his weakness. This is established earlier on in the show. Whenever his tail is grabbed, he loses his powers. So, what happens? He loses his tail. But it grows back. One of the times it grows back is literally as he's falling, so that it can save his life. Eventually, his tail is no longer a weakness. The Dragon Balls are the same way. First, you're only allowed one wish. Later, you're allowed multiple wishes. Some people can be brought back to life. Others can't. Sometimes you can wish for multiple people to be brought back at once. Sometimes this requires two wishes. But somebody can only be brought back to life once. Unless somebody else sacrifices their life for them. Sometimes two people can fuse together to become one. This is permanent. Except when it's not. The parts Bulma needs to build the Dragon Ball radar are super rare. Except when they need to make one quickly, in which case it only takes her half a day to rebuild it from scratch. Seriously. Good luck making sense of any of this. (This is probably less noticeable when you're not binge-watching essentially two full shows in a single month.) At any rate, the fourth saga has you fighting Majin Buu, who is basically Kirby. Just Google a picture of him and see what the scariest thing in the universe looks like. I can't say they're far off. All of these sagas last about 8-10 hours, which gives the game its ~40 hour run time. (Took me 67 hours to platinum. Don't @ me.) Most of these sagas are fighting the same enemies over and over again until the game mercifully allows you to move on. If it seems like I haven't said much about the game itself, I assure you, there isn't much here. You fly around and fight enemies. Every battle is the same. You spam your strongest attack until they're dead. If you get low on health, you can just spam healing potions. I didn't even need to bother with that. Yes, I played on Easy, but I did struggle with a few fights. You really do have to focus on dodging every now and then. The weird thing here is that I do think they captured the essence of the show...but I don't think it works well in video game format. This isn't something I've seen before. I want to say this is a bad adaption, but it's actually the perfect adaption for fans of the show. I can see why somebody who loves Dragon Ball would like this game. If I was put in charge and could sit here and tweak the game to my liking -- say, an open world RPG with turn-based or quick-swap combat and a deep storyline -- it probably wouldn't be the best representation of the series. All the gripes I have should really be directed at the show, which I can't blame because, between the two of them, I MUCH preferred the cartoon over the game, so how can I say the game is at fault? Either I'm wrong to like the show or I should like the game more than I do. Does that make sense? This is an odd review. The game is clunky, repetitive, long-winded, and devoid of substance outside of the fight scenes. So is the show. The characters, music, voice acting, and animation are solid in both mediums. Honestly, as far as faithful adaptions go, this is as close as you can ask for. I just think it's easier for me to forgive the show for its shortcomings because I can tune it out when it gets to be too much for me. It's much harder to do that with a video game, and even moreso when I'm not a fan of that genre. This is not like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibu - The Hinokami Chronicles, where I adored the presentation as much as the show. This is something different entirely and I wish I could be more positive about it. Goku would want that. Unfortunately, I'm more Vegeta these days than anything... Thanks for listening. I'm going to go sleep now. What? You thought she only did it once? Edited June 28, 2023 by Cassylvania 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEDI_BROTHERS Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 That was a really interesting read. I'm glad you could at least find some joy out of the show. You mentioned me not playing much which is fair since I played it 2 hours then forgot. I'm going to get the platinum in honor of your dedication It's really funny reading you're paragraphs on the show pointing out all the obvious flaws in it, because for some reason I've always liked dragon ball even though it's kind of a mess. I'm not even someone who really cares about anime ever, maybe it's just a childhood thing I keep close. I love these long posts you make when you finish a game keep it up 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelagia14 Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 9 hours ago, Cassylvania said: There are lots of other characters throughout the show -- some one-offs, others who fill up entire storylines (or "sagas") -- but those six are the ones with the most screen time. As a non-DBZ person, it was actually interesting to read your summary about the main characters of Dragon Ball! Then again, it's also a delight just to read anything you write with the amount of humor you throw in. 9 hours ago, Cassylvania said: OK, so Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is split into four sagas. Each one is more ridiculous than the last. That's basically the theme of the series, though. If you want an analogy for what Dragon Ball is like, imagine a group of kids playing pretend in the backyard. One of them says, "I shot you!" The other says, "Nuh-uh! You missed." The first says, "That's impossible! I used my super homing shot." The second says, "I blocked it with my laser eyes!" The first says, "I blind you with a cosmic ray!" The second says, "I blind you back with a counter cosmic ray!" The first says, "I blind you back with a counter-COUNTER cosmic ray!" The second says, "I blind you back with a counter-COUNTER cosmic ray...TIMES INFINITITY!" Now, realize those kids aren't playing pretend. They're just reenacting any episode of Dragon Ball. Glad to know my vague impression of a standard episode is fairly accurate. 9 hours ago, Cassylvania said: All of these sagas last about 8-10 hours, which gives the game its ~40 hour run time. (Took me 67 hours to platinum. Don't @ me.) I mean, at least the game wasn't a 150h (read: 9,000 minutes) platinum? ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted June 28, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 28, 2023 (edited) 13 hours ago, JEDI_BROTHERS said: That was a really interesting read. I'm glad you could at least find some joy out of the show. You mentioned me not playing much which is fair since I played it 2 hours then forgot. I'm going to get the platinum in honor of your dedication Feel free to post your review here when you're finished! I'm actually really interested in how the game was received as a whole. I knew the series was popular, but I had no idea the game had over 100k owners on PSNP. I feel like somebody who was already a fan of the show and was looking to relive some of its memories would appreciate the game more than a newcomer like me or somebody who had never experienced Dragon Ball before. No need to seriously platinum the game if you don't want to. ? (But I appreciate you playing along.) 10 hours ago, pelagia14 said: As a non-DBZ person, it was actually interesting to read your summary about the main characters of Dragon Ball! Then again, it's also a delight just to read anything you write with the amount of humor you throw in. Aw, shucks. It helps when the series gives me a lot to work with. For the record, I laughed out loud a surprising number of times while watching the show. (Zero times while playing the game.) I wrote down some of the funnier lines, but decided not to post them because they're not as amusing without context and the right delivery. 10 hours ago, pelagia14 said: I mean, at least the game wasn't a 150h (read: 9,000 minutes) platinum? When you consider I was watching the show while NOT playing the game, I bet I spent around 150 hours in Dragon Ball content this month. I will at least finish the show. Whether or not I watch DBZ is another story. I think it will depend on what the next game ends up being. Speaking of which.... well, it's too early now, but I'll do the next rolling at midnight tonight. I'm a little nervous about this one. The good news is I have off work next week, so I could devote some of that time to a new game. The bad news is my plan was to work on the other house. I'd like to be able to move in by August, so I'd really like for July to be a simple gaming month... June was kinda nice because there were four weeks and four sagas, so I kinda knew how to pace myself to be done by the end of the month. I'm not sure that'll be the case if I end up rolling Yakuza or Tetris Effect. Just a reminder of where we are... Edited June 29, 2023 by Cassylvania 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted June 29, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 29, 2023 (edited) How to Justify a PS+ Subscription in 12 Easy Steps The Second Rolling Whew. That was a long month, huh, Ajna? *takes a swig of fresh lemonade* Ahh... Wait. Why are we on a remote island in the middle of nowhere? This is Kame Island! We took it over after Master Roshi, Launch, and Bulma were arrested for obvious crimes. So, we're like...on vacation? Don't you have an event to finish? We don't have to finish it, Aj. We could just say it was a one-time thing. Our fans would understand the toll this takes on our mental health. You... you're serious? You're going to take a break? No more rolls? No more random games? No more listening to you cry the theme song to Dragon Ball in the other room? My sanity can only last so long, you know? I think this is the best thing for all of us. Yes! I'm in total agreement here. This is the best idea you've had in a long time. It's not like I crave adventure. It's not like I feel the need for a challenge bubbling through my veins. It's not like I hear the call of magic Dragon Balls in my sleep at night. You're waxing poetically again... This is going to involve completely ignoring me and doing the opposite of what we both think is right, isn't it? *sits up in the beach chair* It's not like my heart is pounding out of my chest and yearning for another platinum! We have brains in our heads and feet in our shoes! We can steer ourselves in any direction we choose! We're on our own and we know what we know, and WE are the ones who'll decide where to go! That's LITERALLY the opposite of a random-based event. Also, you stole that line from-- Look. Up there, in the sky! Is that the moon? I thought Master Roshi destroyed it! *squints eyes* No, it's... THE WHEEL OF JUSTIFICATION. IT'S COMING FOR US, AJNA! ...That's a coconut. In a tree. You scribbled 'Wheel of Justi' on it last night with a permanent marker. I watched you do it. You didn't even have room to finish the last word. I should've known our fate was sealed long ago. Not even this tiny island could protect us! It's our destiny to roll the dice again. *sigh* Fine. If it means we can dispense with all the theatrics. I just want you to act like a normal person for once. *Suddenly, the sun is blotted out. A dark humanoid figure descends from the heavens. In one hand, he holds a clenched fist. In the other... vengeance.* ...what the hell? Well, if it isn't my arch nemesis... RNGeta. CASSAROT. I HATE you! You don't even know me! I AM A KINGDOM HEARTS FAN. ...Oh. Your anger is understandable then. You think you are SO clever, with your skits and your banter and your casual disses of what is often a deep and intricate storyline! You've mocked every anime show you've ever watched and every anime game you've ever played, despite clearly liking the premise and at least some of the execution for most of them. You've even admitted to preferring dub over sub ON THE INTERNET. Now, I will DESTROY YOU like the comments section in a Reddit subthread! I only understood about half of what you said, but I'm pretty sure I should be insulted. We're going to battle, but first I have to SHOUT some more. Let's both have three minutes of internal monologue so we can save on the ANIMATION BUDGET. If we're lucky, maybe we can save the fight for the NEXT EPISODE. This doesn't look good, Ajna... RNGeta is much stronger than he looks. I can't tell you how many times we've crossed paths in a video game. Did I ever tell you about the blue tornado? I can see your LIPS MOVING, Cassarot! GAAAH! *frozen shocked expression on face* That's BETTER. *pupils move left and right nervously, but nothing else* I'm going to go make some tea... Call me when this pissing contest is over. I should warn you, RNGeta. I'm much stronger than the last time we fought. How much stronger could you be!? You were begging me last month to give you an "easy" game! I gave you an average length game at best and still you moaned like a child! You actually made the biggest mistake in the world by giving me DBZ... Whenever I platinum a game during this event, I absorb its power. Thanks to you, I am now a SUPER Saiyan, like my boy Goku! YOU!? A SUPER Saiyan!? Don't me me laugh. *laughs anyway* Your power level is barely over 387! I've had BREAKFAST BURRITOS stronger than you. I will make you eat those words! Not if I spit them out and make you eat them first! I will spit them back at you, add a few dog hairs to them, and then shove them down your throat! I will... wait, that's really gross. Why would you do that? Ha! Now that you're distracted, it's time for my ultimate attack! *cups hands together* KAAAAA MEEEEEE... WHAT!?!? HAAAAA MEEEEEE... IMPOSSIBLE! Where did all this energy come from!? HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! *face begins to melt from the blinding ray of cosmic light* *comes back outside* Did you seriously forget to pack anything we need for... uh, what is going on? Why is that strange man holding a condiment bottle under his arm and spraying ketchup everywhere? Hey, mister. Can you stop wasting our food? It's not like there's a grocery store around here. Stay back, Aj! It's not safe for you here. Where else would I go? You stranded us on a deserted island that's barely bigger than a shack. This is where I'm going to die and it's going to be all your fault. *RNGeta falls to the ground, dropping a ketchup-stained 24-sided die... with the number '10' crossed out, because it's already been used... into the sand... The die rolls a few times across the gritty surface and lands on...* RAIN WORLD Eat... shit... Cassarot... Joke's on you. I don't even know what that game is. Well, guess I gotta do a little bit of research. First, thank you @Mori for the suggestion. I remember saying this game was on my watch list, but I can't remember why. I think it had neat graphics but was also a bit challenging? PSNP guide says it's a "cult hit" from 2017. It also says 35 hours to platinum and a whopping 7/10 in difficulty. "Bit challenging," indeed. Good thing I'm a Super Saiyan now, huh? RAIN World!? We finally get to summertime and you're going to spend it getting wet. At least this game isn't based on a four decades long cartoon series, right? That should shorten the amount of side content I'll need to ingest. I guess, uh... I'll start preparing. Ajna, fetch me my umbrella... ella... ella. Edited June 29, 2023 by Cassylvania 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 On 6/28/2023 at 0:11 AM, Cassylvania said: Look, guys. I know I could've just played the game, gave it the terrible review you knew was coming, and moved on to whatever July has in store for us, but I truly wanted to immerse myself in the Dragon Ball experience. You are a strong person, Cassy. That or extremely cray-cray. I tried to immerse myself in the Pokemon experience by watching the anime... and I got sick of it just before Wulfric in the X/Y saga. I have not seen a single episode of the Sun/Moon season(because they ruined Ash by making him look like a Ghibli character) or Journeys(because I was bitter) and I didn't even say goodbye to him when his story ended in Japan. I hope the new Riko and Liko in the new Pokemon Scarlet/Violet anime are better. At least the Pikachu is a cut-throat pirate captain here. Please, Cassy, get some rest and detox with something like Kingdom Hearts III with EZ codes, like I'm doing. I had to forcefully extract myself from Final Fantasy XIV and deny my dailies so that I could finish Kingdom of Corona and escort that brat Rapunzel to the city. You can join me when I help Sora collect crabs to upgrade his galleon so he can blow up Heartless pirates. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realm722 Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Wow… I am currently away from my laptop ALSO on a tropical island (Puerto Ricoooo babyyyyyyy) but I just did some morning catch up reading before the family woke up. Here’s some of my takes. * Live the DBZ Show recap. I too completely missed out on the hype and never understood the fascination outside of reaction gifs and avatars on social media. The super pervy old guy mentor that couldn’t work today falls 100% in line with other media from the 1990s. There must be some DBZ fan YouTuber out there who has made a video with over 1 million views saying Master Roshi would get cancelled in the 2020s. Based on your descriptions, sounds like the show is super obvious why it appealed to kids. Fighting, power-ups, good music/voice acting. Who cares if the plot is paper thin when you’re 7? * The fact the user who recommended you the game did NOT platinum it made my jaw hit the floor. That is hilariously twisted. Like me saying “yo Cassy I heard Crypt of the Necrodancer is awesome go play it for us will ya” while I cruise off in my Mercedes to games with 20% plat rarity and you’re left losing months of your life bashing your head against the wall. I would NEVER take a plat recommendation seriously from somebody who hadn’t done the work so good rule change. * As for the game itself… yea, I ain’t ever touching that. * OH MY GOD freaking Rain World for your next game lmao it’s like the wheel is trying to break you and make you quit this project before it even takes off ???. That is one of the games I listed in my “I’m too cowardly to platinum article” from a few years ago. Good luck Cassy, you’re gonna need it. (also I love the different characters RNGeta & Ajna don’t ever stop) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mori Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 I'm still battling through a cold, so I'm not radiating high energy atm. I enjoyed your recent posts very much and you are probably the most entertaining writer on PSNP at this time, well besides maybe the usual drama kings and queens. Anyway, I guess I can be relieved that I did not play DBZ myself. Even though nostalgia would have helped to enjoy it, the gameplay part just sounds awful. With Rainworld already in my library I think there's no way around this time, is there? :') No idea how I'm suppose to manage all that besides my own "Ball" nightmare that is Pure Pool, attempts to clean up some dusty games on my profile and keeping up with games leaving soon from PS+, while also playing other games from +.. yeah I definitely will be able to play and finish everything I deem interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 I skimmed your review on Kakarot and then this morning I said to myself... "CJ, you son of a bitch, you'd better go back and read the whole review before you go to gym." You're the Angry Video Game Nerd with manners and to see my favorite platinum trophy reviewer get addicted to one of Akira Toriyama's works is hilarious. That shows how much I love your reviews. On 6/28/2023 at 0:11 AM, Cassylvania said: I swear, waiting for that thing to buffer made the show last twice as long as it should have. I'm used to this rendering stuff, I have to keep swapping networks between my dad's and my sister's because of rendering. At least it wasn't as bad as when I was in a group home with bad internet connections and a crappier computer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEDI_BROTHERS Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 2 hours ago, realm722 said: * The fact the user who recommended you the game did NOT platinum it made my jaw hit the floor. That is hilariously twisted. Like me saying “yo Cassy I heard Crypt of the Necrodancer is awesome go play it for us will ya” while I cruise off in my Mercedes to games with 20% plat rarity and you’re left losing months of your life bashing your head against the wall. I would NEVER take a plat recommendation seriously from somebody who hadn’t done the work so good rule change. Guilty as charged, I hope the rule gets named after me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Well, I did my second spin on my own wheel, and it seems Akira Toriyama, not sated with having forced you to watch his own anime series, has now jumped to my ship and is forcing me to play the game series he brought his Dragon Ball influence into... Yep, my next project after Kingdom Hearts III is Dragon Quest XI S, another game with Akira-san's influence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassylvania Posted July 2, 2023 Author Share Posted July 2, 2023 On 6/29/2023 at 4:04 AM, Taruta13 said: Please, Cassy, get some rest and detox with something like Kingdom Hearts III with EZ codes, like I'm doing. I'm not sure Kingdom Hearts is the series you want me playing to, erm, "detox"... Besides, I believe Dream Drop Distance is next on the chopping block. I think that's all that stands between me and KH3, so maybe I shouldn't put it off for too long. On 6/29/2023 at 8:38 AM, realm722 said: * OH MY GOD freaking Rain World for your next game lmao it’s like the wheel is trying to break you and make you quit this project before it even takes off ???. That is one of the games I listed in my “I’m too cowardly to platinum article” from a few years ago. Good luck Cassy, you’re gonna need it. The good news is I played for an hour today and already got one trophy, so I'm well on pace to be done by the end of the month! I think the trickiest thing is going to be figuring out the game's mechanics. It seems to subscribe to the whole "try something and see if it kills you" philosophy of game design. On 6/29/2023 at 9:32 AM, Mori said: With Rainworld already in my library I think there's no way around this time, is there? :') ... Did anybody play the games they recommended for this event? Hope you feel better soon because I'm holding you personally responsible for my mental health this month! On 6/29/2023 at 10:39 AM, Taruta13 said: I skimmed your review on Kakarot and then this morning I said to myself... "CJ, you son of a bitch, you'd better go back and read the whole review before you go to gym." You're the Angry Video Game Nerd with manners and to see my favorite platinum trophy reviewer get addicted to one of Akira Toriyama's works is hilarious. In all honesty, I think it was the perfect game to begin the event with. It's close enough to my realm of interest that I wouldn't have turned my nose up at it, but not so close that I would've ever gotten around to it without some external factor forcing my hand. It also gave me, uh... a lot of material to work with. On 6/29/2023 at 11:24 AM, JEDI_BROTHERS said: Guilty as charged, I hope the rule gets named after me. Hey, at least you played the game you recommended... even if it was for only two hours. Next month, somebody is going to say the title of the game just sounded cool. Alright. Well, since I had an extra day or two to fiddle around on PS+ while waiting for July to begin, I decided to knock off another "free" game that caught my interest last year. Platinum #389 - Lake For those who don't know Latin, "Alis volat propriis" is an Oregon motto that means "she flies with her own wings." (I don't know Latin either, so I looked it up.) Providence Oaks is where the game takes place. The people there affectionately call it "P.O.", which is also short for post office (who you'll be working for) and pissed off (what you'll be when you see Meredith's "running" speed). But is this a package you should sign for, or should this parcel just be tossed in the lake? (Eh, good enough.) In Lake, you play as Meredith Weiss, a former resident of P.O. who moved to the big city years ago to become a computer programmer and has decided to return for two weeks to cover her father's mail route. Atmospherically, if I had to compare this to another game, think of Night in the Woods, Life is Strange, or Firewatch, without all the supernatural elements. Gameplay-wise, this is an interactive story with some minor driving segments through an open world environment and some basic fetch quests. Every day, you're given a map, a list of deliveries you have to make, and you have what I assume is all the time in the world to make them. (I thought I saw a clock at some point, but I could be mistaken.) Once you finish your deliveries for the day, you're free to drive around some more or simply end the day. Some people are home and will talk to you when you stop by, while others will ask you to meet them after hours for anything from watching a scary movie to smoking a joint around the campfire. All of these scenes are fully voice acted and you occasionally get a choice of what to say. If any of this affects the story, I imagine it's minimally. For the most part, though, you'll be by yourself in this game, driving your mail van from location to location and just getting the chance to enjoy the sights. The graphics are easy on the eyes most of the time, but I think they're better at a distance. There were times when I thought a texture wasn't loading properly and...nope, that's actually what they went for when designing somebody's front lawn. Shadows could use some work too. Most people are not going to like this game. It has mixed reviews. I haven't read any of them, but I have a feeling I know what some common complaints will be. The biggest, I think, is the voiceovers. I'm not blaming this on the actors, though. It seems they were given no direction at all. The dialogue is bland, the characters are that not interesting, and there's no real flow in the conversation. It can be awkward and cringeworthy at times. Maureen (the head waitress at the local diner) is probably the best of the lot. The others are not very good. That includes Meredith, who admittedly has some good lines. They tried to make her witty with her comebacks and retorts, but the delivery is off, which I guess is why she's only a temp. BUT... and this is a big "BUT"... the premise is good. These are the kinds of games I want to see more of. I love small town life. Obviously, you guys know I grew up in the country, I like farming games, I love the outdoors, and I'm especially fond of anything that's set in the mid-1980's. In fact, people tell me all the time that their "dream job" was to be a marine biologist. I actually always wanted to be a mail carrier. Tom Hanks' character in Cast Away is basically my hero. I would never want to do it in the city, of course, but having a route in the suburbs or way out in the country seems amazing. Just the open road, music, and a cast of colorful characters that you're not going to get if you're working an office job. I also just like the idea of watching stories play out in real time. Like... OK, I had a job that required me knocking on people's doors at least once per year, and I kinda got to know my clientele through snippets of dialogues we'd exchange or changes they'd make to the house. I remember my first day on this job, I went to this one house where the recycling can was overflowing with crushed beer cans. Guy opens the door, 10 o'clock in the morning, hasn't shaved in a few days, and he's wearing the same tattered clothes he clearly woke up in. He grunts a response at me and I carry on with my duties. Next year, I visit and the only thing in the recycling can is sparkling water. The dirt out front has been replaced with flowers and a young lady answers the door. I know the guy still lives there, so I'm assuming he just got married and this girl made him get his act together. That made me smile. I don't have the luxury of seeing these people every day, so it's just neat that I can use context clues to kinda piece together how their lives are going. I feel like a mailman would have a much better understanding because not only are you seeing the same faces every day, but you know what's being delivered to their door. I bet you could get a really good feel for the people on your route. Anyway, despite its shortcomings, I think this game does a decent good at capturing small town life. Your first instinct when you get in the mail truck is going to be to see how many traffic laws you can break. The answer is all of them, which is a good and bad thing. There are no repercussions for anything you do. You can run into people and cars and fences and trees, but it doesn't do anything. Nobody even cares if you back into them. They'll just stay in their car and wait patiently for you to move. The most fun I was able to have is parking my van in the middle of the road, walking as slowly as I could to my first stop, and then seeing how many cars I could get to pile up behind me. I think my best was five. I'm not sure the game will load any more cars than that. Also, at some point, the car behind you might try to pull into the oncoming lane to pass. I tried to create a few accidents this way, but to no avail. (You CAN, however, drive into the lake. It teleports you back to the starting point.) You do get a horn, which doesn't seem to do anything. It's still fun to push. If you want, there's a fast travel and auto pilot system, but neither are necessary. It's also impossible to get lost in the game because there's a GIANT LAKE (hence the title) in the middle of the town. I guess it's technically south of the town, but you'll be doing just as much traveling to the other side, so it'll almost always be in your sight. You can pretty much get anywhere on the map in under a minute, so it's not like the driving is tedious. I was almost able to flip the truck once. There is music, which is good, but the local radio station has a grand total of three songs that it rotates through. I'm not kidding. I did add one of them to my Spotify list. There is some forced romance, but... it comes across as really awkward? Like, I didn't even notice it was happening until other characters were nudging me and asking me things, "So, do you LIKE him or LIKE LIKE him?" I get that Meredith is supposed to be older and this is her chance to finally find someone to settle down with, but I think a mature woman would need more than a two minute conversation in the woods before wanting to move in with someone. I dunno. I got cheap, steamy romance novel vibes from this game, which is an odd target demographic for an indie title. I'm not saying it can't work, but I think it would need a deeper story to feel authentic. And then there's Meredith's ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES. It's not even the traffic laws. Meredith does several things by her own volition (and the occasional prodding by the player) that would put her behind bars. This is funny because it actually IS a plot point (but with a different mail carrier, so it doesn't count). She's constantly using the mail truck for personal errands and non-scheduled deliveries. I mean, I did that during my door-to-door job too, but I was using my own vehicle and had scheduled breaks. Who cares if I stop for strawberries at the local farmers market on my way back into town? Meredith doesn't care who she hurts. She'll put your package on hold while she's blazing with Mickey and June in their RV. She'll work a side hustle as a movie carrier while she's on the job. She's also constantly telling people to open their letters/packages and tell her what's inside. I struggle to think of what laws and codes of conduct Meredith doesn't break. Unfortunately, this game is too tame to acknowledge any of these as consequential, but I imagine anybody who worked as a mail carrier would have a hard time sitting through this. (Also, don't most USPS trucks have right-sided steering?) I think free is a good price for this game. I actually enjoyed it. I enjoy weird shit. It's different enough to be unique and unique enough to stand out. My problem with a lot of "simulators" is they go for realism over fun. House Flipper is a good example of that. (And as someone who is currently flipping a house, I can assure you that it's not accurate either.) But what I like about this game is that it feels like it could be passed off a mail carrier simulator, even if it's only portraying a simplified and romanticized version of that profession. I think that's how we should start rating simulators. "Does this game make me want to do this in real life?" I am more interested in delivering mail than I was when I started the game. Thus, it's probably worth playing. Your mileage may vary. YOU GOT ME TIPTOEING AROUND YOU LIKE YOU'RE MADE OF GLASS, GOT AN INVISIBLE FENCE LETTING EVERYONE KNOW NOT TO... TRESPASS *bangs head* 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 1 hour ago, Cassylvania said: I'm not sure Kingdom Hearts is the series you want me playing to, erm, "detox"... Besides, I believe Dream Drop Distance is next on the chopping block. I think that's all that stands between me and KH3, so maybe I shouldn't put it off for too long. Good luck on that, and I guess you're right. I just got to the Keyblade Graveyard and now I have to go back and get all those Lucky Emblems and chests I skipped in Arandelle, Caribbean, and San Fransokyo. Seriously, I am missing over 36 chests on the Caribbean, blame that annoying ocean map. ? Good luck when you get to Dream Drop Distance and doing Julius on both Sora and Riku. 2 hours ago, Cassylvania said: Obviously, you guys know I grew up in the country, I like farming games, I love the outdoors, and I'm especially fond of anything that's set in the mid-1980's. I can see you and my dad hanging out after church in a cheap bar downing a beer and talking about gardening and stuff. My dad: "Say, you talk with my son on this forum of yours, right? Since you play video games, can you tell me what my son finds so f'king great about them to not get rightfully employed and get married at his age?" You: "Uhmmmmm.... no comment." *swigs the beer* (Go ahead and sue me. I actually named my female avatar in Pokemon White after you even though I know you're a dude. Cassy sounds like a girl's name.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mori Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, Cassylvania said: ... Did anybody play the games they recommended for this event? Hope you feel better soon because I'm holding you personally responsible for my mental health this month! I played the other games I recommended to you, Rain World just looks like it would fit your survival games preference and since I'm interested in the game as well, I thought it might be a good recommendation.. but sure, I'll carry that weight. :') Maybe in a couple days we exchange tips and tricks and all will be good, who knows. Edited July 2, 2023 by Mori 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassylvania Posted July 2, 2023 Author Share Posted July 2, 2023 (edited) On 7/2/2023 at 2:55 PM, Taruta13 said: (Go ahead and sue me. I actually named my female avatar in Pokemon White after you even though I know you're a dude. Cassy sounds like a girl's name.) Maybe Caseylvania would've been a better name? On 7/2/2023 at 6:45 PM, Mori said: I played the other games I recommended to you, Rain World just looks like it would fit your survival games preference and since I'm interested in the game as well, I thought it might be a good recommendation.. but sure, I'll carry that weight. :') Maybe in a couple days we exchange tips and tricks and all will be good, who knows. I got my first tip for you. Don't hibernate with a lizard. Puts you in an endless death cycle. (I thought I was safe ducking into the bunker before him, but he followed me and respawned on top of me.) But I'm getting ahead of myself. We still need a proper introduction to this game. Ahem... Ajna, if you'd please. You know, I really don't feel like changing the color of font every time you want to do this. Well, what do you propose? Just narrate the whole thing in a different color. It'll make it easier for people to follow anyway. I'm not doing it in pink. Use whatever color you want. Just make it quick. It's starting to rain. Oh, okay... Now, where we were? *flips through the script* I think it's your line... "Here's your umbrella." "My what?" “Your umbrella." There was a long pause before Ajna sighed and spoke again. "...Ella. Ella." "Oh, thanks! You can just put it on the boat. I need to finish paying my respects." The clouds had settled in by now. After his defeat to my super powerful Kamehameha, we had buried RNGeta in the sand outside Kame House. There weren't any rocks on the island to make a tombstone, so I built a sand castle over his face and put two flags made from toothpicks and torn strips of Ajna's skirt in the towers where his eyes would be. I laid an orchid on his grave as the first drop of rain ran across my cheek. The second was a tear. They collected at my chin, forming the outline of a heart across my face. "You know he's not dead, right?" Ajna asked. "He just passed out from overacting. I can still see him breathing." Her voice seemed distant now. In their place, all I could hear were RNGeta's last words to me: "Eat shit, Cassarot." They echoed through my head. Was I right to go through with this? Should I just abandon the journey and go home now? Was there even a home to go back to...? "Whatever. I'm going to finish packing the boat. If you're not on it in five minutes, I'm leaving without you." I watched Ajna turn and walk away. Poor kid. She couldn't stand to see me like this either. If only I could walk away from all the destruction I had caused... Perhaps it was me who should be taking that final dirt nap. Master Roshi was right. I wasn't ready for the Kamehameha. Come to think of it, neither was RNGeta... That finishing attack tore a hole through him that, much like Ajna's skirt, could never be mended. "I have to go to Rain World now," I told him. "I will defeat the evil that is there. I will find a way to fix this! I literally cannot spin the wheel without you." I clenched his fingers, which were still poking up through the sand. "I promise, my friend, this is not the end." All his fingers fell to the ground, except for the one in the middle, which seemed to be pointing at both me and the sky simultaneously. It was as if he was warning me about the dangers that were to come. I followed his fingertip to the dark clouds above and nodded grimly. "TWO MINUTES!" Ajna shouted. I saw she was struggling with the supplies, so I suggested she put down half of what she was carrying and make two trips. She was too overcome with grief to hear me. I took one last look at RNGeta and headed towards the boat. It was little more than a rowboat we had crafted out of driftwood, but I wasn't going to fault Ajna for shoddy workmanship. I hopped it into while Ajna finished loading our supplies and cheered her on as she pushed us out to sea. When she slipped and fell facefirst in the water, I was there to extend helpful words of encouragement. She stood back up, gritted her teeth, and dug her heels into the wet sand, determined to prove me right. "You have a lobster on your head," I mentioned to her, just in case she hadn't noticed. Once again, she was too overcome with grief to hear me. The lobster eventually jumped back into the ocean, but the redness on Ajna's face remained. As I watched, the lump on the beach started to move. First, a hand. Then, a foot. Followed by another hand and then another foot. I gasped as RNGeta dug his way out of the makeshift grave. Ajna, sensing the immediate danger we were in, pushed harder. When the waves were able to do the work for her, she leapt over my head and landed on the middle seat, where the oars were waiting for her. She began paddling like our lives depended on it. "I... HATE... sand!" RNGeta roared. His voice thundered across the sea. Poseidon himself would need ear plugs to shield himself from the cry of a man whose unrelenting hatred had brought him back from the afterlife. "It's COARSE and ROUGH and IRRITATING and it gets EVERYWHEEEERE!" He gripped a handful of sand in each hand like he was gripping somebody's throat and squeezed until that sand turned into chunks of shock quartz, which he started tossing across the water like skipping stones. The projectiles whizzed by our heads, threatening to sink us with every glancing blow, but I was safe in the flat bottom of the ship. Ajna even blocked a few stones with her head. Fortunately, we seemed to be too far from shore for him to target accurately. The sand in his eyes probably didn't help much either. The onslaught lasted for about a minute. "What's he doing now?" I asked Ajna. "He's pointing his forefingers and thumbs at us like they're guns and making 'pew pew pew' noises..." "Well, what are you waiting for!? Return fire!" Ajna clearly didn't understand the gravity of the situation, so I climbed onto her shoulder and began fingerbanging back. I took cover behind her hair when I needed to, but RNGeta was limited to a single palm tree. His higher ground was no match for our superior naval tactics. It was a long and grueling fight, but he eventually retreated into Kame House -- likely to refill his ammo, but also to raid the fridge, which Ajna FORGOT TO PACK, DESPITE ME LEAVING POST-IT NOTES EVERYWHERE -- and I declared us the winner. "That was a close one," I said, slumping down on Ajna's shoulder. "I don't think that's the last we'll be seeing of him." As I turned my head to the horizon, I saw the swirling tempest we were rowing towards. A maelstrom of fear and trepidation awaited us. It wouldn't be long at all before the sky was as wet as the sea below. "You should've packed a bigger umbrella..." I whispered into her ear. The lightning really brought out the scorn in her eyes. "...Ella. Ella." ENTER RAIN WORLD Edited July 3, 2023 by Cassylvania 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelagia14 Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, Cassylvania said: Platinum #389 - Lake I've been curious about this game, so I was excited to read your review! Seems like it is a decent PS+ Catalog game to play when I want to take a break from more difficult/longer platinums and play something short and random. Especially your comment about it being different enough to be unique, which is always something I appreciate in a game. 9 hours ago, Cassylvania said: And then there's Meredith's ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES. ? 9 hours ago, Cassylvania said: But what I like about this game is that it feels like it could be passed off a mail carrier simulator, even if it's only portraying a simplified and romanticized version of that profession. I think that's how we should start rating simulators. "Does this game make me want to do this in real life?" I am more interested in delivering mail than I was when I started the game. Thus, it's probably worth playing. Your mileage may vary. Yoooo did you hear how a real trucking company is putting recruitment ads in one of the Truck Simulator games?! 3 hours ago, Cassylvania said: "That was a close one," I said, slumping down on Ajna's shoulder. "I don't think that's the last we'll be seeing of him." As I turned my head to the horizon, I saw the swirling tempest we were rowing towards. A maelstrom of fear and trepidation awaited us. It wouldn't be long at all before the sky was as wet as the sea below. "You should've packed a bigger umbrella..." I whispered into her ear. The lightning really brought out the scorn in her eyes. "...Ella. Ella." ENTER RAIN WORLD This was like reading a fever dream, and I loved it. I don't know what the character names reference - and there are probably plenty of other references in these that fly over my head - but thus far they've been hilarious reads. I wish I didn't get the Rhianna reference though, because that chorus line is trying to get stuck in my head now. And I think RNGeta deserves an Oscar, because I could *hear* Anakin in their performance. (Though was it a good idea for Ajna to block stones with her head?! ?) Edited July 3, 2023 by pelagia14 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Cassylvania said: Maybe Caseylvania would've been a better name? Nope. This girl, from one of the early episodes in the Johto Pokemon anime, is Casey. Really, don't worry about it, dude. I couldn't think of a better name for my character. Edited July 3, 2023 by Taruta13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayhammmer Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 10 hours ago, Cassylvania said: ... Did anybody play the games they recommended for this event? Hope you feel better soon because I'm holding you personally responsible for my mental health this month! I will say that I played through the entirety of the original launch of Blasphemous, though there's apparently been quite a few updates that added new content into the game with no new achievements for any of them. I never got the platinum thanks to one achievement requiring you to never heal during any of the boss fights, because as much as I enjoyed the game I was both not good enough to get through most of the bosses without healing and I had a hard time not pressing the heal button just on instinct during the fights and voiding the trophy. As for Life is Strange 2, I only recommended that one because you had already done every other game in that series, with me having zero experience with any of the games in that franchise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally-Vincent--- Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 I just wanted to say that I played the games I suggested, but they didn't make the cut - just like the guys in Hard Knocks that are called to the Coach's office who appreciate each other and what great guys they are, but the playbook has to be turned in (and I always hoped some guy would tell that his dog ate his playbook, sorry, coach). From the games on the wheel, I played two and finished only one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted July 3, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) 20 hours ago, grayhammmer said: I will say that I played through the entirety of the original launch of Blasphemous, though there's apparently been quite a few updates that added new content into the game with no new achievements for any of them. I never got the platinum thanks to one achievement requiring you to never heal during any of the boss fights, because as much as I enjoyed the game I was both not good enough to get through most of the bosses without healing and I had a hard time not pressing the heal button just on instinct during the fights and voiding the trophy. Ergh... That doesn't seem like fun. Then again, at least you can heal in Blasphemous. You die in one hit in Rain World! 6 hours ago, Rally-Vincent--- said: I just wanted to say that I played the games I suggested, but they didn't make the cut - just like the guys in Hard Knocks that are called to the Coach's office who appreciate each other and what great guys they are, but the playbook has to be turned in (and I always hoped some guy would tell that his dog ate his playbook, sorry, coach). From the games on the wheel, I played two and finished only one. Hey, me too. I liked a lot of the games that didn't make the cut. That's why I'm still trying to play them on the side. The ones with paid DLCs are the only problem because that really does go against the spirit of trying to only play "free" games. I'm trying to keep an eye out on new games that are being added, as well as games that will be removed soon. 20 hours ago, pelagia14 said: This was like reading a fever dream, and I loved it. I don't know what the character names reference - and there are probably plenty of other references in these that fly over my head - but thus far they've been hilarious reads. I wish I didn't get the Rhianna reference though, because that chorus line is trying to get stuck in my head now. Ey ey ey. Glad you're enjoying our journey. Let's get back to it! (Now in purple... slightly less irritating to the eye!) "What the hell is that!?" Ajna turned on her heels and ran back in the direction we had just come from. I counted about a dozen footsteps before she stopped dead in her tracks and screamed again. "What the hell is that!?" She ran back towards me, only to see an EVEN BIGGER monster eating the first one, well within striking distance of us. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" That was more or less how we spent our first night in Rain World. Ajna was a blubbering mess, while I was still trying to figure out the map, which I had printed off the internet. Rain World had surprisingly good cell reception. "So, we started in the Outskirts... and now we're in the Industrial Complex... but we're trying to get to the Shoreline..." I turned the map upside down and pretended I knew how to read the thing by tracing my finger along a route that only had about a fifteen percent chance of existing. "I wonder why we didn't start there, considering we arrived on a boat." "This is how we're going to die. Eaten by any one of these horrible monsters." Ajna was hugging her knees and rocking back and forth, but she was only half right. We could ALSO die by starvation, drowning, or getting impaled by a spear from the hostile natives. You see, Rain World has a very simple cycle. During the day, we hunt for food and try not to become food. At night, it rains. If we're out in the rain, our skin melts or maybe we drown. We haven't tested that theory yet. But in order to seek shelter from the rain, we need enough food to last the night. So, all we gotta do to stay alive is eat and sleep! I'm a professional gamer, so I was used to this, but this was new to Ajna. Also, I'm not sure whether I should be writing in past or present tense. This is odd. I thought about asking Ajna what I should do, but she was busy fending off a giant green-headed lizard with an oar. I mean, it was giant to me. Ajna was a human. I was... oh! I realized I had forgotten to activate my Rain World transformation. While Ajna booted the lizard from our perch and turned her attention to another one that had gotten dangerously close to our position, I slipped away. I waited until it was safe to come out -- that's key in Rain World -- and sneaked up behind her. Boy, you should've seen her face when she turned around and saw me. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" she cried. "I'm a SLUGCAT! Half slug, half cat!" Ajna vomited all over me. It was...not the shower I was expecting. "Look at my cute tail," I said, waving it around, but that just made her vomit harder. "Why would anyone... think to combine... those two creatures?" she said, in between retches. "You're hideous. Is that fur or skin? What are your ears attached to? Why are your eyes...OK, well, your eyes look the same as they do in Hollow Knight form." When she was able to regain her composure, she picked up the oar and whacked me over the head. Not the first death I was expecting in the game, but it certainly wouldn't be the last. "At least I can have a moment of peace," she said to herself, right before I respawned beside her. Edited July 3, 2023 by Cassylvania 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taruta13 Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 20 hours ago, Cassylvania said: "At least I can have a moment of peace," she said to herself, right before I respawned beside her. Wow, that was... interesting. I'm sure my sidekick Taratu would murder me too if I looked like a slime. Anyways, good luck on Rain World. As for me, I want to say I just got my 200th platinum in Kingdom Hearts III. I finally defeated my archnemesis Randonort and now I have to deal with the evil Dragon Goddess in Erdrea. (Just kidding, I wanted to reference the ending of KH3 which had the surprise twist. ) Of course, I just used EZ codes to cheat most of the system, though I did complete it legit in an older account. I am going to take a break and watch Anju keep beating the snot out of you while eating fajitas my dad grilled up. Have a happy Independence Day, Cass, and may the rest of 2023 be more fruitful than the first. On 7/2/2023 at 10:40 PM, grayhammmer said: I never got the platinum thanks to one achievement requiring you to never heal during any of the boss fights, because as much as I enjoyed the game I was both not good enough to get through most of the bosses without healing and I had a hard time not pressing the heal button just on instinct during the fights and voiding the trophy. Well, now you know what I will never play Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, because of the one trophy requiring you to defeat the final boss's true form without taking any damage, which means you have to take no damage during the FIRST phase of that fight. And I totally suck at avoiding damage. That's why I hate Risky's Revenge; I tried for ages to avoid dying to the final boss there and not chug a potion, but I kept dying due to its mermaid transformation. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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