Cassylvania's Miserable Little Pile of Platinums

[Briste]

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

• Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is also on sale. Hint, hint. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

lol I saw that this morning and scooped it up. I was looking for an inexpensive game to get my last letter for the spelling bee and noticed this as well. Maybe I can work this game into the Halloween event...however you did say I should play Night Alone first...we'll have to see how long my other games take I guess.

 

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

Trump is a moron.

I mean this is true...but what did he do now to throw this in the middle of your update lol I mean it could be anything...that guy turns everything into a dumpster fire.

 

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

I hate to even suggest this, but Real Farm is on sale... I didn't LOVE Farming Simulator 17, but at least I could close my eyes and pretend I was playing something good. I mean, I couldn't actually close my eyes, or I wouldn't be able to see the game, but...you know what I mean.

I actually almost bought this as well...but my backlog is becoming a real thing now and it was between this and Yomawari so I went Yomawari.

 

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

Like Phil. Don't ever go Phil.

Duly noted!

[Jens]

[...]

Edited September 30, 2019 by Jens

[Cassylvania]

30 minutes ago, Briste said:

I mean this is true...but what did he do now to throw this in the middle of your update lol I mean it could be anything...that guy turns everything into a dumpster fire.

 

Oops, my bad. Must've been the Russian Sightseer trophy I just got in Phil. I'll just go ahead and remove that from the post...

 

6 minutes ago, Jens said:

Well let's just say this: I disliked, that it took lessons from Castlevania and because of that you fly 3m (9 feet?) backwards whenever you get hit. I didn't like the fact that quite a lot of collectibles were hidden behind annoying passable walls (which some youtube videos helped me with).

Other than that I was fine with pretty much everything else. I can't shake the feeling that it is some amount of "underdog charm" for this game. But if it wouldn't sit at 22€ without any sales I would recommend it as an - at least - pretty alright, beautiful looking little gaming experience. So without a sale attached to it - actually no. On a sale - yeah, definitely worth a try.

 

OK, so it's one of those annoying yet charming games, like Yooka-Laylee or Unravel. Good to know. I just thought it might be fitting for Acrophobia, since all those eagle and plane simulator games seem to be VR exclusive. (Is VR even still a thing?)

 

Well, I survived Phil's boring ass slideshow from his trips to Japan, France, and Russia. Now he's in Italy, eating what looks like bread, but could just as easily be a manatee making love to a bologna sandwich. By my count, that's 32 "puzzles" solved. Only 88 more to go.

 

STOP CALLING EVERYTHING EPIC, PHIL!

[Jens]

[...]

Edited September 30, 2019 by Jens

[Cassylvania]

34 minutes ago, Jens said:

I ask myself the same question with VR every couple of months. Tried it once, wasn't impressed and never looked back. And I'm actually pretty happy if it SHOULD fail, I don't think that I ever want to feel the need to get used to it. Did you ever try it? For me it was just a fancy way to control the right analog stick with your head.... but I guess I'm also the grinch.

 

I tried it at a friend's house...last summer, I think? It was kinda cool. I didn't like the headset (one, because it was bulky; two, because of the cords; and three, because I'm a germophobe and hate the idea of using something that contains other people's sweat), but the games were fun. Ultimately, I don't see how it's much different than the Wii, which was great for a time, but didn't make a lasting impression.

 

I think, if you were to put a VR set and a PS3 in front of me right now and ask me which one I want to play for the next, say, two years, I'd think you're nuts for giving me a free PS3. It's not that I think VR is bad -- it's just that one has proven the test of time, while the other...is very gimmicky. Even at the same price, I'm going with the older console.

 

Personally, I think VR should have been presented the way arcades were back in the 80's, or laser tag. Instead of having to go out and buy an expensive console that would somehow fit in your tiny room, you'd go to the mall with your buddies and pay a few dollars to play a couple rounds of a single, well-designed virtual reality game. THAT is something I would pay for. But I'm not going to shell out $800 for a toy that I can only play with alone at home, or else I'm no better than Phil.

 

But you're not the only person who wants it to fail. In this age of social media, anything that receives a lot of hype will inevitably lead to people praying for its downfall (see: Trump, No Man's Sky, any sitcom produced by TBS). I don't WANT it to fail, but I also don't want it negatively affecting the way I like to game -- you know, sitting on my ass. If VR leads to companies abandoning traditional console games in favor of motion control, I might not be happy. Then again, the thought of being able to reach my hands out and strangle Phil fills me with a lot of pleasure.

 

That being said, the other applications of VR are kinda exciting. Being able to create artwork in a virtual world would be amazing. No need to buy expensive brushes or paints. I think I could lose myself in something like that, like Minecraft when it first came out.

 

And then there's the things Phil would use it for...

Edited August 30, 2018 by Cassylvania

[Kent10201]

@Cassylvania I just purchased Yomawari based solely on your review, so it better not suck.  But in all seriousness, is there anything I need to look out for while going for the plat, or is it just something i can pick up and play without having to worry too much about the trophies? 

Edited August 31, 2018 by Kent

[Cassylvania]

11 minutes ago, Kent said:

@Cassylvania I just purchased Yomawari based solely on your review, so it better not suck.  But in all seriousness, is there anything I need to look out for while going for the plat, or is it just something i can pick up and play without having to worry too much about the trophies? 

 

You can basically ignore the trophies. Most of them are obtained through normal gameplay, and the rest can be done post-game. You may want to keep an eye out for collectibles, but you're free to return to anywhere in the game (even if you might THINK you're locked out).

 

My suggestion is to play through the game blind and then use a collectibles guide to finish off your platinum. Good luck!

[Kent10201]

1 minute ago, Cassylvania said:

 

You can basically ignore the trophies. Most of them are obtained through normal gameplay, and the rest can be done post-game. You may want to keep an eye out for collectibles, but you're free to return to anywhere in the game (even if you might THINK you're locked out).

 

My suggestion is to play through the game blind and then use a collectibles guide to finish off your platinum. Good luck!

Awesome, that's what I was hoping for. Thank you! 

[Kent10201]

So I'm two chapters into Yomawari and I'm...both confused and intrigued. The horror factor of the game definitely comes from the sound. The visuals are great as well but the second I hear that heartbeat (which is every two seconds) I immediately go into panic mode. I'm liking it so far though, and I'm definitely continuing (and maybe finishing) the story tomorrow. Would've never tried it out had it not been for your recommendation so thanks for that @Cassylvania.

 

Initial thoughts: 

• I never knew a heartbeat could be so horrifying
• Why are you searching for Yui at night, Haru? If you just waited until morning you wouldn't be getting chased by limb-severing demons. 
• Mr. Kotowari is horrifying. I don't want to know what Mr. Yomawari is like.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Kent

[Cassylvania]

12 minutes ago, Kent said:

So I'm two chapters into Yomawari and I'm...both confused and intrigued. The horror factor of the game definitely comes from the sound. The visuals are great as well but the second I hear that heartbeat (which is every two seconds) I immediately go into panic mode. I'm liking it so far though, and I'm definitely continuing (and maybe finishing) the story tomorrow. Would've never tried it out had it not been for your recommendation so thanks for that @Cassylvania.

 

Initial thoughts: 

• I never knew a heartbeat could be so horrifying
• Why are you searching for Yui at night, Haru? If you just waited until morning you wouldn't be getting chased by limb-severing demons. 
• Mr. Kotowari is horrifying. I don't want to know what Mr. Yomawari is like.

 

No problem. I played a lot of games this summer, and that one was by far the most memorable.

 

The sounds are great. What I really like is how they're integrated into the gameplay. If you mute your TV (which you might be tempted to do at times), it makes getting through certain sections much harder, because you need all of your senses to avoid enemies. This is also the only game I know of that makes you promise you'll play with the lights off and never turn away from the screen. I can appreciate when a game is upfront with me.

 

I don't know why Haru insists on doing this at night either. I guess it's the old, "Why don't they just leave the house?" argument from every horror movie ever made.

 

I will say I had no idea this game was as scary as it is when I started playing, and I actually think it's more nerve-wracking than Alien: Isolation. Maybe because there was only one monster in Alien and you eventually got used to him, while Yomawari is swarming with monsters and you're encountering new ones all the time. Either way, it reaches Eternal Darkness levels of uncomfortable, and that is high praise coming from me.

 

I'll be interested to hear what you think about the rest of the story.

 

As for me, I managed to finish two more puzzles with Phil while watching the Bills upset the Bears. Why did I choose this game? Well, I didn't. Phil is actually from Chicago, and he's a huge Mike Ditka fan. At least, I assume so, because there's no other explanation for that hairy caterpillar he has living under his nose. Seriously -- worst roommate ever.

 

Phil, stop drinking all the milk!

[Jens]

[...]

Edited September 30, 2019 by Jens

[Cassylvania]

@Jens Yeah, I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a game that fits the Candyman theme better. I didn't want to add it to the Halloween theme yet, as I'm not sure how long/hard it is, but I figured it's a game I should probably start sooner than later. As you can probably tell, I haven't gotten very far in it...

 

Instead, I wasted most of last night playing some jank game called Ether One. Why is it jank, you ask? Well, you know my whole philosophy of always doing a blind playthrough first, unless the trophy guide specifies otherwise? Yeah, that doesn't work if the game is glitchy as hell. I spent a good two hours trying to figure out what I was doing wrong with the warden's coffee. It wasn't until I started duplicating mugs out of thin air that I thought, "Hm, maybe something is wrong," and looked it up. Apparently, this has happened to other people, and I had to reload an earlier save (LOL, just kidding -- why would I have one of those?) to do it right.

 

Game, if you want to get on my bad side, that's a great way to do it.

 

ANYWAY... That's the skinny for now. I don't plan to add Ether One to the Halloween event, but it might take the place of Dementophobia if Arkham Asylum is a no-go. And Phil... Yeah, I guess THAT game could count for Dementophobia as well, because the dude is driving me insane. I finished his tour of Italy and now he's dragging me to Australia. You know, this game would be a lot better if you could "finish" puzzles by typing in what you think the picture is supposed to be. There's seriously no reason for me to have to fill in every single pixel of the Sydney Opera House.

[kingofbattle8174]

Ether one is a really buggy game. I found unloading the patches helped in one section near the end because even if you did the right sequence it would still not allow you to pass through. I think I had an issue with the coffee too. I had to do the same puzzle three times before whatever I was supossed to do clicked the right way. 

[Cassylvania]

2 hours ago, kingofbattle8174 said:

Ether one is a really buggy game. I found unloading the patches helped in one section near the end because even if you did the right sequence it would still not allow you to pass through. I think I had an issue with the coffee too. I had to do the same puzzle three times before whatever I was supossed to do clicked the right way. 

 

Yeah, I had heard it was glitchy, but I wanted a puzzle game that actually made me think, since I'm losing brain cells with Phil's dumb adventure. Unfortunately, I don't think I care too much for the puzzles in this game... Most of them are just four-digit lock combinations that you have to find, and it's hard to tell now if I messed up on a puzzle or if the game is glitching out on me (I got 99 problems, but a glitch ain't one).

 

Anyway, it's unlikely Phil or Ether One will make it into the Halloween event, so we'll need to start choosing our games. I'm thinking of doing the whole shebang -- that's right, all 13 categories -- but a lot of them are going to be short. I really like how I was able to knock off a number of games this summer, even if many of them were 5-10 hours. Longer games are for wintertime anyway.

 

One of the games I was considering is Fe. I know @Briste mentioned it before. It's on sale, and I feel like it'd be Halloween-related, but I'm not sure under which category. Chronophobia is going to be a tricky one too. I don't really know a lot of games that use time travel as a mechanic, except Chrono Trigger. I mean, yeah, I could choose a game that's only loosely based on the concept of time, but that seems kinda boring. Like, I'd only do that if speedrunning was a major part of the game, or at least the hardest trophy. Like Crash. Crash would be a GREAT Chronophobia game. Or maybe a racing game...

 

Fear of change is a weird one too. I guess the idea is to play a genre you don't usually play, which is interesting, but what genre is the least represented on my profile? Sports? FPS? Annoying puzzle games that make me want to hurl my controller through the TV? I have all of those.

 

Huh... Hellblade would be a good one for Dementophobia too... or Gynophobia...

 

Recommendations?

[Kent10201]

9 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

Recommendations?

I'm not sure what your backlog looks like so not sure what to recommend. Or does it matter if it's in your backlog or not?

[Cassylvania]

6 minutes ago, Kent said:

I'm not sure what your backlog looks like so not sure what to recommend. Or does it matter if it's in your backlog or not?

 

I guess I kinda got rid of my backlog from the OP... It was just too hard to maintain.

 

Yeah, I mean, I don't care. I'm probably not going to buy anything that's more than $20, but something I already own or can pick up used or that's on sale is fine. I have two or three games in mind for each category, except Chronophobia (time), Kinemortophobia (undead), and Arachno/Entomo/Ophidiophobia (spiders, bugs, snakes). I might wait for a Halloween sale, but it'd be nice to hear some suggestions before then, so I know what to look out for.

 

Man, Shantae would be perfect for all of those categories...

 

Well, back to Ether One. Or, as I'll call it, E-1. You sank my battleship!

[Kent10201]

32 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

 

I guess I kinda got rid of my backlog from the OP... It was just too hard to maintain.

 

Yeah, I mean, I don't care. I'm probably not going to buy anything that's more than $20, but something I already own or can pick up used or that's on sale is fine. I have two or three games in mind for each category, except Chronophobia (time), Kinemortophobia (undead), and Arachno/Entomo/Ophidiophobia (spiders, bugs, snakes). I might wait for a Halloween sale, but it'd be nice to hear some suggestions before then, so I know what to look out for.

I'm curious to see what it would look like since you play such a variety of games. 

 

My recommendation is Reverie. It fits for Kinemortophobia and Arachno/Entomo/Ophidiophobia. It's pretty cheap and takes around 5 hours but it's a lot of fun. 

[Jens]

[...]

Edited September 30, 2019 by Jens

[Cassylvania]

13 hours ago, Kent said:

My recommendation is Reverie. It fits for Kinemortophobia and Arachno/Entomo/Ophidiophobia. It's pretty cheap and takes around 5 hours but it's a lot of fun. 

 

Wow, it's like Earthbound meets Zelda. Not sure why I've never heard of it... I guess we'll add that to the maybe pile.

 

I always feel like with these events, I want a game that REALLY encompasses each category. Like, it'd be great if there was a game all about spiders, instead of a game that just has spiders as one enemy. Even if the ones in Skyrim gave me nightmares...

 

13 hours ago, Jens said:

Hellblade is definitely extremely memorable and would fit Dementophobia like a glove (obviously). I can't be 100% sure, but I have a hunch that you might be fine with the game as well  I was just hella confused when the game was over.

I picked Song of the Deep for Gynophobia and so far I'm happy with it. It's doesn't seem to be expensive even without a sale, so it's at least an option.

And the speedruns in Rayman Origins were the ones I enjoyed the most by a landslide and all levels require gold, so it's just as relevant as it is in Crash games. And with me usually hating speedruns.... that's a good thing I guess  

 

Interesting. Well, Hellblade would finally allow me to knock one of @RockyJokerPL's suggestions off the list. I always laugh when I see his first post and realize I've yet to play any of his suggestions, even though he brought forth five presumably good games.

 

Gynophobia is a weird one. I'm probably going to go all-in with some ridiculous anime game, like Senran Kagura or Gal*Gun. Don't judge me -- I'm doing it for the event.

 

And...well, you know how I feel about Rayman. Dude creeped me out as a kid and still does today. Like, why doesn't he have any limbs!? Are they invisible, or is some sort of magic keeping them in place?

 

ALSO... I'm apparently not good at math, because I said there 120 puzzles in Phil, but now I'm only counting 100. And, yes -- I double-checked.

 

Edited September 2, 2018 by Cassylvania

[Briste]

14 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

One of the games I was considering is Fe.

I'd say that Fe would work under several categories. I think it would be appropriate for Monophobia since you are dumped in the woods alone and have to figure out what is going on. I think Acrophobia would work since you have to climb some very tall trees/mountains and there is a gliding component. I also think that Dementophobia would be ok. The bad guys in the game remind me of the Dementors from Harry Potter and the forest seems to be losing its mind. It's a pretty quick game too so if it's on sale you could definitely do worse.

 

Shadow of War is actually a good game for Arachnophobia because Shelob plays a pretty prominent role in the game. That one I think was on sale as well and I know you were planning on that game at some point too I think. I just picked up The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker for my Decidophobia game cause I saw that on sale and it seemed interesting.

Edited September 2, 2018 by Briste

[Cassylvania]

6 minutes ago, Briste said:

I'd say that Fe would work under several categories. I think it would be appropriate for Monophobia since you are dumped in the woods alone and have to figure out what is going on. I think Acrophobia would work since you have to climb some very tall trees/mountains and there is a gliding component. I also think that Dementophobia would be ok. The bad guys in the game remind me of the Dementors from Harry Potter and the forest seems to be losing its mind. It's a pretty quick game too so if it's on sale you could definitely do worse.

 

Shadow of War is actually a good game for Arachnophobia because Shelob plays a pretty prominent role in the game. That one I think was on sale as well and I know you were planning on that game at some point too I think. I just picked up The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker for my Decidophobia game cause I saw that on sale and it seemed interesting.

 

Interesting. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with that Rapture game for Monophobia. (Ether One would've worked too, I guess.) I already have enough choices for Dementophobia, and I was hoping to do Owlboy for Acrophobia...but now I'm hearing conflicting things about that game.

 

I do want to to do Shadow of War at some point, but I dunno about during this event. Just like I'm not sure Phil fits anywhere. Or P-Arch. Or Crash. How did my 100% get so fucked up!?

 

I BLAME THE CHAMELEON.

[Cassylvania]

Platinum #126 - Ether One

 

I was going to write a detailed review for this one, but then I realized I could sum the whole game up with a single screenshot.

 

[Briste]

3 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

I was going to write a detailed review for this one, but then I realized I could sum the whole game up with a single screenshot.

 

LOL!! That is all

 

[Cassylvania]

40 minutes ago, Briste said:

LOL!! That is all

 

The sad thing is, that was the best part of the game too.

 

MOVING ON... Since tomorrow is Labor Day -- and I'm not spending it with Phil -- I decided to peek at the PSN sales and see what I want to play first for the Halloween event. I do NOT feel like playing another walking sim (sorry, Everyblah blah Rapture), and I'd like to play a game that actually has to do with, you know, fear... So I searched for "fear" and came across this little gem.

 

 

I...don't really know what this is, but it has "tactical," "RPG," and "PS1 remaster" in the description, so I was all over it like a Russian hooker on...erm, I mean...like acne on a teenager's face. Yeah. That's less disgusting.

 

What category will it fit under? *shrug* That's the name of the game.

 

Well, actually, it's Fear Effect Sedna...

 

Whatever Sedna is...

 

(Google says it's a planet.)

Edited September 3, 2018 by Cassylvania

[DragonQuest238]

On 8/30/2018 at 4:34 PM, Cassylvania said:

Well, I survived Phil's boring ass slideshow from his trips to Japan, France, and Russia. Now he's in Italy, eating what looks like bread, but could just as easily be a manatee making love to a bologna sandwich. By my count, that's 32 "puzzles" solved. Only 88 more to go.

 

STOP CALLING EVERYTHING EPIC, PHIL!

 

Yeeeeeah, I feel your pain, Cassy. I still have yet to finish Japan. Was trying to go for the 5-minute run and almost got it(my shortest time on the small puzzle was 5:34) but having to do all those puzzles is painful to a fault. The irony of it all? I picked up this game to fill out my F in my alphabet soup.