Jump to content

Cassylvania's Miserable Little Pile of Platinums


Cassylvania

Recommended Posts

Looks like I didn't even need to do anything to have my completion percentage fucked up! Shantae came right along and dropped a DLC bomb on me. Pretty sure the DLC isn't even available to buy yet, so it's just going to sit on my list for a while and stare at me. Kinda creepy there, Shanty.

 

Well, since 100% is further away than ever, might as well add another new game into the mix. Grab your bows, gents, and let's find ourselves some robot dinosaurs!

 

Next game up: HORIZON ZERO DAWN.

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

Well, guys, today's EG opponent was Adam, who I believe was the first to challenge me, way back in November. This time, I managed to take him to sudden death after falling behind early, but he pulled off an eagle on a really lucky fairway shot on the tenth hole. That tornado cup is bogus. As always, though, I'll accept my defeat gracefully and wait another day for a rematch. But then your ass is grass, Adam.

 

In the meantime, I've begun my HZD adventure. Aloy is a pretty awesome protagonist, which is what I've heard, and the graphics are beautiful. I'm not sure how difficult the game is, but I decided to begin on Hard, since that's my default setting for most games. Died a few times already, but I seem to be capable.

 

In fact, my biggest enemy so far seems to be my PS4, which sounds like a jet engine. It's never been particularly quiet, but I couldn't even hear the game over it. My temporary solution has been to hide my PS4 in the closet and run the connection cables through a hole in the wall, but I'm not sure how long that'll last. Kinda need that space for my clothes, you know?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, I thought I would work on the trick shots in EG for a little while. There's a trophy connected to getting both a condor (four under par) and albatross (two under hole), but you need to get THREE condors and FIVE albatrosses to unlock more secret characters, which are connected to yet another trophy. Put simply: more bullshit to waste my time. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, apparently everybody in Japan had the same idea as me this morning, as the online course is FLOODED with people, who naturally are all gathered around this same hole. I don't know if they're all going for the trophy or some easy rankings, but this is apparently the only hole in the entire game where this is possible. And, of course, they're all EXTREMELY annoying, as their characters keep shouting and bumping into me, messing up my concentration. This isn't even an online trophy and I'm pissed off! Why can't I just play in peace?

 

Anyway, let me explain the sitch. We got ourselves a par 5 here, with a dog leg to the right. Normally, you would hit a straight shot from the tee, but you have the option of turning yourself to the right and going over the water. In order to pull this shit off, you need to skip the ball over the water, somehow avoid hitting this stupid building that's in the way, and land your ball perfectly on the green so that it rolls into the hole. Naturally, as in all golf games, the wind speed keeps changing, so it's hard to maintain consistency. You can in theory take the same shot from the same teeing location by simply quitting the round and restarting, but these online players keep jostling me around.

 

I managed to get five albatrosses pretty quickly, but the condors are ridiculous. Trophies like this should be banned.

 

I'll give it a few more tries, but I think we should all take a moment and congratulate Rocky for reaching his 8500th trophy! It may not be considered a milestone anymore, but it will always be one in our hearts.

 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to golfing before the entire western hemisphere wakes up.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My PS4 has gotten pretty loud lately too. I thought that something was rattling that was causing the noise, but it wasn't. I've just started to tune it out at this point since it's been going on for months.

 

I didn't find HZD to be particularly challenging to play, just a lot of fun. It's easy to get a stupid death for falling off a cliff or something. Happened a few times to me while strafing around trying to avoid certain death. I'm glad that you seem to like it so far :)

 

I'm sorry if I've forgotten something from a prior post...but can you only access that hole online for EG? The shot sounds like something out of 'Tin Cup' which would make it hard enough...but with all the other people around it sounds nightmarish. I actually want to play that hole now.

 

It's snowing here in CT so hopefully I'll get some time to play a little later. We picked up our Christmas tree last night and my wife wants to decorate tonight, followed by our DVR'd episode of the new season of Top Chef. It's a nice little Saturday we've got planned, I just hope I have enough time!...ok enough Will Ferrell. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Br1ste said:

I'm sorry if I've forgotten something from a prior post...but can you only access that hole online for EG? The shot sounds like something out of 'Tin Cup' which would make it hard enough...but with all the other people around it sounds nightmarish. I actually want to play that hole now.

 

I'm pretty sure it's online only. I mean, you can play that course in a tournament or solo match, but I imagine you'd have to restart the entire round if your first shot wasn't a hole-in-one...meaning you'd to play through two holes every time you wanted another chance. With online play, though, you can simply quit the hole and try again. Only takes a couple seconds.

 

Fortunately, it only took me about an hour to get a condor. The game has some special "abilities," which make certain shots easier. For example, I applied a rising shot to my ball. With a rising shot, the ball only needs to touch the pin to go in. There's also a homing shot that makes chip-ins much easier. And then there's a spiral shot...which is linked to a trophy...and I've yet to pull off.

 

Enjoy your Saturday! It's cold and snowy here, so I'm just going to bundle up and relax. Should be able to capture the rest of the gallery characters anyway. I think I only have seven left...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I broke the platinum breakers on EG. Three condors in three hours. It's really not that bad. I think I got lucky today with the wind being so low. I basically stood in the middle of the teeing ground, aimed at the building (putting the arrow on the upper right corner of the rightmost bench), and hit the ball with a maximum power rising shot. My custom club had 17 power (and 2 control) and I was using triple precision balls, for those who want to replicate the shot. The wind was generally coming towards me at 0-2 m. If you use a power shot, you should be at 358 yards, although the hole is 400 yards away. You basically want the ball to skip over the water, pass over the right side of the building without hitting the roof, and then pray you get a lucky bounce onto the green. Really, even with my low power, the ball had more than enough momentum to make it to the hole. If you're using a rising shot, all that matters is that it hits the pin. Even if the ball is going 100 MPH, you'll sink it. The only thing that made it annoying was all the players getting in my way.

 

Hope that helps any of you who are interested in this game.

 

With that, I've unlocked :gold: Secret Master, the hardest trophy in the game. It's all downhill from here! Which means I'll probably miss the shot. Downhill lies are the worst...

 

To celebrate, I decided to capture the rest of the gallery characters. This is honestly the trophy that I think will be the longest grind for those of you who pick this game up. Having to beat 720  characters by at least three strokes, spread over seven tournaments, is a bit of a pain. It wouldn't be so bad if you could choose your opponents in each tournament, but this random stuff is jank. For example, I only have seven characters left, but that's out of a possible cast of 200. Since you can only compete against 15 characters in a nine-hole tournament (or 23 in an eighteen-hole tournament), that basically means I'll end up having to play through seven tournaments, since it's unlikely I'll get matched up against more than one new character each time. Holes are short, but remember: I have to win by three strokes. Crap like this is going to give me a stroke.

 

[some time passes]

 

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

 

[more time passes...]

 

Okay. All 720 gallery characters now belong to me. :silver: Full House obtained. What? I get a new ride too? A FREAKIN' RACE CAR!? Cut. It. Out.

 

Hey, since it's now 7 PM (aka, "tomorrow" in EG), let's take on another VS opponent. I still have three of those precision balls left and I'm dying to use them. So, I log back in and see... Toraji!? But I already beat him! *checks the encyclopedia* Oh... my... God... It didn't save. Guys, I swear it. Here, I'll even show you. Their pictures unlock when you beat them. Do you see Toraji on there? Do you!? NO, YOU DON'T! BECAUSE THE GAME DIDN'T SAVE! It's the fish all over again!

 

44WYJJM.jpg

 

OK, so we've now established EG has problems with auto save. Like, it sucks at it. If it had pulled that crap on me with those condors...

 

Whatever. It's in the past. I just beat the snot out of Toraji (again) and I'm done for the day. Let's hope we never have to see that mullet again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9.12.2017 at 5:23 PM, Cassylvania said:

I'll give it a few more tries, but I think we should all take a moment and congratulate Rocky for reaching his 8500th trophy! It may not be considered a milestone anymore, but it will always be one in our hearts.

 

Thanks for the kind words Cassy :) 

 

I've returned to Batman Arkham Knight on Saturday. I spent nearly whole day trying to beat Crime Alley as Batman without getting hit. Yes, whole day. And yes, only as Batman. I managed to pull it off in the end. Now it's time for Robin and Nightwing... While playing I think I figured out the game. Beforehand, I also came up with a certain idea, it worked for me and made the challenge easier. That said, I've come from the war and I brought a handful of tips and tricks. Here's a mini-guide:

 

Before I list the tips I'd like to introduce some game theory. Game is a program. Program is an algorithm. Algorithm is a list of instructions. Instructions that are written by a human. Humans are predictable. So are the algorithms created by them. Batman is one of these algorithms. I don't like to brag and I don't mean it, but I think I've worked this algorithm out. Playing for so long, observing and remembering enemy patterns (yes, remembering, in a seemingly unpredictable fight) I have made some conclusions. There are some patterns in enemies' behaviors the game does not inform us about. I present to you a great list of tips and tricks to tackle Batman Arkham Knight's community pack DLC (at least the fighting trophies).

 

  • First off, the fucking camera. I hope that whoever made the combat camera in this game is unemployed right now. This is going to be your worst enemy. Not AI, not the level geometry, not your temporary lose of focus, not the controls. The camera is everywhere. It flies around trying to get you dizzy. I am unable to count how many times have I got hit because someone attacked me from where I couldn't see him. Fuck this camera, seriously. I was looking in the setting menu for an option called "Disable shitty camera" but couldn't find it.
  • There is something good about the camera though. It always points towards two actions being performed by enemies - Gun Load and Dash. Also, if you're quick enough you can attack an enemy armed with a gun that camera has just pointed at. Batman should ignore other enemies in his way and attack the gunner instantly. This also applies to the dashing enemies. However, I suggest vaulting over them to be on the safe side. 
  • Then there's controls. There are several moves that are useful when tackling these challenges. Block, Counter, Vault, Cape Stun, Blade Counter/Evade, Disarm and Destroy and any needed Gadget Move. I found it hard to press :square:+:triangle: simultaneously for Disarm and Destroy. I changed :circle: with :square: on my controller in Availability Setting on PS4. This made it infinitely easier to pull out the Disarm and Destroy move. It takes a while to get used to hitting with :circle: and stunning with :square:, but it pays off in the end. It should only be used when playing as Batman though. He and Azazel are only capable of executing Disarm and Destroy.
  • Disarm and Destroy is probably the most useful move in the game. It permanently removes certain weapon from the fight. When there's no armed enemies it becomes a Special Takedown. 
  • Abuse Vault. It is a move you can perform infinitely and it won't reset your combo counter AS LONG AS YOU VAULT OVER AN ENEMY. If you roll TWICE IN A ROW on the ground your combo meter is reset. Use this ability to plan your next move carefully.
  • Take advantage of your dexterity. Batman moves quicker and basically leaps from enemy to enemy when your combo counter is x5 OR ABOVE. Raising it to this number is your first objective.
  • Master the Blade Counter and Blade Evade technique. The second is a must. The first one just saves you time and eliminates one more enemy in the process.
  • Animations and Batman's movement is important for you to understand if you want to succeed. As with enemies, there is also a priority in the moves you perform. There is just one move that can be performed instantly - Parry. If you press a button for stunning you WILL NOT be able to cancel that by pressing the attack button. However, during pretty much every action's animation you can mash :triangle: if you see an enemy trying to attack you. If he started attacking you after a said animation started you are guaranteed to parry him. Be careful as it does not always work with enemies with blades and the unblockable attacks. I don't know if I squeezed my controller too hard here and there but it didn't work for me sometimes. My character was standing still and not responding to me pressing :triangle: to counter. 
  • There are some actions granting you immunity for the time they last. You cannot be attacked during these. However, for this to work they have to be performed on a specific enemy. These entail: Blade Counter or Blade Evade, Grapple-Hooking an electrified enemy, finishing an enemy, Disarm and Destroy move, vaulting a shielded enemy previously stunned using Batman's cape (STUNNING AN ENEMY WITH A CAPE NEVER GRANTS IMMUNITY).
  • After performing some actions the time will slow down so that you can look in amazement at Batman beating the shit out of some goons. Don't do this, seriously.... Use this precious second or two to pan the camera around and pick your next target or plan your next move. 
  • If there is a medic near a standard enemy you should refrain from hitting this enemy as the medic can electrify him and instantly end your run (trust me, it happened to me at least three times).
  • The assassins are known for attacking from a certain altitude. Their attacks can take them a while to perform. However, if you see them going for a wall to try to attack you and leap in order to hit them on the back and miss then your combo meter will not be reset. Keep that in mind, but I suggest not risking it if you don't have to.

As I stated in the theory, enemies' have predictable patterns and take turns when attacking you. Some are more likely to take a swing at you first. With some observation I was able to devise an Enemies' Priority List of Taking Turns in Attacking a Guy Wearing Black Latex Suit and Looking Fancy, or EPLTTAGWBLSLF for short. The list is in order from the most to the least aggressive enemy:

  1. Brutes - these bastards are the most aggressive. They are most likely to attack you first as long as they are in your nearest proximity. After you perform a move which grants you immunity for a short period of time always be ready to counter or evade their attacks as these can be surprisingly quick. However, the same brute cannot attack you multiple times in a certain period of time (THIS RULE APPLIES TO ALL KINDS OF ENEMIES). So, you know you can rest for a while if you just parried one of their attacks, but don't let your guard down as they can appear out of nowhere to land a hit in an instant. They also tend to defy physics (THIS BULLSHIT ALSO APPLIES TO MOST KINDS OF ENEMIES) as they can slide to you while performing an attack. Basically just like you, they are somehow able to cover a big distance just to hit you in a face. 
  2. Enemies with blades, katanas, swords, cleavers, scissors and other common things used for cutting - they are most likely to attack right after brutes when near you. You should master the blade countering technique to make you life easier. However, I do not recommend countering assassins as they are quick and have two different sequences of attacks (both of them have different speed and the timing needed is also different). They can effectively ruin your run. Suggestion: vault the assassins when the yellow warning icon appears above their heads.
  3. Stun baton enemies and electrified enemies - they should not be difficult to deal with. You're good as long as you don't come face first in them or their baton (wow, that sounds wrong). Use grappling strike (:l2:+:triangle:, then :square:) against the electrified enemies to debuff them. 
  4. Shielded pricks - now, these guys are annoying and can fuck up your run really easily. Surprisingly, they are pretty quick for guys carrying a heavy metal shield around. Most of the times you will be screwed when you decide to land just in front of them in a kissing distance as you will be bashed with a shield almost instantly. That's why you should look around while abusing vault and not land directly in front of them. However, they cannot bash you with a shield instantly after vaulting over them. Use it to your advantage as attacking you then will take them two instants rather then just one. 
  5. Armed villains - yes, including guns. They are almost harmless. As long as you take out the gunners first you're good.
  6. The rest of the useless, pathetic, weak swines - they just are there for you to build up your combo. 

 

I know, I know... TL;DR. 

These are not the tips that you will see in a guide. You should spend some time to read them or at least look for the most important information. Hope it helps. I'm having another date with Batman next Saturday.

Edited by RockyJokerPL
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RockyJokerPL Thanks for that detailed write-up! That'll come in handy when I finally decide to tackle those stupid challenges. I have no doubt that you'll be able to complete them. As for me, I'm doubting my ability to finish any game on my list.

 

I think the goal this month will be to get my list down to only THREE unfinished games. We're at six right now, but I think EG, Shantae, and RER (ugh) are all possible. The only trophy left in EG is the one for defeating all the revenge characters. Assuming I don't lose any more matches and the game actually auto saves correctly, I should have the platinum in 10 days. So that's kinda cool. It's like every day for the next week and a half, I'll be fighting my rivals for a plat. Very cool trophy, that one. Time-consuming, sure, but I like the one-challenge-per-day thing. It reminds me of that trophy in Arkham City that requires talking to Calendar Man on twelve separate holidays throughout the year. It's just something fun to come back to every now and then, rather than grinding everything out at once.

 

Shantae won't be a big deal. The only thing holding me back there is the release date for the DLC.

 

And RER... *sigh* Well, I hate to admit it, but I have been playing that on and off for the past week or so. I actually found a fairly easy level to farm experience. Stage 1 on Abyss really isn't that bad if you just kill the four enemies in the first room (to get the key), run through everybody else, and then kill the ten enemies in the kitchen. It only takes about three minutes, and you get 3-4k xp every time. The only annoying part (because there has to be one) is actually three parts, which all require getting past an enemy that wants you dead. The first is an exploding zombie, which you can technically juke by moving backwards, but I just like to soak the hit and keep running. The second and third parts require running past scissor zombies. You can make it past them both without getting hit, but you really have to cut the corners sharp. If they hit you, you just fall to the ground and have to spam the X button to get back up. Unfortunately, if the second one hits you, it's easier to get surrounded, because you're in a narrow hallway with about eighteen zombies that want to snack on your face. There's also a fat barnacle zombie or two, but they're easy enough to get around with a decoy bomb.

 

I'm close to level 49 in RER, which would be close to the platinum, but there are still some garbage trophies left to do, like getting all S ranks and 150 bonuses. Blech.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Golden_Jace said:

any specific plans for platinum #100?

 

Not at the moment. If I had to guess, EG will be #96 and RER will be #97 (maybe flipped, if I get lucky with a Ghost Ship Chaos run), but I'm not sure of anything beyond that. I would assume it won't be a game I currently own, though, as none of them have particularly exciting plats. Actually, RER does, but I wouldn't really save that for #100... would I?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/9/2017 at 5:27 PM, Cassylvania said:

Well, I broke the platinum breakers on EG. Three condors in three hours.

Wow nice! You're on the home stretch now.

 

On 12/9/2017 at 6:49 AM, Cassylvania said:

In the meantime, I've begun my HZD adventure. Aloy is a pretty awesome protagonist, which is what I've heard, and the graphics are beautiful. I'm not sure how difficult the game is, but I decided to begin on Hard, since that's my default setting for most games. Died a few times already, but I seem to be capable.

 

In fact, my biggest enemy so far seems to be my PS4, which sounds like a jet engine. It's never been particularly quiet, but I couldn't even hear the game over it. My temporary solution has been to hide my PS4 in the closet and run the connection cables through a hole in the wall, but I'm not sure how long that'll last. Kinda need that space for my clothes, you know?

Had the same issue with my PS4s fan ramping up and it was driving me nuts. I finally followed one of the youtube videos out there for taking the thing apart and cleaning out the dust. It made a huge difference. Been quiet for months since and will be quiet now forever as I just finally setup my new Pro model I picked up on Black Friday and transferred everything over yesterday. :eyebrow:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@donut_plz I really wouldn't mind a Pro either. My PS4 is a day one edition that I kept in the box for like two years. I keep telling myself if I'm going to buy a new system, though, it'll be a Switch. If only Nintendo would get their heads out of their butts and make a Pokemon console game that isn't a based around a ridiculous gimmick. I don't know if I've mentioned it in this topic before, but I've always thought an awesome idea for a Pokemon game would be a combination of Pokemon Snap and a deserted island/survival game. Like, the premise would be that you're a Pokemon researcher and you've been sent to a remote island (that they'll probably call "Pokemon Island"... *sigh*) to observe Pokemon life. There would be no other people on the island and no annoying dialogue. Instead, you'd be given a small lab and it'd be your goal to catalog Pokemon, which could be done by finding new species, observing natural habitats, and capturing wildlife for observation (in humanitarian ways, of course). There would be no battling.

 

As you build up your catalog, you'd collect money to fund your research. You could use this money to upgrade your lab, purchase new equipment, or buy supplies from a trade ship that might stop by at the end of every week or so. The focus on the game, though, would just be exploration. It should be free-roaming, with the ability to go anywhere on the island, and have a day/night/weather cycle similar to Skyrim (but way more colorful). And there could be different environments on the island, like caves and swamps and probably a desert and ice-covered mountain or whatever, which could account for the different types of Pokemon. Just think how much fun it'd be to explore the island and see Pokemon just living happily. It'd be like those hunting simulations, but without the unnecessary violence and killing.

 

Although I do think the game would be fun if it had a life meter. Not for the Pokemon, but for your character. Like, if your character takes too much damage (from natural hazards or maybe even from the Pokemon themselves), starves (yes, there should be a farming/gathering/cooking mechanic), or suffers at the hands of the elements (e.g. freezing to death in the mountains or dehydration in the desert), you "faint" and are revived back in the Pokemon lab. In that sense, it'd be like an RPG, where you need to find resources and upgrade your equipment and/or abilities in order to traverse further away from the lab.

 

The problem is, knowing Nintendo, they'd ruin this beautiful idea with something dumb, like making it online only and you share the island with other players who spray literal graffiti everywhere on the island. Or they'd make it that you only "explore" the island through still frames, or pop-up boxes, or while inside a rail cart on a predetermined path. Why you gotta ruin everything, N!?

 

Ugh, ANYMON... I beat two girls (Cindy and Mayu, I think their names were) in EG, but I forgot to take screenshots. If anyone is wondering, you CAN begin a match against a VS opponent right before the server flips over to "tomorrow," and the next opponent will be waiting for you as soon as you're done. I'm not sure if that was going to be the case, but I'm glad it is. Now, assuming the game actually remembered to save this time, we should only have eight VS opponents left.

 

I'm also up to level 49 in RER. At this point, I need to find someone to help me with Ghost Ship Chaos. If I didn't explain this before, Raid Mode is a co-op campaign (though you can do it solo too) where the single player campaign has been broken down into 20 stages (each with three difficulties). If that doesn't sound daunting enough, there's the Ghost Ship, which is literally all 20 stages combined. Yeah, doesn't that sound like fun!? Wouldn't you too like to play through the entire game AGAIN? EVEN BETTER, there are TWO Ghost Ships, with Chaos being an even harder version of the first. Will the good times never end!?

 

Sarcasm aside, you can bypass a lot of the stage if you know where to go. I figure if I can find a good partner, I can probably clear the stage in about an hour. That would go a long way to helping me finish up this game for good.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, gents, here we go. Round 3 with EG's Adam, the asshole I can't seem to beat. I think the PROBLEM here is that the course is Vortex Valley. Not the hardest course in the game, but a few of the holes are really annoying. As you might expect, it's a canyon, so there's lots of sand and bottomless pits. While I wait for Adam to take his shots, I'd like to discuss one of my favorite topics: food. Has anybody tried HelloFresh? It's so great. They deliver fresh meals to your house each week. It's a little expensive, but I think it's worth it if you don't like to shop all the time. I happen to like grocery shopping (and cooking), but it's nice to have pre-packaged meals. Nothing goes to waste that way, and the food is actually really good. The only thing I would advise is not to try it if you live alone. It ships with three meals at a time, but the meals serve two or four people. There might be more ways to customize that. Either way, a two person meal is actually a two person meal, so I think you'd get sick of leftovers really quick if you were doing it solo. I live with my two siblings, so it works out nicely. If there's not enough for all of us, I just make my brother starve.

 

I should point out Adam is already up on me by two. Make that three.

 

Well, I lost again. I'm SICK of this guy's ridiculous eagles. I hate this course, I hate tornado cups, and I hate Adam. They better give me a better opponent tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 I really wouldn't mind a Pro either. My PS4 is a day one edition that I kept in the box for like two years. I keep telling myself if I'm going to buy a new system, though, it'll be a Switch. If only Nintendo would get their heads out of their butts and make a Pokemon console game that isn't a based around a ridiculous gimmick. I don't know if I've mentioned it in this topic before, but I've always thought an awesome idea for a Pokemon game would be a combination of Pokemon Snap and a deserted island/survival game. Like, the premise would be that you're a Pokemon researcher and you've been sent to a remote island (that they'll probably call "Pokemon Island"... *sigh*) to observe Pokemon life. There would be no other people on the island and no annoying dialogue. Instead, you'd be given a small lab and it'd be your goal to catalog Pokemon, which could be done by finding new species, observing natural habitats, and capturing wildlife for observation (in humanitarian ways, of course). There would be no battling.

 

 

 

Now I really want this game to exist, you've sold it to me at least :P The pro is such a good trade up, i picked mine up on black friday which is for some reason starting to be a thing in Australia and I'm loving it, it is dead silent and I never realised how loud my day 1 PS4 actually was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am jealous, guys. Well, maybe someday I'll get a Pro too. Would make it easier to play co-op games anyway.

 

Also, I just put another dagger into my completion percentage by starting Shantae: Risky's Revenge. It's not a terribly long game (I beat it in one afternoon), but there are several trophies that require beating the game under specific circumstances. I think I can do it in one or two more playthroughs, but I'll have to read up on that. There's also a trophy for beating the final boss without using potions, which...is going to be ridiculous. I was barely able to beat that boss with potions. Fortunately, there is no platinum for this game, so we don't have to worry about me making progress towards #100 or anything.

 

Speaking of progress, tonight's EG opponent is Honghua. I should point out that when you beat a rival, you get their clothes. I'm...not exactly sure how that works, but I guess that gives you some extra incentive? Next time I go golfing in real life, the loser is getting naked.

 

Now that's how you make golf a little more interesting.

 

WbDV9FS.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am deeply sorry for the angry rant @Cassylvania

I've played a little of Batman Arkham Knight today. Now I have a ridiculous headache, my veins hurt and I want to smash something to pieces. What a great idea that was.
I've cursed my best today. I've sworn in all languages known to me. Now I need to learn more languages. Also, because of swearing and shouting at a screen like a fucking dumbass my throat hurts. 

These challenges are not hard. The game is cheating. I'll post a video tomorrow or on Saturday. Enemies defy the laws of physics like their shoes are made of ice or they have rocket boosters in their assess. Rocksteady is awarded a Return To School Award for physics in their stupid game. 

Now I have to do weight training to blow off some steam...

Edited by RockyJokerPL
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RockyJokerPL You got me a little worried there, bud. Just keep chipping away at it. If I can wrap up the rest of these games this month, I might try tackling Arkham Knight again in January. I left myself three "easy" trophies that I can earn as a reward for each hard trophy I knock out. It's not much, but it's the little things that count.

 

Just got home, so all I think I'm going to do tonight is beat Lena, today's EG opponent. This weekend, I MIGHT go see Star Wars. You might think I'm a huge fan, but I actually didn't even watch the original Star Wars movies until...like, maybe five years ago. Then I watched Episodes 1-3 and, well, felt the same way about them as most people. Never really been into anything sci-fi. Still, I loved Episode 7 when it came out, so I'm kinda excited about seeing this one. I don't know if it's the same cast as Episode 7, but I really like that they chose two relatively unknown actors for the main roles. I'm not sure how anybody could prefer Rogue One over that, but who am I to judge? I just like to be entertained. Now, I know next to nothing about this movie -- and I want to keep it that way -- so no spoilers!

 

I would, however, love to hear about your Star Wars experiences. Do you like it, love it, or hate it? Which movie was your favorite? Do you think the originals are the best, or are you one of the few who cared for Episodes 1-3? There's probably a lot more I could say on the subject, but I want to gauge the interest in the topic first. No sense listening to me blab on about things no one cares about.

 

Speaking of things no one cares about, I just beat Lena while checking showtimes. It's amazing how some of these characters are tough, while others are complete pushovers.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, guys, I managed to beat Shantae: RR. Even got myself the trophy for speedrunning the game in under 2 hours. If any of you are interested in playing through the Shantae series, I'd probably recommend Pirate's Curse or HGH over Risky's Revenge. Nothing against this game, but the controls are not nearly as fluid as they were in the other games. Especially the monkey transformation. Trying to cling to surfaces or land precisely on a small platform is like trying to catch a greased pig. No matter how hard you try, you're gonna slip. Not a good thing in a platformer. Still, I had fun. I just need to figure out how I'm going to get :gold: Potions Smotions, which requires beating the final boss without using a potion. Sure, that sounds hard, but Pirate's Curse has trophies for beating each boss without taking a single hit. I consider myself lucky.

 

Unfortunately, that luck ran out when I logged onto EG and saw my opponent today was Adam. This twerp has already defeated me three times. If not for him (and EG's crap auto "save" feature), I'd already have the platinum.

 

Too bad for Adam that fourth time's a charm.

 

qbt24UD.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats on your headway in EG. Seems you are making some good progress. Do you intentionally leave easy trophies when you know you have hard ones coming up or did it just work out that way for Batman? My wife is the type of person who eats her dinner from her least favorite thing on the plate to her favorite, that way she always finishes with the tastiest bite. Me, on the other hand, eat my favorite thing on the plate first because I don't want to get full before I get a chance to eat it. Not sure why you mentioning that you left those easy trophies there made me think of this...but it did.

 

The movies have been out for years, but I'll give fair warning that there are spoilers below except for the new movie, which I haven't seen yet.

 

I love the Star Wars movie series. I haven't read any of the books or comics and am not up on what is or isn't canon to the series, but my father introduced me to Star Wars when I was pretty young, and I've always loved them. While I still think the original trilogy is the best, and I'm a purist who didn't really like the re-releases with the added CGI, it won't ever stop me from watching them. While the special effects for the original can't come close to the recent episodes, I think the story telling in the original series blows the others out of the water. The chemistry on the screen was much better too. As a kid, Return of the Jedi was my favorite because I actually liked the Ewoks. As I got older, Empire became my favorite since I think it had the best mix of story and acting. I really wish I was old enough to have seen Empire the first time when I could understand it better, because finding out Darth Vader was Luke's father did not have the same effect on me as it could have. That would have been a 'Sixth Sense' or 'Se7en' moment for me I think.

 

Phantom Menace came out when I was a senior in high school and I went and saw the midnight showing of it with my best friend. We weren't Cosplay sized fans, but we were both big fans and really excited to go. I didn't like Jar-Jar and hated the actor that played Anakin, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I left the movie theater really happy. The explanation of the Force didn't really bother me the way it bothered a lot of people, but it did take away some of the mystery. The special effects and especially the last fight scene with Darth Maul made that movie awesome at the time. We thought it was weird and a little stupid that they made the fight scenes/technology appear better in the prequels than the original series since technology generally doesn't go backwards. But we were willing to overlook a lot of those types of things because we were just so happy they were making new Star Wars movies.

 

My least favorite of the series is without a doubt the Attack of the Clones. Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman's chemistry was so bad and awkward. It was never believable to me that their love was on the level of a Romeo and Juliet. It was truly just horrible acting and really took away from some of the awesome moments like Yoda fighting Dooku. I thought that their chemistry improved in Revenge of the Sith and I liked that episode much more than the first two. While Lucas had the technology to make great Star Wars movies with the prequels, I just felt like the story fell very short from the original series.

 

I was very optimistic with the Force Awakens, despite Lucas losing control of the saga and Disney taking over. I started the movie with a smile on my face as the music played and again left the theater happy with a smile on my face...probably more due to nostalgia than anything else. I hated the anti-climactic end to Han, but other than that liked it initially. However, as I talked about it with people, I realized I didn't like it as much as I thought I did. I thought the overall story was mostly just a rehash of A New Hope, however with MUCH lazier story telling. In A New Hope, each sequence had a purpose where in the Force Awakens everything seemed a coincidence. Oh no, we need to get away! Let's take that garbage spaceship...oh wait it's the Millennium Falcon. Oh, you mean when we get into outer space, Han Solo who has been searching for it for years and years just happens to be flying by...wow how lucky. I felt like a lot of the flow of that movie was kind of like that and it ended up souring my opinion of it a bit. I still like it ok, but not as much as I originally thought.

 

I actually did like Rogue One better than the Force Awakens. I thought it was really cool/freaky how a dead actor had a significant role. I thought the story made more sense and was driven by rational plot ideas rather than coincidence...I really liked Vader's presence at the end and how this movie ended at the literal moment that A New Hope began. I hope the other stand alone films are able to pull that off as well.

 

I am going to see The Last Jedi tomorrow night and am looking forward to it...because no matter what my criticisms of the series may be...I am a fanboy of the films and will continue to be optimistic about what is coming down the road.

Edited by Br1ste
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Br1ste said:

Congrats on your headway in EG. Seems you are making some good progress. Do you intentionally leave easy trophies when you know you have hard ones coming up or did it just work out that way for Batman? My wife is the type of person who eats her dinner from her least favorite thing on the plate to her favorite, that way she always finishes with the tastiest bite. Me, on the other hand, eat my favorite thing on the plate too because I don't want to get full before I get a chance to eat it. Not sure why you mentioning that you left those easy trophies there made me think of this...but it did.

 

It just kinda worked out that way. I actually got pissed off at the Batgirl trophies because both of those seemed to glitch out on me the day I was playing through A Matter of Family. If you recall, that was the day my account turned two years old, so I wanted to get a milestone, and I couldn't get the damn trophies to pop. That will forever be known as the day...I stopped caring about milestones. Until the next day. When I popped trophy #4000.

 

As for me, I'm a mixer. I do try to make sure the last bite is something good, though. The other day, I ordered a sub for lunch and didn't realize it had mushrooms on it until it was too late. I couldn't pick them all out, but I made sure to do the best I could before I finished the last piece. No godawful mushroom aftertaste for me, thank you very much.

 

12 minutes ago, Br1ste said:

[Star Wars stuffs!]

 

Very interesting take. I think pretty much everything you said is in line with the general consensus: the original movies are great (with Empire being the greatest of the great), the prequels are trash (with Attack of the Clones being the worst, Revenge of the Sith being the best, and Jar-Jar being the most annoying character ever created), and Rogue One is better than The Force Awakens. Nothing really controversial there. I think most people would even agree that the originals were better before CGI was added. If ever there were a good example of how better graphics don't make a better story, Star Wars would be it. I actually had an English professor in college who argued that every story ever created could essentially be boiled down to Star Wars. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I guess I can see the logic.

 

You also brought up a point regarding Lucas having the technology he wanted for the prequels. From what I understand, that was the main reason for beginning with Episode 4. Like, he had ideas for the prequels, but didn't feel the technology was there yet. I'm not exactly sure what technology he was referring to (first, because I know nothing about making a movie; second, because I don't remember a single thing about the prequels), but I've always a different idea of why he did it that way. To me, it was always about the viewer. If we had started with Anakin as the good guy and then saw him turn evil -- without the foresight of knowing it was going to happen -- it would be too dark of a story to tell kids. It'd be like, "Here's your hero. Now, watch him turn to the dark side and do evil things." I think, as a kid, it made more sense to have Luke as the hero. There's no gray area with Luke. And when we get to see Anakin's back story, it's one of tragedy, but we know he's going to be a hero in the end. So, in that sense, children are never led to believe that it's okay to do evil things. The movies are all about heroes and redemption.

 

So, to me, as someone who was watching the movies for the first time while I was in my mid-20's, I saw the reasoning for beginning in the middle as having to do with good storytelling, not the limitations of technology. That said, after watching the prequels, I'm not sure I believe Lucas is a great storyteller anymore.

 

I probably won't get to the movies this weekend. We're getting hit pretty hard with a snowstorm, so I think I'll just stay inside where it's warm. But hey, Shantae: RR is now at 100%!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Cassylvania You are making significant progress in EG. Congrats! Now the platinum is just a matter of time. Nice work on Shantae too. Trophies seem difficult(ish).

 

What's my opinion about Star Wars? Well, I am not able to throw as much information as you guys. The reason behind it being the fact that I've seen the original trilogy back in my primary school days when I was too stupid to understand the plot and I was just enjoying the laser show. I barely even remember the 4th, 5th and 6th parts.

I haven't seen Rogue One yet. But on Wednesday I went to see The Last Jedi with my friend. We went on a mini-marathon and seen The Force Awakens again and then The Last Jedi. I enjoyed both. Sure, there are some weird coincidences as Br1ste said, like Han Solo finding Millennium Falcon which Rey and Finn used to escape the TIE Fighters on Jakku. Because of such scenes both movies have little differences when compared to movies based on books. Some parts appear to be missing something. Also, the jokes are sometimes put in inappropriate moments and therefore the movie sometimes seems like a parody. It's more visible in The Last Jedi though. There are also some parts that don't feel right and are made just to lengthen the movie. 

The soundtrack and special effects in The Last Jedi are gorgeous. And the Porgs are soooooo cute <3 

I recommend you see The Last Jedi. And I have to plan myself a Star Wars marathon. 

 

As to gaming, I have a video showing the greatest bullshit I've seen in games so far. Of course it's from Batman Arkham Knight.

 

I tried tackling Crime Alley unharmed as Robin once more yesterday. I did it on my first try. Then I decided to strike while the iron is hot and.... yeah, see for yourself. Yesterday was a good day :D

BATMAN_ARKHAM_KNIGHT_20171215230740.png

 

I will also regularly update my post with tips as I continue playing so if you're going to use it remember that it's on 12th page on this thread. 

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

@RockyJokerPL Nice job! At least we know the trophy is doable. I MIGHT even try it out this weekend, since I'm snowbound. See, I'd like to clear up space on my PS4 -- since every game I own and plan to play has been downloaded onto the system -- and Arkham Knight's 75+ GB is really dragging me down. I've had to resort to scribbling down the names of games in my library that I want to play but don't have room to download at the moment. Why not just leave them alone? Well, unless you guys know a way, you can't make subfolders for games in your library that are simply available for download. Thus, potentially good games like Dark Cloud have to share space with garbage like Disc Jam. (That is a garbage game, isn't it? The only good jam belongs on toast.)

 

Is it just me, or do the free PSN games usually suck? They're the only reason I've played crap like Spy Chameleon, Lovers in a not spelling that title out again, and Grim Fandango. Yes, I know people like Grim. Whatevs. Jank controls and jank puzzles do not a good story make. So saith Yoda. Side note: is "saith" even a word? Second side note: that's not even the way Yoda speaks, I know. Hey, when's the Yoda spin-off coming?

 

BY THE WAY... This isn't really a milestone -- (a) because I've hit it a few times now, thanks to new DLCs being released, and (b) because it's literally not considered a milestone -- but, with the completion of Shantae: RR, I have officially 100%'d 100 games! Only six remain. Can I get it down to three before the year is over?

 

Let's find out.

Edited by Cassylvania
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also have to make room for new games. That's why I'm beginning with Batman. It takes up so much space on my HDD. Plus, I have to return it to my friend. Plus plus, I want to be done with it already. I'm having another date with this garbage tomorrow.

 

Disc Jam is an ok game. It's one of two sports games I'm good at (if you consider Rocket League a sports game). I guess I could help you with Shutout! and Unstoppable trophies if you want. However, one of us would have to stay up late or wake up really early (damn you time zones). 

I haven't played Grim Fandango yet, but I think it's sentiment what makes this game score that high (it does score high, right?). 

 

Free games don't always suck. There were plenty of good games given out to IGC. However, they are usually indie games people never heard of. That's why they tend to say it's garbage after an hour of playing and not experiencing anything grasping. Same with graphics. Usually gamers say indie games' graphics suck just because they are not realistic like Uncharted, Battlefield and other AAA games. Graphics can be pixel art, cel-shading, cartoon. The variety of graphic styles used in games is infinite. However, there can be shit pixel art - that's when you'd use poor graphics. I'd murder anybody who said that e.g. Stardew Valley has shitty graphics. For crying out loud, just because it is pixel art it doesn't mean it's poor graphics! 

 

What's your opinion on this issue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RockyJokerPL I'm of the mindset that "good" graphics doesn't have to mean realistic. Graphics are a form of art, and good graphics should fit the style of the game. Take Everybody's Golf, for example. The graphics aren't realistic, but they aren't meant to be. They're bright and colorful, which meshes very well with the gameplay. Compare that to something like The Golf Club, which takes a more realistic approach, but it makes more sense with that game. Even though they're both golf games, they have a very different approach in their presentation, and I think both games are better off for it. If I had to choose between them, though, I would take EG hands down, because that particular style appeals to me more, even if might not be considered as "good."

 

Stardew Valley is another good example. Sure, it's pixel art -- so are most of the Harvest Moon games, and I love those -- but I prefer it over the more realistic Farming Simulator games. You could say, "Well, you're really just talking about gameplay," but I don't think that's true at all. Imagine taking Stardew's gameplay and mixing it with Simulator's graphics. That might sound good in theory, but then you realize you're combining two things that don't necessarily belong together, like bananas and sour cream, and you end up with something like Eight Crazy Nights. If you've ever seen that movie, you know something is just off. That animation and that brand of comedy just don't belong on the same screen.

 

For the record, I don't think Spy Chameleon sucks because of the graphics. It's just an awful game and nobody should ever play it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

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

Create an account

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

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

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