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Key · 08-25-2021, 06:10 PM

Hades

I played this game when it came out on Steam originally, and played a good amount of it. But then I discovered that it was coming to console, so I hesitated to play it until I could play it on console, and my god this game is a beautiful ****ing masterpiece.

You take everything that I love and probably what others love about roguelike dungeon crawlers, and you'll find all of that in Hades. Each run is different, filled with different upgrades and combat mechanics that you have to learn and get better at. While I would say the difficulty is not as unforgiving as some roguelikes, you still need to focus and learn what you did wrong in a previous run in order to prevail in the next one.

So far, I have seen all 6 items that are available, but I don't know if there are more to unlock. For the time being, I've been able to be pretty successful in several runs regardless of weapon type because each one brings its own strengths and weaknesses. One weapon is the bow and arrow that has a special move that shoots up 7 or 8 arrows at a time hitting enemies at random, or you can choose the shield that gives you more AOE damage. It really just depends on how you feel like playing the game.

With most roguelikes, as you do more runs, you'll find yourself learning how the enemies work, how the levels work, how to use the environment to your advantage i.e. traps. Each enemy has different attack styles and some can be far more forgiving than others. Boss fights are the exception as I've seen that bosses tend to have the same set of attacks, just depending on when they use them. I've only seen 2 of the bosses, though the first boss has a couple different variations that come with their own set of attacks that you have to learn and work with.

The bone hydra being the furthest boss I've killed, is tough, but manageable. It's one of those bosses that will be easy for some, and tough for others. I've learned that the dash mechanic will come in useful more so with that boss, but extremely beneficial regardless of the enemy. Gives you more room to be technical and evasive. Always use the environment when you can, because one trap could be the difference of you dying, or the enemy dying. Yes, you can push enemies into their own traps if you have the right build.

I will say, I've been playing this on the Xbox One Series S, so I've not had any issues as far as frame rate or anything like that is concerned, but I've heard nothing but good things about the other platforms and the PC version itself. I just don't have as much time in the PC version as most people probably do. So honestly, regardless of how you play, you're in for a good time.

Psychonauts 2

It's always tough when you see good franchises come back after so long with a sequel to a game or franchise that are beloved. If you've been hesitant about it because you really don't want this to sour the original, throw that hesitation out the window. I started playing this last night and although I'm not far in it yet, Psychonauts 2 is a wonderful tribute to the original while adding many things that make it unique in its own right. It tackles topics like anxiety, depression, angst, and does so with such incredible visuals and dialogue that you can't help but find the game both charming and dark.

The characters are all very unique and you'll find yourself enjoying the dialogue AND dialogue choices that come up throughout the game. A good example is when you're speaking to one of the main characters you meet early on, and the story with you and her hints at being romantic, though one sided. As you have dialogue with her, you get to a point that you want to talk about the kiss the two had before this game, and as you approach the conversation, you hear a heart beat in the background giving off the impression that your main character is dealing with the anxiety of speaking to someone about their relationship. There are many opportunities for themes like that throughout, and I'm looking forward to seeing how more of those come to be, on top of of course the visuals that come along with it. And man, the visuals are astounding.

I don't want to say much more about this one as it just came out, and I don't want to spoil it. But play it if you loved the first one. You won't be disappointed.

08-25-2021, 06:10 PM	#155 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	Hades I played this game when it came out on Steam originally, and played a good amount of it. But then I discovered that it was coming to console, so I hesitated to play it until I could play it on console, and my god this game is a beautiful **ing masterpiece. You take everything that I love and probably what others love about roguelike dungeon crawlers, and you'll find all of that in Hades. Each run is different, filled with different upgrades and combat mechanics that you have to learn and get better at. While I would say the difficulty is not as unforgiving as some roguelikes, you still need to focus and learn what you did wrong in a previous run in order to prevail in the next one. So far, I have seen all 6 items that are available, but I don't know if there are more to unlock. For the time being, I've been able to be pretty successful in several runs regardless of weapon type because each one brings its own strengths and weaknesses. One weapon is the bow and arrow that has a special move that shoots up 7 or 8 arrows at a time hitting enemies at random, or you can choose the shield that gives you more AOE damage. It really just depends on how you feel like playing the game. With most roguelikes, as you do more runs, you'll find yourself learning how the enemies work, how the levels work, how to use the environment to your advantage i.e. traps. Each enemy has different attack styles and some can be far more forgiving than others. Boss fights are the exception as I've seen that bosses tend to have the same set of attacks, just depending on when they use them. I've only seen 2 of the bosses, though the first boss has a couple different variations that come with their own set of attacks that you have to learn and work with. The bone hydra being the furthest boss I've killed, is tough, but manageable. It's one of those bosses that will be easy for some, and tough for others. I've learned that the dash mechanic will come in useful more so with that boss, but extremely beneficial regardless of the enemy. Gives you more room to be technical and evasive. Always use the environment when you can, because one trap could be the difference of you dying, or the enemy dying. Yes, you can push enemies into their own traps if you have the right build. I will say, I've been playing this on the Xbox One Series S, so I've not had any issues as far as frame rate or anything like that is concerned, but I've heard nothing but good things about the other platforms and the PC version itself. I just don't have as much time in the PC version as most people probably do. So honestly, regardless of how you play, you're in for a good time. Psychonauts 2** It's always tough when you see good franchises come back after so long with a sequel to a game or franchise that are beloved. If you've been hesitant about it because you really don't want this to sour the original, throw that hesitation out the window. I started playing this last night and although I'm not far in it yet, Psychonauts 2 is a wonderful tribute to the original while adding many things that make it unique in its own right. It tackles topics like anxiety, depression, angst, and does so with such incredible visuals and dialogue that you can't help but find the game both charming and dark. The characters are all very unique and you'll find yourself enjoying the dialogue AND dialogue choices that come up throughout the game. A good example is when you're speaking to one of the main characters you meet early on, and the story with you and her hints at being romantic, though one sided. As you have dialogue with her, you get to a point that you want to talk about the kiss the two had before this game, and as you approach the conversation, you hear a heart beat in the background giving off the impression that your main character is dealing with the anxiety of speaking to someone about their relationship. There are many opportunities for themes like that throughout, and I'm looking forward to seeing how more of those come to be, on top of of course the visuals that come along with it. And man, the visuals are astounding. I don't want to say much more about this one as it just came out, and I don't want to spoil it. But play it if you loved the first one. You won't be disappointed.