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https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/stea...g?t=1596581924 The Outer Worlds [First Impressions] As soon as I heard Obsidian Entertainment was behind this, I knew I had to put some serious time into this game. Though despite that, I hadn't picked it up until very recently. Sony was having a great sale and The Outer Worlds ended up being 50% off. Not that I wouldn't pay full price for it. It just felt like the right time to play it, and coincidentally it was on sale. So it worked out. Now, given that this is a first impression, there won't be a whole lot of in depth talk, given that I both don't want to spoil it for anybody, and I haven't done nearly enough to have anything super important to say. However, with the time that I've spent on it so far, I can certainly say that this is well worth your time. Think of the first time you played a game like Fallout: New Vegas. It was a whole new world to you and the way it's laid out is done so flawlessly that everything feels fluid. Obsidian is not known to skimp out on things that make their games great. Rather, they'll continuously adapt to current gaming climates, and put everything into the project their working on. Which then provides a rich and fun experience in their games. Fallout: New Vegas did this very well, and The Outer Worlds does this well, also. The game starts you off on a planet you know nothing about, and its your job to go around and figure things out. It's open world, and it plays exactly like you want it to play. It definitely feels like you're playing an all new revamped version of Fallout: New Vegas. I keep using that as an example, but it's the only one I can think of that makes sense. And it's not a bad thing at all. Rather, it's nice that the game wears its inspiration on its sleeve, very heavily. To be expected given that it is Obsidian. But y'know. Just my observation. The leveling system and the perks you can get are also great. I obviously won't spoil any of that for you, but it's a fun system and it works very well. Excited to see how much more it opens up as I level up. Combat so far is really fun and satisfying. Nothing is necessarily too easy, but nothing is necessarily too difficult either. There's a nice balance. I haven't felt like I couldn't take an enemy down. You just have to be smart about it. The gunplay definitely feels like Fallout, in a good way. Nothing feels too powerful, and thinks lose durability all the time. But fortunately, you get enough loot to allow yourself to have a pretty great loadout, despite the durability loss. I haven't noticed much issue or stress with the durability. I tend to be able to use the weapons as much as I can, until I can repair them. And that's also nice that you can not only repair your items, but you can upgrade them too. Adds a whole other level to the weapon system. The social interactions you have with characters around you is also done very nicely. And very Obsidian-esque. I've already had moments in dialogue where my persuasion mattered. And made a difference. As well, the dialog in general is very well written, and fun to go through. Games like KOTOR, and of course Fallout do this very well. And I can safely say that The Outer Worlds does is very well. I've had moments of literal laughter because of some of the things you find in the dialogue. And, the characters all seem interesting and fun to talk to. Especially when you can get those dialogue choices that are based on certain levels of your character. That's what I always appreciate. The depth of conversation. Obsidian always does this well. Bethesda sort of still does it well. But not nearly well enough. Graphically, definitely top tier. I'm playing on PS4, and everything is super high quality and I rarely, if ever have any frame rate issues. I've actually not noticed any lag or what have you. Maybe a tiny bit here and there, but evidently not enough to notice. And, honestly it's just a fun game to run through because of how gorgeous it is. Everything feels unique and different depending on what planet you're on. And that's not an easy thing to do. Overall, with the few hours I have in this game, I definitely recommend it for those that love games like this, and just want to see what Obsidian is doing with their time right now. I'm certainly going to love playing this more and more. |
https://i.imgur.com/bLnG4z7.jpg?1 First Impressions: Monster Train I saw a lot of buzz about this game online when it came out, but I hesitated due to being occupied with other games. I just picked this up last night and I've probably put in about 6 hours already. It's a deck building strategy roguelike very similar to Slay The Spire, though they are two completely different games in their own right. Monster Train does enough things different to the formula where I don't think it's necessarily fair to compare it to Slay The Spire. Both are solid games, obviously. Monster Train takes the formula and sort of twists it a little bit. You get your standard deck builds and you figure out how to use them with one another. The biggest takeaway for me so far is the combat. Not only is it engaging, but it's done it such a way that's both unique, and allows for creativity in how you want to play the field. You, at times, may be fighting 3 lines of enemies simultaneously, and you have to strategize with each set to take them down efficiently without losing many of your monsters on the field. You will lose them a lot. Because while the combat is really satisfying and creative, it can be very punishing. But, if you get the right combinations, it'll more often than not work in your favor. The other great thing about this game, and it's something i'm typically a stickler about when it comes to this genre, is how each run feels. Does it feel like the same thing over and over again? Certainly not. There's so many different ways to play and different factions to choose from, whom all have different categories of cards that you use together with other cards. You'll typically never have the same run twice. Sure, some strategies carry over from run to run, but that's the beauty of the genre as a whole. Easy to pick up, tough to master. With as many hours as I have put into this game already, and simultaneously how many i've put into other deck building style roguelikes, this is probably the best one I've ever played. And again, that's not to throw any shade at Slay The Spire or any other games in the genre. This one just does everything so well and it's already so refined that it's nearly impossible to stop doing runs. Monster Train gets my highest recommendation. |
https://i.imgur.com/POVDdVd.jpg?1 Monster Train [pt. 2] It really does not take a whole lot to win me over with games. Mechanically it has to be strong, and the game just has to be enjoyable enough in its respective genre for me to want to play it for long periods of time. Well, I've basically spent the first half of my weekend playing nothing but Monster Train. I'll tell you why - it's fun. Regardless of the difficulty or the learning curve pertaining to figuring out the combinations of cards that work the best, the game never stops being fun. It constantly makes me want to do another run, even after losing a tough run before. You know simultaneously that it's going to be fun, and it's going to be different enough to where you feel like you still stand a chance. So far, I think I've done close to 20 runs, and no run has felt the same. Again, I reiterate that yes, a lot of the strategies feel the same, but the way you combine those strategies holds new challenges that don't show up in games too often. I've gotten to the final boss several times, but it's definitely one that's going to take practice. I've been consistently losing in the later half of the game though, which is good. A lot of the things I learned in Slay The Spire seem to work well here as well. But, there's so many unique strategies with Monster Train that there's still a pretty hefty learning curve. Basically, I feel like I do just a little bit better with each run. And the strategies get stronger and more intense as you learn more. I'll make a quick note and tell you that the soundtrack to this game is great. Each track sets the tone for the level quite nicely, and honestly done perfectly, especially when dealing with the boss levels. Which brings me to my next point - the bosses. They work very uniquely but also very easy to figure out the more you fight them. I've gone in with just simply brutal strength, and it tends to work out. Filling up the field with strong monsters also helps out a lot, especially if you just unload perks into them before having to put them to work. That's usually done progressively from the beginning of the round though. Unless you get some nasty pulls. Like I said, lots of strategies to consider. The bosses can certainly be tough, but that's mostly due to their ridiculous HP at the start. Once you get some strong monsters though, they typically don't take too much to wipe them out. I think I've definitely cemented it in my head that this is by far the best roguelike deck builder I've ever played. It's just got so many good things going for it, and it's gotten me addicted to doing run after run after run. Which, evidently is a good thing. |
Bet that Pokemon game was fun. Are you a more gamer person than Batlord? I recently played a whole NFL season on N64 Blitz game. Then won the superbowl.
Right now I'm playing Griffey Jr Slugfest whole season. A couple of my N64 games dont work :o: |
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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. https://i.imgur.com/FKsTkvA.jpg?1 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. |
Hey Key, good to see you back journalling. Excellent article as usual, though this particular subject doesn't really interest me. Still, as someone once said, it's often the way you write that makes a subject interesting, even if you're not interested in the subject. Yeah. I'd say I'm drunk but you know I don't drink.
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https://i.imgur.com/iCVUYd1.jpg?1 Hades: Full Review one more run...one more run...one more run... As much as I would like to, most games I play tend to not receive a perfect score when it comes to my overall feel and taste of the game. Most games either sit between an 8.5 to 9.5 out of 10, more so because there's usually one, two, or a couple things that make the game a non perfect score. However, when it comes to Hades, it checks off all the boxes that would require me to give a game a 10 out of 10 score. Now, what makes this game not only worthy of a perfect score, but good enough to want me to recommend it to pretty much anybody, whether you're a fan of roguelike dungeon crawlers or not. It does so many good things to the game itself and the genre as a whole that it also manages to stick out as its own piece of art in the gaming world. Now, what makes this game so great? Is it the theme? Is it the characters? Is it the gameplay? Yes, all of it. You start the game with virtually no information regarding to the story and what is in store for you when you take your first run. You're given a few tutorials but really, the discovery is all you. In the nature of roguelike dungeon crawlers, the first floor and levels are not the hardest, but they will give you a challene. Enough of a challenge to learn the mechanics, without mastering them. Gives you a taste of the combat and everything else within. What it doesn't tell you right away though, is that you're going to die...a lot. At least when you start. I started playing the console version when it released a few weeks ago, and I can say for certain that my first 5 or so runs were lost within the first 2 or 3 levels, but one I learned the boss mechanics for each floor, the earlier stages became a breeze. So much so that the first boss is basically a way to test out if my build for that run is good or not. Spoiler alert, most of the time, the run is not good enough, at least to what you perceive is a good run. However, the game manages to give you enough buffs and intersting items, that even on a bad run, you can learn a thing or two to bring into your next run i.e. how the boss mechanics work. The other neat thing, is that although you will die a lot, you never for a second think that its the fault of the game. Everything the game throws at you is either fair or challenging but do-able. And let me tell ya, there will be quite a few challenging moments throughout. I've done about 50 attempts at completing the whole game, almost always falling short on the last boss. I've beaten the entire game once, but I've yet to do it again. The last boss is no joke and you have to not only be strategic, but have a good enough build that can inflict enough damage to make you feel at least a little worthy of fighting him. That goes for all bosses really but it's especially important when taking on the final boss. Getting to the final boss is no joke either. Each floor comes with its own traps and ways to either take down the enemy, or take down yourself. Certain items will be good for certain bosses where there not good with other bosses and vice versa. I will say, as much as I think the final boss is really tough, the one that comes on the floor before is much harder, as you've got sort of an Ornstein and Smough type deal. (2 bosses at once) Hard as ****, but do-able. The theme of the game takes inspiration from Greek mythology, so the powerups and "boons" you receive are those in relation to the gods of Olympus, i.e. Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, etc. You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, and your main goal throughout the whole game is to escape the underworld. However, the treck to do so is not so easy. Again...do-able, but not easy. The game itself is played in the perspective of top-down ala Diablo/Torchlight/Path of Exile, but plays in the style of a game like Dead Cells, in relation to the combat. However, although I love Dead Cells dearly, not even that game could get a perfect score from me. At least nowadays. Upon release, I would've definitely given Dead Cells a perfect score, but I cannot do that fully knowing that there is a game, Hades, that does the formula insurmountably better. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this game as people are finding it for the first time whether it's through GamePass, PS5, or Steam. It's been getting close to if not receiving perfect scores from multiple outlets giving the game universal acclaim. Rightfully so. It's not everyday the gaming world is blessed with not only a solid release, but a solid game throughout its updates and subsequent console releases. I can easily see this game being in my top 3 games to play for many months if not years to come, unless I finish everything first. But I like to take my time with these games. One reason being that my hands get really sore the longer I play games, so I have to cut myself short from time to time. That's ok though, because each time I jump in, a new experience is waiting. If reading this doesn't give you the impression that I think this game is phenomenal, well...this game is phenomenal. I definitely recommend it for those not only interested in a solid rogue like, but are also looking for something that takes Greek mythology and does it well. Also, it helps that all the character designs are beautifully made, making you feel even more connected to the characters you discover throughout your runs. It's quickly becoming my favorite release in the past 2 or 3 years, and it's also going to be up there as far as game of the year goes for this year. Though, that goes for the console release as the game initially released on Steam months earlier. Again, just a good example of how good this game is. Comes out in early access and a year later sees a console release while also maintaining it's universal acclaim. Now don't even get me started on the soundtrack. Even though I'm going to talk about it anyway. Just take...yknow, the likes of Doom/Doom Eternal, and take all the heavy hitting guitar riffs from those, and throw them into another soundtrack...and you have the Hades soundtrack. I didn't know how much I would love the soundtrack until it started playing heavier and amazing riffs at times of gameplay that mattered most. Like...the tracks will change into something more technical the crazier the fights are. Really nice touch. Nothing like listening to heavy metal while destroying enemies with various attacks and motions. I will leave the review here as I feel I will spoil too much. I really don't want to spoil anything because the first run is the most important, and not knowing anything will make the experience richer and more interesting and it allows you to learn the way the game works on your own. Don't watch any videos of it until you've played it yourself. It's not worth spoiling it for yourself. Or anybody for that matter. Play it. |
https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.c...g?t=1660316311 CULT OF THE LAMB My writing is a bit sloppy as I have not done it in a while so please forgive me if some sentences don't make sense. Now, onto the review. When I preordered this game, it was solely based on the name alone, as I had literally seen nothing about it other than Youtube thumbnails showcasing it. I did that on purpose as I did not want to spoil any of this game before I played it for myself, and man I'm sure glad I didn't have it spoiled. All I really knew before I played is that it was not only getting a lot of attention on the internet, but it was also highly anticipated even before it garnered the attention it did. Seems like something that would've 'just' slipped under my radar, however I dove in as soon as I could, and of course as soon as I heard it was a brand new roguelike. I like roguelikes. Cult of the Lamb at it's core is a roguelike ala Binding of Isaac, Hades, etc. The combat is your typical hack'n'slashy type deal, with a variety of different weapons and sub weapons to use at your disposal throughout each run. You get upgrades in the form of tarot cards, and some weapons are stronger than others and can be leveled up to be even stronger. It's nothing too hard to grasp, especially if you've spent many countless hours on Hades. The combat is very similar however a little simplified in Cult of the Lamb, which for me, is honestly aiming more towards a positive and not a negative. I like simpler combat when it allows for more creativity in the forms of upgrades, etc. Tough combat is still appealing as it can be very satisfying to finally hit a tough combo, but I don't necessarily hate a simpler combat style either. It works very well here, at least I think so. On the other side, while it is a roguelike at it's core, with upgrades and all that fun stuff, it also doubles as a farm sim ala Don't Starve. As the name would suggest, you are the leader of a cult, and while you are progressing through rooms and levels in the roguelike aspect of the game, you are simultaneously building up your cult with building upgrades and doing quests for your followers to increase their loyalty to you, their faithful leader. While that sounds simple on paper, the game really shines with how deep and refined the farm sim aspect truly is. Everything you level up has a skill tree, or several skill trees that allows you to unlock new buildings or upgrades that help your cult progress through the days and nights, or helps you in your combat escapades in the dungeons. You can sort of prioritize your upgrades to help you more in combat, or to help you more in your cult. I personally have been focusing more on my cult, and less on the combat side. But both are a joy to lose time in. The thing that really allows this game to shine, at least for me, is how fun and addicting the game is to play. Never feeling like your rushed through one aspect of it to get to another. It's all laid out in such a way that you can take your time with it, while also constantly feeling the pressure of the health of your cult, and also making sure you're taking on the bosses in the dungeons. Both are rewarding in their own ways, and both never feel rushed. I've lost count of how many times I've sat for hours just decorating my cult and doing quests for my followers. The gameplay mechanics, the graphics, everything comes together in such a way that everything feels like progression even if you're just putting a potted plant somewhere. More on the building side of things. If you're into games like Starcraft or the like, this game does things those games do by giving you buildings that allow you to collect resources at your cult. You can tell your followers to harvest them for you while you go and fight in the dungeons. Resources like lumber and stone tend to be the most important resource for basically building anything in your cult. And simultaneously, you can path your way through the rooms to collect even more resources if you want to, or you can just go fight to fight and beat the rooms that way. Or...you can just tell all your followers to worship your shrine and upgrade your cult that way. It's your choice, faithful leader. Now, the followers are not always convinced that they should be a part of your cult. Sometimes you'll come back from the fighting, and one of your cult members has been shouting profanities about your cult and it's up to you to deal with it. You can either convince them to believe in you again, or you can just throw them in prison and let them deal with it that way. The choice is yours. Or...just sacrifice them. It benefits your cult. So yeah, the game basically tells you to do it. So...do it, faithful leader. If for nothing else, Cult of the Lamb takes two genres that I personally never thought would have worked together, and blows those opinions out of the water. This game is certainly better than I expected, however going in with no expectations makes that rather easy to do. But at the same time, the game in general has been getting very positive reviews and I would highly recommend it for people that are in the mood for another roguelike. It's been a bit of a dry spell since Hades but this one is very good. The important thing to remember as well is while it does take a lot of inspiration from games before it ala Binding of Isaac and the like, it still manages to stick out as its own with cute yet creepy graphics and an arsenal of upgrades and fun interactions to have with your followers. Don't get me wrong, Hades, Dead Cells, Binding of Isaac, they're all great. And so is Cult of The Lamb, oh faithful leader. |
Hey Key! Welcome back, dude! :beer: :thumb:
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https://i.imgur.com/mSOo0oT.jpg Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands I would like to preface this post by stating that I don't think Ghost Recon Wildlands is necessarily a bad game, in fact it is quite good with a lot of unique things going on that separates it from other games in its genre. However, that there lies it's main issue, it pulls inspiration from a lot of other games, that even with its own uniqueness, it still feels like a lot of other games I've played before. So, what is Ghost Recon Wildlands? Well, from the bit that I played of it, and by bit I mean full completing all the missions and side missions in the first area, the game is one of those Shadow of War / Assassin's Creed Origins type deals where the game lays out everything you need to do, whether it's collecting money from someone, or stopping a vehicle mid trip in order to help your own team with supplies and whatnot. Or going on the main mission of the area and completing all of what it has to offer there. And don't get me wrong, it's fun. I typically really enjoy these types of games because it allows you to sort of spend your time doing whatever you want without really feeling like you have to rush through certain sections. Obviously, much like other games, there are certain areas that you cannot (or should not) go until you've gotten a bit stronger. At the same time, the game doesn't necessarily tell you NOT to go, just that it isn't advised. But, if you've been driving around in the same area for countless hours doing missions and things, it is always nice to enter a new part of the map that makes the game feel fresh. Which, speaking of the map, is much bigger than I anticipated. And that's not always a bad thing, especially if you like to complete games like this in its entirety. Without spoiling too much or giving too much away, the game is a lot of fun to play, and with its own uniqueness, it does feel different than other games that have gone with the same style. Which I think is a compliment to the Ghost Recon series in general, as even back in the earlier days of Ghost Recon, they always felt a little bit different than your typical first person shooter, and I've always enjoyed the games because of that. Unfortunately, to its own detriment, the game stops feeling unique and different a few hours after you start playing and understanding what the game is going for. Which again, I say that with the notion that I actually prefer these types of games over other genres more often than not. But a lot of these types of games do the setting well, but fail to keep it interesting enough to make you want to complete the whole map. Shadow of War, for me, has done this the best, where it always feels like new and exciting taking on different maps and missions, etc. Ghost Recon Wildlands has it's own unique missions and things like that, but it doesn't stay interesting for very long. It's always "oh here's the same type of mission you just did but in a different part of the map", and while it is fun as a completionist to do these missions, it's only fun for that reason. Otherwise it just feels like a slog. Now, while the missions and all that may not stay captivating for very long, the setting of the game and the graphics help it immensely to keep the game interesting and honestly fun to play. The game is absolutely beautiful and keep in mind that I'm playing this on the Xbox Series S so I am a bit biased, but man the game is truly breathtakingly beautiful. Sometimes the sun will hit certain areas and you just can't help but stop and enjoy the scenery. On top of that, the driving mechanics are probably some of the best driving mechanics I've ever seen in this style of game. Even games like GTA have some refining to do when it comes to the driving, but Ghost Recon Wildlands does it so well that when you're driving across hills and landscapes, you feel like you're in complete control of your driving. It doesn't feel clunky, it doesn't feel off, it feels honestly great. It's certainly one of the few times I've actually really enjoyed a driving mechanic in a game like this. Another shining example is Saints Row 3. I remember spending hours and hours just driving motorcycles and cars full speed on the streets and just having a great time. The controlling of vehicles can be very hit and miss, but this one does it very well. After the initial excitement of the gameplay dies down, the game doesn't necessarily stop being fun, more-so it just starts to feel like you're doing the same thing over and over, and with a map as expansive as this one is, I just don't think it's worth my time to try and go through it all to 100% it. I had originally planned to do something like that, but with as many games that have done this genre well, I just don't see the point in trying to do everything I can in a game that I'm not fully 100% sold on. That's also assuming as you go further into the game, it doesn't get any more interesting. Which I can't say for sure as I have not gotten much further since the last time I played it. Too busy playing Cult of the Lamb. The real question is though, is Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands a bad game? No, far from it honestly. It's actually a great game and a nice refreshing look at a genre that has been hit on the head so many times that all the games start to merge together at some point. Does that keep me from recommending it to others? Nope. I honestly would say that if you're a fan of the Ghost Recon series and you want to see which direction they brought this one, you should definitely check it out. I'm not saying I'll never play this game again or at the very least complete it, but it just doesn't have enough momentum for me to keep playing it. Better than I expected? Absolutely. But for some, it's probably only going to be a lot of fun for a few hours. I just think it's missing but a few things, but overall does what it needs to do, and for that, it still shines through. It's certainly better than a lot of games coming out recently, but it still doesn't do a whole lot to make it stick out more than it is. |
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