Messages

151

Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Nintendo Switch retail and digital) - $39.99

« on: November 19, 2017, 11:22:15 PM »

2nd save file? That's crazy. You already did everything once?

I did everything on PC back in March. "Everything" as per definition it was back then. They've added more items since, so my collection page is missing these items.

As i was i looking a date for my last achievement on Steam, i was reminded that back then i kept an Excel file tracking my progression:



Good times (huge spike with 42 achievements on 24.12.2016 is because i loaded in full Rebirth save file to play Antibirth mod -- steam achievements activated but i still had to complete them later legitimately in-game itself).

On Switch's first save file i have most of the secrets and only missing collection achievements that require me getting all the items in the game at least once. Before the update game was bugged and you couldn't unlock two challenges because a certain item's unlock condition (Loki's horns) never procced.

So after they updated the game on Switch they fixed that however they also added several new items and some of them have unknown unlock conditions (namely Broken Modem) so i still can't achieve full collection until someone finally figures it out.

So until then all i could is to play an occasional daily run. That was getting stale and that's why i started a new file.

I spent most of my weekend watching people playing La-Mulana blind and playing as Lost on Switch handheld mode at the same time. Got Lost Boss Rush and Lost Mega Satan (chaos card killing Mega Satan's first phase for the win).

I am only missing Lost's Greed mode marks and the way i do it is to break the game through D20. I will unlock D20 with Isaac completing Chest and then will have to grind away playing as Eve in Greed mode hoping D20 spawns and i can break the game, become super overpowered and turn into Lost through Switcher or Missing Poster and kill Ultra Greed(-ier). Doing Greed mode with Lost is too painful otherwise.

152

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 40: La-Mulana

« on: November 17, 2017, 12:57:28 AM »

People are quick to bring up famed difficulty and impenetrable puzzles of La-Mulana but there isn't much discussion about the game's story, atmosphere and inspirations. Obviously it's because not many people got far into it but i would have liked anyone to mention even just an intro which sets up the premise of the game: an extra-dimensional entity that's referred as Mother "fell" on Earth billions years ago. Stuck there, it wants to return and uses her power of creating life hoping these children find a way.

Story even ties the existence of humanity as just a footnote in a grand scope of it's lore. As you keep exploring the dungeon -- each with it's own theme, history and real world mythological inspirations, you will read more lore about the children. And you will have to -- because puzzles might ask you to know names of the Giants for example and where each of them stands.

Story of Giants alone is pretty notable by itself and has a fantastic theme:

153

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 40: La-Mulana

« on: November 16, 2017, 05:31:35 AM »

Another part of La-Mulana that is identifiable as Konami influence are it's NPCs and how they give you hints and how you interact with them. Depending on conditions and time they have different lines. It's kinda similar to codec companions from Metal Gear.

It's kinda surreal having the same type of achievements of "listen to ALL possible lines from certain character" in both La Mulana and Metal Gear Rising.

Calling codec in MGS games any time anything happens is just as tedious as constantly warping to Xelpud and Mulbruk in hopes that game gives you a new line of dialogue. On my playthrough on PC i only read around 2/3 of all lines:

I have no idea how people do these type of achievements, because they're so easy to screw up and miss one line.

154

TalkBack / Re: VVVVVV (Switch) Review

« on: November 16, 2017, 05:10:35 AM »

Does the game have additional levels that 3DS port had?

155

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 40: La-Mulana

« on: November 14, 2017, 11:11:38 PM »

La Mulana is a game dedication to very specific line of Konami's MSX games -- same source from where Goonies 2 and Castlevania comes from.

MSX/Konami legacy dictates basically everything about the game:

-- weird jumping that comes from MSX/PC games where you jump by pressing arrow keys on keyboard instead of dedicated jump button. It is a lineage of jump physics that seems like completely missed Mario and Famicom/NES era of platformer games.

-- bullshit impenetrable secrets that force player to actively look for answers generating a buzz in gaming magazines, conventions or on a schoolyard. Same idea of game design that created many games in 80s like Milon's Secret Castle.

-- insane OST both in quality and in quantity:

-- speaking of quantity -- this game is huge. I read somewhere that Alien Soldier holds a record for number of bosses a game has. Well, one single late level of La-Mulana has more bosses than that entire game.

-- sprawling extremely non-linear interconnected non-Euclidean map. This feature makes most of the walkthroughs for the game basically unusable (especially if you're trying to avoid spoilers) because you can't just look up "where do i need to go now?" because that would require complete audit of your entire inventory and what you did and where you've already been and where you haven't.

Instead of that video would recommend just watching official tutorial from Nigoro themselves:

Or reading official manual:

http://la-mulana.com/download/lmlnpc_manual_en.pdf

^ also has cute drawings and comics!

156

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch/Wii U) Out now!

« on: November 14, 2017, 05:01:10 AM »

I've probably wandered over 1/4 - 1/3 of the game world by now, & every place I've been except Zora's domain has just been barren & empty.

Open your eyes.

157

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 546: The Influence of Classical Waggle on the Modern Metropolis

« on: November 08, 2017, 07:46:24 PM »

La Mulana 2 is also kinda stuck in developer hell as is

?

The game is nearing completion with steady updates from the dev team informing about their progress. They're finishing up balancing as of the last update.

158

General Gaming / Re: What is your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: November 07, 2017, 10:19:21 PM »

Bought SNES Classic. It's overpriced in my country (almost 100$) but i couldn't be bothered looking elsewhere.

Since it's my first exposure to SNES controller of sort, it's kinda weird how mushy the buttons are.

I am going to spend some time getting 100% Yoshi's Island on that thing. YI was the first game where i realised that videogames of THIS high level of craftsmanship and talent actually can and do exist and i was playing compromised GBA version and it still hit me.

Also excited for Super Punch-Out and Suepr Ghosts and Ghouls.

Also bought:

159

TalkBack / Re: 1-2-Switch Adds Video Recording In New Update

« on: November 06, 2017, 10:01:13 PM »

I was wondering what the update was about yesterday.

Recording neat but kinda useless considering most of the action happens off screen.

160

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 546: The Influence of Classical Waggle on the Modern Metropolis

« on: November 06, 2017, 12:25:48 AM »

Not sure why Fluidity is even in the poll since it got a dedicated retroactive already... I think?.. Or am i confusing it with one of podcasts featuring a lot of discussion about Fluidity.

Fluidity is great but it has to be La-Mulana. Though i am no not sure if you will have enough prep time of just 3-4 days to play it.

161

Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Nintendo Switch retail and digital) - $39.99

« on: November 04, 2017, 01:11:14 AM »

I am on my second save file now with over 370 hours in game. Unlocked Keeper, and did entire "dark" progression (Satan -- Lamb -- Mega Satan) with him so that's already half of the progression done on the hardest character in the game. Just this morning did "kill Lamb without picking keys" -- second hardest challenge in the game. Now only "Ultra Hard" remains...

I am kinda dreading having to do Lost without my crutch of doing it on Victory Laps on overpowered stats...

162

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 545: Gangsta-Ass Console

« on: October 30, 2017, 05:03:09 AM »

On The Binding of Isaac:
Enemy projectiles do have a shadow, see for yourself. And dodging them is relatively easy and not random occurrence at all. Of course all this dodging comes from practice but if the game didn't hook you -- you won't be motivated to play further.

It's probably for the best that you didn't liked this game -- noone needs that type of time sink, i spent 600+ hour on PC and 300+ hours and counting on Switch version.

163

TalkBack / Re: Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) Review

« on: October 28, 2017, 04:42:42 AM »

Been playing for 2 days now.

Yesterday i discovered game doesn't support tabletop mode -- that was frustrating 10 minutes trying to figure out why pro controller doesn't work when you remove switch from the dock.

Strangely some inputs from pro controller do something... sometimes like pressing down on a stick moves moves a selection in the menu. It's weird.

I see no reason why tabletop mode isn't supported.

164

Nintendo Gaming / Re: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*

« on: October 24, 2017, 03:27:47 PM »

Metroid Prime 4 will have a subtitle that people know

Metroid Prime 4: Micheal Jordan

A sequel to a 3DS game is coming to Switch.

Codename S.T.E.A.M. 2: STEAM Harder!

Little Mac was almost in ARMS. There's a reason he's not

Punch-Out franchise was sold to EA last year.

Netflix (but not Hulu) are coming Q1. Announcement will be tied with a Netflix-produced show.

Can't wait for gritty Urban Champion show.

165

General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: October 24, 2017, 10:54:02 AM »

did you play an original PS2 copy

Silent Hill 2 (PS2):

a lot of what you're syaing here sounds contrary to everything I ever heard anybody ever say about Silent Hill 2. people honestly think Silent Hill 2 may be up there with the likes...

Game is an improved sequel in all aspects, i also really liked the story and insight into all side characters.

Fantastic music for a great game.

166

General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: October 24, 2017, 12:59:39 AM »

Silent Hill 2 (PS2):

Second game has a lot more walking around in a foggy town than first game. "New" town of Silent Hill (which is apparently different from old one in Silent Hill 1) still has monsters but it's not as scary as first game was in the beginning. There are less dark places and obvious gory imagery and even closed spaces like apartment complex are not as spooky. Brighter environments and maybe increased detalization make the game less scary -- and by the way game looks great, fantastic not just for early PS2 game, most modern games today wished they could achieve the level of detalization this game shows. Mannequin enemies and the way forest randomly chucks monsters at you from the side of a road look more grotesque or even outright comical rather than horrifying:

This clip (starting from 24m:57) also shows how main character looks at things. This helps player to indicate if there are enemies in the room because James will be staring directly at it. That and creepy ass music than only stops after you stomp the last monster in the area. Player character also looks at things that game wants you to find like puzzles and random items needed for progress. Pretty sure Mario also started to look at enemies and events happenning around him since Mario Galaxy and that feature was also noticeable in 3D World and now Odyssey.

Kinda big deal about Silent Hill 2 is how tank controls are now optional. In the options, you can select "2d" control scheme which is basically what modern games use now (and that's how i played). Old, "3d" (as it's labeled in the menu) tank control scheme allows for better movement options like strafing and you can look up and down. It is not such a big deal with SH2 because it is less demanding and much easier game than 1 but that's a thing to consider.

You are showered with medkits and bullets. Weapons are also no longer hidden somewhere away off the main progression. Now you simply can't run out of bullets to kill some boss, nor you need to find some kinda tucked away non-obvious item to achieve the "Good+" ending. For some of the bosses it's easier to just stand there and eat all the damage while shooting them or slashing them with OP weapon you get 70% into the game that kills everything in 1 top -- 3 hits. Yay for streamlining the experience.

Overall your game performance doesn't entirely decide which of the endings you get -- it's not like in SH1 where the better you did in the game taking less damage and saving as rarely as possible -- the better ending you got. Endings are decided by some other circumstantial factors which i now realize retroactively Shattered Memories did in more obvious, "in-your-face" ways (compared to SH2 where you don't know which ending you're gonna get until the very ending).

Game is an improved sequel in all aspects, i also really liked the story and insight into all side characters. Interestingly the best music track of the game is named after a character who doesn't really have much of a backstory compared to others:

Fantastic music for a great game.

Still, it is hard to recommend -- while less scary than first game you need to almost physically endure it's oppressing atmosphere and it is still very spoopy despite completely devoid of cheap jump scares. Or maybe i recommend it BECAUSE of that.

167

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Aztez (aztec themed 2d brawler) coming to Wii U

« on: October 20, 2017, 02:53:35 AM »

https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/19/indie-games-steam-fail-aztez-developer-interview

168

TalkBack / Re: Ten Takeaways From the 2017 Nintendo World Championships

« on: October 11, 2017, 08:21:06 AM »

Where is our major Splatoon 2 league? Those Tower Control matches were intense and I'd watch that on the regular

Nintendo UK regularly posts streams of of Splatoon competitions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-v5E_bmwjs

169

General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: October 07, 2017, 11:41:42 AM »

Silent Hill (PS1):

I was always fascinated by the series, but never actually played any SH game until Shattered Memories which i loved and think of as the only legitimately good written game i played.

Most of my exposure to the series was it's music. I remember having Silent Hill 3 on work PC back in 2005-2006 but never actually playing it. I was just putting the intro cinematic on repeat and listened to the music.

It's intense. Shattered Memories was already too much for me, and these "real" Silent Hill games are even scarier still. I just can't play games like these at night, so i have to play them on weekends during the day.

It's a Playstation game from 1999: voice acting is kinda bad, tank controls and movement is clunky, items and weapons necessary for progress are kinda hidden away from you so you need to look everywhere.

First boss i missed one the weapons and had to load previous save to find a weapon i missed. There was another boss that i also had trouble and after looking it up i discovered the best way is to use an item i completely missed in the previous area an hour ago. Second best way was to use another weapon i also walked past half an hour ago.

I REALLY didn't wanted to replay sequences right before that (spooky sewers...) so i had to make do with what i had.

At least puzzles didn't give me trouble -- i had solved them by myself except for one right at the end...

Can't really say much about the story nor i do i care to look deeper into it. My understanding is -- certain scary stuff happened, i beat the game, didn't quite get the ending but i am glad it's over. It's also interesting that Shattered Memories despite being billed as a remake of this game has nothing to do with it past names of the characters, even subject matters are completely different.

Because i took my time being cautious and i was saving a lot -- i got "Bad-" ending. Minus being my punishment for not saving a character because i didn't used one item in one specific spot in the middle of the game. I looked at all other endings at youtube.

The best track in the game is definitely Lisa's theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVDMlk6K_Tk

Onto the second game!

170

Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Nintendo Switch retail and digital) - $39.99

« on: October 06, 2017, 01:24:20 PM »

The one thing that really makes me mad is trying to unlock the Lost. Every other thing in the game seems to be mostly skill based. This is BS luck. I got Mom's Box again today. I even got the Missing Poster to spawn... but no sacrifice room. Sure, I ran into two or so sacrifice rooms on earlier floors... really frustrating.

Usually it's better to try hit several targets at once with one run when there is a possibility that one of these may not happen due to circumstances.

I would recommend going for other achievements but always keeping Missing Poster in mind. It should pop up by itself eventually.

Actually if your Switch version hasn't been updated yet there was a bug that let you get achievements on Victory Runs which meant that Lost achievement were super easy now because you turn into Lost on your third Victory Run with insane stats and lots of items.

Is there a point in the game (like after mom's heart) that sacrifice rooms stop spawning? I can't recall seeing them after that point, but I also never really paid attention to sacrifice rooms up until now.

Yes, sacrifice rooms after Caves are less probable, however they do appear in Cathedral and Dark Room on a very rare occasions.

By the way that update apart from very important fixes that prevented players from completing the game also added more items from Booster Packs. While on PC these items were just dropped into the pools without much care, on Switch there are specific achievements tied to unlocking most of the new items which is a better practice that also helps with game balance.

171

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 541: Toad of a Particular Colour

« on: October 02, 2017, 01:28:57 AM »

If you think Samus isn't thicc enough for you, just say it.

172

General Gaming / Re: What is your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: September 15, 2017, 01:23:32 AM »

Used My Nintendo 10% off discount and bought Metroid Samus Returns.

173

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: September 13, 2017, 07:41:10 AM »

Murphy levels in Rayman Legends are BETTER with button controls than with touch.

174

TalkBack / Re: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Announces Season Pass

« on: August 24, 2017, 12:17:12 AM »

Aaand there goes my already fleeting interest...

175

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Splatoon 2

« on: August 20, 2017, 03:56:09 AM »

For some reason my network started working with Splatoon, even if it's still spotty. Weirdly it works better in wifi mode and doesn't work in LAN wired mode at all... But hey -- i got to level 4 and have at least an opportunity to even see what's Salmon Run is about.

I felt it was only appropriate that i played Splatoon in a bathtub. Obviously i wasn't gonna risk holding the switch over water so i put it nearby and used pro controller. Doing 2 things at once, yay.