Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - TOPHATANT123

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 56
1
General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition
« on: August 31, 2023, 08:13:43 PM »
This backlaugust I completed... nothing!
I took some days off of playing anything at all and most of my time was split evenly between Fire Emblem Engage, Pokémon Scarlet and Tears of the Kingdom. I would say I'm at like 80%, 60% and 30% respectively.

2
General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?
« on: August 04, 2023, 01:04:31 PM »
Loop Hero is free on the Epic Game Store at the moment. It's like PS+ or Games with Gold but free.

3
General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition
« on: August 01, 2023, 01:24:11 PM »
Is it that time again already?

I feel like there's no chance I can finish Zelda at the pace I've been going. Although I feel like I can probably get through Pokémon Scarlet this month. It's an easy breezy kind of game where the biggest obstacle to completing it is myself.

4
TalkBack / Re: Pikmin 2 (Switch) Review
« on: July 23, 2023, 11:50:02 AM »
I'd like to voice support for Matt's point of view.

I played the game recently for the first time, along with 1, 2 and 3. I strongly disliked 2 and it left a bitter taste after the brilliance of 1.

To me, the designers of Pikmin 2 did not understand the fundamental tension that holds together Pikmin 1.

To me, Pikmin is about securing a safe supply line for your Pikmin to travel along and then sending Pikmin back to the base, as you press forward and leave them to do their thing. Knowing when to return to the base, how to manage your time, how many Pikmin are needed to approach an enemy, establishing an efficient route to travel along; this is where the strategy of the game comes from.

Pikmin 2 does not have this tension, where you have to make choices about splitting your time and resources. In Pikmin 2 there is no strategic reason to ever divide your Pikmin. You are encouraged to have all of your Pikmin with you at once, to baby them constantly, because the loss of a single Pikmin in the caves is catastrophic.

There is no reason to rush the caves, if you're playing optimally, you will play as slowly and as conservatively as possible, so that you can retain all your Pikmin across the 20 levels of the cave.

So the game loses almost all of its strategic gameplay, to focus on its combat. The core of the game is learning how to defeat enemies without losing a single Pikmin. To me that's not fun, combat in Pikmin should be a means to an end. It's about tapping the A button hundreds of times and shouldn't be the sole focus of the game.

In Pikmin 2 I often found myself dismissing the Pikmin and going to fight enemies as Olimar using his pathetic punches. It's slow and tedious but it means that you know all of your Pikmin will survive for the next level of the cave. This defeats the point of even having the Pikmin, instead of an asset to Olimar they are a liability.

5
Check out Inside No. 9

It's a British anthology dark comedy kind of thing.

Lots of variety, you have some episodes that are more stylised, some that lean more into horror, some that spend the whole episode setting you one weird plot twist.

6
TalkBack / Re: A Warriors Warrior Warriors for Warriors' Warriors.
« on: June 20, 2023, 02:51:17 PM »
This may well be the first trillion dollar idea

7
General Gaming / Re: 3rd Annual NWR Four on Four
« on: May 02, 2023, 09:28:23 PM »
I agree with Evan that there are sometimes control issues with planetoid gravity. Especially in 2D sections. I found it confusing when you would press right to move from 0 degrees to 90 degrees, then if you let go of the stick you need to press up or down instead.

I have not played the Wii U HD version yet. Did you use the Gamepad or Wolf Link amiibo? Did you play that extra dungeon? If so, let me know what you thought of those
I didn't get to check that out. Is it focused on Wolf Link fights? If so there's probably not much of value there.

8
General Gaming / Re: 3rd Annual NWR Four on Four
« on: April 30, 2023, 09:24:56 PM »
I also achieved 3 on 4.
Made some good progress on Xenoblade 3 but I've got anywhere between 25-100 hours to go.

Mario Galaxy 2
I played two of the green star mission then after that decided hell nah, that's going to be incredibly tedious. The green stars seem to be designed for kids in 2010 who had nothing else going on.

Overall I enjoyed the game. However since I've played the series out of order, the ideas appearing here for the first time didn't make much of an impact. Not really the fault of Galaxy 2 but the games that came after it.

The game has a surprisingly large amount of bosses. Lots of level variety, with both new and returning power ups. I don't think 3D Mario is 100% my cup of tea, but it was still a fun enough ride.

Luigi is way too slippery for me, so I eventually dropped him. Lastly I'd say that because of the green stars, the ending is kind of weird and anti-climactic.

Twilight Princess
I think this game is flawed.

There are some parts I enjoyed, sometimes the dungeons would set off a nice fuzzy feeling that you get when you're going through the motions, doing your internal dungeon solving algorithm. The dungeons are a lot more complex than Wind Waker, and the art style made them feel more like real spaces, rather than video game levels.

The reason I say the game is flawed is that it feels like you have a central gameplay strength (the dungeon puzzles), being held together by extremely flimsy connective tissue.

With the combat, while they do give you extra moves, it never really gets much more interesting than it is in the first dungeon. It's a means to an end.

The towns and overworld feel lacking in interesting NPCs, or side quests beyond collecting macguffins. Heart pieces diminish in their importance after you get enough of them and with the combat being so bland, there's not a huge need for them either.

Then the rest of the game is filled out with a shallow assortment of other gameplay types. Like horse combat, wolf combat, fishing, sumo, tears of light sections, herding goats, snowboarding, jousting, canoeing, chasing skull kid around the woods. They went for variety and succeeded, but these gameplay types aren't deep or even especially fun. It's there to pad the game out a bit before the next dungeon.

I agree with Neil's assessment on Connectivity. The game is dark, but not at all grounded. It's a goofball game and doesn't take itself seriously. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but it feels like a mismatch with what the audience would be anticipating.

Resident Evil 4 Original
So fun from start to finish. The combat is satisfying and there is real growth as you learn when and where to use all the weapons. The inventory system is constantly forcing you to make choices and it feels incredible when you decide to spend your money after saving up.

The game is still very playable with tank controls and holds up remarkably well for a 2005 game.

The story is very silly and Leon is a walking meme generator, but intentional or not, that doesn't matter. This game lives on the strength of its zombies and the guns you use to kill them, which are exceptional.

9
I've been through a small meta challenge in the run up to Tears of the Kingdom.

Played Majora's Mask, Wind Waker (for the retroactive) and then Twilight Princess. MM and TP for the first time, so I'm now caught up on the 3D games.

10
General Gaming / Re: 3rd Annual NWR Four on Four
« on: April 02, 2023, 10:21:23 PM »
I've got a super ambitious April planned, but I'm feeling optimistic.

Resident Evil 4 (Original) PS4 - A good 10 hours into this already, loving it so far. Looking forward to playing the remake at some point in the future and comparing the two.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Wii - Snap. Made a head start on this one too, currently 40 stars in. I'm enjoying it although I've been finding there are control issues with the waggle. I once went to itch my face and died because it read that as a shake. The precision just isn't there. Not a problem on easier stages though.

Twilight Princess HD Wii U - Want to play this before Tears of the Kingdom. Not made a start yet and I know it's famously a very long game.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Switch - This is a stretch goal, but now that the eShop has closed I really want get back to this, hopefully finishing it before Tears of the Kingdom as well.

11
The 2nd half of 2016 was absolutely dire for the Wii U. Pretty much just Paper Mario Colour Splash.

Thank goodness for the 3DS

12
Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 815: A Change of Hardware
« on: March 31, 2023, 10:17:00 PM »
I see you've selected the PS2 Simple 2000 classic; Demolition Girl.

13
The direct talk this week was very interesting. I think calling it a communal event is absolutely correct. People treat directs as if they are products for their enjoyment in and of itself. With every direct I heard people saying things like "I enjoyed everything in the direct, but they announced things in the wrong order", or "why was this only on the Japanese direct". A critique that has nothing to do with the games themselves, but of the communal experience. In the case of the Japanese direct exclusives, in part the critique is for the benefit of an imaginary other person that is going about their day having not been given the chance to react to Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg.

The Nintendo Direct is a hit of dopamine, when they occur during the work day I find it hard to focus well after the direct has finished airing. It's a high and the fervour around their announcement is a form of withdrawal, as James said.

I also agree with Guillaume's point that the pre-direct discussion is getting old. I feel like that's why Nintendo made the lead times a lot shorter, so people don't work themselves up into a frenzy.

I feel like a lot of people who say they want a new F-Zero have never played it, but they say that because they know it will make for a good communal event.

14
This was my second time playing Wind Waker HD, so I opted to play on Hero Mode. My original Wind Waker take was that the game was a well crafted game made by professionals, not my cup of tea, but a decent adventure with good puzzles and annoying combat.

With the benefit of hero mode I was forced to learn that the combat can be less annoying if you use the boomerang, but it's still not a strength of the game.

I don't think the Forbidden Fortress is a good opening dungeon, the layout and map is too confusing and even on my 2nd trip I had no idea where I was going. It's a cliche at this point to say that the stealth is bad, but I'd say the reason it's bad is that there's no creativity. Metal Gear Solid is a sandbox, you probe for weak points in the enemies defences, wait for the right moment and go for it. In Wind Waker stealth is sitting in a barrel and waiting for slow enemies to allow you to pass down a hallway.

The next few dungeons are fun and come at a good pace. They feel more linear and puzzle oriented compared to the more exploration oriented dungeons of the N64 games. I'd say I prefer exploration, but Wind Waker's dungeons are still enjoyable.

The game peaks in my opinion with the Medli dungeon. You're introduced to  brand new mechanics and having the two characters allows for some interesting puzzles.

The Makar dungeon is okay, but it's tricky to tell where you're supposed to be going because it's so big. Controlling Makar is more fiddly than Medli and you will often have to take multiple trips, once with Makar and then with Link. Since it's not as easy to just pick them up and carry them to the next room.

It's at this point the pacing is slowed to a crawl. The idea of a treasure hunt is good, but it's implementation brings out the worst in Zelda. Obtuse critical path puzzles. Long kill room sequences with the same damn enemies over and over. Trial and error mazes. Watching the chest opening animation yet again to be rewarded with rupees to fill your already full wallet, or if you're lucky an almost equally pointless joy pendant.

I don't like when a game makes me reach for GameFAQs. Other than searching every square on the map and talking to every NPC, I don't see how you could complete the Triforce Hunt without a guide.

After that there's a dull boss rush, though the final area is saved by some pretty cool new bosses.

I don't mind the sailing sections. I think it's okay for a game to have boring parts where you take in the world. I had fun just using the jump button to try and launch off the top of cresting waves. I don't want to be that miiverse guy, but the water physics are really fantastic in this game.

Final thoughts? I think I enjoyed it more the 2nd time around. In this playthrough I was able to ignore a lot of the NPCs, side quests and heart piece islands that bog down the main quest. I was able to have a better time by focusing on the core experience.

I'll end on a few musings and possible questions for the retroactive.

Why does Tetra's skin colour change when she becomes Zelda?

Is it right to put fairies in bottles when they look so sad?

How is it possible for Link to fail to articulate the capital letter at the start of the pirate password?

Is there any hint that you need to talk to the teacher to get into the Cabana?

Why does the dungeon warp take you to the 1st checkpoint, rather than the one next to the boss room?

Does the game ever teach you that you can climb up ropes using the ZR button?

If the game gets ported to Switch will the miiverse features get a chance to live again?

What is the "dorf" part of Ganondorf supposed to represent?

15
Incredible stinger this week

16
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 51: Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
« on: December 05, 2022, 09:20:09 PM »
I've now completed the Wii U game with all of the treasure chests collected.

Personally I would say I prefer the DS game. I said that game was fun but flawed, the Wii U game is perhaps less flawed especially in terms of it's controls, but also less fun.

Control wise Kirby is less likely to ricochet around like a pinball, the dash physics are more consistent and the ability to erase Rainbows is a game changer. Kirby feels slower, and this time around you are encouraged to draw multiple lines at once, which gets used for things like waterfalls. The only complaint I would have with the controls is the charge dash, the game would sometimes register it as a regular dash or not at all, killing me a handful of times.

The game has some really interesting gimmick levels, notably the rocket levels and level 7-2. In the main campaign I would say there's greater variety here than in the DS game.

Where I feel it falls short is with the extra challenges and the treasure chests. The time trials in the DS game are the best part of the game, whereas the 15s challenge rooms in the Wii U game are too annoying for me to contemplate 100%-ing. The Wii U game is also lacking the paint efficiency trials which were a great change of pace. The treasure chests in the Wii U game I found to either be too easy, or too obscure without a good balance between those extremes.  While the DS game certainly has some frustrating medals, generally collecting medals was more about exploration.

I'm glad I played it, but I don't rate it very highly.

17
Before playing the Black Eagles route in Three Houses I 100% had the same opinion as James about that faction. But they reveal enough new information in that route that it managed to change my mind, there's more nuance there than it appears.

18
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 51: Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
« on: November 27, 2022, 08:50:20 AM »
I've completed the DS game and got all of its medals. I think it's fun, though flawed.

The challenges are quite difficult, demanding precise inputs, but the controls don't lend themselves to that. Short lines won't register, and Kirby loves to bounce off at unexpected angles. It's not always clear when Kirby is in his attack animation so you lose health for not spamming attack. Sometimes you want to stun an enemy but end up drawing a squiggle.

The challenges are there to pad the runtime and sometimes are more annoying than they are difficult. For medals there's no option to restart at checkpoints, instead having to willfully run into spikes to restart.

To mention some of the positives, it's a unique game and it's demand for precision and speed reminds me of playing Trauma Center. The types of challenges feel distinct and all have a completely different pace. From the time trails, to the paint efficiency ones, to the more exploratory main levels. I'd say the time trials were my favourite and you get a sense of satisfaction as you set new fastest times.

Lastly, the game has an option for Pictochat. in which people who use Pictochat are referred to as Pictochatters. You learn something new everyday.

19
NWR Forums Discord / Re: Safe Words XX: #2 Is #1 - The Final Four
« on: August 29, 2022, 07:05:10 AM »
That was a really fun final round, good game everyone!

20
NWR Forums Discord / Re: Safe Words XX: #2 Is #1 - The Final Four
« on: August 27, 2022, 06:38:44 PM »
From zero to hero.

One more obstacle and then I'll have the title, but it's one hell of an obstacle.

Khushrenda has aptly demonstrated above why they've had this game in the palm of their hand. Good luck to you.

21
NWR Forums Discord / Re: Safe Words XX: #2 Is #1 - The Final Four
« on: August 26, 2022, 06:57:57 PM »
I have no idea who this is, so no better reason to pick them. Khushrenda, I've read you.

Andy Richter.

22
NWR Mafia Games / Re: Mafia XC: Theme to be determined. Sign-up Thread.
« on: August 25, 2022, 05:58:01 AM »
In.

23
Man I love Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. At the time I thought the shooting segments were so clever, but looking back they probably weren't anything that special. The rhythm game segments I'm sure are still fun I imagine. Rayman 2/3 and Rabbids 1/2 are synonymous with childhood for me. Rabbids TV Party was the first one where I felt disappointed, don't know if I left the Rabbids, or the Rabbids left me.

For the game I've actually played, The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve is now in the digital completed pile. From my first post I've come around a bit. The game has a lot of heart and I found myself feeling emotional when it was time to say goodbye to all the characters. It's a really good game and I'd say the duology is up there with being one of the best stories the series has to offer. That said I'll be giving the series a long cool down period before I jump into the next one, as I was feeling some fatigue with the format. The ones I've got left are Apollo Justice and 6 (and Edgeworth 2, would love an official English release of that).

24
NWR Forums Discord / Re: Safe Words XX: #2 Is #1 - The Game Begins
« on: August 22, 2022, 04:47:02 PM »
I had a terrible feeling a few days ago that I had been eliminated on a timeout because I had forgotten to check in. Thankfully I hadn't been called upon, until now.

Lemme go with an old favourite, Luigi.

25
NWR Forums Discord / Re: Safe Words XX: #2 Is #1 - The Game Begins
« on: August 13, 2022, 07:33:48 PM »
Time for my stunning debut.

Side kicks eh? A mysterious cosmic force is pulling me in the direction of Robin.

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 56