MGR (Xbox 360 demo):
Yesterday i watched a few combo vids including ones with MGR. This is the combo video i liked -- little to no QTE and Blade mode is only used to cancel out long animations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axg97eII5GQAnd this combo video i shrugged at -- it just transitions between one Blade mode to another Blade mode(though slashing two bullets in the beginning was cool):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnNyPArx_sQThat inspired me to have another go with the demo. I still don't plan to start the game proper, just want to finally understand combat system. Still not feeling it, but i checked out blade canceling and it's indeed very useful even on the most basic level.
What really bothers me is that Raiden moves during slashes, it's very disorienting. Also B button doesn't seem to do anything. Sure you use it to activate finshers, but it's not used at all during other times. Feels like a waste of button.
DmC (demo of the reboot, 360):
And while i am replaying old demos, i decided to try DmC demo again, now that i played all previous DMC games.
Just like before i
really like art style. It's bright, brash, in your face -- i love it.
Controls work, but it's hard to adjust after playing DMC3/4. Fingers reflexively keep trying to do old DMC stuff and i keep messing up. Button layout feels all over the place --
two dedicated dodge buttons, both triggers are used to switching between two types of weapons. It just feels like they wasted FOUR buttons on such trivial stuff like switching weapons and dodging.
Button layout is very important for action games, your character has dozens and dozens of moves at his/her disposal, effective and ergonomic distribution of functions on controller buttons is crucial. Bayo did it brilliantly, overloading different functions on the same buttons depending if you press them, hold them or double tap them.
DmC tries to remove combinations of button presses with stick movements. That is not what i wanted DMC series to fix. My problem with DMC3/4 was how most of the moves are tied to constantly pressing RB, which leads to me clutching the controller way too hard. Also you need to HOLD triggers while using your angel/demon weapons which is the same problem as before.
Fantasy Zone (MAME):
Level 2 and it's boss are still the hardest, because of those random things in foreground that obstruct your view and make it hard to see your ship. Boss 2 is also hard with it's bullet rain, you have to dodge this spam while shooting for quite a while. You can try to bomb him from above but it's kinda risky.
Level 4 -- laser is really good in this level and overall laser looks like the best upgrade so far, i tried 7-way shot and it's good but way too expensive and still worse than laser.
Got to boss 4, died first time because i didn't expect his attack, but it was actually pretty easy. After bullet hell of Cave shooters, boss 4 is nothing.
Got to level 5, the spam that was already getting ridiculous in previous levels is just off the charts there.
I think i am now ready to take this game to 3DS, release 3D Classic release on PAL eShop, SEGA!.. Or do
retail release like in Japan, i was gonna buy Streets of Rage and Shinobi ports either way. SEGA pls.
Vanquish (360):
Smoking a cigarette while in cover reminds me of that preview of Devil's Third Nintendo did during E3. This small feature is actually making me excited a bit for Devil's Third, just out of crazy hope that Itagaki once again will ripoff ex-Capcom developer to create an action game masterpiece of his own, like he did with Ninja Gaiden taking the template of Kamiya's Devil May Cry.
Weapons upgrading system kinda weird, it's a bit of a hassle too when you find two weapon drops of the same type and then i just feel i have to go back and forth to upgrade that weapon even if i don't even use it.
I still mostly go with standard weapon layout: assault rifle -- for precision and long range, heavy machine gun -- mid range and damage and shotgun -- for ridiculous damage up close. For some areas with bigger enemies, i swap out weak Assault rifle with something stronger like LFE gun.
Polished weapon balance reminds me of Unreal Tournament. They even have some similar weapons like disc gun. Just like in UT, in Vanquish your movement matters more than your aim and some weapons don't require twitchy aim (though it helps of course).
By Act 3, i upgraded shotgun fully and it is now absolutely ridiculous, it shoots as fast as a jackhammer. Extremely useful to take down bosses and Romanovs.
Romanovs at first used to be a problem, but now i can take down four at a time. LFE gun helps a lot, because it can knock out scores of them and shotgun to finish the job while they're lying down and can't do anything.