The Video Game Thread

[The Swanton825]

So, Sonic Frontiers... I haven't had a Sonic game that clicked with me since I was a wee little kid playing Sonic Adventure 2 in between games of NFL Blitz on my Dreamcast, but Frontiers hits different. Like, this is actually a fun game. Not "it's playable, that's all I can expect", but actually staying up late because I want to finish a zone! It's still got plenty of that 3D Sonic jank (pop-in everywhere, the cyberspace levels suck and they still won't stop taking camera control away from the player) but for the first time the new stuff Sonic Team added to a game is what I want to see more of and the classic stuff less so.

It's weirdly relaxing speeding through the open areas collecting rings and other assorted pickups with the calm BGM playing. Then you get to the boss battles, the metal kicks in and the game turns into Asura's Wrath! I've seen people are divided over the gameplay shift in the true final boss fight, but IMO that was the hypest boss battle I've played in a long, long time. Heck, even the story is engaging! A Sonic game with an engaging story, how weird is that!?

So yeah, it's a good time.

[same-old-davey]

Anyone play dance / rhythm games? I got my very first Perfect Full Combo today on my home computer. Pad play.

And passed a 5+ minute Marathon song. 1100 notes. Sadly I choked the full combo. (I wish they would put S.O.S Band in DDR or Pump.)

[Blackman]

On 1/14/2023 at 3:44 AM, The Swanton825 said:

So, Sonic Frontiers...

So yeah, it's a good time.

From what I've seen it looks a bit rough, but I too had a great time with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 on the DC, so I wanted to give it a chance... someday. Still need to finish Sonic 1 actually. It's one of my shames

[The Swanton825]

22 hours ago, same-old-davey said:

Anyone play dance / rhythm games? I got my very first Perfect Full Combo today on my home computer. Pad play.

Congrats! I've never been much of a fan of DDR as I have two left feet, but I did used to play a LOT of Rock Band and Muse Dash on Steam is pretty fun.

8 hours ago, Blackman said:

From what I've seen it looks a bit rough, but I too had a great time with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 on the DC, so I wanted to give it a chance... someday. Still need to finish Sonic 1 actually. It's one of my shames

It's for sure rough in places, but the controls actually work for once and the homing attack goes where you want it to instead of doing its own thing like it's done since SA2. Frontiers is one of those games that if you just watch other people play it doesn't seem all that special but then you play it yourself and see why people have fun with it. I'm not gonna come out and say it's top shelf GotY candidate or anything crazy like that. It's a solid 7/10 game that feels like a good foundation for future games. When was the last time that could be said about any Sonic game?

[Blackman]

Sure, but those games are generally not worth talking about. Take Marvel Avengers, for instance. The game was plagued by the AAA "live service" treatment where they lock cosmetics behind either agelong grinds or money. Now the game is declared "dead" (which is what you get for a live service game, imo "Sonic Adventure II" f.i. is still very much alive as a game), and cosmetics are given for free. Given this development, I'd give the game perhaps a 7/10 as well, as the gameplay was decent. Considering its current price and some fun I've had playing the campaign, this isn't such a bad game to play. However, I'm not going to recommend it, because there's better stuff out there.

Anyhow... it's you're REALLY a Marvel fan... it's not like I'm not NOT recommending it...

But I'd rather people ignore the game now. Personally I cannot abide them treating Spiderman as an exclusive character. I understand Playstation exclusive studios. It's business. I understand timed exclusives (like Tomb Raider). People need to have patience (and eventually you're playing a 'bugfixed' game). But actively keeping content away from a significant part of the customers, even after a game "dies"? This just breeds contempt. I personally can cope, but many won't. Not a smart move by the devs imo.

[The Swanton825]

I disagree. There are plenty of games out there that are still extremely fun even if I wouldn't rate them higher than a 7/10. Saying that "good, but not great" games can't be worth talking about is really reductive in my eyes.

The Avengers comparison doesn't really work either because there's a million other action games out there that do the same beat 'em up formula better. How many good 3D platformers are out there doing any sort of Sonic-inspired gameplay lately? I'm seriously asking because all I know about is Spark the Electric Jester 2 & 3. If there were a glut of other options then yeah, I probably wouldn't be enthusiastically recommending Frontiers (I'd still be talking about it though because I'm still shocked Sonic Team didn't release a broken mess), but here we are.

Also, blame Sony and their deal with Marvel for Spiderman being exclusive not the devs. They get full control over Spiderman's usage outside of comics and live action movies. I highly doubt anyone on the development side for Avengers thought that was a good idea that would help sales and adding him in for free on other platforms at this point would just get them slapped with a lawsuit.

[The Swanton825]

IT'S SWANTON RECOMMENDATION TIME AGAIN! Hi-Fi Rush is an absolute must try for everyone with Game Pass. Devil May Cry meets rhythm games isn't something I expected to work, but good sweet lord does it ever!  As a bonus, unlike other rhythm action games like Metal: Hellsinger, Hi-Fi Rush doesn't punish rhythmically challenged folks like me by taking away the music the worse you do and instead goes the other way by simply rewarding you with extra damage and faster attacks for being on time. Wrap it all up in a charming art style similar to Into the Spider-Verse, a killer soundtrack that includes Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy and tons upon tons of references to games the developers love (there's a freaking Xenogears reference in there!) and you get an early frontrunner for my GotY.

[Jaysin]

I had an idea for a role play for Skyrim where I play as an Orc that calls himself the Winter Knight. He uses ice related spells with his left hand and in his right hand is a sword with frost enchantments. I'm using a Blades sword currently, but eventually going to switch to a Stahlrim sword for it's aesthetics and frost enhancements. 

This is the most successful "spellsword" character I've ever had in Skyrim and I am having a blast. 

[The Swanton825]

3 hours ago, Jaysin said:

I had an idea for a role play for Skyrim where I play as an Orc that calls himself the Winter Knight. He uses ice related spells with his left hand and in his right hand is a sword with frost enchantments. I'm using a Blades sword currently, but eventually going to switch to a Stahlrim sword for it's aesthetics and frost enhancements. 

This is the most successful "spellsword" character I've ever had in Skyrim and I am having a blast. 

I love making RPG characters who are the opposite of their race's "standard" role. Halflings in heavy armor, Orc wizards, Goblin clerics, etc.

[Jaysin]

1 hour ago, The Swanton825 said:

I love making RPG characters who are the opposite of their race's "standard" role. Halflings in heavy armor, Orc wizards, Goblin clerics, etc.

Honestly, I was torn between Breton and Orc, but Orc took it because of it's starting bonus to the Enchantment skill. 

Plus I've never had a good save with an orc. 

I've thought about doing a Red guard heavily influenced by Marvel's Blade. Thinking that'll be my next save if/when I tire of this one. I have so many games to play on Switch, yet Skyrim still dominates my video game time 😂

[The Swanton825]

4 hours ago, Jaysin said:

Honestly, I was torn between Breton and Orc, but Orc took it because of it's starting bonus to the Enchantment skill. 

Plus I've never had a good save with an orc. 

I've thought about doing a Red guard heavily influenced by Marvel's Blade. Thinking that'll be my next save if/when I tire of this one. I have so many games to play on Switch, yet Skyrim still dominates my video game time 😂

There are some katanas laying around in Skyrim if you want to go full Blade with it. I can't remember exactly where but that should be a dozen places online that have it listed.

[Jaysin]

12 minutes ago, The Swanton825 said:

There are some katanas laying around in Skyrim if you want to go full Blade with it. I can't remember exactly where but that should be a dozen places online that have it listed.

You can get a one handed katana(Blades sword) after starting the Dragonborn DLC. There's also the Ebony Blade, but that's two handed and I don't care for that play style lol

But yeah, my intent will be to become a vampire, but try to avoid feeding on innocents. I'd use crossbows and a katana. Probably use the Dawnguard armor. 

[Blackman]

Anybody hyped for the Harry Potter game coming up? I'm going to skip it because I feel it's not for me as I'm not that fond of the HP universe, though I liked the movies. But apparently a lot of people are hyped for it, the way they were about a open-world pokemon game. And look how well that did, despite its obvious faults and bugs.

The crazy thing is that people seem to boycot it because of the "anti-trans" stance of the creator, JK Rowling. Funny enough, it seems it's a game that is the most inclusive game I've seen in terms of character creation. The way it handles gender in relation to the storyline and the creation options should be celebrated by LGBTQ people. But no: supporting this game just proves that you support anti-trans propaganda. Sure... except it's the exact opposite. Keep promoting all other binary games. The sheer stupidity of some people... It's almost unbelievable.

[The Swanton825]

2 hours ago, Blackman said:

Anybody hyped for the Harry Potter game coming up? I'm going to skip it because I feel it's not for me as I'm not that fond of the HP universe, though I liked the movies. But apparently a lot of people are hyped for it, the way they were about a open-world pokemon game. And look how well that did, despite its obvious faults and bugs.

The crazy thing is that people seem to boycot it because of the "anti-trans" stance of the creator, JK Rowling. Funny enough, it seems it's a game that is the most inclusive game I've seen in terms of character creation. The way it handles gender in relation to the storyline and the creation options should be celebrated by LGBTQ people. But no: supporting this game just proves that you support anti-trans propaganda. Sure... except it's the exact opposite. Keep promoting all other binary games. The sheer stupidity of some people... It's almost unbelievable.

It's a good thing Game Freak isn't making the game then. Avalanche (different Avalanche from the one that made Just Cause), the actual studio making the game has actual experience making sandbox games.

And I think the problem is that for all the inclusivity in the game itself, Rowling still gets money from each game's sale and she is pretty explicit in using her wealth to harm and isolate trans people. Not to mention that most of those inclusivity options are already become more common even before the game's release. When even games like Forza Horizon 5 allow you to pick your pronouns separate from body type, it's not exactly groundbreaking anymore. So while I don't think a boycott will do anything, I can understand why there are people who don't feel comfortable buying it are boycotting it.

Of course, paying full price for any game these days confounds me when you can just wait half a year for it to be less than $40 and most of the bugs have been patched by then. Considering the game is published by Warner Bros, it'll probably be free on Epic in like a year as well.

[Jaysin]

Randomly picked up Salt & Sanctuary on Switch last night and boy, it's punishing, but it's so fun.

[Jaysin]

Probably going to regret it, but just purchases the Elite Edition of Fight Forever for Switch. Still at work for a few hours, but should be downloaded by the time I get home. Hopefully it's worth the $84 😐

[Sisma]

7 hours ago, Jaysin said:

Probably going to regret it, but just purchases the Elite Edition of Fight Forever for Switch. Still at work for a few hours, but should be downloaded by the time I get home. Hopefully it's worth the $84 😐

I got it on PS5 and it's definitely fun. I just hope they keep adding to the roster, match types and hopefully, the creation suite. 

[Blackman]

People seem to be positive. For me, it just looks too much like crap. I love the old Yukes games to death but this seems like it aged. I probably won't be able to play this. Too arcadey. 

Maybe i cobverted to the slower style of the 2k games. Never played them as much as this year. Not even close. 

[Sisma]

1 hour ago, Blackman said:

People seem to be positive. For me, it just looks too much like crap. I love the old Yukes games to death but this seems like it aged. I probably won't be able to play this. Too arcadey. 

Maybe i cobverted to the slower style of the 2k games. Never played them as much as this year. Not even close. 

I'd say the only thing these two games have in common is wrestling.  

You definitely can't compare them. Fight Forever is really an arcade wrestling game, without all that many options, IMO. But, considering it's the first game, it's a promising start. WWE 2K23 is almost overwhelming (positively) as far as options, modes and roster goes.

[Jaysin]

Fight Forever reminds me of WWE Day of Reckoning for GameCube. It's a fun game, but with a lot of flaws. I mostly play in handheld mode, and it runs fairly well. Except when navigating the main menus, it's slow as heck there for some reason. Especially when buying stuff from the shop. The CAW mode is very lackluster, but I was able to make a decent version of a CAW I always make up in every wrestling game. 

I recommend waiting for it to drop in price before picking it up, but it is fun. 

[The Swanton825]

I have to wonder how much having someone with zero development experience like Omega overseeing the project hampered Yuke's. Not that I think he didn't have good intentions or intentionally sabotaged things, but putting a gamer with only a limited idea of what goes into making a video game in a producer role tends to end poorly. Since they seemed for be trying for the old AKI style, hopefully they can move on and give us a similar jump in quality and content like from WCW/nWo World Tour to WCW/nWo Revenge with the next game.

Edited July 2, 2023 by The Swanton825

[FellaLibby]

On 7/2/2023 at 12:55 PM, Jaysin said:

Fight Forever reminds me of WWE Day of Reckoning for GameCube. It's a fun game, but with a lot of flaws. I mostly play in handheld mode, and it runs fairly well. Except when navigating the main menus, it's slow as heck there for some reason. Especially when buying stuff from the shop. The CAW mode is very lackluster, but I was able to make a decent version of a CAW I always make up in every wrestling game. 

I recommend waiting for it to drop in price before picking it up, but it is fun. 

So... Worth the $84 bucks?

[Jaysin]

2 hours ago, FellaLibby said:

So... Worth the $84 bucks?

I don't think so, but I also don't regret buying it, but I wish I had waited until it went on sale. 

[milamber]

On 7/3/2023 at 4:59 AM, The Swanton825 said:

I have to wonder how much having someone with zero development experience like Omega overseeing the project hampered Yuke's. Not that I think he didn't have good intentions or intentionally sabotaged things, but putting a gamer with only a limited idea of what goes into making a video game in a producer role tends to end poorly. Since they seemed for be trying for the old AKI style, hopefully they can move on and give us a similar jump in quality and content like from WCW/nWo World Tour to WCW/nWo Revenge with the next game.

Video discussing the development of the game. Sounds like it was Kenny (with the backing of TK) that pushed hard hard for the AKI style. He also made sure there was attention to detail so it wouldn't just feel like a generic wrestling game with an AEW skin.

 

[The Swanton825]

6 hours ago, milamber said:

Video discussing the development of the game. Sounds like it was Kenny (with the backing of TK) that pushed hard hard for the AKI style. He also made sure there was attention to detail so it wouldn't just feel like a generic wrestling game with an AEW skin.

That's about what I figured. I imagine Yuke's original plan was to just use what they had with the WWE games. As much as I love the AKI games though, I do wish someone would give me something closer to King of Colosseum.