tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79460812593957431612024-03-12T19:49:46.259-04:00Capsulejay's Tales from the BacklogA journey back and forth through video game historyCapsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-91390374386059589962024-01-03T00:56:00.004-05:002024-02-23T09:28:11.529-05:00Community Game-Along 2024 Stream Line-up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhfIUAvyudtfFjUTx7irkLtFNR-Edvq2bL0M_BKgw-RdOhl5m23Y94Bo7mTmOTYlfwPHBZonW4GtP4w-tdTf4ROM3TzMh7NNiWmS8rfw6nKhKoZ75KpyrDBF-ejpaQmL6mYd7Spr2wMYpP1UbWdIgjz4xjDQqJbUT3ZjyhomH7FFemQoiBgVDl1jP/s753/Community%20Game-Along%202024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Game Along Calendar showing each monthly theme (see bold text in article below for the themes)" border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="753" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhfIUAvyudtfFjUTx7irkLtFNR-Edvq2bL0M_BKgw-RdOhl5m23Y94Bo7mTmOTYlfwPHBZonW4GtP4w-tdTf4ROM3TzMh7NNiWmS8rfw6nKhKoZ75KpyrDBF-ejpaQmL6mYd7Spr2wMYpP1UbWdIgjz4xjDQqJbUT3ZjyhomH7FFemQoiBgVDl1jP/w640-h512/Community%20Game-Along%202024.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />For many years now, I've been participating in the Chic Pixel community's <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist" target="_blank">game-along events</a>. This year, I'll be back at it again but will also try to give myself a little more leeway to catch up on my backlog.<div><br />I've listed each month's theme below with a few games I have locked in for each. These are games I either selected myself or were chosen via Capsule Creds (channel points) redemptions. I also have the number of slots available for games requested by viewers or sent to me by publishers for review. I'll be updating this throughout the year to keep it current. <br /><br /><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>January: Food-themed Games (and Backlog Catch-up)</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A Highland Song</li><li>Kirby Return to Dreamland</li><li>Koa & the 5 Pirates of Mara</li><li>Dragon Quest 4</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>February: Dating Sims (and Backlog Catch-up)</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Last Faith</li><li>Dragon Quest 4</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>March: Mecha Games</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>UnMetal</li><li>Shogo Mobile Armor Division</li><li>Strike Suit Zero</li><li>Panzer Paladin</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>April: Platformers</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rusted Moss</li><li>Demon Turf</li><li><2 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>May: Games with a Portable Aesthetic </b></h3></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Save Me, Mr. Tako!</li><li><3 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>June: Fashion Games</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Style Savvy or Fashion Dreamer</li><li>Alice Madness Returns</li><li><1 slot open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>July: JRPGs</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><2 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>August: Games from Asian Countries (excluding Japan)</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><4 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>September: Shmups</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><8 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>October: Horror</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Castlevania 2</li><li><3 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>November: Visual Novels</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><2 slots open></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>December: Crappy Games (aka "Kusoge"), DOS games, and Backlog Catch-up</b></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><4 slots open></li></ul></div></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-12769051409074951262023-08-27T14:42:00.002-04:002023-08-27T14:42:47.329-04:00Dipping my toe into Tokusatsu<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtA_s_yn-GTdIDA1QoENCvQ8oFbVdhIwR3d_Rz3gUDZvtVH22Ht-a0KmY6WATStYEsqDA3zR_E2_CsR_xVFkwOPYPZFC07TKaNtGdhYpSfpfmKperZPL5KCbrxoioT6Ld7XkiYKT7PrZpJMxhWpUJVsTDp9XGA68erFUmX-9y5LJwF3fsd3ZnOIkhC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kamen Rider (superhero with a bug-like mask) flexes his bicep" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="739" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtA_s_yn-GTdIDA1QoENCvQ8oFbVdhIwR3d_Rz3gUDZvtVH22Ht-a0KmY6WATStYEsqDA3zR_E2_CsR_xVFkwOPYPZFC07TKaNtGdhYpSfpfmKperZPL5KCbrxoioT6Ld7XkiYKT7PrZpJMxhWpUJVsTDp9XGA68erFUmX-9y5LJwF3fsd3ZnOIkhC=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Over the past couple of years, I've been getting more into mecha, both in anime form and model kit form. This has caused me to brush up against mecha's older live-action cousin, tokusatsu. For those unfamiliar, tokusatsu ("toku" for short) is a Japanese TV/film genre that tends to prominently feature superheroes, monsters, and giant robots. Power Rangers and Godzilla are two of the most popular examples in the West. </p><p>Whenever I've been in hobby stores shopping for Gundams, inevitably see some toku kits on the shelf too. And whenever I watch mecha anime, toku shows are often something streaming services recommend I watch next. And you know what? I think it's working.</p><p>So I've had my eye out for a toku on-ramp for a little while now. When I heard about Hideki Anno's (of Evangelion fame) recent <i>Shin</i> tokusatsu film trilogy, I figured I finally had a way in. I've now seen all 3, so here's some thoughts on each:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIgvDcZYUdrHq6yjFTPZ77UheYkAhufUS7BZhSaGP5y1bBUenUVQSrZ5MY1s9KwYyQInNq4DGr_y_W8jNGcGlLvcUN1tv3ORgeO0Y_RMBaV5d4enRqOshpeVPtCN0Rd3Kc4FCAc0rHACaaZ1jG1dwqZ7ui6CofvlmSt6vdFWeIUYeH9lKt18olpl4W" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shin Ultraman poster featuring the titular alien superhero and his human allies" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIgvDcZYUdrHq6yjFTPZ77UheYkAhufUS7BZhSaGP5y1bBUenUVQSrZ5MY1s9KwYyQInNq4DGr_y_W8jNGcGlLvcUN1tv3ORgeO0Y_RMBaV5d4enRqOshpeVPtCN0Rd3Kc4FCAc0rHACaaZ1jG1dwqZ7ui6CofvlmSt6vdFWeIUYeH9lKt18olpl4W=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>Shin Ultraman</i> - While I had seen a few random episodes of Ultraman Tiga back when it was on TV in the US, I didn't really know what to expect from this movie based on the original 1960s series. To be honest, I found this film a bit hard to get into due to how much of a love letter it was to its source material. By trying to cram as many plot arcs from the TV series into one movie as possible, I found it hard to get invested as a newcomer. However, the passion that was put into Shin Ultraman was enough to have me interested in watching the next Shin movie.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg145c6Z9ZibZxD7l-mTcWEFIJdZOXe_BKGHpZXQ68JCd4shGFXxYJy9g3O9uKcCqmsumoulP4swJTS2b63k1A6UdZwCYLw78mRvETlHWrVHfeWfdBv3It3IjE6uQNFO9mVfGsQFmNpkpER6CKrcnACaOIg3Sqsv3ejISLiKM7NMVUfIos3atqoUy0b" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shin Godzilla poster featuring a silhouette of Godzilla against a red background." data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg145c6Z9ZibZxD7l-mTcWEFIJdZOXe_BKGHpZXQ68JCd4shGFXxYJy9g3O9uKcCqmsumoulP4swJTS2b63k1A6UdZwCYLw78mRvETlHWrVHfeWfdBv3It3IjE6uQNFO9mVfGsQFmNpkpER6CKrcnACaOIg3Sqsv3ejISLiKM7NMVUfIos3atqoUy0b=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>Shin Godzilla</i> - When I was a kid, I had a phase where giant monster movies were my jam, so Shin Godzilla is the entry in this series I came most prepared to watch. And I'll get right to the point, I loved it! The monster designs were fantastic and the human characters felt a lot more fleshed out than those in Shin Ultraman. The film also did some interesting things with symbolism and political commentary; a revitalization of concepts that have faded a bit from the franchise since the days of <i>Gojira</i>. Just thinking about this movie again has gotten me counting down the days until the next Godzilla movie, <i>Godzilla Minus One</i>.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJ5006m-JjGhdqTYDIQ9ZPvU0ODiJlyaebbrOfZ9N4fTQC86CKmMMaAzwCFqW6UMS-WKCC2u7z6IqCGihmGHQIQeKOExX5MEVHXzSpKLPCvpUg6eoQl6HurUOiOz-wJm7fPx4-8nRfguWdSH6aYVyNTjlwxRZ_xo_g7rEoxVZS16mA5Zb--6kxkqEj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shin Kamen Rider poster. The hero stands with his iconic red scarf flapping in the wind" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJ5006m-JjGhdqTYDIQ9ZPvU0ODiJlyaebbrOfZ9N4fTQC86CKmMMaAzwCFqW6UMS-WKCC2u7z6IqCGihmGHQIQeKOExX5MEVHXzSpKLPCvpUg6eoQl6HurUOiOz-wJm7fPx4-8nRfguWdSH6aYVyNTjlwxRZ_xo_g7rEoxVZS16mA5Zb--6kxkqEj=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>Shin Kamen Ride</i>r - For this one, I came in almost completely blind. Other than knowing that Kamen Rider is a superhero with a green mask and a motorcycle, I had no idea what I was getting into. What I found was that this was easily the most uneven of the three. For starters, the movie is quite gory, which I was not expecting. The other thing is that the tone fluctuates abruptly from corny or zany to very dark and serious. I'm not really sure how much of this is a reflection of the source material versus a bold stylistic choice on the part of the filmmakers. Despite this, unlike Shin Ultraman, Shin Kamen Rider developed its characters in such a way that helped me get to know them as a newcomer and get invested in their personal struggles. I'm not sure if I can say this was a "good film" per se, but it was definitely successful in piquing my interest in the franchise.</p><p>After having this tokusatsu sampler platter with these three films. I'm still trying to decide where to go from here; have I sated my curiosity or do I want to go deeper into the toku rabbit hole? As I wait for <i>Godzilla Minus One</i> to come out, I think I'll keep an eye out toku model kits that look like they'll be nice additions to my shelf. I'm also tempted to look for a shorter Kamen Rider series to try out. Let me know if you have any suggestions!</p><br />Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-10773443404413696072023-08-05T14:59:00.001-04:002023-08-05T14:59:29.433-04:00Gunpla Progress and Photos<p>At the beginning of this year, I had the idea of using this blog to post photos of my Gundam/mecha models ("gunpla") and share some thoughts about them. However, this year has been much busier than I expected, and my opportunities to build models and write have been limited. I also kept getting stuck in this loop of feeling that my models or photos weren't quite right, so I kept putting it off.</p><p>All that said, it's <a href="https://aggronaut.com/2023/08/01/blaugust-is-thriving/">#Blaugust</a> now and I decided to let go of perfectionism and show you what I've got! Some of these are completed and others are works in progress. Enjoy!</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>86: Juggernaught</b></h2><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA4MJdGSqtdJgqzcZDTMeNdB7-F5SEPuHYCk1EKDh9nt1VA7QmG1qn7zs-6i1HU0YXhfRlZhCXa2OAbkVpHMXKY6TXIYJY4aYJrXgF_m4tgOM2Ymk6Hn26gRH5MWqKe0O62K07tZeVi0M8oGYjPysRfFMaSGRACjF8eiijWN6OK9s5CtcgRqTrV8Qm"><img alt="a spider-like robot with a gun on its back" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="868" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA4MJdGSqtdJgqzcZDTMeNdB7-F5SEPuHYCk1EKDh9nt1VA7QmG1qn7zs-6i1HU0YXhfRlZhCXa2OAbkVpHMXKY6TXIYJY4aYJrXgF_m4tgOM2Ymk6Hn26gRH5MWqKe0O62K07tZeVi0M8oGYjPysRfFMaSGRACjF8eiijWN6OK9s5CtcgRqTrV8Qm=w480-h640" title="Juggernaught" width="480" /></a></div><br />While the anime <i>86</i> didn't really grab me, its spider-like mecha designs were pretty cool. I built this one back in the January/February timeframe but it took a long time for the weather to warm up enough for me to be able to top-coat it. At the time, this was one of the most modern kits I had built, so the logically laid out instruction manual that was fully in English was a big change from what I'm used to with my older kits. There's even some flavor text from the anime in the manual to provide in-fiction context to the mecha's design. Being a modern kit, it looked pretty nice as-assembled but I still did some customization: painted the eye with metallic red, panel lining and weathering the fastener heads, then applied matte topcoat. Overall, this was a fun one to build and it was interesting to build something non-humanoid for a change!<p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Gundam Igloo: Zudah</h2><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH2Ewg8stmK40okxPhGrxptTKl44htlH8ptv4S3-H1yIzqXMbQ3j0OSD3QlQP4f4fhen41ypB-jiKhI_IcCr9cZVWbqnBsp_VEuFWZghEKUvWyTzaGD3Rjf7C8Mb403O9Xwwm_JosMYJPfumvnybGTA32MRBlM61vlE7Xa2FZRk9hVvVdZultswBtH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zudah stands hold his rifle. His arm sags under the weight" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1101" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH2Ewg8stmK40okxPhGrxptTKl44htlH8ptv4S3-H1yIzqXMbQ3j0OSD3QlQP4f4fhen41ypB-jiKhI_IcCr9cZVWbqnBsp_VEuFWZghEKUvWyTzaGD3Rjf7C8Mb403O9Xwwm_JosMYJPfumvnybGTA32MRBlM61vlE7Xa2FZRk9hVvVdZultswBtH=w608-h640" width="608" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Typically, I don't build Gundams from series I've never seen. However, this one was a thoughtful gift from my sister, so I certainly had to make an exception to my usual rule. On Christmas last year, she sent me a tiny Zudah and on my birthday she sent me the HG Zudah kit. Clearly, she thought there should be a new addition to my "Don't talk to me or my son ever again" gallery and I agree! </p><p>Zudah is a fairly standard early-2000s HGUC kit with one exception... his almost comedically large rifle. The rifle is so absurdly large and heavy that his arm joints aren't strong enough for him to hold it upright. I actually had to modify the arm joint just to keep the rifle from pulling his arm out of the socket! Thankfully, HG Zudah has his son there to help him!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_RU5WK7kK8Kb5rX8Qlg-_nDRuaSjRhvU-Yu9_xFyf4caeimUqFU7wqFsX_1YgoAEKi0wKqPtCqj_VcPV-_ImHfwKYXmG0DSrGVVesT9DB5FFAYJ2-uLUM8W7LAwnVZYO4zdovOT09lBji-wo2TazBlV-6Mf-IzeyYF2FhfLLsF85XzMz1PhK_qPpZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A tiny Zudah model stand beneath the larger Zudah's rifle to help prop it up" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1367" height="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_RU5WK7kK8Kb5rX8Qlg-_nDRuaSjRhvU-Yu9_xFyf4caeimUqFU7wqFsX_1YgoAEKi0wKqPtCqj_VcPV-_ImHfwKYXmG0DSrGVVesT9DB5FFAYJ2-uLUM8W7LAwnVZYO4zdovOT09lBji-wo2TazBlV-6Mf-IzeyYF2FhfLLsF85XzMz1PhK_qPpZ=w640-h543" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Code Geass: Lancelot Albion</h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpwJKUJHkq6OFz34XaNvds9ZOkvtFOzh4UutLAXdtm4HmiS7a2RuPgdrN5Q9tWe0GkrXfh62z-jT5zeu37yM4Ni5qmLxnS3z0HWK4Uh_KI4f_mI-k1d7v-_bkX3L-OaCDtG0fWX8kvdBhydQ7OiiKwyPUMz4Gm_uwVUjM_nhkjsJWrs2b_L5zotzdO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lancelot stands with a sword and each hand and his wings spread wide" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1592" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpwJKUJHkq6OFz34XaNvds9ZOkvtFOzh4UutLAXdtm4HmiS7a2RuPgdrN5Q9tWe0GkrXfh62z-jT5zeu37yM4Ni5qmLxnS3z0HWK4Uh_KI4f_mI-k1d7v-_bkX3L-OaCDtG0fWX8kvdBhydQ7OiiKwyPUMz4Gm_uwVUjM_nhkjsJWrs2b_L5zotzdO=w640-h466" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>When I watched Code Geass back in 2020, I was disappointed to find that there weren't any model kits on the market for it. I thought the more outlandish designs from this series would be fun to build. Thankfully, Bandai pulled through for me and I found Lancelot Albion on the shelf in a local shop last December. It's an HG kit but considerably more complicated than a Gundam would be. I loved the large translucent wings!</div><div><br /></div><div>Currently, this kit is just in the as-assembled state with one tweak, I used paint on the red and green detail parts rather than the color block stickers it came with. I still plan on panel lining this one and possibly giving it a glossy topcoat instead of the usual matte.</div><div><br /></div><div>It only felt fitting for mecha called "Lancelot" to defend a castle, so you can see it below guarding my girlfriend's Lego Disney castle. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheFgb3W8ii4GILgd4PDYKWyZvUNwkjL5DsFoqJLR7iLjlKE1-Q-ksBAljRhn3Ho5pgfget_89Q-PtBCqROomH6XwREzEB8tpaw5ZEOj0z-3icTvQKBVtOQ44Mx6FoDMaPmvq6ifHsUjaqewoSvyjAMI9dyx0rLbr9d3154yj1L_flYPvuHWxDH5kh8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lancelot stands before a Lego castle that is several times taller than him" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="868" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheFgb3W8ii4GILgd4PDYKWyZvUNwkjL5DsFoqJLR7iLjlKE1-Q-ksBAljRhn3Ho5pgfget_89Q-PtBCqROomH6XwREzEB8tpaw5ZEOj0z-3icTvQKBVtOQ44Mx6FoDMaPmvq6ifHsUjaqewoSvyjAMI9dyx0rLbr9d3154yj1L_flYPvuHWxDH5kh8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Witch from Mercury: Beguir-Beu</h2></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMn65HTj16n6Y2295Z0aCwmS1g9QU1uIYFVOhM9FWp4RzvzfpZ8KNG_Q2LcZ2ylF2UbxDDJFPwvhOW9CYOi0IlrQSpFJr5FelDASAWjw8lnGkiWcBByu1yOBToraUQ5wYrhpC9g9Sa1zkPMFw7VmSLe7EyP0vlkk7dlYKDEtuA4j2gc2OOgeThxCDk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A basic humanoid robot, it still needs details like weapons and armor" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="868" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMn65HTj16n6Y2295Z0aCwmS1g9QU1uIYFVOhM9FWp4RzvzfpZ8KNG_Q2LcZ2ylF2UbxDDJFPwvhOW9CYOi0IlrQSpFJr5FelDASAWjw8lnGkiWcBByu1yOBToraUQ5wYrhpC9g9Sa1zkPMFw7VmSLe7EyP0vlkk7dlYKDEtuA4j2gc2OOgeThxCDk=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Considering that <i>Witch from Mercury</i> hasn't even finished airing all its episodes, you really can't get much newer than this one when it comes to Gundam models. I've only assembled the basic structure so far, but it's been a real breeze. The instruction sequencing makes it easy to find the parts you need and everything fits together pretty much perfectly. I'm looking forward to finishing this one whenever I get around to it.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Closing Thoughts</h2><div>Building modern kits and non-Gundam Bandai kits has been an interesting experience! It's nice to just be able to snap things together without having to worry as much about sanding and painting and such. Of course, I'm still planning on working on some of those more involved kits as well, but it's refreshing to shake things up. I'm also hoping to build another kit on my <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay" target="_blank">Twitch channel</a> sometime soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know if you have any questions about these models (or Gunpla in general) and feel free to share anything you've built recently!</div><p></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-27171811192050179762023-01-08T18:52:00.023-05:002023-12-14T22:28:30.763-05:00Community Game-Along 2023 Stream Line-up<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/24c8b6_f56714aedadd42119fe6de1b068dd8cc~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_879,h_675,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Themes.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Game Along Calendar showing each month's theme (same as titles in post)" border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="879" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXv3SZfhX2vPqncYS04RYGwDGytq-j2wjWlEYCkiMrRLZkEMiB8KYESVG94yNWDIKoMb28aQsn_VVyJd-K5yS8LrofIM96o8xCZqT6_MUaRtjfZ7DjmYg9WENK5jW3w1EwzqzNul9Ja5XVIaRtm_uZhd2l5s2W2qppDVJB6uwAgmZQ9xqcL0iLQ/w640-h491/Game-along%202023.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: MDi from the Community Game-Along</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Making good on a promise from my recent <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2023/01/status-update.html">status update</a>, I've put together an outline for my <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist">Community Game-Along</a> streams for 2023. If you're new to this blog or the game-along concept, I take part in an annual calendar of events where participants play games from a different genre or theme every month.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Below are the games I already have locked in for each theme. These are games I either selected myself or were chosen via Capsule Creds (channel points) redemptions. I also have the number of slots available for games requested by viewers or sent to me by publishers for review. I'll be updating this throughout the year to keep it current. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">January: Puzzle Games</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Case of the Golden Idol</li><li>Entropy Centre</li><li>Return of the Obra Dinn</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">February: Dating Sims</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Stardew Valley</li><li>Love Plus</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">March: Music Games</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Metal Hellsinger</li><li>Hi-Fi Rush</li><li>Giraffe & Annika</li><li>Muse Dash</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">April: Platformers</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Curse Crackers</li><li>NekoTako</li><li>Sayonara Umihara Kawase</li><li>Lunistice</li><li>Klonoa Door to the Phantomile</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">May: Metroidvanias</h3><ul><li>Ore ga Omae o Mamoru</li><li>Wonder Boy Dragon's Trap</li><li>Metroid Prime 2</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">June: Roguelikes</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Downwell</li><li>Dead Cells</li><li>Hades</li><li>Shiren the Wanderer</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">July: JRPGs</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Alterium Shift</li><li>Ys 5</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">August: Games from Asian Countries (excluding Japan)</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Xuan-Yuan Sword 3</li><li>Anno Mutationem</li><li>Raji an Ancient Epic</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">September: Shmups</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Cotton Boomerang</li><li>Sin & Punishment</li><li>Earth Defense Force 4.1: WingDiver the Shooter</li><li>Escape from Terror City</li><li>Dimension Tripper Neptune: Top Nep</li><li>AK-xolotl</li><li>Raiden 3 x Mikado Maniax</li><li>Nova Strike</li><li>Zero Wing</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">October: Horror</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Mummy Demastered</li><li>White Day: A Labyrinth Named School</li><li>Castlevania 64</li><li>Signalis</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">November: Visual Novels</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> Norn9 Var Commons</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">December: Simulators</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Star Wars TIE Fighter</li><li>Forza Motorsport</li><li><TBA sim game></li><li>(1 slot open)</li></ul><p></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-51406667097434610312023-01-04T00:09:00.006-05:002023-01-04T00:17:16.426-05:00Status Update<p>Considering it's been over a year since my last post, I figured I was long overdue for a status update. In short, I'm still having a blast playing games and creating content about them. However, that content has taken on new forms:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>My <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay">Twitch channel</a>: Over the past three years, I've gone all-in on streaming. I've been doing 3 streams per week lately, and at 3-5 hours per stream, this has taken up a considerable amount of my free time. If you've never caught one of my broadcasts before, they've very chill and cover a wide variety of games (just like this blog has). In addition to streaming games, I also occasionally build Gundam models on my channel.</li><li><a href="https://geektogeekmedia.com">Geek to Geek Media</a>: While I've been affiliated with the Geek to Geek Media Network (GtG) for many years, I was more recently invited to become a member of their writing staff. At this point, I guess you could say I've transitioned from being a blogger to a game journalist? While it's not a paid position (GtG is entirely run by volunteers), I get provided with review copies of all the games I cover, which is pretty nice. Regardless, the types of articles I write for GtG are pretty similar to my posts here: succinct game reviews, impressions, and recommendations. Since it doesn't make sense to be writing about games like this in two different places, you can now find all of <a href="https://geektogeekmedia.com/author/capsulejay/">my latest articles</a> over there.</li><li>The <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist">Community Game-Along</a>: This annual schedule of gaming events has been near and dear to my heart since the very beginning of this blog. It has also served as a great source of inspiration for blog posts. Nowadays, I mostly use their calendar to plan my streams... but that's not all! I now serve as a member of their planning team and provide input about which events should be added to each year's game-along calendar. In fact, the newest recurring theme on the calendar, Shmuptember, is largely there due to my influence.</li></ul><div>So what does all this mean for this blog? In short, I don't entirely know (which is why this site has been dormant for a while). At a minimum, I'm going to keep the site up to serve as an archive of everything I've written up until this point. However, I also have a few new ideas that I hope to implement this year:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Stream planning - This blog could serve as a good place to organize which games I'll be streaming for each game-along theme. I think this could be a handy reference for anyone that wants to redeem channel points to add a game to my stream schedule.</li><li>Gunpla photo gallery - Outside of <a href="https://twitter.com/capsulejay">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://mastodon.world/@capsulejay">Mastodon</a>, I don't have a good place to share photos of the Gundams (and other model kits) I've built. This idea still even fits my original "tales from the backlog idea" since I have a considerable stockpile of unopened model kits in my cabinet!</li><li>Miscellaneous musing - While my structured reviews and impressions for games now live over at Geek to Geek Media, I might try to use this blog for more free-form thoughts on games, anime, etc that don't really fall under the banner of "games journalism". It's iffy if I'll actually follow through on this idea, but I at least want to give myself the option if the mood strikes.</li></ul><div>With all that being said, I want to give a big thanks to everyone who's been reading this blog over the years. It's been a pleasure sharing my thoughts on games and discussing them with you all. Keep your eyes peeled for the occasional sporadic update here and be sure to check out my new stuff over at GtG and Twitch!</div></div><p></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-53370103278241212242021-06-26T17:39:00.000-04:002021-06-26T17:39:28.464-04:00Metroidvania May Round-up<p>With 2D platformers already being one of my favorite genres, #MetroidvaniaMay was a natural fit for me. I decided to spend this month exploring some newer indie games in the genre as well as playing an old classic that I had been meaning to get around to for a very long time. I streamed all three of this month's selections on my <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay">Twitch channel</a>. </p><p><u> Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth</u></p><p><u></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJeucvMFtWk6CI57-cJixgfk2Y5sjEl3Q7pKuMsowkv0096rBk4SaB6TZ1kXVt7gXQnrC2l1OKEUSDsyqPyljvLziFwbr1g13xOCtnS62xtWqPGtICdJil-n8hlfe4z7MzPuTc6Dphw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1863" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJeucvMFtWk6CI57-cJixgfk2Y5sjEl3Q7pKuMsowkv0096rBk4SaB6TZ1kXVt7gXQnrC2l1OKEUSDsyqPyljvLziFwbr1g13xOCtnS62xtWqPGtICdJil-n8hlfe4z7MzPuTc6Dphw/w400-h225/20210504221957_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></u></div><p></p><p>I've been looking forward to this one for a while since I was such a big fan of Team Ladybug's previous Metroidvania game, Shin Megami Tensei Synchronicity Prologue (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2017/10/shin-megami-tensei-synchronicity.html">review</a>). Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is based on the Japanese fantasy novel series, Record of Lodoss War, which has previously been adapted into anime and several other games.</p><p>Pros:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This game's gorgeous pixel art and animations do a great job of evoking the classic look of the anime.</li><li>Deedlit's proficiency with both swords and bows makes her a very versatile character; it was fun to switch back and forth between melee and ranged attacks on the fly. </li><li>Similar to SMT Synchronicity Prologue, Deedlit can dynamically change her elemental strength and weakness. This gives boss battles an Ikaruga-like quality that I quite enjoyed. </li><li>In addition to using the bow for combat, you can also ricochet arrows off surfaces to flip switches and pull off some cool trick shots. The use of arrows for puzzles provided a nice change of pace.</li></ul>Cons:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The difficulty curve is all over the place, especially for boss battles. There were some I would defeat very easily and others I would struggle with, but there wasn't a clear ramp-up in between.</li><li>As much as I liked the element switching mechanic, it was hard to keep track of which element Deedlit had equipped in the heat of the action because her elemental affinity only changes her appearance slightly. Also, the UI feature that shows your current element is at the very edge of the screen and hard to glance over at during a battle.</li><li>While I'm generally familiar with the characters and story of the anime, the story of this game seems to have been written for players who are caught up on the whole novel series. As a result, the plot seemed vague and unclear to me at times.</li></ul><div><b>Verdict:</b> Most of these cons are minor nitpicks. I can comfortably recommend this game to anyone looking for a mechanically solid Metroidvania.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 8 hours, 12 minutes (98% map completion)</div><p></p><p><u>Blaster Master Zero</u></p><p><u></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlUmCi9yHfj-ywspNAXOnzNWn_z0N-yyw2_C2NT3wzTEEgCs1JxoGlxRVzSlU-NPgEVEPZ4TX6DgTKClk3cXhHPdHwC-mco5quaY_I2s2XpnEUrgsfZk_96l_BRcG_hYTdAu0VQQ1KA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlUmCi9yHfj-ywspNAXOnzNWn_z0N-yyw2_C2NT3wzTEEgCs1JxoGlxRVzSlU-NPgEVEPZ4TX6DgTKClk3cXhHPdHwC-mco5quaY_I2s2XpnEUrgsfZk_96l_BRcG_hYTdAu0VQQ1KA/w400-h240/20210513211050_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></u></div><p></p><p>Inti Creates games are pretty much my jam, with Bloodstained (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2018/10/bloodstained-curse-of-moon-review.html">review</a>) and Gunvolt (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/04/azure-striker-gunvolt-review.html">review</a>) ranking highly among my favorite 2D platformer franchises. As a result, I was very curious to see how their revival of the NES favorite, Blaster Master, would fare.</p><p>Pros:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Similar to what they did with Bloodstained, Blaster Master Zero retains the 8-bit charm of the NES game's designs but adds extra detail and color beyond what an NES could render. It gives the games a very appealing Shovel Knight-like aesthetic.</li><li>I loved the music in this game! So many 8-bit bops!</li><li>Switching between side-scrolling vehicle sections and top-down on-foot sections gives the game a nice sense of variety.</li></ul><p></p><p>Cons: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The game felt too easy for the majority of the campaign then had a sudden difficulty spike near the very end.</li><li>The map features some repetitive level design elements (e.g. rising water/lava/acid) that got old after a little while.</li></ul><div><b>Verdict: </b>While it won't supplant either of my favorite Inti Creates games, I had a lot of fun with Blaster Master Zero and will definitely play its sequels at some point in the future.</div><div><b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time: </b>10 hours, 48 minutes (100% completion)</div><p></p><p><u>Castlevania: Symphony of the Night</u></p><p><u></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT26GA3Gq6hbLgVmM3ZlFBNnG6zwoN3SnV-VTwu7i2lxNaWk8ry0tUt-mvHrhljvykvX_F2W110n5WOxH84_WHTpngjlv-YAFVaLetF5JLeJLVtnuwukoDhefvQQg4-s6sPkMWo7krUw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1596" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT26GA3Gq6hbLgVmM3ZlFBNnG6zwoN3SnV-VTwu7i2lxNaWk8ry0tUt-mvHrhljvykvX_F2W110n5WOxH84_WHTpngjlv-YAFVaLetF5JLeJLVtnuwukoDhefvQQg4-s6sPkMWo7krUw/w400-h274/ePSXe+-+Enhanced+PSX+emulator+5_14_2021+7_28_52+PM-edit.png" width="400" /></a></u></div><p></p><p>It may have taken a long time to get around it, but this month I finally crossed one of my biggest <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2017/01/gaming-shames.html">gaming shames</a> off the list! Symphony of the Night is one of the defining works in the Metroidvania genre and it has gone on to inspire many others since its original release on the Playstation 1. </p><p>Pros:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>While the pixel art looks low resolution for a PS1 game, it makes up for it with fluid animations and smoothly rendering many sprites on screen at once (a feat that SNES Castlevania games definitely could not pull off).</li><li>This game has an interesting and varied soundtrack that blends the retro rock-inspired sounds of the earlier Castlevania games with baroque and jazzy pieces. Part of the fun of discovering a new area of the castle was getting to hear what kind of music it would have.</li><li>Symphony of the Night's version of Castle Dracula is huge, intricate, and a lot of fun to explore.</li><li>The game's voice acting and script are terrible but in an endearing sort of way.</li></ul><p></p><p>Cons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Even compared to the previous two games I played this month, Symphony of the Night had a very inconsistent difficulty. Older Castlevania's are known for their challenging boss battles, but this game's fights were often unusually easy, which made many encounters feel anti-climactic. </li><li>Some rooms in the castle spam you with enemies in a way that can get very annoying. This was especially true in an area that spawned infinite Medusa heads while I was trying to solve a puzzle.</li></ul><div><b>Verdict:</b> I'm really glad I got around to playing this iconic Metroidvania game. I could definitely tell that certain aspects of the genre were still being worked out in Symphony of the Night, but I had a good time with it despite some rough edges. Playing this also gave me a sense of appreciation for how much refinement and iteration Castlevania and other Metroidvanias have gone through in the years since.</div><div><b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 11 hours, 31 minutes (best ending route)</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, exploring these three games gave me a better sense of the commonalities between Metroidvanias, both in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. I feel like I have a much better sense of why this genre continues to endure and is such a popular format for indie developers to tinker with. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #CapcoMonth event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist">Community Game-Along Master List</a></i></div><p></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-31147774120104816812021-05-09T22:08:00.000-04:002021-05-09T22:08:12.823-04:00Capcom Month Round-up<p>For Capcom Month, I decided to color outside the lines a bit with three games from established Capcom franchises and two indie games that are heavily inspired by Capcom works. Taking this approach gave me a great variety of aesthetics and gameplay styles, which made for a really fun and interesting month. With the exception of Monster Hunter, I streamed all of these on my <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay">Twitch channel</a>. Here's a roundup of mini-reviews for each game that I played:<br /></p><p><u>Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger iX</u></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCHhNZKNAfY8zxQgzaH-lgVynFseySTfWbGdGZXrwDch4snUlKq57C5nHVSKUvb4BO25G8dusQs9d_wplWPZ9FTiU7HOS8ayRjCPZ16_I34BzwpWcdiloQr4H-T3imHOwhF9bHmUCqw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCHhNZKNAfY8zxQgzaH-lgVynFseySTfWbGdGZXrwDch4snUlKq57C5nHVSKUvb4BO25G8dusQs9d_wplWPZ9FTiU7HOS8ayRjCPZ16_I34BzwpWcdiloQr4H-T3imHOwhF9bHmUCqw/w400-h200/gunvolt-chronicles-luminous-avenger-ix-11-04-19-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>While technically not made by Capcom, I kicked things off with the third game in Inti Creates' Mega Man-like series, Gunvolt. Rather than playing as Gunvolt himself, this entry follows his rival Copen in his battle against the nefarious Sumeragi Corporation. While this entry still delivered the tight pixel art action the Gunvolt series is known for, I found that I enjoyed this one a little less than its predecessors. Copen's move set doesn't work quite as well for my playstyle as Gunvolt's does and I didn't particularly care for this game's supporting cast. Thankfully, the game featured a great rogues gallery of over-the-top villains and a kicking soundtrack which helped elevate things a bit. Ultimately, I'd say this is the weakest entry in a strong series but still a solid action game in its own right. </p><p>(You can find my review of the original Gunvolt here: <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/04/azure-striker-gunvolt-review.html">Gunvolt Review</a> )<br /></p><p><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</p><p><b>Completion Time:</b> 6 hours<br /></p><p><u>Devil May Cry</u></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg453n7Z1tuftJw0rK0HUf_vVFDbB7YXDQWEufYy47sAb24wZ1krunmGcxnNkJGXplEEguczLOK0yrsO1S4uy6gB3tXZ7DXqk4eDUuwgU6pX6ekBAPbw2BrTOO1xAdPgd7VYw7RMKSr0g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg453n7Z1tuftJw0rK0HUf_vVFDbB7YXDQWEufYy47sAb24wZ1krunmGcxnNkJGXplEEguczLOK0yrsO1S4uy6gB3tXZ7DXqk4eDUuwgU6pX6ekBAPbw2BrTOO1xAdPgd7VYw7RMKSr0g/w400-h210/dmc+1+banner.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>While I've been aware of the Devil May Cry series since its debut, I didn't actually have my first foray into Capcom's stylish character action series until Devil May Cry 5 in 2019 (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2019/05/devil-may-cry-5-review.html">DMC 5 review</a>). I had such a blast with it that I immediately added some of the older games in this series on my to-do list and #CapcoMonth provided the push I needed to finally dive into DMC 1 via the Devil May Cry HD Collection. I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite this essentially being an anti-aliased PS2 game, it still holds up great in terms of gameplay and art direction. While there are a few elements that haven't aged well, namely some awkward camera angles and having limited lives with spread-out checkpoints, I still had a lot of fun on Dante's first adventure and will likely tackle DMC 2 & 3 at some point in the future.</p><p><b>Score: ⭐</b><b><b>⭐</b></b><b>⭐</b><b>⭐</b></p><p><b>Completion Time: </b>6 hours and 25 minutes<br /></p><p><u>Resident Evil 3 (2020 Remake)</u></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1tOc_OGS4uJs7kx0BTxlvZez48ZjFLr9eI4G6rbgRgDsE39qX3m7N_xqTVgX91QvPNv1TBRd9JN7T4teXS5q3Vs_3X25oIu6hUWsd0-E6qfX4hC5Fc7Alaaq2pTKevGUpiRgeftHIw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1tOc_OGS4uJs7kx0BTxlvZez48ZjFLr9eI4G6rbgRgDsE39qX3m7N_xqTVgX91QvPNv1TBRd9JN7T4teXS5q3Vs_3X25oIu6hUWsd0-E6qfX4hC5Fc7Alaaq2pTKevGUpiRgeftHIw/w400-h188/re+3+remake+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Similar to Devil May Cry, Resident Evil is a Capcom series that I didn't fully come to appreciate until fairly recently. After loving Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 7 (but having mixed feelings on Resident Evil Zero), I was looking forward to playing another modern entry in one of video gaming's most beloved horror franchises. Gameplaywise, RE3 Remake plays very similarly to RE2 Remake, in that it's a third-person action-adventure game, however, the pacing of RE3 is much brisker than its predecessor. The focus on more linear level designs and big action set pieces gave this game a tone that felt much more like an action movie than a horror movie. Once I got used to that, I had a good time blasting zombies and other monsters as this game's especially badass depiction of the recurring series heroine, Jill. Ultimately, I think I prefer the more atmospheric adventure game approach of RE2 Remake and RE7 but this was still a really fun ride.</p><p>(You can find my review of Resident Evil 2 Remake here:<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2019/10/resident-evil-2-remake-review.html"> RE 2 Remake Review</a> ) <br /></p><p><b>Score: ⭐</b><b><b>⭐</b></b><b>⭐</b><b>⭐</b></p><p><b>Completion Time: </b>9 hours and 34 minutes<b></b></p><p><u>Monster Hunter Rise</u></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXzAJzjNkixEz_h3UMitpk4KEPs-I71OcCTG21riEv1KPyS3KdHO8k8xWnzCfvEcK6jAmwlXFWG5fuIRheGQpQ4yzYxidTMMxaV2-s2vqUvv8hwr_TLBoXA_LC9hHdpgJFpLa1Gg8rg/s1600/Monster+Hunter+Rise+Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXzAJzjNkixEz_h3UMitpk4KEPs-I71OcCTG21riEv1KPyS3KdHO8k8xWnzCfvEcK6jAmwlXFWG5fuIRheGQpQ4yzYxidTMMxaV2-s2vqUvv8hwr_TLBoXA_LC9hHdpgJFpLa1Gg8rg/w400-h200/Monster+Hunter+Rise+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>You've likely noticed a theme at this point, but Monster Hunter is yet another Capcom franchise that I've been aware of for a long time but never really dug into before. In this case, Rise is the first Monster Hunter game I've ever played. I found right off the bat that while the basic gameplay loop is very simple (fight monsters, get crafting materials, make stronger weapons and armor, repeat), almost everything else about the game is needlessly complicated. It took me several hours to get through back-to-back tutorials, figure out the controls, and learn to navigate the clunky UI. However, once I managed to get through all that, I found Rise to be a really enjoyable experience. Having only a limited story and minimal world-building, the single-player campaign is fairly bare-bones but still satisfying, and the online co-op mode is a lot of fun whenever I actually manage to coordinate with other people to play. However, for me, what elevated this game from "good" to "great" was the presentation. I absolutely loved this game's medieval Japanese fantasy setting, catchy music, cute animal companions, and cool monster designs. I don't think I'm going to be someone who plays every MonHun game that comes out, but I'm really glad I took the time to get into this one.</p><p><b>Score: ⭐</b><b><b>⭐</b></b><b>⭐</b><b>⭐</b></p><b>Completion Time: </b>25 hours (Single-player campaign and few co-op sessions)<br /><p><u>Nina Aquila Legal Eagle 2</u></p><p><img alt="Nina Aquila 2 cover art" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E07TwfVXEAAIAEf?format=png&name=small" style="font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; height: 100%; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; width: 100%; z-index: -1;" /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8gba-8ncBrkqsgvjFyAfE2Py0XaDWvd21fERab9bAqFXmBRK8jCs1Ud6yN1KRrpuStNvS-y4Ma1fX6Ee7Zb_NfRnug7nKX-kyLz_qysAEwkAtx3EurGPihlEcGwhtamIMzFGH7x2Tw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1466" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8gba-8ncBrkqsgvjFyAfE2Py0XaDWvd21fERab9bAqFXmBRK8jCs1Ud6yN1KRrpuStNvS-y4Ma1fX6Ee7Zb_NfRnug7nKX-kyLz_qysAEwkAtx3EurGPihlEcGwhtamIMzFGH7x2Tw/w400-h160/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After seeing the foundation established by the first game (see <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2021/02/adventure-puzzle-game-round-up.html">my review of Nina Aquila 1</a> for more info), I was keen to see where this indie Ace Attorney-like series would go next. Improving on the original in almost every way, Nina Aquila 2 offered a much more interesting case to investigate, a more complex story, and some new investigation segments to break up the courtroom drama. However, what set it apart was the scene of the crime: a hotel hosting an anime convention and trading card battle tournament. This opened up a lot of opportunities for humourous writing that mixed legal drama with anime fandom. I also enjoyed the Yu-Gi-Oh-inspired minigame that is integrated into the campaign as Nina gets dragged into the world of competitive trading card battles. While both the minigame and puzzle-solving parts of the mystery felt a little too easy for my tastes, Nina Aquila 2 was still an overall fun and charming package. I'm looking forward to playing the third game sometime in the future!</div></div><p></p><p><b>Score: ⭐</b><b>⭐</b><b>⭐</b><b>⭐</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Completion Time: </b>9 hours</div></div><p><br /><br /> <i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #CapcoMonth
event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this
page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist">Community Game-Along Master List</a></i></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-13755778599159018892021-03-28T20:10:00.004-04:002021-04-23T17:08:08.193-04:00Shantae and the Seven Sirens<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTh2IuV_7RkUVV1006TCY1OQcUlZRhyv0L6GL36zJIvEn8IKNYRqLlcgI19oTFoogcIFmzcHuMqha_kBLWfxqxTLpVH8nCOQISKadUqa7fVlnH5_XjZsntVnVypnexPVFDA2z0x_C8Q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTh2IuV_7RkUVV1006TCY1OQcUlZRhyv0L6GL36zJIvEn8IKNYRqLlcgI19oTFoogcIFmzcHuMqha_kBLWfxqxTLpVH8nCOQISKadUqa7fVlnH5_XjZsntVnVypnexPVFDA2z0x_C8Q/w400-h229/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In celebration of #WayForwardMarch, I played through the fifth game in the Shantae series, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, on my Twitch channel. Having played and enjoyed several other WayForward games in the past, including the previous two Shantae games, I had a fairly good idea of what I was getting myself into here but was still excited to check out the latest exploits of everyone's favorite half-genie.</p><p><u>Background:</u></p><p>Shantae is an indie 2D platformer series that stars the half-genie belly dancer, Shantae, and a colorful cast of supporting characters that include pirates, zombies, and mad scientists. In this entry of the series, Shantae must explore an island with a complex series of underground passageways to find her fellow half-genies that mysteriously went missing. Unlike previous entries in the series, Seven Sirens features one large continuous map rather than a series of separate smaller levels, which gives it a much more explicitly Metroid-like feel. Also in proper Metroidvania fashion, as Shantae progresses through her adventure, she gains new powers, usually in the form of animal transformations, that improve her ability to overcome obstacles.</p><p><u>Pros</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Having been making 2D platformers for decades, WayForward knows how to make one of these games control well and Seven Sirens is no exception. Shantae's jumps, attacks, and special abilities all feel great. I especially liked her salamander transformation, which allows her to climb on walls and airdash.</li><li>Shantae's move set is complemented by cute and charming character art and animations. The attention to detail and personality imbued into not only the game's heroine, but the supporting cast, enemies, and NPCs do so much to make this game (and the rest of the Shantae series) so endearing.</li><li>While I missed the immediately danceable signature sound of long-time series composer, Jake Kaufman, I still found plenty of tracks to like from Seven Sirens' 4-person sound team. The overall sound is a bit more varied than the previous games with some traditional Shantae bops as well as some nice mellow pieces.</li><li>I'm not particularly invested in the story or "lore" of Shantae, but I definitely enjoy the humor in these games. There were quite a few scenes in Seven Sirens that gave me (and my Twitch viewers) a good chuckle.</li></ul><p></p><p><u>Cons</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Seven Sirens provides a big map to explore, but, much of the level design is fairly bland. It was not especially interesting to uncover new areas nor does it offer the platforming challenge of rgw previous games' more linear stages.</li><li>This game has really fun boss designs but the battles themselves aren't actually that exciting. I got through most of them just spamming attacks and using the plentiful healing items that are collected while exploring.</li><li>Dialog in Seven Sirens is only partially voice acted in a way that I found exceptionally jarring. Often within a given scene, characters would go back and forth between being voiced and silent seemingly without any rhyme or reason. I would have rather they had a few key scenes fully voiced and left everything else quiet.</li><li>At the beginning of my playthrough, the performance of this game on PC was quite rough despite it not being particularly graphically demanding. Load times were also quite long. About halfway through, a patch came out that mostly resolved this but this game was already a year old at that point.</li></ul><div>Overall, Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a by-the-numbers Metroidvania that's elevated by an especially charming presentation. As a result, I got a lot of enjoyment out of playing it even though it's solidly in the middle of the pack gameplaywise. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 12 hours and 30 minutes, 67% item completion</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFipiY7VQDs4P9136K4-OkgFQG_Rxi3KH1GCcp0izjFY4pPixp6uGZQHoCKI1e4zQZ3aAuh1ftSDhZp2NCZVYVjSP6ohpefSos9vHKdCYNSqHsRBVEiXFbbr2jkIopOlbegOZzDHCfCA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFipiY7VQDs4P9136K4-OkgFQG_Rxi3KH1GCcp0izjFY4pPixp6uGZQHoCKI1e4zQZ3aAuh1ftSDhZp2NCZVYVjSP6ohpefSos9vHKdCYNSqHsRBVEiXFbbr2jkIopOlbegOZzDHCfCA/w400-h225/2021-03-23_2032_1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkUpUmCC2xSWwtnTMdLYRIlE1_cKDCZud3Tpa4VQ47ndsIz8xRjzpchCLY3xxpCFiP-C1PX09-0g4q8PefwCoGkw5_y2O1LRN0oL8_DdOVGpIAY1qVANe9f_QsTlN14uiaZdWdn-M0w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkUpUmCC2xSWwtnTMdLYRIlE1_cKDCZud3Tpa4VQ47ndsIz8xRjzpchCLY3xxpCFiP-C1PX09-0g4q8PefwCoGkw5_y2O1LRN0oL8_DdOVGpIAY1qVANe9f_QsTlN14uiaZdWdn-M0w/w400-h225/Shantae+and+the+Seven+Sirens+3_16_2021+11_18_56+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><p></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-73108944403548277072021-02-12T21:09:00.003-05:002021-04-23T17:07:42.896-04:00Adventure & Puzzle Game Round-upOver the past few months, I've really been going all-in on <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist">Community Game-Along</a> events on my Twitch channel. I've found they're a fun way to keep my queue varied and interesting. The previous two month's themes, #AdventureGameMonth and #PuzzleGameMonth, smoothly flowed into each other to provide 60+ solid days of putting my brain through its paces!<div><br /></div><div>Here's a roundup of mini-reviews for all 7 games I streamed for these events:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Day of the Tentacle</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQP8dx89W2E31KRUaf71TcayhJpjE_-164EBM2FL1m-K70-awZW2wLoeN7y5dGuyhg_8D_MaD1ekCzMn2qIL2CM71tj0K9nbZ9wDsvguzlNwpSExtCG6Nn4wFVnYXqG0moNOvZrT6_ew/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1200" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQP8dx89W2E31KRUaf71TcayhJpjE_-164EBM2FL1m-K70-awZW2wLoeN7y5dGuyhg_8D_MaD1ekCzMn2qIL2CM71tj0K9nbZ9wDsvguzlNwpSExtCG6Nn4wFVnYXqG0moNOvZrT6_ew/w400-h211/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></u></div><div>As someone who really enjoyed other Lucas Arts adventure games such as Grim Fandango and the Monkey Island series, I've been meaning to play this classic title for quite some time. Once I started playing, I was immediately struck by the distinctly 90s cartoon aesthetic and sense of humor that reminded me of shows such as Animaniacs and Hysteria. The gameplay, however, took a while for me to get my head around. Switching between controlling 3 protagonists exploring the same environment in 3 different time periods made for some novel puzzle designs but also made it much easier to get stuck than in a more conventional point-and-click adventure game. As a result, I found myself alternating between having fun engaging in cartoon antics and being frustrated when I kept having to wander around the same locations over and over to figure out what the game wanted me to do next. That being said, I'm really glad I played this but it hasn't displaced Monkey Island and Grimfango among my favorite Lucas Arts games.</div><div><b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><u>Nina Aquila Legal Eagle (Chapter 1)</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpPSGEHVLzYLJF-NHRYqu7sGI41MclKyntCpDEur_o161OpAVnQ8rFlBz3eAPoAM20FxLBH3HmDVL_PBXoErTdGse9cNmwcZh0Lf5JY_9Ej_lSdsbjx40pf4iBOnXDJpbM80mxV0YIA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpPSGEHVLzYLJF-NHRYqu7sGI41MclKyntCpDEur_o161OpAVnQ8rFlBz3eAPoAM20FxLBH3HmDVL_PBXoErTdGse9cNmwcZh0Lf5JY_9Ej_lSdsbjx40pf4iBOnXDJpbM80mxV0YIA/w400-h225/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This one was a real curiosity for me. Essentially, Nina Aquila is an indie developer's recreation of the gameplay of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney using the RPG Maker engine. While Nina Aquila still looks and feels like an RPG Maker game, I was quite impressed with how well Tanuki-sama Studios managed to work the engine to create a game with the same general structure and mechanics as Ace Attorney. As for the content of the game, the court case itself is entertaining but much more straight forward than Phoenix Wright. Nina Aquila was released episodically on itch.io and the first chapter that I played during #AdventureGameMonth was an effective proof-of-concept that has me looking forward to trying out the subsequent chapters in the future.</div><div><b>Score</b>: ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><i>Note: The first two chapters of this game were included in the itch.io Racial Justice Bundle </i></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Call of the Sea</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFeClHxvwL0pRkk6iRIZcHfN_ktiI5PBJJVDQQbddqfmWH-fyBgzdlc3GYlmct-uQmPPDd6k66dtCHSSfqmLeCf1FtGsVA2410LNJds3kAFhyphenhyphen7BDPVjeyfhcs6n4vwqmOdIP1oYt9Ag/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFeClHxvwL0pRkk6iRIZcHfN_ktiI5PBJJVDQQbddqfmWH-fyBgzdlc3GYlmct-uQmPPDd6k66dtCHSSfqmLeCf1FtGsVA2410LNJds3kAFhyphenhyphen7BDPVjeyfhcs6n4vwqmOdIP1oYt9Ag/w400-h225/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></u></div><div>Taking a break from my usual indie and retro games, I decided to check out this highly regarded Xbox Series X launch title via Xbox Game Pass for PC. As you would expect from a brand new game first-person adventure game, it featured beautiful and lush environments that were really cool to explore. I also found the 1920s Lovecraft-inspired story to be quite interesting. The game's puzzles featured a good range of difficulties, however, there were one or two that just didn't make sense to me at all and I ended up having to look up the solutions. Unfortunately, the overall very positive experience I had with Call of the Sea was marred by some pretty serious performance issues despite my PC comfortably meeting the system requirements. This is a game I'd definitely recommend playing, but on Xbox Series X, since supposedly that version runs much more smoothly, or waiting until the PC version has been out longer and gets patched.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><i>Note: This would have been an easy 4-star game if not for the technical issues. </i></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Carto</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxByoDdLAbWx59C_zLGHlcWzYknT-D0wD0PWDpnCSi1q0Sn9Up6xG7U_AEp9Y9Jlbq6Y5cRWAvpIe0_YeEgs-zjfxnTzG3dMfuGbA2nNIVK2uF-DnLGwhXLXXs9U2ksdmoOVOm2qdfw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1195" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxByoDdLAbWx59C_zLGHlcWzYknT-D0wD0PWDpnCSi1q0Sn9Up6xG7U_AEp9Y9Jlbq6Y5cRWAvpIe0_YeEgs-zjfxnTzG3dMfuGbA2nNIVK2uF-DnLGwhXLXXs9U2ksdmoOVOm2qdfw/w400-h219/image.png" width="400" /></a></div></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>Another recent Game Pass release, this indie puzzle adventure game stars a character who can edit the game map, thereby changing the layout of the world around her. Throughout the game, you collect new map pieces that you can fit together in different ways to create new environments, solve puzzles, and help various NPCs. It's a short and sweet game with a unique hook, cute graphics, and a quirky sense of humor. I definitely recommend checking this one out.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Manifold Garden</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DplKFNrFWmdNXw092n8aY57x-78PZGQ96Vl84KQKlkuj0nc2x4_yL0rRYbQ6BUrrQj1lzjDqhxgpiiBX88E9sGfD1s8iINo70KwE2A_hFlEV-b34_lGKxN6Pouj429rMyCei4nv0Vg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DplKFNrFWmdNXw092n8aY57x-78PZGQ96Vl84KQKlkuj0nc2x4_yL0rRYbQ6BUrrQj1lzjDqhxgpiiBX88E9sGfD1s8iINo70KwE2A_hFlEV-b34_lGKxN6Pouj429rMyCei4nv0Vg/w400-h225/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></u></div><div>When I first saw previews of this game, I immediately knew it would be a must-play. Manifold Garden is a first-person puzzle platformer that, at first look, might seem similar to Portal. However, only a few minutes of playing it reveals that it's a completely unique experience. For starters, your character cannot jump but can instead instantly change the direction that gravity pulls, suddenly making walls, ceilings, and the surfaces of any object in the environment traversable. On top of that, each level is a maze of surreal Escher-inspired environments that loop back upon themselves This means that if you fall into a pit, you'll soon find yourself falling through the sky rather than hitting the bottom of the level. Manipulating the gravity and exploiting the looping level design leads to some really interesting puzzle scenarios. In addition to the mechanics, I really loved this game's visual design which increased in intricacy along with the puzzles. Overall, this was easily my favorite game that I streamed during both #AdventureGameMonth and #PuzzleGameMonth and in general, is one of the best puzzle games I've played in a long time.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><i>Caution: If you are at all prone to motion sickness, there is a strong chance that this game could trigger it.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Witchway</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uTs97xS_UBrwJttHJiujoK4sBfdAvJLiwOA_2pE-7-m738ieHGhvEsxgTICYcABxB3wo0zYFBMO4Kt23_fJeng5DEa7TK2glWsjNvUicIADxggCc7MrU0wXHpldvvyAzmgvb4sVbhA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uTs97xS_UBrwJttHJiujoK4sBfdAvJLiwOA_2pE-7-m738ieHGhvEsxgTICYcABxB3wo0zYFBMO4Kt23_fJeng5DEa7TK2glWsjNvUicIADxggCc7MrU0wXHpldvvyAzmgvb4sVbhA/w400-h225/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></u></div><div>Compared to most of the other puzzle and adventure games I played, Witchway was pretty simple and straight forward. As a witch with telekinesis, you navigate a Metroidvania-style world by moving blocks around to create platforms and activate switches. While not anything particularly revolutionary, it sported great music, adorable pixel art, and just enough puzzle complexity to fit its 3-hour run time. This game did what it set out to do and was a nice break from the meatier games I tackled during #PuzzleGameMonth.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><i>Note: This game was included in the itch.io Racial Justice Bundle </i></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Hue</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl-hlwvBmFhEC4szGpnbee6gDWtnl7xNenbKQ5rMntcHdKdvN81Zp6dqbUVo8UIjhe2ATrXira0Grszfdvn4OSzzC2Hzb71FCMiwlTOzbYnxJLReTEVG1nXPCtUL9DdkWltQAiZ-aVQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl-hlwvBmFhEC4szGpnbee6gDWtnl7xNenbKQ5rMntcHdKdvN81Zp6dqbUVo8UIjhe2ATrXira0Grszfdvn4OSzzC2Hzb71FCMiwlTOzbYnxJLReTEVG1nXPCtUL9DdkWltQAiZ-aVQ/w400-h225/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></u></div><div>My last game for these events was another 2D puzzle platformer, but with a bit of a twist. Hue takes place in a mostly black and white world with few key interactive objects rendered in bright colors. The protagonist has the power to change the background color of the levels which makes any object in the environment of the same color disappear as it blends into the background. By carefully switching colors in the right sequence, the player can navigate obstacles and avoid deadly traps such as spikes and lasers. I found that the way this game brought a unique mechanic to otherwise traditional puzzle platforming gameplay was enough to set it apart from other games in the genre. I also really liked the game's crisp high-contrast aesthetic and very well-balanced puzzle difficultly. </div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div>Putting my puzzling skills to the test for two consecutive months was a real challenge and a lot of fun! That being said, I feel like my brain earned some much-deserved rest. Time to go watch some anime!</div><div><br /></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-46956200543919988062021-01-01T20:07:00.004-05:002021-01-02T13:29:38.690-05:00Game of the Year 2020<p>The year 2020 was rough for me, both due to the pandemic and for some personal reasons as well. As a result, I felt much less motivation to write than in years past. However, that certainly doesn't mean that I didn't have the energy to play games; quite the opposite in fact! This year I tackled over 75 games! With release dates ranging from 1982 to 2020, there were some real gems in there that I'd like to highlight in a quick little Top 10 list:</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_5wDJ2kSWA9slXjCY11mMFv-P1XP8Tdz6dWOLpkHexdE7NLzlmCAxNi_xRM5CHnJVCSj92rpVV6dX3UB04p4w6MdV2v01FsoECzwlVIWPJ5GbQx-x2CG_CoNPMR5K2i5nu3j1uqBOQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_5wDJ2kSWA9slXjCY11mMFv-P1XP8Tdz6dWOLpkHexdE7NLzlmCAxNi_xRM5CHnJVCSj92rpVV6dX3UB04p4w6MdV2v01FsoECzwlVIWPJ5GbQx-x2CG_CoNPMR5K2i5nu3j1uqBOQ/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><b>#10: Ys Oath in Felghana</b></p><p>The Ys series has pretty consistently had a spot in my honorable mentions for the past several years, but Oath in Felghana is the one that had what it takes to break the top 10, even in a very competitive year. Felghana is the perfect encapsulation of everything that makes the Ys games great: fast-paced combat, tough bosses, an interesting story, and a rockin' soundtrack. This series doesn't deviate much from the action RPG formula, but it is so well-polished that it's quickly making its way into my favorite RPG franchises. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8bByM_oLF0jDr63wkF-bQ01ZVpWlkk7E9GCn32tcxZvvNhmDvVzn8zlrSxuT5vAIDaC128Siuo0VNv60U-R6CFvbbJr7zscTsVmNR1PlHkBvW3Iy0WiadjgeZmw2K516wF1ygstZgw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="711" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8bByM_oLF0jDr63wkF-bQ01ZVpWlkk7E9GCn32tcxZvvNhmDvVzn8zlrSxuT5vAIDaC128Siuo0VNv60U-R6CFvbbJr7zscTsVmNR1PlHkBvW3Iy0WiadjgeZmw2K516wF1ygstZgw/w400-h263/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>#9: Paper Mario The Origami King</b></p><p>While its combat didn't exactly stay fresh the whole time, Origami King's creativity, charm, and humor were more than enough to make this one of my favorite games of 2020. Part of what elevated this game into my Top 10 was streaming it; experiencing this frankly absurd game with others provided some much-needed levity in a really tough year.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY42tKeGZgbumE1625pOS1ZQxYWTcBFr9G6s10scwbd3WZFGpFbtlFTQI1mHVd9ONpee0t9231eHgyYzIzeOhyVSip4R5fymXZVOHA7J5sWkxptQidhvwYf3ilC_NwpHBq0970fHP2Fw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY42tKeGZgbumE1625pOS1ZQxYWTcBFr9G6s10scwbd3WZFGpFbtlFTQI1mHVd9ONpee0t9231eHgyYzIzeOhyVSip4R5fymXZVOHA7J5sWkxptQidhvwYf3ilC_NwpHBq0970fHP2Fw/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>#8: Ace Combat 7</b></p><p>As somebody who loves the aerial vehicle sections in games like Battlefield, I've been meaning to get around to trying purely air combat-focused game. Ace Combat 7 fit the bill; I had a blast with it! Much like Forza Horizon, I liked that AC7 provides options to tweak the level of realism to your liking. As someone who doesn't have much flight sim experience, the ability to fly realistic-looking aircraft with more forgiving arcadey physics was just right for me. I'm looking forward to playing more games like this in the future. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zxSmVgK3bZFF40P1R1GnrVRWTfLkEncKjJsMZxLJ_JKz1LsKuMoCSfA2vmAJ0XYcts7yLyCOBwckZtiC_7qcMFCbDTwJ4Y0_Jxdvkrs0L4weglRW_DY9bDS2q7_M8xkZ0sUz7s6PWg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zxSmVgK3bZFF40P1R1GnrVRWTfLkEncKjJsMZxLJ_JKz1LsKuMoCSfA2vmAJ0XYcts7yLyCOBwckZtiC_7qcMFCbDTwJ4Y0_Jxdvkrs0L4weglRW_DY9bDS2q7_M8xkZ0sUz7s6PWg/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>#7: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (First and Second Chapter)</b></p><p>Falcom's Legend of Heroes franchise has been recommended to me many times over the years, especially the Trails in the Sky chapters, but until now I had always felt intimidated by the length and scope of these JRPGs. (The game is script is notoriously massive, several times longer than the novel War and Peace). However, being stuck at home in a quarantine situation earlier in 2020 provided the perfect excuse to finally jump in. I loved the tactical battle system, rich world-building, and taking a long journey with some endearing characters. After completing the main arc of Trails in the Sky (e.g. First and Second Chapter), I needed to take a break but I have a feeling I'll be relishing the next games in the series when I get to them.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrhl_9LDSdUZFc4uxWQiK5YZcIOt0GyMWZg12MyFV2WsS-e_pl9WBZcBmssE59dG3cG30xUZ_Um5-r25H0ZhazceN0YdRoXQwnT5_OC_Sd1SO-1xRKHGN7aNpTkko3YZFc54oc9WV2A/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrhl_9LDSdUZFc4uxWQiK5YZcIOt0GyMWZg12MyFV2WsS-e_pl9WBZcBmssE59dG3cG30xUZ_Um5-r25H0ZhazceN0YdRoXQwnT5_OC_Sd1SO-1xRKHGN7aNpTkko3YZFc54oc9WV2A/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>#6: Azure Striker Gunvolt</b></p><p>As somebody that tends to be lukewarm on Megaman, it turns out the trick to getting me to like it is to inject some extra anime nonsense. Gunvolt took the Megaman formula and added some unique mechanics, a flashier style, and some incredibly catchy music. Developer Inti Creates has a real knack for taking the core of classic retro games like Megaman and Castlevania and reimagining them in exciting new ways. (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/04/azure-striker-gunvolt-review.html">review</a>)</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w5V8-GQmOhYyfThP2g4zHs1Hzd8YqXIVBsLU4-gI2XK5KVhlaJMwfm4i-FSo8EJ9OSXVYWrSW6MwswlO_VsjopJfsUWbwRFLPjHbbe59yWMEv7-xuwcG0KAq40adb_zAhtnrmkKB6Q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w5V8-GQmOhYyfThP2g4zHs1Hzd8YqXIVBsLU4-gI2XK5KVhlaJMwfm4i-FSo8EJ9OSXVYWrSW6MwswlO_VsjopJfsUWbwRFLPjHbbe59yWMEv7-xuwcG0KAq40adb_zAhtnrmkKB6Q/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><b>#5: Shovel Knight</b></p><p>I've put off playing this for far too long! Shovel Knight has charming pixel art, excellent chiptunes, and very tight 8-bit platforming. I can definitely see why this is always ranked so highly among the top faux-retro indie games.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEva0zExv-S2qr5SOeKcqf1NAwg-N_JqGgcv2OnV5pun31Bzig4ntEE0L7-6eJcd3dzYY33y4F246GE5savJ0v-O-KK_BWw_hOWQumRGtgK29SqE3Sd7KIL7nz0qy55_UB4ajc_RUH6Q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEva0zExv-S2qr5SOeKcqf1NAwg-N_JqGgcv2OnV5pun31Bzig4ntEE0L7-6eJcd3dzYY33y4F246GE5savJ0v-O-KK_BWw_hOWQumRGtgK29SqE3Sd7KIL7nz0qy55_UB4ajc_RUH6Q/w400-h229/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>#4: Evan's Remains</b></p><p>I was initially drawn in by Evan's Remains upon seeing its gorgeous pixel art on a Twitch stream hosted by my pal, <a href="https://twitch.tv/stapecape">Stapecape</a>. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed figuring out the game's tricky puzzle platforming challenges and unraveling its mysterious story. The game takes a bit of an unusual turn at the end, which may be offputting to some, but I enjoyed the journey so much that I ultimately wasn't concerned about the final destination. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRm3OlzdjuPFVdgEZ-oaweERqhdiGhq-IYY833oBTaOwGfI1KWD_28OUXotEVFPCLN4l_Ds-iBkLPQdU1A9xM9n3P5DGPuDTuGgO6KTbei1a5wbWNEtvccTlDKhtJs6dLFKZlDTAIkQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRm3OlzdjuPFVdgEZ-oaweERqhdiGhq-IYY833oBTaOwGfI1KWD_28OUXotEVFPCLN4l_Ds-iBkLPQdU1A9xM9n3P5DGPuDTuGgO6KTbei1a5wbWNEtvccTlDKhtJs6dLFKZlDTAIkQ/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><b>#3: Wander Song</b> </p><p>This music-themed adventure game was full of charm and heart. Despite an art style that didn't seem like my thing at first, the story and offbeat cast of characters sucked me right in. Even though it came out a while ago, I hadn't heard of Wandersong until this year and it immediately rocketed itself up to being one of my all-time favorite indie games. (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/05/wandersong-review.html">review</a>)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSKgONkX8qAzi-QxatZkp1z7ipUwRXFpsMsqoW5lLa4fQhTuy-5_WQDmn6XBhCW8rZ4JPhvi81-euEjTfrCF8fzHMOG9oO95gcgxsSEJ6BV2ins0yZ1OAnxZnde6liWsPXBBaxmU7XA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSKgONkX8qAzi-QxatZkp1z7ipUwRXFpsMsqoW5lLa4fQhTuy-5_WQDmn6XBhCW8rZ4JPhvi81-euEjTfrCF8fzHMOG9oO95gcgxsSEJ6BV2ins0yZ1OAnxZnde6liWsPXBBaxmU7XA/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>#2: The Talos Principle</b> </p><p>While disregarded by many as a Portal-clone, this game's combination of challenging puzzles and philosophical themes made it a game that will stick with me for quite some time. It's the perfect game to play when you're looking for something somber, slow-paced, and cerebral. (A mood that I found myself in quite a bit this year.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1weuVOjkbqUgKfdxrOEdJ6dj6ubANwxjqnejl5LRCTfUcOg2nr7Qb2udgUOopf53hNwFEnxSpZNHnOHN3sCrumCitqrSIQUP5j5-OakcCsUbXxtl2mKkYVZgNfLwYGa-UEvlIuPR-w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1weuVOjkbqUgKfdxrOEdJ6dj6ubANwxjqnejl5LRCTfUcOg2nr7Qb2udgUOopf53hNwFEnxSpZNHnOHN3sCrumCitqrSIQUP5j5-OakcCsUbXxtl2mKkYVZgNfLwYGa-UEvlIuPR-w/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>#1: Nier Automata</b> </p><p>With a slick sense of style, a fun blend of gameplay styles, and a stellar soundtrack, this was a damn fine video game! Also, for some reason, 2020 just felt like the most appropriate possible year to play a game about exploring the ruins of human civilization. (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/08/nier-automata-review.html">review</a>)</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Honorable Mentions:</b></p><p>With how many games I played this year, it was inevitable that a lot of great games wouldn't make the Top 10. This year one of my projects was to get into new genres and franchises that I previously never explored, so many of my honorable mentions are a reflection of that. Here's a selection of some of the other great games that I'd like to highlight.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Sound of Drop: Fall into Poison</b> - I decided that this year I would try to get into visual novels and this one was my favorite among the ones I finished in 2020. I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere and making tough life-or-death decisions. This game also demonstrated to me that I not only enjoy visual novels but that streaming them can be a lot of fun.</li><li><b>Mario 64</b> - I had somehow never played all the way through Mario 64 until this year. I played through the majority of this game during a marathon charity stream and had a great time finally completing this platforming classic. </li><li><b>American McGee's Alice</b> - This was a game I have been meaning to play for 20 years. I'm so glad I finally did! Once I got my head around the controls, it really clicked with me.</li><li><b>Doom Eternal</b> - There was no need to break the mold when the previous Doom was so good. Eternal took what was already great and built upon it in a very effective way.</li><li><b>Streets of Rage 4</b> - I played through this slick-looking beat 'em up with my pal PixelPacas and it proved to be one of the most simple yet satisfying gameplay experiences of 2020. </li><li><b>Yakuza Kiwami</b> - Yakuza was another series I'd been meaning to play for a while. This remake of the original game in the series really drew me in and has me convinced to try more entries in the franchise. </li><li><b>Final Fantasy 15 </b>- My road trip with the bros of Final Fantasy 15 was an absolutely engrossing experience. If not for how clumsily the story was handled, this game would have had a shot at landing in the Top 10. (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/07/final-fantasy-15-review.html">review</a>)</li><li><b>Phantasy Star 4</b> - This was my first experience with Sega's retro RPG series and it still totally holds up. This is easily one of the top games in the Sega Mega Drive collection on Steam. </li><li><b>Chantelise </b>- I was really impressed by this obscure indie action RPG that some have described as "anime Dark Souls". Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/simon_ashtear">@Simon_Ashtear</a> for the recommendation! (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/07/chantelise-review.html">review</a>)</li><li><b>Spiritfarer</b> - Farming or slice-of-life games aren't usually my thing but this beautifully animated and emotional game really spoke to me this year. </li></ul><div>To wrap up this post, I'd like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all my blog readers and Twitch viewers. Exploring games with y'all was one of the few bright spots of 2020. My blog posts will probably be pretty sporadic going forward but I still plan on keeping it going and sharing more great games both in written form and via my <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay">Twitch channel</a>. Here's to a better 2021!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: In addition to this personal Top 10, I also put together a Games of the Year article with my fellow Geek to Geek Media content creators. Check that article out to find out about our picks for the best games of 2020. (<a href="https://geektogeekmedia.com/general/geek-to-geek-medias-game-of-the-year-awards-2020/">Geek to Geek Media's GotY article</a>)</i></div><p></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-31520592311931956782020-11-25T13:21:00.000-05:002020-11-25T13:21:24.433-05:00Horror Game October Round-up<p>When people think about "horror" games, they immediately think of survival horror and jump scares associated with games like Resident Evil. And while that is certainly a prominent segment of horror games, "horror" is more of a theme or flavor that can be applied to a variety of game genres. In celebration of #HorrorGameOct, I decided to devote my Twitch channel to streaming and exploring horror gaming in a variety of forms.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzc8BvN955dNNzHFAVRUehUNJnFfPUjmvchBArXTWe5v0C02W868yyt8oyElUUXrJPf8A8It1G08drc6gSOsFvTMUa4GaKYnp15K-q-fVcz7l75lYUT6aeWxqGKM9TsfmuEvdob0Jhw/s616/bloodstained+2+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzc8BvN955dNNzHFAVRUehUNJnFfPUjmvchBArXTWe5v0C02W868yyt8oyElUUXrJPf8A8It1G08drc6gSOsFvTMUa4GaKYnp15K-q-fVcz7l75lYUT6aeWxqGKM9TsfmuEvdob0Jhw/w400-h229/bloodstained+2+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b><u>Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 2</u></b></p><p>After absolutely loving the first Bloodstained, I came to this one with unreasonably high expectations. What I found was a game that was still really good but didn't quite recapture the magic of that first experience. That being said, the new playable characters were fun, especially the corgi in a mech. If you're a Castlevania fan, all three Bloodstained games are easily must-plays.</p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃🎃</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT8tYJkNruSfG1nZnAMblGZ-Cg9lMDtAajRGex5umzV22Keqd5gn4wcXDMH6vm1HEb362Dfgu4IjYIq-D5uYcJpkijjca-iYYZykHTxXP9n1utFfb171G3-eTLgJ6Fsw556v6FpF95Q/s920/Resident-Evil-VII-01-HD+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT8tYJkNruSfG1nZnAMblGZ-Cg9lMDtAajRGex5umzV22Keqd5gn4wcXDMH6vm1HEb362Dfgu4IjYIq-D5uYcJpkijjca-iYYZykHTxXP9n1utFfb171G3-eTLgJ6Fsw556v6FpF95Q/w400-h188/Resident-Evil-VII-01-HD+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><b><u>Resident Evil 7</u></b></p><p>My prior experiences with Resident Evil games have been pretty mixed. While I would rank several of them among my favorite spooky games, others have been an exercise in frustration. The first impression this game gave me was not a good one, the introductory areas seemed tailored for the VR experience but felt off as a regular player and the "killer rednecks" trope this game leans into has become quite tired for me. However, after pushing through that stuff and into the meat of the game, I found that the game did a great job of taking the classic Resident Evil formula and updating it with more precise first-person controls and a great sense of atmosphere. Overall, it didn't quite eclipse my favorite game in the series, Resident Evil 2 Remake, but I would still rank it very highly among survival horror games that I've played. </p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃🎃</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKMMjJd1O5Sr-iCIr-ksF_RK-UFnRvo-1LgqRsb7R66Ns54l8HGWAcWp4jLRpT0dioWmpPj0ovKDt36jPWw2BzT0FznC3m3TUSx-ev86XfZEaeAPF39rteX4Jjh1KiW8qzwnb8ZguIg/s616/halloween+forever+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKMMjJd1O5Sr-iCIr-ksF_RK-UFnRvo-1LgqRsb7R66Ns54l8HGWAcWp4jLRpT0dioWmpPj0ovKDt36jPWw2BzT0FznC3m3TUSx-ev86XfZEaeAPF39rteX4Jjh1KiW8qzwnb8ZguIg/w400-h229/halloween+forever+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b><u>Halloween Forever</u></b></p><p>This little retro-style indie platformer was included in the Racial Justice Bundle from itch.io earlier this year. It sported cute Halloween-themed sprite work, simple but polished mechanics, and a moderate difficulty curve. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a short spooky game that can be completed in a single evening. </p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃🎃</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WPC_sThojXeE9HXuobKa3afUT3znIw5nf_ASxCbWEZ26eLuMueK8GPXLpNzdbKAoNAv0Y02GU4S2v4CrgtIYmHPs0KAAIERw1eX14s01n06-Fc9uqcLFTpDhwlD-prCx02dRAeLBRw/s1600/silent+hill+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WPC_sThojXeE9HXuobKa3afUT3znIw5nf_ASxCbWEZ26eLuMueK8GPXLpNzdbKAoNAv0Y02GU4S2v4CrgtIYmHPs0KAAIERw1eX14s01n06-Fc9uqcLFTpDhwlD-prCx02dRAeLBRw/w400-h185/silent+hill+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><u><b>Silent Hill 4</b></u></p><p>Until this year, my only exposure to the Silent Hill franchise was watching the Silent Hill movie back when it came out in 2005. While I wasn't a big horror game fan back in those days, the movie piqued my interest enough to put trying one of these games on my very long-term to-do list. This year, when Konami made SH4 available on PC via Gog, the opportunity to check off that box finally arrived. Though I struggled with this game's jankyness and awkward controls at first, I eventually came to appreciate this game's mysterious atmosphere and surreal take on horror. Considering that series fans often consider SH4 to be the worst game in the series and I still had fun with it, I think I'd enjoy the other Silent Hill games if Konami elects to make them available on PC.</p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsQecMJpTAXtCnk0VMrxeb0Tbmws46XZlSm784nICekGhqksyHzQxGGyMGkEbkGz_siZ7nnozXY96IrU6SpUvCywkbOpnxVRx-qxY6jt_fPcVJpKm-JcLDoFIWpt6kcc4p0b_9CckIQ/s920/Castlevania-Anniversary-Collection-01-HD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsQecMJpTAXtCnk0VMrxeb0Tbmws46XZlSm784nICekGhqksyHzQxGGyMGkEbkGz_siZ7nnozXY96IrU6SpUvCywkbOpnxVRx-qxY6jt_fPcVJpKm-JcLDoFIWpt6kcc4p0b_9CckIQ/w400-h188/Castlevania-Anniversary-Collection-01-HD.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><u><b>Castlevania 3</b></u></p><p>As a big Castlevania fan, it's always bugged me that I was never able to finish one of the most beloved games in the series when I originally played it. This year I finally decided to see it through! This time I ended up playing the Japanese version of CV3 (via the Castlevania Anniversary Collection) in order to enjoy its enhanced soundtrack and more balanced difficulty compared to the Western release. With this game's multiple characters, branching, paths, diverse environments, and stellar score I can absolutely see why it's a fan favorite. Some of the more punishing aspects of NES game design still lead to some frustration but I managed to complete a "pure" playthrough without the use of save states or cheats!</p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃🎃</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_d8Aiw5_YjpAroqp4X4oHcyk1P5SAGrWlSdDQ-eVAMR-sVbZPS1wMQji06P9e2e4HOZNdSMVxewLT5A1sC8bf5Mx7Uzd8KnCYGWcSeomFnuOUf9jN4X8eqaKZpKDIZMbCmb2m13uug/s450/ClocktowerBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="450" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_d8Aiw5_YjpAroqp4X4oHcyk1P5SAGrWlSdDQ-eVAMR-sVbZPS1wMQji06P9e2e4HOZNdSMVxewLT5A1sC8bf5Mx7Uzd8KnCYGWcSeomFnuOUf9jN4X8eqaKZpKDIZMbCmb2m13uug/w400-h143/ClocktowerBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b><u>Clock Tower: The First Fear</u></b></p><p>Hearing that this SNES and Windows 95 point-and-click adventure was a major source of inspiration for later survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, I was very curious to give Clock Tower a try. Early on, I was really impressed with how effectively this game conveyed the atmosphere of horror despite the limitations of its 16-bit platform. I also liked, how much detail and personality was put into the character animations, particularly for the game's primary villain, the Scissor Man. Unfortunately, the aesthetic qualities of the game were really the only thing I enjoyed. As an adventure game, I found this game to be extremely opaque, even by 1995 standards. Many times, the solution to making progress was not a function of puzzle-solving or logic, but meeting some kind of arbitrary criteria such as entering and exiting a room multiple times or repeatedly inspecting an object until your character decides that she wants to interact with it. It also didn't help matters that for a game that involves a lot of wandering around and trial-and-error, your character walks extremely slowly and running even a few yards almost immediately depletes her stamina. As a result, I found playing Clock Tower to be interesting from a historical perspective but a subpar adventure game experience.</p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmengjPJTx5gGYqHCgBRXFwykmF3X7M66BvwIQKpsK7SPmgGy5o2fpKtR44yBP_4r8qHoZydjjaQPeMV9yIXLu04p3EFPMYA9JEWFINHGEzPL_mgkZHnnZsoB7LwB2o8XXZFaHiWPSBA/s920/Alice+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmengjPJTx5gGYqHCgBRXFwykmF3X7M66BvwIQKpsK7SPmgGy5o2fpKtR44yBP_4r8qHoZydjjaQPeMV9yIXLu04p3EFPMYA9JEWFINHGEzPL_mgkZHnnZsoB7LwB2o8XXZFaHiWPSBA/w400-h188/Alice+banner.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><b><u>American McGee's Alice</u></b></p><p>This dark and twisted take on Alice and Wonderland is something I've been wanting to play for a really long time. At first, the controls of the game felt really off to me, but once I got my head around the fact that this was a 3rd person action game made in the Quake 3 engine, everything started clicking. While 3D graphics and game design have come a long way since this game was made, exploring the surreal worlds of Wonderland was still an experience that totally held up for me. I'm looking forward to playing the sequel next year.</p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃🎃</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelLLRJyR9T0kFJoDFJMf5YLixXHSl4hSXLxZd5jyt9CL11hvYKsyZ87wloKi78OlQlGhxbeZg9i802jZTazEn7E4BpBvRble2GY9DwGn-kN5CnfR4nt5OUL8s5b5hcqC_Zpp2mrKXlQ/s640/rusty+screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelLLRJyR9T0kFJoDFJMf5YLixXHSl4hSXLxZd5jyt9CL11hvYKsyZ87wloKi78OlQlGhxbeZg9i802jZTazEn7E4BpBvRble2GY9DwGn-kN5CnfR4nt5OUL8s5b5hcqC_Zpp2mrKXlQ/w400-h250/rusty+screenshot.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><b><u>Rusty</u></b></p><p>While it might be especially trendy now, indie studios cranking out Castlevania-like games is by no means a new phenomenon. Rusty is an early 1993 PC game about a whip-wielding vampire slayer on a quest to rescue damsels in distress and defeat an evil count (sounds familiar doesn't it?). Suffice to say, I didn't go into this game expecting to see anything particularly original or high quality. Much to my surprise, the game was actually pretty good! I liked the graphics and music quite a bit and I appreciated the way it deviated from Castlevania by incorporating a more maze-like level design. Unfortunately, this game's level design can also be a source of frustration as each level has a relatively short time limit and Rusty's movements are a little too stiff to pull off some of the maneuvers the game asks of you. As a result, I found Rusty to be an interesting experience that was worth playing, but it would've needed more polish to stand side by side with its source of inspiration, Castlevania.</p><p><b>Score: </b>🎃🎃🎃</p><p> <i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #HorrorGameOct event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></p>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-62949190870302347892020-09-28T01:55:00.005-04:002020-10-24T15:43:13.812-04:00Sonic Team September Round-upDuring the Console Wars of the 90s, my camp was firmly established on the Nintendo side of the schoolyard (see <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2018/08/the-sega-gap.html">The Sega Gap</a> for more info). Recently, the availability of Sega's library on PC has made catching up on the games I had previously skipped due to childhood biases quite easy. With this month being #SonicTeamSept, I thought this would be a find time to tackle several Sega games in my Steam backlog in one fell swoop on my <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay">Twitch channel</a>.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><u>Nights Into Dreams</u></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoAnofgT7u90BVawTHQUPADs3J9VkzQ73nGxvQCpmgls49HlbzvlkUetvlv9lm0E5138Xo-vwAWiVez56Wknjn1FvDwrtZDbPYgFB8KtIovfGmlZZ_uTXIuiqvezXk8ROddmdo79hAA/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></div><br /><div>My first and only prior experience with Yuji Naka's Sega Saturn title, Nights into Dreams, was at a department store demo kiosk. Back then, I could not make heads or tails of how to play this bizarre fever dream of a game. Two decades and a very careful readthrough of the instruction manual later, Nights is still a really difficult game to figure out; it doesn't neatly fit into any existing game genre. </div><div>Here's a short summary of how the gameplay works in a level of Nights Into Dreams:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Nights flies through fixed 2D planar routes within a larger 3D environment collecting orbs</li><li>By collecting at least 20 orbs within the time limit, Nights can destroy the Ideya machine</li><li>After destroying the Ideya and returning to the starting point, the flight path changes and a new Ideya spawns</li><li>Destroying 4 Ideya machines warps Nights to a separate battle area to take on the level boss</li></ul></div><div>It took a while, but once I got the hang of soaring through the air, collecting orbs, and the somewhat opaque boss battles, I found that I was having a pretty good time. It also helped that the gameplay was accompanied by colorful, stylized graphics and a poppin' soundtrack. After finishing it in a single sitting (it's a pretty short game), I was struck with the feeling that the game was a bit too barebones for a major console release, yet too esoteric for the arcades. I'm really glad I got to experience it as an affordable Steam release in order to better understand its place in gaming history but I don't think I would have been satisfied if I would have bought it as a full-priced Saturn game back in 1996.<br /><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 4 hours and 20 minutes</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DWo40hOiLr6TFgO0zaVQrd9Ak4ASEjQfKzzRh9G6hYcuVGVJN8UnXmgtGIA8HUK535WZQsPpPfN6Oz-pgBrO1BrtixpQVjaB8M4JuZm25jTiFVJSRWOU7jeR9oAIlTnL45ltaIUw5Q/s1594/20200928010731_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1594" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DWo40hOiLr6TFgO0zaVQrd9Ak4ASEjQfKzzRh9G6hYcuVGVJN8UnXmgtGIA8HUK535WZQsPpPfN6Oz-pgBrO1BrtixpQVjaB8M4JuZm25jTiFVJSRWOU7jeR9oAIlTnL45ltaIUw5Q/w400-h217/20200928010731_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying through rings and collecting orbs as Nights<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u>Sonic Generations</u></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdCOahoWc9Z-We4aQFdIsZ8DF-jpLqZlj3guh9ZPDpBQzJYdi2LkFwErz2oCbPT7KFxMp_fhVp_TErvYLeqiWisQtmwk49OciTPV5vKPad_2RVc91QLCVW4hAvcCck2uCwVE65nS8Nw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdCOahoWc9Z-We4aQFdIsZ8DF-jpLqZlj3guh9ZPDpBQzJYdi2LkFwErz2oCbPT7KFxMp_fhVp_TErvYLeqiWisQtmwk49OciTPV5vKPad_2RVc91QLCVW4hAvcCck2uCwVE65nS8Nw/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Since Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the few Sega series that I have considerable experience with, I was pretty excited to play this game that serves as a celebration of the franchise's history. In Sonic Generations, you alternate between playing 2D platforming stages as retro Sonic and 3D platforming stages as modern Sonic. Each stage is based on iconic locations from previous Sonic games such as Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2. It was awesome to see high-definition reimaginings of classic areas; they also sported some interesting rearrangements of the music from these stages as well. The gameplay itself, however, was a mixed bag. In many cases, the game successfully captured the smooth and snappy gameplay of classic Sonic games, but in other cases, either the level design or controls felt janky. As a long-time Sonic fan, I had fun with Sonic Generation's retro-modern nostalgic mashup but it may lack the polish to reel in people who aren't already invested in the adventures of Sega's blue hedgehog.</div><div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 6 hours and 30 minutes</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AfVYLa_RaQRuT1Uq4za7Pf8w1GoM5FhkNuYFmCCtkK0ngjlqwT8jl5wiBczhlW_2U72SKj-45M7oka4Shf_VjzWKHEwDnG7iIrS9nASrc3DTeyjbqHfOvJfSyqhbCV1Lmr4ZgDWdaQ/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AfVYLa_RaQRuT1Uq4za7Pf8w1GoM5FhkNuYFmCCtkK0ngjlqwT8jl5wiBczhlW_2U72SKj-45M7oka4Shf_VjzWKHEwDnG7iIrS9nASrc3DTeyjbqHfOvJfSyqhbCV1Lmr4ZgDWdaQ/w400-h225/20200915202104_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Hill Zone as depicted in Sonic Generations<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u>Sonic CD</u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZYvnwPT0MWKhioLsOswtq5yMc0PxbqMbvUraDyRw8CxUjs0-qsVAZhdaJUjJc1Wul4F7WxfTjFjEsbt7eAd0Dgjpth73V9x6kEqvEj9d9CrOHNrLOAWCbakpdF-NMkmVVpfcQ-NvNQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="460" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZYvnwPT0MWKhioLsOswtq5yMc0PxbqMbvUraDyRw8CxUjs0-qsVAZhdaJUjJc1Wul4F7WxfTjFjEsbt7eAd0Dgjpth73V9x6kEqvEj9d9CrOHNrLOAWCbakpdF-NMkmVVpfcQ-NvNQ/w400-h183/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></u>Among the classic 16-bit Sonic games, this is the only one I've never played (due to it being confined to a Sega Genesis add-on system for so many years). This game's use of CD technology provides a notable boost to the graphical detail and music quality compared to the standard Genesis titles. It was quite nice. However, I found the level layouts and time travel mechanics (a concept unique to this entry in the series) to be quite confusing. Perhaps if I had spent more time with the game, I could have come to appreciate these aspects of Sonic CD but I generally come to retro Sonic games for a straightforward pick-up-and-play experience. On the other hand, this game does some cool things with boss battles, many of them added a puzzle-like element that made them much more interesting than traditional Sonic battles. Overall, this was a solid 2D Sonic but it didn't come close to touching Sonic 2 and Sonic Mania as my favorite 16-bit Sonic games.</div><div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 2 hours and 18 minutes (Bad ending because I don't understand time travel)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJz-sEndqPXS3a2kPrFTdluY0nDaGdJbMDSaibZUScrvHRVKrWZfjMqtOVi5Vt4WNfmjMTqFpDdISdTsfbOyBdo8yQm7im1iXQ6Ig-PZJL45AzPD69Z4v5H2EfOF98IW7tu0qa4Frww/s1600/20200923003230_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJz-sEndqPXS3a2kPrFTdluY0nDaGdJbMDSaibZUScrvHRVKrWZfjMqtOVi5Vt4WNfmjMTqFpDdISdTsfbOyBdo8yQm7im1iXQ6Ig-PZJL45AzPD69Z4v5H2EfOF98IW7tu0qa4Frww/w400-h225/20200923003230_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved the rich color pallet of Sonic CD<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found playing all three of these games to be interesting and worthwhile experiences, though I don't think I would put them on the same level as some of Sega's timeless classics. That being said, seeing three very different phases within the evolution of Sega's aesthetics and gameplay design in a single month was a lot of fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #SonicTeamSept event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div></div></div></div></div></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-58364284522757838942020-08-18T00:08:00.001-04:002020-08-18T00:08:52.348-04:00Secret of Mana Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIpI1AqOR2U65xQl7hIQwBjwdq2gptbN64eOV5cvRciuTVVkKys84iiZIEsAKlmC1ZxrXdFt5YXdHOi8QlwI3EyqaOfr36i51ilI4bpnn9nulQOqzCb2J_uybv3SdMrc33N7SwONQyQ/s2048/secret+of+mana+box+art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIpI1AqOR2U65xQl7hIQwBjwdq2gptbN64eOV5cvRciuTVVkKys84iiZIEsAKlmC1ZxrXdFt5YXdHOi8QlwI3EyqaOfr36i51ilI4bpnn9nulQOqzCb2J_uybv3SdMrc33N7SwONQyQ/w409-h300/secret+of+mana+box+art.jpg" width="409" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There aren't a lot of good things you can say about the year 2020, but if I had to find a silver lining, it's been that I've had plenty of time to tackle my <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2017/01/gaming-shames.html">gaming shames</a> and backlog. One of the glaring oversights in my background as a retro gamer and RPG buff was the Squaresoft classic Secret of Mana. Part of what has kept me from getting to this game was not having a convenient way to play it. Thankfully the Collection of Mana for Switch went on a steep sale earlier this year, providing a cheap and easy opportunity.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Background:</u></div><div>Secret of Mana is a fantasy action RPG that was originally released for the Super Nintendo in 1995. The game tells the story of a boy, a girl, and a forest sprite who are on a quest to stop an evil empire from activating an ancient weapon called the Mana Fortress. Combat in the game takes place in real-time but uses a cooldown meter for physical attacks and a ring menu system for casting magic. This review is based on the UK version of Secret of Mana which was included in the Collection of Mana for Nintendo Switch.</div><div><br /></div><u>Pros:</u><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This is an especially pretty game, especially considering it came out in 1993. I loved the cute sprites, bright color pallet, and rich, varied environments.</li><li>As you would expect from a 16-bit Squaresoft RPG, this game features a great soundtrack. It features everything from traditional fantasy pieces to some interesting experimental tracks. A few of the tracks have loops that are a little too short for my taste, but overall, it's a great listen.</li><li>Some of the writing is pretty amusing. While the dialog can be a bit stilted at times (more on that later), each character has a distinct personality that shows through. I also liked the way some of the characters inverted traditional RPG tropes (e.g. NPCs being prejudicated against the legendary hero and a princess on a quest to rescue a knight).</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Cons:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>For lack of a better word, the gameplay of Secret of Mana feels janky. The hit detection in combat always seems little off and the AI for your party members is wildly inconsistent. I often ran into issues with my characters getting stuck on objects in the environment or zoning out in the middle of a boss battle.</li><li>Combat doesn't flow smoothly due to having to wait on a cooldown meter for basic attacks and the action freezing every time you open the magic menu. This game is ambitious for attempting to do party-based action combat with a magic system in 1993, but we've come a long way in terms of action RPG battle systems since then.</li><li>While some parts of the dialog are entertaining, the overall story and script are very disjointed. As a result, certain lines of dialog and, even a few major plot events, feel like they are coming out of nowhere. (Upon reading about this game's development, I found out that this may be the result of some rather extreme constraints placed upon the English localization staff.)</li><li>The nested rings that serve as the game's menu system work ok for battle but I would have liked more organized traditional menus for use outside combat. The ring menus off so little information that it makes it necessary to use the game's manual to look up the attributes and effects of items and spells. Several of Square's RPGs that predate this one offered more informative and practical menus.</li><li>The world of Secret of Mana is very large and intricate, but there are no maps in the game. I'm pretty good at memorizing the layout of areas in games so I was able to work around this (I am far too stubborn to draw maps, however). I just don't understand why in-game maps were omitted when most other SNES games had them.</li><li>The ability to save your game is very limited in this game, which can lead to a lot of frustration and lost progress if you're not careful. Since I was playing via the Collection of Mana, I was really glad that save states were also an option.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Secret of Mana's strong presentation and personality helped a lot with this game's appeal and were just enough to balance out the gameplay issues to make it a decent experience. I can see why this game made such an impact back in the day but it doesn't hold up nearly as well as other 16-bit RPGs like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 5 & 6, or Terranigma.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> About 30 hours</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrwm6jhU6mgZuXJHTLPsm94l80mRXEqgfQRk-WfbyK8Ln_wTWzocHH91hUp5FNBU25QYIHpNQilCWdxZkbU5oY4EvUXJigIpgqkF-PnbMO4v1ZMfsBoukJ7jVO4yaYEyyIVowPaZhxA/s1489/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_19_29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="1489" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrwm6jhU6mgZuXJHTLPsm94l80mRXEqgfQRk-WfbyK8Ln_wTWzocHH91hUp5FNBU25QYIHpNQilCWdxZkbU5oY4EvUXJigIpgqkF-PnbMO4v1ZMfsBoukJ7jVO4yaYEyyIVowPaZhxA/w512-h286/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_19_29+PM.png" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In classic fantasy fashion, pulling the sword from the stone signifies that you are The Chosen One.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-MLwCgKG8Y-ksVDsfhLxBAMPVZ99cflt1ePp0aLNVGi_TmkSvPvZOb42KzF04QbrqPuCHm0PWSJQLR6zs7SvRMjmMCjLKoQwlhypWrajBTgEULeUSaQ-uG4SFwa-2fNB0AQuIzHNmQ/s1477/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_15_41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1477" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-MLwCgKG8Y-ksVDsfhLxBAMPVZ99cflt1ePp0aLNVGi_TmkSvPvZOb42KzF04QbrqPuCHm0PWSJQLR6zs7SvRMjmMCjLKoQwlhypWrajBTgEULeUSaQ-uG4SFwa-2fNB0AQuIzHNmQ/w512-h288/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_15_41+PM.png" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unfortunately, being The Chosen One doesn't make you popular in this game.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0bqVwOuoku9GDc2veSDyo9KpfPBw2OAcll41B_E4l0ad9lyFF8wjFEOygd_q_Yz_tMeo7OX7X82glx9IrHNm4chaBxcYyeS57St_RF0fpTDYRh_jR9jRagO0RuZOij3CbUUsxf6ZsQ/s1485/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_25_28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1485" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0bqVwOuoku9GDc2veSDyo9KpfPBw2OAcll41B_E4l0ad9lyFF8wjFEOygd_q_Yz_tMeo7OX7X82glx9IrHNm4chaBxcYyeS57St_RF0fpTDYRh_jR9jRagO0RuZOij3CbUUsxf6ZsQ/w512-h281/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_25_28+PM.png" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The full party: Boy, Sprite, and Girl (they don't come with default names)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9aoXRGCqT5Y_V-Yo4hos0qgGGK2D8P7OzfWWouN9rLRZARicJkrr2n89F70WeiIK3TdshbgmWC3FWGhKoatVO4VeH7RYlbQ_SESLU-nXyA3auB0r2D-wgEH0xecHwF4uMAM1gfq7aQ/s1485/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_18_30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1485" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9aoXRGCqT5Y_V-Yo4hos0qgGGK2D8P7OzfWWouN9rLRZARicJkrr2n89F70WeiIK3TdshbgmWC3FWGhKoatVO4VeH7RYlbQ_SESLU-nXyA3auB0r2D-wgEH0xecHwF4uMAM1gfq7aQ/w512-h285/Game+Capture+HD+8_17_2020+11_18_30+PM.png" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Every good SNES RPG needs some Mode 7 aerial travel. </div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-77427713061414355132020-08-05T01:28:00.001-04:002020-08-05T01:40:16.055-04:00Nier Automata Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdz38srQ320XC3zH1cq-sZUG_r5QvziWFrpLksFzerS6D5GdP1OawZ_w9P2g9HaOD522RFKPR_fPLZO4La3QHtsWU38smDAe-5ZB33ZY4eyI_zBMYokUY9fm6xt_e5GGCUBEcKeVDdQ/s920/Nier-Automata-08-HD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="920" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdz38srQ320XC3zH1cq-sZUG_r5QvziWFrpLksFzerS6D5GdP1OawZ_w9P2g9HaOD522RFKPR_fPLZO4La3QHtsWU38smDAe-5ZB33ZY4eyI_zBMYokUY9fm6xt_e5GGCUBEcKeVDdQ/w512-h238/Nier-Automata-08-HD.png" width="512" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>2017 was a huge year for games. With the release of the Switch and behemoths like Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey taking up so much of my time, there were a lot of other great games that piqued my interest but ended up never making it into my queue. In fact, I even made a Missed 2017 Games list to help me keep track of all the games I wanted to circle back to in later years. Among these was Square Enix and Platinum Games' award-winning sci-fi action RPG Nier Automata. Finding myself with extra time to stay home and play games lately, this year turned out to be the perfect time to finally experience this open-world post-apocalyptic epic.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Background</u></div><div>Nier Automata set in the distant future thousands of years after a successful alien invasion has forced humankind into exile in space. The story follows two android soldiers, 2B and 9S, who are dispatched to Earth on a mission to reclaim the planet from machine lifeforms that have been maintaining control of the planet on behalf of the aliens. By playing through the campaign three times, players can experience this proxy war between the human and alien's respective robotic armies from the perspectives of 2B, 9S, and a third character that is encountered later.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Aesthetics</u></div>When you think about it, Nier Automata's setting is rather bleak, but I'm ok with that. There's something about exploring a crumbling post-human world, a world torn apart by a pointless war, that's deeply compelling: it's as beautiful as it is sad. It's an experience I wasn't entirely sure I would be comfortable with given current world events, but I'm glad I did it.<div><br /></div><div>Nier Automata feels "directed" in a film-like sense during gameplay in a way that 3D open-world games rarely do. In many cases, this is accomplished by taking control of the camera away from the player to force a cinematic camera perspective. The game's ability to adapt its mechanics for behind the back, side-scrolling, and overhead perspectives on the fly makes the whole thing feel remarkably smooth while still showing off major setpiece moments from the best possible perspective. Older pre-rendered 3D games like the Resident Evil attempted to have dramatic camera angles like this, but it would often have an awkward or jarring effect on the feel of the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>The incredible musical score sets the tone perfectly: haunting, mysterious, sad, with just a little bit of wonder mixed in. The fact that the lyrics of the music are in a made-up language gives the world a mysterious alien quality even though it takes place on our planet. This dovetails nicely with the game's themes of returning to decimated occupied earth thousands of years after humans have left it behind. The strange multicultural mishmash language gives the sense that though this world was once the domain of humans like us, the humans of Nier's world were far removed from us by the passage of time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every movement the characters make has a distinct style. While I expected this to be the case during battles, it's kind of the norm for games with action combat, it was the personality injected into the more minor animations that really struck me; 2B and 9S have a way of turning simple actions like climbing a ladder or sliding down a sand dune into cool and flashy maneuvers. Each type of enemy also has a unique and vividly animated form of locomotion based on the configuration of their bodies; I particularly liked the bouncy and jerky movements of the stubby robots and the skittering of the insect-like machines.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nier Automata's character and costume designs may feature very limited color pallets, but this ties them together in a cohesive yet very stylish way. The figures of 2B and 9S clad in black and with their eyes covered by blindfolds is bold and iconic. The one downside of this is that cut of 2B's outfit combined with the game's fabric physics and camera angles can lead to some "fan service" imagery in places where it feels inappropriate (anime fans will know what I'm talking about). Having a character's underwear being prominently featured in an otherwise serious scene detracted from the dramatic weight for me. I think this could have been avoided with a few minor tweaks that wouldn't have sacrificed much from the character's style.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Mechanics</u></div><div>Combat in Nier Automata takes the form of fast-paced real-time battles that play similar to a character action game with some RPG systems layered on top to make the action a little more forgiving. The mechanics work a little differently depending on which character you're playing. As a combat specialist, 2B wields two swords, gracefully flips through the air for aerial combos, and polishes enemies off with flashy finishing moves (imagine a simplified version of Devil May Cry and you get the picture). On the other hand, 9S, as a scout, only has access to a limited set of these combat capabilities but can make up for it by being able to hack into his foes to take them down from a distance. Hacking success is contingent on winning a shoot 'em up minigame similar to Geometry Wars. As someone who enjoys both character action games and shoot 'em ups, both of these mechanics worked for me and helped keep combat feeling fresh when playing through each character's routes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nier Automata uses 3D action combat, top-down hack-n-slash, side-scrolling, and shoot 'em gameplay in concert with each other to keep the action as fast-paced and stylish as possible. Amazingly, it juggles all of these and makes them feel natural. As someone who plays a fair amount of shmups, I thought some of these segments were a little too easy; I could often spot ways to cheese my way to victory. However, I'm thinking it was a deliberate design decision to lower the friction when switching back and forth between gameplay styles and to ensure no one mechanic creates a stumbling block for players. On the whole, it's very impressive the way this game manages to implement so many types of mechanics so effectively. </div><div><br /></div><div>To truly complete Nier Automata, you have to play through the campaign three times. Each time you experience a different character's route and gain new information and perspectives that make the whole story come together. While this is an interesting concept, I had mixed feelings about the execution. The first route, in which you play as 2B, is by far the freshest and most exciting from a gameplay standpoint because every enemy you encounter and area you gain access to is a new discovery; however, her story is somewhat unsatisfying. In the second route, you play as 2B's companion, 9S. Since these two characters spend the majority of the campaign together, 9S's route is largely a retread of 2B's route, but with a few new scenes interspersed throughout that provide more context to the story. The fact that 9S's mechanics differ from 2B's helps keep things from getting stale but I still couldn't help but feel like I was repeating a lot of scenarios I had already done in order to get a small amount of new content. The third route covers entirely new ground from the first two routes and provides the story with a conclusion that brings everything together, it's just a shame that it takes so long to get to it. I think it would have benefitted this game to abridge 9S's route so that more players would have made it the far more interesting third route. Based on Steam statistics, only about half the players that finish 2B's route end up playing through the third route. (My feelings about Nier Automata's three-route structure mirror my though's in <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2018/08/ys-origin-preliminary-review.html">my review</a> of the similarly-structured Ys Origin.)</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Nier Automata's save system is inconsistent. In the opening mission, which takes about 45 minutes to complete, you can't save your game at all. In other parts of the campaign, you must manually save your game at marked save points on the map. In other circumstances, getting killed doesn't result in a game over but revives you in a new body; you must then go find your previous body to collect any of the stat-buffing items you had equipped when you died. There's an in-universe justification for the save system's inconsistency that works from a narrative perspective, but it still led to some frustration on my part when I would wander into a high-level area by mistake and end up losing progress. I recommend that most players temporarily drop the difficulty to Easy in the game's opening mission to get the best experience.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>Like any open-world game, Nier Automat provides plenty of opportunites to engage in sidequests. Most of these were pretty bland fetch quests, though the fact that they added to the lore, supplied considerable XP and crafting supplies, and provided an excuse to explore the world more made them worthwhile. It also helped that your side quest completion carries over each time you play through the campaign, meaning you can spread the sidequests out between routes to keep them from feeling too repetitive.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Conclusion</u></div><div>By combining a rich world, a strong sense of style, and a variety of gameplay styles that feel good individually and work even better in concert, Nier Automata's strengths far outweigh any of the game's minor negative attributes. The game is both aesthetically and mechanically an artistic achievement that deserves to be experienced by anyone that enjoys action RPGs and science fiction.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time: </b>48 hours (all three routes, medium difficulty, 82% sidequests completed)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9BeH-y_xVTEOHszpZM2anHFQOWLCCQUZdam4lfwYngzxZ22jn089hf8KQc69nwSoEVDk7L5xoBxitBsu9RrHcIP0IhEUoV0jvsjAfg2PfkXszKf2l3VM5zIzP1B1d94bqGmpgpH1ig/s2048/20200630003059_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nature taking over urban areas is a common theme" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9BeH-y_xVTEOHszpZM2anHFQOWLCCQUZdam4lfwYngzxZ22jn089hf8KQc69nwSoEVDk7L5xoBxitBsu9RrHcIP0IhEUoV0jvsjAfg2PfkXszKf2l3VM5zIzP1B1d94bqGmpgpH1ig/w500-h281/20200630003059_1.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nature taking over urban areas is a common theme.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZiWvokJm7lxtxXelE4ddQ2q-muKZqWEwEr66Sw2Zw85uuhMNz2G-V6GGZwg9YxX4aBRFYtHR_y8xOgX_QKfxv-E5cWtddYtIrZozt01RdHPHUngpUFYRYTo1Rj6Oe-lF7pvbGpy1DA/s2048/20200702222358_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZiWvokJm7lxtxXelE4ddQ2q-muKZqWEwEr66Sw2Zw85uuhMNz2G-V6GGZwg9YxX4aBRFYtHR_y8xOgX_QKfxv-E5cWtddYtIrZozt01RdHPHUngpUFYRYTo1Rj6Oe-lF7pvbGpy1DA/w512-h288/20200702222358_1.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The creepy old amusement park was one of my favorite areas</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gyAt9Gy5sUJWXpgcBx-MssCmKL6T1lNqrIfCV5luuMTrECd4ETgqa-3w8yTgBZVoWSb6dD2ak8JQZgAMgQOIfmSG815tVX6xpatLzQExVeZaeV4YxrfcPuy7I_DpazBqR7lCVkiPWA/s2048/20200712175020_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gyAt9Gy5sUJWXpgcBx-MssCmKL6T1lNqrIfCV5luuMTrECd4ETgqa-3w8yTgBZVoWSb6dD2ak8JQZgAMgQOIfmSG815tVX6xpatLzQExVeZaeV4YxrfcPuy7I_DpazBqR7lCVkiPWA/w512-h288/20200712175020_1.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scrolling shmup gameplay</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82tVTj4_LRsPiWqp2ePnPqsPGmcb-RDPXwY1Jrv-otpHpZceDpNVEY8iyGE9T8boGFWDyo8ziRG1xb_uxJ93PYmRycKB0xIl5FbDdUQXvHG9mttMylEWi_oAp6wIgK59w7uyTKRVvkA/s2048/20200718184158_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82tVTj4_LRsPiWqp2ePnPqsPGmcb-RDPXwY1Jrv-otpHpZceDpNVEY8iyGE9T8boGFWDyo8ziRG1xb_uxJ93PYmRycKB0xIl5FbDdUQXvHG9mttMylEWi_oAp6wIgK59w7uyTKRVvkA/w512-h288/20200718184158_1.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Geometry Wars-like hacking sequence</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJwFhbdQeuC5T0OH7OPhOLgrnWtpKCWS-A69hFgLXy5WrZMMLd0-KAjTsEGx9mjtEkA4mglPIBImc1Z1W3_WAH5WBvcmIobDKOv8qXzxBB3inYJY8msNoKi9Cjf8HmYksEp6oFV0NSA/s2048/20200728230714_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJwFhbdQeuC5T0OH7OPhOLgrnWtpKCWS-A69hFgLXy5WrZMMLd0-KAjTsEGx9mjtEkA4mglPIBImc1Z1W3_WAH5WBvcmIobDKOv8qXzxBB3inYJY8msNoKi9Cjf8HmYksEp6oFV0NSA/w512-h288/20200728230714_1.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">3D flying shmup battle</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-70760349507126965252020-07-27T23:48:00.002-04:002020-07-27T23:48:57.274-04:00Chantelise Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPgIsxEffdvGo_4GXQcsMH_nJPJRuJg_6VLn4fEdg_MNRFcoQKgWZ8jR4znnAsoHYr09GOoiBrX-cF_Uy8tVfVxtAkFpPE_ZzkkYdNNoC9cuYEfVOCPEjceyQ-QCPIplH0eWJr_EY-A/s460/chantelise+banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPgIsxEffdvGo_4GXQcsMH_nJPJRuJg_6VLn4fEdg_MNRFcoQKgWZ8jR4znnAsoHYr09GOoiBrX-cF_Uy8tVfVxtAkFpPE_ZzkkYdNNoC9cuYEfVOCPEjceyQ-QCPIplH0eWJr_EY-A/w400-h188/chantelise+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's been pretty well-established on my Twitch channel that I'm a big fan of the Ys games. Last year when I was streaming Ys 4 Memories of Celceta, a viewer said "Wow, this reminds me of Chantelise!"; of course, I was immediately intrigued. Since then, the game has sat in my Steam wishlist waiting until a Steam sale and an opportunity to fit it into my queue aligned. This #JRPGJuly ended up being just the right time.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Background:</u></div><div><br /></div><div>Chantelise is an indie action RPG by EasyGameStation (best know for Recettear An Item Shop's Tale). The game tells the story of two sisters, Chante and Elise, who have been whisked off to a fantasy world. Upon their arrival, Chante is turned into a tiny fairy and Elise finds out that she has been chosen to be this land's next sword-wielding hero. The structure of the game is very simple: with the exception of a small hub town used for buying supplies, gameplay consists almost entirely of tackling several dungeons that are selected from a map screen. Each dungeon is comprised of about five monster-infested rooms followed by a boss room. To beat a dungeon, players must be able to clear all the rooms and beat the boss in a single attempt. The game makes this a little easier by allowing players to practice each room and boss battle individually to prepare for their run through the whole dungeon. </div><div><br /></div><u>Pros:</u><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The game's graphics combine large detailed 2D sprites and simple 3D environments. Imagine Street Fighter 2 sprites wandering around landscapes of Ocarina of Time's level of detail. I liked this combination of styles, but it's bound to be polarizing.</li><li>I really liked this game's unique magic system. Damaging or defeating enemies drops gems of various colors. Picking these up allows Chante to cast various magic spells. You can only hold six gems at a time and the quantity and combinations of colors you have completely changes the effect of the spells. This means the player must put some thought into which gems they collect and when to use them, thus providing much of the game's strategic depth. </li><li>Chantelise's regular combat requires the player to stay on their toes and the boss battles present a very high level of challenge. When researching this game, I remember someone describing it as "anime Dark Souls" and thinking that they were making a joke. They weren't. Getting the hang of the combat took some practice but I found my eventual victories to be quite rewarding.</li><li>Considering how tough this game is, the inclusion of a practice mode was very wise on the part of the game designers. Getting to learn each room of the dungeon, and more critically, having a low-stakes way to master the boss battles, was very helpful for getting used to the combat system and being able to make progress through the story with reduced frustration.</li><li>While generally being combat-focused, the rooms of the dungeon contain puzzles and secret items that are mostly optional. Looking for these secrets was fun, though some of them were so obscure that I had to resort to using a guide to find them.</li><li>Chantelise's dialog features some great comedic writing. I laughed out loud on several occasions when reading it during my Twitch streams of this game.</li></ul><div><u>Cons:</u></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Music in video games is very important to me. Chantelise features some good individual pieces but there is little consistency in how they are used. One issue that stuck out to me like a sore thumb was that the boss battle music continues playing after the fight is over. It's very jarring to be reading "Yay! We won!" dialog while still hearing intense battle music.</li><li>Between the game's simple structure and the need to practice each dungeon prior to making a final run, the game can feel repetitive after a while.</li><li>Moving a 2D sprite character through 3D polygonal environments can create some depth perception issues when landing jumps or trying to evade enemy attacks. After a little while, I managed to get used to it but it still felt somewhat imprecise.</li></ul><div>Being a pretty popular game genre, I can often give blanket recommendations when I find an action RPG that I enjoy. In the case of Chantelise, it's not quite that simple. This game's narrow scope, considerable difficulty, unique mechanics, and cutesy graphics make for a highly unusual combination of characteristics that won't appeal to everyone. However, as someone that plays a lot of RPGs, I found what Chantelise had to offer was a refreshing break from the type of experiences the genre usually provides.</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 17 hours, 32 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #JRPGJuly event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquBrVYkaei6oXCNeLuDcRUDjc4_UQG1SkUFXdeO9IePcNkFRy9SiW4WPaqf9GmUEg3A8VunSMzW9b3YCvp7-OcowJ_srmovpcuiGIsrzHhkUIm2j1Cee8FuV77R38IiWmw5hju9-QSg/s1280/20200703213459_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquBrVYkaei6oXCNeLuDcRUDjc4_UQG1SkUFXdeO9IePcNkFRy9SiW4WPaqf9GmUEg3A8VunSMzW9b3YCvp7-OcowJ_srmovpcuiGIsrzHhkUIm2j1Cee8FuV77R38IiWmw5hju9-QSg/w400-h300/20200703213459_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-SuonQutnjXPabo5FlY1yfmgZdhUoBetGUt4tpZOz5I1xkiOX2roavtMtr88OCTf1fdidWGVPUv7VrCzeIIhlxadNemxsJJ3NnRu7YagrP4nFTVG73EY3zldNGk90Mv_MuuPLfd1RA/s1280/20200704001343_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-SuonQutnjXPabo5FlY1yfmgZdhUoBetGUt4tpZOz5I1xkiOX2roavtMtr88OCTf1fdidWGVPUv7VrCzeIIhlxadNemxsJJ3NnRu7YagrP4nFTVG73EY3zldNGk90Mv_MuuPLfd1RA/w400-h300/20200704001343_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-87767218187716856132020-07-20T00:27:00.003-04:002020-07-20T00:59:30.515-04:00Final Fantasy 15 Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDXJ8L50CNvi6wPb3tCu1zns4PzQMDf1q6LfP9KKEzWROWd691s0LQ0RaRHolseHhNcvxA2oNRDaggl_rWqL_GVkAdeV94b4YBU0MZ8CIHhEenHu_lfeaRlwW5aC2Vh0885gHrZ8Ktg/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+2_23_2020+3_20_15+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDXJ8L50CNvi6wPb3tCu1zns4PzQMDf1q6LfP9KKEzWROWd691s0LQ0RaRHolseHhNcvxA2oNRDaggl_rWqL_GVkAdeV94b4YBU0MZ8CIHhEenHu_lfeaRlwW5aC2Vh0885gHrZ8Ktg/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+2_23_2020+3_20_15+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned in my <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2020/03/final-fantasy-1-review.html">Final Fantasy 1 review</a>, I've been slowly working my way through Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise over the past 15 years. Now that I'm mostly caught up, I was pretty excited to see what Final Fantasy 15 would do with cutting edge technology and all the lessons learned over the past 14+ entires. I had initially planned on picking the game up as soon as it became available on PC. However, the more I heard about its convoluted release schedule, which included multiple expansions that were still in development at the time, I found myself repeatedly kicking the can down the road. Eventually, the complete Windows version ended up being released via Xbox Game Pass.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Overview</u><br />Final Fantasy 15 represents a considerable departure from the previous entries in the series, both in terms of gameplay and aesthetics. With real-time action combat and a setting that more closely resembles the real world than the fantasy and sci-fi locations of its predecessors, FF15 goes to considerable lengths to redefine what a Final Fantasy game can be. The story focuses on Prince Noctis and his three bodyguards who are on a road trip to retrieve a set of ancient sealed weapons that they need to liberate their kingdom from an invading empire. This review is based on the PC version of the game that was released via Xbox Game Pass. </div><div><br /></div><div><u>Pros</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>As you would expect from a game that spent 10 years in development and had a seemingly limitless budget, FF15 is a beautiful looking game. The downside of this is that it's pretty demanding on your hardware. My PC handles most games without issue on the higher graphics pre-sets, but for this one, I had to tweak the individual settings to get an ideal balance of visual quality and performance.</li><li>FF15's action combat is really cool. I found it was both fun to execute and looked stunning. I especially liked using Noctis's warp strike move, which reminded me of Night Crawler from X-Men. Sometimes the input response time and hit detection felt a little off, this is certainly no Devil May Cry, but I generally had a smooth experience pulling off fancy acrobatic moves.</li><li>Dungeons in FF15 have a nice sense of atmosphere to them; they legitimately feel like dangerous monster-infested environments rather than just mazes to get in between the player and some treasure.</li><li>I initially didn't like Square Enix's decision to go with an all-male party for FF15. However, the themes of brotherhood, the nature of male friendship, and family were covered on a level that proved to be far more engaging than I expected. There are also a few interesting supporting female characters as well, but I wish that they had gotten more screentime (more on this later).</li><li>The game's dialog features strong vocal performances in both English and Japanese.</li><li>Being a game about a road trip, upgrading and customizing your car is something your characters can work on between larger story beats. I'm not a car guy but still had fun playing around with different paint jobs and upholstery colors.</li><li>While the overall plot can be uneven, I found the lore and world-building that was woven into it to be pretty interesting.</li><li>When I heard that Yoko Shimomura was composing FF15, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. She is one of the all-time great composers for her work in games like Street Fighter 2, but how would she approach composing an RPG? I'll say right now that any of the doubts I had were completely unfounded. She knocked it out of the park with FF15's score which is full of varying styles and sounds that were always effective at setting the mood of each scene and locale.</li><li>FF15 makes a pretty bold design decision that was bound to split the fan base. The game begins with an emphasis on open-world exploration but a little more than halfway through, the structure becomes almost completely linear as the story ramps up toward the climax. For me, this design decision worked out very well. Once I had gotten my fill of exploring and sidequests, I was ready to see how the story would end and was thankful that the game provided me with a direct route to do so without inserting any unnecessary filler just to pad the game's running time (something that many RPGs seem to love to do). Considering this structure is pretty much the exact opposite of Final Fantasy 13's, I'm thinking FF15's design was the product of lessons learned from that game. </li><li>The game's story, world, and music come together to create something that has a sad, yet hopeful tone. I found this very compelling.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Cons</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It may be a road trip game, but driving the car is not very enjoyable. Instead of driving it myself, I just made one of Notis's AI-controlled companions, Ignis, do it. While Ignis drove my characters to the next waypoint on the map, I would usually divide my attention between admiring the scenery in the game and checking my email on my phone in the real world.</li><li>Being a mostly open-world RPG, there is no shortage of side quests to complete. However, these tasks don't feel meaningful; they're mostly just busywork. I would have preferred to see side quests categorized as major and minor, with the major ones having their own stories (similar to how side quests are handled in The Witcher or Xenoblade).</li><li>Final Fantasy 15 features product placement with several real-world brands (e.g Coleman, American Express, and Cup Noodle). In some cases this was supposedly done to make the game world feel "more realistic" and in other cases, it's used for humor. To me, it mostly just felt tacky. I'm hoping it's not a trend that continues into Final Fantasy 16.</li><li>While most of the game's female characters are unfortunately sidelined, I found the most prominently featured female character to be kind of troubling. The road trip boys' on-call mechanic, Cindy, has a design that is so blatantly pandering to teenage boys that it comes across as silly. Her mechanic's uniform looks more like something from a sexy Halloween costume catalog than anything even remotely resembling something someone would wear while fixing a car. In a game that generally strove for more grounded character designs than previous Final Fantasy entries (Notis and pals all wear simple black shirts and pants), Cindy looks completely out of place.</li><li>The biggest issue with FF15 is the one that made put off playing it to begin with, its disjointed delivery. In order to make a sensible story out of Final Fantasy 15, I had to watch a feature film, a series of anime shorts, and play through several DLC packs on top of the 40+ hour main game. Exacerbating this issue is the fact that events of the DLC take place during the main campaign but are not at all integrated into the game; DLC can only be accessed from a separate menu on the title screen. To get a complete experience, I had to research when in the story each DLC chapter took place so that I knew when I should pause my main campaign progress and switch over to the DLC menu. All of this content really should have been in the game from the start. The fact that it takes so much effort on the player's part to assemble all these components makes it seem like the whole FF15 project was mismanaged.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As an avid Final Fantasy fan, I was able to get a very enjoyable experience out of FF15 but it took a considerable amount of work on my part, synthesizing its disparate content and overlooking a few unfavorable parts. There is an interesting story to unravel, expansive world to explore, and fun gameplay to be had here, but you, as the player, have to be committed and receptive to it in a way that few other modern games require. For me, jumping into Final Fantasy 15 with both feet ultimately proved to be worth my time and satisfying but I couldn't help but feel like it could have been so much better with a more focused vision.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 42 hours for the main campaign + 7 hours of DLC</div><div><br /></div><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #JRPGJuly event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszZkKvl5eIQbkz51_pJGwIl4N9MEUcfMueQdNWgKY8ZJuWgIcsoe33eDDgBuij0wCrur4oY2IbYsG-BPZpR9XYxzeYpM-gOPP9mZKGlKVB0G7Bovbjohs2XVtDwKKsPHBCt47JYnylA/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_6_2020+9_49_38+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Road trip boys in the car" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszZkKvl5eIQbkz51_pJGwIl4N9MEUcfMueQdNWgKY8ZJuWgIcsoe33eDDgBuij0wCrur4oY2IbYsG-BPZpR9XYxzeYpM-gOPP9mZKGlKVB0G7Bovbjohs2XVtDwKKsPHBCt47JYnylA/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_6_2020+9_49_38+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">You take a lot of scenic car rides in this game.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdq66JkO0j7VCbnl_TVTSmRDC3K3o_2xOEG24gEg6mXsrMBUrZSiOemfQQWMaMGs59wAeLvXYJU1hj2bD8B8VdmsLpPbluYQwPVyS-kpR9EEGdRsPM0c242wpBwxqF6E5uq_JL5iR6g/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_10_2020+10_27_06+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gondola rides" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdq66JkO0j7VCbnl_TVTSmRDC3K3o_2xOEG24gEg6mXsrMBUrZSiOemfQQWMaMGs59wAeLvXYJU1hj2bD8B8VdmsLpPbluYQwPVyS-kpR9EEGdRsPM0c242wpBwxqF6E5uq_JL5iR6g/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_10_2020+10_27_06+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">It's like every city in Italy all mashed together.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cup Noodle shop" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HAz-rjGmrblXG101skmRMdXUN8OWKOj8VOTV8dWiIuGU4fFcFdulYDm6qO4sYeTDrrDwe3Skh8BPojYqMBUJE49m0U1Kj6z4sTkbqaKh2V0vw1bWy_i0YeVYJI5llYwyGUymq-d0FA/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+2_29_2020+8_25_52+PM.png" width="400" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Final Fantasy 15, presented by Cup Noodle</font></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJZrj6bpAXnarAyn8uwpJFi1ZCHW2oGbIc72uHDrSd3oqdr0OcwwRMC_NgYmnIBORdF3lmxh26a7sBHx0C1XrShqp_MhUff-AygNx3A9zw1TWhh3Q3t_kAlTEKiH0WDJbo-F3yjakmw/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_7_2020+5_13_07+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gladio loves Cup Noodle" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJZrj6bpAXnarAyn8uwpJFi1ZCHW2oGbIc72uHDrSd3oqdr0OcwwRMC_NgYmnIBORdF3lmxh26a7sBHx0C1XrShqp_MhUff-AygNx3A9zw1TWhh3Q3t_kAlTEKiH0WDJbo-F3yjakmw/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_7_2020+5_13_07+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">Before you get uncomfortable, he's talking about his first time with Cup Noodle.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV9D6yH-_Z6BYcJf6XLNKnpm7rOkRl77U3mKkhXl4vJie3dB0nOct-UDLV0_AJDeou38JHC1IORftCS-3_e0dpcQa04xu6PlVak2LDEXwf4oPJVzWDxyJZa8G9Wy4Ok-Fotc-8ouJIg/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_7_2020+5_03_25+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mid-battle screenshot" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV9D6yH-_Z6BYcJf6XLNKnpm7rOkRl77U3mKkhXl4vJie3dB0nOct-UDLV0_AJDeou38JHC1IORftCS-3_e0dpcQa04xu6PlVak2LDEXwf4oPJVzWDxyJZa8G9Wy4Ok-Fotc-8ouJIg/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_7_2020+5_03_25+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">This is what it looks like when you get wrecked by a boss.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tpe-mdjNkbYh15-lpYL0eIvYS_qohcbVjOIH6FtrN3ws4hxHYZy-xEGEhSSkYIAR0lSgkdCvFVMmZyV24D8G2Pvx0_eVf0iPPjr-Qq_JkKQr4IiAG5DcYh1nOqIMRULFsX8l3ZRV5g/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_6_2020+11_07_48+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Campfire scene" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tpe-mdjNkbYh15-lpYL0eIvYS_qohcbVjOIH6FtrN3ws4hxHYZy-xEGEhSSkYIAR0lSgkdCvFVMmZyV24D8G2Pvx0_eVf0iPPjr-Qq_JkKQr4IiAG5DcYh1nOqIMRULFsX8l3ZRV5g/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_6_2020+11_07_48+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">Camping provides quality bro bonding time. (Brought to you by Coleman)</font></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuozgxsGaLzgix8Z2Bv9HZsxsvSP8AW_BlJ2ccq7WeljTaxv4GdXllx5Fu0Rn6K2f-OL6u4c-IyAtbCf2sOCvDL0pEyD-l0-3TuUJmUuu-xnQCppvxa82CiRkYx7C8ThGVjgF8l0x6w/s2048/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_4_2020+11_09_40+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chocobo riding" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuozgxsGaLzgix8Z2Bv9HZsxsvSP8AW_BlJ2ccq7WeljTaxv4GdXllx5Fu0Rn6K2f-OL6u4c-IyAtbCf2sOCvDL0pEyD-l0-3TuUJmUuu-xnQCppvxa82CiRkYx7C8ThGVjgF8l0x6w/w400-h225/FINAL+FANTASY+XV+WINDOWS+EDITION+3_4_2020+11_09_40+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">Since they all wear black outfits, I thought they should at least have colorful chocobos.</font></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnjsPr4XRauu1Pbs_F40J1-QfZqqzdIA36WQT9_alp_VsSHBpquK9OmDNuAq0ZXu4EILlBHpXT5RPECg2QQneGOiqb9zA7kEXBmpqVGn78BRD4SWbwoXR9X7EzUUDsS9F0Ax-yWAD4w/s2048/FF15+Cindy+costume.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2048" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnjsPr4XRauu1Pbs_F40J1-QfZqqzdIA36WQT9_alp_VsSHBpquK9OmDNuAq0ZXu4EILlBHpXT5RPECg2QQneGOiqb9zA7kEXBmpqVGn78BRD4SWbwoXR9X7EzUUDsS9F0Ax-yWAD4w/w400-h390/FF15+Cindy+costume.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="2">Ironically, I think the sexy Halloween costume is more practical clothing for auto repair than Cindy's outfit.</font></div><div><br /></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-45647916841913473442020-07-06T17:43:00.002-04:002020-07-06T17:43:52.528-04:00Final Fantasy 1 Review<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1ZnDY_jz2B9ccdZbd2i9WHjjc8lVQ4WhVT6Kl9cEaPxPE-NYJyyIl6o0vQPsWnpCjlq54ek65aK7r8JJdtnQMM6M8VPSAnWz46K6yhEGco-P_QmMWKr9ekcEUp4Yh4sGp2hvCYENIw/s2220/FF1+mobile+title.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1ZnDY_jz2B9ccdZbd2i9WHjjc8lVQ4WhVT6Kl9cEaPxPE-NYJyyIl6o0vQPsWnpCjlq54ek65aK7r8JJdtnQMM6M8VPSAnWz46K6yhEGco-P_QmMWKr9ekcEUp4Yh4sGp2hvCYENIw/w400-h194/FF1+mobile+title.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Back in the late 90s, my lifelong love of Square Enix's iconic Final Fantasy series began when I got hooked on Final Fantasy 7. It quickly became a long term goal of mine to play every mainline entry in the franchise and I've been working my way outward through the series ever since. Having nearly completed that goal now, I find myself at the extreme ends of the franchise: FF1 and FF15. This week I'll be reviewing Final Fantasy's origin point; my next post will cover its most recent entry.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Overview:</u></div><div>Final Fantasy is a turn-based fantasy RPG that was originally released on the NES. It tells the story of four warriors on a quest to restore balance to their world by reactivating four magic elemental crystals. Final Fantasy has been ported and remade on a variety of platforms over the past several decades. This review is specifically based on the Android version of the game, which I received for free by using Google Play promotional credits.</div>
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Pros:</u><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>All the core elements of Final Fantasy gameplay and themes are here. It was an interesting experience to see the genesis of concepts that Square Enix has iterated upon over 15 times now.</li><li>Considering this was originally an 8-bit game, it features surprisingly rich music with nice arrangements on mobile.</li><li>The remastered graphics look pretty good and display nicely on a cellphone or tablet screen. The style is a little different from the original 8-bit game, but the designs are still all easily recognizable. </li><li>With the exception of landing the airship on small pieces of land, I found that I had no difficulties with FF1's touchscreen controls.</li><li>Some of the NPCs say bizarre or amusing things. This injected some humor into an otherwise pretty dry fantasy story.</li><li>Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the conclusion of the story was far more interesting than I expected it to be. </li></ul>
<br /><u>
Cons:</u><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>While there is some interesting lore at the very beginning and ending of the game, FF1's story is pretty sparse.</li><li>The dungeons in this game are quite long and feature very high encounter rates; at times your character can only walk about 5 steps between battles. This can make completing dungeons a test of patience.</li><li>FF1 could have benefitted from an auto-attack feature like the mobile version of FF4 had. A feature like this makes playing a mobile turn-based game more comfortable and convenient.</li><li>There is little depth to the strategy of FF1 combat; I mostly breezed through it mindlessly with the exception of the final boss difficulty spike.</li><li>On Android, FF1 requires a DRM check (anti-piracy measure) every single time you launch the game. This makes this version poorly suited to playing while traveling since you can't get past the DRM check if you don't have a signal (such as when on a plane). Measures like this make a worse experience for paying customers just to potentially prevent a few people from stealing an $8 game.</li><li>At the time I began my playthrough of this game earlier this year, the FF1 app wasn't capable of multi-tasking, meaning there was no ability to open a guide or anything else on your phone without resetting the game (and thus initiating the DRM check again). Apparently, this was fixed in a patch very recently, but the fact that this issue went unaddressed for many years doesn't reflect well on Square Enix's mobile support. In fact, even now the listing for the game in the Google Play Store includes a warning that there may be compatibility issues with the more recent versions of Android.</li></ul>FF1 on Android suffers from some limitations that can make playing the game inconvenient. However, once you're actually in the game, the gameplay has been adapted well to the mobile format. As to FF1's content more generally, I think this game is worth playing for people interested in Final Fantasy or JRPG history but the gameplay and story are so basic that I would primarily only recommend it to players who are already invested in the FF series or are avid retro gamers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> 16 hours and 30 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #JRPGJuly event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiGB3KQKWg0LDWAXHdl7UTnaoVEUg3XHOH-_pIQB7lfjBp8PV8RlTYlTEE8GRedbR3ZoAN787Cut0d4YqtDnPCKa7z1-G4YERS6HCSuRTgGGh9p0SfD2ouHz2Gx3pSYyFCZRZGUD_xA/s2220/ff1+mobile+screenshot+02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiGB3KQKWg0LDWAXHdl7UTnaoVEUg3XHOH-_pIQB7lfjBp8PV8RlTYlTEE8GRedbR3ZoAN787Cut0d4YqtDnPCKa7z1-G4YERS6HCSuRTgGGh9p0SfD2ouHz2Gx3pSYyFCZRZGUD_xA/w500-h241/ff1+mobile+screenshot+02.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In context, this dialog eventually makes sense.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGHZNe1o1pP7GTH9ufX293C8u4WGvliT2vXnGqIDX2x671_sPtbIEOf_dqS8iXn4U7beS72Vv-CLBvLsxEPrkvEuFCSigKuIvTSeXk8s5MgpBTs7tT3rs-rln94cfwwcT4wZEgEg9Ow/s2220/ff1+mobile+screenshot+01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGHZNe1o1pP7GTH9ufX293C8u4WGvliT2vXnGqIDX2x671_sPtbIEOf_dqS8iXn4U7beS72Vv-CLBvLsxEPrkvEuFCSigKuIvTSeXk8s5MgpBTs7tT3rs-rln94cfwwcT4wZEgEg9Ow/w500-h241/ff1+mobile+screenshot+01.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battle artwork looks pretty cool and the menus work well with a touch screen.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2N-v7-XOe_xNO5J_7UChORMApvk0RuYfZ3OWskSHDG8SwoAgDd3pyayJist4I-4lbdfbrBGCxVaQvPqlvUnHBcnNAlTjMcfsDLGkGNCdJBjzORzS1kwm__XRynGhBB55eHlXs7H1FA/s2220/ff1+mobile+screenshot+03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2N-v7-XOe_xNO5J_7UChORMApvk0RuYfZ3OWskSHDG8SwoAgDd3pyayJist4I-4lbdfbrBGCxVaQvPqlvUnHBcnNAlTjMcfsDLGkGNCdJBjzORzS1kwm__XRynGhBB55eHlXs7H1FA/w500-h241/ff1+mobile+screenshot+03.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Based on how often you're greeted by this screen, you would think the financial stability of the entire Square Enix corporation rests on the sales of this one cheap app.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /><br /></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-31716915126248450752020-06-29T02:30:00.000-04:002020-06-29T02:30:30.237-04:00Racing Game Round-up<div>While it's never been my number one favorite genre, I've always had a soft spot for racing games. They make great side games when playing something more involved like an RPG (in fact, one of my favorite games last year was <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2019/09/forza-horizon-4-review.html">Forza Horizon 4</a>). Since this year's <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">community game-along calendar</a> happened to feature a month devoted to racing games, I decided to prepare a little sampler platter for myself and tried out 7 different titles on my Twitch channel!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a quick round-up of mini-reviews:</div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidENIooV16BYAvfLFOrDwyATZkfFoqa_JpojrWfoJqaIfhxua7F1wkpNTmFkYQuSu58SZE9DSuzhHkmhvBuodGoaZDOZTkZywg-jL-rybaTxiNHwLwtkhlCLMWpWuAfEuALjQkaBJhgA/s1024/sonic+all-stars+racing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1024" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidENIooV16BYAvfLFOrDwyATZkfFoqa_JpojrWfoJqaIfhxua7F1wkpNTmFkYQuSu58SZE9DSuzhHkmhvBuodGoaZDOZTkZywg-jL-rybaTxiNHwLwtkhlCLMWpWuAfEuALjQkaBJhgA/w400-h194/sonic+all-stars+racing.png" width="400" /></a></div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><b>Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing</b></u></div><div>This Mario Kart competitor from 2006 features characters and race tracks based on Sonic the Hedgehog and many other Sega franchises (e.g. Shenmue, House of the Dead, Jet Set Radio, etc).</div><div><u>Pros:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The courses make good use of the themes from their respective Sega franchises (especially for a game of this age).</li><li>The game features an announcer that gives dynamic commentary on your race performance during each event. Some of his lines are pretty funny.</li><li>The game's controls feel very smooth. The very drift-focused mechanics remind me of Mario Kart Double Dash.</li></ul></div><div><u>Cons:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>While the game offers six cups of races, many of the courses are just minor variations of the same thing.</li><li>The game only features local multiplayer, which is kind of a bummer.</li><li>Despite being over a decade old, this game did not run smoothly on my PC. The options to adjust resolutions, graphics, etc are extremely limited as well for a PC game.</li></ul></div><div><b>Verdict:</b> Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a solid Mario Kart-like but has been more than surpassed by more recent games in the genre, including its own sequel.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM40er2w86dY_PZaZqe-CXdnRVsWwdBSqvFtnMiGVquw7XSFWFpWz7Sb7_3aQh_z-n5cUkiXRtIijIqaFLC78EH1rJC5rH95KGSbrMiCvk1BLRe1Wi5wSmEswE5XrJzDpFH7chXMKyA/s1920/garfield-kart-ps4.original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM40er2w86dY_PZaZqe-CXdnRVsWwdBSqvFtnMiGVquw7XSFWFpWz7Sb7_3aQh_z-n5cUkiXRtIijIqaFLC78EH1rJC5rH95KGSbrMiCvk1BLRe1Wi5wSmEswE5XrJzDpFH7chXMKyA/w400-h225/garfield-kart-ps4.original.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><u><b>Garfield Kart</b></u></div><div>Thanks to a "generous and wholesome" donation from one of my Twitch viewers, I ended up with this racer based on the Garfield comic strip.</div><div><u>Pros:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>While not as good as a Mario or Sonic racing game, the controls felt surprisingly good for a cheap licensed game.</li><li>There are few interesting items that stray from the typical kart racer mechanics. For example, there's a magic missile that changes your position with whoever you hit. Several items can also have different effects depending on whether they're deployed forwards or backward.</li><li>Despite being labeled a "beta", Garfield Kart's online multiplayer works well. The downside is that you'd somehow have to convince multiple people to play Garfield Kart in order to use it.</li></ul></div><div><u>Cons:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The course designs are very boring and don't make much use of the Garfield license.</li><li>The game's content is very minimal: 4 cups comprised of very similar racecourses</li><li>Unlocks of new courses and characters are handled via collecting coins rather than progressing through Grand Prix. I would have had to play through each cup many times just to unlock the next one. I ended up just using cheats to spare myself from having to grind.</li><li>The implementation of items is very unbalanced. All it takes is to get hit by a single item to be dropped back to last place with little chance to recover before the end of the race.</li><li>Collision physics feel a little off. Sometimes slightly grazing an obstacle can bring your cart to a sudden dead stop.</li></ul><div><b>Verdict:</b> Garfield Kart checks off the absolute bare minimum requirements of a kart racer. There's no reason to play it with so many other better options available.</div></div><div>Score: ⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFmjdWs1U0GOAw95SElqA816ftlT7bdHG83hDuHau0y1iaUsn3MgR7rmOZTEZforJmGUmVN2jlsG-gH-JxU5oDnz-7p2bydqXHPXoyMwbLzqWTQt0jvH9FbYsg2bGnhF68aobyGFAdA/s460/desert+child.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFmjdWs1U0GOAw95SElqA816ftlT7bdHG83hDuHau0y1iaUsn3MgR7rmOZTEZforJmGUmVN2jlsG-gH-JxU5oDnz-7p2bydqXHPXoyMwbLzqWTQt0jvH9FbYsg2bGnhF68aobyGFAdA/w400-h188/desert+child.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><u><b>Desert Child</b></u></div><div>This indie racing RPG caught my eye during an E3 presentation several years ago. In Desert Child, a hoverbike racer tries to race his way to wealth and stardom in a dystopian sci-fi world.</div><div><u>Pros:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Desert Child has a very striking visual design. Both the town and racing scenes look really cool.</li><li>Similar to the graphics, the music in both towns and races stands out for its great style.</li><li>The use of RPG elements introduces some interesting mechanics, like changing out parts of your bike to modify its performance or help you earn more money.</li><li>The game's racing is fun, at least initially. Races take place in a side-scrolling perspective and have players using weapons and dodging obstacles while trying to stay ahead of the opponent.</li></ul></div><div><u>Cons:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This game is very grindy and features a very unfavorable economy. Bike repairs and food for your driver eat heavily into your race winnings and all progress in the campaign is gated by money. Similar to Garfield Kart, I used to cheats to bypass the excessive grinding.</li><li>The player character walks very slowly through town, which makes navigation a pain after a while.</li><li>Desert Child's gameplay is very repetitive; it sports minigames and jobs for your character to do between races, however, all of these are basically just races with a slightly different coat of paint.</li><li>The late-game races often seem to involve just as much luck as skill thanks to the procedurally generated courses.</li></ul></div><div><b>Verdict:</b> Desert Child's strong sense of style make it worth taking a look at either via a quick play session or checking out some YouTube videos. However, playing through the whole campaign was not a satisfying experience.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSTWnDw7SUPK6CyFoZdGh5Rlf5Q0MyslaCSJa2dQXcGdKaGT75-o0Cjy0nUJY-6j3ffYLcYsy06EC1xTTNS4Z5Y05RkGz2q0ijJBAkAsELPYYhgqRtqqWK26wWADwelsr_UzDIK5apQ/s750/what+the+golf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="750" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSTWnDw7SUPK6CyFoZdGh5Rlf5Q0MyslaCSJa2dQXcGdKaGT75-o0Cjy0nUJY-6j3ffYLcYsy06EC1xTTNS4Z5Y05RkGz2q0ijJBAkAsELPYYhgqRtqqWK26wWADwelsr_UzDIK5apQ/w400-h186/what+the+golf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><u>What The Golf</u></div><div>Not quite an actual golf game, What The Golf ended up being deemed a racing game by an esteemed panel of judges from the Chic-Pixel community, so here it is. This game starts out as simple putt-putt and then rapidly heads toward a series of surreal challenges that are only loosely tied to anything resembling a real sport.</div><div><u>Pros:</u><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This game is funny. Whacking golf balls into explosive barrels, ricocheting balls off planets, and hitting random household objects with golf clubs can be pretty amusing.</li><li>There is a lot of creativity and variety here. Each golf course introduces a unique mechanic or idea.</li></ul><u>Cons:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>With each course offering something different, the overall package is a bit of a mixed bag. There were some mechanics I wished the game would expand further upon and others that I felt were funny as a one-off joke but not particularly engaging from a gameplay standpoint.</li></ul><b>Verdict:</b> "Amusing" is definitely the best word I can think of to describe What The Golf. It's a fun game to play in short bursts, but don't come to it expecting much depth.</div><div><b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEe0I2cdsvoV7Tp7sEClz-8375gS-QjjoUyoGRAdR_PKdxWTt1hCnp-SVxRoybGR14X7sgcqXf-MVd0vH4BGg1MpxzcwqpEKAYo69Mmowxl9qbd-LOVlMcfg3pIDC-iT4YTRMqSWQ5w/s474/sonic+racing+transformed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="474" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEe0I2cdsvoV7Tp7sEClz-8375gS-QjjoUyoGRAdR_PKdxWTt1hCnp-SVxRoybGR14X7sgcqXf-MVd0vH4BGg1MpxzcwqpEKAYo69Mmowxl9qbd-LOVlMcfg3pIDC-iT4YTRMqSWQ5w/w400-h250/sonic+racing+transformed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed</u></div><div>This game takes the strong foundation established in Sonic All-Stars Racing and expands upon it with the introduction of boats and aircraft. The "Transformed" in the title references the dynamic nature of the races, each lap on a course involves some sort of change in the environment that creates new routes and obstacles. </div><div><u>Pros:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Transformed doubles down on the Sega references. I was excited to see courses based on Dreamcast and Saturn games like Skies of Arcadia and Panzer Dragoon. Each course looks great and is clearly crafted with admiration for Sega's history.</li><li>Unlike most other kart racers, this game features a structured single-player campaign that offers various types of races. Progressing through this mode unlocks new characters and tracks.</li><li>The cars, boats, and aircraft all handle differently from each other but each feels good to control.</li><li>The transforming racecourses provide a great visual spectacle but also make for more engaging gameplay. They serve as a good way to have a single course accommodate multiple vehicle types (for example, a section of the course may flood mid-race causing your car to transform into a boat during the next lap).</li></ul><div><u>Cons:</u></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The online mode works well but is very limited in terms of features. You can only do one race at a time (i.e. no online multiplayer grand prix) and some modes feel half-baked (e.g. battle mode doesn't allow you to add bots, making the arenas feel very empty).</li><li>During single-player races, the AI racers have a knack for hitting you with weapons on the last leg of the final lap, causing you to finish in 8th place in a race that you had been leading for 90% of the time. This is true of a lot of kart racers, however.</li></ul><div><b>Verdict:</b> Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a great kart racer that gives Mario Kart a run for its money. If you enjoy this genre of racing games or are a big Sega fan, this game comes as an easy recommendation.</div></div><div>Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div>Earlier this month, Itch.io released the massive Racial Justice and Equality bundle; a massive bundle of over 1000 indie games with the proceeds going toward civil rights charities. From this huge collection, I picked out a couple of racing games to include in this round-up.</div><div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzkKHderq-exPX0JWY2CHcrX1w9gSqISobfQoZbEH_2DEIHr8N7MmP_239UVaHL5kccqCyK3Tbm0qlwTyN_CsC5EKA9dGmNkzQVo09jV10Tf4MMSQaMLn2VV7td4_xLjjpdM0aIX0Fw/s1920/daemon+detective+racing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzkKHderq-exPX0JWY2CHcrX1w9gSqISobfQoZbEH_2DEIHr8N7MmP_239UVaHL5kccqCyK3Tbm0qlwTyN_CsC5EKA9dGmNkzQVo09jV10Tf4MMSQaMLn2VV7td4_xLjjpdM0aIX0Fw/w400-h225/daemon+detective+racing.png" width="400" /></a></div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><b>Daemon Detective Zero Racing</b></u></div><div>Daemon Detective Zero Racing is a low-poly sci-fi racer featuring characters from various indie games. It is very clearly heavily inspired by the F-Zero and Wipeout games on N64 and PS1. I can't really split this one into "pros and cons"; it's a very fast, barebones, and somewhat janky 3D racer that was a fun little nostalgic diversion for me.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKHpHuEHLLw9vMAEvhuNoHK2SA36_whWQTepyfZHOZ9sE06bEPqgPsIfLhm3ZcGGlNIwshaVbk28Vt5j27h7TVz8J95d3VeTnOtUySkE9WHgCPK6dhVSs7ijDBTDyeHqNcceCiSAnAQ/s1280/rock-n-rush+racing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKHpHuEHLLw9vMAEvhuNoHK2SA36_whWQTepyfZHOZ9sE06bEPqgPsIfLhm3ZcGGlNIwshaVbk28Vt5j27h7TVz8J95d3VeTnOtUySkE9WHgCPK6dhVSs7ijDBTDyeHqNcceCiSAnAQ/w400-h225/rock-n-rush+racing.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><u><b>Rock n Rush Battle Racing</b></u></div><div>This game plays somewhat like a hybrid of Mario Kart and Twisted Metal. It also features a great rock-n-roll soundtrack. I found the gameplay of this one to be much more polished than Daemon Detective Zero Racing; however, the game only features 4 tracks. While each of these tracks has a day and night and mirror mode version, there's still not much content here. That being said, I enjoyed my short time with it and it's definitely worth the download if you bought the bundle.</div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐</div></div><div><br /></div><div>While the games I played for this round-up varied considerably in quality, I had a lot of fun digging into a genre that I enjoy but often tend to neglect!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #RacingGameMonth event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-80831371404981578532020-05-19T21:48:00.000-04:002020-05-19T21:48:26.203-04:00Wandersong Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEenqohS1-jzxALAG3tkW_AsE25cFKX4gfQySfRO0deHcRpjuTfA3HC7BAqnq3G_8GSqZpIDk28HjoM7TOMTb2FtQm-C2hQItZ7AtfvhgKnEci0jARTT3Njq_2vjDqQs9eq9tc-KcgQ/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEenqohS1-jzxALAG3tkW_AsE25cFKX4gfQySfRO0deHcRpjuTfA3HC7BAqnq3G_8GSqZpIDk28HjoM7TOMTb2FtQm-C2hQItZ7AtfvhgKnEci0jARTT3Njq_2vjDqQs9eq9tc-KcgQ/s320/wandersong-banner.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While I've always enjoyed short sessions of traditional rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, especially in arcades, it's not a genre that I tend to engage with at home. However, games of other genres that incorporate music into their gameplay are something that I can get into in any context. That's where Wandersong comes in. This adorable-looking game came strongly recommended from IGN's Tom Marks and my streamer pal, <a href="https://twitch.tv/bogusmeatfactory">BogusMeatFactory</a>; with two ringing endorsements from people with such unique tastes in games, I had to give Wandersong a shot.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Overview:</u></div><div>Wandersong is a music-themed adventure game. It tells the story of a bard on a quest to learn the scattered pieces of the Earth Song; a magical piece of music believed to be capable of staving off the apocalypse. The bard's primary ability is to sing 8 different notes based on the direction the player tilts the right thumbstick (the number pad or mouse is used if playing without a controller). This review is based on the PC version of the game, which I played via Xbox Game Pass.</div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Observations:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>While music is a central theme throughout the game, rhythm gameplay makes up only a minimal part of the gameplay. Instead, the gameplay takes two forms:</li><ul><li>In towns, the game plays like an adventure game in which player talks to NPCs and explores the area to gather information about the location of the next part of the Earth Song. As far as adventure gaming goes, these sections are fairly rudimentary, but the game's presentation is so strong that it was enjoyable just to see the sights and meet the quirky inhabitants of the world. </li><li>In Spirit Realms (i.e. dungeons), where each Earth Song piece can be found, the focus is on puzzle-platforming gameplay in which the notes that the bard single manipulates various features of the environment. I really liked the way each dungeon presented a unique puzzle platforming mechanic; this helped keep the gameplay feeling fresh.</li></ul><li>Graphically, there are two especially distinct things about Wandersong:</li><ul><li>Wandersong's character designs are very simple; the player character is made up of just a handful of flat geometric shapes. However, the game manages to get a lot of expression out of these designs through some very cute animations. It didn't take long for them to grow on me.</li><li>Something that had more immediate appeal was the game's color pallet. The use of bright contrasting colors, including lots of neons and purples, really gave the scenery a distinct and vibrant look.</li></ul><li>Despite its simplistic and cute appearance, Wandersong features in-depth character development and touches upon some fairly heavy themes. Some indie games try to shoe-horn darker subject matter into otherwise cute-looking games for shock value or to give the appearance of extra depth. However, in the case of Wandesrsong, the more and less serious elements of the story play off each other very well and I found that I was invested in each of the major characters' plot arcs.</li><li>One of the buttons makes the bard dance at any time (including during dialog). It serves absolutely no gameplay purpose and it is highly entertaining. By finding a certain character in hidden locations in each chapter of the game, you can learn more dance moves to expand the bard's repertoire.</li><li>Even though this is a game about music rather than a music game, I still came into it with high expectations for the soundtrack. I'm happy to say the soundtrack is just as charming as the characters, writing, and graphics.</li></ul><div>I often divide my observations in reviews into pros and cons, but when it comes to Wandersong, there is really nothing bad I can say about it. This game's graphics, music, writing, and gameplay all come together in a delightful package that I can comfortably recommend to just about anyone.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><b>Completion Time:</b> About 14 hours</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #MusicGameMay event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4pQZtV7TxmwWgp-Oq6P0HyCT7XjPVpCqAHphx09v72tgWYONR8OdA8yfI9Wd9GH_sJQ27Kog2vZH9va-7LDpxE-4DiouQpnf6UzMmmuqbqvc5cOW_AKFKKcMLuJldZI9ihG5XHljHg/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4pQZtV7TxmwWgp-Oq6P0HyCT7XjPVpCqAHphx09v72tgWYONR8OdA8yfI9Wd9GH_sJQ27Kog2vZH9va-7LDpxE-4DiouQpnf6UzMmmuqbqvc5cOW_AKFKKcMLuJldZI9ihG5XHljHg/w400-h225/Wandersong+5_8_2020+11_53_11+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-kDT-ff499tBUhCHmDDY0z-95OAk8XnaMzz2YlKGcuNblLR-crQAky9C6pisnvYk0AjOxA5DdPbAsvIk3Y8p79h0frwfP3JPoqb206HdmEYPgVS4URYOsOpykBS7t7nlSUAtUAZYJg/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-kDT-ff499tBUhCHmDDY0z-95OAk8XnaMzz2YlKGcuNblLR-crQAky9C6pisnvYk0AjOxA5DdPbAsvIk3Y8p79h0frwfP3JPoqb206HdmEYPgVS4URYOsOpykBS7t7nlSUAtUAZYJg/w400-h225/Wandersong+5_10_2020+9_44_13+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUF5wYzC5oFeMXkPEHZexQg7KdCSWMG7B7e-JVaZ1HCdk5B_jXRZj-VJmgJ6WNeMnKnuHrX5bOeySiKvjGu0hWfKM67F_zeXb4ck5zXIxLGzWDzqeJzdG7a_uvS8vaAXHSId0zeb3CeQ/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUF5wYzC5oFeMXkPEHZexQg7KdCSWMG7B7e-JVaZ1HCdk5B_jXRZj-VJmgJ6WNeMnKnuHrX5bOeySiKvjGu0hWfKM67F_zeXb4ck5zXIxLGzWDzqeJzdG7a_uvS8vaAXHSId0zeb3CeQ/w400-h225/Wandersong+5_14_2020+9_18_00+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-44778736492321755182020-05-03T18:33:00.001-04:002020-05-04T00:52:43.693-04:00Shenmue 3 Review<div>
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Considering the unusual circumstances behind Shenmue 3, a surprise modern sequel to a pair of cult Dreamcast games from nearly 20 years ago, and all nostalgia and baggage that comes with it, this "review" is going to be a bit different than my usual write-ups... more like a spoiler-free review, analysis, and retrospective all rolled into one. That being said, I hope you're along for the ride.</div>
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<u>Background</u><br />
When I was a teenager, I got absolutely absorbed into the Shenmue games. In fact, I got Shenmue 2 right before spring break and I'm pretty sure that I spent the subsequent week off from school doing nothing but exploring virtual 1980s Hong Kong with Ryo, Joy, Ren, and the rest of the crew. It probably wasn't the healthiest way for a young man to be spending his vacation, but it was a magical experience that I don't think I'll ever forget. However, having the second game end on a cliffhanger that would seemingly never be resolved, was quite painful. Thus, when the Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue 3 was announced at E3 2015, I signed up to back it immediately; in fact, I'm pretty sure I created a Kickstarter account specifically so I could secure a copy of Shenmue 3 for myself.<br />
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Now that the game has finally come out and I've played through it, my feelings on it are incredibly mixed.<br />
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<u>Game Overview</u><br />
Shenmue 3 continues directly from the events of Shenmue 2. The Shenmue games follow Ryo, a Japanese teen martial arts student, who is on a quest to find the man that murdered his father and exact revenge. In Shenmue 3, Ryo visits two different cities in China where he gathers clues to pick up the trail of his father's killer, Lan-Di. There is also a third smaller area that serves primarily as a location for the game's conclusion. Essentially, each of these areas is used to divide the game into three acts. In addition, to gathering clues, the game features occasional combat in the style of a 3D fighting game (similar to Virtua Fighter) and a variety of minigames. Shenmue 3 was released on PS4 and PC; this blog post is based on the PC version.<br />
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<u>Observations - Shenmue's Disparate Genre Influences</u><br />
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Coming back to the Shenmue franchise caused me to realize many things about these games that I was never quite able to articulate when I was younger. Shenmue is often miscategorized as an "action RPG," and this third game really cemented in my mind what a miscategorization that is. Shenmue's combination of gameplay elements and themes make it much more complicated to pin down... so here it is in Venn diagram form:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Adventure game: While the combat of Shenmue is prominently featured in media surrounding the game, fighting makes up an extremely little of the gameplay. Ryo spends the majority of his time talking to NPCs, looking for clues, and bartering items; all of which are much more consistent with a traditional adventure game (think a point-and-click adventure) than any other genre.</li>
<li>Slice-of-life: Ryo may be on a quest for revenge, but the game encourages him to slow down and make progressing the investigation part of his daily routine rather than the sole focus of his time. In addition to investigating, Ryo must eat several times per day to keep his stamina up, exercise to improve his strength in preparation for the occasional combat, earn an income via part-time jobs, and even go home at the end of the day to get enough sleep. This cycle feels a lot like slice-of-life games like Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing. Something that adds to this slice-of-life feeling is that the game world is constructed to be a place that Ryo inhabits along with the NPCs, rather than just serve as a venue that provides Ryo with a set of objectives (as would be the case in most other game genres).</li>
<li>Kung-fu film: Thematically and aesthetically, Shenmue 3 has a lot of elements in common with classic kung-fu films. Much of Ryo's quest revolves around seeking out eccentric old martial arts masters and finding some way of convincing them to teach Ryo one of their signature techniques that he needs to beat one of Lan-Di's henchmen. If you've ever watched old martial arts movies, this formula will sound very familiar. Further adding to the kung-fu film vibe, Shenmue 3 retains the series' now-infamous deliberately stilted voice acting, which reminds me of the dubs of 1970s kung-fu films that I used to watch on TV as a kid.</li>
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Now that I've gotten all that explanation out of the way, let's get into how I, as a fan of the series, felt that Shenmue 3 managed to package all these elements together.<br />
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<u>Observations - Shenmue 3 as Compared with its Predecessors</u><br />
Being a Kickstarter-backed revival of a cult video game series, Shenmue 3 was inevitably going to be a nostalgia-focused work. The rigidity with which it adheres to what was established by the previous games works both for and against it.<br />
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<ul><ul>
<li>Shenmue 3's characters are simple and move stiffly by modern game standards, but look very clean on hi-definition displays; a successful attempt at being consistent with the art style of the original games while still making enough updates for it to work in 2020.</li>
<li>Similarly, the game's environments are reminiscent of those from the Dreamcast days, but at a much higher level of detail. Guilin, the area at the end of Shenmue 2 and beginning of Shenmue 3, is particularly beautiful; it looks the way I envisioned it in my mind's eye when I played the previous game, rather than how it actually looked as rendered by the Dreamcast.</li>
<li>In the past, I had wondered if Shenmue's awkward-sounding English voice work was an intentional directorial decision or just the product of an inexperienced cast. Seeing as Shenmue 3 recast several characters with well-established actors but the delivery of the lines retains the feel of the first two games, I've concluded that this is an intentional style choice. Seeing as this game leans heavily into kung-fu movie tropes, I think this retro-sounding delivery works in the context of the game, but I can see how it wouldn't appeal to someone who didn't grow up with this unusual cultural connection. Thankfully, the game gives the option of switching to Japanese audio for those who don't like the direction of the English voice acting.</li>
<li>Quick-time events (QTEs) return in Shenmue 3. I was initially concerned about this as these were a source of frustration for me in the previous games in the series. In the past, QTEs would occur suddenly during battles, and executing them incorrectly could mean abruptly losing a fight that you were previously winning. While this is still the case in Shenmue 3, the QTEs are foreshadowed during the story leading up to the battle so that the player can be prepared to execute them in advance. Most of the time this takes place in the form of Ryo learning a new martial arts technique before the battle; this training sequence gives the player a low-stakes way to learn the QTE's inputs before the critical moment that they come up during combat. I thought this was a smart tweak on the part of this installment's developers.</li>
<li>When it comes to the game's UI and controls, these are areas where I think nostalgia and faithfulness should have been discarded in favor of a complete overhaul. Digging around in the game's menus felt cumbersome and I frequently had to check the context-sensitive button mapping indicator on the HUD to know which button did what in a given situation. The game's controls and UI are not even consistent between similar types of menus (e.g. the select, confirm, and cancel buttons are not mapped the same on the inventory screen and item shop screen).</li>
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<u>Observations - Shenmue 3's Unique Content</u></div>
While in many ways, it's impossible to separate Shenmue 3 from the nostalgic background of the franchise, it's still its own game. Like everything else in Shenmue 3, the new content is also a mixed bag.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Shenmue has always included some sort of slice-of-life elements, but the third entry in the series drastically increases how prevalent they are. </li>
<ul>
<li>The most notable example is the new stamina system. Ryo must eat regularly to keep up his stamina, a stat that serves two functions. As Ryo goes about his business, his stamina slowly depletes; if it gets low enough, he becomes tired and can only walk slowly until he eats to replenish the stamina meter. In combat, Ryo's stamina meter becomes his health meter. This means that if he gets into a fight when he's hungry, he could potentially get taken out by a single punch. As a result, making sure Ryo is well-fed not only keeps exploration moving at a reasonable pace, it can also be a matter of life or death. It's a case where the game's mechanics are very deliberately telling you to slow down and take care of the little things, rather than charge ahead single-mindedly.</li>
<li>Practicing techniques and working out are important parts of the daily life of a martial artist. Shenmue 3 tasks the player with making this process a part of Ryo's regular routine by stopping at dojos regularly to work on his punches, horse stance ("karate squats" as I like to call them) and having sparring matches. These are very simple and repetitive tasks, much as they would be in real life, but they are essential to getting Ryo strong enough to win the handful of battles that serve as gates to progressing the story. Initially, I really tried to get myself in the mindset of a martial artist and focus on the training. However, it eventually became clear to me that I would have to spend a large chunk of my playtime repeating these routines and I inevitably found myself checking out and listening to a podcast while tapping the A button for the thousandth time to keep Ryo in his horse stance.</li>
<li>The slice-of-life elements of the game all serve to reinforce the story's central theme of the value of patience. While this works well from a purely artistic standpoint, it isn't necessarily fun to play. I think it's ok for a game to include some amount of drudgery for the purpose making the player relate more to the character or make the game world feel more real, but Shenmue 3 took this a little too far for my tastes.</li>
</ul>
<li>While the two main areas Ryo visits during his journey, Guilin and Niaowu, each have their own unique flare in terms of settings, the events in each place follow the exact same formula:</li>
<ol>
<li>Talk to NPCs to learn about criminal activity in the area</li>
<li>Find and confront the criminals, only to lose to their leader (who turns out to be one of Lan-Di's henchmen)</li>
<li>Seek out an eccentric old kung-fu master who knows the technique you need to beat the henchman</li>
<li> Undergo some trials to prove to the kung-fu master that you're worthy to learn the technique. In both cases, this includes winning a match against every student in the local dojo and saving up a large quantity of money to buy an expensive item of some sort.</li>
<li>Learn the kung-fu technique (a QTE sequence) and then use it in a rematch against the henchman to win the fight</li>
<li>Winning the fight leads to a scene that advances the plot</li>
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<ul>
<li>Going through this sequence in Guilin was very satisfying, but having to repeat it, almost to the letter, in Niaowu right afterward sort of cheapened the experience for me and made the game feel padded.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The third area of the game is comparatively very small and dense with plot developments and combat. Compared to the rest of the game it feels disjointed and rushed. I think it would have served the game well to have cut this third area and instead just spread its combat and story events throughout Guilin and Niaowu instead. This would have broken up the formula of each of those areas and made the plot developments easier to digest. </li>
<li>Ultimately, Shenmue 3 moves the overall story of Shenmue forward only a very small amount. In fact, most of the important new information Ryo gathers during this installment of his quest is found in the first area, Guilin. The next act of the game in Naiowu is essentially a rinse and repeat (albeit in a cool new setting) that just serves to keep Ryo busy until the game's hasty conclusion. At the end of the game, Ryo is only incrementally further along on his quest for revenge than he was for the start; after waiting for 20 years for this game, I was hoping for more than that.</li>
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As a long time fan of the series who has been waiting for the next installment of the Shenmue series for the majority of his life, playing Shenmue 3 was paradoxically a joyous and disappointing experience. I was delighted to see that much of what made me love Shenmue is still here; for a big fan like me, that alone was enough to make the money and time I spent on this game feel worthwhile. However, there's a difference between something being worthwhile and being satisfying. Shenmue 3 doesn't do very much to bring the series forward in terms of game design or narrative, it is simply content to just stoke the fires in fans' hearts and serve as a demonstration that a new Shenmue game can still be made. As one of those fans, this is something I can accept this time, but it's a card the developer can only play once.</div>
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I typically like to end a review with a recommendation; in this case, the recommendation is contingent on your background with the series:</div>
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<ul>
<li>If you loved Shenmue 1 and 2, by all means, go ahead and play this, just be sure to set your expectations accordingly.</li>
<li>If you played the earlier Shenmue games and they didn't do anything for you, Shenmue 3 is certainly not going to change your mind.</li>
<li>If you have no prior experience with Shenmue but think you fit somewhere near the center of the Venn diagram depicted earlier in this review, I'd recommend adding the first two Shenmue games to your Steam wishlist and picking them up the next time they go on sale. (Also, kudos to you for managing to read through this mess of a blog post!)</li>
</ul>
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<b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐<br />
<b>Completion Time:</b> About 42 hours<br />
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<u>Thoughts on the Shenmue Series Going Forward</u></div>
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A little bit after I started writing this post, I read a news article about how the investors that made Shenmue 3's development possible were surprised that Shenmue hasn't turned out to be a mass-market AAA franchise (i.e. this installment primarily only sold well to existing fans and wasn't especially profitable). To be honest, I don't really know what investors were expecting.<br />
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I love Shenmue, warts and all, but I'm not sure there's a future for it. In its current form, it's too expensive and ambitious for the limited audience it has. The only paths forward I can see would involve making drastic changes to pull in more players and investors, or it would have to scope down massively to fit a more traditional indie budget in an attempt to deliver a satisfying resolution to the diehard fans as efficiently as possible. The risk with either route is that it could lead to a result that just wouldn't feel like Shenmue any more. If a fourth entry ever gets made, there is going to be a tremendous amount of pressure on it; based on Shenmue 3, it's unclear if the series director, Yu Suzuki, and company are up to the task.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guilin looks beautiful</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryo's gotta make money somehow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"C'mon, Ryo! You can't seek karate justice unless you build strong glutes and quads!"</td></tr>
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Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-58802942235985469472020-04-28T18:32:00.001-04:002020-04-29T18:26:54.777-04:00Strider (2014) Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mI-vBrOvoi0a04RMhnxpNVG2hmoNTG117E1ph6a5bUC-BT1_a-wcPXRHKQGPKJs9CTjWScxfcAPOv-N_eJ-6d1stT-HXMt6lZF1fjo7R6Nu_u7Iyj3tK_Juekzv5xn7DwBVhEI5BSg/s1600/Strider+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mI-vBrOvoi0a04RMhnxpNVG2hmoNTG117E1ph6a5bUC-BT1_a-wcPXRHKQGPKJs9CTjWScxfcAPOv-N_eJ-6d1stT-HXMt6lZF1fjo7R6Nu_u7Iyj3tK_Juekzv5xn7DwBVhEI5BSg/s400/Strider+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Strider is one of Capcom's series that I've often admired from afar; I've watched Twitch streams of the 8-bit and 16-bit games, and I've looked longingly at the box art of the PS1 game as a broke kid in Walmart, but I've never really dug into any of the games myself. So to close out my celebration of #CapcoMonth, I decided to finally jump in with the most recent entry in the series, Strider (2014), which I was able to pick up as part of a Humble Bundle.<br />
<br />
<u>Overview</u><br />
Strider (2014) is a 2D "Metroidvania"-style platform game that serves as a revival of Capcoms's classic ninja action series. In the game, an elite ninja operative, Strider Hiryu, must infiltrate a heavily fortified cyberpunk dystopian city to assassinate an evil dictator. As he explores the city to gain access to the dictator's stronghold, he acquires a variety of new abilities and faces off against the dictator's generals. This review is based on the PC version of the game.<br />
<br />
<u>Pros</u><br />
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Being a ninja is awesome! From the get-go, Strider can climb almost any surface (including ceilings), slide, dash, and flip through the air. Even with his most basic starting sword, he can pull off rapid slashing attacks in multiple directions that have both ground-based and aerial variations. There area lot of games about ninjas out there, but this one really stands out for absolutely nailing the lightness, speed, and agility that you would expect of a classic anime ninja.</li>
<li>The game features a couple of cool set pieces, like fighting a dragon flying through the sky that breaks up the regular gameplay and solidifies this as a Strider game and not just a generic ninja Metroidvania.</li>
<li>While much of the music is fairly indistinct, the electronic remixes of classic Strider tracks are very catchy and kick in at just the right time to enhance the action.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Cons</u></div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>With a few exceptions, the game's environments are primarily drab industrial areas that don't make for a particularly memorable setting.</li>
<li>Strider's difficulty was often inconsistent. In some cases, I would breeze through several areas and boss battles, only to be hit with an abrupt difficulty spike. However, on the normal difficulty level, even the spikes were approachable as long as you have a good grasp of the mechanics.</li>
</ul>
<div>
While Strider (2014) lacks some of the bells and whistles that many newer Metroidvania games might have, this game nails the most important facet of the genre: character locomotion. Ninja-ing my way through the dystopian future landscape and cleaving through waves of enemies always felt satisfying. For that alone, I can comfortably recommend Strider (2014) to any Metroidvania fans. This experience also has me interested to go back and try the older Striders that I missed; maybe I'll finally pick up that PS1 game that my younger poorer self missed out on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐</div>
<div>
<b>Completion Time: </b>6 hours, 17 minutes (Normal difficulty, 68% map completion)<br />
<br />
<i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #CapcoMonth event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div>
</div>
Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-17181461441167058822020-04-22T00:26:00.002-04:002020-04-29T18:26:13.223-04:00Duck Tales Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
While I generally consider myself to know my classic games pretty well, I have to admit that I tend to dismiss licensed games offhand. Thus, Duck Tales wasn't on my radar until rather recently. In fact, I wasn't aware of this game's classic status until I started noticing how frequently its music was featured on video game music podcasts and name-that-tune events.<br />
<br />
<u>Overview</u><br />
Duck Tales is a 2D platformer based on the animated series of the same name. In the game, Scrooge McDuck must explore six sprawling levels to recover his stolen valuables. Scrooge's unique ability is to use his cane as a pogo stick to traverse the environment. He can also use his cane like a golf club to whack small objects across the screen. This game was originally released for the NES. I streamed the PC version via the Disney Afternoon Collection on my Twitch channel.<br />
<br />
<u>Pros</u><br />
<ul>
<li>While this game only has six levels, it gets a lot of mileage out of them due to their massive size and intricate designs. Exploring the various pathways of each level looking for secrets is easily this game's standout feature.</li>
<li>Scrooge's cane mechanics are pretty novel for a game of this age. Bouncing on enemies and across spikes using the pogo cane is a fun form of traversal once you get the hang of it. I also appreciated the way you could use the cane to dispatch enemies from a distance by hitting rocks at them like golf balls.</li>
<li>Duck Tales features some very cute sprite work the manages to exude personality despite the limited rendering capabilities of the NES. For example, when Scrooge is about to whack something with his cane, you can see his tail wagging back and forth. This animation is only a single pixel moving back and forth but it still manages to make a big difference in terms of making the character feel alive.</li>
<li>The music in this game is a real treat. Thanks to video game music podcasts, I already knew this game had some catchy tunes and I can now say from experience that it features catchy chiptune bops from start to finish.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<u>Cons</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Duck Tales does not offer any way to save your progress in the game; there are no save points or passwords. In fact, there are not even continues. Thus, if playing this on the original hardware, losing all three lives completely resets the game to the beginning. This sounds like a very frustrating way to experience this game. Thankfully, the Disney Afternoon Collection version adds the ability to use save states. Using save a state at the start of each level made it much more enjoyable.</li>
<li>To initiate a pogo jump, you must first hit the A-button to jump and then while in midair hit the B-button while pressing down on the D-pad. I found this to be a little cumbersome for an action you have to execute so frequently and quickly. Messing up the coordination on this set of inputs lead to many accidental deaths before I got used to it. Since the B-button serves no other purpose while airborne, I think it would have made far more sense to have the B-button alone initiate a pogo jump whenever Scrooge's feet are off the ground. </li>
</ul>
<br />
Playing through the original version of Duck Tales was a pretty cool experience; I can definitely see why it's considered a classic. Given that the few minor issues I had were mostly the product of NES-era game design, I'm very curious to try Wayforward's remastered version of Duck Tales to see what kind of tweaks they may have made. Either way, I definitely recommend trying out Duck Tales via the Disney Afternoon Collection to anyone interested in 8-bit classics or Disney cartoons.<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐<br />
<b>Completion Time:</b> About 2 hours and 30 minutes<br />
<br /><i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #CapcoMonth event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i>Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-76559674937086281542020-04-15T01:47:00.000-04:002020-04-29T18:26:13.233-04:00Resident Evil Zero Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have tried to get into the Resident Evil series many times in the past: in-store kiosks of the original PS1 games, playing through the Gamecube version of RE1 due to the instance of a friend, and being coached through the opening section of RE4 at a party. In each case, there was some sticking point (often the control scheme) that kept the series from really clicking with me. That all changed last year when my wife and I had a fantastic time playing through Resident Evil 2 Remake. Now that I've come to appreciate what this series is all about, I thought it might be interesting to go back to an older game in the series for my next #CapcoMonth game.<br />
<br />
<u>Overview</u><br />
Resident Evil Zero is a survival horror game that serves as a prequel to the original Resident Evil. It is the fifth game in the series and the last to be made in the classic pre-rendered adventure game style of RE1 before the series transitioned to the full-3D action game format of RE4 and its successors. Resident Evil Zero's unique feature is that it features two protagonists, Rebecca and Billy, who must work in tandem to navigate zombie-infested environments to discover the origin of the T-virus. This review is based on the PC version of the game, Resident Evil Zero HD, which I streamed in its entirety on my <a href="https://twitch.tv/capsulejay">Twitch channel</a>.<br />
<br />
<u>Pros</u><br />
<ul>
<li>It's been a long time since I've played a game that uses pre-rendered backgrounds and fixed camera angles. While it can be an impediment to action and navigation at times, the aesthetic appeal of this style is hard to deny.</li>
<li>While most of the Resident Evil games feature underground scientific facilities at some point, and this game is by no means an exception, I appreciated that RE Zero offered some new types of environments to explore as well. Starting off on a luxury train in motion was a nice change of scenery. I also liked the abandoned church in a later section of the game.</li>
<li>Alternating between controlling Billy and Rebecca added an interesting wrinkle to exploration and puzzle-solving. Since Billy and Rebecca each have their own distinct abilities, this character swapping mechanic reminded me a bit of the classic puzzle game, Lost Vikings.</li>
<li>The puzzles in the game make for some surprisingly good brain teasers. However, I have to admit that the contexts in which they appear in the game often make very little sense. Why would it be necessary to solve a number puzzle to activate the emergency brake on a train, or map out a logic puzzle to reset a power breaker?</li>
<li>The PC version's mouse and keyboard controls were easy to pick up compared to how I remember the gamepad controls of the original RE games feeling. Using WASD to move the character and the mouse buttons to use weapons and interact with objects felt pretty natural. A few exceptions existed in areas where the camera perspective would abruptly change, leading to momentarily disorientation. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<u>Cons</u><br />
<ul>
<li>The inventory management in this game is extremely cumbersome. Each character only has six item slots with many items and weapons consuming two of these slots. The game does not offer any opportunities to expand the size of your inventory or store items externally. As a result, a disproportional amount of my gameplay time was spent shuffling items around between my characters or dumping items on the floor to free up space. I would then have to backtrack across the map any time I needed to retrieve an item I had dropped. The other games in the series solve this problem with item storage boxes located at each save point. It baffles me why the designers of this game decided to omit this feature.</li>
<li>Resident Evil Zero retains the slow door opening animations present in earlier RE games every time you move between rooms or floors in a building. While these screens may have been necessary to accommodate loading times on the PS1, I don't see why the PC version of RE Zero elected to keep them. This slowdown coupled with the large size of Zero's map exacerbates the issues with backtracking that result from poor inventory management.</li>
<li>While the controls of this game are generally improved over earlier RE games, I found that they were very fiddly when it came to trying to pick up specific items on the floor and interacting with certain objects in the environment. The frequency with which you have to shuffle your inventory by picking up and dropping items really highlights this particular issue. </li>
<li>Due to the issues above, the game feels tedious after a while and outstays its welcome. In order to spare myself some time and frustration going into the game's final area, I elected to use a cheat to replenish my ammo supply rather than trudging back and forth across the map to collect all the extra ammo I had dropped in various places throughout the campaign.</li>
</ul>
<br />
In summary, I was initially really enjoying this journey back to the classic Resident Evil style but over time, quality of life issues made the game feel like a slog. I think similar to my experience with <a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2019/07/final-fantasy-13-review.html">Final Fantasy 13</a>, using cheats to spare myself some late-game tedium was the right decision and keep me from being soured on the overall experience. There's enough interesting ideas here to make RE Zero worth a look for RE fans or those nostalgic for the pre-rendered style that was popular 20 years ago. For everyone else, however, I'd say this is an entry in the Resident Evil franchise that can comfortably be skipped.<br />
<br />
<b>Score: </b>⭐⭐⭐<br />
<b>Completion Time:</b> About 20 hours<br />
<br />
<i>Note: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #CapcoMonth event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxI2psGbYJT5-vkRL1eak6m-_OWq-wz6ErTsu8MO_H1IAEhC6Qu6bzB8E1_qJSNoEO384ADHuLADOWBKi135MZNUPvLdqqiQzZ-DPwi6u0XPl79CfFs4IdvfE-YzJZ-oqAkXNPCjUeg/s1600/20200409210959_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxI2psGbYJT5-vkRL1eak6m-_OWq-wz6ErTsu8MO_H1IAEhC6Qu6bzB8E1_qJSNoEO384ADHuLADOWBKi135MZNUPvLdqqiQzZ-DPwi6u0XPl79CfFs4IdvfE-YzJZ-oqAkXNPCjUeg/s400/20200409210959_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many years removed from its original release, this is still a very pretty game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My scorecard at the end of the game reports an artificially low playtime since the game requires reloading your last save after every game over.</td></tr>
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Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-78562422934441583542020-04-05T17:38:00.001-04:002020-04-15T21:44:24.934-04:00Azure Striker Gunvolt Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Long time readers know that I am a regular participant in Chic-Pixel's Community Game-Along events. With April's theme being Capcom games, I had a lot of options. For my first #CapcoMonth game, I selected Azure Striker Gunvolt. This game wasn't developed by Capcom itself, but by ex-Capcom employees at Inti Creates. Gunvolt is heavily inspired by Mega Man, which isn't among my favorite retro series, so I had previously looked the other way when Inti Creates decided to take their own spin on this style of game. However, after getting some hands-on time with one of the Gunvolt games on the show floor at MomoCon last year (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2019/06/momocon-2019.html">impressions</a>), I could immediately tell this was more than a simple Mega Man clone and the first game ended up on my Steam wishlist as soon as I got home.<br />
<br />
<u>Overview</u><br />
Azure Striker Gunvolt is a 2D action game in the style of Mega Man. The game is comprised of action-platforming stages that culminate in a boss battle; the order that these stages are played is up to the player. However, unlike Mega Man, Gunvolt does not defeat his enemies purely by firing projectiles at them. Instead, he tags enemies with a needle gun that does minimal damage but increase's the target's electrical conductivity. He then emits an electric field that strikes down each tagged enemy with lightning. (You've probably figured out by now, why the main character is named "Gunvolt".) Azure Striker Gunvolt takes place in a dystopian cyberpunk setting with heavy anime influences. This review is based on the PC version of the game, which is available via Steam.<br />
<br />
<u>Pros</u><br />
<ul>
<li>I really enjoyed the game's core mechanic. Loading up as many enemies as possible with conductive needles and then unleashing the electric field to zap them all at once was very satisfying.</li>
<li>For an otherwise pretty straightforward action game, it has a surprisingly involved story. While this story leans heavily into anime and comic book themes and tropes, I found it to be entertaining and a good way to break up the action. I would absolutely watch an anime series or movie with this cast of characters and setting.</li>
<li>This game has a kicking soundtrack that features synthy instrumental tracks for the general action as well as vocal electro-pop songs that play during certain story events or when certain criteria are met during gameplay. The vocal tracks are very catchy and would always get me hyped whenever they would come on.</li>
<li>Gunvolt has great 16-bit-like pixel art that is embellished with higher quality effects for certain elements like the electric field. This can make for a pretty chaotic display during the heat of battle, but I found that I really liked the way it looked once I learned to be able to keep track of the action. During dialog and cutscenes, characters are represented with nice-looking anime portraits in a visual novel-style presentation. </li>
<li>As someone who struggled with some of the Mega Man games, I appreciated that Gunvolt adds several features that make getting through it a little more manageable:</li>
<ul>
<li>Each level features multiple checkpoints including one right before the boss room. You can continue from these checkpoints as many times as you would like until you beat the level.</li>
<li>The game includes some light RPG mechanics that allow you to level up your character and upgrade his gear. I only made minimal use of this feature because I felt like the game's difficulty level wasn't high enough to necessitate replaying each level multiple times to grind for XP and crafting materials, but it's nice that it's an option for players who get stuck and want to increase their chances of success.</li>
<li>Every once in a while, an angel-like character will appear and resurrect you when you are about to die via a mechanic called "Anthem" (there's a justification in the game's story for why this occurs). In addition to resurrecting you, Anthem temporarily powers you up and changes the music to an especially catchy song. Sice Anthem occurs by random chance, it only triggered a few times for me during my playthrough, but it often saved my bacon during multiple-stage boss fights and the song that played added to the excitement of the battle.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<u>Cons</u></div>
<ul>
<li>Gunvolt has some dialog that takes place during gameplay. This dialog is voiced in Japanese and displays in textboxes with English subtitles. With how busy the screen can be in the midst of the action, I found this dialog to be very distracting and ultimately had to disable it. For example, in one case I had a character exclaim "Watch out for those spikes!" while I was platforming; the problem was that the dialog box displayed over the spikes, causing me not to see them and skewer my character as a result. Thankfully, the mid-action dialog didn't seem to be essential to the story, so I don't feel like I missed out on much by disabling it.</li>
</ul>
<div>
After loving the last Inti Creates game I played, Bloodstained (<a href="https://www.capsulejay.com/2018/10/bloodstained-curse-of-moon-review.html">review</a>), I was pleased to find that this studio had knocked in out of the park with another excellent 2D action platformer. I'm already looking forward to playing the next two games in this series! I highly recommend Azure Striker Gunvolt to anyone who enjoys retro-style action, even those who aren't fans of Mega Man, Gunvolt's source of inspiration.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Score:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</div>
<div>
<b>Completion Time:</b> 9 hours, 52 minutes (includes reaching both the "normal" and "true" ending)</div>
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<i><u>Note</u>: This post is part of the Chic-Pixel community's #CapcoMonth event. For more info and their full list of events, check out this page: <a href="https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong/masterlist2020">Community Game-Along Master List 2020</a></i></div>
Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946081259395743161.post-90089935195143644672020-03-30T00:09:00.000-04:002020-03-30T20:55:09.988-04:00Bravely Default 2 Impressions<div>
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As someone who is a massive fan of Final Fantasy 5, its successor series, Bravely Default, has been recommended to me countless times. However, every time a game in this series is brought up, there's always some kind of caveat like "This game is great, but that second act is a doozy!" or "That game improves on some aspects of the original, but downgrades in other areas." As a result, I've been waiting for an ideal jumping-on point for this franchise for a while. When I saw in the recent Nintendo Direct that a demo for the newest game in the series, Bravely Default 2, was available, I figured that the time had finally come to get on board.<br />
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<u>Background</u><br />
Bravely Default 2 is a turn-based RPG in the style of classic Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games. One of the game's defining features is a job system that lets each character mix and match skills from a variety of classes. The demo features four classes: White Mage, Black Mage, Vanguard (knight), and Monk. The other major feature is the "Brave" and "Default" system that allows you to take extra actions in one turn at the expense of subsequent turns; which creates a risk-reward dynamic to the battle strategy. Despite its somewhat misleading name, Bravely Default 2 is actually the third game in the series and begins a new story with different characters than the previous games.<br />
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<u>Pros</u><br />
<ul>
<li>I found the game's graphics appealing, both in terms of art style and use of textures. The very detailed textures on somewhat simple-looking stylized character models made the gameplay and cutscenes look they were being enacted by dolls being posed in a playset. I thought it was kind of a neat look.</li>
<li>The game has nice battle animations that are distinct for each character and enemy. It's impressive considering how many types of monsters you're likely to encounter. For example, I like the way defeated enemies slump over and collapse; in most games of this type, they would just fade away.</li>
<li>On the topic of the doll-like quality of the game's graphics, I had a lot of fun playing dress-up with my characters; each character has a special costume for each class. I spent several minutes in the Job menu cycling through the classes for each character just to admire the costume designs.</li>
<li>No two characters in the main party speak with the same type of accent. I like this voice casting decision because it conveys that the characters come from a multicultural world. </li>
<li>The FF5-like job system has the potential to be a lot of fun, especially later on once more than four classes are available. </li>
<li>The music in the demo features pieces influenced by classical music, traditional Middle Eastern music, and rock. It was effective in giving the impression that the final game will have a great score.</li>
</ul>
<u><br /></u> <u>Cons</u><br />
<ul>
<li>The game's user interface can be a little unclear or inconsistent in layout. I sometimes felt like it was hard to display the info I needed both in menus and during battles.</li>
<li>Bravely Default 2 eschews traditional random battles for having enemies visible on-screen. The problem is that the enemies respawn too quickly; after defeating an enemy, all I would have to do is walk a short distance and then turn back to find that same enemy was alive and well again. Usually, the nice thing about having on-screen enemies is the ability to clear a room and explore freely; this demo did not allow me to do that, which I found frustrating. </li>
<li>After coming out of a battle, other enemies in the area can engage you immediately. I had many situations where I had to fight multiple groups of enemies consecutively without a break, making the effective frequency of combat higher than what it would have been with random encounters.</li>
<li>By far the biggest issue with this demo was its extremely imbalanced difficulty level. Just to make a modicum of progress into the dungeon in the demo's quest, I had to grind for a considerable amount of time. After playing for several hours, I managed to make it to the dungeon boss only to find that I could barely deal any damage to him; I would likely have to grind for several more hours just to be able to finish this demo, which just didn't seem worth it to me.</li>
</ul>
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Ultimately, this demo had the opposite effect than what was intended; it made me feel less inclined to pick up the full version. Why would I pre-order the full game when the demo was so discouraging to play? Since there seemed to be potential in the game from an artistic and mechanical standpoint, I'll probably give it a second look if reviews indicate that the final game has been drastically rebalanced to offer a less grinding-focused experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B7czQ1x5XTmDEcJ-FqzgdHykpYfv5adUPoBWGS69q-LGKT2kpTkNIbPkkOOITN-nXtSH8G-LquuT0q9BG7_oevhpBGQ6GaIiQzqdWhyphenhyphenrP_zL3STwylPBAjLtd4GBYluwM4_Bk4NTmA/s1600/Game+Capture+HD+3_28_2020+8_12_50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B7czQ1x5XTmDEcJ-FqzgdHykpYfv5adUPoBWGS69q-LGKT2kpTkNIbPkkOOITN-nXtSH8G-LquuT0q9BG7_oevhpBGQ6GaIiQzqdWhyphenhyphenrP_zL3STwylPBAjLtd4GBYluwM4_Bk4NTmA/s400/Game+Capture+HD+3_28_2020+8_12_50+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The demo warns you that the difficulty has been turned up "a little higher", but to me this seemed extreme.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNo-eXkavAth9yPCqhNwVMyj7vZFUzn2-Sj3F9ZFJEED31M6KlJGXzxtYmZR_3ePYQncTWWggkrVVBioYbKY_D8QEVqKqwzqq4ADdevaO88iWQ_PXfazdRDyrP757c2x-uxbjFNkE-ag/s1600/Game+Capture+HD+3_29_2020+11_42_30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNo-eXkavAth9yPCqhNwVMyj7vZFUzn2-Sj3F9ZFJEED31M6KlJGXzxtYmZR_3ePYQncTWWggkrVVBioYbKY_D8QEVqKqwzqq4ADdevaO88iWQ_PXfazdRDyrP757c2x-uxbjFNkE-ag/s400/Game+Capture+HD+3_29_2020+11_42_30+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found the dialog in the demo to be fairly entertaining.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0f24JeVSPZmppJswCbVZToNXN_NXlmxkqVrn6hUtn9Il_h406mfvW2kLv0eZ9xVfKknX41-ppPlQ0C7owSI6cyRngA822IMq2Lc2lw_8DUAilULafGdvLJECk1doHXMJzcRJuswzrQ/s1600/Game+Capture+HD+3_29_2020+11_45_06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0f24JeVSPZmppJswCbVZToNXN_NXlmxkqVrn6hUtn9Il_h406mfvW2kLv0eZ9xVfKknX41-ppPlQ0C7owSI6cyRngA822IMq2Lc2lw_8DUAilULafGdvLJECk1doHXMJzcRJuswzrQ/s400/Game+Capture+HD+3_29_2020+11_45_06+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be prepared to spend a lot of time staring at the battle screen if you decide to play this demo.</td></tr>
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Capsulejayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11620813455967226793noreply@blogger.com0