General Games Discussion

Fans hated Diablo 3. I was actually hyped for it pre-release. Shame it flopped.

Sleeping Dogs is great. I do recommend it highly but keep your expectations in check. I found GTA 5 far better.

D3 was hated out of nostalgia, played D2 to death and nearly a year spent with D3.

PS4 D3 was really bad though since Sony wont monitor cheat & hack, also 1 or 2 patch behind( no new items) and no seasonal ladder. If u want to try D3 now, go with PC, the community is still strong and Blizzard still planing its upcoming seasons.

#98

Game: Decap Attack.
Year: 1991.
Genre: Platformer.
Publisher: Sega.
Developer: Vic Tokai.



First things first, I am changing my rating system to better rate different genres according to their own rules. It will still be from 50 quality points, but every title will start from 25 and earn/lose points according to criteria important to the titles and genres themselves.

Right off the bat, the game makes a terrible impression. It starts with one of the loudest and most obnoxious sound effects I heard in video games. It only follows that up with more obnoxiousness in a what seems an attempt to comment on B-Horror movies, just like Zombies Ate My Neighbor.

When the game actually starts, it does manage to be interesting for a bit, but it could never shake off the bad first impression it had on me, until I formed an even worst impression.

Decap Attack is more than a game that fails to be a B-Movie inspired Platformer, it is a game that fails some basic gameplay principles.

"Max D. Cap's evil plan is totally Bogus"

To counter the more family-friendly image of the SNES, a significant number of Sega games tried to shoehorn in the bloody and the macabre so that Sega "does what Nintendon't". Decap Attack is obviously one of the games following that trend, as it is a complete redesign of an Arabian themed Japanese games with only few elements conserved.

In this iteration, you control Chuck, a Mummy with no face. Technically, that is not correct, as there is a face planted on his torso, and he can extend that face to hurt enemies. Why doesn't Chuck have a face? At first, when I found a skeleton head powerup, I thought it would be a smart design choice that would have gameplay elements.

Chuck could find different heads that give him different powers. Instead, Chuck only has that one head power-up that he can get, and his headless design is nothing more than a one-note joke. In fact, it is among a consistent string of inconsistencies in the game.

The evil Max D. Cap have risen from hell with his armies of demons to conquer the world. Except, the enemies in the game do no look like any form of a demon army, cartoonish or otherwise. In fact, they don't look like they are all from the same game. Similarity, the game's world is inconsistent, the locations do not follow any theme, and only the horror themed music being the sole consistent thread that ties them all.

Bosses look great, but their design doesn't fit with the world, and as a consequence, some look like rejects from other better games.

Its just all a slapdash soup of stuff that doesn't mix well, so much that the final mixture looks like a five day old stew where all the components have broken off and you can see where the various liquids separated and such.

Congested Soup: -6

"Chuck D. Head"

Did you get that? His name is Chuck D. Head, and his main form of attack is chucking his head about. At least when he has the skeleton power-up. Someone actually thought that was a funny pun. To be fair, the head chucking aspect of the game is the most fun, and it deserves the most emphasis.

When you have that power up (which you lose when hit), your attack sends the Skeleton head flying forward, damaging enemies as it goes. Then, it rests in a place damaging enemies that come into contact. If you don't pick it up, ot goes back to you damaging enemies in its retreat.

Obviously, it is a very powerful move, as it can one hit kill almost all enemies in the game, and you can pick up and throw as you move, literally destroying everything in your wake. It is oddly satisfying to throw your head around and destroying everything.

It must be said the actual platforming in the game is not so bad. In fact, Chuck moves responsively, and the action is fast. The action is especially great when facing some rather good bosses. Levels are usually large, and they contain a lot of items. These items can be used to help you in a multitude of ways.

Unfortunately, every third level (the boss level) asks you to find one item hidden in the stage that you need to progress. This unnecessarily slows down the pace in these third stages, although it does add a different twist.

At first, it appears that the gameplay is actually fun at best, and inoffensive at worst. That is until you realize that in latter levels, the game basically breaks some paramount gameplay rule; that a level can actually be beatable.

In some games, you are required to perform a difficult complicated action at some stage. An action that most players would fail at once or twice, learn from that failure and manage to conquer later. As an example, imagine having to run through falling platforms, but dying. When you are revived, the falling platfroms would be back in their place.

In Decap Attack, in at least two late levels, the platforms you need to progress do not go back if you die. Which means that if you died the first time around after knocking down a few of those platforms, you won't be able to finish the level.

This, coupled with the fact that there is no saving in Decap Attack can ruin runs, and is an unforgivable mistake for any game to make.

Some Fun Platfroming: +2
Chucking D. Head: +2
Boss Battles: +2
Failure in Basic Game Design:-10

"Be Careful Chuck"

Besides the fact that there is no artistic consistency to the game, the actual graphics look good. The sprites animate well, and Chuck moves really well. There are even some humorous touches to him, as with a Willy E. Coyote leg shuffle when about to fall down a pit. However, the background is a little bland, and some platforms are not easily visible as platforms.

As for the sound design, the music is suitable, and some tracks are fun. While the art is inconsistent to the theme of the game, the music, which sounds like something you could hear in Scooby Doo or another Horror-inspired Cartoon, is actually pretty thematic.

Unfortunately, the sound effects are horrible, and I am not just talking about the obnoxious opening sounds. Every time I jump, it reminds me of the value of Mario's jumping sound. Every time I Chuck that Head, I am reminded by the value of Contra's therapeutic firing effect.

All in all, Decap Attack ranges from acceptable to obnoxious in its presentation.

Sprite Design: +3
Sound: -1

In Conclusion:

Even if Decap Attack was not a broken game, it would be a fairly average game. It can be fun at times, and if you can withstand the obnoxious sound effects, you might even enjoy the music. Sure, it looks like a Frankensteinian amalgamation from other games, but tou might even forgive that as being thematically appropriate.

However, the fact that through regular play, the game can become unbeatable after one unfortunate death, that is unacceptable.

Ironically, that can be thematically appropriate as well. A game that didn't bother to add anything to its character design other than lacking a head might not care that much about testing the game as being actually complete.

Final: 17/50

"Tips"
1- Don't play the game.

"Next Game"

Well, that was an epic bad start. I think I actually was little too easy on the game. It was surely a headless meas (Get it). When compared to the first game I reviewed on the SNE (Blackthorne and I gave it a 29) it sure looks like a bad omen. However, the actual game in the SNES that I should have reviewed first was Final Fight which I gave an 18 to, so this is not saying much.

Next game is another B-Horror inspired game, Haunting Starring Poltergeist at #94. Here is hoping to avoid another horror show (or should I ask for an actual horror show).

Stay Tuned

If yall get Rocket League maybe we can get some GL on GL action; it has crossplay after all...

shit game imo

rocket league is goat

#94

Game: Haunting Starring Polterguy.
Year: 1993.
Genre: Action Puzzle.
Publisher: EA.
Developer: EA.



First things first, I am changing my rating system to better rate different genres according to their own rules. It will still be from 50 quality points, but every title will start from 25 and earn/lose points according to criteria important to the titles and genres themselves.

Poltergeists are a class of ghosts that cause mischief around the house, turning off the lights, making some weird noises, and sometime moving the furniture. In this game, the Poltergeist (or should I say Polterguy) is much nastier.

As Polterguy, you are tasked with scaring an admittedly unpleasant looking family away from the house. In a unique twist, this doesn't involve thematically inappropriate platfromer levels, but actually using your ghost powers to posses their house, and scare the living daylights out of them.

"I've got a radical surprise for the Sardinis"

Immediately ,you can recognize that Haunting is a unique game. In an isometric view, you wander around the various rooms of the house, looking for one of the four Sardini family members, and then you posses the environment to scare them. There are usually three types of scares, called Freight 'ems, but they all have a similar effect.

However, they all look widely different. I think there are more than 200 different unique scares, spread around four houses. These scares are the obvious stars of the show. Some are basic, like a couch suddenly growing spikes, but some are as elaborate as a shit man springing out of the toilet and throwing feces at the wall. Sometimes its too crass, but most of the time it is funny stuff.

If you don't enjoy these little animations, there won't be much to enjoy in the game, as they are the focus. With each scare activated, the Sardini family member's fear level rise, and then they run away from the room. Your job is to activate as many scares as necessary to scare all four out of the house. It might as well be a point and click adventure, with all you do is clicking on items you want to activate.

Unfortunately, the game wasn't content in being a barrel of jokes, and actually tried to implement some gameplay elements, which is where it fails.

A huge variety of Scares: +5
Innovative gameplay: +2

"Get back here you wimps"

Apparently, EA didn't think they could justify selling their game on visual gags alone. While that was a fair assessment, it shouldn't have meant shoehorning unnecessary gameplay elements into the mix. If you thought you could seamlessly move from room to room scaring the Sardinis, then you are wrong.

In order to use a Fright 'em, you need a resource called Ecto, but that Ecto also reduces with time and is only partially replenished through the frightened Sardinis. However, it is not a resource management game, because your Ecto will at least finish three times a level.

When that happens, you are transferred to an underground dungeon segment, where you hunt for Ecto. This dungeon is the only place where you could lose the game, as you hunt for Ecto drops in an uninspired level filled with stupid obstacles. Its not fun, and the only challenge is because the controls were not built for it.

Theoretically, you could spend more time in this stupid dungeon than actually having fun scaring the Sardinis. I understand that the game wanted to pad itself out, but it did so by having the busiest of mundane content.

To add insult to injury, there is also a totally unexpected, and completely shoehorned boss battle at the end.

Go to the Fun Dungeon: -5

"Don't you and your slimy family run away from me"

Obviously, for a game built on its visual gags, it needs those gags to be well animated. Thankfully, that is the case with Haunting, where both the scares and the family reactions manage to get a laugh.

Each member of the Sardini family reacts differently to the scares, with a number of funny reactions among them. As for the scares themselves, they are well animated, and as I said, funny most of the time.

However, the crassness of some of the jokes should be noted. In fact, the entire package is sometimes mean in its language. It is obviously a number of middle aged men trying to pander to the 90s skateboarding culture, with words like Radical and Dude thrown about. But it also is another obvious Sega Does what Nintendon't schtick, with some of the crassest gags being an obvious node to that.

Now, while the game does really well graphically, the sound is nothing to write about. There are literally just around 4 or 5 tracks, and the sound effects are thankfully not obnoxious.

Graphical Design and Animation: +5
Sound: -2

In Conclusion:

I confess that Haunting does well only because of its unique premise. The visual gags, while fun, wouldn't be able to carry an entire game. Instead, we are offered a punishing and boring dungeon sequence for the privilege of activating those gags.

However, there was literally no games like it then, and very little now. Its because of that, and because of the really well-done animation by EA that I feel this title is actually somewhat OK.

Final: 30/50

"Tips"
1- Focus on one family member at a time.
2- If you notice the dog, just run away from the room.
3- In the dungeon sequence, try and not get hurt, because there is actually a health bar.
4- If you reach the final boss, consider the game beaten, because it is not worth it beating him as well.
5- You are here for the gags, so diversify your Fright 'em selections.

"Next Game"

OK, that was much better than Decap Attack, even if I feel I wasn't as tough on it as I should. At least it wasn't broken, aye.

Next game is going to be my second platformer, which is the highest represented genre in the Genesis, and its Bubble and Squeak at #91.

Stay Tuned

Just for you, LS:

Adding another lesser hyped game to my hitlist

Tales from the Borderlands is apparently GOTY worthy from what i have been reading, so i think i'm going to give it a chance alongside Ori, Life is Strange and Until Dawn.

It’s bad enough that a Massachusetts family’s Target-purchased Christmas console wound up being a piece of wood in a PlayStation 4 box, but did whoever swapped it out have to draw a dick and balls on it?

According to a report by Boston’s Fox 25 and the step-mother’s Facebook post, nine-year-old Scott Lundy was over-the-moon when he unwrapped a PlayStation 4 box on Christmas morning, shouting, “YES THIS IS THE
BEST CHRISTMAS EVER DAD CAN WE SET THIS UP NOW?”

So imagined how crushed he was when they opened the box and discovered a block of wood vaguely shaped like a PlayStation 4. And imagine how shocked parents Kristin and Brian were when the saw what was scrawled on the wood—”From cock and balls with love”, along with a picture of those two things.
http://kotaku.com/boy-opens-christmas-playstation-4-finds-a-block-of-woo-1749852904#ftag=YHF6738a5f

wasn't sure where to post this but it's relevant, I guess

UNREAL BANTER

Witcher 3 in Ultrawide

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Adding another lesser hyped game to my hitlist

Tales from the Borderlands is apparently GOTY worthy from what i have been reading, so i think i'm going to give it a chance alongside Ori, Life is Strange and Until Dawn.

Tales from the Borderlands started well, and my first impression was that it had a lot of potential as an episodic series. I enjoyed playing it and it had it's moments, but GOTY is definitely an exaggeration Story-wise, The Wolf Among Us was better and it had a better atmosphere as well, in my opinion. Tales from the Borderlands has more variation and interactive moments, though. It's a good game and the dorky humour in it appealed to me, but it wasn't so good that I would go out of my way to recommend it to someone.

By Telltales' standards it was a 6-7/10, in my humble opinion. I especially enjoyed the first two-three episodes. I'm not surprised that the game is "lesser hyped". I haven't played the Game of Thrones one, but from what I've heard, that game started off slow and peaked later on. My impression of the Borderlands game was that it peaked early, and the excitement kind of faded towards the end of it. Troy Baker voices the main protagonist, but despite that, I didn't care all too much about him. If you intend to get it, I advice you not to expect too much after the first two-three episodes. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the last episode was quite anti-climatic.. and I think it's because I expected more from it.

As for Life is Strange, it's one of those hate it or love it- type of games. I think most people will either get immersed in the atmosphere or be bored out of their minds while trying to figure out what's supposed to be so appealing about the game. I've had a great time playing it together with my girlfriend, and I'm pretty far into the second-to-last episode if I remember correctly. I did take a prolonged break from it in favor of Rainbow Six, though.. and I'm struggling to motivate myself to pick it up again these days, despite enjoying it. It's one of the most slow-paced games I've ever played, and sometimes I just don't have the patience for games like that. I have to be in the right mood for it.

In hindsight, I think taking a break from the game probably wasn't such a good idea. I have the same problem with good TV shows sometimes - I stop watching for an extended period of time, and then I struggle to motivate myself to pick them up again. I do think you'll like it though, Mole.

"Tales from the Borderlands is an episodic point-and-click graphic adventure comedy video game"


pls go

point and click

mole pls

Point and click isn't always bad, I'm gonna take Thimmy's word for it though.

Definitely still getting life is strange.

Walking Dead season one was a point and click game yet it won the game of the year.

If we are being fair though, it was probably the worst year in like the last 20 years

The other contenders would probably be Journey and Dishonored.

Need to get S2 of TWD soon ffs

Clementine ffs that ending in S1

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:If we are being fair though, it was probably the worst year in like the last 20 years

The other contenders would probably be Journey and Dishonored.

I'd hardly call it the worst year in gaming since some good games came out that year but for unknown reasons they were overlooked in the game awards, probably because some of them did not generate enough hype.

Sleeping Dogs, Open world game with tons of activity, fun gameplay and a decent story.
Spec Ops: The Line, a first person shooter but the story was pretty good.
Max Payne 3, ok maybe not the best Max Payne story in the series but graphically there was huge improvement.
Mass Effect 3, ironically i started becoming a Mass Effect fan from playing this game.
Assassin's Creed 3, people say it was boring but i personally enjoyed playing it, maybe because i'm into American history.
Borderlands 2
Darksiders II

The fact AC3 is probably the best game from that list says it all tbh. ( although i did consider it my personal GOTY at the time)

That year was weak AF imo, i'm struggling to think of a weaker one from the last decade tbh.

2014 was a pretty disgusting year imo

ES wrote:2014 was a pretty disgusting year imo

It's close but to me and you can laugh if you want

But Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros and Bayonetta 2 puts it above 2012.

I'd understand why people think 2014 is shite if they just owned a PS3/360 or PS4/XBO but to me it was a very strong year.

2014 was great for the Wii U and 3DS.

Deceased

He's not wrong though lol, also they were games people would play if they were on PS4 imo.