General Games Discussion

Tried Minecraft RTX beta this morning.

With RTX off: 145 FPS
With RTX on (ray tracing render distance 8 chunks): 55 FPS
with RTX on (ray tracing render distance 24 chunks): 10 FPS

I remain underwhelmed by what I’ve seen of RT so far. My main issue is that very smart coding and the latest iterations of all the major engines have got us to a place where a lot of what RT does can be expertly faked. Not as good as the genuine article but close enough to impress and satisfy. It is a technology well into its infancy in current state and next generation consoles are coming far too soon to be able to put RT in good use.

#5

Game: NiGHTS into Dreams.
Year: 1996.
Genre: Action.
Publisher: Sega.
Developer: Sonic Team.



First things first, I am changing my rating system to a simpler 10 point system. Games that get above a 7 I fully recommend, and those that get below that are mostly a waste of time. That leaves the score of 7 to depend on your taste

It is frankly surprising that Sega did not launch the Saturn with a Sonic the Hedgehog game. It becomes scandalous when you realize that the only Sonic game made for the console was outsourced to another company which naturally botched the job.

The reason that Sega did not bother developing a game for their biggest mascot is that the Sonic Team were making NiGHTS into Dreams, a game that would then go on to be a commercial and critical success.

Yet, in hindsight, while Sonic heralded the unlikely success of the Genesis, NiGHTS had no such effect on the fortunes of the Saturn. More important to this review, I don't think the game was ever a true killer game for the Saturn.

"Night Over"

The development of NiGHTS is a microcosm of Sega's development philosophy during the Saturn era; to simply transfer the Arcade experience into home consoles. Besides the gameplay elements that I will discuss later, this also translates to a lack of a narrative focus in their games.

In this case, there are CGI scenes at the beginning and end of the game that does a good job of explaining the basis of the story. However, besides those two videos, there is no attempt in-game to flesh out the world or characters, relegating all the story bits to the game's manual.

Since I am not reviewing the manual, I must refer to what can be understood from the game itself.

Two children with anxiety regarding a coming musical audition and basketball match go into a dream world when they sleep. In this dream world, they lose four important orbs, then they transform into the titular Nights character and retrieve those orbs. Each of the game's seven stages is divided into four short parts where you get the orbs, and then you have to fight a nightmarish boss at the end.

Honestly, I don't think it was going to be hard for each stage to have half a minute introduction explaining what is it that you are supposed to be doing or just attempt to give the world some character. Especially when the overall design of the world does not sell a cohesive story (unlike Sonic)

"The Ideal"

The second part where the game is based on the Arcade experience is in its focus on scoring and replayability. No matter how you cut it, seven stages are very little compared to other games being released on the PS1 and SNES at the same time.

However, Sega's idea was to provide a unique and fun action mechanics that would get you to replay the levels, again and again, having fun in both beating your previous score and in mastering the game's mechanics.

This is the same philosophy that propelled the Sonic games, and it works well here for those who will greatly enjoy the game.

The mechanics are truly unique, as gameplay is entirely focused on flight. As Nights, you mostly fly in a 2D plane (with an occasional shift in perspective that works really well), and you can freely go up and down and lop around. Your basic moves consist of an air dash and acrobatics that are there just for style. Once you get used to the gameplay mechanics, you realize that there is a lot of depth here.

In each level of a stage, you must gather at least 20 blue orbs to get the main objective orb. The levels rarely have serious hazards. Instead, there are a bunch of stars you can collect, rings you can fly through, and springs that increase your speed. The focus is to be as accurate and fast in flight as you can to get the best score.

While in theory, the Arcade style does work for NiGHTS, I don't think its unique gameplay style is as fun anymore, not to the extent that I will ever want to replay it.

"Do not mind"

The most surprising thing about NiGHTS is how its graphics did not age terribly, especially when compared to other mainly 3D Saturn games. It is obvious that the Sonic Team used all their graphical wizardry to make the game, which does look occasionally beautiful and vibrant, even in today's standards.

Even the CGI movie's quality is forgivable given its age and its effectiveness at conveying the story and emotions.

True, there are the occasional technical hiccups, but the game performs really well most of the time. Its graphical problems are not technical in nature but are rooted in design.

Simply, from the main character to the enemies and bosses in the game, I simply do not find any of them attractive or well-designed. In fact, the best quality they have is a certain cohesion in their creation, which makes them cohesively awful.

The same cannot be said about the soundtrack, which is technically strong and a joy to listen to. Since there are only a limited number of stages, the soundtrack is as such restricted in scope. Which is a shame, since its probably the only unblemished part of the whole package.

I even liked the cheesy end-credits song.

In Conclusion:

As a replacement to Sonic, it was bound that NiGHTS would sell highly for the system. However, I don't think it brought people specifically into the console's eco-system, nor do I think that it is equal to the blue rodent's style or substance.

It is simply a unique action game that encompassed the limited and flawed design philosophy of Sega at the time.

Final: 6/10

Pros:

• Truly a unique gameplay system
  
• The music is quite good
  

Cons:

• If you don't absolutely love the gameplay system, there is nothing much for you
  
• Small number of stages
  

"Tips"
1- Loop around items to get all of them in one step.
2- You can use the shoulder buttons to do acrobatics.
3- Immediately attempt to get the 20 blue orbs in each level.
4- You need to get at least a grade of C in all six levels before you unlock the final seventh level.

"Next Game"

So the best-selling Saturn game turned out to be a dud for me, I think that in the long run, it turned out to be a dud for Sega as well if the fortunes of the Saturn are anything to go by.

The next game on my review list is Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, which sits at #4 in the Retro Sanctuary list. I will play the Panzer Dragoon (which has been recently remade) first, and I may review it, just to have some context regarding the supposedly hugely improved sequel.

Stay Tuned

danyjr wrote:Tried Minecraft RTX beta this morning.

With RTX off: 145 FPS
With RTX on (ray tracing render distance 8 chunks): 55 FPS
with RTX on (ray tracing render distance 24 chunks): 10 FPS

I remain underwhelmed by what I’ve seen of RT so far. My main issue is that very smart coding and the latest iterations of all the major engines have got us to a place where a lot of what RT does can be expertly faked. Not as good as the genuine article but close enough to impress and satisfy. It is a technology well into its infancy in current state and next generation consoles are coming far too soon to be able to put RT in good use.

Damn, what a performance hit. What resolution and what GPU are you using? Next gen is supposed to have more tensor cores for RT purposes, so they should perform a lot better. There will also be technologies like DLSS and variable shading, which are supposed to help fight against the performance hit on average.

Resolution: 2560×1440
GPU: RTX 2080 Ti

I'm sure next gen will improve the performances, but even 3× the performance would equate to 30 FPS at max settings. And this is Minecraft ffs

Finished Witcher main story. Best RPG game i’ve played.

Ending jebaited me hard.

Which ending did you get?

Ciri Witcher

Imlerith was def my fav boss fight.

Killed first boss on my second try in Bloodborne.

I’m so washed up lmao

Can't stop playing, and I've not even touched the politics in the game. This game portray movie epics very well. I've already gotten Kingdom of Heaven vibe, the first scene in Gladiator and colosseum. All the epics. You know the W3 intro fight? Here you can play it. Still in EA and for me it's already the best game of the last five years. Can't wait when full conversions start to roll out, especially LotR, this is perfect for Helms Deep etc.

LeVersacci wrote:Finished Witcher main story. Best RPG game i’ve played.

Ending jebaited hard

Seeing as you enjoyed it, you should play the expansions they're genuinely every bit as good as the main game when you get the time.

Seeing as you started Bloodborne though i would finish that first, or when you rage quit. Whatever comes first lmao.

Planned to do them both after Bloodborne.

Ain’t quitting this time lmao.

Crysis Remastered is coming to PS4 etc

Might be getting this

Wouldn't bother with Crysis tbh, has always been a glorified benchmark tool rather than an actual game.

Yeah I literally remember that game being used nothing but testing your rig.

Everything in the game is simulated and dynamic, from economy to politics and fighting. The locational ragdolling is beautiful.

Killed Vicar & BSB. This is where i was on my other char before I quit.
Clearing cathedral & farming 10k for the key was hell. Also Old Yharnam is a foul shaitan city. Fuck everything about that place lmao.

Remember how disgusting Vicar was so summoned a guy (never used it last time I played)

Mans even pointed to a NPC spot that I also summoned (Henriett?) 3 hunters sliced & diced Vicar

Old Yharnam is disgusting

That railgun ffs

#4

Game: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei.
Year: 1996.
Genre: Rail Shooter
Publisher: Sega.
Developer: Team Andromeda (Sega).



First things first, I am changing my rating system to a simpler 10 point system. Games that get above a 7 I fully recommend, and those that get below that are mostly a waste of time. That leaves the score of 7 to depend on your taste

The Panzer Dragoon series is considered the most legendary and most technically impressive series on the Sega Saturn. Starting with the first game, which was just remade for modern consoles, I didn't get the appeal although I respect the technical artistry of the past. The first game simply didn't play well in addition to having a significantly aged graphical look.

Not having much hope for the supposedly superior sequel, I was then pleasantly surprised that it truly deserves its esteemed reputation. It outclasses the first game in every category, and it is still fun to play now.

"People lived in terror of the living weapon created from gene construction. The weapon that humans created have cost them the power they once held"

Somehow, Team Andromeda didn't get the internal Sega memo directing against story segments in its score-attack games. It is obvious that that the team developed the small story segments of the game in conjunction with developing an entire history of the series.

While the story "told" in the actual game is straightforward and brief; a man rides his dragon to destroy the giant ship that destroyed his village. The story embedded in the world-building is intriguing and I am excited about what the team can do with it.

The world design reminds me of older anime movies like Nausicaa of the Valley of Winds, and the director obviously appreciates the world that the crafted. Unlike the non-stop action of the first game or other Saturn action titles, Panzer Dragoon II takes the time to stop and allow you to appreciate the world-design.

There is a skill in advancing narrative without the need to say many words, showing shots of the ancient ship in the distance, or the snarl of a competing dragon, are both effective at providing space for your imagination to fill in the details.

"I didn't mean to break the code. Only... I couldn't kill him"

The first two Panzer Dragoon games are Rail Shooters in a similar mold to the Star Fox games. You control a dragon and his rider as they fly through the air, shooting enemies through an on-screen cursor while the screen-moves on-rails.

One aspect that I saw very little in other Rail Shooters is the ability to turn the camera 360 degrees around the character. This allows you to shoot enemies incoming at the sides and from the back, adding an extra layer of control to the traditional Rai Shooters experience.

When I first played the first game, I was immediately worried regarding the Saturn controls, which do not have an analog stick. The cursor wasn't very accurate given the speed of the dragon and needing to switch perspectives suddenly threw my aim off. It wasn't a matter of difficulty, but a matter of actively fighting the controls.

Thankfully, the experience is much improved in the sequel. Whatever programing the team did, the cursor moves smoothly and accurately, allowing more control of the shooting. Additionally, changing the camera now can be handled more efficiently as well, since your cursor allows you to move the "edge" of your view without having to push the shoulder buttons to change perspective. Also, the game expands the dragon's arsenal with a special move, in addition to his lock-on attack (which is very useful).

"I was horrified by the ancient power. But the real horror came afterward..."

Any criticism of the Panzer Dragoon remake would focus on its short length, which is a bigger problem now, but was still an issue back when these games were released. Similar to other score-attack games, this is a game built with repetition in mind.

Thankfully, the second game has a little more replay value than the first, with some different alternate routes in three of its six levels in addition to a dragon evolution mechanic that hides some of the best forms behind a skill barrier.

The short length does not jeopardize the excellent gameplay and levels that are already included, with six exciting stages each with their own style. Initially, your dragon doesn't fly much, and the first two stages are spent mostly on the ground. This works as a sort of tutorial phase because you have to worry less about movement.

Once you go up the skies, the enemies become more complex, shooting harder to avoid patterns at you. Fighting moves from open fields to dense forest and even tight ancient corridors. Each level culminates with an exciting boss fight that tests the limits of your skill.

In spite of a slight difficulty spike in the final two levels, the game is entirely fair and manageable. Especially since you always have access to a radar showing you where the enemies are, and as such you should never be blindsided by any powerful attack.

"After all this, he is still with me..."

It's not a controversial statement that it is likely that the most technically impressive graphics of the 5th generation consoles may still have aged badly. Simply, the 3D capabilities of that time did not stand the test of time.

That being said, there is no doubt that the graphics of Panzer Dragoon II are a technical marvel, not only pushing the Saturn to its limits, but also producing graphical effects that were impossible on the superior PS1.

Thankfully, the game didn't only rely on graphical prowess alone; it also had some excellent art direction which manages to salvage some of the game's visual splendor in spite of its aged graphics.

The same cannot be said about the soundtrack, which doesn't need any salvaging or historical qualifiers, as it is simply wonderful and one of the Saturn's best.

I was initially worried that like the first game, a good soundtrack will be buried behind an avalanche of obnoxious sound effects. Thankfully, the balance is more to the side of the music this time, and what music is this.

With an excellent selection of complex and atmospheric tunes, the music is yet another layer to the intriguing world crafted by Team Andromeda. Even complaining about its short length would be disingenuous, as the soundtrack offers more tunes for six levels than any other game would, with music changing within the level itself.

In Conclusion:

From a historical perspective, it is obvious why Panzer Dragoon II Zwei is such a highly regarded Saturn title. It pushes the console to its limits while providing an exciting and fun game. Equally, I think it is one of the few Sega titles that insists on adding a narrative to accompany its action gameplay.

Beyond that perspective, the game still plays well today, and I am excited to see how the remake pans out.

Final: 8/10

Pros:

• Intriguing world and good direction
  
• Good and exciting gameplay
  
• Excellent music
  

Cons:

• The graphics didn't age very well
  
• It is ultimately a short game
  

"Tips"
1- Learn how to use your lock-on homing attacks.
2- To get the special dragons, you need to pick the more difficult routes and to score over 90% destruction rate in all levels.
3- Pay close attention to the radar.
4- When shooting at the sides, you cannot evade attacks, only attempt to destroy projectiles.

"Next Game"

When I first played the first Panzer Dragoon I was afraid that the second game would be another Saturn classic that I end up disliking. Thankfully, the game was fun to play and I imagine would have been gorgeous to look at back in the day.

Next, I am supposed to play the final game in my Saturn Reviews; Panzer Dragoon Saga which is #1 in the Retro Sanctuary list. However, I am going to fist play a game called Mr. Bones, which was requested by a community member.

Stay Tuned

Done with Bloodborne for the rest of the week.

That whole forbidden forrest/Woods drained all my energy. Spent 40 min to get the lamp from cath. 1.5 hour clearing shit cause I got lost in the end and summoned a guy.

Spent another 30 min clearing till we finally got to the 3 bosses. Mans get 360 YY 1 shot before he barely entered the fog. Spent 30 min fighting them and killing them on first try.

What a ride

did u find some of the secrets in the woods though

I don't think I've ever explored it besides my initial playthrough but it has a few neat secrets, still one of my least fav areas

Didn't find anything unless it's after the 3 samurai bosses

Developers said Bannerlord will be very moddable. Three weeks in and it has got 800 mods, more than Skyrim, even without releasing any modding tools.  



The engine has also many features that I've not seen in other games. Like 512 channel audio, to differentiate the scale of the battle. With the Cheer mod, that really comes to alive.

Got a itch to buy Nintendo Switch. Should I?

no

Firenze wrote:no

that reminds me....