General Games Discussion

20 clubs was grindy because of only 1 playstyle which was disgusting

We couldn’t get a 4+ last time after we took a break.

But i’m up for 21 and MT will most likely be in lobby as usual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB7c2uZACcI

Trump banned on twitch for hateful conduct yet no news on the Doc smh

Trump had a twitch account?

Yea lol

Most people didnt know anyway

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-29/harry-potter-game-developers-rattled-by-j-k-rowling-backlash

Hasn't this been in the works for good few years now?

DS3 on hold till after summer as i’m not in the mood for these type of challenging games.

Want more story driven/action games after TLOU2. Currently replaying UC4. First time since launch and it’s still goat.

Might squeeze Black Flag before Ghost is out.

LeVersacci wrote:DS3 on hold till after summer as i’m not in the mood for these type of challenging games.

Want more story driven/action games after TLOU2. Currently replaying UC4. First time since launch and it’s still goat.

Might squeeze Black Flag before Ghost is out.

You can give Devil May Cry 5 a try, straight action with okaish story ( story is never the focus in DMC unvisere).

It’s on the backlog. Matter of having time before I pick up PS5.

LeVersacci wrote:DS3 on hold till after summer as i’m not in the mood for these type of challenging games.

Want more story driven/action games after TLOU2. Currently replaying UC4. First time since launch and it’s still goat.

Might squeeze Black Flag before Ghost is out.

You can give the Yakuza series a try. Its an open world action brawler and very story driven. Yakuza 0 is the perfect starting point. There is Judgement which has the same gameplay and map but completely different story.

Control is a short and fairly decent game. Jedi Fallen Order is basically a diet Sekiro. No Soulsborne difficulty and a Stars Wars lore/story.

I recommend playing through Yakuza 0, but it’s not for everyone, and a lot of people seem to lose patience right at the start of the game. I lent my physical copy of Yakuza 0 to two friends, and none of them managed to play through it after loaning it for around 3 years between them

I have a list of games i’m going through till PS5. If I got time left I can check the backlog what’s what.

Played some random Yakuza game on PS3. Not my cup of tea. I quit early on.

play Until Dawn

underrated tbh

oh i still have that.

you could give Detroit: Become Human a chance versacci

Played all Quantic Dream games.

Streamer OG Reckful commits suicide (Depression)

Crazy shit. One of the first streamer I watched back in the wow BC - WOTLK days along with Athene & Swifty.

Enjoying Detroit: Become Human so far, probably David Cage's best game. decent soundtrack, engaging story and characters that make you sympathize and care for them.

Like all David Cage games though it has its flaws, not much gameplay other than QTEs and button mashing.

#84

Game: Silhouette Mirage
Year: 1998 (JP), 2000 (NA).
Genre: Run 'n Gun.
Publisher: Working Designs.
Developer: Treasure.



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

While they are not a very well-known developer, Treasure managed to carve a well-regarded niche for themselves. They are known to make all kinds of solid action shooters from Shmups like Radiant Silvergun to Run 'n Guns like Gunstar Heroes.

As such, fans of the developers know what to expect here, and Silhouette Mirage mostly delivers in that front. It has a great shooter foundation and adds into it a unique color-coded shooting mechanic in addition to a funny story and charming characters.

Yet, several minor shortcomings add up to detract from the final game, holding it back from being on of Treasure's best, erm, treasures.

"I was created to be the messenger of Justice"

Past Treasure games did have the semblance of a story, but none had any extensive dialogue that fleshed it out or much of character interactions. That changed with Silhouette Mirage and Working Designs excellent localization, which make a cohesive story with honestly some good and funny dialogue.

The story is set in year 2XXX on Earth, where some calamity caused all creatures to separate into two attributes, "Silhouettes" and "Mirages". In this world, the game heroine who has both attributes in her body, Shyna, is born to resolve whatever this calamity was. Obviously, this won't be simple, with the most powerful men in the world sending their minions to stop her.

While the main story is nothing to write about, especially with its weird and confusing conclusion, the journey is some seriously funny and charming stuff. All the enemies Shyna encounters have some funny dialogue that fits very well with their visual design. Also, the story progress includes some over-the-top set-pieces that are straight out of 90's anime shows.

This level of charm and hilarity was never approached in previous Treasure games and is actually one of the best attributes of Silhouette Mirage, and this has a lot to do with Working Design's excellent localization as well.

"Ha? It looks like you really screwed up baby! You 'ave stumbled into my messed-up lit'l world, an' we're on the attack!!"

Even if it has a good story, a Treasure game still lives and dies by its gameplay, which is expectedly good here, but with some serious caveats.

Silhouette Mirage is a regular2D Run 'n Gun game on the surface with obvious inspirations from Gunstar Heroes. Shyna has access to several weapons (most which are useless, but more on that later) but also has several other options as well. She can slide beneath enemies, dash around a lot, triple jump, grab enemies, and even throw them around. Mechanically, the game can play almost exactly like Gunstar Heroes but in a different setting.

However, what sets this game apart may is its color-coded attacks mechanic that is an obvious precursor to the legendary Ikaruga. Enemies in the game come in two attributes and can only be damaged by the opposite attribute. For instance, "Silhouette" enemies can only be damaged by "Mirage" attacks, and the same goes for bosses (some which can also change their attributes).

Unlike the latter Ikaruga, the attribute switching here isn't done through a simple button press. Instead, Shyna's attribute is governed by what direction she is facing. You see, having both attributes in her body means that each attribute occupies half of that body vertically. So, if she one direction, only one side is shown and she starts shooting with that attribute.

Obviously, this opens up a unique tactical dimension to battles where you try and push enemies (or throw them) towards the end of the screen facing the correct attribute, which is fun in the beginning but grows annoying later on. Thankfully, shooting enemies with the same attribute is not useless as it both reduces their attack power while recovering some of your spirit meter.

It would have been better to change attributes with a button press (which is available but require a lot of spirit power to use).

"I can take consolation in the fact that my life is nowhere near as pathetic and painful as your miserable existence is about to become"

With its solid action-shooter gameplay in place along with its unique hook, Silhouette Mirage is all about providing varied scenarios to test the player's mastery of those mechanics. True to Treasure's usual style, this leads to a larger Boss to Pawn ratio than any other developer.

These bosses are all great fights.

In fact, they are so great that Treasure believes you will want to replay the game four times to fight all of them (to see all endings). Unfortantnetly, this leads to Treasure making some questionable design decisions that downgrade your first playthrough so that it can justify subsequent ones.

For instance, buying different weapons is very expensive, which means that you will most probably only have two or three options for the entire playthrough. This is due to money being locked down behind an annoying "cash bash" mechanic. Still, if you persist and get enough money to buy different weapons you will only realize that all but one of them is significantly inferior to your basic shooter.

Honestly, it can be said that the game is worth playing through twice. However, there is really little variety between each playthrough as the game only diverges in the final level. By the third time, it justs gets too slow and boring for a Treasure game.

"Two attributes... just like me... but I'm cute and kind and strong and smart and sweet and humble"

I think the only reason that the game's writing landed as well as it did is because of the amazing personality of its graphics. Drawn expertly in 2D sprites, the game graphics showcases Treasure's usual cartoony style that belies its deep and difficult gameplay.

Characters are uniquely drawn in a style similar to early 90's kid's anime, and that translates to some of the ridiculous animation (one guy slashes an ENTIRE BUILDING IN HALF). Of course, the graphic aged very well and still looks great today.

That's especially the case when you consider how well the game behaves even when there is a lot of things going on screen, which you need to pay attention to decide which attribute to use (and which side to face).

Thankfully, the sound effects help make things clear without being annoying at all, and as such, they don't mask the game's quirky and funky soundtrack Truth be told, this is not among Treasure's best OSTs but it actually fits the game very well.

Only later, when the stakes are much higher, the soundtrack goes for a generic evil-sounding style that doesn't fit with the upbeat nature of the game.

In Conclusion:

Would Ikaruga exist without this game? I think this is an important question to consider when discussing the legacy of Silhouette Mirage. It is true that its signature mechanic may have inadvertently lead to an unwelcome slowdown of its gameplay, but that mechanic was simply a brilliant idea.

You may wonder if the reception would have been different if attribute switching was done with a single button press. I think it would have improved the game a bit, but then we would focus on some other minor issues.

For whatever reasons, Silhouetter Mirage is a good Treasure game with some a heap of minor things holding it back from being one of the studio's best games.

Final: 7/10

Pros:

• The usual very good Treasure action-shooting gameplay
  
• It has a truly unique mechanic
  
• Graphics and story are full of character
  

Cons:

• The game's unique mechanics lends for some tediousness in playing
  
• For a game built on replayability, there isn't a lot of variety in approaches
  

"Tips"
1-Don's depend on switching attributes with spirit power, it's not a valid strategy.
2-Don't neglect grab attacks as they can set up small enemies for the attribute that damages them.
3-Also, when grabbing enemies, you can bash them to get cash (most viable way of getting cash).
4-Slope are not stable ground, you might slip into enemy fire if you are not careful.
5-You basic weapon (Sarusa) is the most useful so focus on upgrading it.

"Next Game"

I haven't played all Treasure games, but I think I rank this one above Alien Soldier on the Genesis and under four other games which I gave 8 or higher. I think this actually will be the last Treasure game I play for a while, at least until I finish my PS1 reviews.

Next in my review list is a report of the top 90-81 games on the Retro Sanctuary list. After that, I am going to start reviewing games from the "Additional List", starting with Tail Concerto at #A75.

Stay Tuned

NBA 2K21 will be $70 on next gen. First of the many.

Devs high af if they think people will buy SP with length < 20 hrs

LeVersacci wrote:NBA 2K21 will be $70 on next gen. First of the many.

Devs high af if they think people will buy SP with length < 20 hrs

Oh but kiddos will.

Does anyone remember how much a PS, PS2, PS3 and PS4 game (AAA) used to cost? I want to do know % change every generation.

Iirc I'm sure I had PS2 games at like £35 so it's not actually changed much if you buy from certain stores and not through the ps store

This is surely the biggest increase in any metric for AAA games plus they'll also keep infinite amounts of MTX on top of that.

If I'm paying £65 for a story game you bet that

1) I have to really want it. I'll be very, very picky
2) it's getting pre ordered and sold back for £50 2 days after release because I'll smash through it to save money



That price is ridiculous for any base game especially when so many games put minimal effort in to game modes that don't make money as opposed to the MTX heavy game mode. Pretty much any sports games career more for example are 2/10 rushed bullshit.

danyjr wrote:

LeVersacci wrote:NBA 2K21 will be $70 on next gen. First of the many.

Devs high af if they think people will buy SP with length < 20 hrs

Oh but kiddos will.

Does anyone remember how much a PS, PS2, PS3 and PS4 game (AAA) used to cost? I want to do know % change every generation.

Pretty sure games have gotten cheaper when you account for inflation. As far as I remember new AAA releases have always been 50+

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Iirc I'm sure I had PS2 games at like £35 so it's not actually changed much if you buy from certain stores and not through the ps store

This is surely the biggest increase in any metric for AAA games plus they'll also keep infinite amounts of MTX on top of that.

If I'm paying £65 for a story game you bet that

1) I have to really want it. I'll be very, very picky
2) it's getting pre ordered and sold back for £50 2 days after release because I'll smash through it to save money



That price is ridiculous for any base game especially when so many games put minimal effort in to game modes that don't make money as opposed to the MTX heavy game mode. Pretty much any sports games career more for example are 2/10 rushed bullshit.

MP games won't be affected that much since people still want their yearly sports & fps games. More people will just look for deals and that's it.

SP games will definitely take a hit from this. Most people will look for deals, wait for price to go down etc. The only games that won't be affected is Rockstar games, ND games & 50+ hours like RPG games.

For SP there's simply no way i'm paying $70 for a game less than 20 hours.

rincon wrote:

danyjr wrote:

LeVersacci wrote:NBA 2K21 will be $70 on next gen. First of the many.

Devs high af if they think people will buy SP with length < 20 hrs

Oh but kiddos will.

Does anyone remember how much a PS, PS2, PS3 and PS4 game (AAA) used to cost? I want to do know % change every generation.

Pretty sure games have gotten cheaper when you account for inflation. As far as I remember new AAA releases have always been 50+

Games have gotten more expensive, even with inflation, because full games are split more and more to DLC's. Crusader Kings II costs like 180€ if you want to buy all DLC's.

Console games are going to cost 70$ in average (currently 60$). The reason is apparently, Microsoft and Somy want to sell their consoles cheaper to reach broader distribution from the very start and the software development has gotten very expensive over the years.
Source:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-02-idg-other-publishers-are-considering-raising-game-prices-for-ps5-and-xbox-series-x