General Games Discussion
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Re: General Games Discussion
Thimmy wrote:danyjr wrote:Looks dope.
Do you have a VR headset? I tried one with Project Cars 2 over the weekend and you cannot go back to non-VR racing after trying it. It felt great.
VR is fun, but the symptoms of nausea and discomfort is definitely a dealbreaker, for me. I played a few games in VR before I returned it to the dealer and got a refund. I kept the equipment and used it quite frequently for a month or so.
Some of the games didn't make me feel all that bad, and I even played the more static games without getting any symptoms, but Resident Evil and Skyrim made me feel so fucking awful.
It was during the last week of my vacation, and I had the house to myself. I tried to push myself through the discomfort by playing for more than two hours despite feeling increasing signs of nausea and cold sweat, hoping it would increase my resistance to the symptoms. It only resulted in a really weird headache in addition to the nausea, and I still regret doing it. I even feel a bit nauseous thinking back on it.
It may sound hysterical, but it gave me a headache that felt like I had a tumor in my brain or something - It was an intense pain in a very specific, isolated spot in my head. I've never experienced anything like it before or after.
I get you bro, motion sickness is a real bitch. i too have serious problems with first-person games, fucking hate myself for not being able to finish Bioshock Infinite because of it.
Pedram- Fan Favorite
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Join date : 2011-06-06
Re: General Games Discussion
#A75
Game: Tail Concerto
Year: 1998 (JP), 1999 (NA).
Genre: Action Adventure.
Publisher: Bandai, Atlus.
Developer: CyberConnect.
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
Here is a game that is obviously the passion project of someone. It has a unique world, with unique gameplay, and a lot of passion behind it.
Tail Concerto starts really well, showing a world consisting of islands in the sky that invokes memories of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, except this is a world inhabited by Dog and Cat people.
Yet, despite all the charm and heart that went into making the game, I am afraid the game doesn't stick the landing.
"His first breath was filled with hatred. His arms touched the clouds. His roar shook the heavens and his breath froze the land. He struck fear to those who stood in his way and left nothing but silence in his wake"
The opening anime scene in the game is a flashback of the dog-boy hero, Waffle, giving a blue crystal thing to a cat-girl. Later, as a police-dog riding an inexplicable robot, Waffle finds himself chasing the Black Cat gang which is lead by that same cat-girl whose name is Alicia. This conflict between seemingly two childhood friends should be a strong emotional core of the story, yet it is left underdeveloped (or really overcooked) like many other elements in the game.
Take the world of Prairie for instance. It supposedly consists of many floating islands revolving around a castle and is a world that subsists on ancient technology. Early on, your first mission takes place in what is supposedly a major harbor town. I thought that would be the first of many interesting settlements but it turned out to be the only one.
Likewise, ancient technology and history of the world are explored in two cut-scenes and the final moments of the game, but there is no attempt at world-building or any interesting lore.
That would be fine if the main story at least half-delivered, but that was too much for the game. Basically, Alicia's central motif is supposed racism between the dog and cat people. However, the game never bothered to establish that as a thing in the world, and in fact, it flat out contradicts it removing any sympathy you may have with Alicia. Yet, the game actively expects me to have sympathies with characters that continue to make stupid and moronic decisions.
Of course, this being a PS1 game, this is not helped by some poor dialogue even if the voice acting is (mostly) acceptable.
"Packs of kittens are tearing up the town!!"
You may have noticed that I mentioned that Waffle rids a robot, which for some reason is the only robot of its kind in the world. This robot moves faster than a tank in fluid 3D movement and you can back-up with a dedicated button, and shoot bubbles instead of bullets. Also, you can jump around and flap your arms like a bird, and even get a jetpack in one area in the game.
This robot is cool, but the game doesn't do much with him.
Waffle's main objective n each area is to catch the Black Cats kittens in separate arenas. You basically have to chase them around a bit, catching some by trapping them in bubbles, and destroying their tanks by the same bubble shots. More satisfyingly, you can throw back their bombs at them which always feels great when it hits.
It's not a bad system, but you feel the game never really takes it into its full potential except in boss battles. These battles are often the highlight of the game, requiring more deliberate action and strategy than the chaotic tag contests with the kittens.
"Our princess will know who the real dog is! Hahaha..."
Outside of combat, the game does shake things up a bit in its short runtime. There is a minecart focused level, a level focused on some light platforming, a jetpack fueled island-hop, and then the game ends.
Seriously, I feel like the budget suddenly ran out in mid-development. Several islands are simply two kitten chases and a boss battle, with a few showing the inventiveness and complexity of the first two or three areas.
In total, the game can be finished in less than six hours, and that's not enough when you consider that there isn't much side-content to the game. You feel like there should be some mini-games in the world's only visitable settlement, but the only side activity is collecting photo pieces.
So, there is a big variety in the game considering the short run time (glass-half-full outlook)
"Hey! I better not catch you throwing my furniture around! I can't really complain if it's for an investigation though..."
Looking at the opening anime scene, it would have been a shame if the game's graphics and art design did not live up to its promise. Thankfully, within the technical boundaries of the PS1, the game looks great.
Sure, these are low-res PS1 polygons we are looking at, but they look acceptable and still convey a sense of character and place to the world. That's especially obvious in the aforementioned island-hop sequence where faraway islands can still be seen in the distance.
Thankfully, there are many anime cutscenes interspersed throughout the game, giving you a helping hand to guide your imagination of the world (Even if the game's declining budgets butchered the last few islands you visit.).
The same level of care went into the game sound department, which boasts an impressive percentage of voiced lines (but not that impressive of a number considering the length of the game) that are competent most of the time. This extends to the music, which is good but I didn't feel it had any memorable themes.
In Conclusion:
There was a definite passion behind making this game. In fact, that passion eventually culminated in making Solatorobo on the DS, which is a much better game.
After all, the game suffers from some downright stupid narrative beats that are not helped by limited gameplay in a world that obviously finished its budget in mid-conception. I am actually hesitant now if the game's faults are more forgivable for me given its ambitions, or if the game would have been better recived by my much younger self back on the PS1 days.
Final: 6/10
Pros:
Cons:
"Tips"
1-When you get all the kittens in an area you hear a specific chime.
2-Search inside closets for picture parts and some recovery items.
3-Talk to all townspeople to uncover the next destinations.
4-Tamp the jump button to keep from falling hard.
5-you can throw bombs and other physical projectiles back at people.
6-Your main bubble shot bounces off walls.
7-Hit the jump and direction buttons at the same time to do a dodge leep.
"Next Game"
I imagine that Tails Concerto would have better appealed to me if I played it back on the PS1 days. Now, both the game's narrative and the gameplay faltered too much in the second half for me to rate it highly. In fact, the only reason I don't rate it lower is that the game does have a charming premise and is mercifully short.
The next game on my radar is Battle Hunter at #A74, which is a unique RPG-hybrid that is reportedly more multi-player focused. If the game is too multi-player centric, then I will automatically move on to Eternal Eyes at #A73, which is an early PS1 Tactical RPG.
Stay Tuned
Game: Tail Concerto
Year: 1998 (JP), 1999 (NA).
Genre: Action Adventure.
Publisher: Bandai, Atlus.
Developer: CyberConnect.
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
Here is a game that is obviously the passion project of someone. It has a unique world, with unique gameplay, and a lot of passion behind it.
Tail Concerto starts really well, showing a world consisting of islands in the sky that invokes memories of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, except this is a world inhabited by Dog and Cat people.
Yet, despite all the charm and heart that went into making the game, I am afraid the game doesn't stick the landing.
"His first breath was filled with hatred. His arms touched the clouds. His roar shook the heavens and his breath froze the land. He struck fear to those who stood in his way and left nothing but silence in his wake"
The opening anime scene in the game is a flashback of the dog-boy hero, Waffle, giving a blue crystal thing to a cat-girl. Later, as a police-dog riding an inexplicable robot, Waffle finds himself chasing the Black Cat gang which is lead by that same cat-girl whose name is Alicia. This conflict between seemingly two childhood friends should be a strong emotional core of the story, yet it is left underdeveloped (or really overcooked) like many other elements in the game.
Take the world of Prairie for instance. It supposedly consists of many floating islands revolving around a castle and is a world that subsists on ancient technology. Early on, your first mission takes place in what is supposedly a major harbor town. I thought that would be the first of many interesting settlements but it turned out to be the only one.
Likewise, ancient technology and history of the world are explored in two cut-scenes and the final moments of the game, but there is no attempt at world-building or any interesting lore.
That would be fine if the main story at least half-delivered, but that was too much for the game. Basically, Alicia's central motif is supposed racism between the dog and cat people. However, the game never bothered to establish that as a thing in the world, and in fact, it flat out contradicts it removing any sympathy you may have with Alicia. Yet, the game actively expects me to have sympathies with characters that continue to make stupid and moronic decisions.
Of course, this being a PS1 game, this is not helped by some poor dialogue even if the voice acting is (mostly) acceptable.
"Packs of kittens are tearing up the town!!"
You may have noticed that I mentioned that Waffle rids a robot, which for some reason is the only robot of its kind in the world. This robot moves faster than a tank in fluid 3D movement and you can back-up with a dedicated button, and shoot bubbles instead of bullets. Also, you can jump around and flap your arms like a bird, and even get a jetpack in one area in the game.
This robot is cool, but the game doesn't do much with him.
Waffle's main objective n each area is to catch the Black Cats kittens in separate arenas. You basically have to chase them around a bit, catching some by trapping them in bubbles, and destroying their tanks by the same bubble shots. More satisfyingly, you can throw back their bombs at them which always feels great when it hits.
It's not a bad system, but you feel the game never really takes it into its full potential except in boss battles. These battles are often the highlight of the game, requiring more deliberate action and strategy than the chaotic tag contests with the kittens.
"Our princess will know who the real dog is! Hahaha..."
Outside of combat, the game does shake things up a bit in its short runtime. There is a minecart focused level, a level focused on some light platforming, a jetpack fueled island-hop, and then the game ends.
Seriously, I feel like the budget suddenly ran out in mid-development. Several islands are simply two kitten chases and a boss battle, with a few showing the inventiveness and complexity of the first two or three areas.
In total, the game can be finished in less than six hours, and that's not enough when you consider that there isn't much side-content to the game. You feel like there should be some mini-games in the world's only visitable settlement, but the only side activity is collecting photo pieces.
So, there is a big variety in the game considering the short run time (glass-half-full outlook)
"Hey! I better not catch you throwing my furniture around! I can't really complain if it's for an investigation though..."
Looking at the opening anime scene, it would have been a shame if the game's graphics and art design did not live up to its promise. Thankfully, within the technical boundaries of the PS1, the game looks great.
Sure, these are low-res PS1 polygons we are looking at, but they look acceptable and still convey a sense of character and place to the world. That's especially obvious in the aforementioned island-hop sequence where faraway islands can still be seen in the distance.
Thankfully, there are many anime cutscenes interspersed throughout the game, giving you a helping hand to guide your imagination of the world (Even if the game's declining budgets butchered the last few islands you visit.).
The same level of care went into the game sound department, which boasts an impressive percentage of voiced lines (but not that impressive of a number considering the length of the game) that are competent most of the time. This extends to the music, which is good but I didn't feel it had any memorable themes.
In Conclusion:
There was a definite passion behind making this game. In fact, that passion eventually culminated in making Solatorobo on the DS, which is a much better game.
After all, the game suffers from some downright stupid narrative beats that are not helped by limited gameplay in a world that obviously finished its budget in mid-conception. I am actually hesitant now if the game's faults are more forgivable for me given its ambitions, or if the game would have been better recived by my much younger self back on the PS1 days.
Final: 6/10
Pros:
- Charming world
- Unique gameplay mechanics and good bosses
Cons:
- The story develops in a very cringy way
- No camera control
- Short story mode and limited world
- The game is too easy
"Tips"
1-When you get all the kittens in an area you hear a specific chime.
2-Search inside closets for picture parts and some recovery items.
3-Talk to all townspeople to uncover the next destinations.
4-Tamp the jump button to keep from falling hard.
5-you can throw bombs and other physical projectiles back at people.
6-Your main bubble shot bounces off walls.
7-Hit the jump and direction buttons at the same time to do a dodge leep.
"Next Game"
I imagine that Tails Concerto would have better appealed to me if I played it back on the PS1 days. Now, both the game's narrative and the gameplay faltered too much in the second half for me to rate it highly. In fact, the only reason I don't rate it lower is that the game does have a charming premise and is mercifully short.
The next game on my radar is Battle Hunter at #A74, which is a unique RPG-hybrid that is reportedly more multi-player focused. If the game is too multi-player centric, then I will automatically move on to Eternal Eyes at #A73, which is an early PS1 Tactical RPG.
Stay Tuned
Lord Spencer- First Team
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Posts : 4504
Join date : 2011-06-23
Re: General Games Discussion
#A73
Game: Eternal Eyes
Year: 2000.
Genre: Tactical RPG.
Publisher: Sunsoft.
Developer: Tamtam.
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
Initially, I thought that Eternal Eyes would be a hidden gem. It starts with an intriguing murder and a promise of a gritty and serious story. That is soon dashed by the introduction of a bunch of interchangeable kids right after. Still, the story could be a fun adventurous romp.
Unfortunately, that doesn't turn out to be the case, as the story progresses at a snail's pace and lets go of most characters to make room for silent Pokemon-like monsters. Yet, it is not the poor story that sinks the game, but the absolutely slow and mediocre gameplay that should be its saving grace.
"If you two are reading this, it means that the world is about to be enveloped in the flames of war'"
The beginning of the game features a scene where obviously evil people kill a hero of a past war. This menagerie of villains threatens to be an interesting if a little cartoony bunch. However, the game is not in interested in developing its story, as is soon apparent by the main gameplay loop.
First, the main story is not alluded to in any way by the group of children who are the real stars of the game. Rather, just one of them, Luke who is from the tribe of the "Eternal Eyes" and can, therefore, control Magical Puppets. Here exits the supporting cast as the game replaces them with silent Pokemon.
Unlike Pokemon, where the game's world provides the story in the absence of a central character, there is no story to speak of here. There are no towns, no microstories, and the main story advances slowly, only after going through five or six maps.
Maps which lack variety or personality, which is an issue that permeates throughout the game.
While the 2D sprites did not age much, they are some of the poorest sprites I have seen on the PS1, with a blocky texture that is somehow not even comparable to mid-tier SNES games. The poor sprites are not supported by the collection of poorly designed and forgettable collection of creatures.
On the other hand, the music is pretty good from what little I have heard. Also, perhaps for the better, there is no voice acting that could have made it worse. Although, it would have been fun to hear some VAs trying to make sense of the grammatically incorrect and mistake-filled text of the game.
"My little seeds of nightmare should soon start to germinate throughout the world"
If you are not in it for the story, then a monster-collection game can always attract with its gameplay. Unfortunately, there are three elements in which Eternal Eyes fail in its gameplay.
First, the game's mechanics are poorly explained regarding the evolution of monsters and improving their stats. Apparently, you earn a number of jewels through combat which you can then consume to evolve your monsters and/or upgrade their stats and teach them spells, but this is never explained well in the game.
This means that you will need to rely on an external source to navigate the evolution trees and the stat growth requirements. Even then, the system is set up in such a way that evolving a monster doesn't always give you a better monster. It is like the final evolution in Pokemon being a Magikarp instead of a Gyrados.
Second, even if the evolution system was properly explained and was fun to tinker with, the basic tactical gameplay is slow and boring. The gameplay is slower than a late-stage in Wargroove on the Genesis where you needed to move around 40 units. Here, moving four units around feels more cumbersome and boring.
Animations are boring, movement is slow, actions take much longer than they ever should, and the middle evolutions in the game are all low-movement idiots. To top that off, defeating enemies spawn chests in their place that may act as obstacles on your path unless you waste a turn to open them.
Third, even if the gameplay was fun and all systems made sense and were inviting for experimentation, the game is too damn easy, to begin with. Ironically, this becomes the game's saving grace as it spares you from trying to understand its system or repeat levels too often.
In Conclusion:
There is no single element that is at fault in sinking Eternal Eyes in my view. This is truly a case where the game is so mediocre in its many parts that it becomes less than the sum. However, I think I may have brought myself to finish the game if not for its painfully slow-gameplay.
Truly, you can ignore a game's lackluster gameplay, but you can never ignore shortcomings that affect 90% of your time with the game.
Final: 3/10
Pros:
Cons:
"Tips"
1-Press Triangle to see enemy movement range.
2-You can revisit previous levels to grind and look for "jewels"
3-Characters recover full HP and MP when you level-up.
4-Evolutions happen at Levels 3, 8, 15, 30.
"Next Game"
First, I played Battle Hunter, which was such a weird game that I decided I can't be bothered to understand it. After watching videos of the game, I was glad since it looked to be such a slow slog to go through. It turned out that the Eternal Eyes wasn't much better.
The next game to be reviewed is Monkey Heroat #A72, which is a game that is reportedly similar to The Legend of Zelda series. Hopefully, this would be an upturn on the additional list which hadn't wowed me so far.
Stay Tuned
Game: Eternal Eyes
Year: 2000.
Genre: Tactical RPG.
Publisher: Sunsoft.
Developer: Tamtam.
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
Initially, I thought that Eternal Eyes would be a hidden gem. It starts with an intriguing murder and a promise of a gritty and serious story. That is soon dashed by the introduction of a bunch of interchangeable kids right after. Still, the story could be a fun adventurous romp.
Unfortunately, that doesn't turn out to be the case, as the story progresses at a snail's pace and lets go of most characters to make room for silent Pokemon-like monsters. Yet, it is not the poor story that sinks the game, but the absolutely slow and mediocre gameplay that should be its saving grace.
"If you two are reading this, it means that the world is about to be enveloped in the flames of war'"
The beginning of the game features a scene where obviously evil people kill a hero of a past war. This menagerie of villains threatens to be an interesting if a little cartoony bunch. However, the game is not in interested in developing its story, as is soon apparent by the main gameplay loop.
First, the main story is not alluded to in any way by the group of children who are the real stars of the game. Rather, just one of them, Luke who is from the tribe of the "Eternal Eyes" and can, therefore, control Magical Puppets. Here exits the supporting cast as the game replaces them with silent Pokemon.
Unlike Pokemon, where the game's world provides the story in the absence of a central character, there is no story to speak of here. There are no towns, no microstories, and the main story advances slowly, only after going through five or six maps.
Maps which lack variety or personality, which is an issue that permeates throughout the game.
While the 2D sprites did not age much, they are some of the poorest sprites I have seen on the PS1, with a blocky texture that is somehow not even comparable to mid-tier SNES games. The poor sprites are not supported by the collection of poorly designed and forgettable collection of creatures.
On the other hand, the music is pretty good from what little I have heard. Also, perhaps for the better, there is no voice acting that could have made it worse. Although, it would have been fun to hear some VAs trying to make sense of the grammatically incorrect and mistake-filled text of the game.
"My little seeds of nightmare should soon start to germinate throughout the world"
If you are not in it for the story, then a monster-collection game can always attract with its gameplay. Unfortunately, there are three elements in which Eternal Eyes fail in its gameplay.
First, the game's mechanics are poorly explained regarding the evolution of monsters and improving their stats. Apparently, you earn a number of jewels through combat which you can then consume to evolve your monsters and/or upgrade their stats and teach them spells, but this is never explained well in the game.
This means that you will need to rely on an external source to navigate the evolution trees and the stat growth requirements. Even then, the system is set up in such a way that evolving a monster doesn't always give you a better monster. It is like the final evolution in Pokemon being a Magikarp instead of a Gyrados.
Second, even if the evolution system was properly explained and was fun to tinker with, the basic tactical gameplay is slow and boring. The gameplay is slower than a late-stage in Wargroove on the Genesis where you needed to move around 40 units. Here, moving four units around feels more cumbersome and boring.
Animations are boring, movement is slow, actions take much longer than they ever should, and the middle evolutions in the game are all low-movement idiots. To top that off, defeating enemies spawn chests in their place that may act as obstacles on your path unless you waste a turn to open them.
Third, even if the gameplay was fun and all systems made sense and were inviting for experimentation, the game is too damn easy, to begin with. Ironically, this becomes the game's saving grace as it spares you from trying to understand its system or repeat levels too often.
In Conclusion:
There is no single element that is at fault in sinking Eternal Eyes in my view. This is truly a case where the game is so mediocre in its many parts that it becomes less than the sum. However, I think I may have brought myself to finish the game if not for its painfully slow-gameplay.
Truly, you can ignore a game's lackluster gameplay, but you can never ignore shortcomings that affect 90% of your time with the game.
Final: 3/10
Pros:
- Good music
- Monster collection and evolution is ok in theory
Cons:
- The story doesn't develop at all
- The TRPG gameplay is painfully slow
- Design of the world and monsters is uninspiring
- Monster evolution is haphazard and poorly explained
- The game is very easy
"Tips"
1-Press Triangle to see enemy movement range.
2-You can revisit previous levels to grind and look for "jewels"
3-Characters recover full HP and MP when you level-up.
4-Evolutions happen at Levels 3, 8, 15, 30.
"Next Game"
First, I played Battle Hunter, which was such a weird game that I decided I can't be bothered to understand it. After watching videos of the game, I was glad since it looked to be such a slow slog to go through. It turned out that the Eternal Eyes wasn't much better.
The next game to be reviewed is Monkey Heroat #A72, which is a game that is reportedly similar to The Legend of Zelda series. Hopefully, this would be an upturn on the additional list which hadn't wowed me so far.
Stay Tuned
Lord Spencer- First Team
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Re: General Games Discussion
Dunno if I'm too old or too young but I ain't heard of a single game Lord Spencer posts here.
Still a good read though
Still a good read though
Re: General Games Discussion
I am just impressed at the amount of games they used to make back in the days. There wasn't an 'AAA' game culture so about 100s of studios of all sizes would just make games and release them. Technology was limited so everything was affordable.
RealGunner- Admin
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Re: General Games Discussion
The indie scene is doing what they did back then but in much higher quality. Most nostalgic people are turned off once they play the old games again through an emulator. The best indies are the ones which took the elements from the past games and evolved them. Shovel Knight, Dust: An Elyseum Tale, Hollow Knight, Ori and the blind forest, Monster boy in a cursed kingdom etc. are superior to most of the games of the past in every aspect bar the names or being AAA for today's standards.
Babun- Fan Favorite
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Re: General Games Discussion
I finished Rise of the Tomb Raider surprisingly it was a really interesting game and I liked it a lot better then I thought I would really good story too.
I recently started Yakuza 0 a bit different from the usually games that I play but I'm enjoying right now, the story picks up real quick in this game lol
I recently started Yakuza 0 a bit different from the usually games that I play but I'm enjoying right now, the story picks up real quick in this game lol
Winter is Coming- First Team
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Re: General Games Discussion
Babun wrote:The indie scene is doing what they did back then but in much higher quality. Most nostalgic people are turned off once they play the old games again through an emulator. The best indies are the ones which took the elements from the past games and evolved them. Shovel Knight, Dust: An Elyseum Tale, Hollow Knight, Ori and the blind forest, Monster boy in a cursed kingdom etc. are superior to most of the games of the past in every aspect bar the names or being AAA for today's standards.
The games you reference are low-budget, retro-inspired games, though. Games that were mostly inspired by the cassette and floppy disc- era in the 80s and 90s. There were a lot more indie games on the market during the PS1/PS2 era, and so many of them weren't making retro-style games, which has become so trendy in recent years. RG is right in pointing out that there were more available indie games on the market back then, as they weren't necessarily viewed as significantly inferior to that of the established developers at the time.
Quite a few small studios even had short-lived, economic backing by publishers, like Sony, and while some may consider that non-indie, it's those types of studios that create games like, Transistor nowadays. Come to think of it, I think the Sony- backed developer that created Days Gone, were one of those studios that survived through the late 90s, where small studios had a much harder time reaching out to a larger audience despite their relatively high production value.
In retrospect, these smaller studios seemed to directly challenge the so called triple A developers at the time, to a much larger degree than today. There's a clear distinction between indie and triple A now, and I believe that's why so many studios fell by the wayside until not too long ago - they could no longer compete in terms of production value, and they certainly didn't compete in terms of popularity.
I've forgotten names, but I played a lot of PS1/PS2 games from developers that I haven't heard about before or since then, and a lot of the time, I didn't even notice that they weren't a household name in the gaming industry. Unlike today, where I immediately visualize some artsy fartsy walking simulator, or pixelated, 8-bit, platformers in modern coating when I hear about indie games. In other words, retro games and indie developers may be in style nowadays, but the gap in production value between the different budget developers seems to have increased substantially over the past two decades. And that's fine, since a ton of people evidently want that type of game, which is something I wouldn't have been able to predict 20 years ago.
Thimmy- World Class Contributor
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Re: General Games Discussion
We've had the discussion one page before. Game development has become super expensive while the cost of the unit stagnated. Most companies need huge inherit funds or assets to borrow money. Of course, small studios wouldn't be able to afford it.
I still disagree with your notion of "inferior" and just "retro inspired, pixilated". The current indie scene is much more than that and not pixelated. They actually introduce more fun, innovative ideas nowadays. Of course, in terms of graphics and video presentation, they're vastly inferior but what counts for me is the fun.
I still disagree with your notion of "inferior" and just "retro inspired, pixilated". The current indie scene is much more than that and not pixelated. They actually introduce more fun, innovative ideas nowadays. Of course, in terms of graphics and video presentation, they're vastly inferior but what counts for me is the fun.
Babun- Fan Favorite
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Re: General Games Discussion
The difference between then and now is the "AA" game is dead.
Also nobody wants to admit it but standards have gotten a lot higher, back in the day people allowed themselves to enjoy 7/10 games thus the term "swimming in 7s" but nowadays people will go nowhere near things they probably would have enjoyed.
Also nobody wants to admit it but standards have gotten a lot higher, back in the day people allowed themselves to enjoy 7/10 games thus the term "swimming in 7s" but nowadays people will go nowhere near things they probably would have enjoyed.
Great Leader Sprucenuce- Forum Legend
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Re: General Games Discussion
Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:The difference between then and now is the "AA" game is dead.
Also nobody wants to admit it but standards have gotten a lot higher, back in the day people allowed themselves to enjoy 7/10 games thus the term "swimming in 7s" but nowadays people will go nowhere near things they probably would have enjoyed.
Definitely this too
There was no 'elite games' culture back then. Games were just games. People would happily play even a mediocre game and won't be bothered about it. There was no going online to rant. You just look at the cover and buy it and play it.
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Re: General Games Discussion
When you play games like RDR, TLOU, GOW, TW3 etc. your expectations & standards increases. Same goes for movies, shows and pretty much everything else in life.Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:The difference between then and now is the "AA" game is dead.
Also nobody wants to admit it but standards have gotten a lot higher, back in the day people allowed themselves to enjoy 7/10 games thus the term "swimming in 7s" but nowadays people will go nowhere near things they probably would have enjoyed.
Ain’t nobody got time for mediocre/crappy indie games.
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Re: General Games Discussion
Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:The difference between then and now is the "AA" game is dead.
Nailed it. Most modern people are too cowardly to try new things so they end up getting tripple A games with good ratings only. The publishers see this and develop sequel after sequel with the same idea behind it (Assassin's Creed series for example), a viscious circle. It also saves them a lot of development money (same engine, different setting). Then you see 10/10 ratings for a game (TLOU2 might be super good but is it a 10/10 in all test?) from the "professionals" to know what those ratings are worth actually.
Of course, AA titles cannot survive in such an environment: the requirement is AAA while the budget closer to single A. I've got the hope indie scene will get big enough so some of those companies will try to produce AA games like Firaxis (they belong to 2K now but were successful in producing AA game by themselves) or Torchlight developers.
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Re: General Games Discussion
Outer Worlds was an AA game. They are few but they still exist.
Agreed on standards getting higher. People would casually buy and play games like Tomorrow Never Dies or WCW Thunder. Nowadays games of those quality would be dead on arrival.
Agreed on standards getting higher. People would casually buy and play games like Tomorrow Never Dies or WCW Thunder. Nowadays games of those quality would be dead on arrival.
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Re: General Games Discussion
Control could be defined as such too i guess.
But they are a lot rarer than I'd like them to be, which is why i like to support these games where i can.
I don't think AAA or indies is particularly a healthy place for gaming to be in.
But they are a lot rarer than I'd like them to be, which is why i like to support these games where i can.
I don't think AAA or indies is particularly a healthy place for gaming to be in.
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Re: General Games Discussion
I’ll probably get it, but I’ve barely started on Ghost of Tsushima and I have yet to finish TLoU 2, so it’s going to be a while until I may actually play it. I have frustratingly little time on my hands, these days.
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Re: General Games Discussion
With every video this seems to become more impressive
I don't remember when I've bought two full priced games in a year, and this year will bless this after M&BII.
I don't remember when I've bought two full priced games in a year, and this year will bless this after M&BII.
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Re: General Games Discussion
Of course the standard is much higher given Video games were a peripheral part of culture and society back then.
Of course many exist who will play the 6/10 games casually but 7/10 then had more weight than a 7/10 now does to which is deemed now, average.
Back then it was unthinkable for an A-list star to feature in a video game (beyond just a pixelated image) and the word Gamer now being a literal term is testament to how there is so much more gravity involved in making a good game.
Not to mention far more expensive now compared to before.
Of course many exist who will play the 6/10 games casually but 7/10 then had more weight than a 7/10 now does to which is deemed now, average.
Back then it was unthinkable for an A-list star to feature in a video game (beyond just a pixelated image) and the word Gamer now being a literal term is testament to how there is so much more gravity involved in making a good game.
Not to mention far more expensive now compared to before.
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Re: General Games Discussion
the combat looks very fun but the trailing and detective stuff is straight out of 2006
Yakuza 7 trailer today btw, looks like the release date is November..dumb, wont be getting it that close to Cyberpunk
also surprisingly it has an English dub, first time Yakuza 1 back in the day I think
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Re: General Games Discussion
danyjr wrote:Dunno if I'm too old or too young but I ain't heard of a single game Lord Spencer posts here.
Still a good read though
I think I will eventually get into more famous games in the PS1 library.
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Re: General Games Discussion
Harmonica wrote:With every video this seems to become more impressive
I don't remember when I've bought two full priced games in a year, and this year will bless this after M&BII.
I might build a joystick controller just for the game.
Lord Spencer wrote:danyjr wrote:Dunno if I'm too old or too young but I ain't heard of a single game Lord Spencer posts here.
Still a good read though
I think I will eventually get into more famous games in the PS1 library.
Blood Omen: Legacy of Cain
I'd like to hear you opinion about that one.
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Re: General Games Discussion
#A72
Game: Monkey Hero
Year: 1999.
Genre: Action Adventure.
Publisher: Take-Two Interactive.
Developer: Blam!.
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
Imagine The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past but with much less charming graphics that didn't age very well, an unimpressive soundtrack, and some painfully slow gameplay and animations. Then, put in a by-the-books character in an unimaginative world fighting some unimaginative enemies.
That's basically Monkey Hero in a nutshell, as boring a Link to the Past clone as you can imagine.
"Now I will rule this land and NIGHTMARE will reign supreme! Go forth my minions and conquer!"
The world of Monkey Hero is divided into three realms: DREAMS, The Waking World, and NIGHTMARE. As you might expect from the naming convention, the NIGHTMARE realm denizens invade the Waking World to cause havoc.
Enter the hero of the game, the aptly called Monkey, to save the world. You do that by gathering the eight pages of the STORYBOOK (by now you may have noticed my use of CAPITAL letters, which simply mirrors the game's style of STORYTELLING).
This is done in a typical Zelda style by going from dungeon to dungeon, but the game never has the style, NPCs, or general feeling of adventure to feel remotely exciting. The game lacks charm, and that's most evident in the design of the game's world and characters.
Even if you accept the fact that a top-down 3D world would never look as good as the sprite-based masterpieces of the SNES era, that doesn't excuse the poor art direction in display here. Colors are muddy and the world is very dark. Character designs are boring, with enemies modeled after bargain bin monster designs.
Nothing in the game is creatively imaginative or remotely interesting.
That extends to a musical score that repeats mediocre tune too often. I get the rhythmic and jungle tunes is trying to convey, but I don't think the soundtrack is interesting or fun to listen to at all.
"Only you possess the strength and bravery to gather the scattered pages of the STORYBOOK and restore its MAGIC"
Unfortunately, the lack of fun extends to the general gameplay itself. It's a Link to the Past with slower and more boring gameplay.
True, in principle, this is the same gameplay loop as the famed game. You go from dungeon to dungeon, getting items to unlock the path to the next dungeon. Each dungeon has a bunch of light puzzles and some enemy rooms.
Normally, this should be a derivative game that is fun nonetheless, since its apes a very successful formula. However, the game is just so damn slow and mediocre at everything it apes. Monkey's base attack has a pathetic and unpredictable range. His other items are not better.
Movement wise, the game is not as snappy as other Zelda clones, suffering from a sluggish malaise that permeates through every moment in the game.
Eventually, the general sense of mediocrity makes this a difficult game to enjoy even if it doesn't do much that makes you actively hate it.
In Conclusion:
Usually, being a Zelda-clone is used as a pejorative for games that are perfectly good. Excellent Action RPGs like Soul Blazer and Terranigma were described as such, but both were great games.
I don't think it's negative to be inspired by such an iconic game as A Link to the Past.
However, in the case of Monkey Hero, it copies the basic formula of the game while downgrading every part of it. The end product is the skeleton of a good game with the flesh of a bad one, and once the flesh rots away, the bones crumble without the necessary support.
Final: 5/10
Pros:
Cons:
"Tips"
1-When you hear a chime (usually after you clear a room from enemies) it means that a chest appeared.
2-Talk to NPCs to get hints about the best area to visit next.
"Next Game"
So far, I didn't have the best of luck in this additional list. I hoped that a Zelda clone would at least be half-enjoyable, but Monkey Here was just so damn boring.
I don't actually expect much from the next game at #A71. Blaster Master: Blasting Again is not widely considered a good game, but it may be an interesting twist to the famous series.
Stay Tuned
Game: Monkey Hero
Year: 1999.
Genre: Action Adventure.
Publisher: Take-Two Interactive.
Developer: Blam!.
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
Imagine The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past but with much less charming graphics that didn't age very well, an unimpressive soundtrack, and some painfully slow gameplay and animations. Then, put in a by-the-books character in an unimaginative world fighting some unimaginative enemies.
That's basically Monkey Hero in a nutshell, as boring a Link to the Past clone as you can imagine.
"Now I will rule this land and NIGHTMARE will reign supreme! Go forth my minions and conquer!"
The world of Monkey Hero is divided into three realms: DREAMS, The Waking World, and NIGHTMARE. As you might expect from the naming convention, the NIGHTMARE realm denizens invade the Waking World to cause havoc.
Enter the hero of the game, the aptly called Monkey, to save the world. You do that by gathering the eight pages of the STORYBOOK (by now you may have noticed my use of CAPITAL letters, which simply mirrors the game's style of STORYTELLING).
This is done in a typical Zelda style by going from dungeon to dungeon, but the game never has the style, NPCs, or general feeling of adventure to feel remotely exciting. The game lacks charm, and that's most evident in the design of the game's world and characters.
Even if you accept the fact that a top-down 3D world would never look as good as the sprite-based masterpieces of the SNES era, that doesn't excuse the poor art direction in display here. Colors are muddy and the world is very dark. Character designs are boring, with enemies modeled after bargain bin monster designs.
Nothing in the game is creatively imaginative or remotely interesting.
That extends to a musical score that repeats mediocre tune too often. I get the rhythmic and jungle tunes is trying to convey, but I don't think the soundtrack is interesting or fun to listen to at all.
"Only you possess the strength and bravery to gather the scattered pages of the STORYBOOK and restore its MAGIC"
Unfortunately, the lack of fun extends to the general gameplay itself. It's a Link to the Past with slower and more boring gameplay.
True, in principle, this is the same gameplay loop as the famed game. You go from dungeon to dungeon, getting items to unlock the path to the next dungeon. Each dungeon has a bunch of light puzzles and some enemy rooms.
Normally, this should be a derivative game that is fun nonetheless, since its apes a very successful formula. However, the game is just so damn slow and mediocre at everything it apes. Monkey's base attack has a pathetic and unpredictable range. His other items are not better.
Movement wise, the game is not as snappy as other Zelda clones, suffering from a sluggish malaise that permeates through every moment in the game.
Eventually, the general sense of mediocrity makes this a difficult game to enjoy even if it doesn't do much that makes you actively hate it.
In Conclusion:
Usually, being a Zelda-clone is used as a pejorative for games that are perfectly good. Excellent Action RPGs like Soul Blazer and Terranigma were described as such, but both were great games.
I don't think it's negative to be inspired by such an iconic game as A Link to the Past.
However, in the case of Monkey Hero, it copies the basic formula of the game while downgrading every part of it. The end product is the skeleton of a good game with the flesh of a bad one, and once the flesh rots away, the bones crumble without the necessary support.
Final: 5/10
Pros:
- It's inoffensive
Cons:
- This is basically as boring a Zelda clone as you can get
"Tips"
1-When you hear a chime (usually after you clear a room from enemies) it means that a chest appeared.
2-Talk to NPCs to get hints about the best area to visit next.
"Next Game"
So far, I didn't have the best of luck in this additional list. I hoped that a Zelda clone would at least be half-enjoyable, but Monkey Here was just so damn boring.
I don't actually expect much from the next game at #A71. Blaster Master: Blasting Again is not widely considered a good game, but it may be an interesting twist to the famous series.
Stay Tuned
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Re: General Games Discussion
Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS seems to be popular budget choice for 55€ currently here.Babun wrote:Harmonica wrote:With every video this seems to become more impressive
I don't remember when I've bought two full priced games in a year, and this year will bless this after M&BII.
I might build a joystick controller just for the game.
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Re: General Games Discussion
New big Obsidian RPG announced, AVOWED #XboxGameShowcase pic.twitter.com/HMrcuS5FXx
— Nibel (@Nibellion) July 23, 2020
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