General Games Discussion

I haven't played any new games since Ghosts.

Don't really want to play PS4 versions of games and even if i did my PS4 sounds like a plane taking off.

M99 wrote:@Firenze Finished Nier Replicant (properly finished it, seen all endings including E).

While Automata had the vastly superior gameplay, this one had the better story and characters in my eyes. All the backtracking and fetch sidequests were the worst, other than that pretty good game. The second playthrough which gave more context to the villains was much better done than Automata's but there was nothing like Automata's epic playthrough C and finishing sequence.

Anyway my GOTY is by far Resident Evil Village. Am I the only one in GL who played it?

the backtracking was just far, far, far too much in Replicant indeed. Brings is below Automata but like you said the main characters are much better. I still wake up in cold sweats having dreamt I returned to the junk heap tbh. I thought the final/true ending was pretty epic tbh but yeah not on par with playthrough C of Automata. I hope we get a third NieR from Taro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5WeBNfX-og

I've gotten to chapter 6 in Judgement. I'm really liking how the story has unfolded, so far. These plot twists, man

#A59

Game: Kartia: The Word of Fate:-
Year: 1998.
Genre: Tactical RPG.
Publisher: Atlus.
Developer: Atlus.




The most striking thing about Kartia: The Word of Fate is immediately apparent, and it is the distinctive artwork and character design of Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy and Front Mission fame. Attempting to support Amano's art is an ambitiously unique Tactical RPG system with a mature and character-driven story.

Admittedly, the gameplay and story do not consistently live up to the excellent art design, nor do the basic sprites translate the full character of the many portraits Amano drew. However, its ambitions in both story and gameplay do go beyond their minor hiccups and annoyances, and the result is a perfectly respectable hidden PS1 gem.

"Chaos crept into the world when people took the power of Kartia for granted, the destruction of Rebus began"

The game is set in Rebus, a world where people learned how to use magical cards (called Kartia) to summon everything from Coffee to building materials. Naturally, this soon expanded to summoning weapons and even "phantom" soldiers, thrusting the entire world into a continuous conflict which necessitated the creation of nations and religious orders to control the use of Kartia. People who issue Kartia or disobey the rules of the church are branded as "heathens" and there is strict control on who and how to use Kartia.

In this world, you can choose to follow the journey of one of two characters: the aspiring Knight Toxa or the religious Shrine Warrior Lacryma. Both tales are completely unique, and they differ drastically in tone as well. Toxa's journey is more upbeat, while Lacryma's is more somber and serious, which fits their personalities. I find that Lacryma's story is much better, with better character motivations and development, while also having some levity with her supporting cast.

It should be noted that the story is designed to be played from both points of view, as some events are only properly explained through information gleaned from both stories. It's actually brilliant in how it encourages you to play the two stories.

Fortunately, even if you don't end up liking both Protagonists, the story also takes the time to explore the thoughts and actions of the other supporting characters and even the villains. In theory, this is an interesting plot with love, religion, trust, friendship, and betrayal all woven into a complex narrative.

Yet, that remains mostly theoretical because of the game's awkward dialogue and some poor localization choices. While you can get the gist of what's happening in some scenes, awkward phrasing sometimes ruins the emotional impact of what's happening or simply gives a different interpretation of what the character is supposed to be feeling.

It creates a situation where the increased dialogue (compared to a SNES RPG) actively works against the game's narrative. At least your own imagination could bridge the gaps without poor phrasing and awkward dialogue.

"I'd rather accept the bad deeds than see the bad judge the bad"

Despite its shortcomings, Kartia's story can still be enjoyed with no significant detriment on enjoying the game. The same cannot be said about the gameplay system, which if you if you don't manage to enjoy constitutes most of the playtime.

The game is a typical TRPG with a rock-paper-scissor weakness table, coupled with extra wrinkles in the form of a magic system and height-based damage multipliers. However, the game's unique approach is purely n the preparation phase for each battle.

Simply put, you must create all equipment and most of your combatants ("Phantoms") through the Kartia card system. Each card comes in one of three types, and you can imbue it with a collection of "Texts". Each combination of cards and texts creates something different, which you can also adjust by adding in more cards with different "Texts" (with a combo limit that increases as you go on).

Initially, I was overwhelmed by that aspect of the game, which is also used when using magic (a combination of cards and "Text" are used for magic spells). I had no idea how to best equip my "Phantom" army, and I was afraid my limited pool of cards can be exhausted without recourse.

As the game went on, I realized that you must diligently destroy all the enemies and barrels in each map to unlock more "Text", which naturally gives you the latest and best equipment and "Phantom" options. Also, you shouldn't upgrade your "Phantoms" until they start dying in battle.

That's not to say that you should neglect to upgrade your army and gear in fear of preserving your cards. You can always farm for cards in the arena battles between each chapter, which I only felt I had to do once or twice.

"Can human beings go against God's will? Is t worth living when you can't control your own life?"

So, once you get a hang on how to prepare your army, how are the battles themselves. Serviceable and fun, but not particularly impressive, with a side of cheap shots, is my verdict.

Typically, you will end up controlling around 16 units for each battle, and most of them are either about defeating a key enemy or all enemies on the map. This means that turns can take some time, with some minor annoyances added due to the size of some maps.

Combat is heavily influenced by the type-advantage and overall equipment and natural strength of each "Phantom", with their levels having little influence. In theory, there is always another triangle related to weapons and heights, but you can always position your sword-wielding soldiers in the best place to strike (same level). Alternatively, you can create a suitable weapon at any time during the battle and equip it just before hitting the enemy.

The human characters can cast magic, which is their only reliable damage output at the end of the game, and these attacks can be devastating with some hitting a wide area. Of course, there is a variety of elements, and each type of enemy has a different resistance stat that is highly vital to how effective the attack is.

Be careful to protect all of your human characters, as any one of them dying will lose the battle. Generally, I didn't find the game challenging unless I failed to upgrade to the latest equipment, or when enemy reinforcements come in the same turn at the worst place and move in to kill every unit they attack (that's not cool at all). However, be careful at the end game of making armor with elemental resistance to survive the enemy magic attacks.

"Dragons... Old Continents... Hairy Elf!... What's next?"

With the artwork of Amano the game's most obvious draw, it is clear that the production design is very important to this game. Amano's name is second to only the director, and his involvement was heavily advertised in the past.

And it wasn't wasted.

All key characters in the game are represented by their portraits during their dialogue scenes, and all of them have several portraits showing the range of their emotions. Amano's style is distinctive with an ethereal vibe about it that is instantly memorable, and he does a great job of making several expressive characters with designs that honestly better convey their personality than the dialogue itself.

To translate the portraits into the in-game graphics, Atlus opted to go with 2D sprites against polygonal backgrounds. The character sprites clearly mirror Amano's artwork even if they can never show that level of detail, and they are charming despite their limited (but still occasionally funny) animations. The same cannot be said of the "Phantom" sprites which are just boring, or the background which is drab and samey.

Still, like with Final Fantasy and Front Mission before it, Amano's artwork simply grasps the imagination in a way that ignores the console's graphical limitations.

It is worth noting that there are several CGI scenes in the game accentuating key moments, from full-on cut-scenes in the game's biggest awe-inspiring events, to small snippets of location establishing shots. These scenes are not impressive, but they do a decent job of showing the world's unique architecture and designs at some points.

Complementing the game's graphics is a good score that stays in the background for most of the game before it swells and rises at key moments in the story. Each of Toxa and Lacryma has their own set of themes, which play in key moments that showcase the development of their characters.

An excellent live rendition of both themes is available, and each one combines the various themes for each character in a single track that covers their entire emotional journey.

The same level of sound design cannot be said to extend to the game's sound effects, which are honestly no better than the most basic of SNES TRPGs, with some grunt and sword slashes that I have heard hundreds of times before.

One rather hilarious effect is a dissonant bell gong that plays whenever a secret is "revealed" during the dialogue scenes. With how many secrets are revealed in the game's story, this bell gong basically comes up in each and every scene, and I just started laughing every time I hear it in contrast to the supposedly serious tone of the moment.

In Conclusion:

Initially, I thought that I wasn't enjoying the game at all and was sad to see Amano's wonderful designs wasted. However, as I figured out the game's card mechanics and started to ignore the writing flaws of the story, I started enjoying it a bit more.

However, it was only when I played Lacryma's part that I truly started to enjoy my time, because it allowed me to appreciate the game's intricate story and its world more as I gathered more information, and I also didn't suffer the initial shock with the gameplay system.

Ultimately, I now recognize it as a true hidden gem with characters that are worthy of their unique designs.

Final: 8/10

Pros:

• Brilliant character design.
  
• Good Soundtrack
  
• Unique battle preparation system
  
• Good story with two protagonists
  

Cons:

• Some awkward dialogue and translation issues
  
• The battles can get a bit samey and boring
  
• Some annoying sound effects
  

"Tips"
1-If you run out of Kartia (cards), you can get some by fighting in the Arean between chapters.
2-Destroy all barrels and open all chests in levels to get items, Kartia, and Text options (which expands your arsenal).
3-Pay a lot of attention to the rock-paper-scissor alignment in combat with phantoms.
4-Pay attention to height differences when using weapons.
5-Prioritize elemental defense gear at the end of the game.
6-Focus on protecting your human characters.
7-You can grind on enemies that heal themselves.
8-Generally, swords are the best weapons so prioritize making them.
9-You don't really need to make Phantoms with A-class armor or weapon abilities.

"Next Game"

"Hidden gems" are always risky to play because sometimes something is hidden because it deserves not to be played by anyone. Thankfully, that wasn't the case for Kartia: The Word of Fate which was honestly an interesting and fun game despite its flaws.

The next game on the addendum list is Guardian's Crusade which is supposedly an introductory level RPG. that is supposed to be short and fun.

Stay Tuned

Plan on picking up a gaming laptop in the next week or two. Eyeing up the Legion 5 Pro for about £1150. People rave about that line and its value for money.

Joining PC masterrace again. Though it's mostly due to the price of current gen games on console, f that. Plan on..acquiring the majority of games that aren't PS5 exclusives/MP games on PC. Elden Ring day 1 on PS5 though.

Also half the reason is so I can play this upcoming (western release, anyhow) PC game called Lost Ark, looks elite

https://wccftech.com/stalker-2-unreal-engine-5/

Stalker 2 will probably be the first big UE5 game release, early 2022.

Started Days Gone.

It's actually good so far. Main character is interesting enough.

You have games like Spiderman, Persona, Ghost and Yakuza in your backlog and you start Days Gone ffs.

Game is meh af.

Why they give away shite games on PS+ these days ?? the Tennis world tour and Plants vs Zombies, last month was COD multi and WWE unrealistic game which i did not even try

Is the Hunter Arena Legends game any good ? Doesn't seem like it

#A58

Game: Guardian's Crusade:-
Year: 1998, 1999.
Genre: Turn-Based RPG.
Publisher: Tamsoft, Activision.
Developer: Tamsoft.




Not having RPG games of its own, Activision in the 1990s attempted to latch into any obscure RPG properties from Japan and support localizing it. Surprisingly, these localization efforts were highly competent, but were honestly mostly wasted in mediocre games.

It might seem a bit harsh to call Guardian's Crusade a mediocre game, but in a way, it is designed that way. This is a JRPG that is designed to be a person's first JRPG, and as such is basic in its mechanics, story, style, and difficulty.

Unsurprisingly, for any experienced player, the end result is a simply boring game.

"Young man! Destiny is calling... For you to deliver... You must deliver this baby to its mother... To God's Tower..."

Guardian's Crusade story starts out simple, and doesn't get much complicated as it goes on. It follows the silent protagonist, Knight, and his talkative fairy companion as they try to reach God's Tower to deliver a fat, pink, baby monster that is called Baby by default.

In their voyage, they encounter several small-town issues that they must resolve to progress, and grow to emotionally like and trust each other, which allowed Baby to transform into more powerful and useful forms in battle.

Thanks to the smart and occasionally funny localization of Activision, there is a lot of charm in the dialogue and character in what would be an otherwise forgettable adventure. In fact, the story ends up being the best part of the game. Its charm and comedic style remind me of Alundra 2 in a way.

Yet, the game struggles to sell its story in an impactful way due to the poor design of the characters, the monsters, and the world at large. It doesn't have the charm of the best JRPGs, and the story is honestly better told in other games.

What's left is a competent story that is presented in a completely forgettable package.

"If you fail, Darkness will prevail... and all that you know and love will be lost"

The game's battle system is a classic Turn-Based system with two unique twists.

First, the baby dragon can transform and auto-attack based on the relationship you build with him. This is nice, as the gameplay element follows the story, but the fact that you cannot control Baby puts a dampener on things.

Second, instead of magic attacks, you can summon several Toy-Soldiers in the battle that will auto-attack for a few turns before you need to summon them again. Its an interesting system that makes the game trivially easy, which is a theme throughout the game.

Basically, you are playing the entire game on auto-pilot, as there is no need to think about equipment, attack synergy, or anything else. All battles, including the boss battles, are mindlessly numb, making the interesting battle-system twerks an unnecessary distraction.

"You want to go to God's Tower? Sounds awfully dangerous"

I guess the clearest element that showcases the game's lack of ambition is its world design. Everything from the main character to the final stages is designed in such a boring way, and the early 3d polygonal graphics do not help.

Unlike the ugly but character-filled graphics of games like Alundra 2 and Final Fantasy VII, these are just completely boring stuff, which is easily apparent from the pedestrian way the world is constructed. This shows in the mediocre animations as well.

One thing that should be noted is how the entire world is almost compromised of a single dungeon with little to no loading time in between. However, that impression is soon shattered every time you go into a building and get longer load times than necessary because of that.

Similar to its graphics, the music is not anything special or particularly memorable.

In Conclusion:

Activision did not have a winner in their hands with this game, but the charm and technical competence in which they handled the localization obviously had an impact on the charming localization of Alundra 2, which is a better realization of the visual and tonal style of this game.

At least something good did come out of their experience with this game.

Final: 5/10

Pros:

• Nice story concept
  
• Really good localization
  

Cons:

• Too easy, making the gameplay trivial at best
  
• Extremely boring world
  
• SUgly graphics and a distinct lack of personality
  
• Boring music.
  

"Tips"
1-Press select to view the mini-map.
2-Ignore searching all barrels and boxes.
3-Use the toys in battles to make them shorter.

"Next Game"

I guess Guardian's Crusade wasn't short and fun after all. At least, it wasn't fun.

The next game I am going to play is Chocobo Dungeon 2 which is supposed to be the best Roguelike Chocobo Dungeon game. Honestly, I am skeptical about this one since I am not a big fan of Roguelikes in general, but the Final Fantasy trappings may help to hook me to it.

Stay Tuned

M99 wrote:You have games like Spiderman, Persona, Ghost and Yakuza in your backlog and you start Days Gone ffs.

Game is meh af.

i actually forgot i have all of those lol

Warrior wrote:Why they give away shite games on PS+ these days ?? the Tennis world tour and Plants vs Zombies, last month was COD multi and WWE unrealistic game which i did not even try

Is the Hunter Arena Legends game any good ? Doesn't seem like it

always been the case. it's only sometimes they give us a gem.

BREAKING: A Grand Theft Auto remastered trilogy is on the way with Unreal Engine remasters of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas, according to a new report. https://t.co/NHdpGQh6FD pic.twitter.com/gT7VjOLTF1

— IGN (@IGN) August 12, 2021

Just give me GTA 6 and Elder Scrolls 6 and I'm good

I am spending a lot of time on Hell let loose, seems quite fun but the community are a bunch of nerds

Days gone is really fun. The hordes are legit scary at night. Impossible to survive unless you run off on the bike.

Extremely buggy game though

Skyrim SE modding just keeps growing, last week there was 300 new mods released which was highest number since its release in 2016. And the trend is up, amazing. The fact that TESVI is delayed so much has helped this. Skyblivion might actually be completed before the new TESVI engine. Also if you would want to get into modded games, but are overwhelmed about it, modpacks are a thing nowadays. Through Wabbajack, and soon in all Nexus games through Vortex. With modpacks you can install thousand mods with just press of a button.

I've 361 mods installed on my newest Skyrim SE playthrough and just passed 1000h mark on Steam.

RealGunner wrote:

BREAKING: A Grand Theft Auto remastered trilogy is on the way with Unreal Engine remasters of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas, according to a new report. https://t.co/NHdpGQh6FD pic.twitter.com/gT7VjOLTF1

— IGN (@IGN) August 12, 2021

"the classic style and design of each will remain the same. According to Kotaku, these titles are hoping to stay true to the PS2-era GTA games as much as possible."

Meh. When was the last time that a game remaster has impressed? It's pretty much synonym for a milk nowadays.

I'm generally not the type who would play a game twice, so count me out.

However I do find remasters a good way to get into a game if you previously hadn't had the chance to play it when it was first released. Personally I enjoyed my time with BioShock remastered games, Shadow of the Colossus and a tonne of Nintendo games I had never played like Link's Awakening, Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D World.

Full remakes are also something I am fond though when done right, like Resident Evil II and to a lesser degree Mafia.

Yeah that's certainly true for new players. Last time I was impressed with a remaster was Baldur's Gate EE in 2012.

Days gone is such an amazing game minus the glitches. Actually a proper Post-Apoc game and not an interactive movie.

Mostly impressed with Deacon's voice actor. Not sure i have heard him before but he has done a fantastic job.

How Ubisoftesque is it? That was my impression but i only played like an hour of it.

a lot of ppl say the opening 5-8 hours are super slow but it really gets good afterwards, story wise, I never made it more than 2 hours in tbh, hated the fuel mechanic with the bike

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:How Ubisoftesque is it? That was my impression but i only played like an hour of it.

It's unpolished so i won't promise you a world full of interaction. But it's not a dead open world. The main character and some side characters are all interesting. I read that it was all made by 6 people in a limited budget studio.

Firenze wrote:a lot of ppl say the opening 5-8 hours are super slow but it really gets good afterwards, story wise, I never made it more than 2 hours in tbh, hated the fuel mechanic with the bike

I spent most of the early hours exploring the map but yea the story is a bit slow early on. But it's quite unique with how it deals with things.

Man fuel is available literally every 5 minutes. The more you liberate camps the more fuel you find. It's very much your type of game you know.

Also it's impossible to survive the hordes ffs.

Glad you like it RG. I thought it was seriously meh. Wasn't impressed much by the story and characters either.

There are a lot of side missions and all of them are very repetitive so yeah i found it very Ubisoft-esque.

But yeah, hordes were by far the best part of the game. RG don't bother trying to clear them out now. Later in the game you get more equipment and clearing out hordes become part of the main story and a side mission chain.

RealGunner wrote:Days gone is such an amazing game minus the glitches. Actually a proper Post-Apoc game and not an interactive movie.

Mostly impressed with Deacon's voice actor. Not sure i have heard him before but he has done a fantastic job.

Not a game.