Video Games • Page 156

Just started today, love it already

 

No excuses

 

No game has made me more frustrated.

 

I weirdly did not struggle too much with Celeste, at least from what I remember. Probably all the Super Meat Boy I played in college.

Escape From Duckov is so much fun! I find the controls a little frustrating, but I think that’s probably a skill issue.

 

Lori, I hate to be that guy but the chapter seven boss wasn't that difficult. lol

 

Haha it’s okay, I’m sure I’ll get back to it I’ve just been obsessed with Marathon.

it’s my first Ninja Gaiden so me having some growing pains as the game tests out my skill was inevitable.

 

Ah, fair enough. Didn't know it was your first NG. I actually struggled through chapter six a fair bit more than the chapter seven boss. Maybe I was just having a bad day.

I could see the boss's four move combo being a struggle but I found it easier to dodge it than parry and then on the final move of the combo, hit it with bloodraven moves to stun it. The second half of the fight is a whole lot of dodging until it gets on the ground. I wouldn't bother attacking too much when it's in the air. Keep at it and you'll defeat it in no time.

 

thanks, I hate it.

 

So do I


So do I

 

Started trying to get through the first Hades now that Hades II is out.

Maybe 25 attempts so far. Currently stuck on the Bone Hydra at the end of Asphodel.

 

I loved it. Once you realize that it's a puzzle game disguised as a platformer it starts to become less frustrating.

 

yikes lol

 

Credits have been run on Clair Obscur and at some point I'll make a long post about it

 

Okay I had time so here I go

PLAYERS LOG: CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33 - At First I Was Wee, Then I Was Woo

I'll start by saying I loved Clair Obscur, so very much. Anything I criticize is more of a nitpick than an actual criticism and it should be known that this is an all-timer for me. I loved playing the game, thinking about the game, following the game, hearing the game, everything. I loved the characters, the combat, the soundtrack. I could go on.

The Party: The party, for me, is what stood out about E33 the most. I feel like many games have chased the magic of a classic Final Fantasy party, including modern Final Fantasy games, and this is the game I feel has finally captured what made those classic games special. All of the characters fed off each other so well, in serious moments and whimsical moments alike especially highlighted by someone like Esquie who could break the tension with warm and often funny moments, but never feel out of place with those moments. I have a favorite character but all in all I couldn't truly pick one as they did feel like a team, and excluding any feels wrong.

The Combat: I enjoyed the combat a lot and mixing and matching my builds. I think there was a lot of flexibility in approaches you could take with builds, and while the skill tree had its limits, it didn't force you into one specific type of build for each character and I appreciated that a ton. I also appreciated the unique character traits that kept the game from getting too dull. I appreciate that the longterm characters had more flexible and interesting builds as well, such as Lune being able to go all kinds of directions and Sciel having the foretell system no one seemed to fully understand (I liked it) and Monoco being the blue mage, while the more temporary Gustave had the dumbed down easy to understand system and Verso's also felt self-explanatory so you didn't have too much learning to do once you got him. I enjoyed the parry/dodge system as a whole. My one criticism here is that parries were SO strong. I understand why - the strength was earned, but it did seem to trivialize some of the building, especially in the early/mid game. (By late game the building began to outscale enough that it didn't matter too much.) Another flaw is that the lumina/picto system was not well explained. Once you get it, it makes sense and is fun. But getting there felt difficult when so much other information was being thrown at you in that stage of the game. It is a skill issue, but it's important to help get everyone on board with what's going on in your menus.

The Menu: This isn't really deserving of its own section as I don't have that much to say but I did not like the menus in this game. Battle UI was great but standard menus were not natural to navigate and the devs have a lot to learn there. Probably the biggest flaw of the game itself.

The Soundtrack:


Sound design of this game overall was perfect, 10/10 no notes, but the soundtrack itself? What more can I say but the above. I love music so much.

The Story: The story of grief was so well done. The game beginning with a gommage of the 34 year olds, showing how all of Lumiere handles this loss and the pain they have suffered thus far, and ending with the revelations of the Dessendre family's grief over Verso and the way each family member handled it, almost parallel to the way some of the citizens of Lumiere did. Something important to note is that every twist in the story felt earned. Losing Gustave felt very earned. The twist of Renoir being Verso's father, while painfully predictable, was still earned (albeit the least of the twists). The revelation of the true role of the Paintress felt earned. Verso changing his goal felt earned. And the major shift to the Dessendre family did not detract from the world of Verso's canvas at large. Many questions were answered while some were left wide open for interpretation. I really love that the game, while deep and having clear messages, also felt like a classic adventure, going through various biomes while not feeling too linear and forced, defeating a variety of monsters, and celebrating with your team as you cross each milestone - until you get those additional questions from each leg of the journey.

The Ending: I watched both endings and thought both endings were well executed. While Verso's feels the most "correct" (the creators said neither is necessarily more correct than the other), I picked Maelle's for a few reasons. For one, I wanted to do right by the world I was exploring and let the people of that world thrive. For another, I had wonder about if Verso's ending is necessarily a 100% chance for success. At the time this happens, Aline is still in the canvas if I am interpreting correctly. There is no guarantee that Aline does not stop Verso or unpaint his simulacrum to force his memories to continue to paint. We do know that she did not stop Verso, but that the time, that was not a guarantee for me. And finally, I could not help but empathize with Alicia to an extreme level. I did not want her to return to her world, where she was deemed "at fault" for Verso's death, to also be "at fault" for forcing Aline out and have to live with this as a young child who cannot speak for herself. With that said, her ending was devastating to see. It also highlighted something the game had done well throughout: the ability for the characters to communicate to the players without saying a word. The tense scene of Maelle and Verso before he begins playing evoked so much painful emotion that is hard to nail down, because how could you? Verso's ending, while feeling sad, seemed to leave a lot of questions about the family's future unanswered - which I think is good! They handled both endings in a satisfactory way where nothing really makes you feel good about what's going on, but they both do feel rather conclusive.

I do not see this game leaving my mind for years to come. While it has its flaws, they are easily, overwhelmingly negated by the things the game does not just right but perfectly, and the incredible emotions it evokes throughout the journey. I genuinely believe this is a masterpiece and am so grateful I put the time into the game that it deserves. I cannot recommend this game enough, and not for my/our own validation but for your sake. Whether you feel as strongly as I do about it or not, you will find something to love about it.

 

I could go through like every little bit of the story and the things that went through my head but holy fuck that'd take forever and I'd get nothing done so instead of doing that this post is a giant neon sign saying "Talk to me about your favorite E33 moments"

 

I just got to Act 3 and pretty sure I am strong enough for the next story boss or whatever...but I have to check out all the other places I haven't been before. Also feel like it's taking me way longer than what I have seen listed as the average play through, but I am playing on hardest difficulty and am too old to master parrying. Can't wait to see the conclusion to this one.

 

When I got to act 3 I ran around aimlessly so much and cannot recommend that enough

 

Just beat Yotei. What a masterpiece.

96% and 97 hours played. Time to Platinum.

 

Finished Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. Please recommend me more games like this!

 

my friends and i finally got around to playing Slay the Spire the board game and it is really fun but as a four-player co-op it's verrry different from the video game

 

Im megabonking hard af rn

 

(gets the hose)

 

I asked my brother what he wanted for Christmas and he usually says steam gift card but this year he’s like give me cash cause I’m going to treat myself to a steam deck

well then lol