Animal Well
It's good. Real good.
It's good. Real good.
What are you currently playing?
- Thread starter Nick Calandra
- Start date
I've started playing Hi-Fi Rush. Before you ask, no, not because of the M$ thing. Id picked it up a month ago but couldnt play it because my monitor was on the fritz. Good time tho. Its been said a thousands times already, but you can feel a lot passion went into this game. Playing it takes some getting used to tho. Your inputs need to follow the beat, but I keep trying to 'play' the actual music. I also think being a musician myself who is used to driving the rhythm, is kind of actually making it harder for me to 'just' follow too.
Yes, like that, but with more screaming
I know Dunkey is publishing it and I saw Marty's review which was pretty glowing.
So I think I've sussed out the theme of Mafia 2, mostly because it's been beating me over the head with it for hours. While Mafia: DE basically had this whole thing of "A life of crime really isn't as glamorous as you'd think and will eventually come back to bite you in some way because you are a bad guy", Mafia 2 is basically "Being a mobster just sucks and everyone around you is a fucking asshole who doesn't give a shit about you".
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying Mafia 2. It's a well made game with an engaging story and more of an open world then Mafia: DE, it's becoming abundantly clear that any fleeting happiness Vito ever has will be ripped away from him sooner or later and usually sooner. Tommy Angelo was living a pretty good life after ditching blue collar cab driving for the mob, whereas Vito pretty much just ends up being someone's stooge no matter what. And I guess that's appropriate, but there's something unsatisfying as far as it goes. I realize Mafia is trying to be more grounded then most open world crime games, there's usually a notable rise in power level, for lack of a better term, and control over the world around you in some method. Mafia 2 is basically just "Fuck you" over and over again and kicks you after knocking you down. I appreciate the fact it shows there are consequences for Vito's actions but I feel Mafia: DE did it better, where I felt like I'm more then just a fucking errand boy for someone or another in Mafia 2 almost without exception. So Hooray for being a simulation of being a soldier in the mob, but for a little while I'd kind of like to feel like any of this is worth the effort and not just "Hey, you get a payday, after which you get immediately mugged" feeling I've had for hours in Mafia 2.
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying Mafia 2. It's a well made game with an engaging story and more of an open world then Mafia: DE, it's becoming abundantly clear that any fleeting happiness Vito ever has will be ripped away from him sooner or later and usually sooner. Tommy Angelo was living a pretty good life after ditching blue collar cab driving for the mob, whereas Vito pretty much just ends up being someone's stooge no matter what. And I guess that's appropriate, but there's something unsatisfying as far as it goes. I realize Mafia is trying to be more grounded then most open world crime games, there's usually a notable rise in power level, for lack of a better term, and control over the world around you in some method. Mafia 2 is basically just "Fuck you" over and over again and kicks you after knocking you down. I appreciate the fact it shows there are consequences for Vito's actions but I feel Mafia: DE did it better, where I felt like I'm more then just a fucking errand boy for someone or another in Mafia 2 almost without exception. So Hooray for being a simulation of being a soldier in the mob, but for a little while I'd kind of like to feel like any of this is worth the effort and not just "Hey, you get a payday, after which you get immediately mugged" feeling I've had for hours in Mafia 2.
I got to the end of The Flame in the Flood.
I never died but I feel that was because I was constantly on alert rather than the game being too easy or forgiving. Things can go from 0 to 100 when you're not looking. I am super thankful you don't have to care for the dog though. Hard mode would be having to choose between the two when rationing.
As usual you learn how to game the system and a lot of the hurdles become non issues. It rains often enough that you never really have to worry about water, for one thing, so long as you keep a couple of empty jars on you. There are plenty of non perishables you can craft so hunger's out. It helps that most of the crafting building blocks you can just eat, which clears up space too. And sometimes it just pays off to not even bother docking absolutely every chance you can get.
So now I'm playing endless mode for the trophies and to see how far I can make it before I die or get bored.
I never died but I feel that was because I was constantly on alert rather than the game being too easy or forgiving. Things can go from 0 to 100 when you're not looking. I am super thankful you don't have to care for the dog though. Hard mode would be having to choose between the two when rationing.
As usual you learn how to game the system and a lot of the hurdles become non issues. It rains often enough that you never really have to worry about water, for one thing, so long as you keep a couple of empty jars on you. There are plenty of non perishables you can craft so hunger's out. It helps that most of the crafting building blocks you can just eat, which clears up space too. And sometimes it just pays off to not even bother docking absolutely every chance you can get.
So now I'm playing endless mode for the trophies and to see how far I can make it before I die or get bored.
- Apr 1, 2009
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Finished Dread Templar. Really solid. The story is just whatever but the game itself is quite good with solid shooting and good weapons and good enemies. It also has a lot of pretty cool secrets, including a game wide mega secret that I will probably go back and get. I would rate this on the higher end of the boomer style shooters, not as good as Dusk or Herald of Havok, but close enough to be able to yell at them.
Playing the point-and-click adventure game Broken Sword: Shadow of the Empire - Director's Cut.
It's charming enough. I changed the audio to French to get the right atmosphere. It worked.
It's charming enough. I changed the audio to French to get the right atmosphere. It worked.
Broken Sword series is good though not a fan of BS4. BS1 might be the best. Directors Cut of BS1 is a noted improvement over the original, partially because Nico actually gets a bit more character development and agency and not just being someone you check in with every 30 minutes.
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Rough description of my thought process while playing so far:
"Hum-di-dum, we've done some puzzles and investigations with Nico so far, seems to be something Dan Brown-esque... hey, why are we cutting to this random American all of a sudden? We get to control him now? A bit random, but maybe they'll have a shared role... ah, there's Nico again, and he got her contact information. Very well. *some hours later* I've controlled George a lot by now, let's see what they say about it on Wikipedia... Oh, this has gotten *a lot* of accolades, and... the sections starring Nico were more or less made for the Director's cut? And George is the protagonist? Well that's a bummer, I liked Nico more."
Pretty much. The OG version Nico more or less sat in her apartment the entire game and George and another guy would occasionally bounce ideas off her to determine the next step. The Directors Cut gave Nico actual gameplay, which was a big improvement IMHO.
It was especially jarring because late in the game George and Nico declare they love each other in the original version because they only really spoke to each other in short segments before deciding they were ready to get engaged or something. So giving them more interaction helps that too.
The sequels spend a bit more time giving both of them roughly equal screentime. Except maybe 4. I honestly don't remember 4 much other then I didn't really like it. It's the only one I honestly never wanted to replay.
Animal Well. Ok this is a less brutal, less dark, thankfully less confusing Rain World (always get fucked by the invisible lizards every time guard's down) Metroidvania with some Tunic charm and splendid Zelda connections am feeling very pandered by. It defo shares the overwhelming Rain World feeling of entering each room with like at least 4 different exists and 20 more questions to where a straight corridor is a blessing. And a dead end? You ain't prepared for the kind of spiritual absolution discovering an honest-to-god dead end in this game's map induces. Plz keep water and snacks nearby just in case.
Finished Death Stranding: The Game That Refused To End.
Good lord. I thought it was just about over and I fought a giant world ending BT and then the game went on for another couple hours and I fought the final boss. Then the game went on another couple hours and I fought a boss rush of all the goo animals. Then another hour later the credits started to roll, and after another half hour running around aimlessly the credits finished rolling. Then there were some more cutscenes after the credits, then some more gameplay, then another hour of cutscenes and then the credits ran AGAIN! ...Actually, they are still running now, but I'm hopeful it's for real this time and it's really the end.
So this is the first Hideo Kojima game I've ever played and probably will be the last. I didn't have great expectations because I've seen a lot of negative comments about the game, but I still wanted to try it because I got it cheap and I figured it would be unlike anything else, and it certainly was. I still don't really understand the mindset that went -- oh god, more cutscenes. Oh nope, just a stinger and then a couple more credits and my final score... wait Episode 15? No no no. No more. The game is over.
Anyway, as I was saying I really don't understand what they were thinking with these gameplay mechanics. Delivering stuff does have a certain appeal, it's true, especially making huge deliveries of multiple orders all at once. Without a currency system it feels kind of pointless, however. Sure if you max out the connection level you get some new and better gear, but you never know who is going to give you what and you don't really need most of it anyway. You get some nice upgrades occasionally, but I can't really think of anything I unlocked outside of story missions that was really essential. And I really don't know what the point of building most of the structures is. I always see random bridges in places that don't need bridges that other players have built and it's like that with most of the structures. The power pole is useful, and then there is the zipline, beyond those you need nothing else, and once you have a zipline network set up doing deliveries is just a matter of zoning out and pressing x occasionally. Not that I'm complaining because I got sick of delivering on foot and stumbling or crashing my bike into rocks hours ago. The roads are the same way, nice to build and complete, but the game is over once you're done outside of busywork. It's also basically the only useful sink for your resources, and outside of the last couple it's not even much of a strain. Sneaking past BTs is simply not fun, but I've never liked stealth. So that's the gameplay, it's not exceptionally fun and doesn't come together particularly well, but it's weird and unique so it's gets some point for that.
Now, the story. I'm not going to say much about the story for the same reason I wouldn't spend a lot of time analyzing the insane ramblings of a schizophrenic's post on the internet. It's enjoyable enough to see it and let the madness wash over you for a while, but it just goes on for way too long. It's pure nonsense that the game takes really seriously. It's all really dumb and insane, but the game seems to think it's saying something insightful.
It was just way too long. My playtime is 52 hours, for maybe 60-70% completion and I feel like it was about 20 hours too long at that. I can only imagine the tedium of a platinum playthrough. I don't exactly regret the time I spent on the game, but I'm really glad I'm done.
Edit: also screw Monster Energy drinks. Oh, and it sucks that you can't use the music player while you are delivering packages, instead most of the game is silent. Like every other game that has ever included a music player, no I'm not just going to sit on the menu and listen to your songs. And what the heck was with needing to transport live healthy humans on your back in body bags? I get they didn't want to create new escort mechanics for two missions, but that's just dumb.
Good lord. I thought it was just about over and I fought a giant world ending BT and then the game went on for another couple hours and I fought the final boss. Then the game went on another couple hours and I fought a boss rush of all the goo animals. Then another hour later the credits started to roll, and after another half hour running around aimlessly the credits finished rolling. Then there were some more cutscenes after the credits, then some more gameplay, then another hour of cutscenes and then the credits ran AGAIN! ...Actually, they are still running now, but I'm hopeful it's for real this time and it's really the end.
So this is the first Hideo Kojima game I've ever played and probably will be the last. I didn't have great expectations because I've seen a lot of negative comments about the game, but I still wanted to try it because I got it cheap and I figured it would be unlike anything else, and it certainly was. I still don't really understand the mindset that went -- oh god, more cutscenes. Oh nope, just a stinger and then a couple more credits and my final score... wait Episode 15? No no no. No more. The game is over.
Anyway, as I was saying I really don't understand what they were thinking with these gameplay mechanics. Delivering stuff does have a certain appeal, it's true, especially making huge deliveries of multiple orders all at once. Without a currency system it feels kind of pointless, however. Sure if you max out the connection level you get some new and better gear, but you never know who is going to give you what and you don't really need most of it anyway. You get some nice upgrades occasionally, but I can't really think of anything I unlocked outside of story missions that was really essential. And I really don't know what the point of building most of the structures is. I always see random bridges in places that don't need bridges that other players have built and it's like that with most of the structures. The power pole is useful, and then there is the zipline, beyond those you need nothing else, and once you have a zipline network set up doing deliveries is just a matter of zoning out and pressing x occasionally. Not that I'm complaining because I got sick of delivering on foot and stumbling or crashing my bike into rocks hours ago. The roads are the same way, nice to build and complete, but the game is over once you're done outside of busywork. It's also basically the only useful sink for your resources, and outside of the last couple it's not even much of a strain. Sneaking past BTs is simply not fun, but I've never liked stealth. So that's the gameplay, it's not exceptionally fun and doesn't come together particularly well, but it's weird and unique so it's gets some point for that.
Now, the story. I'm not going to say much about the story for the same reason I wouldn't spend a lot of time analyzing the insane ramblings of a schizophrenic's post on the internet. It's enjoyable enough to see it and let the madness wash over you for a while, but it just goes on for way too long. It's pure nonsense that the game takes really seriously. It's all really dumb and insane, but the game seems to think it's saying something insightful.
It was just way too long. My playtime is 52 hours, for maybe 60-70% completion and I feel like it was about 20 hours too long at that. I can only imagine the tedium of a platinum playthrough. I don't exactly regret the time I spent on the game, but I'm really glad I'm done.
Edit: also screw Monster Energy drinks. Oh, and it sucks that you can't use the music player while you are delivering packages, instead most of the game is silent. Like every other game that has ever included a music player, no I'm not just going to sit on the menu and listen to your songs. And what the heck was with needing to transport live healthy humans on your back in body bags? I get they didn't want to create new escort mechanics for two missions, but that's just dumb.
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Joined a few others here in picking up Animal Well. Been enjoying it so far, though I can't help but feel like the game's way too smart for me, even as I'm uncovering secret passages and interactions.
@Worgen, I got a new Lenovo laptop earlier this week, and it has an AMD Ryzen 7000 series graphics card. Looks like I can finally play more detailed graphics games on Steam. I still prefer smaller games, but I can finally play Assault Spy, since they're never gonna port it to consoles.
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