Game Articles and Videos Thread

[Dalisclock]

I save scummed most of the first three Castlevania’s in the Konami Collection on PC. It was the older one though so not sure if the newer one would even allow it without a mod or cfg tweak. But I did beat Castlevania III fair ‘n square on NES as a kid if it’s any consolation.

Oh, I played the collection on Switch and....may have save scummed....a lot.

Don't Tell Konami. I want them to think I'm one of the cool kids who says things like "Rad" and "Dope".

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

https://www.thegamer.com/horizon-zero-dawn-knowledge-forbidden-west-aloy-ted-faro/

I kinda hope it doesn’t go that route, but it wouldn’t be surprising since there will probably be a third game to round out the arc.

 

[BrawlMan]

Crash Twinsanity. I never played any of the newer Crash games that came out in 6th and 7th generation.​

 

[BrawlMan]

The combos....

The combos.​

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Castlevania composer on returning to her ‘masterpiece’ with new Apple Arcade game

It’s out now.

www.theverge.com

Not a fan of mobile but might actually check this out someday.

 

[Chupathingy]

Crash Twinsanity. I never played any of the newer Crash games that came out in 6th and 7th generation.​

Crash Twinsanity was definitely the best post-Naughty Dog Crash game (along with the CTR remake), and honestly, I prefer it over most of ND's games. The originals had more solid and tight gameplay, but Twinsanity had such great charm and character, the chemistry between Crash and Cortex is great, and the soundtrack is amazing.

 

[BrawlMan]

Crash Twinsanity was definitely the best post-Naughty Dog Crash game (along with the CTR remake), and honestly, I prefer it over most of ND's games. The originals had more solid and tight gameplay, but Twinsanity had such great charm and character, the chemistry between Crash and Cortex is great, and the soundtrack is amazing.

A reason why I never bothered with a lot of post ND games was due to lack of interests and me just trying out different games. I knew reception was mixed on Twinsanity, but I could bother to even rent the game. Though by that point, I knew I wanted a game or not, and renting just felt like an extra waste of money for me. I don't regret not ever playing the game, because many other games filled my time of fun.

 

[Hawki]

The Best GameCube Games

17 of the best from Nintendo's little console that could

kotaku.com

Hmm, a few I'd maybe swap out for REmake and/or Eternal Darkness, but overall not a bad list, imo. Ain't never heard of Odama tho.

Hmm...

1: The Wind Waker (fuck yeah!)
2: Mario Kart Double Dash (never played)
3: Billy Hatcher (never played)
4: Skies of Arcadia (never played)
5: Viewtiful Joe (never played)
6: Resident Evil 4 (yep)
7: Rogue Leader (it's okay, but hardly the greatest IMO - I think Rogue Squadron is better)
8: The Thousand Year Door (never played)
9: F-Zero GX (never played)
10: Super Mario Sunshine (not really - not much of a Mario fan, but even then, can't say I liked this game much)
11: Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (never played)
12: Super Monkey Ball 2 (never played)
13: Animal Crossing (never played)
14: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (never played)
15: Odama (never played, or even heard of)
16: Metroid Prime (I've played some of it, really don't like it much)
17: Pikmin (same as above)

 

[BrawlMan]

Viewtiful Joe (never played)

Highly reccomend it, and is the best original GC game on the system.

Super Monkey Ball 2 (never played)

The best in the series. Great news, all of the Monkey Ball games are getting ported to all HD consoles in a collection in October.

F-Zero GX (never played)

Best racing game on the system. Never owned it, but I played plenty at some friends.

The Best GameCube Games

17 of the best from Nintendo's little console that could

kotaku.com

Hmm, a few I'd maybe swap out for REmake and/or Eternal Darkness, but overall not a bad list, imo. Ain't never heard of Odama tho.

Agreed. I would also add Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, Killer 7, and Ikaruga to the list. Sunshine I always found ok, but never felt the need to play it again.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Still one of the most impressive features I’ve seen in gaming -


Would be neat if Ragnarok brought some of this back but I doubt that kind of spectacle and scale are really a priority anymore.

Speaking of scale, this might’ve been posted a long time ago but bears repeating -

Basically a 1:50 walk past the Hydra.

 

[BrawlMan]

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[BrawlMan]

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[BrawlMan]

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[BrawlMan]

Another case of the industry to give itself a self-satisfactory blowjob with no effort and pure ego stroking.
​

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

https://www.thegamer.com/bloodborne-perfect-level-design/

I concur. The first time I climbed that ladder from Forbidden Woods and saw where it led was for me probably the height of this kinda design FROM is known for. The Ashes of Ariandel dlc from DS3 had something similar enough to remind me of that moment but it was feeling too familiar by that point.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Kena: Bridge of Spirits apparently releases tomorrow, which am quite interested in seeing how it fares due to it being studio's first attempt, and is a mid-budget digital (initially) release. Yet am having trouble finding any actual reviews for it at all right now.

Except one.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Review | It’s worth buying? | Ultimate Of Times

ultimateoftimes.com

Welcome to Gaming reviews this is often more of an informational Post about all or any more details of Kena Bridge of Spirits and what we all know so far.

Today we are going to look at the Kena Bridge of Spirits, Kena Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure game and this game was developed by Ember Lab a small studio based in Los Angeles.

kena is the first video game of the studio and is already one of the most promising games of this year it takes us to a fantasy world where so-called spirit guides help deceased people that are stuck between the physical and the spirit worlds because of trauma or unfinished tasks our young protagonist.

Kena is a guide and she is helping to understand the difficulties of the sprite but this task is even more difficult as a mystical threat spreads all over the world and turns it from colorful and vivid into the dark and dead. It doesn’t only take possession of nature but also of its inhabitants and turns them into dangerous and bad-tempered monsters and of course, it’s Kena’s task to free the world and its citizens from the darkness at the beginning of her journey.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Review: She is sent to an abandoned village at the base of a mountain that was struck by a tragedy hundreds of years ago this village works as a hub world that Kena is slowly restoring during the game just like the nature around it from this safe place and she explores the white but linear parts of the world defeats monsters pushes back the darkness and finds collectibles.

Kena is not an open-world game but there’s enough space to discover hidden secrets unlock achievements and meet interesting characters and in case you missed something you will always be able to travel to each part of the world again when it comes to combat the game is not as easy as it might look Kena is very well equipped with her magical stuff that can be turned into a bow within upgrade later on and is using spirit arrows that recharge automatically.

So you don’t have to worry about collecting ammunition during the game but good timing and strategy play an important role as well Kena can do a quick role to evade attacks or block enemy hits she is also able to perform light-heavy and charged attacks with the aforementioned staff and has a pulse ability with which she can create a shield during combat that can take a specific amount of damage.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Review: It is important to pay attention to the movement and the actions of the opponents and to spot their weak points simple hit and run won’t do the job, so combat is quite challenging especially on higher difficulties but not frustrating and on normal difficulty. It is very balanced during the game her abilities and skills can be upgraded with a skill tree by collecting XP but Kena doesn’t have to face all of this on her own because another major role in the game is played by the so-called rods.

These little fluffy creatures are spirit companions that Kena has to collect during the game and that helps her free the world from darkness solve puzzles and defeat enemies they can be directed to different positions, move objects, or even take on certain shapes in combat. They can be used to perform charged attacks or simply to distract enemies but in order to do this.

Kena has to deal a specific amount of damage before so the rods can build up the courage because at the beginning of each fight they are a bit afraid and prefer to hide but when they see Kena fighting and successfully hitting targets they gain courage and once they gained enough of it and the bar is full they are ready to attack during the game Kena collects more and more of the rods so their attacks become stronger as well the little black creatures will follow you around during the game and can be customized with different heads which makes them look even more cute.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Review: It doesn’t change any stats or abilities the heads are simply cosmetics you can collect all skills and abilities. The game has beautiful graphics and the little rods add a lot of cuteness to it but besides this, there is also a dark and serious thread that can only be pushed back by facing challenging opponents and mastering the different attacks and magical abilities especially on higher difficulties enemies are not only getting stronger but also start to change their behavior attack more and are in general, more aggressive the courage boy of the rods will feel slower and health is much harder to find it’s not souls-like but if you’re looking for a challenge you can find it.

In this game in between, there are wide levels to explore and collectibles to find, and exploration and combat flow seamlessly into one another the controls are very precise and PlayStation 5 players might be happy to hear that the features of the dual sense controller are used as well especially the adaptive triggers in combination and the playtime is around 15 to 20 hours depending on play. Kena Bridge of Spirits will be released on September 21st for PC, PS4, and PS5. That’s all today guys and I hope you enjoy this game review. If you pick this game please comment below section.

The humble comma so coldly abandoned yet again.

Trailer!

 

[Chimpzy]

Fyi, Escapist did one of their showcases again, in case you didn't know yet.

Spoiler: Games featured + starting time

00:00:29 Negative Atmosphere
00:04:04 Gigabash
00:05:47 Organs Please
00:06:45 Forest Grove
00:07:49 Corriden
00:11:26 Button City
00:12:49 Shardpunk: Verminfall
00:14:33 Catizens
00:15:13 Falling Frontier
00:18:14 Gravewood High
00:18:54 Kredolis
00:20:16 Super Dungeon Maker
00:23:00 Terra Invicta
00:24:59 Industria
00:25:41 Anvil Saga
00:26:23 Swift
00:28:05 A Juggler's Tale
00:29:20 The Last Oricru
00:30:53 The Universim
00:32:04 Stasis: Bone Totem
00:33:49 Lorn's Lure
00:35:18 Harmony's Odyssey
00:36:51 Dice Legacy
00:37:51 Behind the Frame
00:43:21 Prehistoric Kingdom
00:44:32 Elsie
00:45:50 Despot's Game
00:47:59 Expedition Zero
00:48:57 The BookWalker
00:50:22 IXION
00:51:53 Rawmen
00:53:55 Serial Cleaners
00:55:08 Perish
00:56:01 Revival: Recolonization
00:56:38 ExeKiller
00:58:16 Dredge
00:59:07 Glitched
01:05:26 Recursive Ruin
01:07:11 The Riftbreaker
01:08:09 Crowsworn
01:09:46 Harlow
01:14:06 Gamedec
01:16:01 The Looter
01:17:08 Trifox
01:18:25 Absolute Tactics: Daughters of Mercy
01:19:50 The Good Life
01:22:21 Escape Simulator
01:23:45 Night is Coming
01:25:02 Sacred Fire
01:26:19 Roots of Pacha
01:28:32 Project Warlok II
01:29:37 This Means Warp
01:30:36 Selaco
01:32:48 Terror of Hemasaurus
01:35:45 Clid the Snail
01:37:08 Kraken Academy
01:38:18 Lila's Sky Ark
01:39:52 Serin Fate
01:42:23 Selfloss
01:44:21 One Hand Clapping
01:49:39 Tunche
01:50:25 Jupiter Moons: Mecha
01:51:23 SpiderHeck
01:52:30 Janosik 2
01:54:15 Park Story
01:56:56 Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy
02:00:51 A Gummy's Life
02:03:10 B.I.O.T.A.
02:05:05 Kitori Academy (Witchery Academy)
02:06:06 Necropolis Suite
02:07:16 The Season of the Warlock
02:08:13 Kingshunt
02:10:49 Kainga: Seeds of Civilization
02:13:23 Wartales
02:14:47 Moo Lander
02:16:18 The Lightbringer
02:17:48 Doomblade[/quote]

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Fyi, Escapist did one of their showcases again, in case you didn't know yet.

Spoiler: Games featured + starting time

00:00:29 Negative Atmosphere
00:04:04 Gigabash
00:05:47 Organs Please
00:06:45 Forest Grove
00:07:49 Corriden
00:11:26 Button City
00:12:49 Shardpunk: Verminfall
00:14:33 Catizens
00:15:13 Falling Frontier
00:18:14 Gravewood High
00:18:54 Kredolis
00:20:16 Super Dungeon Maker
00:23:00 Terra Invicta
00:24:59 Industria
00:25:41 Anvil Saga
00:26:23 Swift
00:28:05 A Juggler's Tale
00:29:20 The Last Oricru
00:30:53 The Universim
00:32:04 Stasis: Bone Totem
00:33:49 Lorn's Lure
00:35:18 Harmony's Odyssey
00:36:51 Dice Legacy
00:37:51 Behind the Frame
00:43:21 Prehistoric Kingdom
00:44:32 Elsie
00:45:50 Despot's Game
00:47:59 Expedition Zero
00:48:57 The BookWalker
00:50:22 IXION
00:51:53 Rawmen
00:53:55 Serial Cleaners
00:55:08 Perish
00:56:01 Revival: Recolonization
00:56:38 ExeKiller
00:58:16 Dredge
00:59:07 Glitched
01:05:26 Recursive Ruin
01:07:11 The Riftbreaker
01:08:09 Crowsworn
01:09:46 Harlow
01:14:06 Gamedec
01:16:01 The Looter
01:17:08 Trifox
01:18:25 Absolute Tactics: Daughters of Mercy
01:19:50 The Good Life
01:22:21 Escape Simulator
01:23:45 Night is Coming
01:25:02 Sacred Fire
01:26:19 Roots of Pacha
01:28:32 Project Warlok II
01:29:37 This Means Warp
01:30:36 Selaco
01:32:48 Terror of Hemasaurus
01:35:45 Clid the Snail
01:37:08 Kraken Academy
01:38:18 Lila's Sky Ark
01:39:52 Serin Fate
01:42:23 Selfloss
01:44:21 One Hand Clapping
01:49:39 Tunche
01:50:25 Jupiter Moons: Mecha
01:51:23 SpiderHeck
01:52:30 Janosik 2
01:54:15 Park Story
01:56:56 Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy
02:00:51 A Gummy's Life
02:03:10 B.I.O.T.A.
02:05:05 Kitori Academy (Witchery Academy)
02:06:06 Necropolis Suite
02:07:16 The Season of the Warlock
02:08:13 Kingshunt
02:10:49 Kainga: Seeds of Civilization
02:13:23 Wartales
02:14:47 Moo Lander
02:16:18 The Lightbringer
02:17:48 Doomblade

So in others words, so many cool looking games, so little time.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Live service games have set impossible expectations for indie hits like Valheim

Our perception of how long big updates can take, and how much they should contain, is getting warped.

www.pcgamer.com

There is a very fine line between “complimentary” and “cancer” where live service is involved.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Drangleic

Preface I do not hide my personal antipathy for Dark Souls II, but that can be faulted primarily on the gameplay side of things. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the story side of things…

lokeysouls.com

Dark Souls II should have been delayed until Miyazaki was done with Bloodborne and could properly direct it.

Somewhat ironically it appears the Profaned Capital may share a connection with Drangleic -

Profaned Capital

Preface Without a doubt, the Profaned Capital is the most context-dependent area in Dark Souls III. (DS3) With few relevant item descriptions compared to other areas and even a smaller relative map…

lokeysouls.com