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hanselthecaretaker

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Correct.

There is an obscure hint in one of the item descriptions that there were certain(Okami?) warriors in the past that were stopped by using poison and it works on their descendants(which the Snake Eyes count as).

However, the other Snake Eyes, who lives in a poison swamp(Because FROM game) doesn't have this weakness
There was one in the Hidden Forest area before Ashina Depths, and after stealthing his first red dot I ended up being able to kinda cheese him by baiting him into a swamp afterwards. As long as he’s standing in it his health slowly drained, at least for me. I had to nudge him a bit with a shuriken a couple times, but overall this area hosted the most painless poisonous swamp experience in a FROM game for me, thankfully.
 
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As someone who regularly spanks Theseus and the Bull (seriously I think he's maybe beaten me like 3-4 times total), my standard strategy, regardless of build is as follows:

1. Focus on the bull first. He's generally the easier target of the 2, and when he gets to 50% nothing extra is added to the fight to make it harder, like it does with Theseus.
The bull will do 3 of those leaping axe strikes, always aiming for your current location, so just dash around until he's done his 3 reps. Go in for some hits, and avoid his regular axe swings. Keep an eye on Zagreus' body, as if you see that bullseye appear, Theseus is about to throw his spear at you. Either hide behind a pillar (usually a good strategy), or just time your dash to avoid it. It will change color right before he throws it, and there will be an audio cue as well, to indicate the spear is incoming NOW. Hiding behind a pillar usually works, though it can sometimes be a risk if the spear throw times up with one of Astereus' leaping sessions. I preferred just dodging, as you can also do that while dealing with Astereus, but that does take practice to get down the timing.

2. Once you get the bull down to...I think it's 25-30% (maybe 50%? it's been a while since I played Hades so the %'s are fuzzy), he will toss up a shield and ignore all damage. So either use any big attacks, like a god Call ability, early in the fight with him, or just save them until AFTER he's popped his pally bubble. I personally suggest saving the big punch ability for Theseus after he hits 50%.

3. Theseus fight. Ok so, he's only really weak from behind, and he's pretty good at making sure to face you a lot. The one time he always turns his back to you, is after a spear throw, in phase 1 (when he's 50%+health). So just sort of avoid him until he's getting ready to throw his spear, and position yourself so you can both avoid the attack, but also rush in quickly after the spear, to get some hits in. Because he will turn and walk away from the direction he threw the spear for a few seconds. This is your primary damage time for him. Dash into position, gets some burst damage in, and dash away. He often follows up the walking off with an AOE spear twirl around him, so you don't want to be there for that. Just wash, rinse repeat. If you are built for a lot of dashing, and close combat (like with my personal favorite the punch gloves), you can potentially do the fight just dash around him near constantly, getting back punches in close range, and dash out when he does the twirl attack. It's high risk though, as if you don't have good defense or timing, you are right up in his face, and open for damage. Otherwise, just hang back, wait for that spear throw opening, and get your damage in until 50%

4. Save your big hit for Theseus. As stated above, Theseus will make the fight MUCH harder once you get him to 50% health. He will pop a quick pally bubble, call down a random god to help (it's always one you DON'T have, so keep that in mind), and then you have lots of AOE to deal with. It's widely considered (and I agree) to save your own Call power for this point, as it's not TOO hard to get him down to 50% with regular strategy above. Once he hits 50% though, things are not as fun, and your risk of damage is much higher. So, wait until after he's done his Call attack, so that his pally bubble is gone, and follow it immediately with your own to try and burn him down quickly. The less time you spend with Theseus at less than 50%, the better. Depending on your build, and how strong your Call is, you could potentially one shot him at that point. If it doesn't kill him, it will seriously wound him, and then just continue the pattern of step 3 above. If I recall correctly, he will add in a spear lunging dash into his mix, but will still have a short opening behind his back to do some damage.

One thing about when Theseus does his Call, is for the several seconds of activation of it, he just stands there with his spear up to the sky, and shield down. He's completely vulnerable from every angle (as I recall). So if you have some type of attack that you can either fire and forget and it effects an area while you run around, or a powerful, quick strike ability (like a strong bow shot or something), this is a nice time to get some extra damage in on him. The problem is that this is when the various circles of godly damage will be showing up, so you might not have a good opening, but it's a possible time for some free hits, so keep it in mind if the moment presents itself. And to clarify, as I re-read this and felt it was unclear. He pops the bubble BEFORE he calls down the god. Once he's standing there, calling their name, and just standing still with his spear to the sky, he is no longer invincible and can be hit. So be careful not to use your Call ability too soon at this point, or you might have it absorbed by his bubble.

That's mostly it really, for how to deal with T&B, in my opinion. That's what I did almost every fight, regardless of build,boons,difficulty, and it's pretty much worked every time. I'm not claiming to be some Hades expert, far from it, but that fight, I know that fight pretty well.

Hope that helps.
I'm having a lot of trouble outrunning the bull when he does his charge. I've only beaten Thesius and the bull once in the 3 times that I've fought them, and the one time I beat them was because I had a boon from Hermes that let me dash 4 times. Is there an easier way of avoiding that charge attack that I'm not seeing?
 

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I've been in a big ninja mood now that a new TMNT game has been announced. Decided to pop in Ninja Warriors Once Again (Ninja Saviors in the West because of bullshit copyright that makes no sense). The game is remake (PS4 & Switch) of an SNES game based off an old arcade game from Taito. It's a single plane brawler, but you can dash, block, every robot ninja plays differently with their own unique combos, EX moves, super moves, and a bomb screen clearing move if you meter is at max and did not take a hit while it's charging. This time I chose Ninja (Mighty Glacier type) and I finally managed to do a no death run for the first time. My clear time is 3212.48 seconds. Converted to minutes; it's 0:53:31.48. I played on my Switch and used a 6 button Sega Genesis controller.

He and Yaksha are actually my favorites in the. Ninja is a grappler, so while he lacks air combo variety, he more than makes up for it with all of the different grabs he has. You get so many invulnerability frames, and arguably has the best basic dash attack. s, he can carry someone or an object and still move while doing so. All of the characters stay in one spot when doing so, other than Raiden, because of their smaller size. Playing as Ninja turns the final boss in to a straight up joke. My gripes with this game is that there is scoring unlike the SNES version. Why get rid of it? Or at the very least have a score attack mode. The only way to get in to ranks to beat the game in one sitting with no deaths to keep records, but it's only of your fastest time. The game could have used a boss rush and survival mode too. This would have given the game extra life and added replay value. Unlockable characters and soundtracks for beating the game multiple times or with certain characters can't do that much. The multiplayer mode is impractical unless both players are at their A+ game. In two player mode, you both share the same life bar, so odds are I won't be able to co-op much with anyone as their is no online. Leader boards only.
 

NerfedFalcon

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I'm having a lot of trouble outrunning the bull when he does his charge. I've only beaten Thesius and the bull once in the 3 times that I've fought them, and the one time I beat them was because I had a boon from Hermes that let me dash 4 times. Is there an easier way of avoiding that charge attack that I'm not seeing?
Try putting a pillar between you and Asterius. Make him slam into that instead of you.
 

happyninja42

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I'm having a lot of trouble outrunning the bull when he does his charge. I've only beaten Thesius and the bull once in the 3 times that I've fought them, and the one time I beat them was because I had a boon from Hermes that let me dash 4 times. Is there an easier way of avoiding that charge attack that I'm not seeing?
One tactic is to run him into one of the columns in the middle, or an outside wall. It can be tricky on the timing a bit, but if you do it right, he'll do the typical video game thing of being stunned from smashing into an inanimate object, and you can get a few hits in. Otherwise, if you are just avoiding him out in the middle (which I wouldn't recommend unless you have no other choice), you just have to dash around until he stops. I've tried to see if you could make him run into Theseus and hurt him, and possibly get some funny banter between them, but either it can't happen, or I'm not getting the alignment/timing right.

I've also tried to get Theseus to toss his spear into the Bull as well, but again, either it doesn't work, or I'm not timing it right.
 
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Drathnoxis

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I first tried Skyrim on....was it the Xbox? Yeah the xbox, and I experienced a bug on my first load in. I opened my eyes, found myself on the wagon, and everyone was silent. I heard the animal sounds, the rolling of the wagon, all that stuff, but the dialogue didn't load. So, I actually experienced what I thought was an impressive "silent film" kind of opening, as all the prisoners, road in silence to their fate. However, after a few minutes, I realized it was a glitch, as the wagon turned and proceeded to walk into a wall....forever, instead of going through the gate and into the courtyard where we were let out. So that was a good start xD

I never played it again on xbox, and instead got it on PC, and had basically zero issues with it, stability wise.
Ah, so that's where the makers of The Quiet Man got the idea.
 

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I got Battefront 2 free on Epic. I have fond memories of old Battefront 2 and was willing to give this a go.... for free.

So the campaign is probably better written than all the Star Wars movies combined. That's not saying much, they're all a hot mess. Reminded me of the old Rogue Squadron books... an okay quality

I actually cared that they saw what they were doing and Finned out, way more than Finn. They pulled a Mandolarian and made the Empire more empathetic and only the top dogs being the genocidal maniacs. Project Cinder still makes no sense.

The biggest problem is me not being able to tell what the hell is going on. I didn't have this problem with the old games. Enemies didn't stand out and I was relying on a power that highlights them too much.

I haven't, and will probably never, try the multi-player. I wish there was a campaign like the old games where you gradually take over the galaxy.

It was free so take this with a grain of salt.... 7/10. Would be lower at full price
 

hanselthecaretaker

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Cleaning up critical item procurement in Sekiro before the first pivotal stage for various endings, based on what I’ve read in the trophy guide. The new remnant system for hints is really cool, since you can often discover secrets in-game more so than having to look something up. For instance, there’s a prayer bead up on a statue head in the poison pool, and there happened to be a highly rated remnant nearby that showed where an obscure hidden area was that I’d overlooked. The trophy guide gave a description but given the obtuse nature of the area it was still kinda ambiguous, so following a live hint in-game made it feel more organic.

I also left a hint of my own for another location, and the health boost is always a nice touch whenever a message is praised. It’s a thoughtfully implemented extension of FROM’s uniquely asynchronous online functionality that still feels right at home in a single player game.
 

happyninja42

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Cleaning up critical item procurement in Sekiro before the first pivotal stage for various endings, based on what I’ve read in the trophy guide. The new remnant system for hints is really cool, since you can often discover secrets in-game more so than having to look something up. For instance, there’s a prayer bead up on a statue head in the poison pool, and there happened to be a highly rated remnant nearby that showed where an obscure hidden area was that I’d overlooked. The trophy guide gave a description but given the obtuse nature of the area it was still kinda ambiguous, so following a live hint in-game made it feel more organic.

I also left a hint of my own for another location, and the health boost is always a nice touch whenever a message is praised. It’s a thoughtfully implemented extension of FROM’s uniquely asynchronous online functionality that still feels right at home in a single player game.
What do you mean by health boost? If people like your hint, you get what, a temporary buff next time you play? An increase to your max health? I'm curious about this, as I've always felt that, when trying to foster a friendly player base, rewarding good behavior, probably works better than only punishing bad behavior.

So having incentive for people to work cooperatively, be friendly, not be a toxic little shitbag when playing, is REWARDED.
 

hanselthecaretaker

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What do you mean by health boost? If people like your hint, you get what, a temporary buff next time you play? An increase to your max health? I'm curious about this, as I've always felt that, when trying to foster a friendly player base, rewarding good behavior, probably works better than only punishing bad behavior.

So having incentive for people to work cooperatively, be friendly, not be a toxic little shitbag when playing, is REWARDED.
Real time health burst. As shown here at about 4:15 it can occasionally lead to really nice surprises.
 

Drathnoxis

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Never heard of that but sure! We'll say they had the same bug, and were inspired!
It was a 2018 FMV beat 'em up published by Square Enix and they only released the audio in a patch after the game released. The main character was deaf, you see, so the player doesn't get audio to feel in sync with the character. Except he can read lips and sign language and I can't... And there aren't any subtitles... Hmm, actually this would make a good post in that "what were they thinking thread."
 

happyninja42

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Real time health burst. As shown here at about 4:15 it can occasionally lead to really nice surprises.
Oh, that's less interesting in my opinion. I mean it's only useful if you and the other person are playing same time. I mean I like the idea behind it, but I think it could be implemented a bit better.

It was a 2018 FMV beat 'em up published by Square Enix and they only released the audio in a patch after the game released. The main character was deaf, you see, so the player doesn't get audio to feel in sync with the character. Except he can read lips and sign language and I can't... And there aren't any subtitles... Hmm, actually this would make a good post in that "what were they thinking thread."
ooooh, THAT game. Ok yeah I vaguely recall seeing something about it. Wasn't it panned as being really pretentious and up it's own ass in a lot of ways? I like the idea of it, in theory. Putting the player in the same sensory space as the protagonist, to try and give them a feel of what it's like. That's kind of cool. It can of course be implemented horribly, like all things can be.
 
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EvilRoy

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I have briefly returned from the away place, freshly victorious in court with Phoenix at my side, and now too tired to play anything of note.

Replaying the Phoenix Wright games really put me in a good place, though not without some mindfuckery. Its a very weird feeling to be completely taken in by the charm of a game and happily playing along only to suddenly remember "oh right, this is when we find out that a guy murdered a kids dad, then raised the kid, then tried to frame the kid for murder as a three stage reacharound revenge plot". It almost made me sad for a moment until Maya started talking about children shows and hotdogs. Oh Maya. You're adorable and fun.

I bought Dyson Sphere Program to give it a shot and returned it within 30 minutes. I don't know what I thought it was going to be, but that wasn't it. It seems like it could be fun, but it feels to me like they are still in that awkward growth spurt phase of early access - where there are a whole bunch of features and they seem neat but they aren't explained very well and the game has a certain level of "doesn't feel quite right" to play. I honestly would probably like the game more if they dropped the "construction mech" aspect. Like, if I want to play a factory game where I walk around and make factories I'll just play Satisfactory - it has a huge amount of individual customization available just in how you can walk around and decide how to route your conveyors and set up your systems. Dyson Sphere doesn't feel like it has that yet. It kind of feels like starcraft in terms of how stuff is plunked down, but it doesn't feel as good as starcraft yet.

Now... I dunno. Disco Elysium? I don't have the energy to pack deliveries across the mountains right now and I'm just going back to the hellscape so I don't have time to get deep into anything anyway.
 

happyninja42

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I have briefly returned from the away place, freshly victorious in court with Phoenix at my side, and now too tired to play anything of note.

Replaying the Phoenix Wright games really put me in a good place, though not without some mindfuckery. Its a very weird feeling to be completely taken in by the charm of a game and happily playing along only to suddenly remember "oh right, this is when we find out that a guy murdered a kids dad, then raised the kid, then tried to frame the kid for murder as a three stage reacharound revenge plot". It almost made me sad for a moment until Maya started talking about children shows and hotdogs. Oh Maya. You're adorable and fun.
Never played that series, but whenever that name comes up, this is all I see.

 

EvilRoy

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Never played that series, but whenever that name comes up, this is all I see.

Honestly the grumps don't really play it up much more than the games do on their own. When I was younger I didn't notice at all, but with this last runthrough its kind of overt. They try to play it off as rivalry, but Edgeworth and Wright hadn't seen eachother since fourth grade so there is no reason to believe they had any sort of intense competition at nine years old.
 
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Now... I dunno. Disco Elysium? I don't have the energy to pack deliveries across the mountains right now and I'm just going back to the hellscape so I don't have time to get deep into anything anyway.
Has the new update come out that adds voice-acting to the game?
 

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Decided to play some old Konami arcade brawlers. I popped in Turtles in Time Arcade, and played as Mikey. The animations and sound design is better than SNES of course, but there are flaws in terms of gameplay that the home console ports fixed. For one, rag doll slamming or throwing an enemy in to the screen is random in the arcade version. Apparently, in the arcade version it depends on how rapidly you hit a foot soldier, but there are times I barely hit the guy and activate either throws. SNES version fixes this by having input commands. There is no manual dashing and something the SNES version did, so you can choose when you can dash instead holding the d-pad/joy stick. Of course, this an arcade game so there are plenty of hard and cheap moments. Some bosses I can beat fine, because I know of exploits and try not to wail on them too much so they don't counter attack. The flaw with alot of Konami brawlers boiled down to hit and run tactics. The SNES version makes things more fair, because the game ain't eating your quarters. Bosses get health meters, but still flash/turn red as you deplete more health. Unique to the arcade version are the turtles' special attacks that don't cost health and can be game breaking if you know how to exploit. SNES version nerfs this by taking away your health, so Konami thought of it. Still a fun game otherwise.

Metamorphic Force is basically Altered Beast meets TMNT Arcade with a little sample of Golden Axe. It's their 2d arcade brawler with the best production values. You would think this game is based off of a cartoon or anime, but nope, an original IP that feels like you are playing a game in a Saturday morning cartoon. You play as one of four, or all if you're playing the 4 player version, that can turn in to a beast by collecting statues. Ban turns in to a ox, Claude in to a wolf, Ivan in to a bear, and Max in to a panther. I picked Claude. Like most Konami brawlers, you can kick enemies while their down. I wonder why most 90s brawlers never caught on with that; especially the Capcom games. Battle Circuit kinda does this where your character can grab an enemy lying on the ground, but that's about it. The only non-Konami games that did is right or properly are some of the Double Dragon games, Kunio-Kun/Renegade/River City Ransom, and Combatribes. If you play this on MAME, make sure it's the Japanese version. While easier, the game is still challenging and is nowhere near as unfair as its Western counterpart. Hey Konami, can it kill you to do a brawler collection for you non-licensed brawlers? You lazy, greedy bastards!
 

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Has the new update come out that adds voice-acting to the game?
It's sometime this month, but the devs haven't said exactly when. So sometime in the next two weeks.

I'm more interested in what the "Political Vision Quests" are going to be. I can only imagine it involves Harry getting coked up and.....wierd shit happens...
 
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NerfedFalcon

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Decided to try doing Resident Evil 5's Mercenaries mode with my co-op partner from when I did the campaign run. (Also did 6 with the same guy.)

Resident Evil 5 isn't a bad game, but it is a pretty deeply flawed one. However, I think that Mercenaries actually manages to turn those flaws into strengths. The limited inventory space isn't a big deal when you're only picking up ammo for a couple of guns, rather than trying to manage four weapons, their ammo, grenades and healing all at the same time. Being able to pick up items and switch weapons without breaking the flow with a menu popup like in 4 keeps it running at a high pace constantly, and the co-op stuff that felt forced in the main story feels natural and fun in Mercenaries. And of course, no story is a nice bonus too.

I could never get into Mercenaries in 4, but I'm having a blast so far with it in 5 and I definitely think I'll at least try to A-rank all the maps. SS seems like too much to aim for this early, but maybe we'll get there eventually. Don't know if it justifies purchasing the game if you don't have any interest in it, or don't think you could handle the entire story mode (it's not that great still), but at least I'm having a good time.
 
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