But that's also the problem. There's so much interesting stuff in norse mythology but games just tread the same ground over and over again because the average person just knows about Ragnarok, and they want that "brand recognition."
well yeah, of course they are. They're not teaching a norse history lesson. They're making a product to sell to the largest customer base they can. Of course they're going to include elements that will be most universally recognizable, instead of basing it on lore that only a handful of enthusiasts will get.
they were also just as broad with their brush when it came to the greek stuff in the previous games of the same franchise, so this is hardly some new thing. They used the material that people who grew up watching Hercules; Legendary Journeys, Xena, and the various Disney movies, would recognize and understand. Because if they stop the action of the game every time something new is introduced, just to give you a history lesson, people will get bored. So without any context, they have to rely on customer familiarity to fill in the gaps of the backstory for the various players.
well yeah, of course they are. They're not teaching a norse history lesson. They're making a product to sell to the largest customer base they can. Of course they're going to include elements that will be most universally recognizable, instead of basing it on lore that only a handful of enthusiasts will get.
they were also just as broad with their brush when it came to the greek stuff in the previous games of the same franchise, so this is hardly some new thing. They used the material that people who grew up watching Hercules; Legendary Journeys, Xena, and the various Disney movies, would recognize and understand. Because if they stop the action of the game every time something new is introduced, just to give you a history lesson, people will get bored. So without any context, they have to rely on customer familiarity to fill in the gaps of the backstory for the various players.
that was a cool video. I love how it re-contextualizes all the events up to the end, when that one little tidbit is dropped into place.
I recall seeing a video, that I can't seem to find again sadly, that discusses how They hinted at the giant angle with Atreus' mother from the very start. With how Baldur talks to Kratos, about "I thought you'd be bigger" and "You're supposed to be so much more civilized, and advanced than us." Which most people would easily assume is in reference to the Greek culture, but those same traits are established for the giants as well. It was just so well done IMO. And I also love that it means we have a high chance of Having a scene with Loki riding a badass Fenris into battle, but since the giants are framed as the good guys, it's going to be a triumphant kind of thing, instead of doom and gloom. Which I'm 100% down for.
Been playing Titanfall 2 quite a bit lately. Going through the single-player for the first time has been quite fun (yes @laggyteabag, Effect and Cause is amazing), I've just of stopped (I'm currently at the Viper boss fight level)...because I've kind of fallen in love with the multiplayer? Which is weird, since I haven't liked this sort of fast paced multiplayer shooter since the first two Modern Warfares forever ago.
Been playing Titanfall 2 quite a bit lately. Going through the single-player for the first time has been quite fun (yes @laggyteabag, Effect and Cause is amazing), I've just of stopped (I'm currently at the Viper boss fight level)...because I've kind of fallen in love with the multiplayer? Which is weird, since I haven't liked this sort of fast paced multiplayer shooter since the first two Modern Warfares forever ago.
If you weren't aware, the guys who started Respawn Entertainment, and subsequently created Titanfall, were the guys who helmed Infinity Ward, during the development of Call of Duty Modern Warfare, and Modern Warfare 2 - so that might have something to do with it.
Titanfall 2 is a fantastic game - it is just a shame that the game was basically strangled on release, as it was released exactly a week after Battlefield 1, and exactly a week before Call of Duty Infinite Warfare. I have no idea why EA decided that releasing their game in between the two largest AAA FPS games of the year was a good idea.
Im just glad that Titanfall 2 was still good enough to stand out despite that, and it still manages to maintain a very healthy MP population.
If you weren't aware, the guys who started Respawn Entertainment, and subsequently created Titanfall, were the guys who helmed Infinity Ward, during the development of Call of Duty Modern Warfare, and Modern Warfare 2 - so that might have something to do with it.
Titanfall 2 is a fantastic game - it is just a shame that the game was basically strangled on release, as it was released exactly a week after Battlefield 1, and exactly a week before Call of Duty Infinite Warfare. I have no idea why EA decided that releasing their game in between the two largest AAA FPS games of the year was a good idea.
Im just glad that Titanfall 2 was still good enough to stand out despite that, and it still manages to maintain a very healthy MP population.
I don't give a shit about the multiplayer on that game, but damn did I love the single player. They gave your mech so much personality that my wife and I just giggled at him from start to finish. I think my favorite bit is when You finally touch base with the rest of the military, and the officer tries to re-assign your mech to a "real pilot" and he literally grabs you, and shoves you in his chest protectively, like I kid clutching their favorite pet or doll, while politely telling her that you guys have reached almost perfect efficiency, and it would be illogical to sever the tie then. His attempts at figuring out to give a thumbs up. His dry humor and sarcasm. Just, such a great character.
OT: Started playing Farcry 5 today, bought it a while ago on sale, and never got around to it. And.....wow, I remember when this game came out, and the alt-right, fundamentalist conservative christians, tried to complain and say it wasn't representative of how they were. *looks at his calendar at 1/6/2021* Hah...hahaha.....HAHAHAAHAHAAH. Oh wow, seriously that's just fucking hilarious.
The gameplay is a bit weird, and not like how I remember FC 3 going. So far I haven't leveled up at all, yet I have a perk system, so I don't know how character progression is being tracked.
I did have the funniest fucking random encounter of the wildlife though. You eventually come across a group of hunters in one region, who call themselves The Cougars. Didn't surprise me that the first one I ran into was a middle aged woman, who was a random shop. I go up to her, start to "Talk" to her, to just hear her initial "Hey you should hunt and shop" litany whenever a new game element is introduced. But...before she could finish, she got jumped by an ACTUAL COUGAR, and killed....in front of me. I was so surprised, and laughed so hard.
I don't give a shit about the multiplayer on that game, but damn did I love the single player. They gave your mech so much personality that my wife and I just giggled at him from start to finish. I think my favorite bit is when You finally touch base with the rest of the military, and the officer tries to re-assign your mech to a "real pilot" and he literally grabs you, and shoves you in his chest protectively, like I kid clutching their favorite pet or doll, while politely telling her that you guys have reached almost perfect efficiency, and it would be illogical to sever the tie then. His attempts at figuring out to give a thumbs up. His dry humor and sarcasm. Just, such a great character.
OT: Started playing Farcry 5 today, bought it a while ago on sale, and never got around to it. And.....wow, I remember when this game came out, and the alt-right, fundamentalist conservative christians, tried to complain and say it wasn't representative of how they were. *looks at his calendar at 1/6/2021* Hah...hahaha.....HAHAHAAHAHAAH. Oh wow, seriously that's just fucking hilarious.
The gameplay is a bit weird, and not like how I remember FC 3 going. So far I haven't leveled up at all, yet I have a perk system, so I don't know how character progression is being tracked.
I did have the funniest fucking random encounter of the wildlife though. You eventually come across a group of hunters in one region, who call themselves The Cougars. Didn't surprise me that the first one I ran into was a middle aged woman, who was a random shop. I go up to her, start to "Talk" to her, to just hear her initial "Hey you should hunt and shop" litany whenever a new game element is introduced. But...before she could finish, she got jumped by an ACTUAL COUGAR, and killed....in front of me. I was so surprised, and laughed so hard.
Interacting with BT was the best parts of Titanfall 2. Love the single player as well. If a third game ever becomes a possibility, I'll actually buy it. My mom saw me play that game and she absolutely loved the robot mech. She laughed whenever he said "trust me".
Currently, I am in to MMORPG and have started playing Guild Wars 2. As a beginner to the genre, I am really liking it so far. It has become like a second home, where you can just go and get lost in the world.
Interacting with BT was the best parts of Titanfall 2. Love the single player as well. If a third game ever becomes a possibility, I'll actually buy it. My mom saw me play that game and she absolutely loved the robot mech. She laughed whenever he said "trust me".
Yeah BT was great. What I loved was how every time he said "Trust me" it either translated to "I'm about to do something awesome" or "I'm about to do something tearjerkingly heroic to save you." Both of which were awesome. Love BT. If they made a third, and the single player continued the BT storyline, or at least was on par with that, for the pilot/mech interpersonal relationship, the wife and I are SO down for it.
I've spent the last week playing Earthbound, and I've nearly made it to the ending. I've just got two more areas to go through before reaching the final boss.
Earthbound really is a fantastic game, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Even with its idiosyncrasies that were going out of style even when it was released, since it draws more influence from NES RPGs like the first Dragon Quest trilogy than its contemporaries, there's still a lot to recommend. I mentioned A Link to the Past in my last post; I'll probably continue that once I've totally finished Earthbound.
This'll be about the third or fourth time I've played through it. Never gets old for me. I have also played Mother 3, but never got around to finishing it; I have seen a full LP, though, so I know what happens.
Played through Spiritfarer. WHOOF. Its a good game, very beautiful with a well done story. Hits pretty hard at times, and some events stopped me in my tracks. Its tough to talk about much without spoiling, so I'll leave that there I suppose.
Gameplay wise the game seems to suffer at times. There are some very obvious indications that the game was released with with certain things cut and even some animations not fully developed. Normally I would either not notice or not care, but here the game so heavily leans on its animation and art that it sticks out like a sore thumb when something isn't polished to a glowing shine. There is also something of a flagging issue at times. The game assumes you've done things or gotten stuff at certain stages and if you haven't the dialog kind of goes weird. Nothing that would ruin the story, just things that cause a moment of confusion.
The actual stuff you do is engaging for a while and grows with the number of passengers you take on. There is farming [three kinds], smelting, forging, crushing, cooking, and a series of world events to engage in. Through the game I found it swinging from enjoyable, to overwhelming, to annoying depending on where I was. I had one farm, one field, and one orchard and by mid-game I had come to the point where I basically ignored them unless I specifically needed something because otherwise I had so much food it was a miracle the boat could still float. Its kind of critical you keep certain passengers at certain times as well, otherwise you get into this system where the only things you can do are extremely time consuming and you're just sort of wandering around while you churn through the necessary chores.
Still, its well worth the time. About a 10 hour run depending on how effecient you are, although you could potentially play a lot longer if you really wanted to 100% the game. I honestly don't know why you would though. The story weighs on a person so much its difficult to imagine having the motivation to finish all the upgrades of the stations and find all the secrets. Still, its there if you want it.
I played more of the Castlevania Collection. I am playing more of the Japanese version of Castlevania III. I unlocked Sypha and save at the 5th level. I find it hard to go back and play the American versions of these games, as they got absurdly difficult. The Japanese versions are still hard, but they don't punch and kick you in the groin as much. I've also been doing a playthrough of Belmont's Revenge, the 2nd Gameboy Castlevania. While better than the first portable outing, this game still feels like a slog at times. There are no health pick ups (meaning you have to do your best not to get hit), you only get two sub-weapons (which changes completely depending which region you're playing), and while Chris walk speed is faster, it still feels slow. There is a lot more platforming involved too and the stages go on for a good minute. In BR, you can select any stage you want a la Mega Man or G.G. Shinobi. Once you beat all 4 stages, the 5th stage is the final level.
I so nearly bought that when it came out, and I so nearly bought it about a year ago, but I just failed at the last both times...
* * *
Elite Dangerous: Odyssey
The new expansion is out! Graphics touch-up (especially the planets, which have also been reworked to be prettier and more distinctive). You can also get out on foot and trudge round planets and settlements. The main bases are a bit disappointing - just a concourse, which all I've been in seem to have the same layout. Also, in true Elite form, you spend your time grinding, picking loads of random shit up and wondering what it does (pays for upgrades, but what upgrades?), and then going away onto the internet and looking at the grind requirements for your equipment upgrades rather than trusting to random chance and holding back tears of frustration at much effort it's going to take to unlock them all.
Few minor glitches (understandable after such a huge overhaul), but overall seems solid. The on-foot FPS is nothing special, but it works fine and makes for a worthwhile addition. Well, sort of worthwhile. I gather that's what the fans wanted, but honestly I bought a game where I could fly round the galaxy so I could fly round the galaxy, not traipse around random space habs.
I played The Takover last night on PS4 this time. I love this game, but I still find Streets of Rage 4 better. My only gripes with this game are no customizable controls (you can change controls in the Steam config files), the melee weapons suck (there's barely any animations for them, and were added late in development), and the fact you only get one continue when playing Hard mode. So if you lose all your lives, it's an automatic game over. There is no stage selecting in Hard mode either. Otherwise, a great brawler that's a throwback to SOR and Final Fight.
My copy of Shin Megami Tensei 3 HD arrived in the mail this morning. Bit early, it's supposed to release this coming tuesday, but whatever, not complaining. Anyway, looking forward to getting my teeth kicked in by Matador.
Just finished Earthbound. It's never gotten old, even after 26 years and multiple complete playthroughs and LPs watched. Still a genuine masterpiece that pretty much everyone should play at least once.
Now to go back and finish that run of A Link to the Past. At least I don't have to go through the turnaround period of 'I just finished a game that's been taking up all of my time and now I don't know what to do'.
Inching closer to completion of God of War. Every area besides Niflheim and the Valkyrie council is at 100%, but I also need to do the second round of trials for Muspelheim. I think I’ll finish Niflheim first, then Muspelheim and finish with the council. The last couple treasures will be it then.
Inching closer to completion of God of War. Every area besides Niflheim and the Valkyrie council is at 100%, but I also need to do the second round of trials for Muspelheim. I think I’ll finish Niflheim first, then Muspelheim and finish with the council. The last couple treasures will be it then.
Inching closer to completion of God of War. Every area besides Niflheim and the Valkyrie council is at 100%, but I also need to do the second round of trials for Muspelheim. I think I’ll finish Niflheim first, then Muspelheim and finish with the council. The last couple treasures will be it then.
Actually started playing GoW NG+ the other day, after all my recent discussions about the game and Atreus in other threads. Damn I forgot how much fun it was to punch people in that game. Like yeah, ice axe, swingy swingy chop chop, throwy throwy chop chop, and blades of chaos, twirly twirly slice slice.....yay, fun, sure. But...damn it's just so satisfying to see Kratos go charging in while Atreus is shooting arrows to stagger, do a shoulder slam on the baddy into a wall, insta stun it, then just rip it in half and move to the next one. "Oh you think you still have 75% health? hahahahahahahaha....no" *rip!*
It's also really interesting to see the little hints here and there in the narrative, once you know what's going on.
Still playing Farcry 5 and....man this game is just so all over the place. On one hand, it's got this serious plot about this doomsday cult of nutjobs, taking over and converting this region of Montana to their faith. On the other hand, the side missions often revolve around characters so fucking ridiculous that they seem like they migrated over from Saints Row 4 or something, for all the seriousness they give them.
I find the various lieutenants of the faith, the sub bosses to the big bad, rather annoying. Ubisoft decided to lash the main storyline to forcibly having these people just abduct you, either bodily, or...mentally in the case of one of them? It's hard to say as she's built around a drug that makes you hallucinate. But they will railroad you so hard in these abductions, and it gets pretty annoying, when I made an effort to make sure that didn't happen but...nope, no way around it. This place you go to meet a bad guy, that is an obvious trap, it's got several entrances....except it doesn't, we've blocked them all off, so you have to go through the one door that means you get rifle butted to the face, even though I'm like "there's going to be a fucking guy at the door, come on.....oh...yep, there we go...what a shock!"
Somewhat lengthy rant about religion and politics, as presented in the game, and compare/contrasting it to real life below.
I also find it really fucking annoying that the game has the audacity, to make one of the "good guys" in the game, a preacher who is only 2 shots of whiskey away from being just as bad as the cultists. He is running around in his priest's clothing, collar and all, but also wearing a bullet proof vest, and quoting scriptures as he kills the cultists....who are ALSO quoting scriptures as they shoot us. He praises god for his mercy (despite this entire fucking scenario that god allowed to happen isn't very merciful, it's pretty horrific), and declares that me showing up to help is CLEARLY a sign from his god that he is "on our side in this battle!"
Another guy is a Qanon conspiracy theorist nutjob that is straight up some of the shit you are hearing these days from seated US representatives, but here it's clearly framed as a fucking lunatic rambling about bullshit, like it should be.
Also the various lieutenants, so far anyway, have all had the same MO. They were victims of childhood abuse of one kind or another, sometimes multiple kinds, by family and friends/strangers, and then Joshua found them, and "saved" them. And, this layer of actual predatory behavior on the part of religion, is another layer that just disgusts me. Preacher man swoops in when someone is traumatized and at their lowest, confirms "yes you are broken, but I can fix you, just obey me and my invisible guy in the sky" and boom, new convert, willing to do whatever you want. And again, I'd love it if this was just video game make believe, but, yeah it's not. So playing this game is actually an ordeal of sitting through indoctrination tactics, shown in all their ugliness. Conversion therapy camps, the works.
The thing I find the funniest though, is the diversity in this game. Especially in the cult. Holy shit are they chock FULL of a plethora of ethnicities....that I am killing....and letting mostly white people reclaim the areas that I clear of the cult influence. It's really bizarre because, this is fucking Montana. Let's all face it, this area of the US is so fucking white bread that it's insane to see this many ethnicities represented, in the numbers you see. I just did a google of Montana's population and yeah, white city. So it's really hilarious to me, when I see 4 (identical skin model, seriously the number of random npc skins is insanely low) asian dudes, all come running at me out of the cult bunker, followed by several black guys. When the reality would be far different.
Also, the game in the second zone I'm in, has got a weird bug to it. The various people I save, or that aren't aligned with the cult, keep randomly talking like that zone's leader is dead. And that has not happened yet, I am in fact, working on getting to them as we speak. But..yeah, very regularly someone will randomly say "gosh, I sure am glad that so and so is dead! They were a plague on this area!" Sooo....*shrugs* It IS the zone where mind controlling/altering drugs are all over the place, and the MC is regularly hallucinating so....maybe it's a subtle way for the game to imply they're not right in the head? *shrugs* My money is on wonky coding flipping a conditional flag somewhere.
It's a really weird game. I feel compelled to finish it, because I want to see how this plays out, even though I'm pretty sure I already know, as I've seen a few spoiler clips about the ending. But, this issue is one a bit more real for me these days, compared to back when this game was published. So I'd really like to see how it's handled.
It does have a few highlights. The companion system is pretty interesting, as the people you can have join you can have lots of various perks. My favorite is the dog, who will auto tag enemies/animals if they are within a certain radius of him. So he's REALLY useful for sneaking around an enemy camp and marking people through obstacles. He's also really fun to do tandem stealth kills with, if you time it right.
And the game also had a side mission, that was so fun that I was genuinely giggling in joy while doing it. If you've played Watchdogs 2, it's the same vibe as that Knight Rider mission, where you drive the talking car through the city at night, while a really badass song plays as soundtrack. This one....was a semi truck cab, with a mounted gatling gun, and a big ass ram, that I drive through tons of cultists blockades, while Barracuda by Heart plays. And, that song is a personal favorite for a lot of reasons...but it was also just a really fucking awesome fit for the mission.
So yeah, mixed feelings about the game. If I'd tried playing it years ago when it came out, I'd probably have been more dismissive about the way the cultists are portrayed. Now....yeah not so much. It hits terrifyingly close to home these days.
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