Although, I personally feel that it's a stretch to call what adventure games have "puzzles." Puzzles should be solved by using reason and logic rather than clicking on every pixel in the screen and trying every object on every interaction point.
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I mean, some of those games did have actual logic, it was just either moon logic or whatever wierd logic the devs had in mind at the time. There were some notable ones where the puzzle solutions made total sense, but yeah, there were a lot of bad ones that dragged the entire genre down with them.
I think that the main problem with adventure game puzzles is that they are mostly about collecting items from a large area, so the puzzles are usually trivially easy or impossible depending on if you happen to have found whatever object. A good puzzle will give you all the pieces you need, a clear goal, and let you figure out how everything needs to fit together. If you get stuck on a tricky puzzle you can just keep working on it until you figure it out because you know you have everything you need, but in an adventure game you are never sure if you are just missing an item or not using it in the right place so it doesn't really feel fair.
I also have a special hatred for games that require knowledge from outside the game that it just doesn't give you. I once played a game called STAY that had a puzzle that required you recognize numerals from 5 different systems of writing and match them to their country of origin to solve it. Like what the heck? If I need to consult an outside resource to solve your puzzle, it's already failed because I might as well just look up a guide instead.
I don't agree that doing outside research to solve a puzzle is necessarily a bad thing, but it depends a lot on the game. If it's something where that kind of fourth-wall break is justifiable, then I'd do a Google search on writing systems before going for one on puzzle solutions, but if the game hasn't given any indication of reality affecting it in any way, then I might not consider that that's what's meant to be done.
The problem with using real world information to solve puzzles is that it's often not as cut and dry as a puzzle should be. Once you turn to the internet there's a hundred different sources and not all of them have corresponding information and you aren't even sure of what information the puzzle designer is looking for. Now you're back on the adventure game problem of looking for the one correct thing the designer had in mind, except the possibility space is 1000x as big. Furthermore, if I had any interest in writing systems or whatever, I would be reading about that instead of playing the game. Since I am playing a game, I don't really appreciate the game forcing me to spend an hour on Wikipedia learning about them to make progress. It ceases to be about problem solving and becomes a research project instead.
And that's all besides the fact that the game doesn't actually tell you that outside information is required to solve the puzzle. When you come to a puzzle in a game, the default assumption is that the game will contain all the information required to solve the puzzle, so you are guaranteed to waste time trying to decipher whatever code is in front of you, not realizing that it's actually impossible with the information given.
I have reinstalled World of Tanks.
I'm just as awful at it as I ever was, but I don't seem to get frustrated at getting blown up out of nowehere and barely making a dent in tyhe enemy like I used to. Maybe it's a zen thing.
I'm just as awful at it as I ever was, but I don't seem to get frustrated at getting blown up out of nowehere and barely making a dent in tyhe enemy like I used to. Maybe it's a zen thing.
That's why I mentioned that some games actively prepare you for that, either with fourth wall breaks in the plot in general or by saying outright 'you'll need to do some research'.
Xeodrifter
A very Metroid Metroidvania with some fun twists on the rules (the big one is unlocking the ability to phase between foreground and background) but too short, too repetitive and with no real story or personality to make it memorable. Some more variety would've been nice. What little there is of the game is all great but it feels a bit like a working prototype for the real deal.
A very Metroid Metroidvania with some fun twists on the rules (the big one is unlocking the ability to phase between foreground and background) but too short, too repetitive and with no real story or personality to make it memorable. Some more variety would've been nice. What little there is of the game is all great but it feels a bit like a working prototype for the real deal.
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So I'm still playing Xenoblade 2, because I hate myself.
In fairness, it's gone from a 2/5 to a 3/5, but that isn't saying much. I'll give the combat system some props for having a, well, system, in how you should chain attacks, but a lot of the time it feels like I'm pressing buttons and hoping for the best. As for the story however...ugh.
It really strikes me just how much of the story seems to rely on characters holding the...not exactly idiot ball, but ignorance ball. For instance:
Antagonist: That character you're with destroyed the world 500 years ago!
Protagonist: No, that's a lie!
Me: Okay, so after this fight, you're going to ask your friend about that accusation, right? RIGHT?
There's also just an overall lack of motivation with the characters. So, Pyra wants to go to Elysium because...reasons, and I can get why Rex would want to help her (she saved her life), but not once has any character asked WHY. And it's not like they have a lack of time to do so. But even that's better motivation than the noppon character who doesn't seem to have any reason for tagging along bar maybe paying back Rex for helping him make a Blade (which he intended to dress up as a maid...stay classy, XC2), and Nia, whose motivations seem to be "sure, what not?"
There's also instances of the story thinking its much deeper than it think it is, such as mercenary guy stating (paraphrased), "war is bad, sides are morally ambiguous." Which would be neat, if the game had actually shown any of this war that's going on, or might be about to break out, or...anything at all...
Y'know, it's kind of telling that I'm about 15 hours in, and there's characters, even in my own party, whose names I can't remember.
Meanwhile, Overwatch 2 is still fun, so there's that.
In fairness, it's gone from a 2/5 to a 3/5, but that isn't saying much. I'll give the combat system some props for having a, well, system, in how you should chain attacks, but a lot of the time it feels like I'm pressing buttons and hoping for the best. As for the story however...ugh.
It really strikes me just how much of the story seems to rely on characters holding the...not exactly idiot ball, but ignorance ball. For instance:
Antagonist: That character you're with destroyed the world 500 years ago!
Protagonist: No, that's a lie!
Me: Okay, so after this fight, you're going to ask your friend about that accusation, right? RIGHT?
There's also just an overall lack of motivation with the characters. So, Pyra wants to go to Elysium because...reasons, and I can get why Rex would want to help her (she saved her life), but not once has any character asked WHY. And it's not like they have a lack of time to do so. But even that's better motivation than the noppon character who doesn't seem to have any reason for tagging along bar maybe paying back Rex for helping him make a Blade (which he intended to dress up as a maid...stay classy, XC2), and Nia, whose motivations seem to be "sure, what not?"
There's also instances of the story thinking its much deeper than it think it is, such as mercenary guy stating (paraphrased), "war is bad, sides are morally ambiguous." Which would be neat, if the game had actually shown any of this war that's going on, or might be about to break out, or...anything at all...
Y'know, it's kind of telling that I'm about 15 hours in, and there's characters, even in my own party, whose names I can't remember.
Meanwhile, Overwatch 2 is still fun, so there's that.
I finished Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Fun game, but like the original NGII, it can drag at times. The last few levels are boss rushes with the 4 Great Fiends. Mission 17 has you fight 4 bosses total. Genshin for the fourth and final time. Elizebeth, and then her master, who's name I can't even bother to remember. Finally, two forms of the Greater Archfiend. Weak final boss, but still better than the Goddess boss in Razor's Edge. I will give credit as these games give out plenty of content when you beat the game. Beating the game unlocks all of the Ninja Race levels, and the Tag Team Trials. Sigma 2 has the most bonus content. Another credit to either version of this game is all the weapons and level variety. Especially when you go to the Underworld. RE's levels are not as interesting, and feel almost generic in certain spots. There are some creative and creepy moments in Day 6, but it does not go too far with the supernatural elements and you stay in the human realm for the whole story. I get why, but there is not much reason to do in the wizard slightly.
I played series backwards, so I will have to play Sigma 1 at some point. I am all ninja'd out for now. I highly doubt I am gonna do the harder difficulties, outside of Tag Team mode.
I played series backwards, so I will have to play Sigma 1 at some point. I am all ninja'd out for now. I highly doubt I am gonna do the harder difficulties, outside of Tag Team mode.
I can think of a game I liked that dabbled in something like that. I don't know if it is a "good" example, but I'm thinking of Thimbleweed Park. There is a puzzle that has to be solved by looking at the solution that was featured in some promotional screenshots of the game. It comes kind of out of nowhere and seems really unfair at the time... however once you finish the game it reframes that incident as some interesting foreshadowing of where the game was headed. So it isn't a good example... it is bad that winds up making a twisted kind of sense.
I haven't really had much time to futz around with my PS5 between Elden Ring and life in general(stupid life, getting in the way of vidya games), but I noticed that the PS5 has a little game baked into it called Astros Playroom, so I've been playing around in it.
And it's a fun little free game. It's a cross between a Tech Demo and a big celebration/Nostalgia trip for Sony Consoles. You control a little robot and collect coins and "artifacts", which are basically pieces of PS hardware throughout the levels. It's really just to show off what the controller can do but it's a decent platformer in it's own right, it doesn't demand much from you because you can jump in and drop out as needed. and it's honestly kinda cute.
So, you know, something fun to mess with until I get around to playing Demons Souls remake or whatever other exclusives I'm interested in coming up.
And it's a fun little free game. It's a cross between a Tech Demo and a big celebration/Nostalgia trip for Sony Consoles. You control a little robot and collect coins and "artifacts", which are basically pieces of PS hardware throughout the levels. It's really just to show off what the controller can do but it's a decent platformer in it's own right, it doesn't demand much from you because you can jump in and drop out as needed. and it's honestly kinda cute.
So, you know, something fun to mess with until I get around to playing Demons Souls remake or whatever other exclusives I'm interested in coming up.
Ghostwire tokyo was half price despite only coming out 1-2 months ago (probably not a good sign) so I picked it up to try. Only got a few hours in but part of it is really cool since its an open world game where you can jump/glide from roof to roof and find stuff scattered all over the map. I quite enjoy just scavenging everywhere, and rather than have everything highlighted on the map you can instead activate vision mode to see the gatherable in the world, a decent compromise. The downside is the rest of the game is nothing special, there's a story, maybe it'll develop into something interesting eventually but right now it's just generic boring. It draw heavily on shintoish but still manage to tell a really cliche story that could 100% be reproduced using any religion, the protagonist is particularly boring. Combat is also very generic for now, maybe once I have more weapons but I doubt it. There's an upgrade system but everything is just "do X slightly better" and I'm getting so much skill point by gathering everything in the map I feel like I'll get everything I want 1/4 of the way trough the game. It feel like they couldn't come up with any interesting stuff to fill the talent tree, but why not just add some very expensive cool stuff? A double jump could totally work in the game, why not add but for 5 level worth of skill point or something.
I was hoping it'd be more of an immersive sim, but once you're in a level (rather than open world sequence) everything is very linear with no alternate path at all. Stealth is very basic (it has a nice UI representation of enemy noticing you) and there's not much stuff worth gathering in level, both from a gameplay point of view and lore. It also as the classic recording of people talking, except you can't play them when you pick them up, only in menu.
I was hoping it'd be more of an immersive sim, but once you're in a level (rather than open world sequence) everything is very linear with no alternate path at all. Stealth is very basic (it has a nice UI representation of enemy noticing you) and there's not much stuff worth gathering in level, both from a gameplay point of view and lore. It also as the classic recording of people talking, except you can't play them when you pick them up, only in menu.
Now that I have finished Weird West I have moved on to Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers Edition. I've heard it referred to as a remaster... but no. This is basically a port packaged with the Radical Dreamers game that was initially not released in the US. A lot of the user reviews on Steam are , complaints usually around performance. Frame rate dips, screen tearing, that sort of thing. And that's why user reviews are basically worthless. I have no idea what these users were trying to play the game on. But my middle of the road 3 year old machine delivers this game as good or better than the PS1 did. I know, that isn't asking much. But that is what makes all the downvotes so bizarre. Play around with the video settings guys. I didn't have to but it will probably solve all those pesky "issues" if you crank those settings right down.
As far as the game goes. It is Chrono Cross. 10/10 from me, it is one of my old favorites. Improvements from the original? The best kind... none or subtle ones I don't even notice. So remaster... not really. And that's a good thing.
, complaints usually around performance. Frame rate dips, screen tearing, that sort of thing. And that's why user reviews are basically worthless. I have no idea what these users were trying to play the game on. But my middle of the road 3 year old machine delivers this game as good or better than the PS1 did. I know, that isn't asking much. But that is what makes all the downvotes so bizarre. Play around with the video settings guys. I didn't have to but it will probably solve all those pesky "issues" if you crank those settings right down.As far as the game goes. It is Chrono Cross. 10/10 from me, it is one of my old favorites. Improvements from the original? The best kind... none or subtle ones I don't even notice. So remaster... not really. And that's a good thing.
Had a go at Salt and Sacrifice. Picked alcoholism as my sin. Got 5 of a seemingly useless drink for it that doesn't replenish at all. Petted a cat. Killed some mages. Petted a cat again. Found a hookshot. Found many messages that make no sense. Got juggled by angry giants. Returned to cat. Seems ok.
This is why I stopped playing La Mulana 2. I got sick and tired of trying solve the puzzles the proper way because of how frustrating and long it was to get around in that game. Puzzle solutions could be in completely different parts of the world from their puzzles and you also had to interpret things and figure out what they mean on top of that. If the upgrades you got worked like how they do in Metroid games, where they made getting through old areas easier then it'd be manageable but 8 hours in and the game is only a little easier to navigate than it was when you started.
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Managed to beat the third boss of Rogue Legacy 2 on my first try after needing several to get past each of the first two. I don't think I'm getting significantly better, though; that one's just pretty easy. Game's really good so far and the fourth area is good too. I'm enjoying it a lot and definitely going to continue.
Finally finished all main objectives for World of Tomorrow - Sapienza in Hitman. I wound up with 36 challenges completed by the time I did thanks to all the restarts after botched attempts, so it still made the results screen really feel eventful in spite of them. Next I’ll be off to Marrakesh, but I’ll probably get back into Elden Ring beforehand.