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Dalisclock

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FInished Super Castlevania IV.

It's basically a much more refined version of the previous games, though technically is a remake of the first on newer hardware(the SNES). It feels like they took a lot of what they knew worked in earlier games and tightened it up a lot, though sadly the multiple path system from 3 is gone now. However, one thing that did survive from 3 that notably wasn't in the first game is that you start a ways from the castle and have to traverse multiple stages before you even set foot into the Entry Hall. In the original CV, you more or less started out at the front door, but CV3 made you work across half the game before reaching the castle and CV4 follows suit. However, once inside the castle the interior is notably different, which is a welcome change or else it might have felt like a pretty'd up version of 1 and 3. There's some new areas not seen before, notably a ballroom with dancing ghosts who will hurt you by bumping into you and a treasure room where you end up picking up a lot of point granting money bags, but hazards include the possibility of sinking into a scrooge mcduck-equse pile of loot on the floor. Said level also has a giant bat made out treasure that hurts you by hitting you with money, which means this all kinda feels like a joke to some extent, like the creators were enjoying the idea of making a money room where the money can kill you.

Mechanically the game feels smoother then the series has ever been, including the ability to attack in 8 directions and even block by holding the attack button. The game also includes rings on the walls that can be grabbed like a grappling hook to swing on to cross some gaps, so you have to judge swing speed and height to make successful jumps. In some ways this game a lot easier then the previous games, due to the ability to attack from multiple directions but some of the platforming is much more difficult it feels like.

One interesting feature I noticed is that while 3 introduced Boss rushes to the series(by having an evil flame ghost enter a series of coffins to summon the bosses into the arena, one by one, CV4 will have you fight a boss, then move to another room to fight the next boss in the sequence for it's boss rushes. Sometimes it will be nice enough to provide supplies between boss rooms, like health. Speaking of which, Health pickups are fond MUCH more often then the previous games. I think I found more health pickups in the first few levels of CV4 then the previous games in the series combined.

Edit: One small gripe I have with the game is the fact it showcases the capabilities of the SNES, but to such a small extent to feel like a gimmick. There are 3 particular bits that come to mind:
-Near the beginning there's a fence in the background and there are occasional gates that allow you to switch in front of and behind the fence. Mario World did much the same thing, but Mario World used it a number of times, whereas there's like 1 section that uses it in CV4 and it's never used again.
-Later one there's a room that Rotates around the player(and has spikes on the walls/ceilings/floors) and you have to hook onto one of the grapples until the room rotates enough to proceed. It's really cool. It showcases the Mode 7 tech of the Super Nintendo. It's used in 1 fucking room and never again.
-Right after that there's a room where it looks like you're on the inside of a cylinder that's rotating, again showcasing the then State of the Art(and at the time fucking hot shit) Mode 7 tech of the SNES. Again, used once and forgotten about.

I'm glad they tried stuff like that but it feels like they didn't really appreciate what they could do with those sections, so it just feels like a tech demo in those spots.

So yeah, a smoother, more refined version of CV1 with lessons learned from the previous games. I kind of appreciate how the clock tower went from "A bunch of gear looking platforms" in the first game, to having spinning gears and cogs in 3 to really feeling like part of a vast machine in 4.

A short break and then onto CV: Bloodlines.
 
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BrawlMan

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FInished Super Castlevania IV.

It's basically a much more refined version of the previous games, though technically is a remake of the first on newer hardware(the SNES). It feels like they took a lot of what they knew worked in earlier games and tightened it up a lot, though sadly the multiple path system from 3 is gone now. However, one thing that did survive from 3 that notably wasn't in the first game is that you start a ways from the castle and have to traverse multiple stages before you even set foot into the Entry Hall. In the original CV, you more or less started out at the front door, but CV3 made you work across half the game before reaching the castle and CV4 follows suit. However, once inside the castle the interior is notably different, which is a welcome change or else it might have felt like a pretty'd up version of 1 and 3. There's some new areas not seen before, notably a ballroom with dancing ghosts who will hurt you by bumping into you and a treasure room where you end up picking up a lot of point granting money bags, but hazards include the possibility of sinking into a scrooge mcduck-equse pile of loot on the floor. Said level also has a giant bat made out treasure that hurts you by hitting you with money, which means this all kinda feels like a joke to some extent, like the creators were enjoying the idea of making a money room where the money can kill you.

Mechanically the game feels smoother then the series has ever been, including the ability to attack in 8 directions and even block by holding the attack button. The game also includes rings on the walls that can be grabbed like a grappling hook to swing on to cross some gaps, so you have to judge swing speed and height to make successful jumps. In some ways this game a lot easier then the previous games, due to the ability to attack from multiple directions but some of the platforming is much more difficult it feels like.

One interesting feature I noticed is that while 3 introduced Boss rushes to the series(by having an evil flame ghost enter a series of coffins to summon the bosses into the arena, one by one, CV4 will have you fight a boss, then move to another room to fight the next boss in the sequence for it's boss rushes. Sometimes it will be nice enough to provide supplies between boss rooms, like health. Speaking of which, Health pickups are fond MUCH more often then the previous games. I think I found more health pickups in the first few levels of CV4 then the previous games in the series combined.

So yeah, a smoother, more refined version of CV1 with lessons learned from the previous games. I kind of appreciate how the clock tower went from "A bunch of gear looking platforms" in the first game, to having spinning gears and cogs in 3 to really feeling like part of a vast machine in 4.

A short break and then onto CV: Bloodlines.
When you get to Bloodlines, it'll be Boss Rush heaven or hell, depending on how you feel. There's more bosses there than in Castlevania 4.
 
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happyninja42

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I decided to play more Arkham City last night. I'm starting to notice where the latest PS4 Spider-Man games got some of their ideas from, along with Spider-Man 2. For example, Batman's grappling hook is r1, and the web sling off of rooftops is also r1 and the Spider-Man games. With that said, the Arkham games have the better stealth overall, and the Spider-Man games have the better combat. Not that Arkham city's combat is bad, but the PS4 Spider-Man games have better bosses. I know Origins has the better boss battles out of all the Batman games, but I haven't played those. It sucks they couldn't import those modern consoles. Does not make much sense not to. If I ever felt the need to get Origins, I was at the buy it used. I still have my 360.
Yeah I really enjoyed Arkham City, the first one at least. That was the only one I played. I've never been a huge DC fan, and Batman in particular always irks me, with his fanboy worship for his OPness. But, damn if it wasn't fun as hell to be swooping around that closed off section of Gotham, prowling the skies on my wingsuit, diving down on criminals and taking them out, and then vanishing up into the night skies again. Given the open nature of it all, it was great how I could alternate between just diving down and going open combat, or stealth dropping the entire squad. It was a lot of fun, enough fun that I keep debating picking up the later installments of the "city" format. Though I'm hesitant, given that one title that was just a warmed over pile of buggy shit, and never fully got patched that I'm aware of?

Still, Arkham City, solid fucking game.
 
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NerfedFalcon

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Yeah I really enjoyed Arkham City, the first one at least. That was the only one I played. I've never been a huge DC fan, and Batman in particular always irks me, with his fanboy worship for his OPness. But, damn if it wasn't fun as hell to be swooping around that closed off section of Gotham, prowling the skies on my wingsuit, diving down on criminals and taking them out, and then vanishing up into the night skies again. Given the open nature of it all, it was great how I could alternate between just diving down and going open combat, or stealth dropping the entire squad. It was a lot of fun, enough fun that I keep debating picking up the later installments of the "city" format. Though I'm hesitant, given that one title that was just a warmed over pile of buggy shit, and never fully got patched that I'm aware of?

Still, Arkham City, solid fucking game.
I never did finish Arkham City, but I enjoyed it a heck of a lot too, though I don't think it was quite as good as Arkham Asylum. Too many gadgets with not enough uses, was my biggest issue with it; the escalation got a little away from them. They're both really good games, though, and they both have their own strengths that makes it worth playing both. Least we agree on something here.
 

happyninja42

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I never did finish Arkham City, but I enjoyed it a heck of a lot too, though I don't think it was quite as good as Arkham Asylum. Too many gadgets with not enough uses, was my biggest issue with it; the escalation got a little away from them. They're both really good games, though, and they both have their own strengths that makes it worth playing both. Least we agree on something here.
My issue with Asylum was the metroidvania style of gating off sections of the map, behind different gadgets. I've never really enjoyed that setup, forcing me to backtrack over and over, just because you designed the map this way. With ACity at least you could fly around pretty much wherever you wanted. Some areas might be gadget restricted sure, but it would be a small area, in a literal city of stuff to go explore. So it didn't feel as restrictive to me.
 

BrawlMan

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My issue with Asylum was the metroidvania style of gating off sections of the map, behind different gadgets. I've never really enjoyed that setup, forcing me to backtrack over and over, just because you designed the map this way. With ACity at least you could fly around pretty much wherever you wanted. Some areas might be gadget restricted sure, but it would be a small area, in a literal city of stuff to go explore. So it didn't feel as restrictive to me.
I kind of had a similar problem with Asylum. It's what I don't like about most metroidvanias. When it's done right, is usually not too much of a problem. I know whenever I got a new gadget, I rarely went off the off beaten path to try them or go back to super early areas. I usually just went on to the mandated path. I did that and still unlocked about 66% of the game.
 
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happyninja42

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I kind of had a similar problem with Asylum. It's what I don't like about most metroidvanias. When it's done right, is usually not too much of a problem. I know whenever I got a new gadget, I rarely went off the off beaten path to try them or go back to super early areas. I usually just went on to the mandated path. I did that and still unlocked about 66% of the game.
Yeah, I've found, having been made aware of this gaming design with that term, that when I see it in a game, I don't like it. I find it a tedium that I personally could just do without. It really irked me with Jedi: Fallen Order. Where I would pull up the map when I got a new ability/item that I knew unlocked areas, and would review a previous map. I'd see the various green doors and stuff....aaaallllll the way at the bottom of an annoyingly convoluted map, that I can't stand navigating anyway, just to find some doors, that will probably have nothing more than a new poncho/BD-1/ship skin. Or a small codex or something. I'd feel the enthusiasm to keep playing, literally drain out of me as I looked at the map.

So yeah, personally, not a fan of metroidvania level design. Didn't like it in God of War either, though I found it less annoying/tedious in that one. I guess because the various things that were unlocked, were like entire new areas with side quests, cool story missions in themselves, an entire new realm of the 9 realms to farm for equipment, etc. I knew it wasn't always just a minor collectible or something.
 

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Yeah, I've found, having been made aware of this gaming design with that term, that when I see it in a game, I don't like it. I find it a tedium that I personally could just do without. It really irked me with Jedi: Fallen Order. Where I would pull up the map when I got a new ability/item that I knew unlocked areas, and would review a previous map. I'd see the various green doors and stuff....aaaallllll the way at the bottom of an annoyingly convoluted map, that I can't stand navigating anyway, just to find some doors, that will probably have nothing more than a new poncho/BD-1/ship skin. Or a small codex or something. I'd feel the enthusiasm to keep playing, literally drain out of me as I looked at the map.

So yeah, personally, not a fan of metroidvania level design. Didn't like it in God of War either, though I found it less annoying/tedious in that one. I guess because the various things that were unlocked, were like entire new areas with side quests, cool story missions in themselves, an entire new realm of the 9 realms to farm for equipment, etc. I knew it wasn't always just a minor collectible or something.
I quit Fallen Order after doing about 15% of the game. I hated the level design so much, and I did not like the Souls inspired combat. I really wish it was just The Force Unleashed 3 or a spiritual successor to that type of DMC/God of War gameplay. God of War 4S Metro Vania design I mostly enjoyed. What else is that you rewarded by doing the side quests, and sometimes got even bigger rewards for it. What was even better is that if you completed a side quest and went to New Game Plus you didn't have to do it again. It would already show up in your completion and if you were talking to Brock or Sinder, they don't talk as if you already done the quest. If I remember correctly, there was a minor exploit where you would still get a reward for it. They might have patch that out though NG+ runs. But even on new game plus, if you bother to explore chest and other items, you would get new awards compared to if it was just health or a upgrade to your rage meter. Thanks to the New Game Plus update they did. You'll get even new armor or more parts to make a new armor. Giving you a reason to explode off eating half for hidden items again. Even better if you have the map memorized.
 
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happyninja42

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I quit Fallen Order after doing about 15% of the game. I hated the level design so much, and I did not like the Souls inspired combat.
Yeah, I'm not a fan either, but I love Star Wars enough to tolerate it for the story, which I felt was pretty solid.

I really wish it was just The Force Awakens 3 or a spiritual successor to that type of DMC/God of War gameplay.
Yeah I'd love the Force Unleashed engine again. That was a super fun force user game.
 

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Rachet, and Clank Rift Apart, and it broke my controller because of course, it did.
 

BrawlMan

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Rachet, and Clank Rift Apart, and it broke my controller because of course, it did.
This is odd, though I'm not surprised. Whatever an early DualShock comes out there's always some weird problem with it. What are you doing to your controllers? They shouldn't break this easily though.
 

Gergar12

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This is odd, though I'm not surprised. Whatever an early DualShock comes out there's always some weird problem with it. What are you doing to your controllers? They shouldn't break this easily though.
I am playing Genshin Impact and that new Rachet, and Clank game which surprisedly puts lots of strain on the controller. We are talking lots of trigger tension, and often times your controller has a real-life-like feel to it. I don't even play that much COD or Man-Eater which put lots of strain on your controller.
 

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I am playing Genshin Impact and that new Rachet, and Clank game which surprisedly puts lots of strain on the controller. We are talking lots of trigger tension, and often times your controller has a real-life-like feel to it. I don't even play that much COD or Man-Eater which put lots of strain on your controller.
I knew those triggers were going to cause problems. I know there are options that turn them off. I'm assuming it's the same for those games. Are you able to turn the realistic trigger function off? Does that help alleviate the problem?
 

Gergar12

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I knew those triggers were going to cause problems. I know there are options that turn them off. I'm assuming it's the same for those games. Are you able to turn the realistic trigger function off? Does that help alleviate the problem?
I am on the phone with them right now, it's been literally an hour of being put on hold...
 

hanselthecaretaker

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Mmmm Sekiro, finding the groove again. Well, sort of. Took down the big bad ape, again, along with happy-go-lucky sidekick ape. Second try, but only after using all nine gourds and resurrecting three times (had dragon tears and the jizou statue, and good thing because not two seconds after using the latter I go down for the count lol). Really, this was a sloppy, drawn out, tooth and nail bit down to the bone battle if there ever was one. My excuses are general rustiness, tiredness and oh idk, input lag (hehe my Epson projector is 67ms best case; really adds a twist to the combat!)

Then finally got my turn for revenge, and pulled the disgusting fucking centipede thing out of its neck hole and performed a spine tingling mortal blow while the wiggly worm writhed and cackled at me.

The game certainly has some of the most satisfying finishing blows on bosses, and I really need to download the “Shinobi Execution” sound effect on my phone for a timer or something. Anyways, after scavenging everywhere for everything up to this point all that’s left according to the trophy guide is to start pursuing the various endings. I know at least one of them requires NG+ but that should be more pleasant with all my new skills.
 

Drathnoxis

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My first Castlevania game was Circle Of the Moon. Up until that point, I vaguely knew of the series existence. I didn't play the NES games on emulator until I was in high school around 2004 or 2005. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Not many people in my circle knew about Castlevania either back in the 90s or early 2000s.
My first Castlevania game was something on the N64, that I played for maybe an hour before giving up because I didn't know what to do. Complete waste of a rental.
 

Drathnoxis

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It's got a very fetching presentation, style and overall presentation, and pulls off a unique blend of funny and macabre. To the degree that it's doing its own thing and not trying to fill out a quota I like it. There's very little to actually dislike about it, other than the glacial walking pace. But I do wish it developed its starring gameplay mechanic more thoroughly.
Can't wait to see your write up of the game once you've finished it.
 
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hanselthecaretaker

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I took on the Souls games as a long-term project, knowing that I'd have to push hard to get through them. And I'm not that bad at action games generally, so taking on a hard action-RPG didn't sound impossible. Taking on a hard stealth game isn't my idea of fun.

If I ever want to git gud I'll try Chaos Theory or something. Or do the rest of Phantom Pain; I played through about half of it when it came out, but dropped it once the online stuff got introduced and just didn't interest me. Which sucked, because I was really enjoying TPP until then.

Don’t let the online portion discourage you. There’s only a base building tutorial mission required for the main game, while PVP stuff can be ignored completely. Simply being logged in will allow you to gain a ton more resources now to develop new gear too.

While the second act has some repeated missions on higher difficulty they aren’t all that bad, and IIRC aren’t even required (I think side ops can be done in their place). I was able to S rank nearly all of them on an initial run after watching a quick YouTube video. The last few missions are really well done and also have some of the best story moments in the game IMO.
 

Drathnoxis

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Noita is the new Nethack for YASD. I just threw away one of the best runs I'd ever had. I had a luminous drill with increased lifetime and a bunch of mana, recharge, and damage ups. This thing shredded absolutely everything through the jungle, no problem. It shot through walls and off the screen. I had fire and explosion immunity and a permanent shield and 500+ health. I was thinking I'd finally go and see some parallel worlds after the next floor.

Well I went through the holy mountain and finally found tinker with wands everywhere. Up until then I had been using a polymorph potion to get in and out of the holy mountains, but I didn't need it anymore so I was just going to go through normally and collapse the place. Then as I was about to leave I realized I should leave the potion there to free up a slot and put it somewhere it wouldn't get broken and kill me. So I go back down and try to gently set it on the ground, however I guess I still had a bit too much momentum from my fall and it smashes on the ground. Also, at the same time I guess I went a bit too far and had triggered the temple collapse already. Next thing i know I'm a sheep, and then I'm dead from a rock on my head. Oops.

To make it worse I messed up the save scum too. I copied my save, then moved it right back, then I closed the game, and then the game deleted my save. Man, I should really know better than to play games when I'm tired, but something tells me this is a lesson I'm never going to learn.