Topic: Games You Recently Beat?

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - This one has been sitting on my shelf half completed for years. Finally came back to it and finished it. I thought I was still in case 3 which I remembered being really long but it turned out I was actually pretty far in in case 4.

Great game. It was really nice to go back to the 2D art after playing Spirit of Justice. They've done really good job with the 3D models but the spritework in older Ace Attorney games is just so perfect. Unlike most Ace Attorney games, this game doesn't have a straight up filler case. Every case is tied to the story in some way, some more than others, and the story is quite different from other games. Gameplay is mostly the same despite the lack of trials. The cast is great. It was so fun to see Gumshoe again. And it's not just Gumshoe, basically every important character from the trilogy make an appearance, except Phoenix. And the new characters are all great too. It's a shame they haven't made an appearance outside the Edgeworth games.

The game is solid all around. I liked all cases. Case 3 was bit too long. They dragged it out. They did it again with the final case where you have to spend at least an hour trying to get the main villain behind the bars after you thought you were already done. But the case was really good otherwise.

I've now beaten every localized Ace Attorney game. I kind of expect them to re-release the Edgeworth games at some point and bring the second game here too. Or at least I hope that's the case. Not expecting the Great Ace Attorney anytime soon but I hope I'm proven wrong.

@RR529 so i guess i just beat it too. Didn't realize you could actually beat an animal crossing game lol

Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch)

If this isn't the weirdest, most Japanese game that I've ever played, it's pretty darn close LOL. The Katamari Damacy series is based on an odd concept where you roll a sticky ball (a katamari) to pick up larger and larger objects as the ball increases in size. The premise is simple and weird, many of the stages and goals are varied and interesting, and...well...It's just an all-around quirky game.

Positives

• The 2D art assets in the game have a nice, colorful aesthetic. A lot of the art really pops.
• The music is fun, catchy, and easy to listen to. Some of the tracks are a bit odd, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.
• Dialogue in the game is enjoyable, weird, and fun to read.
• The plot itself isn't anything too deep; the King of All Cosmos, AKA the Prince (or playable character's) dad, goes on a drunken dancing spree and knocks all of the stars and the moon out of the heavens. Of course, since YOU are his son, you have to fix his mess? It's...interesting. Katamari rolling seems to be a family business thing.
• Many of the stages are fun; later stages especially become more interesting as you get to roll up larger and larger objects. The "Make A Star" stages are just straightforward rolling, but many of the constellation stages have different challenges to try to overcome.
• Some replayability is present in the game by trying to get the biggest katamari possible in each stage, by building an even better constellation in the constellation stages, and by trying to find the present in each stage. The presents unlock cosmetic items for the Prince to wear.
• The Making the Moon level is absolutely glorious. I'm pretty sure I've never played a game where you can roll up whole ships, islands, and skyscrapers later on.

Neutral

• After completing each "rolling" of the main story, the plot would cut away to a normal human family reacting (or not) to the goings-on involving the stars and moon disappearing from the sky. The cutaways were...interesting to have, I suppose, but not really needed IMO. On the plus side, the designs of the family/people in this game reminded me of the models used for the Thomas The Tank Engine TV show.
• Many of the 3D assets look pretty decent, but a few here and there reveal the game's true age a bit. This isn't a dealbreaker by any means and is pretty negligible in my book.
• The King of All Cosmos is kind of a jerk. A funny jerk, but...definitely not father of the year in my book.

Negatives/Nitpicks

• I understand that the controls are supposed to be somewhat unwieldy, and maybe I just need more practice with them. Unfortunately, I didn't really find them that intuitive even after going through the tutorial segment. I'm not used to pressing down on thumbsticks very much, and some of the maneuvers coupled with this are kind of hard to pull off.
• A couple of the constellation stages that involve counting the VERY first thing you pick up, even IF it isn't technically that thing you're trying to pick up are nitpicky and troll the player to a fault IMO. I spent way, WAY too much time on Ursa Major.

Katamari Damacy Reroll is an easy game to recommend for those who like puzzle solving, are looking for something different, and don't mind how delightfully weird this game is. It's by no means a perfect game; it has awkward controls and isn't for everyone. There is a demo on the Switch eShop that can help gauge whether or not this game is for you.

@Knighty_IX Gotta admit that the video is quite accurate. The game focuses more on the Yatagarasu and I think that part was well executed so it was kind of weird that the game took so long after Yatagarasu was out of the picture. I liked Lang, Yew, Badd, Teneiro and Meele. Kay was ok. She didn't stand out as much as other companions. I agree that the Little Thief wasn't that interesting of a mechanic. Also forgot about Phoenix and friends' cameo.

It's not my favorite Ace Attorney game. Actually far from it. I don't know where I'd place it but it's far better than Dual Destinies. That's the only game in the series I actually dislike. Not sure if I'd think of it more fondly if I played through it again but I didn't like it back when it came out. 90% of my hate is probably due to Fulbright. He was a poor replacement for Gumshoe. And the DLC case was not worth my money.

I love how you? are playing a turquoise Lite in that, @RR529 .... Is it supposed to be playing the same game it's in? Lols!

@BruceCM, if you're referring to the Switch on the table in my AC house, it's actually the ACNH themed standard Switch, which is a buyable item in the game.

Yeah, I mistook it for a Lite, @RR529.... I'll assume it's playing Animal Crossing, though Neat little touches, I understand why people love the game

Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot (PSVR) - VR Wolfenstein FPS with a focus on mech gameplay.

Gameplay:

• It's a singleplayer FPS set across 4 missions (it'll last you only a few hours, unless you want to play it on the harder difficulty settings), each of which puts you in control of a different piece of tech (except the fourth, which has you jumping between the three to complete it).
• Each mission is split into 3 segments. The first of which being in a lab/workshop setting where you have to tinker with & reverse engineer that mission's mech (captured from the Nazi's). These are stress free segments which provide a nice break from the action and make good use of the VR play space, albeit are a bit clunky with a Dualshock, as the camera can easily lose track of the light bar when you move the controller to the side to grab an object. It's not a major issue & I learned to adapt, but these segments probably play better with the freedom afforded by the Move controllers.
• The second part of a mission (at least the first 3) is a brief tutorial on how to control that mission's mech. From here on things play out much more like a standard FPS, and using the Dualshock isn't an issue. Each mech has two weapons (one fired with L2 & R2, respectively), an emergency weapon/action (activated by an in game button just to your left that you have to hit with a forceful "smashing" motion of the controller), and health regeneration (activated by pressing R2 after slotting the controller into a device just to your right, so you can't heal & attack at the same time). You move & control the camera with the analogue sticks, and aim via motion tracking.
• The third and largest segment is the main mission proper, where you use what you've learned to make your way through it.
• The final mission mixes things up as it (sort of) abandons the lab, and doesn't feature a tutorial segment, as you hop between all 3 mechs on your way to completion.

Audio/Visual:

• Being a "cockpit" style game it makes general good use of the VR perspective, especially given the fact that you're controlling machinery of varying sizes, with the Zitadelle being the traditional power fantasy mech that towers over your average soldier, and the Drone being exactly that, where every man is an oppressive obstacle to be approached cautiously.
• It has a cool retro sci-fi setting, with detailed environments (with many objects being destructible, particularly in the larger machines), where you're treated to helicopters & zeppelins flying overhead, and mechanized enemies explode with arrays of sparks & embers (I particularly like the way enemy Panzerhunds are reduced to molten metal when defeated).
• Of course such detail does come with a caveat, as although it shows the potential of a VR world with the backing of a larger studio, it's pressing on PSVR's upper limits (at least on a slim PS4), as the environment can get quite blurry with some texture pop in too. It depends on distance & segment (the tutorial segments take place in 80's style computer datascapes and look great, as does anything in your immediate vicinity such as the interior of the cockpit, and even the drone missions hold up well as they take place mostly indoors, but it's pretty noticeable outside. It was never so bad that it got in the way of the gameplay however, and is still mostly a cool experience (even at it's worst it still looks better than anything on Switch's LABO VR, for example). I imagine it's really cool on a Pro.

Story:

• Set in an alternate history where the Nazi's won WWII, you're a "cyberpilot" with the French resistance who pilots captured advanced Nazi war machinery for liberation. It's not too long before you discover the Nazi R&D lab (where they're developing even more advanced ways to kill people), and set out to destroy it.
• It's not the most original setup, but it gets the job done, and it actually has a pretty cool twist at the end.

Conclusion:

• It may end just when it feels like it's finding it's groove & pushes PSVR to it's graphical limit, but it's a cool & fun experience while it lasts and does some interesting things (and offers a nice array of experiences based on the different mech types).

I beat Wario Land: Shake It for the Wii. I got stuck on the penultimate boss 4 years ago and stopped playing it. Then I thought about trying again this week, lol.
It's pretty good. 4 is still my favorite, but this one has the best visuals and animation.

One aspect I found weird about it is that uses a 4:3 aspect (it has some cool borders at least). Super Paper Mario also had it but it was originally meant to be a GameCube title, so that one's more understandabel.

@Vinny I have Shake It! and played through it a few years ago. It's one of the better Wario Land entries, especially in the animation and art departments. I still think Wario Land II is my favorite though.

Yay, i have finished Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction PS3 just now. 😄
I'm watching the Credit Roll right now.
I didn't realized if Dan Johnson have passed away long time ago (2006). 😣

Fire Emblem Three Houses New Game + I finally finished my second play through of this game. I have to say, in a way, this game is truly something special! The story, characters and world are all so well written! Throughout the experience I found myself laughing, shocked, angry, repulsed, crying and grinning so wide it actually hurt! The individual stories and relationships among the cast are all so interesting! And I think it's truly amazing how each route represents different worldviews and none of the routes are clearly set up as "the good route" or "the bad route". It would be, no, it really really is very easy to get into major debates or even arguments over the issues this game covers. And the worldviews presented by the characters are masked versions of very real issues that really matter in the real world.

But this is a game, not a movie or book. And the game play is... "just" great. I say "just" because, while I do think it is GREAT, it isn't quite perfect. Letting any unit use any weapon largely took away a lot of the identity of different classes of units and I found myself wanting to make everyone an assassin or sage and forcing myself to role play and use other classes. The teaching mechanic I really like, but into the second play through it started to get really old and repetitive. And that might not be a problem in another game, but this is a game that you really need to play at least twice. One normal route, and the special route.

The music was great too! But there could have been more of it.

In the end, as a long time Fire Emblem fan, this is easily in my top 3 entries in the series. But if you ask me to choose between Awakening, FE7 and Three Houses, I don't think I could pick just one. They all have reasons I love them immensely.

FE3H isn't just one of the best FE games, it's one of the best games on Switch hands down and a must play for anyone who even somewhat likes the genre.

And on a personal note, even if there is no official canon ending to the game or pairing for Byleth...
Female Byleth X Edelgard is the only correct ending, I don't care if you disagree.

Just finished Final Fantasy VII Remake, can't wait to find out what happens next.

I just finished Figment. I know it was my present personal circumstances more than the game itself (although the game was good, too), but that was one of the most emotional games I have ever played. And the song that played during the end credits was probably the best song I've ever heard in a video game. I immediately had to go find it online and cried through the whole thing reading the lyrics along with it. Definitely recommend it (the game and the song).

I have recently finished Hotline Miami and Far Cry 4. Hotline Miami was alright, infuriating, but okay game. I have to admit the pixel art hasn't aged well at all made me want to vomit the first time I saw them. The saving grace of this game is the soundtrack, as a synth-wave fan, it's top-notch.

I have a lot to say about Far Cry 4. Right off the bat, the game is a beauty. The visuals hold up. Just getting visuals out of the way, cause there's so much to unpack. Just like Far Cry 3, 4 is still decent, but time has not been well with this game(and 3). I'll tell you why, first off the story, it's terrible(poorly paced and poorly written), Ajay(MC) he came to do one thing(spread his mother's ashes), and he just starts accepting orders like a lap dog with no mind of its own. Why? Why is he taking orders for a war that's not even his to fight? And, the other characters are one dimensional, they have no time to develop, the villains as well! Pagan Min(the big cheese) gets no screen time, and the man oozes charisma and character. And the developers never used him; he gets a couple of great lines on the radio, and that's it—what a shame, what a disappointment the story is.

The gunplay is excellent, but Far Cry 5 feels a ton better. That's the one good thing about this franchise; the gunplay gets better with each new game. And the sounds of the guns are also excellent! When you shoot a gun, the whole world will hear it, and it's glorious. It's a thing of beauty to listen to these guns, especially the stormer. And the game gives you so much money to buy these guns and experiment, which is excellent! Using the same guns can get boring. But it's a shame the AI is awful, so awful that it makes using the guns so unsatisfying sometimes. They're so stupid that they might as well just shoot themselves and save me the trouble. That's how bad they're; Far Cry 5 has better AI(nothing to write home about). It gets worse in the final area; the AI glitches out so much(I don't remember this in the XB1 version).

The last two things I wanted to talk about are the EXP system and the open-world activities. The EXP system is adequate. You get a ton of EXP, which is fine, but the skills are mediocre at best and not needed(except for a handful). The open-world activities are short and sweet. This game was released when Ubisoft was in it's fill the map with busy work high. So expect collectibles and towers, the other activities like assassination, escorts, etc. are sufficient for a while. But, you will realize that you don't need to do them. You'll get so much money and exp in the first two areas that you won't need to do them anymore. And the AI is awful(for basically every activity), and I bring this back but, the AI drags this game down that it hurts. Add the fact that you have a mini-map that shows where they are and Xray vision(when you tag them with the camera). The poor AI has no chance, and they get slaughtered. It's a shame; Far Cry 4 has some neat enemy types that can be a threat if the AI was somewhat decent.

To finish this off, Far Cry 4 is still a decent game; I can recommend this if you like shooters or want to get into the series, and I might sound too nice while I'm ripping this game apart but, I have an affinity for this series, and I want to see it grow and improve. Ubisoft just needs to take a step back and look at the past game's strengths and build upon them. If they don't, well, Ubisoft will have another Far Cry 5 on their hands, and to be honest, I don't want to see that.

Finished both Raging Loop and Antiquia Lost over the weekend.

Raging Loop is a vn that has a story that's basically a horror spin on the movie Groundhog's Day with a dash of H.P. Lovecraft. It isn't an award-winning vn, but I enjoyed it from start to finish, which was roughly 35 hours.

And Antiquia Lost is a Kemco jrpg. Most Kemco rpg games have an easy-bake-oven kind of quality to them. Clearly not the highest in quality. But each of them usually offer interesting mechanics. Overall, not great yet not terrible either.

I went on a Half Life binge the past few weeks. I played the 1998 original, then Opposing Force, then Blue Shift. All first-time playthroughs.

I thought they were all great to spectacular. Blue Shift is, well, short and sweet, but clearly the lesser of the three. Opposing Force has plenty of great moments, thought it drags a bit at the end. And the original Half Life, well, it deserves its fame. I deeply loved it.

Of course, they're "dated," I suppose. I didn't play a 1998 game expecting a 2020 experience. But some of their dated aspects are, from today's perspective, welcome features.

Some aren't. I'll never warm up to 1990s 3D human character models. (Monsters and eldritch creatures fare better, of course, since they have no real-world referents.) And gameplay-wise, Half Life does abuse surprise attacks and enemy spawns. It's certainly built with quick saving in mind.

But other things I unconditionally loved. The Gold Scr engine may seem limited 20 years later, but it's rather good at portraying those kinds of nondescript (even if high-tech) industrial environments with simple walls, geometries, and colors. And there's a really neat contrast between those environments --so familiar and ordinary-- and all the weird alien stuff you're dealing with. It gives the whole game a frankly unnerving and uncanny vibe. The limitations of the engine do mean environment design can get a bit spartan and nonsensical sometimes. But whenever the game errs, it usually errs on the side of playability. (Well, except on Xen.)

And the entire experience is just beautifully paced — in ways that most later games, supposedly inspired by it, could still learn from. My first Half Life was actually the sequel, which I tried in 2009. I liked it, but not this much. I actually put off the original until now because of it. I think the sequel exaggerates the cinematic linearity, forces you into eternal vehicle sections that are certainly more annoying than anything in Xen. Half Life, by contrast, has several episodes that let you move around, explore, find bonus areas, activate machinery, and so on. It's not Deus Ex or anything, but it's also not as breathless as many shooters that followed in its wake.

I'm actually struggling through Black Mesa right now. I know it's beloved within the Half Life community because it's a gigantic fan-made reimagining of the original, but it falls prey to many of the worst tendencies of modern game design. Environment art is now more detailed, more realistic — and more cluttered. Enemies become confused with the background. Signposting is less clear. Puzzles get even more puzzling — even when I already solved them literally a week ago in the original. (Partly this is because Black Mesa introduces slight and not-so-slight tweaks. And partly it's because it's actually harder to find things now since there's more stuff everywhere.) Scenes are more dramatic. Moments that simply happened in the original are now punctuated with musical cues. There's no more subtle contrast between ordinary environments and extraordinary events. Now every room oozes atmosphere and dread. If you compare Half Life and Black Mesa side-by-side, there's no contest: Black Mesa looks far better. But in terms of cumulative effect, which is what really matters, Black Mesa isn't doing it for me. I'll keep trying, though...

Final Fantasy Adventure (Switch)

This was my first go-around with this lovely gem via Collection of Mana. Some of its mechanics haven't aged the best, but overall it's a very solid game and is extremely impressive for being an early Game Boy game. The top-down perspective is reminiscent of 2D Zelda titles, but this game predates the original Link's Awakening by about two years. Some of my criticisms will be a moot point as they're products of an old game with limitations related to that of the original system, but I still feel as though they bear mentioning.

Positives

• The music. Oh my gosh, the music. I am a huge sucker for classic chiptunes like this, and much of the track certainly didn't disappoint. The opening theme is definitely my favorite, but many other sections of the track are great too!
• While the story is a little barebones by modern standards (with the uncommon typo), it's still enjoyable, easy to follow, and has a few interesting turns.
• Many of the main and side characters in the story are pretty entertaining, though by modern standards they do come off as a bit generic. Some of the companions in the game are dead useful in a pinch.
• Combat is fairly simple; a weapon in the hero's arsenal has to be equipped to dole out damage to enemies. Some enemies are immune to certain weapon types and weak to others, so it certainly pays to experiment. Magic spells can be acquired to heal the hero or cause damage, and various items can be picked up throughout the adventure to cause all sorts of effects and help pave the way forward.
• Gaining a level in the game gives them a single point that they can invest into a stat: Power, Wisdom, Health, and Will. This system ensures that no two playthroughs will be quite the same depending on what the player decides to do.
• As part of Collection of Mana, certain options are available to help streamline the experience. Quick Save and Quick Load are useful functions, as is being able to go directly back to the title screen, viewing the controls, etc. It works a lot like the Virtual Console functions on previous Nintendo systems.
• To go with the above, the game's display can be changed between monochrome, a collage of black/white/gray, or to use the slightly more colorful aesthetics of the Game Boy Color. The player can also change it to be a larger resolution that better fits the Switch's screen or that of the original Game Boy.
• You can ride a Chocobo. 'Nuff said.

Neutral

• Without some forewarning via online users and a guide, it is easy for newer players to get stuck in this game. Useful items such as Keys and Mattocks usually need to be bought (they can be dropped by enemies, but this isn't reliable), or else the player may be stuck without a way forward.
• The puzzles aren't too elaborate for the most part, but there are some interesting head-scratchers every once in awhile. These can typically be solved by using certain types of magic or weapons.
• Part of the reason that I played this game in handheld mode was because it is definitely better suited to a smaller screen. It looks quite blown up on a large TV. It isn't unplayable, but it isn't as easy on the eyes either.

Negatives/Nitpicks

• The "map" in this game really doesn't have much to it; it only shows towns via a house symbol, and the other map squares are a blank white. Part of the reason I resorted to a guide in the end was so I wouldn't get completely lost.
• Who on Earth thought adding unavoidable lava to a dungeon that knocks off 100+ HP a tick was a good idea? This isn't challenging, it's just a frustrating annoyance that makes it a necessity for a character to spam-heal themselves.
• This is due to limitations present on the original Game Boy, but the constant pausing to switch items, spells, etc. really messes with the flow of the game IMO.
• Palm trees and the number eight....I'm not gonna lie, I had to look up the answer for this one. Turns out I had the right idea, but I had to perform the necessary steps in an area that I hadn't even been to yet. I get not just handing the player the answers, but there's a such thing as being too cryptic as well.

Final Fantasy Adventure is certainly worth a look for anyone interested in where the Mana/Seiken Densetsu series began or wants to experience an early action-adventure RPG. Some aspects of the game haven't aged well at all. However, once the mechanics click (and a guide is kept within a click or two just in case), this game is certainly worth your time for the story, music, and its own personality.

Endless Ocean: Blue World for the Wii. Wow, what a game! Some of the things you can do in it:

• Find new sealife and add it to your encyclopedia.
• Scavenge the ocean for items, which you can appraise and earn money
• With said money you can buy upgrades and a lot of other stuff.
• You can "level up", like by spending time underwater, your level increases and you're able to spend even more time underwater
• Take pictures of the sealife
• Train a dolphin
• And a lot more!

There is actually a plot involving hidden treasures and ancient civilizations, and it's interesting. Took me 14 hours to beat the story (spent quite a while scavenging for items). But there's really a lot to do in this game.

@Vinny So I take it that the game is still very much enjoyable? I've been interested in Endless Ocean 1 & 2 for a long time but never saw them in stores back in the day. They've always been the kind of game I'd pick up if I saw them somewhere or if I could get them while buying some other games. How does it look nowadays? It was supposedly pretty good looking back in the day? I doubt they're ever going to remaster them even though it would be a great fit on Switch with it being more casual and relaxing experience. Looks like the team is still in good terms with Nintendo since the latest thing they worked on was Tetris 99.