Mini-Review/Backlog Destruction Thread
- Thread starter Razzel
- Start date
Yeah Tactics Ogre predated FF tactics by 2 years. Fun fact, the guy who made Tatics Ogre, left after he finished the game to work for Square Enix where he made Final Fantasy Tactics, so you're going to see similarities.
It really bums me out they didn’t bring FFT to modern consoles like they done all the other old FF games.
And I didn’t play Tactics Ogre back in the day if I remember right it was on SNES. I played FFT at launch on PSone. Still love that game today.
That's mostly cause outside of Fire Emblem series and the more recent Triangle Strategy, tactics games sell like dog crap on consoles. Not worth the work to port it.
You would think it wouldn’t take much to port it like they did FF7-9 and the older ones. I own 7-9 on Switch and see them and FF10 and 12 on sale all the time on there and XBox.
I forgot I had the first The Division through GwG years ago. Never played it. Started playing it over the weekend solo. Fun game so far I’m enjoying it. I loved Division 2 and the DC setting, the NYC setting in this does feel different that’s helping my enjoyment.
I loved the first division, played through it in coop with a friend, good times. Started the sequel but somehow didn't feel it. Might try it out again in coop.
I've been hooked on the Suicide Squad game from last year, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Solid 7-8 type of game overall. Gameplay should get repetitive, but having four characters to switch around with keeps things fresh. Just finding the combat loop and traversal system to be quite fun. It also gives me Brute Force vibes for some reason. That switch-up ability is underused in games.
Yeah it was me. Its up there with Diablo 4 as being one of my biggest time sinks of this generation. There's soo much to do. And its all pretty well done. I know its a rip off of Stardew Valley and i don't care.
Well the art style and setting are very appealing compared to others like this I played. I’m always looking for a game to play that’s fun you can relax to. If it ever leaves GP I’d buy it.
I’m surprised this isn’t on Switch.
I played on gamepass then I bought a Steam copy given the trouble that the dev is having with their publisher. The trouble with their publisher is why the game isn't on Switch.
I'm dropping Tactics Ogre. There's a great story in there but the gameplay is just too slow and antiquated.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
A bit all over the place but still found it enjoyable. Stopped playing while waiting for the offline mode and while the gameplay hasn't changed its nice to have quick resume working perfectly now.
Cutscene and VA are all top notch with a lot of funny moments and while I'm fine taking on the JL it still feels like they skipped a load of games/story to get to this point.
Especially considering how Knight ended.
Ending to the main story feels very rushed.
3/5
A bit all over the place but still found it enjoyable. Stopped playing while waiting for the offline mode and while the gameplay hasn't changed its nice to have quick resume working perfectly now.
Cutscene and VA are all top notch with a lot of funny moments and while I'm fine taking on the JL it still feels like they skipped a load of games/story to get to this point.
Especially considering how Knight ended.
Ending to the main story feels very rushed.
3/5
Starting the big one:
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PC). Initial thought in the Rebirth thread.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PC). Initial thought in the Rebirth thread.
I've been hooked on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Despite the bad reviews, I ended up enjoying the game quite a bit. Combat is fun, and each character feels a bit different. It's fun as hell to travel across the city, and because each character has their own traversal style, it keeps things fresh and fun. I'll mix things up just to play as another character.
The whole battlepass system kinda feels useless. Like, nothing in there is interesting enough to grind and unlock. They tried really putting out all the trimmings of a live service game, but you get the feeling that there are two seperate tracks of mind here. A more traditional gaming experience, and a live service model that WB wanted implemented. That said, Rocksteady has typically developed all their games with multiple DLCs. Since launch, they added four more playable characters you can purchase, and a whole new story episode.
Storyline is solid, not quite at the levels of the Arkham games, but servicable, and I do enjoy the characters and their interactions. How they bond, and the codex audio entries are fun to catch up on. Good cast of characters.
Combat is solid. You get a decent array of weapons to use, and each character has their own unique melee and specials. Boss fights are solid, but could have been better. The bits with Batman were definitely my favorite. There are lots of challenges, side quests, collectibles, and upgrades/loot to discover, and while it does eventually go into a loop, there's enough there to keep things feeling fresh.
Game does have a grind if you want to 100% it though. You basically play these incursion levels which have mutators which increase in difficulty with every master leve. However, I find it all optional, and if you just want the story mode, you can skip through it.
Overall, this is a solid 8 out of 10 experience for me.
The whole battlepass system kinda feels useless. Like, nothing in there is interesting enough to grind and unlock. They tried really putting out all the trimmings of a live service game, but you get the feeling that there are two seperate tracks of mind here. A more traditional gaming experience, and a live service model that WB wanted implemented. That said, Rocksteady has typically developed all their games with multiple DLCs. Since launch, they added four more playable characters you can purchase, and a whole new story episode.
Storyline is solid, not quite at the levels of the Arkham games, but servicable, and I do enjoy the characters and their interactions. How they bond, and the codex audio entries are fun to catch up on. Good cast of characters.
Combat is solid. You get a decent array of weapons to use, and each character has their own unique melee and specials. Boss fights are solid, but could have been better. The bits with Batman were definitely my favorite. There are lots of challenges, side quests, collectibles, and upgrades/loot to discover, and while it does eventually go into a loop, there's enough there to keep things feeling fresh.
Game does have a grind if you want to 100% it though. You basically play these incursion levels which have mutators which increase in difficulty with every master leve. However, I find it all optional, and if you just want the story mode, you can skip through it.
Overall, this is a solid 8 out of 10 experience for me.
Finished Indiana Jones. It was really well done and very well paced. Machine Games did a very good job with it.
Fanatical has Robocop for $8! I missed the $5 deal from another site this morning though...
Finished the original main story in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. The writing and cutscenes were awful, but the gameplay was fun.
Moving onto the 3rd Echelon / Sam Fisher DLC. Crazy how much post launch content this game received, yet no additional achievements beyond the original 1000pts.
Moving onto the 3rd Echelon / Sam Fisher DLC. Crazy how much post launch content this game received, yet no additional achievements beyond the original 1000pts.
So I'm going back and forth with FF: Rebirth and Avowed right now, and the contrast between the 2 games is really astounding. Let's get this out the way early, both are fun games deserving of the praise they have received. However both have flaws in them that I don't get talked about as often.
Avowed has really nailed the exploration concept. You really do need to look at every nook and corner for secrets. And the side quest so far have been sublime. Really adds to the main story.
FF Rebirth has nearly perfected the action RPG gameplay. And the soundtrack is absolutely on point.
Where they falter is surprising and they act as mirrors to each other.
Avowed's main story is weak and in my opinion throws far TOO much lore at you. I've played Pillar of Eternity 1 and 2, and still get lost on what is being said. IMO it make the game less accessible if you have to guess whats going on and why what is being said or done important. There also isn't alot of variation of enemies. Odd thing for a semi open world type of game.
FF Rebirth's main story is strong and easily digestible but its side quest are super weak, standard JRPG stuff with tropes galore. Alot of fetch quests and ALOT of game length padding. Also FAR too many mini games but again that hearkens back to a standard JRPG trope.
Avowed has really nailed the exploration concept. You really do need to look at every nook and corner for secrets. And the side quest so far have been sublime. Really adds to the main story.
FF Rebirth has nearly perfected the action RPG gameplay. And the soundtrack is absolutely on point.
Where they falter is surprising and they act as mirrors to each other.
Avowed's main story is weak and in my opinion throws far TOO much lore at you. I've played Pillar of Eternity 1 and 2, and still get lost on what is being said. IMO it make the game less accessible if you have to guess whats going on and why what is being said or done important. There also isn't alot of variation of enemies. Odd thing for a semi open world type of game.
FF Rebirth's main story is strong and easily digestible but its side quest are super weak, standard JRPG stuff with tropes galore. Alot of fetch quests and ALOT of game length padding. Also FAR too many mini games but again that hearkens back to a standard JRPG trope.
Finished Avowed. 52.5 hours. It is an interesting game considering who is their developer. I still think it might be the weakest narrative game Obsidian has ever made while having the BEST game-play they've ever done.
The sidequests were great and really added to the main story which was a little thin IMO. The side quests really come back later on and effect the end game and endings. Obsidian is the master of choices matter and this game is no exception.
I did find the final fight to be underwhelming, may I even say rushed, because I was able to talk the final boss down instead of fighting. Again, choices matter, so maybe if I had made different choices I could have had a stellar final fight but
Overall, I had a pretty fun time with it. I think Obsidian may have a franchise within a franchise with this. Pillars of Eternity and Avowed are set in the same universe, where Pillars is more cRPG like Baulder Gate while Avowed is 1st/3rd person action RPG like Skyrim. IF Obsidian is going to continue to make franchises within franchises, I hope they do Tyranny next. They left alot of meat on that bone.
Also speaking of Skyrim, Avowed being compared to Skyrim is way off base. If anything it is a prettier, more involved, Greedfall. Very much the same core narrative concepts and focus on exploration.
The sidequests were great and really added to the main story which was a little thin IMO. The side quests really come back later on and effect the end game and endings. Obsidian is the master of choices matter and this game is no exception.
I did find the final fight to be underwhelming, may I even say rushed, because I was able to talk the final boss down instead of fighting. Again, choices matter, so maybe if I had made different choices I could have had a stellar final fight but
Overall, I had a pretty fun time with it. I think Obsidian may have a franchise within a franchise with this. Pillars of Eternity and Avowed are set in the same universe, where Pillars is more cRPG like Baulder Gate while Avowed is 1st/3rd person action RPG like Skyrim. IF Obsidian is going to continue to make franchises within franchises, I hope they do Tyranny next. They left alot of meat on that bone.
Also speaking of Skyrim, Avowed being compared to Skyrim is way off base. If anything it is a prettier, more involved, Greedfall. Very much the same core narrative concepts and focus on exploration.
Finished Avowed. 52.5 hours. It is an interesting game considering who is their developer. I still think it might be the weakest narrative game Obsidian has ever made while having the BEST game-play they've ever done.
The sidequests were great and really added to the main story which was a little thin IMO. The side quests really come back later on and effect the end game and endings. Obsidian is the master of choices matter and this game is no exception.
I did find the final fight to be underwhelming, may I even say rushed, because I was able to talk the final boss down instead of fighting. Again, choices matter, so maybe if I had made different choices I could have had a stellar final fight but
Overall, I had a pretty fun time with it. I think Obsidian may have a franchise within a franchise with this. Pillars of Eternity and Avowed are set in the same universe, where Pillars is more cRPG like Baulder Gate while Avowed is 1st/3rd person action RPG like Skyrim. IF Obsidian is going to continue to make franchises within franchises, I hope they do Tyranny next. They left alot of meat on that bone.
Also speaking of Skyrim, Avowed being compared to Skyrim is way off base. If anything it is a prettier, more involved, Greedfall. Very much the same core narrative concepts and focus on exploration.
Avowed charge price of an AAA game, so comparison to other AAA rpg is fair game. If it charged a lower fee, people will be more lenient.
I played til 2nd area & I barely know what is my task. In fairness so is BG3. The problem with many games is, that they never made you feel something is at stake and you need to get going fast. So players end up doing what come their way, & the urgency of the main story is lost.
A good design IMO is there are link of side quests to main objectives. You feel justify to go extra steps as it advance you in main Quest. Like helping a merchant, and he will sell you stuff cheaper. You are compel to do it as you lack funds to hire a crew for s ship to your destiny.
Finished Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. It was significantly easier than the original NG2 on 360. How do I know? I was playing the original game via backwards compatibility before Gaiden 2 Black released. Was able to run through multiple levels of Gaiden 2 Black in less time than it took for original Gaiden 2. And I'm fine with that. I still think Gaiden 2 is the pinnacle of action games and making it easier did nothing to upset the balance.
I just looked at my Steam, GOG, and EPIC games libraries. I have soooo many games in the backlog. Too many giveaways, free and paid games to ever get bored. I could legit not buy any games this year or next and still be digging out of the backlog. Glad its all digital. A physical collection of all this stuff would be daunting.
Have about 30 games in backlog id like to play…. Smh
Yeah me too. I think I might sub out of Gamepass and PSN +. Not that they are not good services but I'm not finishing anything with these subs available.
There is always so many good sales on games digitally under $20. My backlog is stacked.