Topic: Last Game You Beat

@Banjo- that's a worthy collection. It's usually pretty cheap and if it comes with, I guess give it a try. 1,3, and even 4 are worth playing though.

@Banjo- It's the worst of the bunch for sure. 4 and 5 are great. I meant to get DMC in the sale but forgot. Next time.

@NintendoByNature I will.

@GarbonZoni Wo Long Fallen Dynasty is on Game Pass so I should try it...

@NintendoByNature DmC by ninja theory was hated by the community in similar faction as metroid other M (same Dev actually lol) because of the changes to Dante and a bit to the gameplay too i believe. As someone that never play the series I more recently heard that it is still enjoyable

Bugsnax as it is leaving GP by the end of next week. Cannot say I found it that enjoyable either in terms of gameplay, characters or story. And special Kudos to the music that it was specially annoying... At first I thought it was going to be a fairly easy 1000 gamerscore but after a few hours I decided to just finish the story and move on (back to ghostwire Tokyo which I am surprisingly into)

@Balta666 maybe ill toss that one on back burner then.

Ghostwire Tokyo which is a very standard open world game with a cliché story and characters (and japanese folklore) that i actually really enjoyed the gameplay loop! Contrary to most I was fine with its performance and gameplay and really really liked going from roof to roof. Also it has my favourite accessibility feature in removing the jump scares (most likely I wouldn't finish the game without that option).
The dlc expansion is not for me as I found it hard to go back to a gameplay style without my upgrades.

@Banjo- Yeah it's well worth a look. Just have in mind that is heavily parry based action game. Really good but until you get it down, progress can be a bit hard. One of the few game pass games i have finished.

Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)

Mission Accepted

• My first time playing a Prime game, it successfully transitions the formula into the 3rd dimension. The biggest difference between it and the 2D entries is that while those have been evolving to be more quick & action-y, this has a more deliberate, almost puzzle like feel (heck, there's a big plant boss early on that feels very much "traditional 3D Zelda" in it's approach).
• One of these changes is that instead of beam upgrades "stacking" on top of each other making you progressively more powerful, here they are separate equips. While newer beams are generally more efficient at taking out early/mid game enemies than what came before (helping with backtracking), late game areas tend to be populated with foes weak to a specific one, requiring you to switch things up encounter to encounter.
• Another addition that's possible due to the first person perspective is the addition of visor upgrades. While you start out with the standard "battle visor" (your basic view) & "scan visor" (lets you collect data on enemy types & the environment), as you get further in you'll obtain the "thermal visor" (see in the dark & more easily track cloaked enemies) & "x-ray visor" (lets you see what can't otherwise be seen, usually environmental elements like secret paths). These really play into the more deliberate pace of the game.
  
  
• One area where the game really uses the extra dimension to it's advantage is the morph ball sections. These are much more involved than anything you'll see in the 2D games, and I'll admit my jaw kinda dropped a few times, like the section that opens up right before a late game beam upgrade.
  
• I also liked the fact that most of the upgrades seemed to be behind puzzles that were more deliberately built into the environment, rather than just behind a random destructible wall (even though there is some of that). Usually you can tantalizingly see an upgrade, or at least tell there's an environmental puzzle that's clearly hiding something, and it's just up to you to figure out how to obtain it.
• If I had to nitpick, there would be a few changes I'd make to the map. Firstly, I'd have any upgrades that you've scanned be marked on the map until you collect them. Secondly, have some sort of general indicator if a room has an upgrade you haven't collected, even if you haven't scanned it (this can be more vague, not giving away precise location). The 2D games already do the latter, marking the map with a dot if there's an upgrade in the general area.
• Pretty gorgeous game too, I think I'm just going to let these following screenshots do the talking.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with it, even if I got lost a time or two. I think I prefer the more action-y direction the 2D games are starting to take, but I can only imagine how seminal this must have felt back in the day, given that they nailed the 3D transition the first time out, & with really only Super Metroid beforehand being a good example of the franchise. Glad I finally got to experience it.

Mission Complete.

@Banjo-, For whatever reason I wasn't notified whenever you mentioned me back on the last page, but I wanted to thank you for reading, even if it's coming a bit late.

@Balta666, sorry for butting in to your conversation, but I believe DMC was developed by Ninja Theory while Other M was developed by Team Ninja. Similar names, but they are different studios.

@RR529 you're right! My bad
P.s: Nice review as allways. I also finished last month and felt it is ok but it is easily behind most 2d entries (not a big fan of both FPS mechanics and of having to allways charge to do proper damage)

I just finished up High On Life. A surprise hit for me. I tend to get a little bored with fps these days, but this game just felt different, because it really was. The silly humor never got old, the gameplay kept getting mixed up so it never felt stale, and the characters + world were all lovable. I'm genuinely surprised at the 4/10 review from the site. It's one of the best games I've played this year.

@NintendoByNature I agree with you completly. I did not have so much fun with a FPS in a long time (I have not been big on the genre since the 90s). Regarding some low reviews it is a bit on how much you found enjoyable or annoying the talk/humour. For my part I liked it in general but was not using the first weapon a lot as its tone was a bit too much.

@Balta666 I guess that makes sense if you don't like that humor. I've never watched Rick and Morty so I was unsure what to expect. It actually felt like a distant version of Futurama which was one my favorite shows growing up.

Just beat Advance Wars (the first one) via the Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp remake last night. I say "beat" and not "complete" because there's a bunch of stuff left to do just in that campaign, let alone the sequel, or all the war room stuff.

For the most part, I'm pretty happy with WayForward's update of this game. It's snappy, the writing (while similar) is even funnier in spots, it looks beautiful on the OLED (especially CO power activation animations and cutscenes), and they made a few smart QoL changes that make the game that much easier to play.

@RR529 Thanks! I also read your Metroid Prime review. It was my first Metroid game and I played it on Gamecube and on Wii. I agree with most of your review, especially about the map. Metroid Prime 2 is more complex because it has two separated worlds linked by portals and, as you imagine, enemies respawn. Any map improvements would have been welcome because the powerups are almost necessary in these games.

@Banjo- Did you give Wo Long a try?

@GarbonZoni Nope but I will. I started Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch after beating Mirror's Edge Catalyst and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. A lot of variety LOL..

There's too much variety but gladly I'm a picky one lol. I really enjoyed Wo Long , one more mission and I've rinsed it for a 1000G, which is something I haven't done in years mate.

Really wish Game Pass had some Shmups on it though. They never seem to come to it.

Kingdom hearts 2 it is much easier than the first entry (which I don't find a bad thing as I got frustrated a bit on the prior). Felt that blocking higher jumps and glide behind form updated a bad move (and one is never explained also...) as I never used more than 2 forms as I liked them a lot but was also saving them for bosses instead of using it a lot. Story wise it was ok to follow I played all the games up to it (or checked the cutscenes on some cases).

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (PS5)

Think this may actually be my first PS5 review here.

General Gameplay:

• A survival horror adventure game that sees you exploring the dilapidated ruins of an old mental hospital, exorcising spirits, solving a variety of light puzzles, and more to progress. The first 2/3rds of the game generally take place across the same 2 building complexes, and features a lot of back & forth backtracking to access a new room or two here & there. The last stretch of the game opens up considerably, albeit through a much more linearly designed environment (not really a complaint, but I don't think the game world was that much, if at all, larger than that of Maiden of Black Water, & IIRC some complaints I remember about that one being that the game world felt smaller compared to it's predecessors. I don't really feel that's the case in this instance though).
  
  Whether it be rhythm mini games, sliding tile puzzles, or even math, you'll have to stretch your brain a bit to progress.
• Although the game world is one large interconnected environment, it's still broken up into 12 story chapters. You'll actually be taking on the role of 3 different characters during your playtime, and as a general rule of thumb your playable character is swapped from one chapter to the next (they all start at different points in the hospital, though in general all the rooms you unlock as one character are unlocked for the others as well once you reach an area you already explored as another character). Also, each character has their own independent inventory & equipment upgrades.
• Of course it does feature those divisive "tank" controls prevalent in the genre, though I don't think they're much of an issue here (at least when it comes to exploration). The most irritating part is probably that you have to shine your flashlight across the environment in order to reveal interactive elements/pickups (the game will give you a general indicator that something is near you), and sometimes the game can be very finicky with how precise you have to be in order to illuminate something (sometimes I had to go over a surface 3 or 4 times before that familiar sparkly glow would appear). Also, there is a slow and long animation involved pretty much anytime you reach out to touch/grab anything. The reason for this is that some items are optional, and in those cases there's a chance that a ghostly hand can reach out & grab you (causing you to permanently lose said pickup) if you don't let go of the button & pull back quick enough. Luckily, these grabs didn't seem to be as common as they were in Maiden of Black Water.
  
  You aren't gonna grab me... and I'm not gonna get a good photo of you.
• The game doesn't include an auto-save function (well it does, but it only activates when you pass by a save point anyways), so you'll have to seek out a save point if you want to save your progress. Luckily there's usually one nearby with how interconnected the environments are, but even when not it's usually not all that dangerous to trek back to the last one if you feel you really need to (most encounters seem to be scripted, so you don't have to be worried about ghost encounters in areas you've already been through unless the story is sending you back that direction again). Save points don't recover your health, but you can spend some of your score (which effects your endgame grade) as currency to buy basic healing items, film, and even alternate costumes/accessories (though those aesthetic items have to be unlocked by gameplay achievements before you can purchase them).

Combat:

• Two of your characters come equipped with a Camera Obscura, your main tool used to interact with the world & exorcise ghosts. When a ghost appears the HUD indicator at the top of the screen will flash either yellow or red (or blue if there's a non-ghost point of interest nearby). If it's yellow, the ghost won't attack you and you can nab some points by taking a picture of it before it vanishes (the harder it is to snap it, the more points it's worth, and these appearances tend to be used as a hint as to where you should head next, so keep an eye on them). If it's red the fight is on. Although you can shave off some health anytime you take a pic, what you really want to do is wait right before you're attacked, that way you can hit them with a titular "Fatal Frame". This deals extra damage & allows you to string together 3-4 total shots in quick succession dealing major damage if you pull it off (and adds a ton of points to your score, especially if you defeat it with one).
  
  Ready to go, though I don't think I'll be able to do much damage here (more on that later...).
• You do have a basic film that has unlimited "ammo", however you can obtain more powerful variants that have limited usage (the lesser of these can be traded for at Save Points, but the most powerful are only very rarely found in the environment so you'll want to hoard them). You can also obtain a selection of various "lenses" for the camera, which when equipped will unleash different special attacks if you have the special guage filled (which refills when you hit ghosts with regular shots/Fatal Frames). Some lenses may slow down a ghost's movement speed, while others take particularly powerful shots.
• The third character comes equipped with a Spirit Stone Flashlight instead of the Camera Obscura. Pretty much it's gimmick is that it can blast ghosts with stored moonlight, and in all honesty is a much more effective weapon than the camera. It only has one type of "ammo" to keep track of (it's infinite, but you have to wait for it to recharge quite a bit if you fire it off in too quick succession) meaning it's strength is generally built to last the entire game from the start and it has a wider area of effect making attacking groups of ghosts easier. Like the Camera it can also be equipped with a number of lenses (one of which allows it to take pictures in exchange for it's offensive capabilities, which is useful in certain scenarios, like snapping the "yellow indicator" ghosts). This is a pretty big departure from how it would go on to be used in Maiden of Black Water's Ayane (from DOA/Ninja Gaiden) campaign, where it could only briefly stun ghosts IIRC.
  
  This auto trophy pic is the only shot I have of Flashlight combat.
• In comparison to Maiden of Black Water, combat in general is a lot more tense, but not always for the right reasons, though there are some upsides too. With a few exceptions the environments in Maiden were a lot wider & there was more going on with the combat system, making encounters much more "gamey" & fun, but ultimately at the expense of atmosphere (especially since lesser "mook" ghosts would often respawn IIRC). Meanwhile there are a lot of encounters in Mask that take place in small or tight areas (like hallways) that make combat a bit more clunky (heck, fighting more than 2 ghosts at a time tends to be a nightmare in general with the Camera, no matter how large the environment. Luckily that doesn't happen too often. Most group ghost attacks tend to happen when you have the Flashlight, which is better equipped for those encounters). That said, as mentioned before most encounters seem to be scripted, so if you do need to trek back to save after a rough patch you won't have to deal with respawning foes.
• I should also mention that there is one ghost you'll occasionally run into who can't be defeated (hard to miss, as the screen will become black & white and all film grain-y), where you'll have no choice but to run to the nearest exit. While it can be surprising when she pops up, like the other encounters in the game I eventually learned these are scripted and you can usually re-enter the room right after you escape with no worries.

Other Gameplay:

• Along the way you'll have the chance to stock up on these Blue & Red "Spirit Stones". Blue ones are used to upgrade the general capabilities of your Camera/Flashlight (attack power, reload time, special attack meter capacity, etc.) while Red ones power up the effectiveness of Lenses. Again, each character has their own inventory, so don't hold back on one character in an effort to hoard for another one, as it doesn't work that way.
• Also, there are these creepy little "Hazuki Dolls" hidden away all across the environment (I assume there's at least one in every single room, no matter how small or insignificant) that you can take pictures of. I'm not exactly sure of their purpose (other than getting a message that it's curse has been lifted whenever you snap one), or what if anything you get for finding them all (I honestly thought I had found the vast majority of them, and while I found over 50 of them, there are more than 70 in total!) You can buy a guide that reveals all their locations at a Save Point, but it would take a huge chunk out of your score so I didn't go for it.
  
  Hey! What are you doing up there?

Story:

• Across your adventure you'll take control of Ruka Minazuki & Misaki Aso, a pair of amnesiac 17 year old girls who were patients of the abandoned hospital when they were younger (and are amongst the few survivors of whatever incident befell it). When the other survivors start dying mysterious deaths, they feel compelled to explore the complex and find the truth of the matter once & for all (they have the Camera). You'll also take control of Choshiro Kirishima, a private detective who found the girls when they were younger during the mysterious incident back when he was a cop, revisiting the site in order to solve the mystery himself (he has the Flashlight).
  Ruka Minazuki
  
  Misaki Aso
  
  I somehow managed to go the entire game without screenshotting the dude, lol.
• Outside of that, most of the lore & narrative is revealed by notes, diaries, recordings & such you find throughout your adventure.
• Apparently there are actually two different endings, with a basic "bad" (or I guess neutral) ending, and a better "good" ending. Whether or not you have to play through the game multiple times to get the good one (screw that) or if there's just something I missed (maybe the dolls? Just a guess though), I don't know.

Graphics/Audio:

• While it's origins as a Wii game become apparent if you get really up close to any textures, it's generally been touched up really well, and the dark grimy atmosphere is both effective at hiding imperfections & being genuinely unsettling. Seriously, even when I was fairly certain nothing was going to happen, the atmosphere is good at keeping you on edge. Plus there are a handful of jump scares (like a mannequin turning to stare at you the first time you point your camera at it, and only the one time) that are really fun, even if they are few & far between.
• Whether it be derelict operating rooms, subterranean caves, and ancient shrines, there are a lot of creepy environments to explore (though the starting hospital areas are the creepiest, IMO).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Our lovely leading ladies showing off some not so lovely environments.
• It has super effective audio design too. Whether it be ambient moans, scratching, creaking & more, or the sudden piercing sound of a phone ring or intercom system, it's constantly unsettling. Probably one for earphones, though I'm too much of a sissy, lol.

Overall:

• Pretty solid time if you know what you're getting into. Yes, it's a bit clunky which is common for survival horror (especially of it's time), but it has a highly effective atmosphere that oozes dread & stayed with me when I went to bed at night (especially when I was playing it late). Plus, I can't dislike a game that includes swimsuit costumes too much, lol (though the costumes pictured are the DLC swimsuits, I never met whatever conditions were required to unlock the base game swimsuits). With the Maiden port & this remaster releasing in relatively close proximity, I hope that means they're planning on doing more with the franchise soon.