Topic: Pure Xbox Game Club - On Indefinite Hiatus

Right so Iam still keeping an eye on this thread and think that I will have a proposal for next month.

@dmcc0 I didn’t know that! Thank you for telling me.

@Pastellioli Yeah, Tooie seems to suffer from the same sort of design bloat that made DK64 annoying as well. I'm not expecting to enjoy it, but unlike Kazooie, I'll be going in without the expectation of ever actually beating it. Hopefully I'm able to wring some enjoyment out of it that way.

Yeah, the trivia/quiz element sucks in all these games. Really disappointed they even brought that element back in Yooka-Laylee. I haven't played through a ton of that game (Impossible Lair is a gem, though: beat it completely), but I do have to wonder if the backlash to that game was at least partially because people are more willing to criticize terribly game design when they're not blinded by nostalgia. People said they wanted another B-K, but what I actually think they want is a much improved game that gives them the same emotions as when they first played B-K at a less discerning age.

@Ralizah I have yet to play Yooka-Laylee, but I have heard those criticisms directed towards it, and the reception seems a whole lot more negative and harsher compared to the Banjo-Kazooie games. From what I’ve seen, they reused a lot of the same elements from Kazooie and Tooie regarding the gameplay, and the criticisms were mostly directed towards the game design copying most of the original games and not really changing a lot of it or trying to improve it. Sadly, since I haven’t tried it, I can’t give an opinion on it.

Although I am a HUGE fan of Rare’s classic games, I am unfortunately not in the mood to replay them sometimes, usually from one part of the game that upsets me or is hard to finish. One of their games that I played and completed, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, I really liked (and I would say I am a huge fan of) but in my opinion it had worse controls and movement than Banjo-Kazooie, as well as a horrible, HORRIBLE camera and far more moments and tasks difficult to complete.

There were maybe 3 or 4 times I got stuck on a part of Bad Fur Day, and one of those times was when they inserted this really awful racing mini game midway through that I would argue is way worse than the one in Tooie; you have to constantly go fast in the race and get close to opponents to hit them, all the while avoiding hitting or crashing into anything and timing your jumps perfectly. The worst part is that you can’t finish the game unless you complete it! When I had such a hard time completing the race in Bad Fur Day, I considered dropping the game (despite liking it a ton) but I luckily persevered and finished the entire game in the end.

There was a remake, Conker: Live and Reloaded where the controls were far more better, and I prefer playing it over the original for that reason. In my opinion, the controls of a game are the most important. If it controls badly, then it makes me less likely to play it again. If it’s good, then it might get a couple replays from me!

If Bad Fur Day does get chosen as the game of May (which I am doubtful it will) I would not be surprised if some people apart of the club drop it early on or midway through, or do complete it and dislike it. If they do play it, I would recommend the remake far more for the controls.

@Pastellioli @DoomGuy_117 thank you for your votes. Do you want to be added to the tag list?

I will add a vote to Rise of Tomb Raider. Have not played it in a while and it is always a blast (although I prefer the first one)

@Balta666 Sure

@Balta666 Yes please

@Pastellioli @DoomGuy_117 both are now in the list! Cheers

@Bundersvessel Algarve is always a good spot but if you have the chance, the country has a lot of good places to check out (both in cities and countryside/outdoors).

@Balta666 should have gone with minesweeper for April 😂

I wanted to give Banjo a go but just never made time for it unfortunately! It's still on my list to play at some point in the future!

@Balta666 man, looking at that list in Post 1. Can't believe this club has been going for over 3 years now. I'm so proud 🥲

I played Rise quite a few years ago now. It was good but I think Shadow is probably the best, gameplay wise at least but I did prefer the story in the first reboot and Rise.

@Balta666 Cool! I won’t participate this time since I don’t have the game, but I’ll have fun watching this forum I really would like to see the opinions everyone forms on this game.

Happy May everyone!

If you have the ability to play Rise of the Tomb Raider in Dolby Atmos (either through a home theater or via Dolby Atmos for Headphones) then DO SO! This game was practically designed around it. Best Dolby Atmos - or 3D Audio for that matter - in any video game I have ever played.

@ralphdibny hahaha you're right as minesweeper is eternal!! From the trilogy my favourite is easily the 2013 reboot (in my top 20) and Shadow is the only game I played just once and it felt a bit too bloated imo. I prefer the more linear approach.

@Pastellioli if you have never played the reboot trilogy it is fairly easy to get for cheap on PC, Xbox or playstation nowadays and are fantastic games.

@GamingFan4Lyf interesting 🧐. I have played this game quite a few times and never heard about it (also I don't have a home theatre setting). I will give it a go on the headset!

Nice. I beat this back in Jan. Maybe I'll run through and achievement hunt a bit before Hellblade drops.

@Balta666 Unfortunately, no one really focuses on the audio in games. And it wasn't necessarily broadly advertised that Rise of the Tomb Raider utilizes Dolby Atmos. I stumbled across it because I was looking at what games use Dolby Atmos from the official Dolby Atmos for Games page.

Gears 4 & 5 uses it but there isn't much height going on except for a few small areas.
Cyberpunk 2077 uses it, but it feels like a missed opportunity as I never felt like the verticality of the game is ever accentuate properly in Atmos.
Ori & the Will of the Wisps uses it, but when enemies are above Ori, their sound seems very faint compared to when something is to the left or right of the player.

I think the reason that Rise & Shadow have a great implementation is probably because they highlight the height channels of Dolby Atmos - it plays into the "gimmick".

Most of the other games use the height channels in a more subtle fashion to expand the soundstage (or as Dolby would put it, immerse you in the scene) rather than really use it to accentuate things above you.

But in Tomb Raider you have helicopters flying overhead, conversations of enemies about you, wind, rocks, bats, etc. all properly highlighted overhead when applicable. It's as if the sound engineers "understood the assignment" when it comes to Dolby Atmos for Games.

It really is a spectacle within itself and really brought a whole other dimension to the game.