R.R. Bigman
Coolest Guy
I got it done using the rock and being a lot more careful. The dash attack with the rock ability can do some real damage when you time it right. I appreciate the advice.
-
Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:
- The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
- Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration
Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.
Gripe about What You're Playing 2: Bellyache-tric Boogaloo
- Thread starter Sprite
- Start date
-
- Tags
- a whiner is you gripe gripes
Becksworth
Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
Binging on a bunch of Sonic-likes such as Freedom Planet 2 and the Spark games, I come to a conclusion that making good Sonic games is just really hard...
When one of your core design principles is "gotta go fast" you end up having to design bigger levels than you would vs a more Mario like paced game just to keep even in terms of runtime. No wonder Sonic like games are notorious for design issues. They have to work twice as hard to even be on par with the average platformer.
When one of your core design principles is "gotta go fast" you end up having to design bigger levels than you would vs a more Mario like paced game just to keep even in terms of runtime. No wonder Sonic like games are notorious for design issues. They have to work twice as hard to even be on par with the average platformer.
I am playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the first time, as it is a game I have always wanted to eventually play, but the significant runtime has always been intimidating. And, I enjoy the game when it is a game with some forward momentum, but, man, just 20 hours in, and I have already had to participate in multiple, mandatory "go find 5 logs" quests that simply reek of padding. I get it, XC! You want me to spend time with these characters so they are more precious when they inevitably die and/or betray me! But sidequests are plentiful and always available! Give me a quest where I am rescuing five orphans, and Pyra has mixed feelings about accidentally singing some baby or something! "Go find some rocks to make your next vehicle go to the next town" feels like a bit of a waste of time in a game reportedly "approximately 64 hours". And I haven't even seen 50% of your smash rep in here yet! I know I have a long way to go!
Luckily, I am enjoying the gameplay. But, man, Monolith Soft, hire a game editor.
Luckily, I am enjoying the gameplay. But, man, Monolith Soft, hire a game editor.
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
More like "gripe about what you're not playing," but I just picked up a handful of games on clearance, and I've already got complaints, even with the shrink wrap still on them. Take for instance Doom Slayers Edition for the Switch. You'd think you'd get all the games on the cartridge, but no, Bethesda couldn't make it that convenient... you've got to download everything but Doom 2016 from the eShop. I've heard some "physical" Switch games are even worse, offering nothing inside the box but a download code. You can't just put that on a card with a scratch off strip? At that point you're just wasting plastic.
Then there's Final Fantasy VII Remake. I did not like the original, but I understand that the remake is substantially changed and that some of the irritations of the original have been left in the past. That's good! What's not good is the install, which tips and breaks the scales at 100GB. One hundred gigabytes. ONE. HUNDRED. GIGABYTES. Is it even possible for a video game to be good enough to justify that much space on your hard drive? The PS4 ships with a 500GB drive, and this lone game would take up nearly a quarter of that storage. I replaced that with a 1TB drive a couple years ago, and even that is tight on storage. I'm going to need to delete a lot of data to make room on the drive for that one game, and I'm just not sure I'm willing to make that sacrifice. I know, first world problems, but it's still aggravating.
Then there's Final Fantasy VII Remake. I did not like the original, but I understand that the remake is substantially changed and that some of the irritations of the original have been left in the past. That's good! What's not good is the install, which tips and breaks the scales at 100GB. One hundred gigabytes. ONE. HUNDRED. GIGABYTES. Is it even possible for a video game to be good enough to justify that much space on your hard drive? The PS4 ships with a 500GB drive, and this lone game would take up nearly a quarter of that storage. I replaced that with a 1TB drive a couple years ago, and even that is tight on storage. I'm going to need to delete a lot of data to make room on the drive for that one game, and I'm just not sure I'm willing to make that sacrifice. I know, first world problems, but it's still aggravating.
R.R. Bigman
Coolest Guy
I’m having an okay time with Splatoon 3. However, I can‘t see any reason that it needs to exist. Nintendo has kept a number of series on the shelf due to “not having a fresh new idea”. But Splatoon is essentially the same game with a few tweaks every three to five years. Splatoon 2 at least added the Salmon Run mode, but 3’s big innovation is the Tri-Color Battle, which wasn’t…great during the Splatfest.
The game sold a ton in Japan, so what do I know?
The game sold a ton in Japan, so what do I know?
muteKi
Geno Cidecity
As I play through Sonic Unleashed I think about the fact that they went out of their way to explain this is why they have the night stages to begin with.
Plus there's the whole fact that going really fast is at odds with things like "coherent videogame physics". Having a character whose velocity in one frame can pass the width of a collision box heavily limits what kinds of checking you can do if you want your physics to be robust -- the fact the game's collision glitches are as hard to pull off as they are is certainly a testament to some kind of work.
Anyway I'm just here to gripe that Xenia crashes a lot in the hub areas so I have to keep restarting in order to play the character missions. The rest of the game is still pretty fun. There's a mod to restore Dragon Road's main night stage to its full version, which I might try having done the time trial and hot dog missions -- I hear it conflicts with the DLC-enable mod, but I'll see for myself. No mods for the night stages for Empire City (though the rest of the night stage was used in some of those character missions), Shamar, or Adabat to expand content.
Becksworth
Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
Finishes Spark the Electric Jester 1:
"Man, that game was poorly optimized for Steam OS and had periodic slow down issues on my Steamdeck despite roughly 32 bit era 2D graphics."
Made in Clickteam/Multimedia Fusion:
"Wow, that was well optimized for Steam OS/Steamdeck!"
"Man, that game was poorly optimized for Steam OS and had periodic slow down issues on my Steamdeck despite roughly 32 bit era 2D graphics."
Made in Clickteam/Multimedia Fusion:
"Wow, that was well optimized for Steam OS/Steamdeck!"
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I've seen stuff about Moonlighter for years and got it in a bundle or something a while ago. But it's just not working for me. The combat hit boxes don't seem to be consistent at all and it seems like it's taking way too long to unlock anything, I'm pretty bored. I have one more trading card drop on Steam and feel like I'll play long enough for that to happen. If I'm still not enjoying the game at that point I'll probably just be done.
Sprite
(He/Him/His)
It’s their version of a live service game. They support it for a couple years then release a “new” version they expect you to buy. I prefer that model to manipulative battle passes, though Splatoon still has plenty of grinding and the switch to a “new” game means your gear is wiped to square one.
I was really enjoying Nier Automata, and then I beat it and started the second phase of the game… and it turns out the second playable character isn’t anywhere near as much fun to play as as 2B, and im stuck with ‘em until I wrap up the New Game + and can then move on to a third playable character.
Might just turn on Easy Mode and steam-roll this second playthrough
Might just turn on Easy Mode and steam-roll this second playthrough
Okay, not to get all "you're doing it wrong", but you have to think of the second character as kind of his own thing totally separate from the other gameplay. Once I realized that, I had a lot of fun with the dude. If you want an explanation: You should basically play 9-S as a sniper body stealer: keep him out of the spotlight, take over a nearby robot when you have a line of sight, and then wreck up the place with your possessed opponent before inevitably self destructing. Once I realized that his gameplay is basically Haunting Starring Polterguy, I started enjoying 9-S a lot more.
Yeah realizing that is what kept him from being almost unplayable, but I’m still having far less fun
I’m playing the Sega picross on switch, very much enjoying it, but I can’t find a way to put down a trial X marker, only a trial block, so if I’m stuck and I want to try something I can fill blocks in but I have to keep in my head which blocks must be empty with what I’m trying. I’m sure I must just be missing something, because if it’s not in the game it’s a baffling oversight.
Signalis is a game I am really digging but is also making me appreciate just how tightly Resident Evil (and by extension, the REmake) are designed. I'll try and explain -
I really like the overall look and vibe of this game, and lord knows I've been thirsty for a more traditional survival horror experience. It's just hard to ignore that it lacks the really tight design of the game it's most cribbing from, making the game feel more frustrating than tense a good amount of the time.
In Resident Evil, the main areas (the mansion, the outside residence and the labs) are small, but dense. There's always a safe room at relative close distance, enemies have predictable patterns which you can learn to help avoid them and save ammo, and great care is taken in placing necessary puzzle items and ammo in places where it won't be an inconvenience to drop things off if you need to. Even playing as Chris, the lack of inventory space is a minor inconvenience at best.
Signalis has densely packed areas as well, but getting to your item box tends to be a chore; of the two areas I've played, there's been one storage box at the beginning with one you can unlock later, and you get all of six slots, two of which will be taken up by a gun and ammo most likely. This is the same as Chris in RE1, however, a few of the specific mechanics make this space seem like way more of a chore; For one, the game is *packed* with enemies. At first blush the areas were wide open enough that dodging enemies, but soon they crowd the space and make dodging almost impossible in places. The game gives a couple of options with dealing with enemies: shooting them (no melee weapons here), or a defensive item. Ammo seems plentiful, except that rather than having a set amount like RE, pick ups can contain as little as 2 bullets. Defensive items work similar to the knife in REmake, allowing you to down an enemy temporarily to escape without taking damage. However, unlike REmake, they take up an inventory slot. They also need to be equipped like weapons - but other things need to be equipped in this slot too, such as a flashlight or camera required for certain puzzles, which also require inventory slots.
So if avoiding enemies is too dangerous, and defensive items are a pain, there's taking enemies out. It eats bullets, but at least then they're gone, right? Nope - even when taken out with a weapon, enemies will eventually get back up, requiring once again for you to not get hit or wasting more ammo/defensive items. And this will more than likely happen often, as the amount of running back and forth through areas you have to do is only added by the lack of storage boxes. There is an option to keep them from getting back up; thermite, which burns the body, just like using kerosene and a lighter in REmake to stop zombies from becoming crimson heads. There's a couple differences though - in REmake, you either used Jill and had a lighter and the flask take up two slots, or you used Chris and had the lighter auto-equipped (balancing out Chris' lack of inventory space) - here, the thermite takes up yet another space of your Chris like inventory *and* needs to be sub-equipped like a defensive item. Secondly, as long as you keep track of where the kerosense refill spots are (usually near an item box) and only take out zombies you really need to, a much easier ask in REmake, then you'll have plenty of flask charges to never really have to deal with Crimson Heads. I've found... four? maybe five thermite charges in total so far, and there are rooms that have up to four enemies in them. And even if you decide to deal with the Crimson Heads, once they're dead, they're gone. Here, you HAVE to burn the enemies to get them to stay down for good.
Healing items are somewhat common in Signalis, though usually I feel like I have to forgo picking them up due to lack of inventory space or use them really inefficiently because the health system is extremely unclear in this game. It has a similar EKG meter like RE, and your character will show when your damage is low on their person, however few healing items immediately restore your health. Instead, they heal 'over time', though over how much time and how much overall, I'm still not entirely sure about. There is one item (technically two including the full heal item) that will restore health instantly, but it's a rare find - or you can make it by combining a small heal item and a large heal item, though that actually requires being able to put the two in your inventory at some point. And usually I'm hurting by an unspecified amount and I know I'm not going to get healed right away, that I usually just use the low health items immediately and don't even bother mixing the items anyway.
Signalis has densely packed areas as well, but getting to your item box tends to be a chore; of the two areas I've played, there's been one storage box at the beginning with one you can unlock later, and you get all of six slots, two of which will be taken up by a gun and ammo most likely. This is the same as Chris in RE1, however, a few of the specific mechanics make this space seem like way more of a chore; For one, the game is *packed* with enemies. At first blush the areas were wide open enough that dodging enemies, but soon they crowd the space and make dodging almost impossible in places. The game gives a couple of options with dealing with enemies: shooting them (no melee weapons here), or a defensive item. Ammo seems plentiful, except that rather than having a set amount like RE, pick ups can contain as little as 2 bullets. Defensive items work similar to the knife in REmake, allowing you to down an enemy temporarily to escape without taking damage. However, unlike REmake, they take up an inventory slot. They also need to be equipped like weapons - but other things need to be equipped in this slot too, such as a flashlight or camera required for certain puzzles, which also require inventory slots.
So if avoiding enemies is too dangerous, and defensive items are a pain, there's taking enemies out. It eats bullets, but at least then they're gone, right? Nope - even when taken out with a weapon, enemies will eventually get back up, requiring once again for you to not get hit or wasting more ammo/defensive items. And this will more than likely happen often, as the amount of running back and forth through areas you have to do is only added by the lack of storage boxes. There is an option to keep them from getting back up; thermite, which burns the body, just like using kerosene and a lighter in REmake to stop zombies from becoming crimson heads. There's a couple differences though - in REmake, you either used Jill and had a lighter and the flask take up two slots, or you used Chris and had the lighter auto-equipped (balancing out Chris' lack of inventory space) - here, the thermite takes up yet another space of your Chris like inventory *and* needs to be sub-equipped like a defensive item. Secondly, as long as you keep track of where the kerosense refill spots are (usually near an item box) and only take out zombies you really need to, a much easier ask in REmake, then you'll have plenty of flask charges to never really have to deal with Crimson Heads. I've found... four? maybe five thermite charges in total so far, and there are rooms that have up to four enemies in them. And even if you decide to deal with the Crimson Heads, once they're dead, they're gone. Here, you HAVE to burn the enemies to get them to stay down for good.
Healing items are somewhat common in Signalis, though usually I feel like I have to forgo picking them up due to lack of inventory space or use them really inefficiently because the health system is extremely unclear in this game. It has a similar EKG meter like RE, and your character will show when your damage is low on their person, however few healing items immediately restore your health. Instead, they heal 'over time', though over how much time and how much overall, I'm still not entirely sure about. There is one item (technically two including the full heal item) that will restore health instantly, but it's a rare find - or you can make it by combining a small heal item and a large heal item, though that actually requires being able to put the two in your inventory at some point. And usually I'm hurting by an unspecified amount and I know I'm not going to get healed right away, that I usually just use the low health items immediately and don't even bother mixing the items anyway.
I really like the overall look and vibe of this game, and lord knows I've been thirsty for a more traditional survival horror experience. It's just hard to ignore that it lacks the really tight design of the game it's most cribbing from, making the game feel more frustrating than tense a good amount of the time.
FelixSH
(He/Him)
Wow, nearly a month without complaints. Well, let me fix that.
I really enjoy my replay of Hollow Knight, but good lord, I despice the way mapping is handled. I disliked it the first time, and now I just hate it. I never found the map guy in the third area, despite being in the room with him (I heard his humming). Ran all over the place and couldn't find him. And now I'm deep down somewhere, specifically in the Mantis Village, and have no idea where it is, in relation to anywhere else, aside from "down". Which, yeah, I can get back, but without a map to see where I have and haven't been, finding places I haven't been is more or less luck. I don't remember all the ways I crossed.
Also, found the amazing Mantis Lord battle, lost, and am now at some bench at a different point, with no idea how to get back, thanks to that obnoxious way the mapping here is handled. Look, I know there are people who like it, but to me it just ruins exploration, until I finally found it. I hate what feels like running around in the dark. I don't even mind me having to find a bench to draw what I have found, but simply not having a map at all, until I get to the random room where map guy is, is obnoxious. Like, he could be anywhere, and there are often multiple ways. Finding him is mainly luck, it seems to me. As mentioned, I just don't have the memory to draw a map in my head.
I really enjoy my replay of Hollow Knight, but good lord, I despice the way mapping is handled. I disliked it the first time, and now I just hate it. I never found the map guy in the third area, despite being in the room with him (I heard his humming). Ran all over the place and couldn't find him. And now I'm deep down somewhere, specifically in the Mantis Village, and have no idea where it is, in relation to anywhere else, aside from "down". Which, yeah, I can get back, but without a map to see where I have and haven't been, finding places I haven't been is more or less luck. I don't remember all the ways I crossed.
Also, found the amazing Mantis Lord battle, lost, and am now at some bench at a different point, with no idea how to get back, thanks to that obnoxious way the mapping here is handled. Look, I know there are people who like it, but to me it just ruins exploration, until I finally found it. I hate what feels like running around in the dark. I don't even mind me having to find a bench to draw what I have found, but simply not having a map at all, until I get to the random room where map guy is, is obnoxious. Like, he could be anywhere, and there are often multiple ways. Finding him is mainly luck, it seems to me. As mentioned, I just don't have the memory to draw a map in my head.
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
Out of all the classic game collections I've got on my Switch, Data East Retroclassix is certainly... one of these. The one with a dearth of customization options and a slow, cryptic interface that's supposed to evoke nostalgia, but instead just wastes your time. Hoooow loooong dooooes it taaaake to plaaaay the neeeext gaaaame? And which one will it be? Placing all bets! We also offer video poker, which would be a better experience than anything on this collection!
I think someone else described Johnny Turbo as the Goofus to Hamster's Gallant, where emulation on the Switch is concerned. If that's the case, Retroclassix is the Sylvester P. Smythe of Switch emulation. Yes, it doesn't even rate an Alfred E. Neuman.
I think someone else described Johnny Turbo as the Goofus to Hamster's Gallant, where emulation on the Switch is concerned. If that's the case, Retroclassix is the Sylvester P. Smythe of Switch emulation. Yes, it doesn't even rate an Alfred E. Neuman.
I can't tell if Valkyria Chronicles is designed in such a way that sudden surprises within a battle, like an invincible unit that can one-shot anything they encounter, are meant to be adapted around or if they expect you to re-play battles constantly with that foreknowledge gained.
I won't savescum, I refuse!
I won't savescum, I refuse!
You either get lucky and eke out a win on your first attempt, or else replay the mission with the foreknowledge that a giant fucking tank is going to show up halfway through. It's the worst part of an otherwise really good game!
With a few specific missions where that wasn't the case, I was mostly able to adapt on the fly to Valkyria Chronicles' surprises and they made for tense, exciting battles.
Becksworth
Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
Having finished Ghost Song, I have to say that when I like souls like games it's in spite of its souls like mechanics, not because of. Mainly I'm thinking of the penalizing aspect. There is a good old school Metroid-y ass metroidvania in Ghost Song, and it's not like metroidsvanias have never had hard combat, but penalizing me xp and temporary max health caps just serve to slow me down at best, and at worst encourage save scumming behavior to speed things up.
Thankfully there is an casual mode that does away with that, but I was already halfway through and too prideful to start over after the souls started dragging things down. Don't be like me.
Thankfully there is an casual mode that does away with that, but I was already halfway through and too prideful to start over after the souls started dragging things down. Don't be like me.
100% agree. Adds nothing to this game
FelixSH
(He/Him)
Wow, I don't think I have ever experienced a mix of really fun game and absurdly stupid difficult final boss as in Megaman Legends 2. I mean, movement is a bit clunky, so fighting in itself isn't the strongest part of the game anyway. But the atmosphere, the exploration, the, uh, cuteness, just experiencing this world is really fun. The artstyle is nice, the music enjoyable. And battling wasn't a problem in general, I enjoyed it (except for the rare cases, where the game demanded too much - might be me, I think it's more due to somewhat clunky controls, and the demands on the player simply being too high.
Dunno, I guess I could learn the fight, but the attack where he sends three waves of five yellow bullets seems more like a gamble to dodge, the attack where he sends drones, increases the gravity and than makes a stomp attack, so that you can't even jump over the waves and then get rushed by the drones, is obnoxious. And, while I can die in three hits, he seems to take a million or so. I know, I need to run away to avoid the shockwaves, but still, the yellow bullets are garbage, and it's random which attack he uses. I will never understand, why developers feel the need to end a game with a difficulty spike. I don't even need an increased challenge at all, just make a final boss that is roughly on the difficulty of the rest of the game.
Sigh, it's just a shame that such a fun game ends with such an obnoxious boss.
Dunno, I guess I could learn the fight, but the attack where he sends three waves of five yellow bullets seems more like a gamble to dodge, the attack where he sends drones, increases the gravity and than makes a stomp attack, so that you can't even jump over the waves and then get rushed by the drones, is obnoxious. And, while I can die in three hits, he seems to take a million or so. I know, I need to run away to avoid the shockwaves, but still, the yellow bullets are garbage, and it's random which attack he uses. I will never understand, why developers feel the need to end a game with a difficulty spike. I don't even need an increased challenge at all, just make a final boss that is roughly on the difficulty of the rest of the game.
Sigh, it's just a shame that such a fun game ends with such an obnoxious boss.
jpfriction
(He, Him)
I also have an abandoned save file at the last boss in MML2.
Grinding up the best weapons felt more tedious in that one. I recall getting better decked out in the first game.
Grinding up the best weapons felt more tedious in that one. I recall getting better decked out in the first game.
R.R. Bigman
Coolest Guy
If you want to continue to have fond feelings of Resident Evil 4, then do not play it on Professional. I spent four hours crawling through the last three chapters yesterday. The then-revolutionary control scheme and behind-the-back camera really show their age when one of a dozen guys sneaks up behind you and whams you with a mace for half your maxed out health bar while trying to avoid getting shot from all angles. The bosses all having triple health and using sped up QTE attacks that can instantly kill you also takes most of the fun out things. Maybe RE4 could use an update!?
I did get a cool laser, at least.
I did get a cool laser, at least.
FelixSH
(He/Him)
Nope. I even have 250k left from the chests in the final dungeon. And I could easily grind money, there is a spot inside, where monsters drop other, very easy monsters, which drop a decent amount of money. Also, a guide for the last boss suggested stats that seem to be far beyond what I have, so I guess my Megaman is not nearly developed enough.
It would be fine, I would go back and get stronger, if the difficulty spike weren't so absurd. Up to now, I was either overpowered, or just fine. This is what frustrates me here, and makes me not want to try again.
As much as I love RE4, Mercenaries really shows the limitations of their new control scheme. You still are incredibly stiff, often doing the A button things you don't want just because they give you i-frames.
And when you try to pick up a box of bullets the whole game freezes and a menu pops up to ask you if want to take it every single time, and because it's Mercenaries mode there are a ton of items to keep you alive. Do I want it? Of course I want it and my inventory has space for it, that's why I walked over to it, stop asking you feature from a slower-paced version of the game.
In the end, getting 5 stars or whatevers in Mercenaries doesn't feel like a skilled accomplishment as much as finding a way to win in spite of the game.
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
NiGHTS into Dreams kind of fucking sucks ass. We Sega Saturn owners must have been really desperate for a mascot game to settle for this. How is a game this linear this hard to traverse? With the camera whipping and zipping and twirling around so much, it's like Disorientation: The Game. And don't even get me started on that part in the Mystic Woods where you're trapped in a maze with no apparent exit.