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Post by Xeogred on Jun 30, 2019 10:37:32 GMT -5
I was under the impression the SiN thing I bought was all of it or the few bits that actually did release... lol. Oh well. I remember it looking cool back in the day, like a PC Perfect Dark. One of the weird early non-Half-Life 2 Source games. Well if it's bad ah well, $4. Also Bianca Beauchamp? HAH... been awhile. Here's the most important non spoiler part of Game Sack's Bloodstained review, for Sarge and others to check out: youtu.be/Eqn-dyxiD2U?t=977
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Post by Ex on Jun 30, 2019 11:05:18 GMT -5
I was under the impression the SiN thing I bought was all of it or the few bits that actually did release... lol. SiN Episodes were a planned series of episodic releases that would have expanded upon the 1998 FPS SiN. A total of nine episodes were planned, but only the first one released. That first episode was entitled Emergence. While I personally thought Emergence was not good, this score exists: So who knows, maybe you or @tsumuri would actually enjoy the game. Obviously some folks did 13 years ago.
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 9, 2019 21:05:27 GMT -5
26. Dying Light (PC)
22 hours (in game), Steam says 26 overall.
Mirror's Edge parkour + zombies (+ RE styled cool evolved types) + Fallout = fun. Dying Light is something I've been a little curious about for a few years now and it always looked cool from a glance. More recently, the showcasing of the upcoming sequel boosted my interest even more with former Obsidian lead writer Chris Avellone onboard and them going really hard on an emphasis for a Fallout (New Vegas) styled faction system with severe consequences per player choices, yeah I absolutely want that. So I grabbed the first game recently when the complete edition was on sale and 20 some hours later, this was some intuition that paid off very nicely. For the most part, this game reminds me of modern Far Cry but it's got more balls and is superior in most departments, writing/characters, difficulty, level design, parkour fun, etc. I could definitely see the Fallout-isms already upfront in this first game too with how some of the character interactions were and whatnot, so the roots have already been planted. This game drops the player in a nice big sandbox for exploring and taking out zombies. I liked pretending this world was from We're Alive, some audio drama I listened to a few years ago. There is loot and crafting but it's never overbearing like some open world / RPG games thesedays. Early on it definitely plays more like a serious survival horror game and the learning curve was kind of steep actually but I really appreciated that and liked having to relearn a new FPS in ways. It takes hours to even get guns. And there's more than just zombies, you'll be taking on human enemies and whatnot eventually too as the story twists and turns. There is also no fast travel, outside of teleporting from one main city zone to another in the back half. YOU, the player are the fast travel. You are constantly gaining exp while traversing rooftops and climbing buildings, unlocking more abilities along the way like jumping off zombie heads. It's fun just simply running around in this game. The night is terrifying as well with special enemy types that come out then and annihilate you early game, even towards the end they're impossible to take on in groups. I was really impressed by the interior levels too, some good sewers, urban buildings and labs, some quarantine zones that are like mini-dungeons basically, etc. Overall Dying Light felt like a lesson of "less is more". It's got a Skyrim styled level up system with three skill trees and one I didn't even unlock. There is loot, crafting, side missions and miscellaneous stuff sprinkled throughout the map, but it never felt really overbearing to me and I've been pretty burned out on open world games thesedays. Dying Light trims down the fat in the best ways possible and it just gets right to the point. I did get 100% story completion, but there's tons to do and this thing seems to actively have thousands of players on at a given time, so the repeatable quests and such must keep people coming back. You can play everything in co-cop too outside the final mission too apparently. I bet that could be fun but I played the entire game solo with no issue. + Epic parkour movement and melee combat + You get a GRAPPLE HOOK midway in too, which makes movement even more fun than before
+ Confident story/characters in a mostly over saturated genre + Tough difficulty, rock solid sense of progression in every sense from player to enemies and new ideas thrown in later on
+ 80's tint to the OST + Drop kick ability and kicking people off rooftops never got old - Some boss battles were a little annoying and the final boss is a seriously lame QTE battle, which was super tough for me on keyboard - Menu navigation and menu controls are a bit awkward and it seems like it would be odd for a gamepad too - Lots of looting early on might get tiresome (but it pays off midway in) - Steep learning curve early on might prevent some from sticking with it, but I'm glad I did - Too much lockpicking after awhile, at least it's easy though (same system as the Bethesda stuff)
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 16, 2019 10:34:54 GMT -5
29. Blazing Chrome (PC)
1h26m for my first run on Normal, which gives you infinite continues. Beating normal unlocks Hardcore mode and two new characters. A cyborg ninja (perhaps plays like Ninja Gaiden?) and another cyborg chick who looks like a Strider-type.
Most of us were rightfully excited for this one and it really is, what you see is what you get. And more sexy 16bit Contra is definitely something I want more of.
The graphics and pixel sprite work is incredible throughout the entire thing. The music is pretty good and fitting, though maybe not mindblowing. Some tracks were really killer though.
There are some definite nods to other games, like a Battletoads tube race styled section (don't worry, it's not AS hard haha), or how about the little mecha you can get in that are straight up just like the ones in Mega Man X. The level design is top notch with some cool powerups that can give you a little Option buddy that floats around, either giving you a shield for two hits, an attack Option helper, or a speed up ability that makes you run faster and double jump. Beyond that this is like classic Contra and one hit, you're dead. You get four weapon types like in Hard Corps, though I'm not sure if there were any powered up variants of their base functions.
There's 6 stages and a nice good of variety with some speeder bike stuff, the 3D flying level in particular was amazingly cool and similar to some Super FX stuff like in Star Fox or Super Turrican 2. I also though the final boss was amazingly cool and interesting, took a bit on that fight too. Perhaps there's a 7th stage and a true ending on Hardcore, hopefully I'll find out.
You do have a roll ability, though you can't manually jump down through a platform to another floor, if that makes sense. So that takes some getting used to. I also kind of forget to check if you have some i-frames while rolling, like Sheena and others did in Hard Corps. I'll have to check next time.
The price might be a little steep to some from what I'm seeing, but I was in the mood for simple traditional action platforming that looked gorgeous, and Blazing Chrome hit all those notes for me. I'll keep plucking away at it with the other characters and see if I can finish Hardcore mod eventually. Highly recommended if you're a fan of this genre.
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Post by Ex on Jul 16, 2019 11:15:29 GMT -5
Glad to read this one lived up to your expectations Xeogred . Sounds like something I'd enjoy. I hope they do an Android port, I'd rather play this on my phone than my PC. I do think those graphics are spot-on. But every time I see this game's name, I can't help but think of this old cyberpunk book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Chrome_(short_story_collection)
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 16, 2019 18:42:05 GMT -5
This game is so sick! Gets even better running through it again. I got to level 5 on my first Hardcore run, so it's very doable. Learning some things along the way... G (Grenade) is the boss killer and rocks, though the charge shot for the (P) Particle Beam is awesome too. Almost all the extra lives in the levels require the Speed Option so you can double jump and get them.
The two ninja characters definitely play like a Ryu/Strider type and have a cool air dash, but I don't think they get any other weapons. Just have to use the blade, but you can charge it up at least.
I should try and get to Contra Rebirth, 4, and Shattered Soldier sometime this year.
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Post by Ex on Jul 16, 2019 20:48:04 GMT -5
XeogredIf you can beat Shattered Soldier legit, you're the man. THE MAN
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Post by Sarge on Jul 17, 2019 12:49:55 GMT -5
Some day I may try my hand at Shattered Soldier again. I don't know if it's easier or harder than Hard Corps, but it definitely has the rep of the hardest in the series. I just hate the "Hit Rate" mechanic that gates you off from the true ending stuff.
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 17, 2019 20:57:32 GMT -5
Does beating Easy count? Doesn't it give you 99 lives?
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Post by Ex on Jul 17, 2019 21:15:13 GMT -5
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