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No new games in 2021, unfinished backlog only

Do you sign the No New Games Pact of 2021?

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Hey, fellas! I managed to complete Final Fantasy VI. (PS) Got all lores, got all rages & taught all characters every spell.
How long did that take?

My FF6 (SNES) cart is laying around with the rest of them, waiting to be played. I'm not a JRPG guy at all, but bought FF6 at a decent price from a retro store a couple of years ago because I figured that if I was gonna give JRPGs an honest try, I might as well start with one of the best. I did play it for a few minutes (to make sure the cartridge worked) and, yeah... that victory jingle is pure sex:



This will be the year I play FF6.
 
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VidKid369

Member
How long did that take?

My FF6 (SNES) cart is laying around with the rest of them, waiting to be played. I'm not a JRPG guy at all, but bought FF6 at a decent price from a retro store a couple of years ago because I figured that if I was gonna give JRPGs an honest try, I might as well start with one of the best. I did play it for a few minutes (to make sure the cartridge worked) and, yeah... that victory jingle is pure sex:



This will be the year I play FF6.

I finished at about 88 hours. I was playing it on Final Fantasy Anthology for PS, so I dunno if all the load times for every battle I got in counted towards the game clock, haha?

Getting all the Lores/teaching all the Magic, was kinda easy. Getting all the Rages, took quite a bit of time but it definitely stretches out what a short, imo, game it can be. It's definitely a fun little side challenge if you're interested in doing it.

Yeah, FFVI has always been one of my favorite FF games. Def. took me on a nostalgia trip back when I was playing. I probably won't be playing it for a long time after doing all that though.

Right now, I'm playing Final Fantasy Tactics for PS, and I'm trying to do "errythang" lol. I just started today so, it's been pretty fun so far. 🙂
 

Soodanim

Member
How long did that take?

My FF6 (SNES) cart is laying around with the rest of them, waiting to be played. I'm not a JRPG guy at all, but bought FF6 at a decent price from a retro store a couple of years ago because I figured that if I was gonna give JRPGs an honest try, I might as well start with one of the best. I did play it for a few minutes (to make sure the cartridge worked) and, yeah... that victory jingle is pure sex:



This will be the year I play FF6.

That reminds me, I have a SNES Mini. I should dust that off when I'm done with Chrono Trigger if I'm still in the mood for JRPGs.
 
Just finished God of War 3: Remastered! I really liked it. This is my final God of War ranking

  1. God of War (PS4)
  2. God of War 3: Remastered
  3. God of War: Ghost of Sparta
  4. God of War: Ascension
  5. God of War: Chains of Olympus
  6. God of War 2
  7. God of War 1
Yeah 3 is pretty awesome.

There was a legendary thread here in NeoGAF about how the OP was struggling to beat the final boss of God of War 3 because of some silly reason. If I have time I'll find it later.
 

Bakkus

Member
It's been a long time since I last posted in this thread, and that's because I've spent the time playing and finishing a game called Persona 4 (PS2 version) and this was quite an experience. I sadly knew a lot of the plot twists and story moments from having read about the game over the years on this forum and other places, but there was still a lot to discover and like. I do also have some criticisms, but the way the story wrapped around for the true ending was just sublime.
 
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A winter storm knocked out power for 3 seconds a few days ago (enough to make the oven/microwave clocks restart) and it also bricked my PS4 Pro. Gotta grab a thumbstick and reinstall firmware, but I've been too lazy. Hopefully my saves aren't entirely lost, but if they are, not a big deal. Been focused more on retro stuff anyway, like Daioujou (PS2) and Turtles IV (SNES).
 

Ryuji Goda

Member
I quit Bloodborne. It's just too hard for me, to a point that's it's just not fun to play. Maybe I'll pick it up later, but probably not.

Now, it's time (for real this time lol) for Resident Evil: Director's Cut. Worst boxart ever?

1180715-redc_ps_us.jpg
 
A winter storm knocked out power for 3 seconds a few days ago (enough to make the oven/microwave clocks restart) and it also bricked my PS4 Pro. Gotta grab a thumbstick and reinstall firmware, but I've been too lazy. Hopefully my saves aren't entirely lost, but if they are, not a big deal. Been focused more on retro stuff anyway, like Daioujou (PS2) and Turtles IV (SNES).
Yoooooo... that right there is one of my favorite games of all-time. Would love to know your thoughts when you're done.


Now, it's time (for real this time lol) for Resident Evil: Director's Cut. Worst boxart ever?

1180715-redc_ps_us.jpg

Any time I see Resident Evil 1 I have to send out the Bat Signal for fart town usa fart town usa .

Yeah, that cover is ass, one of the worst ones. It doesn't even have the charm of the "bad box art" the NES Mega Man 1 cover.

Not only that, but the music is a huge downgrade from vanilla RE1 too. You go from this:



to... this all-time infamous assault on the ears:

 
Yoooooo... that right there is one of my favorite games of all-time. Would love to know your thoughts when you're done.
I've played through it many times, as well as the Ubisoft PS3 remake. This time I picked Mikey (nunchucks) cause I like his Y + B attack (forward sweep that reminds me of BB's Blades of Mercy). It's amazing how many different attacks Konami crammed into a two-button control scheme. I got to stage 4 then had to attend to kids, so I switched it off. It's that kind of game, I suppose.
 
Yoooooo... that right there is one of my favorite games of all-time. Would love to know your thoughts when you're done.




Any time I see Resident Evil 1 I have to send out the Bat Signal for fart town usa fart town usa .

Yeah, that cover is ass, one of the worst ones. It doesn't even have the charm of the "bad box art" the NES Mega Man 1 cover.

Not only that, but the music is a huge downgrade from vanilla RE1 too. You go from this:



to... this all-time infamous assault on the ears:


Thanks bruh.

Man, hopefully it's the EU PSN version because that has the OG soundtrack. Director's Cut is pretty forgettable but it does have some interesting camera angles. The garden area right outside the Mansion probably has the coolest one. I won't spoil it though.

That soundtrack though...it should be considered criminal that Capcom included it and made it the go to for the PSN release. Imagine being a part of the original composition team... What they created is absolute brilliance and should be readily available for newcomers who want to play the game. Such a shame.

As long as I have breath in my lungs, I will voice the merits of the OG 96 release!!

fire randy marsh GIF by South Park
 

Phase

Member
52games-Tiger-Woods08.png

13. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (PS3)

I broke this game out for my Dad to play, but started to get addicted to it again. It just reminds me that when a game is good it's good, it doesn't matter when it came out. I built up a new character, completing the "Tiger Challenge" which is a large web of different challenges culminating with beating Tiger Woods himself in match play at Pebble Beach. Alongside I completed a full season. I'm not sure how many hours I put in as it doesn't keep track but I certainly enjoyed the hours I played.
 
S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
I quit Bloodborne. It's just too hard for me, to a point that's it's just not fun to play. Maybe I'll pick it up later, but probably not.

Now, it's time (for real this time lol) for Resident Evil: Director's Cut. Worst boxart ever?

1180715-redc_ps_us.jpg
Sorry to hear that. I feel the same way about Dark Souls. I love everything about it, but I can only watch those games. Far too stressful for me. I like to relax when I'm playing games, and I just don't have the patience for it. I'm simply not good enough.

You couldn't have picked a better game to play next. Director's Cut is awesome. Still get stumped by the puzzles all these years later!
 

mekes

Member
Been playing Street Fighter 5 the past few nights. Fresh off of a, must be at least 18-24 month hiatus. I play against my friend who is an old school type of player, his favourite SF game is SSF2. But when you have the love for a game like Street Fighter, you have to buy it just to support. He’s so old school that his biggest criticism for the game is that it receives balance patches 😂

But his fundamentals are so good and he always adapts so quickly. First to tens against him are always fun.

And if anybody in here plays, I’d be up for some games anytime. I’m in UK so UK/EU players for the connections sake. Low chance of probability I know!
 

Majmun

Member
Finished Lost Legacy yesterday. The game was very good. Better than expected and it didn’t overstay its welcome. It felt like a Uncharted Greatest Hits.

Also started with Jak II yesterday and the game is worse than I remember. I remember really liking it when it came out. But so much has changed in game design since its release.

The overworld is so boring in this game. The traversal horrendous. Can’t believe I liked this game when it came out. The checkpoint system is also tragic.

But I will try to finish the game. Not planning on completing everything like I did with the first game a few weeks ago. I really liked that one. But Jak II...yikes so far
 
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I have a few releases I am looking forward to on PC but they're just ports from the PS4 LOL. Trails of Cold Steel IV and the 9th Ys are favourites that I am looking to play but there are some other games that are on Steam that look good. However, there are a lot of games that are not being released because of the current situation. As a guy who plays on PC, I had no problems with Cyberpunk but given the hard release that it had on consoles, more people will be more wary of them releasing games that are still unfinished which is one of the most unpopular things to do.
 
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S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
I'm quite a ways through Heavy Rain now and I can see where this game is a bit more flawed than Detroit. Age hasn't been kind to it like most other games. It was a game that was technically impressive for the time it released but not so much anymore. That is really not a problem with the game, it's just an unfortunate result of time passing. For me, I'm still getting plenty of enjoyment out of it. The characters and story is solid. The writing and voice acting can be hit or miss. Sometimes it is great, and other times it could be a lot better. I think the voice actor who plays Scott Shelby does the best job. I can see where someone new to the game might not take to it as fondly, however. It helps to have that nostalgic memory of playing it on the PS3.

For that reason, I'm 50-50 on if I'd recommend it, despite it being a good experience. If you don't mind a bit of an outdated feel, then it might still be a solid playthrough. The music alone definitely makes it worth it, though, the soundtrack is top tier. Whoever did that deserves a lot of props, very depressing and moody music. I like it a lot.
 

Termite

Member
Got through Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Abzu, Obra Dinn and played plenty of Crusader Kings 3.

I can't believe this, but the past year and a bit has been so shit for new games that I'm down to the last two games on my backlog, which I've been tracking since about 2011.

Those games are Witcher: Thronebreaker and XCom 2. And I'm considering adding Hitman to the list because I have it through PS+.

But god damn, I hope the games release schedule picks up soon. I'm fucking out of things to play. I could genuinely be done with my backlog by the time Monster Hunter Rise comes out in late March.
 
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S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
Got through Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Abzu, Obra Dinn and played plenty of Crusader Kings 3.

I can't believe this, but the past year and a bit has been so shit for new games that I'm down to the last two games on my backlog, which I've been tracking since about 2011.

Those games are Witcher: Thronebreaker and XCom 2. And I'm considering adding Hitman to the list because I have it through PS+.

But god damn, I hope the games release schedule picks up soon. I'm fucking out of things to play. I could genuinely be done with my backlog by the time Monster Hunter Rise comes out in late March.
I'm honestly glad there isn't much coming out, but that's because I'm super impulsive. If a game is good enough I'm not sure I'd trust myself to resist the temptation. There is literally nothing in 2021 that I'm getting crazy hyped about. Maybe Resident Evil: Village but that is not out for a bit. I'm going to try and wait on it, see how much I have completed of my backlog by then.

What did you think of Tomb Raider? I thought they were pretty solid, especially if you like Uncharted.
 
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Termite

Member
I'm honestly glad there isn't much coming out, but that's because I'm super impulsive. If a game is good enough I'm not sure I'd trust myself to resist the temptation. There is literally nothing in 2021 that I'm getting crazy hyped about. Maybe Resident Evil: Village but that is not out for a bit. I'm going to try and wait on it, see how much I have completed of my backlog by then.

What did you think of Tomb Raider? I thought they were pretty solid, especially if you like Uncharted.
My memories of the first Tomb Raider are hazy as I played it at release. I remember it being a reasonably fun uncharted clone with a terrible story, that felt nothing like Tomb Raider.

My initial reaction to Rise was extremely positive with the insane visuals and set pieces, and some gorgeous tombs too. Loved the first third or so of it. But eventually the uninspired level design and absolute dogshit story wore me down, as did the constant witless firefights that were never really that well staged. By the end I was desperate for it to be over. Lara's family history was intolerable, and that Croft Manor DLC was the worst thing I have played in quite some time. Despised it. So I almost straight up deleted Shadow because of how much I disliked Rise by the end.

Glad I didn't, though, because Shadow was by far the best of the Trilogy and I really enjoyed it. Almost everything in it is better, but the fundamental differences for me was that I actually enjoyed exploring the various hub areas in Shadow, which I didn't in Rise, and I found the story and main characters tolerable, which I didn't in Rise. I also loved swimming and found the jungle setting so much more interesting and diverse than the snow of Rise. But just to compare say, Kuwak Yaqu (sp?) in Shadow with the geothermal valley in Rise - one is super fun to explore and the other is exceedingly dull and tedious. That was the difference thoughout the games. Quality of level design. Ended up going for 100% in Shadow almost by accident. Never imagined I'd like it that much.

So yeah, Shadow >>>>>> Rise for me.

To compare to Uncharted, the climbing and exploration in both Rise but especially Shadow is miles better than Uncharted, even though they are the same "follow this linear path" kind of thing. Just being able to rappel in Shadow and find secrets that way puts it leagues ahead. Obviously in terms of story there's no comparison. As for combat, Tomb Raider has better gamefeel but Uncharted has better combat areas and encounter design, so Uncharted wins. (Maybe not Uncharteds 1 and 3, but 2 and especially 4 have good encounter design.)

In a lot of ways I enjoyed Shadow more than Uncharted 4, and that shocked me.
 
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Phase

Member
52games-Bayonetta.png

14. Bayonetta (PC) - 7hrs

I thought it would never end lol. It's an alright game, fun and quite humorous, but the exposition and cutscenes in the later chapters were far too long. What was also too long were the motorcycle and missile sequences. I did enjoy the boss battles. This game has a uniqueness to it I like and some cool concepts though overall leaves a little to be desired.
 
S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
In a lot of ways I enjoyed Shadow more than Uncharted 4, and that shocked me.
I can see that. Uncharted 4 is great, but I honestly prefer Among Thieves and Drake's Deception. Graphically the fourth is beautiful, but they changed a lot. It didn't feel like Uncharted in some areas. It's hard to explain, but they kind of lost a bit of the magic I thought.
 
52games-Bayonetta.png

14. Bayonetta (PC) - 7hrs

I thought it would never end lol. It's an alright game, fun and quite humorous, but the exposition and cutscenes in the later chapters were far too long. What was also too long were the motorcycle and missile sequences. I did enjoy the boss battles. This game has a uniqueness to it I like and some cool concepts though overall leaves a little to be desired.

This game is in my backlog. Did you find the combat/main gameplay loop rewarding?
 
+1. Current backlog completed count: 10.

Super Mario World (SNES, via emulator)

ynia7Oa.png


I love playing this game, and play it at least once a year. Because this game is pretty awesome. For one, it was the first Mario game that, as a kid, made me feel like I was "going on an adventure." I think a huge part of that was the World Map in which you could replay levels, which is something I wish to this day that any version of SMB3 had. And all of the secrets (secret items, secret exits, etc.). The way the world map changes "seasons" (from summer to autumn) when you beat Special World. The game obviously controls flawlessly, looks fantastic, and honestly an unquestionable masterpiece. There can't be enough good things to be said about this game.

But one strong opinion I have (opinions? in a gaming forum? Ha!) is that this game is actually a downgrade from Super Mario Bros. 3 in some ways. Even though the levels are longer, have more verticality and more obstacles, I feel the game is easier. I think a lot of it comes down to Mario being able to activate an "Overpowered Mode" when he takes this:

rMKCEcR.png


I've always thought the Super Cape was overpowered as hell. You can defeat the majority of enemies with the cape spin. You can slow down Mario's descent after a jump, which means you don't need to be all that precise with your jumps. You can defeat enemies anywhere, even in water levels. (You couldn't do that with the Raccoon tail in SMB3). You can do a dive/ground pound move that kills most (all?) nearby enemies. And even if something hits you during this dive move, you are invincible, all that will happen is you get taken out of the dive move and you gain a few frames of invincibility while descending. Lastly, he's got this "parachute cape" move that means that you can just hover over entire levels, essentially giving this game's version of SMB3's "P-wing."

Just with that alone, you could dominate the entire game, easily. Of course, you can choose to not have that power up -- and I often don't. Except that a lot of times, the levels are designed to have this powerup. Like I said earlier, there's a lot of verticality, and a lot of items (e.g., Yoshi dragon coins) or other cool secrets (3-up moons) at high points of several levels.

And, if Overpowered Mode isn't enough, Mario can go into "God Mode":

nBfonVa.png


Wait, I need to zoom in on the actual "God Mode"

csXj4CD.png


Cape Mario on Blue Yoshi is borderline "press A to win" :messenger_tears_of_joy: Now, it would be fair to say that Blue Yoshi is a lot more optional than Cape Mario, since (unlike Cape Mario), levels are not designed around Blue Yoshi. Anyway, between the Cape and the Yoshis, I wish they were nerfed somewhat, so that the levels could be designed around them, but you'd still have some sort of more prominent "risk/reward" factor while playing through the levels. Yes, with these powerups, the game still has a risk/reward: low risk, high reward.

Random note: the Clown transitioning from this:

bcJaunC.png


to this:

tXC1RDc.png


was my very first video game experience of "Whoa, shit just got real".


Some Achievements were actually a really nice challenge, so playing this game felt incredible, yet again. I will probably keep playing this game in some form until I'm an old man. Thank you for the awesome times, Super Mario World... thank you:

q3zF9k2.png
 
I quit Bloodborne. It's just too hard for me, to a point that's it's just not fun to play. Maybe I'll pick it up later, but probably not.
Have you tried playing with a cheat sheet? It makes the playthrough much less frustrating, especially if you struggling as it always points you in the right way. Sure, it takes away a bit of the Souls magic of discovery but if you're not into this trial & error gameplay to find out where you need to go, who you need to fight and what you need to do to progress a certain quest at any given point, then this might just be the thing for you. With it you can completely focus on the gameplay.


I'm using the one for Dark Souls 3 as well at the moment and I honestly love it. I still die a lot, make no mistake, but it just feels different when you know that you actually die in an area where you are supposed to be right now and not in one where you ain't because you do not have the proper level yet.

Now, it's time (for real this time lol) for Resident Evil: Director's Cut. Worst boxart ever?

1180715-redc_ps_us.jpg

My man! One of the greatest games ever made - and for me also one of the most replayed games ever.

@topic: As said I'm just going through Dark Souls 3 and man.... Seeing this... Dunno if it makes me sad or angry...

DVbT4ZI.jpg


God damn... Almost 5 years since I beat the last boss...

Luckily I'm through with my backlog after Dark Souls 3. Never want to see this again.
 

Soodanim

Member
+1. Current backlog completed count: 10.

Super Mario World (SNES, via emulator)

ynia7Oa.png


I love playing this game, and play it at least once a year. Because this game is pretty awesome. For one, it was the first Mario game that, as a kid, made me feel like I was "going on an adventure." I think a huge part of that was the World Map in which you could replay levels, which is something I wish to this day that any version of SMB3 had. And all of the secrets (secret items, secret exits, etc.). The way the world map changes "seasons" (from summer to autumn) when you beat Special World. The game obviously controls flawlessly, looks fantastic, and honestly an unquestionable masterpiece. There can't be enough good things to be said about this game.

But one strong opinion I have (opinions? in a gaming forum? Ha!) is that this game is actually a downgrade from Super Mario Bros. 3 in some ways. Even though the levels are longer, have more verticality and more obstacles, I feel the game is easier. I think a lot of it comes down to Mario being able to activate an "Overpowered Mode" when he takes this:

rMKCEcR.png


I've always thought the Super Cape was overpowered as hell. You can defeat the majority of enemies with the cape spin. You can slow down Mario's descent after a jump, which means you don't need to be all that precise with your jumps. You can defeat enemies anywhere, even in water levels. (You couldn't do that with the Raccoon tail in SMB3). You can do a dive/ground pound move that kills most (all?) nearby enemies. And even if something hits you during this dive move, you are invincible, all that will happen is you get taken out of the dive move and you gain a few frames of invincibility while descending. Lastly, he's got this "parachute cape" move that means that you can just hover over entire levels, essentially giving this game's version of SMB3's "P-wing."

Just with that alone, you could dominate the entire game, easily. Of course, you can choose to not have that power up -- and I often don't. Except that a lot of times, the levels are designed to have this powerup. Like I said earlier, there's a lot of verticality, and a lot of items (e.g., Yoshi dragon coins) or other cool secrets (3-up moons) at high points of several levels.

And, if Overpowered Mode isn't enough, Mario can go into "God Mode":

nBfonVa.png


Wait, I need to zoom in on the actual "God Mode"

csXj4CD.png


Cape Mario on Blue Yoshi is borderline "press A to win" :messenger_tears_of_joy: Now, it would be fair to say that Blue Yoshi is a lot more optional than Cape Mario, since (unlike Cape Mario), levels are not designed around Blue Yoshi. Anyway, between the Cape and the Yoshis, I wish they were nerfed somewhat, so that the levels could be designed around them, but you'd still have some sort of more prominent "risk/reward" factor while playing through the levels. Yes, with these powerups, the game still has a risk/reward: low risk, high reward.

Random note: the Clown transitioning from this:

bcJaunC.png


to this:

tXC1RDc.png


was my very first video game experience of "Whoa, shit just got real".


Some Achievements were actually a really nice challenge, so playing this game felt incredible, yet again. I will probably keep playing this game in some form until I'm an old man. Thank you for the awesome times, Super Mario World... thank you:

q3zF9k2.png
World has always been my favourite of the 2D series, and I never saw the hype with 3. World looks great, feels great, and like you say the ability to replay levels adds a lot. I think that goes hand in hand with the cape points you made. I, unless I was stuck, never used the more OP cape stuff unless I was replaying levels to get things I missed or if it was needed for a secret. Flying over levels takes away the fun of playing the levels as designed, and you're taking away from the fun at your own expense. I used the spin attack, sure, but I always saw the trade off being that unlike fireballs there's no range so there's more of a risk.

I think World was the soft beginning of "Lives only really matter in arcades" with its super secret area of lives and power ups that served as a quick access point for when you needed X to do Y in stage Z.

Like you, I don't see a time when I won't enjoy going back to SMW.
 
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stn

Member
I love Super Mario World, my favorite platformer ever right after Donkey Kong Country. The levels and music are just so perfect. I used to have the actual cart but, being the stupid kid I was, I traded it for another game many years ago.

As for backlog, I've been playing Diablo 3: UE (XBO) and Mafia: DE (XBO). Four more missions to do in Mafia, so gonna finish it tonight. As for Diablo, my buddy gave me a bunch of items and helped me level up, so after about 5-6 hours of playing, I have a level 70 (paragon 300) Barbarian who basically demolishes torment level 16, lol. My buddy and I are now grinding further so we can tackle the hardest greater rifts.

Next up I'm thinking I'll do Hitman 2 (XBO), started it before and left off at the second mission.
 
S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
So I just decided to continue my playthrough of Stalker SoC from a couple of years ago and I am just blown away by the atmosphere all over again. I was so tense making it to the Bar for the first time.

jordan spieth run GIF
Always wanted to play the Stalker series, but my PC is certainly not capable of running it. Closest thing is Metro which I loved, but perhaps is a little more linear than the Stalker series. Either way, I love the vibe and atmosphere of those type of games. They are super immersive.

I played Metro on the difficulty without the HUD and it was the most immersive experience I've probably had. You get zero help, and have to figure it out.
 
+1. Current backlog completed count: 10.

Super Mario World (SNES, via emulator)

ynia7Oa.png


I love playing this game, and play it at least once a year. Because this game is pretty awesome. For one, it was the first Mario game that, as a kid, made me feel like I was "going on an adventure." I think a huge part of that was the World Map in which you could replay levels, which is something I wish to this day that any version of SMB3 had. And all of the secrets (secret items, secret exits, etc.). The way the world map changes "seasons" (from summer to autumn) when you beat Special World. The game obviously controls flawlessly, looks fantastic, and honestly an unquestionable masterpiece. There can't be enough good things to be said about this game.

But one strong opinion I have (opinions? in a gaming forum? Ha!) is that this game is actually a downgrade from Super Mario Bros. 3 in some ways. Even though the levels are longer, have more verticality and more obstacles, I feel the game is easier. I think a lot of it comes down to Mario being able to activate an "Overpowered Mode" when he takes this:

rMKCEcR.png


I've always thought the Super Cape was overpowered as hell. You can defeat the majority of enemies with the cape spin. You can slow down Mario's descent after a jump, which means you don't need to be all that precise with your jumps. You can defeat enemies anywhere, even in water levels. (You couldn't do that with the Raccoon tail in SMB3). You can do a dive/ground pound move that kills most (all?) nearby enemies. And even if something hits you during this dive move, you are invincible, all that will happen is you get taken out of the dive move and you gain a few frames of invincibility while descending. Lastly, he's got this "parachute cape" move that means that you can just hover over entire levels, essentially giving this game's version of SMB3's "P-wing."

Just with that alone, you could dominate the entire game, easily. Of course, you can choose to not have that power up -- and I often don't. Except that a lot of times, the levels are designed to have this powerup. Like I said earlier, there's a lot of verticality, and a lot of items (e.g., Yoshi dragon coins) or other cool secrets (3-up moons) at high points of several levels.

And, if Overpowered Mode isn't enough, Mario can go into "God Mode":

nBfonVa.png


Wait, I need to zoom in on the actual "God Mode"

csXj4CD.png


Cape Mario on Blue Yoshi is borderline "press A to win" :messenger_tears_of_joy: Now, it would be fair to say that Blue Yoshi is a lot more optional than Cape Mario, since (unlike Cape Mario), levels are not designed around Blue Yoshi. Anyway, between the Cape and the Yoshis, I wish they were nerfed somewhat, so that the levels could be designed around them, but you'd still have some sort of more prominent "risk/reward" factor while playing through the levels. Yes, with these powerups, the game still has a risk/reward: low risk, high reward.

Random note: the Clown transitioning from this:

bcJaunC.png


to this:

tXC1RDc.png


was my very first video game experience of "Whoa, shit just got real".


Some Achievements were actually a really nice challenge, so playing this game felt incredible, yet again. I will probably keep playing this game in some form until I'm an old man. Thank you for the awesome times, Super Mario World... thank you:

q3zF9k2.png
Another great write up, brother. I agree that SMW is a step down from SMB3 in quite a few ways. It's easier, but most SNES games were easier than their NES counterparts: Link to the Past was easier than LoZ and Zelda 2. Super Metroid was easier than Metroid. SMW was easier than SMB3. Castlevania 4 was easier than 1-3, etc.

SMW is a cozy game, though.
 
Another great write up, brother. I agree that SMW is a step down from SMB3 in quite a few ways. It's easier, but most SNES games were easier than their NES counterparts: Link to the Past was easier than LoZ and Zelda 2. Super Metroid was easier than Metroid. SMW was easier than SMB3. Castlevania 4 was easier than 1-3, etc.

SMW is a cozy game, though.
Perfect post, whole agree. In the cases you mentioned, the SNES games are easier but are classics in and of themselves. So yes, even though Castlevania 4 is easier than the NES ones, Castlevania 4 is still a fantastic game. (It's in my backlog so at some point I'll be doing my usual write ups on it, LOL).

Saying that SMW is a step down from SMB3 is not knocking SMW. SMW is practically a masterpiece, an all-time great game. I'll get into this a bit more later, have to do some work related stuff.

Also thanks for the writeup compliment, I like to get deeper into the games I play, and this is the perfect thread to share my enthusiasm. (This is like a thread version of the "this <game> is perfect for Switch" meme, LOL...)

Curious - how do you get achievements for SMW? Is that through Nintendo Switch Online?

So a GAF user got me into something called "RetroAchievements" (literally http://retroachievements.org). It involves playing games in an emulated fashion with RetroArch (or LIbretro); in RetroArch you'd link to your Retro Achievements account, and when playing emulated games on RetroArch, if a game has achievements, your achievements will "pop" in the same manner as they do on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, etc.

For me, it's a new way of breathing even more life into these classics that I play in pretty much the same way all the time. I have loved some of the Achievements, they have taught me things about these old games that I never knew.

I only emulate games that I own -- I'm pretty strict about this, as I'm a square (LOL) and I have my own personal moral/legal code. For Mario World alone, I have:
- An American SNES cart
- A Japanese SFC cart (interesting that the Japanese version is called "Super Mario Bros. 4")
- An American digital copy from the Wii Virtual Console
- A Japanese digital copy from my Super Famicom mini

So clearly I love the game, haha.
 
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Perfect post, whole agree. In the cases you mentioned, the SNES games are easier but are classics in and of themselves. So yes, even though Castlevania 4 is easier than the NES ones, Castlevania 4 is still a fantastic game. (It's in my backlog so at some point I'll be doing my usual write ups on it, LOL).

Saying that SMW is a step down from SMB3 is not knocking SMW. SMW is practically a masterpiece, an all-time great game. I'll get into this a bit more later, have to do some work related stuff.

Also thanks for the writeup compliment, I like to get deeper into the games I play, and this is the perfect thread to share my enthusiasm. (This is like a thread version of the "this <game> is perfect for Switch" meme, LOL...)
Even though I prefer 3, I've beaten SMW 5x as much as SMB3. I do love it, but it's not as creative or challenging as SMB3. I feel like that one has a higher skill ceiling too. SMW is a nice snack, something that can be beaten in a weekend and 100%'d in a week of casual play.
 
S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
3. Heavy Rain

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I had a good time, although age hasn't been the kindest to this game. That's okay, it happens sometimes. I'm still glad I played it again on PS4, I really like the dark tone and the storyline is still better than most films out there. This was a nice game to play as it didn't require too much effort to boot up and play. Basically just making choices and letting the story play out. It's not really fair to compare it to Detroit: Become Human because of the technical advantage that game has. If Heavy Rain was made today with the new tech, it still would have been fantastic.

I'll give it a 6.5/10. I would have rated this game 7/10 in the past, but I picked up on more of the flaws now I'm a bit older. There was a lot of things I remembered being good through pure nostalgia that perhaps weren't as great now.

I would recommend the game if it's ever on a deep sale, it's still a good playthrough for someone who has never played it before.

Still deciding on what to play next, but I'm thinking of playing through GTA III on PS4.

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I bought the GTA Trilogy a while ago, but I really only played Vice City and San Andreas as they are my favourites. III has been left in the dust, the poor guy. I really am in the mood to play GTA right now, so I might as well finish this game again, I always liked Liberty City. This game was so influential.
 

Soodanim

Member
Even though I prefer 3, I've beaten SMW 5x as much as SMB3. I do love it, but it's not as creative or challenging as SMB3. I feel like that one has a higher skill ceiling too. SMW is a nice snack, something that can be beaten in a weekend and 100%'d in a week of casual play.
Calling it cozy is so right. It's comfort food. It's the happy place.
Still deciding on what to play next, but I'm thinking of playing through GTA III on PS4.

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I bought the GTA Trilogy a while ago, but I really only played Vice City and San Andreas as they are my favourites. III has been left in the dust, the poor guy. I really am in the mood to play GTA right now, so I might as well finish this game again, I always liked Liberty City. This game was so influential.
I still have a lot of love for 3, and play it just as readily as VC and SA. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it has a different feel to it for me. Maybe it's the atmosphere of the city, the visuals, the driving, the radio, or all of that, but 3 does things in a way that neither VC or SA do. 3 is the father of 4 other games (including LCS and VCS) and it doesn't always get its due credit these days.
 

mekes

Member
It’s temporarily all about the Street Fighter and Everybody’s Golf.

Everybody’s Golf lost a lot of its charm with the create your own character decision imo. I bought it at launch but it didn’t click with me back then. Levelling up for a new t-shirt and shoes doesn’t feel rewarding. But I am enjoying playing one or 2 courses a day, the golf mechanics are as good as ever. I’d like to level my character and at least see the courses on offer, but it’s a bit of a grind. I just feel the overall package is a little lacking on the PS4, it’s my least favourite version. Maybe I’m just set in my ways.

Street Fighter has me invested again, but only because my friend is logging on for sets. G is so much fun, ultimate troll character, well done to Capcom 😂
 
mekes mekes above reminded me that I actually played some Street Fighter last week, to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

I have Street Fighter II in many forms, but one of its forms is the arcade version that comes with the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition. I played quite a bit of it, but not counting it towards my backlog total since classic Street Fighter games get "special" treatment -- I generally just play them whenever I feel like it, throughout the year. The reason I counted Street Fighter II Turbo (for SNES) in one of my previous posts is because I was doing the Retro Achievements challenges.

Man, the game plays amazing for a 1991 game. Again, it's great to see how much stuff they got right on the very first entry of Street Fighter II. Beautiful sprites, very tight and responsive controls, satisfying combat -- this had it all. Of course I'm going to complain about random stuff like Shoryukens not knocking down against standing opponents (and their recovery from hit impact means they can punish you after you successfully land a Shoryuken -- da fuk!?).

Anyway, on this post I'm just going to laugh about random shit that the arcade version of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior has, that never came back ever again, not even in subsequent entries in the Street Fighter II series.

Maybe more pictures than people may want to see, so I'll hide them in a spoiler tag:

[EDIT]: So, as y'all can see, my version is the Japanese/"International" edition of Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. So Steam did a "goof up" where for people that pre-ordered the game (like I did), one day we just boot the game and it got "mistakenly" patched to be the International version; this contains both the US and Japanese versions of every one of the included 12 Street Fighter games. I always play them in Japanese since that's what I grew up with, it's what I currently own in hard discs in various forms, and there are some tiny gameplay differences in Super Street Fighter II X/Turbo that matter to me.

Stuff like "crackhead Guile" :messenger_tears_of_joy: :

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Or Blanka's loss portrait (in fairness, I think they kept this for subsequent CPS-1 entries of Street Fighter II), always cracks me up:

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Or the fact that Ryu's stage was supposed to happen at night (and it did in subsequent entries), but in the original game it looks like it's around sunset? It's nonsensical but man, I really miss that look:

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Or the chain mechanism in both corners of Zangief's stage (maybe they also appeared in an entry or two afterwards? Can't remember)

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Or -- ONE OF MY FAVORITES -- the palm tree in Sagat's stage, which I think finally came back in Street Fighter V:

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Additionally, there was a sort of "unfinished/rushed" charm to some of the character portraits. I already talked about "Crackhead Guile" above, but on top of that:

Chun-Li's outfit in game is actually her iconic blue but in her portrait it's inexplicably orange (da fuk!?)

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Dictator should've kept this look: it's unintentionally all-red in the portrait (including his eyes), but man does he look like a real villain:

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This was the only time Boxer showed his teeth [EDIT]: Only time he does in the CPS1 games... They changed his portrait in the CPS2 games so that he wouldn't be such a blatant ripoff.

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Wait, hold up... let's zoom in on that:

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That guy looks kind of familiar:

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Some of the character sprites were derpy as hell to the point of being hilarious. As you can see from all the pictures so far, my main playthrough was with Ken. Ken specifically had a lot of derp.

Win pose derp (face was fixed in subsequent entries):

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Eliza derp:

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Ken about to get married derp:

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Alright, that's enough jokes for now. I always have a fantastic time playing one of my all-time favorite games; quick pick-up and play games against the computer are the best.

Thank you, Street Fighter:

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inspired by Sentenza Sentenza 's thread, I decided to boot up a fresh save of XCOM 2:wotc. The performance judders are still present on PS4 Pro which is annoying, but otherwise the game is fun to dive back into. I hate having to disable/remove all the various tooltips, tutorials, suggestions, etc but at least they throw you into the base-building pretty quickly. Didn't take long to pass all the boring intro stuff and begin missions. I didn't experience much of the War of the Chosen content, nor did I beat a campaign w that content enabled, so this should be a fun time.

I also dug out my copy of Civ 6 to see if my kids enjoy it. so far, only my 9 year old son seems interested, but he's smitten by it. It's his first proper 4x title, other than a brief stint with Nobunaga's Ambition (which I think is too above his head currently). I started a fresh russian empire on a Large "islands" style map. i should've done "epic" game length though, because I feel like this campaign is way too short (the top-right indicates 110/500 turns). I'm nearly out of the BCs and the save is only a few hours long. I'll wrap up this save and then start fresh with all the DLC stuff enabled. Vanilla feels... too simple/straightforward/speedy for a proper Civ experience.
 
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