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The Wonderful 101 |OT| Diplomacy has failed

Thoraxes

Member
I need mental support guys. I just had a conversation with some guy about Wonderful 101 and he just wrote it off as "Pikmin with Scribblenauts controls". I had to leave the conversation right away. And this is after he watched a ton of videos about it.

This about sums it up:

jimlahey0djou.gif
 

BatDan

Bane? Get them on board, I'll call it in.
I need mental support guys. I just had a conversation with some guy about Wonderful 101 and he just wrote it off as "Pikmin with Scribblenauts controls". I had to leave the conversation right away. And this is after he watched a ton of videos about it.

If you ever see him, smack him. Because he's beyond wrong.
 

Lunar15

Member
As much as I dearly love Platinum games, they need to learn that you shouldn't have to unlock core abilities such as dodge and block. It's such bad game design, and it's hurt both this and Metal Gear Rising.

Just letting players have those two abilities at the start of the game doesn't hurt anything or take anything away from the old school gameplay. It just keeps people from being confused about how the game's natural flow progresses. I remember talking to people who hated Metal Gear Rising, but never realized they could counter or dodge.
 

Proven

Member
As much as I dearly love Platinum games, they need to learn that you shouldn't have to unlock core abilities such as dodge and block. It's such bad game design, and it's hurt both this and Metal Gear Rising.

Just letting players have those two abilities at the start of the game doesn't hurt anything or take anything away from the old school gameplay. It just keeps people from being confused about how the game's natural flow progresses. I remember talking to people who hated Metal Gear Rising, but never realized they could counter or dodge.

It does teach people that listening to the game and exploring the shop is important.
 
R

Retro_

Unconfirmed Member
It does teach people that listening to the game and exploring the shop is important.

and I think it's pretty smart design in that they're the only things you can buy immediately after the prologue, which contains acts so easy as to give you the points.

So not only does the game give you the money for them, but it's designed so that you're unable to buy anything but those skills.
 

Proven

Member
and I think it's pretty smart design in that they're the only things you can buy immediately after the prologue, which contains acts so easy as to give you the points.

So not only does the game give you the money for them, but it's designed so that you're unable to buy anything but those skills.

I can see the argument from the other side though. In this case I wouldn't call it smart design, I'd call it clever. But I can only imagine the number of people who won't figure it out.

Considering the same thing was almost done in the first Bayonetta (you had Dodge innately so they could teach you Witch Time, but you needed to go into the shop for Air Dodge) I'm guessing he figured he needed to push more people into using the shop so they would be powerful enough to finish the game.
 
R

Retro_

Unconfirmed Member
I can see the argument from the other side though. In this case I wouldn't call it smart design, I'd call it clever. But I can only imagine the number of people who won't figure it out.
.

I agree that's a better word because I can see it from the other side as well in the specific case of 101. There's no need for the options in the prologue and having them would probably only slow players down, but I can also understand how so many people have missed it in the shop.

Considering the same thing was almost done in the first Bayonetta (you had Dodge innately so they could teach you Witch Time, but you needed to go into the shop for Air Dodge) I'm guessing he figured he needed to push more people into using the shop so they would be powerful enough to finish the game

Thing about Bayonetta is that it brought the shop to your attention. There's a cutscene in the first stage that introduces Rodin and the Gates of Hell portals in the stages.

There's nothing pulling players into the shop in 101 and I think that's the biggest failing of it in regards to this issue. I think most people are smart enough to figure it out, but it could have all been avoided had 101 just taken the time to contextualize or introduce the shop mechanic within the narrative like Bayonetta does.
 

Proven

Member
I agree that's a better word because I can see it from the other side as well in the specific case of 101. There's no need for the options in the prologue and having them would probably only slow players down, but I can also understand how so many people have missed it in the shop.


Thing about Bayonetta is that it brought the shop to your attention. There's a cutscene in the first stage that introduces Rodin and the Gates of Hell portals in the stages.

There's nothing pulling players into the shop in 101 and I think that's the biggest failing of it in regards to this issue. I think most people are smart enough to figure it out, but it could have all been avoided had 101 just taken the time to contextualize or introduce the shop mechanic within the narrative like Bayonetta does.
Oh jeez, I completely forgot about the Rodin cutscene. Completely agree.
 

Raysoul

Member
It would be better if the game explicitly says "You need to buy Guts and Dodge" as it is really an integral part of the gameplay. These would force the player to explore the shop. Without those two skills, Operation 001-A is really a nightmare.
 
I feel like I'm killing guys without knowing the best way to kill them/which unite forms to use and taking much longer than I should.

Is there a guide or am I missing something obvious?

Also when is unite bomb ever really useful?
 
It would be better if the game explicitly says "You need to buy Guts and Dodge" as it is really an integral part of the gameplay. These would force the player to explore the shop. Without those two skills, Operation 001-A is really a nightmare.

I'm honestly sick to death of games telling me what to do and what to use. The player should be punished for not exploring and experimenting with all the menu options just as much as if they rush a boss and do nothing but mash the attack button.

If a player skips the shop and gets destroyed by the next stage, then finding the shop becomes a reward by turning that earlier frustration to relief and even empowerment as they now see tools available to them that solve exactly the problems they were having moments ago.

It is impossible to experience success without first experiencing failure.
 

Azure J

Member
OK, I am trying so hard to remain spoiler free and posting in here may as well be anathema to that, but I just have to say the Chapter boss for Operation 3 was one of the best sequences I've played in anything in my 20+ years of playing video games.

Holy fuck.
 

Clefargle

Member
Giant bomb completely wrote this off during their GOTY discussion. They brought it up, then IMMEDIATELY dropped it. Goddamn, I used to care about their opinions...
 

Indiscipline

Neo Member
I just read this interview with Hideki Kamiya about the game.

This quote made me laugh: " [...] at its core, this is an action game. It's an action game that we've made accessible for a lot of players and for more casual users."
 

Jagsrock

Banned
SO I just beat it and holy shit that final operation wore me the fuck out.
Every time you think it's over it tops itself with something even more insane.
 

BatDan

Bane? Get them on board, I'll call it in.
I just read this interview with Hideki Kamiya about the game.

This quote made me laugh: " [...] at its core, this is an action game. It's an action game that we've made accessible for a lot of players and for more casual users."

I think Kamiya may have overestimated the skill level of most gamers these days.
If it was "casual", then I wouldn't hear so many complaints about things not making sense.
 

leroidys

Member
I just read this interview with Hideki Kamiya about the game.

This quote made me laugh: " [...] at its core, this is an action game. It's an action game that we've made accessible for a lot of players and for more casual users."
DMC series was too hard for me to get into. I absolutely think that this game is a casual take on the genre and I love it for that.

I seriously can not understand how people have such difficulties with the mechanics. There are enough that it's obviously a real issue, I'm not writing it off, but I really can not understand it.
 

Jagsrock

Banned
I feel like I'm killing guys without knowing the best way to kill them/which unite forms to use and taking much longer than I should.

Is there a guide or am I missing something obvious?

Also when is unite bomb ever really useful?

Spamming Unite bomb and simultaneously using team attacks can be extremely useful. especially against Koh-Tumeekey's and dooras. You can even use it against Ankhos pretty effectively
 

Raysoul

Member
I feel like I'm killing guys without knowing the best way to kill them/which unite forms to use and taking much longer than I should.

Is there a guide or am I missing something obvious?

Also when is unite bomb ever really useful?

Learning the enemy weakness is one of the challenges in this game. Just experiment with all the resources that you have. It took a while before I learned how to properly handle the turtles.

Bomb is useful as a support unite, as the raw damage is not really big. I use it to:

1. Immediately disperse the weak enemies.
2. Slow down enemies to dish more damage.

OK, I am trying so hard to remain spoiler free and posting in here may as well be anathema to that, but I just have to say the Chapter boss for Operation 3 was one of the best sequences I've played in anything in my 20+ years of playing video games.

Holy fuck.

I just played it earlier on hard, and it is one of the best boss sequence. It really feels like a final boss.
 

Sickbean

Member
The learning curve on this is insane. I wonder how long i'll last. Watching those tutorial videos while moderately helpful, also kinda gave me the idea i'll never really get good at this game, i haven't given up yet however.

I just discovered pushing down on the d-pad brings up your "wonderful" heroes and you can assign one......what exactly am I doing here? Is this like choosing a buff of some sort?

Also, can I save mid mission? Or when I resume will it make me replay the entire sequence?

What the?!

I've been playing 20 hours and never even knew this existed!!
 

Riposte

Member
Every video of 101% Hard I find is mostly about abusing the fuck out of giant immorta. Really lame.

Giant bomb completely wrote this off during their GOTY discussion. They brought it up, then IMMEDIATELY dropped it. Goddamn, I used to care about their opinions...

They did the same with Bayonetta and Vanquish, in the same breath lol
 

Proven

Member
Ok so I hyped myself to getting this and the mechanics are just so convoluted which is the opposite of fun for me. I mean, if I have to watch tutorial videos to learn to enjoy this, I think that's a problem. There is so much charatxer here though that I'll fight through it. I just wish it was a bit more streamlined. now I remember my reluctancy to play this to begin with :(

You don't have to watch the tutorial videos to understand. I mean, the guy who made the video had to learn how to play the game just from the game, so you could do the same thing too.
 

leroidys

Member
I never said I couldn't; I do not understand your comment. I believe I mentioned that the mechanics were convoluted which would suggest I was mostly commenting on the steep learning curve more than anything.

After you buy unite guts and get good at changing morphs, the difficulty curve is really pretty light. Don't be afraid to drop down the difficulty.
 

Raysoul

Member
I didn't watch Saur videos before I finished the game, yet I really enjoy it. This game is a great stepaway from video game handholding present on current games. Discovering things and improvising combos is a wonderful experience.
 

Mistouze

user-friendly man-cashews
After you buy unite guts and get good at changing morphs, the difficulty curve is really pretty light. Don't be afraid to drop down the difficulty.
Yeah the learning is only steep at the start, once you got the basics down it's not that hard to dig into the depth of the systems.
 
BestBuy.com has this at $23.99 in the US with free in-store pick-up/free shipping on orders over $25. It is listed as "Clearance" although Amazon also had it at this price until they ran out of copies.

Link here.
 

Proven

Member
I never said I couldn't; I do not understand your comment. I believe I mentioned that the mechanics were convoluted which would suggest I was mostly commenting on the steep learning curve more than anything.

You said, "if I have to watch tutorial videos to learn to enjoy this", so I interpreted it as you giving up on having any fun through learning the game mechanics and just sticking it through for the experience.
 
Use Unite Guts to deflect the tanks' shots, when they try to run you over, or when they try to jump on you.

Wonder Gun's normals shots also damage their armor, albeit very slowly.
 

D-e-f-

Banned
Man.. $23... so tempted to bite. I know I should, but I'm not sure how I'll like the game. Hmm...

Do it. ->

I deeply regret waiting this long to get this. Just got wonder-pink and am kind of speechless. Difficulty curve is almost non existent at this point but it was an easier transition than expected. The fight with Prince V or whatever was tough . Still have some "rock paper scissor" to learn.

Unbelievable though.

:D
 

JCX

Member
Started playing this again recently and am loving it more than ever. Unfortunately, I suck at drawing
Unite Bomb
.
 
So I played the demo tonight. Since I watched several of those "how to" and "guide" videos for the game prior to playing, I had a little bit more idea of what was going on. It was still really hard to get used to drawing the shapes mid battle, and for some reason, drawing the circle kept messing up. Just kinda awkward. That said, I actually had fun for the most part. It was entertaining juggling the bigger enemies up in the air and keeping them up there for a little bit. And learning when to use the shield move and when to dodge. I just worry about the more complex shapes later and how hard I'm gonna have drawing them mid battle with the analog stick. But I'm probably gonna order it off Amazon in any case. :)
 

XDDX

Member
So I played the demo tonight. Since I watched several of those "how to" and "guide" videos for the game prior to playing, I had a little bit more idea of what was going on. It was still really hard to get used to drawing the shapes mid battle, and for some reason, drawing the circle kept messing up. Just kinda awkward. That said, I actually had fun for the most part. It was entertaining juggling the bigger enemies up in the air and keeping them up there for a little bit. And learning when to use the shield move and when to dodge. I just worry about the more complex shapes later and how hard I'm gonna have drawing them mid battle with the analog stick. But I'm probably gonna order it off Amazon in any case. :)
It just comes with practice. After a few hours you wont even think about it, it becomes almost automatic and feels so satisfying. Don't over think it too much at the start.
 
It just comes with practice. After a few hours you wont even think about it, it becomes almost automatic and feels so satisfying. Don't over think it too much at the start.

Yeah, I figured I just needed more practice. I was starting to get a little bit better at it by the time I beat the demo (overall Silver ranking, not bad I guess for a first attempt). Then I went into the Wonderful Missions and did the first set. Did fairly well on that. I forget what ranking I got - silver or gold maybe.

One problem I did have was that sometimes it was hard to see what was going on when there are smaller enemies. It can be quite hectic at times, lol.
 

leroidys

Member
I deeply regret waiting this long to get this. Just got wonder-pink and am kind of speechless. Difficulty curve is almost non existent at this point but it was an easier transition than expected. The fight with Prince V or whatever was tough . Still have some "rock paper scissor" to learn.

Unbelievable though.
Glad you're enjoying it! It was love/hate for me the first few hours, but after a point it was (almost) all love.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
For me personally the game mechanics didn't start to fully come together until I bought the attack liner ability. That seems to really grease the unite combo wheels.
 
I played the demo again, and improved a good bit. I got a Gold rating for the entire "Operation" which is pretty decent, I think (for a second try anyways). I even got a Pure Platinum once on a combat mission. :eek: It's really fun juggling enemies in the air with the launcher. I wonder how long it'll take Amazon to get more in stock. D:
 
Why? Because no pure platinum? I think you can't have continues!

No, there's 9 missions in that Operation and he has 7 medals.

The problem is that he's missing the first two, but those are the flashback missions and can't be missed so the fact that they are missing is the glitch.

Only thing I can think of is that he likely chose to reload his save while doing the shooter section which is Mission 3 and in the process the game "forgot" he did those first two missions. That is a bitch of a glitch.
 
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