Recently completed video games

[Sno]

I just beat Bayonetta 1 & 2 and while playing Bayonetta 1 it hit me how much it was like Devil May Cry, the motorbikes, Jeanne as Virgil, it reached a point I wasn't sure if the game was DMC parody or love letter...

 

Well, Bayonetta and DMC both come courtesy of Hideki Kamiya, so...

 

 

Man, I need to play some DMC games.

 

For my part, i'd say DMC3 and Bayonetta are the two best examples of the genre, so maybe you do.

The DMC games are all very good though, aside from 2.

[elmuerte]

Yesterday I finished the last few puzzles of Tetrobot & Co.

It is sort of the sequel to Blocks that matter, but this time it's completely puzzle and there is little timing and no agility. The puzzles are of proper difficulty but not too difficult (for me) to get stuck completely.

[TychoCelchuuu]

To expand on this, BioShock's twist was so shocking because it was so directly commenting on the illusory freedom that players so willingly buy into. You can make your choices, sure, but you're ultimately doing it within a designed sandbox and are bound by the rules and walls of that sandbox. The twist has virtually nothing to do with the fact that you're not playing as the character you thought you were playing as, and everything to do with you feeling like you had agency when you really had almost none. BioShock kind of reframed the relationship the player has with the designer, and while such self-exploration of the medium has since become much more prevalent in the intervening years, Bioshock stands out to me as still such a dramatic and influential example of it.

 

As an addendum, i think that's why BioShock would never have worked as a movie. It's a story that sort of fundamentally leans on the experience of playing video games.

I agree 100% but:

Then the game fucking ruins it by making you do exactly what Tenenbaum tells you to do, including "turn yourself into a Big Daddy." When the twist came, it blew me away for all the reasons you note - it was an amazing reframing of and commentary on the way game narratives are all about doing a bunch of frankly ridiculous stuff without really thinking about it or finding it strange, or even if you do find it strange, you inexplicably keep doing it, just because that is what you do. So that was amazing, and I was like "holy shit, this is the best, now I bet the game will open up and I'll get to make a bunch of choices and stuff because now I'm free." But no, then the game completely ignored the trenchant commentary it just made and proceeds to have a stupid video game narrative where you fight the final boss because that's what the game tells you to do, no matter what you personally might want to do. I was at least expecting options like "just say 'fuck this noise' and head back to the surface," "kill everyone," "try to make a deal with Fontaine," etc. But no. It's just "turn yourself into an inhuman monster and fight the boss please."

[Dewar]

Maybe in some ways, that's commentary as well. In the end, even without the extenuating circumstances, some people are just born to be led.

[Sno]

I generally agree that BioShock's perceived commentary sort of collapses in on itself when the protagonist is said to be freed from his in-story constraints, but the player is still left as only able to do what a voice on the radio tells them to do. It can seem as if the player and the character they're inhabiting sort of part ways in a strange and frustrating way.

 

I feel like the game's morality system was probably meant to be both the player's and the protagonist's single true expression of freedom within the narrative and the system of the game, but it's kind of a clumsy statement and i'm not sure it has the kind of impact they want it to have, especially amidst the increasingly linear nature of the game's climax clashing with the story they've actually been telling up to that point. If their morality system hadn't been sitting in the background the whole time and came much more into the spotlight as a result of the unfolding events of the game's narrative, it might have felt more significant and less arbitrary than it does.

[elmuerte]

Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)

A Limbo like platform game with a documentary. Just like with the platforming in Limbo it can be frustrating at some times. It took me about 4 hours to complete. The documentary is about the life of a native Alaskan tribe, it's quite interesting.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Majora's Mask 3D!

 

20/24 masks got by the end, and oh man I can't believe I hadn't finished such a superb game to completion! I think I was too young when I first played it to truly understand what makes it so great, but I'm glad that the re-make has got me sitting through all of it. It's a fantastic zelda game!

 

I really love how this one more than others feels kinda like an adventure puzzle game over an action RPG. Getting the masks is super satisfying to work out. This is definitely now one of my top zeldas.

[Tanukitsune]

I just beat Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World and while it's a good follow-up to the previous Tales of Symphonia game story-wise... the gameplay is VERY lacking.

 

The game has a pokémon like monster capturing gimmick so you can have monsters battle at your side, except... it's better NOT TO since they can't use items and it's game over if all the humans die even if the monster you have could resurrect you.

 

Not to mention the partner AI and most of the gameplay from the previous game is castrated or gone, you can only control one character at a time and since the game isn't turn based you have to let the AI control the others. You realize how bad the combat is when you want your friend to concentrate their attack on a healer and while you can try, if they are interrupted they will just reset their AI commands.

 

The worst part is the types of AI you can choose, apart from "attack freely" every character seems to have different options and many of them seem useless.

 

But still, I'm glad I made it through.

[Ninety-Three]

Re: Bioshock

I generally agree that BioShock's perceived commentary sort of collapses in on itself when the protagonist is said to be freed from his in-story constraints, but the player is still left as only able to do what a voice on the radio tells them to do. It can seem as if the player and the character they're inhabiting sort of part ways in a strange and frustrating way.

 

I feel like the game's morality system was probably meant to be both the player's and the protagonist's single true expression of freedom within the narrative and the system of the game, but it's kind of a clumsy statement and i'm not sure it has the kind of impact they want it to have, especially amidst the increasingly linear nature of the game's climax clashing with the story they've actually been telling up to that point. If their morality system hadn't been sitting in the background the whole time and came much more into the spotlight as a result of the unfolding events of the game's narrative, it might have felt more significant and less arbitrary than it does.

 

I think the system fell down on more than just clumsiness and clashing. If you make the good choice, you get 40 ADAM per Little Girl, plus 80 ADAM and a miscellaneous gift basket every three, but if you make the evil choice, you get 80 ADAM per Little Girl. The characters try to tell how you need to do this to survive, but it's the difference between 20% more ADAM and random lootbags, which is not exactly make or break. Even if it was a larger difference, there was never a point during my playthrough when I found myself thinking "You know what I need more than anything else right now? A little more ADAM."

 

I also feel like they kind of went halfway on the moral choice thing. The evil choice is to literally murder orphans, but if you do choose that, it gives you a fade to green and no particular sound effects, deliberately softening the impact of the horrible thing you've just done. If they actually wanted you to feel like this was a terrible thing, they could have gone a lot further (and without having to do anything as crass as just showing the murder).

[Sno]

Yes, the moral dilemma is so ridiculously exaggerated, it's such a simple black and white view of morality and it feels super at odds with the narrative complexity throughout the rest of the game. They want resources to be the complicating factor, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that you actually come out slightly ahead with the rewards for saving the sisters. What you're left with is such an uncomplicated, polarized choice that the only driving factor either way is which ending you want to see. As such, and with no real consequence, you are either literally murdering orphaned, abused children or trying to save the most innocent victims of Rapture. I'll add that the ludicrous "Apparently you're Hitler, now." bad ending perhaps can be interpreted as the protagonist having innately been a sociopath, now simply freed from his restraints, but it still feels wildly out of place as a capstone to a game that seems to push you towards empathizing with the character you're inhabiting. Alternatively, i think the "good" ending works kind of beautifully.)

 

Since we're talking about the story of BioShock anyways: Personally, i always read Fontaine as a having something like a nihilist's world view, the way he's driven to disrupt and disprove Rapture's utopian ideals. The game of course doesn't really develop him enough to directly support this reading, but his actions in the backstory of the game go far, far beyond what one would attribute to even an especially committed crook, and it feels like a poetic contrast to Ryan's deeply flawed ideologue persona, and adds an extra layer of meaning to the cracks that form in it as a response to Fontaine's meddling.

 

You know, this whole conversation could have probably been pulled out of this into a relevant BioShock thread, it's sure to be lost in here.

[J.C.]

Finished Mirror's Edge over the weekend. Second time through, first being when it launched. The running still feels fresh, and they mapped it really well for a controller. Probably the most enjoyable traversal in a first-person game. Just like my first time through it, I kinda hated the server room section at the end of the game.

[Griddlelol]

I finished Persona 4 golden - to the "bad" ending. I generated separate save files, so I'm going to continue to the other ending(s), but I just wanted to share my thoughts on this ending.

 

It just captured exactly how I feel about revenge as a whole. I felt so empty when the game ended, so much so that I had to look up if there was more than one ending. Argh! It was so good, the whole thing felt futile and empty, the MC left town and that was that. All the social links he created just became something he was looking at out of a train window. I loved that I felt empty, just like the feeling after vengeance it's trying to recreate.

 

So yeah, 

I'm going to keep going though!

[Patrick R]

Super Mario Bros 3. Beat this a couple times before, but this was the first time without abusing save states in World 8.

[JonCole]

I've been thinking about trying to beat Super Mario Bros 3 sans any warp whistles or save scumming. I barely even know what stages 3 - 7 look like.

[undermind9]

world 7 was always a problem area for me.  there are a few unforgiving stages that i dont know if i've ever cleared (engage Cloud Skip!)

 

Most of my play throughs would consist of world 1-1 -> 7-1 - engage warp whistle to world 8

[Patrick R]

Hahaha, I definitely warp whistled World 7, if only to save lives/power-ups for World 8.

I remember when I was 6 and the first level of World 8 (which I could get to consistently thanks to the whistles) seemed like The Most Extreme Video Game Challenge Of All Time.

 

Last time I played through SMB3 the only save scumming I used was 1) to 100% the match game every time, so I always had power-ups and 2) on the first castle in World 8, where I kept dying because I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do.

 

This time around I felt confident enough to do it straight through (still skipping World 7) but I still had to restart a couple times. Once I got through worlds 1 & 2 without dying or using a power-up, I had enough momentum (and extra lives, since it's easy to consistently get stars at the end of each level) to get through the rest. You just have to save all your clouds and P-Wings for World 8.

[syntheticgerbil]

Just get the Mario Advance version, then you can fully experience the mess that is Mario 3.

[Henroid]

I beat Shovel Knight last night. I'm gonna try to 100% the game (as far as achievements and I guess item collection rate goes), but for now I'm pleased. There were definitely frustrating moments when it came to the difficulty, but they weren't impossible or RNG type moments. That was something a very much appreciated about the game. I do think it ends up getting silly as far as boss fights go, when you have enough health to just take damage and keep bashing their face in faster than they can bash yours in. I'm told NG+ is more difficult though, so maybe that's all I need.

[GavinTheAlmighty]

Finished Mirror's Edge over the weekend. Second time through, first being when it launched. The running still feels fresh, and they mapped it really well for a controller. Probably the most enjoyable traversal in a first-person game. Just like my first time through it, I kinda hated the server room section at the end of the game.

 

I adore Mirror's Edge.  It's one of the best-designed games of the previous generation for me.  No game has ever made movement feel as satisfying as they did in ME.  

 

The level that stands out for me as one that I hate is the damn parking garage.  It's a maze, and one corridor requires that you navigate past a freaking army.  I can't get past that without engaging them - I have to find a weapon, take out the guy with the big massive machine gun, and then use that to clear a path.  It really breaks the flow of the game, which is doubly-disappointing because ME is a game that prioritizes flow above all else.

[J.C.]

I adore Mirror's Edge.  It's one of the best-designed games of the previous generation for me.  No game has ever made movement feel as satisfying as they did in ME.  

 

The level that stands out for me as one that I hate is the damn parking garage.  It's a maze, and one corridor requires that you navigate past a freaking army.  I can't get past that without engaging them - I have to find a weapon, take out the guy with the big massive machine gun, and then use that to clear a path.  It really breaks the flow of the game, which is doubly-disappointing because ME is a game that prioritizes flow above all else.

 

Yeah, the parking garage was annoying too. It took some trying, but this time through I managed to do it without shooting anyone.

 

I really hope the new one really capitalizes on how it felt to move and less so on the less than stellar combat. And hopefully polishes what combat will inevitably be in there. I avoided engaging enemies where I could because all too often they could knock me back through whatever attack I was doing, especially jump kicks (wtf?).

[Zeusthecat]

Hahaha, I definitely warp whistled World 7, if only to save lives/power-ups for World 8.

I remember when I was 6 and the first level of World 8 (which I could get to consistently thanks to the whistles) seemed like The Most Extreme Video Game Challenge Of All Time.

 

Last time I played through SMB3 the only save scumming I used was 1) to 100% the match game every time, so I always had power-ups and 2) on the first castle in World 8, where I kept dying because I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do.

 

This time around I felt confident enough to do it straight through (still skipping World 7) but I still had to restart a couple times. Once I got through worlds 1 & 2 without dying or using a power-up, I had enough momentum (and extra lives, since it's easy to consistently get stars at the end of each level) to get through the rest. You just have to save all your clouds and P-Wings for World 8.

 

Oh hey, Super Mario Bros 3! The first 5 worlds or so are pretty much baked into my being at this point as I've played them countless times from adolescence through adulthood. I've been playing this on and off with my daughter for a while now (the Super Mario All-Stars version on SNES) and we just hit world 5. I currently have 39 lives and hope to get that a bit higher by the time we hit world 7. But I'm also letting my daughter take all of the bonus areas so I've got jack shit for items and all of my extra lives have just come from standard 1-ups and getting the three stars matched every three levels.

 

I haven't used a warp whistle in at least a decade though. I got too tired of the same old worlds so most of the enjoyment of the game for me comes from going through worlds 3-7. I only got motivated enough to actually push through the entire game maybe once or twice before though so I typically end up losing interest after doing the first few levels of world 8. Them damn ships just start going too fast and I stop having fun.

[SuperBiasedMan]

I don't think I've ever completed a pre Gamecube Mario game unless you count one of these exceptions:

1) Playing original Super Mario Bros. on an emulator where I used save states

2) Playing the DS remake of Super Mario 64.

3) Warioland on the Gameboy

 

I enjoyed all of those, Mario just wasn't a gaming presence for my childhood so much. I actually played #3 on that list first and didn't quite know who Mario and Peach were when they showed up at the end, but I think that was partly because of the pixellated graphics...

[N1njaSquirrel]

Yeah, the parking garage was annoying too. It took some trying, but this time through I managed to do it without shooting anyone.

 

I really hope the new one really capitalizes on how it felt to move and less so on the less than stellar combat. And hopefully polishes what combat will inevitably be in there. I avoided engaging enemies where I could because all too often they could knock me back through whatever attack I was doing, especially jump kicks (wtf?).

 

From what I remember of the details that were leaked for ME2, the combat is still present, but they are trying to make it more 'fluid'. What that entails though, I don't have the foggiest. I do remember seeing a clip where she runs up against a wall and then kicks a guy in the face and keeps running. And it looked sick. I'm excited for ME2.

[Patrick R]

I don't think I've ever completed a pre Gamecube Mario game unless you count one of these exceptions:

1) Playing original Super Mario Bros. on an emulator where I used save states

2) Playing the DS remake of Super Mario 64.

3) Warioland on the Gameboy

 

I enjoyed all of those, Mario just wasn't a gaming presence for my childhood so much. I actually played #3 on that list first and didn't quite know who Mario and Peach were when they showed up at the end, but I think that was partly because of the pixellated graphics...

 

Super Mario World is king.

[J.C.]

From what I remember of the details that were leaked for ME2, the combat is still present, but they are trying to make it more 'fluid'. What that entails though, I don't have the foggiest. I do remember seeing a clip where she runs up against a wall and then kicks a guy in the face and keeps running. And it looked sick. I'm excited for ME2.

Making it more fluid is definitely a good way to go. For the most part it felt pretty stilted and broke the flow, so if they can remedy that, I think they'll have a winner.