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Comments
I'm sad I couldn't even submit anything in this past Spacechem tourney round. I spent the whole week trying to beat my summer class's provided code into submission because it's broken and/or deprecated.
My second and third puzzles for this week aren't that good, but I should score some points for Jailbreak. Not first place though, Carlbunk has a cycle ahead of me. (WildM dropped me a message along the lines of "you could output one cycle sooner!
" and I had to point out why my solution wouldn't permit it.)
Also submitted solutions for this coming week, though I may have to go back and have another look at The Chem in SpaceChem.
I'm starting to irritate me...I don't wanna want Saints Row 4, but I know when it comes out, I'm gonna get it, and likely enjoy it just like I did with The Third. But It's just an expansion pack sequel, right? That's how it looks. And I seem to be eating it up. Dammit, I KNOW I'm gonna like it, and that kinda bugs me a bit...
I had a feeling the fastest ones on Jailbreak wouldn't bother with the hydrogen catalyst.
Figured it would be my lack of space for outputting that would screw me over. Still scraped the top 8, though.
^^^ How I feel about every Pokemon game ever.
I hear that Ash is actually growing up.
If you count his eye color changing, then yes.
Pre-order on Pokemon X: Done.
Waiting game time.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a C+ God of War clone. Not a Castlevania game. But I'll finish it anyway, because I am a whore.
I prefer that Castlevania game to God of War.
Not that Lords of Shadow isn't heavily flawed, but I prefer its gameplay (HP comes from performing well in combat, essentially) and its protagonist is infinitely more likable than Kratos (if awkwardly executed).
That said, I never saw what others saw in God of War.
@Monsoon: Any guesses as to why it is, as you mentioned (offsite), currently a best-selling Castlevania game?
I think it had a good marketing push, came out on two consoles, looks pretty on the surface, and had that "Kojima's team" pedigree that attracted some new fans. Castlevania games have always been niche, but Lords of Shadow had a few things going for it from a business perspective.
And from a gameplay perspective I still think God of War is clearly better. The environments are more interesting, contain better puzzles, have more hidden items, and are better at seeming contiguous, with fewer hidden walls and corridors. Combat and basic movements (running, climbing, etc.) are much more graceful in God of War, with more abilities that are both smoother to execute and more distinct from one another. Kratos isn't the most well-rounded character, but his over-the-top nature is fun in its own way and God of War's hyper-violence is wonderful catharsis.
Now, to be fair, I'm only early in chapter 2 of Lords of Shadow, but so far I think that God of War I, II, and III are better. The core trilogy are the only God of War games I really like, though - the PSP games are a step down and I haven't played Ascension (which looks inferior to the main three).
From a mechanical point of view, I appreciated the additional depth the scarcity of HP recovery contributed to Lords of Shadow. Your blue magic resource was essentially representative of an additional HP pool -- but only as long as you performed well in combat. Flow or aesthetic of combat moves aside (which I never particularly enjoyed in God of War, mind), I feel as though Lords of Shadow simply has the better gameplay system, since the way it handles HP recovery heavily incentivises a deliberate, calculated approach to combat that God of War can only match with the use of difficulty levels.
Most of all, though, Kratos' tendency to be an entirely deplorable human being without any redemptive traits turned me heavily away from the game, since there was no indication of humour or irony. A great example is the end of God of War III, where we're presented with a shift in camera perspective -- directly into first-person. Usually, such a dramatic shift in perspective would tell us that we're experiencing a moment of particular relevance, but it was the usual meaningless ultraviolence. God of War III also had themes of hope horribly shoehorned in, no matter how common said themes are to actual Greek mythology.
Lords of Shadow was extremely awkward at points, but I came out of the other side of it with the feeling that it was the more sincere and deliberate game.
I also read a game design book by one of the lead designers on God of War, who claimed that mechanics aren't things you do, but things in the environment. That has no particular relevance here, but wat.
I guess I was more concerned with flow and aesthetic of combat than I was about resource management, and I think that God of War is far superior in that regard. Better combos, more variety, and everything moves smoothly. God of War is rarely challenging on normal difficulty, but I'm not much of a challenge hound that goes above Normal unless I really, really want to (which I did for God of War II).
And, well, I guess I feel that both the hope motif and Kratos's rage are justified in context. Greek myth is full of horrible gods acting on whims, and Kratos's behavior isn't far removed at all from that of Heracles or Jason from myth. Maybe I'm desensitized to ultraviolence, but again I feel that it fits the developers' vision and makes sense within the context of myth. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree with these two series (yes, series. We're getting three Lords of Shadow games over four years).
This might be more of a personal point, but click here.
That's a style of swordsmanship I study, which is considered to have begun in the 14th century. It's a great example of why ultraviolence is inefficient. A professional warrior from eras past didn't have the luxury of killing their adversaries slowly or with any degree of showmanship, because anything inefficient was liable to get one killed. This doesn't have absolute relevance to all video games, which are of course media products and meant to be entertaining, but videos like the above are fantastic illustrations of the focus and efficiency required of those who fought historically. While neither game has particularly efficient moves from a martial perspective, the gameplay system in Lords of Shadow incentivised survivability over raw damage -- much like most actual martial arts. Incentivising survivability has the side effect of ensuring that a player has to deal carefully with their resources, much like the stamina depletion in FromSoftware's Souls games, or power bars in fighting games.
I don't consider myself a gamer who enjoys difficulty for its own sake, but I certainly appreciate it when a game provides challenges that require a certain level of engagement to overcome, and on a consistent basis. A great example is Dark Souls, which isn't as hard as the hype suggests -- not by a long shot. But it's unforgiving, because it makes a significant effort to show you examples of what you're up against before you're thrown into the chaos of having to overcome a certain obstacle. In addition, attacks or environmental hazards that can one-shot you are few and far between (apart from large falls, but those should be obvious). Since the game considers itself to have given you warning of what you're about to step into (through a variety of means), it has no qualms about putting your back against the wall.
God of War's limitation has always been that it emphasised aesthetics over system content, being that it's a PvE game that can largely be solved by button mashing on its standard difficulties. Devil May Cry approached the same genre with much more self-awareness and consideration earlier, too, and games before it also resembled the kind of gameplay that people now associate with God of War -- including the horribly memorable N64 Castlevania(s?). In fact, God of War's general style of gameplay is best exemplified by the craze of beat-em-ups during the 16-bit era, even though those games worked in two dimensions.
With all that in mind, I don't really understand the appreciation for God of War, up to and including the idea that God of War created or exemplifies a genre. It's been done better before, during and since the time of the original God of War, just without the same level of fiscal success or marketing support. So while I don't strictly like that Lords of Shadow is supposed to be "Castlevania", I appreciate that it built sensibly on the audience that has been established by God of War and provided a more deliberate, balanced experience.
I can't access Youtube from work, but I'll assume it's video of a fencing competition or similar. Nowhere did I ever imply that God of War's ultraviolence was balanced, sensible, or anything other than a spectacle. I enjoy the spectacle and aesthetic of God of War's combat, but that's also why I enjoy Devil May Cry 3 and Godhand (especially DMC3) - those are both more difficult than any God of War game, but the combat is over-the-top and silly and I find it entertaining. I have played Demon's Souls and Dark Souls and I respect them very much (I've only tried Dark Souls, but have put some hard time into Demon's Souls); still, the reason those two games are good is NOT related to why Lords of Shadow is subpar. Lords of Shadow doesn't have the open environments or stylishness of the Souls games, and I think the combat isn't quite as strong, even if its pace and "precision" are in a similar vein. Castlevania might be more deliberate and balanced, but I have had *much* more fun playing three excellent and two okay God of War games than I have had playing Lords of Shadow for a few hours.
Look, you obviously take issue with God of War's popularity, as its characters, violence, and gameplay basics don't speak to your tastes and preferences. I agree that God of War has received a proverbial torch from beat 'em up games of the 16-bit era (I'd say the same for DMC and Godhand) and that it's easier and less strategic than Dark Souls, but I think that God of War's over-the-top silliness and violence is more appealing than Castlevania's drier whip-cracking, and the basic controls and environments of God of War are superior than anything I've seen in Castlevania thus far. By now I'm certain that neither of us is changing the other's opinion.
I forgot how fun boss fights in Recettear are with Charme. A few are very unfriendly to melee, but with good reflexes and liberal use of flame kick to escape, it's very satisfying.
Also, after a whole loop's worth of boss rushes with Caillou, it's quite refreshing and cathartic to kick Griff's ass in half the time with half the risk.
I haven't played Recettear in a while, after stopping my first game after failing at both the last week and Tielle (playing Charme) and restarting an attempt at one-looping.
I wonder if playing Ys Oath and Ys Origin has trained me to better deal with these bosses. Because, unlike all other bosses I've ever faced in videogames so far, Recettear's bosses cannot be practiced.
So, I received Bad Rats as a gift on Steam.
I received Bad Rats as a "gift" last winter sale, it is not something I would wish on my worst enemy.
The discussion forums for Bad Rats seem to think that being gifted Bad Rats is a rite of passage.
Now I'm wondering who had it as a rite of passage first, The Bad Rats discussion forum or Something Awful's video game forum. Does the discussion forum have a group of those that have an exclusive group of those who have completed all the levels.
Not sure; feel free to browse: http://steamcommunity.com/app/34900/discussions/
I can't say I've enjoyed or even understood God of War's status as a trendsetter. It's certainly not the end all be all of beat em up games. People tend to describe any and all 3D beat 'em ups nowadays as God of War clones, when games with both more inventive and intensive gameplay mechanics and overall better presentation existed in both Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden.
Plus, I have a bit of a grudge against the first game because a game breaking bug kept me from getting past the Challenge of Poseidon (that part where the cerberuses are introduced). the barrier wouldn't let me pass despite everything being dead and no stone being left unturned from what I could see. I sold the trilogy off on general principle after that.
But hey, subjectivity and all that.
BARF!
Speaking of Ys, just played through the first one. It has a lot of nice ingame storytelling touches that make the characters seem a bit more alive, but it also makes for some major player's guide bait that can have you wandering aimlessly for a very long time. Like the sequence of event flags to get into Darm Tower. Or having to backtrack several floors to Luta after getting his House's book because you need his amulet.
The bosses are kind of funny after having seen them all in Origin. Jenocres is basically "did you buy the second sword? No? LOL I KILL U". Nygtilger and Pictimos are hilarious wusses. Vagullion is still an incredibly tedious doucheface, and my Time Attack run had him taking up nearly half the total time. Khonsclard and the final boss though are...really really luck-based. I'm glad there weren't any more bosses to chew through before the final boss in particular, because this game's Time Attack only gives you one life. Thank goodness I killed him on my second try with some lucky hit streaks.
Also it's amusing how when they redid the bosses for Origin, all of them look completely recognizable except one, because they looked at the floating mass of rocks and said "hey let's make that guy a carnivorous desert rafflesia that breathes fire and shits locusts." I mean, I think the change was brilliant, but it's just funny.
It's amusing to realize how Nygtilger went from moldorm-on-a-wall to lightning-infused-centipede-with-exploding-poison-balls and Pictimos went from being a one-trick pony to a cheating cheater who cheats.
Scored two more flagship kills in FTL this morning. One with the Zoltan B (ion + attack drones), one with the Crystal A (no drones, no cloak, just boarding crew and laser spam).
Origin Pictimos isn't that bad once you know how to deal with his lances (bait him into one attack so he stands still for a moment, then run screaming like a sissy until he stops). Other than that it's just an endurance match with zero room for error.