What are you playing right now?

Roy:

>Zelda

I agree with your points, though I feel that I should play the game again. Didn't consider to use the pegasus boots to jump over ledges, that is pretty clever.

I have the same thoughts about the dungeons, especially after having played ALBW and the Oracles afterwards. That said, for what little it's worth, I think the overworld was nice.

I have no idea what to play next. I don't think I can discover more than what I already have with FFV, though of course, I would want to be surprised. Certain Cannon combinations don't provoke counter attacks (most definitely a glitch, since doing so prevents certain scripted stuff from happening, like the final boss not transitioning to his final phase, Neo Shinryu coming back to life after you kill him, despite not being Undead (and even so, Undead creatures stay dead for good after you kill them with raw damage, and not with instant death magic or the like) or plenty of monsters who are supposed to counter any form of HP damage... not being able to do so), and I have a theory about being able to manipulate Finisher (an RNG move that lets you do fixed 9999 elemental damage regardless of equipment, stats or levels) into succeeding whenever you want it to, but it's difficult to come up with a definitive conclusion, either because the theory is just that, a theory, or because it's difficult to get the timing down. All I can say is that sometimes I can get the desired result 5 times in a row (not a lot of things to test it on, since they either don't have the HP to survive that many 9999's, are immune to or absorb most elements, or simply can't be treated as test dummies owed to their dangerous nature, which isn't a bad thing in itself), but also fail when I was sure I was going to succeed. As it is to be expected, I can find nothing on the subject, most likely because of how obscure this tidbit is, since you'd rarely question whether RNG can be consistently manipulated without the use of tools, unless it was a common speedrunning trick or something.

Sometime ago I did a three heart run in Zelda Oracle of Seasons. A bit tough, but nothing crazy. Discovered that you don't need to wait for the dragon at the end of the game to lower his hand so you can jump on it to reach his head; you can jump from one hand to the other and kill him quickly.

Now I wonder if I should finally give OoT's 3D's Master Quest a chance, attempt a three heart run in Ages on a Linked Game (last attempt in Seasons was a normal run, but I also remembered that a Linked Game gives you an extra heart at the start), replay ALttP or Super Metroid, play TWEWY, or Bravely Default (heard this is the closest thing to an FFV Square has made). Not sure if Okamiden would be a good pick, or if I should play it before playing Okami. There's also Donkey Kong Country 2, SNES Yoshi's Island, Mischief Makers, and Guardian Heroes to think about. Want to play almost all of those equally. But not sure where to start.

> no clue what to play next
There's a billion games I could recommend, but I think you more mean "no idea due to having so much ideas" haha. If not, perhaps give Golden Sun a go? Always gets my highest recommendation.

> OoT's Master Quest
Personally, I'd recommend playing the Gamecube version of Master Quest. It has the revised dungeons without the bad "we mirrored the game to confuse you".

> DKC2
Everyone loves this one, but personally DKC3 just trumps it. Could be nostalgia talking though.

> No clue what to play next
I've been like that for a while, mostly been playing a few different arcade fighters to pass the time. I do feel like getting into a proper single player title though. There's a lot of Metroid talk and I feel like it's probably time I should give the series a go. I've been looking at Gamecube titles recently so I might start with Prime.

I cannot give Prime a higher recommendation than humanly possible, absolutely fantastic game. Though it's very different, it was one of the prime (HA!) inspirations for Doom 2016, so you'd probably also like that to see where some of Doom's ideas came from.

Prime has a lot of 'versions'. Note that the differences are very, very minor unless you're a speedrunner (some versions fix certain glitches). The biggest difference to note is that the Wii Version has the 'new aiming', personally I prefer the original release.

Let us know if you end up playing it!

Loads of 2D. Playing around the Capcom Arcade Stadium.
And Metal Slug 3 on PS2. On release I just marveled at the aesthetics and continued trough it. Now I play it to float it. Not sure if a 1cc could be at the end of the line. Just learned/erred enough to beat the first 2 (of 5) missions and there's a lot to it. But dang, is it fuh-fun.

I know Bangai-O Spirits, reading your lines I feel I need to get back into it. Slowdown being a part of it, it's a bit of a shame the whole point.
That joke about beating the tutorial and then selling it is grand, I agree.

Playing Doom 64. The only other old school FPS I've played was Blood (only the first two chapters), so this is my first experience with Doom.
Overall quite like the game. The aesthetic is really pleasing and it has a good atmosphere. The colored lighting also looks fantastic.
I like both the level and monster design, even though there are often 5 minutes or so of "where the fuck do I go?" in a lot of levels, but it's part of the experience.
The weapons are good but I don't understand a couple of them. The normal shotty becomes basically useless after you find the super (unless you want to conserve ammo, but shells are some of the most common ammo types you can find), and I can say the same about the Plasma rifle after finding the Unmaker, unless I'm missing something.

DOOM always had some weapon issues, DOOM64 is the only one I haven't dived in too deep with though. But generally speaking the regular shotgun has more accuracy while the Plasma Rifle has high DPS (which the BFG is a pretty rare weapon in those games). You kind of have to take into consideration that the weapons are made to have you lose them all each mission technically speaking (pistol-start that's called).

Enjoy though, DOOM is a fantastic franchise. I highly recommend playing the original trilogy as well.

Interesting. Maybe I just need to test the weapons more.

>I highly recommend playing the original trilogy as well
Will surely do at some point. I only started with D64 because I liked the aesthetic more.

>I only started with D64 because I liked the aesthetic more.

64 is better than doom 1, from what I played of 64.
2 is next level though, really top tier.

Doom 1 and 2 are great games, I recommend pistol start on Ultra-Violence. Plutonia Experiment is even better IMO, if you like classic Doom give that a play with the rules above. Only played a bit of 64 myself, seems fun though.

>regular shotgun
Two things to keep in mind:

1. The super shotgun was only introduced in Doom 2, so in Doom 1 it was balanced as the only shotgun-type weapon.
2. Doom is best played with pistol starts IMO, and in that setting you might get the super shotgun later or not at all.

Even if you have the super shotgun already, there are a couple use cases for the regular shotgun. It's much more accurate at a distance, so if you need to snipe then it's more ammo-efficient. If you need to kill a single imp, the regular shotgun will save 1 extra shell over the SSG.

>pistol start on Ultra-Violence
I will reserve this for a second playthrough, once I am more comfortable with the maps layout, but it seems like a fun challenge.

>shotgun
So, normal shotgun for far away or weak isolated enemies (like Imps and shotgunners), and SSG for everthing else. Got it.
Still have to find a use for the Plasma Gun vs the Unmaker, but I tested it a bit and I think that the PG kills a bit quicker but you need twice the amount of ammo compared to the Unmaker (this is also without the Demon Keys).

>no idea due to having so much ideas
Yeah, this is a better way at conveying what I tried to say.

>Golden Sun
Which one?

>go with the GC version of OoT
I would if I could, but I don't own a Gamecube.

>DKC3 above DKC2
Interesting, you're probably the first person - that I've seen - who said this. But then again, I never imagined people like SBK being interested in what is basically seen as two of the worst Final Fantasy games out there by most people (XIII and LR).

> golden sun
The first one, followed by the second. They were originally one game but due to development time issues and data-storage limitations of the system, were split. The prequel on the DS titled "Dark Dawn" is fun, but unneccesary. Do note, while it's a good game, it is far from groundbreaking.

For me it just holds a lot of personal value, it is without a doubt the game that changed my life. Without it I wouldn't have become an artist, a writer, there'd be no Stinger-Magazine in my life, no Warhammer, I'd probably have become an economist like my father.

> DKC3
XIII and LR are mostly hated for being not-finalfantasy, but mechanically I hear nothing but great things about them.
DKC3 is the 'crazy sequel' for me. DKC1 laid out the foundation, DKC2 perfected it and DKC3 was made by crazy people snorting cocaine by the mountains. There's a ton of absolutely garbage levels in there, but the best levels are really outstanding and there's a level of creative freedom you don't see often. I recommend it, especially guideless since there's a lot of secrets to find.

The main reason I see that gets bringed up on why DKC3 is the worst in the trilogy is because people don't like Diddy Kong's design. I rarely see people talk about level design. It's always about the atmosphere, the music and the character design.

Hello there!
I've just ordered a Xbox Series S thanks to a good discount. I usually play on PC, but I have a PS3 and PS4 Pro too. I never was a Microsoft guy, so I only know the "main" games but I could miss other hidden gems.
Not too long ago, I bought Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden 2, Metal Gear Solid 2-3, Guardian Heroes, Hard Corps Uprising and Recore.
I'll probably buy Vanquish (60 fps versions are a bit broken), NG3 RE (it should have original ninja trials and customization for your character), Halo: The Master Chief Collection and every Dead or Alive game which is going to be backwards compatible.
Are there other games which I should buy?

@RedShot

Conker Live and Reloaded - campaign gameplay isn't great but it's really funny and worth playing just for that. It also has a multiplayer part I know people still play via Xlink Kai.

Splinter Cell Double Agent (both OG Xbox and 360 versions) - The 360 version had an awful PC port, and the OG Xbox version is a different game that was never released on PC.

Unreal Championship 2 - It's hurt by the lack of Xbox Live, but I would still recommend checking it out.

Crimson Skies and Panzer Dragoon Orta - Tried them for a bit and liked them.

Sonic Unleashed - Night stages are bad IMO, but the day stages are a blast. YMMW with this one.

If you like Halo then get Halo 5 on a sale, the multiplayer is really fun and it still feels like an Halo game. Didn't play the campaign yet though.

Other exclusives (or at least console only games) I don't have any experience with: Fable Series, Rare Replay, SSX 3, Star Wars Force Unleashed (not exclusive but I'm not sure how good the PC version is). Crackdown 1+2 and Too Human are always free on the store along with their DLCs.

The Splinter Cell games are definitely worth it, also be sure to get both versions of Double Agent as they are both fantastic. One is more traditional while the other is more experimental. I think Breakdown is also on the system, but I can't be sure.

Fable is worth a look too. Force Unleashed has its best version on the Xbox due to backwards compatability (the pc-version is garbage sadly).

I actually got Breakdown for free from games with gold, how is it really? And how good are the Fable games?

Thanks for the answers! I'll check those games.
By the way, has anyone tried Jade Empire?

I have played some of it 11 years ago on PC lol, don't remember much TBH, but I've always been interested in it due to the setting.

It's an action RPG (Bioware's first I think), not sure if the combat has any real depth to it, if and when I'll play it I will share my impressions. I do remember that the game has several martial arts or fighting styles you can switch mid battle but not much beyond that.

It's also on PC, but the Xbox version has free camera control, while on PC the camera always remains behind your back if that matters to you. Also runs at 60 fps on XSS/XSX (possibly with drops). FPS can be unlocked from 30 to 60 on the PC version as well.

> Fable
The first two are pretty good, cannot vouch for the ones afterwards.

> Jade Empire
Haven't played it, but it was made by Bioware in their prime so it's probably pretty good. KOTOR1 and KOTOR2 are also fantastic, though the latter is a tad buggy and very unfinished.

> Playing now
I started Metroid Prime (GC version). For the first hour or so I wasn't really enjoying it, but now I've gotten most of my equipment back I'm getting into it. Still got some reservations about the controls, but I want to play more before giving a proper opinion. I think the fact I still want to carry on with it is probably a good sign.

I also started Forza Horizon 5 through Game Pass for PC. I used to be a pretty big fan of the series, loved FH2 and 3 especially and put loads of hours in to them. If you like the physics/mechanics of driving the cars then they're great games to play when you feel like something that doesn't demand too much of you. When FH4 came out, I struggled to enjoy it. The structure of the game was pretty similar to previous ones, which was both good and bad - good in a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" way, but bad in the sense that the formula was getting a bit tired and stale for those who'd put so many hours in to the previous ones. I really disliked the addition of having a customisable player character, and there were all kinds of stupid outfits and emotes you could unlock (or pay for with real money, I think). It felt a bit like Fortnite, in that regard. I only played maybe 5-10 hours before dropping it, and I was nowhere near completing it.

Remembering my FH4 experience, I was a bit hesitant to start 5, but I thought I'd be daft not to seeing as I have a Game Pass subscription at the moment. The game feels a lot like FH4. There's less of an emphasis on your player character's "social media presence" (thank god), but still, the cast of supporting characters are annoying and talk way too much. The player character also talks way too much, and you're forced to have a British accent as there is only one voice option per sex. It sounds silly to criticise the writing in a racing game, but I do find myself rolling my eyes whenever anybody talks. In all, it's probably not a bad game, but it's basically the same game I've already spent hundreds of hours playing. I'm not sure how much more time I'll put into it.

> Xbox titles
I really enjoyed the Crackdown titles on 360 when they came out. I haven't played 3 but I heard it was rough. If you like fighting games then Tekken Tag 2 is worth a go for cheap, I'm pretty sure that is backwards compatible on the XB1/XS systems. I never had an OG Xbox so outside of NGB, there's nothing from that library I could recommend, but I'm sure the other guys on here will have great suggestions. There are a handful of good back-compat titles worth getting an Xbox for, but I see almost no reason to buy Microsoft's latest systems with their commitment to PC gaming.

It's hard for me to relate at this point, but Metroid Prime was known for having a bit 'out there' controls, just note that you will get used to it and also probably cannot imagine it any other way. It's a great system, but takes some getting used to. What's the last upgrade you got?

> Xbox
There's rumors Dead or Alive is coming to BC soon, as they were re-listed on the XBLA-store. Those are definitely worth it, especially DOA2U.

> Xbox
I've bought a Series S mainly for backwards compatibility. I won't upgrade my PC any time soon so if I can play some multiplaftorm titles in a decent manner it's good enough, even if Series X or a powerful PC can offer a better experience.

> Jade Empire
The setting is interesting, but I'll search for some info about the combat system. RPGs can be tiring if they only revolve around story and grinding. A worthless combat system is not what I look for in a game.

> SWFU1
Bought it for a very low price on the Microsoft Store. DLCs aren't discounted, sadly. It's a shame you can't use two DLCs armors in the main campaign (Dark Stalker and Desert Gear) in the 360 version, though.

> DOA titles
They seem easier to get into than the average fighting game, so they are more appealing for people like me who aren't anywhere near Daigo Umehara haha. DOA must be very competitive at high levels,  I'm not underestimating this series, don't worry. A 3D fighting game series with realistic martial arts made by Tomonobu Itagaki... well, I'm very interested to play it.

> upcoming backwards compatible games
My dream is Ninja Gaiden (2004) with Hurricane Packs 1&2, but I don't know if Microsoft is aware of this game. Perhaps they think Ninja Gaiden Black is the definitive version and that's it. We could try to insist in different forums and socials, with the help of other NG communities (NG Archives and the subreddit if they got tired of memes).

Genma Onimusha and the two Otogi games are all I know I want to play, but there could be something else which is less known to me.

Gunvalkyrie is also rumored to become backward compatible, and out of all the leaked games it's the one I'm the most excited about. I've played the first 4 chapters on my OG Xbox, the controls are tough to learn and master, but when you are staring to get a grip on them, it's a blast.

I wish Genma Onimusha and the Otogi games would become backward compatible as well, along with JSRF and Buffy (both can be emulated really well with a fast PC at least).

> Dead or Alive
On a competative level, it falls short for a lot of players since it isn't the typical "footies until combo, you go then I go" flow. Combo's barely last more than 2 hits unless you get launched, which is your own damned fault generally speaking. It's way more about reads, quick strikes, enviromentals and just good stuff. Personally, that has my preference, especially these days.

It's also notoriously easy to pick up. You can have a blast with friends in like 5 minutes of explaining how it works.

> NGsubreddit memes
I've blocked so many people on that page I swear I haven't seen a meme in like half a year at this point haha

> NG2004
They ported over NGII despite a lot of people at the time saying "why not just release Sigma 2", so I think they are aware of players liking certain games / iterations more.

> Genma / Otogi
That'd be divine if those are added.

> Metroid Prime
Pretty brave decision to have one stick control movement and turning. It can be a bit irritating to work with in some fights where you need to turn round quickly, but generally it makes sense. They wanted shoot on the A button, which is definitely the most comfortable place for it, so they couldn't have you use the C-Stick to turn as you wouldn't be able to turn and shoot at the same time. The lock-on mostly makes up for it, although I'd like it if it were able to snap on to targets closer to the edges of the screen. It seems to need your target to be fairly central to trigger the lock-on.

When I read your comment last night, I'd just got the Varia(?) suit back against the plant boss. I played a couple more hours this morning and I've just got the Wave Beam and the Super Missile. I'm not sure if I've missed the Grappling Hook somewhere. There have been loads of grapple points in the levels, but the game has also given me alternative ways past those sections. I'm thinking some of the grapple sections must lead to optional upgrades.

I'm definitely enjoying the game now. I always feel a bit uneasy about playing legendary titles incase I come away with an unpopular opinion, but I can see why the game was such a big deal, especially for it's time. I get a few RE4 vibes in terms of pacing and how everything just seems to piece together. I like how it doesn't really hold your hand but gives you just enough hints to know where you should be going next.

I'm assuming this game classes as a Metroidvania, so this is my first, and I'm not totally sure what I think of it as a structure. It feels both clever and a little repetitive at the same time. I don't have any major criticisms with Prime so far though, so I'm not too worried.

> Xbox
@RedShot That's fair, the back-compat library is pretty good. Does the Series S upscale the games like the XB1X did? I only have the original XB1 and you're stuck with 360 games in the original resolutions. Not a deal breaker, but a nice bonus to have.

> Dead or Alive
I've never got deeply into the series, but they're fun for sure. It's fast, responsive, got cool specatcle elements (stage hazards/transitions), rewarding counter system, good visuals and character designs - everything you could ask for, really. I think it started to lose some of it's appeal after DoA4, though. Koei Tecmo's approach to DLC and general greediness is offputting.

> Resolution
Xbox Series S hits 1440p with backwards compatible titles (OG Xbox and Xbox 360 games). I think it doesn't have any enhancements for Xbox One games, they are exclusive to One/Series X.

> DOA
Yeah, infinite DLCs and hyper-sexualization are what the series is known for since DOA5 days. I read some Itagaki's interviews and it seems he found the right balance at the time. The sexual part was there, but in a more natural way and the era of aggressive microtransactions was still far away. I know there are players who enjoy DOA6 for its gameplay, but its perception is distorted by the elements I mentioned.

> Metroid Prime
Don't worry about expectations, just focus on playing a fun game I'd say. Twin-stick shooting wasn't super par-of-the-course at the time, but I think they made the right call regardless. Once you settle down on it it's fantastic to play and you'll use the shoulder buttons constantly to adjust your movement. It's a bit more 'lineair' for a Metroidvania game, as you can't really sequencebreak unless you use glitches, while most others in the genre tend to have some branching paths at some point. That said it was the first (good) 3d entry in the series/genre.

Note that you're pretty early on still, I'd say barely 25% in.

What did you think of the space-pirate base?

> Dead or Alive
It went down-hill already a bit with DoA3, which nerfed hold-damage. The beauty of DoA combat was how fast matches were and how quick the game would load new ones, it was the definitive "one more game" game. DoA3 had long loading times and gave players a lot more health. DoA4 doubled down on this further. With DoA5 they originally lowered the sexualization to increase sales, when that didn't work...they buried the game in oversexualized DLC. I think there's like 2000 euro's worth of DLC, it's crazy. DoA6 never recovered either.

As RedShot noted, Itagaki and co. found the sweet spot imo. Especially DoA2 and DoAX1. Both were just 'tasteful', in the way old Bond movies were tasteful if you get me. It was more about beauty and confidence than a dumb-blond with a big rack to jack off to like later entries. That said, Itagaki and co. also lost that sweet spot themselves imo.

Raeng:

>first and second Golden Sun games

Noted.

>personal value

Wow, Now I'm pretty curious to try it myself.

>only hear good things from XIII and LR

As did I, but recently I've spoken with Hotel and he doesn't quite like it. A bit surprised, but the expression 'different strokes for different folks' could apply here.

>DKC3's best levels are outstanding

So can I assume that 2's quality is more consistent?

>play it guideless

Naturally.

RedShot:

>Guardian Heroes

Please let me know what you think of it whenever you give it a go.

>Guardian Heroes
Damn I should play this.

Played a bunch more of Metroid Prime since my last post on it, I've just collected what I think is the last artifact I need in the Phozon Mines. Still enjoying it, but some mixed opinions.

I really like the music/sound design on the whole. It's very appropriate - it captures the mysterious feeling of the different environments, it's tense (or calm) at the right times and has a few catchy tunes that I find myself humming. The game can have a really moody atmosphere at times, and it surprises me that a Nintendo title gives off this vibe (admittedly I'm lacking experience with most Nintendo franchises). The game over screen is surprisingly intense! I'm also enjoying how many little hidden secrets there are for the optional upgrades. It's rewarding to figure things out, and the game trusts you to find things without giving too many hints.

I usually prefer more combat-focused games, so I'm surprised to say I've quite enjoyed exploring the levels in MP. I'm always curious to find out what's through the next doorway, and if I find a door I can't open I really want to find the item I need. I hate turning the game off knowing there's an obstacle I can't get past! I think they've made a good range of environments and don't rely on any one gimmick for too long. There's a generally good balance of first-person platforming, side scrolling morph ball sections, puzzle solving etc.

On to the stuff I dislike, or have mixed feelings about. I've adjusted to the controls, but I honestly can't say I like them - particularly during combat. Some fights are just annoying when trying to track multiple fast moving targets, like the jetpack enemies.

My biggest issue though, is the backtracking. I mentioned in my previous comment that the flow of the game reminded me of RE4... well, that's certainly not the case anymore. I am starting to find it quite tiring revisiting the same areas. I feel like I've gone through the long underwater section in Tallon Overworld far too many times. While I do appreciate the clever design of opening the environments up more as you revisit them with new abilities, it can take too long to get from one place to another when following the hints on the map. What makes the whole thing worse is how enemies seem to respawn any time you re-enter a room. PLEASE stop trying to make me fight these colour coded enemies in the mines every time I go there. With this game being a sort of Metroidvania-lite, I'd be curious to know how the traditional 2D Metroid games compare in this area.

Despite my complaints, I still look forward to playing every time I boot the game - I'm not forcing myself to finish it or anything like that. There's a lot of stuff that Retro Studios have gotten right here and I can see why the game was such a big deal. I can't think of another game that was like it back when it came out. I do genuinely like this game, even if there have been a few parts that I really disliked (it might just be me playing like shit, but the Invisible Drone boss was one of the least enjoyable fights I've played in some time).

Also, sorry Roy, just spotted you asked me about the Space Pirate Base before. Was that the opening section of the game prior to reaching the hub world?

> the bait of new upgrades
What's most interesting about this, and always has been to me, is that most optional upgrades aren't that useful. Instead it's the actual exploring that's satisfying, with the minor reward at the end just being the cherry on top. I think it was Miyamoto himself that once said (paraphrasing here) that it wasn't about the coin being a good collectable, but that collecting it had to be fun i.e. the exploration to find it, the jump to get it, the sound when you got it etc.

Prime definitely really does this extraordinarily well.

> atmosphere
It's a pretty risky title in a lot of respects. Phazon Mines is downright terrifying, even now, with its atmospheric music, the geiger-counter SFX playing when you get close to Phazon itself and the moody palate. Samus' deathscreetch is definitely pretty hardcore too.

> backtracking
It's hard to note, but this really is a thing you'll outgrow in some cases. Metroid games tend to be played over and over again. So for example the underwater part in Talon, I only go there once these days (just to get to the mines). I vividly remember getting the ice-beam on my first run, going all the way down there only to get a pop-up message "need gravity suit to continue" and I nearly ejected the disc at the idea of having to climb all the way back up again (not realizing I could just reload a previous save haha). It's definitely hard on a newer player, especially with the Artifact Hunt. You can get nearly all of the artifacts immediately if you know what you're doing, which again rewards players upon replays which is neat.

> color coded
Depending on your version, you can Power Bomb them for an OHKO. Also note that generally speaking you can just run past all the enemies, there's only a few rooms where they lock you in.

> 2d games
Everything respawns the second you re-enter a room. That said like in MP, enemies are more there to give you a sense of power scaling. A regular pirate is a big threat in Prime when you enter the phendranadrifts lab the first time. Later-on you don't even acknowledge their existance, which is a neat way to give and visualize empowerment. Super Metroid and the rest have it the same way.

> nothing like it
Back then, but also now honestly. There still haven't been 3d Metroid-esque titles done with this level of polish and atmosphere. Even Metroid Dread, despite having the suffix, lacks that feeling of dread and lonelyness that Prime (and Fusion, which released the same day) had. When I play Prime 1, I always have the distinct feeling I couldn't play any game quite like it.

> Pirate question
The snow-world part!

The follow-up question being: will you try Prime 2 and 3? Prime 2 really might not be your cup of tea, since it really doubles down on the exploration and difficulty, though it still has the best bosses imaginable in the first-person genre. Prime 3 is exceedingly action focused, though exploration is still there and has some gorgeous enviroments.

(Re)played all the 2D Metroids from Super and on over the past couple months. I've kinda gained a new respect/appreciation for the series now, here are some mini-reviews.

Super: Lightning in a bottle, godlike game. Movement is super nuanced and momentum based, map feels highly open and natural, shinespark and wall jump are brilliant. I would spend minutes just sitting in rooms and seeing what cool ways I could get around. Tons of crazy secret mechanics (crystal flash, charge beam combos, ...) and interesting tricks/glitches that interact organically with the physics of the game (speed booster short charge, mockball, ...). Rooms are open-ended traversal puzzles with a ton of creative ways to tackle them. Bosses are okay, easy but that's fine. Absolutely mindblowing overall, I have no idea how this came from Nintendo.

Fusion: What happened? I respect the focus on atmosphere and horror to some degree, but man, this is such a fall. No run button, movement is extremely canned and lacks momentum, bomb jumps and wall jumps have been gimped. The game is very linear and the map design unfortunately follows that structure. The room design is kinda okay, it could have been worse I guess. The bosses are cool, I think? Metroid's raw gameplay feel saves the game, it's still fun to shoot missiles and jump around on a basic level. By far the best addition is being able to reset speed booster by shinesparking into slopes, but to a certain degree it's wasted on this game. Probably won't replay this.

Zero Mission: Basically a Fusion salvage job. Wall jumping off the same wall and infinite bomb jumping are back. Shinesparking slopes is still in, and now you can shinespark as a ball. The map is less linear than Fusion, though a lot less open than it appears. You can do a couple sequence breaks which is nice, but they are overall more contrived than SM, the Long Beam skip is an extreme example. The room design is actually worse than Fusion, lots of rooms are just horizontal/vertical shafts with random platforms. Still more fun to traverse though because of wall jumping and such. Unknown items are stupid and everything after Mother Brain is lame. Better than Fusion, but still a ways off from SM.

AM2R: Funnily enough a Zero Mission salvage job, not even made by Nintendo. Adds much-needed nuance to ZM's movement by making morph ball faster than running, so you have an incentive to switch back and forth while navigating the terrain. Rooms are designed to take full advantage of shinesparking slopes, it's a joy to use. I was sitting in rooms trying fun movement just like Super. Bosses are the best in the series, takes the fast and chaotic pace of the older bosses and adds more structure. Map design is still too linear, but NG+ gives you some more freedom by relaxing the Metroid kill restrictions. Great game overall, a bit too ZM at its core but a damn fine effort.

Samus Returns: Really bad game. I was playing this while talking with someone, and the game still made me feel sleepy. I think that says enough right there. Parry combat is soul-sucking, rooms are boring and forgettable, map is boring and forgettable, Spider Ball is annoying, Scan Pulse at the beginning of the game is a mind-boggling decision, Metroid bosses range from okay to lame, other bosses are meh, final boss is so tone-deaf it's simultaneously funny and insulting. I guess the meter powers are kinda cool? The game does let you infinite bomb jump a bit. Please don't play this, it's so fucking bad.

Dread: Bizarrely polarized. Movement feels great, snappy, smooth, polished. Sliding is good, slide jumps are fun. Analog aiming is weird since you can't use the d-pad for movement anymore but I think it's worth it. Keeping speed booster through jumps/wall jumps was a brilliant change similar to shinesparking slopes. Parries are still stupid but the moving melee that also does direct damage saves it. Map design is atrocious, strangely I wouldn't quite call it uninspired a la SR, but rather extremely forgettable. There is a lack of distinct landmarks, obstacles seem to be placed almost at random, paths close behind you, overall structure is ZM-style "pretends to be not linear but actually kinda is." Most bosses are extremely pattern-based which is lame but at least they're polished and fair. Storm Missile bug and double robots are pleasantly chaotic exceptions. Also you can bring shinesparks into many bosses for huge damage, which is really fun and feels "Metroid-y." Game's core actually has potential, using a glitch you can skip Space Jump which leads to some really fun traversal and boss challenges. Still not sure how to feel about this, very weird game.

> Bait of upgrades
Fully agree. I don't need any more missile expansions now, but I still want to find as many as I can because it's such a fun part of the game.

> Atmosphere
There are some legitimately scary/intense bits. The reduced visibility with the X-Ray Scanner makes me feel a bit uneasy as you can't see anything at a distance. The first time the room went dark before fighting the Chozo Ghosts was another good bit. Even the bit just before you enter the mines where you get some red text across your visor reporting "dangerous radiation levels ahead" (paraphrasing). It's all really well done. The game over screen with the cracked visor and the flatlining tone made me feel bad for getting Samus killed. Especially "LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: OFFLINE". Feel like I owe the woman an apology, haha. In all seriousness though, those little touches make the whole thing feel a bit more personal, which is great.

> Colour coding
I didn't know about the Power Bomb trick - I believe I'm playing the final revision of the Gamecube version. Also, I have definitely been running past lots of enemies, haha. Some of them are surprisingly aggressive and really don't want to let you past. I suppose if the enemies didn't respawn there would really be no need to collect all of the energy tanks, outside of bosses.

> Backtracking
I can see how the problem is much reduced on subsequent playthroughs. I might have been missing a lot on my first journey round each environment, but following the hints was taking me back and forth between levels that didn't seem to have a direct elevator between them. I'm hoping activating all the artefacts might open up a new level.

> Snow World
Ah, of course! My bad. Yes, the Phendrana Drifts(?) might be my favourite level actually. It's got that air of mystery to it, but I also really enjoyed how much calmer the atmosphere is in contrast to Magmoor. The piece that plays in the opening area is so soothing. Not to say that there aren't challenging enemies there, as you soon find out.

> Prime 2/3
Unless my experience with what's left of MP somehow falls off a cliff, yes, I do intend to play through 2 and 3. I was thinking I might try the PrimeHack version you can play on PC that allows mouse and keyboard support, adjustable FoV and keybindings etc. I respect that people like yourself will probably prefer to stick to the original experience, but this version definitely sounds my like cup of tea (especially with Prime 3 normally being Wiimote only, AFAIK). With the series being "adventure first, FPS second" I don't feel like moving away from the original controls should dilute the experience, but we'll see in time. I may take a break from Metroid before starting Prime 2 and play something else.

> atmosphere
Yeah the game really pulled out all the stops to, and I hate saying this: "really make you feel like Samus". All the little visor details, seeing her eyes in reflections, the HUD and how it has some stuff that's pointless for us but very important for her like the danger-meter. The little splashes on her visor, even though they are just a .PNG that's lazily plastered on haha. Also other little details, like using the X-ray visor to see her hand inside the arm-canon and how she switches firing-modes.

> Powerbombs colors
As noted, not sure which versions allow it. I think they removed it in later releases like the Wii one, since it wasn't intentional.

> backtracking
You never have to go through the sunken ship more than once for example, and there's a lot of more efficient routes you can take through Magmoor, while also getting a lot of the artifacts and upgrades there earlier than intended if you have some future-sight.

> Prime 2 and 3
I think for Prime 2, it might still be better to play with traditional controls. Prime 2 has, as noted, some amazing bosses and enemies, but free-aim kind of ruins them. There's a few bosses where mouse-precision aiming would honestly ruin the fight I feel. Prime 3 though, go nuts. It is designed from the ground up to be wii-mote aimed, so M&K fits quite nicely.

For Prime 2 I would also recommend heavily to play the original Cube release, not the Wii-emulation/version. The Wii version heavily nerfs the two hardest fights in the game, while also giving you a new upgrade that completely trivializes some bosses/encounters, which is big shame. It's a shell of its former self in that regard imo. You won't notice it per-se, but you might miss out on the 'true' experience.

Note that Prime 2 on HARD is one of the harder games Nintendo pumped out that generation. That game takes no prisoners let me tell you.

Just finished the game, clocking at around 14 hours according to the in-game timer. It felt closer to double that! I have to say, the final stretch was sadly quite disappointing for me. I was hoping for more of a proper level before the final bosses, rather than a few connecting corridors. I can't say I enjoyed anything after activating all the artifacts. None of the bosses were interesting (I was particularly looking forward to a Ridley fight being my rite of passage for the series), and the first phase of the Prime fight was a slog, if I'm honest. The Metroids that could split and randomise resistances were kind of annoying, too. I'm glad I had some Power Bombs spare for them.

The game also just kinda...ends? Prime blows up, it flashes up on the screen to evacuate the crater immediately (and you don't even get to play? you just teleport back to the overworld), explosions happen and then you jump in your ship, roll credits. I know most of the game's storytelling is in the "background", so to speak, but it was pretty abrupt. I was really surprised by how big the game world felt for the majority of the experience, only for the final act to take place across a few different rooms. Almost felt like I'd started playing a completely different game.

You made a comment a little while back Roy, that you could see some of this game's DNA in the modern Doom games. I was surprised that you compared them, to begin with, but you were right. The way the story kind of rides along beside you, the emphasis on music and atmosphere (although having different tones), and perhaps most weirdly, weapon combos!

Still, pretty enjoyable game overall. I feel that once you reach somewhere around the midpoint of the Phozon Mines, the game starts to go a little downhill from there. Up to that point, it was pretty damn good, even with the complaints I've mentioned before.

(I still want to play the others - don't worry!)

Hey man don't worry about it or defending your insights into Prime. If anything, it's refreshing. The game has been a nearly constant part of my life for more than half(!) my life, so a lot of things that for me are just "jup, that's Prime" are a bit more new and with insights from you.

> ending
Note that the game's endings are tied to item%. 75 or less and you get the 'bad' ending which is really just, done. 76-99 gives you the normal ending, which has a very minor scene, but imo one of the best depictions of Samus (just very subtle). 100% gives you a teaser for Prime 2, which I do recommend you see as you might be a tad lost as to what's going on in Prime 2 without it.

> Impact Crater
When you said you hoped for a level, man I was already disappointed for you haha. Even as a kid I found that area to be quite disappointing. I do feel it's insanely creepy though, the music once again, the almost rustic spider-tracks, the teeth - very weird. As a final boss I do really like Prime as how he forces you to use everything that's on offer and also rewards exploration. It's one of the few fights where, especially on Hard, beam-combos and max-missile count make all the difference. Doing him without the Ice Spreader for example is pretty tedious.

The last area was definitely a bit rushed, and this is also evident in the game's lore. Every version has re-writes concerning the Metroid Prime, as they made some weird canonical errors regarding how it got its weapons and armour. The original lore being that a lone Metroid from the Chozo came into contact with the impactcrater and mutated beyond expectation. Later-on when the Pirates arrived they tried to contain it, but instead it absorbed all their weapons and armour, sort of borg-like adaptation. That's cool and all, but the entire plotpoint was that the Pirates COULDN"T ENTER the crater in the first place due to the artifacts...so it was impossible for the Metroid to get those gear. They constantly rewrote this haha.

> music
Fun tibbit, it's the first OST I ever bought. I really loved the Magmoor, menu and final boss tracks, and wanted to listen to them. But this was in a day without MP3s everywhere. I imported it from a Japanese website for 99 euro's, which let me tell you is a lot of money for a 13 year old. It came with the Fusion OST for free, which honestly was amazing as well. I still have them.

> lore
In general, what did you think about the 'archeology' style of storytelling i.e. reading logs, hyroglyphs etc.?

> final boss Metroids
Note that they are killed in a single shot by the Hyper Beam.

> Post mines
The mines are the lowpoint for me. It's too purple, has the most annoying and senseless backtrack in the game (Xray). It's especially annoying since you don't even need the Xray there where you think you do (you can just fire at the platforms to know where they are), but you need it to fire at the Omega's heart. It also has a pretty confusing layout at times.

That said, both now and as a kid, the Omega Pirate is one tough cookie and one insanely scary and ominous bossfight. From his introduction to the music to just the entire fight itself, really left an impression on me.

> Ridley
Interested to hear more about your fight with him. Personally he's one of my favourites in the series for just how 'epic' he is. He also has quite a lot of hidden little weaknesses. What about it set you off?

> Doom
For me it's especially the jump. For some reason when I jump in Doom Eternal and 2016, it feels *exactly* like jumping in Prime for me.

> Prime 2
Note, I absolutely hated the game originally. It's very different yet similar, insanely more dark and depressing and the Dark World is especially opressive and not fun the first time through for most players. It ages like fine wine though, especially the bosses which are still top dog. Curious to hear your thoughts on it.

It is also the first 3d title with 'anime Samus' IIRC. Prime 1 had the best Samus depiction ever imo, being both realistic, stoic and warrior-like while also having some warmth. Prime 2 has an anime-fuckdoll while Prime 3 honestly just looks like an ugly 3d render. Prime Hunters has a decent design though.

> Ending
Oh wow, I didn't know that. I got the bad ending then, haha. 70% completion for me. I thought I'd found a lot of secrets, but turns out I missed a lot too!

> Impact Crater (and Prime fight)
It's a cool environment - just a shame you spend almost no time there at all. I was surprised that the redesigned morph ball tracks were in what is basically the last room of the game. I thought they were taking me to a big new world.

Funny you should say that the fight is dull without the Ice Spreader, because I didn't find that upgrade! Just my luck. I wouldn't have minded the colour coded element of the boss fight if it wasn't so easy to miss the weak point. You have to time your shots according to the animations of the boss, and it was just taking a little too long for my liking. Its humorous that they had forgotten the Pirates couldn't enter the Crater when giving Prime it's back story, haha.

> Lore
I thought the environmental storytelling was pretty cool, although admittedly I'm not really one for reading through logs and stuff like that. I did read through a lot of stuff at first, but got a bit bored and stopped bothering around the mid-way point. I appreciate the direction and effort they put into it, though.

> Mines
Agreed, although with my lack of experience I probably went back and forth through it way more than I needed to. I got past the X-Ray section near the end of the mines only to find I needed the Plasma Beam to open the door and my heart sank at the thought of having to do this entire trip again. I think there's a pretty brutal lack of save points the first time you do the Mines, too. I very nearly died against the first Invisible Drone (it doesn't even look like it takes damage while you shoot it, wtf?) and I hadn't saved for nearly an hour before that. I'd have been furious if I'd have died, tbh.

I did like the Omega Pirate fight once I figured out what I was supposed to be doing. Died the first time as I did a poor job of managing of managing the enemies that he spawns, but the second time around I got a good strategy down and took him out fairly comfortably. It's a game where it's rewarding to get things right, and frustrating to get things wrong.

> Ridley
I'm not sure what to say, honestly - maybe I'm being unfair for hyping it up in my head beforehand? The fight was okay during the first phase while he flies about, then his wings get damaged and he moves on to the second phase. For some reason, it took me a while to get down the timing for dodging his charging attack. You have to dodge way before he starts moving, which seemed counter-intuitive to me. I was trying to dodge as he was flying towards me, but that breaks the lock-on, and you have to be locked on to dodge so I just kept getting hit. It confused me, but I got there in the end. It also took me a while to realise you can stun him just before he charges, but I don't know if the timing is strict because when I was spamming the shoot button I wouldn't stun him at all. I only found it started working when I tried to time my shots. Once you get the Plasma Beam, it kind of feels like its the solution to (almost) anything because of the raw damage it deals compared to the other beams. It is an "epic" fight though, and I like Ridley's design. I was only really familiar with him(?) in Smash Ultimate prior to playing MP.

> Doom
Yes, the jump is a good point. It's like when you use the Air Control rune so you can redirect your momentum freely in the air - it's very similar in Prime. The double jump boots feel pretty similar in both games as well.

> Prime 2
I will be playing it, but I think I'll take a break and play one or two other titles first. I might stick with the GC version as you gave it such a high recommendation.

As for what's next to play, I'm not sure. I've been binge watching videos on the absolutely dreadful GTA trilogy "remasters" (fuck Rockstar, by the way) and its made me want to go back and play the original versions, which I still have on Steam. I've also thought about playing through a Halo title in preparation for Infinite. I really hope it doesn't turn out to be a disappointment. I'm a little worried for it, if I'm being honest. So, it'll probably be a GTA or a Halo then. Apparently I'm reliving the early 2000s right now! Haha.

> ending
Yeah all Metroid's have endings tied to some form of completion. 2D Metroids link endings to completion speed, while the 3d entries focus on item-collection. General rule being that 75-% gives just helmeted Samus, 76+ gives Samus without her helmet/suit, while 100% gives a teaser for the next game.

> Ice Spreader
Same on my first run, where I 'gave up'. It's hard to look back on, but I never really beat any 'long' games as a kid. The only game I had beaten as a child was Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and Red Alert 1 (only the Sovjet campaign). So when I came to Metroid Prime (the boss) I just gave up. I once got to the final-final version and died there, realized I had to do the entire fight again and gave up haha. I just kept replaying the game until that point (no joke) and quit there. I was a weird one haha (fun fact, first long game I beat was Wind Waker).

Once you get missile-expansions though, and all the beam-combos, the final boss is a pretty cool fight of resource-management. The Plasmabeam doesn't really need the Flamethrower to deal with him, but the Wavebuster and Ice Spreader really help to nuke his health. The Ice-phase is the hardest for most, since without the beam-combo it's super hard to deal with it. I do like how when he's on low HP he sort of starts phasing between modes faster.

> got to Omega pirate without plasma beam
Oh man hahahah. That stings. I actually somehow (don't ask) climbed up to there without the spiderball early in the game (it's possible, though for all my youthly incompitence I'm amazed I did it), so the second I got powerbombs I raced back to the plasma-beam's location.

> omega fight
One of my favourites. Very threatening. The way he's introduced, smashing the glass while Samus stands there aiming at him while he just looms over her. Great OST too for that fight. And also pretty dififcult. On my recent replay on Hard he almost killed me.

> Ridley
I think you should leave the hype at the door haha. His other fights in other games are extremely basic compared to what was given here, he's generally just a dragon the hovers around while you shoot some missiles (oversimplified, but you get me). He has some funky weaknesses though in this one. If he does his charge you can actually manually aim at his mouth, as he opens it a split second before charging at you. If you land a strong-shot he'll stagger and open up. You can also BoostBall him when he lands, to skip the entire first phase of the fight which is pretty cool.

> Plasma beats the rest
It's a pretty powerful weapon for sure. In the regular GC release you could rapid-missile him, which is a technique that's absent in subsequent re-releases:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZSogp_dCNo

The other beams are more utility. Wave staggers nearly everything and homes, while Ice is an OHKO against most enemies with the missile afterwards. Plasma Beam is pretty late, so it's a "just mash to murder".

Ridley has some other little elements. IIRC his wings 'burn' sooner if you use plasma on him often, meaning you'll be in phase 2 longer. He also takes bonus damage from Ice.

Fun fact: while looking for notes to refresh my memory, I actually found an old post of mine on the Prime boards haha. Didn't even know I was on there at that age: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/960329-metroid-prime-trilogy/51596445
12 fucking years ago. Damn.

> save stations
The Mines is the one section that most experience dread, since there's a real solid hour there where you cannot save. The game sort of throws you a boon though, just before the Invisible Drone you're in a room with respawning puffers. You can just kill them for max refills. I actually did die there, but to the PowerBomb Puzzle haha.

Have to say it's always refreshing to talk about this game. Cool that you got to experience it!

> GTA or Halo
Have such fond memories of GTA3, fantastic title. Really curious about H:I as well.

As someone who doesn't really like open world games (I got bored midway through titles like GTA4+5, RDR, though that's more due to their too linearly scripted mission designs), is there anything about GTA 3, VC or SA that makes them better than later entries?

For reference, I love games with open (or wide linear) mission designs, like Prey, Dishonored, Deus Ex and even Far Cry 1, but I was never a fan of open world games (despite actually enjoying inFamous aside from its framerate issues).

I'd say Vice City and San Andreas are still worth it, since they have pretty good plots and a lot of fun side ventures to do. The RPG-lite system of San Andreas is especially interesting.

That said, don't expect high quality encounters or even combat systems.

GTA3 is more nostalgic than anything else for me, there wasn't really any game like it on the market when it released.

> open mission design
Then stay clear haha. GTA is more a sandbox to derp around in, but once you enter missions it is frightfully lineair.

Got rona so I’ve been playing a bunch of random stuff since now is kind of the perfect time:

Beat 12 Minutes. The game started out really interesting and I was extremely curious to advance the plot but after about 2 hours the game really fell off for me. I won’t get into plot spoilers, but failing over and over again for a brief shot to guess the next way to advance the game got really old. The game also doesn’t make much use of the very small number of puzzle items is even has. The entire game taking place in three rooms also really…surprised me.

Also finished Crysis 3. Not sure why I even bothered with it. The enemies and AI are somehow worse than 2. The arenas were all “here’s a giant open empty space where you have to cloak to have a chance of surviving”, which is made even worse when you realize how dumb cloak is- you can just cloak while enemies are shooting at you and they’ll completely lose sight of you. They added in some ammo types but when the games fundamentals are this bad, who cares. The bow is fine but making it not drain meter when you fire just makes an already easy game even easier.

I haven’t played a ton of it, but so far Into the Breach is fantastic. A super easy to understand turn based strategy game that has a ton of little details and nuance to take advantage of. Turns are quick, the maps are small so there’s not a ton to keep track of, it utilizes multi-enemy attacks and environmental stuff very well, and it heavily incentives doing extra challenges that are actually fun. What I find very interesting is that the game is all about protecting the buildings, so taking damage isn’t really a big deal as long as the unit doesn’t die, so it makes you think about encounters a little differently; you position your units and attacks based more around pre-emptive defense than anything. The different ways collisions are included is just awesome too.

Also been trying out Hyper Light Drifter. Judging by the topic on here it’s highly regarded but I don’t like it at all. I don’t normally complain about controls but the game feels like shit to me. The dash is awful and I hate how the attacks feel. It also commits the modern sin of locking damn near everything behind upgrades, forcing you to be a complete gimp for the first two hours. The color palette makes everything blend together in combat and the whole thing of “we’re not going to have any test whatsoever” is just pretentious, you could at least give a sentence or two to clear up things about upgrades and currency.

I’ve also been playing Halo Reach but I’ve played it before. Still awesome.

I had a very similar experience with 12-minutes. The ending is a bit random and not too interesting, at least not as interesting as the premise. I think titles like this should just avoid the 'explanation'. Just let us have fun escaping the situation. That said it was quite novel for me at least, I really liked the whole '3 rooms' part, and that basically everything that came to your mind actually worked.

> into the breach
Heard a lot of good about it! Good to hear you enjoy it!

> Crysis 3
A game from the 'bow-era' of video games.

> Hyperlight
Couldn't get into it myself either. Have you tried Hades?

>ending
Yeah, felt the same way. It seemed more like shock value than anything to me. But like you said, I enjoyed how fresh it felt at first and see a lot of potential in what it was going for. Watched a short video where the director was talking about development, and he was very clearly trying to make the game ape films, I think it explains some things.

>Into the Breach
Oh it’s great. Really a perfect “I’ll play for 30 minutes” kind of game, while also having quite a lot to it.

>Hades
I liked this one, combat felt a lot better with more going on mechanically and I liked the all the environmental stuff. Unfortunately I’m not a big rogue lite guy so I don’t play it that often.

Oh, I also beat Celeste. It was a fun little set of obstacle courses but I probably won’t go back to it.

> 12 min
Yeah the film-influence is really there, also in the casting (some pretty big names). I kinda wish the goal was just to 'beat the hitman', instead of what we got. That said, there's so much great moments that you find on your own it's really great in that sense.

When you realize that the light-switch stuns you if you use it twice, and that you can have the hitman use the lightswitch, and put 1 and 1 together - very cool. Also pretty neat secret, if you immediately go into the closet upon entry, your wife won't notice you got home. So you can watch her spill the beans to the hitman and get slaughtered, very brutal scene.

> Hades
Exactly the same for me. I liked a lot of its elements, but eventually dropped it due to the roguelite elements.

> celeste
Played that a bit through GamePass but dropped it after a few stages. IIRC the game has an insanely good reputation, but can't quite understand why tbh. It was just a decent platformer from what I saw.

Yeah, using the light switch on the hitman was probably my favorite part of the whole thing. The sleeping pills were fun to figure out, sneaking into the bathroom and filling up the cup. I felt that past these couple of things though, it was a lot of just trial and error and some stuff that…didn’t really make sense. It’s also interesting to note just how few things you actually do in the game, it really highlights how much of a playthrough is just failing a loop.

>dropped it due to roguelite elements
It’s ironic: these games are made with these elements to make them more replayable and keep them fresh each time you play them, but it does the opposite for me, it makes me uninterested quickly. I’d rather just have a modest set of really well crafted levels with difficulty levels.

>Celeste reputation
I don’t get it either. The massive hype for these super meat boy-esque platformers eludes me. There’s virtually no variance in how you can tackle levels with how rigid their hazards are, and they lack enemies you can actually fight. Compare it with something Mario, which almost always has multiple sets of platforms, power ups, things to interact with and collect, etc. Yeah, Mario and DK are easier, but they’re way more replayable and interesting to me.

I think it's hard to focus on the good when the ending is so shit, but you have to admit the intro is classic gaming goodness. Just brings a lot of creativity and fun-interactions to the player within the (illusion of) a sandbox with clear rules. Most playthroughs are you just trying shit haha.

> roguelike
I think it's the randomized nature. A thousand randomized levels will never match up to a single well crafted one.

> platformers
Have the same. Mario and DK just bring so much more to the table for me.

> topic title
Putting in the work with Kingdom Hearts myself. Hope to finish it before Halo launches. I think I'm almost done.

>Hyper light
There's still cool stuff you can do without the upgrades. That being said I'm a bit colder on it than before, mainly because the map design isn't great.

>roguelite elements
Same here, I doubt I would enjoy Hades all that much these days. Full roguelikes like Spelunky and classic ones like Nethack seem cool though.

>Into The Breach
This looks interesting, I should try it.

>topic
Super Metroid again, and an indie game called Unsighted.

Been playing a bunch of random Switch games I got for Christmas. Having fun with Bravely Default 2 so far, and I’ve been playing Mario party with the wife. Neo TWEWY is cool so far even if the battles feel very “mashy”. Also started FF14…not sure what I walked into.

I think I got kind of burned out on action games honestly. It’s all I’ve really played for the last like 3 or 4 years. Reading the criticisms of Nu GoW at release from Roy, SBK and others on GFAQS is kind of what made me explore the genre and it’s all I’ve done since then. I’ve found a ton of amazing games so I’m super grateful for that, but I think this year I’m going to try out different things.