12 Weeks, 12 Games, Year 2, Week 5

   To continue on from my last comment last week, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse came out in America on Friday, It's not out until the second half of the year here. What is going on, seriously?

   Back to Apotheon and where I left off 2 Gods in. There was 7 it turns out (including Zeus (the final boss)) and there was some nice variety in here too. Considering the game only really had 1 genre it mixed stuff up well, with areas involving platforming, Puzzles, Horse riding, racing, classic underwater levels, sea navigating (unrelated) and classic hack 'n slash. This also made for a nice variety of enemies too based on your situation, from normal Greek soldiers to Angels, Mermen, Centaurs and many other mythological enemies. Although basically there's 2 main ways they attack you though, throw things/ shoot arrows or hand to hand (including weapons) combats. Still, the art style makes it seem different when it's an angel shooting an arrow at you rather than a devil person (did I mention I like the art style? (albeit there is too much male nudity)).
   I was frequently running in to a Major problem.  My shield. I kept forgetting I had the bugger. I'm sure the game would've been easier if I actually blocked some arrows from time to time rather than going through health potions like nobody's business. I'd remember when an enemy had a shield, but they were always sworded enemies, yet the shield was super effective against arrows and other projectiles, but I'd always forget it when they showed up.

   Another problem is crashing. The game probably crashed half a dozen times on me. I got it free and it saved every 5 or so minutes so it wasn't a Major issue but it was an annoyance. The story was simple but fun and for once I wasn't able to predict the ending (no backstabbing). There are other issues like loose controls at times and as I mentioned last week the item swapping isn't great but there's plenty of good stuff too. Giant levels riddled with secrets to explore if you want to, if you don't, no sweat off your balls, you'll just find a few pick ups you come across wont do anything. The ability to throw any weapon was good too, and considering the simple level of the weapons they did well to make them feel as different as they did. Overall I was very impressed. If you've got a PS4 you've still got 4 days to pick it up for free, I suggest you do.

   And then I travelled back in time in every sense (except the literal). I dusted off my 360, and launched a game that originally came out in 2001 that I had bought a few years ago after it's re-release and forgotten all about. I'm talking of course about Sonic Adventure 2. Now, if you know me, you'll know I was a Sega kid and had a childhood obsession with Sonic and to this day I remain a Sonic apologist, unwilling to accept that, with the exception of Sonic Generations (a game I'll defend to my grave) there hasn't been a good core Sonic game arguably since the Megadrive (I liked Sonic Heroes though). I know many many people liked Adventure 1 and 2 when they first came out on Dreamcast, but I never had one, I'd been burned by the Saturn and had moved on to Playstation by that point in time. I played the first Sonic Adventure probably 2 or 3 years ago after Generations had given me the motivation I needed (and coincided with a games sale on 360) but that game was not great. It had not aged well, just like every early 3D mascot platformer. (there were so many at the time and people defend them like crazy if they loved them as a kid, but trust me, as someone who didn't play Mario 64 until it was on DS, it's not true (this is still despite the fact I hold Crash Bandicoot  3: \warped in the highest esteem))). So why did I think SA2 would be any better? I didn't really, I just felt it's a gap in my Sonic knowledge that my early gaming life was built around that needed filling in. What's the deal with Shadow after all, who's idea was that?

   First things first, it suffers from the same problem that nearly every 3rd person game did at the time, the camera controls are terrible. This plagued games for years, even good ones like GTA 3, but it hurts the most in platformers when you need that split second reaction to prevent yet another death and trudge back through the same section. To the game now, there's a 2 sided story, the 'hero' side with Sonic, Knuckles and Tails (plus tag-along always pointless character Amy) and the dark Side involving Darth Robotnick (now known in game as Eggman, but that will never be true to me), Shadow and Rouge (the bat). A bold choice perhaps to introduce 2 new characters to play as in a well known series, especially when the story is focused around Shadow and who/ what he is, whereas Rouge is just there and is not Knuckles. That brings me to the point that here are 3 types of levels (plus bosses) with  character equivalent on each team. Sonic and Shadow the traditional fare obviously (the best levels btw), Robotnick and Tails drive walking tank things (why Tails needs that I'll never know, the dude can fly) where you just go around shooting everything (these levels are really easy) and the Knuckles/ Rouge ones where you hunt for treasure.
   Now, Knuckles has always been a favourite of mine to play as, you can glide, climb walls, punch stuff, what more could you want? Frankly I don't know why the has become a treasure hunter (with the weirdest voice) and I wouldn't care but the levels are strange. Sure, people loved explorer platformers at the time (just ask Rare) but this was done oddly. You'd have an area to search, some pieces of the Master emerald or keys to find and a beeper that told you when you were getting close. There were monitors around to give you hints where the item were, but these severely lowered your score and cut your grade down at the end of the level (fortunately I didn't care bout that or I'd have been there looking for my entire life). In a somewhat genius move they also made them change positions every time you died or restarted the level so I couldn't even consult a guide to help (bastards). Now, flying around these levels and punching stuff as Knuckles (and clone character Rouge (though she's more of a kicker) was fun, but after you've been looking in every nook and cranny for 10 minutes and still no beep my controller was yet again in danger.
   I also don't know why Sonic Adventure 1 moved the setting to Earth (which continues in here in 2), buy talking furry multicoloured animals are fine (apparently). Speaking of acceptance of such things, towards the end of the 'dark' side of the game Shadow remarked on Sonic's possible death 'I guess he was just a regular hedgehog afterall'. Obviously they're all blue, super fast and talk normally. If you're going to set these games on Earth, get it to make sense, just have kids point and stare at the hreaks or something. I would be remised if I didn't mention that some of the music was hilarious, with lyrics set to what was going on in the level and musical styles popular at the time. Early Knuckles levels in particular were great (just Google 'knuckes sonic adventure 2 music' and thank me later (or not)).

   Anyway, I've got the Order: 1886 here not going to pay itself as well as having started watching Sherlock (great stuff, but talk about long episode lengths (this is for another time)) so I'm off (to proof read).

Completed

Transistor
Worms Battlegrounds
Saints Row 4: Gat out of Hell
Wolfenstein the new order
The Swapper
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
Apotheon
Sonic Adventure 2

12 Weeks, 12 Games, Year 2, Week 4

   To follow up on the question I posed at the end last week, after finishing D4 I still don't know if the game was made by a mad genius or a 5 year old. Honestly, all signs point to it being bad, but it sort of wasn't, was it? I'll try and explain; You were a cop, your wife died and now you've gone rogue (well, P.I (G)) to try to solve her murder and your ex cop partner still gives you a hand. You can travel back in time using 'mementos' (which are things specific for a time and place so that you can travel to that time and place) but you don't have one for the time when the old lady popped her clogs so you're trying to prevent it from happening another way by preventing whoever may have done it from getting to that point in the first place (not that you know who it is, except 'look for D'). Of course you don't know whether this drug smuggler on an air plane deal has anything to do with it, just that it involves the same drug as was involved in her death and there's a suspiciously large amount of people on the flight who's name begins with a 'D'.
   I don't want to ruin the story as the insanity of it and the characters is what makes the game so engrossing because you really don't know what could be going on. Needless to say the ending is nuts but also leaves you on a cliffhanger for a potential season 2 (this game is a season of episodes, like the Telltale games series' with the exception that there's only 3 episodes and you can only get them as a whole package, not in individual bits). It does have a long list of problems though, like how much stamina you lose from opening an overhead department, his annoying 'Bowston' accent (kept me thinking of 30 Rock), the fact that the guy you're playing as is so inherently unlikeable and the extremely slow talking giant surgeon guy, talk faster FFS, I don't have all day!

   As I said, I don't know where I stand on this game, is it good or bad? I really do not know. I can't strictly recommend it because I'm still not sure what I'm recommending, I'll just describe it as 'interesting' and move on.

   To Apotheon. Another freebie (thanks Ps Plus) and also the first game I've played that's actually come out this year (Early front runner for GOTY (based on that it's the only I've tried so far (except for Gat out of Hell but that's more of a stand alone piece of DLC (I'm still counting it on this list though (shut up)))). It's an old style action platformer done in the 'Metroid-vania' style (as people like to call it when yo can do things in whatever order you like). It's based in ancient Greek times where the gods turn against you and you have to take down Zeus and his under-Gods and stop them from ending the world just because they had a falling out. I'm only a couple of hours in so far and 2 Gods in to however many there is to kill but it's promising. Fun so far though I fear it my get repetitive, time will tell. I do know that the item switching could be done easier as it can take too long when you're surrounded and the voices are hilariously bad. I hope this was intentional because they sound neither Greek nor Godly but just average Joe-like.

   Just before I wrap this up (before I have to spend ages correcting all my grammar anyway) I want to point out that 'Dying Light' was released about a month ago in the US, and it's not out here until next week still? I only just found this out as I was gonna pick it up on my week off and catch up, but I suppose I'll be keeping with time, this just seems like an insane delay to me especially as there was essentially nothing out in January but now there's a fair few things coming out.

Completed

Transistor
Worms Battlegrounds
Saints Row 4: Gat out of Hell
Wolfenstein the new order
The Swapper
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die

Underway

Apotheon

12 Weeks, 12 Games, Year 2, Week 3

Thank God I finished Wolfenstein, and it was no easy feat in the end either. The last few missions were such a drag and made overly difficult by the same thing I was moaning about last week, wave after wave of enemies. Not to mention that the final boss was a giant pain as it seemed to take all the ammo in the world to beat him, but there was no health bar so how were you supposed to know if you were getting anywhere near defeating him, especially when the room you're fighting him in is full of fire. I honestly thought I wouldn't get past it and I'd just lie here and said that I had but fortunately (top tip coming) it turns out if you hide underneath the metal gantry on the right hand side you can shoot him but he can't shoot you (mostly (just remember to let your health regen)). At least the penultimate boss, The London Monitor, was easy, you just had to shoot him up with robotic arse.

   Still, it seems like I managed to make the game a whole lot more difficult for myself by missing the most important weapon upgrade in the game, the scope attachment for the LKW (battery powered laser gun) which basically lets you wipe out big robotic enemies in 1 shot, as opposed to all the ammo that I had as I was having to do. Seriously, find 1 New Order YouTube clip (this game, not something involving a John Barnes rap) that doesn't have the filmer using that none stop. Then, think of me wondering how on Earth to get through a section, and finding every piece of help online being done with a weapon upgrade I never got. FFS.

   Still, onwards and (thankfully) upwards as I carry on going through games I've picked up for free thanks to Games with Gold/ PS Plus and this time on to 'The Swapper'. It's a 2D puzzle platfromer with an interesting premise. Someone has inventing a cloning/ mind swapping gun meanwhile someone else has bought some sentient rocks aboard the space station you're on (the game takes place on a space station btw), the rocks kill a bunch of people by releasing rock gas or something and people switch their minds with the rocks and medical samples and stuff to stay alive (actually, the story is pretty good but it's better to find out that for yourself). Anyway, you're the rescue party and you come on board some unspecified amount of time later to save the crew. Unfortunately it turns out there's only 1 left alive (plus loads of rocks) and you have to restore the station to power to save that 1 person. This involves solving puzzles to get orbs to unlock gates and move on.
   Obviously this involves the clone/ mind swapper gun as well as old puzzle tropes like pressure switches, gravity swaps, areas where you can't use some abilities and etc. but it's done really well. This really is a terrific game and a great example of what a 2d puzzle platfromer should be like. The puzzles are hard in places, but not impossible, so there's enough of a challenge to make you think, but when you get it you feel like a genius. Of course that's so long as you don't a) break something first (I didn't (seriously)) or b)find an online guide, which I'm elated to say I didn't! This is probably the first puzzle game since Braid (released 7 years ago) where I've done it all by myself and it really bought me a sense of accomplishment. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face at 2am last night!

   There's a terrific atmosphere too added to by the music and look of the station that makes you feel so alone. There's even a choice of ending. Needless to say I picked the arsehole one.
   My only problem is that this station makes no sense. There's lifts, and transport beams, pick one ya'  know. There are sections you couldn't possibly get to without 'The Swapper' (that's the name of the gun), but that wasn't invented until after they'd already departed on their quest. there are lots of other bits too, but needless to say if I worked on this station I'd be writing a letter of complaint to the designer. Also, whoever wrote the dialogue was obviously a fan of Metroid.
   Sill, the main thing to take away is that it's great. Play it!

   Carrying on with the free games view it was on to D4: Dark dreams don't die. Now, I never played Deadly Premonition (known by many as the best bad game ever (made by this studio (hence the point)) so I had no idea what I was walking in to, and after getting about an hour in I can just say, wtf is this? This game is weird. Why is there a woman that thinks she's a cat but everyone is fine with it? Why do you push an owl of a perch? Why is there a TV credits style opening? Why does gum improve your stamina but coffee doesn't? why is not only having ghostly visions of you're wife enough but you have to have them of your cat to, and what happened to said cat, and why did it have a big bow, and why does this woman that seems to think she is a cat also have a bow, are these 2 things related or just some regular weird thing this studio does? I guess I'll have the answers to some, maybe, of these questions next week, if I carry on with it, which is hard to say, I can't tell yet if it's the work of a mad genius or that of a 5 year old.

Completed

Transistor
Worms Battlegrounds
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell
Wolfenstein: The New order
The Swapper

Underway

D4: Dark dreams don't die

12 Weeks, 12 Games, Year 2, Week 2!

   That was very hopeful. I in fact have not finished, though I'm not far off. The question is how do I feel now I'm further along than after my tirade last week? Only slightly better unfortunately, most of what I said last week still stands true although I would like to add some more to it now so it's not just a bombardment of hate and more of a share of information (Albeit biased).
   The plot is still quite good. It's an alternate history of what the 1960's resistance would be like had the Nazi's won the war (and had robot dog armies too). It very much takes place in the Half Life 2 style where you're on a constant journey to get stuff done although I'd still much rather compare it to Metro: Last Light because that's much more the level it's at. The stealth can be a massive pain, once you've been spotted for a millisecond, that's it, enemies swarm you, even if you killed the guy that spotted you after said millisecond. What kind of complicated message can he get off explaining the situation he's in during that time frame?
   There are some weird choices of pacing when you're in your base. For a few missions in the middle of the game, you get a base where all the resistance meets, and between each mission you go there and have to fetch a bunch of stuff from around the base, accidentally falling through a shaft and having to make your way back up through the sewers of whatever to complete handing someone a file or something that was in the room 2 doors down from them but still took you half an hour to get to them because clearly someone thought the game wasn't long enough and wanted to make it longer by adding these stupid sections in. The only good thing to be said is that in the safe house you can have a 'nightmare' where you play the first level from Wolfenstein 3D, but even then when you finish it you unlock nothing. No armour upgrade, no perk, no achievement, no nothing!

   Still, think positive yeah? The levelling up system is done well. Each one is some kind of challenge like 'get 20 stealth kills from thrown knives' or 'get 3 kills while sprint sliding' and other such things. These improve the power of your weapons, health, speed etc. (like all game perks) and are nicely tied in to the achievements/trophies (If you're in to that kind of thing). Another touch I like is taking armour from fallen robotic enemies, I like to think that you're just sellotaping these random chunks of fallen armour on for dear life. It's a nice touch.
   Unfortunately this is a bad news sandwich (the reverse of a good news sandwich where you say something bad in between good things to hide it (this is the opposite)). At the end of every few missions there's some kind of gigantic enemy stand off, with no checkpoints, limited ammo and enemies appearing from everywhere. It takes me 4 or 5 attempts just to figure out how I'm supposed to get through it, let alone actually be able to do so. I'm not sure if those sections are in there to make it seem like the game is harder than it is (as it's easy aside from those) or again to make it take longer, but all I know is there' been several times my controller has nearly been in pieces.

   Here's to getting this finished in the next couple of days and playing something that wont piss me off.

Completed

Transistor
Worms Battlegrounds
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell

Underway

Wolfenstein: The new order